The playoffs are everything we love about sports. The regular season is fun for the real sports junkies, tracking stats, playing fantasy, losing bets, but can be a bit much for the casual fan. But playoffs? They have everything. The star power. The drama. Blown leads and epic comebacks. Moments you just have to watch when they happen. The Burger King Whopper Whopper song after your team loses. Halftime shows sponsored by your favorite beer or pick up truck. Okay those last two nobody really cares for, but you get the point. The stakes are higher than ever, months of tough work leads teams to this moment. One shot each week, for 4 weeks, to win the Super Bowl. It all leads up to this, where one play can end your season… or help extend it. One call. One decision. Everything can crumble after this, or you can live in glory forever. Eventually, one NFC team and one AFC team make it to the Super Bowl, where one of them is eventually crowned river. As Kendrick said, only one opportunity to win the championship. No round twos.

Speaking of Kendrick, he will be performing at halftime for this Super Bowl and I am very excited. He was the MVP of hip-hop in 2024, starting and winning a rap battle against Drake after years of being doubted. Everybody knew Kendrick was talented, but people always had questions. How come he disappears sometimes? Can he make pop hits? Have we seen the best of him? Drake has seemingly dominated the charts ever since he entered the scene, always finishing the year at the top for sales and streams. While upstarts came and went, one thing was certain: Drake was going to finish the year at the top. But Drake quietly was losing steam. While he was still finishing every year as the most streamed artist, there was a quiet discourse building. Is Drake too corny? Did his music quality dip despite streaming success? Is Drake relatable, like, at all? These were questions being asked on various hip-hop discussion forums, but never seemed to enter the mainstream conversation. Well, that all changed when Kendrick decided to remind people who he was and finally give hip-hop fans what they had been craving. He went at Drake, and to a lesser extent J Cole with a feature on the Metro Boomin and Future song “Like That”.  He then went diss track for diss track with Drake, coming out the victor after defeating drake through strategy, pure ability, and relentlessness. Drake dropped some solid tracks too, but ultimately he also answered the questions about him. In his 2015 diss track “Back to Back”, we saw Drake at his peak of powers when it came to rap beefs. He destroyed Meek Mill with a diss so devastating, it led to Meek being one of the oddest online personalities in the rap game and Drake as the undisputed top rapper. When it came to the highest pressure, the biggest moments, Drake won. But 2015 also saw Kendrick put out TPAB, in my opinion the best hip-hop album of the past 15 years. It was a moment, but it wasn’t the biggest moment. Real hip-hop fans knew this year that Kendrick was officially the best rapper alive, but the casual fan identified Drake for this title. Flash back to now, Drake battles with Kendrick and puts out typical Drake quality rap disses, but it wasn’t enough. He went at peak of powers Kendrick, whose whole career had been leading up to this battle. Kendrick proceeded to drop 4 songs in 5 days, showing off his versatility, ability, and establishing himself as the person people root for in hip-hop. Every moment of Kendrick’s career had led to this, the ups, the downs, disappearing, reappearing, it all led to this. And he won. After beating Drake, Kendrick went on to finish the year out strong, securing his title as Hip-Hop’s best. He hosted the Pop-Out on Juneteenth, an event that celebrated west coast culture and everything Kendrick had come to represent to the people. After that, he dropped the Not Like Us music video on July 4th, giving people a reason to spend America’s birthday calling Drake a pedophile and a culture vulture, reminding us exactly why we root for him to begin with. It was a spectacle to behold, and he wasn’t done. He then announced he was going to perform at the Super Bowl halftime show, where I assume he is going to call Drake a pedophile in front of over 100 million people, on America’s biggest stage. Finally, he ended the year with GNX, his surprise album drop featuring multiple hits, dominating the charts, and answering the final question that fans had about Kendrick: his ability to deliver the big one. If you can’t tell already, I’m setting something up here.

I think that this is the year that Lamar Jackson and the Ravens finally get the best of the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes. Lamar has been the best quarterback in the league for a few seasons now, but has always had his doubters since the moment he came out. Can he pass accurately at the pro level? No dur stupid. Can he be the best QB in the league? How does multiple MVPS sound, with a third possibly on the way. He blacked out when people acted out, and when he finally did that, the goal post moved again, just like it did for Kendrick. I knew Kendrick was the best, but when people asked why he didn’t have more big hits and why he didn’t drop frequently, there was nothing for me to say. For Lamar, that question was if he can finally overcome multiple playoff duds and win the Super Bowl. Just like Kendrick, I think we got to see Lamar at the peak of his powers this year (note: took me this long to realize Kendrick and Lamar combine to Kendrick Lamar. This comp is borderline crazy, scary, spooky, and hilarious with how accurate it is). Lamar is going to take down Patrick Mahomes, who the casual fan probably identified as the best quarterback for the past 5 years. It is going to be undeniable after this postseason run who the best quarterback in the league is. Once he slays Mahomes, there is nobody that can realistically stop this man (although he won’t actually be the one to beat Mahomes in the playoffs, you’ll see what I mean as you continue reading). He is going to win the Super Bowl and there will be nothing left for the haters to say, unless they want to live in denial just like the Drake dick riders. Mahomes’ reign as the best will end, and we will finally embrace what real fans have secretly known for years now: That Lamar Jackson is the best football player alive. My official prediction is that the Ravens will beat the Packers in the super bowl 38-31. How did I get there? Continue reading to find out.

Wildcard Games Preview

Chargers at Texans

The arrows for these teams are going in the opposite directions. The Chargers won their last 3 games to get in the playoffs as the 5 seed, while the Texans lost 2 of their last 3. The Texans come into the postseason without 2 of their top 3 receivers, something that led to C.J. Stroud having a sophomore slump. This was okay though, as Joe Mixon had been having an outstanding year running the ball… up until the last 4 games. His final 4 game stats: 129 yards on 40 carries with 0 touchdowns. The Texans offense has slowed down faster than the 15 North during rush hour, so how did they get here? For starters they play in the AFC South, the worst division in the NFL in my opinion. Take out their 5-1 division record and the Texans were just 5-6. They also have featured a tough defense, ranking 5th on that side of the ball in terms of yards allowed, sacks, and turnovers forced. They feature a dangerous pass rush led by Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter, who combined for 23 sacks this season. If they are going to beat the Chargers, these 2 will probably be the biggest reason for it. If they can generate pressure against a solid Chargers offensive line and force Justin Herbert, a quarterback who has thrown only 3 interceptions this year, to turnover the football, the Texans have a good shot to win this game. As you can tell by the way I wrote that last sentence, I don’t think this will happen. But that is the game plan if you are the Texans defense: dominate at the line of scrimmage and force Herbert to have to make tough throws with the defense all up on him. They need to make sure he doesn’t scramble at the same time, as Herbert has been more dangerous as a runner then he ever has been. The Texans are one of the worst teams in the NFL at allowing quarterback runs, so they will really need to be disciplined in how they pressure Herbert. Pressure him but also contain him in the pocket. If they can do this, especially on early downs, it allows them to throw different blitz packages on 3rd and longs to hopefully generate turnovers. On the offensive side of the ball, I don’t have much hope for the Texans against this stingy Chargers defense. Look for the Texans to test the Chargers young corners early and often, look for lots of out routes and go balls in hopes of generating some explosives for this offense. Ideally, get Joe Mixon out of his funk and back to his early season form. You want to control the clock, give your defense time to rest, and keep Herbert off the field. 

For the Chargers, they are coming off the first year of Jim Harbaugh turning this team around. The culture shifted, as they went from a bottom 5 defense in the NFL last year under Brandon Staley to allowing the least PPG this year at 17.7. I would be shocked if the Chargers allow more than 20 points in this one, as they do a great job of limiting explosives. I expect them to get the best of Stroud at least once this game, forcing him to make a throw he doesn’t want and coming up with an interception. Expect the Chargers to play heavy zone in this one, as it will help take pressure off their corners and allow them to disguise looks to confuse C.J. Stroud, who was way worse against zone compared to man this year. The Chargers pass rush should be good enough to get home against this offensive line by only sending 4, so zone would allow you to cover the whole field while giving your pass rushers an extra half second to get to the quarterback. If they do play man, I expect them to blitz and bring a double over to Nico Collins, similar to how the Lions were able to double Justin Jefferson in week 18 on the way to a Lions rout over the Vikings. For the Chargers offense, look for them to establish the run game early. This allows them to chew the clock, rest their defense, and set up Justin Herbert for play-action opportunities. Herbert was the league’s best quarterback this season on these types of plays, so don’t be surprised if close to half of his pass attempts in this one come off the play-action. I also expect the Chargers to test the Texans deep in this one, whether it’s Stone Smartt up the seam, Quinten Johnston up the sideline, or Ladd McConkey on post routes. Herbert has one of the highest ADOTS (Average depth of target) this year, so look for them to push and make big plays off the play action. While this game won’t be anyone’s idea of a shootout, I expect the Chargers to make a few more big plays where the Texans can’t. I’m taking the Chargers to win this one with a final score of 27-17 to move on to the divisional round to face the Chiefs (more on that later).

Steelers at Ravens

Without looking closely, this game looks like it would be a blowout. The Ravens enter the postseason on fire, having won 4 in a row, while the Steelers are the coldest team entering the playoffs, having lost 4 in a row. However, the more you look into this matchup, the more you begin to realize that this will be a close game, and a low scoring one at that. The Steelers have won 8 of their last 10 matchups against the Ravens, so they will be confident that they can get the win in this one. What would that look like? It would involve sending lots of pressure at Lamar while also not allowing him to get his scramble game going, so expect lots of zone blitz from this defense.  The Steelers have arguably the best linebackers in all of the NFL, and those guys will be hungry to take down Lamar early and often. If they can get a turnover or two, it would take pressure off Russell Wilson and the offense, who looked atrocious to end the season. On that side of the ball, expect the Steelers to run it early and often, as they have 2 talented running backs in Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. These guys can pass protect, run in our outside of the tackles, and are quality pass catchers out of the backfield. If they can get to 2nd and 6 or better, this allows Russ to take shots down the field while still having a manageable 3rd down if they fail to succeed on those types of plays. For Russ, while he excels on those deep moon balls to the outside, the key to this one will be creating easy, quick passes to get the ball out of his hand quickly and prevent the Ravens pass rush from getting at him. Russ does not have the escapability that he used to have in his Seattle days, so the longer he stays in the pocket, the worse the outcome probably is for the Steelers. That’s why it will be so important to establish the run game against this Ravens defense. If you do, it will force Baltimore to bring their safeties up closer towards the line of scrimmage. Once this happens, that is when the Steelers can take deep shots down the field off the play-action. If you can even get the linebackers and safeties to take a couple of steps towards the line of scrimmage before revealing the fake handoff, the Steelers should get plenty of opportunities to throw to Pickens, Mike Williams, and Calvin Austin on the deep ball. Those are the keys to victory for Pittsburgh, but unfortunately for them, I don’t see them having a good day running the ball. 

I think the Ravens will do a good job of stopping the run on early downs despite Pittsburgh doing an okay job on this in their 2 matchups this season. Expect the Ravens to blitz early and often through the interior, which should allow them to not only stop the runs but also force Russ to scramble or get the ball out quickly on passing plays, something he is not good at. The middle of the field might be open, but Russ is someone who has always preferred to pass to the outside on short pass plays. If the Ravens corner can be ready for that, I would not be surprised if we get a Kyle Hamilton or Nate Wiggins interception in this one. For the Ravens offense, they will have to adjust their play style slightly, as Zay Flowers has been ruled out for this matchup. With that being said, the Ravens are pretty good at running 22 personnel, meaning 2 tight ends and 2 “running backs”, although Patrick Ricard is much more of a swiss army knife then he is a running back. He plays fullback, but does a great job serving as an outlet for Lamar in the flats should nobody get open on passing plays. He is also a great blocker on run plays, so expect the Ravens offense to run early and often. Henry is the dictionary definition of a workhorse back, so expect them to ride him until the wheels fall off. I would be shocked if we see anything less than 25 carries for him in this one. While running out of tight formations allows the Steelers linebackers to go more aggressively into the backfield, the Ravens will need to trust that they can win that battle at the line of scrimmage, which they did in their most recent matchup against the Steelers in a 34-17 win. At the end of the day, the biggest reason why I pick the Ravens to win is that the quarterback talent gap between Russ and Lamar will be too much for the Steelers to overcome (side note: I really, honest to God, think that the Steelers should surprise everyone and start Justin Fields. The Ravens likely didn’t gameplan for it, it would make the run game more efficient with their being the threat of QB draws and keeps on the read option, and Russ has been struggling as of late anyways). Gimme the Ravens in this one, final score Ravens 28, Steelers 24. This will be a close game, but the Ravens have the best quarterback alive and that will be enough for them to survive.

Broncos at Bills

The Broncos are pretty much the Paul Rudd on hot ones meme, as I definitely didn’t think they would be here. Led by a great rookie season from Bo Nix and a defense that ranked top 10 in PPG allowed, yards allowed, and turnovers, the Broncos shocked everyone by going 9-8 and making the playoffs as a 7 seed. Personally, I think the defense is a little overrated. They got a pretty easy schedule this year, and in 5 games versus top 10 or so offenses (The Seahawks, Ravens, Bengals, and 2 Chargers games), they allowed 30.8 PPG while giving up 385 yards per game and only getting 3 turnovers. But let’s just say, hypothetically, that Denver pulls off the upset, how they could do it. On defense, it would involve them getting multiple sacks on Josh Allen, as Denver had the most sacks in the entire league this season. Jos Allen is very hard to take down, but if you can do so it will make it a lot easier to get off the field and get the ball back to Bo Nix. I would have Surtain cover a different person every single play, as the Bills don’t have any 1 particular stud receiver and tend to spread the ball all over the place. I wouldn’t even mind seeing him assigned to James Cook on a few plays, as the Bills love to throw to their running backs and putting a corner like Surtain on him would probably make Josh Allen think twice before throwing to his running backs. I would also put a QB spy on every play, because as dangerous as Josh Allen is throwing the ball, he can be just as dangerous once he gets a head of steam going on the scramble. Finally, I would send pressure early and often, leaning into the variance game and hoping that Josh Allen turns over the football at least once while trying to put on his superman cape. If you can execute on these 3 things, you can maybe do just enough to give your offense a chance to outscore Buffalo. Speaking of offense, look for Sean Payton to make life as easy as possible on his rookie quarterback. I expect lots of early down runs and screens to make third downs real simple for him. If Nix is in 3rd and long situations often, I think he will either dump off the ball short, which leads to punts, or if he gets desperate, chuck it deep, which could lead to turnovers. I would also like to see Denver isolate Courtland Sutton to 1 side of the field early and often, letting him go to work on Buffalo in 1 on 1 matchups that he should win more often than not. If Sean Payton can continue to scheme up big plays for Marvin Mims, which he has gotten better and better at as the season goes on, The Broncos could have a real shot at pulling this off. Unfortunately, this is a rookie QB on the road for his 1st career playoff start, which historically leads to a loss. I’m picking Buffalo to win this game for plenty of reasons.

The biggest reason, quite literally, is that Josh Allen is a tank who makes big plays even when the defense executes at a damn near perfect level. Expect Josh Allen to operate out of the shotgun for most of the game, whether it is designed QB draws or drop backs that see him chucking the ball 50 yards down the field. If they are doing plays under center, expect them to be either runs or RPOs that result in bubble screens or quick slants in an effort to neutralize Denver’s elite pass rush. My other key player is James Cook, who I think will get anywhere from 5-10 catches out of the backfield. Expect the Bills to motion him early and often, whether they plan to throw to him behind the line of scrimmage with a head of steam or on wheel routes that allow him to burn a linebacker deep and outside. He also runs really well between the tackles, so expect a lot of work for him late in this one. On defense, look for Denver to try to keep Bo Nix in the pocket instead of generating pressure at all costs. Bo is most dangerous when he throws on the run. So stopping that will be key in limiting any explosives that could get Denver back into a game where they are down. I also expect them to disguise their coverages a bunch, as making a rookie QB who may have some nerves have to think an extra half second could be all the difference in getting stops. I think the Bills are much more likely to execute their gameplan, not because Sean Payton is any worse of a coach or anything, but more so due to what I view as a massive talent gap between these 2 rosters. I’m taking the Bills in this one, with a final score of 28-13.

Packers at Eagles

In week 1, these teams played in Brazil on the shittiest football field possible. Players on defense seemed to be slipping every other play and missing tackles, so I would not look back at that matchup when trying to think about who will win this game. The Packers are mainly a 7 seed to me because every few games they seem to put up a major dud. For me, the peak performance of this Packers team is right up there as the best team in the league. Well luckily for them, they are coming off a major dud of a performance in week 18 against the Bears, so I believe they are due for a bounce back. If the Packers are to win this one, I think offensively they will need to run Jacobs early and often, keeping that Philly offense on the sideline. Jacobs has been better than anticipated this year, especially in the 2nd half of the season. If they can establish him early, this will make life easier on Jordan Love. While Love is capable of winning a shootout, that isn’t what I am looking for if I am the Packers, as Love can get too aggressive sometimes and turnover the football trying to force a play downfield. The game plan should be short passing concepts to get Wicks, Reed, and Doubs the ball quickly with space, allowing them to make plays after the catch that turn into explosives. If they get tackled early, that’s fine, it just allows Green Bay to chew more time off the clock and keep the Philly offense on the bench. On defense, Green Bay should fully sell out to stop the run at all costs. If Barkley goes wild, it will force Love to play more aggressively to try to keep up in his limited amount of time on the field. Also, with Jalen Hurts just coming off the concussion protocol and having not played a full game since 12/15, damn near a month ago. Put the pressure on him to process and make the right decisions on each play, not that he isn’t capable of doing so but more so because he will likely take a few throws to get into rhythm. If you can get a turnover or a few early 3 and outs early, this will allow you to hopefully build an early lead, turning this game into a Hurts game instead of a Saquon one. Once this happens, you can then bring some linebacker blitzes that can force Hurts outside of the pocket, where he tends to be less effective. If he doesn’t scramble, it will then mean that he is having to make quick decisions from within the pocket, something that I believe could lead to a turnover or hits on the quarterback. So how do the Eagles avoid this game script? 

The Eagles will need to win at the line of scrimmage on offense, allowing Barkley to get going early and build a lead that forces Green Bay to play more aggressively on offense. You rested Barkley so you could ride him in a game like this, so look for him to get lots of work on early downs running the ball or catching passes out of the backfield. Look for Philly to make life as easy as possible on Hurts in this one: lots of screens, RPOS, and play actions. If you can get Hurts to find his rhythm early in this one, it will make life that much easier for Saquon when you want to run the ball late in the game. On the other side of the ball, the Eagles have been absolutely dominant, allowing the 2nd lowest PPG and the lowest yards per game. Led by a dominant defensive line and a much improved secondary with some exciting whites, this defense is probably the best unit in the playoffs outside of the Lions offense. A big point of emphasis should be stopping Jacobs early, if you can turn the Packers into a one dimensional offense then you will likely be able to generate a Love pick or 2. Look for them to rush 4 most of the game and allow their lineman to try to get the job done without sending extra pressure. This allows them to drop 7 back in coverage, which against most teams is the best way to attack the offense. However, Jordan Love is a quarterback I would want to blitz, but that doesn’t play into the Vic Fangio defense. Because of this, I think that the Packers are going to be able to do just enough to squeeze out this win on the road. Matt LeFleur is a top 5 coach in the league to me, so I expect him to have his guys ready to come out and execute so well that they defeat a more talented team in Philadelphia. I’ll take the Packers to win, final score 24-21.

Commanders at Buccaneers

If you had told me before the season that not only would these teams play each other in the first round of the playoffs, but that it would be the game I’m most excited to watch unfold, I would have thought you were full of shit. Yet here we are, as the upstart Washington Commanders head to Tampa to take on a Buccaneers team that has now won their division 4 years in a row. Before I break down this matchup, a major shoutout to both coaching staffs for putting their rosters in great positions to win week to week, despite not being loaded with superstar talent. Let’s start this by focusing on Washington, and how they got here. There are lots of reasons why they played as well as they did, whether it was Dan Quinn somehow getting an average defense with this personnel, or Kliff Kingsberry scheming up an offense that finished 3rd in rushing while limiting turnovers. The biggest reason for their success though has been the fact that Jayden Daniels not only was the best rookie quarterback this year, but a fringe top 10 quarterback already. I wasn’t low on Daniels coming out of the draft by any means, but I did think that it would be a rookie year full of ups and downs while trying to figure out NFL coverages. Boy, was I wrong about that. Daniels finished with a 69% completion percentage (nice), 3,568 passing yards and 25 passing touchdowns. That alone is amazing for a rookie to do, now throw in the fact that he also ran for 891 yards and 6 rushing touchdowns on 6 yards per carry. Oh, and he only turned over the ball 12 times all season. I have loved watching him play this season, quickly becoming one of the most exciting players to watch from week to week due to his poise, deep throw accuracy, and the ability to take off at a moment’s notice. If the Commanders are to pull off this upset, they will need to keep riding the rookie QB. I expect them to run more read options than they typically do, as the playoffs is not a time to consider wear and tear as a factor, even with this franchise’s history of QB injuries. Not only do they need Daniels to run more, but also just the threat of him taking off being more relevant will allow them to run the ball even better than they normally do between the tackles, something that will be important since the Bucs Have Vita Vea to clog up the middle. I also expect them to run a lot of 3X1, with Terry being isolated to 1 side of the field and Zach Ertz working the slot. These 2 have been 1 on 1 killers all year long, and against this Tampa Defense that has been average on their best days and hideous on their worst, the Commanders should have no trouble at all moving the ball in this one. On defense, I would try to let Marshon Lattimore guard Mike Evans 1 on 1 at first, as that is the reason why you go out and trade for a corner of his caliber. Lattimore and Evans have a history of getting physical with each other in their previous matchups when Lattimore was on the division rival Saints. So if he can play head games and take Mike Evans out of this matchup early, Tampa’s doesn’t have much else to go to. Their passing game starts and ends with Evans, so taking him out of the game will be essential to winning this one. If Evans looks to be beating Lattimore early, then I would bring safety help over the top, just anything to make sure that Mike Evans deep bombs are not the reason that you lose this one.  But if Lattimore can lock Evans up by himself, that allows for extra players to either blitz Baker or QB spy on him, as he has quietly had a really good year scrambling after the play breaks down. While Tampa has improved in running the ball this year, led by the emergence of rookie Bucky Irving, I still expect them to utilize screens to get him and Rachaad White the ball out in space with blockers, so they will need to make sure to keep an eye out for that.

As for Tampa, it didn’t look pretty this year, but they managed to find a way to win their division. This team is gritty, and whether it’s the offense or the defense, it just seems like more often than not they have been able to make winning plays in the clutchest moments with the game on the line. Bakers is an absolute dog and that mindset seems to have spread to the whole team, as they don’t ever quit. Just look at week 18, when they were somehow down by 10 to the low-life Saints at halftime in a game they needed to win in order to make the playoffs. Coming out in the second half, they played with more of a sense or urgency, grinding out extra yards on plays that seemed dead and clamping down Spencer Rattler in the 2nd half. That seems to be the theme of this Tampa team, a whole season summarized in a single game. If Tampa wants to walk out of this game with a W, the offense needs to find a way to get players other than Evans involved early. Look for them to use Evans deep routes as a distraction in an effort to open up the middle of the field for Jalen McMillan and others. Don’t force Baker to have to make too many tough throws, as sometimes he thinks his arm talent is better than it actually is. I also expect Tampa to utilize 2 running back formations in this game for a few reasons. For starters, they can hopefully use them to preoccupy Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu, 2 linebackers for Tampa that has been outstanding this season. It also allows you to get more creative on play actions and screen plays, as you can go either direction with them, forcing the Commanders defense to play both sides of the field and not be too anticipatory pre-snap. For Tampa’s defense, while they have had a rough year, in a win or go home scenario I am still very confident in the ability of Todd Bowles to scheme up a winning game plan. If I am Tampa, I am making sure whoever is assigned with guarding Terry McLaurin has safety help on every single play. You have to force these other receivers to beat you 1 on 1, as they are not household names and you should be able to contain them. Similar to what I said about the Bills defense, I also expect them to disguise lots of coverages and have a healthy mix between dropping back 7 and blitzing. Again, this is a rookie QB starting his first playoff game on the road. Despite Daniels success this year, this is still probably a nerve-racking moment for him, so making him have to think twice on each play will be very important. In the end, I anticipate this game having the most combined points scored out of all the games this weekend. I am taking Tampa to scrape out a shootout victory with a final score of 31-28.

Vikings at Rams (Technically)

Due to the fires that have devastated Los Angeles, this game is going to be played in Arizona, which I think is going to be very impactful on the final outcome. Beyond sports though, what has happened up in Los Angeles this weekend has been beyond devastating to watch unfold. It also doesn’t help that both the political left and the political right have been arguing all the time about who is responsible and why, which has led to some quick blocks from me. The thing about fires is that they don’t care which side of the aisle you are on, it devastates everything in its path and leaves behind nothing but rubble and lost memories. We have had our fair share of fires down here in San Diego, and as someone with asthma I always remember having trouble breathing every time. I had family members that lost their home because of fires, so I got to see first-hand what that looked and felt like. Please, if you can, try to donate to any causes that will help people who have been displaced by the fires. When you have to pack up everything in a moment’s notice and just pray that you don’t lose everything, it can be really terrifying. So again, if you feel like you are able to help financially, please do so. I am sending nothing but love to the people of LA during these trying times. Okay, now let’s get back to the task at hand.

The Rams are interesting, as you never know what you are going to get from them. Early on, it was the offense leading this team to wins, while they ended the season barely being able to put up 20 in a game but completely shutting down opponent’s week after week. Which version of the Rams will we see this week? I think we get something closer to the early season Rams, where the offense plays some solid football while the defense struggles. If the Rams defense wants to get stops in this one, I think they will need to lean into the variance game by blitzing Darnold and trying to generate turnovers and inaccurate throws, much like the Lions did against the Vikings last week when Darnold had his worst game of the season. While they may give up some big plays doing this, they also might create negative plays for the Vikings offense that gives them a chance to compete. As for the offense, they rested most of the starters in the final week, so expect them to come out firing on all cylinders. Expect the Rams to utilize block and release route with their TEs and RBS more than usual, and utilize boot legs less, as that plays into the Vikings strengths. Lots of shotgun work for Stafford in this one, and he is the type of QB who can still be effective despite not much play-by-play formation variance.

For the Vikings, expect them to get Aaron Jones involved early and often. After the poor performance that Darnold had last week, I think Kevin O’Connell will want to make life as easy as possible for his quarterback. Aaron Jones has also historically been a pretty good playoff performer, so I have no doubt that he will be ready for this one. Once the ground game gets established, expect the Vikings to try to take some shots, as they have three excellent playmakers in Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson. These guys will win their matchups more often than not, especially against this Rams defense. Give them a chance to make plays on the field and they will likely reward you with lots of explosives. This will require the Vikings to trust Sam Darnold, which may scare some people off of them, but I think if Darnold brought you to this point, you have no choice but to continue to trust him. If this game was in LA, I would maybe give the Rams a shot at winning. But on a neutral field, give me the Vikings all day, final score 35-24

Remaining Playoff Predictions

Chargers over Chiefs: The Chargers have played the Chiefs tough in both matchups this year, yet I still think that the Chiefs will be sleeping on how good this Chargers team is. It is very difficult to beat a team 3 times in a single season, and Harbaugh will have the boys ready to play some smashmouth football. If the Chargers can get a single turnover, I think that will be just enough for them to knock off a Kansas City team that is much worse than their record. I will do further breakdowns on divisional matchups next week once we know the actual games, but for the purpose of this exercise, give me the Chargers in a nail biter, 24-21.

Ravens over Bills: The battle of the two MVP favorites in what might end up being the best two teams in my opinion. Lots of pressure will be on both guys to win, as they both have yet to appear in a Superbowl. Josh Allen’s day will come eventually, but this is the year of Lamar. I’m taking the Ravens to go on the road and beat Buffalo in an absolute shootout, 42-38.

Packers over Lions: The Lions are the 1 seed for the first time in franchise history. This is supposed to be the year where they finally beat all the previous playoff demons and finally go to the Super Bowl. Sadly, I just think this defense will be too beat up to beat a Packers team that will be feeling itself after knocking off Philly. I’m taking the Packers to win in a shootout, 31-28. I ultimately just (Jordan) Love the Packers to avenge their regular season demons on this playoff run, first beating the Eagles, then the Lions, then finally the..

Vikings over Bucs: Vikings! It’s all coming together! The miracle Sam Darnold run continues, as he demolishes his former Carolina teammate Baker Mayfield. The Vikings are just so clearly the better team, which will lead to the last blowout we see in the playoffs this year. I’m taking the Vikings to win this with a final score of 31-14.

Ravens over Chargers: You know how hard it is to be a Chargers fan, pick them to beat the Chiefs in the divisional, and not pick them to go to the Super Bowl? My biggest fear is that 1. The Chiefs win will take too much of an emotional toll on this team, making it hard to get up for this game and 2. John just seems to always get the best of Jim whenever they play. Lamar deserves it all, which is why I have the Ravens advancing to the Super Bowl with a final score of 31-24

Packers over Vikings: Kind of foreshadowed this one already, but the Packers continue their miracle run as a 7 seed and get revenge on the Vikings for beating them twice in the regular season. Again, I have to mention, it is very hard to beat a team 3 times in a single season. Give me the Packers 35-28, I just can’t bring myself to say Super Bowl starting quarterback Sam Darnold, I’m sorry Vikings fans. Feels like this will come down to which QB can make better clutch plays, and I’m taking Jordan Love over Darnold any day.

Ravens over Packers: Lamar finally gets it done, Derrick Henry has a monster run in the 2nd half that breaks this game open. Love forces a throw or two that leads to turnovers, and against a team that can run the ball this well, it will be impossible to come back on them. Lamar finally silences all the doubters forever, with the Ravens winning by a final score of 31-21.

Award Predictions

MVP: Lamar Jackson: This was a super fun battle between Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, but I just feel like if you look at the whole season as a whole, ignoring preseason expectations for both teams and just viewing the actual body of work, Lamar was just slightly better than Josh Allen. Honorable mention to Saquon, who in another era might have run away with this award but running backs just don’t get this accolade anymore. 

OROY: Jayden Daniels: There are so many different rookies deserving of this award, as I can’t remember the last time we had this many impact rookies on the offensive end. Honorable mentions go to Bo Nix, Ladd McConkey Brock Bowers, and Brian Thomas Jr. In most years, these 4 played well enough to win the award, especially Bowers. But like Saquon, Bowers is going to get punished for the fact that he is not a QB, also the fact that his team was hot dog shit this year. I’m picking Daniels to win because he led a team that I thought would stink this year to a 6 seed, played incredibly poised, and was a fringe top 10 QB this season. All that considered, I would be shocked if it was not him.

DROY: Cooper DeJean: May or may not be picking him because he is a fellow Cooper. In all seriousness though, he was a high impact player on the best defense in the NFL, leading a much improved Eagles secondary. Expect him to be an all-pro in future seasons, which is exciting for me, a fellow Cooper. Between him and Cooper Flagg being the projected number 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft, this is an all-time exciting time to be a white guy named Cooper

COY: Kevin O’Connell: I thought the Vikings were going to be competing for the top overall pick this year. Instead, they went on to win 14 games, make Sam Darnold look like an elite quarterback, and have one of the best defenses in the NFL. Honorable mentions go to Jim Harbaugh and Dan Quinn, who also turned around incompetent organizations in a single season, but not to the extent that KOC did.

OPOY: Jamar Chase: This was a close one between him and Saquon, but when someone wins the wide receiver triple crown, I feel like you have to reward him somehow. Chase is a threat to take any play to the distance, whether it’s a deep shot, a slant, or a bubble screen behind the line of scrimmage. I would have loved to see him, Burrow, and the Bengals in the playoffs this year. Too bad their defense had more holes in it than an unemployed man’s underwear and socks.

DPOY: Patrick Surtain: Usually when there isn’t a standout pass rusher, they give this award to a corner. Patrick Surtain is without a doubt the best corner in the NFL, so I believe he should win this one. Dude locks down people in a way we honestly haven’t seen since Jaguars’ Jalen Ramsey or Seahawks’ Richard Sherman, he’s that good.

CPOY: Joe Burrow: I hate this award. But if someone has to win, give it to pretty boy I guess. He did end last year on the IR and had the best QB season of anyone not named Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen, so he should win it. Honorable mentions to J.K. Dobbins, who has come back from all sorts of injuries to start his career, and Bryce Young, who many people thought was down when he got benched earlier this year. In reality, 1 of those 2 should win the award, but hey, Joe Shiesty right? Whatever.

Pre-Season Predictions Revisited

 One final bonus section of the playoff preview. This is just to hold me accountable for my preseason bold predictions and standings predictions. All things considered, not too bad from me considering I was trying to be bold. Make fun of my misses all you want, but you don’t put your hot takes online, so I don’t care ultimately lol.

Nailed it:

Jamar Chase triple crown

Trey Mcbride more catches than Marvin Harrison

Ravens top 10 defense

Bryce Young growth and improvement

Brock Bowers rookie records

Malik Nabers being better than Marvin Harrison

Saquon leading league in scrimmage yards

Chargers wild card team

Waaaaay off: 

Bears to NFC championship

Jets to win division

Cowboys to win division

OROY Caleb Williams

Luke Mccaffrey 1k yards

Breece Hall leads league in rushing yards and TDs

Antonio Gibson 1k yards

Sam Darnold benched

Jaylen Wright leading rusher

Nico Collins 1 hit wonder

Lions finishing outside of top 10 on offense

Bo Nix benched

Bears top 10 offense

Bills bottom 5 defense

49ers to win division