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Top 5 Wednesdays: Who’s Under the Most Pressure in the Playoffs?
By Matt Quinn
Welcome back to Top 5 Wednesdays and this week we’re going to take a look at who is under the most pressure in the playoffs. Every team has their own storyline as to what has ultimately led them to this point and what is at stake if they win or lose.
Though a loss here will most likely not lead to the Steelers firing Mike Tomlin, the noise will start to get louder. Without a playoff win since 2017, Steelers fans will start to grow more impatient. The question will be, have the Rooney’s grown impatient along with the fans. At the end of last season’s first round exit, President Art Rooney II expressed his desire to end this current playoff drought and acknowledged that it needs to end sooner rather than later. If Tomlin’s squad can’t get it done against Baltimore on Saturday night, it’s fair to wonder what might change in Pittsburgh this offseason.
Pressure might be a bit strong here. The Chiefs are back to back Champions, if they don’t succeed in the playoffs this year, nobody is going to think their window is closed. As long as the combination of Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes are there, they will always be one of the favorites to win it all. They are simply on this list because they are trying to do something no other team has ever done: win three consecutive Super Bowl titles. They have possibly the biggest target on their backs out of anyone in the entire NFL Playoffs and the road to get a third title in as many years will not be an easy one.
The Lions have been outstanding this year. They have overcome significant injuries and still maintained the NFC’s best record throughout the entire season. Dan Campbell has led an aggressive unit that can flat out outscore anyone in the league. After getting to the NFC Championship game last year and blowing a huge lead thanks to some head scratching decisions by Dan Campbell towards the end of that game, they will be expected to take that next step this year. With home field advantage clinched for the first time in franchise history, there’s no better year to get it done than this one and it will be a major disappointment if they slip up in the playoffs.
It has been quite the year for Lamar. He’s been tremendous and might just end up with his third MVP award this year with the insane numbers he’s been putting up. Earlier this year he broke Michael Vick’s QB rushing record, further making his case for MVP. For as impressive as all that is, there’s one thing that has been a recurring issue for Lamar Jackson and that is the lack of success in the playoffs. He’s always been a tremendous regular season QB but the success of the regular season hasn’t exactly translated to success in the postseason. Last year the Ravens came close, getting to the AFC Championship game with home field advantage, only to lose to the eventual champion Chiefs. Lamar needs to start having success in the playoffs or he’ll continue to be known as an incredible player who can’t win the big game.
This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. There’s no question Josh Allen is under the most pressure. This is not to say he won’t be considered a good QB if he can’t get to the Super Bowl. This is simply because seemingly every year, the Bills look strong and then they have a disappointing showing against the Bengals, or most regularly, losing to Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. They have once again had a strong season and Josh Allen has been better than he’s ever been, being a frontrunner to win his first MVP award. But none of this matters if they can’t conquer their demons and finally get to and win a Super Bowl. It’s a franchise that just hasn’t been able to get over the hump throughout their history. Back in the 90s, the Bills went to four consecutive Super Bowls and lost every single one. Now that they have the best team since those 90s teams, they really need a successful trip to the playoffs and Josh Allen will really cement himself as a future Hall of Famer if he can bring the Lombardi to Buffalo.
