Each week of the NFL season brings a host of new questions…and answers some old ones, too. Let’s review what we learned in Week 14…and what we’ll wonder about in Week 15 and beyond.
ASK: Who is more desperate, the Jets or the Bears?
This weekend saw some ignominious milestones in the NFL. First, the Jets lost (shocking) and the longest in any major American professional sport. Meanwhile, the Bears, in the first game of the post-Eberflus era, got their doors blown out by San Francisco, 38-13, in a game that didn’t even look that competitive. Together they are 7-19, and the hopes that dimmed when Aaron Rodgers signed and when the Bears won a few games early in the season, are now extinguished.
This therefore raises a crucial question. Assuming you’re not a fan of any of these teams – if so, my condolences – which one would you rather root for? I know, it’s like choosing to eat live, wriggling worms or three-month-old leftovers. But which of these teams has the highest upside potential? If you say “Bears,” that’s reasonable — Chicago has Caleb Williams, after all — but the Bears front office has an uncanny ability to hire the worst personnel possible to maximize the potential of their stars. If you say “Jets,” that doesn’t take into account the mysterious aura of suck that drains talent from every player who takes the green, even a four-time MVP. Chicago probably has a brighter immediate future, but “brighter” in the sense that a 40-watt bulb is brighter than candlelight.
Either way, the future is dark and gloomy for these teams and their fans. As Bono sings in the holiday classic “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” »: “Thank God it’s them instead of you. »
ANSWER: The bosses are beyond infuriating
Some teams are good at everything. Some teams have ridiculous luck. Only one team in the NFL – in fact, perhaps in all professional sports – is both good And lucky to have won a championship. The Kansas City Chiefs are the most infuriating team in sports, not because of the fact that they win, but how they win — with good fortune built on talent, with skills that always seem benefit from a good dose of good fortune.
Once again, an AFC West team put Kansas City on the ropes in the final seconds of the game, and once again, the Chiefs broke free. This time the opponent was the Los Angeles Chargers, and this time the luck came in the form of a fortuitous move with no time on the clock on Sunday night:
The Chiefs are obviously headed to the playoffs. And probably the AFC Championship, obviously. And if they’re down 14 in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, someone somewhere will think, “Now we’ve got them.” » And they will be so wrong.
ASK: Is there hope in Carolina?
Watching a losing team come together is like watching a baby take its first steps. You don’t want to invest too much hope in the business because it will likely end in disaster. And you definitely don’t want them to catch you looking, because that would ruin the whole enterprise. But progress is still slow and steady.
Yes, the Panthers only have three wins this season. But their last three losses came by one possession, all against playoff contenders: Kansas City, Tampa Bay (in overtime) and, on Sunday, Philadelphia. An essential reason: the emergence of Bryce Young. (You can’t really call it a resurgence if there wasn’t a resurgence in the first place, after all.) Damn, the Panthers almost upset the Eaglesonly for Xavier Legette to drop a potential touchdown pass in the final minute of the game. And that pass came at the end of a potential 97-yard drive on the road, the kind of test that makes many more experienced quarterbacks wilt.
It’s a long road back to the surface for Young and the Panthers. But at least they are now swimming in the right direction.
ANSWER: Russell Wilson is a magician
In a league where most careers move inexorably downward, it’s good to see one buck that trend and move to the right. Russell Wilson has revitalized a career thought to be dead, and without Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield, he would be the runaway comeback player of the year. He’s not lighting up any fantasy stats — he threw for just 158 yards in Sunday’s win over Cleveland — but he’s doing exactly what he needs to do to lead Pittsburgh win after win. He threw two touchdowns on Sunday and posted his latest hype video shortly after:
The Steelers got Wilson for a paltry $1.2 million (“paltry” being a very relative term) this season, but it will cost a lot more to bring him back next year. As recently as October, it seemed unlikely, but Wilson magically imagined one heck of a second act.
ASK: How far can the Rams go?
Trying to pick a winner in the NFC West right now is like trying to find true love at a Christmas party. Maybe you’ll succeed and sail happily into the New Year, more likely you’ll screw up and have a messy breakup right before the holiday.
The hot commodity right now is the Rams, who just punched mighty Buffalo in the face on national television. Matthew Stafford threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns, Puka Nacua had 162 yards and one touchdown. Sean McVay showed why he’s still one of the sharpest and most inventive minds in the game…and Sean McDermott showed why there will always be concerns about the Bills unless and until they win a Lombardi Trophy.
Los Angeles is currently one game out of first in the NFC West, but in a good position to make the playoffs. Would you like to face this team in January?
ANSWER: AFC South must be relegated
At one point Sunday, all early games went into halftime except Jaguars-Titans. It was a special form of torture for NFL fans forced to watch AFC South football, and it reminded them of Thursday night games before Prime Video. (It’s amazing how a billion dollars a year can buy you Lions-Packers and Rams-49ers games, right?) The Jaguars won 10-6, an ugly game whose first (and only ) touchdown was not scored until late in the week. the fourth trimester.
At this point, just fold the division and send these two teams to the SEC. On the plus side, the Titans and Jaguars would have a good chance of making the College Football Playoff. The strength of their schedule, at least, would be unmatched.
