There are just four weeks remaining in this NFL season. It is hard to believe that we are already mapping out the playoff picture. We can now separate the teams that have overachieved expectations and the teams that have fallen flat.
Overachievers
Baltimore Ravens
Does anyone not love Lamar Jackson? Teams passed on him and now he’s leaving those team’s defenses in the dust. Week in and week out they are the team to watch. Jackson has been a highlight machine and the rest of the team has followed.
The Ravens have beaten the Seahawks, Patriots, Texans, and 49ers so what’s really left to prove? They leapfrogged New England for the top seed in the AFC playoffs. Nobody expected them to be the top team in the NFL; not even the top team in their division. During a three game stretch in November, the Ravens outscored their opponents 135-26.
The scariest part of this team is their confidence. They all believe in one another and play as a team. There are no egos on this team and that starts with their leader Lamar Jackson. Running back Mark Ingram spoke with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer after the team’s victory over San Francisco saying,
“And we just said, ‘Let’s go. We believe in each other, we fight for each other and nobody in the huddle doubts each other.’ We all look each other in the eyes, and we have the utmost confidence in each other. We knew that no matter what happened, we were going to be able to make enough plays to be able to win the game. We’re thankful. We’re appreciative. And we’re looking forward.”
-Ravens running back Mark Ingram
Whether it’s on offense or defense, this team is making the necessary plays to be a real title contender.
Buffalo Bills
The Bills are a really good team. Nobody would have believed that just a season ago when the team went 6-10 and everyone was ready to run Josh Allen out of town. This season, the Bills have already surpassed their win total from last season and sit 9-3 and in the playoff picture.
They will be tested as the season comes to an end. Buffalo still has to play Baltimore and one more meeting at New England. The Bills benefitted from their light schedule at the beginning of the season. However, they quieted some of the critics with their big win on Thanksgiving over the Dallas Cowboys. Josh Allen played fantastic, the defense wrecked havoc all day. It’s hard to find many holes in this team after that performance.
San Francisco 49ers
Maybe it’s unfair to judge the 49ers by their record last year considering Jimmy Garroppolo didn’t play. The team only had four wins, but finished with the number two draft pick. With that, the 49ers were able to land top defensive end Nick Bosa. This young team is also one of the most talented in the league.
The 49ers lost a close game this past weekend against MVP front runner Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens, but they were able to hold Jackson to a season-low in passing. They were able to hold the Ravens, who are averaging 35 points per game, to twenty points.
The 49ers were knocked out of the top spot in the NFC playoffs after their loss and the Seahawks victory on Monday night, but they can still find their way to the number one seed. The team still has to play both Seattle and New Orleans, the two teams ahead of them in the standings, before the end of the season. A lot can change in the remaining weeks.
Underachievers
Dallas Cowboys
What is wrong with the Dallas Cowboys? At times they look like a great team with playmakers at every position and then when they play a team with a winning record they look awful. I’m not even going to mention that embarrassing loss against the New York Jets. That’s just unexplainable.
As bad as this team has looked against competent teams, it is still very likely that they sneak into the playoffs. Mostly because someone has to represent the NFC East in the playoffs, not because they have earned it.
The team started the season hot going 3-0 against the Giants, Redskins and Dolphins. Since then, they have gone 3-6 and have continued to underperform for the level of talent on that roster. There is no reason for this team to be struggling. Everyone wants to put the blame on Jason Garrett, but blame can be placed on everyone’s shoulders as well.
Los Angeles Chargers
It can be said that father time has caught up with Phillip Rivers and it would be hard to argue against that. Rivers has always thrown a lot of interceptions, but he always threw for a lot more passing yards that made up for it. In his last two games, Rivers has thrown seven interceptions and the team is just 4-8 on the season. To control the turnovers, Rivers is throwing short passes instead of down the field. The team is reportedly weighing the option of benching their veteran quarterback.
This team is one year removed from being 12-4, tied with MVP Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs atop the AFC West. There is tremendous talent on this team with Keenan Allen and Melvin Gordon on offense.
This team is a pretty difficult road ahead of them and playoffs don’t seem to be on the horizon for this team. This team will have to decide in the remaining four games if they want to stick with Rivers for another season or look to draft his successor. Unfortunately, there are many worse teams ahead of them and it is unlikely, without a trade, that they will get a top pick in the draft.
Cleveland Browns
I think we were all overhyping the Cleveland Browns this season. We all bought in to the Baker, Odell and Jarvis hype and they have definitely failed to live up to it. They are coming off a big loss to their heated rival Pittsburgh and it’s fair to say their season is over. The Ravens have run away with the division and the Wild Card race has many teams ahead of them.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield has really struggled this season and his offensive line has not done him any favors. He was forced out of their game this past Sunday with an injury for the second time this season. Mayfield hasn’t been able to get the ball to his two big targets, Landry and Beckham Jr. because of the pocket collapsing so quickly.
The blame can be placed everywhere for their underwhelming performance. They lead the league in penalty yards which reflects coaching as much as it does the players. Who is the leader on the team to say this is unacceptable? It doesn’t seem like there is much leadership on this team.
