The Saints are marching (check that, steamrolling) toward an undefeated season. The Colts apparently have exclusive ownership of all NFL fourth quarters. And the Vikings are the most balanced team in the league.
Are we on a collision course for a monster postseason scenario pitting the 16-1 Vikings against the 17-0 Saints in the NFC title game, with the winner facing the 18-0 Colts in the Super Bowl?
Don’t hold your breath, but the answer could be yes. And if it is, it will go down as the most over-hyped, over-played, over-covered 14 days in the history of the NFL.
And we will love every second of it.
There rarely comes a situation where the compelling storyline that people cheer for involves the favorite bulldozing its way to a championship. The 2007 Patriots, because of spygate and Bill Belichick‘s surly persona, were the most hated team in the NFL. ESPN columnist Bill Simmons even joked that they were the “Cobra Kai Yankees” because of their ruthless dismantling of opponents.
So the collective sports world — sans all of New England and parts of Philly, D.C. and Dallas — emphatically backed the Giants in that Super Bowl. After all, it went to the heart of the great underdog story, the blue-collar bunch knocking off the big, bad favorite. It felt downright American.
This year, however, it’s different. New Orleans has suffered through decades of losing, the ‘Aints and Hurricane Katrina. Minnesota has never won a Super Bowl. Indianapolis, with Saturday Night Live legend Peyton Manning at the controls, is the most likeable dominant franchise in league history.
It might be time to turn the NFL on its head and embrace the favorites.
