Nearly a week after rumors first started swirling that Garrett and the entire coaching staff would be let go, Jerry Jones finally ended the speculation and has let Garrett know he will not be returning.
ESPN’s Ed Werner reported one Thursday that the Cowboys were likely to make a change:
Source: #Cowboys Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones have moved slowly and with “abundance of care and respect” for Jason Garrett. That phase expected to conclude soon with Garrett not part of organization. Next phase to involve candidate interviews will begin quickly thereafter.
Timing can’t be overlooked here, after a full week of meetings between the two parties and no resolution, the move is now being made after three of the four 2019 Wild Card games have been played. In those games, teams with potential head coaching candidates (see: McDaniels, Josh) and Sean Payton’s New Orleans Saints all loss meaning that they will now be able to accept positions elsewhere prior to the completion of the NFL Playoffs.
Dallas—even though the decision to fire Garrett wasn’t official—has already conducted interviews with former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy and former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis.
The Cowboys have had the talent to be a Super Bowl contender but in Garrett’s decade-long tenure the team only won two postseason games. Whoever comes in next will have big expectations placed on their shoulders. Names like Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley, Payton, Urban Meyer and other big names have been attached to this position, only time will tell what the Jones’ choose to do next.
NFL Playoff time starts this weekend and we have 4 big games to preview to get you ready. The Saturday games will be all about the AFC as the Texans & Bills will meet up in H-Town. The late-game for Saturday will be the Patriots vs Titans in a matchup where Mike Vrabel will face his old head coach Bill Belichick. Those games should be very good and should live up to the hype built up to see who advances to the second round. On Sunday we get to be treated with some NFC battles that start in NOLA as the Saints will be hosting the Minnesota Vikings at home. The late-night matchup will be in Philadelphia as the Eagles will host the Seattle Seahawks in what should be a cold classic. Travis Singleton and Brandon Jefferson will get you all ready for the games as we preview them with predictions.
Saturday – 4:35 PM EST
Buffalo Bills @ Houston Texans
The first game of the 2019 NFL Playoffs will feature two teams that are looking to leap into championship contention full time. For the Buffalo Bills, this marks their second trip to the postseason in the three seasons that Sean McDermott has been their head coach.
The former defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles (2009-2010) and the Carolina Panthers (2011-2016) has taken the Bills out of the basement of the AFC East and molded them into a thorn in the side of the New England Patriots dynasty of late.
As a defensive-minded coach, McDermott built this roster to his liking and has managed to put together one of the more formidable units on that side of the ball. With Tre’Davious White operating as a shutdown cornerback, the rest of the defense is free to attack and play aggressively elsewhere on the field without fear of giving up big plays.
They also have second-year quarterback, Josh Allen, playing at a confidence level that is hard to match. The word on him coming out of the draft was that he had a rocket for an arm but still needed to make strides as a decision-maker and with his accuracy. While he’s been better in those areas during the second half of this year, his ability as a runner has truly opened up Buffalo’s offense this year.
Listed at 6’5” and 238 pounds, he’s not your average quarterback. His sheer bulk makes him tough for non-defensive linemen to bring down on their own. Combine that with the 4.75 40-yard dashes and he has the speed to run past the behemoths upfront and wreak havoc at the second level of the defense and beyond.
Allen won’t be the only dual-threat quarterback on the field as Houston has Deshaun Watson on its sideline. Watson has been a winner at every stage. He was a top recruit coming out of high school and then he went to Clemson and brought down Nick Saban and the mighty Alabama Crimson Tide in a 2017 national championship upset.
Watson can—and will—do everything a coach wants out of their quarterback. This season, he made headlines courtesy of his postgame press conference breakdowns of opposing team’s defenses.
He gets to throw to weapons that include DeAndre Hopkins, Kenny Stills, and Will Fuller V in the receiving corps. When those three are all on the field together, it’s hard for defenses to cover all three well. Hopkins usually commands a double team. Stills is a solid possession receiver capable of slipping past defensive backs. However, it’s Fuller V that really puts the group over the top.
Defensively, the team will welcome back J.J. Watt from the injured reserve. Watt tore his pectoral muscle on October 27 but has made enough of a recovery to be available for this weekend’s Wild Card game. Even if he’s not 100 percent healthy, just having him on the field will be impactful for the Texans.
It has been an up-and-down season for them and they brought in Vernon Hargreaves and Gareon Conley during the season to try and sure up their secondary. They finished the year as the 26th ranked defense in the NFL. They’ll need to be much better than that if they are to make it past the opening weekend of the 2019 NFL Playoffs.
Ultimately, this game will be a match of strength against strength. Whichever side wins the battle between the Texans’ offense and the Bills’ defense will likely decide which of these two teams move on and which goes home.
Score Prediction: Buffalo Bills Win (20-17)
Saturday – 8:15 PM EST
Tennessee Titans @ New England Patriots
The New England Patriots are coming into this 1st round matchup against the Titans off a loss to the Miami Dolphins. All the Patriots had to do was beat the Dolphins and they wouldn’t be playing on Wild Card Saturday. Since the Patriots lost that gave the Chiefs the 1st round bye and this leaves the Patriots in unfamiliar territory. This will be the Patriot’s first Wild Card round game since 2010 and they will look to get a victory out of this game for the New England faithful. Coming into this game against the Titans everyone is wondering if this will be Tom Brady’s last game if the Patriots were to lose the game but he’s not worried about the chatter. In order for Tom Brady and the Patriots to be successful, they will need to depend on that defense with an amazing offensive gameplan. The Patriots defense has come back down to earth but they can still force some turnovers on the Titans. The defense will be trying to make sure they can have Ryan Tannehill seeing some ghosts as they did to Sam Darnold in the regular season. This was clearly one of Ryan Tannehill’s best seasons in his career as he took the job from Marcus Mariota early in the year. Tannehill has thrown for 2,742 yards passing and 22 touchdowns on the season so the Patriots defense will have their hands full. Look for Stephon Gilmore to be shadowing AJ Brown all day long in Foxboro tonight. The Patriots defense has stepped up in big moments throughout the season and they will need to do that once more. If the Patriots defense can stop the passing game and limit the Titans to trying to run the ball all day with Derrick Henry this could be a good day. One thing about Bill Belichick’s defense is the fact that he takes the best player out of the opposing team’s offense. Derrick Henry has been a complete beast all season racking up 1,540 rushing yards with 16 touchdowns. Look for the Patriots to stack the box and try to bait the Titans into playing the way they need them to play.
The Patriots have the GOAT in Tom Brady on the team and his season was up and down. Brady finished with 4,057 passing yards and 24 touchdowns on the year with limited help. This season Brady had to deal with life without Gronk in the offense and it was very challenging as you can see in the offenses play. Julian Edelman and James White have been the top targets for Tom Brady all season as both combined for 172 receptions for 1,762 and 11 touchdowns. The good thing for the New England Patriots is the fact that both Edelman and White step their game up in the postseason. Both Edelman and White have had huge games in some of the biggest Superbowls and that experience of being in these moments can put them over the Titans. If the Patriots will win this game they need to make sure they get the ball to both of them ASAP. This game could depend on the running game and that’s something that the Patriots definitely need with Sony Michel. It’s been a rough season for the Patriots running game all season but this is a new year now in the postseason. The Patriots will be leaning on Sony Michel to get the running game going to create some play-action opportunities for Tom Brady. The Titans defense has been MIA most of the season and the Patriots will look to exploit their run defense and ground and pound. If the Patriots can get that run game going that will open up some trick plays and it could also help build the confidence. The Patriots will be a tough out especially at home but you can’t count out the champions until they’re officially out. Overall this is a game between two coaches that know each other and two teams that want to prove they belong in the Super Bowl in February.
Score Prediction: New England Patriots Win (27-20)
Sunday – 11:05 AM EST
Minnesota Vikings @ New Orleans Saints
Just two years ago, these two teams met in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs and produced one of the most memorable games in NFL history.
The Minnesota Vikings pulled off the impossible and in the process, they added to a laundry list of postseason disappointments for the New Orleans Saints franchise. Fast forward to today and the organizations will meet again but this time in the Wild Card round and it will take place in the Superdome.
Being at home makes a big difference for the Saints, it’s almost as if the New Orleans’ voodoo infects the opponent at times. The crowd is persistent, loud, and raucous for the full 60 minutes of game time.
The Baltimore Ravens had the best record in the league and the San Francisco 49ers secured the number one seed in the NFC but there were moments during the year that the Saints looked like the best team in the NFL. Armed with two record-breaking talents in Drew Brees (career passing yards and career touchdown passes) and Michael Thomas (most receptions in a single season) they have one of the most formidable offensive attacks.
Add in Alvin Kamara in the backfield and as a pass-catcher and there are few flaws to this team’s offense. Sean Payton has been a dynamic play-caller since he took over in New Orleans.
It’ll be the play (and health) of their defense that will make or break them during the playoffs. The group has been better this season than past seasons with Payton at the helm, yet, they enter the Wild Card game banged up. Eli Apple has already been ruled out of the game but they also list Vonn Bell and Marcus Williams on their most recent injury report—though both were full participants on Thursday.
If their secondary isn’t at full strength that opens the door for the Vikings to exploit them via the talents of wide receivers Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs. Minnesota remade itself into a run-first team this season but with Dalvin Cook nursing injuries throughout the year, Kirk Cousins and his wideouts were able to develop a nice connection that could pay huge dividends now.
But, first things first, a healthy Cook will be the biggest key for this offense. His speed and burst stand out in a league full of world-class athletes. If the Vikings are able to establish the run it will open up everything for their offense.
Like New Orleans, Minnesota also is dealing with a bunch of injuries to top-end talent. Cornerbacks Mackensie Alexander and Mike Hughes both have been ruled out for this game and Xavier Rhodes is dealing with an ankle issue.
It will be the next man up for the Vikings as it is now or never for this group. Despite entering the playoffs as the six seed in the NFC, Minnesota has looked much better than that during the 2019 regular season. The standings might call this an upset but these two teams are much closer in talent than they look on paper.
Score Prediction: New Orleans Saints Win (37-24)
Sunday – 4:40 PM EST
Seattle Seahawks @ Philidelphia Eagles
The Philidelphia Eagles fought hard to get to the playoffs as they were in a division battle with the Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles came out on top of the division and with that, they get to host Russell Wilson and the Seahawks at home. It’s simple if the Eagles are going to win this game against the Seahawks they will need to have Carson Wentz show up with the spotlight on. This will be the first time the Eagles fans will get to see Wentz in the playoffs in a big spot without Nick Foles. Carson Wentz has been without a lot of his receivers this year and he’s been able to depend on his tight ends Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert. On the season they were his safety blankets while piling up 146 receptions with 1,523 receiving yards with 11 touchdowns. Both of the tight ends have been special for the Eagles this season and with Zach Ertz still banged up Goedert has been able to step his game up. This team has been hurt all year long but one thing that hasn’t been hurt is their pride. The Eagles play a lot of ground/pound and they’ve been able to grind out some wins down the stretch. In order to win this game, they will need to stop Clowney/Wagner from getting to Carson Wentz. On the season Carson Wentz has thrown for 4,039 with 27 touchdowns on the year and he will need some more TDs against the Seahawks. The Eagles have a great offensive line and that has grown over the season with the emergence of Miles Sanders and his play. Sanders has become a true playmaker as he’s been able to run the ball and catch the ball out the backfield. A lot of the offense has been going through Sanders, Ertz, and Wentz with all the injuries. One player that has become a crucial part of this offense has been Boston Scott. The two-headed monster at the running back position of Scott and Sanders will make it tough on the Seahawks. The Seahawks defense will be busy on Sunday but they will try to limit the Eagles and keep them within the confines of the gameplan.
The Seahawks, on the other hand, have Russell Wilson who’s been in the MVP discussion all season long as he’s been able to carve up defenses with the ease. On the season Russell Wilson has thrown for 4,110 and 31 touchdowns on the season. The Seahawks lost their running backs, Carson and Penny, for the season. The Seahawks went back in the time machine to help Russell Wilson as they brought back Marshawn Lynch who signed back last week and scored a TD. The Eagles run defense is one of the best in the NFL but with having Marshawn Lynch back on the field anything is possible especially if he goes “Beastmode” on them. Adding Lynch back to the mix will open things up for Wilson in the passing game as he tries to find DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. One of the things that will be tough for the Philidelphia Eagles on Sunday is the fact that Russell Wilson can get out of the pocket with ease. When Russell Wilson gets out the pocket he’s a magician and it will be the Eagles priority to stop him no matter what if they want a chance. Both teams have had some injuries that hurt them throughout the season but the coaching will be key in this matchup as Pete Carol and Doug Pederson will look for the mismatches early. If Zach Ertz and Jadeveon Clowney aren’t 100% it will hurt but them being available for this big game will boost their team moral. This game will be neck and neck for most of the afternoon in Philly.
After 17 weeks, the second season is finally upon us. We have a weekend full of Wild Card round games–Saturday: Bills vs. Texans (4:35 PM EST) and Titans vs. Patriots (8:15 PM EST), Sunday: Vikings vs. Saints (1:05 PM EST) and Seahawks vs. Eagles (4:40 PM EST)–on the docket and before they kickoff let’s go through all 12 teams that qualified for the 2019 NFL Playoffs and do what we do best, rank them.
1. Baltimore Ravens 14-2
The MVP is his, now can Lamar Jackson lead his team to the ultimate prize?
2. San Francisco 49ers 13-3
POSSIBLY 3 MORE GAMES JIMMY GAROPPOLO, YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!
3. New Orleans Saints 13-3
They didn’t secure a bye but they do get a chance for revenge on the Minnesota Vikings.
4. Kansas City Chiefs 12-4
It feels like everyone (us included) is sleeping on the Chiefs right now.
5. Minnesota Vikings 10-6
If only Kirk Cousins could win a primetime game, then maybe the Vikings aren’t forced to travel to face another top five team in the Wild Card.
6. Green Bay Packers 13-3
Aaron Rodgers is capable of making something special happen, especially with an opening-round bye to work with.
7. New England Patriots 12-4
We all know this ends with New England somehow getting to ANOTHER AFC Championship game right?
8. Buffalo Bills 10-6
The fact that we don’t get a home game in Buffalo is a travesty, sign me up for all the fan-on-fan table smashing montages we’ll get tomorrow.
9. Seattle Seahawks 11-5
Though they lost their shot at winning the division and hosting a home game, they might have lucked their way into the best possible Wild Card outcome.
10. Tennessee Titans 9-7
The Titans have arguably been one of the better teams to close out the season, and their defense is legit; but do we really trust THAT Ryan Tannehill to show up in his first-ever trip to the playoffs?
11. Houston Texans 10-6
Injuries damper expectations for this group and even though Will Fuller V and JJ Watt will be on the field they are unlikely to be at full strength against a good Bills team.
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