NFL | The Chiefs conquer history

In life, there are things that will happen, that may happen, and that may never happen.

For example, another Stanley Cup for the Toronto Maple Leafs is something that may never happen again, like a Bye bye which is unanimous or a normal press briefing from Donald Trump. That’s how it is, and there’s nothing we can do about it.

It’s the same thing with Super Bowl victories.

Winning it once is already good, and twice in a row is quite rare. But three times in a row? This falls into the category of things that may never happen… unless the Kansas City Chiefs make it happen.

The American football playoffs begin this weekend, and the Chiefs will not take the stage for another week, having obtained a bye due to their first place in the American Association. The Kansas City players will therefore have the luxury of playing at home, and also, the chance to win a third title in a row, after winning the 57^e and the 58^e Super Bowl.

Let’s not be afraid of words: a bit like Isaac Newton or Joey Chestnut before them, the Chiefs have the chance to make history.

There have already been great powers in American football, such as the Steelers of the 1970s, the 49ers of the 1980s, the Cowboys of the 1990s, and more recently Tom Brady’s Pats, but no one has ever been able to achieve such a feat. .

Who will stand in their way? That’s the big question. In all, six contenders from this conference will try to get there, and they will all be in action this weekend, during the first round of the playoffs: Texans and Chargers, Ravens and Steelers, then Bills and Broncos. Ironically, the latter two teams were the only teams to defeat the Chiefs this season, although the Broncos did so in the final week of play, when the Chiefs chose to rest their best players in a game that meant nothing to them. them.

A reminder, too, that the Pat Mahomes gang has not lost a single playoff game at home since January 2022, a defeat against the Bengals in the conference final. This season, the Chiefs have posted a perfect 8-0 record at home.

But hey, to quote Pythagoras, a man well ahead of his time: it’s on the ground that it’s played out.

We understand that no one else in the NFL has as much pressure on the shoulder pads as Lamar Jackson at the moment.

The Ravens quarterback has just concluded a dream season and a season that ranks among the best of all time for a quarterback: more than 4,000 passing yards, more than 900 rushing yards. This is unheard of.

But there is a but, because Lamar doesn’t have a ring.

Of course it’s unfair to always bring everything back to the rings, but that’s how it is. Lamar can set all the records he wants, we will always return to his 2-4 record in the playoffs. The most cynical will point out that he does not win “when it counts”, a statement loaded with meaning, since it suggests that he only wins when it does not count, which leads to another question: how to win in February if don’t we win first in September and October and November, for example? We will have to resolve this question one of these days.

It’s time to remember that Ravens management gave their star quarterback a running back, and with this train named Derrick Henry in the backfield – he just collected 1,921 rushing yards this season – , Lamar Jackson has never been in such a good position.

He still has to win. Now when it counts.

Is there a more magical ritual in the world of sport than the Saturday Q&A? The answer is no, and we’re going to start strong with this one, from Gilles Bouchard: “You cite the greatest philosophers, but you forget to talk about the famous Masked Cucumber, who already said: ‘What do I know about what I don’t know?” »

Well said, and on this subject, the Masked Cucumber is quite a bit more humble than Aaron Rodgers, a man who has the truth about everything, including secrets about extraterrestrial life forms, which is pretty good, by the way. , because Rodgers may have to go to another galaxy to continue his career.

We also remember this email from Yvan Robitaille: “I’m a Jets fan, I like it, going to the Met for a Jets game. » Mr. Robitaille also tells us that he was once a Nordiques fan, and we find that that’s a lot of disappointment for one man. Our tributes.

So, there are no other words: this is the moment of truth.

This Ravens-Steelers on Saturday evening promises as much as this Bills-Broncos on Sunday, and then on Sunday too, the Packers and the Eagles will face each other at the end of the afternoon, both with damaged quarters…

We also remember that all matches are one-night matches.