NFL Playoffs: Chalk Holds for AFC in Divisional Round 2021

After a full slate of close games during Wild Card Weekend, the divisional round did not disappoint, especially in the AFC. Let us break down how the two games played out and the results.

Buffalo D Comes Up Big in Gritty Win Over Baltimore

Going into the game, the talk all week was Josh Allen vs. Lamar Jackson in this heavyweight matchup. Besides them, the Bills took on the Ravens in the divisional round and avoided the upset, winning by a score of 17-3. The key to victory for the Bills was their defensive effort. Despite losing the yardage battle and the time of possession battle, the Bills were able to get to Jackson four times and forced a red-zone turnover. This turnover was a pick-six by Taron Johnson to put the game out of reach.

On the offensive side, Buffalo struggled, but found a way to win the game. QB Josh Allen played a clean football game with no turnovers on 37 pass attempts. His lone touchdown was to WR Stefon Diggs, who had eight catches for 106 yards on the day along with the touchdown. John Brown also had eight catches to pace the air attack. As for the rushing attack, it was literally non-existent. Outside of QB Josh Allen, Devin Singletary and T.J. Yeldon combined for nine carries and totaled for 29 yards.

As for Baltimore, the offensive attack fell behind the chains too many times to have consistent success with their type of offense. QB Lamar Jackson struggled in the loss, totaling 196 yards with an interception before getting injured late in the game. In relief, QB Tyler Huntley was not much better, going 6/13 for 60 yards and no touchdowns. The rushing attack was solid, totaling 150 yards, but was not enough to win the game. On the defensive side, LB’s Pernell McPhee and Matt Judon had a sack in the loss.

Kansas City Hold Off Cleveland’s Comeback to Earn Victory

In their first playoff game since winning the Super Bowl, the Kansas City Chiefs had their work cut out for them against the Cleveland Browns, who got their first playoff win in over 20 years. Kansas City was able to hold off a late comeback from the Browns, winning 22-17. QB Patrick Mahomes had a great game despite getting injured, finishing with a line of 21/30 for 255 yards and two total touchdowns. In his relief, QB Chad Henne was able to finish off the Browns by converting a crucial fourth down to run down the clock. WR Tyreek Hill and TE Travis Kelce both had eight catches for over 100 yards, while Kelce found the endzone early in the game. On the ground, RB Darrel Williams had an efficient game, rushing 13 times with 78 yards in the victory.

The most underrated part of the Chiefs is their defense, which came up big once again. First, S Daniel Sorenson forced a fumble on the goal line to stop the Browns from scoring and getting back into the game. Next, S Tyrann Mathieu intercepted QB Baker Mayfield to end their first drive of the second half. In the first half, Kansas City did a good job of getting off the field on third down while controlling the line of scrimmage for most of the first half. S L’Jarius Sneed also had a sack in the victory.

While they came up short, the Cleveland Browns have a lot to look forward to in 2021. In this game, Cleveland started to move the ball on offense after falling behind 19-3, but ultimately did not get the opportunity for a game-winning drive since Kansas City moved the chains to seal the game. QB Baker Mayfield went 23/37 with 204 yards and a touchdown and interception. Despite losing a crucial fumble early in the game, WR Rashard Higgins rebounded to have a nice game, catching five balls for 88 yards. WR Jarvis Landry led the way with seven grabs and scored the lone receiving touchdown for Cleveland. With the running game, RB’s Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt combined for 19 carries with 101 yards and a touchdown, which was scored by Hunt. On the defensive side, S Karl Joseph had an interception late in the game and DE Myles Garrett recorded a sack in the loss.

These two outcomes set up for a chalk matchup in the AFC championship game, with the one-seeded Chiefs against the two-seeded Bills. The game will be in Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium at 6:40 ET. It is going to be a pass-heavy attack with the hopes that QB Patrick Mahomes can come back from injury. If so, it will be one heck of a game.

Stats and info from profootballreference.com

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-By: Richie Dordas