2021 NFL Playoff Preview

The NFL regular season has concluded and the postseason is upon us. Some teams had relatively easy trips to get to where they are today. Others had to wait until the last game of the season (and some even longer than that) to discover their fate. Regardless, the stage has been set. How does the field shake up you ask?

Arizona Cardinals

What a difference a few months makes. These guys were a Super Bowl contender in November. Kyler Murray was slinging deep throws to DeAndre Hopkins and A.J. Green, you saw a contender. When Chase Edmonds and James Conner ran all over opposing defenses, you saw a contender. They began the season 7–0. Nothing could stop them. And then the free-fall happened. Losing six of their last ten, and now having people question just how legit this team really is. I don’t have a lot of faith in the defense and D-Hop is going to miss the Wild Card round. Times are tough. Luckily JJ Watt is expected to be available. They’ll need all hand on deck if they want to beat that O-line of LA. If not, it’ll just be a hollow empty season.

Buffalo Bills

I really thought the Bills had a shot at winning a Super Bowl when the season began. They’re not a bad team, they can still thrive in the right situations. However, we’ve seen the flaws in Buffalo’s game. The offense is one-dimensional. Look at the key elements of their offense. Their passing game relies on Josh Allen, obviously. Their running game lives and dies with Josh Allen. The blocking usually consists of a stiff arm from Josh Allen. He’s basically the only reason your team is relevant. The way they overuse him, you can see his ultimate demise coming sooner rather than later. Just look at Tre’Davious White and you’ll see what I mean. Last a major blow against some of the passing attack from these teams. I might not be the year of the Bills.

Cincinnati Bengals

Last year when I ranted about the Steelers losing to Cleveland, I said that the AFC North belonged to the Browns and Ravens. Fast-forward a year later, and both of those teams missed the playoffs, the Steelers made it in, and the division winner is the Bungals. Nobody expected anything out of Cincy this year. I figured they’d go 6–11 at best. This was before they bolstered the receiving core. Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase have become one of the best offensive duos in football. Their chemistry at LSU hasn’t missed a beat as both of them have made the transition to the professional level. And the North gets to see it twice a year for the next ten years. Cincy hasn’t been to the postseason since the infamous implosion of 2015. But this team has put the incompetence of Pacman Jones behind them. Sure the secondary gives up a lot of passing yards, but for how potent this offense is, it might not matter. They haven’t won a playoff game in thirty years. Is this the year they finally get over the hump? Only time will tell.

Dallas Cowboys

The arrogance levels of Cowboys fans is reaching astronomical levels. We should’ve listened to them. They said all they needed was Dak Prescott to come back and they would be kings again. What fans thought was a joke turned out to be a prophecy. The Cowboys became legit again. The offense is a dynamo like no other. The running backs and wide outs are full of talent. The defense has been revived. Micah Parsons is a one man wrecking crew. Trevon Diggs catches any ball throw near his vicinity. Even Mike McCarthy, whose been carried by teams with loads of talent in the past, will relish at this chance. I won’t mention that the offense has been slumping for a month and the team as a whole lacks discipline. Whoops. Dallas wishes for a Super Bowl. The rest of us wait for a first round exit. Let’s see who prevails.

Green Bay Packers

Last chances come with a lot of pressure and expectation. Green Bay has experienced the highest of highs and plenty of headaches along the way. Aaron Rodgers continues to torch teams across the land as he’s working on back to back MVP seasons. The weapons around him have never been stronger. Davante Adams is gonna secure the bag this offseason, and catch a bunch of throws from Rodgers in the next few weeks. The defense has wavered from time to time, but has stood its ground against those who opposed it. As long as Kevin King stays out of the way, Green Bay will be fine. Jaire Alexander, Za’Darius Smith, David Bakhtiari, and Whitney Mercilus are all returning to the lineup. This is the time to win another Lombardi. If they fail again, I can only imagine the tragedy and turmoil that comes with it. An era may come to an end. Free agents will be leaving. The NFL will laugh at your shortcoming. There’s a lot of nonsense about Rodgers boycotting the Super Bowl, but it’s all a joke. They probably won’t even make it that far.

Kansas City Chiefs

Given how terrible September and October went for you guys, I’m surprised you’re in the position you’re in. Patrick Mahomes was getting too big for his britches, the offense was out of whack, and the Chiefs defense had the stability of a wet paper towel. Everybody was ready to dance on their grave. Then the Chefs made adjustments accordingly. Moving Chris Jones to the interior defensive line has made their defense much better. The offense can put up points in bunches. How can they not when Mahomes is chucking it all over the field. Talent is aplenty on this roster, especially at the skill positions. There are still people praying for their downfall. This is boom or bust like the last three seasons. Few will want to play them when they’re at their peak. Please lose tomorrow. We need the memes.

Las Vegas Raiders

Even if they don’t win a game, the Raiders need to be given their flowers for what can be considered a season from hell. Executives resigning, DUI’s, manslaughter, injuries, the coach resigning because of a scandal that had nothing to do with the Raiders. They should’ve fell off in October. But there’s some higher-being that’s powering the Raiders. That’s the only explanation I can come up with. They have a -65 point differential, yet somehow made it to the playoffs. Daniel Carlson hits winning kick again and again. They’re just like the Steelers in the sense that they have nothing to lose. Somehow they’ll find a way to make thing interesting because they’re the Raiders. They’re playoff fortunes are completely on them.

Los Angeles Rams

This is your all in year. You didn’t bring in Odell Beckham Jr., Von Miller, and Eric Weddle for nothing after all. Aaron Donald will push through an entire offensive line by himself if it means a shot at another Super Bowl. And for good reason. LA is at a fork in the road. They improved their offense but it cost them. Yet they continue to improve their weaknesses. Cam Akers came back from a torn achilles he suffered in the summer. Van Jefferson, Cooper Kupp and OBJ make up an elite receiving core. Andrew Whitworth is still going strong at 40. The main concern is Matt Stafford. The argument has always been that he’s never had a great team around him to truly showcase his talents. There are flashes of confidence where he looks like a world beater, and then he’ll throw eight picks in four games. This is his chance to silence the naysayers. Will we see Matt Stafford or Stat Padford? The Rams have waited all year for this. No excuses will be accepted.

New England Patriots

Oh great, the Patriots are back in the postseason. I was hoping this wouldn’t happen so soon, but we can’t have anything nice, so here we are. Bill Belichick and his hoodie are here to go after another Lombardi. Mac Jones is the new obsession of Patriot fans when they’re not watching Tampa Bay games. He and his squad have brought the Pats back from the dead. The rest of us roll our eyes and fear the inevitable that the Empire might be rearing its ugly head again. But there are flaws in this Empire. The offense has been sluggish for the last month, and when they have a chance to finish off their opponents, they fail to do so. Jones is starting to look like a rookie. If the Bills can get in front early, it’s going to be an uphill battle for New England. But you can never count out the Hoodie. If Buffalo has the chance, they must finish them off swiftly and surely. Barring any fluke weather storms of course.

Philadelphia Eagles

Quite the turnaround from last year to now. Howie Roseman had an angry mob waiting outside his office with pitchforks and torches. Now his team’s got a shot at eternal glory. A soft schedule will do that for you. Their opponents with the best record they won against were New Orleans and Denver. Must be nice getting to play the Giants, Jets, and Football Team twice a year. I’m not saying the Eagles are garbage or anything. They have a nonstop running game, that includes Jordan Howard returning from the Shadow Realm. The only thing in your way is Jalen Hurts’ arm. His deep ball travels thirty yards. They have no expectations. Those are the deadliest teams to play. I say this just to watch Brady and the Bucs lay the hammer down. The future looks bright though. Howie Roseman will remain in Philly until the rapture.

Pittsburgh Steelers

We’re all asking the same question; how the hell did you get here? These guys suck. Look at the wins the Steelers had this year. They defeated a one-dimensional offense in Buffalo, a disastrous offense in Denver, they avoided Russell Wilson, Jarvis Landry showed how much of a dunce he is, the officials bailed them out against Da Bears, Lamar sucked and the Ravens were injured, the Titans didn't have Derrick Henry or A.J. Brown, a dead Cleveland team the second time around, and a glorified XFL team in Baltimore last Sunday. This team shouldn’t be here. Every new rule introduced to the NFL this season benefited the Steelers in some way. Yet somehow they’re not dead. Every game is agonizing and the offense is holding on by a string. Not to mention this run defense is horrendous. They should get bodied tomorrow. Yet somehow they’ll find a way to make things interesting, because they’re the Steelers. Also Juju is coming back to the lineup. Ben Roethlisberger is nothing but a withering corpse, but TJ Watt and Co. will carry him to the grave. I say all of this to leave with this last phrase; STILLERS GAHNTA SUPER BOWL!

San Francisco 49ers

I wondered what would happen to the 9ers if they missed the playoffs. If Kyle Shanahan’s seat got any hotter, it would be launched into space. Injuries did some damage to them this season again. Luckily, they were revived. They had some assistance to give the Football Gods the middle finger. First was their outstanding defense. Losing Robert Saleh didn't hurt them like people thought it would. They have a relentless pash rush and decent middle linebacking core. The offense has plenty of weapons. The offensive line has allowed the running game to thrive. Whether he’s catching, running, or passing, Deebo Samuel has become a game changer. The Italian sex symbol Jimmy Garoppolo can struggle under center from time to time, but he’s good enough to win football games. Not to mention he’s dealing with injury, that doesn’t help either. They haven’t reached their peak, but they could knock off a contender if given the opportunity. San Fran doesn’t have anything to lose.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The defending champs still have something to prove as they defend their Super Bowl title. Every starter from last year’s team came back for another shot at additional glory. But there are some missing pieces as well. The wide outs have been worn out. They still have Mike Evans and Gronk, but Chris Godwin is out with an injury and AB did a strip tease and jumped ship. Can’t stop the cancer. Pittsburgh and Oakland tried to warn you. Their defense was bit by the injury bug as well. Lavonte David, Jason Pierre-Paul, and Shaq Barrett are all returning against the Eagles. However, the concern is with the secondary because it doesn’t exist due to injury. Richard Sherman was brought in to help, yet he’s been placed on the IR as well. Tom Brady will find a way to will his team to the Super Bowl, that just the way things go.

Tennessee Titans

This is the most boring #1 seed of all time. A lot of that has to do with injuries. They set the record for most players dressed during the season with 91. The AFC is joke that doesn't deserve a winner. Yet the Titans are committed to the cause. They don’t fit the modern NFL mold. They run the traditional offense, which usually translates well to the playoffs. They run downhill and heavy, don’t overload Ryan Tannehill with options, and have a strong short and mid-range passing game. But Tannehill can’t do it alone. Their defense was boosted by Jeffrey Simmons tearing through offensive lines, but the secondary is still on the shelf. They hit a skid last month that had people being skeptical about them, but they’ve made it here. They could use reinforcements however. It arrives right on time in the form of King Henry. This might be the best chance of them to make it to their second Super Bowl. Can they actually pull it off though? It’s a question many contenders failed to answer. We shall see.

Porter’s Prediction

For how chaotic this season was, a prediction means nothing when upsets happen left and right. I’ll give one nonetheless. Despite my mocking of Rodgers and Co. I genuinely believe they’ll make it to the last dance. He’ll do it against his State Farm buddy in Patrick Mahomes. There’s 0% chance this will be correct within the next month. Just letting you know now.