Fourteen teams, two division champions and one Super Bowl winner. The National Football League (NFL) season has ended, culminating in the most skilled teams and players at the highest level of professional football competing for a Super Bowl trophy in the playoffs. Millions of fans watched attentively as the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in an upset.
Prior to the Super Bowl, teams battled it out in the playoffs, resulting in many skilled teams being defeated. The Green Bay Packers, led by rookie quarterback Jordan Love, knocked out the Dallas Cowboys unexpectedly. Reflecting on the season, the Dallas Cowboys were a famous, or rather infamous team that experienced various controversies, failures and successes. Historically, the Cowboys were celebrated as “America’s Team,” boasting about being the richest sports franchise in the world and having the largest fandom in the NFL. Nevertheless, they have not won the Superbowl since 1996 despite competing in the playoffs 11 times since then. The Cowboys are stereotyped by many as a team that easily win minor games against teams but play pathetically in high-stake games. The question this season is whether or not they broke the stereotype and lived up to the standard set for them by NFL fans.
“I’ve been a Cowboys fan mostly since I started watching football,” Edward Stanton (11) said. “My whole family is Cowboys fans … I would say [the Cowboys team] has gotten worse, but it’s still a good team. They haven’t been performing as well against better teams, but we have seen them beat the Eagles.”
The Cowboys’s success this season has been undeniable. They opened the season with a 40-0 victory over the Giants and defeated the Eagles — an immensely feared team from the start of the season with a 10-0 record — by 20 points.Their quarterback, Dak Prescott, was favored as second in the “Most Valuable Player” (MVP) race and leads the league in multiple stats: third in passing yards, first in pass completion rate and first in touchdowns. After beating the Commanders in their last season of the game, they finished as National Football Conference (NFC) East Champions. Still, there were a few signature Cowboys failures within the season, including an embarrassing early season 12-point loss against the Cardinals, a team that has gone 4-13. The Cowboys also just barely beat the Lions by 1 point in overtime with a suspicious call leaving many fans confused, questioning whether the season-changing win was deserved or not. Despite some losses, the Cowboys still clinched a playoff spot. Historically, the Cowboys have not done well in the playoffs. In the past 25 seasons, the Cowboys are 4-10 in the playoffs, and since their 1996 Super Bowl win, they have gotten out in the first round 11 times.
“I think the Cowboys are going to have to beat some teams that are a little better than them [to get to the NFC Championship],” Stanton said. “I think it’s going to be between the Cowboys, Niners, and maybe the Lions.”
Even if they did win against Green Bay in the first round, the Cowboys would have had to face several other strong teams, one being the 49ers, who made a Super Bowl appearance. The 49ers have come close to ruling the NFL this season, certainly owning their division. They finished first in the NFC and took down major players such as the Cowboys, Eagles and Chiefs. Their quarterback, Brock Purdy, was mentioned in MVP conversations and is accompanied by a skilled offense, including running back Christian McCaffrey who leads the league in yards.
“I think overall our team [the 49ers] … is more connected in a way, and it’s also like they’re not out on the field just to do their own jobs, but they’re out on the fields looking for everybody and supporting everyone,” Kalice Woods (10) said. “Our quarterback, Purdy, has been a good addition, and our defense is good too.”
The 49ers were successful, but not perfect this season. Most notably, they lost to the Ravens, which tanked their rankings while the Ravens went in the opposite direction. They also lost to the Rams, making fans question whether the 49ers are even the best in the NFC. Similarly to the Cowboys, the 49ers suffered some upset losses against the Bengals, Vikings and Browns. Nevertheless, the 49ers made it to the Super Bowl after defeating the Lions and the Rams. Although they started with a 10 point lead, the Chiefs came back to defeat them in overtime.
“I know when we played the Browns, when that was our first loss this season, we just buckled under pressure,” Woods said. “I definitely do [expect an NFC championship] and I would be disappointed if we didn’t make it that far because we’re such a good team, we have such a good dynamic that we could make it and we could win the Super Bowl.”
In the NFC, the playoffs were unpredictable because this season there were many skilled teams competing, however, in the American Football Conference (AFC), there is a clear team dominating with a 13-5 record. The Baltimore Ravens have made almost no mistakes.
“Lamar Jackson is … a superb quarter[back] likely winning MVP this year by leading his team to the best record in the league,” James Yue (10) said. “He makes the offense electric with his dual threat abilities. He can run and throw the ball excellently.”
After their explosive punt return for a touchdown in an overtime win over the Rams and dethroning the 49ers, they skyrocketed in rankings. Their quarterback, Lamar Jackson, is considered a frontrunner in MVP conversations. Credit can also be given to the Ravens defense, which has embarrassed some of the best offensive teams in the league. Despite his success, Lamar Jackson was defeated by the 49ers in the AFC Championship.
“The Ravens have one of the best defenses in the league,” Yue said. “This is proven with the fact that the Ravens brutalized the best offense in the league, the Dolphins.”
