The NFL Roundup 2021: Wild Card Weekend – Day 2

Written by John Edward Betancourt

It’s always a wonderful thing when Wild Card Weekend lives up to its namesake and thus far, that’s been the case. Because not only were we treated to a full day of playoff football yesterday, we also were treated to a thrilling and close game, an unfortunate defensive collapse and Washington might have discovered their quarterback of the future against Tampa Bay. And that of course, leaves all of us hopeful that Day 2 of the first round of the playoffs will deliver in a similar fashion and most likely, it will. Because today’s lineup of games features some powerhouse teams and some hungry ones as well and with that in mind… let’s dive right in and preview everything that Day 2 of Wild Card Weekend has to offer.

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AFC Wild Card Matchup
Baltimore Ravens at Tennessee Titans
Nissan Field – Nashville, Tennessee
1:05 p.m. EST – ABC/ESPN

HOW THESE TEAMS REACHED THE PLAYOFFS
A year ago, these two squads bounced into the playoffs in dynamic fashion. For Baltimore shocked the AFC with some dominant play and the Titans used a powerhouse run game and their stout defense to go deep into the playoffs. But this year, they had to work hard to earn their respective slots. Because the Titans abandoned the run on and off this year, which led to some ugly losses and the Ravens opted to try and go with a more traditional offense at times, which also brought forth some embarrassing losses. But eventually they buckled down and did just enough to lock up their respective playoff berths, and as fate would have it… these two teams take the field today in a pseudo-rematch of their divisional meeting from last year. 
 
KEYS TO THE GAME
Surprisingly, the path to victory for both of these teams is quite simple. In that, whichever team takes a back to basics approach in this game, will lock it up no problem. So, if Baltimore doesn’t try to get fancy on offense and sticks with a healthy mix of RPO and traditional elements, they should be able to avenge their ugly loss to this team from a year ago. And on the flip side of that, if Tennessee can hand the rock to Derrick Henry on a consistent basis and play quarterback contain on defense, then they will continue to own this team in the playoffs, and it should be interesting to see which team can stick to what works as they fight to advance to the Divisional Round.

NFC Wild Card Matchup
Chicago Bears at New Orleans Saints
Mercedes-Benz Superdome – New Orleans, Louisiana
4:40 p.m. EST – CBS

HOW THESE TEAMS REACHED THE PLAYOFFS
This is another one of those games that features some polarizing paths for the teams involved. For the Chicago Bears weren’t exactly a dominant team this year, on offense. In fact, they had to go back and forth between Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles at quarterback in order to spark their offense. But they did just enough to earn a berth and they’re taking on a squad that entered the tournament by way of sheer domination. Because the Saints had a phenomenal season for certain, one where they won some huge games in epic fashion and they even toyed with nabbing the #1 seed in the NFC for a little while before settling in behind Green Bay as the #2.
 
KEYS TO THE GAME
Truth be told, this game is the Saints to lose. Because they have a future Hall of Fame quarterback on their roster in Drew Brees, and he can lead this team into the endzone on a moment’s notice, and their bend but don’t break defense does just enough to keep them out of trouble. Whereas the Bears offense is mediocre at best and they tend to not score enough in big games such as this one. But they could potentially win. For if the Bears Defense can step up and neutralize the passing game, and slow the run game down, then there’s a chance that Trubisky can do just enough to win this game. But more than likely, the Saints are walking away with the victory in this one. Because they are the better team.

AFC Wild Card Matchup
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
Heinz Field – Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
8:15 p.m. EST – NBC

​HOW THESE TEAMS REACHED THE PLAYOFFS
Surprisingly, this is another game that features fascinating paths for the teams involved. Because the Pittsburgh Steelers were the toast of the NFL not that long ago. In fact, they were 11-0 at one point and seemed quite invincible. But a couple of losses shattered the psyche of this team, and it didn’t help that defenses figured out their offense, which put them into a rough late season skid, one that kept them from locking up the #1 seed. Whereas the Browns, started off the season… looking like the Browns, thanks to an embarrassing loss to Baltimore in the season opener. But as the season went along, they put everything together and figured out how to win in a dominant fashion, allowing for them enjoy their first playoff berth since 2002.
 
KEYS TO THE GAME
On paper it looks as though Pittsburgh should handily win this game, but the reality is far more complex for this team. Because I wasn’t kidding when I said that teams have figured out their offensive scheme. Which means that if they want to win this game, they need to mix it up on offense and play some stout defense and if they can do that, they should be able to advance. But the Cleveland Browns are no slouch either and they’re eager to win a big game and really, if they want to make that happen, they need to play some physical and aggressive football. Because the Steelers tend to crumble when a team stands up to them and keeps the pressure on, and if Cleveland can show no fear and answer accordingly or just put up a big lead, that should help him net their first playoff win in forever.