American Football: Domination

The regular season had officially come to an end—

Some seized their fate, like the Buffalo Bills, who defeated the Miami Dolphins at the last moment to clinch a playoff spot.

Some suffered devastating heartbreak, like the Baltimore Ravens, who lost to the Cincinnati Bengals and missed the postseason.

In the AFC, four teams—Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, and Los Angeles Chargers—all finished with a 9-7 record. However, based on tiebreaker rules, Buffalo and Tennessee secured the Wild Card spots, while Baltimore and Los Angeles were left out.

The Ravens were stopped in their tracks by their division rival Bengals, while the Chargers had been dealt a crushing blow two weeks prior by the Kansas City Chiefs. An entire season's effort had led to two drastically different outcomes.

John Harbaugh stood on the sidelines, feeling utterly powerless—

So close, yet so far.

He watched as Bengals players celebrated wildly on the field, despite also missing the playoffs. But to them, this was no ordinary victory—this was the sweetest kind, achieved in their rival's stadium, knocking the Ravens out of contention.

Until the very last moments of the game, Baltimore still had a chance to stage a comeback. But this time, fate did not favor them.

If only they had a strong running back…

As a head coach, Harbaugh knew that football was a team sport. Wins and losses could never be attributed to just one player or one position.

But right now, he couldn't help but wonder—

If they had a reliable running back, one who could alleviate the pressure on Joe Flacco, one who could balance the offense between passing and rushing, one who could have helped keep drives alive and prevented their offense from stalling—

Would the season have ended differently?

As this thought lingered, an image surfaced in his mind—Lance.

Of course.

He had to give Andy Reid credit. The boldness, the vision, the decisiveness—it was undeniable. And now, the Chiefs had gained a crucial advantage:

A single win.

The difference between 9-7 and 10-6 seemed minor, but it had placed Kansas City in the playoffs while Baltimore was left watching from the sidelines.

Lance had played a bigger role than anyone expected.

Harbaugh had believed in Lance's potential, certain that he would have an impact in the league. But never did he anticipate that a rookie running back would transform an entire offense, becoming the glue that held Kansas City's attack together.

It was a harsh reminder—

As a head coach, you had to be rational, patient, and always see the bigger picture. You needed to think strategically, remain logical, and make calculated decisions.

But sometimes—just sometimes—you had to trust your instincts. You had to take a leap of faith.

Some of the greatest moments in sports history were not born from logic, but from raw emotion.

Like Nike taking a chance on Michael Jordan.

Like the Indianapolis Colts drafting Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf.

Like Bill Belichick finding a hidden gem in Tom Brady in the sixth round.

Back at the draft, Harbaugh had stayed rational.

Andy Reid? He followed his instincts.

That single decision had shaped the fate of both franchises.

If—just if—Baltimore had been bolder, had acted on impulse rather than reason, would they have drafted Lance instead? Would their season have been completely rewritten?

Harbaugh let out a deep sigh, the weight of regret pressing on his chest.

But the regular season was over.

The final whistle had blown.

Regret, disappointment, and frustration had to be swallowed.

Now, all eyes were set on the postseason—

The road to the Super Bowl had begun.

The playoff bracket was officially set.

AFC PLAYOFF TEAMS:

No. 1 seed: AFC East Champion – New England Patriots (13-3)

No. 2 seed: AFC North Champion – Pittsburgh Steelers (13-3)

No. 3 seed: AFC South Champion – Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6)

No. 4 seed: AFC West Champion – Kansas City Chiefs (10-6)

Wild Cards:

No. 5 seed: AFC South runner-up – Tennessee Titans (9-7)

No. 6 seed: AFC East runner-up – Buffalo Bills (9-7)

Looking at the records, it was clear—

Even after Peyton Manning's retirement, the AFC remained dominated by two teams: the Patriots and the Steelers. They had distanced themselves from the competition, once again emerging as the top contenders for the conference title.

Meanwhile, the gap between the rest of the teams was razor-thin. Anyone could win on any given day.

Perhaps the most surprising development?

The AFC, once known for its high-powered passing offenses, had transformed into a defense-driven conference.

The Steelers, Jaguars, Titans, and Bills—each had relied on their defense to get here. Even the Chiefs had shown significant improvement on that side of the ball.

A shift had taken place.

Manning's retirement and the rise of dominant defensive teams had changed the AFC's landscape.

Still, one fact remained:

Kansas City had already beaten both New England and Pittsburgh in the regular season.

The team that was once dismissed as a "pretender" had suddenly become the biggest wildcard of the postseason.

No one could predict what would happen next.

NFC PLAYOFF TEAMS:

No. 1 seed: NFC East Champion – Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)

No. 2 seed: NFC North Champion – Minnesota Vikings (13-3)

No. 3 seed: NFC West Champion – Los Angeles Rams (11-5)

No. 4 seed: NFC South Champion – New Orleans Saints (11-5)

Wild Cards:

No. 5 seed: NFC South runner-up – Carolina Panthers (11-5)

No. 6 seed: NFC South runner-up – Atlanta Falcons (10-6)

The NFC had been even more competitive than the AFC.

Nowhere was this more evident than the NFC South—

Three teams from the same division had made the playoffs, and all three had won at least ten games. Despite beating up on each other all season, they still finished strong, proving the division was the most brutal in football.

The Panthers and Falcons—Super Bowl runners-up in back-to-back seasons—had clawed their way back to the playoffs, yet neither had managed to dethrone the Saints for the division title.

It was an all-out war.

On the other side, the NFC West had once been defined by the Legion of Boom and the Seahawks' suffocating defense.

The Seahawks had fallen, but their defensive philosophy had left a lasting impact on the entire league.

Ironically, while the AFC had become more defense-oriented, the NFC had gone in the opposite direction—

Every single NFC playoff team boasted an elite offense.

A strange shift, but one that made the upcoming Super Bowl all the more intriguing.

Which side would prevail?

Offense or defense?

The battle was set.

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Powerstones?

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