Week 18 is over, and now everyone is in. With everyone down to one loss before elimination, here is what to expect from the AFC side of the playoffs.
Chiefs
The Chiefs earned the first seed and a bye with a win over the Raiders. Now Kansas City has home field advantage (unless the AFC title game is on a neutral site) until the Super Bowl. Patrick Mahomes has never played in a true road playoff game in his career, and that continues this season. This bye also give the Chiefs to rest and recover before continuing the march to a Super Bowl. They look to be a favorite on the AFCs side of the playoffs.
Chargers vs Jaguars
This is a rematch of the week 3 game, where the Jaguars won 38-10 in a monster blowout. This game will be a bit different however, as Keenan Allen is back for the Chargers and James Robinson is no longer with the Jaguars. The Jaguars come off a win against the Titans, and now have won six of their last seven games. Doug Pederson has turned around this team and culture, and the Jags have responded. This is the fourth time in team history they have made the playoffs. This is going to be a huge game in DUUUUUUVALLLL county, and you can expect it to be loud.
For the Chargers, they come in off a game where most of their starters played three quarters to be prepared for this game. Mike William’s is the big question now, as he hurt his back against the Broncos last Sunday. He is a huge part of this offense, and him being gone could be huge for what the Chargers do offensively. Defensively, the Chargers get Joey Bosa back and this is a huge get back. He has been good when healthy, and the Chargers defense will need it. This is Justin Herbert‘s first playoff game, just like Trevor Lawrence. This battle of the young quarterbacks should be a fun start to the AFC side of the playoffs.
Dolphins vs Bills
This will be the third time these two teams have faced, with both sides winning a game. The Bills come in off an emotional rollercoaster of a week. With Damar Hamlin doing better, the vibes from number three were felt all day. He is doing better and the Bills seem to be riding that momentum. The Bills look to be one of the best teams in the AFC. Being ten point favorites in this game, a lot of fans find it hard to see how they lose in Buffalo.
For the Dolphins, they have had a wild season themselves. They had 3-3-5-5-1 streaks in the win-loss column. This team was super streaky, and never seemed to hit their stride in full. Tua Tagovailoa is questionable for this game, but it is hard to see him playing after suffering his third concussion. With that in mind, the offense has looked nothing the same with him out. If he truly does not play, the Dolphins might be in for trouble in this game.
Ravens vs Bengals
This is another game where the teams will play for a third time. This will also be the last game of the AFC playoffs wildcard. After splitting the season series, this game is for the right to go to the divisional round. For the Ravens, they sort of limp into the playoffs this season. Lamar Jackson has been out for awhile now, and there is no clear answer on if he will play this game. When he is not in, this team is not the same. The offense really struggles when he is not in, so the defense will have more on their hands if he does not play.
For the Bengals, they come in off a pretty good season. The defending AFC champs came together as the season went on, and continued to get stronger and better. Joe Burrow has been a guy this season, and he looks to bring his team back to the Super Bowl. With Lamar Jackson potentially not playing, that makes Joe Burrows‘ job a bit easier. If he can do what he did last week against the Ravens, the Bengals will move on. These two teams know each other well, and only one can move on. The Bengals defense is a bit banged up, but they must hold strong against this Ravens team for the Bengals to move on.
The AFC playoffs look to be a fun and exciting battle this year.
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