-Chiefs

Will the loss of Tyreke Hill come into play?

• Entering this season, Patrick Mahomes averaged 19.5 yards on passing touchdowns, but this season that average was down to 12.2 yards per TD pass. That is the lowest such figure of his career. Before this season, Mahomes had thrown 56 TD's outside of the red zone over the past 4 years, which was 9 more than the next closest QB (Tom Brady, 47). However, this season Mahomes has just 7 TD's from outside the red area, which ranks 8th in the League. Now Kansas City still had the best offense in the NFL, averaging 413.6 yards and 29.2 points per game. So they are still a very capable offensive team with one of the best QB's in the history of the game, but they seem to lack the "Big Play Guy" that Tyreke Hill has always been for this team before being traded to the Dolphins in the offseason. Juju Smith-Schuster has had a strong season when healthy, and Marques Valdez-Scantling has the ability to make plays when given opportunities. Mecole Hardman should also be available for the Chiefs in the post-season after spending much of this season on IR. Which can add another element to this offense as well, but it's fair to say that none of them are the caliber of player that Hill is. If the Chiefs find themselves in a shoot-out type game at some point in these playoffs, the ability to score quick from anywhere on the field could become a key factor. Without Hill, I'm not sure they have a receiver that can stretch the field enough to provide those big play opportunities that have made them so successful in the past.

-Bills

Can they continue to get a consistent pass rush without Von Miller?

• The Bills inability to get a consistent pass rush on Patrick Mahomes in the Divisional Round of the AFC Playoffs last season, ultimately translated into the end of their season. So naturally, fixing that problem became a major focus in the offseason. They took a major step towards that when they signed Von Miller in free-agency, bringing him over from the Super Bowl Champion LA Rams. Miller and the Bills were able to make some key plays in the 4th quarter of their regular season game with the Chiefs this year, and ended up winning that game 24-20 in Arrowhead. However, Miller has since torn an ACL and is out for the season. The Bills defense has actually been better, by the numbers, since Miller went down. From Weeks 13-17, the Bills pressured opposing QB's on 33.8 % of drop backs, which ranked 8th in the league. In Weeks 1-12, with Miller in the line-up, Buffalo's pressure rate was just 29.2 % ranking 17th in the league. So it would appear they are still capable of getting consistent pressure on opposing QB's, but its always tough to replace a future Hall-of-Fame Player like Miller. Especially, when his presence alone forces opposing Offensive Coordinators to game plan around him. If they can't make opposing QB's uncomfortable, it could end up hurting them big time with the caliber of QB's they will face throughout these playoffs.

-Bengals

Can they protect Joe Burrow?

• Joe Burrow was sacked 51 times in 16 regular season games last season, and another 19 times in four playoff games including 7 times in the Super Bowl loss to the Rams. So the Bengals made it a priority to bolster that offensive line in the offseason. They signed former Patriot Ted Karras to play Center, former Buccaneer Alex Cappa to play Guard, and former Cowboy La'el Collins to play Right Tackle. The key signings have definitely seemed to help some, as Burrow was sacked 41 times in 16 regular season games this season, but Collins was injured in Week 16 and his availability for the playoffs is still up in the air. Even though the O-Line has improved some, they are still among the league's worst as far as allowing pressure on their QB. The Bengals 50.1% pass block win rate was 3rd worst in the league, and Burrow actually got hit more per game this season than in 2021. Burrow has performed much better under pressure in 2022 vs last season which should be a testament to him. In 2021, when facing pressure, Burrow had a QBR of 16.7 which was 20th in the league. In 2022, in those same situations, he has a QBR of 41.2 which ranks 7th in the league. So his play in these playoffs is most-likely going to decide the Bengals fate, but if Collins is unable to play it could reveal a gaping hole in that O-Line. With the type of defenses they'll face throughout the playoffs, giving Joe Burrow enough time in the pocket could become a major factor.

-Jaguars

Will their inconsistent offensive play doom them?

• Jacksonville is one of the hottest teams in the league going into the playoffs, having won 5 straight games and basically bringing them back from the dead(Thanks to a monumental collapse by the Titans). Trevor Lawrence has played great, at times, in his 2nd season in the NFL. He has thrown for 4,113 yards to go with 25 TD's and just 8 interceptions, but his QBR is just 54.5 which ranks 15th in the league. Although he has cut way down on INT's since his Rookie campaign, he's lost a league-leading 9 fumbles and the offense has lost a total of 13 fumbles, which ranks 30th in the NFL. Travis Etienne has rushed for 1,125 yards and 5 TD's this season after becoming the primary starter when the team traded James Robinson to the Jets mid-season. However, Etienne is averaging just 57.1 rush yards per game and scored only 1 TD since their Week 11 Bye. The Jaguars were only able to muster 19 yards on 14 carries in a Week 18 win vs the Titans that was ultimately won with a late defensive touchdown. To be successful in the playoffs, the Jags are gonna have to find more consistency in the ground game and not give up turnovers that might result in a short field for opponents. If they get behind early in games, they might not have the offensive firepower to be able to climb back in it.

-Chargers

Can they convert the "Money Downs"?

• I refer to 3rd and 4th Downs as the "Money Downs" because, more times than not, the team that is most successful on these downs usually wins the football game. In 2021, in Brandon Staley's first season as the Charger's Head Coach, Los Angeles went for it on 4th Down 31.5% of the time, which led the league by a fairly significant margin. They also had a 4th Down success rate of 64.7 % which ranked 4th in the league. However, some key 4th Down decisions really cost them in the season finale against the Raiders last season, and ultimately cost them a playoff spot. This season, the Chargers went for it on 4th Down just 21.8% of the time, with a 4th Down success rate of only 51.7% which ranks 16th in the league. This team has been one of the better teams in the NFL this season at converting 3rd downs though. They have converted 43.6% of their 3rd down tries this season. A mark that ranks them 8th in the league in that category. This is a roster littered with talent on both sides of the ball, and they may be as healthy as they've been all year as a team. So IF they can take advantage of key situations and win the battle, on both sides of the ball, during those "Money Downs", they have the overall talent to compete with anyone. However, that is a very big IF.

-Ravens

Can their Defense carry them to a deep Post-Season Run?

• Baltimore ranked 9th in the NFL this season in Total Defense at 324.3 yards allowed per game, but were 25th in the league in Pass Defense surrendering 232.2 yards per game through the air. They were top 10 in the league in both Takeaways and Sacks on the defensive side of the ball as well, and used a key mid-season trade to make this defense even nastier. The Ravens traded for linebacker Roquan Smith before Week 9 this season, bringing him over from the Chicago Bears, and he has not disappointed. Since trading for Smith, The Ravens D has allowed just 14.67 points per game(2nd), 288.8 yards per game(4th), 201.4 pass yards per game(11th), and ranked 6th in the league in sacks per opponent drop backs. However, even as great as this defense has played, it still may not be enough. QB Lamar Jackson has missed 5 straight games with a knee injury, and it’s still unknown if he will be available for the wild-card game vs the Bengals. Without Jackson running the show for Baltimore, the offense has only averaged 12.5 points per game, and have not shown any signs of improving. Even if Jackson plays, this defense will have to continue to perform at an elite level to give Baltimore a chance against some of the more potent offenses in the league.

-Dolphins

Will poor defensive play cost them down the stretch?

• Honestly, with Skylar Thompson starting at QB for the fish against the Bills, I don't give them much of a chance to advance anyway. However, they may have been in trouble even with starting QB Tua Tagovailoa at the helm. For the season, Miami ranked 24th in points allowed per game and 24th in Defensive Efficiency. In December, they ranked 29th in the league in points allowed per game and 28th in Defensive Efficiency. The Dolphins only wins vs teams that made the playoffs this season, were way back in Weeks 2 and 3 against Baltimore and Buffalo, respectively. Since then, they have gone 0-5 vs teams that made the playoffs and have looked pretty awful in those games. They were 8-4 in games this season in which Tua started and finished the game, but just 1-4 in games in which he didn't. At times this season, Miami was one of the most exciting teams in the league, but now down to their 3rd string QB, with a defense that has been suspect all season, and a tough trip to the Buffalo on the horizon... I really don't expect much from this version of the Dolphins in the post-season.

Hope you guy's enjoyed this!!

I'll have a similar post for the NFC teams out for you guy's tomorrow!!

-Crickett