For Tom Brady, this year’s playoffs might be as unpredictable as any he can ever remember.
The seven-time Super Bowl winner believes that the parity has been “unbelievable” across the league this season, saying on Thursday’s “The Herd” that the playoffs will come down to the key details this year more than ever. But now that the postseason has arrived, Brady has some thoughts on who is entering the playoffs hot and what certain teams might need to do in order to win in the wild-card round.
So, let’s take a look at one notable take Brady gave about five of the wild-card matchups this weekend as he prepares to call Sunday’s 49ers-Eagles game on FOX.
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The Eagles are as “dangerous” as anyone; 49ers can’t face a deficit
Brady seems to think that the Eagles should’ve played their starters in their regular-season finale loss to the Washington Commanders, saying in the most recent edition of his power rankings that holding the NFC’s No. 2 seed wouldn’t have been bad for Philly. However, Brady is bullish on the Eagles’ outlook entering the postseason. In fact, he said the Eagles are “as dangerous as a playoff team as there is” entering the postseason.
And if you think that drop in production that Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown and running back Saquon Barkley saw during the regular season are causes for concern, Brady wants you to settle down.
“When you cover the team, you’re always looking for little chinks in the armor,” Brady said. “I think that ends up feeling like a distraction or drama because A.J. Brown’s not getting every target or Saquon Barkley’s not rushing for 2,000 yards again. In some ways, those are anomalies. That season Saquon had last year was an anomaly. He’s a phenomenal player. He’s going to be a Hall of Famer. But no running back rushes for 2,000 yards every year. So, when it’s less than 2,000, we all make a big drama that it’s not 2,000 again. This year was probably a little closer to being down for him for a number of different reasons, but he’s still a phenomenal player.
“The Eagles, they’ve still got a great football team. If there’s drama in they’re sitting in the position they’re in, I’m sure Coach Sirianni would take the drama every single week.”
To add to Brady’s point, Brown and Barkley have been more productive as of late than they were in the opening months of the regular season. Brown has 40 receptions for 546 yards and four touchdowns in his last six games, while Barkley’s logged 400 rushing yards on 4.9 yards per carry in his last four games.
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If those two can get going early on Sunday, that might be key for an Eagles victory, according to Brady. Brady believes that it’s more imperative for the 49ers to get out to a fast start and an early lead because of head coach Kyle Shanahan’s offensive system.
“The 49ers have always been built to run the football, play good defense and use a lot of play-action pass to get explosives,” Brady said. “The strength of the team isn’t the wideout position this year. With [Brandon] Aiyuk’s state of affairs, they’ve form of introduced in — Jauan Jennings, I form of like — I’d say the power of their group is throwing to the halfbacks, tight ends and it’s not what we form of see in a conventional Kyle Shanahan offense. That doesn’t imply they will’t come again, I do assume it’s type of troublesome with these methods which can be constructed on the run recreation and play-action move to return again.”
To Brady’s level, the 49ers have solely logged three fourth-quarter comeback victories this season, and so they weren’t capable of do a lot within the second half of their 13-3 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 18. Shanahan has additionally struggled to beat deficits for a lot of his head teaching profession, holding a 12-44 all-time file in video games that he is trailed at halftime.
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“Whenever you’re taking part in good groups, you’re attempting to get these groups to play left-handed,” Brady added. “You’re attempting to remove their stars. You’re minimizing their strengths and maximizing their weaknesses. There’s all the time a method to win, and I believe the 49ers, in the event that they’re going to win this week, they higher get out to a lead, play from forward and create some points for this Eagles’ offense to get them off observe, too, as a result of they play so effectively and so they have carried out very effectively within the greatest moments.”
Matthew Stafford is the MVP
Brady tripled down on his Stafford is the MVP take after saying the Rams quarterback ought to win the award on “FOX NFL Sunday” and in his energy rankings earlier this week.
“I see Matt Stafford as a Corridor of Fame-level quarterback who has performed his finest season of soccer,” Brady defined. He’s executed it in any situations. He’s thrown 46 landing passes. He’s simply been unbelievable. I simply love the way in which he leads his group. There’s no unhealthy selection at this level. You’re speaking about among the finest gamers within the league. However Matt has, in my view, actually exceeded everybody’s expectations this season. What an unbelievable quarterback and what a profession he’s had.”
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Past his league-leading landing passes (that are 12 greater than every other quarterback), arguably the most important factor getting in Stafford’s favor to win MVP is the numbers he is put up in opposition to elite competitors this 12 months. He threw for 1,879 yards, 23 touchdowns and one interception in opposition to groups that gained not less than 10 video games this season.
One of many groups Stafford struggled in opposition to, although, was the Panthers. Stafford accomplished 18 of 28 passes for 243 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions within the Rams’ Week 14 loss to the Panthers. So, Stafford will definitely should keep away from having an analogous efficiency on Saturday.
Who’ll be extra essentially sound?
The Packers and Bears have been about as evenly matched as attainable between their two video games in December. Each groups every gained one recreation by a landing, with Inexperienced Bay taking the primary recreation at Lambeau Area earlier than Chicago bought a dramatic additional time victory at Soldier Area two weeks later.
For the rubber match, Brady means that scheme and expertise will not decide the ultimate end result.
“They know one another so effectively, so it actually comes right down to the basics, possession of the soccer, figuring out your assignments, particulars,” Brady mentioned. “These are actually large packages this season, nice coaches. We’ll see who’s essentially the most ready once they take the sphere.”
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The Bears wanted some luck of their win in opposition to the Packers in late December. They have been capable of recuperate an onside kick earlier than Caleb Williams threw the game-tying landing within the ultimate seconds on a fourth-down play. Packers quarterback Jordan Love additionally departed that recreation early with a concussion. Love threw for 234 yards and three touchdowns within the Packers’ win over the Bears earlier this season.
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Is Sunday’s Payments–Jaguars recreation a matchup between one group that is coping with a ton of stress (Buffalo) and one other that is simply glad to be there (Jacksonville)? Brady definitely appears to assume that the previous is true, and it may influence their play on Sunday.
“I believe it’s very psychological, very emotional. Once they’ve been in these conditions, they haven’t performed the profitable soccer wanted with a view to advance,” Brady mentioned of the stress the Payments are coping with this weekend.
After all, the Payments need to lastly recover from the hump within the Josh Allen-Sean McDermott period, and so they may need their best postseason path to achieve the Tremendous Bowl with Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow all at dwelling. Nevertheless, Allen and McDermott have gone 0-4 on the street within the postseason.
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Nonetheless, Brady believes that the Payments have the expertise to recover from the hump. It simply could be a matter of getting the fitting mindset.
“[The Chiefs] are out of it this 12 months, so can Buffalo discover it inside themselves to play their finest soccer on the greatest moments? Some weeks, they’ve seemed nice,” Brady mentioned. “The passing recreation seems nice. Clearly, their runner’s one of many prime backs within the NFL and the way in which Josh performs at his rhythm, he’s just about unimaginable [to stop]. MVP-caliber season final 12 months, and I believed he performed very effectively this season. The great half in regards to the playoffs is it’s not the place you play, it’s not who you play, it’s the way you play.”
On the flip facet, the Jaguars have been one of many NFL’s prime surprises this season as Trevor Lawrence has all of a sudden emerged as an environment friendly passer as of late. Lawrence has thrown for 1,600 yards, 16 touchdowns and an interception to go along with a 113.2 passer score and 4 speeding touchdowns in Jacksonville’s final six video games.
Whereas Lawrence has elevated his recreation, Brady credited Jaguars head coach Liam Coen for the quarterback’s emergence.
“The coach has bought to offer the gamers plenty of layups,” Brady mentioned. “Good [offensive coordinators] give their quarterbacks layups. You don’t have to string the needle on each single throw. You’ve bought guys which can be huge open. There’s an enormous margin for error on an enormous portion of the passes. That’s the purpose of an offensive coordinator — it’s how will we create via our scheme, in our route ideas or run ideas, to offer our gamers slightly little bit of a bonus?
“The truth is, when you don’t give them a bonus — I liken it to a golfer, would you relatively hit a 3-iron or 4-iron right into a inexperienced, or would you relatively hit a pitching wedge? Over time, the extra pitching wedges you hit when your opponent hits 3-irons or 4-irons, the extra of a bonus you have got.
“These guys are hitting sand wedges into greens.”
Credit score Josh McDaniels for getting essentially the most out of Drake Maye
Brady won’t have Maye as his MVP. Nevertheless, he nonetheless thinks the Patriots‘ quarterback is having a terrific 12 months, pointing to his former offensive coordinator as an enormous motive for his success.
“I really like Drake Maye and what he’s executed in his second 12 months, working with Josh McDaniels in his second 12 months and he’s executed such a terrific job of understanding what Drake’s able to and Drake’s taken benefit of each alternative that he’s gotten,” Brady mentioned. “I all the time assume with these awards, if you say one factor that’s optimistic about somebody, meaning you’re saying one thing unfavorable in regards to the different. [Maye and Matthew Stafford] each had unbelievable years.”
Maye has definitely had a season worthy of profitable MVP. Whereas Stafford has Maye beat in passing yards and touchdowns, Maye led the league in completion share (72%), passer score (113.5) and yards per try (8.9). He additionally put up 4,394 passing yards, 31 landing passes, 450 speeding yards and 4 speeding touchdowns to emerge as one of many recreation’s prime quarterbacks this 12 months.
Maye will seemingly should play with an analogous effectivity to assist the Patriots take down the Chargers on Sunday. The Chargers have really been one of many higher groups at stopping the move this season. The 75 passer score that the Chargers have allowed to opposing quarterbacks this season is one of the best mark in soccer.
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