ClutchPoints
The Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen were the last team to leave the head-and-shoulders mountain. The Packers had been there when they traded
for Micah Parsons, but they’ve flopped. But after just five weeks, it’s plain to see. The 2025 Super Bowl race is chaotic and getting worse.
All it took to cap things off was a team like the New England Patriots strolling into Buffalo and taking the game away from Josh Allen and the Bills at the end. This should not have happened, but it shows how delicate the balance of power has become.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Yes, the Bills remain as the NFL’s top team. And the Lions are the best bet to meet them in the Super Bowl. But it feels like that won’t happen because of the way the season is trending.
One of the things NFL analysts love is having a few times rise above the crowd. Then they can make blanket statements and boost their egos when they are “proven” right. In reality, they’re just stating the obvious and making it sound like they’re in the know.
Unfortunately, that may not fly this year. And the reasons come from both ends of the spectrum. The teams at the top, like the Bills, Lions, Eagles, Buccaneers, and Colts, have too many flaws. The teams near the bottom have just enough juice to make them sweat.
Yes, this is the way the NFL is supposed to be. It’s all about parity, right? Only this year, it’s looking like parity on steroids.
For one thing, the NFL has made a clown show for offenses. And the main culprit is the kickoff rules. Oh, it’s so exciting the every kickoff is an adventure, right? Teams are running back more kicks, and drives are starting at the 30, 35, and 40-plus yard lines.
But it’s making a mockery of the sport. Teams can start at their own 35-yard line without lifting a finger. Shorter distances to go for touchdowns will create more scoring opportunities. That’s great for the fans, right?
Not really. Football is a historical game. I mean, if all people wanted to see were touchdowns, then play every game like the college overtime rule. All drives would start at the opponent’s 25-yard line. There would be bunches of touchdowns. Scores would be like 68-65, or worse.
Of course, fans would reject this as “not real football.” So if you agree with that thought, think about drives starting at the 30-yard line as an average. All the NFL has done is shorten the playing field. The league has made it easier to score touchdowns, and nobody seems to be talking about it.
And when you make it easier for lesser teams to score touchdowns, you get more upsets. The NFL rubs its hands together as attendance swells because the “any given Sunday” thing has...
