Image via Steph Chambers/Getty Images
By Lucas Kochevar The NFL season came to a conclusion this past week with the Chiefs winning their third Super Bowl in five years. The Chiefs dynasty will be looked back on and recollected as Patrick Mahomes’ dominance. Each year isn’t that simple. It took a hell of an effort for the Chiefs to power through this season. The worldwide distraction of Taylor Swift loomed large, but they didn’t let it shine too bright. The questions about the Chiefs receivers were asked every week, but they figured it out. The beginning of the season was even questionable as Chris Jones was a DNP-Contract Disputes in the first week. He came back on a one-year deal and had the biggest play on defense in the Super Bowl. The resilience of this Chiefs team should be studied by organizations for years to come, although no organization has number 15 at quarterback. That was an issue that came up week after week in the NFL. It wasn’t just the fact that no one had Mahomes, but even the guys they had at the helm, they lost due to injuries. Aaron Rodgers, Anthony Richardson, Justin Herbert, Joe Burrow, Kirk Cousins all got severely injured. That’s how we got the return of Joe Flacco, Deshaun Watson went down and somehow Flacco had a little bit of juice left in that arm. Flacco led one of the biggest losers in NFL history to the playoffs and we don’t have to talk about what followed that playoff berth. Speaking of losers, the Detroit Lions proved they weren’t the Lions that we’ve known for decades. Dan Campbell ended last season strong and the hype was enormous for this sleeping giant. They were even the opening night team that beat the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs. Their story from plucky underdog to being up 17 points in the NFC championship is a beacon of hope for any team. It’s a beacon that says “If you get the right head coach and build a culture, you can turn it around,” and you can point to Ben Johnson as the reason for their on-the-field success, but a football team spends way more time off the field than on. Speaking of head coaching changes, Bill Belichick and Pete Carroll are no longer leading their Super Bowl winning franchises so that’ll be a big change on the sidelines next season. That’s just a fraction of what happened during the season, but where do we go from here? We go to the one place that gives us fans all the hope in the world: The NFL draft. The NFL combine starts in late Feb. and the league year officially starts Mar. 13, but many fans have been looking forward to April for months. Mainly, the Chicago Bears, who hold the No. 1 and No. 9 pick. The Bears will likely move on with Caleb Williams, but they have to mull that decision for weeks and weeks. Williams is the most talked about prospect since Trevor Lawrence, but will he even be good? Who knows. It’ll likely be a question we can answer in the next couple “NFL Year In-Review” posts.
1 Comment
BK Style
2/15/2024 05:17:52 pm
Hey LKSports... Seasons finally over and dynasties are beginning to be talked about with the Chiefs... You’re..right... a new season will begin ..the combines..the draft..then college ball then preseason. The injuries were sad to see..never really got a hold of some those teams like the Jets, Bengals, Chargers, the Browns etc with the star QB injuries. What the Bears will do ..??? Somehow I think they will screw things up...maybe we will see...
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Lucas KochevarI love sports and I'm a local fan of the Falcons, Hawks, and Braves. You can find my quick thoughts and more on my twitter @lucaswkochevar |