For the first time since 2022, Kentucky football will not have a Super Bowl champion.
The streak is officially over. The Wildcats currently do not have any remaining players in the NFL Playoffs, which kick off at 3 PM today. The AFC Championship will see the New England Patriots take on the Denver Broncos, while the NFC features a massive NFC West showdown between the Los Angeles Rams and the Seattle Seahawks.
While the games will be exciting, the lack of Big Blue Nation representation marks the end of an era, specifically, the era of Darian Kinnard's dominance.
Darian Kinnard's magical streak comes to an end
Former Kentucky great Darian Kinnard was a walking good-luck charm for NFL franchises. He was part of the Kansas City Chiefs dynasty that went back-to-back in 2023 and 2024. As a fifth-round selection, Kinnard won two rings early in his career despite limited playing time and stints on the practice squad.
He didn't stop there. He then signed on with the Philadelphia Eagles, who went on to knock off his former team, the Kansas City Chiefs, last year. That gave him three rings in his first three years in the league.
Kinnard was looking to make it a perfect 4-for-4 after signing with the Green Bay Packers in the offseason. It looked promising until the Packers gave up 25 fourth-quarter points to the Caleb Williams-led Chicago Bears in the playoffs and were sent packing by their heated rivals.
Still, going 3-for-4 is not too bad at all. Unfortunately, it does mean no Kentucky football player will get to hoist the Lombardi Trophy this February.
WBN Prediction: Who wins it all?
Here at Wildcat Blue Nation, since we can't root for a Cat, we have to look at the matchups. We think it comes down to the Patriots and Rams in a rematch of the lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever.
This time, however, we see Matthew Stafford and the Rams offense doing what the Jared Goff-led offense couldn't: topple the Pats and win a title.