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NFL Midweek Update: Playoff schedule, injury report & Wild Card fallout
The 2021 NFL regular season is now in the books and we are on to the post-season. There are just eight teams now still in with a chance of lifting the Vince Lombardi trophy at SoFi Stadium next month.
Whether it is picking against the spread or homing in on NFL prop bets, you now have plenty of evidence to sift through when making your pigskin picks.
Our midweek update is intended to inform you with some intel to take on the bookmakers each weekend. So without further ado, let’s get into it.
NFL Divisional Playoffs Schedule
The new expanded NFL playoff schedule kicked off with the first ever Super Wild Card Weekend - featuring games across Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
This weekend we return to a more familiar slate, with two games on Saturday and two more on Sunday. The matchups, along with kickoff times, are as follows:
Saturday January 22
- Cincinnati Bengals @ Tennessee Titans (2130 GMT)
- San Francisco 49ers @ Green Bay Packers (0115 GMT Sunday)
Sunday January 23
- Los Angeles Rams @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2000 GMT)
- Buffalo Bills @ Kansas City Chiefs (2330 GMT)
Injury Report
Our injury report is not intended to be exhaustive, but it highlights key narratives which will affect betting for the weekend’s biggest games:
Cincinnati @ Tennessee
The Bengals finally ended that 31-year wait for a playoff victory when they defeated the Raiders 26-19 last Saturday night. But the W came with significant cost.
Cincy ended that game vs Las Vegas with a badly depleted defensive line, thanks to injuries which could really hurt their chances of upsetting the Titans in Nashville.
The biggest loss of all was DE Trey Hendrickson, who is now in concussion protocol and a major doubt for this Saturday’s Divisional Playoff round.
Hendrickson was expected to be a major contributor when the Bengals signed him to a four-year $60million deal in free agency, and he has been every bit as good as advertised with 14 sacks in 2021.
Another defensive lineman to leave that Vegas game early was tackle Larry Ogunjobi, who sustained a foot injury. Sadly it was season-ending and he is now on IR and misses the trip to Tennessee.
These blows for Cincy followed on from the loss even earlier in the game of DT Mike Daniels, who is a major doubt for this weekend with a groin injury.
Problems up front for Cincinnati are exacerbated by the fact they are likely to face the NFL’s most fearsome running back on Saturday in the shape of Derrick Henry.
Henry, a leading candidate to become league MVP before he went down with a foot injury in Week 8, is unstoppable at his best and he should return from surgery to face Cincinnati.
D’Onta Foreman, who has deputised for Henry since his injury, is expected to split carries with Derrick as the Titans ease their star man back into action.
San Francisco @ Green Bay
San Francisco proved what many experts believed this past weekend - they are a nightmare matchup for any playoff opponent.
The 49ers were excellent in upsetting the Cowboys 23-17 in Dallas, but they did leave Texas with significant injury concerns.
Star pass rusher Nick Bosa left the game in Arlington with a concussion after taking a knee to the helmet during a collision with a teammate.
Per head coach Kyle Shanahan, San Fran is optimistic that Bosa will be cleared to go at Lambeau Field. That would be huge for the underdog Niners, who face up to Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams et al on Saturday night.
Superstar linebacker Fred Warner meanwhile left the game in Dallas during the fourth quarter with an ankle sprain. Mercifully for the Niners it is a low-grade sprain and not the high-ankle variety, so Warner has a shot at being on the field on Saturday.
San Francisco QB Jimmy Garoppolo also came out of the Dallas win with an injury after spraining his shoulder, but he should be good to go in Wisconsin.
Green Bay come into this one off a bye, having clinched the #1 seed in the National Football Conference. And there is bad news for the rest of the playoff field - they’re about as healthy as any team can be in January.
Two star long-term absentees, edge rusher Za’Darius Smith and CB Jaire Alexander, could both return against the Niners while LT David Bakhtiari should be good to go despite the team limiting his practice time. RT Billy Turner is also close to a return from injury.
If that wasn’t enough, WR Randall Cobb and edge rusher Whitney Mercilus are also back in practice.
Los Angeles Rams @ Tampa Bay
Tom Brady continues his bid for an eighth Super Bowl ring with a tough matchup against Matthew Stafford and the Rams this Sunday. And the Bucs must be worried about who is going to protect the GOAT.
Tampa had major offensive line issues in the Wild Card win over Philadelphia, with star tackle Tristan Wirfs and center Ryan Jensen both suffering.
Wirfs missed the second half with an ankle injury, while Jensen also played through an ankle problem. Both men are not certain to face the Rams, and their status will not be clear until much closer to gametime. Not what you need when a certain Aaron Donald is staring you down at the line of scrimmage.
The Rams meanwhile were terrific in demolishing Arizona 34-11 on Monday Night Football to hand QB Stafford a first ever playoff win. This Sunday will be much much tougher, and L.A. came out of that game vs the Cardinals with a couple of injury concerns.
OT Andrew Whitworth left the game early with an ankle injury while CB David Long Jr sustained a knee injury. The status of both men for this weekend has yet to be determined.
Buffalo @ Kansas City
Saturday night was just about perfect for the Buffalo Bills as they destroyed New England 47-17 to advance to the Divisional round of the playoffs.
The ‘just about’ refers to the injury suffered by defensive end Mario Addison. The Bills’ sack leader hurt his shoulder in the win, and is now listed as ‘day-to-day’ ahead of the trip to Arrowhead.
There is mixed news meanwhile for the Chiefs. Defensive tackle Chris Jones should be fine after leaving the win over Pittsburgh early with an eye problem. But the status of RB Clyde
Edwards-Helaire remains murky as he battles a shoulder injury.
One and done: What’s next for Wild Card losers?
While eight teams remain in the hunt for Super Bowl LVI, six are now back home licking their wounds after dreams were shattered for another year.
So what is the fallout like in each city? And what are the questions which come next?
Dallas Cowboys: It’s now 26 years and counting since Dallas last sat on top of the mountain, and its entitled fanbase is raging after that upset loss to San Francisco in Arlington on Sunday.
Many fans were calling for the head of coach Mike McCarthy on Monday after his team committed 14 costly penalties to hamper any chances of defeating the Niners.
It promises to be an offseason of major change for the Cowboys - starting near the top. Coordinators Kellen Moore (offense) and Dan Quinn (defense) are both interviewing for multiple HC positions elsewhere, and both could leave.
On the playing side Dallas has 21 unrestricted free agents, including key starters such as DE Randy Gregory, WR Michael Gallup and TE Dalton Schultz.
Not great for a team which heads into free agency already $21milion over the salary cap.
Pittsburgh Steelers: For the first time in more than 15 years, the Steelers are likely to need a new franchise QB this offseason. The end has clearly been in sight throughout this season for Ben Roethlisberger, and he is likely done after that playoff loss in Kansas City.
If being without a QB is not enough, the Steelers also need desperately to improve their offensive line. Not much use having a promising RB like Najee Harris if he is running into brick walls on every down.
Mike Tomlin continues to somehow squeeze everything out of what he has, but the offense needs to improve significantly in 2022.
Arizona Cardinals: The Cards literally stunk it out on Monday Night Football as they were thrashed 34-11 by the Rams at SoFi Stadium. Remember they had crushed the same L.A. team earlier in the season at the same stadium. How times change.
The question around Arizona and HC Kliff Kingsbury after 2020 was could they capitalise on a good start down the stretch? That question is huge after another worrying late-season slump in 2021.
Injuries did hurt Arizona (notably to WR DeAndre Hopkins), but other teams cope so why not this one? Losing five of their last six sees Kliff and co head into the offseason with a very sour taste in their mouths.
New England Patriots: The Pats were better in 2021, but they still aren’t Brady good. The absence of the GOAT under center continues to loom large in Foxboro.
Rookie QB Mac Jones looked promising as New England reeled off seven straight wins after a poor start. But he regressed again late season - understandable given his lack of pro experience.
The manner of that 47-17 defeat in Buffalo last weekend though was shocking for all Pats fans - and for Belichick. It illustrated the size of the task.
If the Bills are now the standard in the AFC East, no longer it is a New England benefit. Both sides of the ball need further improvement in the offseason.
Philadelphia Eagles: Nick Sirianni showed ‘Rocky’ clips to his team the day before their Wild Card loss to the Buccaneers in Tampa. Sadly they played like Rocky fought, in his first fight with Clubber Lang. Welp.
The 31-15 defeat was really not as close as the final score suggests, thanks to some garbage time scores. On the plus side this was a season of overachievement for a team not expected to finish with a winning record. But one huge question remains - who is the QB?
Jalen Hurts is an undoubted threat on the ground as part of a stellar running game, but through the air he’s average at best.
Philly has three first-round picks in the upcoming 2022 Draft - do they package those to go after a big name? The smart money says they should.
Las Vegas Raiders: Vegas confounded the pre-season odds by posting a winning record and reaching the playoffs. Astonishing given the amount of off-field controversy they dealt with.
After the high-profile departure of HC Jon Gruden mid-season, the Raiders cut ties with GM Mike Mayock following Saturday’s playoff loss in Cincinnati. So there is a complete overhaul of the front office coming.
On the field the biggest decision surrounds QB Derek Carr. He was terrific this year in navigating troubled waters en route to a playoff berth.But now he heads into a contract year in 2022. Does the new front office hand him a huge extension? Or trade him now?
Game Of The Week
- Buffalo @ Kansas City (Sunday January 23, 2330 GMT)
Get ready for a shuddering collision in Kansas City when the Bills arrive in town to lock horns with the Chiefs at a packed Arrowhead on Sunday night.
These two teams met a year ago at the same stadium in the AFC Championship game with the Chiefs winning 38-24 to advance to Super Bowl LV. The Bills then won 38-20 here in October to at least start to gain some revenge.
Much has changed of course since that last meeting between the two teams - the Chiefs roared back from a 3-4 start to claim the AFC West title while Buffalo recovered from a mid-season wobble to clinch the East.
The Bills were perfect offensively in last Saturday’s rout of the Patriots - quite literally. They set league history by becoming the first team to play an entire game without punting, kicking a field goal or turning the ball over. Every single drive returned a touchdown.
KC is also hot right now, coming off a 42-21 thrashing of the overmatched Steelers in their Wild Card game. Patrick Mahomes was at something approaching his best as he threw for 404 yards and 5 touchdowns.
This game would have been worthy of the Super Bowl itself, and whoever advances will be a hot favourite to represent the AFC at SoFi Stadium next month.