Guys, this is a great day: the last Wednesday before the football playoff. It is also the day that John Breech walks away so that I, Cody Benjamin, the man with two first names, can guide you through the latest NFL news. A two for one special! And man, we have some things to do. After all, it is the postseason, and not only that, but the beginning of an important off-season for several clubs in search of new coaches, defenders and more.
This is the Pick Six newsletter. Now let’s get started. (And please do yourself a favor and make sure you sign up to receive this newsletter every day! You don’t want to miss our daily offers on everything you need to know about the NFL.)
We have playoff predictions, Super Wild-Card Weekend ratings, buzz in QB situations and more:
- Today’s show: Why Wentz is right to be frustrated with the Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles made headlines for a bit, despite losing the playoffs, partly because of Doug Pederson’s infamous quarterback change in Week 17 and partly because of his former starting quarterback’s reported discontent with the team. Some reports indicate that Carson Wentz definitely wants to leave Philadelphia. Others have indicated that he needs time to assess his future with the organization. Anyway, it is clear that the relationship is on unstable ground. And Brady Quinn doesn’t think Wentz is wrong to be frustrated with his situation, even if his own performance in 2020 is not up to par.
“When they wrote Jalen Hurts, it was in their head,” Quinn told Will Brinson on today’s Pick Six NFL Podcast (listen and subscribe here). “There’s a lot of resentment there. You can be happy for someone else, but let’s be realistic, man: it will consume you every day. You can be a good person and a good teammate, (but) no. you don’t think it could have been the guy… It’s human nature to go through this. I think the defender’s position is the one that fights the most… There’s probably something going on in your head like, ‘I’m not good enough for you? ‘ “
Check out the full episode for an analysis of where the Eagles are going from here, as well as many other conversations about the NFL about the confused situation of the Browns’ COVID and the ongoing coaching and general manager carousel.
2. Prisco’s Choices: Ravens Pass Titans, Steelers Cross Browns
This week’s NFL schedule is a little lighter, but much more important. It’s football playoff, baby! That means it’s time for playoff predictions, and Pete Prisco provided us with choices for each of the Super Wild-Card Weekend matches. Among his projections for the opening round: Baltimore demanding revenge in Tennessee and the Steelers easily beating the Browns.
Crows (-3) on Titans
The two do not hide what they want to do in the attack, which is hitting football. Baltimore was the fastest team in the league, while the Titans opposed Derrick Henry, the leader of the NFL. Tennessee beat Baltimore earlier this year and also beat him in the playoffs last year in a big turnaround. This time, I think the Ravens have a kind of revenge. Its defense is much better than the bad unit that the Titans put on the field. Lamar Jackson will have a great day to advance the Ravens.
To choose: Ravens 33, Titans 23
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Browns to Steelers (-6)
The Browns defeated the Steelers last week to reach the playoffs, but it was a Steelers team that rested many players, including Ben Roethlisberger. This will be a much bigger challenge, especially without Browns coach Kevin Stefanski, who is out with COVID-19. The Browns’ plan is still to beat football at the Steelers to control the clock and let Baker Mayfield make moves on the move. But the Steelers defense will respond to that and play well here. Roethlisberger came to life in the second half of his last game against the Colts and I think it will continue against the Browns. The Steelers own the Browns in Pittsburgh and that will continue.
To choose: Steelers 27, Browns 17
3. Internal notes: dolphins are right to support Yours
Getty Images
The Miami Dolphins wasted no time declaring Tua Tagovailoa their titleholder in 2021 this off-season, expressing support for rookie QB days after their debut mix came to an end. According to Jason La Canfora, CBS Sports NFL insider, they should be praised for this, mainly because the teams have become a little impatient with the young callers in recent years.
(Frankly), it’s kind of ridiculous that that was one thing. The boy didn’t have a real off-season, got on the bench in the first month of the season, was launched in an unforeseen playoff race, lost most of the key pieces around him in that limited attack along the way, and dealt with the quick hook and -Yo-yoing game by coach Brian Flores. How about we give him a full season with something similar to a real off-season before putting him aside?
Have some conviction. Give the young person some time to develop. He did some incredible things against the Chiefs a few weeks ago, when Steve Spagnuolo threw all possible blitzes at him. He was the rarest QB rookie to beat Bill Belichick just a few weeks ago, with the weight of a franchise suffered in a position that must be won. It all happened.
4. Playoff QB power ratings: Brees, Brady in the top 10
Now that the postseason is about to start, we have not only 14 teams, but also 14 starting QBs. And we all know that QB can play an important role in how far you go in the search for a Lombardi. How do this year’s playoff QBs compare? Who is the best of the callers still on the pitch? Our latest QB Power Rankings have all the answers for you, and the top 10 Super Wild-Card Weekend participants are packed with young people (Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson) and seasoned winners (Drew Brees, Tom Brady):
- Aaron Rodgers
- Patrick Mahomes
- Josh Allen
- Russell Wilson
- Tom Brady
- Lamar Jackson
- Ryan Tannehill
- Drew Brees
- Ben Roethlisberger
- Baker Mayfield
5. Classification of wildcard confrontations: Ravens vs. Titans, the best of the group
Will Newton / Getty Images
There is a lot of juice to be found in both conferences when we enter the playoffs, but which confrontation carries more drama and deserves more expectation? Our own Tyler Sullivan scoured each game to rank the best wild card clashes available this weekend, and his number one was an easy choice: Ravens vs. Titans, a rematch of their 2019 playoff meeting.
I mean, how do you not put that as number 1? These two teams have a recent history together and don’t seem to like each other very much. Before their confrontation in Week 11, the Titans’ corner, Malcolm Butler, and Ravens coach John Harbaugh entered into a verbal altercation that caused almost both sides to be attacked in midfield … This game too has a lot of star power with Lamar Jackson, Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry, all scheduled to leave. Jackson has excelled in the league lately and recently looked like the 2019 MVP version of himself … Meanwhile, Henry is in a 250-race performance against the Texans, where he has accumulated 2,000 yards for the season.
6. Simulated draft: Falcons, Panthers add big name QBs of the future
Many teams will not we’ll be playing this weekend, so what better time to take a look at the 2021 draft earlier? Chris Trapasso is producing mock drafts like the Eagles are producing drama, and his last look ahead is spicy. Not only does he have three QBs coming off the board in the first four choices of the 2021 draft, but he has two NFC South clubs capturing signs of the future with their selections in the first round:
No. 4 (Falcons): QB Zach Wilson, BYU
Even with Matt Ryan’s big contract still in place, the Falcons can’t pass up the opportunity to choose Wilson here with the franchise’s long-term future in mind.
Nº 8 (Panthers): QB Trey Lance, NDSU
Keep coming back to this pair. Put Lance on a team with a quarterback like Teddy Bridgewater, who can teach you the nuances of playing the position.