On the surface, the four remaining teams in the NFL playoffs signify the importance of having a franchise quarterback. But it’s not that simple when it comes to forming a championship-caliber roster.
What Jayden Daniels did in his two playoff victories isn’t normal for a rookie quarterback. He’s clearly a superstar, but his roster with the Washington Commanders supposedly had no chance of beating the Detroit Lions, a No. 1 seed with a stacked offense.
The Commanders’ new regime planted the seeds in the offseason by finding players who would fit well in Kliff Kingsbury’s offensive scheme and Dan Quinn’s defensive scheme. They spent wisely in free agency, focusing on fit rather than star power. It also helped that Washington had a strong idea the Chicago Bears would take Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick, making it obvious that Daniels would be there for the taking at No. 2, giving the team a head start with building the roster properly. The offseason vision of cohesion and complementary football was on full display during the Commanders’ shocking 45–31 playoff victory in Detroit, with veteran newcomers Austin Ekeler, Zach Ertz, Bobby Wagner, Frankie Luvu, Dorance Armstrong and many others executing clutch plays.
As for another deeper look, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts struggled again to connect with A.J. Brown, but his mobility frustrated the Los Angeles Rams, who already had the headache of dealing with Saquon Barkley.
For Lamar Jackson, having a workhorse back in Derrick Henry didn’t do him many favors in the Baltimore Ravens’ loss to the Buffalo Bills. Jackson failed to protect the football and the offense didn’t execute on two critical two-point conversions. Josh Allen didn’t need a Superman-like performance—just a clean, efficient outing for a roster that’s heard constant criticism of lacking a No. 1 wideout and being too small defensively.
Patrick Mahomes also doesn’t have a deep roster of star players to work with on offense, but the Kansas City Chiefs have their own unique formula for winning games—even though many prefer to focus on the questionable calls instead of Kansas City’s dominant defense against the Houston Texans.
Star quarterbacks give you better odds of advancing in the playoffs, but there’s more to success than just one position. Winning in the postseason is reliant on roster construction and playing in sync offensively, along with a complementary defense. Kansas City, Philadelphia, Washington and Buffalo all advanced to championship weekend thanks to stellar defensive performances.
Here’s what else we learned during the divisional round.
Bills' defense stout enough to contain Jackson, Henry
The Bills' defense was the target of much skepticism coming into this matchup after it was gashed by Henry for 199 rushing yards in a 35–10 defeat back in Week 4. As it turned out on Sunday, those doubts from the outside may have fueled Buffalo’s motivation.
Allen mentioned in his post-game TV interview how it was fitting that the defense stepped up to send them to the AFC championship game because the players were tired of hearing about how they wouldn’t be able to slow down the Ravens’ juggernaut offense.
Yes, the Bills failed to keep the Ravens out of the end zone on their final drive and caught a break with the drop by Mark Andrews on the two-point conversion attempt, but they made the necessary plays to not allow an explosive offense to gain a rhythm for long stretches. Jackson (18-of-25, 254 yards, two TDs) struggled early with an interception to Taylor Rapp and a lost fumble that was forced by Damar Hamlin and recovered by Von Miller, which led to a touchdown for the Bills.
This game was hyped up to be a battle between MVP quarterbacks, but it was the Bills’ defense that delivered the clutch plays, making life easier for Allen (16-of-22, 127 yards, two rushing TDs), who’s had to carry the team at times this season. In the first meeting, the Bills didn’t have linebackers Matt Milano and Terrel Bernard or cornerback Taron Johnson. All three played a part in holding Henry to 84 yards rushing yards on Sunday. Henry eventually got going, and Baltimore finished the game with 416 total yards, but the Bills did the hard work. They just needed a little help from Andrews at the end.
Not many envisioned this kind of performance from the Bills, but perhaps it means they’re saving Allen’s best for Kansas City next weekend.
Rams need to build depth at various levels to hang with Eagles
The Rams have lost three consecutive games to the Eagles the past two seasons with one common pattern emerging—besides being unable to set the edge against Barkley, who punished them for 205 rushing yards in the 28–22 loss Sunday.
Los Angeles always seemed to be one step behind in all three games, making one-score deficits seem bigger than they were because Philadelphia was just better in most areas. The only position the Rams might have the edge over the Eagles is at quarterback because Matthew Stafford is a better passer than Hurts, but Hurts makes up for that with his mobility. And it’s not even a given that the 36-year-old Stafford will be back next season because there’s a looming dilemma with his contract only having $4 million guaranteed for 2025.
The Rams found creative and frugal ways to stay competitive while repairing a salary cap that got messy from the all-in moves that paid off with a Super Bowl in 2021. GM Les Snead and coach Sean McVay deserve a ton of credit for rebuilding on the fly and quickly shaping another core group with stud receiver Puka Nacua and a stacked defensive line led by rookie edge rusher Jared Verse. But even the Rams’ strength of being loaded with pass rushers wasn’t enough because the Eagles’ defenders were better, led by a dominant performance from star defensive tackle Jalen Carter.
The Rams have reached a ceiling with this group that features youth and holdover veterans from the Super Bowl-winning squad. Now it’s time to finish building the defense by adding pieces at linebacker, especially ones stout against the run, and in the secondary. Also, the Rams have issues along the offensive line with right tackle Rob Havenstein getting older and dealing with injuries throughout the season. Also, left tackle Alaric Jackson is scheduled for free agency, and there are a few holes on the interior due to the free-agency whiff with offensive lineman Jonah Jackson.
The Eagles are set at all these positions, and that’s why they were once again one step ahead of the Rams as they returned to the NFC title game for the second time in three years.
Lions have no choice but to make it work with Jared Goff
Jared Goff had a brutal four-turnover performance at the worst time, shedding light on his limitations as a quarterback. He’s done enough to be a reliable franchise quarterback, but he’s not a star signal-caller, making it harder for the Lions to reach the Super Bowl for the first time in team history.
They’re going to have to wait at least another year after their stunning postseason exit against the Commanders, but don’t expect them to make a change at quarterback. The Lions have no choice but to see this through with Goff, which they shouldn’t have any problem with because his play has gotten better every season he’s been in Detroit. Goff has taken the franchise to new heights, but the Lions are now in the territory that often requires a superstar quarterback. For every Nick Foles–led Super Bowl, many follow for teams led by all-time greats like Mahomes and Tom Brady.
The San Francisco 49ers ran into this problem with stacked rosters for Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Purdy—two above-average-level quarterbacks who orchestrated lengthy playoff runs only to lose to Mahomes’s Chiefs in multiple Super Bowls. To the 49ers’ credit, they found ways to extend their Super Bowl window with shrewd free agency moves and hitting on draft picks at other positions. But they’re going to have to retool again after fatigue and injuries got the best of them this past season.
The Lions will have to follow a similar path with Goff, and look to find ways to improve an already stacked roster around him. While Goff floundered in the season’s biggest game, the rest of the roster didn’t do him any favors, with a shorthanded defense that couldn’t generate stops without their injured key players. If Goff protected the football, perhaps the shootout with the Commanders would have kept going until the final minutes. Goff has already proved he’s capable of leading a No. 1 scoring offense and has won multiple playoff games for two different franchises.
But having to be perfect around the limited quarterback could sometimes be just as hard as landing the franchise quarterback—just ask the 49ers or Rams, who won a title immediately after ditching Goff for Stafford.
Chiefs’ defense appears ready for another Super Bowl
The Chiefs again benefited from a few questionable calls, and Mahomes and his offense had another sluggish outing. But lost between these two story lines in the aftermath of Kansas City’s 23–14 victory against the Texans was another dominant defensive performance from a unit that helped this team win back-to-back Super Bowls.
Even this wild stat has gotten more attention than the Chiefs’ defense: The Texans are the first team to lose a playoff game after not turning the ball over and outgaining their opponent by more than 100 yards (336–212). Previous such teams were 49–0 in the playoffs.
This stat added more fuel to the conspiracy theories that claim NFL officials aim to help the Chiefs in games. Let’s get this out of the way first: Yes, the Chiefs benefit from many questionable calls, but they also win many of these close games because they’re often the most prepared when it comes to situational football and they’re armed with a superstar quarterback and a dominant defense.
Now, let’s put the spotlight on the Chiefs’ defense for a change. The Texans made history because they managed to score only one touchdown. Kansas City hit C.J. Stroud 14 times and had eight sacks, including three from George Karlaftis. That was an elite performance from a championship-caliber defense that’s on the doorstep of another Super Bowl appearance.
Perhaps what the Chiefs displayed Saturday would have cost them against a team with more offensive weapons—even with those beneficial calls. Joe Mixon recorded 88 of the Texans’ 149 rushing yards, but Stroud struggled to get the passing game with a thin group of pass catchers.
But too many times we’ve seen the Chiefs win with a dominant defensive performance and the two-man show of Mahomes and Travis Kelce on the offensive side. They may need more playmakers to step up in the AFC title game, but the Chiefs usually find a way to make it work with a not-so-pretty formula.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as What We Learned in NFL Divisional Round: Defenses Stepped Up to Help Star QBs.