Buccaneers kick their way to NFC South title
The NFL’s 2023 regular season reached its conclusion Sunday, game No. 272 – the Buffalo Bills’ visit to the Miami Dolphins on “Sunday Night Football” – to determine the AFC East title while finalizing the conference’s playoff bracket seeding. Before that occurred, the AFC South champion was determined while the conference’s other playoff berths were claimed.
On the NFC side, the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles are both postseason-bound; one will be the NFC East champs. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the NFC South, while the New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks were in play for the conference’s final wild-card berth.
First playoff matchup set
Much was still in flux at 4:30 ET. But we know the Texans will host the Cleveland Browns on “Super Wild Card Weekend,” a rematch of a Week 16 game. The
Browns won 36-22, but Houston QB C.J. Stroud sat out with a concussion.
Jags gag
Jacksonville’s 28-20 loss to the Tennessee
Titans in Nashville had massive ramifications. The Jaguars coughed up the chance to win consecutive AFC South crowns and were out of the postseason – their loss locking the Bills and Steelers into the field while handing the division to the Houston Texans.
Saints alive, Vikings not
New Orleans had a shot at the NFC’s final wild-card berth but needed the Packers and Seahawks to lose. The Saints’ 48-17 runaway win against Atlanta also eliminated the Vikings.
Houston Texans
Rookie QB C.J. Stroud and Co. survived and advanced in Indianapolis on Saturday night to clinch a berth, their first since 2019. Houston upgraded to AFC South champions Sunday courtesy of the Jaguars’ loss.
Buffalo Bills
They got pretty much everything they wanted – meaning end the regular season on a five-game winning streak Sunday night in Miami, and Buffalo will have resurrected itself into AFC East champions ... again. But even before that’s settled, the Bills were rest assured they’re playing next weekend thanks to Jacksonville’s meltdown.
Pittsburgh Steelers
They took care of business Saturday in suboptimal weather conditions in Baltimore, beating the top-seeded Ravens. Then the Jaguars pitched in Sunday, their loss also ensuring Pittsburgh a playoff date.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
They persevered in Charlotte to win their third consecutive division crown – and obviously first without former QB Tom Brady during that stretch. The win also eliminated the Atlanta Falcons from playoff contention.