We now take an overview of the playoff teams from the American Football Conference. These other seven playoff teams tend to be more pass-oriented on offense. Every one of these defenses has finished inside the top 15 in the entire NFL for the fewest yards and fewest points allowed. Just two coaches (Tomlin and Reid) and two quarterbacks (Mahomes and Wilson) have been first to the finish line before. At the same time, the others can't wait for the chance to steer them off the road to get their hands on that Lombardi Trophy. Here are quick notes for each AFC playoff contender on what they need to build on or improve to make it to New Orleans for Super Bowl 59.
Kansas City Chiefs: Keep the Chains Moving
The Kansas City Chiefs offense has been well-known for conducting long drives by mixing up short to medium passes and runs, resulting in short gains. They slowly pick apart a defense play-by-play that way. Since Tyreek Hill vanished from the organization after the 2021 season, his absence was something they had to adjust to. They transformed themselves into a conservative, patient offense from a bombs-away passing attack. Thanks to a head coach who was rooted out of the Bill Walsh coaching tree where the legendary West Coast offense was first created. That is how they won the last two Super Bowls, using the arm and poise of Patrick Mahomes to add to the football intelligence of Andy Reid and one of the best, if not the best, coaching staff in the league.
Buffalo Bills: Complementary Football
Josh Allen is a top candidate for MVP thanks to this new offense from offensive coordinator Joe Brady, which has made him more comfortable than ever. Like the Chiefs in 2022, the Bills had to adjust to the absence of not one but two of their star pass catchers from the previous season. Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis, who were not Buffalo Bills anymore, became huge weights lifted off of Josh Allen's shoulders. No longer feeling pressured to get the ball in their hands as much as possible, he distributed the football to everyone apart of the offense this season in many conventional ways. Minus Josh Allen, 13 different Bills players scored an offensive touchdown, and the Bills became the first team in NFL history to have scored 30 touchdowns rushing and receiving in the same season. It is also thanks to an offensive line that has allowed no more than 14 sacks for the season, the fewest in the NFL again for the second year in a row.
Baltimore Ravens: (Better) Situational Football
The most talent-heavy team in their conference should never feel the need for gadget plays. This record-breaking offense finished as the only team in 2024 to gain over seven thousand yards of total offense. The Ravens also became the first team in NFL history to gain over four thousand passing yards and three thousand rushing yards in a season. They also became the first team since the 2001 St. Louis Rams to lead the NFL in yards per pass and rush attempt. They could have gained much more and scored more points if it wasn't for questionable play calls at crucial moments in a game or even during the early moments of a game, whether it was fancy rollout pass plays or not running the football enough with Derrick Henry.
Lamar Jackson and the Ravens need to stop trying to be something they're not: a finesse team. They must stick to the same game plan that has carried them this far and remain aggressive. The Ravens should stay away from cute play-calling and complicated formations and play football the best way they have always known how to. The only team that can defeat the Baltimore Ravens is the Baltimore Ravens.
Houston Texans: Avoid Turnovers
Their defense is elite, featuring many playmakers, including Danielle Hunter, Will Anderson Jr., Derrick Stingley Jr., Kamari Lassiter, and Jalen Pitre. Their offense has been a concern for the team, and their disappointing performances against playoff defenses this season have brought doubt upon this once-attractive pick to make it to the big game. It begins with their quarterback, C.J. Stroud, who has become a turnover machine this season after a sensational rookie year from him. Since he is left with Nico Collins, Robert Woods, and Dalton Schultz to rely on and throw to, it would be ideal for the Texans to increase the touches with running back Joe Mixon. He has been the bell cow, sealing most of the victories for the Texans this season with his tough running, and leads the team in total touchdowns with 12.
Giving Joe Mixon the ball as much as possible would be the best option for them to keep the offense on the field as long as they want. Mixon has not fumbled the football on any of his 281 touches, and it would make things easier for C.J. Stroud and their passing attack to get going again. The more defenses see Mixon making an impact on the ground, the more attention he would draw and the more opportunities for deep shots to be taken. That is the name of the game for the Houston Texans..
Los Angeles Chargers, Play 60 Minutes
The last time Justin Herbert's Chargers were in the playoffs, they gave up a 27-point lead to the Jacksonville Jaguars and lost 31-30 in the first round. This season, the league saw the Chargers lose a second-half lead five times, and four of those times, they would eventually lose the game. They lost double-digit leads to the Ravens, Chiefs, and Bengals. In their game against the Bengals, they built a 27-6 lead before Cincinnati scored three unanswered touchdowns to tie the game. The Chargers would win the game 34-27 on a last-second touchdown by running back J.K. Dobbins after sliding by with field goal misses by the Bengals. That game put to light the issue of not finishing off teams that the Chargers have. The Los Angeles Chargers have everything that any team needs to become qualified as a Super Bowl contender.
A number one-rated defense, a gunslinger for a quarterback, a flawless, well-balanced offense, and a capable play-calling staff headed by a dedicated coach. What will hold them back is their inability to deliver a full 60 minutes of good football. The NFL playoffs have witnessed many teams victimized by big deficit comebacks, from the 1992 Houston Oilers in the wildcard round to the Detroit Lions from last season in the conference championship game. It would be disappointing to see this Chargers' squad join this list of disappointed playoff teams.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Gain Physical and Internal Toughness
For the last four weeks of the regular season, the Steelers haven't played true Pittsburgh Steelers football after once holding sole possession of first place in the AFC North with a 10-3 record. They didn't only lose their last four games; they lost each of them in such lackluster fashion. Losing to the Eagles, Ravens, and Chiefs by double digits and lost to the Bengals with crucial dropped passes by George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth. Their star running back, Najee Harris, hasn't been running hard lately, and Russell Wilson has been making many miscues that are rarely seen by a 13-year veteran quarterback. Their defense should stop playing individual football and play as a unit. It would also be ideal for the Steelers to utilize their pass rush rotation of T.J. Watt, Preston Smith, Nick Herbig, and Alex Highsmith if he returns for the playoffs. They also need to work their running game much more by committee and not depend on deep shots from Russell Wilson so much. True Pittsburgh Steelers football showcases pound-the-ground, hardcore defensive football.
Denver Broncos: Make Big Plays on Defense
With the Broncos already stepping into the postseason with an elite defense, they must turn it up a notch. They are the only team in the NFL with over 60 sacks and lead the league in defensive touchdowns. More big plays from their defense to match the big-play ability of their sensational rookie quarterback, Bo Nix, will help the Broncos shock the world. They failed at each chance to shut down some of the league's most elite passers and offenses. They faced five playoff teams during the regular season and have only defeated one of them, and that was the Buccaneers in week three when they limited the fourth-highest scoring offense in the NFL to seven points while neutralizing the Mayfield-Evans connection to 17 receiving yards and two catches.
Their chance to show the league that they had arrived came in week eight against the Ravens, but they allowed them to blow up the scoreboard with 41 points. They sacked Lamar Jackson only once during the match but sacked the NFL's best quarterback this year, Joe Burrow, seven times and hit him 15 times when they played the Bengals in week 17. Unfortunately, they couldn't pick off any of Burrow's passes. For this defense to follow in the footsteps of the Orange Crush and the No-Fly Zone defenses from the past, it must step up against some of the NFL's best by taking what they believe is theirs: the football.
Main Image via
Comments