The NFL Playoff Picture is very clear with every result in the AFC. A different conversation we’ll have that one come Sunday. Only one team is remaining in the hunt right now. That’s the Jag’s big-time matchup against Tennessee and plenty of people sitting and waiting for that result but still in the playoff picture due to their win on Saturday, the Bills and Steelers sitting there without guarantees it’s all going to play out. Dear, an exciting Saturday, and what a Sunday we have out in front of us here. Now it’s either a wild card or it’s a division title.
Breach, your impressions here of what Houston has been able to accomplish already. You walk away feeling what about the Houston Texans this season? Oh yeah, absolutely. If they went into the wild card around and lost 57 to nothing, you still give them a plus for this season.
What they have accomplished has been nothing short of amazing. I think we saw their preseason Super Bowl odds at 200 to one. That’s an absurd number. This team had low expectations. Nobody thought that they were going to come in and they still might win. CJ Stroud has been playing out of his mind. I mean, starting the Saturday night game against the Colts with a 75-yard touchdown pass set the tone for this Texans win.
I don’t think he’s getting enough chatter for a coach of the year considering what he has done with that organization. So yeah, this has been an absolute success for the Texans. No matter what happens from here on. There is a change of expectation and belief in Houston right now. We are seeing it happen before our very eyes thanks to that quarterback and that head coach and all of the pieces around them.
You’ve flipped that switch from the regular season to the postseason. Now, knowing in that room for Houston that they are a playoff team, what is the next step here in these next few days to get into that playoff mindset?
Keep the main thing, right. Play with a sense of urgency, understanding, and knowing in the playoffs the margin of error is very small. So the vibe that we witnessed tonight has to continue for them and what we’ve witnessed throughout the entire season with their quarterback, CJ Stroud was smart football, right?
No turnovers once again tonight against the Annapolis coast, two touchdowns, and almost 300 yards. He has to continue to play with that same mentality. That’s why he’s been so amazing this year. It’s not about the yards that he’s been able to throw the touchdowns. It’s about protecting the football. Because when you get into playoff football, turnovers count.
One turnover count is two because it’s hard to overcome those things. So if he understands and continues to play with that same mindset, of course defensively just become more of an opportunistic group. They’re dealing with a lot of injuries and clearly, that’s going to be an issue because they won’t be that much healthier next week.
But they’ve got to find ways to get timely stops, play better football in the red zone, and limit teams to attempting their field goals and no touchdowns. They should be okay. But as I mentioned, when you talk about playoff football, Joe, one turnover, it feels like it’s two turnovers. Those are rules that come from the crucible of Steeler playoff football learning here from our Bryant McFadden.
And that crucible is also alive, maybe not well, but alive. The Steelers with their win kept the playoff hopes alive. Now I knew one person at least rooting for a tie here in Houston because that would have punched the ticket on a Saturday for the Steelers that doesn’t come to pass.
So the Steelers need either a loss from Buffalo or a loss from Jacksonville. Another team rooting against the Jags on Sunday. But as you look at your beloved squad and what the business they were able to take care of here on Saturday to keep that hope alive, how does this team project forward?
I mean, we sat there and said there’s no way that all they went through, this is a playoff team. Are you starting to get a little bit more acquainted with that thought, that idea?
You know, there’s hope. I feel like this team weeks ago was hopeless. They lost to the New England Patriots, lost to the Arizona Cardinals, lost to the Indianapolis Coats. Now there’s hope. I don’t care what level you’re playing on if you don’t have a quarterback, the field feels like it’s 150 yards. That’s what it feels like. You have to do to drive 150 instead of 100. Now, when you have quarterback play, it makes things easier.
It’s easy to watch them offensively because you believe they can go where they need to go to put points on the scoreboard. So if they can get into the playoffs, the sense of urgency that we’ve witnessed with this ball club over the last three ball games. Especially since Mason Rudolph has become the starter, it gives you a reason to feel like, we can get it done.
And all I know about NFL playoffs, when you get in, anything can happen. You just got to make sure you have a seat. But when you find out you have a seat, there’s no telling where you can go. We were sitting there trying to figure out where that seat might be on the table. If it does go right for Pittsburgh, either a trip to Miami, Buffalo, or Kansas City, and you were talking to me about Kansas City.
But I do wonder from where you’re sitting when you look at this Pittsburgh team and what they were able to accomplish here on Saturday, what’s the more likely path in when you look at those two possibilities, a Buffalo loss or the Jacksonville loss or tie?
I think it would be the Jacksonville loss. If you’re a Steelers fan, certainly I am paying attention to at 01:00 p.m. That’s where I’m locked into my television. That’s where I’m turning the TV. We also know that Trevor Lawrence is pretty beat up. We don’t even know for sure if he’s going to play. But if he does play, he barely practiced all week, so that seems like more of a game where the Jags are just right for an upset.
So obviously craziness can happen on Sunday night and the Dolphins could win that game. But I just think if that ends up being essentially a playoff game for Buffalo and the Dolphins have already clinched a playoff spot, which they have, Buffalo is going to be playing with their backs against the wall.
So I just think the Titans probably have a little bit better shot of winning on Sunday than the Dolphins do against the Bills. You got your foam finger, you got Titans. Will I think you are ready to rock? I’m ready to rock. I hope you got yours, too, because we cheer. Everybody I know cheering for the Titans.
Yeah, we got to be zeroed in on that final game of the regular season as well. I mean, Dolphins, Bills division on the line, scheduling God smiling upon us here. Breach, as you take a look at this matchup, a lot of what I’m seeing when I sit down and sort of project what I expect to see out of Buffalo is a similar game plan that the Ravens put up umpteen points against this Miami defense.
A little bit of run first, very physical, effective pass. How does Miami ensure that they don’t get bullied the way they did a week ago? Yeah, I mean, it’s hard to say because Miami’s really struggled. We obviously saw what happened against the Ravens and look, they’ve struggled against the Bills. They’ve lost ten of eleven.
They haven’t been able to figure out how to stop Josh Allen, who’s had multiple touchdown passes against them. I think in ten or eleven straight games, it’s a wild number. And then you look at the fact you throw in the fact that the Bills can now run the ball. That’s something they weren’t really doing at the beginning of the season, unless it was Josh Allen running around.
But now James Cook has emerged over the past month and a half and that offense is even more difficult to stop. So I think the Dolphins just need to focus on stopping Josh Allen because he has been the guy who has beaten you. He has been the guy who’s been dissecting up that defense. So you try and slow down Josh Allen and then, hey, if James Cook runs for 175 yards and two touchdowns, but the Bills score less than 24 points, that’s fine.
I just don’t think you can let Josh Allen beat you. So I do think that needs to be Miami’s focus. We’ll see if Miami can get out there and maybe dictate the pace with that high powered passing game, but that will surely need to be in tow if they want to move on as a division winner. So anything can be predicted.
