The time has come, the stage is set; only two rounds and three games separate us from crowning the Superbowl Champions of 2025. As in previous rounds (and years), NFL fans across the world are looking for someone, anyone who can stop the imperious Kansas City Chiefs.
Finishing with an AFC record of 15-2, the Chiefs are certainly the favourites to extend what is fast becoming a dynasty. Andy Reid’s men have only been properly outplayed once this whole season (their second loss came after their position as number one seed was confirmed, allowing them to rest their main men on the way to being shut out by the Broncos), and the winning machine rattled on, waltzing past CJ Stroud’s Texans in the divisional round (with a little help from the refs). Their conference game will again come at Arrowhead, a stadium that perhaps bears more resemblance to a motte-and-bailey. However, it is not all clear sailing ahead for the Missouri juggernauts.
That other loss in the regular season came against their AFC conference opponents, the indefatigable Buffalo Bills. The New York-based team have come through severe hardship to make this latest round, avoiding overtime in the divisional only thanks to a Mark Andrews fumble that denied the Ravens an additional two points. The Bills, and their MVP candidate Josh Allen have been here before, however, losing at Arrowhead in the 23/24 season, at the Bengals in 22/23, and at home to the Chiefs again in 21/22. This, however, is their first time beyond the divisional, and Bills fans will hope their talisman Josh Allen can finally be the man to “save us” from the strength of the Chiefs.
In the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles were able to see off a stuttering LA Rams, who failed to get their offence firing until too late in the contest, though two late drives nearly brought them back into it. In truth, neither side quite found their rhythm, as throwing in the snow proved tricky. The tricky weather, however, did little to stop Saquon Barkley, as he ran for 205 yards and two long-distance touchdowns, and cemented his recently confirmed position as the only non-QB candidate for MVP.
They will be facing the unfancied Washington Commanders, who came through their divisional rounds against a Detroit Lions team many expected to be challenging for the Super Bowl. However, led by rookie QB Jayden Daniels, the Commanders swept past the Lions in a blitz of attacking that secured them 45 points in a high-scoring fixture. They will surely look to outscore their opponents once again, though they will have to find some way of nullifying the explosive Barkley.
On an unrelated note, the growth of The Killers’ “Mr Brightside” as the Bills’ anthem has given the NFL something that has felt lacking during my time following the sport – a genuine connection between the fans and the players. Although there is obviously a difference to football on this side of the pond, it will always be weird to me to not see the fans singing constantly during the game, and “Mr Brightside” has provided some of that atmosphere I have desperately missed.
Photo Credits: “Josh Allen SEPT2021 (cropped2)” by All-Pro Reels is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.