- Wow. Three days later, I still can’t quite believe the Bears won that game. After that, I’m not sure what’s better: the fact that the Bears then immediately clinched a playoff berth due to Detroit’s loss; or that Packers fans have been losing their ever-loving minds trying to cope with the “L” they just took.
2) Finally, everyone can shut up about Drake Maye not having a 300-yard passing game. Not that he NEEDED a 380-yard game to prove how well he was playing this year for the 12-3 Patriots. But the box score watchers weren’t going to be satisfied until he did. Well, there you go: 380 and a win, keeping alive their shot at the AFC No. 1 seed. All respect to Matthew Stafford, but that’s my MVP.
3) Lamar Jackson is still that guy, don’t get me wrong. But it’s time to sit him down for the rest of the year, even though the Ravens technically have a chance to come back and win the AFC North. He’s been battling through injuries basically all year, and it shows. He’s not playing with the kind of confidence and explosiveness you’re used to seeing from him, and the Ravens offense has been extremely stoppable this year as a result. Let him rest up and come back stronger in 2026. A healthy Lamar Jackson is still one of the three best players in football. He’s just not healthy right now.
4) Having two game-winning touchdowns wiped out because of offensive pass interference calls to end your season is brutal work for the Lions. Think they miss Ben Johnson this year? They’ve been here before in 2022, just missing the playoffs before surging to the top of the NFC the next two years. That window might not be completely closed yet, but they have to improve a lot next year if they don’t want it to slam in their faces. One thing’s for sure, though: they’re going to be ready to spoil the Bears’ shot at the NFC North title if they can.
5) Speaking of teams whose window might be closing: the Buccaneers might have hit their limit. They’re getting older. Injuries are catching up to them. Baker Mayfield fell off precipitously without Mike Evans and Chris Godwin consistently in the lineup, as one might expect. Todd Bowles can’t seem to get them up to play for their playoff lives right now. Change is coming for this team. The only question is how much. At any rate, it might be time to start thinking about the succession plan for Mayfield, no matter what.
6) Always, always, ALWAYS pick up the football when it’s on the ground. Doesn’t matter where it is, how the play leading up to it ended, or if the whistle blows. Pick. Up. The. Ball. The Seahawks literally own the No. 1 seed in the NFC because they did. Meanwhile, we all remember how the Bears arguably missed the playoffs in 2010 because they didn’t.
7) I’ve been trying to tell people for years how good a player Jakobi Meyers is. Watching Bill Belichick refuse to pay him in 2023 was maddening, especially when they got less than nothing from his replacement Ju-Ju Smith-Schuster. Now, the ever-reliable slot guy has resurrected Trevor Lawrence’s flailing stock and helped the Jaguars beat the breaks off the Broncos to seize control of the AFC South. Sometimes, you just need a guy who can get open and catch the football. Simple as that.
8) Was it a little unnecessary that the Eagles went for two late in their win over the lowly Commanders? Yes. It’s not like point differential matters in the playoffs. But this is the NFL. If you don’t want your opponent to do something to you, you have to stop them. If you can’t, that’s your problem, not theirs.
9) I know DK Metcalf didn’t become a diva when he joined the Steelers, of course. But there’s something about being a star receiver in Pittsburgh that apparently makes you especially insane. Get the Lions fan tossed if he said something bad enough. Don’t get yourself suspended for the last two games of the year for punching him. (Side note, though: if more fans knew they could get punched in the face, they might keep some of those intrusive thoughts in their heads.)
10) People might be missing the forest for the trees with this Phillip Rivers situation. The fact that he’s performing as well as he is doesn’t just reflect the developmental challenges facing today’s quarterbacks. Because if every 44-year-old former QB could do this after being on the couch for four years, they probably would do it. The reason Rivers can is that he’s an all-time great quarterback we haven’t appreciated enough. So before we start pulling random bums off the street because of how well they “process the game,” just remember that.
