NFL playoffs 2021: bracket, schedule, picks for 'Super Wild Card Weekend' games

Playoffs?! You're talkin' about playoffs?!

Yep, it's that time of year folks. The NFL playoffs kick off today with what the league is calling its "Super Wild Card Weekend." This year's field has expanded to 14 total teams, with only the top seed in each conference getting a first-round bye and the other 12 teams playing games on Friday and Saturday.

Unfortunately, that means NFL fans won't get to see Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs this weekend, nor Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. But there's still plenty of exciting games to look forward to watching this weekend.

Here's everything you need to know for the NFL's "Super Wild Card Weekend," including the bracket, schedule and TV channels, as well as my picks for all six games.

Here's a look at the complete playoff bracket for 2021.

1. Kansas City Chiefs (bye)

2. Buffalo Bills vs. 7. Indianapolis Colts

3. Pittsburgh Steelers vs. 6. Cleveland Browns

4. Tennessee Titans vs. 5. Baltimore Ravens

1. Green Bay Packers (bye)

2. New Orleans Saints vs. 7. Chicago Bears

3. Seattle Seahawks vs. 6. Los Angeles Rams

4. Washington Football Team vs. 5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Here's a look at the schedule for "Super Wild Card Weekend" in the 2021 NFL playoffs, including the start time and TV channel for each game.

Spread: Bills -6.5

Pick: Bills 34, Colts 24

A lot of this hinges on the availability of Buffalo wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who is listed as "questionable" after missing practice Wednesday and being limited in Thursday's final practice. Diggs, the NFL leader both in receptions (127) and receiving yards (1,535) has been crucial to the maturation of Josh Allen, who has turned into an MVP candidate in his third season.

Even with Diggs, the Colts are a team that could give the Bills some trouble. Indianapolis has a solid run game spearheaded by rookie Jonathan Taylor, and Buffalo's run defense has been shaky at best this season (see losses to the Chiefs and the Cardinals). The Colts play a bend-but-don't-break philosophy with a sound zone defense, which could force Allen into being patient.

The problem is that Allen has done a really good job of staying patient this year. In the Bills' 13 wins, he threw 31 touchdowns and just five interceptions. In the three losses, he threw six touchdowns and five interceptions. Buffalo hasn't lost since Week 10 of the regular season against Arizona. He has some solid checkdown options like Cole Beasley (who's also listed as "questionable") and Dustin Knox. Also, Indy really doesn't have anyone who can shut down Diggs, should he be available.

As long as the Bills have their top two wide receivers available, I feel pretty confident about their chances. Without them I think they still win, but fail to cover. I just trust Josh Allen more than I'd trust Philip Rivers in a close game late.

Spread: Seahawks -3.5

Pick: Seahawks 17, Rams 13

A decision still hasn't been made on whether Jared Goff will start for LA. Goff said he's "ready to play" if called upon, but head coach Sean McVay isn't going to reveal the starter until game time. Whether it's Goff or John Wolford, I'm going with Seattle.

There certainly are concerns for the Seahawks. A big part of Russell Wilson's success early in the season was the deep ball; he had six passing touchdowns of 30-plus air yards this year, tied with Patrick Mahomes for first in the NFL. However, Wilson has gone 2-of-16 (12.5 percent) with no TDs and an interception on those throws over the last eight games. The Rams, led by Aaron Donald up front and Jalen Ramsey in the secondary, were the best in the league at defending the deep ball.

Seattle won't have much success offensively throughout the game, but neither will LA, even with Goff back and Cooper Kupp reactivated from the COVID-19 list. The Rams were abysmal in the 20-9 loss to Seattle in Week 16, with Goff and Kupp both healthy. They only put up 18 points on Arizona's soft defense. There's no reason to expect an offensive explosion from either team in this game.

The difference between these two teams is that the Seahawks have Russell Wilson, and even if Wilson hasn't been at his best in the second half of the season, he's still been good enough to make plays late in close games. I think he'll come up with a score late to win it and Seattle will cover.

Spread: Buccaneers -8.5

Pick: Buccaneers 16, Washington 10

I'd strongly consider picking the Washington Football Team to win this game if they had a more dependable quarterback. That's not to knock Alex Smith, who at 36 years old will likely win Comeback Player of the Season after suffering a gruesome leg injury that forced him to miss two seasons.

I think Washington's defense is a nightmare matchup for Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. If there's ever been a recipe for success against Brady, it's been a successful pass rush. Brady is 26-7 in the postseason when he's sacked two times or fewer, and just 4-4 when sacked three times or more. Chase Young said he's coming for Brady, and there's a pretty good chance the likely Defensive Rookie of the Year will get to him.

All that being said, this Washington offense just isn't very good. It ranked 31st in offensive efficiency (36.1). As good as the WFT defensive front is at rushing the passer, it's been about average against the run. That should be enough room for Ronald Jones to exploit enough to give Tampa Bay the separation it needs. Bucs win, but fail to cover in the lowest-scoring game of the weekend.

Spread: Ravens -3

Pick: Ravens 38, Titans 35

If you like to see teams run the ball and put up points, this game is for you.

These two teams played out a thrilling finish in the regular season, with Tennessee winning 30-24 in overtime on a 28-yard TD run by Derrick Henry. Henry has gotten the better of Baltimore a couple of times, running for 133 yards in that regular season game and 195 yards in the divisional-round playoff game last season, which the Titans also won, 28-12.

The difference this time is that Lamar Jackson will be ready to ball out. And let's be clear, he wasn't bad in that playoff game: 31-of-59 passing for 365 yards and a TD (and two INTs), with 143 yards on the ground to boot. And while he was subpar regular season loss to Tennessee in Week 11 (17-of-29, 186 yards, TD, INT, 51 yards rushing), the Ravens have won five straight. In that stretch, Jackson has thrown 11 touchdowns with just three interceptions, which is much closer to the pace he was on in his 2019 MVP season.

The Titans' offense will be great; Henry will likely rush for over 100 yards and Ryan Tannehill will continue to be dangerous on play action, but Jackson and the Ravens will just be a little bit better.

Spread: Saints -9.5

Pick: Saints 31, Bears 17

There isn't much to think about here. Simply put, the Bears are not good and the Saints are pretty good. Chicago has leaned heavily on a superior defense that has begun to wane in recent weeks and could be without its most important player, Roquan Smith, who suffered an elbow injury in the Week 17 loss to the Packers.

Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray will be well-rested and ready to run the ball often. Drew Brees should be well-protected as the Bears' pass rush has been non-existent as of late. New Orleans should be able to put enough points early to force Mitchell Trubisky to mount a comeback by throwing the ball down field, which typically doesn't go well. Saints should cover easily.

Spread: Steelers -5.5

Pick: Browns 24, Steelers 21

At this point, the Browns have more questions than answers heading into the Sunday nightcap against the Steelers. They're without head coach Kevin Stefanski, as well as Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio due to COVID-19. They're coming off a win over Pittsburgh in Week 17, but the Steelers were resting several key players, including Ben Roethlisberger, Maurkice Pouncey, T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward and Joe Haden. And Cleveland hasn't won a game at Heinz Field since 2003, dropping 17-straight contests. There are a lot of reasons to pick Pittsburgh.

So why on Earth am I picking the Browns?

To be honest, I don't have much faith in the Steelers. I think they're old. Like really old. Big Ben turns 39 in March and he looked washed in the month of December. Pouncey is 35 at center, right guard David DeCastro turns 35 on Sunday, Alejandro Villanueva is 32 at left tackle. There's a lot of wear and tear in that group, and they've been terrible at establishing the run; after starting the season with five consecutive 100-yard rushing games, the Steelers have only ran for 667 yards in the last 11 games.

Yes, Cleveland struggled to beat backup QB Mason Rudolph, but the defensive game plan doesn't have to change much with Roethlisberger coming in. Stop the run and make Pittsburgh one-dimensional on offense, and force Roethlisberger into obvious passing downs. Big Ben just isn't capable of escaping the pocket and avoiding the pass rush like he used to, and repeatedly putting him in third and long situations gives Myles Garett more opportunities to make momentum-swinging plays.

Offensively, the key for Cleveland will be whether or not it can effectively use play action. Baker Mayfield ranks second in the NFL in QBR off of play action (93), only behind Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers are one of the league's best teams at defending play action, but it'll be tough going against the 1-2 punch of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. The Browns will do just enough to squeak out the win and pull the upset.