Blowouts. Uneventful matchups. Facebook live. Whiny postgame rants. Yes, the 2017 NFL playoffs have stunk.
Bad.
And for any of us to look back at this postseason with memories of exciting football- those of us not from New England or Atlanta, that is, Super Bowl 51 must deliver, and deliver big time. If it does, then football fans will forget about how horrible this postseason has been overall. If it does not, then they will forget about everything that happened in this postseason.
Here's a recap of just how bad these playoffs have been. Of the ten playoff games, only two were decided by less than ten points, while seven games were by three scores or more. We've seen two promising conference title games go down the tubes, and in a year where the NFL's ratings decrease has been a concern, this all happened at a pretty crummy time. Luckily, there is still hope.
The Super Bowl is, of course, what will end up defining the NFL playoffs. If New England and Atlanta can put together a game for the ages, then all of the depressing statistics I listed above won't matter anymore. Regardless of anything, the Super Bowl is the first thing that will come to mind when most football fans think of the 2017 NFL postseason. But hardcore fans, like myself, will remember the crap that led up to the Super Bowl, and if the big game is a flop, then it will make the rest of the playoffs stand out more.
As for the casual fans, they won't think too much the events leading up to the Super Bowl. Unless something spectacular happens, such as Dwight Clark's catch or "The Music City Miracle," the events leading up to the Super Bowl are mostly forgotten or at least not talked about a lot, aside from the games that involve a certin team. Aside from that incredible Dallas-Green Bay matchup, every single playoff game has been boring. Every single one. Even the Steelers 18-16 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs was dull. So, the point is, I don't think too many conversations 5-10 years down the line will begin with "hey, remember that great playoff game back in 17?"
However, as awful as this postseason has been, as underwhelming as the games were, and as dull as this NFL season was in general, it is still salvageable. If we see a Super Bowl goody along the lines of Super Bowl 43 or Super Bowl 49, that will make up for a lot of the crap that has led up to it. If this clash delivers, then the first thing that anybody thinks about when they think of the NFL in 2016-17, logo bias aside, will be positive. If the Super Bowl is a flop, then it will be a fitting end. So, what outcome seems more likely?
On the surface, Super Bowl 51 is pretty intriguing. On one side, you have the kings of the mountain, with the best coach-QB combination in the history of the game. On the other hand, you have the young bulls who most of society wants to knock the kings off of that mountian, a group that is relatively inexperienced when it comes to big-time situations, but still is immensely talented, and deserves to be in this spot. All of these angles are reasons to get excited about the big game. However, I have my doubts.
The main reason for my doubts is, naturally, the New England Patriots. Anytime Bill Belichick has two weeks to prepare for a game, that's trouble. New England has been gifted an extra week to prepare for Matt Ryan and to figure out how to stop Juilo Jones. "Oh, and you know they'll find a way to cheat, hardie harr harr," would be the bitter response. But the Patriots are the Patriots. They are experienced, and they are winners, and with all due respect to Atlanta (and I said with all due respect), I think this Super Bowl will be a case of experience triumphing over youth. I'll explain further in my Super Bowl preview, which will come out later this week.
The second reason that I don't think this Super Bowl will be one that I tell my grandkids about is because, after all of the disappointment that we've seen this postseason as far as quality of play goes, why would I get my hopes up? I thought that Atlanta and Seattle would be a great game. I was wrong. I thought that Atlanta and Green Bay would come down to the wire. I was even more wrong. I thought that Pittsburgh and New England would..., well, yeah. This has been an anticlimatic NFL season altogether, so why should I expect it's climax to be anything different?
No matter what happens on Sunday, the National Football League will still be the most popular sport in North America. The Super Bowl is still worth watching, as watching the winners hoist that silver football is unique regardless of how exciting the game is, and the prospect of either the Falcons winning their first championship or Tom Brady winning his fifth are both exciting possibilities. However, the lack of quality from the NFL this season has led to less interest, and that should be at least somewhat concerning. Hopefully, Super Bowl Sunday reminds us of why we love sports, because said reminders have been few and far between this NFL postseason.
No comments:
Post a Comment