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Saturday was a crazy day in the sports world. On a day where college football debuted its revamped playoff format and Tiger Woods made strides toward winning his first championship in over five years, two NFL games were played between four playoff bound teams. Each game included AFC teams whose playoff positioning was altered in some way by the outcome of Saturday’s games.
In the first game, the Chiefs won yet another one possession game, this one a workmanlike 27-19 win over the Houston Texans. Along with losing the game, the Texans suffered an even bigger loss when receiver Tank Dell suffered a gruesome leg injury that likely ended his season.
In Baltimore, the Ravens exercised some demons while snapping their four-game losing streak against the Steelers, who have now lost two straight games. Lamar Jackson, who got his first win against the Steelers in five years, threw three touchdowns in Baltimore’s 34-17 win.
Let’s take a quick look at how both games impacted all four games as far as the AFC playoffs are concerned.
Texans
Houston (9-6) has already clinched its second consecutive AFC South division title, so they will host a game in the wild card round. But Saturday’s loss hurt their chances at getting the No. 3 seed. The Texans ended Saturday like they started it, with the AFC’s No. 4 seed. Houston would host Baltimore in the wild card round if the playoffs started today.
As noted above, the biggest takeaway for Houston from Saturday was Dell’s injury, which clearly (and understandably) shook many of Dell’s teammates, including quarterback C.J. Stroud. Along with likely losing a teammate for the year, the Texans need to find a way to replace Dell’s production. Don’t be surprised if the Texans try to claim former Pro Bowl wideout Diontae Johnson off of waivers. Johnson was released by the Ravens on Friday.
Chiefs
The 14-1 Chiefs are one game closer toward clinching…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/how-saturdays-nfl-games-impacted-afc-playoff-picture-steelers-left-scrambling-after-second-straight-loss/
Author : Bryan DeArdo
Publish date : 2024-12-22 13:08:00
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