Super Bowl Domination

Chapter 725 Stand out
Analyzing from different angles, the Kansas City Chiefs have their destiny firmly in their own hands. As long as they can defeat the Oakland Raiders, the No. 1 seed in the AFC will belong to the defending champions.

But here, the Oakland Raiders are always a variable, even if they are a strong contender for the second-best spot this season, and even if the last week's game will take place at Arrowhead Chiefs; but don't forget that the game between the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs, the mortal rivals in the same division, can never be judged according to conventional judgments.

Who knows, between "next year's draft pick" and "disrupting the playoff plans of their division rivals", what will the Oakland Raiders choose?

Precisely because of this, the penultimate week of the regular season is particularly important. The Kansas City Chiefs need to win and need to take the initiative into their hands.

result--

The Kansas City Chiefs did it.

The Lakers had the last laugh in this fierce battle between two powerful teams by destroying the Seattle Seahawks, and seized the initiative in the competition for the No. 1 seed in the AFC.

At this point, we need to see how our competitors perform in the final stages of the regular season.

The New England Patriots defeated their division rivals, the Buffalo Bills, this week, but had previously lost two straight games to the Miami Dolphins and Pittsburgh Steelers, and currently have a record of ten wins and five losses.

The Houston Texans lost to last season's Super Bowl runner-up Philadelphia Eagles by two points in a very, very close game. Their current record is 10 wins and 5 losses.

In other words, both teams fell behind in different ways and to varying degrees, and ultimately failed to keep up with the Kansas City Chiefs, and gradually withdrew from the battle for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Regardless of the results of the final week of games, they no longer have a chance to compete with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Finally, the only one left is the Los Angeles Chargers in the American League West.

The No. 1 seed will soon be competed for by two teams from the same division. This is undoubtedly a strange sight, and it shows the fierce competition within the American League West.

This week, the Los Angeles Chargers host the Baltimore Ravens.

Originally, Lynn's team was full of confidence, ready to continue the momentum of last week's buzzer-beater against the Kansas City Chiefs; but they never expected that things would develop in the other direction. After winning the strong clash in the same division, the Los Angeles Chargers locker room had a party, and their extremely tense nerves relaxed. The toughest and most difficult battle was over, but the state of the following week was not tight.

At the critical moment of competing for playoff seeds, the Los Angeles Chargers exposed their unstable mentality. The game against the Baltimore Ravens should have been a strong confrontation, but it turned out to be the opposite.

The game collapsed.

The Baltimore Ravens defeated the Los Angeles Chargers with a score of "10:22" on the road. They did not encounter any decent resistance throughout the game and escaped from Los Angeles unscathed.

No one could have predicted such a situation.

But this is the NFL, this is competitive sports, every week's game is full of countless possibilities, and nothing is set in stone until the last minute.

The 15th week of the regular season is over, with the Los Angeles Lightning having 11 wins and 4 losses.

The ending is revealed in advance.

According to NFL ranking rules, the Kansas City Chiefs secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs a week in advance.

Even in the final week, when the Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Oakland Raiders and the Los Angeles Chargers beat the Denver Broncos, the rankings would remain the same.

The first big suspense of the 2018 regular season has been revealed:
The defending champion Kansas City Chiefs entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the AFC, not only receiving a bye in the first-round wild-card game, but also enjoying home-field advantage throughout the entire playoffs.

At the same time, the competition for the No. 2 seed in the AFC is still fierce. The winner will have a bye in the first round of the playoffs, and the loser will play in the wild-card game. Such fierce competition requires the New England Patriots and Houston Texans to stay fully tense and cannot afford to lose in the last week of the competition.

The National League is no exception. The New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams, and Chicago Bears are in a close race. The top three seeds will be decided between these three teams. The answer cannot be predicted until the last minute. If any team fails, the seed ranking may change dramatically. In other words, there are still a series of suspense waiting to be revealed in the last week of the regular season. The teams still need to go all out, and the battle is unprecedentedly fierce.

The only exception is the Kansas City Chiefs.

Because they have secured the No. 1 seed in the playoffs in advance, just like last season, the Kansas City Chiefs can greet the last week of the regular season in a relaxed state and prepare for the playoffs in advance. While other teams are fighting hard, the Kansas City Chiefs can just drink tea and watch the show.

The treatment is completely different.

So, is this the attitude of the defending champion?

No wonder after the “devil’s five minutes” at the Century Hammers Stadium, the media and social networks were all filled with praise, exclamation, applause and cheers.

After a long and difficult regular season, the defending champions still secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC. No matter what others say, the Kansas City Chiefs still secured a favorable position for themselves in the playoff battle, and even had precious adjustment time, which is impressive.

"...Oh, you are a little touched."

JJ Watt is talking to Levi on the phone. On the one hand, he is congratulating Levi on a great season, and on the other hand, he needs some spiritual support.

The Houston Texans have had a rare opportunity this season.

First, they made history by becoming the first team in league history to win nine straight games after a three-game losing streak.

Secondly, they achieved more than ten wins in a season for the second time since the 2012 season.

Finally, they have a chance to win their third division title in franchise history.

Everything is on the right track.

But precisely because of this, the pressure in the last week of the regular season is unprecedented.

In Week 17 of the regular season, the Houston Texans will face the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jacksonville Jaguars that had a close battle with the Kansas City Chiefs in last season's AFC Championship.

Before the start of this season, many professionals believed that the Jacksonville Jaguars, who relied on defense and played steadily, would still be a strong contender for the AFC championship this season; however, the reality is cruel. The Jacksonville Jaguars' season collapsed, and they currently have only four wins on the season and are competing for the second-best position.

From heaven to hell, falling at the speed of light, but this is the NFL, a different pattern each season, and no one can be 100% sure of their position.

In every aspect, the Houston Texans are the favorites in this game; but precisely because of this, victory seems to be within reach, which may make people relax, take victory for granted, ignore their opponents, and can't wait to look forward to the playoff prospects early. However, this kind of story development direction is often a severe lesson from reality.

The pressure is enormous.

As the captain and spiritual leader of the Houston Texans, Watt cannot show any wavering in the locker room, not even a crack. He needs to bear all the pressure by himself; and his brothers are not strong enough to face such a situation.

Maybe, it’s only Levi.

(End of this chapter)