By Brandon Simmons
Las Vegas Raiders vs. Cincinnati Bengals
The first game of Wild Card Weekend will be the Cincinnati Bengals taking on the Las Vegas Raiders. The these two teams are squaring off in a rematch in which Cincy won 32-13. Bengals have been a surprise team, taking the AFC North crown this year behind 2nd year quarterback Joe Burrow. Burrow’s phenomenal season can be attributed to a great Bengals receiving group which features rookie wide receiver – and Burrow’s LSU teammate – Ja’Marr Chase. However, the Raiders are going to be bringing their own excitement coming into this game. Las Vegas coming off a thrilling overtime game, which saw them eliminate their division rival from the playoffs. Raiders QB Derek Carr is having a career year and want to get revenge on a Cincy team that beat the Raiders in their own stadium back in November.
This game is likely going to be a shootout and it’s Cincinnati who is going to be left standing with the smoking gun. Burrow and Chase have lit up secondaries all season, but they also have Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins to shoulder some of the load as well, with each receiver having their own big games as well. If they don’t get it done in the air, the Bengals can get things going on the ground with running back Joe Mixon, who is 3rd in the league in rushing. The Raiders have their own weapons but not at the magnitude of explosiveness that Cincy has. If the Bengals find a way to take Raiders tight end Darren Waller out of the gameplan, then it will be a long day for Las Vegas. Neither of these teams have the edge in playoff experience but you can expect the Bengals’ explosive offense to carry them over.
New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills
The New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills will be facing off in a 3rd matchup in an AFC East battle that could go either way. Both teams split a game in their opponent’s stadium in some very impressive fashions. In the first matchup, the Patriots stormed the Bills defense with over 200 yards and allowing rookie QB Mac Jones to only throw 3 passes in a 14-10 win. However, the Bills defense returned to form and got their revenge in a 33-21 drubbing of New England. Buffalo still gave up 149 yards on the ground but was able to get 2 interceptions out of Jones in the process.
It seems like Buffalo learned their lesson from the first game by the way they played in the last matchup and you can expect them to apply those same teachings in this game. If you look at both games, the Patriots have one thing in common: high rushing output with minimal quarterback production. That Bills defense was able to cut down the rushing yards and make Jones become more of a passer, in which he posted his lowest completion percentage of the season. Offensively for the Bills, QB Josh Allen went off in the 2nd matchup throwing for 314 yards, with 125 of those yards going to wide receiver Isiah McKenzie off of 11 catches. The other difference between the 2 matchups that might be overlooked, is the wind that was in the first game, which would explain why both quarterbacks had low totals in the passing game. It’s January in upper New York so you can expect the weather to be on the cold with a little bit of wind to affect each team’s aerial attack. If that’s the case, then expect the Bills to be prepared this time around.
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccneers will kick off their playoff run by hosting the Philadelphia Eagles. This might serve as one of the most lopsided matchup of all the games on the Wild Card slate. Tampa Bay enters this game led by quarterback Tom Brady, as they seek their 2nd straight Super Bowl title. The Eagles will be flying in led by QB Jalen Hurts, looking to get the upset in this game.
There’s no need for suspense because the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to win this game. The Bucs have the better team in almost every category that can be used to compare the two squads. Even in spite of the drama Tampa has gone through with former wide receiver Antonio Brown, it won’t be enough to knock the team off of their focus and derail them from at least winning this game. In fact, knowing how Brady works, it might fuel Brady to really kick things into gear and have a huge game.
San Francisco 49ers vs. Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys will be hosting the San Francisco 49ers in a game that will show a top 10 offense against a top 10 pass defense. The Cowboys rank 3rd in offense, led by quarterback Dak Prescott as well as wide receivers Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb. They will be going up against a 49ers defense that ranks 6th in passing and 9th overall. While this secondary might be an underrated component of this unit, the star is defensive end Nick Bosa, who is 2nd in the league in QB hits, but 3rd and 4th in tackles for loss and sacks, respectively.
The Cowboys are going to win this tough, grueling matchup. The Cowboys have been consistently putting up numbers on the offensive side of the ball, including dropping 50 points in 2 of their last 5 games. The Niners finished their season strong, going 4-1 in their final 5 games, including Sunday’s comeback win against the Los Angeles Rams. However, Dallas is looking strong at the right time and can find ways outside of their passing game. Even though he has had his role altered this year, Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot can still provide some boost in the run game, especially with his backfield teammate Tony Pollard. Then there is the defense, which features rookie phenom linebacker Micah Parsons, who is returning from the COVID/reserve list. Some people might expect the Niners to put up a fight, but it won’t be much against a solid Cowboys team.
Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Pittsburgh Steelers almost missed the playoffs if it wasn’t for a misused timeout by the Los Angeles Chargers, but here they are about to face the Kansas City Chiefs. It’s been a tough year for both teams on different levels. The Chiefs started the season 3-4 and then turned things around to reach the 2 seed in the AFC. The Steelers have been down for most of the year but made a late run to get into the playoffs. Part of their late run could be inspired by Steelers QB ben Roethlisberger hinting that this season could be his last.
With that said, this might be Big Ben’s last game as the Chiefs etch out a victory. After going 3-4, Kansas City went 9-1 to finish the season. The offense did what it was supposed to despite Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes having a down year, but what really sparked the change was the defense. Before the 9-1 stretch, this unit gave up at least 30 points 4 times; but during the run they only did this twice and held opponents under 20 points six times. This does not bode well for a Steelers team that has been held under 20 points 4 of their last 5 games. Hopefully this is a loss that will inspire Big Ben to return for one more season because his current one will be coming to an end this Sunday.
Arizona Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Rams
The final game of Wild Card weekend could be the best matchup of them all. The Los Angeles Rams will host the Arizona Cardinals in an NFC West playoff showdown. Both teams have split a game with each other during the regular season, with the Rams winning the most recent matchup. In fact, the Cardinals have been losing a lot of recent matchups, going 2-4 since their Week 12 bye week. Part of this reason is because of various injuries the team has suffered, including DeAndre Hopkins, who had surgery to repair his MCL that he injured in December. This looks like it will live up to the hype that it can be, but the Rams just might take this victory in the end. Rams QB Matthew Stafford has elevated this team since arriving in a trade from Detroit last season. However, he will not be the main key to winning this game. Running back Sony Michel has been solid in giving the Rams a rushing attack in place of the injured Darrell Henderson. Since Michel took over the starting role, the Rams have been 5-1 and won each game where he rushes for over 50 yards, including the last game against the Cardinals. Running the football is going to be the Rams best friend, especially when the Cardinals’ 7th ranked secondary, led by safety Budda Baker, tries to frustrate Stafford with their coverage. When things get tough in the air for L.A., having an effective ground game will stabilize the offensive attack and keep the Rams on the path to victory.
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