Charlie Parsons, a British television producer, created in 1994 a TV contest where a group of strangers were abandoned on a desert island where they should procure food, fire and shelter. The rights of the contest, known as Survivor, were sold to almost all TV stations in the world due to the success it had on Swedish television. The North American network CBS bought the rights and it immediately became one of its most successful programs with the audience and one of the most awarded, to date it has accumulated 65 Emmy awards.
On Survivor the contestants are abandoned on an isolated island. They will have to procure food, usually fishing in the waters that surround the island, make a fire with rudimentary means and shelter from harsh conditions such as the massive presence of insects, a very intense and humid heat, as well as storms, rains and sometimes cold night. During their stay, they participate in different competitions of ability or strength, where they are rewarded with food or other small luxuries that can make survival easier for them. The contestants are nominated among themselves to be later eliminated by public vote. The final winner and survivor receives a very large monetary prize.
The survivor is not necessarily the strongest or the most intelligent, but the one who best adapts to the harsh conditions in which he must live during the weeks that the contest lasts. And not only must he adapt, he must weave a network of friendships with the rest of the contestants and win the favor of the public, which is the one who finally decides the winner. That is why it is very common to see that the most prepared or the most athletic does not win, it has been possible to see contestants who have prepared and trained for it who fall before much less prepared contestants, but much better survivors.
Those leading the way Survivor of the NFL
The 2021 season of the NFL is becoming the closest thing we can find to the contest of Survivor. When we are about to face the most decisive stretch of the campaign, the one that begins after the Thanksgiving festivities, if the eleven weeks that we have been here have shown anything, it is that the most important thing is not to play well, badly or do it correctly. mediocre, but to survive each week so as not to be eliminated from the postseason. In other words, winning enough games that you still have access to the postseason, ultimately, survive.
Leaving aside the cases of eliminated teams like the Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars or New York Jets, all we have seen to date is a multitude of teams fighting not to be eliminated permanently, keep a glimmer of hope open and see if in the end they are one of the chosen ones to enter the postseason.
Not so long ago, two AFC teams like New England Patriots o Kansas City Chiefs They were with negative records and without showing a good level. Now, both have linked winning streaks and have gone from occupying the bottom of their divisions to being the current leaders, and with serious options to have the best record in the conference.
In the NFC there are two teams that are showing their ability to survive all setbacks: the Arizona Cardinals and – they deserve special attention – the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cardinals’ loss to the Packers after seven consecutive victories, along with injuries to JJ Watt, DeAndre Hopkins and Kyler Murray sent Kliff Kingsbury’s team reeling. But those in the desert, with replacements like quarterback Colt McCoy, have won two games and lost another as they wait to recover their injuries.
The Philadelphia Eagles’ case is one of fighting the elements. No one trusted a team that, with the departure of head coach Doug Pederson and the hiring of Nick Sirianni, seemed destined for rebuilding after the fiasco of quarterback Carson Wentz. With many draft picks by virtue of trades and a questioned quarterback like Jalen Hurts, no one was betting that at this point in the season they were the only serious threat to the Dallas. Cowboys on NFC East. Their schedule is very favorable to them in that they have one game against the Jets and five divisional games left, one of them against Dallas and in their own stadium. If they win, they will all be in the postseason.
The furthest survivors
Other teams are still in the fight for survival after having been in a trance of being off the hook. In the NFC, Minnesota and San Francisco are struggling to survive each week, even the Vikings They are, today, a postseason team by the tiebreaker factor. In the AFC the Indianapolis Colts They are not yet in the postseason zone, but each week they are climbing positions and winning with force. We can’t leave the Miami either Dolphins, which after falling to 1-7, have linked three consecutive victories and with a very favorable calendar, he could reach the final stretch of the season alive.
What will fate bring us?
In a 2021 NFL Season without a clear leader at the top, or anyone who marches in a solo standout plan, teams fight every week to survive and reach January with postseason possibilities. Like in the contest Survivor, It could be that not necessarily the best team makes the postseason.
Those who enter the playoffs will have proven to be survivors, especially if we refer to those who did not start the season well at all. Will your favorite team make it through the cut? We read you in the comments under this article and on our social networks.
