NFL Playoff football is here and is starting in full swing with three separate days of football.
With limited options and all six games this weekend expected to be fun and competitive, picking just two to break down was not easy. In the end I decided to go with one AFC and one NFC matchup. In this week’s breakdowns, I will be breaking down a clash between division foes with both teams looking for something to prove and a young upcoming east coast team traveling down to the deep south of Florida.
(6) Steelers take a visit to a familiar opponent in (3) Ravens
The most interesting part and biggest factor of this game is this being divisional opponents and the third meeting between these teams this season. This game will mark the fifth playoff matchup between the Steelers and Ravens with this being the first matchup the Ravens have hosted. The Steelers have gotten the better of the Ravens in those previous matchups though, winning three out of the four games. Like most though I imagine things will be different this time around.
I am just gonna be blunt about this but when do we have the conversation about the Steelers moving on from head coach Mike Tomlin? Since 2017 this team has gone over 10 wins once and has only made the playoffs in three seasons since 2017 (all ending in first round playoff exits). If you search up “Steelers record over the years,” you will notice a trend, Tomlin and the Steelers tend to always stay around or slightly above the .500 mark (even number of wins and losses on the season). They are never good enough to be a threat to win it all but never bad enough to add blue chip draft talent in the first round.
Well that trend has continued into the 2024-25 season. The Steelers were 10-3 going into week 14. They finished the season on an ugly four game losing streak and barely made the playoffs as usual. I have zero faith in this offense to put up anything over 17 points with how not only the quarterback play has been but the offense as a whole.
There is something I do have faith in. This team just weirdly plays good against the Ravens and when I say good I just mean winning, they win ugly a lot. I could see that carrying over into this divisional game and the fact that they just played (and lost) to the Ravens around half a month ago. That is the only faith I have in this Steelers team and one of the only reasons I think this game will be close.
On the Ravens side of things they have done quite the opposite of the Steelers and finished the season very strong winning four straight to end the season (and all were pretty comfortable blowouts as well). Add that momentum and possible MVP frontrunner QB Lamar Jackson and you would think they are going to run away with this game as well.
Hate to say it but I disagree. Jackson has been one of if not the worst playoff QB in recent memory and until proven otherwise I have no faith in him turning that around. The Ravens have also been on this weird trend lately of either being middle of the pack or getting a great record and blowing it when it matters most in the playoffs. Hard to fully blame Jackson or Ravens HC John Harbaugh.
With all of that being said though, this passing offense has looked much better this year compared to recent seasons. There are several factors going into that but the two main ones I would argue are the addition of offensive coordinator and play caller Todd Monken and the massive leap by the Ravens wide receiver group. The offense is scary and unless things get ugly (like they normally do versus the Steelers) then this should be a smooth sailing game like the last matchup versus the Steelers.
As I have said earlier I think this game will get ugly but unlike usual I have the Ravens being the one coming out on top.
Final Score: Steelers 17 – Ravens 23 OT
Week one rematch between (6) Commanders and (3) Buccaneers set for high scoring game
We got a week one rematch on our hands for this game. Last time around both a major offensive piece finding their way in the league, Commanders QB Jayden Daniels and Buccaneers running back Bucky Irving. Both since then have not only proved to the best rookies at their positions but also arguably top 10 players at their position.
The Commanders have been such a fun surprise this season. It has been known I am not the biggest Daniels fan but man has he proved me wrong. Him along with OC Kliff Kingsbury have cooked up one of the best offenses in football this year. Daniels has been efficient, smart and clutch when it is needed most.
Kingsbury’s play calling has weirdly not fallen off like most (including myself) expected. Kingsbury has had this tendency of his offenses starting out hot but then completely falling off a cliff in the second half of the season. It does not matter where he has been, college or NFL, it has happened every time. Happy for him that things turned out for the better this time around.
The Buccaneers have been quietly one of the most consistent teams in football over the past few seasons. They are the only team in the NFC that has made the playoffs the past four seasons and win their division each time. Is that due to the QB play or coaching? I would lean more towards QB play considering who the QBs have been.
Let us cut it short, I know this breakdown is short but this comes down to one major reasoning. Both of these teams’ defenses suck. For the Commanders, I think that comes down mostly to a talent issue (that they are improving on) and they should be much better next season. The Buccaneers have the talent, their HC is just not good. With that being said, this game will be an offensive shootout and I have the more experienced QB and team coming out on top.
Final Score: Commanders 31 – Buccaneers 42
Remaining Games:
AFC | (5) Chargers at (4) Texans: Justin Herbert finally gets over the playoff hump and wins his first playoff game in good fashion. Final Score: Chargers 30 – Texans 17
AFC | (7) Broncos at (2) Bills: Bills get by the Broncos with experience and move on to prove more. Final Score: Broncos 21 – Bills 31
NFC | (7) Packers at (2) Eagles: Packers can not get over the hump after losing two straight to end the season and Eagles run game takes advantage of that. Final Score: Packers 20 – Eagles 34
NFC | (5) Vikings at (4) Rams: The Vikings look for revenge but the Rams sack Darnold for a scoop and score to win it in overtime and move on. Final Score: Vikings 27 – Rams 33 OT
Teams on Bye:
AFC | (1) Chiefs will host the lowest AFC seed remaining next week
NFC | (1) Lions will host the lowest NFC seed remaining next week
Draft Order:
Pick 1 | Titans (3-14)
Pick 2 | Browns (3-14)
Pick 3 | Giants (3-14)
Pick 4 | Patriots (4-13)
Pick 5 | Jaguars (4-13)
Pick 6 | Raiders (4-13)
Pick 7 | Jets (5-12)
Pick 8 | Panthers (5-12)
Pick 9 | Saints (5-12)
Pick 10 | Bears (5-12)
Pick 11 | 49ers (6-11)
Pick 12 | Cowboys (7-10)
Pick 13 | Dolphins (8-9)
Pick 14 | Colts (8-9)
Pick 15 | Falcons (8-9)
Pick 16 | Cardinals (8-9)
Pick 17 | Bengals (9-8)
Pick 18 | Seahawks (10-7)
Picks 19 through 32 are dependent on how the playoffs play out.
