With No Peyton Manning in NFL Playoffs, Vols Fans Should Root for Chiefs and Cowboys

Tennessee football fans used to cheer for Peyton Manning in the NFL Playoffs. But with him gone, Volunteers fans should pull for Kansas City and Dallas.

Since Peyton Manning entered the league in 1998, numerous Tennessee Vols fans almost always had a clear-cut team to root for in the NFL Playoffs. It was either the Indianapolis Colts or the Denver Broncos.

When Manning was in, Vols fans were there.

Only three times in his career was that not the case. The first time was his rookie season, 1998. But the Vols won the national title that year, so their fans were not too upset.

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The second time was in 2001. However, Tennessee had finished ranked in the Top 5, the last time it would do that. So again, they were still more focused on college.

Then came the bittersweet 2011 year when Manning was hurt. The NFL Playoffs that year were all about Tom Brady not winning it all. At the same time, many Vols fans enjoyed the regular season that year because of the Colts’ struggles, which validated Manning’s greatness.

But this year, there is no Peyton Manning. And he’s not coming back.

So what are Tennessee fans to do?

Well, all Peyton Manning fans are unified in hoping that Tom Brady and the New England Patriots don’t win a Super Bowl. So they will look for the best option to beat him.

For many, that means rooting for little brother Eli Manning to get to the Super Bowl since that’s where he owns Brady.

And many Peyton fans just love the family altogether, so Eli Manning is a nice consolation.

However, there is another group of Vols fans who don’t want to see Eli finish his career with more rings than Peyton, so that’s a deal breaker.

But there are still five teams with former Tennessee football players to cheer for. The Oakland Raiders have two, but they have no chance without Derek Carr.

The Pittsburgh Steelers also have two, but Vols fans don’t want to see Ben Roethlisberger get one more ring than Peyton Manning either. So he should be out of the question.

The there’s the Seattle Seahawks, who have Tony McDaniel. But McDaniel is barely a Vol since he was dismissed from the program.

So that really leaves only two options: the Kansas City Chiefs and the Dallas Cowboys. Both teams have superstars who went to Tennessee in Eric Berry and Jason Witten respectively.

And with those two guys such beloved figures, Vols fans should root for one of them to win the Super Bowl.

Witten is in the later stages of his career and has become a crucial figure in developing Dak Prescott. With his team as the top seed in the NFL Playoffs, he may have a shot at finally winning that elusive ring.

On the other side, the Chiefs have a guy in Eric Berry who has a few more years left than Witten.

However, Berry’s story is an amazing story since he overcame lymphoma and cemented himself as the best safety in the league.

Don’t count out the Chiefs in the AFC either. Their elite defense could give the New England Patriots some serious trouble.

So while Vols fans want to keep Brady out of the Super Bowl, their best chance in the NFL Playoffs may be the Chiefs.

And the Chiefs have lots of former Vols.

On top of Berry, they have another veteran superstar in Dustin Colquitt at punter. Colquitt is like Witten since he’s older. But since he’s a punter, he has more years left as well.

Then there’s Zach Fulton, who has been a key part of the Chiefs’ offensive line.

Oh, and there’s Tyler Bray, but Vols fans shouldn’t care about him.

So with four former Vols, the Chiefs are the team that Tennessee football fans should cheer for.

They have two key superstars from Tennessee and two other guys. They are also the best chance to beat the Patriots in the AFC.

However, if you’re wanting a beloved Vol to get a ring, the Cowboys are your team in the NFL Playoffs. Witten is running out of time, and this may be his best chance.

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Either way, the Super Bowl rooting interest for Vols fans is clear. Dallas-Kansas City is what they should want to see.

Of course, that’s only if they don’t have a favorite team themselves.