2018 NFL Tournament of Champions: Championship

We interrupt our series of NFL season previews for... some more NFL content, as the final step of my project comes to completion.

I wasn't even sure I'd be able to do a project like this with my simulator not getting current teams out. But then in April they released the 2017 NFL teams, and I was able to start running a renewed NFL Tournament of Champions! All 52 Super Bowl champions entered a gauntlet at the beginning of May, playing 12 games apiece to narrow the field down to 24 teams. After four more weeks, we're down to our final two in the quest to find the Champion of Champions.

Playing the role of our visiting team is our number two overall seed and defending Champion of Champions in the 1999 St. Louis Rams. The Rams went 10-2 in group play, losing to a pair of playoff teams but taking the group crown by one game over the 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They've followed that up with wins over the 1971 Dallas Cowboys, 1992 Dallas Cowboys, and 2016 New England Patriots, all at home, to reach this stage. But in this title round, they are purely by seeding the underdog.

Our host is the best team from group play and our top overall seed in the 1996 Green Bay Packers. Coming off a quarterfinal appearance in 2014, the Packers were the last remaining undefeated team in group play, winning their first eight games before falling to the 2011 New York Giants, but that was their lone blemish en route to an 11-1 mark and home field advantage throughout the postseason. They've taken advantage of it, knocking off the 2015 Denver Broncos, 1968 New York Jets, and 2000 Baltimore Ravens to reach the pinnacle of sport: a date for immortality and the Championship of Champions.

As the top overall seed, the Packers get to play this game at Lambeau Field. Weather conditions from Green Bay over the weekend will be taken into account. You can view the history of this year's Tournament of Champions, including standings and scores, here. As has been the case all tournament, all simulations have been provided by WhatIfSports.com. Let's crown a champion!


(1) '99 STL 9, @ (1) '96 GB 6 (OT)

Photo by Jerry Coli

This game certainly lived up to the hype, but it was the defenses who starred in this classic as the Rams repeated as Champion of Champions. That said, it was the Packers who got off to the great start, getting a 35 yard run from Edgar Bennett on the game's second play to help set up a 44 yard Chris Jacke field goal. The Rams followed up with a three and out, and Green Bay went back to work with Bennett picking up 33 more yards to help flip the field, when things got crazy in close. A Brett Favre to Don Beebe two yard touchdown was nullified by penalty, but an unnecessary roughness call gave the Packers a fresh set of downs in close. Unfortunately for the Packers, they had to settle for a 26 yard Jacke field goal and a 6-0 lead. St. Louis took over from there, bridging the first and second quarters with a ten play, 60 yard drive that saw Green Bay make a stand in close to force Jeff Wilkins to hit a 23 yard field goal. Green Bay had a chance later in the second to add to the lead, but Jacke missed a 43 yard field goal, and the Rams took advantage, using a 43 yard Justin Watson run to set up a 39 yard Wilkins field goal that tied the game with 1:24 left in the half. That score held up through halftime, with Green Bay punting on fourth and 17 from the St. Louis 36 on their first drive of the second half, but the Rams couldn't get anything going either until late in the game. St. Louis started a drive from their own 21 with 3:35 to play and marched all the way to the red zone, seeing first down at the Green Bay 13 with under 30 seconds to play, but Eugene Robinson made a game-saving interception, and the Packers forced overtime. The Packers won the toss and managed to get 25 yards in seven plays before Favre threw an interception to Dexter McCleon. Green Bay's defense pushed back with help of a false start, but on second and 19 Kurt Warner found Isaac Bruce for 20 yards, setting up Wilkins for the championship-winning 46 yard field goal.

WhatIfSports gave player of the game honors to Marshall Faulk, who had a good day for St. Louis, rushing 16 times for 61 yards while adding four catches for 55 yards Justin Watson's 43 yard run overstated his day of 57 yards rushing on seven carries, while Kurt Warner was okay, going 15 of 25 for 171 yards with an interception, but Dexter McCleon's interception serves as the play of the game. He spoiled an okay day for Brett Favre, who completed 18 of 31 passes for the Packers for 178 yards with that aforementioned pick. Edgar Bennett ran for 104 yards on 17 carries as well as eight yards on two catches, and Antonio Freeman caught five balls for 70 yards.

Photo from Getty Images (Photographer uncredited)

Congratulations to the 1999 St. Louis Rams, who repeat as Champion of Champions! While I'm disappointed the Packers didn't pull off the victory in this one, they showed they belonged on the same stage as our champion and went down fighting (of course, thanks in part to a Brett Favre interception). This brings the 2018 NFL Tournament of Champions to a close. Thank you all for coming back to check this series out this year!