AFC Divisional Review and Championship Preview
AFC Divisional Review and Championship Preview
Last week’s wild-card weekend gave up a boatload of surprises. Frank Reich and the Indianapolis Colts continued to be the hottest team in Football while the Chargers walked into Baltimore and fought off a comeback. I said that Wild Card weekend had many surprises in store as it turned out and that the divisional round might have some surprises as well.
Well…
The Divisional Round came and went. The teams that everyone expected to win did win and the teams we all expected to be in their championship games have punched their tickets. I’ll get into the NFC in a bit but let’s focus first on the AFC.
Colts-13 vs. Chiefs-31
It’s amazing to me that Patrick Mahomes did not have a passing touchdown in this game but the Chiefs were still able to smoke Andrew Luck’s team like a bad cigar. He did visit the end zone as a rusher. So too did Tyreek Hill, Darrel Williams, and Damian Williams. I thought the Colt defense was going to hold the kryptonite for the Chiefs offense but with four scores and over 400 yards of offense…no.
On the flip side, I must give credit where credit is due. I was under the impression that Indy would emerge victorious in this match-up only because Kansas City’s defense was virtually nonexistent during the regular season, finishing 31st out of 32 teams. Holding the Colts to 13 points is no small feat, even if their offense isn’t exactly the Greatest Show on Turf.
To his credit, Andrew Luck did what he could but Kansas City turned Indy’s offense into a one-dimensional machine. Indy did well on the ground too, averaging 6.2 yards a carry. There was talk that the Colts should rely more on the ground, which baffles me as to why they ran the ball just 14 times on the day. Let this be a lesson for Frank Reich. Don’t abandon what’s working for you.
Speaking of what’s working…
Patriots 41-Chargers 28.
How about Brady and Belichick? Brady threw some shade on his haters after Sunday’s victory over the Chargers. There have been some people who will tell you this is the beginning of the end for Brady and Belichick. I’ve been hearing this talk for the past 10 years and with four trips to the Super Bowl unfolding in those ten years…something’s off with those critics.
With over 300 passing yards and a rating of 106.5, not to mention another playoff victory, it could be criticism that is the fuel for Brady and Belichick. Maybe if people start calling them what they are, the greatest quarterback-coach duo of all time, then maybe they’ll fade away that way like the rest of the nation wishes but for now, they’re going nowhere.
There’s one thing that troubles me about their victory, and that’s while they lead at one point by 28, they won by 13. I understand the wanting to take the foot off the gas pedal and preserve a lead but if they take the foot off the gas too soon, they might blow a big lead should they get one in Kansas City. I mean…how many of you thought a 28-3 lead was enough for the Falcons? Case closed.
Looking ahead to this weekend, I’d have to put my money on the Patriots. They don’t fare as well on the road as they do at home in the postseason but this is Tom Brady and Bill Belichick we’re talking about. If they can find a loophole for the KC offense, it will be yet another heartbreak for the Chiefs. Also, Andy Reid is the coach and I’ve seen the Chiefs fail year after year in the playoffs. I do think they’ll turn the corner sometime soon but I don’t see it happening this weekend.
I could be wrong and…I hope I am.
-By: Thomas P. Braun Jr.