Crowe - NFL Wildcard Weekend Predictions
John Crowe, Sports Contributor
Crowe - NFL Wildcard Weekend Predictions
For us here in New England, it marks a return to the playoffs, its first with a quarterback not named Tom Brady in over 20 years. Rookie Mac Jones leads the Pats into Buffalo for a Saturday night rematch with the Bills. Meanwhile, the Bengals make their own way back to the postseason for the first time since 2015 but bring a seven-game playoff losing streak with them.
If you’re looking for a feel-good story, the Raiders might be your ticket. They had their head coach Jon Gruden resign mid-season after a scandal about racist emails, had to endure the tragic auto accident involving wide receiver Henry Ruggs III and won their last four games just to make the playoffs. Then, of course, there’s always Ben Roethlisberger’s swan song in Pittsburgh too.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTWe’ll get to who we think is going to advance past round one, but first, it’s our Wild Card Power Rankings. Since the Packers (13-4) and Titans (12-5) have first-round byes, they are exempt. But, just in case you were wondering, we’d have Green Bay on top still if they were included.
Wild-Card Weekend Power Rankings:
12. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7-1) – Big Ben gets one last shot in the playoffs. Unfortunately, it’s in Kansas City.
11. Philadelphia Eagles (9-8) – The Eagles might want to see if Nick Foles is available for a cameo against his old foe Tom Brady.
10. Las Vegas Raiders (10-7) – The luck may have run out against the high-powered Bengals.
9. New England Patriots (10-7) – If the Pats want another upset in Buffalo, they’ll have to play better than they have the last month.
8. Arizona Cardinals (11-6) – Like the Pats, the Cards pulled off the upset in the regular season. Can they do it again?
7. Cincinnati Bengals (10-7) – If Burrow, Chase, Mixon, and crew are for real, this won’t be the only playoff game in 2022.
6. San Francisco 49ers (10-7) – The 49ers are the media darlings pick for the upset in round one.
5. Buffalo Bills (11-6) – All the Bills have to do is play up to their talent level, something they haven’t always done in the regular season.
4. Dallas Cowboys (12-5) – See Buffalo.
3. Los Angeles Rams (12-5) – All the pressure is on Matthew Stafford, who continues to look for his first playoff victory.
2. Kansas City Chiefs (12-5) – The health of Tyreek Hill is of utmost importance.
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13-4) – Do we dare say we’re on to number eight for the great Tom Brady?
Saturday 4:30 pm Raiders at Bengals (NBC)
These two teams met in Las Vegas back in week 11. The Bengals got their season back on track with Joe Mixon running for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 32-13 victory. QB Joe Burrow’s knee should be fine after sitting out in week 18. The Raiders won their last four games, including passing on a week 18 tie with the Chargers that would’ve put them in KC instead of Cincinnati. A wise choice by Las Vegas. Expect an offensive shootout with the Bengals, behind Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd to be too much for the Raiders’ secondary. But, that’s only if the Cincy offensive line can protect Burrow, who’s been sacked a league-high 51 times this season.
Winner: Bengals
Saturday 8:15 pm Patriots at Bills (CBS)
Ever since the Patriots walked out of Buffalo with a 14-10 victory and the top seed in the AFC in week 13 on that cold and windy Monday night, these two teams have gone in opposite directions. While the Pats have gone 1-3 after their bye week, the Bills have won four straight games including the rematch in Foxboro, 33-21 to take the AFC East title and the right to host this game. So, how will the rubber matchup play out? Will New England be able to run the ball 46 times and shut down Josh Allen as in game one or will it be Allen dominating again (314 yards, 3 TDs) in game two? In his last four games against the Pats, Allen is 3-1 while throwing just one interception against eight touchdowns. Can Mac Jones, who has turned it over six times in three losses over the last month, measure up? It will be cold again with game-time temps in the single digits according to the Weather Channel, but there will be no wind or snow to help the Patriots this time. Injury concerns with Isaiah Wynn (hip/ankle), Christian Barmore (knee) and Kyle Dugger (hand) are huge for New England.
Winner: Bills
Sunday 1 pm Eagles at Buccaneers (FOX)
The Eagles run the ball better than anyone in the league, garnering 159.7 yards per game. The Bucs shut down the run better than most everyone (3rd best) in the league at 92.4 yards per game. So, it should land on the hands of the quarterbacks in this one. Are you really going to bet against Tom Brady against Jalen Hurts? Tampa Bay beat the Eagles in Philly in week 6, 28-22 in a game that really wasn’t that close. The Eagles are 0-6 against playoff teams this season. Weather could be a factor with rain, wind and thunderstorms expected in Tampa.
Winner: Buccaneers
Sunday 4:30 pm 49ers at Cowboys (CBS/Nickelodeon)
Down 17-0 to the Rams in a game they had to win, the 49ers could’ve shut it down. Down 24-17 with under two minutes left in their season, the 49ers could’ve folded. Instead, Jimmy Garoppolo rallied the troops, tied the game, and won in overtime. Now, they travel to Dallas to face the Cowboys for the first time in the postseason since the 1994 NFC Championship. The Cowboys come in fresh off a 50-burger they put on the Eagles last Saturday. The question will be can they do that against a team not resting their starters as Philly did. One mismatch on paper: the 49ers have the second most offensive explosive plays (plays over 20 yards) this season while the Cowboys have given up the most explosive plays on defense. Deebo Samuel is the main weapon there as a pass-catcher (1405 yards, 6 TDs), runner (365 yards, 8 TDs) and even a passer (1 TD).
Winner: 49ers
Sunday 8:15 pm Steelers at Chiefs (NBC)
This one appears to be the most lopsided matchup of the weekend. The Steelers snuck in the playoffs after beating Baltimore in overtime and then watching the Raiders outlast the Chargers in overtime as well Sunday. The Chiefs dominated the Steelers 36-10 in week 16. In that one, Pittsburgh didn’t eclipse the end zone until the game’s final minutes. Kansas City is heavily favored by 12.5 and could win with or without wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who injured his heel in pregame warmups against Denver last Saturday but who was a full participant in early week practices. With a loss, this could put a bow on Ben Roethlisberger’s career in Pittsburgh.
Winner: Chiefs
Monday 8:15 pm Cardinals at Rams (ABC/ESPN)
You won’t find two more Jekyll and Hyde teams in the NFL than these two. They both got out to fast starts before falling back late in the season (Cardinals 7-0, Rams 7-1). Both won on the other team’s home turf. Both have quarterbacks that were sacked five times in week 18 losses. Finally, both had a chance to win the NFC West outright with a victory in week 18 but lost at home to the Seahawks and 49ers respectively. Call it a hunch or call it pure gut instinct, but here’s the chance for Matthew Stafford to notch his first playoff win despite turning the ball over nine times in his last four games. The Rams just want to call it act one of a four-part play that ends in them hosting the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium in February.
Winner: Rams