Week 17

DALLAS COWBOYS (30) vs. WASHINGTON COMMANDERS (23)

It was so refreshing to see that none of the Christmas games were lopsided blowouts. In fact, they were better than 60% of the basketball showdowns on ESPN. This was a respected scrap fight between two hated division rivals, but at the end of the day, the better team won. 

Throughout the first half, it looked like Dallas was going to win this game handily. Even though their defense allowed a lot of splash plays to Deebo Samuel and let the Commanders get in the end zone near the end of the first half, the Cowboys offense scored points on four straight possessions and held a commanding 21-10 lead. However, Washington stayed in the fight for as long as possible.

In the second half, the Cowboys offense shockingly stalled out. It was one thing to see Javonte Williams get knocked out of the game due to injury, but Dak Prescott ended up getting sacked six times and completed just eight more passes on 17 attempts. Dallas failed to reach the end zone the rest of the period and once Jacory Croskey-Merritt took a 72 yard run to the house to make it a one score game, it looked like the Commanders had a legitimate chance of pulling off a respectable upset. 

By the start of the fourth quarter, Washington only trailed 27-20, after being down 21-3 earlier in the contest. Just two minutes into the period, the defense forced Brandon Aubrey to kick a 58 yard field goal to increase the Dallas lead to 10, but the ball sailed wide to the right! Now the Commanders offense, with Josh Johnson as their starting quarterback, had an actual chance to tie the game! Unfortunately, a handoff to Jeremy MicNichols on third and one got completely stuffed by Jadeveon Clowney, but Dan Quinn decided to go for it on fourth down. At the Dallas 45 yard line, it was a bold decision, yet there was nothing to lose. However, a false start on Brandon Coleman forced the team to punt it right back to Prescott and to his credit, he made enough plays to seal the deal.

When the Cowboys got the ball back, they had to settle for another field goal, but Aubrey made up for his previous miss by drilling a 51 yard kick through the uprights. Washington was able to make enough plays to get into field goal range before the two minute warning, which is why Quinn sent Jake Moody onto the field to make a 51 yard kick with four stoppages in his favor. Unfortunately for them, the defense failed to get the stop they needed as George Pickens came through with a clutch third down conversion and Dallas’ offense did enough to run the clock all the way down to zero. 

Although both teams did not have anything to play for, they played with a great amount of pride and dignity, hoping to just end their season on a high note. The Commanders did what they could to make it a close game, but at the end of the day, the Cowboys just made more plays. Their offense went for it on fourth down six times and converted on all six of them! It’s why they were able to possess the ball for 39 minutes and play ahead of the chains throughout the entire afternoon. Washington, on the other hand, went one for six on third down and only succeeded once in the red zone. To their credit, they didn’t turn the ball over, but they just couldn’t take the lead when they had the chance. 

The Cowboys get a win on Christmas to improve to 7-8-1 and will close out the season on the road against the New York Giants. The Commanders come up short to fall to 4-12 and will also end the year on the road as they visit the Philadelphia Eagles.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS (23) vs. DETROIT LIONS (10)

For the Lions, this was a win or go home game. For the Vikings, this was a chance to play spoiler and make sure that both franchises would be watching the start of the playoffs together. However, JJ McCarthy was ruled out beforehand with a hairline fracture in his throwing hand, giving Max Brosmer his second NFL  start at quarterback. Detroit should have won this game handily, but just like they did in the second half against the 49ers two years ago in the NFC Championship and last year against Washington in the Divisional Round, the offense once again imploded.

If you told me Max Brosmer was going to only throw for 51 yards, not score a touchdown and get sacked seven times, I’d say the Lions won this game 38-0. Yet, it wasn’t that way at all. Instead, the first half was a defensive slugfest where Minnesota barely had any success moving the football, while Detroit just kept coughing it up at the worst possible time. On their second drive of the game, Jared Goff botched a snap deep into his own territory and Andrew Van Ginkel recovered the ball at the 16 yard line, which allowed Aaron Jones to just simply plow his way down the field to give the Vikings an early 7-0 lead. Then Jahmyr Gibbs coughed up the ball on the very next possession, but back-to-back false starts and a sack from Aidan Hutchinson forced a needed punt. Fortunately, Detroit’s offense engineered a masterful 19-play drive in over 10 minutes, featuring three third down conversions and a couple of fourth down pickups, which included a tying touchdown pass to Isaac TeSlaa in the back of the end zone. 

With the game tied at seven at the break, the Lions had a chance to regather themselves and take over on both sides of the ball in the second half. As long as they stay out of their own way, they can keep their slim playoff hopes alive. Well, that was what we all thought. Even though their defense did everything they could to try to win, the offense was a disaster. After being forced to punt on the opening possession of the third quarter, Jared Goff proceeded to turn it over three straight times; two interceptions and a lost fumble on a strip sack! However, the Vikings only settled for a couple field goals and it was still a one score game! Midway through the fourth quarter, Detroit finally managed to get some points on the board as Jake Bates made a 48 yard field goal to cut their deficit to three, but things only got worse from there. Just two plays later, Jordan Addison bursted down the right sideline on a jet sweep and went all the way for a 65 yard touchdown, increasing the lead to 10 with close to three minutes left. 

Right on schedule, the Lions season fittingly ended with yet another turnover thanks to a second botched snap and Will Reichard put on the finishing touches with a 42 yard field goal. That’s right. In a game with everything on the line, Detroit’s offense turned it over six times and got swept by double digits. They have nobody else to blame but themselves for this defeat. We can point out the injuries on the offensive line and in the secondary, but there has to come a point in time where this roster needs a full reload. Jared Goff is having an MVP-caliber season, Aidan Hutchinson currently has 13.5 sacks and Amon-Ra St. Brown continues to thrive as one of the top five receivers in the league. Yet somehow, they’re 8-8 and won’t even make the playoffs? There is no other perfect word to use than to say this season is a failure. This organization really is cursed.

The Vikings pull off the sweep and are now 8-8, with a trip back home to end the year against the Green Bay Packers. The Lions are officially eliminated from playoff contention as they are also 8-8 and will stay on the road to close out the season against the Chicago Bears.

DENVER BRONCOS (20) vs. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (13)

I know what everybody is going to say about this game. “The Broncos offense does not look promising entering the playoffs.” “How do you barely beat a Chiefs team with mainly backups and third-stringers?” Believe me, those concerns are validated. However, say that this game was played earlier in the year when Kansas City was fully healthy, then the narrative would be that Denver is a little better than we think. At the end of the day, the Chiefs had their chances but the lack of a potent offense is what hurt them once again.

Throughout the first half, Steve Spagnuolo kept Bo Nix out of the end zone. There were a couple of drives where Kansas City’s defense was on the field for over eight minutes, but they did not break as they forced Wil Lutz to kick two field goals. Even better, Nick Bolton came up with a tremendous interception with three minutes left in the fourth quarter and the Chiefs offense capitalized by scoring a touchdown on the ensuing possession. At the break, the Broncos trailed by one point. It’s not overly alarming, but they needed to get their acts together on both sides of the ball, or else they were going to suffer their most humiliating loss of the season.

Fortunately, Denver’s offense had a cleaner second half and the defense made sure that Chris Oladukon wasn’t going to be the Christmas hero at Arrowhead Stadium. Even though this game was tied at 13 with eight minutes left in the game, the Chiefs just simply could not push the ball down the field. If you look at their only two scoring drives of the period, you could see that their offense hardly did anything to get those points. All it took was a big pass interference penalty from Patrick Surtain II and an explosive punt return from Brashard Smith for Harrison Butker to make two field goals. The Broncos would then respond with a touchdown drive, including the go-ahead score with 1:45 on the clock. When Kansas City had a chance to send the game into overtime, they were able to dink and dunk their way into field goal range, but couldn’t convert a critical fourth down to keep the drive alive. 

It might not have been a pretty night for either offense, yet Denver’s was slightly more efficient. They were 11 for 18 on third down, they were a perfect two for two in the red zone in the second half and they possessed the ball for 39 minutes. Meanwhile, Chris Oladukon only threw for 66 yards and the Chiefs picked up just 10 first downs the entire game. It’s easy to say that the Broncos should not have made this a close game, but they did enough and to their credit, they stayed out of their own way in the most important moments.

The Broncos bounce back with a win on Christmas and are now 13-3, heading back home for a chance to clinch the number one seed as they welcome the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chiefs lose their fifth straight game to fall to 6-10 and will travel across the country for one last game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

HOUSTON TEXANS (20) vs. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS (16)

After the first two drives, it looked like the Texans were going to have their most dominating performance of the season. It was no surprise to see their defense make another elite quarterback look ordinary, but the offense got off to a tremendous start! CJ Stroud completed his first four pass attempts for 142 yards and threw two incredibly long touchdown passes: the first was to Jayden Higgins from 75 yards on the opening drive and the second was a 43 yard rope to Jaylin Noel! Houston was already ahead 14-0 with nine minutes left in the first quarter. But right on time, their offense shut down and let the Chargers hang around for far too long once again.

For the rest of the half, Stroud completed only six more passes on 18 attempts and threw two interceptions. Thankfully, the defense was able to intercept Justin Herbert once and only allow three more points in the period. From LA’s perspective, their defense was starting to get better, but the offense couldn’t do anything right. It was simply a one man show as Herbert was the only reason why they even had a chance to win that game in the first place. The Chargers couldn’t run the ball, the offensive line was completely overwhelmed as they gave up three early sacks and worst of all, Cam Dicker missed a chip-shot field goal to end the period. 

Through the final two quarters, the Texans offense was still a no-show. They failed to reach the end zone the rest of the afternoon, their only six points came from two made field goals by Ka’imi Fairbairn and they couldn’t convert on third down. Their defense did what they could to get Herbert off the field, but by the start of the fourth quarter, the Chargers were only down 17-10 and their quarterback was starting to build more momentum. Fortunately, Houston’s offense was able to make enough plays to set up a 44 yard field goal and increase their lead to 10, but thanks to a couple of big receptions from Ladd McConkey and Oronde Gadsden II, it only took LA less than three minutes to get right back into the end zone. All Dicker needed to do was make an easy extra point to make it a three point game again, but to everybody’s surprise, the ball sailed wide again! Instead of only trailing by a field goal, it was going to take another stop and touchdown drive for the Chargers to win, but they never got the ball back.

After a big first down pickup for Nico Collins, it appeared the drive would stall out on third down as Odafe Oweh and Daiyon Henley combined for a big-time sack, but a flag was thrown for illegal contact, giving the Texans a new set of downs! LA then burned all of their timeouts before the two minute warning and one more first down run from Woody Marks officially put the game on ice. 

This was one of the few games where I felt like both teams lost here. The Texans offense continuously stalled out and their defense was starting to break down the stretch, but the Chargers couldn’t take advantage of it in their own house! I never thought that Cam Dicker would be public enemy number one after this loss but if it were not for the two missed kicks, this game is heading into overtime and I believe LA would have been able to pull off a victory! Instead, they will officially be a Wild Card team because thanks to this loss, the Broncos have officially clinched the AFC West. Houston would still need a win and a Jaguars loss to earn their third straight division title, but if not, then they will still be a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs as well. 

The Texans win their eighth game in a row and are now 11-5, with a trip back home for a regular season finale against the Indianapolis Colts. The Chargers fail to get the job done at home but are also 11-5 and will go on the road to play the Denver Broncos. 

BALTIMORE RAVENS (41) vs. GREEN BAY PACKERS (24)

The Packers might have already clinched a playoff berth thanks to Detroit’s implosion on Christmas afternoon, but one more loss would have officially eliminated the Ravens from playoff contention. However, instead of Jordan Love and Lamar Jackson, the two quarterbacks sharing the spotlight would be Malik Willis and Tyler Huntley. 

After the first three drives, it looked like it was going to be a back-and-forth shootout. To Baltimore’s credit, they finally realized they have a Hall of Fame running back in Derrick Henry and did everything they could to make sure he had the ball. Huntley made sure to take care of the football and didn’t make any mistakes, but it was the King who became the big focal point of the offense. In the first half alone, he carried the ball 21 times for 106 yards and scored the first two touchdowns of the night. However, just after Willis hit Romeo Doubs on a 40 yard shot down the sideline on his first pass attempt, the Packers backup found Christian Watson wide open down the seam for a tying touchdown. Once Green Bay got the ball back, it felt like they were going to go right down the field and even the score at 14. However, thanks to a botched exchange on third down, the offense faced fourth and inches at the 35 yard line. Matt LaFleur went bold and decided to go for it, but they ran a handoff out of shotgun to Josh Jacobs and Roquan Smith completely blew the play up. From that point on, the Packers were forced to play keep-up and they never tied the game again.

Green Bay’s defense was able to force a field goal after the fourth down stop, but just two plays later, the center snapped the ball way too early and Willis lost control, with the Ravens recovering it at the 30 yard line! Once again, Baltimore was held to three points, but those two drives ended up being the biggest ones of the entire night. The reason why is because before getting injured in the fourth quarter, Willis was having a phenomenal night. With next to no production from Josh Jacobs or Emmanuel Wilson, it was a one man show. He only threw three incompletions and totaled close to 350 yards of scrimmage with three touchdowns! Willis did just about everything he could to keep it close, but every time they made it a one score game, the Ravens offense would respond with a powerful drive of their own. Huntley only threw for 107 yards, but was just as deadly with his legs as he totaled 60 yards on just eight runs. More importantly, Henry finished the game with 36 carries for 216 yards and four touchdowns! Baltimore ended up totaling 300 yards on the ground and averaged nearly six per carry. The minute Clayton Tune took over, the game was a wrap. 

Because of Detroit’s loss, the Packers were guaranteed to be a Wild Card team anyways. However, this latest defeat officially gave them the seventh seed for the third straight year and just like last season, their road won’t last very long. Both their quarterbacks are injured, Josh Jacobs is visibly beat up and the defensive line is a wreck. If the season ended today, they’d be playing the Bears in the Wild Card. It’s definitely winnable, but not by a wide margin. If they do somehow make it to the second round, then they visit either Seattle or San Francisco. Say it’s the former, Green Bay might have a chance. If the latter, then it will take a near perfect performance for this team to win. All I can say is this: best of luck.

Baltimore got the win they desperately needed to keep their division title hopes alive. It’s only fitting that they play the Steelers in a “win or go home” showdown on Sunday Night Football, but there are still some questions to answer. How healthy will Lamar Jackson be to play? Could Derrick Henry pick up where they left off? Will this really be John Harbaugh’s last game as the head coach? There’s no question this team has the talent to go on a deep playoff run, but they always get in their own way. Next week, there is absolutely no room for error. Whoever wins will host a playoff game and the loser is due for a rebuild. 

The Ravens get a huge win on the road and are now 8-8, but their season will be on the line on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football. The Packers fall apart once again and will finish the week 9-6-1, with a trip on the road for a regular season finale against the Minnesota Vikings.

CLEVELAND BROWNS (13) vs. PITTSBURGH STEELERS (6)

Don’t give me that shocked look about the Steelers losing to an inferior team. They do something like this every year! In fact, they haven’t beaten Cleveland on the road since Ben Roethlisberger retired, yet many thought this would be an easy win for Pittsburgh. Unfortunately, the magic their offense had over the last few weeks ran out as the Browns didn’t allow a single touchdown all afternoon.

The only thing that the Steelers did well was keep Myles Garrett from breaking the single season sack record. It felt like their offensive gameplan was geared towards that. Yet, it came at a cost. Aaron Rodgers only threw for 168 yards on 21 completions, he went three for fifteen on third down and failed on all three of his fourth down attempts in incredibly agonizing fashion. The first of them took place with 2:50 left in the half. Pittsburgh was only down 10-3 but their offense decided to go for it on fourth and one at Cleveland’s 22 yard line. Kicking a field goal would only cut their deficit to four, but instead, Rodgers threw a go ball to Scotty Miller and the pass predictably fell incomplete. The worst part about it was that this took place after their defense got an interception. The Steelers would end up going down the field and get the three points they needed anyways, but those were certainly three points they would have loved back.

Throughout the second half, neither offense could do anything. The Browns might have scored 10 points on their first two possessions, but since that point, they failed to reach the end zone the rest of the afternoon. In the second half alone, they totaled just 40 yards of offense and kicked a field goal. How did they get those three points? Because Pittsburgh thought it would be a great idea to go for it on fourth and ten at their own 20 yard line. What a shocker, the play didn’t work out. Yet they were still only down by seven points! Despite Chris Boswell missing a long field goal early in the fourth quarter, the Steelers only needed a touchdown to tie the game! On their final drive, Rodgers hit Pat Freiermuth over the middle on two big completions of 40 yards, setting up first and goal at the 10 yard line. Logic would say to keep finding your starting tight end, but after a three yard dumpoff to Adam Thielen, Rodgers tried to connect with Marquez Valdes-Scantling on the final three plays. All of them fell incomplete and all of them were with Cleveland’s top cornerback Denzel Ward in coverage. 

If the Steelers somehow miss the playoffs, then this is going to be the loss that truly killed their chances. This offense was easily the biggest reason why they lost. They couldn’t score a touchdown, they didn’t even score in the second half and they completely blew chance after chance. Let this sink in for a second. After the first two drives of the game, Pittsburgh’s defense played outstanding. They only allowed two first downs after halftime and the only three points they allowed were because of a failed fourth down attempt at their own 20 yard line! Great teams find a way to put that game out of reach. The Steelers don’t have one. They shouldn’t be in a “win or go home” situation on Sunday Night Football, but this is what they deserve.

The Browns pull off a big upset at home and are now 4-12, with one last game on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers get shut down and are now 9-7, with a trip back home to take on the Baltimore Ravens with their season on the line on Sunday Night Football.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (42) vs. NEW YORK JETS (10)

It feels like forever since the last time the Patriots blew out the Jets. Things really have returned to normal in Foxboro. From start to finish, this wasn’t even a close game. New England’s offense scored a touchdown on six straight possessions and five of them were thrown by the now MVP leading candidate, Drake Maye. It felt like every time New York’s defense made somewhat of a decent play, the Patriots always found a way to continue the drive. Heck, the Jets ran two fake punts and that wasn’t saving them. By the time Breece Hall took a 59 yard run to the house, the score was 42-3. It might have been worse if Andy Borregales didn’t doink a 41 yard field goal in the third quarter. Overall, there wasn’t a whole lot to say about this game. New England was by far the more dominant team and not once did New York have a chance of making a comeback.

The Patriots are officially undefeated on the road and are now 13-3, with a trip back home to play the Miami Dolphins. The Jets get blown out once again to fall to 3-13 and will end their season on the road against the Buffalo Bills.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (34) vs. TENNESSEE TITANS (26)

I hate that both teams are finally starting to show their upside, but you can’t help but feel some optimism for either side. In the first half, it felt like the Titans were in complete control. Cam Ward completed 11 of his first 15 pass attempts for 146 yards with two early touchdown passes and no interceptions. However, he did give the Saints their only score of the half thanks to a rip-and-score play made by Chase Young on a strip sack, seven points that were a big difference in this football game. Even then, the Titans were up 20-10 at the break and their defense didn’t let Tyler Shough reach the end zone, despite him only throwing one incompletion on 11 pass attempts.

Once the second half began, however, the Saints offense could hardly be stopped and Tennessee just failed to reach the end zone the rest of the afternoon. Their only six points came off of two made field goals from Joey Slye and once they fell behind, they never got back on the board. Shough finished the game completing 22 of 27 passes for 333 yards with two touchdown passes and he would have had a third if Dante Pettis didn’t lose a fumble before reaching the goal line early in the fourth quarter. This was truly a tale of two halves for both sides but in the end, New Orleans had the better team. It might cost them a higher draft pick, yet winning four straight games near the end of the season gives an organization belief that they can be a lot better next year.

The Saints continue to pile up the wins and are now 6-10 with one more game to go on the road against the Atlanta Falcons. The Titans lose a tough one at home to fall to 3-13 and will take the road for one last game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (23) vs. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (17)

In Week 10, the Colts beat the Falcons in overtime to improve to 8-2, one of the league’s best records at that point in the season. The Jaguars, on the other hand, blew a 29-10 lead against the Texans and slumped to 5-4. Seven weeks later, Indianapolis has lost six straight games and are officially eliminated from the playoffs, while Jacksonville won seven in a row to take the AFC South lead. Nobody could have anticipated both teams to completely switch places, but Sunday’s game showed why.

Through three quarters, the Colts did their very best to spoil their rival’s hopes of winning the division. Ashton Dulin got things started with a 53 yard return on the kickoff to take an early 3-0 lead and after the defense recovered a fumble on an attempted hook-and-ladder, Philip Rivers sliced and diced his way down the field in 15 plays and Jonathan Taylor capped off an 83 yard drive with a bruising TD to put them up by 10. Trevor Lawrence responded with a touchdown possession of his own, but both offenses stalled out for the rest of the period and an interception from Germaine Pratt kept Indianapolis ahead by three at the break.

After both teams punted to begin the third quarter, the Jaguars offense finally got back into a groove and stormed their way down the field in just eight plays. An explosive 37 yard catch-and-run from Parker Washington set up a walk-in score by Lawrence on the quarterback draw, but the Colts didn’t go away quite yet. Dulin came through with another fiery kickoff return, this time to the Jacksonville 39 yard line from 55 yards away and thanks to a big pass interference penalty from Eric Murray, Rivers was able to connect with Mo-Alie Cox for a go-ahead score with less than six minutes left in the third quarter. Jacksonville kicked a field goal on their next possession and by the start of the fourth, things were all even at 17.

If you told me that the Jaguars were not going to reach the end zone the rest of the afternoon, I might have believed that the Colts found a way to pull off the upset. Unfortunately, this was the period where they fell completely flat. The period started with a quick three-and-out thanks to a sack from Travon Walker and an ensuing false start penalty. However, the defense forced a huge fourth down stop at their 24 yard line, when a field goal would have given Jacksonville the lead again. At that point, there were close to nine minutes left in the game, so Rivers had plenty of time to get his team the lead. But just three plays later, he gave the Jaguars the momentum they needed with a brutal interception to Jarrian Jones at the 21 yard line, setting up an easy field goal from Cam Little to put the Jaguars ahead by three. On Indianapolis’ next drive, they were able to get past midfield, but a big sack from Josh Hines-Allen forced a long fourth down and Greg Newsome was able to force a turnover on downs with a big pass breakup against Alec Pierce. Jacksonville only settled for three more points to make it a six point game, but it was going to take a Hail Mary for a miracle to happen and it didn’t. 

Once again, the Colts had their chances but they fell apart at the worst possible time, which has been a complete microcosm of their entire season. All it took were 15 more minutes to make a statement and show this team had some pride left, but all it took was one costly mistake for that to completely vanish and Jacksonville seized on it. The Philip Rivers experiment was fun while it lasted, but I think it’s time for him to go back home and spend the rest of his time with his family. He played a little better than I thought he would when Indianapolis brought him back, but even he couldn’t save this team from falling apart the way they have over the last month. 

The Jaguars win their seventh straight game to stay atop the AFC South at 12-4 and will head back home for a chance to clinch the division against the Tennessee Titans. The Colts lose their sixth game in a row to slump to 8-8 and will go on the road to see if they have one last trick up their sleeve against the Houston Texans.

MIAMI DOLPHINS (20) vs. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (17)

I had a feeling this could happen. I didn’t want to believe it, but there was a thought in the back of my mind that told me the Bucs were going to lose this game. It may be because this team has been absolutely terrible since the bye week. It might be due to the fact their defense is a complete dumpster fire. It even could be because the offense has completely disappeared, despite many of their stars back on the field from injury. No matter how you look at it, this was yet another pathetic loss for Tampa Bay: getting neutralized on the road to a 7th round rookie quarterback. It felt like I was watching Brock Purdy win his first career start against Tom Brady in 2022. Look how that played out. This loss wasn’t as humiliating, but in a game with their season on the line, the Buccaneers could not afford to have this type of performance.

Just like last week, Tampa got off to a promising start. Their defense forced a three-and-out on the opening drive and Baker Mayfield led a 14-play touchdown drive and ended it with a rocket of a pass to Chris Godwin in the end zone for an early 7-0 lead. But right on time, the defense gave up a wide open 63 yard touchdown pass to Theo Wease Jr., an undrafted rookie wide receiver from Missouri playing in his second NFL game. Afterwards, the Buccaneers offense spent the rest of the first half either stalling out or turning the ball over. After Miami kicked a field goal to go ahead 10-7, Baker Mayfield underthrew Jalen McMillan on a deep shot into field goal range and it was intercepted by Jason Marshall Jr., another rookie. The Dolphins offense proceeded to gash their way down the field in only nine plays and Quinn Ewers capped it off with a dot to Greg Dulcich in the end zone. When Tampa had a chance to kick a 55 yard field goal and make it a one score game at the break, Miami’s special teams came through with the block and they entered the locker room ahead 17-7.

Ironically, the defense was the least of the worries that day. If you look at how they played in the second half, they did everything they could to try to win that game. In that span, Ewers only completed four more passes for 28 yards. The Dolphins picked up only four more first downs and they settled for just three more points. Despite all of that, however, Mayfield coughed the ball up two more times. The first was another brutal interception, this time to Ashtyn Davis on a simple post pattern. The second was a lost fumble on a strip sack from Bradley Chubb with less than four minutes left in the game. I don’t care that he threw a touchdown pass to Mike Evans to cut the deficit to three because there were 50 seconds left in the game and they had no timeouts, so unless they miraculously recovered the onside kick, there was hardly any chance Tampa was going to win. 

It doesn’t even matter who wins the NFC South anymore because one of them is going to get bounced out of the first round. If I’m a Bucs fan, I’m actually hoping this team misses the playoffs because this team needs a complete reset from top to bottom. The core players of their offense are aging, the defense is a complete wreck and Todd Bowles is losing his touch every single day he is still the head coach. Who would’ve thought that losing Liam Coen to Jacksonville would have resulted in this?

The Dolphins play spoiler and are now 7-9, with a trip on the road to see if they can do it again as they take on the New England Patriots. Meanwhile, the Bucs lose seven of their last eight games to fall to 7-9 and will head back home for a “win or go home” showdown against the Carolina Panthers on Saturday afternoon.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (27) vs. CAROLINA PANTHERS (10)

I can’t say I was too shocked about this game either. We all knew the Seahawks were the better team and they should have found a way to win, but for the Panthers to get completely shut down the way they were on Sunday afternoon was somewhat perplexing. In the first half alone, Bryce Young completed just 50% of his passes for 16 yards. He went zero for six on third down, he failed on one fourth down attempt in Seattle territory and the only reason why Carolina even got three points towards the end of the period was because the defense forced Sam Darnold to fumble the ball on a strip sack. However, Seattle’s offense was just as lost and worrisome. Despite Kenneth Walker and Zach Charbonnet combining for 81 rushing yards, this team only scored three points in the first 30 minutes as well. 

At the start of the third quarter, Darnold drove his team close into the red zone but killed the drive with a back-breaking interception to Mike Jackson on an attempted touchdown throw to Jaxon Smith-Njigba. But just one play later, Chuba Hubbard got the ball punched out on a handoff and Seattle got it right back. From that point on, their offense finally got out of their funk and scored points on their next four possessions; three of them touchdowns off of Carolina miscues. Darnold finished the afternoon with only 147 passing yards, but it was a big day for Charbonnet, who totaled 110 yards on 18 carries and scored twice. 

Young, on the other hand, was awful. His only big play was a rushing touchdown early in the fourth quarter that cut their deficit to seven, but he only threw for 54 yards on 14 completions with no touchdown passes and an interception. He averaged just 2.3 yards per attempt, went one for eleven on third down and picked up just 10 first downs. Seattle might have a terrific defense that can square up against anybody in the National Football League, but the Panthers did everything that they couldn’t against a legitimate playoff contender, which was to screw up at the worst possible time. As I said, it wasn’t shocking that the Seahawks won this game, but I was expecting at least a little more competition. Carolina was able to beat Matthew Stafford, who many argue should be the MVP this year, but somehow not Sam Darnold? This is why I can never take this team seriously and it’s why I know they won’t have a long road in the playoffs if they somehow earn a spot.

The Seahawks win their sixth game in a row to stay atop the NFC West at 13-3 and will now travel to Santa Clara for a huge showdown against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night. The winner not only clinches the NFC West, but earns the number one seed in the conference. The Panthers once again suffer a frustrating loss to finish the week 8-8 and will also take the road for a huge Saturday matchup, this time with their season on the line against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

CINCINNATI BENGALS (37) vs. ARIZONA CARDINALS (14)

So the Cardinals got blown out again, huh? Well, let me pull out my checklist to see if they met the criteria. Fall hopelessly behind early: check. The defense got gashed on nearly every drive: check. The offense put up meaningless stats in garbage time: check. You know, there was a brief second where I thought this game could have been closed. Early in the second quarter, when Michael Wilson got wide open for a 38 yard catch-and-run score and three Cincinnati defenders completely whiffed on their attempted tackles, I figured it was the play Arizona needed. They were only down 13-7 after that score, but once the defense forced a quick three-and-out, the offense punted the ball right back and everything got out of hand quickly.

It’s not shocking to see that Joe Burrow was phenomenal once again with over 300 yards and two touchdowns. It was also promising to see Chase Brown rush for 100 yards once again and be the player to put this game well out of reach with two late touchdowns to put the Bengals ahead 37-7. Cincinnati’s offense went 10 for 15 on third down, a perfect five for five in the red zone and they only punted the ball twice. However, I can’t say it is surprising because we all knew this group at full strength was never the issue with this football team. 

Once again, the Cardinals were completely outplayed in every facet. Jacoby Brissett got sacked four more times, they only totaled 42 yards on the ground, they went three for thirteen on third down and it wouldn’t be a blowout defeat if they didn’t have a garbage time touchdown drive. Yet, that’s not what I’m thinking about right now. My biggest question is what this organization will do in the offseason. If the season ended today, Arizona would have the fifth overall pick. They can either keep Jonathan Gannon, move on from Kyler Murray and select somebody high in the draft. The other option is to go for a full reset and let go of both Gannon and Murray. It’s not feasible since the quarterback has an albatross contract, yet there is no way this team does not make any massive changes if they want to have a chance of being competitive next year. 

The Bengals win another blowout game and are now 6-10, with one left to play at home against the Cleveland Browns. Meanwhile, the Cardinals lose their eighth straight game to fall to 3-13 and will take the road for their last game of the year against the Los Angeles Rams.

NEW YORK GIANTS (34) vs. LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (10)

For the fans that were more interested to see which team would have the number one first overall pick at the end of the season, this was the game to watch. The worst team in the AFC welcomed the worst team in the NFC for a legendary Tank Bowl. 

It only took two months but the Giants finally got a win and in convincing fashion. All it took was an interception by Bobby Okereke near the end of the first quarter to give this team the spark they wanted. Their offense proceeded to score the next five times they touched the field. Jaxon Dart totaled 255 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns on the ground with no turnovers, New York ran the ball for 155 yards and averaged five yards a carry, while Wan’Dale Robinson caught 11 passes for 113 yards. Once Deonte Banks went off to the races for a 97 yard touchdown on a kickoff return near the end of the third quarter, there was no chance that the Raiders were going to win this game. 

Without Brock Bowers or Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas didn’t have the firepower or the stamina to compete. Against one of the worst defenses in the league, Geno Smith threw for only 171 yards on 20 completions with two more interceptions and three sacks taken. Once again, he got injured in the fourth quarter and was replaced by Kenny Pickett in garbage time. Despite decent performances from Ashton Jeanty and Michael Mayer, the Raiders went three for thirteen on third down and only picked up 14 first downs all afternoon long. Honestly, they needed this loss. Now they can move on from Smith and fire Pete Carroll to hopefully establish a new identity with a brighter head coach and a more promising quarterback. Fernando Mendoza, you better buckle up soon.

The Giants finally win a game but are still 3-13 and will head back home for one last game against the Dallas Cowboys. Meanwhile, the losing streak is still alive for the Raiders at ten in a row to fall to 2-14 and will stay home to play the Kansas City Chiefs.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (13) vs. BUFFALO BILLS (12)

Now let’s get to the most intriguing game of the late afternoon slate. The Eagles already clinched the NFC East, so they did not have a lot of playoff implications on the line. For Buffalo, however, there was a lot at stake. Another win would keep them in the hunt for a chance to win their sixth straight AFC East title. However, if they lost, then the New England Patriots would be back on top and the Bills would be forced to go on the road in the playoffs.  

After a few drives that ended with punts, the Bills were the first to swing the momentum. It started with a 50 yard shot down the middle of the field to Brandin Cooks, who beat Cooper DeJean all the way to the Philadelphia 30 yard line, putting the offense in great field position. But just two plays later, Josh Allen got the ball stripped out of his hands from Jaelan Phillips on a scramble to his right and the Eagles defense recovered the ball all the way at Buffalo’s 45 yard line. Just two plays later, Jalen Hurts found AJ Brown open for a big 29 yard play of his own and Philadelphia’s offense capitalized off the turnover with a touchdown pass to Dallas Goedert. Throughout the rest of the first half, Buffalo only totaled 33 more yards on their next three drives and failed to score. The Eagles had more success moving the football, but they settled for two field goals from Jake Elliott to take a 13-0 lead at halftime. This game was far from over and many were wondering when the Bills offense would wake up.

It didn’t happen for quite a long time. Entering the 11 minute mark of the fourth quarter, Buffalo punted the football on three of their next four drives. The one drive in between occurred with close to two minutes left in the third quarter. Allen had driven his team all the way to the two yard line with a chance to make it a one score game, but on fourth and goal at the three, he was tackled just short of the goal-line on a scramble and the Eagles defense came up with a huge stop to keep them ahead. However, their offense was nowhere to be found. 

In the second half alone, Philly mustered up just 16 yards of offense and couldn’t score the rest of the afternoon. Hurts attempted six passes and failed to complete all six of them. Saquon Barkley was held to 17 yards on eight carries. They were quite possibly doing everything they could to give the Bills a sloppy victory, and sure enough, their defense started to unravel. With close to five minutes left in the game, Allen finally reached the end zone but a blocked extra point by Jalen Carter kept Buffalo behind by seven instead of six. Then the Eagles punted it right back with 3:21 on the clock, giving the reigning MVP more than enough time to close the deal. As he picked apart Philly’s defense down the field, he took as much time off the clock and with eight seconds left, he extended over the goal-line for the touchdown. But instead of kicking the extra point, Sean McDermott kept the offense on the field for the game-winning two point conversion. On a play-action pass, Allen had Khalil Shakir wide open in the left corner of the end zone, but the throw was three yards beyond the intended target and it fell incomplete! Philadelphia was then able to recover the onside kick and they bailed themselves out with an ugly victory.

The only ones that were celebrating at the end were the Patriots because for the first time since 2019, they have won the AFC East. Honestly, it is completely deserved. I didn’t know what was worse. How awful Philadelphia looked or that Buffalo failed to take the lead when they had the chance? I’m leaning towards the latter because instead of maximizing their opportunities with the Chiefs out of the playoff picture, the Bills’ flaws keep rearing their ugly heads at the worst time. Their defense did whatever they could to win that game, but the offense didn’t show up until it was too late and any time they did reach the end zone, they still found a way to lose. You expect me to believe they’re going to make a Super Bowl run if they continue to look like that?

The Eagles hang on for a brutal win at 11-5 and will head back home for a regular season finale against the Washington Commanders. The Bills will officially be a Wild Card team at 11-5 with one last game at Highmark Stadium against the New York Jets.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ers (42) vs. CHICAGO BEARS (38)

This turned out to be the best shootout of the 2025 NFL season. Both offenses were tremendous, the defenses hardly had any answers for the opposition the entire night and it was a bummer that this game didn’t go into overtime. Ironically, the game started with a pick six thrown by Brock Purdy to TJ Edwards, but he was sensational after that lone mistake.

Since the pick six, Purdy completed 24 of his next 32 pass attempts for 303 yards with five total touchdowns and he didn’t turn it over the rest of the night. Christian McCaffrey was just as dominant with over 180 yards of scrimmage and a score of his own. The fact that this happened without George Kittle or Trent Williams was extremely phenomenal to watch. Yes, the offense was forced to punt for the first time in over a month, but they were ahead of the sticks through most of the game thanks to consecutive three-and-outs from Chicago’s offense in the first quarter., but Chicago never backed down.

Think about this for a minute. This was the first game in NFL history to have a tie at seven, 14, 21, 28 and 35! If the Bears found a way to win, there is no question we would be hailing them as a Super Bowl contender. Caleb Williams was sensational with 330 yards and two touchdown passes in his return to California. DJ Moore only caught one pass, Rome Odunze was out with a foot injury and D’Andre Swift only carried the ball nine times. Yet they still led by three with five minutes left in the game. The only problem was that their defense gave  Purdy way too much time to pull off a winning drive of his own. Right before the two minute warning, he hit Jauan Jennings deep down the field on a 38 yard catch-and-run score for the go-ahead touchdown, but there was still enough time for the Bears to win in another epic showdown.

Instead of shutting down, Williams went right to work. A couple of big-time third down conversions got Chicago into 49ers territory, but two huge completions to Colston Loveland set up one last play at the two yard line with four seconds on the clock. Scrambling to his left, Williams did his best to evade the rush and get the ball out just in time. Looking for somebody in the end zone, he tried to connect with Jahdae Walker for what would have been the game winning touchdown, but the pass was poorly underthrown and the 49ers defense finally got a stop to save the game.

Overall, you cannot be disappointed from either side in this contest. The Bears put up one hell of a fight and showed that they can go toe-to-toe with anybody in the National Football League, including the potential number one seed in the NFC. With an NFC North title already clinched, the Bears can look forward to holding the second spot in the conference and possibly go on a deep playoff run. At the end of the day, San Francisco’s offense was just more explosive and efficient, making a few more plays than the opposition. 

The 49ers win their sixth game in a row to improve to 12-4 and will stay home for a huge Saturday night showdown against the Seattle Seahawks. The winner will not only win the NFC West, but will earn the number one seed in the NFC. The Bears lose a hard-fought contest but are still 11-5 and will head back home for a regular season finale against the Detroit Lions.

ATLANTA FALCONS (27) vs. LOS ANGELES RAMS (24)

At first, I thought this would be a blowout. I figured the Rams would take care of business on the road and bounce back from a gut-wrenching loss in overtime to the Seahawks on Thursday Night Football. Instead, it turned out that LA walked into a trap and it was too late for them to get out. 

Both teams began with quick three-and-outs, but the Falcons were the first ones to throw a punch. On their second offensive possession of the game, Kirk Cousins converted on three straight third down attempts on an 11 play drive and capped it off with a wide open touchdown pass to Bijan Robinson in the right corner of the end zone. The Rams responded by marching all the way near the Atlanta 10 yard line, but on fourth and one, linebacker Khalid Kareem completely wrapped up Kyren Williams in the backfield and forced a huge fourth down stop. The Falcons ended up punting on the next possession, but just three plays later, Matthew Stafford threw a back-breaking pick six to Jessie Bates and all of a sudden, LA was down 14-0. After a couple of punts, Stafford threw another interception, this time to Xavier Watts on a deep shot down the left side of the field. Atlanta’s offense might have been pinned at their own seven yard line, but on the first play from scrimmage, Robinson made a nifty jump cut and exploded down the right sideline for a 93 yard touchdown! Nobody could have anticipated the Falcons would be ahead 21-0 at the break and because of that, Stafford’s MVP lead was starting to fall into the hands of Drake Maye.

Sean McVay knew his team needed to wake up on both sides of the ball in a hurry or else they could look forward to being a sixth seed in the playoffs after holding the number one spot not too long ago. After both teams kicked field goals on their first possessions, the Rams offense finally woke up. In just over two minutes, they waltzed right down the field and a wide open touchdown pass to Terrance Ferguson gave this group the spark they needed. The defense then held Atlanta to a chip shot field goal, but it was blocked and returned for a touchdown by Jared Verse! Now LA was only down by seven and we officially had a ball game once again! Instead of responding with big drives of their own, however, the Falcons offense played way too conservative and they were neutralized as a result. Even with Stafford throwing his third interception midway through the fourth quarter that was nearly returned for another touchdown, Cousins failed to capitalize. Eventually, the Rams tied the game at 24 thanks to Puka Nacua with 2:46 on the clock.

Then somehow, Atlanta finally managed to do something in crunch time. It started with a needed first down catch from Kyle Pitts inside the 45 yard line, but it was Robinson who got the yards the team needed to set up a 51 yard field goal for Zane Gonzalez to give the team the lead. However, Stafford still had 21 seconds left on the clock and all he needed to do was get into field goal range. On the first play of his last drive, he had Xavier Smith wide open for what would have been a potential game winning touchdown, but the pass was badly missed by five yards and it fell incomplete. Then two plays later, Nacua nearly made a sensational sideline catch that would have set up a long field goal attempt, but AJ Terrell forced the receiver to lose control at the very last second. On fourth down, Stafford went for it all on a Hail Mary but that pass fell to the ground as well and Atlanta prevented another embarrassing choke job with a win!

The Falcons get their third win in a row to improve to 7-9 and will head back home for one last game against the New Orleans Saints. Meanwhile, the Rams are officially a Wild Card team at 11-5 and will head back home to play the Arizona Cardinals before the playoffs begin.