I could be wrong, but this has felt like the wildest season in NFL history. For the most part, the teams that we thought would be good made the playoffs and the teams that we thought would be bad didn’t. However, with no exception, every team headlining the list of Super Bowl favorites suffered a mind-boggling loss at some point during the season and several of these teams are also limping into the playoffs. The Saints demolished the Packers, the Buccaneers are riddled with injuries, and the Cowboys haven’t beaten a good quarterback since Week 2… and that’s just the top NFC teams. In the AFC, the Titans’ offense doesn’t work without Derrick Henry, the Chiefs played a half of the season with a dysfunctional offense, the Bengals lost to Mike White and the Jets, and nobody even knows if the Bills or Patriots are good. Nevertheless, one team from the NFC will play one team from the AFC in the Super Bowl.
Although they did allow five passing touchdowns to Jameis Winston and the Saints, that was in Week 1, and the Packers seem like the most well-rounded team in the NFL. On offense Aaron Rodgers is undeniably the MVP, Davante Adams is truly unstoppable, and Aaron Jones with AJ Dillon make up a rushing attack that can take over a game if needed. Most interestingly, the Packers defense has taken a huge step in 2021 and should be enough to finally take the Cheeseheads past the NFC Championship (where their season has ended the past two seasons). Injured superstar Jaire Alexander will join the likes of breakout linebacker De'Vondre Campbell, journeyman Rausul Douglas, and top defensive tackle Kenny Clark. This season has still been a rollercoaster for the Packers consisting of COVID controversy and nerve-wracking games that shouldn’t have been close, but when holistically scouring their roster, there are no holes. They could very well lose the first game they play (a common trend for every team this year), but they are my pick to win the NFC.
The AFC is a lot more interesting because it’s completely dependent on one person: Derrick Henry. The running back was having an unprecedented season in which it seemed like he was on track to win MVP (something a running back hasn’t done since Adrian Peterson in 2012) before he broke his foot in Week 8. Now, especially with Titans securing their bye week, Henry may return for the playoffs. Even if he’s able to manage a return, Henry will not necessarily be completely healthy and capable of managing a full workload. Therefore, I can’t say that the Titans are my pick for the Super Bowl. It would be very on-brand for this season if a random team like the Bills caught fire and won it all, but that’s not a logical prediction either. My pick for the AFC is the Chiefs. The stats may look like their offense has completely returned to form, but that’s simply not the case. The Chiefs’ early season woes were brought upon them by teams defending them with two high safeties, but recently teams have stopped utilizing that widely successful scheme. Perhaps they’re scared of Darrel Williams or don’t think they have the personnel, but for one reason or another, teams have strayed from this tactic. Picking the Chiefs is certainly a risk as a team could just devise a game plan and completely halt the Chiefs’ offensive wagon, but the other competition in the AFC is so weak (provided Henry isn’t himself), that it’s a risk I’m willing to take.