Going into Saturday’s Wild Card matchup in Houston, there were more than a few questions about the state of the Texans and how they’d show up in the playoffs considering how they closed out the regular season.
They played as though in direct response to all of them, their performance wiping out the doubts one by one en route to a lop-sided 32-12 victory over the Chargers to advance to next weekend’s Divisional Round.
Can C.J. Stroud get his groove back? Yup.
Will Nico Collins make a big play? You bet.
How will Houston’s defence get to Herbert? Early, often and relentlessly.
Might Joe Mixon make his mark? Definitely.
Yes, the Texans had all the answers as they kicked off wild-card weekend against L.A. Later on Saturday, Lamar Jackson, too, had plenty of answers as his Baltimore Ravens dismantled the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second of Saturday’s doubleheader.
Asked earlier this week about some of his missteps in post-seasons past, Jackson described himself as “too antsy” at times. Too excited.
His performance against Pittsburgh warranted some different descriptors. Jackson was dynamic, decisive, and downright impossible to stop as the Ravens ran all over their divisional foe in a 28-14 statement win. And he gave the home crowd plenty to be excited about.
Saturday’s action saw two teams do what they do best, embracing their greatest strengths to advance to the divisional round. Here’s what we learned from an eventful wild-card Saturday.
After early struggles, Stroud regains rhythm at right time
If you blinked, you may have missed the Texans’ first series against the Chargers on Saturday — a one-play drive that saw Stroud connect with receiver John Metchie III before Chargers defender Alohi Gilman punched out the ball to force a turnover. That first possession lasted all of nine seconds, and Houston’s second series wasn’t much better. A quick three-and-out — a pair of short runs and an incomplete pass to prompt a punt — was all L.A.’s defence allowed, the unit setting the tone for a game that looked like it belonged to the Chargers.
Offence was scarce for both squads over much of the first half, L.A.’s early pair of field goals standing as the only scores deep into the second quarter — until the Texans changed their tune.
Stroud bounced back from an uninspired first quarter and an early interception thrown in the second. It took a mishap to shake up — and wake up — the Texans’ offence, bringing to life a group that’s been dormant through much of December. With just over two minutes left in the first half, a stray snap got past Stroud, who chased down the bouncing ball, scooped it up deep in the Texans’ zone, and slung it on the run to a wide-open Xavier Hutchinson for 34 yards. It was a messy play, sure, but it ultimately altered the course of the game, Stroud standing a little taller, throwing sharper, and even running with confidence when needed from that point on.
What had still been a 6-0 Chargers lead with a minute left in the half suddenly became a 10-6 Texans lead at the half thanks to a clutch completion to Nico Collins to get on the board, a quick three-and-out by L.A., and a five-play drive to set up Ka’imi Fairbairn’s field goal (with some expert clock management mixed in, of course) to close out the half.
Was Saturday’s win a perfect performance from Stroud? No, but while his numbers don’t leap off the page — he finished the game with 22 completions on 33 attempts for 282 yards, one TD, and one INT — his confidence certainly soared once he got rolling. His poise on the move (he ran for 42 yards, including some crucial first downs) should restore confidence that Stroud’s got his groove back.
Collins, Mixon come up clutch
With injuries impacting the Texans’ weapons all season, all eyes have been on Nico Collins. And after a quiet few weeks, Stroud’s top target played like it against the Chargers — seven catches, 122 yards, and the Texans’ first TD catch of Saturday’s matchup versus L.A.
Many eyes were on Joe Mixon, too, the man brought in last off-season to be the answer to Houston’s run game but whose inconsistent performance through the second half of the campaign has prompted questions about whether Houston’s run game was playoff-ready.
Fantasy football managers will tell you how uninspiring Houston’s run game has been of late, but Mixon stepped up when it mattered most. Tasked with icing the Texans’ win in the fourth quarter, the former Bengal ran down the clock (and got himself a TD in the process). He finished the game with 106 yards on 25 carries as the Texans won the run game by a mile. Overall, Houston outran L.A. 168-50.
Texans’ defence puts on a clinic
Want to see a defence control of a playoff game? Just look at what Houston did to the Chargers. It was about as complete and as dominant a defensive performance as you can get.
Houston’s lethal pass rush applied pressure, and plenty of it, wearing down Herbert’s protection and sacking him four times. Will Anderson Jr. and Mario Edwards Jr. led the way with 1.5 sacks each. Houston’s strong secondary made life hard for Herbert, too, intercepting him four times — that’s more picks than Herbert has thrown all season. Derek Stingley Jr. tallied two INTs, Kamari Lassiter picked him off one, and Eric Murray scored a pick-six. (While two of Herbert’s interceptions were tipped by receivers, it wasn’t a good night for the Chargers QB1.)
Five years in, Herbert’s still looking for his first playoff win
Herbert’s had a really strong bounce-back season working with Harbaugh this year, but couldn’t muster up much in the biggest moments on Saturday.
Aside from rookie receiver Ladd McConkey, who hauled in nine passes for 197 yards and a touchdown that saw him outrun several Texans d-men, Herbert couldn’t connect with many of his weapons. Will Dissly was second in receptions, with just two catches for 16 yards.
Herbert hasn’t had much opportunity to make waves in the post-season — this was just his second career post-season appearance after L.A. lost a heartbreaker against Jacksonville in 2022. But two games in, he has yet to claim a W and hasn’t fared particularly well on the stat sheet. Careers are made in the post-season, and the pressure for Herbert to make his mark will only grow louder from here.
Jackson, Henry run all over Steelers
Sure, as evidenced by his 2-4 playoff record and pedestrian passer rating heading into Saturday’s matchup, Jackson has struggled to really hit his stride at times in the playoffs. Last January’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship, a game that saw Baltimore score just 10 points while Jackson was knocked off his rushing rhythm, surely still haunts him.
But while we don’t yet know what comes next for the Ravens as they keep their Super Bowl aspirations alive, it’s safe to say Jackson & Co. are ready for it. Because when their run game is rolling, it’s hard to see anyone slowing them down — just ask the Steelers.
Between Jackson and star running back Derrick Henry, Baltimore out-ran Pittsburgh 299-29. A whopping 186 of the Ravens’ rushing yards were registered by Henry, whose second-quarter touchdown run earned Baltimore some separation on the scoreboard and whose incredible 44-yard TD run made it clear that any attempts by Pittsburgh to get back into the game would be promptly shut down.
Henry’s performance showcased exactly why Baltimore brought him in as a free agent last spring. His presence adds an incredible dimension to an already-strong rushing attack.
Ravens’ depth on display without Flowers in lineup
The Ravens entered Saturday’s matchup without their top wide receiver as Zay Flowers suffered a knee injury in Week 18 and was ruled out earlier this week. That’s a big deal, considering how heavily Jackson has come to lean on the fleet-footed second-year weapon — only, considering how the passing attack operated, you wouldn’t know anything was amiss.
Without Flowers, Jackson turned to other reliable pass-catchers like tight ends Isaiah Likely and Mark Andrews and receiver Rashod Bateman. Bateman got the scoring started with a 15-yard touchdown catch. Likely led all receivers with three catches for 53 yards. Running back Justice Hill got in on the passing game, too, hauling in a TD catch.
Steelers’ defence sluggish against red-hot Ravens
The Steelers have a strong tradition of playing winning football in the regular season — not since 2003 have they posted a record below .500 — but the same cannot be said about their playoff results of late. The team hasn’t won a post-season game since falling to the Patriots in the 2016 AFC Championship.
Perhaps more troubling than the string of five wild card losses since then is the poor defensive trend that’s emerged. The team whose regular-season success and organizational identity is built on a foundation of strong defence has not brought that brand of football into the playoffs, allowing an average of 38.8 points over those five losses.
What’s next for Steelers?
While the Ravens await their Divisional Round opponent, the Pittsburgh Steelers are about to face some very different kinds of questions — both existential and contractual in nature.
While the idea of head coach Mike Tomlin no longer manning the Steelers’ sideline feels wrong, it’s worth wondering whether change is due. Pittsburgh no doubt owes it to the longtime bench boss, whose entire tenure with the team has seen a record .500 or higher, to make the call here. Is a fresh start needed?
Change is definitely coming as far as the roster goes, and it starts at the top with the quarterback position. Both starter Russell Wilson and Justin Fields played 2024 on one-year deals, which means decision day is coming.
For all of Pittsburgh’s offensive missteps this season, Wilson put together a solid campaign — and despite the final score on Saturday, he played well, connecting with Van Jefferson and George Pickens on 30-plus-yard touchdown tosses. Wilson completed 14 of 19 passes for 207 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions against Baltimore’s lethal defence. Is he the right QB for this team moving forward?
