14 teams have gone through the gauntlet of the regular season and are now in the playoff picture. 12 teams will play in the wildcard, and two teams will have a first-round bye. We have the possibility of having one of the most exciting playoffs in recent memory. Here is a look at the AFC teams entering into the playoffs.
Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens, once again, were one of the most exciting teams to watch, but I think we all knew they weren’t really going to get anywhere in the postseason. No one can say that this team is not exciting. They have the best running core in the league with J.K Dobbins and Gus Edwards and of course, one can never forget their dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson. Their wide receiving core could use some help. When your number one receiver is basically Mark Andrews, then you know you need to shape things up. Their defense was alright. It wasn’t anything special, but it wasn’t the worst in the league. Lamar Jackson is an interesting player to analyze. He is probably the most athletic guy on the field as well as the best football player. More times than one can count, Lamar has chosen to put his head down and run. If he wants to advance further in this league, he needs to be more willing to throw the ball, which is a discouraging thing to say about a QB whose main job is to throw the ball. Right now, they are an easy team to beat if you have the weapons. Just stop the run game. They clearly are not anything special at throwing the ball, so if you can stop this team on the ground, you stop them period. I don’t think any team that is as one dimensional as the Ravens will win it all, so that is something to look at as a Ravens’ fan. This team is exciting, no doubt about that, but exciting doesn’t win you the coveted Lombardi Trophy.
Buffalo Bills: This team is legit. Every person on this team can play, and they finally have found their team. Josh Allen has finally come into his own as a quarterback. Stefon Diggs is the true, number one receiver that this team needed. Their defense seems to get better with every game. This is a team that can go all the way and not just this year but every year. Coach McDermott has and always will be the real deal. The only thing that they need to change to fully get past that edge is to have a strong running back. Right now, they are a pass-heavy team with running plays scattered few and far between. It’s understandable when you have an arm like Josh Allen and these receivers, but if they had a truly elite running back, they definitely could win it all.
Cleveland Browns: Holy Mother of God, the Browns are in the playoffs. They made the playoffs for the first time in 18 years. The Brown’s playoff drought is the same as the legal voting age. Their quarterback who helped get them to the playoffs was seven the last time they made the playoffs. This is how you know 2021 is the year of the apocalypse when the Browns and the Bills both made the playoffs in the same season. But in all seriousness, this team deserved this playoff appearance. The fact that they had a first-year coach in Kevin Stefanski, a third-year quarterback, one of their best receivers out of the season (OBJ), no preseason or OTA is nothing short of a miracle team turnaround. Credit has to go to Stefanski and this team for pushing aside old narratives and coming out to not just play but to dominate in some games. This team is for sure an underdog but definitely a fan favorite.
Indianapolis Colts: This team might be the most balanced team in the playoffs. Their offense and their defense can take over a game, and that is such an important thing in the postseason. Most teams in the league don’t have a completely balanced team which is why they aren’t in the playoffs and the Colts are. They have an aging quarterback in Phillip Rivers which will definitely affect them in the long run but might be a band-aid over a bullet hole type of situation. After this season, they definitely need to take a look at other quarterbacks, but I think that their entire team and the entire NFL fandom wants to see Rivers end his amazing Hall of Fame caliber career with a Super Bowl Victory. So, people will be rooting for them, but it’s probably not enough for this team.
Kansas City Chiefs: They made the playoffs again. This is a reid-iculous team with weapons for days. We are currently witnessing a new dynasty. This team will be a team that has the potential to be talked about forever. They have Patrick Mahomes who is currently on pace to have one of the most magical careers in professional football history. Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill are red hot weapons that turn this team from a good team into an outright, historic team. However, the defense needs to be talked about more than it is. This defense is coming into its own and has the ability to help win them games. They have a great pass rush with Chris Jones and Frank Clark, a great secondary with Breeland and Ward, and a punishing safety in the form of Mathieu. This team feels unstoppable, but it doesn’t mean that they are immortal. They finished out the season feeling slow and not their dominant self, so for any teams that will face them, they know that they aren’t undefeatable and to not psych themselves out of the game. Still, with all the doubt that has been surrounding this team lately, they have the opportunity to be the first team since the Patriots in the early 2000s to win back to back SuperBowls.
Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers are one of the most hated and most flimsy teams in the league. They have become a joke with the whole TikTok controversy. It feels like this team would rather care about how many likes and follows they get rather than putting their whole effort into the game. What makes this team even worse is that they don’t have the skills to back up the talk. They started off the season with an 11-0 record which was a great team on paper. However, they had one of the easiest schedules in all of football. Once the competition got harder and teams were able to see past the record, they started to lose games with a passion. They ended the season 12-4. They pass like 80 times a game, making their offense extremely one dimensional and very susceptible to breakdown. Their defense is one of the best in the league but if their offense doesn’t help, the defense can break down with the amount of time they will be on the field. I’m pretty sure most Steelers’ fans want this team to lose. They need to shape up their act and stop acting like immature thirteen-year-olds, and maybe they will actually do something in the postseason.
Tennessee Titans: The Titans are a very weird team to analyze. You want to say that their offense is one-dimensional and hinges on Derrick Henry, which at times is definitely true but then, AJ Brown and Ryan Tannehill hook up and march down the field to score. You want to say that their defense can’t stop a gust of wind (like in week one against the Broncos) but then, they mount up and have a literal brick wall as a defense. This team can be inconsistent, and that is never a good thing in a playoff-bound team, but it seems to almost work for them. When everyone thinks Derrick Henry will ride in and save the day, AJ Brown decides to introduce himself. When the offense is playing on all cylinders, the defense decides to show up. They need to be balanced and have an option for when Henry can’t produce, but this team can play football, and they have the ability to move on.
