2021 NFL Divisional Round: Previewing The Weekend

It’s hard to make blanket statements, but the consensus of the football world is that we’re about to reach the best weekend of the year. The divisional round has brought up some memorable moments over the years and this year’s matchups should provide the drama we all expect from the NFL playoffs.

But first, let’s take a look at some people who deserve credit and others who fell short this past week. Here are my Shoutouts and Bow Outs.

Shoutout: Bengals

People forget that Cincinnati had a team under then-head coach Marvin Lewis that consistently made the playoffs. They were also consistently a one-and-done squad. The Lews-led Bengals reached the postseason seven times and they bowed out in the wild card game each time.

When Zac Taylor took over after Lewis was finally jettisoned, things got off to a rocky start. They stumbled to an 0-11 start in 2019, which was the worst in franchise history. Things didn’t get much better in 2020 when rookie QB Joe Burrow – the No. 1 pick in the draft – went down with a leg injury in Week 11 and the team finished 4-11-1.

But good fortune finally smiled on Cincinnati this season. Burrow came back healthy, the Bengals won the division for the first time since 2015 and the one-and-done streak finally ended with their wild card win over the Raiders last weekend. No matter what happens going forward, Taylor can wear that as a badge of honor. Kudos.

Bow out: Dak Prescott

The Cowboys lost in the most Cowboys way possible as they were trying to drive for a potential game-tying touchdown with 13 seconds left. And while head coach Mike McCarthy is getting some much deserved criticism (more on him later) for calling a QB draw play without no timeouts left, Prescott has to get a little heat as well.

He ran for extra yards that took precious seconds off the clock. Had he got down earlier, Dallas might have had a chance to spike the ball before time expired, even though it would have taken a miracle to score from that part of the field anyway. And then he compounded it by condoning violence against the refs after the game. He did eventually apologize for his comments, but it’s still unacceptable behavior. Prescott is a good person and a great leader. We expect better from him.

Shoutout: Sean McVay

Credit where it’s due, I said  last week that the Rams needed to be careful with Matthew Stafford early against the Cardinals on Monday and McVay did exactly that. Stafford threw just 17 times, the Rams rushed for 140 yards and they were in control from the opening kickoff until time expired. Odell Beckham Jr. also caught his first playoff touchdown and the defense came up strong, picking off Kyler Murray twice and returning one for a touchdown. That was exactly the kind of performance that can give a team confidence to reach the Super Bowl.

Bow out: Kyler Murray

I’m not sure what happened to the young Cardinals quarterback, but he was awful. He finished with a QB rating of 40.9 and the pick-six that he threw from the end zone was one of the worst decisions I’ve seen this season.

“Losing is one thing, but when you don’t even make it competitive is another,” Murray said.

Yeah, that was definitely ugly. One can’t help but wonder if the ankle injury that kept him out of a few games earlier this season might have played a role in his struggles. Even if that’s the case, the Cardinals learned a harsh lesson against an experienced L.A. squad.

Shoutout: Kyle Shanahan

This is a different team than the one that struggled at times earlier this season. They survived a rash of injuries, are playing great defense and are coming right at teams on offense. WR Deebo Samuel has proved to be a valuable weapon who can make an impact as a runner and in the passing game.

This is a team that nobody wants to face right now and the credit goes to Shanahan, who stayed strong in the face of adversity. If it was up to me, he would at least get votes for coach of the year. Well done, sir.

Bow out: Bill Belichick

I’ve never seen a Belichick-coached team look that helpless. The Bills scored on every drive that didn’t end with a kneel-down. Buffalo QB Josh Allen was so good (308 yards passing, 5 TD tosses) that Belichick found Allen after the game to give him a personal compliment.

Not sure what happened in New England, but they once looked like the best team in the conference, but collapsed down the stretch, another thing I’ve never seen a Belichick team do. But hey, there’s a first time for everything.

WHAT’S THE CHATTER?

That’s not good: The playoffs is not a time to lose players, especially to a disciplinary issue. Chiefs linebacker Willie Gay was arrested on Wednesday night and was charged Thursday with a misdemeanor charge of criminal property damage. He obviously didn’t practice and defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo deferred to head coach Andy Reid (who will speak to the media on Friday) over whether Gay will play on Sunday against the Bills. The second-year man has been up front with his mental health struggles and this is an unfortunate development. We’ll have to see what happens.

Your turn, Mike: I gave Dak Prescott the business earlier and now it’s the head man’s turn. Mike McCarthy not only made an asinine play call with time running out, he defended his decision this week, which made me facepalm. McCarthy’s shoddy time management has been an issue for years. At some point one has to believe that he’ll never get better, even though he’s a coach with a Super Bowl win on his resume.

Not again: How many times are we going to go through this charade? Sigh. Well, once again, a story has come out saying Tom Brady could retire after the season. ESPN analyst Rob Ninkovich – a former New England teammate – said as much on Wednesday.

“Right now, Tom is in bonus time,” Ninkovich said via USA Today. “How many 44-year-old quarterbacks have we seen throw for the amount of yards and touchdowns? He’ll be 45 in August. So, at this point right now, what else does he have to prove to anybody? What else does he have to check off the list?”

He’s had nothing to prove for years and yet every September he’s back under center and making the rest of the football world miserable. Science says he will retire someday, but forgive if I say I’ll believe it when I see it.

THIS WEEKEND’S GAMES

Bengals at Titans: Tennessee is one win away from making me look like a genius. I said before the season started that this team would reach the AFC title game and they’re on the cusp of doing that, despite being a truly odd team. Ask yourself: What is this team’s identity? They have made a habit of winning ugly, but one thing I can say is that their defense has improved considerably as the season progressed, even though their pass defense is still suspect. And if they can get Derrick Henry back in the lineup this week, they can return to grinding out the running game and setting up Ryan Tannehill for the play-action pass.

The Bengals are playing with house money after getting their first playoff win in 31 years. But don’t think they’re going to quietly bow out and call this season a success. Joe Burrow and a talented group of receivers can definitely do some damage with the big play. However, they will face a problem trying to block the Titans pass-rush which is able to get pressure on the quarterback without blitzing. That could be the key to this game.

49ers at Packers: Aaron Rodgers’ career has included several confounding playoff losses. And this year might be the same story since they’re facing the red-hot 49ers. Remember, these two teams faced off in Lambeau Field earlier this season and it took a late Rodgers drive for Green Bay to get the win.

Since then, San Francisco’s pass rush has stepped up and they’re doing what a typical Kyle Shananan offense does: Use multiple formations and run the ball right down the opponents’ throat. This is exactly the type of attack that travels well, especially in cold weather. With QB Jimmy Garoppolo dealing with some injuries, the 49ers will not want to burden him too much in the passing game.

Meanwhile, the Packers are getting tackle David Bakhtiari and CB Jaire Alexander back for this game. And not a moment too soon.

Will we see an upset here? Maybe. Don’t be surprised if it happens.

Rams at Buccaneers: If you’re going to beat Tom Brady, you have to pressure him. It’s as simple as that. And L.A. might have caught a break because Tampa’s offensive line is banged up with tackle Tristan Wirfs and center Ryan Jensen dealing with injuries. That’s bad news against a Rams defense with Aaron Donald and now Von Miller stepping up the pressure.

Speaking of the Rams, a smart move would be to repeat what they did against the Cardinals. Run the ball well, don’t be afraid to play field position and DON’T GIVE TOM BRADY EXTRA POSSESSIONS BY THROWING INTERCEPTIONS.

Having said all that, it’s still Tom Brady under center at home and I refuse to pick against him. I just can’t envision the Rams beating the Bucs twice in one season. Especially with Los Angeles having both their starting safeties out. Give me Tampa here.

Bills at Chiefs: Another rematch of a regular season game. Back in October, Buffalo dominated Kansas City, but this is a different Chiefs team, especially on defense.

Both teams have quarterbacks who absolutely lit up the wild card round as Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen each had 5-touchdown performances last week. What sets the Bills apart, however, is their running game. They are averaging just over 163 yards on the ground over their last six games, so they can definitely play ball control against a Kansas City defense that ranks 21st against the run. But while that’s all fine and good, the real key here is how the Bills defense (No. 1 passing unit in the league) deals with Mahomes. If they can force him into three turnovers like they did in October, they should be just fine.

But if they let him do Mahomes-type stuff, this game could come down to one or two plays. And if that’s the case, I have to default to the home team to get the win.