This past weekend the NFL playoffs kicked off with the Wild Card games, and they did not disappoint. If you missed any of these games, I’m going to tell you all you need to know about what went down and give predictions on divisional wins.
Colts @ Bills
The Indianapolis Colts and the Buffalo Bills put on an impressive show for the opening playoff game. Philip Rivers and Josh Allen each put up a solid performance, with Philip Rivers and the Colts putting up more yards on offense. Josh Allen showed off his playmaking skills and how unstoppable he can be once that 6′ 5″, 237 lbs quarterback goes on the run. In the end, the Bills were able to put in the work on defense to secure the win into the divisional round. The Bills face Lamar Jackson and the Ravens next. Josh Allen has shown how dynamic and tough the Bills offense performs and how consistently they perform. The question is whether or not their defense stops the Ravens record-breaking rushing trio of Lamar Jackson, JK Dobbins, and Gus Edwards. It’s unfair at this point to give my prediction until we talk about one of the more impressive games of the weekend, Ravens v Titans.
Rams @ Seahawks
The LA Rams showed up Saturday night to remind us all that they are the number one defense coming out of the regular season. Russell Wilson was sacked five times by the Rams defense and had an overall mediocre game. Russell Wilson, while MVP caliber and Pro-Bowl quality, was unable to secure his team the first win of the playoffs, at home. On the Rams offense, they were forced to play a semi-injured Jared Goff, who recently came off of surgery for a broken thumb, after John Wolford suffered a neck injury in the first half. The Rams showed that you can still get that win on an exceptional defense. The Rams face the Green Bay Packers up next, and they are going to test their top defense even further against Aaron Rodgers, who has had an exceptional season and is most likely going to be crowned the NFL MVP. Even though I think the Rams defense will probably give the Packers a hard time, I’m going to go with the MVP prospect, Aaron Rodgers, and the Green Bay Packers.
Bucs @ Washington
On one side, Tom Brady can still have impressive numbers at age 43 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on the other, their defense was very questionable on Saturday night. The Washington Football Team had come somewhat close to beating the Buccs, and Taylor Heinicke put up some yards against their defense. This is not to say that Heinicke did not have a great game, in fact, one of the better games for Washington all season, but the Buccs are going to have to step it up to face the New Orleans Saints next weekends, who have been the dominant team in this matchup. I usually try to give teams a fresh pair of eyes once the playoffs start and not judge playoff matchups based on regular-season matchups, but both the Buccs and the Saints have shown their playoff cards at this point, and the Saints are looking more impressive. I’ll withhold final judgment until we get to the Bears v Saints game.
Ravens @ Titans
This was probably one of the most anticipated postseason games coming into the weekend. Lamar Jackson and the Ravens had a lot to prove after being knocked out of the playoffs in the first round for two years in a row. They were also going up against a team that had knocked them out last year and beaten them in the regular season, but boy did they perform. Let’s begin on the defensive end. The biggest question coming into Sunday’s game was whether or not they could stop the 2k rushing club member, Derrick Henry, and stop him they did. The Baltimore defense held Henry to only 40 yards, his longest run going for 8 yards. While they had Derrick Henry on lockdown, it took them a little longer to get a handle on Ryan Tannehill, who had 118 yards in the first half. On the offensive side, the Ravens were able to put up 10 unanswered points by halftime and put up 7 more at the beginning of the first half. The biggest moment of this game came when Lamar Jackson, at 3rd & 9, made an explosive run up the field for a 48-yard rushing touchdown. Having been sacked 2 plays before, it started looking a little grim for the Ravens, and Lamar Jackson silenced the critics in that singular play. And let’s not forget about Marcus Peters’ pick in the final 2 minutes and the defensive teams’ payback taunt to help the Ravens secure an important and low-awaited win. The Ravens face a very dominant and powerful Bills, with their quarterback Josh Allen who is playing an exceedingly strong passing game. Lamar Jackson is going to have to play a consistent game and make very smart plays, alongside unleashing the Ravens’ top rushing game. Now that I’ve flushed out this game, it’s still difficult to pick between the Ravens and the Bills. The Ravens finished the regular season with five straight wins and fought through a lot of adversity during this season. This has made them hungry and determined coming into the postseason, which we saw on full display against the Titans, who they have fallen to in their last two matchups. And the Bills have been nothing short of consistent, dynamic, and powerful. I’m going to pick the Ravens because they have shown they are ready to fight hard, and they have one of the best rushing offenses that few teams have been able to stop.
Bears @ Saints
The Saints started the game a little clumsily, but they were able to pick it up in the second half. The Bears were unable to contain the many weapons the Saints have in their arsenal. Drew Brees, another over-40 quarterback, had 2 passing touchdowns and threw 265 yards Sunday evening. The Saints showed up and did what they had to do however the Bears have a lot to figure out. Although they finished with 9 points, they essentially only put up 3 for most of the game. To make a long story short, they looked messy, and they struggled against one of the top defenses in the league. The frustrations of the Bears’ team showed when Anthony Miller was ejected for shoving CJ Gardner and Jimmy Graham immediately walking off at the end of regulation after making an impressive one-handed catch for a final second touchdown. The Saints play the Buccaneers next, and I’m going to pick the Saints in this matchup. The Buccs defense just does not seem up to the task of holding down Brees after their win against Washington.
Browns @ Steelers
I don’t even know where to begin. The Steelers had the worst start ever to be seen in playoff history. They trailed 28-0 with 3 minutes left in the first quarter, the first-ever in playoffs. The first snap of the game really set the tone for what was to come later on. Steelers’ Center, Maurkice Pouncey, managed to snap the ball over a man with the nickname “Big Ben” and who has a recorded height of 6’ 5” followed by a futile attempt to secure the ball by Big Ben and James Conner. As if that was not embarrassing enough, Big Ben threw a pick in their first drive that was meant to redeem them after an embarrassing opening. Big Ben would go on to throw 3 more interceptions throughout the game, digging them in an even deeper hole. The Browns did not disappoint, and they seized upon the Steelers’ misfortune to give them a triumphant win. The Browns came into the postseason without coaches, players, and fewer practices due to COVID. Despite a downhill ending to the season, the Steelers came in with a little bit of an edge over the Browns, but Browns, like the Ravens, came in hungry with a point to prove. They got the job done, and they stayed focused even though they were up by 4 touchdowns by halftime. The Steelers have a lot to figure out in the off-season, starting with whether or not they want to move forward with Ben Roethlisberger. Now that the Browns have made franchise history, they have to face the Kansas City Chiefs next, and I’m going to pick the Chiefs here. I feel like this one doesn’t need much explanation, but the Chiefs have been dominant since winning the Super Bowl last year. The Browns have made significant improvement over the last few years, and their playoff spot and playoff win are well deserved, but it’s the Chiefs.
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