The 2024 NFL playoffs began with a pair of mixed results. On Saturday, the “underdog” Houston Texans overcame a slow start to claim a commanding 32-12 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. For the cup, the Baltimore Ravens recorded a 28-14 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers that wasn’t even as close as the final score seems to indicate.
Houston’s win was obviously the surprise result on Saturday, and many expected Justin Herbert to finally get his first playoff win. Baltimore’s victory was much less surprising, although the way they manhandled the Steelers in the first half was jarring. Both looked impressive and should be forces to be reckoned with in next week’s divisional round. By contrast, the Chargers and Steelers are heading into the offseason after early playoff exits.
Here’s what we learned from each of the four teams that played on Saturday.
jeans
As noted above, many people had written off Houston following their late-season losses to the Chiefs and Ravens. Those doubts seemed justified Saturday after an extremely slow start to Saturday’s game.
But if we learned anything about the Texans’ run, it’s that you shouldn’t let them hang around, especially if you have a chance to take them out early. The Chargers had a chance to beat the Texans early, but fell short after settling for field goals and failing to take advantage of a CJ Stroud interception early in the second quarter.
Houston’s defense played a role in Los Angeles’ inability to pull away early, specifically its pass rush, led by Will Anderson Jr. and Mario Edwards Jr. Fittingly, the biggest play of the game might have been the pick six of Eric Murray on Herbert gave the home team a 20-6 lead entering the fourth quarter.
The defense led the way, but Stroud did his part, throwing for 282 yards on 22-of-33 passing. Nico Collins had 122 yards on seven receptions, while Joe Mixon had his first 100-yard game in more than a month.
Do the Texans have a chance to win on the road next week? I wouldn’t bank on it, but as Saturday showed, you don’t want to let Stroud and the Texans hang around.
Chargers
In retrospect, the Chargers may have received too much credit coming into this game by virtue of their 7-3 start to the season. Conversely, the Texans’ 31-2 loss to the Ravens in Week 17 likely created an incorrect narrative about their postseason prospects.
The Texans, after all, won a playoff game last year and are clearly building something. The Chargers were coming off a 5-12 season, so making the playoffs this year was a success for first-year Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh. It’s safe to say that Houston’s recent playoff experience played a role in Saturday’s outcome.
Obviously, the most surprising part of the Chargers’ loss was Herbert’s four interceptions. After all, Herbert had thrown just three all year, and the Chargers offense as a whole committed just nine turnovers all year. It’s safe to say that some of Herbert’s mistakes on Saturday were a result of Houston’s pass rush and also a lack of running game.
Herbert is an exceptional quarterback, but the Chargers put too much of this game on his shoulders. With JK Dobbins (who recently returned from injured reserve) and Gus Edwards combining to rush for just 50 yards on 18 carries, the game practically fell on Herbert’s shoulders. It didn’t help that Herbert’s No. 2 receiver, Quentin Johnston, didn’t catch any of his five targets. Herbert got a big game from rookie Ladd McConkey, who appears to be a star in the making.
Sure, losing a game you expected to win hurts, and that’s probably what Chargers fans felt before Saturday’s game. Adding insult to injury is the fact that Herbert is now 0-2 in the playoffs. But Saturday’s loss shouldn’t erase what was a positive year for the Chargers, who made significant strides during Harbaugh’s first season in Los Angeles.
crows
If Saturday night’s game were a boxing match, the referees would have stopped proceedings at halftime, or perhaps even before. The Ravens led 21-0 at halftime after outscoring the Steelers 306-59. Derrick Henry had 100 rushing yards in the first half, while Baltimore’s defense allowed just two first downs in the game’s first 30 minutes.
Taking care of the ball and playing good defense were two themes during Baltimore’s four-game winning streak to close the regular season. This was the case again on Saturday night. The Ravens didn’t turn the ball over, and their defense, which struggled at times during the first 13 games of the season, rose to the occasion when needed, especially in the secondary.
Lamar Jackson, who was just 2-4 in the playoffs entering Saturday night, looked like your typical MVP against Pittsburgh. He ran a slew of read options while making his most rushing attempts in a game since Week 1. Jackson’s run opened up everything else, including Henry, whose 186 rushing yards were the most against a Pittsburgh team in the postseason.
Henry’s presence has allowed Jackson to play more relaxed, which should allow him to avoid the mistakes that ultimately doomed him and the Ravens in previous postseasons. It should be noted that Jackson’s success came without number one Zay Flowers, who missed Saturday’s game with a knee injury.
steelmakers
Saturday night just confirmed what most of us had realized about the Steelers during their losing streak. Pittsburgh’s 8-2 start was largely the result of a very intense schedule. The Steelers were not a true contender, and until they figure out their quarterback situation, they will remain on the outside looking in.
Russell Wilson had his moments during his first season in Pittsburgh. But after a while it became clear that his famous moon balls were the only thing he had in his arsenal. If Wilson couldn’t hit his deep passes, he was forced to settle for safe checks on running back Jaylen Warren and tight end Pat Freiermuth. That’s not a recipe for success, especially against good teams.
Beyond the quarterback situation, the Steelers appear to have cultural and philosophical problems. The Steelers invest heavily in their defense, but they had one of the least expensive offenses in football. That may have worked in the 1970s or even the early 2000s, but it doesn’t work in today’s game. The Steelers need to invest more in the offense going forward.
Speaking of defense, that side of the ball was even worse than the offensive side on Saturday night. At times, it seemed like the defenders had no interest in trying to tackle Henry. This came after weeks of disputes by defensive players who said some teammates weren’t doing their jobs.
That goes to the issue of culture. It seems something is wrong in Pittsburgh. After Saturday’s loss, Prime’s Taylor Rooks reported that Najee Harris (who likely played his last game for the Steelers) said that outside media noise had infiltrated the locker room and that he was interested to see how that impacted the team. team entering the playoffs. .
There’s a lot wrong with that sentence, but it’s a microcosm of the problems that permeate a proud franchise that has gone eight years without winning the playoffs, a drought that will continue unless major changes are made.
