During Wild Card weekend, the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams are set to play for the second time in three weeks, and it’s becoming abundantly clear that L.A. stands no chance without quarterback Jared Goff, who had surgery to fix the broken right thumb on his throwing hand and is not a sure bet to return this weekend.
He gets so much grief from the internet for being Sean McVay’s puppet, but Goff is at the very least a solid quarterback who provides value to the Rams, particularly at a time when his backup is someone named John Woolford. You’re probably thinking to yourself: That sounds and looks like the kind of guy that would play in the AAF or XFL or something. And if you’re thinking that, you’re right. He did play in the AAF.
The Rams have been a fun story this season, with strong showings from McVay’s offense and defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s defense. But nine days ago, L.A. lost in Seattle, 20-9, with Goff under center. Without him, the Rams don’t stand a chance.
Let’s dive into the playoff power rankings for the Wild Card round.
14. Washington Football Team (NFC, 5-seed) -- They belong in the playoffs like I belong at the Met Gala.
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13. Chicago Bears (NFC, 7-seed) -- Please let the Saints mercifully put down the Bears in the first round. I can't stand to watch Chicago's front office grow more and more attached to the idea of giving an extension to Mitchell Trubisky.
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12. Cleveland Browns (AFC, 7-seed) -- I'm just proud of the Browns for not messing it up. There was a large probability that they would miss the playoffs -- and not JUST because they're the Browns. But they made it. *pats Browns on the back.* Good job, Browns.
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11. Los Angeles Rams (NFC, 6-seed) -- If Jared Goff is healthy, this is probably unfair to a very solid Rams team. If Goff is not healthy, this is WAY too generous. So... let's just meet in the middle.
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10. Indianapolis Colts (AFC, 7-seed) -- Is everyone else alarmed with how hard it was for the Colts to beat the Jaguars? Indy made a real mess of that first half.
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9. Tennessee Titans (AFC, 4-seed) -- The Texans have been a pesky team to beat in 2020, even with their bad record. In their narrow win over Houston, the Titans continued to show signs of weakness and inconsistency that could end their season quickly in the playoffs.
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8. Baltimore Ravens (AFC, 5-seed) -- They got their offensive swagger back against crappy teams. Can the Ravens keep it up in the playoffs? I'm only a little skeptical.
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7. Pittsburgh Steelers (AFC, 3-seed) -- I don't even know anymore. They started 11-0 but have showed little evidence they can beat good opponents in recent weeks.
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6. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFC, 5-seed) -- As good as Tom Brady has looked statistically this season, he is still just 2-4 against playoff teams this year. Will the switch flip for Brady, like it did so often in New England?
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5. Seattle Seahawks (NFC, 3-seed) -- They're on a four-game winning streak after their embarrassing loss to the Giants. Russell Wilson should take care of business, especially if he's dueling with Wolford.
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4. New Orleans Saints (NFC, 2-seed) -- Drew Brees may be washed up, but he's also better than Taysom Hill. So the Saints are dangerous again.
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3. Green Bay Packers (NFC, 1-seed) -- Their path to the Super Bowl is looking quite clear, now that their defense is playing at an extremely high level.
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2. Buffalo Bills (AFC, 2-seed) -- With Josh Allen playing out of his mind and Sean McDermott getting the defense to play at an elite level, the Bills are the strongest challenger for the Chiefs.
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1. Kansas City Chiefs (AFC, 1-seed) -- They're so good that they've spent that last few weeks tinkering with gadget plays. They'll get serious now that it counts -- and nobody seems likely to stop them. If they were humming along at 85 percent intensity, what happens if they reach 100?
