SB Nation Reacts: Fans not sold that Matthew Stafford is a Hall of Famer

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Each week, we send out questions to the most plugged-in Seattle Seahawks fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to join Reacts.

Well... now what do we do? NFL season is over and it’ll take me a bit to readjust to not having football on the TV on Sunday.

In the meantime, here’s a jam-packed national edition of SB Nation Reacts. The Los Angeles Rams went “all-in” to win the Super Bowl and they did so by beating the Cincinnati Bengals. LA is going to have a lot of free agents coming soon, whereas Cincinnati is stacked with lots of young talent on cheap contracts. They’re in good shape in terms of the salary cap, although that ain’t lasting much longer you would think.

We know how hard it’s been for teams other than the New England Patriots to return to the Super Bowl after a loss, but will the Bengals be an exception and return to the big game before LA? A majority of voters (but not an overwhelming majority) say yes.

I dunno... even if the Rams aren’t a long-term force the AFC is so much more difficult to get through that I’m on the fence there.

For well over a week there’s been debate about Matthew Stafford’s Hall of Fame credentials. Not a soul I suspect would’ve said “yes” prior to the 2021 season and the trade to the Rams. Yes, the Detroit Lions are sorry but it ain’t like Stafford was 100% helpless. But after a 41-touchdown season, an unforgettable postseason run with three fourth-quarter comebacks and/or game-winning drives, Stafford’s HOF credentials are getting a closer look.

Voters aren’t swayed as easily as ESPN talking heads are.

I think Stafford has a shot if he wins another Super Bowl, but at the moment I think he should be on the outside looking in as a member of the Hall of Pretty Good.

Now for the losing Super Bowl quarterback, Joe Burrow. He won the national title at LSU and nearly won the NFL title. If his offensive line didn’t consist of five saloon doors he might have been able to lead Cincy to a famous first Super Bowl. We’ve seen several very notable quarterbacks fail to get to a second Super Bowl, namely Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, and Dan Marino. Will Burrow be that type of QB who can lead his team to several appearances? The SBN Reacts respondents largely don’t think so.

Ken Anderson and Boomer Esiason obviously never made it back, and both of them won NFL MVPs.

It’s way way too early to be talking about next year’s Super Bowl winner when free agency hasn’t happened yet, but it’s not against the law to talk about it! They came close to the Super Bowl two seasons ago, agonizingly close to hosting the AFC Championship Game this past season, and the Buffalo Bills are the top choice to win it all in 2022-23.

Few could’ve seen the Cincinnati Bengals in this year’s Super Bowl, but it is common for a bad team to turn into a good if not great team the following year. Who could be the Bengals of the 2022-23 season? The Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders were the top two responses.

I’ll believe it when I see it when it comes to the Chicago Bears having an offense that’s actually worth watching.