AFC

New England Patriots

It’s fairly straight forward what the Patriots have to do.

Simply be the Patriots.

Even when Tom Brady is “slumping” - like he has been a little recently - they still find ways to win game whether it be with their running game or shutdown defence.

Brady is their key to victory and this year he has plenty of more toys to play with. They finished number two in passing yards and number one is yards per game after 16 games. This offence is hard to stop.

It won’t be until the AFC Championship game or maybe even the Super  Bowl until they find somebody to compete with.

Good luck to everybody in the AFC.

Pittsburgh Steelers

There isn’t too much of a difference between the Steelers and the New England Patriots.

They’ve got a veteran quarterback with experience in Big Ben, talented offensive weapons in Bell and Brown, and a coach that has a Superbowl or two to his name.

Even with Antonio Brown potentially out of the lineup for their AFC Divisional game, the Steelers have too many impactful players on offence to be slowed down.

They have weapons, whether it be rookie sensation Juju Smith-Schuster - who just had himself a 166-yard game as the primary receiver in week 17 - or Martavis Bryant, who has the ability to take over the game if he’s in the mood. They also have the best dual-threat running back in the NFL in Le’ Von Bell - the only running back this year to crack 300 carries.

It’s hard to see a situation where were don’t see the Steelers make it to at least the AFC Championship game.

Jacksonville Jaguars

They have arguably the best defence in the NFL; there shouldn’t be any question about that.

Whether it be the Mayor of Sacksonville Calais Campbell bulldozing down the opposing quarterback or Jalen Ramsey picking up an interception; they’re going to be trouble the attacking team in all areas of the field.

More takeaways than any team but the Ravens. More sacks than anyone but the Steelers.

That’s elite.

Another factor in their importants is the way the Jaguars offense keeps getting more and more depleted. It’s time for their defence to step up and prove that they can be just as dominant in the playoffs as the regular season.

Also, they have a pretty good rookie running back that shouldn’t be taken lightly either.

Kansas City Chiefs

Give Kareem Hunt the ball and you will succeed.

In the six games the Chiefs lost this season, the rookie running back averaged only 12 carries per game which ultimately resulted in him averaging only 46 yards. Their offense runs through him. He has the skill set which forces defence to focus on him more which then gives them the deep ball option to Tyreek Hill or Travis Kelce.

To prove this, in the 10 games they won in nine of them that Hunt played the majority of the snaps; he averaged 22 carries and a 123 yards per game.

As the great actress Sandra Bullock once said in the hit movie the Blind Side, “run the dang ball”.

Tennessee Titans

With the news breaking today that Demarco Murray will be out of this weekends wildcard matchup; the Titans now find themselves without one of their best offensive players.

Their defense is going to be lent on massively, much like it has been all season long. The front seven for the Titans allows only 3.6 yards per carry against the run - 4th best in the NFL - and has let the opposing running back into the end zone only five-times - the best in the NFL. On top of that, they haven’t struggled to get to the quarterback either; registering 43 sacks on the year - tied for 5th.

Tennessee’s road to the Superbowl may consist of a couple of elite running backs and a number of top quality quarterbacks, however, with the ability their front seven has, they could turn a few heads with their play this postseason.

Buffalo Bills

This could be a tale of a true underdog story.

Nobody believed the Bills would even come close to the playoffs; the fact that they made it is truly a testament to the players on this team.

They may not be the most talented team in the playoffs; one thing they do have playing in their favour, though, is the lack of pressure. Buffalo has done enough to please their fans this season, and making it any further will just be an added bonus. With expectations already met, this team may be able to play with a laid-back attitude.
As for the talent on the field that can help them, their defence is going to need to be in top form. Preston Brown finished in a three-way tie for first in tackles with 144. They would’ve liked to have been able to get to the quarterback a little more - only hitting the quarterback 27 times compared to 39 the year prior.

However, their secondary has been easily the best part of their defence. They created a number of turnovers, intercepting the ball on 18 occasions with Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer both with 5 picks to their name.

Playing Jacksonville and Blake Bortles may be the best thing for this team. A big win on Sunday could create some momentum, and after that, you never know what could happen.

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