Â鶹¹ú²ú

That's two close shaves at home in the past two weeks, but Thursday's win over the Packers was a clear upgrade over the Lions' Thanksgiving performance against the Bears. An even further decimated defense hung on for dear life, turning in an absolutely gutsy effort. The offense did what it does; controlling the clock and limiting Green Bay's possessions was a big part of the game plan. This was complementary football in all three phases, right down to Jake Bates' game-winning kick. Missing on the fourth down late in the third quarter hurt, as did Jared Goff's interception before that. But converting on four other fourth downs -- including the wild one late in a tie game, well within field-goal range -- more than made up for those shortcomings and cemented the Lions' current place as both the NFL's best team and its most cutthroat.

For the life of me, I can't explain why the Eagles always seem like they're still mentally getting off the bus in the first quarters of games. They have been outscored 59-17 in the opening frame this year, but they're plus-150 in point differential for the other three quarters. Philadelphia didn't have a great offensive game against Carolina on Sunday, but it was good enough to earn a ninth straight win, which tied the franchise's all-time mark. Even with four straight turnover-free games to his credit, Jalen Hurts has left some meat on the bone. He held onto the ball too long against the Panthers, missed some downfield chances, checked down too often and was guilty of some bad decisions. A.J. Brown also only had four targets, which is criminal. Philly is a Super Bowl-caliber team, but the latest showing certainly wasn't its best.

The difference between Sunday's win over the Chargers and the recent ones over the Raiders, Panthers and Broncos is that the Chiefs weren't truly lucky to win -- well, unless you call a bank-shot field goal luck, which I'll allow. But in this game, they did what they needed to do, withstanding the Bolts' push, holding them to a late field goal and driving down for the game-winning kick. The victory was orchestrated, not handed to them. That's why this one felt a little different than the others of late. Yes, it required Kansas City doing what it typically does in high-leverage situations, but this was more of a formula that the back-to-back champions dictated rather than needing to rewrite the script with the latest absurd plot twist in the final moments. The pass protection still was a major worry, and the Chiefs aren't rushing the passer like they have in the past, but they're turning this late-game-winning thing into a strange art.

The irony of Sunday's loss in L.A. is that it seems to have boosted Josh Allen's MVP case, and it's not hard to see why. Allen was absolutely electric in the 44-42 shootout, accounting for all six Bills touchdowns and nearly bringing the team all the way back from down 17 points in the fourth quarter. Buffalo couldn't finish the job, but Allen gave the Bills a chance in a game where their defense got just three stops in nine series and couldn't force a turnover for the first time in a game since last season. It was arguably Buffalo's worst defensive showing of the season, right up there with the Ravens loss, and it raises some questions about this unit -- even with all the good things it has done -- heading into a possible Super Bowl preview against the 12-1 Lions on Sunday. It was also a tough day on special teams with a blocked punt returned for touchdown. Allen can often overcome a subpar game from the defense, but that extra TD made it a bridge too far.

The Vikings have run their winning streak to six and have found a few new gears on offense the past handful of games. Sam Darnold threw for a career-best five TDs against the Falcons, the run game bounced back in a big way, and the Vikings had their first turnover-free game since October. It’s to the point where we should be thinking about the proper Darnold questions now. "Can he perform in the playoffs?" has turned into "Is Darnold in the MVP race?" Another shift to consider: pondering not how much money Darnold can make as a free agent, but whether the Vikings should try to keep him for 2025, with J.J. McCarthy coming off meniscus surgery. That last one is for down the road, though. Right now, the Vikings are starting to roll, beginning to resemble the powerhouse suggested by their gaudy 11-2 record. The 13-4 season in 2022 might have felt like fool’s gold, but this one is passing the purity test.

I’ve been asked a lot on radio shows whether the Steelers are truly a Super Bowl contender, and my answer always seems to turn into a version of: Why the heck not? They have a championship-level defense and an offense that can get cooking at times. Throw in a mortal-lock kicker in Chris Boswell (36 of 39 on field-goal tries) and terrific special teams overall, and the formula is there. T.J. Watt is often mentioned among the DPOY candidates for good reason, but where is Cameron Heyward on that list? At age 35, he’s playing some of the best football of his career. Russell Wilson also has enjoyed an age-defying season, turning 36 a few weeks ago but playing as well as he has in recent memory. The pieces are all in place for the Steelers to make a run, but the Ravens aren’t going to just let them have the division without a fight, and the remaining schedule -- including a Ravens rematch in Baltimore in Week 16 -- is an absolute bear.

The difference between the Lions and Packers might be the difference between great and very good. Green Bay had no need to feel shame after last Thursday's loss in Detroit, playing really well most of the night, even with the defensive lapses. But stopping the Lions' offense was always going to be a chore, and as badly as some Packers fans might want a third shot at their division rivals, I might counter that Green Bay's best path in the playoffs would be one where they're on the other side of the NFC bracket from Detroit. The Packers scored 31 points on 45 offensive plays, which seems pretty good to me, although things aren't perfect on offense. The Pack really need a bounceback from Jayden Reed. Jordan Love seems to play better when Reed is heavily involved. Even with three TDs in his past four games, Reed has just eight catches for 73 yards over that span. That needs to change going forward.

The late bye week allowed the Ravens to catch their collective breath, re-evaluate the playoff situation and take stock of what it'll take for them to catch the Steelers for the division crown. Winning the AFC North should be their only focus now, of course. They hold wild-card tiebreakers over the 8-5 Chargers and Broncos, so the Ravens don't need to sweat that now. The schedule also lays out nicely for them, with a short road trip to face the battered Giants before the crucial rematch with the Steelers in Baltimore. Win those two, and the season takes on a different tenor. We know the Ravens can beat almost anyone; their five losses have come by a total of 22 points. That said, defeats to the Raiders and Browns suggest they are capable of losing to almost anyone, too.

With no Ladd McConkey against the Chiefs, the Chargers' offensive struggles reached near-doldrum levels early on, coming off a win where they never reached the end zone offensively. Sunday night's loss stings, for sure, and it gives the Bolts an idea of what more they need to do to beat quality teams. That's now three straight one-score losses to Kansas City. Even still, Justin Herbert kept dealing and kept making big throws, and the play-action and run games both started working again. I think the offense will be OK once McConkey returns to the lineup, and as long as the Chargers don't flounder down the stretch, they will be in the playoffs and will make for an especially thorny first-round opponent.

The Broncos emerge from the bye week with a very good chance to make the playoffs, but it's hardly a certainty. A loss to the Colts or Chargers (or both) could be quite harmful to their chances. There also are looming questions on both sides of the ball. We still don't really know the backfield hierarchy. Denver's had five different leading rushers in games this season; every week, Sean Payton appears limber enough in his approach to pivot in whichever direction he wants there. We also don't know when Riley Moss will return. If the secondary can get the cornerback back from a knee injury prior to the end of the season, it will be a huge lift. The Broncos won't want to depend on Levi Wallace or have to turn to rookie Kris Abrams-Draine in the playoffs, or with a berth up for grabs. With three straight wins, it's no time to panic, but there also are some reasons to not fully trust Denver.

Finding their offensive groove again prior to the bye week felt big at the time, but it's even bigger now. It not only helped end the Commanders' three-game losing streak but also strengthened their grip on a postseason bid and reminded opponents of how dangerous this team was at one point this season. They're not a dead lock for the playoffs, but they're pretty close. The division is even still up for grabs, with a key game against the Eagles on the horizon in Week 16. Outside of the Eagles, the remaining defenses on Washington's schedule are not that outwardly intimidating, which could help the Commanders wrap up the playoff bid and keep pushing the Eagles until the end of the regular season. Expect Dan Quinn to have his team re-energized with a renewed sense of purpose as Washington heads to New Orleans this week.

The Texans might have crawled into the bye week with a narrow win over the Jaguars, following a spell in which Houston won just twice in six games. However, the Texans have emerged from their week of rest in outstanding shape to not only make the postseason but also win the AFC South, earning a home playoff game as a result. So why does it feel so edgy with this team? The close wins and losses against subpar foes haven't helped. The win over the Bills feels like ancient history now. Thankfully, the Texans have some good measuring-stick games down the stretch, starting with Miami this week, with tilts against the Chiefs and Ravens to follow. Amazingly, they can lose all three of those and still make the tournament, but that's a path no Texan wants to take. If Houston can take down either Kansas City or Baltimore -- or both -- it might give these Texans some real confidence they can thrive in the playoffs. This hasn't been the big-step-forward season many predicted, but it's not too late to change that.

That’s now four straight wins for the swashbuckling Seahawks, who secured a highly important season sweep of Arizona. They intercepted Kyler Murray twice in a three-play offensive span for Arizona, and both picks led to Seahawks touchdowns. On offense, the big story Sunday was Zach Charbonnet stepping in for the injured Kenneth Walker III and turning in a career-best 193 yards from scrimmage, including a 51-yard touchdown run that was a career highlight. The Seahawks still have to run through most of the NFC North over the next three weeks, setting up what could be a Week 18 showdown at the Rams for the NFC West crown. Geno Smith’s 12 INTs were getting a little concerning as he played some fast-and-loose ball for a bit, but he’s shown better restraint the past two games, not turning the ball over in either one.

Sunday's win was a little tougher than it needed to be, thanks to two funky interceptions from Baker Mayfield and some surprising troubles stopping the Raiders’ run game, but the bottom line is that the Buccaneers have surged into a strong playoff position. They’re back over .500 for the first time in nearly two months, and with the Falcons continuing to flounder, the NFC South appears to be Tampa Bay’s division to lose. Mayfield started the game hot, but cooled off dramatically with the two second-quarter picks. He played steadier after halftime, and it helped that the Raiders were down to their third QB at that point. Rookie WR Jalen McMillan stepped up with a two-TD effort, putting the Raiders away with his second one in the final few minutes. Not the prettiest win of all time, but Sunday’s results were pretty darned good for the Bucs’ playoff chances.

Sunday's win over the Bills was not only one of the Rams' greatest offensive displays of the Sean McVay era, but more importantly, it gave them a realistic path to the playoffs. Winning out almost certainly gets them in, and they'll absolutely have a shot in all four contests, including one each against the other three NFC West teams. The defense had its hands full all game. But the special teams provided a huge lift with a blocked-punt touchdown, and the offense was electric, even with the run game slowing down after halftime. The Rams' improvement on third down over the past two weeks has been amazing. They were on a 5-for-28 streak in Weeks 10-12, then went 4-for-9 and a stunning 11-for-15 against the Bills. The Eagles humbled them a few weeks back, and the Dolphins loss still stings, but who wants to face these Rams right now? They're a tough cover, with Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp back in prime form.

One month ago, following the Cardinals’ blowout victory over the Jets, I went so far as to call Kyler Murray a dark-horse MVP candidate. At that point, he had accounted for 16 TDs (12 passing, four rushing) and six turnovers (three INTs, three fumbles) through 10 games, completing nearly 70 percent of his passes. In the three games since -- all Cardinals losses -- Murray has thrown five picks and only accounted for three TDs. Sunday marked the first time he had multiple interceptions in back-to-back games in his career, with Seattle converting both picks into early touchdowns. The Seahawks did a great job of blanketing star TE Trey McBride early on, and Murray couldn’t muster a comeback. Of course, he can’t take blame for the defense failing to get key stops or force a turnover of its own, nor can he be charged with Chad Ryland’s crucial missed-field goal late that could have made it a one-score affair. The Cardinals’ season might just be slipping away.

Sunday's win over Chicago was a bittersweet reminder that the 49ers at peak performance level are as good as virtually any other team out there. So they were missing several key players. No matter -- they stormed the Bears from the opening whistle and only let up a little in the second half of a blowout victory. It was a taste of what could have been this season. And yeah, San Francisco is still technically alive, but barely. Speaking of bittersweet developments, Isaac Guerendo was terrific Sunday, scoring two touchdowns, running hard and even logging some big catches, excelling in a way that made it easy to imagine Kyle Shanahan envisioning a larger role for the rookie, who has played really well when he's had the chance. Naturally, he left the game late with what was believed to be , which usually means missed time. Just a microcosm of the season, isn't it?

According to Next Gen Stats, the Colts have about a 27 percent chance of making the playoffs the way things stand now, and that figure is only that high thanks to their grace-of-God victory over the Patriots prior to a Week 14 bye. We can have debates about Anthony Richardson until we're in the face, but the fact is that he's improved since his earlier-season benching, demonstrating some real late-game flair in that road win, plus another . Even with his flaws, he gives Indy a chance to beat teams. Another thing lifting the Colts' chances of reaching the postseason is their remaining schedule, which includes the Broncos on Sunday, followed by three teams with a combined eight victories on the season. That said, getting in is almost certainly contingent on winning in Denver. This is not a Super Bowl-caliber team, and I haven't heard even the most dyed-in-the-wool Colts fan suggest differently. But making or missing the playoffs could have a significant effect on who stays and who does not in 2025.

A third straight playoff appearance remains possible, with Miami keeping its hopes alive by beating the Jets on Sunday, but the Dolphins are more likely to come up short this season. They showed a curious lack of urgency at certain points of the game, kept on the ropes for 60 minutes by a lifeless Jets team that really had little to play for. New York scored points in every quarter except overtime, making life hard on the defense, especially Jalen Ramsey, who had a challenging day against Garrett Wilson. Jonnu Smith was the Dolphins' OT hero (after recording zero catches in regulation), and Tua Tagovailoa deserves credit for his late surge, overcoming a tough third quarter to complete 15 of his 22 passes for 144 yards and two scores in the fourth quarter and overtime. That got his team over the hump, but an OT win at home over the Jets won't coax us to start designing parade routes. 

Kirk Cousins had another rough statistical outing against the Vikings, throwing two more picks (and he could have had at least one more), running his four-game TD-to-INT ratio to 0:8. Cousins had some big throws, and it was an even game prior to the Vikings’ fourth-quarter avalanche, but all of that remains window dressing for an increasingly concerning situation. The Falcons' four straight losses have dropped them below .500, with their chance to make the playoffs slipping under 40 percent -- they've endured quite the fall since their 6-3 start, which included a season sweep of the Bucs. Can the Falcons find a way back into the postseason picture? It might require winning four straight and having Tampa Bay stumble a bit. But it also might require turning to Michael Penix Jr. down the home stretch.

You could make a decent argument that the blocked-punt recovery (on four-and-27) was the Bengals' luckiest play in a season of bad breaks -- such as the massive missed facemask on a sack of Joe Burrow midway through the fourth quarter. Burrow and the offense had their rough patches on Monday night, but they didn't mess around after the fortuitous special teams play, as Burrow hit Ja'Marr Chase on the game-winning 40-yard touchdown, even as the quarterback seemed to be dealing with left-knee discomfort. Burrow made a bad decision on the third-quarter interception, and he and Chase probably were both to blame on the red-zone miss right before the half, but overall, they -- and emerging RB Chase Brown -- were just too much for Dallas to handle. Early on, the Bengals' defense was receiving its weekly dicing. But then a strange thing happened: Cincy got some stops, including the game-sealing turnover on downs. A weird -- but welcome -- victory for the star-crossed Bengals.

The Cowboys led, 20-17, early in the fourth quarter on Monday night when LB DeMarvion Overshown suffered a season-ending knee injury. Everything after that went poorly for Dallas. The blocked punt-turned-disaster almost defied words. Then the Cowboys' defense, which had held up well in the second half, gave up the game-winning score to Ja'Marr Chase. It really wasn't the much-maligned unit's fault. Watching an exasperated Micah Parsons -- talking angrily to no one in particular on the sideline after the Bengals took the lead late -- was a raw moment many Cowboys fans could relate to. Dallas opened both halves with guns blazing on offense, but the 'Boys couldn't sustain it against a Cincinnati defense most opponents have run through recently. Cooper Rush was decent in the first and third quarters but bad in the second and fourth. I can't explain it, other than acknowledging that Lou Anarumo's D had him under heavy duress. Rico Dowdle's career-high 131 rushing yards went to waste on another frustrating night at AT&T Stadium.

The Saints have won three of the past four games, including Sunday's matchup with the Giants, and even so, their playoff chances sit at less than one percent right now, so there's no real point in trying to bring Derek Carr back before the end of the season after he suffered a break in his left hand. They're already missing Taysom Hill, in whose absence they struggled to move the ball consistently Sunday; the difference in the Saints' offense with and without Hill has been stark at times. Darren Rizzi, fighting to turn the interim tag into a full-time gig, might not be thrilled with the Carr development, but the Saints probably need to figure out as much as they can about Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler before the offseason. Then again, it's hard to imagine this offense getting much better without Carr and the other injured pieces, including receivers Rashid Shaheed and Chris Olave. The run game was pretty disappointing Sunday. New Orleans stuck with it but had little success against the Giants defense, despite Dexter Lawrence being out.

So, firing Matt Eberflus was not the cure-all the Bears might have been hoping for. Thomas Brown's interim coaching debut was a huge dud, thanks to a brutal first half on both sides of the ball. The offense was bad. The defense was arguably worse, although that unit at least forced one punt early. It's easy to say a team needs to fire a coach; what's harder is getting better after that happens. Brown figures to be in consideration for the full-time head-coaching job, but his first outing doesn't bode well for his chances, unless there's a quick turnaround. The team that took the Lions to the brink on Thanksgiving looked completely feckless against a Niners squad that was missing some significant offensive talent. Chicago has now recorded seven straight losses, and there's no obvious win left on the schedule. Brown likely needs to pull a few upsets down the stretch; if Sunday was any indication, it's not super likely.

Jameis Winston seemed to really struggle under pressure early against the Steelers, but he rallied a bit and gave the Browns some life. The problem was that they turned the ball over three times (including via two Winston picks) and missed two field-goal tries, extending Dustin Hopkins' miserable season. The first pick and two wide kicks helped flip a 7-3 Browns lead into a three-score deficit in the span of about one and a half quarters. Winston threw his second pick with less than five minutes left. Then, with the score at 27-14, the Steelers punted back to the Browns. Kadarius Toney coughed it up on the return, and the Steelers ran out the clock. Earlier, Toney earned a taunting flag after a fair catch. Those were his final two snaps of the game. All of his fine previous work on punt returns just vanished, thanks to those two fateful plays.

Anyone who has watched Bryce Young over the past five or so games has to know he is a different quarterback now, way more like the Alabama version of himself and far less like the player he was in Carolina before being benched this season. Young nearly did enough at Philadelphia on Sunday to deliver what would have been the best win of the Dave Canales era, but he and the Panthers fell just short. Young's 31-yard pass to Xavier Legette just before the two-minute warning -- the QB avoided a safety before launching an off-balance throw from just outside the end zone -- is the kind of play that would have ended badly for Young last season or, heck, even earlier this season. His throw to Legette in the final minute looked like a possible game-winner, but the rookie receiver couldn't quite haul it in. That's now three straight one-score losses to playoff-caliber teams. The Panthers still bear the league's worst point differential (-155), but that's badly skewed by their early-season blowout losses. The improvement has been tangible, even if the road back to respectability remains long.

In their overtime loss to Miami, the Jets turned in arguably their best performance since their Week 9 win over the Texans, but that didn't stop Garrett Wilson from airing grievances over the team's trajectory. The Jets were officially knocked out of postseason contention (not that we expected differently), running the franchise's streak to 14 years with no playoffs. Wilson had a season-high 114 receiving yards in the defeat, which was the Jets' third straight in which they led in the fourth quarter. Afterward, Wilson about how the Jets seemingly refuse to eliminate their self-defeating mistakes in crunch time, which had to resonate at least a little with fans who no doubt share the same annoyance. Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich said he was "" with New York blowing a lead, but as : It's only shocking if you haven't seen the Jets play since training camp.

We still haven't seen Drake Maye truly let it rip, and that's disappointing. The Patriots' coaches seem to want to keep the training wheels at least partially on, even though Maye has shown he can take corners at breakneck speed occasionally. Sure, he's fallen down a few times as a rookie, drifting in the pocket, taking unneeded sacks and forcing some balls into tricky spots. But on the whole, he's done far more good than bad -- especially when you consider the rough shape of both the offensive line and the receiver room. In a year or two, maybe only a few of the players in those groups will still be by Maye's side. Short of getting Maye steamrolled, it's time to take the leash off. Let him deal. Allow him to create. He's a tough, inventive player who doesn't always make the optimal move, but he'd be best-served by the Patriots letting him take even more ownership of the offense down the stretch. One day, it'll be all his.

If Doug Pederson has to answer some tough questions about how this season has unfolded, he can at least point to the fact that on Sunday, his team ended a nine-game losing streak in road games that dated back to last December -- and the Jags accomplished it without Trevor Lawrence, clamping down in key situations to prevail after trailing in the fourth quarter. By this season's standards, that was a rousing victory. Mac Jones was not good early, but he's now stacked two encouraging fourth quarters in back-to-back appearances. And while every time I watch Jacksonville, I lament that the team isn't using Brian Thomas Jr. enough, I have to acknowledge he has now logged three straight games with 76-plus receiving yards. Why it took the Jags two-plus quarters to get the ball in his hands is another matter, but the end result was positive. He had two big catches on the TD drive that secured their first win since London.

It's not all his fault, but the more lukewarm performances Will Levis turns in, the more likely it feels that the Titans will invest in some QB competition. How they go about that is another matter, and it still could depend somewhat on how Levis finishes 2024. On the bright side, Levis has now put together two straight turnover-free games, something he'd never done previously in his 19-start career, and he only took two sacks against the Jaguars. But in the loss, he averaged just 5.3 yards per attempt against a Jacksonville pass defense that has been shredded by opponents, to the tune of 8.4 yards per throw between Weeks 1 and 13. There were some drops, including by Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and the Titans had a TD wiped out by penalty. That drive ended in one of two turnovers on downs inside the Jacksonville 9-yard line. The Titans played better in November, but so far, December has been a drag.

For once, the Raiders could breathe a sigh of relief over a quarterback's health, with Aidan O'Connell's serious-looking leg injury revealed to be a bone bruise that might not even keep him out of next Monday's game against the Falcons. If Desmond Ridder has to step in, he'll have a chance to recreate the solid December play back in his rookie year that earned him a chance to start regularly for Atlanta. Either way, the Raiders can try to make whatever positives they can down the stretch. Another silver-lining development appears to be the ascendance of Sincere McCormick, who was recently promoted from the practice squad and is now looking like a possible RB1 after a 78-yard showing on 15 spunky carries against Tampa Bay.

Sunday started with a plane bearing a message begging John Mara to fix the team. It ended with Graham Gano's 35-yard game-tying field-goal attempt being blocked in the final seconds against the Saints. The Giants' defense played gamely while battling injuries, and Drew Lock overcame a brutal first half to give New York a chance late. Still, there was nothing pretty about this one, which dropped the Giants to 0-7 at MetLife this season, with two playoff-relevant teams (Baltimore, Indianapolis) left on the home schedule. In fact, all four remaining games (including road matchups against Atlanta and Philadelphia) are against postseason-hungry opponents. Brian Daboll has a month left to salvage something from this lost season, but the vibes seem to be pretty dismal right now.