The Lions Den: Primer AFC Playoff Primer
by jhward19 | 3 years ago | 0 Comments
Musings The Lion’s Den: Primer AFC Playoff Primer
This is it boys. One last ride before we pack it up and go out into the sunlight for the first time since before we knew who Mike Longcock or Anne Randsbottom even were. Speaking of Anne, we are delighted to welcome her to our sidelines and to our hearts and she was kind enough to step into my office for some extracurriculars I mean to give some quality insight into these matchups. You can also find her takes on each matchup on twitter https://twitter.com/randsbottom @randsbottom. We are entering the stage where every game could be your final game in SML Primer (on the PS4 at least, or okay on the PS5 moonlighting as a PS4). As such every game carries significance and rumor has it Duck Hodges and Primetime himself may even be calling games live on the air. Without further ado, here are your SMLP AFC final standings
http://daddyleagues.com/smlp/standings/conference
Works out here that the standings are in that order of the playoff seeding and as such the AFC WC matchups will be as follows:
1. New York Jets
Jonesy’s Jets secure the bye and he gets to rest on his (regular season) laurels until the next round. There was some buzz around an undefeated season but those dreams were quashed quicker than Mecole Hardman gets off the line as he fell to Guttah aka not Gouda and cross state rival the Bills in week 11. Ever since Ostrich’s exodus there have been some rumblings from disgruntled owners about stat padding and William has found himself in the midst of plenty of it given how newly minted SMLPHOFer Brenton Staley went from scrap heap rb to one of the best to ever do it. Look for Jonesy to attempt once again to overcome his playoff demons and push for that ever elusive first Primer Simbardi.
2. Las Vegas Raiders vs 7. New England Patriots
The battle of brothers is a great way to kick off the playoffs with plenty of intrigue in star power never mind Primer’s newest shock jocks. Spades takes on Blades to see not just who’s the better madden player but who’s the most clutch under pressure in what I’m sure will be a competitive playoff environment… do they play these games sitting next to one another like they are teenagers again? Look for this game to get marquee billing and maybe the highest viewership a primer game has seen in a long time. Spades came out firing on all cylinders and that high powered vertical passing attack was as lethal as ever. His counterpart much prefers to ground and pound utilizing more of rpo based scheme and quick hitting passes coupled with oodles of touches for Dennis “the Golden God” Blakley who can take every touch to the house. Both teams have a first ballot SMLPHOFer in Blakley and Henry Ruggs who who both possess as Gus Johnsons would say “that running from the cops speed”. I expect a competitive game between these two, however if Sawblade is to pull off the upset he will need to meticulously control the clock and keep the ball out of Nic Walton’s hands. This is easier said than done with how few touches Ruggs needs to change the game and I expect a 38-21 victory for the Sahagun Raiders. Watch out for the blood frenzy if DB of the cycle Linton gets a momentum shifting INT early on. Anne projects a raiders blowout behind the air raid(ers) dynamic passing game.
3. Houston Texans vs 6. Los Angeles (Not San Diego) Chargers
Relatively new owner STD aka Stack the Deck has done an admirable job replacing an actual NFL player and leading the Chargers to their first playoff birth that I can remember. Sidebar, what happens if the deck is stacked with kings of spades? AFC West is a weird place… The Texans have continued to impress after making a Super Bowl appearance and are a contender year in and year out behind a strong rushing attack and some different DB user looks on defense. When asked about this matchup Anne Randsbottom believed that the Chargers lackluster pass coverage on the year would ultimately lead to their downfall and I must concur as I also expect the Texans to advance 31-17 behind a strong rushing attack led by Johnston and the passing attack behind Watson.
4. Cincinnati Bengals vs 5. Cleveland Browns
Strawblacks burst onto the scene upon entering the league and has been nothing but a problem to face ever since with a potent offense relying on the big play ability of guys like Joe Mixon, John Ross and others. Just like Jonesy however, he has no Super Bowl hardware to show for it and is chomping at the bit to get another shot at glory. Alfink and his browns have also shown an affinity for the vertical passing attack with diminutive speedster Donovan Williams putting up big numbers from the moment he was drafted. In fact the Browns really announced themselves this season knocking off the Bengals in week 1. Look for this game to be the highest scoring of the bunch with the Bengals avenging the beginning of the season and winning 48-24. When asked about this game, Anne was much more optimistic on the Browns chances and foresees Nick Chubb as the games X factor if he is able to move the chains and wear down a relatively undersized Bengals LB corps.
The AFC possesses some truly electric offenses, and you can look forward to some high powered matchups both in the wildcard round and as the playoffs progress. In my 3 years in the league an AFC team has never won a title so each and every one of them is itching to claim the ultimate throne and go out on top of Madden 21. Keep an eye on the Jonesy vs Strawblacks matchup in the divisional round if the WC round goes chalk. All of these teams are legitimate threats with the ball in their hands and the team to emerge will be the one that gets it done in the trenches and on the defensive side of the ball. I expect the winner of the Jets/Bengals projected matchup to emerge victorious on the AFC side of things however as always anything can happen on any given Sunday.
