Division Series | New in opening

The NFL playoffs begin this Saturday, and for the second year in a row, there will be six games in the first round. To set the stage, here’s our analysis for today’s two matchups, which will be played in Cincinnati and Buffalo.

Miguel Bujold
The Press

Raiders v. bengals

The 2021 playoffs (yes, even though it’s 2022) will kick off with a clash between two teams that have learned to win this year. If it was, in all likelihood, only a matter of time in the case of Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals, it was not really expected in that of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Very few observers had predicted a playoff spot for the Raiders. Considering all the adversity they faced over the fall, the feat of making the tournament is notable in itself. Let’s remember the facts.

Their head coach Jon Gruden was fired in disgrace after the discovery of emails laced with racism, misogyny and homophobia he had sent a decade ago. Receiver Henry Ruggs III caused the death of a young woman while driving impaired at 250 km/h. So the 2020 first-round pick was fired, too, as was the Raiders’ other first-round pick from two years ago, Damon Arnette, who meanwhile released a video in which he threatened someone. brandishing a gun. All this in about a month…

The Raiders could very well have crashed after all this fuss and that’s exactly what they seemed to be doing. From November 7 to December 12, they lost five of their six games, but the team founded by the legendary Al Davis rebounded and won its last four meetings, including this spectacular victory against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday evening.

There have been three major culprits in the Raiders’ unexpected success: Rich Bisaccia, Maxx Crosby and, of course, Derek Carr.

Special Forces Coordinator up to this point, Bisaccia kept the train on track after replacing Gruden on an interim basis. He also fully deserves to get his chance as head coach permanently.

Suffering from drinking issues, Crosby picked himself up and emerged as one of the NFL’s best defensive ends. Crosby, a great defensive leader, said that the club’s starting tight end, Darren Waller, who fights the same fight as him off the field, inspired him to change the course of his life.

Carr, on the other hand, has taken a new step in his career, especially in the last month. Playing with enormous conviction and confidence, he was at the top of his game when it mattered most. The 30-year-old quarterback will finally be able to play the first playoff game of his career this Saturday. He led the Raiders to the playoffs five years ago, but was forced to miss his team’s playoff game, a loss at Houston, with a broken ankle.

The start of a great career

Carr and the Raiders will need a strong performance from all of their players in Cincinnati. Especially from Crosby, Waller, running back Josh Jacobs and a group of wide wingers who rely on collective effort to be productive. They’ll need everyone because keeping pace against Burrow and the Bengals offense is never easy.

If he avoids injuries, Burrow, playing his second season, will be an elite quarterback for the next 10 or 15 years, there’s no doubt about it. His efficiency coefficient of 108.3 was second on the circuit behind Aaron Rodgers. He completed a league-high 70.4% of his passes, and his average of 8.9 yards per pass was another high. And the former LSU Tigers did it behind a line that continued to tear and allowed the opponent to total 51 sacks at his expense.

The Bengals could very well have chosen to improve their line with their first selection of 2021, but instead opted for receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who had been Burrow’s teammate at LSU. A very good decision, as we know: 81 catches, 1455 yards, 13 touchdowns and almost certainly the title of rookie par excellence in attack of the year.

But it’s not just Burrow and Chase at the Bengals. Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd finished the season with 1,091 and 828 passing yards and would make a good pair of wide receivers without Chase. Joe Mixon is one of the toughest running backs in the league, but still grabbed 42 passes and rushed for 1,205 yards.

We knew that the Bengals offense would be very good, but the defense did a good job in the majority of its games, too. Obtained on the free agent market, Trey Hendrickson had 14 sacks while the other starting defensive end, Sam Hubbard, added 7.5. These two players represent the main strength of the defense.

The Raiders are on a roll and are playing with a lot of confidence. However, we saw that they were vulnerable to long passes last Sunday. Justin Herbert and the Chargers had several in the second half. Against Burrow and his receivers, that might be a problem.

In his first career playoff game, Burrow should allow the Bengals to snap an embarrassing seven-game losing streak. Cincinnati hasn’t won a playoff game in 31 years.

Las Vegas Raiders (10-7) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (10-7), this Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

OUR PREDICTION: RAIDERS 23, BENGALS 28

Patriots vs. bills

Already back at the top of their division?

Less than two years after Tom Brady left, the New England Patriots are back in the playoffs. The addition of several good veterans to the free agent market last March, paired with the selection of quarterback Mac Jones at the 15^and draft rank the following month, was quick to report.

Will the Pats be able to become the kings of the American East again this Saturday? They dominated the division for two decades and could reclaim their throne after a year-long hiatus with a win at Buffalo.

They were a tad lucky to get there, let’s face it, but the Patriots still won on their most recent visit to Orchard Park on Dec. 6. It will be recalled that the wind had been a major factor throughout the evening. Bill Belichick’s team had only opted for a total of three assists in their 14-10 victory.

It must be said that the Buffalo Bills had been unable to stop the running game of the Pats. Running backs Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson and Brandon Bolden had rushed for 217 yards and made several long runs.

The Patriots will likely need another good run game on Saturday night. Harris is the ace of the running backs group, having scored 15 touchdowns this season. Harris and Stevenson are physical carriers, so it will be essential for the Bills that their linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and Matt Milano are up to the task.

We expected good things from Edmunds, who was chosen in the 16th^and rank in the 2018 draft, but so far his game has been so-so and seems to have leveled off. In his fourth season, Edmunds had no sacks and had just seven tackles for a loss, which were too few for a player with his athleticism. Now would be a good time to show off.

The Bills secondary lost a very big chunk when Tre’Davious White suffered a ligament tear in his knee in November. One of the top five cornerbacks on the league, White is also the Bills’ best defensive player. The secondary remains strong despite White’s absence, especially thanks to the presence of seasoned safety Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, who represent the backbone of the unit.

The Patriots have a respectable receiving group with wide ends Jakobi Meyers, who has continued to improve this season, Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor, as well as tight end Hunter Henry. That said, the presence of a star receiver would certainly have paid off in White’s absence.

Drop in speed

Mac Jones was very hard on himself after the Patriots lost to Miami last week. He basically said his performance was unacceptable and took responsibility for the backhand at the hands of the Dolphins.

However, it is far from abnormal for a rookie to experience a slump late in the season, and that is what happened in the case of Jones. In his last four games, he completed just 59.8% of his passes and threw for six touchdowns against five interceptions.

The future is bright for Jones, who has not finished improving if we consider his work ethic and the seriousness he demonstrates. That said, there is still a young quarterback in training, and it will not be up to him to go and eliminate the Bills in enemy territory. In this sense, the ground game and, perhaps even more, the defense of the Patriots will have to excel.

The situation is very different on the side of the Bills. Josh Allen now has four seasons and four playoff games behind the tie. It is obviously through him that passes the success of the Bills, especially as the running back Devin Singletary and the running game of the team are inconsistent.

If Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, Emmanuel Sanders and Dawson Knox don’t win their one-on-one matchup, the Bills’ chances of winning will be significantly weakened. Presumably Belichick and the Pats will keep two safety backs in deep areas to capitalize on any mistakes Allen may make. But if that’s the case too often, Allen could take advantage of it to get some big gains on the ground. It will be very interesting to see the Patriots defensive game plan.

Much like Jones on offense, the Patriots defense was a bit worse in the final sprint. She will probably have to make a few key plays in order to win this Saturday night. Matt Judon, JC Jackson, Devin McCourty, Kyle Dugger and Kyle Van Noy can all change the look of a game with a “big” play.

Belichick and Sean McDermott begin to know each other well, they who face each other twice a year (three this time). McDermott is a very good coach, but Belichick is the best in history and he will have found ways to slow down Allen and the Bills offense.

On the other side of the ball, the Patriots’ offensive line will win its battle against the Bills’ defensive front, and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels will have drawn a few plays that will amaze the opposition as is almost always the case. A match whose suspense should remain until the last whistle.

New England Patriots (10-7) vs. Buffalo Bills (11-6), this Saturday at 8:15 p.m.

OUR PREDICTION: PATRIOTS 26, BILLS 24