January | 2021 | Marvel Sports

Well, everyone, we did it! We are at the end of the regular season in the NFL

And what a Sunday we’re about to have in Week 17 and what a weekend we had in Week 16

Week 16 featured a Christmas Special, eliminations, clinchers, and it set up a chaotic Week 17 this Sunday.

In Week 16 the Saints eliminated the Vikings at home, the Cardinals playoff chances took a hit in a loss to San Francisco, the Bucs locked up the #5 seed by decimating Detroit, the Dolphins knocked out the Raiders with a little Fitzmagic, the Steelers ended a three game losing streak by clinching the AFC North over Indianapolis and putting the Colts on the outside looking in, the Ravens handled the Giants to get in the picture, the Browns COVID issues resulted in a loss to the Jets, the Chiefs locked up the AFC by escaping the Falcons at Arrowhead, Seattle clinched the West over the Rams, the Bears stayed red hot in a win over the Jaguars who now have the #1 pick in the draft, the Packers stayed in control of the NFC by dominating the Titans on Sunday night, the Cowboys eliminated the Eagles at home, Washington couldn’t clinch the division against Carolina, and the Bills shut down the Patriots on Monday night

This is the week where everything comes to a close and then the playoffs begin. This week features all divisional matchups and must win situations for teams that need to win to lock up a division or a spot in the wild card. This week we have Buffalo looking to secure the #2 seed at home against the Dolphins who are fighting for a playoff spot, the Packers visit the Bears looking to end the Bears season and clinch the top spot in the NFC, the Saints and Seahawks have already locked up division titles but will look to compete for the #1 seed against lesser competition, the Browns look to clinch the playoffs for the first time in over 15 years at home vs Pittsburgh, the Ravens look to get back in the playoffs against the red-hot Bengals in Cincinnati, the Titans look to win the division in Houston while the Colts fight for their lives at home against Jacksonville, the NFC East is on the line when the Giants and Cowboys meet in the Meadowlands, but they hope that Washington loses to Philadelphia in prime-time.

Let’s take a look at the playoff picture in the AFC

Wild Card

In The Hunt

Clinching Scenarios

Kansas City can rest up this week against the Chargers. The Chiefs are the #1 seed in the AFC for the 2nd time in three years

Buffalo has already won the division, but they can clinch the #2 seed with a win over the Dolphins or a Steelers loss to Cleveland

The Steelers are also division champions, but they would need to beat the Browns and hope Miami beats Buffalo to clinch the #2 seed

Tennessee needs to win against Houston or hope the Colts lose to Jacksonville to clinch the division.

Indianapolis can still win the division if they win and Tennessee loses to Houston

Miami, Baltimore, and Cleveland can all clinch playoff spots by winning this Sunday. Baltimore has the easiest game on the road against the Bengals while the Dolphins may have the hardest test on the road in Buffalo

If all three of those teams win and Tennessee clinches the AFC South, Indianapolis is eliminated and this would be the 1st Round matchups

#2 Bills vs #7 Browns, #3 Steelers vs #6 Ravens, and #4 Titans vs #5 Dolphins

If everyone wins, Tennessee loses, and Indianapolis wins, the Colts would be the #4 seed and host Miami and the Titans would be eliminated

Now let’s take a look at the NFC

Wild Card

In The Hunt

Clinching Scenarios

Green Bay can clinch the #1 seed by winning in Chicago or a Seahawks loss to San Francisco

New Orleans can clinch the #1 seed by beating Carolina, a Seahawks win, and a Packers loss

Seattle can clinch the #1 seed by beating San Francisco and losses by the Packers and the Saints

The NFC East will be decided this week. All Washington has to do is win to lock it up on Sunday night in Philadelphia

If Washington loses, the winner of Cowboys-Giants wins the division. Andrew and I will certainly be tuning into that one

The Bucs have secured a playoff spot, but can clinch the #5 seed by beating the Falcons or a loss by the Rams to Arizona

The Rams can clinch a playoff spot with a win over Arizona or a Bears loss . They would also clinch the #5 seed with a win and Bucs loss. But the Rams will be eliminated if they lose to Arizona and Chicago wins against the Packers

Arizona gets in by beating the Rams. A loss eliminates the Cardinals from the playoffs

Chicago, who was dead in the water after losing six straight, can secure a spot in the playoffs with a win or a Cardinals loss

You got all that? Good. Let’s begin my Week 17 Preview. This week will feature vintage logos and a quick preview of what’s at stake for teams fighting for a playoff/divisional spot

There’s a lot of questions surrounding the Patriots after missing the playoffs and having a losing record for the first time in a long time. Who will be the starting quarterback? Will Julian Edelman come back? What’s the plan at the draft? Cam Newton hasn’t been consistent but then again, what reliable receivers does he have? In Carolina in 2015, the year they made the Super Bowl, he had Devin Funchess, Ted Ginn, Greg Olsen, and Jericho Cotchery and all of them were downfield threats. The one downfield threat he has is Jakobi Meyers and he hasn’t lived up to that expectation. New England has to have a plan in 2021 that either revolves around the quarterback position or the receiving core. The Jets already screwed up the #1 pick by beating the Rams and the Browns, while also screwing up their seasons, so they will have questions as well on the draft and potentially the coaching situation with Adam Gase. But can the Jets be the 10th team and third divisional opponent that knocks off the Patriots in a meaningless game?

Prediction: I cant believe I’m gonna say this, but I am picking the Jets. The Patriots are one-dimensional on offense and they can’t throw the ball or score points in the red zone. The Jets defense is the difference in this game.

Nothing to play for in this game, but the main weapon for the Vikings in Dalvin Cook will not be playing in this game due to a late family emergency. The Vikings will certainly be looking at how to boost the defense in the draft and potentially grab a quarterback if they think Kirk Cousins is inconsistent. The Lions will be looking for coaches and some kind of offensive weapons for next season, but you wonder who really wants to win this game with the draft order on the line

Prediction: Detroit hasn’t impressed me at all and it showed in that 47-7 drubbing against Tampa Bay. The Vikings take care of business and conclude an otherwise disappointing season on a high note

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS: Buffalo needs to win to secure the #2 seed while the Dolphins need to win to get in

The Bills should not do what the Ravens did last year and take their foot off the gas. Last year, Baltimore took its foot off the gas in Week 17 and were eliminated in the divisional round by Tennessee. With Buffalo and Josh Allen riding high, there’s no good reason to not keep driving. Not only that, a chance to knock out a division rival in the Miami Dolphins at home and not play against Baltimore in Round 1. But there’s no way the fighting Brian Flores’s will bow down to the Bills. This is a team on a mission with Tua Tagovailoa and a hungry defense and an opportunity to show that they are a playoff team. The Bills and Dolphins meet in Western New York with plenty at stake for both teams

Prediction: I love Miami, but there’s no way that Sean McDermott’s crew will let this momentum go to waste. The Dolphins still can’t run the football and that’s what Buffalo’s defense does best. The Bills get the win

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS: The winner of this game, combined with a Washington loss later on Sunday, wins the NFC East

The winner is going to root hard for Philadelphia to beat Washington in order to win the division and get into the playoffs but I’ll tell you what, I would not want to play the Dallas Cowboys right now. They’ve scored 30+ points in their last three games and although two of them have been shootouts against Philly and San Francisco, they’ve been playing much better on defense. The Giants are the opposite. Their defense has been the story of the season but they have really struggled on the offensive side of the ball because of injuries. Daniel Jones will play and some key offensive starters will play as well. Now can the Giants offense some alive against a red hot Cowboys team that can score a ton of points

Prediction: Whenever I start to feel good about Dallas, they let me down. I think the Giants can pull it off with this secondary and payback from earlier in the season. They have the better defense. Giants win

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS: The Steelers will need help from Miami to clinch the #2 seed while a win would give the Browns their first playoff berth in over 15 years

The fact that Pittsburgh is benching Ben Roethlisberger and potentially other starters on defense means that they are conceding the #2 seed to Buffalo regardless of what happens to Buffalo against Miami on Sunday. But this is also a relief for the Steelers since they have had to grind out 13 straight games with no bye week just to get rested and get healthy before the wild card game. The problem is they may have to play Baltimore in the playoffs. On the other side, this could be the big break for the Cleveland Browns. A win gets them in even though they had a disappointing loss to the Jets. Baker Mayfield will have is entire offense healthy and back from the COVID list and Myles Garrett will certainly be coming after Mason Rudolph, the Steelers backup QB, after what happened last season on a Thursday night in Cleveland. The Browns will want to punch their playoff ticket while the Steelers will happily sit this one out

Prediction: The Browns will take care of business at home if the Steelers will be resting their starters. With them being healthy on offense, there’s no way they can lose this football game

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS: A win for the Ravens would get them back into the playoffs for the third consecutive season

Baltimore has some kind of Week 17 funk. In 2017, they lost to the Bengals and failed to clinch a playoff spot. In 2018, they did their job against the Browns to win the division but got bounced by the Chargers the week after. Last year, they rested in Week 17 and got a bye and were dominated by Tennessee in the divisional round. For some reason, either Week 17 or the week after has an aftereffect on Baltimore. Maybe it isn’t the best idea to play against the Cincinnati Bengals this week. Cincy’s won two straight games and have scored 64 points combined in those games, and that is without Joe Burrow. Baltimore is in a must win situation, but will the Bengals rekindle that 2017 magic to knock them out of the playoffs??

Prediction: This is a much closer game because of the Bengals offense recently, but I can’t pick against Lamar Jackson and the Ravens with the way their playing right now. Baltimore wins but I like Cincy +12

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS: The Bucs can lock up the #5 seed with a win and will play the NFC East champion in the 1st Round of the playoffs

Tampa has quite a dilemma: Rest up and get healthy for the playoffs or try to win to claim the #5 seed and the trip to whoever wins the NFC East. But they may do the latter because of some defenders already landing on the COVID list earlier this week. But the Bucs, regardless of whether they rest their offense or not, will get an easy test in the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta is limping into this game with no Julio Jones and missing some key players on defense. The Bucs are on a mission, and even with some guys out on defense, they will not slow down on their way to getting that #5 seed

Prediction: Bucs win big. Tom Brady will close out a decent season on a high note with over 300 yards and four touchdowns against a bad Atlanta defense

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS: Tennessee wins the AFC South with a win in Houston

Much like Tampa Bay is trying to lock up the #5 seed, Tennessee is on a mission to clinch the AFC South and get to the playoffs. They did not close down the deal last week after getting crushed by the Packers at Lambeau so this is a good time to get angry and finish the job. Lucky for them, they get the team that is second to last in rushing yards allowed in the Houston Texans. After going 3-1 in November and having the slightest chance at making the playoffs, the Texans dropped all four games in December because of no help around Deshaun Watson. Can they stop an angry Derrick Henry looking for a 2,000 yard rushing season?

Prediction: I just think the Titans are the better team and they can run the football. That and they really can’t afford to lose this football game with everything on the line. I’m looking forward to seeing Derrick Henry have a monster game and Ryan Tannehill make some good downfield throws to give the Titans the win

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS: Indianapolis needs to win and hope Tennessee, Baltimore, Miami, or Cleveland lose to get into the playoffs

The good news is Indianapolis is playing the terrible Jacksonville Jaguars. The bad news is they have to really pray that someone loses earlier in the day. The Colts were arguably the biggest loser of last Sunday because they were knocked out of the picture by the Steelers. But in retrospect, the Colts gave the game away because they abandoned their run game which is usually their biggest strength. To give that game away and now be on the cusp of missing the playoffs is devastating. Better send up a prayer, Colts fans. Hard to believe a team that was in a position to win a division title could be eliminated this week

Prediction: Colts take care of business against the horrible Jaguars. But they better hope that someone loses.

There’s nothing really at stake in this game because the Chiefs have everything locked up and they will be resting their starters, but an opportunity for Justin Herbert to light up the Chiefs practice squad defense and prove he is the AFC Rookie of the Year after breaking Baker Mayfield’s record last week.

Prediction: With the Chiefs resting, the Chargers get the win. Justin Herbert has a good game even with no Keenan Allen and the Chargers defense will hold down the Chiefs offense

Nothing at stake in this game either after the Raiders had their hearts and playoff chances broken in a brutal last second loss to Miami last Saturday. The Broncos will wrap up an otherwise tough season with some draft questions. Perhaps some more offensive weapons for Drew Lock because this defense can get better. For Las Vegas, this could be the end of the Jon Gruden era after two consecutive seasons of late collapses and they will need some defensive help at the draft

Prediction: I actually like the Broncos because they just have the better defense and the home altitude advantage against a dome team

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS: The Saints can still clinch the #1 seed with a win and some help from Seattle and Chicago

The Saints will come into this game without their best offensive playmaker in Alvin Kamara after he tested positive for COVID. The other result of that is that their entire backfield is also out because they are close contacts to Kamara. With the Saints looking for the chance to win the NFC’s top seed, questions are rising for Carolina as they go into the offseason. Will Teddy Bridgewater be the QB? Will they build a new offensive line? Or will they draft a QB and add some more OL help? But can Matt Rhule finish off a sub .500 season by taking down the Saints

Prediction: No Kamara makes me think that Carolina can win this game but I think the Saints will find a way to pull this one off with Drew Brees at quarterback. Saints win a tight game in Charlotte

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS: The Packers lock up the NFC’s #1 seed with a win or a Seahawks loss and the Bears get into the playoffs if they win or if Arizona loses

Don’t look now but I would not want to play the Bears in the playoffs right now with the way this offense has been playing. They’ve scored 30+ points in their last four games and have won three in a row. Sure the Jags and the Texans are not that great, but when you lose six straight and are on the cusp of not making the playoffs, the Bears had to come out and fight for their lives and they did and looked great doing it. Now the Bears can make the playoffs…. IF they dethrone their rival, the Green Bay Packers, who are playing for the #1 seed after destroying the Titans on Sunday Night last week. Aaron Rodgers will be looking to make an MVP caliber statement against a division rival on the road and the Packers run game has quite a third stringer in AJ Dillon after his performance last week. He may get some touches this week against Chicago. These teams aren’t just playing for bragging rights, they are looking to take away something valuable from each other with a win.

Prediction: Wow. Tough one to pick. I am taking the Green Bay Packers in a close one because I think they can stop the run much better than Chicago. Close win for the Packers

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS: The winner gets in, the loser is out. The Rams would need the Bears to lose to get themselves in if they fall in this one

So many injuries for both teams in this game, but especially the Rams with no Jared Goff or Cooper Kupp and some of their offensive line banged up. The Cardinals will hold on to Kyler Murray, but Christian Kirk landed on the COVID list earlier this week. But this game will come down to how the Rams offense will generate points with John Wofford at the quarterback position with a limited backfield and shuffled offensive line. It’s win or go home for both teams

Prediction: Arizona has a little more offense and is a little more healthy than the Rams, but LA still gets in with a Bears loss and the Cardinals get the win in LA

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS: The Seahawks can clinch the #1 seed with a win and losses by the Saints and Packers

It would be a miracle if Seattle would be able to get the #1 seed. They would have to beat a San Francisco team that has the potential to play spoiler and hope that New Orleans and Green Bay lose to inferior teams. The Seahawks have been playing more complete games especially on defense with Jamal Adams being a playmaker in the secondary. The 49ers season is over and the question in the offseason will revolve around Jimmy Garoppolo as the starter and where the team goes at the draft after failing to return to the playoffs.

Prediction: Seattle wins this game in a close one. I can’t pick against them because of the way they’re playing right now and Russell Wilson is the better quarterback. Seahawks win

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS: Washington can win the NFC East if they knock off Philadelphia on Sunday night. They are eliminated with a loss and the winner of Cowboys-Giants will win the division

Michael Douglas said in 2015’s Ant-Man “Second chances don’t come around that often but when they do, take a real close look at it.” Well, Washington, here is your second chance. The second chance to win the NFC East with the winner of Dallas-NY Giants waiting. The Football Team visits the Eagles looking to clinch the division. But Philadelphia’s HC Doug Peterson has said that their field will not be used as a celebration party for Washington so he has his team ready to go. Jalen Hurts will go against at QB looking to spoil Washington’s dreams of a division title and this is payback for the Eagles after Washington came back to beat them in Week 1. Big game for Washington, but can they handle the big stage and the moment once again?

Prediction: Alex Smith will win comeback player of the year, there’s no question about it. But I just don’t think Philadelphia will let this happen. Jalen Hurts will be the difference maker and the Philly defense will get after Alex Smith. Eagles win

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Marvel Sports

Sports Blog by David Maher

Month: January 2021

NFL Week 17 Preview: Playoff Picture, Thoughts, and Predictions