Indianapolis Colts @ Kansas City Chiefs
Now we find out if this Andy Reid Chiefs team is different to the others.
Last season they thrashed the Patriots on opening night, opened the season 5-0, and looked like a team set to go deep into January. From there they went 5-6, lost in the Wild Card round to the Titans, and said goodbye to their QB Alex Smith.
KANSAS CITY, MO – OCTOBER 21: Head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs stands on the sidelines that would earn him his 200th career victory as a head coach during the second half of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium on October 21, 2018 in Kansas City, Kansas. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
More ominously, they started Reid’s first season with nine straight wins before stumbling to a final 11-5, taking a Wild Card spot rather than a top seed spot, and then allowing 35 second-half points to their opponents on Saturday as Indy stole an unlikely 45-44 victory.
The hope in KC is something has changed – that something being Pat Mahomes.
In his second season in the league, the 23-year-old has thrown for 50 touchdowns and 5,000 yards, a feat that only some guys called Peyton Manning and Tom Brady – you may have heard of them – have ever done before.
His play has lifted this Reid team to among the favourites for the Super Bowl.
The former Eagles coach has only been to the big show once before, way back whan Adam Vinatieri was in his twenties and kicking title winning field goals for the Patriots.
The 46-year-old lines up for the opposition in this one, and Reid will be hoping there’s a different outcome in this playoff meeting with the aged kicker. Indy will should be more dependent on Andrew Luck and the alchemy he’s performing with a very limited receiving corps if they’re going to cause an upset.
His return from career-threatening injuries is one of the stories of the season, and the Colts should give KC a real test here. We’d have to go for the Colts on to keep it close given how they’ve finished the season.
ARLINGTON, TEXAS – JANUARY 05: Head coach Jason Garrett of the Dallas Cowboys greets head coach Pete Carroll of the Seattle Seahawks at midfield after the Dallas Cowboysbeat the Seattle Seahawks 24-22 in the Wild Card Round at AT&T Stadium on January 05, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
Dallas Cowboys @ LA Rams
Jerry Jones got an excuse to keep Jason Garrett at the head of the Cowboys’ rodeo for another year after they took care of the Seahawks last week.
Home advantage has been huge for Dallas this season, and so it proved on Saturday night, where a Seattle team many fancied to get the road win was out-fought on a 24-22 scoreline, though they’re likely to have a lot of regrets about how they managed that game.
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 30: Head coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams is happy after a touchdown against San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 30, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. Rams won 48-32. (Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images)
They’ll be even more upset because they’d have got a shot at their division rivals LA, who they narrowly lost to twice this season, and would’ve surely fancied upsetting now that the Rams’ early season buzz has slackened.
Sean McVay has some huge expectations to deal with because of how powerful the Rams offence looked up to December. Todd Gurley was central to that, and his recent injury has seen them slowed somewhat, though signing CJ Anderson off the street has worked out about as well as could’ve been hoped as he collected 299 yards in two starts.
How healthy their star RB is for this match up is still up in the air, but it should not have an impact on the outcome. Dallas are a different team on the road, and while their defence can get after Jared Goff, it won’t be enough. It should also mean under on the total of 57, especially with Allen Hurns out and Cole Beasley hurting for the Cowboys.
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