There has been a shuffling of the pack behind the team that appears to be the class of the league in the Philadelphia Eagles. Dallas suffer a fall after almost losing to lowly Houston but it is the Las Vegas Raiders who suffer the biggest drop after blowing yet another lead. Heading in the other direction is the Los Angeles Chargers, who jump nine spots after their win over the Miami Dolphins.
The Eagles are the most complete and dominant team in the NFL, and they have grown as the season has progressed. Offense, defense, special teams… there is not really a weak point on this roster.
Josh Allen will always grab our attention given his superstar status, but the quarterback was able to slowly grow into Sunday’s contest against the New York Jets thanks to help from an excellent defense.
Patrick Mahomes was as frustrating as he was sensational during Sunday’s defeat of Denver, throwing three interceptions to match his three scoring strikes. Such mistakes could be punished in January.
The Bengals are getting hot at the right time. They have won five in a row and nine of their last 11 after an 0-2 start. Led by a genuine star in Joe Burrow, Cincy have another shot at the Super Bowl.
The Niners rallied around rookie quarterback Brock Purdy and while the help was surely appreciated, it may not have been necessary. He played with the confidence and skill of an assured veteran.
That was a major scare against the lowly Texans. Credit Dallas for finding a way to steal the win, but Houston let them off the hook and the turnovers will hurt the Cowboys against better teams.
The Vikings are a weird team to work out. The positive is that they have 10 wins and a victory against Indianapolis on Saturday will seal the NFC North, but they have a points differential of minus one!
The Ravens have really tightened up on defense following a shaky opening month and the arrival of linebacker Roquan Smith has been as good as Baltimore could have hoped. Defense powers this team.
What a difference in this team with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams fully fit at wide receiver, giving the outstanding Justin Herbert some elite talent to throw to. The AFC playoffs are well within reach.
Defenses have slowed Miami’s prolific attack in the past two weeks and now it’s up to Mike McDaniel, Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill to respond. That will not be easy this weekend in a snowy Buffalo.
The Lions are on an historic pace on the offensive side of the ball and Jared Goff is a major reason why they have scored at least 30 points in an NFL-high seven games this season. That is weird to write!
The Patriots still struggle with their 24th-ranked offense, but they have at least moved into the AFC playoff spots. They may not stay there as they finish with games against Cincinnati, Miami and Buffalo.
The Jets continue to fight hard and are light years ahead of where they were in 2021. But the reality is that they have now lost four of their last six and have slid out of the playoff places in the AFC.
Seattle are another team heading the wrong way when they should be ascending. The running game has slowed with Kenneth Walker banged up and getting on track against San Francisco won’t be easy.
That tie against the New York Giants could end up serving Washington well. They have seven wins to their name and have not recorded eight or more in a season since 2016. They face NY again on Sunday.
The Titans have a rash of injuries, are getting pushed around on both lines and have very few – if any – passing game targets to scare the opposition. The cumulative result of all that is three straight losses.
During Sunday’s loss to San Francisco, the Bucs registered their ninth straight game scoring 22 points or fewer. They cannot get going on offense and Tom Brady was part of the problem against the Niners.
The Panthers are just one game behind the Bucs in the NFC South and could yet steal the division. The fact that interim coach Steve Wilks has given this team life should give him a shot at the full-time gig.
Trevor Lawrence has been one of the best quarterbacks in football since the start of November. He last threw an interception in October – 181 passes ago. Jags fans have to be excited with his progress.
In boxing terms, the Giants have been caught with a few heavy shots in recent weeks and they are in danger of being knocked out. New York have won just one of their last six games and look toothless.
The Packers are still alive in the NFC playoff race thanks to the failings of New York and Seattle above them. But we should remember that this season has been a major disappointment on every front.
Even if they win out, the Browns can only get to nine victories. That’s not going to be enough to get into the AFC playoffs. So, the remainder of this campaign is about going into 2023 in higher spirits.
The Steelers have held opponents to 17 points or fewer in four of their last five games, but they cannot get enough from the league’s 26th-ranked attack. A first losing season for Mike Tomlin beckons.
It appears as if the last month is going to be about building for the future and finding out what rookie Desmond Ridder can do at QB. But this team is also just one game out of first place in the NFC South.
He has enjoyed false dawns before, but Baker Mayfield does make the Rams a more interesting proposition down the stretch. If he enjoys a strong run-in, what will that mean for 2023 and beyond?
The Raiders’ defeat to the Rams last Thursday night marked the fourth time this season they have blown a lead of at least 13 points and lost the game. Josh McDaniels sits on an ever-warming seat.
The Saints are still alive as they are two back in the NFC South with four to play. If they had closed out that Monday Night Football game against Tampa in Week 13, all four teams would be tied at 5-8.
The 2022 season has been miserable from start to finish and things got worse when Kyler Murray suffered a serious knee injury on Monday night. That is something that could also impact their 2023.
Jeff Saturday is a nice story, but I think he needs a really strong finish to have a shot at becoming the Colts’ full-time head coach. He is realising this coaching lark is not as easy as it might at first seem.
The Bears are only worth watching to see what Justin Fields is going to pull next. They have to make sure that the upcoming offseason brings much more talent around the young stud of a quarterback.
If the Broncos had managed to score just 20 points in every game this season, they would have nine wins instead of three. They showed brief offensive life last Sunday, but have been mostly terrible.
Houston were gifted several opportunities to beat the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14 but they kept turning down such generosity with terrible play-calling and poor execution. Some just cannot be helped.
