This is the beauty of professional sports. The most likely becomes disappointed, and the most unlikely becomes the most surprising. The 1999 Rams, the 1987 Twins, the 1980 USA Hockey team, and other memorable underdog teams in sports history made you believe in miracles. Postseason brings out the best of every team invited and becomes a reminder to the favorited that no one is invincible during the chase for a championship. Here, I review each team in the NFC playoff picture and discover the one main ingredient to a playoff-winning formula for all seven teams, whether it is a strength to continue with or a weakness to improve on quickly.
The National Football Conference is full of complex offenses with some of the most dangerous playmakers to watch out for. One two-thousand-yard runner, a pair of once-castoff quarterbacks becoming great comeback stories, a rookie gunslinger with the whole city of D.C. on his back, and two guys they call Sonic and Knuckles, who a team that hasn't won a world championship since 1957 should depend on the most. Green Bay has a ball carrier named Josh Jacobs, who can easily contend with those other runners mentioned. True impact players who can make anything happen and are the ones who could define this entire NFC postseason. These are quick notes that are helpful for each team to sustain their chances of making it to Super Bowl 59.
Detroit Lions: Dash and Boom with Gibbs & Montgomery
Jared Goff has knitted together one of the most historically successful seasons ever by a quarterback in terms of completion percentage, with 72.4 percent of his passes completed during the regular season. That percentage stands as the fourth-highest completion percentage in NFL history. It is thanks to the help of Detroit's two running backs, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. This team is so well-balanced that they can score at will and move the football effectively while throwing it no more than 15 times a game and still win. Their abominable rush attack opens things up for their passing game while having the best O-line in the business lead the way for them. Jahmyr Gibbs, in the last game with the NFC North title and home-field advantage on the line, proved to be a true impact player by scoring four total touchdowns and producing 139 rushing yards in a 31-9 win over the then 14-2 Vikings.
David Montgomery sat out that game, and his expected return for the playoffs should make the running game abominable again, as always, with his angry running style to mix with Jahmyr Gibbs' versatility. Gibbs is the only player in the NFL to have scored 20 total touchdowns this season. He also produced the third-most yards from scrimmage with 1,919 this season. Montgomery scored 12 rushing touchdowns and rushed for 775 yards in 14 games while racking up 1,116 yards from scrimmage. Those two, along with Amora St. Brown and Jameson Williams, the 2024 Detroit Lions became the first team in NFL history to have four players eclipse a thousand yards from scrimmage in the same season. In the five games in which the Lions scored 40 points and had no turnovers, they didn't only win all five of those games. They also ran the football at least 28 times, scored at least two rushing touchdowns, and rushed for 116 yards or more in each of those five games.
Philadelphia Eagles: Coach a Better Game Than Everyone Else
Before the season, it wasn't the signing of superstar back Saquon Barkley that boosted the Eagles' Super Bowl stock. It had to be the hiring of Vic Fangio as their new defensive coordinator and Kellen Moore as their new offensive coordinator. The two offseason moves would give the Eagles' superstar team a superstar coaching staff. Head coach Nick Sirianni needed redemption after an embarrassing first-round exit to a 9-8 Buccaneers team. Philadelphia would catch fire after stumbling to a 2-2 start. Since then, the Eagles have brought a no-mercy, no-surrender approach with aggressive play calling from Kellen Moore and suffocating coverage schemes from Vic Fangio.
They won 12 of their last 13 games by pulverizing teams into submission, making them the league's bad boys. They ran the ball as often as possible, eventually helping Saquon Barkley join the 2,000 rushing-yard club and ironing out the passing game to a more methodical attack with better care of the football than in the past. It is a system proven simple for any quarterback to thrive in. Just get the ball into the hands of your top-flight playmakers. A.J. Brown, Devonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and even Saquon Barkley are safety nets for any quarterback who takes the starting snaps. Whether it is Jalen Hurts, Kenny Pickett, or Tanner McKee, this will remain the same Eagles offense that beats you in more ways than one.
Their defense beats down offenses the same way. They have defensive backs that tackle like linebackers, defend the run, and cover the pass, and a front four, one of the most athletic units in pro football. The defense finished as the top unit in the game with key contributions from young stars like Cooper DeJean, Quinyon Mitchell, and Jalen Carter, plus veterans like CJ Gardiner-Johnson and Darius Slay. Talent plus discipline equals no big plays allowed, and you can ask the Ravens about how tough it was to score on this defense. Baltimore's number one total offense in the league could only score 19 points against the Eagles in week 13, their second-lowest total of the season. Nick Sirianni's mad scientist ways, Vic Fangio's wisdom, and Kellen Moore's visionary thinking have turned the Philadelphia Eagles back to being a certified Super Bowl threat again.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Play Defense
Despite how unstoppable their passing attack may be, it would help their defense to take the load off Baker Mayfield and the offense. For a defensive-minded head coach in Todd Bowles to company a horrible defense is quite puzzling. The same defensive coordinator for what used to be one of the most decent units around and was highly responsible for their Super Bowl 55 win over the high-powered Chiefs. They must get back to that form or at least close to it if they want their postseason time to last long. Having Baker Mayfield put together heroic performances can't always work out, especially in the playoffs.
If so, they wouldn't have been swept by the Falcons by allowing Kirk Cousins to throw for eight touchdowns, 785 passing yards, and just one interception in those two games combined. Both games ended in shootouts, with Mayfield throwing six touchdowns to two interceptions and 510 passing yards. So many games they had where the offense did their part, and the defense broke down, except in week three against the Broncos when they could only score seven points and the Broncos scored 26, limited to their worst offensive performance by one of the most elite defenses.
Their best defensive performance came in week 15 against Justin Herbert and the Chargers, neutralizing Herbert to under 200 yards passing while picking him off once and, sacking him three times, and holding the rest of the Chargers' offense to 17 points and 206 total yards that day at Los Angeles. Suppose their defense can conjure up that level of performance during the playoffs, with Baker Mayfield throwing flames. In that case, Mike Evans catches the fire, and Bucky Irving runs to cool down the possible chaos that may take place. Then, Tampa Bay will see their team become a formidable underdog in this Super Bowl tournament. It is already the fourth-highest-scoring offense in the NFL; now, their defense needs to meet that level of play.
Los Angeles Rams: Involve the Key Playmakers More into the Gameplan
You have seen the Rams' season go up and down like the stocks. A 1-4 start to the season followed by a three-game win streak just to be cooled by two losses in the next three games. Week 13 would finally be when they reached above 500 in their win-loss record by catching the Bills by surprise with a scoring arsenal by Matthew Stafford and the offense. Putting 44 points on the scoreboard and 457 yards of total offense on the stat sheet against a solid Buffalo defense. Their upset win over the Vikings in week eight was due to a mixture of efficient passing behind Stafford's four touchdown passes, two to Demarcus Robinson, and a pass rush that sacked Sam Darnold three times including once for a safety to seal the win, 30-20.
From week 15 through week 17, they held each opponent to under 10 points but failed to reach 20 for themselves. Their offensive struggles lately expose some things they are doing wrong during that span. Cooper Kupp didn't have more than three targets in those games. Demarcus Robinson hasn't caught a touchdown since week 12 while not catching a pass until the last week of the regular season. He caught six for 72 receiving yards against the Seahawks in week 18. While sophomore stars Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua have produced big-time performances during the season's final stretch, it will soon be when opposing playoff defenses key in on them.
As bright as he is, Sean McVay will realize that the football needs to be spread around more to force defenses like the Vikings into guessing who will get the ball next Monday. Kupp? Nacua? Williams? or Robinson? This can even give their tight ends chances to slip through the cracks while all the attention is drawn to their key playmakers. Most importantly, it would help Matthew Stafford not to feel like he has one guy to depend on for the crucial scenarios.
Minnesota Vikings: Sam Darnold Must Play Better
Viewers who saw the last game between the Lions and Vikings saw so many bad throws from Sam Darnold—especially the overthrown fade pass to Justin Jefferson in the endzone in the second quarter. There were plenty of other games when Sam Darnold went out of control with his throws. He would tend to place the football high, where there would be too much arc under those passes. It would either be underthrown or overthrown. His receivers will either have to come back to the football, or the football will be over their heads into the hands of a player from the opposite team. His trigger happiness causes him to become inaccurate with his throws.
Suppose he can become more relaxed inside the pocket and not be so jittery. In that case, he can take time to read the coverage and make smarter decisions with the football. He can also settle down for the check-down targets and not be so anxious about taking deep shots with every throw. Sam Darnold is like a batter who thinks every hit will be a home run. Sometimes, you will have to be patient and focus on getting to base first. Once you see the opportunity present itself, go ahead and take it. The playoffs are the time to leave it all out on the field but not the time to become careless with decisions.
Washington Commanders: Aggressive Offense
Having one of the best fourth-down offenses in the NFL and one of the most efficient are absolute pluses for any playoff team. A fourth-down efficiency percentage of 86.96 for the year is astonishing. It's all due to their savvy play designs from offensive coordinator Kliff Klingsbury. A mixture of read-option plays and play-action rollouts in rare designs have caused the opposition to guess the next play from Washington's offense. Jayden Daniels and Dan Quinn have already become one of the best quarterback-coach combinations in the league in their first year together.
This rookie quarterback is an apparent revolutionary in a revolutionary offense that stems from the legendary Air Raid offense. Daniels has a unique skill set that enables him to make all the throws and outrun any defender on the field. It has for sure opened another dimension to the offense and makes the possibilities limitless. It is a run game that moves swiftly and powerfully, whether it is Austin Ekeler, Brian Robinson Jr., Jeremy McNichols, or Chris Rodriguez Jr. in the backfield with Jayden Daniels. They know the right times to throw the football and when to run it. They are the third-best rushing team in the NFL with 154.1 rushing yards per game and the fifth-highest scoring team with 28.5 points per game for that reason.
Green Bay Packers: Run Support from Josh Jacobs
People say that a possible deep run in the playoffs from the Green Bay Packers depends on the production of their quarterback, Jordan Love. It is a dangerous team with a dangerous offense with under-the-radar pass catchers, a solid offensive line, a signal-caller with supernatural throwing talents, and a battering ram for a running back that is agile like a gazelle. Josh Jacobs, every time he gets 18 or more carries, the Packers are 8-1. Every time he steps into the endzone at least once, they are 8-3. His ability to run through the chest of tacklers while eluding them gives the Packers' offense the confidence to move the ball forward.
It provokes opposing defenses to load the box against the Packers, zeroing in on Josh Jacobs and leaves holes in the secondary for their passing game to expose. It takes off some of the pressure on Jordan Love. Love will no longer feel like he needs to be the hero. It also controls their time of possession to give their defense time to rest and be ready to go when it's their turn to get on the field. Their defense would need all the rest they need going into the playoffs, with their secondary being so depleted. As defensive adjustments are being made, demand for Josh Jacobs to get the football more is high for the Packers to become the first seventh-seeded playoff team in NFL history to play in the Super Bowl. It's a dangerous team to push other teams to the edge, but this method will be how they can seal the deal over championship contenders.
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