14 teams have gone through the gauntlet of the regular season and are now in the playoff picture. 12 teams will play in the wildcard, and two teams will have a first-round bye. We have the possibility of having one of the most exciting playoffs in recent memory. Here is a look at the NFC teams entering into the playoffs.
Chicago Bears: This team might have actually failed by getting into the playoffs. Let me explain before you decide I’m having a stroke. I think everyone knows that this team is not legit. Their offense is atrocious, the play calling is abhorring, and the defense can be easily stopped. This team will not make it out of the Wild Card round. They only made the playoffs because the rest of the NFC Conference is just god-awful. Yet, the Bears organization will take this season as a victory and not do anything to change the blaring holes they have on their team. Matt Nagy has to go. Mitchell Trubisky has to go. The majority of the front office has to go but because they made the playoffs, nothing will change, and Bears fans will be gifted with horrible football for the next few years.
Green Bay Packers: This team is red hot. Their offense includes future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers, Pro Bowl receiver in Davante Adams, up and coming Tight End Robert Tonyan, and their smash mouth, running back core of Jones, Williams, and Dillon. However, it’s not just their offense that can win games. Their defense, while not being the best, has some superstars such as the Smith Brothers, Jaire Alexander, Gary, and Clark. For the first time in years, they have the ability to go all the way. Aaron Rodgers is playing at an MVP caliber level, and you cannot waste that, especially after doing him dirty by trading up to draft a quarterback in the first round. This year is their prime year which means if they don’t make the SuperBowl, then this team might downslide after this year. You have the offense, and you have the defense, so don’t waste this precious opportunity.
Los Angeles Rams: If this team is going to go all the way, it will be because of their defense and nothing else. They have the number one scoring defense in the league, which means even if their offense doesn’t do the bare minimum, their defense with Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey can pick up the slack. However, if the defense can be stopped, then this team will be stopped. It’s as simple as that. This team lives and dies by their defense. So, if they play offensive heavy teams like the Seahawks, Packers, or the Bucs, then they will most likely lose. Their offense is led by Jared Goff, Cam Akers, and Robert Woods, who have been playing under par this entire season, and Coach Sean McVay needs to be more creative to counteract this. Coach McVay, after this offseason, needs to make some changes to this offense if they want to be competitive again.
New Orleans Saints: This team has the best depth in their roster out of the entire league. They have backups for the backups for the backups, and the unbelievable thing is that all these players can play good football. The biggest question mark for this team is Drew Brees. He has been injured the entire season and can’t throw the ball more than 10 yards. Also, this might be his last year in a football uniform, and it seems that he lacks the elite talent that he used to display. If he does retire after this season, then every player will be playing their heart out trying to get Brees his second ring in order to end on a high note. The passion and depth of this team are its core strength, but is it enough to go all the way?
Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks just don’t have enough to go all the way. The beginning of the season felt like it was going to be Russell Wilson and the Seahawks’ year, but with every overhyped team, more and more of their issues were becoming evident. Their defense isn’t elite, and their offense just needs more. Wilson can’t make mistakes, and both Metcalf and Tyler Lockett need to go off for this team to become fully elite. This team just doesn’t have enough to go all the way. The past Seahawks teams that were able to go all the way had that elite defense and that elite offense. But for this year, neither side of the ball has that IT factor. They could make some waves, but it is unlikely for them to go all the way. They have the bare bones, but they just need more in order to become that unstoppable force.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tom Brady is the system. Coming into the season, the debate became who helped the Patriots become that dynasty: Bill Belichick or Tom Brady. The question has now been answered — Tom Brady is not just a system QB; he is the system. If Tom Brady gets the Bucs into the Super Bowl and wins it, then he might be the greatest football player to ever touch the football. Imagine going into a new system with new weapons, a new coach, and taking this losing record team into the playoffs. My God, Tom Brady might not be the most well liked player, but he is for sure the GOAT. Not to mention his weapons in Mike Evans, Scotty Miller, and Chris Godwin. That offense can be unstoppable, but that defense is a brick wall like no one has ever seen. They have slowly built a squad that can take it all the way, and I think all fans will be discreetly keeping an eye on the Bucs to see just how far they go.
Washington Football Team: It would be fitting for a year like 2021 if a team with no name won it all. It’s probably not going to happen, but no assumptions can be made in a year like this one. The Football Team is a strong team with an amazing story for their players. For example, the story of Alex Smith. The man went through 17 surgeries and almost lost his leg as well as his life. He somehow made it past all of this and got his team into the playoffs. They should just rename the Comeback Player of the Year Award to the Alex Smith Award. No one else is worthy, and no one else will ever be worthy for a long, long time. Chase Young, the rookie, has cemented the defense as a critical aspect of this team. The quarterback situation is a bit dire because you can’t put all your eggs in Smith’s basket, and they cut their 1st round pick in Haskins. However, they do have Taylor Heinicke, who has shown he at least deserves a chance to fully go out and play. This team is one of the underdogs featured in this year’s postseason, and it would be fun to see them accomplish some goals but at the end of the day, they just aren’t that elite, and that will come back to bite them. But, you never know in a year like this one.
