American Football: Domination

Truth be told, Bart had never read Sense and Sensibility and had no idea what the book was about. But he was certain—no matter the original story, it couldn't possibly be as torturous as what he was experiencing now. He felt like he was being torn in two.

Bart had always considered himself a rational man, 100% logical—a hardcore "T" in any MBTI test. But after a season of getting proven wrong, over and over again, he was starting to question everything.

Maybe… he wasn't a T?

Even though that AFC Divisional game had ended days ago, every time he closed his eyes, he could still see Lance's one-handed catch in that Hail Mary play. Over and over, an endless replay.

It was suffocating.

"…Blair?"

A voice snapped him back to reality—he had closed his eyes again.

Wait… was he savoring the moment?

Was he actually a M?

Cough, cough.

Bart quickly coughed to cover up his panic and glanced at the screen in front of him.

It displayed the predictions from all the analysts.

For the NFC Championship: seven votes for the Minnesota Vikings, three for the Philadelphia Eagles.

For the AFC Championship: eight votes for the Jacksonville Jaguars, one for the Kansas City Chiefs, and one abstention.

A complete landslide.

It was obvious—the lone Chiefs supporter was Lawson, the season's most die-hard "Lance fan." Even after getting humiliated during the Chiefs' six-game losing streak, Lawson had stuck to his stance without hesitation.

Now, only Bart was left to decide.

For the NFC Championship, he chose to be rational—backing the Vikings, aligning with the majority.

But for the AFC Championship?

His breath hitched.

Screw it.

"…The Kansas City Chiefs are champions!"

Without warning, Bart shot up from his seat, arms raised in celebration.

Within seconds, he could feel the entire studio's eyes lock onto him.

For a brief moment, doubt crept in.

He should trust the data, trust the game simulations, trust objective analysis. He should believe in logical reasoning.

After all, football was a team sport.

If anyone was going to single-handedly change the outcome of a game, it should be a generational quarterback like Brady or Rodgers. At the very least, someone like Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, or Flacco—not a rookie writing his own Hollywood fairytale.

And yet—

His cheek still stung from all the times he'd been proven wrong. From the regular season into the playoffs, time and time again, he'd been forced to eat his words. If he kept resisting, he was going to develop a full-blown mental block.

Just imagining nightmares of Lance haunting him every night sent shivers down his spine. A cold sweat trickled down his back.

And let's not forget—on social media, Bart was already being mocked as "Lance's personal Pele." He had seen the tweets.

Isn't there a saying? If you can't beat him, drag him down with you.

So, if he picked the Chiefs… maybe, just maybe, the AFC Championship would have a different ending?

He had the power.

Hesitation and inner turmoil lasted only a second before he made up his mind.

"The Kansas City Chiefs are champions!"

A determined glint flashed in Bart's eyes.

"Not just AFC champions—I believe the Kansas City Chiefs are the strongest contenders for the Super Bowl. They're in the best position to win it all."

The studio: ???

Was it them who had lost their minds, or was it Bart?

Unbelievably, Bart and Lawson had become the only two analysts on Inside the League to predict a Chiefs victory over Jacksonville. When the episode aired, social media exploded.

Wait… what? Did they miss an episode?

No one knew what was more shocking—Bart and Lawson suddenly standing on the same side, or the fact that the team that had just eliminated the New England Patriots was still getting zero respect. The debates raged on.

But if all this hype stayed confined to the internet and media, it wouldn't be enough. The real fun started when the players got involved.

But how?

A "Blake Bortles vs. Alex Smith" quarterback duel?

Bortles was a quiet, humble guy. Smith was a kindhearted, dependable veteran. There was no way those two were going to trash-talk each other.

A "Leonard Fournette vs. Lance" rookie rivalry?

Now that had some heat. Their history went way back, from NCAA battles to the NFL. And now, fate had brought them to the AFC Championship for the ultimate showdown.

A great narrative. A major storyline for the game.

But Fournette wasn't exactly articulate. He genuinely disliked Lance, but he couldn't put it into words. After struggling to come up with an insult, whatever he finally blurted out just sounded weak.

And as for Lance—that sly little fox—journalists knew better than to mess with him. The last thing they wanted was to end up as his target instead.

So… what about the head coaches?

Just then, the media struck gold.

An unexpected name entered the spotlight.

Jalen Ramsey.

The Jaguars' star cornerback, drafted fifth overall in 2016.

In just two seasons, Ramsey had already become one of the league's top defensive backs, a cornerstone of Jacksonville's dominant defense.

128 tackles, 6 interceptions, 31 pass deflections, and a pick-six in just two years.

An undeniable elite talent. A rising leader of the next generation of defensive stars.

Standing 6'1" (185 cm) and weighing 208 lbs (95 kg), Ramsey bore a striking resemblance—both physically and in playstyle—to Richard Sherman, the outspoken leader of the Seattle Seahawks' infamous Legion of Boom.

Even their attitude was the same—trash talk for days.

Despite being so young, Ramsey had already built a reputation as the biggest talker in the NFL.

Before the Wild Card game against the Buffalo Bills, he had famously declared:

"I'm not singling anyone out—I'm saying every quarterback here is garbage."

That meant every quarterback—Andrew Luck, Jared Goff, Roethlisberger, Flacco, Eli Manning, Matt Ryan—they all got torched.

And the best part?

He backed it up.

Those quarterbacks? A combined five interceptions against Ramsey that season. Their passer rating when throwing his way? 69.0.

Failing grade.

When you had the skills to back up the talk, even your biggest critics had to shut up. He was like the Larry Bird of the NFL.

During a 2017 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, even the mild-mannered, universally respected receiver A.J. Green snapped and started swinging at Ramsey—because he just wouldn't stop talking.

At first, journalists hadn't considered Ramsey a factor in this game—after all, he wasn't covering a running back like Fournette, and he probably wouldn't even cross paths with Lance on the field.

Otherwise, the media would've been stirring the pot weeks ago.

But then—

Ramsey fired the first shot.

Here we go.

The explosion was finally coming.

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Powerstones?

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