The music fan's guide to the NFL Playoffs
Do you know more about Kacey Musgraves than Luke Musgrave? Is Dan Campbell just the guy from The Wonder Years to you? This is your NFL Playoffs primer.
It’s time for the second Sounds Great of the new year. But here’s the problem: I can’t stop for more than a few hours this week without thinking about football.
So we’re doing this. The music fan’s guide to the NFL Playoffs.
As a nerd with one knee deep in both music and sports fandom, I have always felt like a translator.
When I tried to get my Phoebe Bridgers-loving girlfriend into the Vikings a few years ago, I put the team in indie music terms. Every season, they punish me, after all.
When I would chat with my fellow sports journalism major roommates about music in college, I put my listening habits in sports terms. I compared my obsession with finding new artists to my obsession with armchair-scouting potential NFL Draft steals. Stumbling onto the MJ Lenderman discography right after Boat Songs came out felt like drafting Richard Sherman in the fifth round.
So I figured I’d put these translating skills to the test ahead of the NFL Playoffs. They start this weekend and — regardless of your appetite for football — will undoubtedly dominate your social media feeds.
Do you know more about Kacey Musgraves than Luke Musgrave? Are you a Mach-Hommy fan, but not a Mahomes fan? Is Dan Campbell just the guy from The Wonder Years to you? This is the NFL Playoffs primer for you.
Hopefully you can leave with a team to root for and a new band to check out, too.
Detroit Lions
The Lions have been one of the NFL’s most dominant teams this year. They win games with flair and intensity. Detroit is flashy and undeniably corny with a sort of mean streak. There’s something very nu-metal about it. Until last year, they hadn’t won a playoff game in decades. But like Linkin Park, they’re back. To add to the corny-metal Lions lore: Detroit offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler said in 2022 he’s next door neighbors with a member of Disturbed.
Their coach is Dan Campbell — not to be confused with the lead singer of The Wonder Years and Aaron West & The Roaring Twenties — and he famously started his tenure with the team by proclaiming his players would bite the kneecaps off of the other team’s players. The whole speech felt like an “I Think You Should Leave” bit. Speaking of, Tim Robinson and Sam Richardson are huge Lions fans and recorded their schedule release video earlier this year.
Artists with ties to the city to check out
Petey, Conor Lynch, Easy Beach, Ingrid Andress, Bonny Doon, Fireworks, BabyTron
Root for them if…
You want to be part of the hype. Detroit feels like America’s team. They’re the team of choice for casual fans, neutral fans, broadcasters, the NFL, America and whatever deity oversees football.
They’re having a Charli xcx sort of moment right now. Like Charli, they’re unconventional and unafraid to take risks. They’ve been lovable underdogs for the last several years and have now risen to the spotlight by being lovable winners, too. The downside? It’s easy to be oversaturated by their “People’s Team” schtick. If you were turned off by the Kamala is brat era of Brat Summer, the Lions will get old fast.
Philadelphia Eagles
No team better personifies their city than the Eagles, whose fans are known for tearing Philly to shreds every time they win a championship. The Eagles’ coach, Nick Sirianni, is an Italian dude who heckles opposing fans mid-game. Their head of sideline security is an absolute unit of a guy known as “Big Dom” — who looks a little like Fat Joe if you squint — and he once got suspended for shoving a 49ers player.
The Eagles have one of the best records in the NFL, with possibly the most talented roster of players. Yet their fans still boo sometimes. This insatiability is reminiscent of Kanye West fandom. Like a Ye fan, the Eagles know you despise them. But they also know you can’t deny the talent. As a self-proclaimed Eagles hater, even I can acknowledge their quarterback Jalen Hurts is likable. He told GQ he’s a vinyl collector with albums by artists like Frankie Beverly, Al Green and Anita Baker.
Artists with ties to the city to check out
Caracara, Carly Cosgrove, Soul Glo, Sweet Pill, Ther, Greg Mendez, Katie Bejsiuk, The Goalie’s Anxiety at The Penalty Kick, Sadurn
Root for them if…
You like your success with a side of dysfunction and drama. Zach Bryan is an Eagles fan. Two of the team’s best players have been in a mildly-public spat all season. It’s giving Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac.
Philly also probably has America’s best indie music per capita. So if you like bands like Dr. Dog, Mt. Joy or Modern Baseball, the Eagles will be up your alley.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
There may not be a better player in the NFL to party with than Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield. His taste in country music is questionable — he took the stage with Morgan Wallen and Hulk Hogan last year — but he also once wore a wig and tutu just to sing “California Gurls” by Katy Perry at a fundraiser.
Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles is a lot more soft-spoken. But he does have an eclectic taste in music. When talking to the Buccaneers website in 2019, he name-dropped Gladys Knight, LL Cool J and The Temptations and said he listens to everything but heavy metal and opera. The team’s fight song is a super groovy, horn-heavy pop tune called “Hey Hey Tampa Bay.”
Artists with ties to the city to check out
Bedside Kites, charlie, Doechii, Khia, Glove
Root for them if…
You want to see Tampa native Doechii — owner of the best NPR Tiny Desk ever — come out with her TDE labelmate Kendrick Lamar at the Super Bowl. I know I do. “DENIAL IS A RIVER” on a stage like that? Sheesh. Maybe we’ll even get a song between the two. The Kendrick-Doechii collab will probably happen anyways, but it’d be cooler if a big contingency from Tampa is there in the crowd to enjoy its debut.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams are one of the most dependable teams out there. Their head coach is a football whiz who broke out when he was young and has since changed the way NFL offenses call plays. This ahead-of-the-curve influence is perfect for pop fans who dig Bjork, R&B fans who are into Frank Ocean, or indie fans who like Radiohead.
One of their best receivers is Puka Nacua, an underdog story who came out of nowhere last year like Fetty Wap in 2015. I expect Puka to have more staying power, though. Their other star player, Cooper Kupp, is a self-taught guitarist-pianist. He’s also a 2Pac fan, and has your typical oldhead’s perspective on modern hip-hop: “Too many Lils, too many Youngboys, too many Babys,” he said in 2023.
Artists with ties to the city to check out
Runnner, Claire Rousay, Militarie Gun, Paris Texas, Girlpool, Open Mike Eagle
Root for them if…
You want Kendrick Lamar’s victory lap to never end. Seriously. Imagine it. The Rams are in the Super Bowl. Everybody from L.A. has made the trek to New Orleans. Kendrick’s on stage for the Halftime Show, and he fills it with as many L.A. reps as possible. Underground rappers, TDE artists, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, DeMar DeRozan, LeBron James, the whole nine yards. Psst… I see dead people.
Minnesota Vikings
I’m partial, because the Vikings are my home team. But they’re probably this season’s most surprising success story. Sports betters and NFL experts expected them to win 6 or 7 games. They’ve doubled that, and they’re g(r)iddy about it. They play “Let’s Go Crazy” by Minnesota’s own Prince after every touchdown. Lizzo’s new man was once on the team, allegedly.
Their coach, Kevin O’Connell, is a relentlessly wholesome guy who tells his team he loves them. He has Kenny Chesney in his phone contacts. O’Connell has helped revive the career of quarterback Sam Darnold, who once said he listens to “15th and the 1st” by Waka Flocka Flame and Gucci Mane before every game. Safety Cam Bynum is known for leading the team in dances from Disney shows like High School Musical and Camp Rock. He was caught singing Christmas carols to fans in Minnesota a few weeks ago. Tight end Johnny Mundt is a big Sturgill Simpson fan. Their kicker, Will Reichard, once said his rap producer tag would be “Will The Thrill Comin’.” This team is fun as hell. I love them. Skol.
Artists with ties to the city to check out
Atmosphere, Dua Saleh, runo plum, Fend, Keep for Cheap, Prize Horse, she’s green
Root for them if…
You’d like to see a city and state achieve decades of catharsis. The Vikings, on paper, are one of the best teams in NFL history. But like a Beyoncé Album of The Year Grammy award, Super Bowls are elusive in Minnesota. They’ve lost four of them. The feeling of joy as a Vikings fan is A Complete Unknown. If you’re not prepared for that kind of heartbreak, shy away.
When this Vikings team does win, it feels like a song by Gang of Youths or early Coldplay — fulfilling in a cinematic sort of way. A Super Bowl win would be the Vikings’ opus. Their Rush of Blood to the Head, if you will.
Washington Commanders
Nobody saw the Commanders coming this year. They were the second worst NFL team last year and have developed a reputation over the last decade for being poorly ran, thanks to previous owner and absolute menace Dan Snyder. He’s gone, and so are the bad vibes. Their break-up has sounded as good to fans as “The Breakup Song” by D.C. native (and big-time Commanders fan) Wale.
Washington now has a new owner, new general manager, new head coach and new quarterback. The last one is the most fun of the bunch: Jayden Daniels, a rookie who plays faster than a Jeff Rosenstock song. Daniels has said he has sorta backwards listening habits, starting his day with Meek Mill and getting into the pregame mood with gospel. Last year, the team posted a recap of their players’ top Spotify artists, and answers included Brent Faiyaz and Key Glock.
Artists with ties to the city to check out
Glitterer, Ekko Astral, Origami Angel, Oddisee, redveil
Root for them if…
You want to see a fast-rising star reach the pinnacle at historic speed. Daniels — the likely NFL Rookie of The Year — would be the first rookie quarterback to ever play in a Super Bowl. That kind of meteoric success would be like a hypothetical Chappell Roan Song of The Year Grammy win in February. Good luck, babe.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers are the NFL’s most historic franchise, but it’s been a rough last decade. The team has fallen short in the playoffs over and over. This year, thanks to the team’s Top 5 offense, fans have heard “Bang The Drum All Day” by Todd Rungren a lot. It’s the Packers’ go-to song after every touchdown. Another classic at Lambeau Field? “Jump Around” by House of Pain, thanks to college traditions down in Madison, Wisconsin.
As for the players’ music taste: Packers cornerback Carrington Vallentine told the team’s TikTok he has a playlist called “Stand On Business” with a cover photo of SpongeBob wearing black Air Forces. Their quarterback is Jordan Love, so any song with “Love” in the title — or anything by the band Love, those guys rock — works as a great pun. Love was once rapid-fire quizzed on his thoughts on Taylor Swift songs. He called “the 1,” “Hits Different” and “I Did Something Bad” skips; he endorsed “Bad Blood” and “Shake It Off.” Big 1989 guy.
Artists with ties to the city to check out
Bon Iver, I guess? He’s still more Minnesota’s than Wisconsin’s, though. Somebody send me a Green Bay indie band to check out. Or just an artist who loves the Packers. We’ll take what we can get.
Root for them if…
You love it when new artists sound like they could be old ones. The Packers are the youngest team in the league. But they play in football’s oldest stadium, with football’s oldest traditions. That’s a fun dichotomy. I’m thinking Thee Sacred Souls or The Dip. Maybe a little bit of Chlöe and The Next 20th Century by Father John Misty.
Alternatively, root for Green Bay if you were Team Lil Wayne during his minor dust-up with Kendrick Lamar over the Halftime Show. He’s a huge Packers fan who once dropped a song called “Green and Yellow.” Surely, Wayne’s favorite team playing in his hometown stadium would soften the blow of not headlining.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are frontrunner’s paradise. They won the last two Super Bowls. They have the best quarterback in football, Patrick Mahomes, a guy who has been name-dropped in more than 200 rap songs, including ones by Migos and J. Cole. The Chiefs have the most famous musician on Earth in a suite at all their games. Every other commercial features their coach talking about Bundle-rooskis. Kansas City’s pop-cultural overkill — paired with their kicker’s insufferable graduation speech last summer — makes them easy to hate.
If you have any inkling of counter-culturism, avoid this team at all costs. But if you’re into, I don’t know … calling songs like “Don’t Stop Believin'” or “American Pie” masterpieces, these guys might be for you. If you were rooting for Drake in last year’s rap beef, these guys might be for you. If you have several vinyl versions of The Tortured Poets Department, these guys are definitely for you.
Artists with ties to the city to check out
BLACKSTARKIDS, Kevin Morby, Chappell Roan, Hembree, 1010benja, The Greeting Committee
Root for them if…
You’re from Kansas City, you have family from Kansas City, or you’re a huge Swiftie. Other than that, join the good guys instead.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills are probably the league’s most lovable team. Alongside my Vikings, they’re tied for the most Super Bowl losses in NFL history. But their fans — who are known for suplexing picnic tables in the stadium parking lot — are relentlessly optimistic and seemingly numb to cold weather. They call themselves the mafia, and they’re just about as easy to root for as JPEGMAFIA. They once raised thousands of dollars for another team’s charity as a thank you for helping get them in the playoffs.
Their quarterback, Josh Allen, is a Human Golden Retriever engaged to Hailee Steinfeld. He listens to “Put Your Head On My Shoulder” and Frank Sinatra before games. Last month, the Bills TikTok account — a must-follow, according to my girlfriend — gifted Allen a six-hour rental of an Elvis impersonator for Christmas.
Artists with ties to the city to check out
Benny the Butcher, Conway the Machine, Del Paxton, Julie Byrne, Camp Trash, M.A.G.S., Carpool
Root for them if…
You love an underdog who sticks it to the man. In this case, the man is Kansas City. The Bills have lost a playoff heartbreaker to the Chiefs in three of the last four years. Beating them this year would feel like when Lil Nas X pissed off country traditionalists by breaking records with “Old Town Road.” Or when Chance the Rapper earned a Best Rap Album Grammy for an indie mixtape with Coloring Book. Plus, a Bills Super Bowl win would certainly have the mafia drinking all night, drinking all night, drinking all night, ayy, ayy.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens are easily one of the most exciting teams to watch. That’s thanks to reigning MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson, a bottle of lightning prone to strike at any moment. He’s on a run right now like Bruno Mars in the 2010’s. Switching tempos with ease. Delivering hit after hit after hit. But because he’s got a few clunkers — “The Lazy Song”? — in his past, some refuse to give him credit. This year is Jackson’s chance to change the narrative. The Anderson .Paak to his Silk Sonic is Derrick Henry, running back built like a semi-truck. Henry runs through defenders with the ferociousness of that viral Knocked Loose & Poppy Jimmy Kimmel set.
Ravens kicker Justin Tucker is one of the greatest ever, and he and I share a favorite band in Third Eye Blind. Unfortunately, he also likes All Time Low. Sigh.
Artists with ties to the city to check out
Teen Suicide, Pinkshift, Nourished By Time, Combat
Root for them if…
You want to see Lamar Jackson’s haters — some of whom are downright bigots — have a bad time. Because of a historic stigma about Black quarterbacks, Jackson has had to deal with some real bullshit in the NFL. Like when Tyler, The Creator won a Grammy and then spoke out against boxing Black artists into “Urban” categories. A championship ring, though, might be the thing to shut critics up.
“It's still there,” Jackson said about racial bias against Black QBs in 2022. “That's why I need that championship."
Houston Texans
The young and surprising Texans were magical last year. But the magic is fading. They had some brutal luck in 2024. Since Halloween, they’ve had seven players go out for the rest of the season due to injuries. It would take a change of pace as explosive as the middle of Houston native Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode” to get this train back on track. Don’t rule out a beat-switch though. Or maybe a full-blown curveball, like another Houston native’s last two albums: RENAISSANCE and COWBOY CARTER.
Texans star receiver Nico Collins shares a name with a hyper-cheesy internet pop singer apparently, which has to be good for at least somebody’s SEO analytics. In a podcast with Overtime in 2022, quarterback CJ Stroud — an L.A. native — named not one but two Nipsey Hussle albums as his favorites of all-time (Crenshaw & Victory Lap).
Artists with ties to the city to check out
Robert Glasper, Narrow Head, TisaKorean, Blue October
Root for them if…
You want to see one of the only teams in NFL history to have never even gone to a Super Bowl finally go to one. That fact is just about as surprising as hearing Bruce Springsteen never had a No. 1 hit. Neither did James Brown or Bob Dylan!
Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are a historically unserious team. Their typical season feels like listening to the Weezer discography. There are gaffes and heartbreaks and even the biggest fans know the gang’s at their best in the powder blues.
The Chargers have leaned into the goofy bit somewhat extra this year with new head coach Jim Harbaugh, the former coach at the University of Michigan. Harbaugh is as much of a goofball as you’ll find on an NFL sideline. His music taste is as unpredictable as he is. Harbaugh’s players have shared that the 61-year-old holds space for “Defying Gravity” and his favorite song is “The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald” by Gordon Lightfoot. When he gets the aux at practice, he plays everything from Phil Collins to Yo Gotti and Moneybagg Yo. Hell yeah. Their quarterback, Justin Herbert, has said he loves AC/DC and Tom Petty.
Artists with ties to the city to check out
Runnner, Claire Rousay, Militarie Gun, Paris Texas, Girlpool, Open Mike Eagle
Root for them if…
You’re a lover of good fashion. The Chargers’ uniforms are widely accepted as the best in the league, and they’d undoubtedly look good at the Super Bowl, too. American Idol fans should be Chargers fans, too, because Jordin Sparks is the team’s most famous fan. She’s possibly, also, the only one. The team has notoriously low turn-out at their games. So if you want to deal with absolutely zero accusations of trend-hopping, this is your team.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh is the Waxahatchee of the NFL. The epitome of consistency for more than a decade. The last time the Steelers had a losing season, “Hey Ya!” was at the top of the Billboard charts and The Kid Laroi wasn’t alive yet. Their coach, Mike Tomlin — a famously uncanny Will.i.am doppelganger — is a big reason why. This year, they can also thank quarterback Russell Wilson: husband to Ciara, and a guy so cringey it might just be camp? Music-wise, he’s a fan of Boyz II Men and Michael Jackson and, presumably, not Future.
Defensive Player of The Year TJ Watt’s favorite album is Illinois. No, sadly, not the Sufjan one. The Brett Eldredge one. Receiver George Pickens is occasionally unhinged on the field. Off the field, he told the Steelers socials that Young Thug’s “Uncle M” would be his sitcom theme song.
Artists with ties to the city to check out
Merce Lemon, Short Fictions, feeble little horse, Ethel Cain, Montell Fish
Root for them if…
You couldn’t get enough of the black stripes and yellow paint on Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow.” The 2010 banger is a de facto ode to Wiz’s hometown Steelers and they haven’t been to the Super Bowl since the season it came out.
Can they break the “Black and Yellow” curse?
Denver Broncos
Like the Commanders earlier, the Broncos are looking to make history this year by being the first team to make the Super Bowl with a rookie quarterback. Theirs is Bo Nix, who says he listens to Christian worship music before every game. The Denver Gazette reported that the team’s stadium DJ, Squizzy Taylor, comes to players for song requests. He praised the music taste of Broncos star cornerback Patrick Surtain (who is into Kodak Black and BossMan DLo), running back Javonte Williams and receiver Courtland Sutton. Cornerback Riley Moss digs “Enter Sandman” by Metallica, the DJ told the Gazette.
Denver head coach Sean Payton has been depicted by Kevin James in a Netflix movie. He’s also been depicted with devil horns in my childhood notebooks — Payton was once suspended for an entire season after getting caught incentivizing his players to injure opponents, most famously in a crucial playoff game against my Vikings. Anyways, I guess Payton is also friends with Kenny Chesney and has a gimmicky rap song named after him, thanks to his viral postgame dance in 2018.
Artists with ties to the city to check out
A Place For Owls, Broken Record, Bellhoss, Corsicana
Root for them if…
You’re a fan of mountain music. The Lumineers and Gregory Alan Isakov are from Denver. Red Rocks Amphitheater is a short drive away. And the Broncos really lean into the whole “Rocky Mountain High” thing. They call their home stadium “Empower Field at Mile High.” Their fans have high expectations. And hell, it’s Colorado — they’re probably high, too.
Happy new year and thanks for reading Sounds Great. I wish the best of luck to whatever NFL team you’re rooting for in these playoffs.
Well, as long as it’s the Vikings. If it’s any other team, I respectfully hope you have a miserable January. Sorry.
Skol.
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