Man, 2017. Don’t even get me started on that year. For me, it was the year my apartment decided to turn into an indoor swimming pool. I’m not talking a little drip; I mean, I woke up one morning, swung my legs out of bed, and boom – an inch of water. Everything in the living room, totally wrecked. Dealing with the insurance folks, scrambling to find a temporary place to crash, all while trying to keep my head above water with work… it was a nightmare, plain and simple. Felt like I was drowning, literally and figuratively, for a good chunk of that time.
So, you can probably guess, the 2017 NFL playoff bracket wasn’t exactly sitting at the top of my to-do list. Normally, I’m that guy, you know? Organizing the office pool, printing out pristine brackets, talking smack with my buddies. That year? Forget about it. Just wasn’t in the cards.
My attempt at keeping up
I do remember trying, though. Mostly out of old habits, I reckon. I think I saw the bracket pop up online somewhere, probably just a quick glance on some sports site. No fancy printouts or detailed study for me that year. My ‘process’ was pretty much shot. I vaguely recall trying to mentally pick some teams, or maybe I scribbled a couple of names down on a random piece of scrap paper I found in the chaotic mess of my temporary digs. It was all a bit hazy.
- Finding the bracket: That was probably a two-second job. Quick search, clicked the first thing that looked right. Didn’t have the energy for much more.
- Making picks: Pure guesswork, if I’m being honest. Who was I even supposed to root for when my own life felt like a busted play? My usual ‘strategies’ went right out the window.
- Following along: It was more like catching a score here and there on my phone, if I even remembered to check. Definitely wasn’t glued to the TV for every game like I usually would be. My heart just wasn’t in it, you know? Every time I tried to actually focus on a game, my mind would just drift back to calling repair guys or trying to figure out what to do about a sofa that now weighed a ton.
But here’s the funny thing. Even with all that personal turmoil swirling around, some of those playoff games, they still managed to break through. Especially that Super Bowl. Patriots and Falcons. I remember catching bits and pieces of it, mostly towards the end, thinking the Falcons had it all sewn up. And then that comeback happened. Absolutely unbelievable. It was one of those rare moments where, for a little while, I actually forgot about the flooded apartment and the endless to-do list. It was just pure, unadulterated, unexpected sports drama. Maybe, in a weird way, it was a tiny reminder that even when things look totally grim, stuff can still turn around. Or, more likely, I was just desperate for any kind of distraction from my own mess.
So yeah, my ‘practice’ with the 2017 NFL playoff bracket was pretty pathetic compared to other years. It was less about the thrill of the competition and more about just getting through another day. But hey, I guess that’s life, right? Sometimes the big games on TV happen when you’re busy fumbling through your own personal fourth-and-long. And you just kind of muddle through it, bracket and all, doing the best you can.
