by Terri By
The NFL 2020-21 Wild Card Weekend is in the books. If you would like to catch up on what happened, please check out Tuesday’s blog, 2020-21 Wild Card Weekend-The Aftermath | edgerocks (wordpress.com) . This weekend’s games will decide which teams will advance to the AFC and NFC Championship Games. There are some very interesting storylines going into these games. Can the Cleveland Brows keep their success going against the formidable defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs? Can the Chiefs take the next step to defending their crown? How healthy will the Los Angeles Rams be, going into the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field and will this be Green Bay Packers QB and likely NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers’ best chance at another Lombardi? Can Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson lead his team to another playoff win? Can the Buffalo Bills’ Cinderella-like season and post-season continue? In what I lovingly call the “old-geezer” matchup, will we finally see the shoot-out that many NFL fans have been hoping to see? Will we see 41 year old New Orleans Saints QB Drew Brees advance to what will likely be the final NFC Championship Game of his career, or are we going to 43 year old Tampa Bay Buccaneers Tom Brady advance to his first NFC Championship and take the next step to a possible 10th Super Bowl appearance in hope for a 7th ring?
This blog will answer all those questions and sort out those storylines. I hope my readers will enjoy this blog. I welcome feedback and encourage it.
2020-21 NFL DIVISIONAL ROUND PREVIEW
Games for Saturday, January 16, 2021:
(6) Los Angeles Rams @ (1) Green Bay Packers
This game will be played at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI and will air on FOX. Kickoff will be at 4:35pm, EST.
PREVIEW: As I said, can the Los Angeles Rams come from sunny Southern California to defeat the Green Bay Packers in a very cold Lambeau Field. According to Accuweather.com, the high is only supposed to be 35 degrees and a low of 23, so the Rams have that working against them. Star defender Aaron Donald is still battling a rib injury, but as of this writing, is expected to play. Even if he is not as effective, there are plenty of other defenders along that Rams defensive line for Packers QB Aaron Rodgers to worry about. DB Jalen Ramsey will also wreak havoc in the secondary as well. I should remind readers that the Rams have the #1 ranked offense.
The Packers do have all the other advantages, besides home field. They are the 5th ranked offense, 8th in rushing and 9th in passing. The Packers also have a guy named Aaron Rodgers, who has clicked with his head coach Matt LeFleur. This will be a tall task for the Rams to beat, even though Rams head coach Sean McVey is no slouch as a head coach, himself. The question for McVey is: Can he and starter Jared Goff lead their offense against the Packers’ 9th ranked offense? As of this writing, it is not certain whether WR Cooper Cupp will play, but it has been confirmed that QB Blake Bortles will be the backup as injured QB John Wolford has been ruled out.
PREDICTION: I am expecting this game to be a mid to high scoring game, but the result is going to be very close. I don’t think it would be impossible for the Rams to win, but the Packers have way too many advantages. 6,000 fans will be allowed to watch the game in person, so there is another advantage for the home team. PACKERS: 31-28.
(5) Baltimore Ravens @ (2) Buffalo Bills
This game will be played at Bills Stadium at Orchard Park, NY and will air on NBC. Kickoff will be at 8:15pm, EST.
PREVIEW: This is going to be another hard hitting game between two tough teams. The Buffalo Bills are coming off of what I would call a somewhat lackluster performance in their win over the Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card Round. The Baltimore Ravens are coming off of a tough and rather emotional win over the Tennessee Titans as well. I am expecting a similar game between these two teams as well.
I would like to add something, before I continue. I hope BOTH the Bills and the Ravens don’t act like childish brats in this game, like the Ravens and the Titans did last weekend. If you watched the game, you know what I am talking about. For those who didn’t, here it goes. The Titans and the Ravens have some sort of rivalry or “bad blood” between them. One of the ways it came out was that when the Titans beat the Ravens in Baltimore, there was some sort of incident involving Titan players on the Ravens’ symbol in the middle of the field. Well, last week, after the team secured the first down to end the game, a whole bunch of Ravens players ran onto the Titans’ symbol. Yeah, I know that there is a history of players messing around on the opponents’ logo. See Terrell Owens and the Dallas Cowboys Star. However, this is getting way out of hand. These are grown man getting tons of money to play a game. They need to grow up.
Now, that I am off my soapbox, back to this game. The Ravens were able to shut down “King” Derrick Henry in Tennessee. We will see if the Ravens can shut down the Bills’ #2 ranked offense completely. Can the Bills defense stop the Ravens’ #1 ranked rushing attack, especially QB Lamar Jackson? The Bills defense needs to stop Jackson. They can not let him escape, like the Titans did. If one paid attention, there were plenty of occasions where the Titan defense had Jackson in their grasps, but he was able to pull a Houdini act and escape and get critical first downs. The Bills QB Josh Allen needs to be protected or the Ravens defense will eat him alive.
For the Ravens, they have to make holes on the offensive line so Jackson can run, as he is their best weapon. Jackson also needs to throw the ball as well. Is Jackson a “special player,” like the announcers and experts say? No doubt. Randall Cunningham also was considered “a special player.” Cunningham could win throwing the ball, though. Call me old fashioned, but I would like to see Mr. Jackson win more games with his arm.
PREDICTION: I am expecting a close game. The Bills have the home team advantage and the weather that is predicted for the game calls for snow showers. Lamar Jackson hasn’t played in the snow, that I remember. This might help out the Bills. The Ravens won the last meeting between the two teams, but that was in December of 2019 and the Bills are a different team, as Josh Allen is a much better quarterback now. This game can go either way, and even though the Bills have a bit of an advantage, I think the Ravens win in a close contest. RAVENS: 24-23
Games for Sunday, January 17, 2021:
(6) Cleveland Browns @ (1) Kansas City Chiefs
This game will be played at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO and will air on CBS. Kickoff will be at 3:05pm, EST.
PREVIEW: The Cleveland Browns have arrived. Unless you have been living under a rock, the Browns have shocked the NFL world and defeated their “big brother,” the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 45-37 win on Wild Card Weekend. What is the prize behind Door #1 for the Browns? It’s a trip to Kanas City to face the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. You know, QB Patrick Mahomes, TE Travis Kelce, WR Tyreek Hill and the gang. Andy Reid, the head coach of the Chiefs, will be there as well, waiting for their next victims, I mean, the Browns.
There are a few things that are going for the Browns. It looks like they are getting their head coach Kevin Stefanski, corners Denzel Ward and Kevin Johnson, as well as Bill Callahan, the team’s offensive coordinator, all of whom missed the Steeler game due to COVID. Even though the Browns clobbered the Steelers without these guys, their return will be obviously a huge boost to the team. Having Ward and Johnson will help the Browns against the Chiefs’ #1 ranked offense immensely.
One huge question is can Stefanski outcoach the more experienced Andy Reid? Andy Reid is especially brilliant after a bye week. In his 22 year coaching career, Reid is 18-3 in the regular season, after a bye and is 5-2 in the post-season, after a bye. The defenses of the two teams are evenly matched, as the Browns have the #17th ranked defense and the Chiefs have the #16th ranked defense. Where the Chiefs might be vulnerable is when the Browns run the ball, as the Browns are ranked #3 in rushing. The Browns are going to have a hard time with star QB Patrick Mahomes as the Chiefs have the #1 ranked offense and are #1 in passing.
If the Browns want to shock the world again, they are going to have to look at what the Miami Dolphins defense did and force Mahomes into mistakes. The Browns defense have to force more three and outs and the Browns offense has to keep Mahomes on the bench. The Chiefs defense can be run on. I would stick with the run game, if I were Callahan. RB Nick Chubbs should have a field day. Mahomes and the starters also have not played for nearly three weeks, either. I don’t think the rust will make a lot of difference, but that is something to watch.
A huge advantage for the Chiefs is the loud stadium. There will be 16,000 fans, instead of a full stadium. Will that make as much of a difference as it has before? It might. I know a lot of people dismiss the “home field advantage” theory, but I don’t. This also an afternoon game and the high on Sunday is expected to be about 41 degrees. That should not make a difference. Anyway, the Chiefs are definitely the better team and the defending champions.
PREDICTION: I have watched the Chiefs this year and they look like they could repeat. Many experts and commentators have said the Chiefs are a “lock” to repeat. Well, I have been watching the Chiefs and if one is paying attention, the team doesn’t look as unbeatable as some would want you to believe, even though the team is 14-2. The Chiefs definitely should have had more losses on their record, as their opponents played them pretty close, but made dumb mistakes and the Chiefs’ Mahomes was able to pull a Houdini act and get the team the victory. What I am saying is that they don’t seem as intimidating and appear to be vulnerable and could be had. The Brows must be aggressive, but not make a lot of dumb mistakes. Kevin Stefanski has to call a perfect game against Reid and I am not sure that will happen. In my view, the Browns are not experienced enough. CHIEFS: 35-31,
(#5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers @ (#2) New Orleans Saints
This game will be played at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA and will air on FOX. Kickoff will be at 6:40pm, EST.
Well, as a fan of great players and a fan of both of these men, I was SO hoping that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints would wind up playing each other in the NFC Championship game. I am almost sure I am not the only fan hoping for that. Like the Stones sing, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” though. This should be a great game between two undoubtedly great quarterbacks, Saints QB Drew Brees and Buccaneers QB Tom Brady. This will likely be the final time the two greats meet.
The Saints come into this game off of a win over the Chicago Bears in the Wild Card Round in a game that was closer than I thought it would have been. The Buccaneers come into this game off of a win, after a bit of a dogfight with the Washington Football Team, a team that hopefully will find a name in the off-season. The key injuries to watch for both teams are for the Saints: gadget player and backup QB Taysom Hill has not practiced Wednesday or Thursday, due to a knee injury. For the Buccaneers, keep an eye on the status for RB Ronald Jones, who returned to a limited practice due to calf and finger injuries on Thursday. Buccaneers WR Mike Evans has been limited in practice and hopes to be “closer to 100%” by Sunday. The absence of G Alex Kappa will be one to watch during the game.
PREDICTION: Much has been made of the 46 point differential between the two teams, as the Saints beat the Buccaneers both times in the regular season, the first time by a score of 34-23 and the second time by a score of 38-3. The Saints also have the advantage of having the game at their home. In the past 50 years, there were 21 playoff games where a team had a chance to sweep an opponent, after winning both regular season appearances. Those teams went 14-7. The Saints have that advantage. QB Drew Brees will also have his complement of weapons and that Saints defense knows how to disrupt an offense.
How can the Buccaneers reverse this and do what the 2007 New York Giants did to the Dallas Cowboys in the 2007-08 post-season? The Cowboys swept the Giants in the regular season, but the Giants turned the tables on the Cowboys in the 2007-08. I mean, talk about irony? The truth is stranger than fiction.
Regardless, here is how the Buccaneers can turn the tables on the Saints: The offensive line must protect Tom Brady at all costs. The Saints defense was able to tee off of him and sack him constantly and force him into mistakes. This can not happen, if coach Bruce Arians wants to advance his team to the NFC Championship game. Arians can not pull that “risk it or biscuit” nonsense. Arians and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich must RUN THE BALL. This has to happen. Hopefully, their best runner, Ronald Jones will be active. Running the ball will keep the Saints defense honest and will help open up the passing game, so Brady can get the ball to his weapons. The Buccaneers offense is also finally clicking, so I definitely expect a better performance. Defensive Coordinator Todd Bowles has to call a better game than he did against Washington. If Taysom Hill can’t go, it will definitely be of some help.
As to who wins this game and advances to the NFC Championship Game, I am expecting a high scoring game. I expect both quarterbacks to play well and I also expect the teams to play well, also. I expect the Tampa Bay defense to play much better and to step up their game as LB Devon White and DT Steve McLendon return from the COVID reserve list. I also expect the Saints to score more than 21 points. I picked the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to win the Super Bowl at the very beginning of the NFL Season. I realize there is a strong case to make for the New Orleans Saints to win. I am one of those people who will stick with my pick, even if I wind up being wrong. BUCCANEERS: 32-27.
ADDENDUM: I want to add that regardless of the Ssints-Buccaneers outcome, we are going to be watching two legendary quarterbacks in Tom Brady and Drew Brees go at it. One of these two legends will be leading his team to the NFC Championship and a possible trip to the Super Bowl. I know I have to be unbiased, but to me, it doesn’t matter which one of these two quarterbacks it is . Both men are amazing quarterbacks and both men are both great character guys. They are both great family men, as well, so either team will have a great quarterback and a great person in the NFC Championship game. It’s a “win, ” either way.
That is it for the blog. Thanks for reading. Feedback below.
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