The "Super" Wildcard Weekend was anything but super. Five of the six games were decided by 14 or more points, with the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams the only close games. This is pretty much the norm since the seventh team was added to the playoffs. Since the league went to a 14-team playoff format, 14 of the 24 games played were decided by ten or more points.
The league will never go back to a 12-team format again and if anything will expand the playoffs to 16 teams. I personally would not be a fan of that but I'm just one fan and no doubt this move would give the league more games to market, which means more money. With the remaining eight teams playing this weekend, it should be must-see TV. The teams that advanced looked dominant last weekend, with a couple of upsets. Including the Texans completely dismantling the Cleveland Browns and the Green Bay Packers sending the Dallas Cowboys back to their couches.
The Chiefs' defense continued their outstanding play, holding the Dolphins to a mere seven points, while the Lions got past the Rams, 24 - 23. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills dispatched the Steelers with relative ease and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sent the Eagles back to Philadelphia with their tail tucked between their legs. How do these eight teams stack up against each other? Let's get into our rankings.
8. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers demolished the Philadelphia Eagles by a score of 32 - 9. Is Baker Mayfield good enough to carry the Bucs further in the playoffs? We'll see come Sunday afternoon when they travel to Detroit to take on the Lions. I'm not going to get into predictions right now, that'll come later but I think this will be a close game. That said, I also don't think the Bucs are one of the better teams in the conference. They were fortunate to host a playoff game against a floundering Eagles team, losers of six of their last seven games.
7. Detroit Lions
Ranking these teams wasn't easy and honestly, several are interchangeable too. I put the Lions here at seven because, for one their defense might be the worst of the remaining playoff teams. Secondly, their win against the Rams wasn't nearly as impressive as the other five winners. Regardless, the Lions are a good football team, have some terrific weapons on offense, and can score with anyone.
6. Green Bay Packers
I won't lie, I was a little surprised with how the Packers dominated the Cowboys. In my prediction piece last week, I picked Dallas for the win but well, that didn't work out for me. Props to the Packers though, who have been playing excellent football over the last couple of months. Still, I'm not sure if their win over the Cowboys tells us more about the Packers or Cowboys. Green Bay will have an opportunity this weekend against the 49ers to show just how good they are.
5. Houston Texans
Look, I know the Texans straight dominated the Browns and Joe Flacco has played out of his mind. I didn't feel Flacco would continue to roll as he has, just didn't know for sure when that roll would come to an end. He's still the same Flacco we saw with the Jets last season, only a year older. The Browns defense is good, but C.J. Stroud was better. Now the Texans have to go on the road and take on the AFC's top seed, the Baltimore Ravens. Like I said last week, don't count the Texans out.
4. Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs had a solid game against the Miami Dolphins but then again, the Dolphins simply collapsed down the stretch, similar to the Eagles collapse. Miami dropped four of their last six and now the fans are starting to question if Tua is the guy. Doesn't matter though, the Chiefs advance, and looks like they might have found a receiver they can rely on going forward. Rashee Rice had eight receptions for 130 yards and a touchdown. The defense still looks like championship caliber too.
3. Buffalo Bills
The Bills picked up the win against the Steelers to advance to the Divisional round. They dispatched Pittsburgh, 31 - 17 and even though the Steelers were within a score at one point, the Bills never really seemed in danger of losing control of the game. Buffalo's defense was solid but lost some players to injury, including middle linebacker Terrel Bernard. Regardless, Buffalo is one of the most well-rounded teams in the NFL.
2. San Francisco 49ers
Last week, I placed the 49ers as the number two team, with the Ravens number one. That hasn't changed this week, given neither team played, and both are the number-one seeds in their respective conferences. The 49ers are the favorite in the NFC to represent the conference in the Super Bowl. I don't see another team getting in their way, but the Green Bay Packers are going to try this weekend.
1. Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson and this Ravens team have something to prove. They were the best team in the regular season and the league's only 13-win team, but they have only one playoff win since Jackson became the starting quarterback. Beating an upstart Texans team would be a start to putting that narrative to bed. Jackson has the best supporting cast he's ever had, and their defense is top-notch too.