[Old School Hound]

Ravens look head and shoulders above anyone else in the league. It will probably come down to whichever teams Goodell and his goons want to see in the SB this year. Too much money involved now, especially with the league fully embracing gambling, to think that the league doesn't , at least, INFLUENCE games. It most certainly does. And it easily done, via penalties at crucial moments and non-calls on clear holds and PI. It's really not even debatable any more. The intentional grounding on Browning late in the game was one of the most egregious calls I've ever witnessed. No way Mahomes gets penalized for that. Browning got roughed by a Chiefs rusher. No call! Mahomes would have gotten his free 15 yards if a Bengal player had done the same thing. You see things like that all the time. A few calls or no calls can easily influence a games outcome by several points, and the betting lines of most games are just a few points.

Maybe Goodell will see some merit in the storyline of Burrow coming back from injury next season and him and fellow LSU grad, Chase , leading the Bengals to a SB win in New Orleans in February, 2025. Maybe Cincy will get another push from Goodell in '24-25 and win it all in the Bayou State. Without the blessing from the league, you're not gonna get the crucial calls to get you over the finish line. It's not quite WWE, but there are similarities.