Some people cope with the reality that their team won’t make the playoffs in rational ways: blaming a bad injury season, poor coaching, trouble in quarterback paradise, or maybe its because mercury is in retrograde. I personally have chosen to subscribe to the same theory of Jeremy Kerley and the ghost of performance-enhancing drugs. I’m not a Jets fan, but if there are NFL ghosts out there drugging our precious wide receivers, they’re probably sabotaging playoff chances as well.
The final Thursday night game of the season was a battle in Indianapolis with a battered Colts team facing a recently renewed Denver Broncos. Trevor Siemian started for the Broncos but was quickly out in the second quarter after a shoulder injury, replaced by Brock Osweiler. Colts TE Brandon Williams was carted off at the start of the second quarter from what appeared to be a neck related injury. Williams has suffered from spinal stenosis in the past, and the Colts reported that the stretcher was precautionary. The Colts led 10-7 at the half and followed up with a field goal by Adam Vinitieri. The Broncos answered with a pass from Osweiler to Cody Latimer to take the score to 14-13. Minutes later, Osweiler followed up with an insane 54-yard pass to Jeff Heuerman, with a two point conversion executed by Latimer to bring the score to 22-13. By the fourth quarter, Broncos’ Brandon McManus kicked a 40-yard field goal to bring the score to 25013. The Colts were unable to recover in the fourth quarter, and the Broncos pulled off the win. The Broncos are 5-9 and will play the Redskins, while the Colts are now 3-11 and look the play the Ravens next.
On Saturday the Lions faced the Chicago Bears at home. The game had a slow start, and the first quarter featured one field goal by Matt Prater for the Lions, followed by another early in the second. Matt Stafford followed up with a 3-yard pass to T.J. Jones for a touchdown, with another point from Prater, followed by an beautiful rendition of the classic Rockettes kick line from Detroit. The Bears were finally able to put some points on the board with a kick by Nugent at the 41-yard line, with two seconds left before the half. The Lions were able to secure another touchdown after Stafford connected to Eric Ebron, with another extra point, getting to 20-3 at the fourth quarter. The Bears fought to recover in the fourth, and Trubinsky threw a 9-yard pass to Benny Cunningham for a touchdown with two minutes left in the game, but even with the extra-point, the Bears were unable to make a comeback, for a final score of 20-10. The 4-10 Bears play Cleveland next, and the 8-6 Lions will play in Cincinnati, both on Christmas Eve.
Saturday night featured a showdown in the AFC West, with the Chargers traveling to Kansas City. Phil Rivers and Alex Smith had similar throwing stats: Rivers going 20 of 36 for 227 yards, and Smith throwing 23 of 30 for 231 yards. The big difference? Smith threw two touchdowns and no interceptions, and Rivers threw one touchdown with three interceptions. The real stars for both teams, however, were Melvin Gordon (LA) and Kareem Hunt (KC). Gordon got the Chargers their first touchdown, had 19 carries and 8 receptions for 169 total yards. Kareem Hunt had 24 carries, 9 receptions and 206 yards total, with one touchdown in both the third and fourth quarter. The final score was 30-13, Chiefs. The 7-7 Chargers will look to play the Jets and the 8-6 Chiefs will face the Dolphins, both on Sunday.
Nothing amplifies the Sunday scaries like an ambiguous quarterback situation in a playoff run. Nick Foles led the way for the Eagles in lieu of Carson Wentz, who was put on IR early last week and underwent knee surgery for his ACL. The Giants put up a good fight, and the score was up in the first quarter with two touchdowns for the Giants and one for the Eagles. Manning threw one touchdown at the start of the second quarter, with a massive 67-yard pass to Sterling Shephard. Things began to turn around soon after as Nick Foles began to get into the groove, throwing two touchdowns, including one to Zach Ertz, who has been out the last few games from a concussion. Each team scored again in the third, getting the score to 31-29 by the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter was a bitter standoff, and the Eagles secured the close game with a 20-yard field goal by Jake Elliot, resulting in a final score of 34-29, Eagles. Nick Foles threw 24 of 38 for 237 yards for four touchdowns and no interceptions, while Eli Manning threw 37 of 57 for 434 yards for three touchdowns and one interception. Jay Ajayi led the Philadelphia rushing game with 12 carries for 49 yards, while Sterling Shepherd dominated the receiving game, with 11 receptions for 139 yards. The 12-2 Eagles will play the Raiders and the 2-12 Giants will face the Cardinals.
It was a messy win for the Redskins at home against the Cardinals. Blaine Gabbert had one of his poorer performances of the season, throwing 16 of 41 for 189 yards, with no scores and one interception. Kirk Cousins threw 18 of 26 for 196 yards, and two touchdowns. Phil Dawson was the only player for Arizona that would score, kicking five field goals for the Cardinals total 15 points. Cousins opened the game immediately with a touchdown after connecting to Jamison Crowder, with another at the start of the second to Kapri Bibbs. The Redskins sealed their lead with a field goal at the end of the third quarter and another in the fourth, with a final score of 15-20. Arizona’s Chandler Jones had his 15th sack of his season, two shy of the franchise record. The 6-8 Cardinals will play the Giants next and the 6-8 Redskins will play the Broncos.
The Vikings conquered what seemed to be a tired Cincinnati team with a 34-7 win at home. The game opened up with an emotional entrance from Teddy Bridgewater, who has been out for more than a year from a devastating knee injury. His first pass was unfortunately intercepted by Eric Kendricks at the 31, giving the Bengals a touchdown after a run from Giovani Bernard. Case Keenum was then put in, and threw 20 of 23 for 236 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Andy Dalton threw 11 of 22 for 113 yards, no scores and two interceptions. AJ McCarron also had some playing time, throwing 3 of 6 for 19 yards. Latavius Murray (MIN) led the rushing game, with 20 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown, while Jerick McKinnon (MIN) ran 114 yards, with 7 receptions. The 5-9 Bengals will play the Lions next and the 11-3 Vikings, now NFC North leaders, will play the Packers.
The Browns continue on their perfect-season run, falling 10-27 to the Ravens. Joe Flacco threw 26 of 42 for 288 yards and one touchdown, as well as a 3-yard run into the end zone for a touchdown in the second quarter. DeShone Kizer threw 20 of 37 for 146 yards, with no scores and two interceptions. Mike Wallace led Baltimore’s offense with 6 receptions for 89 yards, while Browns’ Josh Gordon had 5 receptions for 47 yards. Kizer was sacked at the Cleveland 2 at the start of the third quarter, and the ball was recovered by Brandon Williams of Baltimore at the 1, followed by a touchdown for the Ravens. It was a scoreless fourth quarter that ended with a win for Baltimore. The 8-6 Ravens will play the Colts next Saturday, and the 0-14 Browns will play the Bears on Sunday.
Aaron Rodgers is officially back, but Green Bay fans may not be happy after a fall to the Panthers, 24-31. Cam Newton played extremely well, throwing 20 of 31 for 242 yards, and four touchdowns, while Aaron Rodgers threw 26 of 45 for 290 yards, with three touchdowns and three interceptions. Cam also kept up his rushing game, with 14 carries for 58 yards. Damiere Byrd (NC) had two touchdown catches with 25 receiving yards, while Christian McCaffery (NC) had 169 yards and one touchdown. Rodgers was welcomed back in full fashion, with several sacks throughout the games, three in the fourth quarter, including one by Julius Peppers, a former Packer. Davante Adams (GB) took an ugly hit in the head from Thomas Davis in the third quarter, and was out on concussion protocol. The 7-7 Packers will face the Vikings next Saturday, and have a lot to work out before they face the tough NFC competitor. The 10-4 Panthers will play the Buccaneers on Sunday. Outside the field, the Panthers will undergo several changes after owner Jerry Richardson, 81, announced his sale of the franchise in wake of the several sexual harassment and racial discrimination accusations against him. It will be interesting to see who shows interest in acquiring the team over the next few weeks, but Puff Daddy has already expressed interest in a tweet Sunday night, adding, “There are no majority African American NFL owners. Let’s make history.” Steph Curry even threw in his support behind Diddy, so this could get interesting.
It was back to business as usual for the Saints as their offensive stars took over in a win against the Jets at home. Mark Ingraham had 12 carries for 74 yards, and 5 receptions for 77 yards, scoring two touchdowns. Alvin Kamara, who was out last week from a concussion in their game against the Falcons, returned today, running for 44 yards, with 12 carries and another 45 receiving yards, with a touchdown. Drew Brees threw 26 of 36 for 285 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the first half that led to a Jets field goal. Bryce Petty started his first game of the season for the Jets, and threw 19 of 39 for 179 yards and one touchdown, with two interceptions. The final score was 19-31. The 10-4 Saints are looking for revenge in their game against Atlanta next Sunday, and the 5-9 Jets will face the Chargers.
The Dolphins, coming off of a huge win against the Patriots, fell to the Bills in Buffalo, 16-24. Tyrod Taylor threw 17 of 29 for 224 yards, throwing one touchdown for the Bills and running in another. LeSean McCoy (NY) had two touchdowns and broke the 10,000-yard rushing mark. Jay Cutler had a much more familiar performance, throwing 28 of 49 for 274 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions. Kenyan Drake led Miami’s rushing game with 16 carries for 78 yards and one score, while Jarvis Landry (MIA) had 10 receptions and 99 yards. The final score was 16-24. The Bills have seriously improved their season, now 8-6, and look to play the Patriots again next Sunday, while 6-8 Miami, now out of the playoff run, will play the Chiefs.
The Jaguars continue their hot streak with a big win over Houston, 45-7. Blake Bortles threw 21 of 29 for a huge 326 yards and three touchdowns, while Houston third-string quarterback T.J. Yates threw 12/31 for 128 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Deshaun Watson is surely missed in Houston today as the depleted Texans offense struggled against a tough Jaguars defense. DeAndre Hopkins had 4 receptions for 80 yards and one touchdown for the Texans in the third quarter. Keelan Cole had an epic receiving game for the Jags, with 7 receptions for a massive 186 yards, and one touchdown in the second quarter. The Jaguars have struggled to be taken seriously over the years, but with this win, they have secured a playoff position at 10-4, and will look to play the the 49ers next. The 4-10 Texans will face the Steelers on Christmas day.
It was an absolute blowout for the Rams in Seattle, something you will rarely hear, especially in December. The Rams opened up the first quarter with two field goals from Greg Zuerlein, and a touchdown after Goff connected to Todd Gurley. The second quarter only got worse for the thousands of Seattle fans at Century Link, with another two touchdowns by Gurley, a touchdown by Jacob McQuaide, and three extra-points from Zuerlein. Gurley secured yet another touchdown to start the third quarter, but Zuerlein missed the extra point, resulting in an unbelievable 40-0 lead. The Seahawks finally answered when Russell Wilson was able to connect to Luke Willson with a 26-yard pass for a touchdown, with an extra point from Blair Walsh. Todd Gurley had 21 runs, 3 receptions, for 180 yards total and four touchdowns. Jared Goff threw 14 of 21 for 120 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, while Russell Wilson threw 14 of 30 for 142 yards and one touchdown. The final score was 42-7, a downright embarrassing loss for Seattle. The now 10-4 Rams have certainly proven they are the real deal, and will play the Titans next Saturday. The 8-6 Seahawks will play the Cowboys on Sunday.
It was a heart-racing game at Heinz stadium as the Steelers faced the Patriots in the cold, Pittsburg rain. The MVP candidate Antonio Brown was out early in the game with what was claimed to be a minor leg strain, but he was later transported to the hospital, and it was later released that he suffered a partial calf-muscle tear. It was a close score throughout the entirety of the game, and Rob Gronkowski proved the power of his presence (after his suspension that prevented him from playing against the Dolphins), with 9 receptions for 168 yards. Le’Veon Bell led the Pittsburg rushing gam with 24 runs, 117 yards and one touchdown, while JuJu Smith-Schuster had 6 receptions and 114 yards, including a massive 69-yard run with minutes left in the game that teed Jesse James up for a touchdown, which was consequently reversed after it was ruled as incomplete, a devastating blow to the hope in Pittsburg. With a score of 27-24, the Steelers needed a touchdown to win, and Roethlisberger was forced to reattempt another touchdown, but it was intercepted by Duron Harmon at the NE 2 yard line, for a final score of 27-24. There will no doubt be scrutiny of the call on James’ catch, but what’s done is done, and the 11-3 Patriots are on to play the Bills. The 11-3 Steelers will look to recover from a tough loss against the Texans.
In another incredibly close game, the San Fransisco 49ers clinched a last second win against the Tennessee Titans. The first quarter opened with two field goals from the indispensable Robbie Gould. Jimmy Garoppolo had a five-yard pass to Garrett Celek in the second quarter, with an extra point from Gould. Mariota answered with a 4-yard pass to Delanie Walker for a touchdown and an extra point, getting the score to 10-16 at half. The third quarter went scoreless, but the Titans were able to secure a 31-yard field goal, followed by a penalty on the 49ers’ Eric Reid for unsportsmanlike conduct. The Titans opened the fourth quarter with a touchdown after Mariota connected to Rishard Matthews, getting their first lead over the 49ers. Robbie Gould was able to kick two MONSTER field goals, one at the 50 and another at the 48, answered by Ryan Succop at the 50 for a score of 23-22, Tennessee. At the very last second of the game, Gould’s 45-yard kick was good, giving the 49ers a literal last-second win of 25-23 over the Titans. Both teams will have an even more difficult week 16. The 3-10 49ers will play the Jaguars next, and the 8-5 Titans will play the Rams.
The Cowboys took charge of the game for the entire first half against the Raiders, with a field goal from Dan Bailey in the first, and a touchdown from Prescott to Rod Smith in the second. After halftime, the Raiders answered with a touchdown after Carr connected to Michael Crabtree, with an extra point followed by a field goal from Giorgio Tavecchio. Cowboys’ punter Chris Jones had a sick fake punt in the third that would secure a first down for 24 yards. Refusing to keep the game tied, Dak was able to rush into the end zone for 5 yards for another Dallas touchdown. Crabtree was able to run in another touchdown to start the fourth quarter, tying the score to 17-17 with 10 minutes left in the game. In a dispute over a first down for the Cowboys with minutes to go, it was so close that the ref had to use a piece of paper against the marker to decide if the ball hit the line, which was ruled in favor of the Cowboys, who then powered through to the red zone but were unable to score, and Dan Bailey secured three points for Dallas for a 20-17 lead with less than two minutes left in the game. The Raiders battled their way back, and on a Hail Mary pass from Carr to Crabtree resulted in a pass interference call against the Cowboys, which allowed the Raiders to get to the 15 yard line with under one minute left. On a third down at the 7 yard line Derek Carr made a panicked rush to score, which would be a fatal blow to the Raiders, after Jeff Heath hit Carr and forced him to fumble into the end zone, resulting in a touchback for Dallas with 30 seconds left. Marshawn Lynch was also hit with a penalty after he went off on the refs for the touchback call and had to be restrained back by other teammates. This call would conclude the game after its confirmation upon review, for a final score of 20-17, Dallas. The 8-6 Cowboys will look to play the Seahawks next, and the 6-8 Raiders will face the Eagles.
Tomorrow night the 8-5 Falcons will play the 4-9 Buccaneers in Tampa Bay.
