Game of Thrones as 2019 NFL Playoff Teams PART 2 Podcast
Filibuster Freestyle’s 4th annual NFL Playoff teams as Game of Thrones Characters is here and these are the Part 2 podcast notes:
LA Chargers - Daenerys Targaryen (while she was still in Meereen) - Essentially displaced/ homeless and they have to go east if they want to “go west” aka win the title. Her Dragons were young, the cards were stacked against her, she wasn’t even beloved in her home town, she had to leave her home town due to a lack of support. The chargers have had terrible luck with Kickers, people question their QB and coach a lot, but there is potential for greatness. They’ve won on the road despite history of not doing so. Nobody is sure how much trust to put in the Chargers, but no one seems to want to face them, and no one seems to hate them.
Baltimore Ravens (House Stark after killing Little Finger) - The Ravens seemed to be left for dead with Joe Flacco at the helm. There was talk of John Harbaugh not coming back, enter Lamar Jackson at QB and everything has changed. The Ravens seem to find a way to win ugly and/or survive to fight another day. Jon Snow at Hardhome, John Snow when he was saved by Uncle Benjen stark after the Night’s Kings killed Viserion the Dragons.) Now House Stark has Bran reunited with Arya and Sansa, and their slitting little fingers’ throats, they killed Ramsay Bolton with his own Dogs, they are poised to recover from certain defeat.
Philadelphia Eagles - Welp this is a story about the ability to hang on to power when all seems lost. Nick Foles is the “wildfire”. This is Cersei Lannister using Wildfire with Maester Qyburn and blowing up all of her enemies at once in the Sept. The eagles were having the classic super bowl hangover. Everybody was coming for them and coming for them hard. They seemed to have painted themselves into a corner with no plausible escape… and then the ineffective Carson Wentz is “injured” and they insert Nick Foles. Nick Foles is the Wildfire. He allows for an inexplicable change of momentum, just like Cersei’s stunt at Great Sept of Baelor.
Chicago Bears - Night’s King Army and Khalil Mack is the ice dragon, Viserion. They were going to be tough to defeat, but they were outgunned in terms of game changing dragons, and then Jon Gruden gifted the Bears an asset who takes them to another level.
New England Patriots - The Patriots have always been featured as somebody like Tyrion Lannister or the Night’s King. But I think this year’s Patriots are Jamie Lannister at the battle in Season 6 or 7 with Sam Tarly’s dad and Dickon Tarly. When Dany had three Dragons, and only a heroic move by Bronn saved jamie from being burned alive. The patriots are a shadow of their former selves, as is the 1 handed Jamie, and they are out gunned. But, they are wiley, so there’s a small chance they survive, but not because they are the best team.
Kansas City Chiefs - Missing Karim Hunt really changed things a bit for the Chiefs —so this was my toughest team to provide a game of thrones character. But here it is… This whole tale started after a young Robert Baratheon struck down Rhaegar Targaryen at the Trident (and then Jamie Lannister killed Aerys the 2nd (the Mad king). If the Chiefs win the super bowl, they are young Robert Baratheon and if they get knocked off, they are Rhaegar Targaryen. And the beauty of this comparison — Rhaegar is actually Jon Snow’s dad. And I’m convinced that Patrick Mahomes will lift the Lombardi Trophy one day, if not this year… just as Rhaegar lost the battle of the Trident, but “won the war” by conceiving Jon with Lyanna Stark.
LA Rams - Oberyn Martell, the Red Viper of Dorne — The NFL Season is long and drought with peril — The Rams came out of the gates like Oberyn Martell against the mountain and seemed destined for the Super Bowl but, after the past month, I’m increasing concerned that one of these NFC defenses might squish their heads like a Giant Grape. (Fake band name of the week, “Giant Grape”)
New Orleans Saints - The Unsullied. The saints seem to have all the weapons and the home fortress to defend. They might be a little one dimensional, but at the end of the day, if they can play their game on their home turf in the style in which they’re accustomed, aka no gimmick football - they’ve got a it handled.