Seattle def Los Angeles Rams 38-37 OT
In one of the craziest games of the season, the Seahawks came back from a 16-point deficit to beat the Rams in overtime. JSN had zero fantasy points at halftime and finished the game with eight catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. Kenneth Walker had his best game of the season with 164 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown, and Sam Donald was very cool and collected throughout the contest, throwing for 270 yards and two touchdowns to lead Seattle to the victory and the lead in the NFC West.
This was a brutal defeat for the Rams, who had this game well in hand. Matthew Stafford sealed the MVP with 457 yards passing and three touchdowns, and Puka Nacua had one of the greatest games of the year with 12 catches for 225 yards and two touchdowns, but it still wasn’t enough. The Rams might lose home-field advantage because of this game, which could be costly to them in the playoffs.
Philadelphia def Washington 29-18
Philadelphia cemented another NFC East title by beating the Commanders on the road. Jalen Hurts finished with 185 passing yards and two touchdowns, and also ran for 40 yards. Saquon Barkley had one of his better games of the season, rushing for 132 yards and a touchdown, and AJ Brown had nine catches for 95 yards. Even more impressive was the Eagles defense, which played as well as it has all season.
Washington kept this game close until Marcus Mariota left with an injury. The Commanders just couldn’t get much done on offense once he left, and this season needs to end quickly for them as they move forward to figure out what their plan is in the offseason.
Chicago def Green Bay 22-16
Sometimes you wonder whether the Bears are lucky or if they’re good as they keep on finding ways to win. Chicago forced overtime and ended up winning on a DJ Moore 46-yard touchdown reception. Caleb Williams was extremely confident in the pocket and finished with 250 yards passing and two touchdowns. The Bears are an opportunistic team that is very well coached and is much better than they were over the last few seasons.
Green Bay lost Jordan Love to a concussion during the game, but backup Malik Willis played very well, throwing for 121 yards and a touchdown and also running for 44 yards. Romeo Dobbs had five catches for 84 yards and a touchdown, but the Packers couldn’t put the game away when they needed to in the fourth quarter. Green Bay is clinging to a playoff spot, but without Love and Parsons, it’s going to be hard for them to go deep.
Minnesota def New York Giants 16-13
Even though the Vikings won a close game, JJ McCarthy injured his right throwing hand and was forced to leave the game and will likely not return for the rest of the season. McCarthy finished with 108 passing yards and also had 20 yards rushing and a touchdown. Justin Jefferson had six catches for 85 yards, but it was really Minnesota’s defense that played exceptionally well, sacking the Giants five times and intercepting Dart once.
This was a very strange game for the Giants, who really looked like they did not want to win. Jaxson Dart only attempted 13 passes and ended up with seven completions for 33 yards and an interception. What’s the point of even starting Dart if you’re not going to throw the football at all? Fans pay good money to watch games, and this was an unmitigated disaster by the Giants.
New Orleans def New York Jets 29-6
New Orleans has started to play much better football over the last month or so, as they got their fifth win of the season. Chris Olave had two touchdowns, including a pass from Taysom Hill, to help secure the victory for New Orleans. Hill had 42 yards rushing and 36 yards receiving to go along with a touchdown pass and once again was a Swiss army knife player. The Saints sacked Brady Cook eight times and intercepted him once, and really never gave the Jets a chance to compete.
The season can’t end soon enough for the Jets, who once again did not have an interception. This makes 15 weeks without an interception, which is absolutely horrible. Right now, Aaron Glenn’s job is hanging in the balance as the Jets need to play more competitive football or consider starting over yet again.
Buffalo def Cleveland 23-20
If you were in your fantasy playoffs, sadly, Josh Allen may have gotten you there, but he didn’t help you win, as Allen finished with 130 yards passing and 17 rushing yards. James Cook was the star for Buffalo, running for 117 yards and two touchdowns. It was the Bills defense that had two interceptions and three sacks. Buffalo will likely make the playoffs, but they may have to play on the road in the first game or two, and they’re going to need Allen to be at his best to get to the Super Bowl.
Cleveland suffered not only a loss in the box scores, but they also lost their top rookie as Quinshon Judkins left the game with a fractured leg. It was so bad that the TV networks refused to show a replay of the injury, which is never a good sign. Jenkins is likely to miss at least a good part of next season as he recovers. On a bright note, Harold Fannin Jr had a receiving touchdown and a rushing touchdown, and looks like a top-five tight end next season for sure.
Tennessee def Kansas City 26-9
Tennessee won its third game of the season, ending their 11-game home losing streak, beating Kansas City convincingly. Cam Ward threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns, and Tony Pollard ran for 102 yards to help lead the Titans to a victory.
The season got worse for Kansas City as backup quarterback Gardner Minshew tore his ACL in the first half and left the game with 15 yards passing. At this point, it wouldn’t surprise me if they shut Travis Kelce and the other starters down to take a look at their younger players.
Los Angeles Chargers def Dallas 34-17
The Chargers went on the road and routed the Cowboys behind the stellar play of Justin Herbert, who threw for 300 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 42 yards and a touchdown. Omarion Hampton had 16 carries for 85 yards and a touchdown and looked very dangerous running the football. Watch to see his touches get ramped up each week through the playoffs.
Dallas’s season is over, and it really was a mess from beginning to end. Dak Prescott played reasonably well and finished the game with 244 yards passing and two touchdowns. George Pickens had seven catches for 130 yards and a touchdown and played much better than he had in the last couple of weeks. This game may have helped him get a large contract, whether it be from Dallas or another team.
Carolina def Tampa Bay 23-20
Bryce Young threw two touchdowns as the Panthers took over first place in the NFC South with a victory at home over Tampa. Young finished with 191 yards passing, including one to Tetairoa McMillan, who had 73 yards and a touchdown. But it really was the Panthers defense that stepped up and played very good football, sacking Baker Mayfield twice and pressuring him all game long and forcing him into some bad throws.
Tampa has only won one game since their bye week, which is awful. Todd Bowles needs to figure out what’s going wrong because they are not playing well on offense, and on defense, they’re not making plays like they need to be. Tampa needs to win next week desperately so that their Week 18 matchup with Carolina will matter for the NFC South championship.
Cincinnati def Miami 45-21
Joe Burrow made up for last week’s disaster as he threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns to help Cincinnati win. Chase Brown had three touchdowns, including two receiving and one rushing, along with 119 yards from scrimmage. Moreover, Cincinnati played better on defense, intercepting Ewers twice and pressuring him throughout the game.
Mike McDaniel tried a new QB, but had a similar result as the Dolphins were smashed at home. De’Von Achane was the only bright spot for Miami, who needs to figure out how to retool their defense before next season.
Jacksonville def Denver 34-20
In a very exciting game, Jacksonville was led by four touchdowns from Trevor Lawrence as the Jaguars ended Denver’s 11-game winning streak. Lawrence finished with 279 passing and three passing touchdowns as well as a rushing touchdown. Parker Washington had six catches for 145 yards and a touchdown and looked outstanding. Jacksonville’s defense didn’t make a lot of big plays, but they held the line when they needed to, which is how they’re going to need to play during the playoffs.
Denver was led by Bo Nix, who threw for 352 yards and a touchdown, as well as RJ Harvey, who had 50 yards rushing and a touchdown to go along with four catches for 71 yards. The big problem was that Denver’s vaunted defense couldn’t stop the passing attack of Jacksonville. This game showed a little weakness in the Broncos secondary, which is something that other teams will probably watch on film to see if they can take advantage as well.
Atlanta def Arizona 26-19
Bijan Robinson had another outstanding game as he led the Falcons to their second straight win. Robinson finished with 168 total yards from scrimmage as well as a touchdown. Kirk Cousins threw for 197 yards and two touchdowns, and the Falcons defense made the plays that they needed to stop Arizona. Raheem Morris deserves credit for having his players play at a high level, even with nothing to play for.
The biggest shock in this game was that Trey McBride only finished with four catches for 27 yards. McBride is on his way to having the best season for a tight end in history, and when he’s not getting the ball, it’s a real problem. Michael Carter finished with 65 yards rushing, and Michael Wilson had another touchdown. Marvin Harrison did have three targets in the game and had one reception for 14 yards, and was eased back into the lineup just like Arizona said he would be.
Houston def Las Vegas 23-21
In a surprisingly close contest, Houston extended their winning streak to seven games by barely beating Las Vegas. CJ Stroud finished with 187 yards passing and one touchdown, and Dalton Schultz had a touchdown for the second straight week to lead the Texans offense.
Las Vegas was led by Geno Smith, who had 201 yards passing and two touchdowns, and Ashton Jeanty had 128 yards rushing and a touchdown to go along with 60 yards receiving and a touchdown. This was the game that his fantasy managers have been waiting for all season. Hopefully it wasn’t too little, too late!
Pittsburgh def Detroit 29-24
Detroit is barely hanging on to any playoff hopes as they lost a tough game at home to the Steelers. Jared Goff threw for 364 yards and three touchdowns in the loss. The Lions ran the ball 12 times for 15 yards, which is the worst display that they’ve had in years. Detroit has some major OL issues that need to be addressed in the off-season.
Aaron Rodgers finished with 266 yards passing and a touchdown to help lead Pittsburgh to the surprising road win. Jaylen Warren had two long rushing touchdowns as he finished with 143 yards. Kenneth Gainwell was sensational as he had 128 total yards from scrimmage and a touchdown as the Steelers ran for 230 yards on Detroit’s defense. If the Steelers can continue to run like this, they might be able to go deep into the playoffs.
New England def Baltimore 28-24
New England inched closer to winning the AFC East, holding off Baltimore in a very close game. Drake Maye threw for 380 yards and 2 TD passes, and Stefon Diggs had nine receptions for 138 yards to lead the Patriots. Somewhat concerning is that TreyVeon Henderson left the game with an injury and was unable to return. Likely, the Patriots will be very careful with him and lean on Rhamondre Stevenson until the playoffs begin.
Baltimore’s chances of making the playoffs are almost over as Lamar Jackson left the game with a back injury. One more Pittsburgh victory and a Baltimore loss will seal the AFC North for Pittsburgh. Derrick Henry was fantastic with 128 yards rushing and 2 TDs, and Zay Flowers played well with 84 yards receiving, but once Jackson left, Baltimore was not able to pull off the upset.
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