Bills (10-6) @ Texans (10-6)
A classic defense vs. offense matchup @ NRG Stadium in Houston. With all due respect to the Bills offense and Texans defense, this game is mostly worth watching to see how the Bills defense deals with the Texans offense. The Bills boast the 2nd best team defense, while the Texans are blend a great rushing and passing game, especially when it matters. Statistically speaking, this might be the most intriguing Wildcard Weekend matchup.
Texans:
Player to watch: JJ Watt. JJ Watt makes his triumphant return after being sidelined since week 8. The 3-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award winner could help to stop the Bills offense, which could change the game drastically.
Success of 2019: Darren Fells. he made a big impact in tight games for the Texans. He has 341 yards and 7 touchdowns this season. They are 5-0 when he scores a touchdown.
Struggle in 2019: Close games. The Texans have an expected record of 7.8 and 8.2, a losing record. That’s not good for a playoff team. 8 of their 10 wins have been one-score games. They haven’t looked extremely convincing at all this season and they might come up short here in the postseason.
Bills:
Player to watch: Tre’Davious White. This season, Tre’Davious White has become one of the biggest shutdown corners in the league. He has 58 tackles, 6 interceptions, and a 45.1% passer rating allowed, adding to the second best team defense in the NFL.
Success of 2019: Running game. At the beginning of the season, the Bills were not expected to have a very good offense. Their offense has been pretty OK this year; especially with running the ball. They are ranked 8th in yards per game and 13th in yards per carry, pretty good for an offense we expected nothing out of.
Struggle of 2019: Rush defense. The Bills give up the NFL’s 18th best yards per carry. The also tie for the league’s 19th best pass defense to running backs, which could cost them against the Texans, who rely a lot on Duke Johnson on passing plays.
Score Prediction: Bills 30, Texans 17
Titans (9-7) @ Patriots (12-4)
Another AFC East vs. South match up, this time at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. Just like Buffalo, the Patriots have a somewhat sluggish offense, but a killer pass rush. The Titans have a respectable offense, but the story has been the offense, especially the running game. The Titans will look to built off of the momentum they gained after clinching a playoff spot, while the Patriots will look to get back on track after a tough loss last week to the Dolphins. Either way, both teams are in it and this game should not be passed up on.
Patriots:
Player to watch: Stephon Gillmore. He was probably the Defensive Player of the Year in 2019. He locked down some of the league’s best receivers. He had 53 tackles, 6 picks, and 20 passes deflected; the last two stats he led the league in.
Success of 2019: Best defense in the league. First in points allowed, touchdowns allowed, yards per game allowed, points per game allowed, etc. I could go on, but you get the picture.
Struggle of 2019: The passing game. After it seemed like the Patriots had a lot of great receivers in the beginning of the season, that simply isn’t true anymore. Julian Edelman has been the only consistent receiver for the Patriots. He was the only Patriots to get over 1,000 yards receiving and the next closest with 645 was a running back, James White. The next closest receiver to 1,000 yards was Phillip Dorsett with 397.
Titans:
Player to watch: Derrick Henry. Henry surprised everyone this season by becoming the NFL’s leader rusher. He also led the league in touchdowns. The Titans were 6-0 when he rushed for more than 100 yards, helping the Titans clinch a playoff spot.
Success of 2019: Ryan Tannehill. Ever since taking over for Marcus Mariota in week 6, Ryan Tannehill has been the story of the Titans. He has the highest yards passer rating, yards per catch and yards per attempt in the league since week 6.
Struggle of 2019: Protecting Ryan Tannehill. It’s fair to say that the Titans have one of the worst offensive lines in the league. They are third worst in sacks allowed. This could be an edge for the Patriots as their pass rush isn’t bad.
Score Prediction: Patriots 28, Titans 20
Sources:
- NFL on Youtube
- pro-football-reference.com
- nfl.com
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