Nfl Playoffs Divisional Round: Schedule, Afc Preview

NFL Playoffs Divisional Round: Schedule, AFC Preview

by Men's Reporter Team

The three Wild Card games of the NFL Playoffs have concluded, and the divisional round matchups for AFC teams have officially been determined. The Baltimore Ravens will be on the road to take on the Buffalo Bills next weekend, while the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Houston Texans.

To put these matchups into perspective, we asked NFL Nation reporters to name one thing they learned about the teams they cover during the wild-card round. (As for the Chiefs, who didn’t play this week, we asked Adam Teicher to provide an injury update.) Seth Walder also weighed in on how each team can win to advance to the conference championship. We researched and provided the opening lines from ESPN BET.

Let’s start with the meeting between the top-seeded Chiefs and Texans. Check back with us as NFC division matchups are finalized. We will also preview those games.

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A.F.C.

Opening line: KC-8 (42.5)

Matchup Background: The Chiefs and Texans met in Week 16, with Kansas City winning 27-19. The last time these two franchises met in the playoffs was in the wild-card round in 2019, when the Chiefs erased a 24-0 deficit in the second quarter to beat Houston 51-31. Kansas City went on to win the Super Bowl that season. –ESPN

Stats to know: Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is 6-0 in the divisional round, the most undefeated playoff rounds in NFL history. –ESPN Research

Chiefs injury update: The Chiefs must have all starters and key role players on the active roster available for the divisional round. That includes defensive tackle Chris Jones, who hasn’t played since Week 15 because of a calf muscle strain. Running back Isaiah Pacheco and offensive tackle Ja’Wuan Taylor have also missed time with injuries recently, but should be ready. Starting cornerback Jalen Watson, who has been on injured reserve since breaking his ankle in Week 7 against the 49ers, is also practicing and could be used. — Adam Teicher

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What we learned about the Texans in the Wild Card Round: After a rocky regular season, the Texans made stellar contributions in all three phases of their 32-12 win over the Chargers in the Wild Card Round. Quarterback CJ Stroud threw for 282 yards and running back Joe Mixon ran for 106 yards and a touchdown. The defense intercepted Justin Herbert four times, giving him the third-worst total QBR (13.0) of his career as a starter. Cornerback D’Angelo Ross also blocked a punt, blocked an extra point attempt and returned the score. — DJ Bien Aimé

Why the Chiefs will win: Well, the biggest reason the Chiefs will win is that they will play the Texans. Despite advancing to the divisional round, Houston hasn’t been a consistently effective offensive team since losing Stefon Diggs (knee) in Week 8. Since Week 9, the Texans have ranked 27th in EPA per play on offense (including negative EPA per play) on both dropbacks and designed runs against the Chargers.

Of course, the Chiefs also bring more than their fair share of strengths, starting and not ending with quarterback Patrick Mahomes. There may have been some discussion earlier this season that the Chiefs lacked playmaking receivers. But today is a different story. Kansas City traded for DeAndre Hopkins, Marquise Brown returned from injury and Xavier Worthy showed improvement in the second half of the season. It’s also possible that at least tight end Travis Kelce is simply conserving his health for the postseason. Add that offense to a defense that still boasts elite talents in Jones and Trent McDuffie, and Kansas City becomes a formidable opponent for any team in the playoffs, let alone the Texans. — Walder

Why the Texans will win: Their pass rush. The Texans offense has been ugly for most of the season, and frankly, their win against the Chargers wasn’t great, but their pass rush always gives them a chance. Daniel Hunter led the NFL in pass rush win percentage in the regular season with 26%, and he and Will Anderson Jr. were both above 25% in the same category on Saturday. (Denico Autry also had a 21% sack rate.) Edge rushers versus tackles for the Chiefs represent one category in which the Texans, the natural underdogs, have a clear advantage over Kansas City.

The back end of the defense is also important. Cornerback Derek Stingley Jr. had a great regular season and earned two picks against Los Angeles. Also, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, CB Kamari Lassiter never allowed a reception as the nearest defender and had a pick. — Walder

Opening line: BUF -1 (51.5)

Matchup Background: The Ravens and Bills met in Week 4, with Baltimore losing 35-10 to Buffalo. This was the third-worst point differential of quarterback Josh Allen’s career. Lamar Jackson and Allen have only faced off once in the playoffs, with Allen having the advantage. Buffalo defeated Baltimore 17-3 in the 2020 divisional round. –ESPN

Stats to know: The Bills (30.9) and Ravens (30.5) averaged 30 points per game during the regular season. This will be the seventh meeting in NFL postseason history between two teams that averaged 30 PPG during the regular season. –ESPN Research

What we learned about the Bills in the Wild Card Round: This Bills team may not have reached its peak yet. Heading into the game against the Broncos, cornerback Rasul Douglas said the Bills haven’t played their best game yet, and Saturday’s win suggested he might be right. Buffalo scored 31 unanswered points and held the Broncos to 2/9/2 on third downs, even though the defense didn’t force takeaways, one of the Broncos’ strengths. But the Bills will look to avoid another slow start. — Alaina Getzenberg

What you need to know heading into the NFL playoffs

• Division Round Preview
• Wildcard Overreaction (ESPN+)
• Mythbusters of All Teams (ESPN+)
Schedule |Bracket |Super Bowl LIX

What we learned about the Ravens in the wild-card round: Jackson proved he can be successful early in the postseason. He has won the last three playoff openers, posting a total QBR of 80 or higher, completing 70 percent of his pass attempts and throwing four touchdown passes against one interception. The challenge for Jackson was the encore. In each of the past two playoffs, he has won and then lost, posting a QBR of 44, success rate of 56%, and one touchdown throw to two interceptions. — Jamison Hensley

Why the Bills will win: Josh Allen. Please excuse the obvious answer. But that’s the reality. Force and short? Allen can use his feet and barrel to break through defenses and convert. Third and long? He can pull off some crazy passes, like his crazy touchdown throw to Ty Johnson in the wild-card round (actually they were 4-1, but you get the idea). And he does all of that while being the best in the NFL at limiting mistakes. They had the lowest sack rate (2.6%) and ranked second in turnover rate (1.2%) during the regular season.

And the fact that he played behind an offensive line that ranked third in pass block win percentage during the regular season and allowed only two sacks against Denver’s excellent defense certainly helps. . So is the support Allen is receiving from his running backs. No team has generated more EPA on running back targets than Buffalo.

The Ravens could once again be without top wide receiver Zai Flowers (knee soreness), which would definitely be an advantage for Buffalo. Although Baltimore has shown that it is capable of winning on the ground, the Bills defense was better against the run (1st in EPA against designed runs) than it was against the pass (20th against dropbacks) in the regular season. 8th per play). He struggled with the scrambles, but that will be a challenge for Jackson. So, with or without Flowers, the Bills will need a lot of points to beat Baltimore. — Walder

Why the Ravens will win: Their running attack is unstoppable. Baltimore showed they’re comfortable using Jackson’s legs in the postseason — Jackson ran 14 times in the Ravens’ win over the Steelers (not including knee kicks) — and running with him. The combination of running back Derrick Henry will be tough for the defense. Lead plays in the wild card round were incredibly effective, as Steelers defenders had to account for both Jackson and Henry, resulting in fewer players getting into the path of the actual ball carrier. I did.

But it will take a solid effort on both sides of the ball to beat the Bills. Fortunately, that’s no longer an issue for the Ravens. Since moving Kyle Hamilton back to primarily deep safety in Week 11, Baltimore ranks first in EPA allowed per play on defense, including the postseason. — Walder

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