yesterday i watched the patriots vs the broncos and the panthers vs the cardinals

the cardinals got rekt, is this typical? these were the first two footballs games i've ever watched in my life and i've been trying to get into sports so when people at college question me i don't go "uhhhhhhhhhh"

Yeah, the Panthers absolutely crushed the Cardinals yesterday. The conference championship games involve the four best teams in the NFL, so it's somewhat unusual for these games to be routs. However, it's not unprecedented, either - for example, in 2000, the Giants shut out the Vikings 41-0.

More than half of NFL games have a margin of victory of 7 points or less. Parity is strong in modern professional football, and close games are common. On the other hand, any team can have a bad game, and the playoffs are always a bit different from the regular season. Some players do better under pressure than others, and accumulated injuries and fatigue also play a role.

Parity is lower in college and especially high school football, so blowouts are much more common outside of the NFL.