AFC Wild Card Match-Ups
7. Indianapolis @ 2. Buffalo
6. Cleveland @ 3. Pittsburgh
5. Baltimore @ 4. Tennessee
AFC Wild Card Analysis
7. Indianapolis @ 2. Buffalo
The first game of the 2021 Playoffs will take place Saturday at noon (central) and be between the Buffalo Bills and the Indianapolis Colts. Though the Colts are the seven seed, they should not be looked past by Buffalo. The Colts come into the Playoffs with a 11-5 record, a future Hall of Fame quarterback in Philip Rivers, a strong run game, weapons outside, and a solid defense.
That being said, there has been times this year the Colts have looked a little suspect. Games like the week one loss to Jacksonville, the two oddly close games between the Texans and Bengals, the blown lead against Pittsburgh in week 16, and even the win against Jacksonville in week 17, lead us to question them coming into the Playoffs.
Now, history is on the Colts side, and experience is everything. Philip Rivers, a very experienced QB, has never once lost a Wild Card Playoff game. Though he tends the force the ball late, sometimes leading to turnovers, he is a quarterback with lots of Playoff experience, whereas Josh Allen, has played one game, which was not his best performance.
The Bills are coming in with one of the NFL’s best offenses and passing attacks spear headed by Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs. If the Colts want to win this game, they’re going to have to pressure Josh and try to stall their offense because I don’t know if the Colts can keep up with Buffalo if the Bills offense starts humming. I’m going to take Buffalo in this game but I refuse to look past the Colts in this one.
6. Cleveland @ 3. Pittsburgh
The Steelers are not on a great run of form entering the Playoffs. After starting 11-0, the Steelers now sit at 12-4, which is not a record to be sniffed at, as the Chiefs won the Super Bowl last year with a 12-4 record.
Cleveland is entering the Playoffs for the first time since 2003, after beating Pittsburgh on the last week of the regular season. The Browns are going into the Playoffs though without their head coach, Kevin Stefanski, and a few key players, according to reports, due to COVID-19. Also not on the Browns side is quarterback Baker Mayfields’ record against Pittsburgh on the road. Against the Steelers, Baker is 0-3 as a starter, but could look to change that in this match-up.
Emotions will be running high in Cleveland as this is their first Playoff game in almost 20 years, as I stated earlier. I love the Browns rushing attack, but losing your head coach right before a Playoff game is huge. Though Pittsburgh isn’t entering the Playoffs in the best run of form, I’m going to take them over Cleveland in this one.
5. Baltimore @ 4. Tennessee
Over the past two seasons, Tennessee has beaten Baltimore both times they have met, once in the Playoffs and once this season during the regular season, where Tennessee won in over time. What could/should concern Ravens fans going in is that Lamar is 0-2 in his career in Playoff games, both times the Ravens were the higher seeded team.
We should know what both teams game plans are going into this game, they will both really predominately on the run. The Titans with Derrick Henry and the Ravens with Lamar, both having fantastic seasons on the ground yet again. Where this game could be won or lost is on the defensive side of the ball. They each should know that the other team will likely run the shit out of the ball, they have to gear up to stop it.
So, for this game, I’m going to make my pick on who’s defense I trust more. Without it being very close, I’m taking the Ravens, as far as quality on the defensive side of the ball.
As of late, Tennessee has had a decent amount of trouble stoping anybody. Other than Jacksonville, who’s won one game this season, Tennessee has allowed 10 or more points in every game, and in the last seven games, again, other than Jacksonville, they have allowed teams to score at least 24 points, allowing Houston to score 38 in the final game of the season.
The Ravens are coming into the Playoffs in a great run of form. Ever since Lamar came back from COVID the Ravens have won five straight, and have killed some teams in the process. Based of form and the Titans inability to stop anybody, I’ll take the Ravens over the Titans in Nashville.
Second Round Match-Ups
5. Baltimore @ 1. Kansas City
3. Pittsburgh @ 2. Buffalo
AFC Divisional Round Analysis
5. Baltimore @ 1. Kansas City
Much like the Titans before, the Chiefs have had the Ravens number ever since Lamar has been in the league. This past meeting though, the Chiefs dominated, winning the game 34-20, and it wasn’t even really that close.
We’ve already talked about the Ravens some what, so let’s talk about Kansas City. The Chiefs, though have the best record in the NFL at 14-2, that has not exempt them from the odd performance. Such as the near loss to the Chargers early in the season, the loss to the Raiders and the other a close win, the game against Carolina, a closer than the national media would let you believe game against Tampa, Mahomet three interception game against Miami, and the very near loss to Atlanta. For that one, it looked like Younghoe Koo reverted back to his Chargers form, going from arguably the best kicker this season to the one that missed field goals like it was his job with the Chargers.
They’re kind of limping into the Playoffs, which is weird to say since they’re a 14-2 team. The offense can’t bail them out all the time, but I feel it will this game. One thing that kind of scares me is the fact the Kansas City rested their starters, sometimes that can hurt a team going into the Playoffs. The best example of that is Denver vs Jacksonville in the 1996 Playoffs. I’d assume Kansas City would be a favorite in this game, Denver was a 14 point favorite over Jacksonville and lost 30-27, not saying Kansas City will lose, but I just don’t want to look past that.
That being said, though Baltimore is on a great run of form, I don’t think the Ravens will be able to a) keep up with Kansas City’s offense and b) be able to stop them enough to win. I’m going to take Kansas City in this one.
3. Pittsburgh @ 2. Buffalo
The last time these two met, the Bills absolutely killed them, though the scoreboard made it seem closer then it actually was, the Bills made light work of the Steelers. The Bills really turned it on in the second half, using the momentum caused by Taron Johnson’s pick six right before halftime.
Bills quarterback and second team All-Pro nominee Josh Allen didn’t have his best game early, but as the game continued, he showed why he’s in the running for NFL MVP this season. Josh’s favorite target, Stefon Diggs, had 130 yards and a touchdown in the game. I honestly think that if Josh was on his game in the first half, the Bills would’ve won by more.
Pittsburgh, as we said already, are limping into the Playoffs, going 1-4 in their last five game. I think that the Bills will be able to handle Pittsburgh, much like the last game. I’m going to take Buffalo, making a nice match-up in Kansas City for the AFC Championship.
AFC Championship
2. Buffalo @ 1. Kansas City
AFC Championship Analysis
2. Buffalo @ 1. Kansas City
The match-up everyone wants to see on the AFC side, the Bills and Chiefs rematch. The last time these two teams met, it wasn’t the most weather friendly affair, with each team not playing particularly well, but, that being said, the Chiefs fully deserved the win.
I think with the way the Bills are playing, this game should be an all time classic. We know what Kansas City’s offense can do, now we get to see them against a fully firing Buffalo Bills offense. This game truly could be an insane shootout, which means this game will come down to which defense can hold the other offense. I feel Buffalo has the superior defense, at least the more complete defense.
Based on the Bills defense and the run of form for Buffalo, I am, hesitantly, putting the Bills in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs obviously have the experience, as the won the friggin Super Bowl last year, but I’m going to go with the road team here. I just feel Buffalo may be one of those teams of destiny.
NFC Wild Card Match-Ups
7. Chicago @ 2. New Orleans
6. Los Angeles @ 3. Seattle
5. Tampa Bay @ 4. Washington
NFC Wild Card Analysis
7. Chicago @ 2. New Orleans
Bears fans remind me of Bills fans, very pessimistic about most things involving their team. I don’t think I have heard a single Bears fan sound confident going into this game. Every one seems to just want to enjoy the game and be done with the season.
The crazy thing about the Bears season, is the fact that if they didn’t bench Mitchell Trubisky, they made have a higher seed, which is crazy to think about. At 8-8, the Bears have the second worst record out of all the teams in the Playoffs, the lowest obviously being Washington at 7-9.
The Saints, on the other hand, are widely considered to be on of the most complete team in the Playoffs. The have a Hall of Fame quarterback and coach, they have the most versatile running back in the NFL, if he plays, a solid o-line, good wide receiving core, and one of the best defenses in the NFL. On paper, yeah, it doesn’t look great for Chicago.
Though the Saints have had some weird Playoff history recently, I fully believe the Saints to handle the Bears on Nickelodeon this weekend.
6. Los Angeles @ 3. Seattle
This is the hardest game for me to predict. With the way Seattle has looked very subpar on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball recently, with, weirdly enough, their offense seeming to struggle more than their defense.
Throughout the season, Seattle has ranked near the bottom in pass defense, the Rams on the other hand, have the number one pass defense in the NFL, spear headed by Jalen Ramsey. Not only are they the best against the pass, they have the number one defense in total yards given up, by about 300 yards. Though LA’s defense is a lot better than Seattle’s, how do I feel about their quarterback situation?
With no one really knowing who will start for the Rams at this point, whether it be Jared Goff or John Wolford, makes this a little more difficult to predict. Though Wolford looked decent against Arizona in the regular season, how would that translate to the Playoffs? Am I really going to say that a Rams team with John Wolford would beat a Seahawks team quarterbacked by Russell Wilson? Short answer, no.
Though the Rams defense is very good, I still feel that Seattle will take the game and move onto the Divisional Round. I know defense wins championships, but I can’t look past the QB that defense will be facing. (this one was the hardest to predict for me)
5. Tampa Bay @ 4. Washington
Well, here we are. The 7-9 Washington Football team won the NFC East and will host a Playoff game hosting Tom Brady and the 11-5 Buccaneers. Weird. Much like the Rams, the Washington Football Team have one of the best defenses in the NFL, ranking right behind the Rams in total yards given up this season and rank second in pass defense as well. I don’t think it’s a secret that Bruce Arians will be attempting to throw the ball in this game.
This is Tom Brady’s first Playoff game with the Buccaneers, which, even though it’s been a full 16-game schedule, still sounds weird. Though Tom Brady is 43 years old, I would recommend not looking past the GOAT in the Playoffs.
I like the story of the Washington Football Team and I love how Alex Smith went from almost losing his leg to leading this team to the Playoffs. Though I think they’ll lose, this was a fun season for the Washington Football Team. I’m taking Brady and the Bucs in this one.
NFC Divisional Round
5. Tampa Bay @ 1. Green Bay
3. Seattle @ 2. New Orleans
NFC Divisional Round Analysis
5. Tampa Bay @ 1. Green Bay
The Super Bowl match-up everyone wanted to see but we never got, Tom Brady vs Aaron Rodgers. That being said, this is the next best thing. It may not be the Super Bowl, but at least it’s the Playoffs.
I think this could a pretty fun game, but I think the Packers will be a little too much for Tampa Bay. With how Aaron Rodgers and Davonte Adams have been this year, coupled with their ability to make plays out of the back field with three running backs that could all cause damage to the Bucs defense. I’m not talking about the run necessarily, the Bucs have one of the best rush defenses in the NFL, but more so with Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams in the passing game.
The Packers also have one of the best pass defenses in the NFL, which makes me think they could handle the Bucs offense more than the Bucs defense could handle the Packers, so again, I’m going to take the Packers over the Bucs in this one.
3. Seattle @ 2. New Orleans
This should be a fun match-up, we will be in store for another legendary quarterback battle, this one between Drew Brees and Russell Wilson. As we said before, Seattle has been inconsistent to say the least on offense and defense this season.
The Saints, who have a top defense and offense, should be able to handle Seattle in this game. I’m going to keep this one short, New Orleans over Seattle in this game.
NFC Championship
2. New Orleans @ 1. Green Bay
NFC Championship Analysis
2. New Orleans @ 1. Green Bay
Drew Brees in the January cold at Lambeau Field. Now thats a combo that I don’t necessarily like. Throughout his legendary career, one setting has always made Brees struggle, that would be a cold weather game.
The NFC South is really the only division in all of football that plays most of their games in warm weather or in a dome, i.e, Atlanta, Carolina, New Orleans, and Tampa. The fact the the NFC has to come through Green Bay makes it hard to pick against the Packers in this game.
The way Aaron Rodgers has been playing as of late too, oof. I know the Saints have a top defensive and a complete offense, but unlike Brees, Rodgers has always thrived in the cold weather games. I’m going to take the Packers over the Saints, which means we have a Super Bowl consisting of the Green Bay Packers and the Buffalo Bills.
Super Bowl LV (55)
AFC; Buffalo Bills (13-3)
NFC; Green Bay Packers (13-3)
Game Analysis
What a game we have here. In my opinion, this will be a game between the top two MVP candidates in the NFL this season, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills and Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers.
Reaping their seasons, you look at what the NFC champions have done. After going through the offseason without getting any wide receiver help, Aaron Rodgers has looked like a man on an absolute mission this season. Him and Davante Adams have been playing at levels that we’ve seen very few times before, remember this offseason when everyone said Aaron Rodgers might be done? Aaron Rodgers is to NFC North fans as Tom Brady was to me as well as the rest of the AFC East fans, never count them out. We’ve seen too much of them to think they’re done and we’re not stupid enough to count them out. Rodgers played pissed and it was very fun to watch. Heck, the quarterback they draft to “replace” him hasn’t dressed all season, as far as I know.
For the Bills, they started the season in red hot form, but, since it was the Bills, people kind of looked over the Bills, trying to look for that “signature win.” Though the Bills played one of the strongest schedules in the NFL, people still wanted to look past them, but they just kept on grinding. Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, and Cole Beasley each had amazing seasons, landing each of them on All Pro teams. Diggs was the first player in Bills history to lead the league in receptions and yards and the first to be named as a First Team All Pro. The effect Diggs has had on this team can’t be stressed enough. Josh has looked like an absolute world beater recent and this team is looking full of confidence heading into the Playoffs. This match-up, if it happens, would be an amazing one.
So, who to take? The team with the experienced quarterback in the Packers or the team that I consider to be the “team of destiny?” If I’m speaking from the heart, I truly think this Bills team could do something in these Playoffs. I want to stress I am not going to look past any team, and I know they won’t either. I’m scared going into the Playoffs. Heck, the Bills haven’t won a Playoff game since I was one and haven’t won the division since before I was born. This team just feels different.
Whether it’s just delusions of granger, I’m confident in this team. Heck, I’m so confident, I’m actually going to say that this team, the 2021 Buffalo Bills, can win the Super Bowl. So, I’m putting my foot down, I am picking the Buffalo Bills to win Super Bowl LV! Am I nervous? Yes. Am I confident though? Yes. I believe in this team, I believe they can do it.
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