How does it feel when you prove someone wrong who doubted you? How about when some bozo doesn’t take your advice, and you were proved right?! Do you gloat a little when you see an ex has a little misfortune or finds someone who can’t measure up to you…

Are you Mr. Highroad? Please, I know you’ve felt satisfaction in seeing a showboating athlete get dominated. C’mon, swing that leg down from the high horse bud. One of the great poets of our generation once said, “revenge is like the sweetest joy, next to getting cookies!” (or something like that from Mr. Shakur).

Maybe you’re one of those that is cringing at the above level of pettiness… please, spare us all don’t act like you don’t think a little thing called KARMA makes the world a better and more fair place!

We know you like it revel in it for a hot second. Let the tiniest of smirks slowly creep across your lips for three beats. Apparently, some of you agree.

The matchups below are no mere “player faces his former team”… OHHH NO!! We need better than that. MUCH better.

The Harbaugh Bowl doesn’t cut it. That’s going to be a brotherly love fest. Rams against Lions will not make this list. Stafford and Detroit have respect for each other. I can’t say the same for Goff, but it doesn’t scratch that itch quite enough.

Even after some of these players get paid a king’s ransom, a few will be driven by the powerful thirst for revenge.

These games are the ones packed with the most acrimony, and each figure will have malice in their hearts when they get a chance to enact some long-awaited vengeance on gameday.

Remember Baltimore Steve Smith Sr. promising blood and guts, then eviscerating the team that gave up on him, in the Panthers? One of the most dramatic revenge games I’ve ever seen was Seattle and the 12’s vs. Broncos QB, Russell Wilson. The DJ was playing an all-Future playlist before the game all to get in the head of a player that forced his way out, complaining about teammates, head coach, general manager, and trying to get the latter two fired.

There were many candidates for this list… but as I said, only the most toxic will do

10. Bears, D’Andre Swift @ Lions, David Montgomery (Week 13) – This man Swift chose Chicago so he could tear the Lions a NEW ONE for not letting him join the Detroit ascent, after all he sacrificed! Let’s not forget that Montgomery always looks angry, and his successor in Chicago (Khalil Herbert) has not lived up to his contributions. These two are in position to deliver some literal body blows to their former employers.

9. Texans vs. Titans (Week 12) – The Titans sure riled up the division rival Texans last year by wearing the Oilers throwbacks. Controversial because Tennessee owns the rights to the Houston throwbacks due to the move. (That’s terrible. I’m so relieved that Seattle retained the rights to the Sonics’ team colors, logo and history). You think owner, Cal McNair is just itching to use the new baby blue accent jerseys against Amy Adams Strunk’s team?

8. 49ers, K.J. Wright @ Seahawks (Week 6) – Our beloved legend, Kenneth Bernard Wright Jr. accepted a job with the hated Niners when the Seahawks declined to hire him. He said, this isn’t some revenge thing… yes, it is K.J. we can see right through the high-road talk so go on and try to prove what you need to prove big fella. May the Niners do terribly as a team (so Seattle can avenge a season sweep last year), but Wright’s coaching job allow him to get hired in a few years as a coach for SEATTLE (where he belongs).

7. Seahawks, Geno Smith / Leonard Williams / Tariq Woolen vs. Jets, D.J. Reed / Sauce Gardner (Week 13) – Geno and Williams both face former teams that got rid of them, while D.J. Reed is in the very same position on the other side. He absolutely is out to prove something against the Seahawks each and every time out. Meanwhile, the real battle may be centered around the ongoing debate about if Riq the Freak should’ve won DROY over Sauce after the 2022 season. There’s probably also still a little residual hate for the Hawks in the heart of Aaron Rodgers, marinating from his epic battles with the L.O.B. when he was with the Packers.

6. Chiefs, Hollywood Brown vs. Ravens (Week 1) – The very first game of the season is going to hit like processed sugar at an 8-year old’s birthday party. Baltimore was having a magical season, with DC, Mike Macdonald leading the top defense in the league, and Lamar tearing it up on offense to win a 2nd MVP title. The Chiefs knocked them off in an upset in the AFC ‘ship, and Kansas City went on to win the title that matters most: a Lombardi trophy Brown is happy about his escape from Baltimore, but the Ravens now have a Derrick Henry.

5. Chiefs @ 49ers (Week 7) – The team in Santa Clara lost two Super Bowls in four years to the same team… Youch! This includes the first ever Super Bowl to go to OT, just 3 months ago! Talk about heartbreak. This is a new season, and a chance to get up off the mat and exorcise some demons.

4. Lions @ 49ers (Week 17) – The Lions get to face the team that killed the wave of feverish, boundless optimism in Detroit. It was a bitter defeat at the hands of the 49ers after Detroit took a 24-7 lead in an NFC Championship game that had them dreaming of the Super Bowl (a place no Lions has ever been). You should’ve heard the crowd at the draft whenever any Niner stepped to the mic Yeah there’s some scorn in there.

3. Texans, Stefon Diggs @ Vikings (Week 3), vs. Bills (Week 5) – Here’s a 2-for-1 deal for ya’ll! Diggs may have had falling outs with two teams in his career, being traded twice despite his incredible talents. He may still have feelings about Minnesota, but his most recent exit from Buffalo might still be hurting. Look for him to come out with some competitive fire.

2. Eagles, Saquon Barkley @ Giants (Week 7) – Barkley heads back to Pennsylvania by joining a division rival, and everyone (including Tiki Barber) had something to say about it. It all felt a little personal, especially after the Giants repeatedly refused to pay him, choosing instead to pay one Daniel Jones. Saquon’s daughter dealt the most crushing blow, by saying, “Daddy, does this mean we are gonna win now?” HOO BOY, this is gonna get New York fans’ (assuredly the most reasonable fan base… right?) blood boiling.

1. Steelers, Russell Wilson @ Broncos (Week 2) – Now THIS is what we’re talking about people! Denver is deciding to pay Wilson $85M to not play for them, after trading the aforementioned king’s ransom, then subsequently casting him aside like trash. You know Russell will be motivated to show that he isn’t washed, and most of all to save his legacy. Sean Payton embarrassed and wrested control of the organization from RW3. This will be a fascinating game, and possibly one of the most memorable of the season.

Honorable Mention:
Vikings, Dallas Turner & J.J. McCarthy vs. Falcons, Cousins (Week 14) – Look, these are rookies, so they may not have a whole lot of spite in their hearts yet. But how about a chip on the shoulder? Turner was widely being mocked as the pass rusher (and defender, in general) off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft… but he watched as a record, 14 consecutive offensive players were selected. Then a different dude was taken by the Colts at 15. McCarthy may have something to prove for all who doubted him, desiring to get in on the action against a team who surprisingly took Michael Penix Jr. at QB. Of course, Captain Kirk will be motivated to show the Vikings that they should’ve given him a deal that would’ve kept him in purple.

Throughout last year’s NBA Season (switching to basketball… stay with me) we witnessed a team who not many saw as being one of the best at the beginning of the season, play some serious ball. This team rose up behind the ascent of a young, captivating player who took a leap from good to great. This player dominated all adversaries on the way to capturing our imaginations as well as the league MVP award. That team was the Milwaukee Bucks, and that player was Giannis Antetokounmpo. The Bucks earned the top seed in their conference on the way to the playoffs, and hope for a title run abounded. Unfortunately for the state of Wisconsin, the Bucks lost to a lower seeded team before reaching the final stages.

Read that last paragraph again, because a very similar tale could be told of the 2019 Baltimore Ravens in this year’s NFL Season! There has been a constant parade of puff pieces and talk shows that have fawned over how incredible and unique Lamar Jackson’s season has been. The development of the Baltimore Ravens’ and Jackson’s dominant season was a prevailing storyline that we all followed all year. It was to the point where the prospect of them being in the Super Bowl seemed like a foregone conclusion. I personally made a point to watch as many Ravens games as I could to witness Lamar’s electric play. Lamar Jackson very well may be the future of the NFL. His 2019 regular season heroics and highlights will be something that many of us will always remember as somewhat of a sea-change. Much like the Bucks in last year’s NBA Playoffs, however, the Ravens in this year’s NFL Playoffs were defeated by a lower seeded team. This happened to both franchises despite the presence of the respective league MVP’s.

If this year’s Ravens are last year’s Bucks, then that makes Derrick Henry this year’s Kawhi Leonard!! He is the executioner of dreams, dynasties, hopes and storylines. We love (or love to hate) LeBron, Lamar, Brady, Mahomes, Russell and Zeke. Derrick Henry stood up and let his play do the talking: “Oh, you thought it was going to be about them…? Naw, you buckle-up and peep game. You’re gonna respect this whether you like it or not” {rough translation}.

The Titans upending the Patriots (who have won 3 of the last 5 Super Bowls) in the wildcard round of the playoffs was a statement game; but crushing the Ravens was a shocking revelation. Of course, like Kawhi Leonard on the Toronto Raptors, #22 got help. Tennessee has a head coach who brilliantly outcoached and embarrassed the great Bill Belichick. Not many may know that Titans QB, Ryan Tannehill was graded as the top QB in the league (Passer rating and PFF grade) in the 11 games he played in. Tannehill’s job was undoubtedly made easier by the threat of Henry, but he played well in his role. And you cannot forget that TEN has some dawgs on defense. But Henry makes it all gel. He is the titular titan of Tennessee. Nick Shook called the Titans “hungry and vengeful” and that is the perfect description, and it starts with Derrick Henry.

Henry is completely dominating everyone in his path. He seemingly gets 8 yards every time he totes the rock. He has more rush yards in the playoffs at this point in his career than any other human in the history of the league. He is the 2019 rushing yards leader and he turned into Thanos on a future HOF’er. That moment was not quite Bo Jackson against Brian Bosworth, but it was scintillatingly close. His historic playoff perform has launched his stardom to a new stratosphere. Some of the greatest RB’s in history couldn’t carry their teams on their backs like this.

Derrick Henry reminds us of the ability of certain moments in life (like sports) to crush any previous, long-held narratives that anybody wanted to believe or label you with. Those are beautiful moments in both sports and life. Like Kawhi did last year, Henry has unleashed in the playoffs the all-consuming fire that is his force of will. It looks like he has reincarnated the power and mystique of Beastmode.

Later today, the Kansas City Chiefs will want to air it out, strike fast and take Derrick Henry out of the game. They have the firepower to do just that, led by the still reigning NFL MVP in Mahome-dawg. Henry did have over 8 ypc against KC earlier this year (188 rushing yards and 2 tuddies) and has earned over 1,500 yds AFTER contact this season (including playoffs). Unlike basketball, in football one man can only do so much against a balanced and unified team… but he is bending those laws a bit before our eyes.

Henry had 182 on the ground against the Pats two weeks ago. That set a Titans playoff record, and was the most ever against NE in a playoff game in the Belichick era. Derrick Henry may be credited one day for ending the New England Patriots Dynasty – arguably the greatest dynasty in American sports history. When Henry scored the jump pass Tebow TD against Baltimore, that was when i felt this game was etched in history. It was iconic. That conjured memories of Adrian Peterson, LaDainian Tomlinson, Larry Johnson and great backs of the past who were the do-everything motors for their teams. He is going beyond just playing well… he has tacked on a grip of exclamation points to his playoff performances!!

No matter who wins the super bowl this year, Derrick Henry’s 2019 playoff coronation will be remembered. His foes next year will have it in the back of their minds each and every game. Y’all messed around and let him get in his zone, and he broke all of the ceilings. This is a bad dude, and you can doubt this dangerous killer if you want, but he has already shown us that he can reach heights that we’ve never seen. He doesn’t care about your nice little storylines. You will pay this man, and pay his game, attention.