CHICAGO (AP) — Maybe it was the absence of all those high-powered offenses on byes.Perhaps it was the jitters for some younger teams Cheap Alize Mack Youth Jersey , particularly their quarterbacks: Deshaun Watson, Mitchell Trubisky and Lamar Jackson.Or maybe defense actually still has a place in the NFL, especially in the playoffs.The most points anyone scored during wild-card weekend, when only Dallas won at home, was 24 by the Cowboys. In total, 145 points were scored, an average of 36.2 per game. The Chiefs averaged 35.3 all by themselves this season.As Nick Foles — St. Nick in Philly for his clutch work as a relief pitcher and, oh yes, as a Super Bowl champion — observed following the Eagles‘ 16-15 comeback escape in Chicago : “Our defense really kept us in this game. It was a hard-fought defensive battle tonight and we were able to come up big in the end.”Or as coach Anthony Lynn noted following the Chargers‘ 23-17 win at Baltimore in which Los Angeles forced three turnovers and held the Ravens to 229 total yards, 90 on the ground: “Our defense was outstanding. We held that team down to 100 yards rushing. No one has played that team the way our defense played today. I was really impressed with the way our defense stepped up.”All the winning defenses will need to step up a few more rungs next weekend. Consider that aside from the Chiefs scoring 565 points this season, the Rams got 527, the Saints 504 and the Patriots 436. All of them will be at home.The Colts (11-6) head to Kansas City (12-4) on Saturday, followed by the Cowboys (11-6) at the Rams (13-3). On Sunday, the Chargers (13-4) are at the Patriots (11-5), while the Eagles, who lost 48-7 at the Saints during the season, finish off the divisional round at New Orleans (13-3).While the NFL loves to tout all the scoring records set during the 2018 season, all of the yards gained and general wide-openness of weekly contests, when it comes down to deciding who winds up in the conference title games Youth Josh LeRibeus Jersey , maybe the guys trying to stop those video-game offenses will have a say.It’s unlikely that any of the wild-card victors can win a Super Bowl without being balanced. The Eagles will need to play far better defense in the Big Easy or Drew Brees will have, well, an easy time picking apart a secondary playing mostly backups. The Chargers likely will require more than 24 points to succeed in Foxborough, where the Patriots had the NFL’s only unbeaten home record this season.Dallas needs more offensive imagination and another huge performance against the run to win at L.A. Only Indianapolis, which was superb on both sides of the ball at Houston, displayed enough of the formula needed to get the conference championship game.Then again, the Colts must slow down All-Pro quarterback Patrick Mahomes and crew at Arrowhead Stadium.“We’re not worried about who’s on the other side,” said Colts rookie linebacker Darius Leonard, himself an All-Pro. “We always talk about whoever’s playing on the opposite side is gray matter. So we’re always talking about doing what we can do and controlling what we can control, and that is going out, playing each play, play by play and going from there.”What about the four teams coming off byes? Which ones are best suited to come up with a solid defensive showing?The two most suspect are the Chiefs and Rams. Sure, KC averaged all those points weekly. It also yielded 26.3, including 43, 54, 29 and 38 in its losses, and the 421 points opponents scored by far were the most any playoff team surrendered. The Rams allowed 384, easily the most of any NFC postseason qualifier; L.A. had seven games in which it allowed at least 30 points.New England also can be vulnerable on defense even though it’s been stingy at times when it comes to giving up touchdowns. The Patriots aren’t a force in the pass rush and against quality quarterbacks the linebackers and secondary have had trouble in coverage.New Orleans probably has the most well-rounded roster, with some standouts on defense to accompany Brees and All-Pro receiver Michael Thomas and the terrific running back duo of Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram.And don’t think defense won’t be needed through the rest of January and into February. The Browns were just a kick away.Well White Bobby Hebert Jersey , maybe a few kicks, not to mention a defensive penalty that revived a New Orleans touchdown drive, as well as an interception that set up another Saints score in the waning minutes.Even with all those critical, untimely mistakes, Cleveland could have forced overtime if Zane Gonzalez had managed to compartmentalize an earlier missed field goal — and two missed extra points — when he lined up for a 52-yard try in the final seconds.Gonzalez pushed it wide, and the Browns fell 21-18 in New Orleans to extend their winless streak to 19 games.Yet the performance also demonstrated how close Cleveland is to breaking back into the win column."Our players, as I told them afterward, 'There is a good team in that (locker) room,'" Browns coach Hue Jackson said. "There is no doubt in my mind about that."We've just got to make sure we are doing the right things all of the time to give us a chance."The Browns head into Week 3 with one loss and one tie, but with reasons for optimism. They are just a few plays away from being 2-0. In Week 1, they set up for a winning field goal in overtime against Pittsburgh , only to have it blocked.The Saints (1-1), meanwhile, are evidently unsatisfied with how their season has begun. Their defense struggled in a 48-40 Week 1 loss to Tampa Bay. In Week 2, the offense managed only a field goal through three quarters and change against Cleveland before rallying for 18 points inside the final nine minutes. If not for safety Marcus Williams' interception of Tyrod Taylor with just less than five minutes to go, the Saints might have become the first team to lose to the Browns since Dec. 24, 2016."I'm encouraged we won, but let's not kid ourselves," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "We have a lot to do to improve."Some story lines emerging from New Orleans' narrow triumph over Cleveland:WILLIAMS' WAYGregg Williams Bobby Hebert Jersey 2019 , a the Saints defensive coordinator from 2009-11, was caught on the HBO series Hard Knocks boasting that he turned down numerous jobs to take over as defensive coordinator in Cleveland. Now everyone can see why.Drew Brees and the Saints had their hands full with a Browns defense that forced two turnovers — fumbled by receivers Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn Jr. — and came up with three drive-stalling sacks. Tackle Larry Ogunjobi sacked Brees twice, blitzing cornerback T.J. Carrie got to Brees on another third down, and Ogunjobi would have had another in the fourth quarter if not for Derrick Kindred's illegal contact penalty."He did a good job," Payton said of Williams. "They always give you challenging looks. ... They have some good young players that played well."ONE-TWO PUNCHThrough Week 2, it's apparent that the Saints are relying heavily on Thomas and running back Alvin Kamara to carry the load.Thomas had 12 catches for 89 yards and both Saints touchdowns, giving him 28 catches for 269 yards and three TDs through two games."With a player of my caliber and the guy behind center and the offensive line and all the tools around me, I'm going to catch a lot of footballs. I'm going to get open. I've been doing that my whole life," Thomas said. "So now what can I do to add value to this team and take the next step?"Kamara had 99 yards from scrimmage, including 53 receiving on six catches to go with his successful run on a 2-point conversion. Kamara now has 240 yards from scrimmage and three TDs.BIG-PLAY CALLOWAYA day after the Browns announced they were formally giving up on deep-threat receiver Josh Gordon, rookie Antonio Calloway offered evidence he could grow into a similar type of play maker, racing past the Saints' secondary for a 47-yard touchdown catch from Taylor on a fourth-and-5 play with 1:16 to go. It could have been a go-ahead score, but Gonzalez hooked the extra point wide left."Those are plays we truly believe he can make," Jackson said.HILL COUNTRYPerhaps third-string QB is the wrong title for New Orleans' Taysom Hill. He became a regular on special teams late last season on kick coverage. Against Cleveland, he debuted as kickoff returner — and there's every reason to believe he'll get another shot. After Cleveland's first three kickoffs went for touchbacks, Hill decided to return the fourth from 7 yards deep in the end zone. He burst through a seam and sprinted out of the Saints 40 before being tripped up."It was a good return," Payton said. "He's explosive."