Sam and I are back on Till The Whistle Blows to discuss the latest in Football as we get increasingly closer to a Super Bowl matchup. We review the Divisional Round matchups, give our picks and thoughts on this coming weekend’s Championship matchups, and evaluate some of the recent head coaching hires. Specifically:
The Packers roll past the Rams with a smooth passing game and an overlooked running game: How Aaron Rodgers bought into Matt Lafleur’s system to get back to playing in rhythm.
Lamar Jackson gets hurt again and the Bills win a low scoring game in windy Buffalo: What the Ravens need to do to get their passing game on track next year.
Brees and the Saints struggle in what may be the last career game for Drew: How turnovers killed them in this one, how Drew’s late season injury doomed him, and the amazing legacy that he leaves behind in New Orleans and the NFL.
The Browns come up short in the AFC Championship, but they finally have a strong foundation and look to be back in the mix next year.
Patrick Mahomes gets injured on an ill-advised play call, and Chad Henne has the moment of his 12 year NFL career, icing the game with a 13 yard run on 3rd and 14 and a first down strike on 4th and inches from a ballsy play call by Andy Reid.
The Packers and Aaron Rodgers matchup well with the Bucs on paper, but they have some Championship Game demons to exorcise AND will need to avenge their earlier beatdown by the Bucs, their worst loss of the regular season.
Similarly, the Chiefs look to make it 2-0 against the Bills on the year, but Mahomes’s health is key: Currently in concussion protocol, can he be ready to play by Sunday?
The Jets bring in former 49ers Defensive Coordinator Robert Saleh as their new Head Coach–and as the first ever Muslim-American head coach in the NFL–and Mike Lafleur as their new offensive coordinator: Why we like the hires.
The Jaguars bring in Urban Meyer, former Florida Gators and Ohio State Buckeyes Head Coach, to coach the Jaguars for his first ever NFL coaching gig: Why it’s a huge risk.
The Falcons hire Arthur Smith, former Tennessee Titans Offensive Coordinator, as Head Coach: Why it’s a great move for a quick turnaround for Matt Ryan. The only question: Can he fix the defense?
Lastly, the Chargers hire former Rams Defensive Coordinator Brandon Staley as their next Head Coach: The move is a bit of a surprise, but it still could work out.
Sam and I are back to break down what we saw during the first ever Super Wild-Card Weekend, preview next weekend’s Divisional Round games, and discuss some breaking news around the league. On this week’s episode:
Despite falling short against Buffalo, the Colts and Philip Rivers had a good year and have built a good foundation moving forward, especially with Jonathan Taylor at the Running Back position. If Rivers wants to keep playing, he’ll likely be welcomed back.
The Seahawks offense is unable to get it together and looked absolutely lifeless in a bad home loss to the Rams. Who’s to blame, and is it time for coaching staff changes?
Taylor Heinecke and the Washington Football team put up a surprising fight to come up just short against Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As usual, Brady gets some help from bad officiating, and the announcers can’t stop heaping him with annoyingly excessive praise.
The Ravens shut down Derrick Henry, Ryan Tannehill, AJ Brown, and Corey Davis for one of their worst offensive performances of the year. The weaknesses of being a run-first team, and why the Titans may have hit their peak. Meanwhile, Lamar Jackson gets his first playoff win in an emotional revenge game for the Ravens. But despite the win, their passing game issues still persist and likely will cost them against a better offense.
Nickelodeon put on a separate, kids-oriented broadcast of the Bears Saints game. They absolutely nailed it.
The Steelers come out completely unprepared to play and embarrass themselves against a Browns team without their head coach, on the road, making their first playoff debut since 2002. Once again, Mike Tomlin reminds us why he is one of the most overrated coaches in the NFL. Don’t listen to the noise; this is not on Ben Roethlisberger. Tomlin did here what he has been doing to this team for years, and it’s inexcusable.
Josh Allen has likely the biggest test of his career coming up in facing this Ravens defense. Will he continue to have the hot hand?
Tom Brady and Drew Brees face off for the third time this season, and likely for the last time ever. Brees is 2-0 against Brady this year. Can he get the sweep?
The Eagles make the surprising decision to fire Doug Pederson just three years removed from coaching Philly to their only Super Bowl win ever. We discuss the reasons this move was made and the unpleasant road ahead for what has become a bit of a dysfunctional organization.
Dallas, already facing big time issues on defense, makes the worst possible defensive coordinator hire in Dan Quinn. Why, despite his early involvement with the legion of boom, Quinn’s cover 3 scheme has been exposed and no longer works.
And lastly, the Texans have managed to piss off their multimillion dollar franchise QB in Deshaun Watson, who reportedly may want out of Houston. How the Texans’ culture issues led to them alienating and angering their franchise QB.
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