An exciting football week has concluded! With Thanksgiving behind us and everyone prepping for St. Nick’s arrival, teams are prepping for the icy temperatures in the next few weeks. But this week, who was bold or left in the cold?
Scrubs: Jets
From being up 21-7 at one point to being outscored 19 points by the Seahawks. A 26-21 loss was bad enough, but what stung the most was who scored those points. Geno Smith threw a touchdown pass, Leonard Williams got a thick six, and both men were drafted by the Jets. The wasted talent has come back to haunt New York bitterly. With this loss, the Jets will not be AFC East champions for the 22nd year in a row. To make this more baffling, from 1970-2001, the Colts were in the AFC East and have won six AFC East titles in that tenure. The Jets were active in the East from 1970 to now and have only won FOUR. An extra 23 years to at least tie, but the mediocrity never truly leaves. Don’t worry, New York. Just win out, and Rodgers will have a better record than Zach Wilson did last year by one game.
Dubs: Commanders
After three straight losses, the Commanders get a much-needed win against the struggling Titans. Jayden Daniels gets a good game with three passing touchdowns, and the Commanders manage to keep up with a HOT Philly team. But winning out is essential, and also is beating the Eagles in Week 16 and hoping Philly can lose three games in the next five weeks. But it’s not looking great, considering Philly faces teams like the Panthers, Cowboys, and Giants in the next five weeks. Still, a playoff berth is likely for Washington if they can keep winning.
Scrubs: Falcons
Three losses in a row for Atlanta puts their division lead in limbo. They’re still in first place, but the cold streak is real. Kirk Cousins threw four interceptions in a loss to the Chargers. To put this into perspective, in week nine, Atlanta had a 6-3 record and a comfy first-place spot in the NFC South, with Tampa Bay being 4-5 and the Panthers and Saints being 2-7. But now the Buccaneers have won two games in a row, the Saints have won two of their last three games, and the Panthers…almost beat the Chiefs. The Bucs face only one winning record team for the next five games, and the Falcons face two. Atlanta still controls their destiny as they own the tiebreaker with Tampa. But still, Atlanta is in danger of blowing a division lead as the Buccaneers now tie their record at 6-6. It’s not like the Falcons to blow a lead like this.
Dubs: Eagles
Philly is on fire right now and needs two wins to secure an NFC East title. A win versus Baltimore would put Philly in a good spot as an elite team for more than just the playoffs. If Detroit slips up on one of their next five games and Philly capitalizes that week, they have a first-seed spot. The Eagle’s defense is still suspect and has their issues as is, but still, three sacks to Baltimore and holding them to less than 20 points isn’t easy. Saquan has three games in a row with 100+ rushing yards and a touchdown. Over 500 rushing yards in three weeks is insane!
Scrubs: Bears
The Chicago Bears are the funniest team in the league right now. Let’s just put this all into perspective. It’s week eight, and the Bears are 4-2. A solid start to a team still being developed around a rookie quarterback. You’re up 15-12 on the final play against the Commanders, who are one of the better teams in the NFL. Hail Mary. Bears lose. Lol. Week eleven, two losses in a row, and they need to rebound. Beating big brother Green Bay would be huge. They were down by one but in field goal range from 46 yards out with three seconds left. Blocked. Bears lose. Lol. Week twelve, down by three after being down 24-10 at one point with no timeouts versus division rival the Vikings and need an onside kick. The Bears would recover it and kick a field goal to take them into overtime! Vikings then roll down the field after the Bears go three and out on their first drive and line up for a field goal. It’s good. Bears lose. Lol. Week thirteen versus division rival the Lions. They were down by three with 36 seconds left and one timeout. Williams then takes a sack, and the Bears look to regroup at the Lions 41. It’s not a good sack, but still, there is hope; just call a timeout, run a play to get you back in field goal range, and make sure you go out of bounds or at least get your field goal team out there quickly. The only problem is your coach, for some reason, ISN’T CALLING A TIMEOUT! With time running down, Williams threw up a prayer that was, of course, overthrown, and the game was over. Abysmal clock management. Bears lose. Lol. The sack play ended at about 31 seconds; the final play was snapped at 6 seconds! I guess Matt Eberflus was saving the timeout to try to ice the front office from firing him. But the front office would not be denied as Eberflus was given the ax.
Dubs: Bills
A decisive win against the 49ers puts the Bills in a confirmed spot in the playoffs, along with the Chiefs. The Bills are the best AFC team right now, and if they can capitalize on a week the Chiefs lose with a win, the Bills can get the first seed. The Chiefs face four teams with winning records for the next five weeks, and the Bills face two, but a loss could also end it there, and they face the Lions in week fifteen. The Bills are staying steady off the back of Josh Allen. Can they keep their foot on the gas?
The playoff races heat up as the weather cools down. Who will represent their division and the wild card?
