FOXBOROUGH – NFL fans were treated to a lot of exciting games over these last two days.
The least compelling games were in the AFC, especially the top seeded playoff teams. No drama, no high anxiety, just the teams who were supposed to win strutting their stuff.
One of the more impactful and cherished three words in football are “leave no doubt”. Denver had a Los Angeles Charger team resting all of its starters. The Broncos won, 19-3 to secure the top seed in the AFC. The Chargers, with San Francisco reject Trey Lance at quarterback, did basically nothing all game long, taking a lot of pressure off Bo Nix and the Bronco offense. The only touchdown Denver scored was on a pick six. Denver did a terrific job of leaving no doubt.
“Leave no doubt” also took place in Foxborough. The Patriots scored 14 points early in the game while you were blinking, then settled into a rather relaxed and blah performance against a vastly depleted Miami team. The Patriots woke up from the slumber in the second half en route to a 38-10 victory and the two seed in the AFC. Drake Maye put forth his claim to league MVP while Rhamondre Stevenson got the touchdown hat trick.
As for Jacksonville, the Jaguars put a “leave no doubt” whuppin’ on the Tennessee Titans, 41-7. Trevor Lawrence looks poised to remind everyone out there what they saw at Clemson a few years back. Yes, the Titans were pretty bad this year, but the Jags did what they had to do against a bad team.
Then in Buffalo, Bills Mafia said goodbye to Highmark Stadium with a 35-8 thrashing of the woebegone New York Jets. Josh Allen played the first snap to extend his consecutive start streak, then Mitch Trubisky sliced and diced the incredibly poor and disinterested Jets. When your second string quarterback leaves no doubt, that speaks well for your team, even though the Jets are who everyone knows they are.
Finally, the one truly compelling AFC game took place at Houston. The Colts gave the Texans a terrific game, but in the end the hometowners made H-Town a Happy Town with a 38-30 win. Jacksonville clinched the AFC South with their win, but Houston clinched the five seed with their win. Not exactly a “leave no doubt” win, but Houston needed this win perhaps more than anyone else in the conference. A lower seed may have sent them to a tough first round opponent on the road.
And finally, the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers had a Sunday night game that at least was entertaining, if not compelling or pro football at its finest. A hail of missed kicks in the end allowed the Steelers to win the AFC North, 26-24, advancing to the postseason as the four seed while Baltimore swallows a bitter defeat.
So, with all the results finally in, and all the calculus has been worked out, here are the playoff matchups for next weekend.
Denver gets to stay home and watch all the action, as they get a bye week by virtue of being the top seed.
The Patriots will entertain the Chargers at Foxborough next weekend. This is a much better matchup for the Patriots than the feared matchup with Buffalo. If it was predetermined that Denver was going to beat the Chargers no matter what, then by Los Angeles losing means the Chargers fell to the seven seed when many thought Buffalo would get the lowest playoff seed (some experts thought Buffalo might tank their Jet game to try and draw the Patriots next week).
In drawing the Chargers, the Patriots get a team that they historically do well against in the postseason. After a 51-10 loss in the 1963 AFL title game, the Patriots have won three postseason games in a row against the Bolts; in 2006, 2007 and 2018, the latter being the Divisional round win en route to their most recent Super Bowl win. Lately, the Patriots have lost their last two games against the Chargers by an aggregate of 46-7. However, one of those games was coached by Bill Belichick and the other game was coached by Jerod Mayo. Chances are things will be different with this year’s bunch.
Perhaps more fortuitous to the Patriots was the fact that Buffalo, being the six seed, will have to travel to Jacksonville, the three seed. If you are one of the fans that fears having to face Buffalo in the postseason (count the Globe as wishing the Patriots would avoid the Bills in the postseason), Jacksonville could very well give the Bills more than they can handle. And if perhaps the weather in Florida is warm and humid (as opposed to Arctic in Buffalo), advantage Jaguars.
Finally, the five seed Texans will head to Pittsburgh. The Texans should win this game with ease. This division is like the NFC South in that someone has to make the playoffs. The Houston defense should smother the Steelers, allowing C.J. Stroud to operate the offense at a comfortable pace despite being on the road. It won’t perhaps be a high scoring game, but points for Pittsburgh will be at a premium.
Now, if things go the way this writer expects/hopes, Jacksonville would go to Foxborough and Houston would go to Denver for the Divisional round. And if the home teams can win, then you get the dreaded New England at Denver AFC Championship. Discussion on this possibility will be tabled. Discretion is the better part of valor.
Maye was 14 of 18 for 191 yards, one touchdown, and a rating of 129.4. Matthew Stafford of the Rams may still win MVP, but Maye certainly remains in the conversation. Leading your team to a 14-3 record after being 4-13 the last two seasons, regardless of the schedule strength, is certainly MVP worthy. Here’s hoping the voters think through this very carefully.
Stevenson was game MVP. He scored three touchdowns, two rushing and one receiving. He rushed for 131 yards on seven carries, and caught two passes for 22 yards. TreVeyon Henderson scored two rushing touchdowns, and had 53 yards on 13 carries. As a team, the Patriots had 243 rushing yards and averaged just over seven yards a carry. One of Stevenson’s touchdowns was a 35-yard scamper in the fourth quarter up the middle, and he also ripped off a 56-yard right tackle run in the first quarter, scoring a touchdown from the five-yard line on the next play.
The NFL released the schedule for next week (all times PM EST):
Sat. January 10 – Rams at Panthers, 4:30, Fox; Packers at Bears, 8:00, Prime Video
Sun. January 11 – Bills at Jaguars, 1:00, CBS; 49ers at Eagles, 4:30, Fox; Chargers at Patriots, 8:00, NBC
Mon. January 12 – Texans at Steelers, 8:00, ESPN
The Patriots have opened as 3.5 point favorites over the Chargers. Let the analysis and anticipation begin.
And we need to quote President Franklin Roosevelt one more time. Happy Days are Here Again.
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Covering Boston Sports since 1997. Native of Worcester, Mass. Attended UMass and Univ of Michigan. Lives in California. Just recently retired after 40 years of public school teaching. Podcasts on YouTube at @thepic4139
Chargers are tough. Yea they had some pass-blocking offensive line issues. But they navigated through it. They lead the league in time of possession and 3rd down conversion rate. They can play the “small ball” that wins tight games. Thier D is very good. Around 20 interceptions and they played a pretty tough schedule and beat some quality teams. This game Sunday is likely a dog fight. The team that wins the running game stats and 3rd down battles will likely win the game.