The N in NFL should stand for Narrative.
As the only major professional American sport that regularly takes a week off between games, the NFL is designed to produce talking points, fictions, debates, fantasies and the kind of speculation that belongs on Facebook/Meta/LexCorp next to your estranged uncle's political gibberish.
Even smart speculation can wind up looking foolish.
Here's the smart speculation about the 2021 Vikings:
- Their fate will be determined over the next four games.
- If they fail, everyone will get fired.
Both premises make sense. Starting on Sunday night, when the Vikings face the Dallas Cowboys at U.