AFC playoff primer: A quick look at the seven teams vying for Super Bowl LV berth
And now the fun begins.
The NFL playoffs open Saturday afternoon with two teams that hope to dethrone the Chiefs as AFC champions. The Colts will play the Bills in Buffalo, and Chiefs players and coaches no doubt will be watching.
When the weekend ends, the Chiefs (who have a bye) will know who they’ll be facing in the AFC Divisional round.
Here is a quick look at the AFC playoff field, including information from Pro Football Reference and FiveThirtyEight.com:
Chiefs
How qualified: AFC West champions
Record: 14-2
Seed: 1
Streak: L1
Scoring offense: 29.6 ppg (6th in NFL)
Scoring defense: 22.6 ppg (10th in NFL)
Players to watch: QB Patrick Mahomes, WR Tyreek Hill, TE Travis Kelce, T Eric Fisher, S Tyrann Mathieu, DE Frank Clark and DT Chris Jones all made the Pro Bowl. Mahomes is an MVP candidate. Kelce finished second in receiving yards and Hill was eighth.
FiveThirtyEight.com’s chances of making Super Bowl LV: 45%.
Last playoff appearance: 2019 season, won Super Bowl LIV.
Buffalo Bills
How qualified: AFC East champions
Record: 13-3
Seed: 2
Streak: W6
Scoring offense: 31.3 ppg (2nd in NFL)
Scoring defense: 23.4 ppg (16th in NFL)
Players to watch: QB Josh Allen made a late MVP push after his finest season in the NFL. In his first season with the Bills, WR Stefon Diggs led the NFL in receptions (127) and receiving yards (1,535). Former Pitt State WR John Brown is another target for Allen. CB Tre’Davious White was an All-Pro last season and made his second straight Pro Bowl.
FiveThirtyEight.com’s chances of making Super Bowl LV: 29%.
Last playoff appearance: 2019 season, lost to Texans in Wild Card round.
Pittsburgh Steelers
How qualified: AFC North champions
Record: 12-4
Seed: 3
Streak: L1
Scoring offense: 26.0 ppg (12th in NFL)
Scoring defense: 19.5 ppg (3rd in NFL)
Players to watch: OLB T.J. Watt had a league-best 15 sacks in 15 games. S Minkah FItzpatrick was an All-Pro a year ago and was picked for a second Pro Bowl. QB Ben Roethlisberger, who missed most of last season because of an injury, threw for 3,803 yards with 33 touchdown passes. WR JuJu Smith-Schuster had a team-high 97 receptions. WR Chase Claypool had team highs in touchdowns (9) and yards per reception (14.1).
FiveThirtyEight.com’s chances of making Super Bowl LV: 6%
Last playoff appearance: 2017 season, lost to Jaguars in Divisional round
Tennessee Titans
How qualified: AFC South champions
Record: 11-5
Seed: 4
Streak: W1
Scoring offense: 30.7 ppg (4th in NFL)
Scoring defense: 27.4 ppg (24th in NFL)
Players to watch: RB Derrick Henry rushed for 2,027 yards this season, the fifth-most in NFL history. WR A.J. Brown had team-highs in receptions (70), yards (1,075) and touchdowns (11) and earned a Pro Bowl berth. QB Ryan Tannehill had 3,819 passing yards and 33 touchdowns. CB Malcolm Butler had four interceptions. S Kevin Byard led the Titans with 111 tackles this season.
FiveThirtyEight.com’s chances of making Super Bowl LV: 4%
Last playoff appearance: 2019 season, lost to Chiefs in AFC Championship Game
Baltimore Ravens
How qualified: Wild Card No. 1
Record: 11-5
Seed: 5
Streak: W5
Scoring offense: 29.3 ppg (7th in NFL)
Scoring defense: 18.9 pgg (2nd in NFL)
Players to watch: QB Lamar Jackson, last year’s MVP, threw for 2,757 yards, had a quarterback rating of 99.3 and rushed for a team-high 1,005 yards. Rookie RB J.K. Dobbins had 805 rushing yards and averaged 6.0 yards per carry. Former Chiefs CB Marcus Peters had four interceptions. CB Marlon Humphrey was picked for the Pro Bowl. LB Matt Judon, another Pro Bowl pick, led the team with six sacks.
FiveThirtyEight.com’s chances of making Super Bowl LV: 10%
Last playoff appearance: 2019 season, lost to Titans in Divisional round.
Cleveland Browns
How qualified: Wild Card No. 2
Record: 11-5
Seed: 6
Streak: W1
Scoring offense: 25.5 ppg (14th in the NFL)
Scoring defense: 26.2 ppg (21st in the NFL)
Players to watch: RB Nick Chubb was chosen for the Pro Bowl after rushing for a team-best 1,067 yards and 12 touchdowns. Former Chiefs RB Kareem Hunt, rushed for 841 yards and had 38 receptions for 304 yards and a team-high five touchdowns. DE Myles Garrett piled up 12 sacks and was picked for the Pro Bowl. Former Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield had 3,563 passing yards and 26 touchdowns.
FiveThirtyEight.com’s chances of making Super Bowl LV: 2%
Last playoff appearance: 2002 season, lost to Steelers in Wild Card round.
Indianapolis Colts
How qualified: Wild Card No. 3
Record: 11-5
Seed: 7
Streak: W1
Scoring offense: 28.2 ppg (9th in NFL)
Scoring defense: 22.6 ppg (10th in NFL)
Players to watch: Former Chargers QB Philip Rivers had 4,169 pass yards with 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Rookie RB Jonathan Taylor ran for 1,169 yards with 11 touchdowns in 13 starts. WR T.Y. Hilton had a team-best 762 receiving yards and his five touchdown catches tied for the team high with WR Zach Pascal. DT DeForest Buckner had 9.5 sacks and former Chiefs DE Justin Houston had 8 sacks.
FiveThirtyEight.com’s chances of making Super Bowl LV: 3%
Last playoff appearance: 2018 season, lost to Chiefs in Divisional round.
This story was originally published January 4, 2021 at 11:27 AM.
