The Washington Football Team is the NFC East Champ. That sums up just how wacky this year was in the NFL. But now it’s playoff time! Here’s how I see Wild Card Weekend shaping up.
The time has come. The NFL playoffs are finally here! And after a season like no other, I expect these playoffs to mirror that. The 2020 season was full of surprises–from games being played on Tuesday nights to Ryan Fitzpatrick coming in and being a real closer for the Miami Dolphins.
All I know is that all 256 games were played, which is an accomplishment in itself. Now it’s time to push forward to the Super Bowl!
AFC Playoff Picture
- Kansas City Chiefs (14-2)
- Buffalo Bills (13-3)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)
- Tennessee Titans (11-5)
- Baltimore Ravens (11-5)
- Cleveland Browns (11-5)
- Indianapolis Colts (11-5)
NFC Playoff Picture
- Green Bay Packers (13-3)
- New Orleans Saints (12-4)
- Seattle Seahawks (12-4)
- Washington Football Team (7-9)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5)
- Los Angeles Rams (10-6)
- Chicago Bears (8-8)
Saturday Games
- Buffalo Bills (13-3)
- Indianapolis Colts (11-5)
Josh Allen and the Bills have arrived! This team has played their best football of the season, and they couldn’t have chosen a better time to do that. The Buffalo Bills will also be hosting their first home playoff game since 1996. Even though there will only be 6,700 fans in attendance (VOVID protocol), the Bills Mafia will still make plenty of noise! Meanwhile, Phillip Rivers and the Colts surprised NFL critics this season. Many of them said that Rivers would not hold up and that Jacoby Brissett would take over. Fast forward — Rivers has the Colts in the Playoffs.
The Bills are being favored by -6.5, which is reasonable. This matchup will come down to the Bills 2nd ranked offense versus the Colts 8th ranked defense. Buffalo will have the advantage when it comes to the quarterback and wide receiver play. The connection between Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs has been nothing short of spectacular! Allen helped Diggs record a career-high, and league-leading, 1,535 receiving yards in just his first season with the Bills. And it means that former teammate, Xavier Rhodes, will have his hands full with Diggs.
Buffalo 31, Indianapolis 20
- Seattle Seahawks (12-4)
- Los Angeles Rams (10-6)
Line: Seahawks -3.5
Will Russ Cook or Jared Goff (bad thumb) get the start? Some pundits don’t care because LAR is playing the Seahawks. But the Rams defense is one of the best in the NFL, and that could be a deciding factor. These teams split two games this season and, in both games, the Ramsey vs. Metcalf matchup was a must-watch. Again, I see that matchup being a key factor in determining who wins this game.
If Russell Wilson can connect with DK Metcalf on a couple of deep shots, I see the Hawks winning. But if Arron Donald and Jalen Ramsey come up with key stops, I can see the Rams winning in ugly fashion. With that being said, I see the Hawks winning. Russ will be special, and he will be able to get away from Arron Donald’s rushing attacks.
Seattle 30, Los Angeles 24
Washington Football Team (7-9)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5)
Line: Bucs -8
The ‘NFC Least’ champs meet the NFC South champs to end Wild Card Saturday. The (7-9) Washington Football Team will look to defy the odds (-8 in favor of Bucs) just like their new leader, Alex Smith. This will be the first time in 15 years the Washington Football team and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will meet in the NFL playoffs. Tom Brady was winning Super Bowls during that time, and Washington’s #1 pick Chase Young was just 6 years old. And now here they both are, trying to move on to the next round.
Let’s not forget that Alex Smith is returning from a life-threatening injury and is (5-1) as the starting quarterback. His story is amazing, but his offense isn’t. The pretty good offense is Tampa Bay’s. The Brady to AB connection has gotten stronger as the season progressed. The offensive firepower for the Bucs is second to none. Although Chase Young is a fantastic pass rusher, I don’t see the rest of the defense contain Antonio Brown, Mike Evans, or Chris Godwin.
Tampa Bay 41, Washington 20
Sunday Games
- Tennessee Titans (11-5)
- Baltimore Ravens (11-5)
Line – Ravens -3
Last year, the Tennesee Titans stunned the NFL by taking out the #1-seed Baltimore Ravens. Derrick Henry ran all over the Ravens’ defense. The two teams met again in 2020 Week 11. Tennessee defeated Baltimore once again. Who will win this time?
The Titans and Ravens have strengths and weaknesses, but they share a strength–the running game. Baltimore has a flurry of runners to get the job done. One of them is Lamar Jackson. We say it over and over again: that dude is dynamic! And, for Tennessee, well, ‘you know who’ leads the way. Derrick Henry, a one-person wrecking crew, became just the 8th running back in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards this season.
If Derrick Henry gets off to a good start, you will see that the offense will open up for Ryan Tannehill. If that happens, he will look to utilize A.J. Brown and Corey Davis down the field. In other words, I see the Titans getting out to a 14-0 lead early, and that won’t be good for the Ravens. Lamar Jackson is (1-6) when trailing at the half.
Tennessee 31, Baltimore 20
- New Orleans Saints (12-4)
- Chicago Bears (8-8)
Line: Saints -8.5
The last time these two ball clubs met in the playoffs was 2006 in the NFC championship game. The Bears would win and go to the Super Bowl. Since that time, the Bears had lost six straight to the Saints, including in Week 8 when the Saints won, 26-23.
The key to the Saints game is that they must use Alvin Kamara to his full capabilities. If Sean Payton does that, the Saints should move on. And with Michael Thomas and Emanuel Sanders coming back to action, this offense should be even more dynamic.
For the Bears? Well, they got lucky. They got destroyed by the Packers but had help from the Cardinals, who lost to the Rams. But if they want to have a chance to win this game, the defense will have to make stops, which I don’t see happening.
New Orleans 38, Chicago 24
- Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)
- Cleveland Browns (11-5)
Line: Steelers -6
Cleveland’s head coach Kevin Stefanski won’t be on the sidelines for the Brown’s first playoff game since 2002. He tested positive for COVID-19. Because COVID-19 spreads rapidly, we can’t be sure that this game will be played.
If it’s played, then the Steelers have the edge IF the offense and defense can step up at the same time. I am not worried about the defense (leading the NFL), but I am concerned about Pittsburgh’s offense.
As for Cleveland, the Browns haven’t played a meaningful game since the 2002 playoffs. This game, though, is meaningful, and (to win) the Browns will have to run it down the Steelers’ throats. If they do, then they’ll have a shot to move on.
For the Steelers, Chase Claypool will be the X-factor. If he does what I expect him to do, the Steelers will win this game.
Pittsburgh 21, Cleveland 17
