Dominate the Super Bowl-Chapter 729 - : Season 728 concludes
Chapter 729: Season 728 concludes
The 2018 NFL season drew to a close, with the powerhouses ready for action.
Let’s start with a digression—the battle for the bottom.
Last season, the Arizona Cardinals’ iconic quarterback Carson Palmer announced his retirement, signaling a full rebuild for the team.
At that time, many people expressed the view that Palmer wasn’t all that impressive as a quarterback; over the years in Arizona he only managed to lead the team to the playoffs a few times, with consistently lacklustre performances in the postseason. The disparaging remarks were endless: “good riddance,” “forget the Hall of Fame,” “a perfect time for the Cardinals to start anew.”
However, people quickly realized how difficult rebuilding is; they also recognized how excellent and important the “mediocre” quarterback they belittled truly was.
The Arizona Cardinals finished the season with a meagre three wins and thirteen losses, easily clinching the unwanted title of second-worst team without any suspense.
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Moreover, it wasn’t just the Arizona Cardinals who struggled; other teams also found themselves in dire straits.
The San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders, and New York Jets each faced their respective troughs for different reasons, with the disappointing record of four wins and twelve losses.
The Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with records of five wins and eleven losses, were not far behind and were in some ways even more shocking—
Before the season kicked off, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers were considered strong contenders for the playoffs, yet they plummeted to such depths. After facing quarterback controversies last season, the New York Giants largely have themselves to blame for not waking up from their stupor and continuing their decline this season.
For a moment, it was hard to decide whether to feel more dismay for the Jacksonville Jaguars sinking from almost reaching the American League championship game to rock bottom, or to be more astounded by the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants’ crumbling far faster than anticipated.
After all, every family has its own set of challenges, and each team its own troubles.
With the regular season wrapped up, these teams have already kicked off their off-seasons early, and it is high time for the team managers and upper management to get busy.
Even so, the focus of these teams remains on the postseason—
Which players have performed well, which teams might hold a fire sale, which coach could be their savior? Should they patch things up or start from scratch, how to balance the free agency and the draft?
Some of these answers lie hidden in the ultimate showdown of the playoffs.
Amidst the hustle and bustle, the attention of the masses—
First up is the National Conference.
The National Conference has always been a battleground of contenders, with new faces and new dynamics every year, making it unpredictable.
This year was no exception. The fierce competition lasted until the final week, with teams that successfully broke through all having fought tooth and nail.
The number one seed, National Conference South Division Champions, New Orleans Saints, thirteen wins and three losses.
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The number two seed, National Conference West Division Champions, Los Angeles Rams, thirteen wins and three losses.
The number three seed, National Conference North Division Champions, Chicago Bears, twelve wins and four losses.
The number four seed, National Conference East Division Champions, Dallas Cowboys, ten wins and six losses.
Wildcards.
The number five seed, second place in the National Conference West Division, Seattle Seahawks, ten wins and six losses.
The number six seed, second place in the National Conference East Division, Philadelphia Eagles, nine wins and seven losses.
From the records alone, one can see the ferocity of competition. Apart from the New Orleans Saints and Los Angeles Rams who moved forward neck and neck, the other teams were all separated by a mere single win.
The fundamental reason is that other teams, which didn’t make it past the finish line, also performed admirably. The line between strong and weak teams was not clear; every team that advanced to the playoffs had been through a grueling struggle with their opponents, losing layers of skin before stumbling across the line.
The National Conference, truly worthy of its name.
In the midst of chaos, every advancing team had a story behind it.
The Los Angeles Rams, initially dominating the season with strength and splendor, faced intense targeting, while Sean Payton and Drew Brees led the New Orleans Saints, averting dangers as if snatching teeth from a tiger’s mouth, to snatch away the No. 1 seed spot.
The Los Angeles Rams, sweeping all before them in the first half of the season, revealed some weaknesses later on. Missing out on the entire home-field advantage of the No. 1 seed was regrettable, but more importantly, it laid hidden dangers for the playoff prospects.
Of course, this is nitpicking; relative weaknesses at best. Without a doubt, entering the playoffs, the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints remained the most potent contenders for the National Conference championship.
But the other teams were not to be underestimated.
The Seattle Seahawks, who fought their way out under intense pressure from division rival Los Angeles Rams, and both the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles from the cutthroat National Conference East Division, were all assassins.
Among them, the one that undeniably deserved the most attention was the Philadelphia Eagles, last season’s Super Bowl runners-up, who put on a top-notch performance in the final battle that left fans with an unforgettable match etched into the annals of history.
In the off-season of this season, the Philadelphia Eagles’ front office faced a pleasant dilemma—
How should they handle the situation with both quarterbacks, Wentz and Foles?
In the end, the Philadelphia Eagles turned in a perfect answer sheet. They gave Foles a new contract and successfully kept him on the team as Wentz’s backup.
This was a win-win.
Because Foles could have easily gone to another team as a starting quarterback, plenty of offers were extended during the off-season; but Foles chose to stay.
When the media asked why, Foles gave a series of answers, including a very important one, “My competition with Li Wei isn’t over yet. We each have our own battles and look forward to clashing at the summit once again.”
Later events proved that this move by the Philadelphia Eagles saved their season.
In Weeks 1 and 2 of the season, Wentz was not yet ready to return, and Foles continued as the starting quarterback, leading to one win and one loss; Wentz returned in Week 3, and the position of the cornerstone quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles still belonged to this third-year player.
However, after returning from injury, Wentz seemed to have lost his magic, completely lacking the miraculous MVP-worthy performance of last season. His performance was always a struggle, with a disappointing team record of five wins and six losses.
As the entire league buzzed with debates about whether the Philadelphia Eagles should continue to start Wentz, in Week 14, Wentz suffered a back injury and was ruled out for the season, ending the controversy in a dramatic fashion.
Then, Foles took over the starting role.
And once again, he wielded his magic, triumphing in the last three weeks, pulling the Philadelphia Eagles back from the brink of the cliff, and barely catching the playoff’s last train.
With a record of nine wins and seven losses, it wasn’t pretty; but as long as you’re in the playoffs, that’s enough, because everything is rewritten on the playoff stage—
Starting all over again.
The key point is that Foles saved the Philadelphia Eagles once again, earning him the honor of “Saint Nick”, no doubt the most talked-about story of the season.
However, compared to “Saint Nick”, the most thrilling story of the season in the National Conference belonged to someone else.
The Chicago Bears.
The Cinderella of the year, the dark horse, the surprise of the year.
Or rather, this year’s Chicago Bears were the Kansas City Chiefs of the year.
