The NFL, despite the pitfalls of COVID-19, has finally managed to get through the regular schedule. The same must now be done with the playoffs, which begin tomorrow with a new format that will offer, for the first time, six duels in the first round. No less than seven teams that were not there last year – the Bears, Browns, Buccaneers, Colts, Rams, Steelers and the Washington team – are joining in the dance. The matches are now without a future and this is the first step towards Super Bowl 55, which will be presented in Tampa on February 7. To whet your appetite, here are 10 stories to watch this weekend.
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1) old truckers
If there’s one aspect that characterizes the quarterbacks featured in the emerging playoffs, it’s certainly their vast experience. Tom Brady may be in his first season with the Buccaneers, he comes with a record of 41 playoff games (30-10), at 43 years old. His opponent Alex Smith, 36, for his part played in seven playoff games (2-5). Philip Rivers is also a “rookie” with the Colts, but he’s 39 years old with 11 playoff games (5-6). It is also the return of another road in the playoffs, Ben Roethlisberger, with the Steelers, at the height of his 38 years (record of 13-8 in the playoffs). And what about Eternal Youth Drew Brees of the Saints at 41 (8-8 in the playoffs) and Aaron Rodgers of the Packers at 37 (11-8 in the playoffs)? Who says you have to be young to be dominant?
2) The Browns’ situation
Just when we thought the Browns were finally tasting happiness, COVID-19 hit their team just before the playoffs. Head coach Kevin Stefanski is affected and will therefore not be able to lead his team on Sunday. Other coaching staff were still in isolation during the week and their presence remains uncertain. Offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt will decide the games in Stefanski’s absence. Among the players affected, star guard Joel Bitonio will be absent. He is the longest-serving Browns player and has been through the miserable seasons of -16 and 1-15. The moment he should have finally lived, with his team in the playoffs, is taken from him.
3) Familiar rivals
Among the weekend games, a few will pit teams that are quite familiar. The Steelers and Browns have indeed been division rivals since the 1950s, but strangely enough, this will only be a third playoff game in their long history. Moreover, the Browns, whose most recent qualification dates back to 2002, just played this last playoff game against the Steelers, a 36-33 loss to Pittsburgh. The Seahawks and Rams are also division rivals, but they haven’t crossed paths in the playoffs since 2005. In other games, the Titans and Ravens, while not in the same division, will offer a playoff rematch. last year, when the Titans caused a big surprise. The other games between Colts and Bills, Buccaneers and Washington, as well as Bears and Saints, are less natural rivalries.
4) endless wait
It is known, the Browns had to wait 18 years before finally enjoying their presence in the playoffs. But there is worse! For their last victory in the playoffs, we have to go back to the 1994 season. Note that they are not alone in experiencing a long famine. The Bills, although they are tasting the playoffs for the third time in four years, haven’t had a playoff victory since the 1995 season. The Buccaneers, for their part, are in the playoffs for the first time since 2007, but have not triumphed in the January tournament since their conquest of the Super Bowl at the end of the 2002 campaign. In Washington, the last playoff victory dates back to 2005. For the Bears, it has now been 10 years since there were no playoff celebrations. That’s a long time for all these aspirants!
5) A difficult road
The new playoff format ensures that only two teams, those seeded first in each conference (Chiefs and Packers), are given a first-round break. Even the teams that will come out with victory tomorrow and Sunday are not at the end of their efforts. The last time a team went through the first playoff round to go on to win the Super Bowl was in 2010, when the Packers took the hit. Only five other teams that qualified as “best runners-up” won the final game, namely the Giants (2007), Steelers (2005), Ravens (2000), Broncos (1997) and Raiders (1980).
6) Return of the prodigal son
There was a time when current Colts head coach Frank Reich was the reserve quarterback for the Bills, a team he is set to face tomorrow. Reich had lived in Buffalo one of the great moments in the history of the Bills when he was called upon to replace Jim Kelly in a playoff game against the Houston Oilers on January 3, 1993. The Oilers had equipped themselves with a 35-3 lead in the third quarter when Reich had guided the Bills in the biggest comeback in history, to sign an unlikely win of 41-38. He threw four touchdown passes in the second half. Will the Colts driver experience another unexpected moment of glory?
7) Dominant conference
Representatives of the American Conference have won five of the last six Super Bowls and this year is once again, on the surface, the dominant conference. For only the second time since the NFL merged in 1970, all teams that qualified in this conference are claiming at least 11 wins. This had not happened since 1980. On the contrary, in the national conference, Washington entered the playoffs with a losing record (7-9) while the Bears played for .500 (8-8). However, it is a matter of getting your ticket and the rest does not count. Everything can happen.
8) What advantage?
It has been mentioned a few times this season that home ground advantage in times of pandemic and bald stadiums no longer has the same luster as before. During the season just ended, the host teams showed a record of 128-127-1. Nothing convincing. The least we can say is that the home advantage in the first round of the playoffs in the last few years is simply non-existent. Since the 2017 playoffs, the visiting teams show an 8-4 record in this first round. This weekend, less than 7,000 spectators are expected in Buffalo. In Pittsburgh, they say a maximum crowd of 5,000 people. There will also be a few thousand Titans supporters in Nashville. Otherwise, it will be dead calm.
9) The featured race
While explosive aerial attacks have taken hold in recent years, the ground game is not dead. Of the 14 teams that have secured their playoff spots, no less than eight are among the top 12 in the race across the league. The duel between the Ravens (191.9 yards per game) and the Titans (168.1 yards per game) will also feature the two best rushing attacks on the circuit. The Browns are third on floor, while the Saints sit sixth. The Packers, who are out of action this weekend, are two places down, while the Rams, Colts and Seahawks are ranked 10is, 11is and 12is. It may hit hard in the coming weeks.
10) Watch out for Washington!
The Washington squad has generated a lot of talk because they made their way to the playoffs thanks to the dying East Division of the National Conference. Except that the Buccaneers shouldn’t take their rivals lightly. Only twice before have teams won their divisions despite a negative record, the 2010 Seahawks (7-9) and the 2014 Panthers (7-8-1). Both teams had unexpectedly knocked down their opponents in the first round. Let us also never forget that the 2011 Broncos, with an 8-8 record and a certain Tim Tebow at the helm, also won their first-round duel.
