The Baltimore Ravens miss a field goal; the San Francisco 49ers lose a fumble and just like that the potential "Har-Bowl" is replaced by a familiar contest that shocked the football world some 4 years ago.
The 2012 Super Bowl rematch between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots may not necessarily be the same contest as it was in 2008, but it does have a sort of looking-glass effect to it.
The last walk around the Maypole, the Giants were double digit underdogs against an undefeated Patriots squad that was seemingly unstoppable, and they were led by a hard luck "kid" who just couldn't turn the corner from being the "other brother" to elite quarterback.
Well as we all remember, that fateful day in February 2008 the "kid" grew up and defeated those "perfect" Patriots in route to his first Super Bowl ring.
A true David and Goliath story.
So how could this pending sequel get any better? I mean, really? Manning wins his first Super Bowl and the underdog Giants slam the door shut in the closing moments on the undefeated Patriots, leaving a near perfect season in utter ruination....how could it get any better than that?
How about revenge?
The nature of the New England Patriots will surely play down the notion of a revenge filled contest between the two clubs, but c'mon, we all know what kind of sour taste Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have had in their mouth for the past four years.
And to add insult to injury—since Super Bowl XLII—Tom Brady has lost his last two post-season berths and even suffered a week 9 loss to these New York Giants during the regular season.
How about that for a sequel script-build.
Interestingly enough though, the storyline seems to be completely reversed, as if we're living in some crazy bizarro world—as if we're looking through the looking-glass Alice!
Tom Brady is the quarterback who has seemingly hit a post-season wall, not Eli Manning.
The New England Patriots could wind up being the underdogs, not the New York Giants (Vegas has two weeks to figure this one out, so we have to wait and see) and with the exception of the Denver Broncos contest, the Patriots had to fight tooth and nail just to get to the Super Bowl whereas the Giants are playing at an extremely high level.
My, how four years can change a single event.
Will we see a reversal of fortunes? Will the Patriots slay an actual Giant, or will New York continue to steamroll their way towards another Super Bowl victory?
Is this the contest where Brady—ironically enough—turns the corner and grabs his fourth Super Bowl ring or will Eli surpass big brother Peyton and snag his second Super Bowl ring?
To some degree there's a looking-glass effect for all parties involved, but to a higher degree, it's that effect that could wind up making this Super Bowl a monumental entry in the annuals of Super Bowl lore.
