Tag: Divisional

AFC playoff picture: Where does Pittsburgh currently factor in?

A few weeks away from the 2024 season’s halfway mark, here are the AFC’s current standings and playoff picture through seven weeks.

It feels like it was only yesterday when fans were speculating over the Pittsburgh Steelers Week 1 game against the Atlanta Falcon’s, but with the trade deadline around the corner, and only a few weeks away from being half-way through the 2024 season, the playoff picture is beginning to take shape.

Currently, the Pittsburgh Steelers are tied with the Baltimore Ravens for the top spot in the AFC North.  The Ravens currently hold the tie breaker over the Steelers, due to Baltimore having a better divisional record of 1-0.  With this in mind, Pittsburgh currently holds the top Wild Card playoff spot as the 5th seed in the AFC overall.

There is currently a four-way tie for the second-overall seed in the AFC playoff picture.  Pittsburgh could realistically take the number one seed if the team can defeat the Chiefs on Christmas day and Ravens twice this season.

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Steelers fans react to AFC North rival’s dominant Week 7 victory

The Steelers and Ravens remain tied for the top spot in the divisional race, but fans need reassurance as Baltimore steamrolled Tampa Bay.

Oh, what a difference a day makes. Steelers fans’ feelings of excitement on Sunday night quickly turned to anxiety after watching Pittsburgh’s AFC North rival, the Baltimore Ravens, bring the hammer down on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football. 

The ‘Steel City’ started off the season with an impressive 3-0 record, while the Ravens struggled early with a 0-2 record. However, both teams have had extremely different paths to success since. Baltimore was able to win five consecutive contests, while the Steelers have gone 3-2 in their last five games. 

Both AFC North powerhouses are tied for first place in the division, with the Ravens holding the tiebreaker after defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5. 

Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry steamrolled the Buccaneers in Week 7, with both players combining for over 500 yards of Ravens’ offense. This may be one of the most frightening Ravens teams of the past decade, and the Steelers may have their hands full in the race for the divisional title. Here are some of the best fan reactions to Baltimore and Pittsburgh’s race to the top. 

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid credits GM Brett Veach for divisional victory over Bills

Kansas City #Chiefs head coach Andy Reid credits general manager Brett Veach for divisional victory over the Buffalo #Bills.

The Kansas City Chiefs are on their way to Baltimore for an AFC Championship showdown against the Baltimore Ravens this Sunday. The victory on Sunday in Buffalo was a friendly reminder of the team’s continued focus on young players and development.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid spoke highly of his young defensive players, most notably the impressive performance of rookie Chamarri Conner during his Monday Zoom press conference.

“Chamarri (Conner) did a heck of a job,” said Reid. “I mean, he’s been working in nickel and dime situations, but to come in and have that extended time in there and make the plays he did with the exception of just trying to pick the ball up, scoop, and score pressure to just fallen on it when it’s all said and done, but he sure did a nice job.”

Reid would acknowledge young defensive players like L’Jarius Sneed, Joshua Williams, and Jaylen Watson. Each player, including Conner, was a round find from general manager Brett Veach in the draft.

“Listen, I’m a big Brett Veach fan,” Reid explained. “He’s done a great job. I told him after the game. That’s him. This game is him. This is a reflection of all the time and effort he and his guys have put in it, just that that’s what it comes down to. They’ve given us good football players to coach.”

The Chiefs’ young defensive players continue to play well in pressure situations as their depth continues to be challenged by injuries. Reid offered no updates regarding injuries during Monday’s call, but there is a sense of relief that his reserves can step in and contribute.

Chiefs win gutsy playoff matchup vs. Bills, advance to AFC Championship Game

The Kansas City #Chiefs defeated the Buffalo #Bills to advance to their sixth-straight AFC Championship Game.

The Kansas City Chiefs secured a nerve-racking win in the divisional round of the AFC Playoffs against the Buffalo Bills on the road to advance to the conference championship against the Baltimore Ravens next week.

In a game that went back and forth in all four quarters, the Chiefs faced serious adversity at Highmark Stadium and seemed to be on the ropes when Buffalo’s offense made its last drive with mere minutes remaining in regulation.

Bills kicker Tyler Bass was called on to tie the game with a 44-yard field goal after quarterback Josh Allen was unable to convert a key third down.

With the game in the balance, his aim was just off.

The ball sailed wide right after he made contact, imitating Scott Norwood’s infamous 47-yard miss in Super Bowl XXV that cost Buffalo a chance to win its first-ever Super Bowl in 1991.

Bills fans were devastated by the miss, but fans in Kansas City were ecstatic, cheering on the Chiefs as they left the field en route to their sixth-consecutive AFC Championship Game.

This game may have ended after Bass’ miss, but Patrick Mahomes’ outstanding showing won the day. The reigning MVP completed 17 of his 23 attempts for 215 yards and two touchdowns.

Kansas City scored on nearly every one of their offensive possessions, and the Chiefs’ defense showed up when they were needed the most, stopping Buffalo on its consequential final drive.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes earned exceptional PFF grade for performance vs. Dolphins

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was PFF’s third-highest graded quarterback in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

Patrick Mahomes had an up-and-down regular season with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023 but got off to an excellent start in the playoffs by beating the Miami Dolphins in a brutally cold Wild Card matchup at Arrowhead Stadium.

The reigning MVP got Kansas City’s offense in gear by throwing for 262 yards and a touchdown, but perhaps the most impressive part of his outstanding performance was the 42 rushing yards he accumulated.

For his efforts against Miami, Mahomes earned an 88.0 grade from Pro Football Focus, which tied for third place among quarterbacks in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

Coincidentally, Mahomes’ running mate in the third spot was Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who the Chiefs will visit in Orchard Park, New York this weekend.

Kansas City’s gritty win against the Dolphins was a masterclass in toughness, tenacity, and effort. With another difficult matchup on the horizon, the Chiefs will need Mahomes to put together an equally gritty performance to get Kansas City into the AFC Championship game later in January.

Behind enemy lines: Previewing Chiefs’ Week 7 tilt vs. Los Angeles with Chargers Wire

Go behind enemy lines with us as we preview the #Chiefs’ Week 7 matchup against Los Angeles with #Chargers Wire.

The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Los Angeles Chargers in a consequential Week 7 matchup that will have serious implications for both teams. While the Chiefs hold the best record in the AFC, Los Angeles hasn’t gotten off to a particularly fast start and needs a win in this game to keep their hopes of postseason contention alive.

Victories don’t come easy in the NFL, and divisional matchups of this magnitude are always hard-fought battles between teams that know each other well. Kansas City’s fans shouldn’t write off the Chargers’ ability to punch above their weight with Justin Herbert under center and may be surprised by the firepower that Los Angeles hosts on both sides of the ball.

We sat down with Gavino Borquez, managing editor of Chargers Wire, to preview this game, and get some insight about what Los Angeles is bringing to the table in 2023.

Check out some of his answers to our questions below:

Chiefs to host Browns in AFC divisional round of NFL playoffs

The Kansas City Chiefs officially know which team and when they’ll play in the AFC’s divisional round of the playoffs.

The Kansas City Chiefs will get to play an AFC team that they haven’t played during the course of the 2020 season in the divisional round.

Kansas City is set to host the Cleveland Browns in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs on Sunday, January 17 at 2:05 p.m. CT on CBS, CBS All Access and ESPN Deportes. The Browns’ stunning 48-37 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild-card round means that they’ll visit the top-seeded Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.

USA TODAY SMG – Coley Cleary

These teams don’t have much recent history playing each other. Kansas City played their last game against Cleveland during Week 9 of the 2018 season. It was a 37-21 win for the Chiefs with a two-touchdown performance from Ohio-native Travis Kelce. Gregg Williams had just taken over the team after the Browns fired Hue Jackson following a 2-5-1 start to the season.

This group hasn’t faced a Cleveland team coached by Kevin Stefanski before. They did, however, face a Stefanski offense in 2019 when he was the offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings. They won that game 26-23 at Arrowhead Stadium with backup QB Matt Moore running the offense.

There are a ton of other interesting storylines surrounding this game too. One of the most prominent will be about both quarterbacks. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes and Browns QB Baker Mayfield were teammates at Texas Tech under now-Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury. Mayfield transferred to Oklahoma in 2014, the year that Mahomes won the starting job at TTU. When the two quarterbacks played against each other in college it was a record-breaking shootout with the most combined yardage in a single game in NCAA Division I history (1,708).

Then, of course, there’s Kareem Hunt’s return to Arrowhead Stadium. Hunt was released by the Chiefs back in 2018 after TMZ released a video of him shoving and kicking a girl in a Cleveland hotel. Hunt eventually cleaned up his act and ended up with his hometown Browns. He has played there for the past two seasons and carved out a nice role for himself in the offense. He’ll surely have something to prove to his former team, which will make for a fun storyline to watch.

All-in-all this should make for an exciting drama-filled game. The two teams boast different styles of offenses that can be equally deadly on any given Sunday.

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