Saints in driver’s seat in NFC
This is the time of the NFL season during which teams not necessarily in control of their own situations do plenty of scoreboard watching.
And in a wild Sunday in Week 14, plenty of results – many of them complete surprises – had serious playoff ramifications. Here are winners and losers from a packed slate. WINNERS
New Orleans Saints: Not only did the Saints clinch the NFC South with their victory against the Buccaneers, they also reclaimed the NFC’s No. 1 seed – thanks to some help from Chicago. With the Bears clamping down on the Rams, both New Orleans and Los Angeles are tied at 11-2. But because the Saints won their head-to-head matchup in Week 9, they hold the tiebreaker advantage. Admittedly, the first half for New Orleans was a struggle. Quarterback Drew Brees, after throwing just one interception in the first 10 games of the year, has thrown one in each of the last three. But in the second half, when the Saints needed to move the ball, they scored 25 unanswered. The ability to adjust and overcome early game struggles, that’s the mark of a good team.
Kansas City Chiefs: It wasn’t so much that they beat the Ravens, a resurgent squad, 27-24 in overtime to clinch a playoff berth and improve to 11-2. It was more that the Patriots stumbled against the Dolphins, so KC’s grip on the No. 1 seed in the AFC got even stronger. The Chiefs now have a two-game lead on New England. And with a difficult remaining three games – Week 15 at home against the Chargers (10-3); Week 16 at the Seahawks (7-5); Week 17 at home against the Raiders (3-10) – picking up an extra game was huge. New England’s schedule is more forgiving, with the lone tough matchup remaining coming against the Steelers next week. So as long as the Chiefs take care of their business, the postseason in the AFC should run through Arrowhead. And that’s an environment that’s really tough in January.
Jerry Jones: The Cowboys – and Jones, specifically – caught a lot of heat for the decision to trade a first-round pick to the Raiders for receiver Amari Cooper. Well, after a thrilling 29-23 victory against the Eagles in overtime, Dallas holds a commanding two-game lead in the NFC East, is 5-1 since the trade, and no one is criticizing Jones now. Cooper torched the Eagles (10 catches, 217 yards, three touchdowns), and it’s clear his presence has opened up the entire offense. Though quarterback Dak Prescott still needs to work on protecting the ball and avoiding occasional bad misses, his connection with Cooper is undeniably a season-turning weapon. Cooper is just 24 and is set to enter his fifth-year option in 2019. The issue for Jones, now, is paying him.
Dolphins home games against the Patriots: With their stunning last-second, double-lateral game-winning touchdown, the Dolphins have now toppled the Patriots in five of the last six games they’ve played in Miami. It’s surprising that the Pats – one of the most consistent teams in the NFL – have this issue in South Florida. And it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Dolphins (7-6). Though they’re tied with the Ravens, they’re currently the No. 7 seed, just one back of the sixth and final playoff berth in the AFC. This is the kind of game that can generate momentum for a potential playoff push. LOSERS
Pittsburgh Steelers: This isn’t what teams supposedly in contention for a Super Bowl do. Yes, the shoddy turf that made kicker Chris Boswell slip on a potential game-tying field goal as time expired could be questioned. But this was a Pittsburgh team that had dropped two straight games because of repeated selfinflicted errors. And this is a Steelers squad whose next two are at home versus the Patriots (9-4) and on the road against the Saints (11-2). A 24-21 loss against the rebuilding Raiders dropped Pittsburgh to 7-5-1 and their playoff pursuit is seriously in doubt. The Ravens (7-6), Browns (5-7-1), and Bengals (5-8) are each still alive. Injuries have been an issue, but this would be an epic collapse if Pittsburgh coughed up the AFC North.
Bruce Allen: After getting waxed, 4016, by a mediocre Giants team, you can all but write the obituary on the season for the Washington Redskins. Losing Alex Smith and Colt McCoy to leg injuries was unfortunate, but the front office – and specifically president Bruce Allen – deserves a heavy dose of criticism for several head-scratching moves. The latest was opting to go with Mark Sanchez as its quarterback. Sanchez went 6 of 14 for 38 yards and threw two interceptions, one of which was returned for a score. He was benched in the third quarter in favor of Josh Johnson – who hadn’t attempted a regular-season pass since 2011. The franchise said it discussed bringing in Colin Kaepernick, but that he wasn’t a fit for the offense and that Sanchez was. They later signed Johnson, whose skill set – interestingly enough – is quite similar to Kaepernick’s. All those excuses, after this collapse, are – at best – disingenuous. At worst, it’s collusive.
Houston Texans: The division-rival Colts are an ascending team and the Texans had won nine games in a row. So it’s hard to criticize them too much and it’s not a shock that Houston stumbled 24-21 against Indianapolis. But that Houston had the chance to seize the No. 2 seed in the AFC because the Patriots dropped their game against Miami is just a missed opportunity. The biggest concern for Houston (9-3) is that it shut Colts quarterback Andrew Luck down for one half. But the Texans couldn’t finish the game and let receiver T.Y. Hilton go off for explosive play after explosive play. And with the Colts and Titans both just two games out at 7-6, the AFC South is still open.
Vance Joseph: The Broncos came in 6-6 and desperately needing a victory against a hapless 49ers team that entered the day already eliminated from playoff contention. Every team Denver was competing with for a wild card berth, except for the Ravens, won. That Denver came out as flat as it did and had no answer for George Kittle of the Niners – who was five yards shy of setting the NFL single-game receiving yard record for receiving yards from a tight end with 210 – is a reflection of the head coach. The offense spectacularly underwhelmed, earning only 274 total yards and converting two of 15 third-down attempts. So Joseph, who had eased some concerns with a three-game winning streak, might be back on the hot seat.