Story by Jon Stalnaker AKA The Studebaker Dude
This weekend the Super Bowl LIX teams will be decided. The whole season has been narrowed down to the four teams still in contention through the post-season play-off games. I proudly claim to be a Denver Broncos fan and was delighted that they made it to the playoffs, even though they have already been eliminated. I had no expectation of a Broncos Super Bowl appearance this year but am happy that things are beginning to gel for us. Since my team is not going to play this year, which team should I root for? There are 32 Teams in the NFL so, the fans from 30 teams need to pick a team other than their own to win. In this story, I’m speaking to fans of 28 teams, many of whom will probably not really care who wins this year and might not even care who will attend the show down. But I like football and I have a second favorite team, and teams I kinda like, and teams I’d like to see get a chance, and I even have teams I don’t like at all (Raiders).
As a second favorite team, I like the Kansas City Chiefs. You might call me a fair-weather fan because they are currently the dynasty team in the league. That’s not why I like them second best, but I am happy for them, even though their dominance takes away the Broncos chances. You might think it’s because they are the closest team to being a home team for Oklahoma, my new state. That’s not the reason either because I was a Denver fan when I was in California and moving to Oklahoma made it even closer. There are too many other teams I kinda like to list and there are a few other teams I don’t really like in addition to the Raiders, but I need not list them. If you are a Raiders fan, sorry but we all need a least favorite team, and doggone it, that one is mine. Besides, It’s really just for fun. It might please you to know that I have lots of Raider fan friends and when the Broncos lose to them, it costs me money. You can take solace in that.
And then there are the teams that I feel sorry for. Four teams that have never been to the Super Bowl. Consider the Detroit Lions, who made it to the playoffs this year and have become a force to be reckoned with the last several years. I was rooting for them to make it to the big game for years and hope they do eventually. The Houston Texans have been playing well lately and almost made it this year, but it’s not their time yet either. I feel sorry for the Cleveland Browns as they were a champion team prior to the Super Bowl era. They moved to Baltimore and changed their name to the Ravens and made it to the Super Bowl multiple times, but the city of Cleveland kept the name and resurrected the franchise, but they have yet to make it to the big game. And lastly, the Jaguars finish out the “not so fab” four. And then there is Buffalo. The only team to claim a four-peat at the Super Bowl. They went to the big game 4 years in a row and lost all four of them. You’ve gotta feel that pain. They are still in the running this year and I would be happy to see them finally come home with a win. They could do it this time.
Philadelphia is still in the running also. They have been to SB 4 times and only won once. That one win was against the Patriots when they were in their prime, so I like them for that. If they could take the trophy from Tom Brady, I know some Chief haters that would love to see them take a win from Mahomes, especially this significant one. And then there is the Commanders. They have yet to be to a Super Bowl game under their new identity. But the Washington Redskins have made 5 appearances which included three wins. These date back to the 80s and one of those wins was against Denver in 1988, so I won’t be rooting for them.
That leaves us with Kansas City. I listed why you might think I would like the Chiefs second best, but I didn’t list the real reason why. I have lots of shirts and jerseys of my favorite team, but I have one Chiefs jersey that I wear. My wife bought it for me years ago before the time of Mahomes and Reid. She made me promise never to wear it when the Chiefs play the Broncos. It’s #96 when that number belonged to Andy Studebaker. I wrote an interview with Andy for the Studebaker Drivers Club magazine. I should be mad at the Chiefs because it was Andy Reid that traded Studebaker away twice; once when he was head coach for the Eagles and then again when he became coach of the Chiefs. But I still have the jersey and it was expensive so I guess I’ll just have to forgive coach Reid. So, that’s why I like the KC Chiefs second best. Let’s go get that three-peat, this is your dynasty.
