1. Congratulations to the Chicago Bears on one of the most fun seasons of football they’ve ever put together. Seriously. That was awesome. Obviously, it’s over now, but it was awesome to take the ride
with all of you.
2. Weren’t we just talking about how Caleb Williams just made the greatest throw Bears fans had ever seen against the Green Bay Packers—until he somehow makes the next one? Well…we didn’t think he was actually going to do it. What the hell is he going to do next? A walkoff Hail Mary to win the Super Bowl next year? Psh, there’s no way that will ever happen. I dare him to prove me wrong. But I bet he can’t. (Of course, it would be just as cool if he just dominated the old-fashioned way and won MVP next season by hitting more of the simple stuff. But again, bet he can’t do that, either. Boy, would that really show me if he did, though.)
3. Count me among the people who had it out for DJ Moore after that overtime interception, and the bits of context that have come in from film gurus haven’t made his play look any better there. But new hot take on this: I’m actually not mad at him anymore, and I hope the Bears don’t trade him this offseason (though it could definitely help them from a salary perspective). Because I have a feeling he’s going to be even more motivated than ever to prove himself in 2026. Here’s hoping that’s the case. When he’s engaged, he’s a really good player. What’s more: I like that Caleb Williams has taken accountability for that play rather than shifting the blame. This guy gets it.
4. I’m not the biggest Bo Nix fan in the world, but watching him go down with a broken ankle after a gutsy three-touchdown performance against the Buffalo Bills is extremely depressing. He deserved a chance to keep it going and prove all the haters wrong in the AFC Championship game (and potentially beyond). He’s another guy I’m hoping comes back even better than ever next season.
5. On the flip side of things: can I just say that I don’t feel even the slightest bit bad for Josh Allen? Yeah, I get it. The Bills don’t have a ton of other stars on that team, and the receiving corps, which was already worn down to the nub heading into the Broncos game, only got more injured during the contest. But let’s not pretend his offensive line didn’t give him enough time, and the defense didn’t do enough to keep them in the game. Allen’s miss of a wide-open Dalton Knox could’ve ensured the game never went to overtime in the first place, and the controversial overtime interception on the throw to Brandin Cooks wouldn’t have happened if Allen had put that ball out in front of Cooks, which he had more than enough arm to do. He doubtless holds himself to a higher standard than everyone else does, so it’s not an Allen problem. He’s still a great player and a top-five quarterback in the league. But he shouldn’t get a pass for this one—not when he wouldn’t even give himself one.
6. Allen’s young carbon copy, Drake Maye, on the other hand, might be getting narratively shafted a bit. He obviously hasn’t performed quite to the same level as he did in the regular season as he’s played a much higher level of defense, and that has shown itself in his six overall fumbles and three total giveaways (two INTs, one lost fumble). You simply can’t put the ball in harm’s way that many times and consistently hope to win, though the Patriots’ defense has done more than its fair share to pick him up so far in the postseason. But this is where you look at context. Not a single player on New England’s offense (aside from Maye) earned an All-Pro or Pro Bowl nod. Maye’s first-round left tackle Will Campbell, who is still getting his legs under him after missing time with injury, has gotten annihilated in consecutive weeks by Khalil Mack and Will Anderson. No skill player aside from Maye keeps opponents up at night, not even Stefon Diggs. He’s speed-running the Infinity Gauntlet of top-10 defenses, having faced the second- and 10th-best scoring units in the league so far with the third-ranked unit on deck and the first-ranked final boss Seattle Seahawks possibly waiting in the Super Bowl. Regardless of who plays quarterback for the Broncos next week, getting this team to the title game would be an insane accomplishment.
7. I know those first two Rams vs. Seahawks games this season were lose—both were decided by a combined three points. But I just have this feeling like the Seahawks are going to come up with a level of rapacity the Rams won’t be able to match with the 12th man behind them at Lumen Field. That utter ass-whooping they just put on the (albeit banged up) San Francisco 49ers felt like a warning: this squad is on a mission. And no division rival is going to stand in their way. That said…division rivalries tend to be games where you throw all your expectations out the window. Should be fun.
8. I’m a crazy for thinking the Tennessee Titans might have hit a 400-foot home run with the Robert Saleh hire? I say this without knowing who he plans to have coach Cam Ward, of course. But I’d argue the quarterback situation was the only part of job he and his staff couldn’t figure out in New York, with the team getting saddled with three years of Zach Wilson and one with the “late-career Belichick” version of Aaron Rodgers. His defenses, though? Elite. Despite playing on a dumpster fire of a team, I feel comfortable enough believing Ward can at least be good if you give him anything resembling a representative NFL offense. That could be a sneaky-good hire. Plus, we can watch Saleh and Liam Coen stare daggers at each other twice a year instead of shaking hands. And you thought the Ben Johnson-Matt LaFleur situation was testy…
9. We all thought that the Steelers-Ravens game in Week 18 was a battle to determined whether John Harbaugh of Mike Tomlin kept their jobs. Turns out, both of them were doomed and didn’t know it. (I know Tomlin “stepped down” from the Steelers, but it was probably more of a “We don’t want to have to fire you, so let’s resolve this amicably” affair.) Just like that, almost 40 combined seasons of those two coaches dueling twice a year is over. But neither one of them was going to be without a job for long. Harbaugh’s already back in the saddle with Jaxson Dart and the New York Giants, who will probably show immediate improvement in the NFC East next year. Meanwhile, though Tomlin won’t coach in 2026, half the league will come knocking his door down when he finally puts his “OpenToWork” sign up on LinkedIn. Being a good coach—even if not a great one—still matters in this league.
10. Please, please let this be the year Brian Flores’ maniacal ass gets a head coaching job with a good quarterback (and gets the hell out of the NFC North, or the NFC altogether). I hear Baltimore is nice this time of year. (It’s not, but that’s where I want to see him the most.) Also, that Matt Nagy first-year vibe bump is going to hit crazy for some NFL team next year—as will the comedown when that team realizes he can’t consistently call an NFL offense without Patrick Mahomes and/or Andy Reid to save his butt. His trick-play names will be fun, though!
