Kansas City Chiefs

NFL Playoffs: Phil Simms previews AFC games

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 6:51 p.m. ET

Fansided, Matt Verderame/Fansided

NFL on CBS lead analyst Phil Simms talks Patriots, Chiefs and the things we need to watch for this week in the AFC Divisional games.

The NFL playoffs didn’t live up to the Wild Card weekend billing. For the most part, these was little drama and intrigue, with the four home teams winning by comfortable margins. This weekend, things should change.

While the NFC has a pair of quality matchups, it’s the AFC that could have one of the biggest upsets in NFL history, and a showdown between two of the league’s top five teams in a tremendous atmosphere.

On Saturday night, Jim Nantz, Phil Simms and Tracy Wolfson will have the CBS call from Foxborough, where the New England Patriots will host the Houston Texans. For all the world, it appears the Patriots will reach their 11th conference title game under Bill Belichick, and fifth consecutive. Such a streak is unmatched in the Super Bowl era.

Still, Simms believes Houston can remain competitive because of its top-ranked defense, despite the absence of J.J. Watt. The Texans throttled the Oakland Raiders last Saturday, albeit with a crippled quarterback situation. Now, Houston has a chance to prove many doubters wrong, chiefly due to an underreated unit led by coordinator Romeo Crennel.

“When you’re talking about defense, defense always is something you can count on every week,” Simms said. “Offense is not going to roll all the time. That’s a big deal. Offense can truly have an off day but defense very seldom has off days. That’s what the Texans have to count on. They have to count on their defense and key players having a great day, not good days. They have to play great.”

On the other side, New England hopes to blow huge holes in the Houston defense. It won’t be easy considering the loss of Rob Gronkowski, who underwent back surgery in November, ending his season.

“Gronkowski not being there, he’s the number one threat for the Patriots, and that changes things somewhat,” Simms said. “Now you don’t have to worry about double-teaming tight ends in certain situations and that frees up someone. It’s a factor in New England’s offense and how they call plays. When you don’t have the best tight end in your disposal that changes who you are.”

On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers square off at Arrowhead Stadium. For Kansas City, a win would be the first postseason victory at home since 1993, when Joe Montana beat the Steelers.

For Simms, the Chiefs coming off a bye week matters both mentally and physically. While Pittsburgh had to play last Sunday in a win over the Miami Dolphins, Kansas City, and specifically one man, was waiting in the wings.

“Andy Reid is going to sit in the office and (laugh) because he’s the king of unique plays,” Simms stated. “He’s the king. He’s truly the king. Second to none.”

In his coaching career, Reid is 19-2 coming off a bye, including a 3-0 mark in the postseason. The Chiefs, long known for a ground-and-pound run game to compliment a solid defense, have evolved this season. Tyreek Hill is a large component of that, scoring touchdowns of more than 35 yards in three of Kansas City’s last four games. Yet it is more than only Hill, who is flanked by one of the emerging talents in the sport.

“Travis Kelce is a superstar, he’s just got to do it longer,” Simms said. “He’s really special running and catching the ball. he makes it look easier than any tight end than I’ve seen in a long time. He looks like Antonio Brown when he’s running but he’s 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds. It’s effortless and easy, and he’s dynamic with the ball in his hands. The other thing with Kelce being so good, and I don’t know the numbers, but my perception is that Alex Smith is looking more down the field more than he ever has in his Kansas City career.”

When the proverbial smoke clears, two of these four teams will be playing in the AFC Championship Game. In New England, that thought will be greeted with familiarity. In Pittsburgh or Kansas City, it will meet a fan base at full throat, hoping for a title. And in Houston, the idea would be met with sheer delirium.

Let the games begin.