NFL Wild-Card Saturday 2024 Takeaways: What's Next for MIA and KC?
The NFL postseason is where legends go to shine or disappear.
During Saturday's wild-card action, the Cleveland Browns traveled to the Houston Texans, while the Miami Dolphins found themselves in frigid Kansas City to face Patrick Mahomes and Co.
In H-town, the legend of C.J. Stroud began to grow. Stroud just may be the best rookie quarterback in NFL history, and he didn't disappoint during his first playoff appearance.
Conversely, the Joe Flacco's Cinderella story included a disappointing final chapter, where the Browns were left wondering about the quarterback position...again.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs and Dolphins played in the fourth-coldest postseason game in NFL history.
The Chiefs' No. 1 target is no longer named Travis Kelce, and that's a good thing. Whereas the Dolphins must reassess which direction they're going, particularly at quarterback, after clearly struggling to deal with the conditions during postseason action.
With weather affecting multiple games this season, Saturday's action provided the perfect setting to see a young star shine as well as a memorable environment with two teams trying to overcome one of the most difficult situations a squad can endure.
Joe Flacco Run Was Fun, but Browns Are Back Where They Started
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It's time to start over for the Cleveland Browns once again.
They'll be entering Year 3 with Deshaun Watson as their supposed franchise quarterback with few signs that he'll ever return to the player who once led the NFL in passing yardage during the 2020 regular season.
Considering Watson didn't play during the following year, he'll be asked to return to elite status four years after the fact. And that's exactly what the expectations should be after trading multiple draft picks, including three first-round selections, for Watson and signing the quarterback to the most guaranteed money in NFL history.
The possibility of Joe Flacco competing for the job next season completely evaporated with Saturday's embarrassing 45-14 loss to the Houston Texans in the first round of the postseason.
Flacco set the world on fire upon taking the reins of the offense, becoming the first quarterback in Browns franchise history to throw for 300 or more yards in four straight games. He led a surging Cleveland squad beset with injuries and helped them to the AFC's second-best record.
His performance Saturday will not be forgotten for all the wrong reasons. The 38-year-old quarterback threw pick-sixes on back-to-back third quarter drives. To be fair, Derek Barnett blasted him on the first one. Still, the game quickly spiraled out of control, with the score escalating from 24-14 to 38-14 in a matter of two minutes.
Cleveland's only hope to realize the full potential of a talented roster will be for Watson to look like the version that showed up against the Tennessee Titans and the second half of the Baltimore Ravens game. He needs to stay healthy, though, particularly after requiring shoulder surgery on this throwing side.
Nick Chubb's return from a season-ending knee injury will help significantly, as will healthy offensive tackles. But the Browns' future lies in what happens at quarterback. Flacco helped provide a glimpse of the what the team can be.
There's still plenty left for Watson and the Browns to prove if they're going to come anywhere close to reaching the Super Bowl-contender expectations Cleveland set for itself based on what it spent to acquire his services.
Houston Texans Remain Dangerous Because of C.J. Stroud, Bobby Slowik
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C.J. Stroud isn't a typical rookie quarterback. He met every expectation this season and exceeded them.
In the last case of doubting what the first-year signal-caller could do against the NFL's top-ranked defense, Stroud set rookie postseason records with 236 passing yards and three touchdown throws in the first half of Saturday's 45-14 victory over the Cleveland Browns.
Stroud deftly navigated the pocket with subtle movement to avoid pressure or create enough space not to be rattled by the Browns' pressure packages. Amazingly, a front that feature Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett didn't sack Stroud once.
While the quarterback wasn't perfect, he made multiple big-time throws, including a 38-yard pass to Nico Collins to set up the game's first score and a 37-yard touchdown toss to tight end Dalton Schultz.
As good as Stroud was, his offensive coordinator, Bobby Slowik, may have been better. The play-caller was in his bag, taking full advantage of an overaggressive defense. Throughout the season, Stroud and Co. struggled more against man coverage. Slowik countered with misdirection plays.
For example, Collins' 15-yard touchdown began as a fake screen to the right. The defense began to flow toward the pulling lineman. Stroud quickly pivoted and found Collins open behind left tackle Laremy Tunsil, with a one-on-one block in space against a defensive back. Tunsil won, easily.
Houston got Cleveland flowing and playing up field, targeted areas behind those defenders, and the secondary struggled to match up against the man-beaters.
The combination of Slowik and Stroud will make the Texans difficult to beat in the next round of the playoffs, because the coach brings strong play designs while his quarterback is more than talented enough to create when everything isn't perfect.
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins Must Find Ways to Endure Playoff Weather
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The Miami Dolphins aren't built for playoff football.
Unless the team finds a way to maintain home-field advantage in the future, it's difficult to envision this squad being a real threat despite all of the chunk plays it creates throughout the regular season.
The Dolphins want to play fast and free. Postseason play gets tight and cold and difficult.
Miami's squad looked miserable playing in the fourth-coldest game in NFL postseason history. The Kansas City Chiefs, meanwhile, played aggressive and fast. The Dolphins offense managed 137 fewer yards than they averaged throughout the regular season.
Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa once again failed to perform well in cold conditions. The Hawai'i native played at Alabama before making his way to Miami. He told reporters last week he had never participated in a game under 20 degrees.
"It was different," the quarterback admitted after playing in negative temperatures throughout Saturday's 26-7 loss.
Since entering the NFL, a Tagovailoa-led team hadn't won a game when the kickoff temperature dipped below 45 degrees. The fourth-year pro didn't help matters by completing 51.3 percent of his passes with a touchdown toss and interception.
Running backs Raheem Mostert and DeVon Achane combined for an average of 3.0 yards per carry. Steve Spagnuolo's defense played aggressive and flew to the football. The unit overwhelmed Tagovailoa and allowed only one big play downfield.
For Miami, it now becomes a question of how the Dolphins build moving forward. Tagovailoa will operate under his fifth-year rookie option. However, the quarterback could also negotiate a long-term contract extension—if Miami's front office chooses to do so.
Considering Tagovailoa's previous injury concerns and the quarterback not handling late-season situations well, the Dolphins should pump the brakes on negotiations until possibly next offseason.
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New No. 1 Target Emerges for Kansas City Chiefs
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Move over Travis Kelce, a new favorite target has been found in Kansas City.
The Chiefs struggled at points during regular season, because their offense lacked a true threat at wide receiver. As the first couple of months went by and the weather grew colder, rookie Rashee Rice started to earn the trust of quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Now, Rice has developed into a full-blown threat after a career performance during Saturday's 26-7 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
In subzero conditions, Rice showed he can still be a reliable option. This year's 55th overall draft pick contributed 130 receiving yards. More importantly, Mahomes targeted him a team-high 12 times.
Over the past seven games, the rookie either outright led or tied for the team lead in targets among Kansas City's wide receivers and tight ends. He has more targets than Kelce in each of the past four contests.
No one is downplaying how effective Kelce remains or what he means to the offense. In Rice's case, he's getting open and creating after the catch. Realistically, Kelce's importance is creating opportunities for Rice, and he's making defenses pay.
"You saw today some of those coverages where they were doubling [Kelce] or putting a lot of attention on Trav, he was able to make some stuff happen like on that shallow cross," the two-time league MVP told reporters last month. "He's a guy who wants it. I think that's the biggest thing. He wants to be great. But it's going to take us staying on top of it every single week and he's going to be a great receiver in this league."
The Chiefs won a Super Bowl because they were able to adjust without Tyreek Hill. Mahomes improved and became a more complete quarterback, with a improved understanding of where to go with the ball instead of relaying on a unique talent to consistently make plans.
Kansas City's offense continues to evolve. Kelce remains a primary threat. Running back Isiah Pacheco softens up the defense. At the same time, Rice is now the target making opponents pay. To that point, all 12 of Rice's targets came against the Dolphins' off-coverage with 80s yards after the catch, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
The Chiefs easily overcame frozen conditions Saturday and looked better than they have throughout a good portion of the regular season. If this continues, Kansas City may be far more of a threat to repeat as champions than initially believed.
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