NFL Playoffs 2018: 4 Headlines that define everything

The results may have surprised some, but these four headlines literally define everything about the 2018 NFL Playoffs. If the shoe fits, then we know who’s about to lose.

The wildcard round this year seemed to follow all of the basic tropes we, as football fans, point to. Even if the seeds didn’t all hold up, the story lines did. It was chalk all around.

Can we expect the same four headlines in the Divisional round? Absolutely, because they are defining the entire NFL Playoffs 2018.

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, debate NFL Playoffs 2018 in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Todd Salem:

Our four headlines/story lines of the playoffs:

1. Andy Reid can’t win in the postseason.

To wit, his team blew a 21-3 second-half lead and lost 22-21 to the fifth-seeded Tennessee Titans. If memory serves from a stat given during the contest, this was the first time in the Super Bowl era a playoff team blew a second-half lead of at least 18 points while playing at home. That’s Andy Reid for you.

2. You have to learn how to win.

The Los Angeles Rams had a tremendous season to reach the postseason as a three seed and host the Atlanta Falcons. This Rams roster was too inexperienced though for postseason play. The veteran Atlanta roster capitalized on mistakes and worked its way to a comfortable victory.

3. Teams just happy to be there won’t advance.

Buffalo celebrated its playoff berth like a genuine championship. Considering the time it’s been since the Bills were in the postseason and the struggles this franchise has had, it wasn’t unexpected. However, it showed that this team didn’t have plans on advancing any further than round one.

4. Home field only matters to a few teams.

New Orleans happens to be one of those teams. The Saints, playing indoors on their turf, get up to speed on both sides of the ball. The running game was a complete zero, but thanks to smooth-operating receivers and quick-twitch pass rushers, New Orleans controlled enough of the game to win. It is now 8-1 at home this season, the best record in the NFL.

More from NFL Spin Zone

Of course, it is easy to point out such headlines after the fact. The reason the NFL is such tricky business to predict is that the follow thoughts were just as viable heading into the wildcard round.

1. A heavy underdog with shaky coaching and quarterback play cannot be expected to win on the road in the postseason.

2. The Falcons have been nothing close to the offense we saw take over last season and will not hold up against the speed of Los Angeles.

3. It would be more than foolhardy to back Blake Bortles in a playoff game with expectations on his shoulders.

4. The Saints are crumbling down the stretch, especially defensively, and if they can’t run the ball against the sixth-best rushing defense in the league, they will fold like a lawn chair.

Anyone who wants to say the NFL is predictable is kidding themselves or lying to you. It only seems that way because it’s so simple to come up with a game-defining story line. What story lines do you have for me for the divisional round? I’m assuming Nick Foles will be prominently involved.

Dan Salem:

Oh boy, you totally roasted the losers of the Wildcard round. Its true that the NFL is like a one-stop shop for great headlines after the fact, but there are also major storylines that ALWAYS end up true for someone. Football is predictable, but we can’t predict which team will fall victim to the known outcome. Would the LA Rams, Bills, Titans, or Jaguars simply be happy to have made the playoffs? Two out of four is pretty darn good. Would Andy Reid not win, or would he simply not win? Oh, right.

Let’s role our headlines forward into the Divisional Round as the 2018 NFL Playoffs continue. You laid out four killer headlines which seem to be recurring themes in the NFL postseason. Who will fall victim this weekend?

1. Andy Reid can’t win in the postseason.

This was just fun to repeat, because he manages to consistently muck things up and have bad luck in the playoffs. There are other coaches who fall in line with this outcome of failure, yet none arrive in the divisional round. Here are the matchups. Which coach has a history of losing? No one this round.

More from NFL Spin Zone

Falcons at Eagles
Titans at Patriots
Saints at Vikings
Jaguars at Steelers

2. You have to learn how to win.

I’d say that Tennessee learned how to win in the Wildcard round, but that is not true. They were facing Andy Reid. The Titans, Eagles, Vikings, and Jaguars all fall into this category in the Divisional Round. I’m guessing two out of four still have some learning to do. Philadelphia and Tennessee are my targets.

3. Teams just happy to be there won’t advance.

Philadelphia, Tennessee, Jacksonville and Minnesota are all very happy to be here. No one expected the Jaguars and Titans to advance, even if Buffalo and Andy Reid were involved. Unfortunately for the Eagles, its opponent has a ton to prove, while Philadelphia is happy to be here without its star quarterback. The Vikings would be on upset alert, if not for our fourth headline.

4. Home field only matters to a few teams.

Home field advantage matters to New England, Minnesota and Pittsburgh. These three teams have a distinct advantage playing at home. I’m leaving Philadelphia out of this because of their proximity to Atlanta and the “happy to be here” feelings I believe are stronger.

Next: 2018 NFL Playoffs: Picks, predictions for Divisional Round

If our headlines hold up for another round, then Andy Reid will still have lost. Plus the Patriots advance, along with the Falcons and Vikings. I’m going out on a limb and thinking that Jacksonville at Pittsburgh is our most competitive game. Its a toss up in my opinion, so I’ll reserve my pick until we’re going ATS later in the week.

Todd Salem:

After last year’s Super Bowl, if the Falcons run into another gut-busting loss, are we free to add Dan Quinn to the Andy Reid list?