NFL Quick Takes: Super Wild Card Weekend
The first round of the postseason is in the books. Time to fire off some takes ahead of the Divisional Round.
Super Wild Card Weekend lived up to its name. The games were even more entertaining than I expected, at least up until that atrocity of a Cowboys-Buccaneers matchup.
Now we’re down to eight teams, all of which I’d argue belong in the Divisional Round. The fraud teams — *cough* Vikings *cough* — have been eliminated. There’s plenty of phenomenal football ahead.
Anyway, you know the drill by now. Every Tuesday is an NFL Quick Take day. Subscribe below if you haven’t already to get these in your e-mail inbox each week.
Josh Allen needs to step it up
I picked the Buffalo Bills to win the Super Bowl, but there’s just no way that happens if Josh Allen continues to play the way he has over the last few weeks. He’s thrown five interceptions over his last three games, not counting the canceled one in Cincinnati. He was awful in a near-upset loss to Miami on Saturday.
Obviously, Allen wasn’t the only problem for Buffalo during Wild Card weekend. The defense allowed the Skylar Thompson-led Dolphins to score 31 points. Good luck giving that kind of effort against Joe Burrow and the Bengals next week.
I’m not worried about Allen. He’s as elite as elite gets when he’s on. But now is the time for him to take it to another level. Games like last week are what keep him separated from the Patrick Mahomes’ of the world. He’ll have a chance to change the narrative on Sunday.
Don’t count out the Jaguars
I told you the Jaguars would beat the Chargers, but I definitely didn’t tell you it would happen like that. Trevor Lawrence throwing four first-half picks before the third-largest postseason comeback in NFL history… yeah, I can’t say I saw that one coming.
In a weird way, that Jags win was more impressive than it would have been had they led the entire game. Even after his incredible finish to the regular season, I wasn’t sure Trevor Lawrence had that in him. I didn’t know Jacksonville was a team that wouldn’t fold to adversity. Now we know. And that’s why I’m giving the Jaguars a shot to beat the Chiefs at Arrowhead next week. I really would not be surprised at this point if they somehow found a way.
Sidenote: Brandon Staley still being employed after that Broncos game and this all-time meltdown is astonishing.
All-in on Brock Purdy
I’m not afraid to admit I’m actively rooting for Brock Purdy — Mr. Irrelevent in last year’s draft — to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. I’m a sucker for an underdog story and Purdy is the epitome of what makes football such an incredible sport. He’s “any given Sunday” personified.
Purdy notched a career-high 332 passing yards in the 49ers’ Wild Card win over the Seahawks while tossing three TDs with no interceptions for the second consecutive game. Suddenly, it looks like San Francisco won’t need to search for a quarterback this offseason after all. They may already have their guy.
Purdy and the Niners will host the Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional Round. The hype will reach another level if he can keep this up against a tough Dallas D that just made playoff Tom Brady look mortal.
Time for Tom Brady to move on
Brady and the Bucs didn’t belong in the postseason to begin with. They regressed big time on both sides of the ball, resulting in a losing record and Brady’s first losing season in his 23-year career. Still, the thought of Brady in the postseason made me and others believe there was still a chance for Tampa Bay to make a run.
The Cowboys had other ideas. They were all over Brady from the beginning of Monday night’s game. The 45-year-old actually looked 45 years old for once. He made several uncharacteristic throws, including a costly interception in the end zone that left me wondering whether Father Time has finally caught up to him. I know statements like that tend not to age well when it comes to Brady, but man he was bad. Like, “never seen him play like this” bad.
It’s time for Brady to move on this offseason, whether that means retirement or landing somewhere new in free agency. The Bucs chapter should come to a close. Reuniting with Josh McDaniels in Las Vegas seems to make the most sense if he decides to play at age 46.
Daniel Jones is about to get PAID
I don’t know how he did it, but Brian Daboll has made Daniel Jones look like a star. It just goes to show how much of an impact good coaching has on a QB. I’m looking at you, Bill Belichick.
Jones was outstanding on the road against the *cough* fraud *cough* Vikings. He completed 24 of 35 passes for 301 yards and two TDs while rushing for another 78 yards. Mind you, he did all that and led the way in the 31-24 win with pretty much no one to throw to.
Regardless of the Divisional Round results (I expect the Giants to get crushed by the Eagles), Jones has set himself up to get paid this offseason whether it’s by New York or another team in free agency. I’d be stunned if the Giants let him slip away at this point. Now that Daboll has unlocked his potential, the sky is the limit if they continue to build around him and Saquon Barkley (also scheduled to be a free agent).
Kirk Cousins is who we thought he was
I’ve referred to the Vikings as frauds already twice in this post and once before in my NFL playoff predictions piece. They had a 13-4 record in the regular season despite being outscored by their opponents. Picking the Giants was an easy choice.
Kirk Cousins is a big reason why. The man simply refuses to win big games. That much was made clear again when he pulled this on the final play of the Wild Card loss to New York.
Fourth-and-8, down seven, two minutes to go in the fourth quarter with the season on the line… and that’s what you pull?
There’s no denying Cousins has talent. Obviously, it helps to have Justin Jefferson and Dalvin Cook as weapons. Even so, he’s made some big plays throughout his career and played a big role in getting his team to the playoffs this year.
But that’s part of the reason he’s exactly what I wouldn’t want as my quarterback. He’s just good enough to fool you into thinking there’s potential for more. Then when it’s primetime or a do-or-die scenario, he folds. Rinse, repeat. Constantly stuck in the middle. That’s a nightmare situation for any NFL franchise.