Around the AFC
Playoff picture. There are so many teams bunched up for playoff positioning, from three entering Sunday tied at 8-6 atop the AFC South to the seven teams entering the weekend with either seven or eight wins. At this point, it’s tough to know which way is up. But this will be a big weekend for clarity. Some way or another, at least a team or two rolling with a backup quarterback is going to make it to the postseason. Joe Flacco in Cleveland, Case Keenum in Houston, Jake Browning in Cincinnati, Gardner Minshew in Indianapolis. Then, can any of them win there?
Chargers’ future. There’s a long way to go before the full scale of a potentially wild NFL coaching carousel is known this year. One thing’s for sure: There will be new brass for the Chargers, who are in the market for a coaching staff and a general manager. The conventional wisdom is that Justin Herbert’s presence makes L.A. the best job on the market, regardless of what else comes open. And, to be sure, coaches would all line up to work with him. But the rest of the picture is an aging, expensive roster with a pretty brutal salary cap picture going forward. So, is the tantalizing signal-caller enough to offset the rest? For somebody, obviously, it will be. But whether the Chargers are the pick of the coaching litter seems far from a certainty.
No Rodgers. And in the most shocking news of the NFL season, Aaron Rodgers is actually not returning from a torn Achilles tendon in three months. Who could have guessed? It does, of course, boggle the mind a bit to see Rodgers and others, too — including the Broncos’ Tim Patrick — rebound so quickly from Achilles tears thanks to new surgical procedures. That’s a good thing for athletes in the future. Speaking of good things and futures, what’s the likelihood that Rodgers’ full-throated endorsement of the Jets’ coaching apparatus looks wise a year from now?
Around the NFC
Cowboys or rodeo clowns. Dallas spent five weeks riding high, scoring 33-plus in five straight wins. Then Mike McCarthy’s team got thrown off the bull hard in a 31-10 beatdown at Buffalo on Sunday night. They’re going to get tested the next two weeks, too, against Miami and Detroit, before closing the season at Washington. They’ve locked up a playoff spot already. They’ll be talked about plenty in the coming weeks, but the only thing this group will be judged by ultimately is whether it can get the franchise past the divisional round of the playoffs for the first time since the 1995 season. No, really.
Avian flu. Are the Birds in trouble? Philadelphia went from 10-1 to currently occupying a Wild Card spot thanks to a three-game skid started by San Francisco in the City of Brotherly Love and most recently extended by…. Drew Lock and his 92-yard touchdown drive! That’s a coast-to-coast skid, with Dallas right in the middle. Here’s the good news: There might not be a true cure for what ails the Eagles — defensive coordinator changes in December for teams with Super Bowl aspirations is not it, man — but there’s time for healing on the horizon. Philly closes with two against the Giants around a home game against Arizona. 13-4 here they come.
We’re No. 1. Tough spot for Green Bay to be in this weekend. They’re clinging to slim playoff hopes after back-to-back dreadful defensive performances. Not only that, but beating Carolina this week only bolster’s arch-rival Chicago’s draft position, since the Bears have the Panthers’ first-round pick. Great work, Pack! You’ve just helped ensure you’ll be facing Caleb Williams twice a year. Funny enough, Chicago can help its own cause, too, by… losing to 3-11 Arizona.
Game of the Week
Baltimore at San Francisco
A Super Bowl preview? It wouldn’t be surprising at all at this point, given the way each team has rolled through the regular season. They do it in different ways, but both are complete teams that can scare you offensively and beat you up defensively. 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey has 1,801 offensive yards (1,292 rushing) and 20 touchdowns with three games to go this year. Seems pretty good. MVP good, come to think of it. He’ll be a key in Kyle Shanahan’s team getting it done as a 5.5-point home favorite.
49ers 27, Ravens 23
Lock of the Week
Las Vegas at Kansas City
Antonio Pierce deserves a lot of credit for the work he’s done as the Raiders’ interim coach. Las Vegas has been a salty defense over the past few weeks and players seem to be committed to playing hard for him. But beating Patrick Mahomes and company would be a tall order. The Chiefs have their own issues, but they’re still in the hunt (albeit as major underdogs) for the No. 1 seed and they can wrap up a division title with either a Broncos loss Sunday or with a win as a 10-point home favorite on Christmas Day
Chiefs 30, Raiders 13
Upset of the Week
Jacksonville at Tampa
Baker Mayfield and the Bucs put on an absolute clinic last week, torching Green Bay for 381 yards, four touchdowns and a perfect 158.3 passer rating at Lambeau Field. Hello. Mayfield’s had a pretty good year — his 3,315 yards, 24 TDs, eight INTs and 94.7 rating looks a little bit Russell Wilson-ish — and Tampa’s right in the mix for the mediocre-but-wide-open NFC South. Even still, Jacksonville needs the win just as much as it enters play in a three-way tie for the AFC South. As long as Trevor Lawrence plays to his normal standard after a concussion last week, the Jags should find a way to get the job done as a one-point road underdog across the Panhandle.
Jaguars 24, Buccaneers 23
Want more Broncos news? Sign up for the Broncos Insider to get all our NFL analysis.
