Questions to answer for first round
This NFL season had one of the maddest scrambles to the playoffs that I can remember in all my years covering the league. In Week 18, the Jaguars’ stunning upset of the Colts paved the way for the Steelers to sneak into the postseason, but only after Sunday night’s epic Raiderschargers game narrowly avoided a tie — with Las Vegas advancing to the playoffs on a last-second field goal.
Now, 14 teams remain, with 12 facing off in this weekend’s first round. Let’s take a look at the biggest questions entering each of the six matchups:
NO. 5 SEED LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT NO. 4 CINCINNATI BENGALS
Can the Raiders stop the Joe Burrowja’marr Chase connection?
That would be a tall order for any defense. Burrow has been great in his second season, boosted by the arrival of Chase, a college teammate at LSU who exploded as a rookie for 81 catches, 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns. But the Raiders weren’t great in pass coverage, giving up 3,789 yards through the air and ranking 13th. Seeing as how Burrow also has wide receivers Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd and running back Joe Mixon, the Raiders might have to win a shootout.
Can the Bengals block the Raiders’ pass rush?
Las Vegas’ saving grace on defense will have to be its pass rush, which has been exceptional. Defensive end Maxx Crosby led the league with 101 quarterback pressures and had eight sacks, while fellow edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue added 10 sacks. They were unblockable at times during Sunday’s win over the Chargers — and they’ll need to be at their best to disrupt Burrow on Saturday.
NO. 5 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS AT NO. 4 BUFFALO BILLS
Can Mac Jones push past the rookie wall?
Jones, the 15th pick in the draft, was great this season. He got the Patriots to the playoffs and was clearly the best rookie quarterback from this year’s class. But he has hit something of a rookie wall, struggling during the Patriots’ 1-3 stretch to finish the season. His worst outing came in a loss to Buffalo in Week 16, when he completed just 43.8 percent of his passes and threw two interceptions. He’ll have to be better than that Saturday night against a good Bills defense.
Can Josh Allen stay ahead of Bill Belichick’s game plan?
As good as these teams are, this one will come down to quarterback play. The Bills will need a great game from Allen to win. He has been up and down, but he was very good in Buffalo’s win over New England, throwing for three touchdowns and no interceptions and rushing for 64 yards. But he’ll have to stay ahead of Belichick’s numerous packages of pass coverages, which are notorious for forcing the opposing quarterback into bad games in the playoffs.
NO. 7 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES AT NO. 2 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
Is Jalen Hurts good enough to win a playoff game?
This is one of the biggest questions of the playoffs, with ramifications beyond this year. Hurts was 8-7 as Philadelphia’s starter and completed just 61.3 percent of his passes with 16 touchdowns to nine interceptions. He can be a differencemaker as a runner, and for the Eagles to have a chance, they’ll have to gash the Bucs on the ground and keep the ball away from Tom Brady. But you can count on Bucs defensive coordinator Todd Bowles having a strong plan in place.
Can the Bucs overcome their injury issues?
Tampa Bay won’t have wide receiver Chris Godwin for this playoff run after he suffered a season-ending torn ACL. Linebacker Lavonte David has been hurt, and it’s unclear whether he’ll be back in time for the Eagles game. But the rest of the Bucs’ recent roster news has been good, with running back Leonard Fournette and pass rushers Shaq Barrett and Jason Pierre-paul on track to return for Sunday’s game. If they’re healthy, this team will be tough to beat.
NO. 6 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS AT NO. 3 DALLAS COWBOYS
Can Jimmy Garoppolo overcome his
thumb injury?
Jimmy G was great during Sunday’s comeback win over the Rams, which earned the 49ers a spot in the postseason. Yet it was clear his injured thumb bothered him on some throws, and it was the running game that gave the Rams’ defense the most trouble. Against Dak Prescott and the high-powered Cowboys offense, Garoppolo will have to make some key
throws to get the 49ers a win.
Will the Cowboys’ pass rush win its battle with San Francisco’s O-line?
This is a matchup of strength vs. strength, but if Dallas’s pass rushers can force Garoppolo into mistakes, that could swing the game. Demarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory are tough to block, and Micah Parsons, who should be back from the COVID-19 reserve list, has made as
many plays as any defender in the NFL this year. If the 49ers can get back left tackle Trent Williams, who missed the Rams game with an elbow sprain, that would make a big difference.
NO. 7 PITTSBURGH STEELERS AT NO. 2 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
Can the Steelers’ offense get off to a strong start?
This could be Ben Roethlisberger’s final game, and he has been impressive in bringing the Steelers back from secondhalf deficits this season. But if Pittsburgh falls behind on the road, this could be a one-sided game. The Steelers’ offense isn’t good enough to play from behind against a Chiefs team that has a strong pass rush and Patrick Mahomes playing at home. The Steelers’ best chance is to put together a few efficient early drives and force the Chiefs to come back against them.
Can Mahomes continue to play mistake-free?
During Kansas City’s 3-4 start, Mahomes struggled with turnovers, tossing nine interceptions over those seven games. But he only threw four the rest of the season. If he can take care of the ball, the Steelers’ path to victory narrows significantly. The Chiefs have so many advantages in this one.
NO. 5 ARIZONA CARDINALS AT NO. 4 LOS ANGELES RAMS
Can Kyler Murray play at his earlyseason level?
During Arizona’s 7-0 start, Murray was one of the most dynamic players in the NFL, accounting for 20 total touchdowns. In the six games since he returned from an ankle injury suffered in the streaksnapping loss to Green Bay, he produced nine as his team went 2-4. Arizona isn’t consistent enough to win without a big performance from Murray. The Cardinals commit too many penalties, and they aren’t good at stopping the run.
Can Matthew Stafford cut down on his mistakes?
The trade for Stafford put the Rams over the top in the NFC West, but he committed too many errors down the stretch, throwing eight interceptions in his final four games. The Rams have as much highend talent as any team in the playoffs, but they can’t afford to give up that many turnovers if they want to win in the postseason.