Chaos, Coaching Carousels, and the Return of the Patriots: The AFC Has Lost the Plot
From Sam Darnold’s unlikely Super Bowl run to baffling coaching hires, the AFC enters its strangest era yet.
The AFC was supposed to be simple. Chiefs. Bills. Ravens. Everyone else fighting for scraps. Instead, it’s spiraled into full-blown chaos — and this episode of That Football Show embraces every bit of it.
Tucker Franklin and Matt Verderame unpack a postseason that flipped expectations on their head, starting with the Patriots’ improbable return to the Super Bowl and the growing sense that the AFC no longer has a clear hierarchy. With multiple contenders missing the playoffs, questionable coaching changes across the conference, and organizations seemingly tripping over themselves in search of “safe” answers, the league suddenly feels wide open — and deeply confusing.
At the center of it all is one of the strangest storylines in recent NFL memory: Sam Darnold. Once written off as a Jets casualty, Darnold has emerged as the first quarterback from the 2018 draft class to reach the Super Bowl, sparking a sharp (and hilarious) discussion about coaching, development, and the very real concept of “adjusted for Jets.”
The conversation also takes aim at baffling head coaching candidates, recycled hires, and the growing disconnect between NFL decision-makers and on-field results — with the Bills, Raiders, and Steelers all catching heat along the way.
It’s smart, irreverent, and brutally honest football talk — the kind that connects the dots beyond the box score. If you want to understand how the AFC got this weird — and where it might be heading next — this episode is a must-watch.