We now have the full playoff picture for both conferences, as regular season play came to an end on this last weekend.
I already reviewed the Saturday games, which exclusively featured AFC North teams. But there were 14 other games featuring the rest of the 28 teams in the league. The remaining questions regarding playoff openings and seedings have now been answered.
Let's take a look at yesterday's games:
The biggest game by far yesterday was the Sunday Night Football showdown between two 14-2 teams. It was the first such meeting between teams with so few losses this late in a regular season in NFL history. And since the two teams were both in the same division, it would determine both who won the NFC North division title, as well as who would earn the overall number one seed in the NFC, and clinch the playoff bye next week, as well.
The visiting Minnesota Vikings were able to keep the game close for most of the way through. However, the Detroit Lions have an offense that is difficult to contain, and can begin to explode at any point. That was evident beginning late in the third quarter, when the Lions scored a touchdown to put some cushion in what was at that point a tough and tight contest, which they led 10-9. The touchdown gave them some cushion, at 17-9. From that point on, it was evident that Minnesota's defense had been worn down, and Detroit scored two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make this game appear more lopsided than it actually was.
This marked the fifth straight time that the Lions have scored 30 points or more. It was also the 10th time overall this season that the team managed to score 30 or more points in a game. That marks a franchise record. But there were quite a few franchise records which the Lions set in that game last night.
However, the Lions clinch their second straight NFC North division title with this win. Also, they also made history by clinching the top overall seed in the NFC playoffs for the first time in franchise history. Their 15-2 mark is the best record and most overall wins in franchise history, and they are tied for the best overall record in the league since way back in 1957, nearly 70 years ago.
One major source of concern for the Lions, however, was the injuries, which keep hitting the defense in particular. They will have two weeks to rest up, giving the playoff bye which they earned. Still, that is a source of concern for the team.
As for the Vikings, they were tied with Detroit atop the NFC standings. But this loss drops them all the way to the fifth overall seed, and a date to meet the Rams in Los Angeles next weekend.
Speaking of the Rams, they had entered this weekend as the number three seed. But their 30-25 home loss to the Seahawks, coupled with Tampa Bay taking care of the New Orleans Saints, 27-19, meant that the Bucs, who finally clinched the NFC South win with that win and Atlanta's 48-42 overtime loss to the Panthers. leapfrogged the Rams for the third overall seed in the NFC. The Rams dropped to the fourth seed, and that is why they will have to face the 14-3 Minnesota Vikings next week. It is the first time that a 14-3 Wildcard team will have to start the postseason on the road.
The sixth seed in the NFC will be Washington. They got past the Cowboys in Dallas, 23-19, earning their fifth straight win in the process. That, mixed with the Packers home loss to the Chicago Bears, allowed the Commanders to rise to the sixth overall seed, dropping the Packers to seventh seed. Worse still for Green Bay were the injuries. Wide receiver Christian Watson and quarterback Jordan Love both suffered injuries. Watson is out for the rest of the season, while Love will try to start next weekend, but his status remains uncertain. Next weekend, the Commanders will visit the Bucs in Tampa, while the Packers have a date with the Eagles in Philadelphia, who beat the Giants, 20-13, in what was largely a meaningless game in which the starters for Philly rested.
On the AFC side, the Broncos needed to beat the Chiefs to clinch a playoff berth. That was not as daunting as it might sound, because KC entered this game with a league best 15-1 record, affording them the luxury of sitting out their starters. So Denver beat down a watered down Kansas City squad, 38-0, leaving no doubt. They punch their ticket into the postseason for the first time since winning Super Bowl 50 nine years ago. They now head to Buffalo to take on the number two seed Buffalo Bills.
That win by the Broncos officially knocked out the Bengals and Dolphins, although Miami lost to the Jets at the Meadowlands, anyway. So Cincy was the one who would have made it in with a Denver loss. The Dolphins fell short at the Jets, as Aaron Rodgers had his best day with Gang Green. Rodgers completed 23 of 36 passes for 274 yards and 4 touchdowns, with one interception. Now, there are all sorts of questions regarding Rodgers and his future. I will perhaps get into that topic in a later post.
Having already seen the Steelers lose on Saturday opened the door for the Chargers to possibly steal the fifth overall seed from them on this final weekend. They managed to do exactly that by beating the Raiders in Las Vegas, 34-20. This marked the first time that an NFL team held all of their away opponents to 20 points or less, which the Chargers did in all of their nine roads games. The Chargers finished with an impressive 6-3 road record. So they take the fifth overall seed, and will face the Houston Texans, which feels like a winnable game for them. As for the Steelers, they become only the third team in NFL history to enter the playoffs with an active losing streak of four or more games. It also marks the first time since the Detroit Lions in 1999 that this has happened (the Lions lost their one and only playoff game that season). Back in 1986, the New York Jets raced out to what was then a league best 10-1 record, before dropping their final five games of the regular season. However, they managed to win one playoff game (35-15 over the Chiefs) before bowing out in Cleveland in a double overtime game in the divisional round. Let's see how the Steelers do next weekend at Baltimore.
The Texans beat the Titans, 23-14, to close out their regular season with a 10-7 mark. The Bills lost in New England, 23-16, although Josh Allen only played the first snap of the game before going to the sidelines, to keep his streak of starts alive. Buffalo rested many of their starters, as well.
So the playoff picture is now complete. The Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions both finished with 15-2 records, which is why they both earned playoff byes for next weekend. I will make my predictions for next weekend's games in a later post.
Steelers make unwanted history after losing fourth straight game heading into the playoffs No team has done this since 1999 by Bryan DeArdo, Jan 5, 2025:
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/steelers-make-unwanted-history-after-losing-fourth-straight-game-heading-into-the-playoffs/
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