The NFL Roundup 2021: Wild Card Weekend Recap

Written by John Edward Betancourt

It just so happens, that this year’s Wild Card Weekend was touted as Super Wild Card Weekend and it was wise of the NFL to give the moniker a little bit of a shake-up. Simply because it really did deliver as advertised, since we were treated to some epic matchups over the course of the weekend. The kind that quite frankly, took our breath away since we saw a stunning upset take place and enjoyed some quality play from ninety-percent of the teams involved. And now that this epic weekend has come to a close, we can all look forward to the wonder of the Divisional Round as we inch closer to the Super Bowl. But before we begin to ponder upon who will be making an appearance in Championship Sunday, it’s best we take one last look at Wild Card Weekend and all the important moments it sent our way. 

The Buffalo Bills shows the football world how tough they are on Saturday.
The true mark of a great team, is how they handle adversity and the best place for that to happen, is in the playoffs. Because the postseason means that great teams are facing opponents of equal caliber and after Saturday’s matchup between Indianapolis and Buffalo, we know now that Buffalo is indeed a great team through and through. Because the Colts stepped up in this game and worked to disrupt the mighty Bills offense. But Josh Allen and company stayed patient and fought through every setback and stalled drive and for their efforts, they get to advance to the Divisional Round, and they are going to be a handful for the Ravens, since this game proved that they can handle any challenge that a team throws their way.
 
Seattle’s garbage defense finally came back to haunt them.
What’s truly amazing about the modern NFL, is how some teams do their best to ignore glaring problems and just forge ahead, as if said problem will just magically disappear. Because that’s just next level hubris and it has cost so many teams playoff games and seasons and it just so happens, that this particular type of ignorance, is what brought Seattle’s season to a screeching halt on Sunday. For all season long, their defense got them into trouble, the kind that Russell Wilson bailed them out of, but against the Rams, their savior couldn't help them. Because Los Angeles shut Wilson down and that allowed for an ailing offense to put up some serious points and well, hopefully Seattle learns its lesson from this awful loss, and they quickly work to revamp their shoddy defense when the offseason begins.
 
Washington may have discovered its quarterback of the future.
While it is wonderful to know that Tom Brady is advancing for the umpteenth time in the playoffs, that’s not really the best story to come out of the Tampa Bay/Washington game. Because there’s another hero to be found in this story and it is Washington Quarterback Taylor Heinicke. For this kid, who should have been overwhelmed and terrified since he got the starting nod mere hours before game time, played with the same calm that Brady exhibited all game long. And he was no slouch stats wise either, since he threw for 306 years and scored by land and by air and well, when one considers that Washington is back to square one when it comes to finding a franchise quarterback… their search in the offseason might not need to be all that extensive. Because Heinicke might be the guy, and he deserves a shot to prove that’s the case, after one stellar playoff performance on Saturday night.
 
The Ravens served up some epic revenge.
Every nerd out there is familiar with the old Klingon proverb that reminds us that ‘revenge is a dish, that is best served cold’ and this is clearly a lesson that the Baltimore Ravens took to heart. Because they came into Tennessee with memories of last year’s stunning upset at the hands of the Titans at the forefront of their minds, and they used it as fuel to offer up some nasty payback in this particular game. For not only did they secure the dub, but they also straight up neutralized the league’s best run game in 2020 and well, this particular win definitely serves as a fine lesson for the rest of the NFL. In that, the Ravens are students of the game, and they have a good memory, and they will make any team that embarrasses them on their home field pay when the moment is right. And it should be interesting to see how much of this vengeful fury the Ravens will take with them to Buffalo this weekend.
 
Chicago is once again in need of a franchise quarterback.
It is definitely safe to say that the outcome of the Bears/Saints game, was never in doubt. Because the Saints are a great team with a great quarterback and the 8-8 Bears should have missed the playoffs this year. But while the Saints move onto the Divisional Round, this sudden and fitting end to the Chicago Bears' season, leaves them in undiscovered country when it comes to the quarterback position. Because let’s be honest, Nick Foles didn’t work out for them like they hoped and Trubisky never quite put it together. Meaning that there is a chance that this team is once again on the hunt for a franchise quarterback and hopefully they are aggressive at either getting a quality journeyman under center or at drafting the right rookie. Because if this team was able to go 8-8 and make the postseason on defense alone, imagine what they could do with a quality QB on the team.
 
The Browns pulled off an upset for the ages.
What’s truly amazing about last night’s final Wild Card Game, is that the odds were completely stacked against the Browns. After all, most of the offensive coaching staff missed last night’s game due to Covid protocols and the Steelers were at full strength offensively, which means that Cleveland should have lost this game. But clearly, pre-game coaching conversations and some extra work from the team captains, changed the narrative in this tale. Because this team came out swinging and stunned the Steelers by handing them an embarrassing playoff loss and well, that’s about as epic an upset as it gets. Because they also made this happen, on the road in Pittsburgh and well… good for the Browns. For that is a wonderful way to return to the playoffs after an eighteen-year absence and hopefully they can put on quite the show in Kansas City, so that everyone knows to take this team seriously going forward.

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