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2019 NFL Wild Card weekend: Top 5 takeaways from Round 1 of playoffs

By Peter Panacy

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 05: Michael Gallup #13 of the Dallas Cowboys comes down with the touchdown reception against Shaquill Griffin #26 of the Seattle Seahawks in the second quarter during the Wild Card Round at AT&T Stadium on January 05, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - JANUARY 05: Michael Gallup #13 of the Dallas Cowboys comes down with the touchdown reception against Shaquill Griffin #26 of the Seattle Seahawks in the second quarter during the Wild Card Round at AT&T Stadium on January 05, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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HOUSTON, TX – JANUARY 05: Marlon Mack #25 of the Indianapolis Colts runs the ball in the second quarter defended by Zach Cunningham #41 of the Houston Texans during the Wild Card Round at NRG Stadium on January 5, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX – JANUARY 05: Marlon Mack #25 of the Indianapolis Colts runs the ball in the second quarter defended by Zach Cunningham #41 of the Houston Texans during the Wild Card Round at NRG Stadium on January 5, 2019 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

No. 2: Don’t Sleep on the Colts and Chargers

Not surprisingly, most fans and pundits are now going to shift focus to teams like the New England Patriots, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints — each who had byes this NFL Wild Card round — as likely favorites to pull off a victory in Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta.

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    • Don’t tell that to the Colts and Chargers, however.

    It’s pretty amazing to think of the job Indianapolis quarterback Andrew Luck has done since returning from his elongated shoulder injury. While he only managed 222 pass yards and a passer rating of 88.3 in Houston, the presence of running back Marlon Mack makes Luck’s life all the more easy.

    Especially when Mack rushed for a whopping 148 yards and a touchdown against a Texans defense that allowed an average of 3.4 yards per carry this season, best in the NFL.

    Similarly, Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers wasn’t exactly stellar with his efforts in Baltimore, going 22-of-32 for a mere 160 yards and a passer rating of 80.2. And the Ravens managed to hold running back Melvin Gordon, who has emerged as one of the league’s best, to a mere 2.4 yards per carry and 40 rush yards in total.

    Instead, both teams’ defenses completely shut down their opponents’ offensive plans. It’s good for both teams to know, that when their offenses are going flat, defenses can carry the day.

    One could argue both the Colts and Chargers are the most complete teams moving onto the divisional round a week from now.