Divisional Round Review: AFC
Divisional Round Review: AFC
Houston Texans vs Baltimore Ravens
This is the outcome almost no one saw coming (unless you either like the Titans or are a Lamar Jackson detractor). The Titans went into Baltimore and beat the Ravens 28-12 and seemed to have control over the game from the first Baltimore possession. Henry continued on his unstoppable tour and ran for 195 yards on 30 carries. He ran around, threw and even made some Baltimore defenders look silly in the game. Henry, at one point, even made All-Pro, Earl Thomas, look like his lead block on a 22-yard run. Tannehill again didn’t throw for more than 100 yards, but this time around he made his limited throws count even more by tossing two scores. Then, for good measure, added a rushing score to put the game away. The Titans defense played remarkably well again a seemingly unstoppable rushing attack that had confused and bewildered many opponents all season long. The Ravens not only let themselves get beat, but added on by beating themselves all game.
Lamar Jackson, the MVP frontrunner for most of the year, threw a few too many errant passes. He turned the ball over three times (two interceptions and a fumble lost). Granted one interception was from a tipped pass off his reliable tight ends’ hands, but the second was just a forced error of a guy trying to do too much while losing. The fumble was a bad judgment to not scramble when there were no receivers open. Instead, he held on too long and got a strip-sack for his mistake. While Lamar did accrue over 500 total yards of offense, 365 through the air and 143 on the ground, it was on a night when he just couldn’t find the endzone for most of the evening. Not all of the blame can be placed on the quarterback though as his receivers didn’t want to help much. There were seven dropped passes and a few that either would have been first downs or touchdowns.
The blitz-happy defense gives up two touchdowns through the air on bad mistakes by the secondary, while the run defense was a shell of itself against a foe they knew was coming. All week long everyone in the nation knew that you needed to stop Henry, but they didn’t get the job done. Lastly, the overall effort on this Ravens team looked suspect and closer to the end looked to be all but gone. A team that had run off 12 straight victories and got a first-round bye, looked rusty and like they didn’t show up to play. Again, let’s give the Titans their credit for playing an efficient and smart game, but the Ravens just helped them win any chance they could it seemed.
Houston Texans vs Kansas City Chiefs
What a game, the first half of this game was like none other I or most people have seen before. A team on the road came in and went up by 24 points early in the first quarter and looked to have this game in the bag. Then the 2018 version of the Chiefs said we will not falter, and we will not quit. Starting in the second quarter the Chiefs went on a run like no other team in the playoffs by scoring on seven straight possessions after that and only allowing one touchdown to the Texans the rest of the game.
The Chiefs ended up turning a 24-point deficit into a 20 point rout, the first time that has happened to a team in the playoffs. You can point to many things that helped their cause. Whether it was the brilliance of Patrick Mahomes throwing four touchdowns in a quarter, the second time this has happened in the playoff ever. You can look at the stops on special teams including a key fourth and four fake punts that failed for the Texans or on the ensuing kickoff a fumble by Deandre Carter to give the Chiefs the ball back inside the 20. Yet, the main reason for this comeback turned rout is the will of the Chiefs to find a way to win and win big while the Texans shrunk under the bright lights in the playoffs. Mahomes and his track squad team ended the game with over 300 yards through the air and 5 touchdowns.
While the Texans ended the game with one touchdown and multiple turnovers on downs and punts. The Texans offense stalled and looked to be outmatched after a while against a Chiefs defense that had reinvented themselves throughout the year. While the Texans defense turned from a force in the wildcard round to a land of misfit toys that couldn’t run with elite athletes all night.
Summary
When the championship game comes around next week, we will see just who is the best in the AFC. Will it be a Chiefs team that can score at will and dominate over everyone by being better athletes? Or will it be the dominant old school team with the moose that runs like a deer? Personally, I can’t wait to see just who will show the real side of themselves and who shrinks the closer we get to the Superbowl.
-By: Darren Braxton
