NFL Mailbag, Playoff Edition: What Should We Expect From Sam Darnold, Aaron Rodgers?

We could be on the verge of the most wide-open NFL playoff field in years. Almost every team has a reason to think it’s a Super Bowl contender. And almost every team has potentially season-killing flaws.

Faced with such remarkable uncertainty, it’s understandable that so many of you have questions. Good thing for you, though, I have the answers in our first FOX Sports postseason NFL mailbag:

Can the Chargers win, please? — kobebigboy14

No. … Hey, this mailbag thing is easy!

OK, I mean, they could win. They have an elite coach (Jim Harbaugh) and quarterback (Justin Herbert), but I don’t love the way Herbert has played over the last two months. And the Chargers’ supposedly powerful rushing game hasn’t actually helped him. Maybe if they weren’t making the cross-country flight to New England to face the top-seeded Patriots, I’d feel better about granting your wish.

On the bright side, the Patriots played a schedule that would’ve been considered weak in the old Pac-10, so maybe they’ve got the right first-round opponent after all.

What version of Sam Darnold will we see in the playoffs? — connor_crinion78

I have to be honest: I’ve liked Sam Darnold since I covered him with the Jets in New York. I’ve always thought the talent was there and that the Jets did their best to ruin him before prematurely moving on. 

The truth is, though, that even though I’m not completely shocked by his improved play the last two seasons, I still just don’t trust him in big games.

So, which version to me depends on the circumstances. If the Seahawks get their running game and defense going and don’t need a lot out of Darnold, you’ll get the good version. If they need him to carry the team … well, if that’s the case, I wouldn’t be making plans for the NFC Championship game if I were you.

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WHY DO YOU HATE THE PANTHERS? — deaton5833

WHY ARE YOU YELLING AT ME? 

I don’t hate the Panthers. I truly, honestly, feel nothing about them. They put me in a state of "torpor" (apathy and dullness). They are pictured in the dictionary next to the word "blah," if that’s actually a word. They evoke no emotions out of me whatsoever, and I’m shocked that I’ve just devoted a paragraph with 74 words in it to a team I care nothing about.

That said, I don’t think Bryce Young is very good, and I’m puzzled by how the Panthers can look so good one week, then so terrible the next, and sustain that over an entire season. But "hate"? No. I truly feel nothing.

How do you think Bryce Young is gonna do for his first time in the playoffs? — ant.frmda362

Well, I kind of just let that cat out of the bag, didn’t I?

Not well. For the Panthers’ sake, I hope they can get their rushing attack going again. If not, the Los Angeles Rams are just going to roll all over them. 

But just a reminder: I am completely unaffected by what Young and the Panthers do either way. It means nothing to me. Nothing!

Will C.J. Stroud thrive against the Steelers to match the Texans' Super Bowl-caliber defense? — emily.pattison.5

I think the potential is there. Stroud is certainly talented, and there’s no doubt the Steelers defense is vulnerable. Pittsburgh has played better over the past month, for sure, but it has had some awful games this season. Usually, though, it’s against teams that can run the ball a heck of a lot better than the Texans can.

But I think Stroud will play well. "Thrive" depends on your definition, but I think he can beat the Steelers' defense to make enough big plays. 

Let’s be honest, though: He’s not carrying the Texans to the Super Bowl. If they get there, it’ll be on the back of their defense.

Does (Aaron Rodgers) win one more time? — cheese_head011412

Against that Texans defense? Sorry, I think that win over the Ravens was his storybook ending — assuming his storybook is actually ending after this season, and he’s ready for his camel ride into the sunset (or the darkness cave, whichever he prefers). The Steelers got way more out of Rodgers than anyone could have reasonably expected. Leading them back to the playoffs the way he did gave him the dignified ending he never got when he played with the Jets.

Hoping for more than that feels greedy. Against that Texans pass rush, it feels unlikely, too.

Do we think Aaron Rodgers has it in him to win a Super Bowl? — aaronnnnnng

Aaron Rodgers is full of a lot of things, but I don’t think that’s in him anymore.

Will the Browns ever win a Super Bowl? — seanovan1277

No. Why, is there someone who thinks they might?

It certainly won’t be any time soon, since they’re still weighed down by the trade to acquire Deshaun Watson and the subsequent contract extension they gave him. And, with all due respect to Shedeur Sanders’ loud legion of supporters, they still don’t have their quarterback. Also, Cleveland just fired the only head coach who has taken it to the playoffs in the last 23 years.

So again, no. But feel free to check back again in 10 years or so. Maybe by then their Super Bowl hopes will have been upgraded to "probably not" or something slightly more optimistic.

How good are the Niners' chances against the Eagles?? — rdjmario_before_the_lobotomy_

If you had asked me a week ago, I would’ve said "Great!" Now, I’d amend that to "pretty good." I’m admittedly a bit alarmed by how … I don’t know, maybe "tired" is the right word? … the 49ers looked tired against the Seahawks in their season finale. San Francisco had what feels like a really long season and most of its roster has been battered by injuries. I wonder if it’s all just caught up to it.

That said, the 49ers are a playoff-tested group loaded with talent and the Eagles sure are vulnerable. So "pretty good" sounds about right.

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Do you think the Niners have a chance to make the Super Bowl? — mattyryan1117

OK, let’s not get carried away. 

Beating the Eagles, yes. Getting to the Super Bowl? I mean, again, the talent is there and they have one of the best coaches in the field. A week ago, I might have been all in on this idea, but that Week 18 performance sure was a flop. 

The 49ers are just trending in the wrong direction. It feels like it’s all falling apart.

What do the Packers need to do to make a deep playoff run with a depleted roster? — 2nd_and_goal

A time machine, maybe, to go back to when they were healthy? 

It’s tough to see them making a deep run with all the players they’ve lost. Losing defensive star Micah Parsons was a huge hit. It also doesn’t help that quarterback Jordan Love and running back Josh Jacobs have been pretty battered lately, too. It’s really not a huge surprise that Green Bay hasn't won in a month.

There’s talent there, and maybe the Packers can surprise the Bears in the first round. They’re being held together by duct tape at this point, though, so a deep run would really be a surprise.

Should the seeding be different so that an 8-9 team doesn’t host a 12-5 team? — begalkejohn

Interesting question. 

I’m actually not bothered at all that an 8-9 is hosting a playoff game. It doesn’t happen all that often, and I think it’s important that there is at least some reward for a team winning a division. I’m also not a big believer that home-field advantage is a huge thing in the NFL playoffs, unless there’s regional weather involved. I don’t suddenly think the Panthers have an edge on the Rams just because the game is in Carolina, which is not a particularly hard place to play.

I think if the NFL wanted to stop bad division winners from hosting playoff games, it might as well just do away with divisions entirely. Just let the top seven teams in each conference in. But I don’t think that’s fair either, nor is it good for the game. So I’m good with the status quo.

Will you rig it for the Cowboys to win it next year? (Please…) — _ifw_gabe_

Hey, I’m good, but I’m not that good. 

Also, if I had those kinds of powers, I’d probably be running FOX Sports instead of just answering the mail.

Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL Reporter for FOX Sports. He spent six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

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