In the late 70s, Marvel Comics launched a series of stories called “What If?” that played out weird scenarios for their characters. A change here or there would cause things to go off into bizarre directions. It was all hypothetical fantasy, but fun.
(Disney + has a TV series by the same name, but those stories are actually considered canon, thanks to the Phase 4 multi-verse plotlines. And that’s all the nerd talk I’ll serve up this week).
So playing what if? can be fun, unless we’re talking about your fantasy team. Because if not for a couple of untimely incidents, your league’s playoffs might look completely different.
What if Mike Evans and Chris Godwin didn’t get hurt in the same game? What if Dalvin Cook and Austin Ekeler weren’t on the COVID list this past weekend? What if the Ravens didn’t have to start a third-string quarterback in week 16, like the Browns did in week 15? Would your league champion be different? Would they have even made the playoffs?
Every year you could play that game, but this season, with the COVID list playing out differently for vaccinated and unvaccinated players, there are more variables. And these events aren’t happening in September. It’s December, when fantasy teams have everything on the line. Missing quarterbacks affect entire offenses. Losing a fantasy starter not only means you have to replace them, but an opponent might scoop up their backup or a better option than you already have. Your strength becomes your weakness, your advantages slip away and your title (it was yours, right?) goes to someone else.
If it’s any consolation, as bad as it is for us, it’s even worse for the real NFL teams. Assuming the Vikings miss the playoffs, how many jobs does that affect? Who gets released or fired? How many millions of contract dollars will be impacted?
Let’s really play what if? for a moment. Let’s say the Browns miss the playoffs by one game, and that leads them to question their future with Baker Mayfield right as Aaron Rodgers gets to choose another team. In this alternate universe, Rodgers goes to Cleveland, and Mayfield ends up in Carolina. After Brady retires, Mayfield leads Carolina to five straight division titles and they retire his jersey a decade from now.
Or maybe that doesn’t happen. Maybe Mayfield takes a job with the Giants and disappears from the NFL playoffs for the rest of his career before retiring in relative obscurity. And maybe, if Cleveland had won one more game this season, and done well in the playoffs, Mayfield would retire a Brown.
Or maybe nothing like that happens. So much can change based on just a few scenarios that are playing out right now. But at the very least, coaches will miss the playoffs and get fired, player contracts won’t get renewed and guys and some teams will start rebuilding. Those moves impact people’s lives, where their children go to school and how their team’s futures play out. And some of those changes will be good for other people: Coaches will get opportunities they wouldn’t have gotten, and some might flourish. Maybe a dynasty will be born, all because of an untimely injury or the dreaded COVID list impacting important games in December.
Everyone knows our game is different than theirs, but we probably all share a sense of parity. A game or two, a touchdown or two, an extra point or two, and perhaps your fantasy team could be celebrating instead of wondering where it went wrong. The NFL is no different. Whichever teams get the seventh seed in each conference, the team in the eighth spot will point to a game they should have won that cost them a playoff berth. Maybe that game was decided by one point. Maybe it looked like nothing at the time, but ended up impacting everything.
So if you’re lamenting a game that got away, or a bad lineup decision, or an untimely inactive that cost you dearly, consider the positives. Your team isn’t going to fire you. Nobody on sports radio is going to say how terrible you are. You don’t have to pack up your family and move. You still have your job, and plenty of people in the real league won’t be able to say that in the coming months. Count your blessings, and Happy New Year!
If you fell short, how close were you to winning it all? What late season inactive took the air out of your sails? Do you let things go and move on, or obsess about all the different decisions that could have changed your fortunes? Share your thoughts below.