In today's Fantasy Life Newsletter, presented by Bud Light:
How does that saying go?
Something about there being a few constants in life…
Death.
Taxes.
The Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl.
I’ll admit it … this wasn’t the Super Bowl I wanted, but sometimes you just have to step out of the way and let greatness run its course.
Five Super Bowls in six seasons.
A chance at a three-peat.
It didn’t matter that legions of sports fans like myself were rooting for it to be someone else’s turn.
It didn’t matter that Josh Allen and James Cook nearly pulled off the upset.
Patrick Mahomes and this Chiefs squad is simply inevitable.
That’s bad news for the Eagles, who get another chance to slay the dragon in two weeks.
They open up as 1.5-point underdogs. Good luck, you’re going to need it.
What else is in today’s newsletter?
- Championship Sunday Takeaways: The favorites roll
- Senior Bowl Preview: The Running Backs
- Watercooler: Mack Hollins one-ups himself
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A bunch of hat tricks …
By Pete Overzet
It's time for Pete's Pick 6—a weekly recap column where I spotlight the best and the worst performances from Sunday's games. In today's edition, we dig into two epic Conference Championship games …
Let's dig in …
Patrick Mahomes is the best
Over the next few weeks, thousands of sports writers and pundits are going to gush about Patrick Mahomes.
They will wax poetically about his absurd playoff resume. They will compare him to Tom Brady. They will call him the G word.
But right now the best way I can sum up his greatness is by letting you know that he spearheaded an offense to 32 points in the AFC Championship game with JuJu Smith-Poopster (don't you dare change this, editors) as his second-leading WR.
If that isn't the characteristic of an all-time great, then I don't know what is.
Travis Kelce disappeared (2-19) and Mahomes said, extreme Kermit voice "Don't worry, fam. Me and poo-poo got this."
With all that said, don't ever try to spike the ball again. It's tarnishing your legacy.
The Commanders’ inglorious hat trick
When you lose by 32 points, you definitely got beat. But I'd argue in the case of the Commanders, it wasn't so much at the hands of the Eagles as it was their own fault.
Not to be outdone by the Barkley and Hurts hat tricks, the Commanders dialed up a turnover version of their own:
Dyami Brown fumbled the ball on the team's second possession and it promptly led to a Barkley TD to give the Eagles a 14-3 lead.
Jeremy McNichols fumbled a kickoff return at the end of the second quarter when the team was down 20-12 and … you guessed it … promptly led to another Eagles TD (A.J. Brown).
And finally, Austin Ekeler fumbled the ball at the end of the third quarter as the team was mounting a drive down 11 points. The Eagles promptly drove down the field and tush-pushed their way into the end zone to take a three-score lead.
What's particularly frustrating is that none of these turnovers involved Jayden Daniels, who played great, but just couldn't get much help from either his offense or his defense.
A loss on this stage always stings, but it's hard not to be very excited about the Commanders’ future after their rookie QB led them to a 12-5 regular-season record, two road playoff wins, and their organization's first NFC Championship game appearance since 1991.
Daniel Snyder might be grinning today, but Daniels and Co. will get the last laugh.
4 MORE CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY HIGH/LOWLIGHTS
2025 Senior Bowl RB Preview: Ollie Gordon II, Devin Neal, and More
By Thor Nystrom
Thor Nystrom is going to be in Mobile all week for the Senior Bowl, recording reports for the Fantasy Life Show and also writing previews and a big recap on players whose stock either rose or fell during the week. This is the last time these young men compete on a football field before the NFL Draft April 24-26 in Green Bay. And this will also be the last audition before the NFL Combine next month. Thor broke down the QBs already, and the pass catchers are coming soon. Let’s dive into a loaded RB class, with 14 players attending the showcase in Mobile.
2025 Senior Bowl Running Back Preview
The RBs participating in this year's Senior Bowl:
Donovan Edwards (Michigan)
Ollie Gordon II (Oklahoma State)
RJ Harvey (UCF)
Jarquez Hunter (Auburn)
Woody Marks (USC)
Damien Martinez (Miami)
Kalel Mullings (Michigan)
Devin Neal (Kansas)
Brashard Smith (SMU)
Bhayshul Tuten (Virginia Tech)
Marcus Yarns (Delaware)
Cam Skattebo (Arizona State)
Trevor Etienne (Georgia)
LeQuint Allen (Syracuse)
Most to Prove: Ollie Gordon II (Oklahoma State)
Gordon rushed for 1,732 yards on 6.1 YPC as a sophomore in 2023. He was named a Unanimous All-American and won the Doak Walker Award and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. In 2024, the former four-star recruit fell off to 808 rushing yards on 4.6 YPC as his supporting cast sagged and defenses ganged up on him.
Gordon is going to provide an NFL offense with take-what-the-blockers-give-me short-yardage efficiency. He has good size at 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, and he doesn’t mind mixing it up. Gordon is a downhill runner who doesn’t dance.
He’s not explosive, so you aren’t going to see him in the second-level at the NFL level as often as you did in 2023. Gordon’s yardage output that season was propped up by explosive runs. He has decent top-end speed, but Gordon needs a runway to reach it.
Gordon also has stiff hips. He has mediocre agility, and direction-changes require him to build back up to top speed. Gordon stays in his downhill lane because of this. I don’t like how high he runs—he takes a lot of punishment.
Gordon is a reliable receiver, catching 69 balls the past two years. This part of his game explains the apocryphal Najee Harris comps. To be fair to Gordon, he has legitimate pass-game utility.
Gordon has some of the best pass-blocking film in this class. He’s looking for work, he denotes danger quickly, and he steps up aggressively. Gordon is a really nifty cut-blocker—he chops down intruders.
In Mobile, it is imperative for Gordon to regain the momentum he lost during the regular season. Gordon must emphatically prove his short-yardage chops while shining in the pass game.
MORE RUNNING BACKS TO WATCH AT THE SENIOR BOWL
AROUND THE WATERCOOLER
The latest analysis and insights from our merry band of football nerds:
🏆 It’s down to the final 2 for Super Bowl LIX. New Orleans is home for a rematch between the Chiefs and Eagles.
🤔 You won’t believe who’s the early betting favorite in the Super Bowl.
👹 Mack Hollins is a gem. Never change, dude.
📖 No one celebrates better than Philly fans. Touching tribute.
🫣 Giants fans would rather forget this.
🍼 The new Bears OC was born in 1996. Prodigy.
👨⚖️ Fake punts are cool. I rest my case.
