NFL Divisional Round: AFC Preview

The AFC is back this week in the Divisional round of the playoffs. With all of the wild card teams eliminated, only divisional winners remain. After fighting hard all season, these teams (for the most part) deserve to be here. Here’s what to expect from the American Football Conference this weekend.

Houston Texans vs. New England Patriots – Saturday 8:15 pm ET

Patriots fans are ecstatic this week. The Texans may have won their division, but only because they are the best of the worst. In week 3, these two teams played against each other on Thursday Night Football. This was supposed to be one of the most satisfying games of the year for Roger Goodell, as the Texans had one of the top-ranked defenses at the time going up against a team without Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. A few days before the game, the Patriot’s backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo even got injured. With one of the league’s best defenses going up against a 3rd-string rookie quarterback, the Texans were poised for a victory. However, disaster struck immediately and the Texans were shut out, losing 27-0. I don’t think we should expect a very different result on Saturday night.

While the Texans do have some weapons on their team, they just haven’t seemed to mesh well as a team this season. Between players like Lamar Miller, DeAndre Hopkins, and Brian Cushing, this team should have the ability to make a deep playoff run. However, they haven’t unlocked their potential yet, and with a poor excuse for a quarterback, like Brock Osweiler, leading the team’s offense, it doesn’t look like they’ll be able to perform well any time soon. I’d like to see the Texans perform well in the future, but this simply isn’t their season.

The Patriots have Tom Brady playing in this game. If Jacoby Brissett can shut out the Texans at full strength, there is no way Tom Brady doesn’t beat Houston to a pulp. Brady has too many weapons and Belichick will be able to stop whatever the Texans try to do. If they score at all, it will then become garbage time. The Texans have potential. It won’t be tapped into this season, but maybe next season they’ll be a real playoff contender. I’ve got faith in Houston’s future, but not so much in the present.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Kansas City Chiefs – Sunday 8:20 pm ET

I’m not too sure why, but there’s not a whole lot of people talking about this game. Just based on what has been said this season, people expect the Steelers to run away with this one, but the Chiefs are severely underrated. Even though the Steelers destroyed Kansas City in week 4 of the regular season 43-14, both of these teams have changed. The Steelers have some of the greatest players in the league today, and the criminally underrated Chiefs have found their rhythm in the past few weeks. Here’s a quick analysis of both squads.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have an elite crew on offense. Between Big Ben, Antonio Brown, and Le’Veon Bell, this team has the ability to roll over teams. However, they give off this vibe as though they don’t have anything to prove. People identify these big 3 as some of the best in the game today, and simply expect the best from them. If the Steelers lose, the defense (which isn’t the greatest, but they try, and you can tell) automatically gets the blame. Roethlisberger and Bell are never to blame if the team has any shortcomings from week to week, which absolutely amazes me. Their performances are just brushed off, like it’s okay they didn’t perform at an elite level even though they have proven themselves to be elite players. If the Steelers can get into the right mindset and right gear, then they certainly have the ability to make it into the AFC Championship game. It’ll be a more difficult path than many people think however.

The Kansas City Chiefs are quietly one of the best teams in the NFL. They have the 2 seed. THE 2 SEED. They come into this game with something to prove, and that is that they shouldn’t be glossed over. Behind experienced veteran quarterback Alex Smith, the Kansa City offense has big play capability. Between players like Travis Kelce and rising star Tyreek Hill, the Chiefs are arguably the most explosive team in the NFL. Even Dontari Poe has the ability to score in this offense multiple times. Since the game in week 4, Tyreek Hill has shown up in Kansas City, along with a running game that has grown throughout the season with the help of Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West. The Chiefs also have one of the better defenses in the league. They’ve got a feared secondary and some big guys on their front 7. The guy that can have the biggest effect on this game, in my mind, is Justin Houston. If this outside linebacker can shut down Le’Veon Bell and get to Ben Roethlisberger in the pocket, the Steelers are in trouble. With all of these weapons, combined with home-field advantage in the loudest stadium in the NFL, the Chiefs should be just as feared, if not more feared, than the Steelers.

Written by Rick Wronski