Wow!

The Texans’ first play could not have gone much worse. John Metchie caught a short pass and immediately fumbled, giving the ball back up to the Chargers.

Los Angeles now has the ball in Houston territory with a 3-0 lead.

The Chargers had a 3rd-and-1 from the Texans’ 14-yard line, but a J.K. Dobbins run was stuffed for a loss of two so Los Angeles decided to kick.

It was a nice drive until then, with the Chargers picking up 57 yards in 10 plays, moving the ball with relative ease.

Los Angeles now leads 3-0.

Here we go! The Texans have kicked off to the Chargers and the playoffs are underway.

Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles offense will get started from their own 27.

Look, I don’t expect any of the coaches who lose this weekend to be fired. This is a very good playoff field. But Harbaugh is getting another year of MVP-caliber play from Jackson and can’t afford to squander that with a loss to a sliding Steelers squad. Every time Lamar suits up in the playoffs between now and when he wins a Super Bowl, there are going to be questions about whether or not he can get it done in the postseason. And while those struggles (however real or ginned up) are not entirely on Harbaugh, I think he has the most to lose with an early exit. 

Football fans outside of Baltimore are probably tired of hearing it, but this might finally be the Ravens’ year. They were arguably second to only Detroit on offense this season, and tightened up significantly on defense down the stretch. Jackson could win his third MVP. Coach Harbaugh has seen everything. You do not want to play the Ravens this postseason.

Tomlin's last playoff came on Jan. 15, 2017. This isn’t to suggest that a fifth consecutive playoff loss would endanger Tomlin’s job; he is the rare institution in a league that churns through coaches. And yet, this season has been a microcosm of his 18-season career coaching the Steelers.

After making all the right moves early, it’s been a backslide as of late. This fall, the midseason switch from Justin Fields to Russell Wilson looked like a masterstroke at quarterback — until they limped into wild-card weekend with a four-game losing streak.

It’s hard not to be romantic about these two teams.

I know Pittsburgh is entering the playoffs on a four-game losing streak, but I’m all for a matchup featuring two physical, cold-weather teams that already have a built-in dislike for one another.

Add in the funkiness associated with divisional games, I believe we could get a close one even if Baltimore is the much better team on paper.

The Steelers also provide a promising beginning to the narrative arc if this is finally the year Lamar Jackson makes a Super Bowl.

Jackson could do worse than beating a formidable AFC North rival in the opening round, not to mention knocking off Russell Wilson, who even in the later part of his career deserves respect for his postseason resumé.

Whether it’s an upset or a smash-mouth game between bitter rivals, the spectrum of outcomes here is great. 

Houston defensive end Danielle Hunter has a sack in each of his past four postseason games. With a sack against the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday, Hunter would become the seventh player since 1982 to record a sack in five consecutive postseason games.

The players with the most consecutive postseason games with a sack since 1982:

LaMarr Woodley, Pittsburgh, 7 (2007-10)

Mark Gastineau, N.Y. Jets, 6 (1982-86)

Frank Clark, Seattle, Kansas City, 5 (2016-19)

Willie McGinest, New England, 5 (2001-03)

Simeon Rice, Tampa Bay, 5 (2001-05)

Bruce Smith, Buffalo, 5 (1992-93)

Baltimore tight end Mark Andrews has a touchdown catch in each of his past six games. With a touchdown on Saturday against Pittsburgh, he would become the fourth tight end ever with a touchdown reception in seven consecutive games including the postseason:

Jimmy Graham, New Orleans Saints (eight consecutive games from 2011-12)

Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots (eight from 2014-15)

Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs (seven from 2021-22)