Franchise Quarterback

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...

Courtesy of Eric Christian Smith Rookie fill-in kicker Sam Sloman stunned the NFL stratosphere on Sunday after doinking a walk-off chip shot field goal attempt off the upright and in to clinch the Tennessee Titans their first AFC South title since 2008. Sloman's kick headlined a nail-biting Week 17 for the ages, and ensured that all 256 NFL regular seasons would be played, without a single cancellation all year. But Week 17 featured much more than the traditional drama of last-gasp playoff implications in 2020.  The 2020 NFL regular season reached its merciful end on Sunday night, allowing Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL to collectively breathe one hefty sigh of relief. We did it.  Overcoming dozens of volatile coronavirus outbreaks, playing games in empty and mildly populated stadiums, and juggling an ever-malleable schedule, the NFL delivered a full regular season. But it wasn't easy.  The journey to the finish line has been anything but a yellowbrick road for th...