SmashMouth

4. NFC's super trail: Based on recent NFL seasons, there's a strong possibility that Atlanta, Carolina, New Orleans or Tampa Bay will represent the NFC in the next Super Bowl. In each of the past seven seasons, including this one, an NFC team from the division that played its non-division games against the AFC East during the regular season wound up in the Super Bowl. The 49ers played the AFC East this season, but they just continued a trend that started back in 2006, when the Bears played their non-division games against the AFC East and advanced to the Super Bowl. In 2007, the Giants did it; in 2008, the Cardinals did it; in 2009, the Saints did it; in 2010, the Packers did it; last season, the Giants did it again. And this season, San Francisco made it seven straight. Next season, the NFC South is scheduled to square off against the AFC East in the regular season, which assures that a South team has a real chance of winding up in Super Bowl XLVIII.

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