Super Wild Card Weekend Preview: Day Three

Missed a day yesterday, and what a day it was. I will get into what happened yesterday and on Saturday later this week but let's just say that one team surprised in the best way possible and another disappointed in the least surprising way possible. Today though, we have two exciting matchups with a lot on the line.

Steelers vs. Bills – It is funny that last week it was more than a possibility that the Bills would be playing to get into the playoffs on Sunday night while the Steelers had already clinched their spot. These two teams could not have had different seasons, although both teams had to save it late. The Bills had lost close games to great teams all season long while occasionally losing to bad teams while the Steelers found ways to win games against teams like the Ravens, they had no business winning. The Steelers lost four out of five games heading into the third to last week of the season and then finished off sweeps of both the Bengals and the Ravens. The Bills had to win every single game in the last month to make the playoffs and they took care of business. They are the second hottest team in the league right now and are undoubtedly a true threat to go all the way.

              Keys to the Game:

              Pittsburgh Steelers – Control the clock – The Steelers offense in the last three games has found their grove through a balanced rush attack coupled with a reliable passing game at the hands of Mason Rudolph. If the Steelers can go down the field on sustained drives and avoid getting into a track meet with the Bills, they most certainly have a chance. The Bills have a potent offense so if the Steelers can keep them off the field early, they might just be able to steal this game.

              Make Josh Allen Uncomfortable - Josh Allen all season has thrown the second most interceptions in the entire league. The Steelers are tied for eighth in the league for most takeaways in the league. The Steelers are also one of the most aggressive defenses in terms of putting pressure on quarterbacks. If the Steelers can get sustained pressure on Josh Allen, they will give their offense a chance to win this game. They must control the clock to give their offense a chance, but the Steelers are in this game a lot more than people realize.

              Buffalo Bills –

              Score Early – The Bills, much like the Cowboys heading into Yesterday have a lot of pressure on them. They have had talented teams every year for the past four years and have little to show for. If the Bills can score early with their explosive offense, they will put pressure on a Pittsburgh offense that has been quite rocky all season to say the least.

              Get after Mason Rudolph – It is safe to assume the Steelers are looking to rely on their running game, so if the Bills can get after Mason Rudolph, it will be a lot easier to defend the run. George Pickens and Diontae Johnson are threats in the air but not if Rudolph cannot find them. This Bills defense is fourth in sacks this season which means Mason Rudolph will have to get the ball out fast. The more sustained pressure Rudolph will see the better this Bills team will play.

B’s Prediction:

         Buffalo Bills 24 – Pittsburgh Steelers 13

Bucs vs. Eagles – This is both teams’ eighteenth game and I am still having a hard time defining who these teams are. The Philadelphia Eagles started the season with ten wins and one loss and finished the season with eleven wins and six losses. Prior to the Eagles bad stretch, they had beaten up on the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills, all teams who are in the top six of the NFL. The Bucs have had wins that let the league know they could be something special but then they follow them with games that let people know there is nothing special about them. Take for instance a mid-December game against the Green Bay Packers where they won by fourteen points. Two weeks later they were embarrassed by the New Orleans Saints and one week later they struggled to beat the worst team in the league in the Carolina Panthers who had not held a lead in the season.

Keys to the Game

Philadelphia Eagles – Live up to the Moment. This happened to the Cowboys yesterday, and it happened to the Dolphins each of the last two weeks. They will be without AJ Brown which means they will have to rely on the run game, but with Jalen Hurts and D’Andre Swift that should not be too much of a problem. This Philly team went to the Super Bowl last year so they have playoff experience and have avoided getting beat by the pressure they might face. This is a game they will have to win to avoid being looked at as having a complete and total collapse.

Trust the Run – No team has been better all season at running the ball than the Eagles. If they do not try to do too much through the air, they should be able to win this game. Granted the Bucs defense is quite good, but when these teams played earlier in the season the Eagles, the Eagles ran for two hundred yards as a team. If Philly can find success running the ball it will finally open their passing game which is what made them so dangerous.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers -

              Make Jalen Hurts beat you – Jalen Hurts is a quarterback that has proven himself. I have the utmost respect for him. Recently though, he has not been playing his best football, giving away turnovers in each of the last six games. He has been shaky to put it mildly recently, and if the Bucs can pressure him Tonight, they give their offense a chance to win this game. The Bucs are remarkably similar to the Steelers, except they have a better offense which means they can live with a high scoring game. They will not be able to live with a game in which the Eagles run game dominates and sees the Bucs desperate to get the ball back late.

              Make Baker Mayfield comfortable – If the Bucs can find balance tonight, it is a possibility this Eagles defense will get torched. The Eagles defense got embarrassed by both the Giants and the Cardinals teams that were out of playoff contention. Baker Mayfield has played in the playoffs and has had success in the playoffs. He beat the Pittsburgh Steelers team while he was in Cleveland that looks a lot like this Eagles team in 2020. He also almost led the Browns to an AFC Championship appearance, falling short to the eventual AFC champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bucs must find a comfortable game plan for him, and if they do it will be a long night for the Eagles.

B’s Prediction: The Bucs are better than what we have seen in the last two weeks, given they have beat good teams recently. The Eagles have shown us who they are over the last six weeks, so given that I think the Bucs will produce a good game plan to stop the run. I think the Eagles will struggle to stop the Bucs offense, but still find themselves in the game late. The Eagles just have had to reinvent themselves in such a drastic way in too little time that I do not see them winning this game.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31 – Philadelphia Eagles 24