Dominate the Super Bowl-Chapter 331 Dust Settles

The regular season, all wrapped up—

Some seized fate by the throat, with the Buffalo Bills defeating the Miami Dolphins at the last moment to advance to the playoffs.

Others suffered a heavy blow, the Baltimore Ravens lost to the Cincinnati Bengals and missed the playoffs.

In the AFC, the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, and Los Angeles Chargers all finished with nine wins and seven losses, but according to the rules, the Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans claimed the wild card spots, leaving the Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers regretfully out of the playoffs.

The Baltimore Ravens were stopped by their divisional rivals, the Cincinnati Bengals, and the Los Angeles Chargers were similarly dealt a blow by their divisional nemesis, the Kansas City Chiefs, two weeks prior. A season's worth of effort thus led to vastly different outcomes.

John Harbaugh felt somewhat powerless—

Just short, just by that little bit.

Watching the Cincinnati Bengals players cheering wildly and celebrating on the field as if they had just clinched the Super Bowl, Harbaugh couldn't help but feel the sting of their victory. Even though they had missed the playoffs, they seemed to enjoy a victory party on the Ravens' home turf. What could be sweeter than claiming victory in enemy territory?

Right until the last moment, the Baltimore Ravens still had a chance for a comeback win, but this time, fortune did not side with them.

If only they had a strong running back…

As the head coach, Harbaugh was well aware that the team was a whole; victories and defeats could not simply be attributed to a single phase or player.

But at this moment, Harbaugh couldn't stop thinking—

If at the last moment, a running back could have taken some of Flacco's pressure off, creating a dynamic between passing and running plays to give Flacco breathing room; or even further, if a running back could complement Flacco, changing the fate of the struggling offense, would the season's outcome have been different?

As these thoughts filled his mind, the image of Li Wei came to mind.

Indeed.

One must admire Reed's audacity, courage, and vision, which are truly remarkable, giving the Kansas City Chiefs a slight edge:

From nine wins and seven losses to ten wins and six losses, just one more win made all the difference, placing two teams on opposite sides of the playoff boundary, looking across at each other from afar.

Li Wei, Harbaugh hadn't anticipated that this rookie running back would play such a crucial role this season. He was optimistic about Li Wei's prospects in the league and believed Li Wei could bring surprises, but he hadn't expected Li Wei would bring such an impactful performance, becoming a weapon that could bind together the offensive group.

This once again proved a point: as team managers and head coaches, they needed to remain rational, not act impulsively, look at the big picture, analyze calmly, and make decisive moves; but occasionally, very, very occasionally, they also had to let reason guide them, to trust their instincts, their inspiration, their impulse—

In the history of competitive sports, countless great moments are often forged by emotional impulses, not by rational thought.

Like when Nike took a chance on signing Jordan; or when the Indianapolis Colts impulsively chose Manning, whose arm strength was not the best; or when Belichick seemingly found a steal in drafting Brady in the sixth round.

And so on and so forth.

At the beginning of the year, Harbaugh's reason overcame emotion, while Reed let emotion overcome reason, and with one decision, one misplacement, they switched positions.

If—just a hypothetical—if the Baltimore Ravens had been just a bit braver, a bit more impulsive at the draft earlier in the year, could they have secured Li Wei and completely rewritten history?

Harbaugh: Heartache made it hard to breathe.

However.

The regular season ended just like that, and the curtain was finally drawn. A year's worth of tumult and conflict came temporarily to a pause. All the unwillingness and regret, all the frustration and pain had to be swallowed, and then it was time to take steps towards the new season, hoping for a brand new start the next year.

And now, all eyes were focused on the playoffs—

Targeting the Super Bowl!

The playoff teams were set, and the matchups were eagerly anticipated.

The AFC.

First seed, AFC East Division Champions, New England Patriots, thirteen wins and three losses.

Second seed, AFC South Division Champions, Pittsburgh Steelers, thirteen wins and three losses.

Third seed, AFC North Division Champions, Jacksonville Jaguars, ten wins and six losses.

Fourth seed, AFC West Division Champions, Kansas City Chiefs, ten wins and six losses.

Wildcard.

Fifth seed, second in the AFC North, Tennessee Titans, nine wins and seven losses.

Sixth seed, second in the AFC East, Buffalo Bills, nine wins and seven losses.

From the records, it's clear to see that following Manning's retirement, the powerhouse teams of the AFC, the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers, still showed top competitiveness and continued their dominance. They had a significant gap over their competitors and remained the two most formidable contenders for this year's AFC championship.

On the other hand, the other teams were closely matched, whether in wins and losses or in team status, almost everyone had a chance.

Most surprising, however, was that the AFC, once known for its high-flying passing offense, had entered a stage where it relied on the defensive group to win games. Teams including the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, and Buffalo Bills all exhibited excellent defensive performances this season.

Even the defense of the Kansas City Chiefs was among the league's best.

Such a playoff lineup was indeed unfamiliar to the league. It seems that Manning's retirement and the rise of the Bombing Corps still left a profound impact on the league.

However, it's worth mentioning that the Kansas City Chiefs had beaten both the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers in the regular season. The team once criticized as a "pseudo-strong team" was about to become an unknown factor in the AFC playoff matchup scenario—

No one could predict what would happen next.

National Conference.

First seed, National Conference East Division, Philadelphia Eagles, thirteen wins and three losses.

Second seed, National Conference North Division, Minnesota Vikings, thirteen wins and three losses.

Third seed, National Conference West Division, Los Angeles Rams, eleven wins and five losses.

Fourth seed, National Conference South Division, New Orleans Saints, eleven wins and five losses.

Wildcard.

Fifth seed, National Conference South Division, Carolina Panthers, eleven wins and five losses.

Sixth seed, National Conference South Division, Atlanta Falcons, ten wins and six losses.

It's clear at a glance!

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This season, the competition in the National Conference was slightly more intense than in the AFC, with the National Conference South Division being especially deadly.

Three teams from the same division made it to the playoffs, all earning at least ten wins each amidst fierce internal competition, pushing the level of rivalry in the National Conference to a new height; meanwhile, the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons, Super Bowl runners-up for the past two years, both fought their way back into the playoffs, yet still ended up being dominated by the New Orleans Saints.

Fierce, to the point of a bayonet fight.

Interestingly, the Seattle Seahawks from the National Conference West Division stirred up a defensive storm within the league. Even though the Bombing Corps had stepped down from their peak throne, their lasting influence could still be felt in every nook and cranny of the league, drastically altering a series of traditional defensive systems. The AFC began to focus on defense, but, surprisingly, the National Conference shifted to an offensive roll this season— Discover hidden content at novelbuddy

All six teams that made it into the playoffs were exceptional offensive teams.

This is also... a curious and peculiar sight.

So, what will happen in this year's Super Bowl?