Did you ever play one of those side-scrolling video games from the 1980s or 90s? You'd fight past waves of smaller enemies, only to face a "boss" at the end. That was the real battle. I'm not exactly sure why the boss was just sitting in a room by themselves waiting around for someone to decimate their roster of henchmen, but whatever. You had to fight your way to get to them, and they were waiting for you.
The playoffs kind of feel that way this year. I'm not sure when or if this has happened before (definitely not in the past few years), but all four teams with a bye are led by a Super Bowl champion quarterback. In the NFC, Rodgers and Wilson were just waiting to see who they'd face. And in the AFC, two locks for the Hall of Fame (Brady and Manning) were enjoying a bye last weekend. And like valiant video game characters, last week's winners had to earn the right to face them.
As far as boss fights go, there are pretty tough ones. Not only do all of them have rings, but none are in a steep decline just yet. And they're all at home. Winning a road game is hard enough. Winning a road game in the playoffs is even harder. But against a quarterback who has won it all before? That's a tall order for any team.
Let's be honest: Was Ryan Lindley a real test for Carolina's defense? To say Wilson will be more challenging is an understatement, and Seattle's not an easy place to play. And while Romo led Dallas out of an early hole, could he do the same if it happens at Lambeau? Is Luck ready to upset Manning in Denver this year? He's a great your quarterback, but that's asking a lot.
And then there's Brady and the Patriots. As the top seed in the conference with a 7-1 home record, you'd think they'd strike fear in their opponent. But that opponent is the Ravens, with a "boss" in Joe Flacco. They're beaten the Patriots, in the playoffs, on the road. No question that boss can be beaten.
They all can be beaten, actually. That's life in the NFL. But the fact that every team left in the playoffs has a franchise quarterback at the helm tells you how critical the position is. You really can't win without one. And there aren't 32 franchise quarterbacks on the planet. Most of the teams lucky enough to have one are still playing football. The ones still searching are watching at home.
Even having a decent quarterback isn't good enough anymore. The Bengals don't seem to take much satisfaction in making the playoffs every year. They have a good quarterback in Andy Dalton, but they don't have a guy who comes alive when the games count the most.
The Rams and Cardinals had good teams this year. The coaching was excellent and they were hard to beat. But without a top-tier quarterback, they really had no shot. St. Louis didn't make the playoffs, and Arizona might have been better off missing them, too. Both teams would have been dangerous -- maybe even contenders -- with a great quarterback behind center. They need a boss, and they simply don't have one.
Of course, the fun part of those epic boss battles was when you actually got there and came out on top. Maybe it was a pattern, or luck, or the 1,000th try or simply being better than day. If you didn't think you had a chance, the game wouldn't have been any fun. The toughest battles were the most rewarding in the end. As fans, we hope it plays out that way in football as well. Enjoy the games this weekend.
What was your toughest video game boss fight? Describe your winning or losing battles below.