Changes at the top of the AFC playoff seeding
Baltimore Ravens vs. San Francisco 49ers
Arguably the best game of the day was the Baltimore Ravens hosting the San Francisco 49ers. Both teams relied heavily on the run even more than usual as it continued to rain for most of the contest. Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson showed no signs of slowing down despite the drenched field as he ran for 101 yards and a touchdown on the day. He continued to juke defenders crashing downhill out of their shoes, breaking off chunk plays against a good 49ers defense.
San Francisco had a great day on the ground as well with backup running back Raheem Mostert carrying the ball 19 times for 146 yards including a 40-yard touchdown. It was clearly a game of old fashioned football—pounding the ball on the ground for both sides. The Ravens came away defeating the 49ers 20-17, and with some help from the Houston Texans defeating the New England Patriots on Sunday night, Baltimore takes the number one seed in the AFC. Baltimore once again proved that no matter who they are playing, they can come away with a victory and they carry an 8-game win streak.
New England Patriots vs. Houston Texans
Last week on Thursday Night Football, the Houston Texans struggled in a victory over the Indianapolis Colts to take over the AFC South. That changed significantly as they hosted the New England Patriots on Sunday night. With a final score of 28-22, the Texans dominated the Patriots on both sides of the ball for most of the night until some late garbage time points.
Deshaun Watson was back on track as a member of the second tier for the MVP discussion throwing 4 touchdowns on the day. He also added to the stat sheet catching a touchdown from wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. It was the first time all season that New England allowed 4 passing touchdowns. On the other side, Tom Brady struggled and was clearly frustrated despite padding his stats in garbage time late in the fourth quarter.