Wild Card Week: Other Games
PostPosted:1 year 6 months ago
Here we are. This is what it's all about. The playoffs and eventually, the Superbowl. Last year's SB teams are in the playoffs, so a rematch is certainly possible. Not probable, possible. That hasn't happened since the Cowboys and Bills matched up two years in a row back in the early 90's. And last year's teams are currently the #3 seed (KC) and the #5 seed (Philly) in their respective conferences. Who wants to see that anyway? How about #1 seeds? San Francisco and Baltimore. Now I know no self respecting Rams fan wants that. And though the two #1 seeds met last year, it happens about as often as it doesn't. Three of the four teams who've never made the big game are in the playoffs this year. And who doesn't like a good story like Houston or Cleveland? 
This year there are a couple of "story lines" the NFL and media have already played up. The Matt Stafford return to Detroit/The Jared Goff revenge game vs the Rams and Mike McCarthy vs Green Bay. Two less compelling story lines the media hasn't brought up.....probably because most of them aren't old enough to remember......the Chiefs/Dolphins played the longest postseason overtime game in history (1971) and this will be just the second time in 86 years the Rams and Lions faced off in the postseason. A third story line is Tyreek Hill having a chance to burn his old team in the postseason.
So which games will be the most exciting and entertaining?
Saturday:
Cleveland (11-6) @ Houston (10-7)
C.J. Stroud, OROY favorite vs the #1 defense in the NFL. Perhaps a more interesting matchup will be the oldest QB in the postseason vs the Houston defense. We know the old saying "defense wins Championships" is an antiquated saying because in today's NFL, you need to score points to win. But I think the defense that plays best in this game is going to win it. If the Browns throttle Stroud, Cleveland wins. If Ryans D throttles Flacco, Houston wins. Flacco had 368 yards passing in a 36-22 win over the Texans in week 16. As far as playoff matchups go, there has been a team in both Cleveland and Houston 62 of the last 64 years and this, like the Rams-Detroit matchup, will be just the second time they've met in the postseason. Jerry Glanville's Oilers beat Marty Shottenheimer's Browns 24-23 in 1988. And those two teams are now the Ravens and Titans!!!! I'll be rooting for the Browns because they've survived so many injuries this season. But it's hard not to be in awe of the rookie.
Miami (11-6) @ Kansas City (11-6)
Miami went from #2 seed to #6 and now they get to play a night game on the road in Kansas City. The Saturday night forecast in South Florida is cloudy and 61 degrees with a real feel of 61. The Sunday night forecast for Kansas City is -4 with a real feel of -18. And they're monitoring a winter storm! I'm gonna feel cold just watching this game! When the Dolphins beat the Chiefs in double OT back in 1971, the gametime temperature in KC that day was 47 degrees!! They say it's better to be lucky than good. Well Mahomes is both!! I'd love an upset here but I just don't see it. Kansas City beat Miami 21-14 in week 9.
Sunday:
Pittsburgh (10-7) @ Buffalo (11-6)
The biggest question is will TJ Watt play? And if he does, will he be effective? Either way this looks like a tough task for Pittsburgh. Rudolph has played okay but Buffalo is hot. The AFC team "nobody wants to see in the postseason". However they seem to pick the worse times to lay an egg and it's usually when Josh Allen tries to do too much. The Steelers managed to back into the postseason by beating the Raven's 2's in week 18 but they also beat Baltimore in week 5 and they're 5-3 vs playoff teams this season. Their defense isn't ranked high but they're #11 in sacks (47) and #4 in takeaways (27). I gotta believe they'll need Watt to play and Rudolph to be efficient when he has to throw to have a chance.
Green Bay (9-8) @ Dallas (12-5)
Other than the Rams-Detroit matchup, probably the game that interests Ram fans the most. A Green Bay win means Rams getting Philly or Tampa in round two if we advance. Rams fans or not, who isn't wondering if Prescott and McCarthy will find a way to lose this one? After all, it is the playoffs. And is there anything more entertaining when the clock clicks to 0:00 than seeing Jerrah's face all twisted up like somebody unleashed a hot dog burb his way? Jordan Love has been playing well. #2 in passing TDs behind.....Prescott. A lot is made of CJ Stroud, as it should be, but this is Love's first year as a starter too. And he's proved Green Bay made a smart pick back in 2020. The lack of drama has been good for the youngest team in the NFL. The postseason drama in Dallas is so thick, you can cut it with a knife.
MNF:
Philadelphia (11-6) @ Tampa Bay (9-8)
What's wrong with the Eagles? Some say, it's losing their OC and DC. Doesn't that also suggest Siriani isn't as good as we've been led to believe? Nobody has lost more assistants than McVay and he keeps winning. Is AJ Brown going to play? Is Hurts' finger (dislocated?) okay? They have a chance to quiet all the rumbles with a win here. And Nick Siriani said, "when you get knocked down in life or football, you either stay there or get up." We're gonna find out if the Eagles can get up because they've certainly been knocked down. Their pass D is suspect.....they aren't getting sacks (just 6 in the last 4 games)....and only Washington allowed more passing TDs than Philly (32). Plus they've allowed 1161 yards on the ground the last 8 games (145/g; 4.6/rush). Mayfield has 28 TD passes and Rashad White has 990 yards on the ground (531 of them the last 7 games). I can't remember another team with such a bad finish turning it around in the postseason.
Enjoy the games....ALL of them!
This year there are a couple of "story lines" the NFL and media have already played up. The Matt Stafford return to Detroit/The Jared Goff revenge game vs the Rams and Mike McCarthy vs Green Bay. Two less compelling story lines the media hasn't brought up.....probably because most of them aren't old enough to remember......the Chiefs/Dolphins played the longest postseason overtime game in history (1971) and this will be just the second time in 86 years the Rams and Lions faced off in the postseason. A third story line is Tyreek Hill having a chance to burn his old team in the postseason.
So which games will be the most exciting and entertaining?
Saturday:
Cleveland (11-6) @ Houston (10-7)
C.J. Stroud, OROY favorite vs the #1 defense in the NFL. Perhaps a more interesting matchup will be the oldest QB in the postseason vs the Houston defense. We know the old saying "defense wins Championships" is an antiquated saying because in today's NFL, you need to score points to win. But I think the defense that plays best in this game is going to win it. If the Browns throttle Stroud, Cleveland wins. If Ryans D throttles Flacco, Houston wins. Flacco had 368 yards passing in a 36-22 win over the Texans in week 16. As far as playoff matchups go, there has been a team in both Cleveland and Houston 62 of the last 64 years and this, like the Rams-Detroit matchup, will be just the second time they've met in the postseason. Jerry Glanville's Oilers beat Marty Shottenheimer's Browns 24-23 in 1988. And those two teams are now the Ravens and Titans!!!! I'll be rooting for the Browns because they've survived so many injuries this season. But it's hard not to be in awe of the rookie.
Miami (11-6) @ Kansas City (11-6)
Miami went from #2 seed to #6 and now they get to play a night game on the road in Kansas City. The Saturday night forecast in South Florida is cloudy and 61 degrees with a real feel of 61. The Sunday night forecast for Kansas City is -4 with a real feel of -18. And they're monitoring a winter storm! I'm gonna feel cold just watching this game! When the Dolphins beat the Chiefs in double OT back in 1971, the gametime temperature in KC that day was 47 degrees!! They say it's better to be lucky than good. Well Mahomes is both!! I'd love an upset here but I just don't see it. Kansas City beat Miami 21-14 in week 9.
Sunday:
Pittsburgh (10-7) @ Buffalo (11-6)
The biggest question is will TJ Watt play? And if he does, will he be effective? Either way this looks like a tough task for Pittsburgh. Rudolph has played okay but Buffalo is hot. The AFC team "nobody wants to see in the postseason". However they seem to pick the worse times to lay an egg and it's usually when Josh Allen tries to do too much. The Steelers managed to back into the postseason by beating the Raven's 2's in week 18 but they also beat Baltimore in week 5 and they're 5-3 vs playoff teams this season. Their defense isn't ranked high but they're #11 in sacks (47) and #4 in takeaways (27). I gotta believe they'll need Watt to play and Rudolph to be efficient when he has to throw to have a chance.
Green Bay (9-8) @ Dallas (12-5)
Other than the Rams-Detroit matchup, probably the game that interests Ram fans the most. A Green Bay win means Rams getting Philly or Tampa in round two if we advance. Rams fans or not, who isn't wondering if Prescott and McCarthy will find a way to lose this one? After all, it is the playoffs. And is there anything more entertaining when the clock clicks to 0:00 than seeing Jerrah's face all twisted up like somebody unleashed a hot dog burb his way? Jordan Love has been playing well. #2 in passing TDs behind.....Prescott. A lot is made of CJ Stroud, as it should be, but this is Love's first year as a starter too. And he's proved Green Bay made a smart pick back in 2020. The lack of drama has been good for the youngest team in the NFL. The postseason drama in Dallas is so thick, you can cut it with a knife.
MNF:
Philadelphia (11-6) @ Tampa Bay (9-8)
What's wrong with the Eagles? Some say, it's losing their OC and DC. Doesn't that also suggest Siriani isn't as good as we've been led to believe? Nobody has lost more assistants than McVay and he keeps winning. Is AJ Brown going to play? Is Hurts' finger (dislocated?) okay? They have a chance to quiet all the rumbles with a win here. And Nick Siriani said, "when you get knocked down in life or football, you either stay there or get up." We're gonna find out if the Eagles can get up because they've certainly been knocked down. Their pass D is suspect.....they aren't getting sacks (just 6 in the last 4 games)....and only Washington allowed more passing TDs than Philly (32). Plus they've allowed 1161 yards on the ground the last 8 games (145/g; 4.6/rush). Mayfield has 28 TD passes and Rashad White has 990 yards on the ground (531 of them the last 7 games). I can't remember another team with such a bad finish turning it around in the postseason.
Enjoy the games....ALL of them!
).