The first day of NFL playoffs wasn’t as exciting as the league had anticipated, but the home teams held serve in a big way. THE Houston Texans blew up the Los Angeles Chargers and the Baltimore Ravens easily took care of Pittsburgh Steelers in the wild card round, advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs.
Baltimore and Houston left no doubt about their playoff victories, creating a drama-free Saturday in the wild-card round. Even though there were outbursts during both matches, there were plenty of overreactions that resulted from the outcome of those matches.
What overreactions from the wild card on Saturday are deserved? Which are actually overreactions?
Mike Tomlin coached his last game with the Steelers
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
Is this the swan song for Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh? The Steelers lost their sixth straight playoff game under Tomlin and third in a row by more than 14 points. Pittsburgh looked lifeless in the first half of Saturday’s loss to Baltimore, a game reminiscent of the four straight losses the Steelers suffered at the end of the regular season.
Tomlin’s playoff record is now 8-11, while the Steelers are 3-9 in the postseason since reaching Super Bowl XLV in the 2010 season. Tomlin had an undefeated season every year he coached the Steelers, but little playoff success to show for the past 15 seasons. The Steelers are 16-14 in December/January over the last five seasons and 0-4 in the playoffs.
The Steelers seem content to make the playoffs, believing that Tomlin maximizes the roster the front office built. While it’s highly unlikely they’ll fire Tomlin, they could trade him this offseason. It’s a safe bet that Tomlin will stay for 2025, but this seat will be hot.
Steelers’ collapse is one of the worst in history NFL history
Overreaction or reality: Reality
There was a time this season when the Steelers were 10-3 and on their way to the AFC North title. Pittsburgh had a two-game lead over Baltimore with the head-to-head tiebreaker in hand, essentially a three-game lead with four to play. The Steelers did not win another game for the remainder of the season.
Pittsburgh lost to Baltimore twice during this stretch, including in the playoff round. The Steelers have faced five teams with winning records and lost to all of them. The Steelers are the first team to have 10 wins in NFL history of ending the season on a five-game losing streak (including the playoffs), demonstrating just how poor Pittsburgh was to close out the year.
The Steelers have been outscored by 52 points during this stretch, scoring just 14.3 points per game. This collapse was as serious as that of 2023 Eagles1999 Lionsand 1986 Jets – all experienced historic slip-ups to end the season after good starts.
The 2024 Steelers belong to the group of worst collapses in history NFL history. They have good reason to be the worst.
Derrick Henri is the best playoff running back of all time
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
If Terrell Davis didn’t exist, Derrick Henry has a much stronger case for this conversation. The Ravens running back is certainly part of the discussion after totaling 186 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday’s win over the Steelers (7.2 yards per carry).
Henry has the most games with 175+ rushing yards in playoff history (three) – surpassing Davis (two). He tied Davis for the most games with 150+ rushing yards (four) in playoff history and has the second most rushing yards in a playoff game at 30 or older.
Henry has 918 career rushing yards in the playoffs, which ranks ninth in NFL history. His 114.7 rushing yards per game are second only to Davis (142.5) in the playoffs for players who have played in more than 5 playoff games. Henry has one of the best playoff resumes ever for a running back.
Davis has the advantage with his Super Bowl MVP and his dominance in his eight playoff games. Henry is remembered as one of the greatest playoff running backs of all time, but it will be very difficult to topple Davis.
Justin Herbert is not a prime time quarterback
Overreaction or reality: Reality
Herbert had the opportunity to prove that his first playoff appearance was a product of circumstance rather than a narrative. That narrative only grew in Saturday’s playoff loss to the Texans, as Herbert finished 14 of 32 for 242 yards with one touchdown to four interceptions and a 40.9 passer rating — while the Chargers scored just one touchdown in the blowout loss.
Remove the fourth quarter touchdown pass from Ladd McConkey (86 yards), and Herbert is 13 of 31 for 146 yards and four interceptions. That’s a terrible performance for a quarterback who has 21,093 passing yards in five seasons.
Herbert had more interceptions in the wild-card round than he had all season (three). His playoff numbers aren’t great either, as Herbert has completed 52% of his passes for 515 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions (60.7 rating) in two playoff starts – 0-2 record.
This loss isn’t entirely Herbert’s fault, as the Chargers were 2-6 against playoff teams all season (and both wins were against the Broncos). Los Angeles was good enough to make the playoffs, but a player of Herbert’s caliber should be much better.
Two starts is a bit harsh to pass judgment on Herbert in the postseason, but the numbers and performance prove the narrative to be right.
CJ Stroud outlook changed for 2024 season with playoff victory
Overreaction or reality: Overreaction
Stroud deserves where credit is due, winning a playoff game for the second time in two seasons. The Texans were not expected to beat the Chargers after their good, but not great, regular season. Houston was supposed to be a Super Bowl AFC contender, but limped into the playoffs as a No. 4 seed.
Then the Texans knocked off the Chargers and advanced to the divisional round for the second year in a row. This was a major accomplishment for Stroud in his sophomore season, as he finished 22 of 33 for 282 yards with one touchdown and one interception (90.7 rating) in a convincing victory.
Winning playoff games isn’t easy, as Stroud is 2-1 in the playoffs. Does this erase his sophomore slump? Not yet, as Stroud and the Texans could emerge as a threat in the AFC for years to come if they win against the AFC. Chefs or the Ravens next week. Houston could avenge its playoff loss to Baltimore in last year’s divisional round (if Houston plays Baltimore), or Stroud and the Texans could play the Chiefs to show they’re ready to get serious contenders within the AFC.
Saturday’s win was impressive, but it’s time for the Texans to take the next step. Stroud certainly has the offensive talent to lead Houston to another playoff victory.