Dawn of a New Era (Chapter I: 2022)

[Second Installment of Chapter I]

Super Bowl LVI was a battle between two of the greatest teams in the NFL, both unexpected contenders. San Francisco, if they won, would be only the third six-seeded team to ever win a Super Bowl (following the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2006 and the Green Bay Packers in 2011) and they would also tie the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots with 6 Super Bowl wins, for the most total in the NFL. The Buffalo Bills, however, where hopeful to get their first title, after having been to four consecutive and losing each in the 1990s. The Bills entered the game favored by a field goal.

San Francisco won the coin flip and Buffalo received the ball to start the game in SoFi Stadium. While the game was played in Los Angeles, many from the Bay Area made the cross-state drive, while dedicated members of the "Bills Mafia" (as the Bills fan base calls themselves) made the continental flight. Josh Allen threw a 32 yard pass, putting the Bills on the Niners 43 yard line. He then ran the ball, for a gain of nine yards. The Niners defense, one of the best in the league, forced a missed pass on second down. On third down, Allen ran the ball, making it to the Niners 30 yard line. He threw another pass for twenty-seven yards, putting them on the Niners three. Allen rushed for a touchdown, and the team made the extra point. The Bills where up 7-0.

Jimmy Garoppolo then received the ball. Garoppolo started by handing the ball off to Deebo Samuel, for a gain of 17 yards. On their own 42 yard line, Garoppolo sat in the pocket a moment too long and was sacked. Going down, he exacerbated an existing thumb injury as well as tearing his ACL and taking a fracture on his leg. He was out for the remainder of the game. Trey Lance was going to play in the Super Bowl. His first pass in the NFL was in a game against the Detroit Lions in the regular season. It was a touchdown pass. Lance did not disappoint, connecting with Brandon Aiyuk for a touchdown pass. They made the extra point to tie the game 7-7 with nine left in the half.

Then both the defenses seemed to kick in. After trading two sets of none-scoring drives, the 49ers kicked a field goal on a 3-and-7 on the Bills 31 yard line, up 10-7. Oddsmakers said this was the Bills curse kicking in once more. That next drive, all at once, however, Josh Allen reminded the NFL about the kind of quarterback that he was, the kind that crushed the New England Patriots and beat a two-time AFC Champion in overtime, the type won the AFC Championship game by nearly fifty points. Allen threw a touchdown pass on the first play. Trey Lance responded with a touchdown of his own. 17-14, the Bills had the ball with seven minutes to go in the half. Another touchdown trade by the teams, and the game was 24-21. With thirty seconds left on the play clock going into the half, Josh Allen threw a Hail Mary pass to Cole Beasley, a touchdown that put the Bills ahead, 28-24. Thirteen seconds remained on the clock. Trey Lance knew he would be judged for this game the remainder of his career. His first real game- a Super Bowl. He threw the ball to Deebo Samuel, who carried it to the Niners 43 before passing it back to Lance, who found the end zone with no time left on the clock. They kicked an extra point to lead the game 31-28 going into the half.

While 90s kids saw a throwback show of rapsters, Josh Allen went into the locker room with one goal- mobilizing his team to play the game they knew how to play better than any other team, to do what no team from Buffalo had ever done before. To bring home to a city that had seen nearby Pittsburgh and Philadelphia and New York take home titles in recent years, and a team that lost to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick's Patriots 32 times. The team that went into the locker room and the team that went out of the locker room where different teams.

On the first snap of the game, Buffalo's D-line sacked Lance. And on the second snap. And the third snap. Facing 3-and-28, the Niners punted. The Bills returned the punt for a touchdown. 35-31. The Niners again received the ball, with Lance and Samuel eating up the clock to score a field goal, for a 35-34 ball game. Josh Allen got his hands on the ball with a minute left in the third half. He rushed the ball on the first snap for a touchdown. Up 42-34, the Bills still where not comfortable. Lance refused to have his story start out with a Super Bowl loss, and lead the Niners to a scoring drive. The Niners made the risky decision to go for a two point conversion, and managed it. Tied at 42-42, Josh Allen got the ball with 4:39 left in the game. He ate up the clock and the Bills scored a touchdown with thirteen seconds left on the clock. Trey Lance faced impossible odds- tie the game with a 13 seconds touchdown, and hope for a winning coin flip and a touchdown scoring drive. Trey Lance connected once again with Niners star Deebo Samuel, and made a Hail Mary pass. The game was tied, 49-49. This would be the second Overtime Super Bowl ever.

Tight End George Kittle and Quarterback Josh Allen met at midfield for the second coinflip. The Niners being the visiting team, Kittle called heads. The flip was tails. Allen had in his fingertips the football, and the chance to bring home to Buffalo, New York, a Super Bowl title. On the first snap of the drive, Allen rushed the ball for seven yards. On the second snap, he connected with Stefon Diggs for a fifty-four yard pass. On the Niners 14 yard line, Allen snapped the ball and rushed for a gain of 8 yards. A holding penalty was called on the Niners, giving the Bills an automatic first down and the ball halfway the distance from the goal. On the Niners 3 yard line, Allen received the ball. It appeared the Niners would sack Allen, who doubled back, but then Allen rushed the Niners D-line and somehow managed to break through, scoring a game-winning touchdown.

55-49, the game was the highest scoring Super Bowl in history, and was considered to be among the greatest games of football ever played, alongside the 1981 NFC Championship (a.k.a. "The Catch) and Super Bowl LI. Allen was awarded the Super Bowl MVP trophy, and the city of Buffalo, New York, would finally see a Super Bowl title.



Buffalo, New York, was crazy that week. Schools where cancelled as parades looped through the streets.

Days after the Super Bowl, the 2022 season quickly began to shake up as major changes came into play. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Quarterback Tom Brady announced his retirement from the game, and Green Bay Packers Quarterback Aaron Rodgers joined him soon after. Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had announced his retirement after his team feel to Kansas City. The NFL was shaping up to having only a handful of veteran dynasties- the AFC's Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs, and the NFC's entire NFC West division. Additionally, Trey Lance's stellar Super Bowl LVI performance earned him a spot on the team, and Garoppolo was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Los Angeles Rams knew they had a brief moment to keep their team together, and the Seahawks would need to stave off decline. Arizona and San Francisco were on the come-up. But soon, briefly, another question was being asked: How 'bout them Cowboys?

Playing in a division against three lowly teams, the Cowboys looked poised for a playoff return. But could they stand up to the NFC West and return themselves to their 90s glory? Additionally, rumors lurked of the NFL expanding to a 40-team format. How might that shake up the way the game was played?

Finally, the nation walked away from Super Bowl Sunday with a stark realization- unlike the Buffalo Bills or San Francisco 49ers, America was not on the come-up, and issues where quickly arising that would need to speedily be dealt with, most notably with Russia and Ukraine.