Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network (Photo courtesy of Daniel Jeremiah)

The NFL playoffs kick with Wild Card Weekend. The six-game schedule starts with the Los Angeles Chargers at the Houston Texans on Saturday afternoon and ends with the Minnesota Vikings at the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night. What are the key matchups? Who could pull off an upset? To learn more, we recently caught up with analyst Daniel Jeremiah.

Jeremiah has worked at NFL Network since 2012 after serving as an NFL scout for eight years with the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cleveland Browns, and the Baltimore Ravens. Jeremiah is also an analyst for the Chargers radio network and gives insights along with Bucky Brooks on the Move The Sticks podcast. 

Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Awful Announcing: Aside from the game you’re broadcasting, what game intrigues you the most?

Daniel Jeremiah: “Anytime you get the third matchup, I always think it has a chance to be weird. Pittsburgh-Baltimore, maybe it doesn’t look sexy (based) on the way they’ve both been trending with Baltimore being so good and Pittsburgh so bad. But, yeah, I think that’s one fascinating to me…

“There’s no fear factor there with Pittsburgh. I know Pittsburgh’s been playing terribly, but that’s a matchup that, to me, is going to be a close game. If they can turn Baltimore over like they did in the first meeting, they have a shot at going in there and upsetting them.”

Is there a common denominator with the Steelers’ struggles?

“Missing George Pickens (for three games with a hamstring injury) had an impact. He is a central part of what they want to do. They need their defense to give them short fields. They’re not an efficient offense. They’re not built to have these long, sustained drives. They need short fields. They need to get some big plays with Pickens. He doesn’t even have to catch some of them, but if they get some (pass interference) flags in these games, they have to take a bunch of shots. Whether that’s a combination of penalties or catches, they need some explosive plays from him. I don’t think they can nickel-and-dime their way up and down the field.”

What other matchups are you curious to see?

“The Philly O-line vs. the Green Bay defensive line is a fun one. Green Bay’s got an underrated front. They have waves of guys they can throw out there. Philly’s offensive line can take over and dominate a game. That’s going to be a good matchup.

“I think when you look at the two tackles for the Chargers, and hopefully they get Rashawn Slater back, which I would think they would for this week, against (edge rushers) Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson, that’s a pretty good matchup. I’m looking forward to that. I think Houston’s got to run the ball. Derwin James can kind of wreck the game against the run and the pass when he’s at that nickel spot. So, I think Joe Mixon vs. Derwin James is an interesting matchup.”

Who is a team no one wants to face in the next round?

“With a team like the Rams, I look at the ceiling in the playoffs versus the floor, and Matthew Stafford’s ceiling is as high as any quarterback. He’s very capable of getting hot and going on a run. Combine that with Sean McVay and his experience as a Super Bowl-winning head coach, that is a dangerous team.”

Four playoff teams—the Lions, the Vikings, the Buccaneers, and the Steelers—start quarterbacks that other teams gave up on. What does that tell you?

“It’s fascinating. If you look at the AFC, you get all (draft) picks for the most part, plus Russell Wilson. And then you go over the NFC, and it is kind of a collection of guys who haven’t necessarily succeeded in their first opportunity, or even second opportunity, but found the right fit. I think as an evaluator, it leads perfectly into this offseason. Teams are going to have to decide: Door No.1 or Door No.2? I think this might be an offseason where teams are instead of trying to find the next Jayden Daniels or Drake Maye, they’re trying to find the next Sam Darnold or Baker Mayfield in that kind of cast-off category.”

Who should be the NFL MVP?

“It’s hard to go away from Lamar Jackson with what he accomplished numbers-wise. I think you can get into more of a philosophical discussion about Josh Allen’s value in not having someone the caliber of Derrick Henry back there with him. He’s been able to shoulder more of the load there in Buffalo. (Joe) Burrow, unfortunately, will get penalized for the lack of team success. And Saquon (Barkley), I just think it’s turned into a quarterback award for whatever reason. I think it comes down to Josh Allen and Lamar.”

Did any coaching/front-office moves or non-moves this week surprise you?

“Trent Baalke surviving in Jacksonville, maybe more so than anybody who lost their job just because of the money they’ve spent trying to shape that roster and having the high draft assets they’ve had. I thought all that kind of landing on Doug Pederson’s head was a little bit surprising.”

What are your early thoughts on the draft?

“At this point, I would think Cam Ward is the favorite to be the first overall pick. Of the quarterbacks I’ve studied, I liked him the best. No.2 will be somewhat dependent on what the Browns want to do in free agency. I think the Browns’ starting quarterback next season will either be who they take with the No.2 overall pick or Kirk Cousins because you’d get Kirk Cousins on that Russell Wilson deal where the previous employer is paying all the money. You can get him for next to nothing.

“The Giants should be all in on quarterbacks. I just don’t know if there’s one worthy of the third overall pick. They could just take the best player available, Travis Hunter, which would be fun to throw into the mix. But they’ve still got a major quarterback problem to solve.”

What is it like doing Chargers games on the radio?

“I’ve had a blast because I get to do it with one of my best friends. Matt “Money” Smith does play-by-play. I think he’s the best in the NFL. He’s phenomenal and puts in so much work. He’s such an easy guy to work with. They’re a fun team to cover and to call games for. They’ve always played exciting games. They haven’t always been on the right side of them, but it’s been a good watch. I’ve tried to relay what I see through a scout’s lens, which is different (from most people) doing this job. I think a lot of it’s former players. You’re always trying to improve and get better, and an economy of words is always the challenge with radio. You want to be able to be descriptive, but you also got to get in and out of there because, in radio, the play-by-play guy is the star of the show.”

How has it been working with Jim Harbaugh?

“He’s been good. Money and I do an interview with him every week for the pregame show. I love talking to him. He’s very intense. He’s very focused. And he challenges everybody to do a better job. You don’t want to be caught unprepared when talking to him because he’s so focused and dialed in.

“We were talking to him the day of the Michigan-Ohio State game that morning. The game was getting ready to go into the fourth quarter. He looked at us with a little smile and said, ‘Can we make this quick today?’ No explanation needed. I know he wanted to watch the fourth quarter of that game.”

About Michael Grant

Born in Jamaica. Grew up in New York City. Lives in Louisville, Ky. Sports writer. Not related to Ulysses S. Grant.