American Football: Domination

How did the 2017 playoff season end up here?

The four quarterbacks leading the four remaining teams had zero combined conference championship experience—each of them was stepping onto this stage for the first time.

It wasn't just the quarterbacks. The defensive lineups also lacked superstar talents like J.J. Watt, Aaron Donald, Khalil Mack, or Von Miller, pushing the season's chaos and intensity to new heights.

No star power. No major storylines. No hot topics.

Goodell: This is so tough for me.

At least in the NFC Championship, it was a battle between the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds—an expected showdown based on regular season records. But in the AFC? One upset after another, culminating in a historic scenario:

For the first time since 2002, there was no Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, or Ben Roethlisberger in the AFC Championship.

A new era was unfolding.

However, the string of upsets came at a cost—the entertainment value dropped off a cliff.

Super Bowl favorite?

Honestly, none of them.

For die-hard fans, this was exciting because the old power structures were finally breaking. A new face would be lifting the Lombardi Trophy. But for casual viewers who didn't follow football closely, it was a problem. No familiar names, no superstar appeal—no ratings.

That's where Lance came in.

A breakout sensation all season long, constantly making headlines, and bringing fresh energy to the league—there was no way the NFL would let this moment pass by.

Goodell's long-term vision was paying off once again.

But while off-field narratives were one thing, professional analysis was another.

So, which two teams would emerge as conference champions and meet in the Super Bowl?

Everyone was at a loss.

But there was no turning back now—they had to push forward.

ESPN's Inside the League kicked off another heated debate.

Surprisingly, in the NFC, the Minnesota Vikings were the favorites.

Even though the Philadelphia Eagles held the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage, analysts largely believed the Vikings were the more complete team.

On offense, Eagles quarterback Nick Foles was solid but unspectacular—he didn't make big plays, but he also didn't make costly mistakes. He was simply doing his job. But Vikings quarterback Case Keenum had proven he was more than just a stopgap—

In the Divisional Round, Keenum threw for 318 yards and delivered a game-winning 61-yard touchdown pass as time expired, proving he had the clutch gene. His impressive regular season numbers weren't just luck.

If it weren't for Lance's unbelievable catch and Smith's Hail Mary leaving jaws on the floor, Keenum's performance would have been the biggest story of the week.

After the game, Keenum admitted he shared the same "hunger" as Lance.

On defense, the Eagles relied on a last-minute stand to stifle Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons in the Divisional Round, barely surviving a brutal battle.

But the Vikings were on another level. They had the league's No. 1 defense, allowing only 275.95 yards per game. Even without a singular superstar, their collective strength made them the best defensive unit of the season.

All signs pointed to the Vikings being ready to conquer the NFC.

But what about the AFC?

Bart was torn.

Emotionally, he felt he should pick the Kansas City Chiefs.

He really, really didn't want to be proven wrong again. Who would've thought the Chiefs, like a cat with nine lives, would keep surviving? They had scraped by in both the Wild Card and Divisional rounds—any sense of pride or dignity had long since been shattered.

At this point, blindly backing the Chiefs felt like the safest bet.

Logically, though, he believed the Jacksonville Jaguars were the better team.

And this time, there was no bias—he swore.

Overall, the Chiefs were still too young. They had weaknesses on both offense and defense. Yes, they had the league's best rushing attack, but Alex Smith wasn't built for clutch moments. Their receiving corps relied almost entirely on Tyreek Hill, which wasn't enough—

Otherwise, why would the Chiefs have needed Lance to step in as a wide receiver for that Hail Mary?

Barely surviving back-to-back nail-biters in the playoffs was proof enough: the Chiefs weren't a dominant force. They had made it this far on pure grit and a bit of luck, but they were running on fumes.

In contrast, the Jaguars had fully transformed.

On paper, they were the most complete team left in the playoffs—

The Vikings had the No. 1 defense in the league, but the Jaguars had the No. 2 defense.

And unlike the Vikings, who were better at stopping the pass than the run, the Jaguars had no defensive weaknesses. They ranked No. 1 against the pass and No. 2 against the run, making them the most balanced team remaining.

Offensively, they had a clear identity.

Even though quarterback Blake Bortles was mediocre, the Jaguars leaned entirely on their ground game.

The Chiefs had the No. 1 rushing attack in the league—but the Jaguars ranked No. 2.

Simply put, Jacksonville's "run game + defense" formula was built for playoff success.

Before the postseason started, not many people believed in the Jaguars. They lacked star power, had a rookie head coach, and had no playoff experience.

No elite quarterback. No postseason pedigree. The concern was whether they had the firepower to mount a comeback if they fell behind.

But after knocking out the Pittsburgh Steelers, all doubts were fading. With all the veteran champions and elite quarterbacks eliminated, the Jaguars suddenly emerged as the Super Bowl favorite.

Among the remaining teams, they were the best of the bunch.

And so—

This AFC Championship would be the Chiefs' third straight brutal test. Once again, they were the underdogs.

On one hand, this was a battle between the top two rushing attacks in the league.

On the other hand, the Jaguars had the No. 2 rush defense, while the Chiefs ranked just 20th.

A direct clash turned into a mismatch, making the outcome far less uncertain.

Unlike in the NFC, where predictions were split, most analysts leaned toward Jacksonville, the higher-seeded No. 3 team in the AFC.

So, what was Bart supposed to do—

Was this what Reason and Emotion was all about?

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Powerstones?

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