MONDAY COMMENTARY – THE NFL IS KING

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 & Rock 98.5 FM)

THE NFL IS KING.

AND JUST HOW AMERICA’S GRIDIRON PASSION BECAME THE #1 LEAGUE ON THE CONTINENT IS A STORY FOR ANOTHER TIME BUT WITH THE NFL’S REGULAR SEASON NOW BEHIND US, THE PLAYOFFS ARE AT HAND AND IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR EVEN THE MOST ISOLATED CANADIAN TO IGNORE THE HYPE.

THE AFC PLAYOFFS WILL RUN THROUGH MUSIC CITY, WHERE THE TENNESSEE TITANS FINISHED FIRST WHILE USING AN NFL-RECORD 91 PLAYERS IN THIS COVID-TAINTED SEASON.

NBC’S TONY DUNGY SAID THIS IS THE MOST WIDE-OPEN PLAYOFF FIELD HE’S EVER SEEN AND IT FEATURES SEVEN TEAMS WHO MISSED THE PLAYOFFS LAST YEAR: ARIZONA, CINCINNATI, DALLAS, NEW ENGLAND, PHILADELPHIA, SAN FRANCISCO AND THE LAS VEGAS RAIDERS.

VEGAS CLINCHED JUST LAST NIGHT, NEEDING A WIN IN AN OVERTIME THRILLER OVER LOS ANGELES. BOTH TEAMS NEEDED A TIE TO GET IN, BUT THE RAIDERS WEREN’T IN A GIVING MOOD, WINNING 35-32.

THE FIFTH-SEEDED RAIDERS WILL VISIT NUMBER FOUR CINCINNATI ON SATURDAY AFTERNOON IN THE FIRST OF THE WILD CARD ROUND.

THE BILLS ARE TOPS IN THE AFC EAST AND WITH THE THIRD SEED, WILL HOST THE RIVAL NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS. IT’S THE FIRST TIME BILL BELICHICK’S PATS ENTER THE PLAYOFFS ON THE ROAD AS A WILD CARD WINNER.

AND OVER IN THE NFC, TOM BRADY’S BACK. HIS TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS SNATCHED THE #2 SEED AND WILL HOST THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES IN A WILD CARD GAME SUNDAY.

MY THIRD-SEEDED DALLAS COWBOYS WILL HOST #6 SAN FRANCISCO AND WHILE NO MATCH-UP IS EVER GOOD FOR DALLAS THIS TIME OF YEAR, I FEEL LIKE I’D RATHER FACE THE 49ERS THAN THE ARIZONA CARDINALS, WHICH IT HAD BEEN SHAPING UP TO BE THE MATCH-UP.

NO, THOSE CARDINALS – MY SECOND-FAVOURITE TEAM IN THE NFL – WILL GO ON THE ROAD TO FACE THE LOS ANGELES RAMS IN ROUND 1.

THERE’S SOME INTRIGUE AND NOVELTY THERE AS THAT PLAYOFF GAME WILL BE PLAYED ON MONDAY NIGHT, AND THE RAMS ARE HOPING TO BECOME THE SECOND STRAIGHT TEAM TO PLAY IN THE SUPER BOWL IN THEIR OWN STADIUM.

HEY, HOCKEY IS STILL OUR JAM. BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SCHEDULE AND IT SAYS “POSTPONED” BESIDE THE GAMES YOU WANNA WATCH, YOU’VE GOTTA FIND SOMETHING TO PASS THE TIME.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY

(The Rod Pedersen Show airs daily at 12 pm ET on Game+ TV across Canada and the USA. Call your cable provider for details. You can also watch on YouTube Live or listen 24/7 at RodPedersen.com/ListenLive)

(Photo: Allegiant Stadium)