Participants,

Welcome to the 34^th Edition of the Hewes Super Bowl Trophy!!  We finally have determined the 14 teams that will compete for this year’s Super Bowl (SB56), and the playoffs start this Saturday with the 2 of the 6 Super WildCard Weekend games!  Get your naps in early this weekend, because the schedule has late games (i.e., kickoff around 8:15pm EST or so) on Saturday, Sunday and Monday nights.

It’s great to hear that all 7 participants are eagerly awaiting their chance to win the trophy this year and get it out of the hands of last year’s winner, Comeback Kid!  He did mention to The Commish recently that due to COVID-19 and supply chain issues, he is planning to keep the trophy in western New York this coming year!  The smack talk has already started!

A few reminders before the real action begins as the 7 participants prepare to battle it out.

RULES
Please read the “League Rules” (found on our home page at www.hewessbt.com) to become reacquainted with all you need to know.  I’m available to answer any questions.

MAKING YOUR PICKS
All picks are officially submitted on our site, using the “Submit Picks” tab.  Enter the team names and respective score you believe will be the final game score for each game.  Once you have submitted your scores, they will be time-stamped and sent via email to The Commish, who will load them to the site.  The Commish will not look at any game score submissions until he has submitted his scores in the same manner.  Please – no last minute frantic text messages with your scores.

KEEPING TRACK
Visit the “Standings” tab to get real-time updated game scores and your points as games are played.  This interactive feature was implemented several years ago and has received numerous kudos from the serious game watchers (that have a strong correlation to the eventual HSBT winners).

REMINDERS (As I Do Every Year)

1. Picks for ALL 6 Super WildCard Weekend games are to be submitted no later than 4:30pm EST on Saturday, January 15 (which is just prior to the kickoff of the 1st playoff game).
2. Any pick not submitted on time will result in a 25-point penalty for that game (meaning you will get -25 points for those games).
3. No “partial scores” are to be submitted.  We did have this occur several years ago and it went something like this:  “Chicago 24, SF”.  This will also result in the aforementioned -25 points.  Given that Comeback Kid won the trophy last year by a scant 36 points, every point counts!

It’s shaping up to be another great year, with maybe 11 or 12 teams thinking they have the inside track on winning the Super Bowl.  The highly-anticipated Commish’s expert in-depth analysis and predictions for each game starts below.  Use this information wisely to solidify your thoughts before submitting your picks.

With 7 participants and a total of 13 games in this expanded playoff format, will it be a record-setting year?  Pete the Terp set the benchmark with 1,322 points in 2016 (with a 10-1 record).  Will 1,400 points be the new benchmark?

#5 Las Vegas Raiders (10-7) @ #4 Cincinnati Bengals (10-7)
The Raiders waited until OT of the very last game of the season to claim a playoff berth, while the Bagels clinched their spot a few games earlier.  Both teams seasons were marked by a high degree of inconsistency, but both got hot during the last 4 weeks (Las Vegas was 4-0 and Cincinnati was 3-1, with their loss on the final weekend of the season).

Cincinnati has a red-hot offense, featuring QB Joe Burrow and rookie WR standout, Jamarr Chase (Geaux Bayou Bengals).  A solid running game and 2 other top-notch receivers makes the Bengals dangerous.  Their D, however, has been very accommodating to opposing offenses.

The Raiders have never lost to the Bengals in the playoffs, while Cincinnati hasn’t won a playoff game in their last 7 appearances.

The Bengals blew out the Raiders in Vegas back in late November (Week 11) and maybe it’s payback time for the team from Sin City.

Sorry to spoil the Bengal celebration, but this one is for John Madden

Las Vegas 26, (now 0-8) Bengals 23 (in OT)

#6 New England Patriots (10-6) @ #3 Buffalo Bills (11-6)
This will be the rubber match between these 2 foes, with each winning on the road this season.  The weather is forecasted to be balmy for western NY – a slight chill in the air (approaching zero at game time) with a mild breeze for the 8:15pm kickoff.  No snow forecasted – yet.

The Pats are featuring their rookie QB, a solid running game and a stout D.  The Bills are featuring QB Josh Allen and 21 other starters.  Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott has never lost a home playoff game while in Buffalo.  NE Head Coach Bill Belichik has won “a few” road playoff games.

Look for the Bills to try to establish their reemergent running game, then light it up in the 2^nd half.  When was the last time a rookie QB won a playoff game?  10 years ago.  Make that 11.

Buffalo 31, New England 19

#7 Philadelphia Eagles (9-8) @ #2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13-4)
OK, so the Eagles are 0-6 in regular season games against this year’s playoff teams.  Game over?  Not so fast.  The Eagles have the #1 run offense in the league and the Bucs have had problems with teams that also feature a good running QB.

Did you know that the GOAT (34) has more playoff wins than the Philadelphia franchise (23)?  Expecting high winds in Tampa this Sunday afternoon, which should negatively impact the passing game for both teams.  Tampa’s offense is banged up and a key WR left the field shirtless a couple weeks ago, never to return.

This one smells like an upset for the road team.  Did I mention that the GOAT has 35 playoff wins?

Tompa Bay 26, Philadelphia 20 (in OT)

#6 San Francisco 49’ers (10-7) @ #3 “America’s Team” (12-5)
SF is riding a hot (but injured) hand with QB Jimmy G.  Dallas has played pretty mediocre the last month under GM Jimmy J.  This is a storied rivalry, with the last 4 winners of past playoff games winning the Super Bowl.  Not sure that is going to happen this year, but who knows?

The 49er’s are playing better football right now.

SF 24, Dallas (reduced to “North Texas’ Team”) 23

#7 Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7-1) @ #2 Kansas City Chiefs (12-5)
“We can’t win this game.  So, let’s just go out and have some fun.”  Quote from Steelers (has)Ben Roethlisberger.  This is shaping up to be a sleeper, with the Chiefs favored by a whopping 13 points.

Can the Chiefs offense be stopped?  They appear to be running on all cylinders, even with key players out for various reasons.  Just plug and play the next guy up.  KC QB Mahomes has 15 TD passes and 1 INT in the playoffs.  Their D has come alive during the second half of the regular season.

A lot of things need to happen for Pittsburgh to pull the big (Ben) upset.  Maybe DE TJ Watt can get a dozen more sacks to add on to his league record 22.5 this season?  Maybe rookie RB Harris can go for 150 yards and 3 scores?  Maybe Ben has 2 or 3 great throws left in his arm?

Maybe not.  Have fun, Ben.

Chiefs 43 (ouch), Steelers 17 (not in OT)

#5 Arizona Cardinals (11-6) @ #4 LA Rams (12-5)
The Cardinals fluttered into the playoffs with a broken wing.  The Rams clinched their division with a loss.  The first-ever Monday Night Football playoff games, thanks to the $$ machine known as the NFL.

Arizona is 1-9 vs. the Rams since 2017, but they traded road wins against each other this season.  2 fun offenses to watch, but the Rams D is so good that Cardinal QB Kyler Murray will need to have his best game of the season to keep this one close.  Rams QB Stafford has an arsenal of tools at his disposal.

LA 30, Arizona 24

I hope you’re as excited for the playoffs as The Commish is.  Rumor has it that 2022 Winner will be bringing his ‘A’ game to the competition yet again.

Get ready for good football and get those 7 picks submitted Saturday afternoon before kickoff of the first game!  I’ll be in touch next week with the results of Super WildCard Weekend and the HSBT!

Until then, I remain

~~The Commish