Division Round Opponent: Chiefs, Titans or Bills

[denverpatsfan]

KC can beat the Pats. They have dominated the last 2 regular season matchups. It's going to be a tough tough game.

 

[supafly]

If you tell me that you can assure me that the Jags will give the Steelers all they can handle, and might even win, I'll take the Titans.

Maybe I’m being pessimistic, but I just can’t imagine the Jags going into Pittsburgh and winning again. As a matter of fact, I’m not sure if any team has won there in the regular season and then returned in the postseason to beat them again, at least @Heinz Field.

I’m wondering if KC wouldn’t give Pittsburgh a tougher game? That would set things up nicely for us on both accounts.

 

[YOUGOTMOSSED]

KC can beat the Pats. They have dominated the last 2 regular season matchups. It's going to be a tough tough game.

We're going to kill KC at Foxboro if it comes to that. James Harrison can still blow by Eric Fisher, even now.

 

[Pessimistic Pete]

What I want: Titans then Jaguars

What will happen: Chiefs then Steelers

 

[FoxboroFlyer]

Gonna be bills. Kelvin Benjamin coming home to roost.

 

[supafly]

What I want: Titans then Jaguars

What will happen: Chiefs then Steelers

Pretty much sums it up.

Never easy in the postseason.

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

Maybe I’m being pessimistic, but I just can’t imagine the Jags going into Pittsburgh and winning again. As a matter of fact, I’m not sure if any team has won there in the regular season and then returned in the postseason to beat them again, at least @Heinz Field.

I’m wondering if KC wouldn’t give Pittsburgh a tougher game? That would set things up nicely for us on both accounts.

I don't know Sup. You may be right but this one is a ? in my mind. My gut reaction is to agree that home field + experienced winning org vs a team of newby playoff players + Ben = a Pitt win. But Pitt has shown quite a lot of fallibility over the last month and a half. If the Jags D plays their peak game I'm seeing an upset.

KC's losing streak was 4 and that was 3 out of 4 road games. KC's latest winning streak is 3 and they were all home games (yesterday's Denver game is thrown out due to it meaning nothing). During the winning streak their D especially run D has been very good and the O has been producing a lot of sustained drives and solid points. But even in this win streak what I believe to be the Chiefs' weakness was still there. Don't quote me on this stat but they were like 5 for 13 in the red zone (working off a stat that I recall reading). This against a lesser Miami D, a lesser Raider D, and a good Charger D. 2017 overall KC is 27th in RED zone TD scoring.
Now KC is tasked with going against the best of D's away from Arrowhead. Unless their D really shows up the equation IMHO just doesn't add up to winning in Pitt or NE.

 

[supafly]

I don't know Sup. You may be right but this one is a ? in my mind. My gut reaction is to agree that home field + experienced winning org vs a team of newby playoff players + Ben = a Pitt win. But Pitt has shown quite a lot of fallibility over the last month and a half. If the Jags D plays their peak game I'm seeing an upset.

KC's losing streak was 4 and that was 3 out of 4 road games. KC's latest winning streak is 3 and they were all home games (yesterday's Denver game is thrown out due to it meaning nothing). During the winning streak their D especially run D has been very good and the O has been producing a lot of sustained drives and solid points. But even in this win streak what I believe to be the Chiefs' weakness was still there. Don't quote me on this stat but they were like 5 for 13 in the red zone (working off a stat that I recall reading). This against a lesser Miami D, a lesser Raider D, and a good Charger D. 2017 overall KC is 27th in RED zone TD scoring.
Now KC is tasked with going against the best of D's away from Arrowhead. Unless their D really shows up the equation IMHO just doesn't add up to winning in Pitt or NE.

Another point to consider is the fact that they returned play calling duties to one of the coaches right before their winning streak started. I assume their OC. Not sure what happened there but maybe Reid had taken over duties or something. At any rate, their offense has seemed to improve substantially, although like you said, the level of competition hasn’t exactly been stellar, either.

 

[TheBostonStraggler]

Another point to consider is the fact that they returned play calling duties to one of the coaches right before their winning streak started. I assume their OC. Not sure what happened there but maybe Reid had taken over duties or something. At any rate, their offense has seemed to improve substantially, although like you said, the level of competition hasn’t exactly been stellar, either.

Didn't know that. That change coinciding with the turnaround is a concern that KC is more back to early season form than I expected. But I keep coming back to the Chiefs sustaining good drives but ending in FGs. If I recall, historically speaking Smith and the RZ=TD always seems to be opposites. And this will be their downfall again. If it was against Pitt in Pitt I'd see the Steelers scoring TDs and KC scoring FGs as the game headline.

With that said, to the Patriots, I am not quite as high on the Patriots overall potency/chances as I was in 2014 and 2016. I am still high on the Patriots chances but my gut sense of it is the Patriots defense needs to play their best football now (and that includes vs theoretical KC game). The good news is the Patriots most notable weakness on D may be markedly lesser with KVN back and JH possibly able to supercharge some of the D packages.

 

[GorBelSer]

IIRC, we had three drives with 2-and-1 or 3-and-1 inside their 10 yards and ended up with 2 FGs (Gillislee was stuffed on 4-and-1 early on). Then we had 4 and inches on their 40 while trailing 8 in the 4th and turned it over on negative yardage play. But we were still up when Amendola went down and his injury completely derailed our game plan, nobody was there to pick up short passes and Brady kept chucking it up to Cooks. That time we were feeding Gillislee big time and it did not pay off, they kept bottling him up when it mattered the most.

 

[supafly]

IIRC, we had three drives with 2-and-1 or 3-and-1 inside their 10 yards and ended up with 2 FGs (Gillislee was stuffed on 4-and-1 early on). Then we had 4 and inches on their 40 while trailing 8 in the 4th and turned it over on negative yardage play. But we were still up when Amendola went down and his injury completely derailed our game plan, nobody was there to pick up short passes and Brady kept chucking it up to Cooks. That time we were feeding Gillislee big time and it did not pay off, they kept bottling him up when it mattered the most.

I think we would definitely be better prepared on both sides of the ball the second time around, especially if we assume the return of some key injured players.

I still think it would be a tough out and by far the toughest of the 3 possibilities, but I think our team would be much better equipped to handle some of those misdirection plays and so-called trick alignments where they attempt to get their speedier players in space.

 

[NEPats1]

I forgot about this last year:

Divisional-round schedule set with Patriots getting Saturday game

A year ago, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was caught on Antonio Brown‘s Facebook Live video complaining the Patriots played their divisional-round game Saturday, giving them additional time to prepare.

“We spotted them a–holes a day-and-a-half,” Tomlin said after Pittsburgh’s divisional round win at Kansas City a year ago. “They played yesterday. Our game got moved to the night. We’re gonna touch down [in Pittsburgh] at 4 o’clock in the f—ing morning. So be it. We’ll be ready for their a—-.”

The Patriots, if they win, again will have a head start in preparing for the AFC Championship Game.

Tomlin is ALWAYS a crybaby with anything related to Pats. In opener in 2015 after they got beat he was basically crying after the game to the Steelers owner about the headsets.

Glad the Pats got the Saturday game!

 

[JayNM]

KC is by far the biggest threat.

that being said, I want to beat them badly. 2 losses in a row don't sit well to me

EDIT: Forgot 2015

 

[bormio]

KC is by far the biggest threat.

that being said, I want to beat them badly. 2 losses in a row don't sit well to me

Not 2 losses in a row - we won in the ‘15 playoffs.

 

[JMC00]

KC can beat the Pats. They have dominated the last 2 regular season matchups. It's going to be a tough tough game.

Why are you ignoring the playoff game when the Pats went into the 4th quarter up 14 points?

 

[RhodyPatriot]

Kansas City is the biggest threat because they're the best team of the 3. Think the loss of Eric Berry was huge for that defense and is a difference maker.
Now that Baltimore and the Chargers are out I see a much easier road for the Patriots and Steelers to meet again.

 

[luuked]

If we can't beat them after they embarrassed us than we deserve to lose. I expect our guys to play motivated for that game if it happens.

Jesus your platitudes are getting thin.

How about expecting the team to be similarly motivated no matter who the opponent is in a NFL playoff game ?

 

[PatriotsNumero1Fan]

Jesus your platitudes are getting thin.

How about expecting the team to be similarly motivated no matter who the opponent is in a NFL playoff game ?

I am stating the obvious dude! No free rides in the playoffs.

 

[luuked]

Maybe I’m being pessimistic, but I just can’t imagine the Jags going into Pittsburgh and winning again.

I could have said literally the same thing before the Steelers went into Arrowhead in W6 after what happened last year in the playoffs. It is all about matchups and I think Jax matches up pretty well with the Steelers.

 

[Deus Irae]

If we can't beat them after they embarrassed us than we deserve to lose. I expect our guys to play motivated for that game if it happens.

I am stating the obvious dude! No free rides in the playoffs.

Which teams would you expect "our guys" not to be motivated for in these playoffs?