Baker Mayfield said the playoffs are the new "standard" for Cleveland and he keeps raising the bar
(2) Buffalo 27 - (7) Indianapolis 24
Game MVP: Josh Allen
Josh Allen has ascended to the elite tier of NFL QBsJames P. McCoy/Buffalo News
The Colts and Bills kicked off the playoffs in the first game of the weekend, and it didn't disappoint. Buffalo came away with a 27-24 win and Indianapolis had opportunities in the fourth quarter to score to tie or go ahead. The Bills defense made just enough plays to keep their team ahead as neither offense was able to keep momentum for too long throughout this one. A few costly drops by Colts receivers prevented the team from extending some promising drives and ultimately attributed towards their offense falling flat.
As for Buffalo, we saw a healthy dose of what got them there in the first place: Josh Allen to Stefon Diggs. Allen and Diggs hooked up for 6 receptions and 128 yards including a decisive fourth quarter touchdown that helped the Bills to the win. Allen ended the day with 324 yards passing to go along with two passing touchdowns and also picked up 54 yards rushing and another touchdown on the ground. Another MVP caliber performance from a dark horse candidate to take home the award this season.
Buffalo will get Lamar Jackson and the Ravens next round and will see a much different style of offense than the Philip Rivers led Colts. Lamar, or Big Truss as some call him, is starting to play closer to the MVP-level we saw out of him last year, and that could spell disaster for the Bills Mafia on their Cinderella run. Baltimore loves to run with both Jackson and their talented rookie back J.K. Dobbins, and a key for Buffalo should be establishing their rushing attack to prevent Baltimore from being able to control the pace of the game.
If Baltimore gets their run attack going, and the Bills have a few three-and-outs early in the game, Buffalo's defense runs the risk of getting gassed out too early, which would allow Lamar to run all over them in the second half. Zack Moss and Devin Singletary only had 10 combined carries in the game against the Colts, which should increase next week against the Ravens.
(6) Los Angeles 30 - (3) Seattle 20
Game MVP: Darious Williams
Darious Williams came up with a pick-six in the Rams upset WWally Skalij/Los Angeles Times
The Rams weren't given much of a chance in this game. With John Wolford having to start the game and then exit early with an injury, it forced Jared Goff into the game despite recovering from a broken thumb on his throwing hand. Wolford left with a neck injury and was brought to the hospital but thankfully has since been released. Neither of the quarterbacks were particularly effective, but Goff managed to hit Robert Woods late in the game for a 15 yard score to put the game out of reach.
It was Cam Akers who stepped up for his ailing QBs, as he amassed 131 yards on the ground, 45 yards on two catches, and a touchdown on the day. Russell Wilson again looked very average and was only able to post 174 yards passing in this must-win game. Wilson threw for two touchdowns but also had a pass intercepted and brought back for a touchdown by Darious Williams in the second quarter. Chris Carson did his job for Seattle, averaging 4.8 yards per carry while finishing with 77 yards on the ground.
Sean McVay's Rams will draw the top seed in the NFC next round in the form of the Green Bay Packers. At least Goff will have another week to nurse his thumb, but unless he's able to throw downfield more effectively against Green Bay, the Rams could struggle to keep pace with one of the league's highest scoring offenses.
(5) Tampa Bay 31 - (4) Washington 23
Game MVP: Tom Brady
Tom Brady continues his winning ways in the playoffs with TampaBrad Mills/USA TODAY Sports
Tampa Bay came into this game the heavy favorites against Washington. On last week's episode of FindBet's podcast The Catch, The Catch, we discussed how we thought the Football Team would put up a better fight than one might think. Behind the play of backup QB Taylor Heinicke, Washington was never out of the game until the closing moments. Although Brady and the Bucs will head to New Orleans for a duel with the Saints, an interesting storyline will be if Heinicke has played himself into consideration to enter the 2021 regular season as the Football Team's starting quarterback.
Washington has a few young core players in Terry McLaurin, Antonio Gibson, and Cam Sims on the offensive side of the ball and are really just needing a consistent presence at quarterback to solidify their attack. Already boasting one of the best defensive fronts in the NFL, the Football Team could take a big jump next year if they're able to build on the foundation they have begun to lay under Ron Rivera.
As for the Buccaneers, it shouldn't be understated that they went into Washington and took care of their business. It's not as if they overlooked Washington, but let's be real, Brady had Drew Brees and the Saints in his peripheral as he was staring down Chase Young during this game. TB12 is looking very comfortable in Bruce Arians's offense at this point in the season and has been able to successfully utilize any combination of the weapons at his disposal to result in victories throughout the season.
As they figure out how to best implement and deploy the talents of Antonio Brown, the Bucs have the look and feel of a Lamborghini roaring down an open highway. The only problem with a sports car going at exceeding speeds is that a little speed bump could cause a wreck. A healthy Michael Thomas and Drew Brees to pair with Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray awaits Tampa, and that's a big speed bump.
There has never been anyone better at winning playoff games than Tom Brady, and this is probably the most talented offense he's played with during his 20 year career. The Bucs got a strong performance from Leonard Fournette against Washington, as they saw him rack up 93 yards on the ground with a touchdown and added 39 yards on four catches.
Tampa will surely need a similar day from their rushing attack against New Orleans as Sean Payton will probably be sending blitzers to disrupt Tom Brady and try to slow down their passing attack. The Bucs would greatly benefit from a healthy performance from Fournette or Ronald Jones to help them come out on top next round.
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara
If one day of three NFL playoff games wasn't enough for you to handle, don't worry because the NFL has another tripleheader of playoff action on tap for Sunday.
After Matthew Hanson did such a great job at trying to predict Saturday's slate, he has handed the reins over to me to try and forecast what is going to happen to close out the Wild Card Round.
Tennessee Titans running back Derrick HenryRob Carr - Getty Images
Baltimore Ravens (5) v. Tennessee Titans (4)
1:05 pm EST (ABC/ESPN)
Spread: Ravens -3
Baltimore will have revenge on their mind when they travel to Nashville to take on the Tennessee Titans on Sunday afternoon. Not only did the Titans knock the Ravens out of the playoffs last year, Tennessee also defeated Baltimore in overtime in November. The Ravens were leading the Titans 21-10 in the regular season matchup before Tennessee was able to mount a comeback. Justin Tucker forced overtime before Derrick Henry's 29-yard touchdown scamper gave the Ravens their second straight loss.
The Ravens enter this year's playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the NFL, having won their last five games. Not only has Lamar Jackson regained some of his MVP form from last year, the Ravens have found a new weapon in rookie running back J.K. Dobbins. Dating back to the November loss to Tennessee, Dobbins has scored at least one touchdown in each of the last six games.
Derrick Henry may get all the headlines for the Titans after rushing for 2,017 yards this year, but Baltimore can't sleep on Ryan Tannehill. The Tennessee quarterback has thrown for 3,819 yards and a career-high 33 touchdowns this year. A.J. Brown was Tannehill's favorite target, eclipsing 1,000 yards receiving and catching 11 touchdowns this year. Henry and Tannehill will be hoping that guard Rodger Saffold is healthy enough to play on Sunday, especially with the Titans already having lost Taylor Lewan for the season. Even though Saffold hasn't yet practiced this week, the Indiana product has said he is playing against the Ravens.
As well as the Ravens have been playing recently, they haven't exactly being playing tough competition. During their five-game winning streak, the only win for Baltimore over a winning team came against the Browns last month. Tennessee has been a bad matchup for the Ravens the last two times they've played, and it's hard not to see the Titans causing the same problems for Baltimore. The combination of Henry and Tannehill tops Jackson and Dobbins in Nashville.
Prediction: Tennessee 27, Baltimore 20
New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew BreesChuck Cook - USA TODAY Sports
Chicago Bears (7) v. New Orleans Saints (2)
4:40 pm EST (CBS)
Spread: Saints -10
Following the battle between the Ravens and Titans, another rematch of an overtime game from November is on tap. The New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears battled on the first day of November in Chicago, with New Orleans squeaking out a 26-23 win. Not only will the setting for this game be different, both teams will have a few different faces involved on Sunday afternoon.
The biggest difference for Chicago will be at quarterback. Last time these teams met, Nick Foles was taking the snaps for the Bears. Since then, Mitchell Trubisky has reclaimed his starting quarterback position, and has cut down on the mistakes, throwing 10 touchdowns and just five interceptions over the last six games. Trubisky has been helped by the emergence of David Montgomery at running back. Since Trubisky returned at quarterback, Montgomery has recorded three 100-yard rushing performances and scored nine touchdowns.
It seems like as soon as the Saints take care of one issue on offense, another pops up. Whether it be Michael Thomas dealing with injuries seemingly all year long, Drew Brees breaking 11 ribs, or all the Saints running backs sidelined last week due to COVID-19 protocols, somehow New Orleans has navigated the issues and found themselves as the second seed in the NFC. After catching 155 passes last year, Thomas has only played in seven games this year, hauling in 40 passes during that time. Thomas is practicing ahead of Sunday's game, and is expected to play. Not only will the return of Thomas give Brees his favorite target back, it will also take some of the pressure off of Alvin Kamara, who has been playing at an MVP level this year.
The Saints are a different team at home in the dome, even if there will only be limited fans in attendance. This game would be more of a fight if this game were being played in Chicago, because of the colder temperatures that Brees and company aren't used to playing in. Not only will the offense of the Saints be tough for the Bears to match, the defense of New Orleans knows how to create turnovers, which means we'll see the return of bad Mitch Trubisky. The Saints should easily move on to the next round of the playoffs.
Prediction: New Orleans 31, Chicago 17
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben RoethlisbergerCharles LeClaire - USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland Browns (6) v. Pittsburgh Steelers (3)
8:15 pm EST (NBC)
Spread: Steelers -6
The Cleveland Browns made the playoffs for the first time in 18 years and now their pets heads are falling off. Cleveland has already been dealing with COVID-19 issues over the past few weeks, and things got even worse this week when it was announced that head coach Kevin Stefanski wouldn't be able to coach after testing positive. This leaves special teams coordinator Mike Preifer to serve as acting head coach in Stefanski's absence, and offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt to take over the play calling duties on Sunday night.
Just to get to the playoffs, Cleveland barely snuck by the Steelers last week. Pittsburgh was resting most of their starters and still had a chance to send the game to overtime, but Mason Rudolph wasn't able to convert the two-point conversion attempt after the Steelers had closed the score to 24-22. Steeler fans won't have to worry about seeing Rudolph this week, as Ben Roethlisberger will be back at quarterback for Pittsburgh, looking to continue his mastery over the Browns.
It'd be great to see the Browns earn their first playoff win in forever. Sadly, it doesn't look like it is in the cards for Cleveland. A week off could rejuvenate Big Ben, who has already attempted over 600 passes this year. The Steelers have struggled to run the ball all year, and even though Cleveland knows the Steelers will want to pass the football, it could be hard to slow Pittsburgh down, especially with the status of cornerback Denzel Ward up in the air. Add in the injury and COVID issues Cleveland has been dealing with on the offensive line, and Baker Mayfield could be running for his life on Sunday night against T.J. Watt and the talented defensive line of the Steelers.
Prediction: Pittsburgh 30, Cleveland 20
Tom Brady hoping to get the last laugh and to add another Super Bowl ring to his collection
For Kansas City, they'll likely be hoping for an upset in either the first game of the weekend or the last. Buffalo (2) and Indianapolis (7) kick off the playoff slate on Saturday in the 1:05 spot, and Cleveland (6) plays Pittsburgh (3) in the final game of the opening weekend at 8:15 on Sunday night. Being that the first seed gets the lowest seeded remaining opponent, the Colts and Browns would be a better matchup for the reigning champs in the Divisional Round.
The Packers face a considerably tougher opponent when they get back on the field as the seventh and sixth seeds, the Bears and Rams, face uphill battles to win their Wild Card games. The Rams may be without their starting quarterback again and we could see John Wolford under center for their matchup against Russell Wilson and the Seahawks.
The Bears, who are playing much better of late behind the improved play of Mitch Trubisky, and the solid performances of David Montgomery, earned an unfortunate draw as they face the Saints who may be getting both Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara returning to the lineup. That would mean Tom Brady's Buccaneers are the most likely to enter the Divisional Round as the lowest seeded remaining opponent for Green Bay as they're the five seed and will play the Washington Football Team (4) on Saturday night. If the Bucs handle the Football Team we could be in line for what many considered a likely NFC Championship matchup in the second round.
Let's break down the Saturday matchups and give you all the info you need before the Bills and Colts kick off Saturday afternoon.
Josh Allen hopes to lead the Bills to their first playoff win since 1995Rich Barnes/USA TODAY Sports
Colts (7) at Bills (2)
1:05 pm EST (CBS)
Spread: Bills -6.5
Buffalo endured a 17 year playoff drought not long ago. Fast forward to today, and the Bills are entering the playoffs as one of the serious contenders to unseat the Chiefs as world champs. Josh Allen has been spectacular this season as he finished in the top five in passing yards, passing touchdowns, QBR, and completion percentage. Allen to Stefon Diggs has become one of the most feared connections in all of football, and the Colts will have their hands full trying to slow down an offense that has outscored opponents 229-110 since Week 12. Still, while Buffalo has made the playoffs in three out of the last four years, they haven't managed to win a playoff game since 1995.
The Colts have shown an ability to put points up themselves this season, and if they can establish the run with rookie sensation Jonathan Taylor, it would go a long way in dictating the pace of play, extending drives for Indianapolis, and most importantly keeping the high octane Bills offense off the field. If Indy can limit offensive opportunities for Josh Allen, that's their key to victory.
Prediction: Bills 34 - Colts 23
Russell Wilson and the Seahawks play the LA Rams during Wild Card WeekendRobert Hanashiro/USA TODAY Sports
Rams (6) at Seahawks (3)
4:40 pm EST (FOX)
Spread: Seahawks -3.5
This game hinges on one very important unknown heading into it, and that's the status of Rams' starting quarterback Jared Goff. If Goff is unable to go Sean McVay will be putting John Wolford under center which would be a significant hit to Los Angeles' chances of coming out of Saturday with a win. The Rams have been very streaky throughout the season even with their starting QB, and their defense hasn't been as dominant as one would hope for with the talent on the roster. If Goff is unable to play Saturday it will allow an improving Seattle defense to key in on the run which could result in a long day for the Rams.
Russell Wilson started the season as an MVP favorite, but finished the regular season on a bit of a dull note. We know how special Wilson can be, but with all of the talented receivers he has to work with, the struggles down the stretch may be cause for concern. Now that the Seahawks have a healthy Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde to complement the passing game it may be the boost Wilson needs to get back to the form we saw him hit early in the regular season.
Prediction: Seahawks 30 - Rams 13
Buccaneers (5) at Washington (4)
8:15 pm EST (NBC)
Spread: Buccaneers -8.5
This game is an anomaly in the sense that Tampa Bay is widely viewed as the better team on paper, on the field, by way of regular season record, and are the clear favorite to win this playoff game against the higher seeded Washington Football Team. Washington ofcourse is the four seed in the NFC as they were the NFC East Division Champions, and the four division champs earn the top four playoff seeds.
Washington boasts one of the best defensive lines in all of football with four first round selections manning the trenches for the Washington D. Chase Young and Montez Sweat will provide plenty of pressure off the edges, and the Football Team will need to disrupt the Tampa passing attack to have any chance to pull off the upset?
Tom Brady low-key had a fantastic season and it seems like he is starting to get on the same page as Antonio Brown after he posted 11 catches for 138 yards and two touchdowns in the Bucs final regular season game. We don't expect Washington to win this game, but with a bunch of young talent on their roster it will be closer than you might think.
Prediction: Buccaneers 34 - Football Team 27
