As many of us were celebrating Christmas and the holidays, the NFL playoff picture was nearly set. The last of the wild card spots were clinched, but there are still seedings and division titles to be determined. I know this isn’t much of an exposition, but it’s only because the season is almost over. Let’s briefly recap the games from this week.
COWBOYS 30 – COMMANDERS 23
The Dallas Cowboys seem committed to trying to end the season with a non-losing record as they beat the Washington Commanders. Dak Prescott ended up completing 19 of 37 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns. It may not matter to some people to finish the season with a non-losing record, but it does for the Cowboys. They’ll need to beat the Giants next week to avoid their first time they’ve had consecutive losing seasons since the first part of the 21st century. As for the Commanders, there have been no reports saying that coach Dan Quinn is in the hot seat. Injuries took their toll on the Commanders this season, but that doesn’t mean coach Quinn is in the clear. They finish the season against the Eagles next week.
LIONS 10 – VIKINGS 23
The Minnesota Vikings gave their fans a big Christmas present by winning and eliminating their hated rivals, the Detroit Lions, from playoff contention. This wasn’t that great a game offensive-wise as the six turnovers by the Lions were the biggest factor in this game. The big question for the Vikings this offseason will be if veteran safety Harrison Smith will retire. He played great this season, but there has been reports that some in the organization suspect he’ll retire. The Vikings finish the season next week against the Packers. As for the Lions, they’ll have questions going into the offseason starting the day after next Sunday. One question concerns the performance of Jared Goff. Yes, the offensive line was banged up, but it’s still a big concern. They’ll finish the season against the Bears.
BRONCOS 20 – CHIEFS 13
This Christmas game seemed to summarize the entire season for the Kansas City Chiefs as they lost their home finale against the Denver Broncos. In what may be the last home game for Travis Kelce, he caught five passes for 36 yards and no touchdowns. The Broncos seem ready for the playoffs. However, their offense seems too inconsistent for me to comfortably call them the Super Bowl favorites. Their last regular season test will be against one of the few teams that beat them this season: the Chargers. As for the Chiefs, there really isn’t much to say other than this season will end on a whimper. There are a lot of holes to be filled, and there’s no way of knowing when Patrick Mahomes will return and if he’ll still be the same quarterback he was before. They’ll finish the season against the Raiders.
HOUSTON 20 – CHARGERS 16
The hometown Los Angeles Chargers fell to the surging Houston Texans on Saturday, giving the Broncos their first division title in years. CJ Stroud has looked more like his old self as the season has progressed, throwing for 244 yards and two touchdowns. The Texans seem ready for a deep playoff run, but it’s still to be determined if they get in as a wild card team or a division champion (that will depend on if the Jaguars win out or not). The Texans face the Colts before the playoffs start. As for the Chargers, their playoff odds don’t look great. The good news is they still have Justin Herbert. However, how well he plays depends on whether the Chargers can keep him safe (which they haven’t done well this season). They’ll play the Broncos in what will be the last tune-up before the playoffs for both teams.
RAVENS 41 – PACKERS 24
The Green Bay Packers had a major flop in this loss, handing the division to the Bears, while the Baltimore Ravens lived to fight another day. Derrick Henry was unstoppable, rushing for a jaw-dropping 216 yards and four touchdowns! The Ravens are now looking forward to next week at a primetime Sunday Night Football matchup with the Steelers. Winner takes the division and the last playoff spot, while the loser misses out on the playoffs altogether. As for the Packers, since they can’t win the NFC North and they already have a playoff spot due to the Lions’ loss, their only objective is to get as healthy as possible for the playoffs. I will say this; Malik Willis is turning heads for teams that will need a quarterback next season. The Packers will have one last game to play before the playoffs: a showdown with another of their hated rivals, the Vikings.
PATRIOTS 42 – JETS 10
What to say about this game: um, ouch, with a capital “O.” The New England Patriots may have launched themselves as Super Bowl favorites by routing the New York Jets. Even without some of his offensive linemen, Drake Maye still passed for 256 yards and five touchdowns. The scary part is that they expect more players are expected to return soon. The Broncos better watch out. The Patriots final tune-up before the playoffs will be against the Dolphins. As for the Jets, I’ve had my share of bad months, but this is ridiculous. Finishing December 0-4 is bad enough, but having the worst December point differential (-107) in NFL history is appalling. Coach Aaron Glenn may be back next season, but he should be considered in the hot seat if he does return. The Jets finish the season against the Bills.
CARDINALS 14 – BENGALS 37
In an otherwise meaningless game, the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Arizona Cardinals. Joe Burrow finished the game with 305 passing yards and two touchdowns. Running back Chase Brown has shown he deserves an extension, especially after having over 100 yards of offense for the game. The Bengals finish their season against the Browns next week. As for the Cardinals, coach Jonathan Gannon will be reviewing the performance of his defensive staff, as this has not been pretty. The question will be if Gannon takes over the defensive playcalling next season. The Cardinals finish the season next week against the hometown Rams.
STEELERS 6 – BROWNS 13
HOLY MOLE HOLES! In an absolute stunner, the Cleveland Browns upset the Pittsburg Steelers. The loss for the Steelers set up a winner-take-all matchup next week for the last playoff spot. Aaron Rodgers may have had no interceptions, unlike Shedeur Sanders, but he had no touchdowns either and only 168 passing yards. However, I’m not sold yet on Sanders being the starter next season, especially with Deshaun Watson due to return. The Browns finish the season next week against the Bengals. As for the Steelers, their loss breathed new life into the Ravens. Now the two will face off on Sunday Night Football next week with the division and the last playoff spot on the line. The loser of the Steelers-Ravens game next week will be eliminated! (Yeah, I did my Phil Keoghan impression from The Amazing Race two weeks in a row. Don’t worry, a Stevie Nicks reference is still coming soon.)
BUCCANEERS 17 – DOLPHINS 20
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have fallen on hard times, dropping their seventh game in the last eight, as they lost to the Miami Dolphins. It was a better showing by the rookie Quinn Ewers, who threw for 172 passing yards and two touchdowns. It will be interesting to see if Ewers competes for the starting job next season, while the Dolphins can’t help but look at the success that the Chargers have had with Justin Herbert…the quarterback they passed over for Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins end the season against the Patriots next week. As for the Buccaneers, they need help. They need the Falcons to lose one of their last few games, and they need to beat the Panthers next week in the season finale. If the cards don’t fall their way, they’ll be watching the playoffs instead of being in them.
SEAHAWKS 27 – PANTHERS 10
The Seattle Seahawks took one step closer to the division title and the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs with their victory over the Carolina Panthers. Sam Darnold had low numbers; only throwing for 147 yards and a touchdown. However, Darnold also had an interception and a fumble. This may be the Seahawks’ only weakness going into the playoffs: the constant turnovers. It needs to stop or they’re not going very far. Their matchup next week against the 49ers will decide the division and who gets the No. 1 seed. As for the Panthers, this was a golden opportunity to clinch their division and the last playoff spot in the NFC. Now they’ll have to hope the Falcons win one of their last games. If not, their matchup next week against the Buccaneers will be a winner-take-all matchup. The loser…will be eliminated from playoff contention. (Whoa, two Phil impressions and no Stevie yet? I’m worrying myself…)
JAGUARS 23 – COLTS 17
The Texans’ victory on Saturday meant that the Indianapolis Colts, once considered a Super Bowl favorite a few months ago…even by me, was eliminated from playoff contention. They ended up losing what might be Philip Rivers’ last game in the NFL against the Jacksonville Jaguars. It wasn’t a pretty game for Trevor Lawrence because of the interception and no passing touchdowns. However, Lawrence made up for it with 263 passing yards along with 26 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Should the Jaguars be worried about red zone turnovers? Maybe, they do have a league-high six red zone turnovers. However, none of those came from Weeks 13 to 16, when the offense was firing on all cylinders. It’s something to watch, however. The Jaguars have a chance to clinch the division next week against the Titans. As for the Colts, it was a good try. They exceeded all expectations for the first half of the season. But this last half was what doomed them. I’m not sure if what we saw originally from Daniel Jones, before he went down, was just a fluke…but it is definitely back to the drawing board for the Colts. But congratulations to Philip Rivers for exceeding all expectations of him. He sacrificed a sure thing into this year’s Hall of Fame for one more time on the field. Don’t worry, he’ll get into the Hall of Fame in five more years. The Colts finish the season next week against the Texans.
SAINTS 34 – TITANS 26
This was a throwaway game with no playoff or draft implications whatsoever. And yet, this was my favorite game of the weekend. It reinforced my belief that if you get two bad teams (or two teams just down on their luck) and get them to play each other: you get greatness! In this scenario, the New Orleans Saints won their fourth game in a row by defeating the Tennessee Titans. Tyler Shough had an amazing game completing 22 of 27 passes for 333 yards and two touchdowns. The jury is still out on whether Shough has earned the starting job for next season, but Chase Young looks great for the defense. Add that to their sterling new kicker, Charlie Smyth (nice to see a fellow Irishman do great), the Saints have some kind of foundation to work with next season. The Saints finish the season next week against the Falcons. As for the Titans, they’re also looking to fill out more of the supporting cast around the Titans. Things are actually looking up for the Titans as they continue to evaluate players. Their last chance will be next week in the season finale against the Jaguars.
GIANTS 34 – RAIDERS 10
In a battle to determine the biggest loser, the New York Giants got a moral and literal victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. Jaxson Dart finished with 207 passing yards, but no touchdowns. I’m not that convinced that Dart is “the guy” to bring the Giants to glory next season, but he is a competent and steady quarterback. But the Giants do need a lot of help on the defensive side of the line (don’t let this victory fool you). The Giants finish the season with a matchup next week against the Cowboys. As for the Raiders, it’s time to break down and rebuild…again. Geno Smith is DEFINITELY not “the guy” and the offensive line is absolutely abysmal. They have three players to build around: Ashton Jeanty, Brock Bowers, and Maxx Crosby. They also have a possible No. 1 pick in next year’s draft. Despite people assuring me Pete Carroll is safe…I’m not convinced if he says Geno Smith is “the guy” one more time. No matter what direction the Raiders decide to move in this coming offseason, I have one small bit of advice: get a new quarterback and retool the offensive front line, or miss out again next year! The Raiders finish the season with the Chiefs next week.
EAGLES 13 – BILLS 12
It was a close one, but the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Buffalo Bills in a nail bitter. Obviously, this wasn’t the offensive slugfest we were expecting. Both teams were moving the ball, but unable to get many points on the board. It’s not good for the Bills to lose by one point to the Eagles when they outgained them in total yards (the Bills had 331 total yards compared to the Eagles’ 190 total yards). This is going to be a difficult title defense for the champs if this is all the offense can muster. Their last tune-up before the playoffs will be against the Commanders. As for the Bills, despite their being no Chiefs to stop them this time…the Bills don’t look like a Super Bowl contender at all. This loss meant that the Bills lost out on the division title to the Patriots for the first time since the departure of Tom Brady. Stuck as a wild card team, we have a reasonable doubt about the Bills’ chances. Their final tune-up before the postseason starts will be against the Jets.
BEARS 38 – 49ERS 42
HOLY MOLE HOLES! The San Francisco 49ers hung on at the last minute to defeat the Chicago Bears and keep their dreams of winning the division and the No. 1 seed alive. Brock Purdy did throw an interception, but he still ended the game with 303 passing yards and three touchdowns. Do the 49ers have the offense to make it deep in the playoffs? Yes. Do they have the defense to do it though? Well, I have some concerns. Yes, the Bears have a good offense, but giving up 38 points despite winning is not the best of signs. They’ll play the Seahawks next week. If they win, the road to the Super Bowl goes through San Francisco as the 49ers will NOT have to play an away game AGAIN! (In all honesty, I’d never go to San Francisco except to see the Dodgers and Stevie Nicks…ah, there she is!) As for the Bears, this loss ends their hopes of getting the No. 1 seed. If it makes them feel better, they already had the division locked up. Obviously, this was a big step back for the defense, despite a great opening by returning an interception for a touchdown. They’ll have to go over the tape and find out what went wrong before the playoffs. Their final tune-up before the postseason will be next week against their hated nemesis, the Lions.
RAMS 24 – FALCONS 27
Just when this weekend couldn’t get any worse for the hometown LA football fans. The Chargers already lost to drop themselves to a lowly wild card spot. Then the 49ers win to lock the Rams out of the division chase. And now, the hometown Los Angeles Rams couldn’t even win against a lowly Atlanta Falcons team. It didn’t help that the officials missed a potential game-changing pass interference call on the Rams’ last drive. This especially hurt since the Falcons doing worse benefited the Rams since they control the Falcons’ first round pick in the next draft. I will say this: for those of you who have never seen Bijan Robinson…the dude is an absolute monster. He had 195 rushing yards and a touchdown along with five receptions for 34 yards and another touchdown. I like to think this little winning streak the Falcons has been on has saved coach Raheem Morris’ job, but we’ll see what happens next week after the season ends. The Falcons finish the season next week against the Saints. Now for the Rams, this is NOT the way to play going into the playoffs. Two quick losses have now cast the Rams’ chances into question. Nevertheless, coach Sean McVay has said he plans to give his players plenty of playing time next week despite having barely anything to play for. If the Rams want a deep playoff run…they need Davante Adams back. The Rams’ final tune-up before the playoffs will be against the Cardinals.
