First Down Under: Latest chapter of Steelers-Ravens awaits
When the NFL released this season’s slate of games, one thing was immediately obvious – the second half of the schedule was stuffed full of divisional contests and key conference clashes.
That was no accident. And the result is a run to the playoffs littered with crucial match-ups that could shape the postseason.
Starting with the battle for AFC supremacy in Buffalo, when the 8-2 Bills take on the undefeated Chiefs.
It’s rare to see the undefeated team as the underdogs with the bookies, but that’s the sort of season it’s been for Kansas City, whose record only stayed unblemished courtesy of a blocked field goal last week.
Now they take on Bills QB Josh Allen, who is in a four-way tie for most wins (three) against Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes, along with Joe Burrow and Tom Brady.
A loss here wouldn’t be the worst thing for the Chiefs, but it’ll take heroics from Allen given the injuries Buffalo has on offence, and the likelihood Kansas City’s defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, will cook up something special.
This pundit can’t wait to see what Steelers (7-2) head coach Mike Tomlin cooks up for hated AFC North enemies Baltimore (7-3) this week, in one of the tightest rivalries in football.
Over the past 18 games between these teams, 15 have been decided by a touchdown or less, but those 18 games didn’t feature the combo of MVP-favourite Lamar Jackson and rushing leader Derrick Henry in Ravens purple.
This dynamic duo is currently the most unstoppable force in the NFL, and if Pittsburgh can get the W here they will officially be in Super Bowl contention.
The 49ers (5-4) started the season in Super Bowl contention, but they certainly haven’t lived up to it, due to a combination of injuries and, honestly, a weird vibe.
But the vibes feel much better with the return of their All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey, who will hopefully fix the team’s red zone woes, which statistically is not much different from that of the lowly Giants and Patriots.
All this is bad news for the Seahawks, who have lost six straight to the Niners.
The Bears’ (4-5) record against Green Bay (6-3) is even worse, dropping the past 10 contests, and Chicago comes into this game having fired their offensive coordinator Shane Waldron midweek.
The priority for the rest of the season is making sure they don’t permanently ruin No.1 draft pick Caleb Williams.
The Colts (4-6) have a similar goal with sophomore passer Anthony Richardson, who returns from his recent benching to face a Jets (3-7) team that is playing for self-respect at this point.
Self-respect rode the first horse out of Dallas, and who could blame it given the Cowboys (3-6) have allowed an average of 40 points over their past five home games.
This could be a get-right game for a Texans offence (6-4) that blew a 16-point lead and failed to score in the second-half in a loss to the Lions last week.
The Bengals (4-6) roadtrip to LA should be much more interesting, because it pits QB Joe Burrow and Cinci’s Top 5 pass offence against a Chargers (6-3) defence that, surprisingly, is the league’s stingiest.
For the Bengals, there is only so many chances you get to stay in playoff contention, so dropping this would hurt, while the Chargers, who have been reborn under new head coach Jim Harbaugh, have a chance to solidify their case for a wildcard.
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