One burning question for each AFC playoff team

The playoffs are upon us, as there are 14 teams in contention for a championship. These teams have fought valiantly to enter into the tournament, but Super Bowl championships are won in February, so the previous game results no longer matter. Today’s focus will be on the seven teams in the AFC, & what needs to happen (or not happen) in order for each of them to glorify themselves forever in football history. Teams will be listed in order from highest to lowest seeding in the playoff format. Without further ado, let’s see what each team must do in order to win in February.

Ravens

When does TE Mark Andrews make his return?

The Ravens designated TE Mark Andrews to return from injured reserve on Friday. This means that the team just activated their 21-day window in which they’re required to make a decision upon whether or not to bring him back on the roster. That’s huge news for a loaded Ravens squad looking to make noise in the playoffs. TE Isaiah Likely has stepped up big time in Andrews’ stead, but having the two of them healthy on the field at the same time would give defenses serious problems. OC Todd Monken loves having two tight ends on the field, dating back to his days at Georgia when he had Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington tearing up defenses.

Bills

Can they weather their storm of turnovers?

Say what you will about Josh Allen’s greatness, but the man is a turnover machine. His career turnover total is 102 in 94 games, an average of more than one per game. Allen was starting to turn the ball over at a much lower rate though since the firing of former OC Ken Dorsey…. until last week’s game against the Dolphins happened. The Dolphins defense generated three turnovers, but they still lost their matchup. It’s going to be a tall order to win like that again against other playoff contenders.

Chiefs

Will road games play a factor in their success?

Patrick Mahomes has never played in a road playoff game in his seven-year career. That’s because the Chiefs typically locked up the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the playoffs. Not this year though, as the team may play a road game(s) if they advance this week. Arrowhead Stadium has provided an incredible home field advantage for the Chiefs during their dominant Super Bowl runs, but can the team win without that benefit? Will their much maligned offense be able to maintain their composure on the road?

Texans

How much further can they expect to advance?

Nobody expected the Texans to be here, with a first year head coach and rookie QB. That doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve to be here however, as the team won their division by defeating the Colts 23-19 in a de-facto road playoff game last weekend. QB CJ Stroud has been phenomenal, as he’s the favorite to win Rookie of the Year. Shoot, DeMeco Ryan is in the running to win the AP NFL Coach of the Year award. It’s been a great year for the Texans, but how much longer will the magical run last?

Browns

Is Joe Flacco able to stiff arm Father Time again?

We’ve seen this movie before from Joe Flacco, as he had an incredible Super Bowl run with the Ravens in 2012 throwing for 1,140 yards & 11 TDs in four playoff games. Now 11 years older, will the crafty veteran be able to catch lighting in a bottle again? Flacco has a 10-5 career playoff record, but he hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2015. He’s already exceeded all expectations as a surprising mid-November signing, but another Super Bowl run would certainly cement his legacy as a clutch quarterback.

Dolphins

Are they able to beat multiple contending teams?

Writer Jacob Camenker at The Sporting News beat me to the punch when it comes to describing the Dolphins failures against contenders in his piece published here. Jacob Camenker published his piece on the same morning that I will publish mine. Anyways, the Dolphins have a 1-5 record against playoff teams, and they’re fresh off of an awful 21-14 loss to the Bills in which the AFC East division title was on the line. Things are not looking good for the Dolphins as they prepare to play in “dangerously cold temperatures” at Arrowhead Stadium versus the Chiefs in the Wild Card round. Can they rewrite the script and win a road playoff game against a playoff contender?

Steelers

Does Mason Rudolph have what it takes to win?

No offense to Mason Rudolph, but he is the worst starting QB amongst contenders. That’s “on paper” of course, so it’s up to him to prove us all wrong moving forward. Also, the Steelers will be without star pass rusher TJ Watt this weekend, which puts even more pressure on the offense to carry the load in their game against the Bills. Pittsburgh is a heavy underdog against the Bills, but their script isn’t written just yet. Can Mason Rudolph lead them to pull off several road upsets in an epic playoff run?