Mahomes against Brees a true must-see matchup
A rite of December in the NFL, along with Christmas, Hanukkah and meaningless games for the Jets, Bengals and Lions, is the release of playoff scenarios.
Those scenarios become less complicated as the league gets deeper into the month. Suffice to note that eight of the top teams can clinch something this weekend.
The real spotlight, of course, is on two of the clubs already headed to the playoffs: defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City (12-1) at New Orleans (10-3).
Kansas City owns the AFC West crown and clinches the top seed and bye in the AFC with a victory plus losses by Pittsburgh and Buffalo. With only one bye for this season’s playoffs, that’s huge.
New Orleans takes the NFC South with a win or a Buccaneers loss. The race for the No. 1 conference seed is tight, with the Packers one game ahead of the Saints, the Rams and Seahawks one game behind.
Drew Brees will be active after missing four games with fractured ribs and a collapsed lung, making for an intriguing matchup with Patrick Mahomes.
“You want to play against those great quarterbacks that you watched growing up that were kind of guys that you looked up to and the way they played the game,” Mahomes said before the Saints announced Brees’ return on Friday.
Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill is one player to watch. He is tied for the NFL lead in touchdowns receiving with 14.
Meanwhile, Brees will be without star wide receiver Michael Thomas, who has had a rough season after winning the 2019 Offensive Player of the Year award. He was ruled out for the game with an ankle injury. Thomas had been coming on following several injuries, with two games in which he eclipsed 100 yards receiving in the past four — with Taysom Hill at quarterback.
PATRIOTS AT DOLPHINS
A loss means no playoffs for New England, snapping an 11-season run. Of course, Tom Brady now plays in Tampa Bay. One of Miami’s strengths is takeaways. The Dolphins’ streak of at least one forced turnover in 19consecutive games is the longest in the NFL. Miami is tied for the NFL lead with 25takeaways, and tied for second in turnover differential at plus-10. Xavien Howard’s nine interceptions are the most in a season in the NFL since Chicago’s Tim Jennings had nine in 2012. Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson is second in interceptions with seven.
SEAHAWKS AT WASHINGTON
The Seahawks will clinch a playoff spot for the eighth time in nine seasons with a victory or tie. What happens inside the 20-yard line could be telling: Seattle’s red-zone offense is second best in the league at 74.5% success rate, and Washington’s redzone defense is tied for second best at 50%. Each team has a dangerous defender who can swing matters, too. Seahawks safety Jamal Adams has 8 1-2sacks, the most in a season by a defensive back since sacks became an official stat in 1982. Washington end Chase Young, the No. 2overall pick in the draft, leads rookies with 51-2 sacks. Last week against San Francisco, he had a sack, a forced fumble and a 47-yard fumble return for a TD.
BUCCANEERS AT FALCONS
A great matchup for Brady as the Bucs seek to snap a 13-year playoff drought, the second-longest string in the NFL behind Cleveland. They need a victory and an unlikely tie between Minnesota and Chicago. Brady is 6-0and has thrown for 1,908yards and 13touchdowns with only two interceptions in six career starts against the Falcons, all with New England. That includes the 466-yard passing performance in the Super Bowl comeback four seasons ago. With standout receiver Julio Jones unable to stay healthy, Atlanta’s Calvin Ridley has stepped up. He had eight catches for 124yards and a touchdown last week. His six 100yard games are tied for the NFL lead.
LIONS AT TITANS
Tennessee clinches a playoff berth with a victory and Baltimore loss, or by winning and the Dolphins losing and the Browns winning. Derrick Henry, who Hall of Famer running back LaDainian Tomlinson has compared to Jim Brown, ran for a season-high 215yards and scored two TDs against Jacksonville. He’s the first player with four career games with at least 200yards rushing and two or more TD runs. Detroit has lost five straight to Tennessee and CB Jeff Okudah, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft, had seasonending surgery to repair a groin injury.
JAGUARS AT RAVENS
Look for a ground emphasis here. The Ravens have run for at least 100yards in 36straight games, seven short of the NFL record set by Pittsburgh from 1974-77. Baltimore is averaging 173.8 yards on the ground and topped 200 yards in each of the past two games. QB Lamar Jackson leads the NFL with a 6.3yards per carry average and ranks 10th in the league with 793yards rushing. In Jacksonville’s awful season, including defeats in the past 12 games, James Robinson is the fourth undrafted rookie in NFL history to reach 1,000yards rushing. He leads all rookies this season in scrimmage yards (1,361), rushing yards (1,035), rushing attempts (224), first downs (65) and rushing TDs (seven).
TEXANS AT COLTS
Philip Rivers keeps reaching milestones. He has 417career touchdown passes and needs three to tie Dan Marino for fifth. Rivers also would be making his 238th career start, tying Tony Gonzalez for No. 8on the league’s all-time list. While the Colts are right in the postseason mix, the Texans are one of the NFL’s biggest flops. Last week’s 36-7against Chicago’s inept offense was particularly embarrassing.
JETS AT RAMS
The NFL’s best defense — that would be the Rams — faces the NFL’s worst offense. The Rams are also tops in the league in passing defense, and the Jets are last in passing offense, a major reason they appear headed to the third 0-16season in NFL history. Adding extra incentive for the hosts: Los Angeles clinches a playoff berth with a victory.
BROWNS AT GIANTS
The Browns are 3-0against NFC East teams this season and are 9-4for the first time since 1994. With one more win, the Browns will match their highest victory total since their 1999 expansion rebirth. They went 10-6 in 2007. They also have scored more than 40points in successive games for the first time since 1968, but Cleveland has allowed 82points in the past two games. Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was limited by a hamstring issue last week and now is battling ankle problems. Another loss for New York could doom any postseason hopes, even in that weak division.
EAGLES AT CARDIALS
Former Sooners QBs Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts go at it. Hurts won his first career start last week, replacing Carson Wentz and leading an upset over New Orleans. He needs to watch out for Haason Reddick. The Cardinals had eight sacks in their win over the Giants last weekend and Reddick set a franchise record with five sacks. Philly has yielded 53sacks, but Hurts wasn’t trapped by the Saints. Murray has led the Cardinals to a 3-0record against the NFC East, too, winning those games by a combined 94-32.
BEARS AT VIKINGS
Yes, both teams are alive in the playoff race? Not sure either one deserves that. The Bears and Vikings are tied for eighth place in the NFC, one game behind Arizona for the last wild-card spot. Chicago has won its past two games at Minnesota. The previous time the Bears had three straight road victories against the Vikings was 1983-85.