Playoff drama, draft coming into focus
This is pretty much it. The penultimate week of the NFL regular season sealed the fates, both bad and good, of several squads.
A mini-slate of games Saturday set up a Sunday that shook up the playoff picture, especially in the NFC. For the third time in three weeks, the team holding the No. 1 seed dropped to No. 5 and the team holding the fifth spot jumped to the top. As we head into the final week of the regular season, just two playoff spots remain open. But only three teams that are currently on the outside looking in – the Raiders, the Steelers and the Cowboys – are mathematically alive.
Here are the winners and losers from Sunday’s slate of games.
Winners
Eagles: All season long, the NFC East has been wide open, waiting for one team to take control. A three-game winning streak, including Sunday’s pivotal 17-9 victory against the Cowboys in what was essentially an NFC East championship game, almost guarantees the Eagles will hold that No. 4 seed in the NFC. The Eagles might not make a deep postseason run, but at least they can make it to the dance. First things first, they need to beat the Giants.
Titans: Even though they lost by 10 points to the Saints, and even though they lost to the Texans last week to let Houston take the AFC South, the Titans enter the final week with a win-and-in scenario. If the Titans topple the Texans in Houston in Week 17, the Titans and coach Mike Vrabel will clinch a playoff spot. Running back Derrick Henry was inactive against the Saints with a hamstring injury and he’s an essential part of their offense. Tennessee should be prepared, however, in case he’s not able to play.
Draft drama: For all of the draftniks out there who love the posturing and shuffling of teams at the other end of the standings, Sunday was loaded with drama. The teams with the four worst records in the league faced off in two games in the early slate. Both games went into overtime. The Bengals battled back from a 23-point deficit in Miami, but the Dolphins eventually won in overtime 38-35. Cincy clinched the No. 1 overall selection with the defeat. And the Redskins and Giants, both of whom entered Sunday with 3-11 records, also faced off. New York rookie quarterback Daniel Jones earned a 41-35 overtime victory with a 3-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kaden Smith. Ironically, he might have also earned Washington a path to the No. 2 selection. And with that pick, Jones might have given Washington an inside track to take Ohio State edge rusher Chase Young, a player who might eventually go after Jones twice a year.
Bengals: Which brings us to the Bengals. Sure, they lost and dropped to 1-14. But by securing the top pick in the draft, the team will have its choice of the entire lot of prospects in determining how it tries to elevate the franchise back to relevance. And with quarterbacks, like LSU’s Joe Burrow and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, likely to be in high demand, the Bengals are in prime position to take advantage. Now they need to trust their scouting and talent evaluation.
Losers
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Seahawks: For the third time in three weeks, the No. 1 seed in the NFC has shuffled hands. And for the third time in three weeks, it alternated between the 49ers and the Seahawks. The Seahawks losing 27-13 to a Cardinals team that entered with four victories might have completely wiped away its chances of holding the No. 1 seed in the conference. Now, they need a bunch of help from other teams in an extremely unlikely scenario. Oddly though, Seattle losing home-field advantage might not be a death knell. The Seahawks have struggled at home this year, going 4-3, meaning that the one silver lining in all of this is that with the NFC playoffs no longer running through Seattle, the Seahawks will need to win on the road, where they went 7-1. But to make a bad day worse, coach Pete Carroll told reporters after the game that running backs Chris Carson and C.J. Prosise are out for the rest of the year and that left tackle Duane Brown will have knee surgery.
Browns: Officially eliminated from playoff contention following a 31-15 loss to the Ravens, the 6-9 Browns need to re-evaluate what went wrong this season – a year that can only be described as a massive disappointment. Baker Mayfield hasn’t played nearly as well after a promising rookie season. Additions like receiver Odell Beckham Jr. simply have not delivered on the production they had reached previously. Rookie coach Freddie Kitchens has botched clock and game management situations. A season that started with so much promise might only bring yet another offseason of transition.
Steelers: They entered Sunday in the sixth seed in the AFC and in position to control their playoff fate. They were facing an inconsistent Jets team. Yet Pittsburgh lost 16-10. And even though the Titans lost 38-28 to the Saints, now Tennessee has the inside track to earn the final playoff spot in the conference. Tennessee and Pittsburgh have the same record at 8-7, but if the Titans defeat the Texans – who already clinched the AFC South – in the regular-season finale, they will be the ones to play in January. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin deserves credit for getting this injuryriddled team to eight wins. But with the 13-2 Ravens coming up in the finale, this loss to the Jets could be the one that keeps them out of the tournament.