The NFL Playoffs

Alright so I guess we weren’t back, not even a little bit. The Bears season, although we did see some steps in an encouraging direction, was overall a failure and we let the scourge of the earth get away again :( I’ll still need some time to reflect on that before giving a solid blog on that, I’m hurting on the inside if I’m being totally honest.

Here are my thoughts on the playoff matchups:

Browns @ Texans

Probably one of the more interesting matchups of this first weekend. We have the storyline of the rookie phenom vs the seasoned veteran with CJ Stroud and Joe Flacco. I think I’ll give the edge to Cleveland here due to their experience and the defense playing lights out the entire season, I see no reason why that would stop any time soon. I do foresee CJ Stroud having some miscues and throwing a couple picks throughout the game, but nothing to hang your head about! He is the undisputed Rookie of the Year in my opinion, I’m sure his and his coach, DeMeco Ryans, will have plenty of success the next handful of years, which is exciting for that franchise.

Dolphins @ Chiefs

Uhhh, the windchill of -30 or so makes everyone a loser here. I think that gives Kansas City and advantage?? I don’t really know lol, nobody really has a good competitive advantage when you feel every single nose hair freeze up with your breaths. I just think it’ll be tougher for the team from South Florida to stand a chance. I’d take the Chiefs in this one.

Steelers @ Bills

Not having TJ Watt on the defense is a bummer. Super weird that either of these teams are in the playoffs, to tell you the truth. Steelers snuck in through the back door, Buffalo rose from the dead. I guess the verdict is in that description, The Bills are playing like they want it more and have been on fire the past month or so. Even with Mike Tomlin earning his 17th straight winning season, I just don’t see Mason Rudolph winning this Sunday.

The Dallas Cowboys

The spread could be -130 in favor of Dallas and I would hammer it strictly off the vibes. The other team might as well quit, retire, go home to their mommy and cry for the rest of their stupid, little lives. CeeDee 3 TDs is a lock. Defense 5 turnovers, a lock. This game wasn’t ever close, shouldn’t have even happened. End of story, see you next week.

Rams @ Lions

Ahh, the prodigal son returns in the form of one Matt Stafford emerging a Super Bowl champion with his new, hot team. You can still see that championship DNA from yesteryear, the defensive front as ferocious as ever as it boasts a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and the innovative offense playing with a new, shiny toy in Puka Nacua. On the other hand, I’ve never been alive while Detroit has had the success that they have seen this season. Dan Campbell has revitalized that team with a culture of biting kneecaps and kicking asses, and his QB is seeking revenge from a trade situation gone wrong; he wants to let them know they messed up. So many great stories in this one! I’ll personally pull for the ultimate underdog in Detroit, but I won’t be upset with either outcome.

Bucs @ Eagles

I will never say another bad word about Baker Mayfield again. He makes a compelling campaign for Comeback Player of the Year that is unfortunately saturated with other worthy candidates (Damar Hamlin/Joe Flacco), but to follow up Tom Brady with another division title for Tampa after being a journeyman for a couple years is quite impressive, if I do say so myself. The Birds, on the other hand, should have a new award given to them, aptly named The “How Much Worse Can It Possibly Get After Talking All That Trash and Then Falling Off a Cliff” award (hahaaaaaa). It’s pretty wild to think that some rumors are alleging Siriani might be out if they lose this game? Nobody likes trying to perform with that kind of pressure on them, and the way that the Philly defense has regressed doesn’t make me feel confident about their chances in this game. I think the Bucs might pull this one out, I'll get my battery repellent ready for the blowback on that prediction.

Ultimately, this might all be for naught since I do believe the Super Bowl will be between Baltimore and San Francisco. We’ll revisit that all after this weekend.