By the time the clock strikes midnight on Sunday, NFL fans will know which teams have made the playoffs for the 2021 regular season.
That’s the initial goal for every franchise on the first day of training camp — no matter the projections — but the ultimate prize is the coveted Lombardi Trophy awarded to the Super Bowl champions.
The Kansas City Chiefs have won the Lombardi twice since the Super Bowl era began, which ranks tied for 10th in the NFL. Many organizations have never won the big game — 12 to be exact — and four have never even played in it.
Yes, there’s nothing quite like the excitement of the NFL postseason but one analyst claims two teams are a lock to meet at its crescendo this year — the Green Bay Packers and our Kansas City Chiefs.
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The Prediction ‘Herd’ Round the League
On a January 5th segment of The Herd (6:15 minute mark), FOX Sports analyst Nick Wright called this “the most clear-cut obvious Super Bowl we’ve had in years” when speaking with host Colin Cowherd. He continued:
I don’t think there is a close contender for third. I don’t think there is a team nipping at the Chiefs’ heels in the AFC and given what has happened Colin, to the [Tampa Bay Buccaneers] with the injuries to the wide receiver and defense, with the [Dallas] Cowboys to me not playing anything close to their best football — Dak [Prescott] not looking great at all, [Mike] McCarthy’s still having problems telling time — the injuries to J.J. Watt and DeAndre Hopkins that have clearly changed who Arizona is, and the inconsistency of Matt Stafford… if the Packers don’t make the Super Bowl this year, to me it’s an all-time gag job. So I think there [are] two teams left — I’m excited for the playoffs but I know how it’s ending. I would be shocked at a level I can’t remember if it’s not Chiefs-Packers at the end of the year.
It’s always great to get the vote of confidence as the favorite in either conference but these types of statements tend to motivate others. How many times have we seen the underdog overcome all odds in a glorious Super Bowl run? Or the top team get knocked off in a major upset?
These things tend to happen in a one-game sport like football, where any week can be your last.
Having said that, Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have been in this position before. Two straight seasons actually, but who’s counting?
Both times, they ended up defeating all AFC opponents and they’ll look to make it three straight in the 2022 playoffs.
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History of Chiefs vs. Packers
For the NFL historians out there, Chiefs-Packers was of course the matchup in Super Bowl I.
Green Bay was victorious in the first title game of the new era, 35-10. Fast forward to 2022, the Packers now have four Lombardi trophies — tied for fifth all-time.
Some thought we might get the legendary rematch in 2020-21 before Tom Brady and the Bucs took down Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. As Wright mentioned, with the injuries in Tampa and Rodgers the favorite to win the MVP award, this season feels even more likely it could happen so long as KC holds up their end of the bargain.
Mahomes versus Rodgers would also provide the epic battle of superstars that was taken from us in Week 9, due to the pandemic. The Chiefs beat the Packers in a low-scoring affair, 13-7, as the Green Bay QB1 watched Jordan Love lead the offense from home.
You won’t get the same Packers if the two meet in the Super Bowl, but you also won’t get the same Chiefs. This offense has improved significantly as the season has hit the final stretch and Mahomes is always on another level in the playoffs.
Five seasons in the league together and we have yet to see the two former MVPs face-off. Will this year’s Super Bowl finally provide the quarterback matchup we’ve all been waiting for?
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NFL Analyst Guarantees Super Bowl Lock: ‘I Know How It’s Ending’