NFL Playoffs: Previewing the NFC Half of the Wildcard Round

The Los Angeles Rams return to the playoffs and host the Atlanta Falcons, while the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers square off again in the first round of the NFL playoffs.

The NFC’s first playoff game is Saturday night, when the NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams host the second wildcard team, the Atlanta Falcons. The Rams are one of the NFL’s biggest surprises this season, ending a long run of futility with an 11-5 season in 2017. The franchise enjoyed their first winning season and division title since 2003, and are in the playoffs for the first time since 2004.

Atlanta is back in the playoffs one season after becoming NFC champions but losing in the Super Bowl to the New England Patriots. Though they only lost one fewer game in 2017 than 2016, they haven’t been the same dominant team on offense.

In 2016, Atlanta owned the second-best offense in the NFL, and turned the ball over only 11 times in 16 games, with a +11 turnover differential that ranked in the top-five. This season, their offense was down to eighth and they turned the ball over 18 times, with a -2 differential.

Still, this is a dangerous team. Julio Jones is still one of the best receivers in football, going over 80 catches and 1,400 yards for the fourth straight season. Mohamed Sanu has become a great second option behind Jones, and Taylor Gabriel is a dangerous option out of the slot. Second-year player Austin Hooper, out of Stanford, has become a rising young tight end in the league.

The run game is still strong, with Devonta Freeman racking up 865 yards in 14 games and Tevin Coleman setting a career-high with 628 yards. Freeman missed a couple games in late November and missed practice on Tuesday with a knee injury, but he was not listed on the team’s Thursday report.

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The Rams’ defense is not as strong as it was last season heading into their first postseason game since January 15th, 2005. After ranking in the top-10 in both total yardage and passing yardage, plus 16th in rushing yardage, in 2016, the Los Angeles defense fell to 19th overall, 13th against the pass, and 28th against the run.

Of course, they still have one of the most disruptive defensive players in the NFL in Aaron Donald. Despite sitting out the first two weeks of the season, Donald still matched his career-high with 11 sacks, including recording six in the final five weeks. He led all interior lineman with 91 quarterback pressures, and was rated number one at his position with a 98.4 grade according to Pro Football Focus.

While the defense wasn’t great, it was certainly opportunistic. They recorded 28 takeaways in 2017, fifth-most in the league, with eight of those takeaways coming on the opponent’s first possession of the game.

On the offensive side is where the Rams shine, a surprising fact after the team was so awful in 2016. But with the additions of Andrew Whitworth and John Sullivan to the offensive line, and of Sammie Watkins, Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, and Gerald Everett to the receiving group, the Rams turned into one of the better offenses in 2017. A year after finishing dead-last in the NFL in points and yardage, they improved to first in scoring and 10th in yards this season.

But most importantly, Todd Gurley was back to the guy he looked to be in his rookie season. He was one of the best dual-threats in football in 2017, rushing for 1,305 yards to rank second in the NFL, and accounting for 2,093 total yards from scrimmage to lead the league. He also scored 19 touchdowns (13 rushing, six receiving) to lead the league. He’s just one option that second-year quarterback Jared Goff, who blossomed into a young star in 2017, will look to on Saturday.

This seems to be a fairly even matchup, and could turn out to be the best game of the weekend. After such a dismal stretch in the franchise’s history, the Rams are looking to get back to the top of the pile. One season after coming so close to winning their first Super Bowl, the Falcons are looking to get back to the final game and change the result. This should be a fun one.

On Sunday afternoon, the Carolina Panthers visit the New Orleans Saints to close out the first round with their third meeting of the season.The Saints, NFC South champs for the first time since 2011, had an 11-5 record that was identical to the Panthers, but the difference came in the head-to-head matchups. New Orleans dominated both games against the Panthers, winning 34-13 in week three and 31-21 in week 13. The Saints held Carolina under 300 total yards both times, and averaged 381 yards of offense themselves.

The Saints had one of the most dynamic offenses in 2017, beating teams through the air and on the ground. Much like the Rams, an improved offensive line made this team much better than the 2016 edition. Drew Brees had another huge season, even as a 38-year-old in his 17th season. He threw for over 4,000 yards for the 12th straight season, even though his touchdowns went down.

Brees threw only 24 scores, his first season under 30 since 2007, but New Orleans didn’t need him to make all the plays. Their rushing game scored more touchdowns than any other team in the league, led by seventh-year running back Mark Ingram. The former first-round pick ran for a career-high 1,124 yards and scored double-digit touchdowns for the first time, finding the endzone 12 times.

Alongside Ingram, rookie third-round pick Alvin Kamara became one of the most explosive players in football. He ran for 728 yards on only 120 carries, good for a league-leading 6.1 yards per attempt. In the passing game, he made 81 receptions for 826 yards. He scored 13 total touchdowns from scrimmage, and added a 106-yard kickoff return for good measure.

And then there’s receiver Michael Thomas, who made 104 catches for 1,245 yards in his second season, solidifying himself as Brees’ best target. He’s been limited in practice because of a hamstring issue, but should be ready to roll come Sunday.

The Saints’ defense isn’t great, but they do have playmakers. Defensive end Cameron Jordan is one of the best all-around defenders in the game, and put together a spectacular season in 2017 that should garner some attention for post-year awards. He racked up 13 sacks, 17 tackles for loss, and led the NFL with 10 passes batted down at the line of scrimmage. According to PFF, he was the top-rated edge defender in the NFL.

Marshon Lattimore was another rookie that made a big impact for the Saints in 2017. The cornerback led the team with five interceptions, and finished in the top 10 among all corners according to PFF.

With so many weapons, it seems a Herculean task to hold them down and try to keep up. The Panthers do have an excellent run game themselves, led by quarterback Cam Newton and his 754 yards on the ground. Long-time vet Jonathan Stewart ran for 680 and rookie Christian McCaffrey added 435, but both averaged under four yards per carry.

But with the Panthers so deficient in the passing game, they could be in serious trouble if this turns into a shootout. They finished 28th in the league in passing yards, and quarterback Newton only surpassed 250 yards three times. Newton has been dealing with a lingering shoulder injury all season, and has been limited in practice this week.

The Carolina defense has a tall task ahead of them, but will have their leader Luke Kuechly to bring them into battle. He surpassed 100 tackles for the sixth straight season, and recorded a team-leading three interceptions. On the front-line are two players who recorded at least 10 sacks, defensive ends Mario Addison and the ageless wonder Julius Peppers. The 37-year-old Peppers passed 10 sacks for the 10th time in his career, and went over 150 career sacks this year.

The Saints have already beaten the Panthers twice this season, but it’s no small task to do it a third time. Still, they have the advantage on paper and the Panthers will have to be at the top of their game to knock off their divisional foe.

Next: Previewing AFC Wildcard Games

Number-one seeded Philadelphia Eagles earned the bye and homefield advantage with their 13-3 regular season, and they will host the lowest-seeded team that remains in the Divisional Round. The Minnesota Vikings, also 13-3 with a bye, will take the higher-seeded of the two remaining teams.

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