The NFL is stiff-arming their way through the tribulations of COVID-19, entertaining millions of passionate fans across the globe. Two teams remain: The Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, advancing to play in Super Bowl LV on Sunday, Feb. 7 after winning their respective conference championships. Coincidently, the game is to be played at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, becoming the first franchise in NFL history to play in the Super Bowl at their home stadium.
Before the start of the 2020 NFL season, the league expanded their playoff field to 14 total teams from the previous 12. Both the AFC and NFC conferences had four division winners and three wildcard spots punch their tickets to the postseason. The team with the best overall record in each conference received a bye and an automatic bid to the divisional round.
Ensuing the league’s 16 game regular season, there were some familiar faces atop the standings, but also some unexpected overachievers and major disappointments. Per usual the last few seasons, the Kansas City Chiefs had the best overall record in the NFL at 14-2. The defending Super Bowl Champs have an electric offense led by the dynamic trio of quarterback Patrick Mahomes, wide receiver Tyreek Hill, and tight end Travis Kelce.
The Buffalo Bills took a massive leap under the tutelage of Head Coach Sean McDermott in his fourth year at the helm. They clinched the AFC East division title for the first time since 1995 and put an end to the New England Patriots’ run of winning that title 11 years in a row and 16 out of the last 17. Quarterback Josh Allen had his best season by far to date, highlighted by a sizzling hot connection with All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs in his first season with Buffalo after an offseason trade from the Minnesota Vikings. Their season came to a close after a gut-wrenching loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship game after letting a two possession lead in the first quarter slip away. The franchise seeked to reach the Super Bowl for the first time since 1994, the last of four consecutive appearances in the championship game, winning none.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the 2020 NFL season was the emergence of the Cleveland Browns, making the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Just three years ago, the Browns became the second team in league history to go an abysmal 0-16 during the regular season, the first being the 2008 Detroit Lions. After years of notoriously bad football and constant shifts in their coaching staff, Cleveland finally found their guy, Head Coach Kevin Stefanski, who is a prime candidate for AP Coach of the Year after leading his squad to an 11-5 record. Quarterback Baker Mayfield impressed all season long even in the absence of star wide receiver Odell Beckam Jr., who tore his ACL in Week 8. Running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt knifed their way through defenses with the help of their stellar offensive line, scoring a whopping 23 total touchdowns combined. All-Pro defensive end and sack machine Myles Garrett anchored the Browns defense and led the way with 12.0 sacks in an outstanding season. After winning their first playoff game since 1995 against their divisional rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland’s Cinderella season came to an end as they fell to the Kansas City Chiefs 22-17 in a hard-fought back and forth battle. They are poised for another strong season next year.
The Indianapolis Colts exceeded expectations this season en route to a playoff berth with an 11-5 record. Their stalwart defense came up big in crucial moments and kept them competitive in games when their offense was struggling to put points on the board. All-Pro linebacker Darius Leonard always seems to raise his game every season and once again put up impressive numbers. In the offseason, the Colts acquired Pro-Bowl defensive end DeForest Buckner in a trade with the San Francisco 49ers. He was excellent at stopping the opposition’s run game while disrupting the quarterback in the passing game. After 16 years with the Los Angeles Chargers, who for most of his career were known as the San Diego Chargers, veteran quarterback Phillip Rivers signed with the Colts in hopes of reaching the playoffs and competing for a championship. He proved to be a well-respected leader amongst his new teammates and had a solid year statistically as well. Indianapolis lost to the Buffalo Bills 27-24 in the Wild Card round but overall had a successful season in what was Rivers’s last year in the NFL.
The San Francisco 49ers had a rough season and undoubtedly had the most unexpected downfall from last season. Just 12 months ago, the Bay area was rockin’ with the best team in the NFC, securing home-field advantage and the number one seed in the playoffs with a 13-3 record and reaching the Super Bowl for the first time since 2012. This year, however, was a complete 180 of everything they accomplished last season. Junior Pat Schwab concurred. “I was shocked by the 49ers disappointing season considering their Super Bowl appearance last year,” Schwab said. “The quarterback position is certainly a developing issue, however, [San Francisco] was plagued by injuries and could certainly be back in playoff competition next year.” Schwab referred to quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo’s injury-riddled season and inability to limit turnovers when he was healthy. The defensive side of the ball was also afflicted by injuries, including 2019 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year defensive end Nick Bosa, who tore his ACL in Week 2, defensive tackle Solomon Thomas, who also tore his ACL in Week 2, and former All-Pro tight end George Kittle missed half of the season after fracturing his cuboid bone in his foot. Bosa and Thomas are expected to be ready for the start of the 2021 season and Head Coach Kyle Shannon is determined to lead the 49ers back to their winning ways.
It was a season like none other for the New England Patriots, as they missed the playoffs for the first time in 11 years and accumulated a losing record for the first time since 2000. The Patriots parted ways with future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady after 20 years with the team, and they signed former MVP quarterback Cam Newton to guide the team this past season. The offense didn’t mesh, and the lack of chemistry between Newton and his receivers was evident. In addition, New England was one of the few teams that had significant talent on their roster opt-out of the season completely due to COVID-19 concerns, like former Pro-Bowl linebacker Dont’a Hightower and safety Patrick Chung. Schwab, a Patriots fan, expressed his thoughts on their poor 7-9 season. “It is disappointing [for the Patriots] to not have January football this year, and something I am not familiar with at all,” Schwab said. “It has made watching the playoffs completely different, as I can root for whomever I want without worrying about how it implicates the Patriots’ Super Bowl chances.” Newton’s contract is expiring, and it seems that the Patriots may want to go in a different direction to find their quarterback of the future.
The Green Bay Packers cruised to a 13-3 record and the top seed in the NFC. All-Pro Quarterback and MVP hopeful Aaron Rodgers looked as good as ever at 37 years old and All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams dazzled with a spectacular 18 receiving touchdowns. After receiving a first-round bye, the Packers defeated the number six seed Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional round 32-18, setting up a date with Brady and the number five seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship game. Both teams played once during the regular season, in Week 6 when the Buccaneers obliterated the Packers 38-10. After an offensive shootout producing 57 total points on Jan. 24, the Packers were defeated 31-26, knocking them out of the running for the Super Bowl.
It was a season like none other for the NFL, but the 2020 season successfully started and finished on time with a new champion soon to be crowned.
