The 2017 NFL playoffs will get underway on Saturday and the Pittsburgh Steelers won’t know which team they’ll play in the Divisional Round until Sunday afternoon. With the Steelers on a bye this week, it’s time to look at which AFC teams fans should be rooting for this weekend.
Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs 4:35 p.m. EST (SAT)
The Titans have a tall task ahead of them on Saturday as they’ll need to beat the Chiefs in Kansas City at Arrowhead Stadium. That task will be made even harder for the Titans with them not having the services of running back Demarco Murray as he’s been ruled out for that contest with a knee injury. While the Steelers beat both of these teams this season, fans should probably root for the Chiefs to beat the Titans on Saturday due to the fact that Kansas City probably has the best shot of the three teams that could potentially play the New England Patriots in the Divisional Round of beating them. In case you forgot, the Chiefs beat the Patriots 42-27 at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro to open the 2017 NFL regular season. A Saturday win by the Chiefs, however, could ultimately result in Kansas City playing the Steelers in the Divisional Round depending on what happens in the Sunday AFC Wildcard game. The Steelers beat the Chiefs 19-13 in Kansas City back in Week 6.
Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars 1:05 p.m. EST (SUN)
The Bills needed Week 17 help to get into the playoffs but now that their in, it’s a brand new season for them. Sunday, the Bills will attempt to beat the Jaguars in Jacksonville without running back LeSean McCoy being 100 percent due to an ankle injury that he suffered last Sunday. The Jaguars defense has been extremely good and consistent this year and if the Bills offense cant run the ball effectively on Sunday they’re unlikely to win. Steelers fans should probably root for the Jaguars to beat the Bills on Sunday to set up a rematch of the Week 5 game between the two teams at Heinz Field. The Steelers did everything wrong in that 30-9 loss to the Jaguars and that included quarterback Ben Roethlisberger throwing five interceptions of which two were returned fir touchdowns and their defense failing to stop the run. Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles only completed 8 passes for 95 yards on 14 total pass attempts in that game and odds are good he’d have to throw much more than that in a rematch. Additionally, the Jaguars playing at Heinz Field in mid January in the playoffs is a lot different from playing there in early October. Four of the Jaguars six losses during the regular season were on the road as well. In short, if the Jaguars beat the Bills on Sunday they will definitely play the Steelers in the Divisional Round.
Look for game discussion threads on the site for both of these games this weekend.
