It is fair to say that the NFL has been as unpredictable as ever this year. Many teams that were on the rise or who were going to reach the playoffs did not. A lot of teams went from riches to rags. But some went from being playoff-bound to being one of the worst ever record wise.

The playoffs have been just as unpredictable. Experience and leadership did not equate to wins for many teams. The underdogs ended up winning. But the teams that are left now are unfit for an entertaining Super Bowl and I will explain why and what has been happening in the league.

Ratings

The NFL has not had as much success as last year by the numbers with a lot fewer viewers, especially in this year's playoffs. An article in The New York Post affirms the details of the lower amount of viewers with "an average of 5.8 million viewers from each of the four NFL divisional playoff games last week." The NFL has lost many viewers this year and it could be for more reasons than just not entertaining matchups.

The ratings have gone down not just in the playoffs, but also for the regular season. The article points out that "the drop-off, about 16 percent from last year's second weekend of playoff games, was even steeper than the 9.7 percent decline in TV viewership the NFL experienced during the regular season." Both the regular season and playoffs have been affected by the statistics.

What is the reason?

A lot of factors could have contributed to the decline or loss of viewers for the sport. The increased number of injuries and more devastating ones could be a factor, with injuries to Ryan Shazier, Odell Beckham Jr., Zach Miller, and others. The sport has gotten more dangerous with hits to the head and neck area.

Evidence also came out not too long ago about many players getting CTE or Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy from the violent sport by hits to the head and concussions.

In my opinion, it is quite easy to see that the loss of viewers has been caused by the national anthem protests too. The kneeling and constant use of it in the media could have made people not watch the sport anymore.

I think people want to see the sport played and not see people kneeling and protesting. Politics have ruined the sport of football and it is easy to see.

There could also be fewer viewers because of the injustice that was done to Colin Kaepernick. There are so many QBs that don't belong in the league and Kaepernick has not been signed when many teams need a QB or at least a backup. Many fans boycotted the league to support the ex-49ers quarterback.

The officiating this year has also been criticized and critiqued with its calls on what a catch really is. The rulings turned many games in the opposite direction. Moreover, there have been bad calls made in the regular season.

Underdogs winning

The Super Bowl matchup I think will be the Minnesota Vikings versus the New England Patriots.

Although the Jaguars have an impressive defense and the best in the league, I believe Tom Brady and Bill Belichick will find a way to defeat them. The Vikings are surging and I believe the Eagles will go down behind an okay QB in Foles. Both of the games will be interesting.

Backup QBs or QBs that have been on the bench have been getting it done in the playoffs this year with Nick Foles and Case Keenum stepping up big time. It has hurt viewership because a lot of people, including myself, wanted to see veteran QB's in the Super Bowl.

The Saints losing to the Vikings in the final moments was unfortunate because they would have won if not for that terrible tackle that the rookie corner Marcus Williams could not make.

I was equally disappointed in the Steelers and the Falcons for not advancing behind horrible play calls.

The Chiefs always tend to come up short, as well as the Steelers in the past years. The Falcons have come up short too and they were not able to get to the Super Bowl again like last year. The team that I can see that has a bright future out of all the playoff teams is the New Orlean Saints, behind many great young players and amazing QB Drew Brees.

I might not be watching this Super Bowl because I do not want to see the Patriots winning it again, which could very well happen. Teams that I thought should have advanced lost and the rest of the matchups are not entertaining.
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