Why the hell do the Bills not play in a dome? And some other Divisional Round thoughts

There’s an exciting weekend of sports ahead. Caitlin Clark and her Iowa Hawkeyes travel to Columbus to take on Ohio State on Sunday morning, Arsenal tries to break out of their recent slump in a London clash against Crystal Palace on Saturday, and oh yeah, I suppose there’s some Divisional Round NFL playoff action as well. I’ll focus on the quarterbacks, mainly.

Cold football seems dumb

After watching last weekend’s games, I’m truly curious as to why certain teams don’t play in a dome. Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen, two of the most talented quarterbacks in the league, endured downright unpleasant conditions in their respective wins. There’s a semi-valid argument that playing in negative 20-degree weather offers a home field advantage against a less-acclimated opponent, but I can’t imagine your superstar gunslinger prefers the cold. With a sizable advantage at the QB position in almost all of their games, the Bills should probably have a playing environment that is conducive to Allen and the offense maximizing their abilities, no?

A Bills fan in his assigned seat on Monday.

To be fair, Mahomes has been near-perfect in home playoff games, and that raucous “Chiefs Kingdom” crowd is the best in the NFL. Tua Tagovailoa and the fair-weather Dolphins looked dreadful and uncomfortable in their 26-7 loss at Arrowhead Stadium, to say the least. And Josh Allen thoroughly outplayed Mason Rudolph and the Steelers on Monday, so maybe I’m dead wrong with this take. But Chiefs receivers were dropping passes left and right on Saturday, and had the Bills’ game been played at its originally-scheduled Sunday morning slot (this was physically impossible because of Buffalo’s blizzard-induced, city-mandated travel ban, sadly), I have to think the ugly conditions would be welcomed by the offensively-challenged Steelers. Snowy, icy fields or settings in which it “feels like” thirty-below certainly level the playing field. Is it crazy to think Mahomes and Allen would prefer to utilize their skillsets in the comfort of an air-conditioned, indoor stadium? I’m stoked for what is sure to be another great “Mahomes vs Allen” battle this Sunday… but that game might have more great plays and a few more points would be scored if it was played indoors. Just sayin’.

Love and Stroud are playing with house money

Of all the quarterbacks playing this weekend, I think Jordan Love and CJ Stroud should try to have the most fun. Unlike the Ravens’ Lamar Jackson, the Bills’ Josh Allen, or even the 49ers’ Brock Purdy, expectations were so low for these two young guns going into the 2023 season, anything more is icing on the cake.

After already exceeding expectations by crushing their projected win totals (Packers: 7.5, finished 9-8; Texans: 6.5, finished 10-7), neither quarterback was expected to make much of a splash in the playoffs. But then Stroud and the Texans completely destroyed the Browns 45-14, and Jordan Love had a perfect game to shock the Cowboys in a blowout 48-32 Packers’ win.

This was a season in which both Stroud and Love were supposed to get a feel for the league, learn how to play against NFL defenses, and make some mistakes along the way. And sure, there were some growing pains but for the most part, both guys have looked like seasoned veterans and have carved up their opposition. These two quarterbacks continue to turn in mesmerizing performances, and I’m happy I get to watch each of them play another game this weekend. Both the Texans and the Packers are heavy underdogs (+9.5 points each) this weekend, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they keep it competitive. And even if they don’t, the future looks pretty damn bright, and we’ll probably see them back in the playoffs for years to come.

Redemption Song for Baker and Goff

Another feel-good storyline in this NFL season has been the redemption arcs of former first-overall picks Baker Mayfield and Jared Goff. Though they were mildly successful on their original teams, both quarterbacks were ushered out of town and are now doing bigger and better things in their new digs.

Despite Mayfield leading the Cleveland Browns to a winning season and a playoff victory (something they hadn’t experienced in decades), the Browns were eager to maintain their reputation as a clueless organization and made a move to sign Deshaun Watson and ship Baker elsewhere. After bouncing around the league for a year, Mayfield found a home in Tampa Bay and helped deliver a dominant playoff win over the Eagles on Monday night. If the Bucs know what’s good for ‘em, they’ll sign Baker to a long-term deal this offseason.

Similarly, Jared Goff dealt with lofty, almost-unfair expectations when he was drafted #1 overall by the Rams. After an ugly rookie year, Goff turned in four great seasons, helped them win multiple playoff games, and led LA to a Super Bowl. But his performance in that Super Bowl was quite poor and the Rams’ front office wasn’t sold on Goff in general, and so they traded him to the Detroit Lions for Matthew Stafford.

Seeing your replacement immediately win a championship with your former team has to sting, and comparing your new life in Detroit to life in Los Angeles probably doesn’t help (sorry, Detroit). But Goff has been committed to turn this historically-garbage franchise around, and with the help of head coach Dan Campbell and an excellent supporting cast, he’s done just that.

I think 99% of America was praying the Lions beat the Rams last Sunday; their organization hadn’t hosted or won a home playoff game in over 30 years. If their former franchise quarterback and the LA Rams would have denied them that joy, the city might have gone up in flames. Their narrow 24-23 win was certainly a nail-biter, but the Lions got it done and now host another home playoff game (thanks, Cowboys). My beloved Colts are obviously no longer involved, so I’m becoming an honorary Lions fan for the foreseeable future. In all of the Lions’ depressing history, this is surely their best opportunity to make the Super Bowl, and I hope they do it.

Now, I must dutifully supply my devout fans and trusted readers with Divisional Round locks that can only be described as “free money.”