2021 NFL Playoffs
Kenny Ling '21 Staff Writer
The National Football League playoffs have been in full swing these past couple weeks with no shortage of excitement. From heartbreakers and upsets, the limited/ nonexistent fan attendance failed to quell the emotion from players. The regular season has been a complete roller coaster. With concerns about COVID-19 protocols, many people are shocked that the NFL is still going strong.
With the addition of another playoff spot, it has brought the playoff team total to fourteen, with seven from each conference. Only the first seed has a first round bye to play the lowest remaining seed from the Wild Card Round. The AFC playoff |
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, January 17, 2021 - Mack Wilson of the Cleveland Browns sacks the Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes during Sunday’s game. J. SQUIRE/GETTY IMAGES
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teams consisted of the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts with the seeding in respective order. The NFC playoff teams consisted of the Green Bay Packers, New Orlean Saints, Seattle Seahawks, Washington Football Team, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears with the seeding in respective order.
The Wild Card Round opener was the Bills vs. Colts, with Josh Allen leading the way and securing a close 27-24 victory for the Bills, marking their first playoff win since 1995. The Seahawks and Rams battled it out in a NFC West showdown with a stifling #1 ranked Rams defense dominating Russell Wilson and Seattle 30-20. A tremendous performance by undrafted QB Taylor Heinicke saw the Washington Football Team barely falling to the heavily favored Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-23. The Ravens and Titans game was by far the most anticipated game, with Lamar Jackson seeking his first career playoff win and Tennessee trying to extend their win streak on the Ravens to three. The Titans jumped to an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter, but it was all Ravens after that with defensive and offensive adjustments that allowed Baltimore to move on to the divisional round 20-13. The Saints and Bears game made an appearance on Nickelodeon with the Saints easily defeating the Bears 21-9. The final game of the Wild Card Round ended with the Browns upsetting the Steelers 48-37 after jumping to a 28-0 lead in the first quarter, securing Cleveland’s first playoff win since 1995.
The Wild Card Round opener was the Bills vs. Colts, with Josh Allen leading the way and securing a close 27-24 victory for the Bills, marking their first playoff win since 1995. The Seahawks and Rams battled it out in a NFC West showdown with a stifling #1 ranked Rams defense dominating Russell Wilson and Seattle 30-20. A tremendous performance by undrafted QB Taylor Heinicke saw the Washington Football Team barely falling to the heavily favored Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-23. The Ravens and Titans game was by far the most anticipated game, with Lamar Jackson seeking his first career playoff win and Tennessee trying to extend their win streak on the Ravens to three. The Titans jumped to an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter, but it was all Ravens after that with defensive and offensive adjustments that allowed Baltimore to move on to the divisional round 20-13. The Saints and Bears game made an appearance on Nickelodeon with the Saints easily defeating the Bears 21-9. The final game of the Wild Card Round ended with the Browns upsetting the Steelers 48-37 after jumping to a 28-0 lead in the first quarter, securing Cleveland’s first playoff win since 1995.
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK, January 16, 2020 - The Baltimore Ravens on offense during the first quarter of Saturday night’s game against the Buffalo Bills. B. BENNETT/GETTY IMAGES
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The Divisional Round opener began with the Packers, led by Aaron Rodgers, steamrolling through the Rams 32-18. The Ravens’ miracle run came to a screeching halt against the Bills due to their offensive struggles and star kicker Justin Tucker missing two field goals hitting the upright. Ravens center Patrick Mekari also botched four snaps that became detrimental to the Ravens’ efforts to score. On top of that, Lamar Jackson threw a pick in the endzone to Bills cornerback Taron Johnson who returned the football for a 101-yard pick-six, tying the NFL playoff record. The Bills move on from the embarrassing
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Baltimore Ravens 17-3 and find themselves in the AFC championship. Another interesting matchup between the Chiefs and Browns found Kansas City leading Cleveland 19-3 at halftime after a controversial helmet-to-helmet tackle no-call that prevented a guaranteed touchdown and resulted in a touchback for the Chiefs. Midway through the third quarter, Patrick Mahomes went down with a concussion, turning the tide for the Browns. The Browns rallied, scoring two touchdowns and brought the score to 22-17. However, their season came to an end after backup QB Chad Henne made crucial back-to-back plays in the final minutes of the fourth quarter to win it for the Chiefs. The final game of the divisional round was a matchup between two future Hall of Fame QBs Tom Brady and Drew Brees. This one was all Buccaneers defense that granted Brady a trip to the NFC championship with the final score 30-20. Many sources have claimed that Brees will retire, marking an end to a legendary career.
At the time of this publication, the Buccaneers and the Chiefs have won their games and will face off at the SuperBowl.
At the time of this publication, the Buccaneers and the Chiefs have won their games and will face off at the SuperBowl.