Author: jminx94

The seven playoff seeds in the American Football Conference are finalized! In this new playoff format, the top seeded Kansas City Chiefs will have a week off, while the other six teams (Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills) play this upcoming weekend. Three teams will advance to the divisional round and inch closer to the Super Bowl. Time to decipher which three teams have the best shot of advancing to the next round.

#6 Cleveland Browns v. #3 Pittsburgh Steelers

This is the least interesting playoff game of the weekend. The Browns barely beat Mason Rudolph and a backup defense last weekend in Cleveland.

With no head coach and COVID-19 still a factor in who plays for the Browns, Pittsburgh is in a good position to advance. They’ll be playing with their starting defense and Ben Roethlisberger at quarterback instead of Rudolph. The Cleveland defense isn’t a threat against a serious Steelers squad.

Prediction: Steelers win 31-13

#5 Baltimore Ravens v. #4 Tennessee Titans

Like the Bears-Saints game, this is a re-match of an earlier season win (by the Titans) which went to OT. The Raven offense, like the Bears offense, has surged and fixed their issues, making their teams look like threats heading into the weekend.

The Ravens offense might have the same issues Titans head coach Mike Vrabel presented last year. Vrabel’s defense might have a porous secondary, but they’ve forced quarterback Lamar Jackson to throw the ball precisely on the outside instead of the middle of the field.

The Ravens offense is designed to play ahead and run points up. This works against opposing offenses that can’t score every drive. The Titans are one of the teams that can score every possession if needed. Behemoth runningback Derrick Henry is a nightmare the Ravens defense doesn’t want to see again. Ryan Tannehill has dependable receiving options and the offensive line is pretty solid.

Upset Prediction of the Week: Titans win 40-34 (OT)

#7 Indianapolis Colts v. #2 Buffalo Bills

The best game this weekend will be the first one aired. MVP candidate Josh Allen will face one of the best defenses in the NFL, while the Bills defense has a sizable task in containing the Colts running game.

The Bills are the hottest team right now, destroying a desperate Miami Dolphins team where their starters played only the first half and still scored 56. They’re getting receiver John Brown back at the right time to pair with Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley. Zach Moss has turned into a reliable runningback, the last piece the Bills needed before they went on a run.

The Colts on the other hand will miss Anthony Castonzo on the offensive line. Philip Rivers has a lot of pressure to get to the Super Bowl since this could be his last season. Jonathan Taylor can help take the pressure off, but the Bills could play their best if Rivers drops back to pass.

Prediction: Bills win 21-20

The seven playoff seeds in the National Football Conference are finalized! In this new playoff format, the top seeded Green Bay Packers will have a week off, while the other six teams (Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Football Team, Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints) play this upcoming weekend. Three teams will advance to the divisional round and inch closer to the Super Bowl. Time to decipher which three teams have the best shot of advancing to the next round.

#7 Chicago Bears v. #2 New Orleans Saints

The regular season match-up featured a different quarterback for the Bears (Nick Foles), a star receiver out (Michael Thomas), and defenses stopping the run early and often. A lot has changed the past month and a half. Mitchell Trubisky is back starting and presents the best opportunity to beat a stout Saints defense that can rush opposing quarterbacks well, and Michael Thomas (per ESPN) should play this Sunday for the first time in a month.

Analysis: This favors New Orleans heavily. Chicago’s defense couldn’t get pressure on a backup left tackle against Green Bay last Sunday. Defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano’s bull-rush first mentality has burned the defensive front out. The Saints’ offensive line should give Drew Brees a lot of time especially the second half. Chicago’s offensive line will help Trubisky a bit since he’s a mobile threat, but the potential loss of Darnell Mooney hurts.

Prediction: New Orleans wins 30-17

#6 Los Angeles Rams v. #3 Seattle Seahawks

The Rams and Seahawks play in a third straight divisional game, and their third game against each other this season. The first two games featured defensive highlights, hard hits and not a lot of scoring. Both starting quarterbacks struggled to make plays and stretch the field. This game looks to continue that trend.

Analysis: Between Jared Goff’s injured thumb, a short week to prepare and the unspectacular performance by John Wolford last Sunday, the Rams defense is critical for creating turnovers and scoring opportunities. Kicker Matt Gay has range even if the offense can’t get touchdowns, but the return of runningback Cam Akers and offensive captain Andrew Whitworth will help even if it’s a small net positive.

Seattle’s Mike Iupati and Brandon Shell returning gives Seattle an offensive line at full strength. Russell Wilson’s struggles against Aaron Donald and the Rams defensive front presents opportunities for runningbacks Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde to control the game tempo. For the Seahawks, keeping the Rams offensive stars off the field notably in the second half is important for an early playoff win on a short week.

Prediction: Seahawks win 23-13

#5 Tampa Bay Buccaneers v. #4 Washington Football Team

The trilogy meeting between Bruce Arians v. Ron Rivera is what we wanted. Tampa’s defense has dealt with COVID-19 issues the past week and a half, and Washington’s offense is so-so. Tampa’s offense is loaded even if Mike Evans doesn’t play. On the opposite, Washington boasts the best pass defense and the best front defensive four in the NFL. This will be a great game even with a 7-9 team in the playoffs.

Analysis: The key to winning for both teams involves the running game. Antonio Gibson is the key for the Football Team in order to win, so he should get a lot of touches early and often. Alex Smith is a bright quarterback who knows how to win in the playoffs despite his leg injury being a problem in the past week. Tampa may have an advantage smothering his best receivers in coverage, but there’s enough creativity with runningbacks to keep Washington hanging around.

Ronald Jones is a top three runningback in the NFL, but the offensive stubbornness of Bruce Arians and Byron Leftwich prevent him from shining when it matters most. Arians does have the quarterback that takes competition to the next level in Tom Brady, and one would think despite Arians calling plays, this is Brady’s game. Rookie defensive end Chase Young opened his mouth too early and talked on how he wants to sack Brady at least once. The best quarterback in our lifetime took this personally, and we’ve seen Brady show up when he takes things to heart.

Prediction: Buccaneers win 27-17

Author’s picks last week: 10-6

Author’s picks this season: 164-86

Cam Newton and the New England Patriots were one point away from tying the Buffalo Bills at ten points each until kicker Nick Folk missed the extra point. After that kick, the Bills played the Patriots like a playoff team and bludgeoned them.

Newton was pulled in the middle of the third quarter, throwing for 34 yards and sacked twice for 20 yards. That’s a finish of +14 yards for the reigning 2015 league MVP. Newton hasn’t looked right since he caught COVID-19, and it’s fair to ask has that affected his play.

All of this is important because Newton said at the beginning of December that he isn’t done playing and has a lot to prove. Anyone who’s watched Newton since he contracted COVID, knows he has nothing left to prove. Minus the upcoming Sunday game, Newton came back to start 14 games and was critical to the Patriots not being worse than the New York Jets. His foot injuries seem to have taken a toll, and he’s a shell of that 2015 greatness.

None of this is to antagonize him for clinging onto his starting spot. In fact, it’s the opposite. There are at least a half dozen starting quarterbacks holding teams back from playing at their best, and it’s time for them to retire or step down. Think about it this way; if this was a politician who served a state/country over 25 years, citizens would want a fresh face. It’s the same with sports, the only difference is sports wins championships.

Starting quarterbacks who need to retire

• Drew Brees – Probably 95% of football fans (outside of Louisiana) agree with this one. Brees is not the same player he was even five years ago. There are valid reasons why Brees should retire. To start, he’s had issues throwing deep passes consistently. Early this season, New Orleans had the fewest yards per pass (just over five yards). It’s not much better heading into 2021. The final clue was the number of broken ribs Brees sustained mid-November against the San Francisco 49ers. With close to a dozen ribs out of place and a punctured lung, he came back a month later to play. Brees is an icon in New Orleans and a relic of the culture change he and coach Sean Payton brought to a losing franchise. That’s a problem. He’s a relic, not a quarterback who can carry a team to a championship. The Saints have to find a young quarterback in the offseason.
• Ben Roethlisberger – The Steelers are a mess even with a comeback win against the Indianapolis Colts last Sunday. In order to see where the Steelers and Roethlisberger are, watch game-tape of December 21st’s Steelers-Bengals game. Roethlisberger, who’s one of the 2004 drafted quarterbacks on this list, struggled to throw downfield. Yes, he threw well in Lucas Oil Stadium the following Sunday, but Pittsburgh was down double-digits in the second half and Indianapolis made few second half adjustments. The focus for the Steelers offense is to get the ball out of Ben’s hands at record speed, hoping his receivers catch the passes and make plays after. It’s not sustainable. Whoever the sixth seed heading into wild card weekend is, that team has the advantage of shutting down a rapid fire offense with few answers when contained. Mason Rudolph isn’t the solution long-term, so the Steelers must look in free agency and the draft for their future.
• Philip Rivers – The other 2004 drafted quarterback is on a one year $25 million deal with the Indianapolis Colts. Rivers’ odd throwing motion has shown the downside of his career. He’s made efforts to get the Colts’ best receiver T.Y. Hilton the ball the past month and a half, but there may not be enough tape for general manager Chris Ballard to consider re-signing him this offseason. Along with his throwing motion, his lack of mobility outside the pocket and lack of game winning drives against playoff opponents says Rivers is likely to go within the next few years, if not after this season. Unlike the other two names above, Rivers can call it quits before he plays like a shell of his former self.
• Cam Newton – Newton was hit a lot during his tenure in Carolina, and those hits took a toll. His lis franc injury was enough to not play a season and a half, which is why New England took a chance on him with a small contract. There aren’t many talented receivers in New England (outside of Julian Edelman) and COVID-19 possibly affected him before the Patriots played Kansas City. It’s evident he is not comfortable and nowhere near the top threat even three years ago. Despite him saying he has much to prove, there’s nothing left he has to do almost ten years in the NFL.
• Alex Smith – the Comeback Player of the Year winner is a great story after a year and a half out of the NFL for breaking his leg and an infection right after. If we take emotions out of this, Smith is the fifth quarterback on this list who’s 35 years or older who’s been in the playoffs multiple times. The Washington Football Team needs to find a franchise quarterback, which is on the list of things the franchise faces in the upcoming years. While Smith brings stability, how can we be sure Taylor Heinicke, Kyle Allen, or an outsider such as Mitchell Trubisky or Brandon Allen isn’t the answer if they don’t have opportunities to prove themselves?
• Matt Ryan – Last year might have been the last good year we see from the tenured Atlanta Falcon quarterback. Despite a fantastic receiving core and a solid offensive line, Ryan has yet to throw 20 or more touchdowns this season. The Falcons are a punchline for choking games, but Ryan isn’t a game-changer like he was middle last decade. At 35, it’s best he retire before his career ends sour.
• Matthew Stafford – The eye-opening one on here and understandably so. He has two years remaining on his contract and could get traded to a team that needs a quarterback such as New Orleans, San Francisco or Pittsburgh. Stafford’s been consistent enough to keep the Detroit Lions competitive most of the seasons he’s played. There are some things that warrant him being in this category. His injury list is longer than most starting quarterbacks. Last time he finished a season healthy, he threw 21 touchdowns. His offensive line has been better this season, but he still takes sacks he shouldn’t go down on, an issue most of his career. Adding to his decision making, consider quality play against winning teams. He can get to the playoffs, but can he take the extra step with a better roster on all three sides of the ball? At 32, we might have seen his peak since he entered the league in 2009, so it’s possible he has a steady decline.

Just how life is outside of sports, there are exceptions to the rule. 37 year old Aaron Rodgers is the front runner to not just win league MVP this season, but to lead Green Bay back to the Super Bowl. Tom Brady’s the oldest quarterback to start on any team, and he’s looking pretty good despite being 43. Brady winning six championships with no losing seasons in his NFL career is a talent we may not see from anyone else in our lifetime. Andy Dalton and Ryan Fitzpatrick have accepted their 1B/backup roles, helping their teams when needed most.

It’s possible that Matthew Stafford, Matt Ryan and Philip Rivers could be great backup/1B options, but there are valid questions and cases on why new quarterbacks should have a chance to start without controversy. Sam Darnold needs a coach who can teach him consistency. Mitchell Trubisky is finally thriving with an offensive coordinator who understands how to use him. Jimmy Garappolo may do well in New England since Bill Belichick knew how to get the best out of him. Sit back and ask how many talented quarterbacks are we not watching the best of week-to-week because they don’t have the chance to show it?

It’s been a wild 2020. First the NBA season paused until mid-summer, then the Miami Heat went on a tear dismantling the Milwaukee Bucks and edging the Boston Celtics to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals.

The NBA bubble in Orlando won’t be back, yet there won’t be many fans in stadiums due to COVID-19 precautions. The season starts tonight despite these fan restrictions, so it’s time to pick which eight teams in the East have the best chance to make the playoffs.

#1 Milwaukee Bucks

This isn’t a hard one. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the best player in professional basketball and the Bucks have a solid supporting cast. Coach Mike Budenholzer is good in the regular season (post-season is a different story). Milwaukee might lock up the first seed early since there’s enough depth to hold leads or make games competitive. The addition of point guard Jrue Holiday solidifies the Bucks holding onto their number one spot.

#2 Boston Celtics

The Toronto Raptors lost their core depth and height in free agency. As good as coach Nick Nurse is, I don’t see how the Raptors come out on top and retain the number two seed. Boston did add Tristan Thompson in the offseason, a center who has championship experience to compliment Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart.

The Celtics have more to work with and look to be the most complete team on paper. Even with injuries, coach Brad Stevens will find ways to keep them a top four seed.

#3 Miami Heat

Outside of teams wearing green, this may be the best team. Miami retains most of their roster from their Finals trip in September. Coach Eric Spoelstra can improve breakout role players Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro. Starting center Bam Adebayo, point guard Goran Dragic and team star Jimmy Butler will be enough for this team to cement the Southeast Division.

What sets this team apart is how they can play as a whole unit, their coaching, and they match up well against dangerous teams such as Brooklyn and Philadelphia.

#4 Philadelphia 76ers

Doc Rivers is a clear upgrade from Brett Brown at head coach. Dwight Howard as the backup center behind Joel Embiid will be interesting, and shooting guard additions Danny Green and Seth Curry will make this a polar year for the Sixers.

Unfortunately for them, the Heat have shown to be a true contender as they won the East last year, taking out the top two teams of this list. Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris aren’t players to win championships with, but they can take Philly far if there’s a good core who can shoot.

Despite the cons, they’re much better than all but a few teams in the East. Let’s see how long coach Doc Rivers can improve this team.

#5 Indiana Pacers

The Pacers get overlooked because of the drop-off in star talent outside of Milwaukee, but they’re a real playoff threat…if they can win a game. New coach Nate Bjorkgren needs to find ways to win when it matters especially in the playoffs.

Outside of two sweeps the past two playoff appearances, the Pacers have solid players to clinch a five or six seed. Victor Oladipo, Myles Turner, Malcolm Brogdon, Domantas Sabonis and Justin Holiday are a good core Bjorkgren can work with early in the season. Outside of bench players Doug McDermott and Jeremy Lamb, the Pacers have to shoot better from mid-to-long range.

Indiana plays well defensively, something they have to do considering the Bucks and Celtics are the top teams who push them around. Outside their shooting issues, that should play another pivotal part of their season and in the division.

#6 Brooklyn Nets

The team everyone wants to see early and often. The Nets look to be one of the best teams to score and dominate on offense, but defensively a sieve. Coach Steve Nash will have his hands full when the Nets have to defend in close games.

The returns of Kevin Durant and point guard Kyrie Irving are what basketball fans want to see. Spencer Dinwiddie and Joe Harris provide offensive flexibility and long-range scoring. However, outside of an aging DeAndre Jordan there isn’t anyone who shows they’re a defensive star.

The sky is the limit for the Nets. They could fix the defensive issues by mid-season or crash and burn. Too many questions remain that can’t be answered at once. The sixth seed is fitting since they couldn’t be any worse to start the season.

#7 Chicago Bulls

Coach Jim Boylen deservedly got the boot and was replaced by phenom Billy Donovan. That puts the Bulls and Donovan in a much better spot than the beginning of 2020. Boylen had no idea what to do with the talent in front of him.

Point guard Coby White’s trajectory looks positive going into his second season. Bulls stars Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen and Wendell Carter Jr. will be led and taught by Billy Donovan on how to improve their individual and team games. Markkanen is playing for the right coach and should have a career year.

Otto Porter Jr., Thaddeus Young and Denzel Valentine are good bench players who will help out and play team-first basketball. Donovan didn’t have this much talent to work with in Oklahoma City. The Bulls are ready to take the next steps with a new coach and general manager.

#8 Orlando Magic

A second team has to make the playoffs from the Southeast division…I think. The Magic or the Atlanta Hawks are the best bets to grab the last seed since Washington and Charlotte will probably sink this season. The Magic get the nod for two reasons: they’ve drafted and designed a better roster and they have playoff experience.

The Magic were thrown out of the playoffs by a championship Toronto Raptors team in 2019 and a dominant Milwaukee team in 2020. However, they grabbed one win against both of those teams. They’re not some mediocre team with no stars, they’re still developing like the Chicago Bulls are.

The good thing for Orlando is their added depth behind their starters. Michael Carter-Williams, Al-Farouq Aminu, Terrence Ross and Mo Bamba should keep the Magic in games especially against teams close to getting into the playoffs.

Week 14 is almost finished and the number of teams clinching playoff berths are narrowing down. Sunday’s games revealed who’s competing past the first two weeks in January and who’s securing a top-15 draft pick. It’s time to discuss who or what took positive steps toward a playoff run and who’s closer to elimination on the second Sunday of December.

Winners: The NFC East

It’s no secret the NFC East has been the worst division in 2020. However, if sports fans knew the division had the best record in the NFL since Week 11 (with a record of 9-6), what would they think? Thankfully, we’re witnessing a competitive finish.

The New York Giants led the division before Sunday and had a case for not just beating the Arizona Cardinals, but retaining their lead for the rest of December. They’re now looking up as they suffered a lopsided loss and the Washington Football Team beat San Francisco. The Philadelphia Eagles have a spark as Jalen Hurts led the way and upset the Saints in New Orleans. Dallas took care of business in Cincinnati, staying alive in the division race. They play the Giants the last game of the regular season.

Whoever wins the NFC East may not be over .500, but they’ll be favored wild-card weekend. Everyone can breathe a sigh of relief knowing this may not be the worst division in American sports history.

Green Bay Packers

No team won or caught as many breaks like the Packers did Sunday. Matthew Stafford’s rib injury guaranteed a Packers win. The only blemish was the referees, who held both them and the Lions back missing multiple roughing the passer penalties and plays that looked inbounds.

Outside of their divisional win, the Packers are the top seed in the NFC. The Jalen Hurts-led Eagles ran all over the Saints defense and held on for a needed win in their divisional race. Green Bay was surprised by Jalen Hurts when previous starter Carson Wentz was benched last game, but they won because he played in the fourth quarter. The Saints had no answer or gameplan when he ran to extend plays.

The Packers remaining obstacle to locking up the number one seed is if they lose to the Tennessee Titans in Week 16. If they’re able to stop Derrick Henry, they’ll be a hard team to face in the playoffs, especially if they’re the only team with a week off.

Justin Herbert

The Los Angeles Chargers may be out of the playoff race, but their win over Atlanta after being shutout 45-0 is good for confidence. So was the second half rookie quarterback Justin Herbert had.

Another week will go where we hear the Atlanta Falcons choked a lead away. It’s on Matt Ryan to not turn the ball over three times throughout the game. The Chargers had all ten of the second half points, and that’s because the offense capitalized on mistakes.

Herbert threw one of his touchdowns passes to star receiver Keenan Allen to tie the game at 17 in the third quarter. After Michael Davis’ interception on Matt Ryan late in the fourth, the Chargers executed an 11 play drive in 31 seconds. That drive started at the Charger 26 yard line, and the field goal at the end was at the Falcon 25 yard line.

Time management was an issue in LA’s loss to the Bills where they squandered a minute at the end. The rookie quarterback seemed to learn from that botched drive.

Josh Allen’s case for MVP

The MVP race is between Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes at this point, but Josh Allen’s name should be thrown in. I criticized the Buffalo Bills and Allen earlier in the season for not playing superior to their opponents, which was deserved since they struggled. They’re not just 3-0 since their bye week, they’ve beaten all their opponents by ten points or more. One was against the former NFC conference champions last Monday and the other a statement game last night against Pittsburgh.

Quarterback Josh Allen is a big part of that. While the defense is clicking at the right time unlike the first half of the season, Allen is elevating the play of the offense. Last night was the first Sunday night game the Bills were featured in since the Patriots went 16-0. The franchise star threw for 238 yards, two touchdowns, one interception and took one sack against one of the best defenses in the league.

Allen stepped up behind his offensive line to extend plays or run the ball, making the right decisions throughout the second half and had his best performance in a critical AFC matchup this year. He’s yet to have a red-zone interception in his career, something no other elite level quarterback can say.

Add on his 28 touchdowns are second most in franchise history behind the legendary Jim Kelly, and his resume for MVP this year should at least be considered.

Losers: Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville has been competitive in almost all of their 13 losses. They have a carousel at quarterback, and this time Gardner Minshew II gets his starting job back.

Mike Glennon had no answer against the Tennessee Titans. That feel-good story was going to end some time. Coach Doug Marrone will be fired at the end of the season, but the team still plays hard despite winning one game.

It doesn’t help that after the Jaguars lose, the New York Jets find ways to out-do them. Owner Shahid Khan and Jaguars management must be upset they can’t lock in the number one pick for next year’s draft.

The Bengals’ offensive coaches in the fourth quarter v. Dallas

If there was a good case to fire head coach Zac Taylor and his offensive staff at the end of the season, this past Sunday would be it. The Bengals lost a game they could’ve won but bad coaching in the fourth quarter cost them.

Backup quarterback Brandon Allen played well against one of the worst defenses in the league. The Cowboys got a lead early by forcing turnovers on three straight Cincinnati possessions, but couldn’t pull away. Down 20-7, the Bengals had a shot at narrowing the deficit to 6 and had all three of their timeouts.

Allen got hurt in the middle of a 16 play, 70 yard drive that ran almost seven and a half minutes off the clock. It was clear when the Bengals got deep into Dallas’ side of the field he couldn’t throw off one foot, but the Bengals coaching staff didn’t see anything wrong with that. Allen continued to be hit, limp closer to the endzone and the offensive possession grew worse. The drive ended because Taylor decided to go for 6 points instead of three, and Allen threw an uncatchable pass to Tyler Boyd out of bounds. Dallas’ next possession resulted in a Greg Zuerlein field goal and Taylor used all of his timeouts.

Whoever is coach of the Bengals next year is a lame-duck candidate at best. They’ll have a high draft pick, but this was a winnable game against a team still in the playoff race and the coaches couldn’t make a simple substitution. That’s firable.

Bill O’Brien

How good would the Texans have been this season if Bill O’Brien was fired two years ago? The former Houston head coach and general manager traded away many of the prized assets the team gained the second half of last decade. It’s hurt the team much of this season and a blowout loss to the Chicago Bears emphasized all of it.

Quarterback DeShaun Watson was sacked six times and even took a shot to his groin, staying on the sideline until the next possession. His top target was Chad Hansen, who caught seven passes for 56 yards. Hansen was activated only Friday and didn’t fully practice. The second best receiver was second string runningback Duke Johnson.

Interim coach Romeo Crennel did all he could. It’s best to deactivate Watson for the rest of the season so he doesn’t get hurt against Indianapolis or Tennessee. Watson does all he can and has the Texans at second in the league in passing. He has little help on the offensive line, one of the many mistakes O’Brien made regressing the franchise.

J.J. Watt isn’t coming back next season and Crennel, who’s in his early 70s, should retire. This is Bill O’Brien’s legacy. Hopefully he won’t be a head coach any time soon.

San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers had a week they’ll want to forget. Losing Monday night to an AFC East-leading Bills team is tolerable. The offense laying a dud against the Washington Football Team ended their season.

Nick Mullens is a great quarterback in garbage time, just not in critical situations. Statistically, he was better than both Washington quarterbacks. Still, he’s the reason San Francisco lost. Multiple turnovers, sacks, and a touchdown thrown only when trailing by 16 points is bad football.

The Rams, Cardinals and Seahawks all won in Week 14. That singles out the 49ers as the first team in the NFC West to be eliminated from the playoffs. With salary cap issues looming this upcoming offseason, it could be a long 2021 for San Francisco.

Week 13 is almost finished and the number of teams that will head to the playoffs is narrowing down. Sunday’s games revealed who’s competing for a playoff spot heading into December and who’s securing draft space early. It’s time to discuss who or what took positive steps toward a playoff run and who’s in a bigger hole on the first Sunday of December.

Winners: Lions Interim Coach Darrell Bevell

In his first game as a head coach, Bevell did something previous coach Matt Patricia couldn’t do in almost three seasons: beat the Chicago Bears.

The Lions offense played a great game, scoring five touchdowns with a balanced running and passing attack. Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 402 yards and led a comeback with under 2:30 remaining in the game. The Lions defense gave up 30 points to a woeful Bears offense, but they forced a critical turnover under two minutes to play.

Detroit may have won their last game of the season and Darrell Bevell might not return as head coach or offensive coordinator, but it’s clear he wasn’t a problem when Patricia was in charge. That will land him a better job in the offseason.

Baker Mayfield

The Cleveland Browns offense played one of their best games this season, and it starts with the quarterback. Mayfield played like he did his rookie season, throwing the ball aggressive and confident. When the first half ended, Cleveland led by a whopping 31 points against a Tennessee team that ran over Indianapolis their last game.

Mayfield’s four touchdowns showed audiences how good he can be. His second touchdown to Kendall Lamm proved he’s reading open receivers and the field better in short yardage situations. His third score to Donovan Peoples-Jones shows head coach Kevin Stefanski trusts Mayfield to lead when opponents keep games within ten points.

The Browns have three solid wins over playoff contending teams and can trust their quarterback to deliver when it matters. They’ll put up a fight in the playoffs.

Jalen Hurts

Anyone tuned into CBS’s telecast of the Eagles-Packers watched Philadelphia’s starting quarterback Carson Wentz struggle for almost three quarters. Coach Doug Pederson’s Eagles resemble fellow coordinator Matt Nagy’s Chicago Bears on offense; bad offensive line, can’t run the ball and the quarterbacks are hit so much they can’t make fast reads. Jalen Hurts is a breath of fresh air for the Eagles offense.

Hurts sparked an Eagles comeback against the Packers in the fourth quarter yesterday. If it wasn’t for Packer’s runningback Aaron Jones’ spectacular 77 yard touchdown run, the Eagles might have extended the game to overtime.

Audiences saw Hurts used as a gadget player, someone who creates or runs non-quarterback plays to extend offensive possessions. After a real performance in one half by the rookie, Doug Pederson (more on him later) has a decision to make on who starts next week.

Trevor Lawrence

Let’s be honest on the New York Jets. They’re 0-12 not because the players are useless no-names, they’re 0-12 because Adam Gase is a complete stumblebum who can’t coach or develop players. This team was on a decline before he got the job in 2019.

If you watched the Jets within the last three weeks, you know the more Gase isn’t involved with the offense, the better they are. Gase’s job is to make sure this failure of an organization clinches the number one pick to draft Lawrence.

There are good pieces on offense to use once Lawrence comes in. The offensive line was built from the inside to out, especially on the left side with Mekhi Becton and Cameron Clark. Josh Adams and La’Mical Perine have shown they can be used regularly to set a tempo early in games. Jamison Crowder, Breshad Perriman, Braxton Barrios and Denzel Mims are a good quartet of receivers, even if they need to further development with a good head coach.

Once the Jets secure the number one pick in the draft, find a head coach with a working brain and draft Trevor Lawrence, we’ll be having a positive conversation about the Jets heading into the 2021 season.

Losers: Brian Schottenheimer, Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks Offense

What an atrocious game-plan by the Seahawks offense. Russell Wilson looked like a middle-round draft pick. Wilson’s MVP campaign is officially done as the Seahawks took a horrendous home loss to the New York Giants.

Wilson was sacked five times, but the offensive line wasn’t the main problem. Wilson couldn’t hit open receivers (taking an intentional grounding penalty in the middle of the game), couldn’t read a field (never saw a wide open six foot Freddie Swain at one point), took five sacks trying to spin out of a New York pass rush that was effective because he couldn’t read the field, and turned the ball over twice in both second and third quarters.

Opposing defenses are locked in as Seattle throws the ball downfield. This change creates more opportunities for the offense to target the middle of the defense and potentially take more time off the clock. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has yet to take advantage of this and adapt his scheme. The tight-ends aren’t used enough, the runningbacks aren’t carrying the ball to control rhythm on drives, and receivers like Tyler Lockett (who narrowly escaped serious injuries yesterday) have disappeared without reason.

Seattle’s only home loss of the season is due to the offense having its worst game in the Russell Wilson era. The defense is much improved as the Giants scored 17 points with under 200 yards passing given up, but the loss drops them from the second seed and division leader to fifth seed in the NFC and second place behind the Los Angeles Rams. That’s maddening.

Houston Texans Offense

DeShaun Watson desperately needed Will Fuller V yesterday and it showed. Watson took five sacks against an aggressive Indianapolis defensive line, including a safety that gave the Colts a six point lead in the fourth quarter.

Watson threw one interception and 341 yards, but with his main targets being Keke Coutee and Chad Hansen, that won’t be enough for Houston to go downfield and create deep-pass plays. Texans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly has a lot to look at these next few weeks, because running the ball can only do so much before opponents start to play seven men at the line or all-out rush the quarterback.

Doug Pederson

It’s understandable Pederson’s choice of starting quarterback Carson Wentz the past month came in part with the awful division the Eagles are in, Wentz’s contract, and injuries on offense. The latter hasn’t been an issue the past three weeks, and Wentz still can’t read a field or throw the ball away under pressure.

Pederson should’ve made a change after the Giants split the series. Philadelphia lost by five and six points in their previous two games and trailed by 20 before Wentz was benched. The Giants have the tie-breaker and look to be the hot team in the NFC East ready for a playoff run.

If the Eagles don’t make the playoffs this year, it’s because head coach Doug Pederson left his starter in too long and put the right quarterback into the starting role when it didn’t matter.

Washington Football Team

The Washington Football Team dealt with a flex game featuring an undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers team. They got additional rest after blowing out the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, but they’ll be playing behind the rest of December in return.

The New York Giants win in Seattle wasn’t just bad for the Seahawks, it’s bad for the Football Team’s playoff chances since the Giants have the tie-breaker in the division. The Giants could lose one of their last four games and Washington would have to win the rest of theirs in order to tie a team that swept them.

Head coach Ron Rivera was brought in to change the culture top to bottom and he’ll do that this decade, but losing the divisional race this way is a bitter pill to swallow.

Week 12 is almost finished and audiences are narrowing down what teams will head to the playoffs. Sunday’s games revealed who’s competing for a playoff spot heading into December and who’s ready for the offseason. It’s time to discuss who or what took positive steps toward a playoff run and who’s in a bigger hole on the last Sunday of November.

Winners: Eric Bieniemy and the Kansas City Offense

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has one of his best staffs ever, and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is sure to get interviews after the season. It’s hard to ignore him if you’re upper management in any NFL franchise.

The Tampa Bay defense is respected as announcers Jim Nantz and Tony Romo said in yesterday’s game. Chiefs quarterback and star of the league Patrick Mahomes made sure to exploit Tampa’s man coverage scheme, throwing to Tyreek Hill early in the game and not letting up. Mahomes threw for 462 yards and three touchdowns; 269 of those yards and all three touchdowns went to Hill.

Bieniemy got the rest of the offense involved after a 17 point first quarter. The Chiefs ran the ball 20 times and Mahomes completed passes to seven different receivers. While Travis Kelce is the second best pass catcher on the team, Sammy Watkins eased back into the offense and Demarcus Robinson fits as a second wide-out option. Despite Pittsburgh’s 10-0 record, the Chiefs are the team to beat in not just the AFC, but the NFL with how their offense is ahead of everyone else.

Tennessee Titans

If any analyst or fan told you two weeks ago after the Indianapolis Colts dominated in Nashville that the Titans would grab the division lead, you’d be shocked.

The second round of Titans and Colts thrilled in the first half as the first five possessions produced touchdowns. The Titans lead after the first half 35-14 and didn’t look back. They embarrassed Philip Rivers and the Colts offense in the third quarter alone, prompting head coach Frank Reich to pull Rivers and put last year’s starter Jacoby Brissett in.

Bruising runningback Derrick Henry had a rivalry record 178 yards rushing with three touchdowns. On 27 carries, he averaged over six yards a carry against a top five defense. Take some of the injuries out for the Colts, it’s still impressive after they played each other two weeks ago. Receivers A.J. Brown and Corey Davis are locks for the franchise. Two years ago, this franchise couldn’t find a reliable receiver. Now they have two.

Head coach Mike Vrabel and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith got the Titans to the AFC Championship last year. This team looks better than they did during that run, something the stacked conference should keep an eye on. The Steelers and Chiefs are the top two teams, but Tennessee will have a bigger part to play in who represents the AFC in the Super Bowl this year.

Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams

Last night was a divisional game the Packers had to win. They didn’t just play perfect football. They set records.

The Green Bay Packers become the first team in their rivalry over the Chicago Bears to win 100 games. That’s around 14% of their all-time wins. Future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers threw four touchdowns in three quarters of play. The “elite” Bears defense had eight hurries, but never hit or sacked him. Rodgers became the 11th quarterback in NFL history to throw for 50,000 yards and is the second youngest quarterback to accomplish this (Ben Roethlisberger is the youngest to). The Packers lead everyone else by three games in the NFC North, and are clear favorites to win the division.

Davante Adams broke some franchise and league records too. Adams is the fastest Packer receiver to reach 500 receptions in the franchise, surpassing icon Sterling Sharpe in his 95th game. He’s the fifth Packer receiver to reach this milestone. Green Bay’s twitter feed added this morning that Adams is the first NFL receiver to post 60+ receptions, 700+ receiving yards and 9+ touchdowns in his first seven games of the season.

The iconic franchise added a cherry on top: accomplishing this on prime time national television. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Jeremy Chinn

Pretty sure 75% of NFL fans and analysts didn’t know who Chinn was until Minnesota’s offensive debacles yesterday. He was taken in the late second round in this year’s draft, so we’ll hear more about him. However, he’s in the record books his rookie season.

Jeremy Chinn did something no defensive player has done in not just the 21st century, but since 1948: he returned two fumbles for touchdowns. If you don’t think that’s impressive, he did that in eight seconds, on back-to-back plays.

These two touchdowns put the Carolina Panthers in the lead before Minnesota scored on their last offensive possession of the game. The game turned 180 degrees and forced the Vikings to throw the ball much of the second half. Chinn is now the third player in league history to accomplish this feat, and probably did it the fastest.

Losers: Anthony Lynn

Los Angeles Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn has mismanaged a lot of games the past year and a half. This one may be one of his worst, even if they didn’t have a lead during the game.

Lynn mismanaged a critical last offensive possession. Rookie quarterback Justin Herbert completed a Hail Mary pass to Buffalo’s four yard line. The Chargers should’ve spiked the ball to stop the clock, but chose three plays before the game ended. These were the last three plays they ran:

• Austin Ekeler one yard run with 24 seconds left, almost 40 seconds after the Hail Mary reception by Tyron Johnson
• Incomplete pass for Mike Williams
• Herbert’s run for -2 yards on a quarterback sneak

There was one minute left on the clock before those three plays. At 3-8, this game could determine if Lynn returns next season.

Bruce Arians and Byron Leftwich

There’s no doubt these two coaches are great with their work on offenses and how to handle their teams. There is a problem with use of their runningbacks, regularly forcing quarterback Tom Brady to throw the ball early in games.

Kansas City led 17-0 after the first quarter in Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers offense punted on all their possessions in the quarter, and that’s because Tom Brady threw the ball two of every three downs. The Buccaneers ran the ball 12 times (minus Brady’s one yard loss, and he doesn’t run much) for 76 yards. That’s over six yards a carry, and Kansas City’s defense struggles to stop the run.

This isn’t the first time either. While penalties cost Tampa a win against Chicago in October, they ran the ball well with Ronald Jones. Later in that game, the coaches decided passing was the better option. That resulted in holding penalties, Tom Brady being sacked, and turnovers. Ronald Jones had just under a dozen carries, averaging over seven yards. It’s time to stop berating Brady in a new scheme and criticize these two coaches for failing to gameplan against playoff caliber opponents.

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals have shown up in big games against teams who could make deep playoff runs. They’ve played down to their competition against teams who struggle, and that goes on head coach Kliff Kingsbury.

Seattle’s second game against Arizona was their best performance against a skilled offense all season, and the Cardinals didn’t look ready to sweep them. It happens, and there’s nothing wrong with that. A week and a half later, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph put a good game plan together against a Patriots offense that’s running the ball more to ease pressure off Cam Newton. Newton had one of his worst performances yesterday, throwing for 84 yards and two interceptions.

The Cardinals can point fingers at the referees for bad penalties on New England’s last drive, and they should because the outcome could be different. However, kicker Zane Gonzalez missed what could have been a game winning field goal before the Patriots got the ball back. If the Patriots tied, the Cardinals had a chance to win in overtime. That’s the difference.

Don’t put all the blame on Gonzalez either. Murray threw for 170 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. Coaching cost the Cardinals a win, and they’re further back in the playoff standings because of it.

Whoever watched even half of the New Orleans-Denver game

Emergency quarterback Kendall Hinton did what he could with no practice reps a day and a half before Sunday. The Denver offense wasn’t a factor for almost the entire game. Look past the Saints’ 31 points, and Taysom Hill wasn’t good either. The two quarterbacks combined didn’t even throw 100 yards or a touchdown.

It’s good New Orleans won by 28, but there should be questions about Taysom Hill starting all of December. Thankfully both sides scored. Let’s hope no one has to watch a game like this the rest of the season.

The NFL postseason is inching closer to January, and more teams are competing for division leads and wildcard spots. Thanksgiving Day Football will feature two games (it was originally three, but the Baltimore Ravens- Pittsburgh Steelers game was moved because of multiple players testing positive for COVID-19) where at least one team has playoff hopes. Who will take the next step/s into locking up playoff births this Thursday?

Houston Texans (3-7) v. Detroit Lions (4-6)

Surprising Sunday for both these teams. Houston beat a desperate New England squad while Detroit was shutout by a second string offense. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford’s injured hand may be worse than we thought, but the offense as a whole needs to show improvement especially in the running game.

This is one of the last easy games Detroit has on their schedule. A team second to last running the ball shouldn’t win two games in one week. Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is a great player but he can’t do it all…right?

Prediction: Lions win 24-20

Washington Football Team (3-7) v. Dallas Cowboys (3-7)

Washington crushed Dallas in the first meeting, winning by 22 and knocked out Andy Dalton close to a month with a concussion. The only change Washington has is at quarterback with Alex Smith, who’s playing better and faces the easiest defense he’s seen this season. Good thing Dallas beat the Vikings Sunday.

Prediction: Football Team wins 28-13

Week 11 Picks: 6-8

Overall Season Record: 106-52

Week eleven is almost finished and audiences have better ideas of which teams will head to the playoffs. Sunday’s games revealed who’s staying in the race before this coming Thursday and who’s ready for the offseason. Longer postseason runs or trading up for the draft are the main focuses around the league. It’s time to discuss who or what stood out, positively and negatively on the fourth Sunday of November.

Winners: Andy Dalton

Dalton’s last game against the Washington Football Team in late October was terrible. A month later, he returned to lead a Dallas team that scored two touchdowns in three games (that first Washington game included).

The Cowboys played the Minnesota Vikings at the right time; on the road, after a bye week, against an opponent who played last Monday night. They led 16-7 at halftime, and 16-14 after the third quarter. Dalton was a big reason why.

The backup quarterback threw for three touchdowns, 203 yards and an interception, but was sacked once. It’s encouraging for the offensive line after two quarterbacks were knocked out because of minimum protection.

Dallas plays an important divisional game Thursday against a nasty Washington defensive line. Even if they lose, Dalton’s performance yesterday keeps them in the NFC East race.

Gus Bradley

The Los Angeles Chargers won by six points, but the score doesn’t indicate how well they played. The special teams gifted the Jets six points with another punt blocked. The defense had to show up for a win especially in the second half. They got more than that.

Trailing 6-0, cornerback Tevaughn Campbell intercepted Joe Flacco and ran uncontested for a touchdown. Michael Badgley’s extra point gave the Chargers their first lead of the game, and they didn’t trail again. Although Joe Flacco was sacked once, he threw for just over 200 yards the whole game.

Bradley faces the most pressure on the Chargers coaching staff. His defense has given up multiple leads and is one of the reasons Los Angeles is last in the AFC West. Yesterday the Chargers shut down the Jets’s final possession. Unlike the Broncos, the Jets didn’t tie the game at the end and then win. That’s how Los Angeles should close games.

Indianapolis Colts

I said a few months ago the Colts would be an interesting team to watch in November. They’ve lived up to the hype, coming back from a 14 point deficit to steal a win from the Green Bay Packers in overtime. Philip Rivers’ health raises concerns, but the whole team is stepping up.

Matt Eberflus’ defense is top three in the league, anchored by a great front seven. The Colts’ running game looks solid, even without starter Marlon Mack. They have more half-time adjustments than last year, which contributes to quality wins over Green Bay and Tennessee.

Indianapolis can solidify their division lead against a Titans team with offensive line injuries and continuous, sloppy defense. The Colts exposed both their first meeting, and this time they have the home game. The AFC should take this team seriously.

Taysom Hill

The Saints defense stepped up when needed most, but Hill deserves credit for why the Saints offense looked good in that second half.

The numbers aren’t pretty, but Hill didn’t turn the ball over to a Falcons defense that’s improved since coach Dan Quinn was fired. The dynamic play-maker ran for two touchdowns and had some deep throws Saints fans and audiences hadn’t seen Drew Brees attempt in three years.

Coach Sean Payton knows Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston will succeed the injured Drew Brees after this season, and even if the former isn’t the solution (he is 30 years old), he bought more time to lead the Saints into December.

Losers: Whatever offense the Bengals assemble the rest of this season

Even in a dreadful NFC East, this team would be dead last without playmakers Joe Burrow and Joe Mixon on offense. They’re in the AFC North, a division where the other three teams might make the playoffs. They have games against two of those teams left on their schedule.

Everyone is fixated on the season ending injuries to first overall pick Joe Burrow. The Bengals won’t play nor look the same without him even next season. Lost in this news is runningback Joe Mixon was placed on injured reserve late Friday night. This definitely contributed to Burrow getting injured yesterday because there’s no formidable running game to ease pressure off the star QB. It’s possible Mixon doesn’t come back for the rest of the season knowing the Bengals have no playoff chances.

Backup quarterback Ryan Finley threw for 30 yards in a quarter and a half of play. Washington’s defense is a big reason why, but those kinds of numbers averaged through four quarters won’t get this team any wins the rest of the season especially with the number of playoff caliber teams left on their schedule. Good news is Cincinnati can use a top draft pick on an offensive lineman in next year’s draft.

Jake Luton and the Jaguars Offense

Might as well throw Jacksonville’s offense in here since they bottomed out against Pittsburgh. Luton, who didn’t tear any leg muscles, looked horrendous against an undefeated Steelers team.

Luton’s been a solid option for the Jaguars since Gardner Minshew II went out with a finger injury. Yesterday he was the reason Jacksonville lost. He threw four interceptions, and the Steelers turned those turnovers into points. You can’t win games scoring three points, and you won’t come close when you commit four turnovers.

Head coach Doug Marrone doesn’t know who will start next Sunday. It’s easy to understand after the offense put up under 300 yards. The Jaguars play wild-card contenders in Cleveland and Minnesota next. They better figure out something by Friday.

Philadelphia Eagles

The current division leader of the abhorrent NFC East took a painful loss to the Browns in Cleveland yesterday. Quarterback Carson Wentz struggles on simple completions, and the offensive line, which is at it’s healthiest, still can’t protect their quarterback.

Wentz was sacked five times and threw two interceptions, one of which was an uncontested return touchdown that broke a scoreless tie in the first half. The hits, pressure and sacks piled on the former second overall pick to the point where he’s struggling to read the field and overthrows open receivers. The offense is wasting one of the defense’s better years. That’s a shame considering how the Eagles could win their division before December.

Unlike the Eagles, the Washington Football Team and the Dallas Cowboys won yesterday, inching towards Philadelphia’s first place lead. Those teams play Thanksgiving and analytics say someone will win that game. If the Eagles can’t get back in first place, this game Sunday was the turning point.

Sam Ficken

Strange how two points can change the outcome of a game. Of the 32 starting kickers in the league, Ficken faces more pressure week-to-week because of how bad the New York Jets offense is. One mistake could add another loss for the only winless team in the league.

Ficken missed an extra point after the Jet’s scored a quick touchdown early in the first quarter. He missed another with 22 seconds left in the third quarter after Frank Gore’s one yard touchdown run. The Jets could’ve been down 10 instead of 12.

They could’ve been down by six instead of eight by their last offensive possession. The Jets are the worst team in recent memory for many reasons, but a six point deficit versus an eight point deficit are different. Offenses can do more down by six than by eight such as taking more time and finding better plays. That’s how Denver beat Los Angeles a few weeks ago. Jets quarterback Joe Flacco faced all out blitzes the final drive, throwing the ball away three out of four times. A couple of runs gaining critical yards would’ve helped ease pressure off of him.

Kickers face a lot of pressure, and a lot of it isn’t fair. Sometimes you need every point possible when the offense disappears.

Week ten is finished and audiences have better ideas of which teams will head to the playoffs. Sunday’s games revealed who’s staying in the race before Thanksgiving and who’s ready for the offseason. Longer postseason runs or trading up for the draft are the main focuses around the league. It’s time to discuss who or what stood out, positively and negatively on the third Sunday of November.

Winners: Los Angeles Rams

That loss to Miami will stand out for the rest of the season because of coaching, but the Rams were gifted during their bye week with Arizona and Seattle losing, setting up an important NFC West showdown in their home stadium against Seattle. The Rams used their bye week well, defensively having one of their best games of the season.

The Rams defense intercepted Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson twice (both were from Darius Williams) and sacked him six times. Wilson’s worst games are usually against the Rams defense, shown in previous years as Aaron Donald controls the line of scrimmage. The offense looked better than their loss to Miami. Quarterback Jared Goff threw for over 300 yards, but didn’t have to score when his runningbacks ran for all three touchdowns.

The Rams are tied with the Cardinals, a team they have yet to play, for first place in the NFC West. Four of the next five games will be hard for Los Angeles, which makes this first win in their division crucial to their playoff push.

David Gettleman, Joe Judge and Daniel Jones

NFL analysts and fans want the New York Giants to dump general manager David Gettleman for his strange draft selections, coaching hires and free agent signings. There are good reasons why he should go, but that probably won’t happen for another season.

We’re starting to see what Gettleman put together, and it’s not a bad product. In the Week 10 picks, I said Giants coach Joe Judge couldn’t close games out, because the Giants blew several leads this season. A recent example was their Thursday night loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Lincoln Financial Field a few weeks ago. The Giants soundly beat the Eagles the second time around in the Meadowlands Sunday, winning 27-17. Philadelphia looked unprepared and Carson Wentz was sacked three times even with a healthier offensive line protecting him.

Daniel Jones rightfully faces questions about improvement his second year with star runningback Saquon Barkley out for the season. The two game winning streak and a half game out of first place in the awful NFC East is a great response.

The Giants will have a week off to rest and prepare for the Cincinnati Bengals. Their schedule still has three teams vying for division titles, but for the first time this season, the Giants organization can feel good with what they put together.

DeAndre Hopkins

The Hopkins trade from Houston to Arizona couldn’t have been better for both Arizona or Hopkins. Both are having seasons to remember and have advanced in every facet. He’s a big reason the Cardinals have a real shot at winning the NFC West.

Hopkins had another 100 yard performance against a confident Buffalo Bills defense. He had 7 catches for 127 yards, but what everyone will remember is his “Hail Murray” catch in the endzone triple covered to give the Cardinals a 32-30 win.

To show the audience how much of a bumbler former Houston Texans (more on them later) head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien is, here’s what he traded away this offseason. Through nine games, Hopkins has had:

• 67 catches for over 860 yards, averaging almost 96 yards per game
• an average of 42 yards-after-catch
• an average 13 yards per catch
• one touchdown and four first-downs per game

DeAndre Hopkins has a great chance to become the third wide receiver with 2,000 yards in a single season. He’s having a historic year.

Florida Franchise Records

If your favorite team is in the Sunshine State, you had some memorable moments on Sunday.

While the Jacksonville Jaguars lost a close game in Green Bay, Keelan Cole had a game to remember. His 91 yard punt return got Jacksonville their first touchdown of the game. He set a franchise record for longest touchdown return.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers plastered the Panthers much of the second half after their embarrassing Sunday night loss. Ronald Jones’ 192 yard performance on 23 carries was everything they needed, including his franchise record 98 yard touchdown run. It’s not just the longest scoring run for the franchise, it’s the longest offensive play in Buccaneers history. He may be their most important player they need week-to-week not named Tom Brady.

Last but not least, the Miami Dolphins are 3-0 under Tua Tagovailoa, a rookie quarterback who has thrown five touchdowns and no interceptions. When was the last time this happened for Miami? They finally have a quarterback to build an offense around.

Losers: The Houston Texans Offense

Without quarterback DeShaun Watson, the Texans offense would be a candidate for worst offense in the NFL, and that says a lot considering the New York Jets and Chicago Bears try to outdo each other every week to win that category. Their running game is second to last (88 yards/game), even though they traded for runningback David Johnson.

Sunday’s game in Cleveland was awful for both them and the Browns offense to move the ball, but Houston’s errors resulted in a loss. The Texans were the first team to get inside the five yard line and didn’t score a point. Randall Cobb dropped a would-be touchdown and Watson was stuffed on a 4th and goal run. The weather was bad, but easy points were there. Houston lost 10-7.

This is where the DeAndre Hopkins trade to Arizona cost Houston another win. Hopkins can play even through the worst weather scenarios and take pressure off Watson when he’s facing blitz packages. Randall Cobb, who dropped the touchdown in the first half, led the team with 41 yards receiving. It’ll be a long month and a half for interim coach Romeo Crennel.

Seattle Seahawks

November has been a nightmare to Pete Carroll’s Seahawks. We knew their schedule after the bye looked rough especially the first five games. Great teams find ways to work through it, and they look like a team overmatched by winning opponents.

There’s a lot of blame to go around the last two games. The Buffalo Bills punched them in the mouth early and didn’t let up the week before. Those games happen, and offensive errors are easy traps when you’re down double digit points. Sunday’s loss to the Rams was bad in every aspect. The two glaring mistakes were Russell Wilson’s first interception when he should have run for at least a first down and Pete Carroll’s head-scratching decision to punt on fourth and inches.

Seattle is now in a three-way tie for first place with the Rams and Cardinals in a stacked NFC West. Russell Wilson still is an MVP candidate, but the losses of Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde in the running game stand out. Wilson now leads that category by two yards over Carson. Plus, he’s been sacked 11 times and intercepted four times in two games.

There couldn’t be a more pivotal Thursday night home game for the Seahawks this week. While their defense has fresh players they didn’t have against the Cardinals their first game, the coaches and the offense have a lot to fix in order for Seattle to win the division.

Defensive Coordinator Mike Pettine

If Seattle’s secondary is the joke of the passing game, Green Bay’s front seven is the joke of the running game. Analysts and fans expected Green Bay to blow out Jacksonville with not only the Packers offense, but also rookie quarterback Jake Luton and the Jaguars’ offense not being a factor in North Wisconsin. They were wrong.

Rookie runningback James Robinson had a great game for the Jaguars, running for 109 yards on 23 carries. Jacksonville led for a few minutes in the fourth quarter until Aaron Rodgers threw a touchdown to Davante Adams to erase that.

Since Green Bay’s bye, they’ve given up three 100 yard rushing performances. The two games they didn’t were against a depleted 49ers offense and the second worst running game in the league with Houston. Teams combined have almost more rushing yards than the whole Packers team, and score more running the ball than Green Bay is.

This is a problem defensive coordinator Mike Pettine has no answer for. It’s a weakness teams like Tennessee and Philadelphia could exploit to control game tempo when December rolls around. The Packers are the top team in the NFC like Seattle was with their defensive errors and could face a similar situation.

Buffalo Bills fans

Buffalo had their highlight win of the season dominating a red-hot Seahawks offense and scored the most points on the Pete Carroll coached team in a decade. The Bills were the superior team against Arizona, and then lost the lead in the third quarter. Stefon Diggs scored a touchdown with 34 seconds left in the game, giving the lead back to Buffalo.

The Bills also accomplished the near impossible, intercepting a pass All-Pro and future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald couldn’t catch. What happened after both of these?

Arizona scored both possessions after. DeAndre Hopkins had the game winning touchdown and the Cardinals are in a tie for first place, while Miami is a half game back of Buffalo in the AFC East. Another kick to the collective jewels for the Bills fanbase. Ouch.