What we learned from Day 1 of the NFL Wild Card Round: The Ravens look like a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

2024 NFL Playoffs It started with a pair of biased scores. ‘Underdog’ on Saturday Houston Texans They overcame a slow start to secure a resounding 32-12 victory. Los Angeles Chargers. For night caps, baltimore ravens We recorded a 28-14 win. Pittsburgh Steelers It wasn't even as close as the final score indicates.

Houston's win was clearly the surprise result on Saturday that many were expecting. Justin Herbert We finally achieved our first playoff victory. Baltimore's win wasn't much of a surprise, but the way they played against the Steelers in the first half was shocking. Both have been impressive and will be a force to be reckoned with in next week's divisional round. Conversely, the Chargers and Steelers enter the offseason after an early playoff exit.

Here's what we learned from each of the four teams that played Saturday.

texas

As mentioned above, many thought Houston was ruled out after losing late in the season. chieftain And the Ravens. Those doubts seemed justified Saturday after Houston got off to an extremely slow start to Saturday's game.

But if there's one thing we've learned about the Texans moving forward, it's that you don't want to let them stick around, especially if you have a chance to put them away early. The Chargers had a chance to put the Texans away early, but fell short after making a field goal and failing to capitalize on an interception. CJ Stroud Early 2nd quarter.

Houston's defense did a good job of keeping Los Angeles from pulling away early on. In particular, Houston's pass rush led the way. Will Anderson Jr.. and mario edwards Jr. Appropriately enough, the biggest play of the game might have been: Eric Murray's Pick six from Herbert, who gave the home team a 20-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter.

Even though the defense was outpaced, Stroud did his part, throwing for 282 yards on 22 of 33 passing. Nico Collins He recorded 122 yards on 7 catches. joe mixon It was his first 100-yard game in over a month.

Do the Texans have a chance to win on the road next week? I wouldn't count on it, but I wouldn't want Stroud and the Texans hanging around like they showed on Saturday.

charger

In retrospect, the Chargers may have been given too much credit for this game, as they started the season 7-3. Conversely, the Texans' 31-2 loss to the Ravens in Week 17 likely created a false narrative about their postseason prospects.

After all, the Texans won a playoff game last year and are clearly building something. The Chargers were coming off a 5-12 season, so just making the playoffs this year was a success for first-year Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh. It's no exaggeration to say that Houston's recent playoff experience had an impact on Saturday's outcome.

Obviously the most surprising part of the Chargers' loss were Herbert's four interceptions. Herbert ended up throwing just three times all year, and the Chargers' offense had just nine turnovers all year overall. It's no exaggeration to say that some of Herbert's mistakes on Saturday were a result of Houston's lack of pass rush and running game.

Herbert is a great quarterback, but the Chargers put too much of this game on his shoulders. with JK Dobbins (Recently returned from injured reserve) Gus Edwards Combined with running for just 50 yards on 18 carries, the game was almost entirely on Herbert's shoulders. Herbert's No. 2 receiver didn't help. quentin johnstonNone of his five goals were caught. Herbert got a great performance from the rookie. Ladd McConkeyIt seems like he's a star in the making.

Of course, losing a game you expected to win hurts, and that's probably how Chargers fans will feel going into Saturday's game. Adding insult to injury is the fact that Herbert is currently 0-2 in the playoffs. But Saturday's loss shouldn't erase a positive year for the Chargers, who have made significant progress during Harbaugh's first season in Los Angeles.

crow

If Saturday night's fight had been a boxing match, the referee would have stopped the fight at halftime, or perhaps even earlier. The Ravens outscored the Steelers 306-59 and jumped out to a 21-0 lead at halftime. derrick henry While they rushed for 100 yards in the first half, Baltimore's defense allowed just two first downs in the first 30 minutes of the game.

Taking care of the ball and playing solid defense were two themes of Baltimore's four-game winning streak to close the regular season. That also happened on Saturday night. The Ravens didn't turn the ball over and their defense, which had struggled at times through the first 13 games of the season, was lights out when needed, especially in Game 2.

lamar jacksonwho was just 2-4 in the playoffs on Saturday night, looked like his typical MVP self against Pittsburgh. He executed numerous read options, his most rushing attempt in a game since Week 1. Jackson's running opened up everything else, including Henry's, who had the most yards on the ground against a Pittsburgh team in the postseason with 186 yards.

Henry's presence has allowed Jackson to play a little looser, which will 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 a No. 1 ranking. Jai FlowersHe missed Saturday's game with a knee injury.

steelers

Saturday night confirmed what most of us realized during the Steelers' losing streak. Pittsburgh's 8-2 start was largely the result of a heavy schedule. The Steelers have never been a true contender and will continue to be on the outside looking in until they figure out their quarterback situation.

Russell Wilson I had some great moments in my first season in Pittsburgh. But after a while it became clear that his famous moonball was the only thing he had in his arsenal. If Wilson couldn't complete a deep pass, he would have to settle for a safety checkdown on the running back. Jaylen Warren And a tight ending Pat Friarmus. Especially against good teams, this is not a recipe for success.

Beyond the quarterback situation, the Steelers seem to have cultural and philosophical issues. The Steelers invested heavily in their defense but had one of the cheapest offenses in football. That may have worked in the 1970s or early 2000s, but it doesn't work in today's games. The Steelers need to invest more in their offense going forward.

Speaking of defense, that side of the ball was worse than the offensive side Saturday night. At times, defenders seemed completely uninterested in tackling Henry. This comes after weeks of bickering with defensive players who some say are not doing their job.

That leads to a cultural issue. Something seems to be wrong in Pittsburgh. Following Saturday's loss, Prime's Taylor Rooks reported: Najee Harris (who likely played his final game for the Steelers) said the outside noise from the media has infiltrated the locker room and he wants to know how it affects the team going into the playoffs.

There's a lot wrong with that statement, but it's a microcosm of the problems that have permeated a proud franchise that has gone eight years without a playoff win, a drought that will likely continue unless major changes are made.