Little Bill Daggett (Gene Hackman): "I don't deserve this! To die like this!"
Will Munny (Clint Eastwood): "Deserve's got nothing to do with it!"
-- Unforgiven, 1992, directed by Eastwood
As I occasionally (but not annually) do, I am ranking Playoff teams by how much they, and their fanbases, deserve to win a World Championship. And I am casting baseball bias aside, so the Eagles won't be 1st. And -- this may shock you -- the Patriots won't be last, or even close to it.
14. Carolina Panthers, NFC South Division Champion, 4th Seed
May Deserve It Because: The Panthers are the only team on the NFC side that has never won a Super Bowl, and their fans have waited for 32 seasons.
May Not Deserve It Because: Not only are North Carolina and especially South Carolina Red States, but Charlotte is one of America's most conservative major cities. They're in the Playoffs because they won a Division title on a 2nd tiebreaker, and they're 8-9. A losing record. And who have they got that deserves a title? Andy Dalton? Be serious.
13. Los Angeles Chargers, AFC Wild-Card Berth, 7th Seed
May Deserve It Because: Los Angeles is a liberal city. After what it's gone through in the last year, it deserves a title. California is a Blue State. Of these 14 teams, they've gone the longest without a league title, since the 1963 AFL Championship. Khalil Mack deserves a title.
May Not Deserve It Because: The Dodgers just won the World Series for the 2nd straight year, so L.A. doesn't need another title that much. And team owner Dean Spanos abandoned San Diego. So they deserve it less than the Rams do.
If I thought that people in San Diego were still rooting for the Chargers, I might have them a little higher on the list. But a Super Bowl win for the Los Angeles Chargers would only remind San Diegans of what was taken from them. It won't be like when the Colorado Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in their 1st year in Denver, and then took the Cup back to Quebec City where they were the Quebec Nordiques, as a dubious reward for their former fans.
12. Los Angeles Rams, NFC Wild-Card Berth, 5th Seed
May Deserve It Because: Los Angeles is a liberal city. After what it's gone through in the last year, it deserves a title. California is a Blue State. Coach Sean McVay is a good guy. So are Matthew Stafford and Davante Adams.
May Not Deserve It Because: The won the Super Bowl just 4 years ago. And the Dodgers just won the World Series for the 2nd straight year, so L.A. doesn't need another title that much.
11. Pittsburgh Steelers, AFC North Division Champion, 4th Seed.
May Deserve It Because: Pittsburgh is a liberal city. And it's been 17 years since they won a title.
May Not Deserve It Because: Aaron Rodgers. That's it. That's all I need. Also Pennsylvania is a Red State. And as far back as that last title is, it was 1 of 6, which is more than most teams have.
10. Green Bay Packers, NFC Wild-Card Berth, 7th Seed
May Deserve It Because: Um... they no longer have either Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers? Lambeau Field is iconic. They're a classic NFL franchise. And their last title was 15 years ago.
May Not Deserve It Because: As far back as that last title is, it was 1 of 13, which is more than any team has. And aside from Micah Parsons, who deserved better than being a Dallas Cowboy, and is hurt, anyway, nobody really stands out as being very deserving. And Wisconsin became a Red State again, and Green Bay is a conservative part of the State.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars, AFC South Division Champion, 3rd Seed
May Deserve It Because: Like the Panthers, the Jags are in their 32nd season, and haven't yet won a title. They haven't even been to a Super Bowl yet. And their fans have had to suffer through incompetent ownership and the loss of home games to London. Trevor Lawrence is a good guy.
May Not Deserve It Because: Florida is not just a Red State, it's one of the rottenest Red States, and Jacksonville is part of the most conservative part of it. It might be the most conservative city with an NFL team. But that doesn't mean the players don't deserve it.
8. New England Patriots, AFC East Division Champion, 2nd Seed
May Deserve It Because: Boston is a liberal city. Massachusetts is a Blue State. New England is a liberal region. And these are not the Patriots of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady: There is no evidence of cheating. The Pats have a chance to build a champion which, as far we can tell, is clean.
May Not Deserve It Because: The Pats are still owned by Robert Kraft. And they have won it 6 times, most recently just 7 years ago. So even if they had won those titles fairly, it's a little soon. And who's their "Come on, root for him, he deserves it" guy? Stefon Diggs comes the closest.
7. San Francisco 49ers, NFC Wild-Card Berth, 6th Seed
May Deserve It Because: San Francisco is a liberal city. California is a Blue State. And it's been 31 years since they won a title.
May Not Deserve It Because: As far back as that last title is, it was 1 of 5, which is more than most teams have. And they abandoned San Francisco for suburban Santa Clara. Kevin McCaffrey and George Kittle might deserve a title, but that's not exactly an endorsement.
6. Philadelphia Eagles, NFC Eastern Division Champion, 3rd Seed
May Deserve It Because: Philadelphia is a liberal city. The Eagles are full of good guys, led by quarterback Jalen Hurts.
May Not Deserve It Because: Pennsylvania is a Red State. And the Eagles are the defending Champions, having won 2 and been to 3 of the last 8 Super Bowls. And the fans can be a little nuts.
5. Denver Broncos, AFC West Division Champion, 1st Seed
May Deserve It Because: Denver is a liberal city. Colorado is a Blue State.
May Not Deserve It Because: Head coach Sean Payton not only already has a ring, with New Orleans, but the shadow of "Bountygate" hangs over him. There's no "Let him win one" guy. And it's been only 10 years since the Broncos won a title.
4. Seattle Seahawks, NFC West Division Champion, 1st Seed
May Deserve It Because: Seattle is a liberal city. Washington is a Blue State. Sam Darnold is a good guy. And after their last Super Bowl appearance was sabotaged by their dumb coach, they deserve a chance at redemption.
May Not Deserve It Because: Those uniforms. Those horrid, horrid uniforms! Cooper Kupp is already a legend, but he's already got a ring, with the Rams. And while the 'Hawks have won a title, it wasn't that long ago: 12 years.
3. Houston Texans, AFC Wild-Card Berth, 5th Seed
May Deserve It Because: Alone among these 14 teams, the Texans have never even reached a Conference Championship Game. Houston's only league titles in football have been the 1st 2 AFL Championships, in 1960 and 1961, by the Oilers.
May Not Deserve It Because: Houston has 2 recent titles, by the Astros, ill-gotten. And they don't have a "He really deserves it" guy.
2. Chicago Bears, NFC North Division Champion, 2nd Seed
May Deserve It Because: Chicago is a liberal city. Illinois is a Blue State. They've got some good guys. They're a classic NFL franchise. And it's been 40 years.
May Not Deserve It Because: As far back as that last title is, it was 1 of 8, which is more than any team but the Packers have. And ownership is trying to abandon the City of Chicago, for either the O'Hare suburbs or Indiana.
1. Buffalo Bills, AFC Wild-Card Berth, 6th Seed
May Deserve It Because: The Longest-Suffering Fan Base, given that the Chargers abandoned San Diego. Indeed, in spite of the Bills winning the AFL Championship in 1964 and 1965, no Buffalo-based team has ever won a World Championship. No team from Western New York has won one since the 1955 Syracuse Nationals, unless you want to count the old NASL and women's soccer leagues as "major league." Josh Allen is a good guy. And Marv Levy is 100 years old: He deserves to at least see the Bills win the Super Bowl before he dies.
May Not Deserve It Because: There's always the chance that long-suffering sore losers could turn into bastard winners. And there's always the chance that bandwagoners might latch onto them, claiming they were always Bills fans, when their closet has Chiefs stuff in front of Patriots stuff in front of Cowboys stuff.
So, yes, the Buffalo Bills are the team that most deserves to win the Super Bowl.
Will they? Probably not. Some things never change.
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