Breaking Down Patriots' 3 Potential Divisional Round Opponents
BOSTON (CBS) -- We know the Patriots will host a divisional round playoff game next weekend, and on Saturday night we'll find out who will be heading to Gillette on January 16.
As the No. 2 seed of the AFC, the Patriots will either face the Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans or Kansas City Chiefs. Those are three teams the Patriots should be able to beat, especially at home, but each would pose their own threat to New England making another Super Bowl run.
Here's a breakdown of those three potential opponents:
Cincinnati Bengals
The 3-seeded Bengals will take on the 6-seeded Pittsburgh Steelers Saturday night, and if they win they'll be coming to Foxboro the following weekend.
That's a big IF though, as Cincinnati will be without starting quarterback Andy Dalton as he recovers from a broken thumb. It's also a big IF because Marvin Lewis and his 0-6 playoff record are still roaming their sidelines.
The Bengals appear to have turned a corner this season, finishing at 12-4, but only three of those wins came against playoff teams. All four of their losses came against teams who are still playing, including the Steelers in Week 14 when Dalton went down. Cincy went a respectable 2-1 with A.J. McCarron under center to close the season, with wins against the 49ers and Ravens and a 20-17 loss at Denver.
The Bengals survived the Red Rocket's absence thanks to a pretty balanced offensive attack. Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard combined for over 1,500 rushing yards for the season and are a two-headed monster any defense has to worry about, especially Bernard and his 4.7 yard per carry average. That ground attack is complemented nicely with areal assassin A.J. Green (86 catches, 81.1 yards/game and 10 touchdowns) and Tyler Eifert (13 touchdowns in 13 games), the second-best tight end in the NFL behind Rob Gronkowski.
Dalton may be back for the divisional round, but the Bengals have to get there first. While they backed into the playoffs, the Steelers are still one of the hotter teams in the NFL and have a dangerous offensive attack led by Ben Roethlisberger and receiver Antonio Brown, who will cause any defensive coordinator to wake up in cold sweats this postseason.
The Cincy defense ranked second in the league, allowing 17.4 points per game, and finished in the top 10 in rushing yards allowed at 92.3. The good news is the Patriots can't don't run the ball at a big clip, so that shouldn't concern them too much. Safety Reggie Nelson came down with eight of Cincy's 21 interceptions this season, and they like to get their hands on the football too with 104 pass deflections -- third in the NFL.
But again, Lewis and Co. will have to exorcise their postseason and spotlight demons if they want to advance and face the Patriots.
Biggest threat: Dalton returns and the Bengals don't turn the ball over.
The last time vs. New England: Cincinnati's issues on the big stage were on full display the last time they met the Patriots in Foxboro, a 43-17 beatdown on Sunday Night Football in 2014. It's safe to assume that even with the late-season struggles and some lingering injuries, Patriots fans wouldn't mind if they're "On to Cincinnati" come Saturday night.
Houston Texans
The 9-7 Texans won the AFC South because someone had to win the AFC South, and they even have a home playoff game because of it.
Houston pulled things together after a rocky 1-4 start to the season, winning seven of their last nine to leapfrog the Indianapolis Colts in the division. Things really turned around when Bill O'Brien decided he had had enough of Ryan Mallett's sleeping in and missing team flights, with the Texans going on their run following his release in late-October. They ended their regular season with three straight wins, and although they came against the Colts, Titans and Jaguars, they held that trio to a total of 22 points. That illustrates just how bad the AFC South was this year (and every year, for that matter) but also how good Houston's D can be. They sacked Blake Bortles eight times in Week 17, and J.J. Watt is among the favorites for Defensive Player of the Year with 17.5 sacks on the season. Jonathan Joseph is also still a guy teams have to worry about in their secondary.
On offense the Texans rely on former Tom Brady backup Brian Hoyer under center, who has one of the best receivers in the game at his disposal in DeAndre Hopkins. The third-year pass catcher put together a monster season with 1,521 receiving yards on 111 receptions (both good for third in the NFL). Alfred Blue is getting most of the carries out of the backfield and had 254 rushing yards in the final three games of the season, but hasn't found the end zone since the end of November.
Biggest threat: They've done well containing him in the past, but Watt can change a game on the defensive side.
The last time vs. New England: The Pats and Texans met in Week 14 in Houston, with New England coming out on top 27-6. The Pats defense sacked Hoyer five times (and T.J. Yates once), with Jabaal Sheard and Akiem Hicks recording two sacks apiece. They also kept Hopkins in check, holding him to three catches on six targets for 52 yards, as they shut the Texans out in the second half.
That win also snapped a two-game skid for New England, something they wouldn't mind doing again if the Texans are the team to come to town January 16.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are one of the hottest teams in the league, winners of 10 straight. It should be noted though that half of those wins were against the Landry Jones-led Steelers, the Cleveland Browns (3-13), Baltimore Ravens (5-11) and two over the San Diego Chargers (4-12). Still, winning 10 straight is not an easy accomplishment in the NFL.
Without Jamaal Charles out of the backfield, the offense isn't nearly as formidable as other teams in the postseason. Alex Smith is a serviceable quarterback, but isn't going to strike fear in any secondary. He has a couple of pretty good playmakers in receiver Jeremy Maclin (87 receptions, 1,088 yards and eight touchdowns) and tight end Travis Kelce (72/875/5), and the Chiefs did finish in the Top 10 with 25.3 points per game, but it's still not an offense that will scare many opponents.
Their defense is a completely different story though. It's a group that can get after the quarterback and defend passes like no other. They finished fourth in the NFL with 47 sacks and had four players with five sacks or more, led by linebacker Justin Houston's 7.5 sacks in 11 games. He missed the final five games of the season, but should be back when KC takes on the Texans Saturday night. It's scary to think what that bunch could do against New England's patchwork offensive line.
If Brady does have time to throw, he may have a tough time against a very good Chiefs secondary, which recorded an NFL-high 111 pass deflections and 22 interceptions -- second in the league. Rookie Marcus Peters led everyone with 22 pass deflections and eight picks, five of which came in Kansas City's final five games. They've allowed just 203.8 passing yards per game over their current win streak, with 18 interceptions in that span.
There are some pretty talented defenses in the playoffs this year, and of New England's three potential divisional round foes, Kansas City is the most talented.
Biggest threat: The combination of the Chiefs' pass rush and New England's struggling offensive line is a scary mix for Pats fans to think about.
The last time vs. New England: We all remember what happened when the Patriots visited Arrowhead on Monday Night Football in Week 4 of the 2014 season. The Patriots got blown out 41-14 and it made everyone go crazy. The loss dropped the Pats to 2-2 and people started wondering if Tom Brady, picked off twice and also strip-sacked in the game, was finished. That actually happened. Then they moved "On to Cincinnati" and the rest is history.
