Previewing The NFL Divisional Round

I’ve heard many people say the divisional round of the NFL playoffs is the best weekend on the sports calendar. I wouldn’t argue with that, even though we’re fresh off SUPER wild card weekend.

This weekend is usually devoid of the poseurs that can litter the opening weekend of the playoffs. The teams that had byes are in action. Whoever wins advances to the conference championship round. This is serious business.

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Earlier this week on the Sports Tonight podcast, I ranked the playoff quarterbacks. Let’s take the next step and rank the remaining playoff coaches. Here we go.

PLAYOFF COACH RANKINGS

            •           Andy Reid, Chiefs — Is there a bit of recency bias here? Perhaps. The Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl champs, but him topping this list goes beyond that. Reid is among the most respected coaches in the game. He’s an innovator. His players love him. Hell, even the media loves him. People may say that the Chiefs struggled a bit down the stretch, but I wave off comments like that. His team will be ready to play on Sunday.

            •           Sean Payton, Saints — This is Payton’s 14th year in New Orleans. He’s had nine double-digit win seasons, seven division titles (including the last four in a row) and a Super Bowl win on his resume. He probably should have at least another Super Bowl appearance under his belt if not for that pesky non-call against the Rams, but let’s not bring up that sour memory again. Payton must be aching for redemption for all those tough playoff losses in recent times, and he could very well get that this year.

            •           John Harbaugh, Ravens — Speaking of NFL long-timers, Harbaugh has been at the helm in Baltimore for 13 years. And here’s a fun fact: He’s only had one losing season. And he won a Super Bowl with Joe Flacco at quarterback. If that doesn’t get you respect, what will? People always talk about hiring offensive or defensive minded head coaches, but they always leave out people with special teams backgrounds, which Harbaugh has. Why don’t organizations try and find candidates in that group?

            •           Sean McVay, Rams — Homer pick? That’s a fair criticism, but I tend to award more points to coaches who have at least reached a Super Bowl, which McVay has. This is his fourth season in Los Angeles and he has three years with double-digit wins and two division titles. He’s done an outstanding job in hiring assistant coaches and coordinators and that success has led to jobs for a growing number of people in his coaching tree. He will win a Super Bowl at some point.

            •           Bruce Arians, Buccaneers — He’s been around the football world for a very long time. He had a strong background as an assistant and offensive coordinator before finally getting his crack at being a head coach. He’s known as being a risk-taker, which I have always respected. And while it’s true he only has two playoff appearances over seven seasons in Arizona and Tampa Bay (and one interim stint in Indianapolis while Chuck Pagano was dealing with leukemia), he’s known as one of the brighter minds in the game. And who knows, he just might get his Super Bowl appearance this year.

            •           Matt LaFleur, Packers — Anyone who has a problem with me putting a second-year head coach here, just know that I almost agree with you. However, he HAS had back-to-back 13-3 regular seasons and reached the NFC title game last year. That has to count for something.

            •           Sean McDermott, Bills — He’s my pick for coach of the year. Before he arrived in Buffalo, the Bills were nothing better than mediocre, stuck in the mud in a division dominated by Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and Patriots. Then he took over and has made the playoffs in three of his four seasons. What he’s done with Josh Allen has been impressive, to say the least. And the future is bright as he’s established a culture that will make all those years of postseason futility a distant memory.

            •           Kevin Stefanski, Browns — Technically, he’s in last place in these rankings, but that’s nothing to sneeze at. Like McDermott, he’s instantly turned around a losing culture in Cleveland. He does have a lot of talent at his disposal, but so did Freddie Kitchens and we all saw how that turned out. I’m looking forward to seeing what his future holds.

WHAT’S THE CHATTER?

Urban to Jacksonville: The news broke on Thursday that Urban Meyer is the new Jaguars head coach. Are there better jobs out there? I would say yes, but this is the perfect landing spot for a man who has never coached in the pro ranks. First off, the Jags have two picks in the first and second rounds of the draft, including the No. 1 overall pick, which will undoubtedly be used on QB Trevor Lawrence. He also will have cache from fans in the area, as Jacksonville is just 72 miles (I looked it up) from Gainesville, Fla., where Meyer led the Florida Gators to two national championships. If he’s going to take a gamble at coaching in the NFL, this is where to do it.

Seahawks go searching: Welp, Seattle’s offense got pantsed by the Rams in their own stadium last weekend, so the team did the predictable thing and fired offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. Heads must roll after a bad loss. So, where do they go from there? Russell Wilson has said he wants to be involved in the hiring of the next coordinator, but how much good will that do? Truth be told, the Seahawks got dominated on the line of scrimmage. Until they fix the mess they have on the offensive line, it doesn’t matter who is calling the plays.

Tua problems: A story in the Miami Herald quoted some anonymous Dolphins cowards, err, players, who have doubts about Tua Tagovailoa’s potential as a starting quarterback. So the front office and head coach Brian Flores did their best to counter that story by expressing their full confidence in Tua and his future in Miami. That is, unless they can pull off a trade for Deshaun Watson. I’m sure they would push Tua out of a moving train if they can make that happen.

Nice job, Mark: Raiders owner Mark Davis announced on Thursday that he has agreed to buy the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces. I don’t really have a take on that other than to say that’s pretty cool. It’s good to see Davis and the Raiders do their part to put roots down in their new city. And I just love Las Vegas. That is all.

THIS WEEKEND’S PICKS

Rams at Packers: Sean McVay ended the mystery on Thursday when he announced that QB John Wolford will not play on Saturday and Jared Goff will get the start with Blake Bortles backing him up. So, that’s that. Goff and his recently surgically repaired thumb will need to brave the ice cold elements at Lambeau Field. The good news is Aaron Donald will suit up and get after it, which gives L.A. a glimmer of hope to slow down Aaron Rodgers. Will that happen? Nah. Pick: Packers

Ravens at Bills: Buffalo’s defense left a lot to be desired in last week’s win over Indy as the Bills allowed more than 150 yards rushing. And now they’ve got Lamar Jackson and the vaunted Baltimore running game coming to town. If Jackson can deal with the cold (he said he’s never played in snow before) and the Ravens defense can look the way they did against the Titans last week, don’t be surprised if the upset happens. Pick: Ravens

Browns at Chiefs: Andy Reid’s bunch is back after their layoff and the only thing the Chiefs should be worried about is shooting themselves in the foot. They have the experience, they have Patrick Mahomes and should be able to take care of business at home. For Cleveland, a great story will end here, but there’s nothing to be ashamed about. Pick: Chiefs

Buccaneers at Saints: Will the third time be the charm? Tampa lost twice to New Orleans this season and looked bad in both games. But as Tom Brady pointed out, this Bucs team is a different one that looked lost several weeks ago. And sorry, I just don’t believe that any team can beat Tom Brady three times in one season. Looks like Drew Brees’ career may end with another tough loss. Pick: Buccaneers