Alright, this is hard to believe, but it’s already time to answer all the questions I asked
at the beginning of the season. Fair warning – this got pretty long!
Can teams that finished short of the playoffs make a postseason run next year? (Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings)
This turned out to be a No for all three teams, who all came reasonably close, but…
-After a disastrous 1-7 start, the Dolphins needed everything to go their way to have any chance at the playoffs. Thanks to a soft schedule, an upset over the Ravens, and the Saints’ 4th string QB, they won 7 straight to get to 8-7, and it seemed like it could happen... but then they laid a season-ending egg in Week 17 against the Titans
-Seemingly every Vikings game down to the wire, and they kept afloat, fighting back to a .500 record on three separate occasions. And then Kirk Cousins got covid at the worst possible time, and backup Sean Mannion couldn’t save their season against the Packers… a crushing and yet somehow fitting end to the Spielman/Zimmer era
-The Cardinals had a promising 7-0 start and displayed dominance at times, but ended up getting blown out by the Lions before stumbling into the playoffs, and were largely non-competitive in a Wild Card loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Rams
Can teams that are a QB away from contention get the all-important position figured out? (Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, San Francisco 49ers)
All three teams are a solid “hold” – yet in very different ways.
Despite a 1-4 to start the season, the Colts thought they had their guy in Carson Wentz until an ugly two week stretch cost them a playoff berth that looked like a virtual lock (98% playoff odds per FiveThirtyEight) after beating the Cardinals on Christmas. After a season-ending meltdown against the Jags, ownership is apparently unhappy with Wentz, so it’s unclear where they go from here after cycling through 5 starting QB’s in the past 5 seasons.
The Broncos had a 3-0 start and were mostly competitive with Teddy Bridgewater, but ended up stumbling to a 7-10 finish after a Bridgewater injury, a Drew Lock meltdown agains the Bengals, and a 13th straight loss to the Chiefs. 10 years ago, you could see this defense-first recipe being enough for a playoff berth and a tough out, but it just isn’t going to cut it anymore in the stacked AFC. With Fangio out and new coach Nathaniel Hackett coming from the Packers, the prospect of landing Aaron Rodgers looms large.
Meanwhile, the 49ers gave up a ton of draft capital to secure the #3 pick and draft their QB of the future, but he spent most of the season on the sideline, as they got mostly competent play from Jimmy G, whose gutsy Week 18 comeback got them to the playoffs. They managed to win two strange playoff games without much help from Jimmy G, and all indications are that they are moving on to Trey Lance next year. On one hand, it seems strange when they came so close… but on the other, it was Jimmy G’s limitations that cost them in the end, just as they did in the Super Bowl two years ago.
Will the Chiefs run it back to the biggest stage?
Not quite. After scoring 42 points in their first two playoff games, and 21 in the first half of the third, their second half meltdown against the Bengals will go down as one of the most baffling in NFL history. At 21-3, the game looked completely over, but then a Bengals score and defensive stand set the tone for a second half in which the Chiefs were shut out before getting to 1st and goal… before a sack turned that into 3rd and very long… before kicking a FG to force OT, winning the coin toss, and Mahomes throwin a pick 13 seconds in. That
Bengals magic was truly something.
Can the Bills and Packers get over the Championship hump?
No, in fact both teams lost in the divisional round, but the two games couldn’t have been more different.
The Bills won four straight games to close the season, and came in to Kansas City on a high note coming off one of the greatest offensive performances in NFL history. And the offense kept right on rolling, going on
two potential game-winning drives in the final minutes… but the defense couldn’t hold on for 13 seconds, Harrison Butker kicked the game to OT, the Bills lost the coin toss, and the rest is history. Crushing.
Meanwhile, the Packers hadn’t won a meaningful game in almost a month after beating the Vikings’ backup QB, losing to the Lions to end the season, and not playing in the Wild Card round thanks to the bye. Their defense was spectacular, holding the 49ers to 3 points through 55 minutes. But the offense couldn’t take advantage before or after a special teams touchdown tied the game, and the 49ers drove for a game winning FG to win a classic in its own right. Unbelievable.
Will the 2021 NFC South be among the league's best divisions?
LOL, it’s crazy how fast things change. The 2021 NFC South was mediocre aside from the Buccanners, who rolled to a 13-4 record in what ended up being Brady’s final season. The Saints got the most out of an injury-ravaged roster, the Falcons won a bunch of close games but ultimately overacheived, and the Panthers failed to solve their QB dilemma, with neither Darnold or Cam “I’m back!” Newton showing much promise. With Brady and Sean Payton retiring, the NFC South now looks like it could be one of the
worst divisions next year.
Will the Rams go on a Super Bowl run?
LOL, but for a different reason: it’s crazy how much things stay the same even when they change.
I’m not sure there’s ever been a more “all in” team than the 2021 Los Angeles Rams. After signing Stafford, OBJ, and (perhaps craziest of all) Von Miller, they
had to win a Super Bowl. And after squeaking past the GOAT, grinding out a win over their toughest division rival, and closing strong against the hottest team in the league, the entire organization can now breathe a massive sigh of relief. Somehow, some way, they are Super Bowl 56 champions!
They did it in about the most improbable fashion possible, losing Robert Woods in November, backing in to a division title thanks to a Cardinals meltdown, avoiding Lambeau by letting the 49ers into the playoffs, ending Tom Brady’s career despite a crazy comeback, and losing OBJ during the Super Bowl… but they found a way and won the trophy, and that’s all that matters… what happens next, we’ll see!
