The NFL Conference Championship Games: Legacy Check-in

When you arrive at the Conference Championship, everyone has the chance to win the Super Bowl, no matter how steep the odds initially looked going into the NFL Playoffs.

Four teams are left that no longer believe they’re playing with house money, given that they’ve won games on the biggest stage and only need two more to be immortalized as champions.

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In the divisional round, we saw the remaining four teams, the Chiefs, Commanders, Eagles, and Bills, all have fewer total yards than their opponent and still find a way to win! That sort of resilience, the lack of mistakes, some luck along the way, and the players that are just built differently to win a title are why they’re here, and anyone has the chance to win a Lombardi at this stage of the year.

That being said, there’s been a lot of legacy talk this postseason about “rings culture,” which has become a growing point of discussion, largely in other sports. It has also moved into football, a team sport, with the expectation that you can still “win the big one.”

With the remaining four teams, we’ll take a look at who would BENEFIT the most from making a Super Bowl in the way that we collectively talk about them; a ring can change our perspective forever.

Kansas City Chiefs

Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo

The Kansas City Chiefs are seen as having a “down year” this season with an offense that has only put up over 30 points twice this season.

They’re still 15-2, have the #1 seed, have allowed the fewest points per game this season, and have been in the top 10 for the past 5 years ever since Steve Spagnuolo joined Andy Reid’s staff as the defensive coordinator.

Spagnuolo was seen as a cast-off, failed head coach with an 11-41 head coaching record. Now he just gets to be possibly one of the best defensive coordinators ever for a dynasty and has no reason to leave as long as Mahomes is on the other side of the ball. If the Chiefs’ defense under Spagnuolo continues this success, he could potentially spark the debate as to whether or not he could make the Hall of Fame as a coordinator alone.

Honorable Mention // QB Patrick Mahomes

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Does Patrick Mahomes NEED another Super Bowl ring to validate his individual greatness? Absolutely not. But getting a fourth Super Bowl and a three-peat, something no one has ever done as he’s trying to catch Tom Brady’s four rings to be the best ever, would certainly help.

Buffalo Bills

QB Josh Allen

It’s self-explanatory. Allen has been on the losing end to Patrick Mahomes year after year and merely making it would get the weight of the world off of his shoulders as a superhuman that has elevated a team single-handedly like few others

that we’ve ever seen. Having a ring to show for it to not go down as the “Dan Marino’s” of the world is what we all want for someone as talented as he is.

Honorable Mention // Safety Damar Hamlin

It feels like cheating, but if you beat death amid a football game, come back and continue playing, force a critical fumble in a playoff game against the Ravens, and then WIN A SUPER BOWL, that is the stuff of mythological characters.

Philadelphia Eagles

Running Back Saquon Barkley

We have the audio of the New York Giants owner John Mara on Hard Knocks saying, “I would have a hard time sleeping if he goes to Philly,” before they inevitably did not pay Saquon Barkley, and he promptly left them to go have a 2,000+ yard rushing season for their division rival. 

It’s the stuff of legends that you can’t make up if he were to be the primary offensive reason for Philadelphia to win another Super Bowl in his first year there. It’s not just how he’s breaking records- it’s that it sparks the entire city of Philadelphia. This city fears doom and gloom no matter the successes until they see the banner as proof and then the grace of the hurdles and Bo Jackson-like strength that he runs that you know makes the Giants fans seethe in pain with every run.

Saquon had a 205-yard rushing game in the snow and could now possibly have the most rushing yards ever for a regular season and postseason combined if he passes Terrell Davis’s record with only 147 to go. A ring to cap it off, and he’s someone you’ll tell your grandchildren about.

Honorable Mention // Coach Nick Sirianni

The Eagles are seen as the modern masterclass of talent and roster management; it feels like every time a new addition is added to the team by Howie Roseman, it’s “Howie has done it again!”

That leads to Nick Sirianni, the agro-competitive coach who is clowned on in press conferences, shaves his head and spitefully yells at his own fans in their victories to prove he’s a quality coach, and challenges draft prospects to rock paper scissors, to have success or else he’s the reason they’re losing. Philly views him as someone who they’ll likely blame for the loss first, but if anyone who ISN’T from Philly says anything negative about their man calling the shots, it’s a war on-site. “Super Bowl-winning head coach, Nick Sirianni,” would make him much more immune to criticism by fans and outsiders.

Washington Commanders

Owner Josh Harris

Look, the last people that need a legacy pat on the back are billionaire owners, but the Dan Snyder era in Washington consists of a book full of blunders, lawsuits, and turmoil in a football-rich community contrasting with these last two seasons of hope under the new Josh Harris regime, is almost cosmic and a sense of rebirth. Harris already has as many postseason wins as Dan Snyder has had in just two seasons and is playing with house money.

Coming off of a four-win season, they brought in a new coaching regime (Dan Campbell was the third option! Ben Johnson declined an invitation!), a rookie quarterback at the #2 overall pick, and cheap, veteran signings; they were seen as a project. The entire organization needs to be commended for this turnaround, but mostly, we would just be happy for the legacy of football being back in DC thanks to the dictatorial era of Snyder being dead.

Honorable Mention // Quarterback Jayden Daniels

Daniels’ legacy is still being written with plenty of time as a rookie quarterback that’s taken a team to heights that they had never even foresought going into the season; there’s plenty more to go. He’s unconscious on the sidelines, unphased by any time they face adversity, makes unbelievable decisions on a team that goes for it on 4th-down, the second most in the league with his legs or with his rocket arm, and is doing this all with a supporting cast that we thought was a work in progress.

He’s only 24, coming off a Heisman season, and is already being immortalized as a beacon of hope for the new era in Washington from how he’s played this early. Aside from maybe having the best rookie seasons ever, no, Daniels doesn’t need this for his legacy.

That’s because it may just be getting started.

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