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The goal of every NFC contender is not to win the NFC; it's to win the Super Bowl. And despite Sunday night's Ravens upset, that probably means beating the Patriots. And it takes more than just a great record, an MVP quarterback or clever coaching to beat the Patriots in January or February.

That's why Gridiron Digest has created the Anti-Patriots Index to determine which of the NFC contenders is best designed to win Super Bowl LIV.

The Anti-Patriots Index ranks each NFC team along a five-point scale in four criteria critical for taking down the NFL's most annoyingly persistent dynasty:

Big-game quarterback: Sure, Nick Foles helped the Eagles beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Good luck betting on that kind of lightning striking twice.

Offensive depth: The Patriots defense can take away what you are best at, and probably what you are second-best at, too. A true challenger must be able to compete on offense in multiple ways.

Four-man pass rush: As the Giants taught us in 2007 and 2011, you have a chance if you can pressure Tom Brady without blitzing him.

Mistake-free factor: Commit penalties, miss field goals and give away turnovers against the Patriots in a big game, and they will liquefy your soul and drink your hopes and dreams.

The four scores are then combined using an advanced mathematical formula (multiplication) to create the Anti-Patriots Index.

Let's start by seeing how the NFC's top three contenders stand up. Then we'll get to the rest of the field in the following segment.

Green Bay Packers (7-2)

Week 9 result

The Packers suffered a shocking and ugly 26-11 upset at the hands of the Chargers. Aaron Rodgers played one of the worst games of his career, while the defense allowed 442 yards of offense.

Big-game quarterback: 5

Aaron Rodgers has started 16 career playoff games. In the equivalent of a full season against top competition in winner-take-all games, he has thrown for 4,458 yards and 36 touchdowns with just 10 interceptions. Sounds like a big-game quarterback to us.

Offensive depth: 1.5

If the Patriots neutralize Davante Adams and Aaron Jones, it will leave Rodgers running around in circles, scowling and hoping Jimmy Graham will come through for him in a critical moment. (Narrator: Graham will not come through for him in a critical moment.)

Four-man pass rush: 3.5

It's technically a multiple front, but whatever: Mike Pettine slides Preston Smith and Za'Darius Smith from left to right to cause confusion while Kenny Clark rushes up the gut and situational players like Kyle Fackrell cause 3rd-and-long headaches. It's effective, but Brady has a century-long history of picking over-engineered pass rushes apart.

Mistake-free factor: 4

Rodgers has thrown four interceptions in the last two years, and the Packers' penalty rate is lower than the league average.

Anti-Patriots Rating: 105

Rodgers has skills that cannot be defended on a whiteboard, and before getting stunned by the Chargers, the Packers were improving steadily since looking very ordinary early in the season. Don't overreact to Sunday's results; the Packers represent the toughest matchup for the Patriots if they can survive the NFC gauntlet.

San Francisco 49ers (8-0)

Week 9 result

The 49ers survived a mild scare in a 28-25 win over Arizona with the help of four Jimmy Garoppolo touchdowns and a typical clamp-down performance (until late in the game) by their defense.

Big-game quarterback: 1.5

Garoppolo is playing well but remains inexperienced and untested. There's also a chance the Patriots installed some Winter Solider sleeper-agent programming during the three years he played for them: "Longing. Rusted. Furnace (NOOOOO!). Benign. Homecoming (DON'T MAKE ME DO THIS!). Freight Car (I SHALL NOW THROW DIRECTLY TO DEVIN MCCOURTY AS INSTRUCTED)."

Offensive depth: 4

Since San Francisco employs a four-headed backfield, a receiver committee and a scheme that uses George Kittle a dozen different ways, the Patriots defense won't be able to just take one or two guys away.

Four-man pass rush: 5

The 49ers' six-man defensive line rotation, which is loaded with former first-round picks, has the talent and depth to do some of the things the 2007 Giants did to the Patriots.

Mistake-free factor: 3

The 49ers entered Week 9 as the least-penalized team in the NFL (39) but had coughed up 12 turnovers, and early penalties led to a Cardinals score on Thursday. Robbie Gould is just 2-of-7 beyond 40 yards.

Anti-Patriots Rating: 90

A Patriots-49ers Super Bowl would likely look a lot like last year's Patriots-Rams Super Bowl: Both defenses shine, the hot young quarterback gets stymied by Bill Belichick's scheme, and the Patriots ride an edge in experience/special teams/precision to victory.

New Orleans Saints (7-1)

Week 9 result

Bye.

Big-game quarterback: 4.5

Brees has thrown for 4,759 yards and 33 touchdowns in 15 career playoff games. But there was that overtime interception in the NFC Championship Game last year no one talks about. Of course, that game would have been over if not for a ridiculous call that went against the Saints. And gosh, what are the chances the Patriots would benefit from a strange call in the Super Bowl?

Offensive depth: 1.5

Neutralize Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara and you have nerfed the Saints offense. That's hard to do, of course. But the Patriots defense could do it.

Four-man pass rush: 3

Cameron Jordan and Marcus Davenport provide most of the Saints' pass pressure off the edge. Close your eyes and you can picture Brady stepping up in the pocket to avoid them and dropping a 20-yard touch pass to Rob Gronkowski. Yes, we're assuming Gronk will be back for the Super Bowl in this scenario. Gotta bring your A game, NFC contenders.

Mistake-free factor: 4

The Saints take care of the ball and have committed just nine penalties in their last three games after being flagged 38 times in their first four games. Special teams mistakes and missed field goals may be a concern, however.

Anti-Patriots Rating: 81

Brees's Saints and Brady's Patriots have squared off just three times in human history (the Patriots are 2-1). The world deserves a Brady-Brees Super Bowl, but it would take step-up performances by Kamara, Thomas, the offensive line, the secondary, Sean Payton and others for the Saints to beat this year's Patriots. Then again, the Saints got plenty of step-up performances just like that in the first half of the season.