SR Sunday NFL Playoffs Divisional Round: Previews & Predictions
Featured3:05 PM EST
Houston Texans vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The day begins with a matchup of a pair of quarterbacks who were taken just two picks after each other in the 2017 NFL Draft as Deshaun Watson and the Houston Texans head into Arrowhead Stadium to face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
We already saw this exact matchup happen before in the regular season when the Texans pulled off a surprising 31-24 road win over the Chiefs in Week 6. Though neither QB had a signature day in that game—Watson was 30/42 for 280 yards, three total touchdowns, and two interceptions and Mahomes went 19/35 for 273 yards, three passing touchdowns, and one interception—it was a fun back-and-forth game between the two teams.
However, today’s game isn’t just one of 16, the stakes are higher and it is now ”win or go home” for these franchises.
For Kansas City, they are looking to make amends for losing at home in the AFC Championship game in last year’s playoffs. The Chiefs finished 12-4 and thanks to a Week 17 upset was able to get a bye to the divisional round. After running through the league like a buzzsaw a season ago, they really weren’t considered the best team in the NFL at any point this season.
They have a chance to change that though. With the Tennessee Titans pulling off another upset road victory yesterday, the winner of this game is guaranteed a home game with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. Houston’s defense has been inconsistent all year and Mahomes has been waiting for a shot at postseason redemption. If they can jump out to a big lead early look for them to keep their foot on the pedal and really make a statement.
For the Texans, they are trying to show that they are a different team now. Bill O’Brien made a rash of moves before the season began as the team’s de facto general manager in hopes of seeing his team make that jump into contender status.
Their first playoff game looked like it would be more of the same old song as they fell behind 16-0 but they were able to storm back and advance. Could this be the season that things start to change for Houston?
We’ll find out today. Watson is likely to have a full array of weapons with DeAndre Hopkins, Will Fuller V, and Kenny Stills all on track to play. The team has also experienced a renaissance at running back with the dual threat of Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson fortifying the ground game.
Offensively, the talent is there for this team to hang around with the high-powered unit on the other side of the field. Where the test will come is how their defense responds. J.J. Watt will look to harass Mahomes in the pocket but they’ll need their secondary to be able to corral and contain the sheer speed of Kansas City’s wide receivers. Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Sammy Watkins, Demarcus Robinson, and even Travis Kelce is fast for his size and position.
Keeping those guys in front and making sure they are brought down on Iraq contact will be a big part of this game.
PREDICTION: CHIEFS 41 , Texans 27
6:40 PM EST
Seattle Seahawks vs. Green Bay Packers
The second game of the day also gives us a great QB matchup as Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers will get to go at it at the frozen tundra that is Lambeau Field. The weather in Wisconsin calls for a high of 22 degrees at kickoff and there was already some snow in the area yesterday. The divisional round nightcap will give us some good old fashion football weather for sure.
First-year head coach Matt LaFleur has helped lead his team to an impressive 13-3 record and it’s been thanks to the team’s ability to be a much more balanced offense. Rodgers is still as dynamic as a passer as we have in this league but the development of Aaron Jones and the team’s willingness to play a run-first style has brought them to this point.
Jones is no one-trick pony, he’s helped out in the passing game too and with Davante Adams seemingly being the only member of the receiving corps that Rodgers is in-sync with, having a threat out of the backfield like Jones has been crucial at times.
The Packers made noise early in the year as their defense stepped up while the offense worked out its kinks. Yet, as the season wore on more questions than answers arose from that group. They are going to need their edge rushers Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith to make a big impact on this game. Green Bay doesn’t normally spend big money on non-Packers in free agency but they did just that to bring both Smiths into the fold the last offseason. Keeping Wilson from extending plays where Green Bay has good coverage will be vital.
They’ll also need an answer for D.K. Metcalf as the rookie’s size is a problem for a secondary that is relatively small. Wilson has confidence that Metcalf will come down with any 50/50 ball so expect a few of those to be up for grabs during this game.
Seattle meanwhile will hope Jadeveon Clowney is back to full-strength and can get pressure on Rodgers to force him off his spots or throw the ball before he is ready. Rodgers is crafty as a runner and the Seahawks have to be prepared for him to make a play when nothing looks open. It will be interesting to see if the team opts to load the box or not. Forcing Rodgers to throw doesn’t sound like the best idea on paper but if the run game isn’t producing it could alter LaFleur’s offensive gameplan and playcalling early.
Both of these teams are looking to recapture the good times from the previous decade when they were the clear top teams in a weaker NFC. Now in 2020, their quarterbacks have gone from young studs to grizzled veterans in what feels like the blink of an eye.
Whichever can keep their group a step ahead of the other will have a shot at making it back to the Super Bowl for the first time in years. A trip to San Francisco first is the only thing that would remain in their path.
PREDICTION: PACKERS 27 , Seahawks 17
