Franchise Quarterback

Courtesy of Kansas City Chiefs The stage is set for Super Bowl Sunday. The NFC Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers challenge the AFC Champion and reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV this Sunday night at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers will become the first team in NFL history to play in the Super Bowl on home turf, while the Chiefs are looking to become the first Super Bowl champion to repeat since the 2004 New England Patriots. The NFL will welcome 25,000 fans into the stands to watch the game on Super Bowl Sunday, including 7,500 vaccinated healthcare workers, to watch the fifth matchup between star quarterbacks  Patrick Mahomes against Tom Brady. Two heavyweights squaring off for what could be the final time.  It was far from a yellow brick road for the NFL to navigate a historic pandemic while playing a full season, but here we are. We have reached the finish line to a turbulent season which was far from promised every step of the ...

Courtesy of Reuters Written by Sam DeCoste Awards season is upon us, and it's time to crown this year's NFL superlatives.  In a season defined by a public health crisis which faced adversity to simply keep playing, the stars showed out and entertained the masses like never before.  Who will come away with the hardware? I'll tell you, right now. Check back tomorrow for my Super Bowl prediction!  Comeback Player of the Year Alex Smith, QB, Washington Football Team On-field performances aside, Alex Smith should win this award unanimously. Smith's journey back to the NFL has been nothing short of sensational. After suffering a compound fracture to his right leg in 2018, Smith underwent 17 surgeries to repair a fractured tibia, fibula, and to fight off a life-threatening bacterial infection. Smith was told he may never walk again, and his bacterial infection could kill him. But he persevered, cleared NFL protocol to practice, regained the starting job, and returned to the gr...

Courtesy of Harry Scull, Jr. Written by Sam DeCoste This is for the Super Bowl.  It's Championship Weekend in the NFL, with 2 tickets to Super Bowl LV on the line. Four teams remain, each spearheaded by an MVP quarterback, and studded with dynamic receivers, and backed by prolific defenses. In the NFC, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will face off with the Green Bay Packers in a battle between Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers, and the Buffalo Bills will challenge the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC as Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes duel for the second time in their young NFL careers. The stage is set for a  pair of rematches from Week 6 of the regular season, and for an exciting photo finish to the postseason.  Last week, I finished at 3-1. I did not expect a hapless performance from Drew Brees in what could have been his final career game, or a Bucs win. But otherwise, the Packers, Bills, and Chiefs booked their spots in the championship round, as I foretold in my Divisional Predix. T...

Courtesy of New Orleans Saints Written by Sam DeCoste Super Wild Card Weekend delivered. The heroics of Josh Allen, Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield, and, um, Taylor Heinicke, headlined a stellar weekend in the NFL playoffs a week ago, and the schedule ramps up from here. Many regard Divisional Weekend as the best slate of games in the NFL schedule all season long, and the playoff games on tap would certainly compliment that distinction. The playoffs resume on Saturday when the immovable wall meets the unstoppable force, as the Rams take on the Packers, and concludes on Sunday when a pair of future Hall of Fame quarterbacks duel in New Orleans, as the Buccaneers battle the Saints. Sandwiched in between are blockbuster matchups featuring Josh Allen and the Bills hosting Lamar Jackson and the Ravens, and the Super Bowl champion Chiefs hosting the Wild Card-victorious Brwns. Historically, my postseason Predix record is inconsistent. In 33 combined playoff games since 2017, my over...

Courtesy of Baltimore Ravens Written by Sam DeCoste Playoff football is here. After an NFL season for the ages, both on and off the field , it is time to look forward to the postseason. The 2020 playoffs will mark the first time 14 teams are featured in the postseason, and the elimination of a bye week for the second seed in each conference. As the  Chiefs and Packers sit back and enjoy their bye week as the one seeds in the AFC and NFC, thy will watch the NFL playoffs unfold just as will we this weekend.  The NFL welcomes 7 teams to the playoffs who missed the postseason in 2019, including the likes of the Buccaneers, Browns, and even the Washington Football Team. The Wild Card lineup features must-see matchups between the Colts and Bills, Rams and Seahawks, Browns and Steelers, and a rematch of Ravens-Titans from the 2019 Divisional Round.  As the dust settles on the regular season, I can declare I have improved from my 2019 regular season Predix by 4 games. I finish th...

Courtesy of USA Today Sports The second season has arrived. The dust has settled on the NFL regular season, and the  playoffs are upon us. The 2020 postseason marks the first iteration of the NFL playoffs to include 14 teams, an expansion of the previous format. This year's slate features some familiar faces like the Chiefs, Packers, Saints, Ravens, and Seahawks. But long-lasting playoff droughts were snapped in 2020, and the Browns and Buccaneers are making their first appearances in the playoffs in generations.   If your team is in the playoffs, congratulations, and gear up for an exciting postseason. If your team was eliminated, my dearest grievances for you, but don't fret, the draft will be here before you know it. In this postseason edition of the power rankings, I will rank each of the 14 playoff teams based on their roster, coaching, regular season record, and probability of making it to the Super Bowl. These power rankings will tell you in order from 14 to 1...