Three games. Four teams, with two in each conference. The remaining two in the AFC are the AFC East division winning Buffalo Bills and the AFC West division winning and conference leading Kansas City Chiefs. Both teams have potent offenses, young and talented quarterbacks, solid defenses, and brilliant coaches. Time to determine who will advance to the Super Bowl.
#2 Buffalo Bills v. #1 Kansas City Chiefs
Two different stories on their successes this season, both teams have a good chance to not just go to the Super Bowl, but win it. This game comes down to which defense makes the most stops in the second half.
Buffalo’s offense has frustrated defenses because offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has used every receiver to quarterback Josh Allen’s advantage. If star receiver Stefon Diggs draws double or triple coverage, John Brown, Cole Beasley and Gabriel Davis will be primary targets. Davis’ emergence as a receiver who makes difficult catches near sidelines makes him a threat to Kansas City’s cornerbacks playing closer inside. At the line of scrimmage Buffalo’s offensive line nullifies even the best pass rush (just ask the Pittsburgh Steelers). Tackles Dion Dawkins and Daryl Williams should give Josh Allen enough time to throw passes around a four second average.
Gabriel Davis (white) makes a great catch early in the season against the Los Angeles Rams. No one’s been working the sideline receptions in the playoffs more than Davis.
While a lot of people have focused on Patrick Mahomes passing concussion protocol, there hasn’t been as much focus on his toe injury earlier in the game against Cleveland. That could be an issue if Mahomes tries to scramble for a bigger play or run for yardage. The Chiefs have a great receiver duo who can make up some of those mistakes/negatives, but the offensive line hasn’t been solid, and it showed against a Browns defense that has a good pass rush and not much else. While Kansas City’s running game is the opposite of Baltimore’s because it features more runningbacks and not much read-option, Buffalo can stop the run well early in games.
Prediction: Buffalo Bills win the AFC Championship 44-34
Divisional Round Record: 1-3, 168-92 overall this season
Three games. Four teams, with two in each conference. The remaining two in the NFC are the NFC South wild-card Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the NFC North division winning and conference leading Green Bay Packers. Both teams have potent offenses, Hall of Fame quarterbacks, solid defenses, and brilliant coaches. Time to determine who will advance to the Super Bowl.
#5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers v. #1 Green Bay Packers
It’s fitting the NFC title comes down to Tom Brady v. Aaron Rodgers. These two never played against each other in the playoffs, so viewers are in for a great game. Nose tackle Vita Vea finally returns to Tampa Bay’s starting lineup. Vea is a player who gave Green Bay’s interior offensive line problems in the regular season matchup.
The Packers held a ten point lead before the Buccaneers scored 38 unanswered. An unexpected outcome, that shouldn’t happen again since the Packers spent a lot of time watching the film and working more on offense.Green Bay’s offensive line got better and fixed their issues the following weeks. Tampa Bay’s offensive line on the opposite should be able to control the pace if they run the ball early with Ronald Jones II and Leonard Fournette.
Ten years ago, Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers celebrated his first and only championship hugging the general manager who drafted him, Ted Thompson. With Thompson’s passing this past Thursday, one can expect Rodgers, runningback Aaron Jones and star receiver Davante Adams to have a performance of a lifetime this Sunday.
Green Bay has multiple advantages including playing at home, better control of personnel and no trash-talking. Teams are winless trash-talking opponents heading into games, and some of Tampa’s defensive players such as Devin White haven’t held back on their views of the Packers from last time. Coach Matt LaFleur and quarterback Aaron Rodgers have more motivation to win this matchup since the meltdown in October. Although it could be a shootout, the Packers have enough to pull out the win.
Prediction: Packers win the Conference Championship 38-35
2021 will be a year unlike any other in the NHL. Commissioner Gary Bettman and the National Hockey League split up all 31 teams into four new divisions. In these divisions, seven to eight teams will play each other throughout the season. The top four teams will try to win their respective divisions and make it to the final four. Those final four teams play to advance for the Stanley Cup Finals.
The Central division is a mix of teams in three previous divisions. With COVID-19 still an issue, the Central teams will be closer and will play only each other to eliminate any elongated quarantine time. The Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers, Chicago Blackhawks, Nashville Predators and Tampa Bay Lightning will compete for the top four spots in this division. Who of the eight have the best chance of not just clinching a top four spot, but a trip to the final four?
#1 Tampa Bay Lightning
The reigning Stanley Cup Champions received a major tradeoff this offseason. Former Hart trophy winner (the NHL’s version of league MVP) Nikita Kucherov was placed on injured reserve and will miss most if not all of the regular season. However, captain Steven Stamkos is back at full health and should make up most of Kucherov’s impact.
Former Vezina trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy is currently the best goaltender in all the NHL, and even with losses of Brayden Coburn, Cedric Paquette and Kevin Shattenkirk, the Lightning retained most of their core, especially the gritty and physical third line. With a divisional realignment, the Lightning are the favorite to take first.
#2 Carolina Hurricanes
Captain Jordan Staal can lead the ‘Canes to a division title if they play top-notch hockey most of the season and the Lightning slip.
The recent Stanley Cup Champions and Carolina Hurricanes are by far the best two teams in the Central. The latter couldn’t get past the Boston Bruins the last two years. Fortunately Carolina doesn’t have to play them unless it’s the final four. The goalie combination of Petr Mrazek and James Reimer can take Carolina far in the playoffs.
The Hurricanes retain the same depth at both center and forward they had last year. The defensive pairs of Jaccob Slavin, Brady Skjei, Dougie Hamilton and Brett Pesce make them an easy team to pencil in for the Central’s four best.
#3 Columbus Blue Jackets
Despite a solid roster and determined amount of veteran players, the Blue Jackets are anchored by phenom goaltender Joonas Korpisalo. It’s up to him to keep the Columbus alive as long as possible.
John Tortorella’s physically and mentally tough unit should make the final four this year. Columbus can’t have a slow start heading into Valentine’s Day. The Dallas Stars have yet to take the ice and the Jackets lost a pair of games against the Nashville Predators . They’re known to play better the longer a season goes on, but must stay alive before going on a run.
The Pierre-Luc Dubois situation will either result in a great amount of depth brought in the next few years or make Dubois consider staying with the team. The Blue Jackets’ depth on defense isn’t an issue, but the amount of offense they can string together remains a concern. Center Max Domi was their big free agent acquisition, and will be a big part of the offensive scoring chances in every game.
The Jackets get the nod for either the third or fourth spot available for a few reasons: Dallas may not make the playoffs because of the injuries to assistant captain Tyler Seguin and starting goalie Ben Bishop. That will hurt on special teams. If they play Columbus, they’ll have a hard time scoring against their defense on the power-play. The Red Wings and Blackhawks aren’t good enough to compete against most of this division. The Predators and the Panthers are Columbus’ real threats. Speaking of the Panthers and Predators…
#4 Nashville Predators
The Predators have the best defensemen duo in the league with Ryan Ellis (left) and Roman Josi (right) anchoring all sides of the puck. Nashville’s defense plays hard and should be good enough to squeak into the playoffs.
The Predators have what the Florida Panthers still lack: consistent defense. Florida’s offense is among the best in the league, but unless Sergei Bobrovsky is pulled, the Panthers will be on the outside looking in. Juuse Saros looks better as a starter over time and at worst, Pekka Rinne can close out games or play a few for Saros to get rest.
On offense, players like Matt Duchene have to adjust to coach John Hynes’ system. Can Rocco Grimaldi, Yakov Trenin, Calle Jarnkrok, and Mikael Grandlund increase their production this year? Given the better defensive play and how the first three lines can create chances, they’re definitely a bet to make the third or fourth spot.
2021 will be a year unlike any other in the NHL. Commissioner Gary Bettman and the National Hockey League split up all 31 teams into four new divisions. In these divisions, seven to eight teams will play each other throughout the season. The top four teams will try to win their respective divisions and make it to the final four. Those final four teams play to advance for the Stanley Cup Finals.
The former Pacific division will add three new teams with the five remaining U.S. teams. With COVID-19 still an issue, the Pacific teams will be closer and will play only each other to eliminate any elongated quarantine time. The San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, Anaheim Ducks, Vegas Golden Knights, Arizona Coyotes, St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild will compete for the top four spots in this division. Who of the eight have the best chance of not just clinching a top four spot, but a trip to the final four?
#1 St. Louis Blues
It’s Ryan O’Reilly’s team now with the departure of captain Alex Pietrangelo. The Blues have a great chance to be a serious contender again, possibly claiming the number one spot in the Western division.
The big three contenders will be the St. Louis Blues, the Vegas Golden Knights and the Colorado Avalanche. Vegas was exposed by the Dallas Stars playing bad defense in front of the goalie. The Blues, like the Stars, are fantastic on defense and physical on offense. They can expose that problem further against the all-out offense of Peter DeBoer’s Knights. The Avalanche have injury and health issues, despite being neck-and-neck with St. Louis. Barring interruption in the season again, the Blues are the most complete team in this realignment.
Until starting goalie Jordan Binnington and coach Craig Berube crash like they did in last year’s postseason, they’re the best bet to advance to not just the final four, but the Stanley Cup Finals. The Blues couldn’t hang on to team captain Alex Pietrangelo, but they added Mike Hoffman, Torey Krug, and Zach Sanford. They’ll be dangerous to keep up with for 56 games.
#2 Vegas Golden Knights
Mark Stone (right) and Max Pacioretty celebrate after scoring early last season. Two of the best first-line pairings in the NHL will cause havoc in the West this year.
This comes down to the health of the Avalanche v. the exposed middle front of the Vegas defense, and that favors the Golden Knights. DeBoer will have a full season of goaltenders Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner, and defense was boosted by signing Blues captain Alex Pietrangelo.
The offense is a handful for any team (just ask Travis Green’s Canucks) with Mark Stone, Max Pacioretty, William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault, Alex Tuch and much more. At least three teams are re-building or on the rise, and the Knights will expose every weakness to rack up goals and points. It’ll take perfect defense and constant offensive pressure to beat them.
#3 Colorado Avalanche
The Coyotes and Avalanche will see a lot of each other this year, and that means more Nathan MacKinnon-Christian Fischer fights.
The third of the three-headed monster in this division, health will determine where Colorado goes, and that will be decisive later in the season. Star player Nathan MacKinnon looks to take the next step and become the best player in the NHL. Additions Devon Toews and Brandon Saad are boosts to both offense and defense when the first two lines can’t get going.
Coach Jared Bednar needs to find ways to get the Avalanche into the final four this year with the amount of talent on this roster. There’s more pressure given how Colorado got to the second round of the playoffs and lost in game seven for two straight years. If he can’t lead this team to the final four when Nathan MacKinnon is peaking, management could take action.
#4 Anaheim Ducks
If the Ducks have any hope of advancing to the top four in the West, it’s because phenom goaltender John Gibson plays Vezina-like defense, which he’s done for the past two years.
A dark-horse pick for any of the top four spots in the four divisions, there are good reasons why the Anaheim Ducks can sneak into the four team playoffs in the West. Let’s start with what the Ducks have over the remaining four.
The lights-out play of goaltender John Gibson. He’s faced more high-risk shots than any other starting net-minder in the past two years, and has stopped more of those shots than any other. He stays healthy too at 27, so if he’s in net, Anaheim has a shot.
Added veteran depth with David Backes and Kevin Shattenkirk. Both have played in deep postseason runs, with Shattenkirk winning two Stanley Cups.
Like the other two California teams, Anaheim hasn’t played in almost a year. A lot of their defensemen are young and needed to adapt to the NHL style of play during the break. Rookie Kodie Curran will be learning with Andy Welinski and Jani Hakanpaa on how to make Gibson not stress about high-risk shots.
Teams such as San Jose and Arizona will have injury issues like they have the past few seasons with their rosters mostly intact. Anaheim can outlast both teams and stay in the middle of the pack at worst.
Minnesota and Los Angeles are re-building most of their rosters. While Jonathan Quick could be back at full health, the Kings will struggle on offense compared with Anaheim. Minnesota’s depth isn’t as solid nor tenured on their third or fourth lines as the Ducks have focused on.
The Sharks and Wild have little to offer at goaltending. The Kings and Coyotes could present the toughest challenge, but how will they score consistently outside of a few franchise players? They won’t be a pretty choice, but they’re the best team to play 56 games without injury problems to sneak into the final four.
2021 will be a year unlike any other in the NHL. Commissioner Gary Bettman and the National Hockey League split up all 31 teams into four new divisions. In these divisions, seven to eight teams will play each other throughout the season. The top four teams will try to win their respective divisions and make it to the final four. Those final four teams play to advance for the Stanley Cup Finals.
To make this simpler: the Canadian teams are in three of the four divisions before this realignment. With COVID-19 still an issue, the Canadian teams, from Vancouver to Montreal, will play only each other to eliminate any elongated quarantine time. The Canucks, Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets will compete for the top four spots in this division. Who of the seven have the best chance of not just clinching a top four spot, but a trip to the final four?
#1Edmonton Oilers
Leon Draisaitl and Co. look to have a historic, and this time uninterrupted year in Canada.
In the Pacific division, the Vegas Golden Knights reign supreme, but if we’re talking the Canadian teams, Edmonton’s the best and most talented. Coach Dave Tippett will look to build on the progress made from last year’s season, and continue to tweak line changes.
Edmonton has the edge over the Flames, Leafs and Canucks because of their overwhelming offense, special teams advantages, and pesky defense. While Vancouver is ahead of schedule, they don’t have Conor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl (the reigning league MVP) reaching their prime. Most defenses of the other five Canadian teams are shaky at best.
#2 Vancouver Canucks
Vancouver Canucks goalies Thatcher Demko, left, and newly-signed Braden Holtby, right, appear supportive of each other as they vie for starts this season. (The Canadian Press)
Anyone supporting the Canucks couldn’t feel more positive going into the season. The combination of general manager Jim Benning and coach Travis Green have the team ahead of schedule contending for a championship. Quinn Hughes is a spectacular defenseman. Bo Horvat, Brock Boeser, Elias Pettersson and depth at the forward position make the Canucks a real threat to advance to the final two in the Canadian division.
To have a playoff run, the Canucks have two great goaltenders in Thatcher Demko (who is the starter and presumed 1A), with Stanley Cup champion Braden Holtby as 1B/backup. Holtby should be relieved to play with a better defense this year, getting back to his better days when playoff runs were expected. While Edmonton is the presumed favorite, Vancouver won’t be far behind.
#3 Toronto Maple Leafs
The stars of the Toronto Maple Leafs look on as Columbus advanced to the playoffs. This year should be better for a unit that’s known for scoring and some defensive improvements…right?
After the Canucks, there’s a drop-off in quality play in the North. The Canadiens need more offense, the Jets need more defense, and the Senators are still re-building. That leaves Toronto and Calgary as the two attractive options left. Between the Flames and the Leafs, the Leafs are the better team.
Toronto will be an offense-first team with the talent and stars they have. They overwhelm opponents with Auston Matthews, John Tavares, Mitch Marner and William Nylander on offense. The improvements on defense should solidify. T.J. Brodie comes over from the Flames to anchor a top defense spot with Morgan Reilly. Zach Bogosian signed with Toronto in the offseason after winning a Stanley Cup with Tampa Bay. Jack Campbell is an interesting choice at backup behind goaltender Frederick Anderson, though he’s a better option than Aaron Dell.
The Leafs need improved coaching, better and consistent physical play and to win the games they need to early on, such as opening night in Montreal. They should take the positive step this season.
#4 Calgary Flames
Jacob Markstrom (blue) is familiar with Mikael Backlund (11) and Calgary’s offense. This year, he’ll integrate with the defense more in order to get the Flames to the playoffs.
The Flames could go as far as Cam Talbot took them, and that dropped off after their third game against the Dallas Stars. After an ugly series loss, the Flames signed Vancouver Canucks starting goalie Jacob Markstrom to a six year deal, while Talbot signed with Minnesota.
The offense, coaching and defense are solid, but Calgary has a lot to prove and work through this season. The Bill Peters saga is over and Geoff Ward will have a better philosophy with the players. They can’t afford season ending injuries when the other three teams will scrape what they can for the fourth spot. While the Flames will get the fourth spot, this could be a long season for the team and fans.
The seven playoff seeds in the American Football Conference are finalized! In this new playoff format, the top seeded Kansas City Chiefs will have a week off, while the other six teams (Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills) play this upcoming weekend. Three teams will advance to the divisional round and inch closer to the Super Bowl. Time to decipher which three teams have the best shot of advancing to the next round.
#6 Cleveland Browns v. #3 Pittsburgh Steelers
This is the least interesting playoff game of the weekend. The Browns barely beat Mason Rudolph and a backup defense last weekend in Cleveland.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski finally got the Browns into the playoffs, but it may be short-lived since COVID-19 is hurting the team.
With no head coach and COVID-19 still a factor in who plays for the Browns, Pittsburgh is in a good position to advance. They’ll be playing with their starting defense and Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback instead of Rudolph. The Cleveland defense isn’t a threat against a serious Steelers squad.
Prediction: Steelers win 31-13
#5Baltimore Ravens v. #4 Tennessee Titans
Like the Bears-Saints game, this is a re-match of an earlier season win (by the Titans) which went to OT. The Raven offense, like the Bears offense, has surged and fixed their issues, making their teams look like threats heading into the weekend.
For the Ravens to be a threat in the post-season, Lamar Jackson needs to have the dazzling performances he does in the regular season.
The Ravens offense might have the same issues Titans head coach Mike Vrabel presented last year. Vrabel’s defense might have a porous secondary, but they’ve forced quarterback Lamar Jackson to throw the ball precisely on the outside instead of the middle of the field.
The Ravens offense is designed to play ahead and run points up. This works against opposing offenses that can’t score every drive. The Titans are one of the teams that can score every possession if needed. Behemoth runningback Derrick Henry is a nightmare the Ravens defense doesn’t want to see again. Ryan Tannehill has dependable receiving options and the offensive line is pretty solid.
Upset Prediction of the Week: Titans win 40-34 (OT)
#7 Indianapolis Colts v. #2 Buffalo Bills
Bills head coach Sean McDermott is seen by many fans as the coach of the year. He needs a playoff win to prove he’s more than just a regular season winner who turns teams around.
The best game this weekend will be the first one aired. MVP candidate Josh Allen will face one of the best defenses in the NFL, while the Bills defense has a sizable task in containing the Colts running game.
The Bills are the hottest team right now, destroying a desperate Miami Dolphins team where their starters played only the first half and still scored 56. They’re getting receiver John Brown back at the right time to pair with Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley. Zach Moss has turned into a reliable runningback, the last piece the Bills needed before they went on a run.
The Bills won’t steamroll through Indianapolis’ defense if linebacker Darius Leonard has any say in it.
The Colts on the other hand will miss Anthony Castonzo on the offensive line. Philip Rivers has a lot of pressure to get to the Super Bowl since this could be his last season. Jonathan Taylor can help take the pressure off, but the Bills could play their best if Rivers drops back to pass.
The seven playoff seeds in the National Football Conference are finalized! In this new playoff format, the top seeded Green Bay Packers will have a week off, while the other six teams (Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Football Team, Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints) play this upcoming weekend. Three teams will advance to the divisional round and inch closer to the Super Bowl. Time to decipher which three teams have the best shot of advancing to the next round.
#7 Chicago Bears v. #2 New Orleans Saints
The regular season match-up featured a different quarterback for the Bears (Nick Foles), a star receiver out (Michael Thomas), and defenses stopping the run early and often. A lot has changed the past month and a half. Mitchell Trubisky is back starting and presents the best opportunity to beat a stout Saints defense that can rush opposing quarterbacks well, and Michael Thomas (per ESPN) should play this Sunday for the first time in a month.
Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky (10) and the Bears offense must do against the Saints what he couldn’t do against the Packers last Sunday: score touchdowns and not field goals.
Analysis: This favors New Orleans heavily. Chicago’s defense couldn’t get pressure on a backup left tackle against Green Bay last Sunday. Defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano’s bull-rush first mentality has burned the defensive front out. The Saints’ offensive line should give Drew Brees a lot of time especially the second half. Chicago’s offensive line will help Trubisky a bit since he’s a mobile threat, but the potential loss of Darnell Mooney hurts.
Prediction: New Orleans wins 30-17
#6 Los Angeles Rams v. #3 Seattle Seahawks
Another Rams-Seahawks game means Round 3 of the elite Jalen Ramsey v. the intimidating DK Metcalf matchup.
The Rams and Seahawks play in a third straight divisional game, and their third game against each other this season. The first two games featured defensive highlights, hard hits and not a lot of scoring. Both starting quarterbacks struggled to make plays and stretch the field. This game looks to continue that trend.
Analysis: Between Jared Goff’s injured thumb, a short week to prepare and the unspectacular performance by John Wolford last Sunday, the Rams defense is critical for creating turnovers and scoring opportunities. Kicker Matt Gay has range even if the offense can’t get touchdowns, but the return of runningback Cam Akers and offensive captain Andrew Whitworth will help even if it’s a small net positive.
The more mobile the quarterback, the better chance of winning for either team. Thankfully for Seattle, Russell Wilson (3, white) is more mobile than either Jared Goff or John Wolford.
Seattle’s Mike Iupati and Brandon Shell returning gives Seattle an offensive line at full strength. Russell Wilson’s struggles against Aaron Donald and the Rams defensive front presents opportunities for runningbacks Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde to control the game tempo. For the Seahawks, keeping the Rams offensive stars off the field notably in the second half is important for an early playoff win on a short week.
Prediction: Seahawks win 23-13
#5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers v. #4 Washington Football Team
The third playoff matchup between Ron Rivera (left) and Bruce Arians (right). Rivera is 2-0 in both meetings, but this time Arians has the quarterback and roster he didn’t have against Rivera’s Panthers.
The trilogy meeting between Bruce Arians v. Ron Rivera is what we wanted. Tampa’s defense has dealt with COVID-19 issues the past week and a half, and Washington’s offense is so-so. Tampa’s offense is loaded even if Mike Evans doesn’t play. On the opposite, Washington boasts the best pass defense and the best front defensive four in the NFL. This will be a great game even with a 7-9 team in the playoffs.
Analysis: The key to winning for both teams involves the running game. Antonio Gibson is the key for the Football Team in order to win, so he should get a lot of touches early and often. Alex Smith is a bright quarterback who knows how to win in the playoffs despite his leg injury being a problem in the past week. Tampa may have an advantage smothering his best receivers in coverage, but there’s enough creativity with runningbacks to keep Washington hanging around.
Brady’s first game as a wild-card road team could mean one of two things: things go well, or things play out poorly and he grills his teammates.
Ronald Jones is a top three runningback in the NFL, but the offensive stubbornness of Bruce Arians and Byron Leftwich prevent him from shining when it matters most. Arians does have the quarterback that takes competition to the next level in Tom Brady, and one would think despite Arians calling plays, this is Brady’s game. Rookie defensive end Chase Young opened his mouth too early and talked on how he wants to sack Brady at least once. The best quarterback in our lifetime took this personally, and we’ve seen Brady show up when he takes things to heart.
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