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There might not be slime this weekend—until, in fact, you may have created some at dwelling, which we very a lot endorse—and there’s a bit much less soccer to observe than throughout final week’s 36-hour marathon. Regardless, there may be nonetheless a lot to anticipate on this week’s slate of divisional spherical video games. Listed here are the highest 4 story traces we’ll have our eyes on:
1. Davante Adams vs. Jalen Ramsey
The sport hasn’t even been performed but, and chances are you’ll already be sick of listening to about this matchup. However for good purpose: Coaches usually say that soccer is a recreation of matchups, and there could also be no higher one-on-one this weekend. The Packers’ Adams has lengthy had the distinctive distinction of being better-respected amongst his friends than most of the people primarily based on his devastating launch and clean route-running. This yr, because the receiver pulled down a career-high 18 touchdowns, he was Aaron Rodgers’s most well-liked associate within the Packers QB’s likely MVP campaign. Ramsey, then again, has been the back-end complement to Aaron Donald in Brandon Staley’s suffocating Rams protection, frequently blanketing the opponent’s prime receiver, together with thrice stifling D.Okay. Metcalf. This guarantees to be entertaining.
Ken Blaze/USA TODAY Sports activities
2. The revenge of the Air Raid QBs
Lengthy dismissed as school confections, Air Raid QBs are having their second within the NFL. Look no additional than the Sunday-afternoon matchup between Kansas Metropolis’s Patrick Mahomes and Cleveland’s Baker Mayfield. In fact, this week’s recreation has given the sports activities world license to quote that ridiculous 2016 game between Mahomes’s Texas Tech and Mayfield’s Oklahoma, which Oklahoma received by a 66–59 margin because the groups mixed for an absurd 1,708 yards of whole offense. However it wasn’t way back that such a efficiency could be waved off by NFL evaluators, nonetheless caught on Tim Sofa’s stunted NFL profession.
3. Our much-awaited Tom Brady–Drew Brees playoff matchup
A number of the anticipation has been tamped down by the truth that Brady and Brees now coexist in the identical division and have already performed twice this season. However that ought to not take away from the truth that the 43-year-old and 42-year-old, who spent the earlier decade and a half enjoying in numerous conferences, have by no means met within the postseason. Per Elias, their matchup on Sunday would be the first playoff recreation through which the opposing QBs have a mixed 500 regular-season begins. The Saints swept the regular-season sequence, and I need to acknowledge that I’ve been peddling the false narrative that it’s arduous to beat an opponent thrice in a single yr. To right this, I want to cite this excellent work from Soccer Perspective’s Chase Stuart, who decided that there have been 21 instances because the AFL-NFL merger when a staff swept an opponent throughout the common season then confronted them within the playoffs. The sweeping staff, Stuart writes, has in truth gone 14–7 in these postseason matchups.
4. Will even Lambeau Area bear dwelling subject benefit?
We talked last week about how throughout this largely fan-less pandemic season, dwelling subject benefit didn’t exist throughout the common season for the primary time because the 1970 merger. Then, throughout the first spherical of the playoffs, street groups received 4 of the six wild-card contests. All eyes now flip to Lambeau Area, the place the Packers have secured dwelling subject benefit by means of the NFC playoffs and this week host an opponent from sunny California. This week’s circumstances in Inexperienced Bay, although, are forecast to be comparatively gentle, a far cry from the Ice Bowl.
5. Younger playmakers conflict within the AFC
Mayfield is considered one of three first-round quarterbacks from the 2018 draft enjoying within the AFC this weekend, and the opposite two will face one another. Each Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson rebounded from prior playoff disappointments with their first playoff wins. Two of essentially the most thrilling playmakers in soccer now sq. off—final season’s MVP in opposition to a man whose manufacturing may make him an MVP in most years. Whereas the Browns have extra of a playing-with-house-money really feel heading into Arrowhead, the Ravens and Payments have increased expectations. The Payments haven’t superior to the AFC title recreation because the 1993 season, the final of their 4 straight Tremendous Bowl losses. The Ravens have had extra success this century however Jackson has, pretty or unfairly, worn the narrative of his two playoff exits somewhat more durable. As soon as these elder statesmen within the NFC retire, the league will nonetheless be in good palms, with considered one of these third-year quarterbacks already having a convention championship look (not less than) beneath his belt.
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