The Shenoa Report January 11, 2025 Super Wildcard Weekend #theshenoareport

The Shenoa Report

January 11, 2025

Super Wildcard Weekend

Thank god for football and playoffs. Playoffs? Yes, it’s finally the postseason for both the college football and the NFL. Did your team make it? My sidepiece team did! Go Bills! 

With the way 2025 started it’s good to have the distraction of football. But even football was interrupted by terrorist attacks and wildfires. The Sugar Bowl was delayed a day because of the terrorist attack in New Orleans early New Year's day. This Friday the Cardinals sent two of the team’s 777 planes to Los Angeles to pick up the Rams team, its staff, their families, six dogs and two cats, per an official, and brought them to Arizona Friday night. The Cardinals are turning over their training facility for the evacuated Rams to use in advance of their Monday night game vs. the Vikings which will now be played at State Farm Stadium in Arizona.

With two LA teams making the playoffs I thought it appropriate to mention the fires. I encourage you to help wherever you can, donate, send good vibes and prayers to California.  Also, this is a good time to remind you to check the batteries in your fire detectors and MAKE SURE THEY ARE WORKING. Have a fire blanket and fire extinguisher on hand, in working condition, and know your evacuation route. Fires suck. 

Last week was the final week of the regular season. I went 11-5 on my picks. Before we get to SUPER WILDCARD WEEKEND, let’s jump into the recap.  

Week 18 Recap.

Browns @ Ravens 10-35

The Ravens dominated their division rivals. Lamar Jackson had a record breaking day, throwing for two touchdowns with no interceptions.  Jackson finished the season with 4,172 yards passing, 41 touchdown passes, and only four interceptions. He became the first quarterback to reach 4,000 yards passing with 40 TD passes and four or fewer interceptions. Jackson also finished the season with 915 yards rushing, becoming the first to throw for 4,000 yards and rush for at least 800. That’s insanity. The Ravens did lose Zay Flowers, who left in the second quarter with a right knee injury. More on that later. Next up the Ravens will host another division rival, the Steelers in their wildcard game. 

Bengals @ Steelers 19-17

Well, the Bengals won the game but didn’t make it into the playoffs. The help they needed didn’t pan out, but they played a great game. It’s astounding that the Bengals didn’t make the playoffs with the amount of talent on that team.  For example, quarterback Joe Burrow is ranked 3 in the NFL, WR Ja’mar Chase is first and LB Germaine Pratt is ranked 10th in their respective positions.  The Steelers had already clinched a spot before this loss, which is a good thing for them. They got lucky. But I think their luck will run out Saturday in Baltimore in their wildcard matchup. 

Texans  @ Titans 23-14

The Texans won this game which is good momentum for their postseason run. And even though the Titans lost this game, they also secured the first pick of the 2025 draft. So, winning? Next up, Houston will host the Chargers in their wildcard game. 

Panthers @ Falcons 44-38 OT

The Falcons needed to win, and needed help to get into the playoffs, but their division rivals had other plans. With this win the Panthers lost positioning in the draft order but sometimes it's nice to stick it to your rival. Bryce Young put up 5 touchdowns, 3 passing and 2 rushing, in this back and forth win. Rookie Michael Penix Jr. had 312 passing yards and two touchdowns in the loss. One thing’s for sure, both teams seemed to have found their QB of the future. 

Saints @ Buccaneers 19-27

Guys, I got a little emotional at the end of this game. I was rooting for the Bucs, especially Mike Evans, who just needed 85 receiving yards to tie Hall of Famer Jerry Rice's NFL record of 11 consecutive seasons with 1,000-plus yards receiving. With just 36 seconds away from clinching the NFC South title, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a decision to make. Take a knee on their 32-yard line and run out the clock? Nope! Mike Evans still needed 5 yards to make history. So Baker Mayfield dropped back and found Evans who caught a 9-yard pass on the final play of the game to match Rice’s record. As soon as Evans got up after being tackled, he spiked the ball and was mobbed by teammates. The sideline erupted as well as the stadium. It was awesome. The Bucs will now host the Commanders on Sunday night in their wildcard game. The Saints will lick their wounds and just go home.

Bills @ Patriots 16-23

Well, I got this pick wrong. I guess Jerod Mayo was right when he said purposely losing the game to secure the top pick in the draft isn’t a consideration for him or his players. “We’re 100% focused on beating the Buffalo Bills, and that’s what we have to do.” And that’s what they did. They beat the Bills, lost the number one pick, and lost their head coach. He was fired immediately after the Patriots win. I’d like to think Mayo knew his time was up as a head coach and this win was a nice little F U to the orgiziation. I like it. The Bills, even though they lost the game, had a lot of accomplishments.  Quarterback Josh Allen played one snap, handing off the ball to James Cook, to extend his streak of consecutive starts to 115 games, including the playoffs. Mitch Trubisky played until late in the third quarter, when he was replaced by Mike White. Cook rushed for his 16th TD of the season to tie O.J. Simpson's Bills franchise record. Trubisky’s 2 yard touchdown pass to Ray Davis in the first quarter was the Bills' 30th passing TD this season, making them the first team in NFL history with 30 or more TDs through the air and on the ground in a season.  Linebacker Von Miller earned a $1.5 million bonus with his sixth sack of the season, taking down Drake Maye on the third play of the game. Bills punter Sam Martin also cashed in a $100,000 bonus in the third quarter for his 25th punt inside an opponent’s 20-yard line. Next up, the Bills will host the Broncos on Sunday in their wildcard game. 

Jaguars @ Colts 23-26 OT

Joe Flacco may have gotten his last win in his NFL career. The Colts were the only team to offer him a contract this season and now that contract is over. After this game, Colts owner Jim Irsay stated that both head coach Chris Ballard and GM Shane Steichen will retain their jobs. The Jags head coach, Doug Pederson wasn’t so lucky, he was fired this Monday. 

Commanders @ Cowboys 23-19

The Commanders had already made the playoffs and were playing for seeding. That’s why they didn’t rest players. As it turns out, they could have rested players because the Packers lost to the Bears later in the day. They could have also rested  Jayden Daniels the whole game but ended up pulling him in the second half due to leg soreness. Marcus Mariota got the start for the second half and led the team to victory. It’s always nice seeing the Cowboys lose. Hopefully Daniels got all the rest he needed as the Commanders travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Bucs in their wildcard game. 

NY Giants @ Eagles 13-20

This game went as I expected, though I didn’t get a chance to watch it. We don’t have the NFL Sunday Ticket and CBS decided to air the Bills - Patriots game instead of this one in our area. It’s probably for the best. We got to see the “highlights” on Redzone. One of which was from  Malik Nabers, who had five catches to finish his rookie season with 109 catches overall. He broke Steve Smith's franchise single-season record of 107 receptions, which had stood since 2009. The Giants are retaining Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen for the next season. Cool. Next, the Eagles will host the Packers for their wildcard game. 

Bears @ Packers 24-22

Speaking of the Packers. They probably should have rested their starters in this game. Instead they lost quarterback Jordan Love and wide receiver Christian Watson to injuries. Watson was carted off the field with a knee injury in the second quarter and Love departed later in that same series. Love said he lost feeling in his throwing hand but expects to be fine for the playoffs. Coach Matt LaFleur said Love could have returned to the game if necessary. Next up the Packers head to Philadelphia to face the Eagles in their wildcard game. 

Seahawks @ Rams 30-25

The Rams starters watched the game in street clothes on the sideline and the team led by Jimmy Garapolo still almost won the game. That’s good news for the Rams. Even though they lost they still hold a lot of momentum going into the postseason. The Seahawks, already eliminated, took advantage of playing the Rams B-team and Geno Smith threw a career high 4 touchdown passes.  Next up, the Rams will “host” the Vikings in their wildcard game. I say host in quotations as the Rams will not be playing at home. The game has been moved to Glendale Arizona because of the wildfires in LA. 

Dolphins @ NY Jets  20-32

The Jets help spoil their division rivals' chances at the post season. Aaron Rodgers threw a season high four touchdown passes, becoming the fifth player to throw 500 career regular-season TD passes, in what could’ve been his final NFL game. Rodgers finished 23 of 36 for 274 yards and TD passes to Tyler Conklin, Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, and Breece Hall. A better finish to the game after he was intercepted by Tyrel Dodson on his first passing attempt. The Dolphins needed the win and needed a Broncos loss. Neither happened. After the game, Tyreek Hill basically said he was done with Miami. He wants out. Both orginization’s off seasons are going to be fun to track. 

Chiefs @ Broncos 0-38

The Broncos shut out the Chiefs B-team in their path to the postseason. It’ll be the first time Denver has made the playoffs since winning the Super Bowl in 2015. Bo Nix's four TD passes gave him 29 for the season, second-most by a rookie in NFL history, behind only Justin Herbert's 31 in 2020. Denver will need all the momentum they can get as they will travel to Buffalo for their wildcard game. The Chiefs have a first round bye so we don’t know who they’ll be playing next, yet. 

Chargers @ Raiders 34-20

I think that if the Raiders had won this game that head coach Antonio Pierce could have kept his job. They didn’t win and he was fired. GM Tom Telesco was also fired days later. The Chargers, on the other hand, closed the regular season with a three-game winning streak under first-year coach Jim Harbaugh and will visit the fourth-seeded Houston Texans on Saturday. Had they lost, they would have faced Baltimore in the latest edition of the Harbaugh Bowl. John Harbaugh coaches the Ravens and has never lost to his younger brother. I mean, that would have been more entertaining but I’m sure Jim is relieved. The Texans aren’t as good as the Ravens in my opinion. 

49ers @ Cardinals 24-47

The Cardinals' final passing touchdown of the season was a perfectly placed ball from Kyler Murray to rookie Marvin Harrison Jr. I get it. When the games don’t matter Kyler can find MHJ. That pretty much sums up the Cardinals season and my fantasy football season. A win a little too late. Both teams will have all off season to make adjustments as neither team made the playoffs. 

Vikings @ Lions 9-31

Detroit scored first and never looked back. They knew after that first touchdown they were going to have the number one seed and NFC North title as well as a first round bye. The game wasn’t even close. Which I was very ok with. When I am specifically rooting for someone I don’t want the game to be close. It's too panic inducing. Jahmyr Gibbs scored 4 touchdowns in this rout of the Lions division rivals. The Lions have been banged up allllllll season. They have more injured players than any other team this season but you wouldn’t know it. Their mentality is next man up and don’t quit. In the NFL's final game before the playoffs, two teams played in the regular season with a combined 28 victories for the first time. The Vikings dropped to the fifth seed with this loss and will face the Rams in their wildcard game. 

 

SUPER WILDCARD WEEKEND 

Saturday, January 11th 

Chargers (11-6) @ Texans (10-7) (4:30pm CBS/Paramount +)

The Chargers haven’t been in the playoffs since 2018. The Texans were there in 2023 when C.J. Stroud won rookie player of the year. Even though the Texans still have Stroud he isn’t as dynamite as he was in his rookie season. The Chargers left for Houston on Thursday afternoon. Their preparation for Saturday’s game was affected by the wildfires and the resulting poor air quality in El Segundo. Coach Harbaugh adjusted practice Wednesday and Thursday to limit the amount of time players spent on the field. (It was reported that ash was falling from the sky all throughout practice.) He also said he “reduced the intensity of the workout.” Harbaugh said the adjustments cut the amount of time most players spent on the field by “over half” of what was originally scheduled. He estimated most players spent no more than 45 minutes on the field at any given time. Harbaugh said he was not concerned about the adjusted schedule affecting the team’s preparation. I honestly don’t know who to pick to win this game. The Texans definitely have home field advantage and cleaner air for sure. The Chargers have gone through so much adversity in just this week that they may flounder OR use the wildfires as a catalyst to push through and win the game. All of that said, I don’t care who wins or loses this game, I like both teams. For picks sake, I’m picking the Texans to win this game, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I was wrong.  

Steelers (10-7) @ Ravens (12-5) (8pm Prime Video)

The Steelers head into this game having lost their last four in a row, one of which was a blowout loss to the Ravens in week 16. I’m rooting for the Steelers but I have no expectation for them to win this game. Their only help is that the Ravens will be without Lamar Jackson's top wide receiver target, Zay Flowers, who injured his knee last weekend and has been ruled out of this game. So maybe the Ravens will only win by 10 not 17? Lamar has had a stellar season and I don’t think it's over just yet. I am picking the Ravens to win this game. 

Sunday, January 12th 

Broncos  (10-7) @ Bills (13-3) (1pm CBS/Paramount +)

It's been almost a decade since the Broncos have been in the playoffs. The last time they were there they won the Super Bowl and Von Miller was the MVP of that game. Miller now plays for the Bills but you won’t hear him utter any negativity against his former team. I mean, they did get him a ring. The Bills have been to the playoffs for the past six consecutive seasons.  They are SO DUE. I will be rooting for and picking the Bills to win this game. GO BILLS!!!!!!! I Bill-ieve. 

Packers  (11-6) @ Eagles (13-3) (4:30pm FOX)

Ugh. Jalen Hurts was a full participant in practice Thursday and cleared from concussion protocol. Jordan Love is still nursing a sore elbow on his throwing arm and felt pain when he did some limited throwing in practice this week. The Packers also lost Christian Watson to a season ending injury last week. I’ll be rooting for the Packers and hoping for an amazing upset, like last season's playoffs when the Packers pulled off a road upset as a No. 7 seed in Dallas. But I don’t think luck works that way. I’m pulling for the Packers but picking the Eagles to win this game, hoping I’m wrong. 

Commanders (12-5) @ Buccaneers (10-7) (8pm NBC/Peacock)

I’ve been a Baker Mayfield fan since he was the starter for the Browns and I am not going to stop now. Tampa has made the playoffs for the fifth consecutive year. The Commanders last appearance was in 2021. As a Giants fan, I will not be rooting for the Commanders so much so that I”ll be rooting for the Bucs and picking them to win this game. 

Monday, January 13th 

Vikings (14-3) @ Rams (10-7)  (8pm ABC/ESPN/ESPN+)

This game will be played in Glendale, Arizona because of the wildfires in LA. The Rams have made the playoffs in six of the last eight seasons with Sean Mcvay as their head coach. The Vikings last playoff appearance was in 2023 when the Giants knocked them out in the first round. The Vikings and Rams met in Week 8 of the regular season and the Rams became one of just two teams to beat the Vikings all season long. I’m rooting for and picking the Rams to win this game. 

GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the edit Eric!