The regular season is in the books, and this weekend, the field of Super Bowl contenders thins once again. In the AFC, Andrew Luck and the Colts take on Deshaun Watson and the Texans, and Philip Rivers’s Chargers face Lamar Jackson’s Ravens for spots in the divisional round. In the NFC, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks travel to Dallas to face the Cowboys, and Khalil Mack and the Bears defense are up against playoff folk hero Nick Foles and the Eagles. The postseason has finally arrived. Make sure to check out all of The Ringer’s coverage below:
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January 7, 2019
The Starting 11: What’s Next for the Bears After Double-Doink Heartbreak?
Chicago’s vaunted defense stifled the Eagles, but a missed field goal sealed its playoff fate. Looking ahead to 2019, can the Bears pick up where they left off?
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January 7, 2019
The NFL’s Wild-Card Round Was a Referendum on Modern Coaching
All season, the story of the league has been play-calling ingenuity. That manifested itself in all four of this past weekend’s playoff games—just not in the way we might have expected.
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January 7, 2019
The Double Doink Game, NFL Gambling Wounds, Round Two Lines, and TSA Troubles With Cousin Sal
Breaking down everything from wild-card weekend, plus a look ahead to the divisional round
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January 6, 2019
The Growing Legend of Nick Foles and the Plays That Explain the Wild-Card Round
Philly engineered another epic comeback, the Chargers defensive line feasted, and Dak Prescott and Andrew Luck proved their mettle
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January 6, 2019
The Winners and Losers From NFL Wild-Card Weekend
How does poor Cody Parkey keep hitting the uprights? Why didn’t the Ravens and Seahawks trust Lamar Jackson and Russell Wilson? And, most importantly, why can’t more mascots react like Staley Da Bear did to Sunday’s would-be game-winner?
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January 6, 2019
It’s Time to Accept That Nick Foles Might Actually Have Magical Powers
BDN’s playoff legend continues to grow, this time thanks to a late comeback win over the Bears in the wild-card round
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January 6, 2019
Cody Parkey’s Double Doinker Caps Off a Season of Doinks That Defied All Physics and Explanation
Chicago’s kicker hit the uprights—again!—in a heartbreaking loss for the Bears
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January 6, 2019
Lamar Jackson Failed—and the Ravens Failed Lamar Jackson
Baltimore’s rookie quarterback struggled in his first playoff game, but his coaching staff’s reluctance to trust him to throw impeded the team’s offense
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January 6, 2019
The Seahawks Just Ran Themselves Out of the Playoffs
Seattle stuck with its bizarre game plan against the Cowboys even after it became clear that Russell Wilson’s arm was the best option
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January 5, 2019
The Colts Have Figured Out How to Let Andrew Luck Be Andrew Luck
The favorite to win Comeback Player of the Year cruised on Saturday against the Houston Texans thanks to strong pass protection and quick passes. Now the team heads to Kansas City looking like a legitimate threat in the AFC.
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January 4, 2019
Lombardi’s Wild-Card Preview and the Dannys’ Daily Fantasy
Plus, the Dannys build their top lineups for the week
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January 4, 2019
The Keys to Every NFL Wild-Card Game
Will Dak Prescott be a positive or negative for the Cowboys? Can Khalil Mack and Co. contain Playoff Nick Foles? How can the Chargers produce a different result in Baltimore?
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January 4, 2019
Buford High School Remains the Last Team to Deliver Deshaun Watson a Blowout Loss
The last time Watson lost by more than one score in a game he started and finished did not come in the NFL or against Alabama while he was at Clemson. It happened more than five years ago, when he was a senior at Gainesville High School.
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January 4, 2019
Round 1 NFL Playoff Extravaganza With Ryen Russillo
Bill is joined by Ryen Russillo to talk wild-card-weekend lines and (un)trustworthy quarterbacks
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January 4, 2019
How the Bears’ Defensive Legacy Lives on Through Khalil Mack and This 2018 Team
Chicago has long been defined by its great defenses and the players who led them. And though this season’s unit may remind many fans of the famed 1985 team, it embodies characteristics that have defined defenses throughout the franchise’s history.
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January 3, 2019
Wild-Card Weekend and Wild Stories in Pittsburgh
The coaching carousel around the league and the Antonio Brown situation
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January 3, 2019
Philip Rivers Has His Last, Best Chance to Win a Ring
Will the longtime Chargers QB end this season with a Super Bowl? Or further cement his legacy as this era’s Dan Marino?
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January 3, 2019
Can the Colts’ Revamped Offense Cure Andrew Luck’s Playoff Woes?
Through the first five years of his career, Indy’s star QB has struggled to replicate his regular-season success in the postseason. But now, under Frank Reich’s system, Luck may be in prime position to change that narrative.
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January 3, 2019
‘Slow NFL News Day’: Wild-Card Round With ESPN’s Mina Kimes
Kevin Clark is joined by Mina Kimes to discuss the top stories of a slow news day, such as why the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson will own the Chargers’ Philip Rivers
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January 3, 2019
Wild-Card Weekend Best Bets
Plus, Cousin Sal and the Degenerate Trifecta break down the Alabama-Clemson national championship game Monday night
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January 3, 2019
Big Nick Energy: Nick Foles’s Playoff Sequel Is Already the Stuff of Superhero Legend
The Eagles bet the farm on Carson Wentz, only to have his backup lead them to their first Super Bowl win. A year later, Wentz is back on the shelf, and BDN is scripting his way further into Philadelphia’s heart.
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January 3, 2019
Russell Wilson’s Surgical Deep Passing Is the Key to a Seahawks Playoff Run
Seattle may be the most run-heavy team in the league, but its ability to take the top off of defenses is as good as any team in the NFL
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January 2, 2019
The Curse of a Salary-Cap-Eating Quarterback
Big-money quarterbacks like Kirk Cousins, Matt Ryan, and Aaron Rodgers are sitting at home during the playoffs, while the Rams, Chiefs, and Texans have built contenders around young starters still on their rookie deals. The lesson is obvious if NFL teams pay attention.
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January 2, 2019
If the Ravens Defense Storms Through the Playoffs, Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You
Lamar Jackson may generate the most headlines, but it’s the other side of the ball that holds Baltimore’s key to a deep postseason run
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December 31, 2018
The Five Biggest Questions Heading Into the NFL’s Wild-Card Weekend
With the first round of the NFL playoffs upon us, it’s time to address a few pressing questions. Namely, is the Nick Foles magic real? And which teams playing this weekend have the best chance at reaching the Super Bowl?