#19: Playoff Matchup previews

NFL Power Rankings is a production of the NFL in partnership with iHeartRadio.

It's the Playoffs. Everybody, Welcome to the wild Card Weekend. Hold on Eric at Holme. Let me rephrase that the Super wild Card Weekend edition of the NFL Power Ranking Show, presented to you by energizer Ericas in Chicago. I am here in our studios in Los Angeles, ERAIC. Happy playoffs to you, and congratulations. I want a round of applause here for you. Because your top fourteen teams are all

I thought about it.

I really did, but I actually thought about it going into Week eighteen, but nobody really blew me away. I would have done it the Saints, but Dennis Allen had a little postgame issue.

I just couldn't do it after that.

Dennis Allen, as we tape this on Tuesdays, Tilly much to the coach of the Saints, and he still his ears are probably ringing. After Arthur Smith, who was subsequently fired. Cust him out a little bit at midfield. All right, scan the thing on the screen, the QR code on the screen right there. Go to NFL dot com and get Eric's updated power rankings. The Ravens of the Niners do not move. They are one and two. The Cowboys do the job in Washington and Ron Rivera's final game.

As I've said for several weeks now, I really feel like you could argue the Ravens are on their own level by themselves, But I think the Ravens and Niners. I put them on one tier and three through about ten or eleven. I would say, jumble them up in a bag and roll them out there. Pick your favorite order. Look, I mean, I get it why people are doubting the Cowboys. There's certainly some holes you could poke in this team.

Let's not sugarcoat it. There are great storylines in every game, great drama in every game. Well, when Jerry Jones says, let's see how it goes in the postseason. I mean, there's a chance this is Mike McCarthy's last game. Now. I'm not predicting doom and gloom here, although I do think the Packers can eat and win this game. But Eric, imagine if the Packers win this game, Yeah, oh, there could be profound impact on Dallas's situation.

Do they chase one of these big name coaches that are rumored to be on the market possibly moving this offseason now, Jim Harbabo, maybe Bill Belichick, who knows right, anything is possible with Jerry Jones and the Cowboys. But McCarthy has done a lot, especially this season, I think to solidify as standing. But them in Philly, I would say, are two teams that have to be you're awfully careful in the playoffs.

And that game is the four thirty Eastern Time game, a Fox game Sunday, the middle game on Super wild Card weekend. On Sunday, Let's talk about the Bills here, because Buffalo is the early kick on Sunday. They're at home. They get the Steelers. They did the thing despite all the Josh Allen first half turnovers in Miami, and they are the two seed in the AFC. I'm gonna play the hypothetical game, Eric, what if the Jaguars had won earlier in the day, and what if the Dolphins had won?

Yeah, that's probably the one team had they somehow not made it, had the formula worked against them and they didn't squeeze in, they were probably the one team that I referenced the top that I would have considered putting in there.

Now I've slow rolled them a little bit.

I'm not you know, some other power ranking artists out there, we're putting them up at three, four, even two. I saw at one point after their their late season push there, I played it a little slower. But as time has gone on, I've kind of grown to appreciate the fact that you have to embrace the chaos a little bit with them, right, you have to understand Josh Allen can dig you in a hole and then dig.

Yourself out pretty quickly.

So, uh, it's it's not for everybody, but their style can cause a lot of problems for opponents, and including this weekend, starting with the Steelers.

You're with me, right, The Steelers aren't winning this game. Agree.

I have a hard time seeing that, Yeah, I really do.

I can't see the Steelers winning this game. They're they're gonna go with Mason Rudolph, Okay, I mean they should imagine going back to July and hearing Mike Tomlin choosing in the year the backup quarterback to go with his number three quarterback in a playoff game on the road wild card weekend. It is just nuts And TJ. Watt is confirmed he is out for this game, week number one of the postseason. We have the Lions at number five, same as last week, and again the injuries are big here.

Straight from the words from the mouth of Dan Campbell, right, I mean obviously, and you're in your mouth too. I mean everybody's saying, hey, there is a chance.

But I think they have to count on.

Life without him in this game and be pleasantly surprised if he does play, He's not going to probably be one hundred percent. Laporta, which was arguably one of the two or three best tight ends in terms of catching the ball this season. So that and Khalif Raymond their their top punt returner, sneaky little weapon on offense. And Jamison Williams has been banged up. He sat out last week too, So what I don't know? I mean, I I really you talked about the Packers going into Dallas.

Yeah, speaking from a Rams perspective and full disclosure disclosure, I do get a paycheck from them in the preseason doing their preseason games and television here in LA have done that for a long long time. I would rather go to Detroit, knowing it is not an easy place to play in any way at all, then go to Dallas, a team that pasted the Rams six weeks ago before they went on the run they're they're on right now.

Yeah, that tiny little detail does matter.

I mean, obviously, you look at the score and it was what thirty six to seven with about twelve minutes left or whatever, so you know, completely dominant performance on the road by Cleveland. The Stroud factor absolutely played into that one.

And he's so competitive.

We've seen in the last couple of weeks come back from the concussion that caused him to miss two games, and.

You know, he's terrific. So he's been back in his groove again.

I know he doesn't have his full cast of receivers, but Eco Collins looked like a wide receiver one last week. You know, they have some other complimentary guys who can help out. I know it's a great defense that Cleveland has, but I think Stroud will make a huge impact on this game. The confidence with which he threw last week against the Colts was tangible, and I think he'll go into the playoffs with a atypical rookie perspective. He's a season vet by this point as far as I'm in Cleveland.

Kevin Stefanski had the veterans on the team that have been in the postseason, and many including Miles Garrett, were on this team in twenty twenty when they won in Pittsburgh in the COVID year or win a super Bowl like Joe Flacco. Obviously we know what he did a decade ago in New Orleans for the Ravens. Stand up and speak to the team and explain. Because the Browns mantra under Stefanski is one to oh every week. How you translate one and oh every week into a playoff environment.

Yeah, that was That was a strange and fun game over in Frankfurt, and I think it told us a lot about those teams. And you know, obviously they started the season and got into the season with reputations of being these explosive.

You know, big play machines.

But as it worked out that way, especially recently, so I'll be curious. You know, we talked about the Texans and Browns having played previously. I'm wondering whether the Germany game between Miami and Kansas City actually may be closer to what we see on Sunday, which is, you know, a one possession game, a close game, kind of a lower scoring game that you know, one or two turnovers, one or two crucial mistakes could end up tilting this thing.

Yeah, that may affect the outcome someway slightly.

It was cold that day in Germany, by the way, but we're talking to us in the forties, not in the negative temperature range, and it might be with the Windshiel, negative temperatures like below zero. English Andrew coming up Saturday evening exclusively on a frozen peacock like we're talking five degrees and five below with the wind. Mike McDaniel said, remember last year we won it colder, you're getting it buddy. Coming up next, What if I told you the Texans

I agree.

Yeah, I was saying to myself, I don't know which scenario I'm rooting for because I don't really have a favorite. I don't I'm not a fan in this situation. But do I want Joe Flacko potentially to play the Ravens.

You know what a cool game that would be. I just want to see more of Stroud. I'm selfish like that.

And we see here here hitting the Nico K last week on the first play of the game. He was in control from start to finish. I really think this Browns defense hasn't you know, faced quite this kind of challenge this year, but we know how good they are on that side of the ball. Fascinating to see also how Texans defense does and you know, didn't really have much luck in the secondary against Flacco last time out, and you know, have some injuries they're dealing with. But yeah,

It would also help him immensely. Of Jonathan Grenard, who was injured in the Week sixteen win over the Brown early left has not played since if he would be back for that pass rush as well. But as we see CJ here in the final minutes on Saturday evening walking off the field knowing they get in, I'm thinking back to an interview I did with him a Super Bowl week where I said, and it was the question, de jore, then, CJ, are we going to see the guy we saw in the college football playoff? Right? That

It's been a number of players obviously who've stepped up.

You know, Kyraen Williams started great, thing, gets hurt, he's back in the line up playing terrific. You know, DeMarcus Robinson stepped up late in the season. Poka Nakua comes out of nowhere. You know, Cooper cut missed a big chunk. Stafford had an injury that derailed his season a little bit too. You know, the offensive line coming in this year, there were questions, so all these things, so are all the issues that face them. They found solutions for them.

In roles that you know, other people might not have envisioned them in. But it's working. It's terrific.

I think they're going to stress the heck out of the Detroit secondary. You know, the Lions pass rush hasn't been that great unless it's Aden Hutchinson getting there.

James Houston still not back.

So if they give Stafford time, I really think he's gonna have a big game. And I think he has nothing to do with the fact that he used to play there, Although what greater motivation is there than, you know, to go back and show them what they've been missing.

You know, there's been a lot written this year about Mike McDaniel and his play design and their fun offense, or maybe what Shane Stichen has done is a play

Fried burned out.

I don't know what it is, but Friday Eagles.

That yeah, exactly.

I mean, after that overtime went over the Bills, I think it was, it was, everything really went downhill from there. You could see the stress that had built out from really the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, all the offseason speculation, the high pating end of the season, every game year, you know, especially down the stretch, that really gauntlet of bit of a schedule they played, and it looks like it's just taking its toll on the roster.

Great feel for it.

We'll Philly have that that second gear, that that that extra breath of life that we've been begging for them to take for six weeks now or are they completely done?

I don't know what it is.

That was Jalen's middle finger there right holding it up on Sunday that you know they had to pop back into place. Looked like baldy, right. I mean that to me is like the lasting image of this team down the stretch. And Jalen wasn't flicking off the crowd. He was showing his injury, right, But that just kind of sums up the Eagles the last six weeks. Kind of like middle finger. That means so many different things. Making power Moves to thirteen are the Green Bay Packers. Power

Yeah, or with Brett Farvan his first year of starting.

Really, I mean you think about Rogers when he first got the role in two thousand and eight. Five years before that, what was a ninety two? Both guys had good first seasons.

In Green Bay.

None of them did what Love did, which is drag his team to the playoffs.

They were six and eight. What were they even two and five at one point? I mean, things weren't looking great. But obviously he turned his season around the defense. You know, obviously we talked about Joe Barry for a few weeks. In the pressure he's faced, he got his group to play. I think their best performance of the season in a very hype game against the Chicago Bears.

So if they can carry that over into the postseason, they're going to have a chance in Dallas. Loves playing great. The confidence is there.

I can't wait to see what we get from this team because early in the year I had my doubts coming into the season. I think I had them twenty second or something like that. I've learned my lesson. They've they've out performed my expectations. But win here would take it.

To a new level. I mean it's been a roller coaster. They look great, Love did week one, and then they couldn't keep that consistently, and then they kind of hit rock bottom and then they've built their way back up the last six weeks and here they are. I think they win in Dallas. Part of it is because I'm excited by Jordan Love. The other part of it is something in my gut tells me, much like Kyle Brant on GMFB, that the Cowboys are going to find a

Sure has right and Week eighteen was an interesting test, but they had the horrible weather in Baltimore.

We're expecting cold and rainy possibly in Buffalo as well, So you know, maybe that experience allows him to have a little bit better feel for the ball, a little bit better feel for the field conditions, even if they're different. Playing in bad weather one week I'm sure helps you the next so maybe they can gain an early edge there, but there are just so many things pointing against them in this game. Obviously, they had to keep their fingers crossed after winning just to hope they get in.

You know, third string quarterback, no TJ.

Watt, no offensive identity really until last couple of weeks. So even if that defense, the rest of it outside of Watt gets healthy and they have a better secondary situation, I'm just struggling to find ways for them to be able to beat Buffalo in Buffalo.

Right, Yeah, I agree. I don't think they're going to do it. But again, another one of these, if I had told you back in August, if I told you back in August when the conversation was do we have a roster spot for Mason Rudolph, why do we need a third quarterback? Mike Tomlin would say, I need you and I want you to start on the road in the postseason ahead of the other two who are up and active and ready and healthy. Not Mitch Trubisky former

Far as we know, and obviously Week eighteen was a stranger scene and that they go out in the second half and absolutely.

Pummel the Falcons.

Arthur Smith, not at Allen after the game, has turned out to comments.

Why he's definitely touched down, And it's funny.

It almost felt like propect more poorly on on Allen than it did Jamis Winston.

But this is a team that did play well down the stretch.

I was kind of slow to give him their credit, but Derek Carr played some of his better ball down the stretch. They had a couple close losses in there that ultimately kicked him out of the playoffs.

But it's hard to note what to make of this team going forward.

It's hard to see a path to them excelling into that Super Bowl kind of category next year. But they did at least make strides down the stretch enough so to push him past the Jaguars. So I thought we're going to be in the playoffs not too.

Long ago, because the Jaguars actually did the reverse. They lost five at a six down the stretch. They are number sixteen for you, Eric. The only game they won was with CJ. Bethard and then Monday night, the defensive staff gets blown out. Doug Peterson fires Mike Caldwell.

Yeah, that was I'm sure a tough move, and you know a lot of the staff as well.

But I mean, boy, I'd like to see some heat put on Trevor Lawrence. He was zero and five, the team was oh and five with him starting. And you know, Laurence certainly was playing through a couple of injuries this season. His toughness is on question, but his performance level in that critical year three he's now due for an extension or at least eligible for one. You know, left some questions for me. The second half of the season not nearly as good as the first. You saw it reflected

Yeah, and this is the off season in which they can extend Trevor Lawrence, much like last year with Burrow and with Herbert. This is the year you're write the big check. I still think that he is the guy, but down the stretch it wasn't encouraging. He was banged up the ankle, the shoulder. Honestly at times. On Sunday it looked as if that arm he shouldn't have been out there, some of those throws who's fallen away from

NFL Power Rankings is a production the NFL in partnership with iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts