The NFL playoffs could be wide-open this year, with no single dominant team.
Several key players, including Patrick Mahomes and Nick Bosa, are out with injuries.
Many playoff teams face significant questions, from inexperienced QBs to inconsistent defenses.
Now comes the real drama.
After such a wild, unpredictable NFL regular season, the Road to Super Bowl 60 is set up to be one of most wide-open playoff tournaments in recent history. I think.
Who ya got? You can surely make cases for several teams to wind up seizing the Lombardi Trophy at Levi’s Stadium on Feb. 8. And you might be right. Then again, no team is perfect, no team is dominant. And Patrick Mahomes is not a factor this time around.
There are flaws, questions and what-ifs for every team in the field. Such as …
1. Can the Eagles flick a switch that takes them back to the Super Bowl? They have looked like anything but defending champs yet still have a Vic Fangio-coordinated defense to be reckoned with. Whatever happened to Saquon Barkley? After cracking Y2K last season, he’s rushed for a little more than half that behind an out-of-sync line. He has to be the ticket for a Jalen Hurts-led unit that has lacked big-play rhythm.
2. Does it matter that Patriots QB Drake Maye has zero playoff experience? We’ll see. A few months ago, few, if any, saw ‘MVP candidate’ in the second-year pro. He has grown up in a hurry, with props to Mike Vrabel and OC Josh McDaniel. And remember: TB12 had no playoff experience when he won a Super Bowl in Year 2. The bigger swing factor could involve top defenses like the units in Denver and Houston.
3. What more can Kyle Shanahan squeeze from the injury-stung 49ers? For a two-time Super Bowl coach, this might be Shanahan’s best work yet. Never mind the lack of a pass rush, with Nick Bosa among casualties alongside heart-and-soul linchpin Fred Warner. They were one win from the No. 1 seed. Now the watch list includes Trent Williams (hamstring) and whatever creativity Shanahan can unleash in a pinch.
4. Can Josh Allen cover for the shaky Bills run defense? With playoff nemesis Mahomes not in the mix this time, you can’t blame the reigning NFL MVP for licking his chops like this might be the Super Bowl year. Yet the 28th-ranked run D, yielding 5.1 yards per rush, has allowed a few RBs rip off the type of huge yardage games (169, 170, 174, 148) that could be disastrous in the playoffs.
5. Does Aaron Rodgers have a storybook script for the Steelers? We saw why Mike Tomlin lured A-Rod to Pittsburgh with his poise in the clutch on Sunday night. Rodgers, 42, came for a shot at chasing another championship. The odds are so long – beginning with a matchup against Houston’s No. 1 defense. But Rodgers, leading a 25th-ranked unit, can tell you all about the time he won the Super Bowl as a sixth seed.
6. Do the Packers stand a chance without Micah Parsons? When Green Bay obtained the all-pro edge rusher in August, it was viewed as the missing piece for a championship puzzle. His impact, including 12 ½ sacks, was substantial. As is his absence. Since Parsons went down with a torn ACL in Week 15, the Packers haven’t won a game. The four-game losing streak is longest for any playoff team.
7. Will special teams cost the Rams again? In the Week 16 meltdown loss at Seattle, L.A. gave up a 58-yard punt-return TD and Harrison Mevis missed a 48-yard field goal try with 2:07 left in regulation. The mishaps cost coordinator Chase Blackburn his job – the first in-season staff firing ever by Sean McVay – as S-Teams gaffes have plagued the Rams all season. For all the pop on offense and defense, it takes three phases.
8. What makes the Jaguars so dangerous? Beyond the hot quarterback (Trevor Lawrence has a 15-1 TD-INT ratio since Week 13) and a defense that thrives on turnovers (31, second in the NFL) while stuffing the run (zero 75-yard rushers), consider quality wins. The Jags are 3-1 against other AFC playoff teams, splitting against Houston while posting convincing wins against the Chargers and Broncos.
9. Did the Panthers peak a few weeks ago? Backing into the playoffs with a losing record (thanks, Atlanta) and back-to-back losses to end the regular season is never a good look. Now here comes the Rams, bringing the NFL’s No. 1 offense. Wait a minute. Carolina upset L.A. on Nov. 30 to improve to 7-6. That was then. Since then, the Panthers haven’t scored more than 20 points in dropping three of four games.
10. Have the Bears run out of last-minute magic? What an incredible worst-to-first rise in Year 1 under Ben Johnson. Like destiny? Chicago is the first team in NFL history to win six games in which it trailed in the final two minutes. Caleb Williams-armed crunch time confidence. Check. Just as essential: A 29th-ranked defense has collected an NFL-high 33 takeaways. This is not a typical formula. But they are here.
11. Will Justin Herbert hold up and give the Chargers a fighting chance? Jim Harbaugh’s rugged QB had surgery in early December to stabilize a fractured left hand and didn’t miss a start until resting in Week 18. Add layer to his toughness rep, which fits in a year his O-line lost both of its stud tackles to season-ending injuries. Under these conditions, Herbert tries to shake the 0-2 playoff monkey off his back.
12. What can C.J. Stroud do to complement the top-ranked Texans defense? Sure, defense wins championships and Houston set franchise records for fewest points (17.3) and yards (277.2) to fortify an NFL-best 9-game win streak. Stroud rebounded after missing three games (concussion) but his unit has been sketchy for cashing in opportunities. Houston ranks 30th in the NFL with a red zone TD rate of 46.3%.
13. Will the Broncos offense buck a trend and start fast? Denver’s journey to a No. 1 seed came with 11 one-score victories, tied for most in the NFL. Impressive. Last season, the Broncos typically lost those one-possession encounters. Now they are so poised in crunch time. Yet stress might be lessened. Denver has generated just 36 points from its opening possession, including just three touchdowns.
14. What’s the warning sign attached to the Seahawks? Turnovers. No playoff team logged more giveaways than Seattle (28), with half of that total coming on INTs by Sam Darnold – who has thrown more picks (14) than any quarterback in the playoffs. Seattle has great balance with Top 10 units on offense and defense, plus stellar special teams. It has the ‘The 12s,’ too. Maybe turnovers will be an equalizer. Or not.
Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on X: @JarrettBell
