NFL should enjoy year of random runs
The NFL loves to talk about its parity, but the truth is, there isn’t always a ton of it. If you have a really good quarterback, you beat all the odds more often than not. Just ask the New England Patriots, who are in the AFC Championship Game for the seventh consecutive year.
New England might be an extreme example, but the points remains a valid one. Since 2003, only Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger and Peyton Manning have represented the AFC in the Super Bowl. Save for 2012 when Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens broke through to win Super Bowl XLVII. In that time, at least one of Roethlisberger, Brady and Manning have been in the AFC title game each year.
In the NFC, there has been legitimate parity, but even so, the main contenders are usually the same suspects. Over the last decade, the New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks have been the stars of the show, almost always rotating the title of favorite.
This season, everything we normally know about the NFL is flipping upside down. Going into Championship Weekend, the Packers and Seahawks have been off for two weeks, failing to make the playoffs. The Falcons and Saints were both sent packing on Saturday and Sunday respectively, with the latter being in historic fashion.
What is left remains both incredible and unpredicted at the start of the year. The Philadelphia Eagles will be hosting the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon, with two backups quarterbacks getting the start. Nick Foles has been Philadelphia’s man since watching Carson Wentz tear his ACL in December, while Minnesota is being led by Case Keenum, previously a journeyman who suddenly finds himself in a starring role.
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Over in the AFC, the Patriots are there — because of course they are — but they aren’t being met with the Pittsburgh Steelers as everyone believed would be the case. Instead, it’s the Jacksonville Jaguars, making their first appearance in the AFC Championship Game since 1999. Jacksonville is a throwback to a bygone era, relying on a tremendous defense and potent ground attack to overcome its weakness at quarterback.
Maybe it all ends the same way we believed it would before the opening kickoff. Maybe the Patriots end up hoisting another Lombardi Trophy, giving the franchises its sixth title since 2001. Perhaps Brady and head coach Bill Belichick continue adding to their trophy case, something that is met with yawns everywhere but New England.
Or maybe, this year is different. Perhaps it is a fanbase that has never won, finally getting to claim a Super Bowl for itself. Wouldn’t that be a refreshing change of pace in a league long on the talk of parity, but short on returns.
