By Anthony Martinez, Sports Editor
In an NFL season where people were unsure if it would even get underway, the league is now deep into the playoffs, and the Super Bowl is right around the corner.
In a season as odd as this one, the world saw some results that were considered just as abnormal with teams that had previously struggled for years, those that missed the postseason, or those that finally reached it. This season added on five new division champions from last year and breakout performances; the league saw great change.
Some NFL stars once again shined this season, while some were born and broke out onto the scene. Stars included those like Houston Texans’ quarterback Deshaun Watson who led the league in passing yards this season at 4,823, Aaron Rodgers leading the league in passing touchdowns at 48, who also had the highest passer rating at 121.5, second all-time to himself in 2011. Derrick “King” Henry had over 2,000 rushing yards this season and 17 touchdowns, both league leaders. For receiving, Stefon Diggs had the most yards at 1,535 while Davante Adams had the most touchdowns with 18.
On the defensive side of the ball, Zach Cunningham had the most tackles with a whopping 164. The sack leader is T.J. Watt with 15.5. The interception leader is Xavien Howard with 10 on the season.
The NFL awards have yet to be announced but there are some favorites so far. The favorite for MVP is Green Bay Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers for his consistent dominance this season, looking as good as he ever has at 37 years old. Other candidates are Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen, Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and Titans’ running back, Derrick Henry. Offensive rookie of the year will most likely go to either Justin Herbert or Justin Jefferson for their historic seasons, respectively.
Perhaps the most notable change this season was the new king in the AFC East, the Buffalo Bills. For the last two decades, the New England Patriots dominated that division and for the first time in 25 years, the Bills reigned supreme. The Patriots didn’t finish second either, the Miami Dolphins surprised many with their success, and the Patriots were relegated to third while the Jets were awful.
Outside of the AFC West Champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, the other AFC divisions had close results, regardless, the North Champion went to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the South went to the Tennessee Titans.
In the NFC, the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints repeated as division champions in the North and South, respectively. The Seattle Seahawks took back their West crown and were champions yet again. While the NFC East had a historically bad division, so much so that a seven-win team, the Washington Football Team, won the division. The lowest win total outside of them was an eleven-win team.
Outside of the division leaders, six more teams made the playoffs thanks to the new format implemented this year. Those teams were Baltimore Ravens, the Cleveland Browns (for the first time since 2002), the Indianapolis Colts, the Los Angeles Rams, the Chicago Bears, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (for their first time since 2007).
Wildcard weekend showcased some close games as well as some one-sided affairs. Close games saw the Bills defeat the Colts, the Rams defeat the Seahawks, the Ravens defeat the Titans, and the Buccaneers defeat the Washington Football team. The more one-sided games saw the Browns shock the Steelers, while the Saints took care of the Bears.
Because of the new format, only one team from each conference got a bye week as opposed to the usual two; those teams were the Chiefs and Packers, respectively. In the divisional round, they saw their first action of the playoffs. The Packers’ offense ran through the Rams defense despite that being their strength showcasing them as serious threats. While the Chiefs had a scare when quarterback Patrick Mahomes was ruled out, in the second half, they were able to just hang-on, beating the Browns 22-17.
Other divisional round results saw the Bills dominate the Ravens offense before and after quarterback Lamar Jackson suffered an injury. The Buccaneers were finally able to beat the Saints and move onto the NFC Champion game, as well.
This upcoming weekend features the Chiefs versus the Bills and the Packers versus the Buccaneers to see who will advance to go to the Super Bowl. The AFC sees two young star quarterbacks leading their teams. As top two seeds in the AFC, there is no shock that this game decides who will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, earlier in the season, the Buccaneers managed to beat the Packers. Since then, the Packers have done almost nothing but win, and win convincingly. With Aaron Rodgers as a potential MVP as well, and the game taking place at Lambeau Field, the Packers are feeling confident in their rematch to see who will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
