Could We Be in Store for a Manning Brothers Super Bowl in 2014?

There’s been so much hype already about the Harbaugh brothers facing each other in the Super Bowl that it has clouded another famous sibling rivalry: the Manning brothers.

Though their respective teams will not be playing in the big game this season, imagine if the brothers meet in the 2014 Super Bowl.

The Giants and Broncos will be playing in the 2013 regular season, since Big Blue will be playing the AFC West this season.

Peyton Manning has emerged victorious in both previous matchups with little brother Eli. But how would the two fare on the national stage of the Super Bowl?

Peyton is 1-for-2 in capturing a ring, while Eli went to the Super Bowl twice and won both times.

Based on how this season ended for each team, an all-Manning brothers’ Super Bowl could be in the cards.

Let’s start with the Giants. A year after winning the big game, the Giants failed to even make the playoffs after a late-season collapse sealed their fate.

Big Blue may not significantly retool its roster, but if the team gets hot and stays hot, it’s as good as any team in the NFL. And we know what happens when the Giants reach the playoffs. No matter the opponent, Eli finds a way to win, especially on the road.

Now on to the Broncos, who finished as the No. 1 seed in the AFC but was upset by the eventual AFC champion Ravens.

Peyton showed he was fully recovered after missing all of 2011 with a neck injury. He’s a candidate for MVP, but knowing him, he would much rather be playing for a Super Bowl.

If the Broncos field a similar team, they also have a very good chance of making it the Super Bowl.

Unlike the other sports that feature seven-game playoff series, the football postseason pits one team against another in a do-or-die situation. It’s much more common for an underdog to pull off an upset in football than any of the other sports.

On paper, the Giants and Broncos could hypothetically meet in the 2014 Super Bowl, played in Eli’s home stadium of course. But it definitely will not be easy.

If it’s any consolation, both teams have the fact that there has not been a repeat AFC or NFC champion in the Super Bowl since the 2004-2005 Patriots, who won both games.

Still, even if that trend were to continue, the Giants and Broncos would still have to fend off 14 teams in their respective conferences in order to arrive together at the Super Bowl.

Improbable? Yes. But an all-Manning brothers’ Super Bowl is a possibility every year these two quarterbacks lead a team.

If you think this year’s Super Bowl is being hyped for sibling rivalry, just imagine the publicity the Manning family would face. There probably would have to be a second media day just for the quarterbacks and family to answer questions.

Follow Jim Mancari on Twitter @JMMancari.