Thunderbirds101: 2020-21 NFL playoff predictions (Part 2

Welcome to part 2 of my 2020-21 NFL playoff predictions! Five for six on my Wild Card predictions. Not too bad, indeed.

BUT WHY DID THE ONE MISS HAVE TO BE THE SEAHAWKS GAME AAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Anyway. On to the Divisional round predictions.

AFC

#1 Kansas City Chiefs vs. #6 Cleveland Browns

The Browns are flying high after an incredible upset win over their long-time rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers. One quarter of total destruction unleashed by the Browns utterly condemned the Steelers to their doom. The Steelers charged through the season 11-0 but then dropped five of six, ending the playoffs one and done. If the Browns are truly a dangerous force in the AFC, they face the ultimate challenge next.

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, the reigning Super Bowl champions, are eager for a second straight Super Bowl. The Chiefs are by far the league's most dangerous team, ready to bulldoze any and all opposition who stands in their way.

Could the Browns pull off another upset? Perhaps. If anything, the Browns should avoid jumping out to a lead of any kind too early; Mahomes has a habit of orchestrating incredible comeback wins, whether in the Divisional, the Championship, or in the Super Bowl itself. The Browns have likely met their match this time.

Prediction: Chiefs win, 35-24.

Result: Chiefs win, 22-17.

Comments after the game:

Talk about danger close.

The first half was all Chiefs, who built up a 19-3 lead at half. A controversial helmet-to-helmet non-call cost the Browns a touchdown.

In the second half, however, the Chiefs suffered a catastrophic setback: Patrick Mahomes took a big hit and immediately had trouble standing up on his own, exhibiting the symptoms of a concussion. The worst case scenario for the Chiefs. The Browns mounted a comeback, but the Chiefs never broke completely, able to survive with backup quarterback Chad Henne.

No shame in losing to the reigning Super Bowl champions, Browns. Your team has finally seen the sunlight after spending decades in the dark. You'll be back.

As for the Chiefs, they survive, but at what cost? If Mahomes cannot play in the AFC Championship, the Chiefs face the potentially daunting task of fighting against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. The Chiefs will hope Mahomes can recover, but there's no telling for sure with a concussion.

In any event, the AFC path to the Super Bowl will go through Arrowhead Stadium!

***

#2 Buffalo Bills vs. #5 Baltimore Ravens

If any close battles happen this weekend, the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens matchup is it. Two incredibly talented quarterbacks on each side of the field, each with a balanced attack, each gunning for one of the coveted spots in the AFC Championship.

Josh Allen and the Bills struggled to hold back the Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card battle, but the Bills ultimately prevailed and stopped the comeback. The Ravens, meanwhile, utterly neutralized the Tennessee Titans' primary weapon, the king, the tank, the one known as Derrick Henry. Lamar Jackson was as dangerous as ever, shredding the Titans defense with an unstoppable ground attack.

Two evenly matched teams, but only one will survive and advance to the AFC Championship. It will be a close one.

Prediction: Bills win, 34-31.

Result: Bills win, 17-3.

Comments after the game:

Well then.

The first half of this game can be summarized with one GIF:

Only two drives in the first half resulting in scoring, and both times they ended with field goals. 3-3 heading into halftime. Everyone in the NFL had a terrifying and coma-inducing flashback to Super Bowl LIII.

The second half, however, can be summarized with this incredible secret footage of the Baltimore Ravens:

Every possible thing that could have gone wrong for the Ravens went wrong.

In fact, it started even before the second half. Justin Tucker missed two field goals thanks to high winds in Buffalo, leaving six points on the table. Lamar Jackson threw a devastating pick six, a 101-yard return for a Bills touchdown. A botched snap just like the first play in the Browns-Steelers Wild Card game ended with Lamar Jackson suffering a concussion. Quite possibly one of the worst halves of a playoff game the Baltimore Ravens have ever played. To call it a catastrophe is an understatement. For the second year in a row, the Ravens implode in the Divisional round.

The Bills advance to the AFC Championship for the first time in 27 years!

NFC

#1 Green Bay Packers vs. #6 Los Angeles Rams

The Los Angeles Rams had the benefit of battling a suddenly incompetent Seattle Seahawks squad in the Wild Card round. The Rams defense had no problems neutralizing an ineffective offense, and the Seahawks defense was also decimated with ease.

This time, however, the Rams face a far more daunting challenge: the Green Bay Packers. The Packers are a far more complete squad ready to face any threat. Aaron Rodgers will face a battered Rams team with Jared Goff and now Aaron Donald not at full strength.

Short of a January miracle at Lambeau Field, the Rams will run right into a brick wall.

Prediction: Packers win, 41-21.

Result: Packers win, 32-18.

Comments after the game:

No surprises here. The Rams kept it close for much of the game, but they fell silent in the fourth quarter and allowed the Packers to put the game out of reach. For the second straight year, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers will play in the NFC Championship.

The NFC path to the Super Bowl will go through Lambeau Field!

#2 New Orleans Saints vs. #5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This is it. Drew Brees vs. Tom Brady. The final battle. The duel of the fates. The Super Bowl we should have had two years ago.

Alas, instead of a Super Bowl meeting, Drew Brees and Tom Brady meet in the Divisional round. This is likely the final battle between these two legendary quarterbacks.

The New Orleans Saints met the Tampa Bay Buccaneers twice this season, and the Saints won both games handily (34-23 and 38-3). The Saints enter this battle having barely broken a sweat against a listless Chicago Bears squad, while the Buccaneers sent the last tank standing back to Washington.

The Saints are on a mission for redemption, and they'll blast a cannon ball into the Buccaneers' ship if that's what it takes. Brady will fight to the end, but it won't be enough against a relentless Saints squad. Chalk up another loss for Brady. A close loss, but still a loss.

Prediction: Saints win, 31-28.

Result: Buccaneers win, 30-20.

Comments after the game: