RUNNING THROUGH THE POSTSEASON:
The AFC’s No. 1 seed, the BALTIMORE RAVENS (14-2), led the NFL with 3,296 rushing yards in the regular season, the most by a team in a single season in NFL history. The TENNESSEE TITANS (10-7) ranked third in the league with 2,223 rushing yards in 2019, led by the NFL’s leading rusher DERRICK HENRY, who rushed for 1,540 yards this season.
This marks the fourth time the team with the top rushing offense met the team with the league’s leading rusher in the postseason in the Super Bowl era. In each of the matchups, the team with the league’s leading rusher has won.
Postseason matchups between the league’s top rushing offense and leading rusher in the Super Bowl era:
| ROUND | TOP RUSHING OFFENSE | RUSHING YARDS | NFL LEADING RUSHER | TEAM | RUSHING YARDS |
| 2018 Wild Card | Seattle | 73 | Ezekiel Elliot | Dallas | 137 |
| Super Bowl XXVII | Buffalo | 108 | Emmitt SmithHOF | Dallas | 108 |
| 1978 Divisional | New England | 83 | Earl CampbellHOF | Houston Oilers | 118 |
| 2019 Divisional | Baltimore | ?? | Derrick Henry | Tennessee | ?? |
On Wild Card Weekend, Henry rushed for 182 yards and a touchdown in Tennessee’s 20-13 victory over New England. With at least 150 rushing yards on Saturday, Henry would join Pro Football Hall of Famers MARCUS ALLEN (three games), TERRELL DAVIS (two) and FRANCO HARRIS (two), as well as LE’VEON BELL (two) as the only players to rush for at least 150 yards in consecutive postseason games in NFL history.
Henry has rushed for 366 yards in his first three career postseason games. With at least 134 rushing yards on Saturday, Henry would become the third player to rush for at least 500 yards in their first four career postseason games in NFL history.
The players with the most rushing yards in their first four career postseason games in NFL history:
| PLAYER | TEAM | RUSHING YARDS | |
| Terrell DavisHOF | Denver | 515 | |
| Arian Foster | Houston | 515 | |
| Fred Taylor | Jacksonville | 493 | |
| John RigginsHOF | Washington | 474 | |
| Eric DickersonHOF | Los Angeles Rams | 470 | |
| Derrick Henry | Tennessee | 366* | |
| *In three games | |||
NEW ERA OF QBs:
Sunday afternoon’s game featuring Houston quarterback DESHAUN WATSON (24 years, 120 days old) and Kansas City quarterback PATRICK MAHOMES (24 years, 117 days old) marks the third matchup in the Divisional Round between two quarterbacks under the age of 25 in the Super Bowl era.
Divisional Round matchups between starting quarterbacks under the age of 25 in the Super Bowl era:
| SEASON | HOME TEAM | QUARTERBACK | VISITOR | QUARTERBACK | RESULT |
| 1985 | Miami | Dan MarinoHOF | Cleveland | Bernie Kosar | MIA 24, CLE 21 |
| 2000 | Minnesota | Daunte Culpepper | New Orleans | Aaron Brooks | MIN 34, NO 16 |
| 2019 | Kansas City | Patrick Mahomes | Houston | Deshaun Watson | ?? |
In a 22-19 overtime victory over Buffalo on Wild Card Weekend, Watson completed 20 of 25 pass attempts (80 percent) for 247 yards and a touchdown and added 55 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
If Watson, who rushed for 76 yards on Wild Card Weekend in 2018, rushes for at least 50 yards on Sunday against Kansas City (3:05 PM ET, CBS), he would become the first quarterback with at least 50 rushing yards in three consecutive postseason games in NFL history.
