NFL Playoff Predictions 2021

By: Adamo Marinelli

January 7, 2021

AFC wild card:

(7) Colts vs (2) Bills: The Colts have a good team, especially their defense, but the Bills have been one of the best offenses in the NFL to finish the year and they are on a six-game win streak, winning each game by at least 10 points. Josh Allen is a threat with his arms and legs and the Bills have a lot of weapons. I do think Philip Rivers and Nyheim Hines will have a great offensive performance and keep the game relatively close until the 2nd half, but the Bills will win 38 - 24. 

(6) Browns vs (3) Steelers: The Browns got into the playoffs with a week 17 win over the Steelers. The Steelers started 11-0 and have since been vulnerable: not being able to set up a run game, big Ben has been forced to pass over 45 times a game. The Browns have an amazing run game with Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb and setting up a run game to win time of possession is huge in the playoffs. They'll do just that and the Browns will upset the Steelers, 31 - 27.

(5) Ravens vs (4) Titans: Both of these teams have an excellent rushing attack. The Ravens rush by committee with Lamar Jackson, J.K. Dobbins, and Gus Edwards. They rushed for over 400 yards in their week 17 win. The Titans have Derrick Henry who rushed for over 2000 yards this season, winning the rushing title by a huge margin. Both offenses are good, but I believe the Titans offense just has more weapons and history on their side against Baltimore to make up for their suspect pass rush and 29th ranked secondary. The Titans will run the ball well, control the clock and not turn the ball over to win a close one 27-25. Lamar’s struggles continue.

NFC Wild Card: 

(7) Bears vs (2) Saints: The Bears earned the final wild-card spot in the NFC with an 8-8 record. Both their quarterbacks struggled mightily this season - Mitch Trubisky’s stats were helped out by an easy strength of schedule to finish the year. Against a talented and gritty Saints secondary - which has been slightly less effective to close out the year - it will be tough trekking for the Bears, who will have to rely heavily on their run game. Even without Alvin Kamara, the Saints still have a potent offense. Saints win, 33 - 21. 

 

(6) Rams vs (3) Seahawks: The Rams beat the Cardinals with a backup QB to get into the playoffs. Even with Jared Goff, who is likely to return from his thumb injury, the Seahawks secondary will be a tough task. It started the year pretty underwhelming but has since improved, thanks to Jamal Adams’ role in coverage and pass rush. Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense is not as overpowered as it was in the first half of the year but is still enough to win games. A strong mix of the run and pass game will help the Seahawks win, 24 - 16. 

(5) Buccaneers vs (4) WFT: The biggest strength of this young team is the defensive line headlined by all-star Chase Young and their young running back, Antonio Gibson. The Buccaneers’ defense has been pretty good all season long and they have a lot of weapons on offense, like Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Rob Gronkowski, Ronald Jones, etc. Brady started the season struggling but has since been clicking with his offense, throwing over 40 TDs. If Washington has any chance to win, they need to blitz Brady all game long and cause a constant disturbance in the backfield. If Brady can complete quick passes, it’s tough to stop. Bucs win, 28-17.

AFC Divisional Round:

(6) Browns vs (1) Chiefs: The Browns have a great running game and the one weakness this excellent Chiefs team has is their run defense, which is significantly worse than their pass defense. The Chiefs have one of the most explosive offenses in the league, especially with all the weapons they have such as Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, and Travis Kelce. If the Chiefs get out to an early lead, which they are prone to do, and force the Browns to pass, it will be tough going for the Browns. Chiefs win a close game 28-21. 

(4) Titans vs (2) Bills: The Titans and Bills are both very well-coached teams with a lot of talent. Derrick Henry will be the key to victory for Tennessee and they will have to stick to the run, control the clock and keep Josh Allen and company off the field if they want to win. Meanwhile, Josh Allen has a lot of weapons around him and the Titans’ defense has been battered with injuries. Their pass-rush is non-existent and their secondary is struggling. It is ranked 29th in the NFL and has allowed 36 pass TDs this year which will not help their chances to win against a potent Bills’ offense. But, the Titans will keep it close. Bills win a high-scoring affair 38 - 35.  

NFC Divisional Round:

(5) Buccaneers vs (1) Packers: The last time these teams played, the Buccaneers looked like the number one seed in their rout of the Packers. It was Aaron Rodgers’ worst game of the season with no touchdowns and two interceptions. I don’t think that happens again. The Bucs have a talented defense both upfront and in the secondary. The Packers have the best total offense in the league ahead of the Bills and Chiefs. So it might be a challenge to score points for Green Bay. Their run defense is not the best, even after Holding Henry to under 100 yards in week 16. So if they can rely on the run game to keep Brady off the field and get a quick lead to minimize the Buccaneers rushing attack, they will win, 33 - 29.

 

(3) Seahawks vs (2) Saints: The Seahawks offense started the season very well and Russell Wilson looked like an early MVP candidate but in the second half of the season, it has been less deadly. Their defense, especially their secondary was one of the worst to start the year but has improved significantly statistically throughout the year. The Saints offense has been effective, with and without Drew Brees this year. Alvin Kamara has been great all year and will be the key to victory in the playoffs with Michael Thomas’ injury and in limiting Drew Brees’ pass attempts. Taysom Hill and Emmanuel Sanders have been great too. Their defense, which was stout against the run has gotten beat a few times this year but it is still talented. Saints win a close game, 23 - 21. 

AFC Championship:

(2) Bills vs (1) Chiefs: These are the two best offenses in the AFC, which should make a great game. An interesting matchup to watch will be the Bills’ third-best passing offense against a Chiefs’ secondary that does have a lot of talent, but ranks 20th in passing TDs allowed. Another interesting matchup is the Chiefs’ passing attack which ranks first overall against the Bills’ offense which gives up the 9th fewest pass TDs and the 13th fewest yards. Both teams had a rushing attack in the middle of the pack, the Chiefs had more yards, but the Bills’ found more success getting into the endzone on the ground. The Chiefs and Bills both have top 10 offensive lines, giving up the fifth and ninth fewest sacks. If the Bills’ can and use Allen’s arms and legs to get to an early lead and establish a run game to keep Mahomes on the side, they’ll win 38-35. 

NFC Championship:

(2) Saints vs (1) Packers: These two teams are the best offenses in the NFC. The Packers lead the league in points scored and have scored the most passing touchdowns and total touchdowns in the NFL. The Saints have the most rush touchdowns and are top five in total offensive touchdowns. The Saints defense has their hands full with Aaron Rodgers, who will likely be the 2020 NFL MVP; Davante Adams, the best receiver in the league, Marques Valdes Scantling, and Aaron Jones. They will need to generate constant pressure on Aaron Rodgers and disrupt his throws and rhythm. They will likely attack the left tackle spot, with David Bhaktiari tore his ACL before the playoffs started. The Saints offense has a tall task scoring enough points to keep up with the explosive Packers’ offense.  Alvin Kamara and Emmanuel Sanders will have to have huge games. The Packers will win, 41 - 32.

Super Bowl 55:

(2) Bills vs (1) Packers: This would be a fantastic Super Bowl and my ideal matchup. Both teams have a top three overall offense and both teams have an MVP caliber quarterback and several elite wide receivers. Green Bay has the better running game, but Allen is the more mobile of the two QBs. Statistically, the Bills and Packers have both given up the ninth fewest pass touchdowns, the Packers gave up the eighth fewest rush touchdowns, the Bills have up the 12th fewest rush touchdowns. The Packers gave up the seventh-fewest pass yards, 13th fewest rush yards, meanwhile, the Bills have given up 13th fewest pass yards, 17th fewest rush yards. Both teams have an explosive offense and a stout defense, however, the Packers have the slight edge offensively & defensively. It will be a high scoring game, with both quarterbacks excelling all game long, but the edge will be given to the Packers because they have a better run game than the Bills and they will control the time of possession and the clock just enough to allow the Packers to come out on top. The Packers will win their fifth Super Bowl 45 - 41. 

Team Canada falls 2-0 to US, despite amazing tournament - World Junior Recap

By: Adamo Marinelli

January 6, 2021

     Team Canada were the heavy favorites to repeat as World Junior champions before the tournament started. During the tournament, Canada proved night in and night out that they were the best team. Unfortunately, they were bested by a very talented United States team in the Gold Medal game. 

     Before the Gold Medal game against the United States, Canada was the best defensive team at the tournament, allowing the fewest amount of goals; and they have been the best offensive team, scoring the most goals out of any team at the tournament. They have also outshot their opponents in every game, except in the quarterfinals against the Czech Republic. 

    Before the Gold Medal game, Canada had not given up a goal at even strength for the entire tournament; Canada did not trail once for the entire tournament; and they were always in the lead except when the game was 0-0. Canada had also only given up four goals.

     Canada’s physicality on defense and their forecheck was incredible the entire tournament and they gave very little room for their opponents to set up in the neutral zone. Canada had spent the majority of the tournament in their opponents’ offensive zone or in the neutral zone. 

     Canada’s goalie, Devon Levi, has had an amazing tournament. He was a perfect 6-0-0 and only allowed four goals before the Gold Medal game - all of which have come from the high slot. He did a good job containing shots and not allowing many rebounds. He tied a World Junior record with three shutouts in the tournament. In the loss to the US, he allowed two goals. Yet, he still set a World Juniors record for both save percentage at 0.964% and goals-against average at 0.75. 

     Canada went a perfect 4-0-0 in the group stage, beating Germany 16-2, Slovakia 3-1, Switzerland 10-0, and Finland 4-1. 

     In all four of those games, Canada was in complete control. They dominated time of possession, shots on goal, and spent the majority of the game in the attacking zone. They forechecked very well, were very physical on defense, did not allow their opponents to generate very many scoring chances and they constantly created turnovers. 

     In the quarterfinals, they beat the Czech Republic 3-0. It was a close game, and the Czechs played great defense, limiting Canada to 25 shots, their fewest total in the tournament. The Czech’s offense was firing on all cylinders, registering 12 shots in the first period, keeping the game close. Late in the first period, took control of the game, and after getting out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, they shut down the Czech Republic offense and only gave up 17 shots in the final 40 minutes. 

     In the semifinals, they dominated Russia 5-0, outshooting them 35-28. Canada was the better team, especially in the first period. They got out to a quick 3-0 lead outshooting the Russians 16-7 in the first period. They controlled the puck better, had more time of possession and the majority of the first period was played in Russia’s end. Canada would add two more goals cementing an excellent defensive performance, not allowing Russia to get many quality scoring chances. Canada’s forecheck was excellent, they caused a lot of turnovers and they won almost every puck battle. 

      It seemed that Canada’s goal to repeat as World Junior champions were very much in reach. This is one of the most skilled rosters Canada has put on the ice in World Junior history, containing 20 first-round draft picks from the last two seasons. Then, Canada hit a brick wall. Our neighbours to the south.   

     Many Canadians like to argue that Canada is a better hockey country and they produce better hockey players. The United States, however, has beaten Canada in four straight World Junior Gold Medal games: in 2004, 2010, 2017, and now 2021. 

     This Gold Medal game was played between the two best teams in the tournament. Canada had the number one offense and defense, the United States had the number two offense and defense. Both goalies have been fantastic too, but statistically, Devon Levi has had the edge over Spencer Knight. 

     However, the United States was simply the better team last night in their 2-0 win over Canada in the gold medal game. They were faster, they outshot Canada for the first two periods, they controlled time of possession, they won almost every single puck battle and the United States spent the majority of the first period in the Canadian end. The first goal by Alex Turcotte resulted after several consecutive shifts in the Canadian zone. The US generated a lot of pressure and got a lot of quality chances against Levi. 

     Early in the second period, Trevor Zegras - who was named the tournament MVP with seven goals, 11 assists and 18 points - scored to expand the United States’ lead to 2-0. The United States’ defense was excellent, they skated well, and like Canada had done all tournament forechecked well, caused Canada to commit turnovers and not be able to set up in the attacking zone to generate momentum. 

     After the 2-0 goal, Canada did a good job defensively, shutting the US offense down, limiting them to eight shots in the final 40 minutes, and only one shot in the third period. Whether or not the Americans were trying to sit on their lead, that is impressive defense and shows why Canada was the best defensive team. 

     In the second period, Canada’s offense started clicking and they moved the puck well, they started getting even in time of possession and they registered 25 shots on goal in the second and third period, many of those were quality scoring chances. However, the US defense bent but did not break and Spencer Knight stood on his head stopping all 34 Canadian shots for his third shutout of the tournament and the US won their fourth World Junior Gold Medal in 12 years. Canada has won three Gold Medals.

      Despite not winning the Gold medal, Team Canada still played well all tournament long and they had many amazing players. There were five Canadians on the top 12 scoring list including Dylan Cozens who finished with eight goals, eight assists, and 16 points, which was second only to Trevor Zegras.

     Congratulations to the US for their Gold Medal, Canada for their Silver Medal, and Finland for their Bronze Medal.

Will the United States be able to defend its World Junior crown next year? Or will Canada, Russia, or Finland get their revenge?

Ottawa Senators 2021 season expectations

                                                                                                                                By: Adamo Marinelli

January 3, 2021

     The Ottawa Senators are fortunate enough to have a large pool of youth and talent on their roster and be under the salary cap limit by a healthy amount of $11 million with several team-friendly contracts as well. 

     According to several experts, the Senators are projected to start competing for a playoff spot and start contending to win a Stanley Cup starting in the 2022-23 season, in two seasons from now.

      This season, with the all Canadian division, they are projected to finish last of seven teams. For a rebuilding Senators team, that makes sense and is not entirely bad either. 

      The Senators management does not want to get too far ahead of themselves in the rebuild and the new pieces like Tim Stutzle, Jake Sanderson, Ridley Greig, among others need time to develop chemistry with the team’s current core.

     At the same time, because this season is a shorter 56 game campaign, and because of the Seattle Kraken expansion draft in 2021, the Senators need to be very careful about splitting ice time evenly so they can evaluate every one. They do not want to leave the wrong player unprotected and risk losing production while stunting the development of the chemistry of this young team. The worst thing that can happen is if a player gets no ice time in Ottawa, gets traded away and he excels elsewhere.

     With no playoff expectations this year, the Senators should give all their prospects - especially their higher round draft picks - a ton of ice time with their current stars like Brady Tkachuk, Thomas Chabot, Alex Galchenyuk among others to see how they play together. 

     The Senators’ coaching staff should try to evaluate as many young players as they can and you can expect head coach D.J Smith to try a lot of different line combinations on offense and defense to see what works. 

     Not only did they add a lot of talent in the draft, but they also got bigger, tougher, and grittier with some free-agent acquisitions such as defenseman Erik Gulbranson, who they acquired from the Ducks for a 2021 5th round pick; right-winger Austin Watson, who they acquired from the Predators for a 2021 4th round pick; and left-winger Michael Haley who they signed to a one-year, two-way contract in free agency. 

     On defense, I believe Thomas Chabot will be paired with Erik Gulbranson on the first line, Erik Branstrom and Nikita Zaitsev will be on the second line. But the rookie Jake Sanderson and Jacob Bernard Dockens are both very good and will also compete for a spot as a top-six defenseman on the team.

     On offense, I believe Brady Tkachuk will be the 1st line left-winger, he is the most talented left-winger on the roster and can be an all-star in the near future. Nick Paul and Alex Formenton will compete for the 2nd line spot and rookie Ridley Greig can compete for a third-line spot. He was very talented in the OHL.

     At center, Colin White and Chris Tierney will compete for the 1st line spot, Derek Stefan and Alex Galchenyuk will compete for the 2nd line spot, and Logan Brown or Josh Norris can compete for the third line spot. However, I expect Tim Stutzle to compete for a spot. He’s good enough to play on the second, even perhaps the first line. He’s had a very good World Juniors.

     At right-wing, Connor Brown and Drake Batherson can compete for the first-line spot. I think Connor Brown gets the 1st line spot, Batherson gets the 2nd line spot and Yevgeni Dadonov will be the third line right-winger.

     At goalie, Matt Murray will start, and Marcus Hogberg and Filip Gustavsson will back him up. 

     The Senators have a lot of depth at all positions and they will be able to move players around from line to line to improve chemistry. 

     The Senators were bottom 10 in the league in power-play and penalty kill last season and hopefully, with all the talent acquired in the draft and free agency, their effectiveness on special teams will improve. Excellent power play efficiency and penalty kill often makes good teams great.

     All these explosive rookies like Stutzle and Sanderson paired with the many experienced veterans like Tkachuk and Chabot can make this team very tough to beat and entertaining to watch if D.J Smith and his coaching staff can find the right rotations/lineups and if Matt Murray can stay healthy - he plays in net well when he’s healthy. 

     In the Canadian division, I believe the Oilers will finish first, Jets second, Leafs third, Flames fourth, Canucks fifth, the Canadians sixth, and finally, the Senators will finish seventh. 

     Don’t get me wrong: the Senators can shock people and maybe compete for a playoff spot this year if everything goes right, but there is just too much talent on all Canadian teams and I believe the Senators will be at the bottom of the division. 

     But after a full year of development for the rookies from the 2020 draft class, another year for the experienced players on the roster to hone their skills even further and develop chemistry with the rookies, and after another draft (the Senators have their first-round pick, two-second rounders and their third) where the Senators can acquire even more talent, the Senators can really start competing for a playoff spot. In a few seasons, they can even start competing to win their division to be a Stanley Cup contender. 

     It’s been a long rebuild, but after one or two more seasons, the Senators can be scary good.