American Football: Domination

The Chicago Bears—hapless victims.

At last year's draft, their front office got played by Kansas City's general manager Veach. In the end, they footed the bill for the Chiefs' bold draft strategy, while they themselves used the number two overall pick on—

Mitchell Trubisky.

Last season? A miserable 5–10 record, trudging through yet another painful rebuild. They hadn't posted a winning season since 2012. Their last playoff berth was all the way back in 2010.

A valley. A darkness. A tunnel with no end in sight.

Especially with the division stacked against them: Aaron Rodgers still commanding the Green Bay Packers, and this season the Minnesota Vikings throwing bags of money to bring in Kirk Cousins. Against that backdrop, Chicago's revival rested entirely on Trubisky's shoulders.

Clearly, Trubisky wasn't up to it. Especially when compared to the dominance of Lance—the third pick in the same draft. Side by side, Trubisky looked worse with every passing week. The "bust" label only tightened its grip, with no sign of reversal.

Missing out on Lance was bad enough. But to pass on Patrick Mahomes while holding the cards—and not even picking Deshaun Watson? The Bears' front office instantly joined the New York Jets in the hall of shame.

A disaster.

But this offseason, Chicago finally made a wise move—

They poached Matt Nagy, last year's breakout offensive coordinator from the Kansas City Chiefs, and installed him as head coach.

Just like Doug Pederson had done when he left Kansas City for Philadelphia, Nagy came to Chicago and showed his brilliance.

In just one season, the Bears transformed.

A 12–5 record. Back in the playoffs for the first time in nine years.

And in the regular season finale, the Bears defeated the division rival Vikings—helping their former colleague Pederson's Eagles sneak in over Minnesota's corpse. Meanwhile, the Vikings, who had made a huge quarterback splash in the offseason, became the league's laughingstock.

Last year, Minnesota had surged all the way to the NFC Championship Game. This year? Their front office gambled big on Cousins, aiming for the Super Bowl.

Instead—like the Jacksonville Jaguars—they missed the playoffs entirely.

A spectacular flop.

Chicago, by contrast, stood tall, the pride of the league.

Nagy deserved every bit of credit.

And because Nagy and Pederson had both proven their chops in the NFC, the spotlight shifted back to the defending champion Chiefs—with a touch of added respect.

After all, the AFC's shape this year proved Kansas City's Super Bowl run wasn't just luck.

Now, the AFC.

#1 seed: Kansas City Chiefs, AFC West champions, 13–3.

#2 seed: New England Patriots, AFC East champions, 11–5.

#3 seed: Houston Texans, AFC South champions, 11–5.

#4 seed: Baltimore Ravens, AFC North champions, 10–6.

Wild Cards:

#5 seed: Los Angeles Chargers, AFC West runner-up, 12–4.

#6 seed: Indianapolis Colts, AFC South runner-up, 10–6.

Chaos.

One look and you could tell—chaos.

Since Peyton Manning's retirement, the AFC landscape had been completely reshuffled. The days of the Big Three ruling the conference were gone.

First: the Pittsburgh Steelers were out. The Tennessee Titans were out.

Both had 9–7 records. In the NFC, 9 wins was enough to get the Eagles in. But in the AFC, not good enough.

Among the two, the Steelers looked headed for an upheaval.

The Le'Veon Bell holdout had been the defining story of the season. Pittsburgh's management stayed firm, refusing to bend. But with no playoffs, their strategy would face heavy scrutiny. The real storm would hit only after the Super Bowl.

Second: the AFC West was a bloodbath.

The Chargers had a better record than the Patriots—yet had to settle for a Wild Card, thanks to the Chiefs. Brutal, but rules are rules. It showed just how fierce the division was this year. For Kansas City to emerge on top only underscored their depth and strength.

Third: Ravens, Texans, Colts—who would be the dark horse?

The Ravens struck gold in the draft, snagging Lamar Jackson with the 32nd pick. John Harbaugh's gamble paid off, ushering in a new era under center.

The Texans' Watson—who had always measured himself against Lance—finally broke through, flashing the brilliance he'd promised.

And the Colts? Betrayed by Josh McDaniels in the offseason, left at the altar after he reneged on his head coaching deal, they turned to Frank Reich.

Reich's résumé wasn't long. He only started coaching in 2006, cutting his teeth with the Colts as an intern before moving around the league. In Philadelphia, he'd served as Pederson's right-hand man, architecting their Super Bowl run.

When the Colts called, Reich had never been a head coach. But he took the challenge.

Under him, Indianapolis stumbled into the playoffs—yet once there, the slate reset.

All three teams clawed their way through hell, fighting tooth and nail to earn their place. All three carried the potential to shock the bracket. Dangerous, unpredictable, unbowed.

And once on the postseason stage, their ambitions were clear.

On one side, Baltimore's Jackson and Houston's Watson set their sights on Lance.

Jackson: "I want another shot at Lance."

Watson: "I'm not the same guy anymore. Lance will see."

Rivalries born in college, now blazing in the NFL.

If this was the new generation, Commissioner Goodell welcomed it.

Meanwhile, the Colts had their eyes locked on New England. Nothing would please them more than facing Belichick and McDaniels on the field, and settling the score.

Knives sharpened. Fires lit.

But here was the catch:

Both the Patriots and the Chiefs held byes. For revenge or rivalry, challengers would first have to survive Wild Card Weekend.

Which meant killing each other first.

When the dust settled, debts would be paid.

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Powerstones?

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