Whats happened to home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs?
Since 2004, AFC home teams are only 12-11 in the playoffs. In the divisional round, AFC home teams, refreshed with a bye week, are only 5-4. The Colts lost two years ago at home in the divisional round to the Chargers. On paper, you’d have to figure that the trend should change this year. The Jets will try to match a rookie quarterback and a low-scoring running attack against Rivers and the high-scoring Chargers. The Ravens lost a home game to the Colts in November and now must win in Indianapolis to advance. In recent years, great quarterbacks have given the road teams an edge in the divisional round. Tom Brady, Manning, Rivers and Joe Flacco — who beat Kerry Collins and the Titans in the playoffs last year — were the quarterbacks who pulled off road wins in the divisional round. In 2009, it’s all about the quarterbacks, and the Colts and Chargers have the better quarterbacks, plus the home crowd. 2. How healthy are the teams going into next week’s games? All four teams are in reaso
