NFL Playoffs 2021: Contenders and pretenders with all 14 teams

Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones (33) runs for a gain against Chicago Bears inside linebacker Roquan Smith (58) during their football game Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, at Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill.Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-WisconsinApc Packvsbears 0103210201djp /

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NFL: Contenders and pretenders for all 14 playoff teams

Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

2021 NFL Playoffs Contender: Baltimore Ravens

On the AFC side, there’s one Wild Card team who has what it takes to go the distance and it’s the Ravens. This season was a weird one for Baltimore, as they, at one point, were the third-best team in the division. After sitting at 6-5, the Ravens figured it out and finished the season with an 11-5 record and are the No. 5 seed in the playoffs.

Baltimore has a chance to get revenge on a Titans team that has now humiliated them twice, once in the playoffs last year and once during the regular season this year. The Ravens have been getting hot at the right time too and with no pressure on them this time around, they’re very dangerous.

Lamar Jackson has a chance to prove that he can win playoff games and he can do so against a team that has been a thorn in his side in big moments. Watch out for the Ravens in the postseason, folks.

2021 NFL Playoffs Pretender: Tennessee Titans

On the other side of this weekend’s matchup, we have the Titans, who finished 11-5 and won the AFC South for the first time since 2008. Tennessee has been very inconsistent this season and that’s going to bite them come the playoffs.

The biggest reason why I’m not buying into the Titans in the playoffs is because of their defense. The Titans’ defense is in the bottom five when it comes to yards allowed per game and they’re only in this position because of how explosive their offense is. If Tennessee gets in a hole quickly against the Ravens, they could be in a heap of trouble.

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