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Super Bowl 50: Ranking the potential matchups

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The Panthers and quarterback Cam Newton will host the NFC championship game Sunday.Jim O’Connor/USA Today Sports

The Panthers and quarterback Cam Newton will host the NFC championship game Sunday.

As soon as Thomas Davis came down with Steven Hauschka’s onside kick attempt to secure the Panthers’ victory over the Seahawks on Sunday, it was clear there would be plenty of intrigue in Super Bowl 50.

Nothing against the Seahawks, but no one outside of the “12s” really wanted to see to them in February again. It’s time for something new out of the NFC, and we’re going to get it from either the Panthers or Cardinals. The Patriots could make a return trip to the Super Bowl, but no matter how the conference championship games shake out, it should be an outstanding matchup in Santa Clara. Still, some are better than others. So let’s rank the four potential Super Bowl matchups in order of intrigue:

1. PANTHERS VS. BRONCOS
From a neutral perspective, this is the ideal scenario. It would feature future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning getting (presumably) his final shot at a title in what could be the last game of his career, with his potential successor, Brock Osweiler, watching from the sideline. Meanwhile Manning would be facing off against Cam Newton, a much younger former first overall selection trying to prove — against one of the greats — that he can lead his team to a championship. And with Josh Norman getting in front of a microphone on media day, there would be plenty to talk about before the game started.

Norman — the breakout NFL defensive star — would have a juicy matchup against either Demaryius Thomas or Emmanuel Sanders. Meanwhile, a corner on the other side, Chris Harris, might be just as good as Norman while flying under the radar. The buildup for this one would be great, and the game itself could be tremendous.

2. PANTHERS VS. PATRIOTS
A rematch of Super Bowl XXXVIII, which New England won, 32-29. This time, the interest would center on the contrasting attitudes of the two teams. On one hand there’s buttoned-up New England, with its supposedly always-focused team, quarterback and coach. And on the other is the loose and happy and fiery Panthers, with Newton at the helm. Again, the coaching battle could be interesting too, with Carolina’s Ron Rivera willing to roll the dice a lot more than other coaches.

Can Peyton Manning lead the Broncos back to the Super Bowl?Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Can Peyton Manning lead the Broncos back to the Super Bowl?

3. CARDINALS VS. PATRIOTS
This matchup would pit two aggressive head coaches — Bruce Arians and Bill Belichick — against each other. All four teams in the conference championship games finished in the top 10 in defense, but this might be the matchup that produces the most points, simply because each of these offenses can be spectacular. Malcolm Butler, the Super Bowl hero from a season ago, and the Patriots secondary would have their hands full against Cardinals receivers Michael Floyd, John Brown and Larry Fitzgerald.

Meanwhile, Fitzgerald would get another chance at a ring after coming so close to a title seven years ago.

4. CARDINALS VS. BRONCOS
The bottom-ranked matchup isn’t bad at all. It would feature two older quarterbacks looking for glory at the end of their careers. This would be Carson Palmer’s first Super Bowl in his 12 years in the league, while Manning would try to match the two Super Bowl rings his brother Eli owns. This game would boast a pair of great defenses, an electric offense and a great but aging Hall of Famer — but it just doesn’t quite have the pizazz of some of the other combinations.

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