It is hard to believe that Christmas is only a few days away, and the New Year isn’t far behind. Festivus is in a few days, and the NCAA 12-team playoffs have begun. Seven NFL teams have already qualified for the playoffs, and seven more spots are available, with 16 teams still vying for them.
There are only three weeks left in the season, and as usually happens at this time of year, NFL games are played seven days a week. There are games today, Sunday, and Monday, and this year, because of the Christmas holiday, there are games on Wednesday.
To shoehorn the Chiefs into a game on Wednesday, the schedule-makers have them playing today. I understand they are the two-time defending Superbowl champions, with a couple of the game’s premier players in Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce (and possibly Taylor Swift), and the league wants to promote them as much as possible, but it seems like they are trying too hard.
PIGS GET EATEN, HOGS GET SLAUGHTERED: The NFL once played only 12 games, then 14, 16, and now 17. It used to only play on Sundays and then expanded to the very popular Monday Night Football. It followed with the addition of Thursday Night Football, which has become so popular that Jeff Bezos paid 13 BILLION DOLLARS to have that singular game each week on Amazon through 2033.
This year, they have even added some Friday games to the schedule, which was always sacrilegious, so as not to compete with Texas high school football (Friday Night Lights). The NFL has begun putting a game on during the Friday of opening week and a few games on Black Friday.
A few years ago, Mark Cuban said pigs get eaten, but hogs get slaughtered. This is a famous quote about greed and avarice. He was talking about the NFL. He may be right. The NBA has scheduled Christmas games between top contenders and players for the last few years. The NFL would also play games if they fell within its normal schedule. But not this year; Christmas doesn’t fall on a Sunday, Monday, or Thursday. It is on Wednesday.
Other than during the COVID season, when games were often postponed, and a random game could pop up on a Tuesday or Wednesday, this has never happened before or since…until this year. And to force it in, like a round peg in a square hole, they have the Chiefs playing today, on Saturday.
At this time of year, the NFL often schedules games on Saturdays after the college regular season has concluded. This year, the NCAA has expanded its postseason to 12 teams, and this is the first round, with three games being played. The first game was on Friday night when Notre Dame defeated Indiana at South Bend. SMU plays Penn St. at noon today, Clemson plays Texas at 4 pm, and Tennessee plays Ohio St. tonight.
I think Cuban was right. The NFL bit off more than expected with this scheduling decision to put two games on today. The Texans play the Chiefs at 1 pm, and the Steelers play the Ravens at 4:30 pm. Both should be exciting with playoff implications, but this is the first season of this long-anticipated college football playoff structure. Some teams playing today have long traditions and are the premium programs in history. It doesn’t get better than Penn St, Clemson, Texas, and Ohio St for name recognition. I will be very interested to see the ratings between the NFL and college games today…I think Roger Goodell will be in for a rude awakening.
THE WILD, WILD WEST: On Thursday, the Broncos went to Los Angeles to play the Chargers at Sofi Stadium. For a half and even through three quarters, all seemed well for Sean Payton’s squad. They were winning 21-13 at the half. It took Justin Herbert’s amazing comeback in the fourth quarter to pull ahead and prevail. He led the Chargers to a 15-3 fourth-quarter comeback, which leapfrogged them over the Broncos from the seventh to the sixth seed.
They now have a 97% chance of making the playoffs . Even with the loss, the Broncos have an 85% chance of reaching the postseason. Both teams are now 9-6, and each is realistically heading to the playoffs. If the season ended today, the Broncos would head to Buffalo, and the Chargers would go to Pittsburgh. You can see how important that no.6 seed is vs the seventh spot. I don’t think any team wants to go to Buffalo in January to square off against this Bills team.
INJURIES
With three weeks to go in the season and playoff berths on the line, injuries are always lurking to trip teams up. Here are the injuries to be concerned about for teams with playoff (and Superbowl) aspirations.
Baltimore Ravens: WRs Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor each popped up on this week’s injury report, with a foot injury and Agholor in concussion protocol.
Philadelphia Eagles: WR AJ Brown is listed as questionable, having a knee injury, but he has said he is definitely playing against the Commanders this weekend.
Houston Texans: Joe Mixon has been limited at practice with an ankle injury this week.
Kansas City Chiefs: All of Chiefs Nation gasped last week when Patrick Mahomes went down with a high ankle sprain. He’s been a full participant at practice and should play today against the Texans. After missing the first 14 games of the season, WR Marquise “Hollywood” Brown will debut this week.
Pittsburgh Steelers: WR George Pickens missed practice with a hamstring injury, and QB Justin Fields had an abdominal strain.
Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals chances of reaching the postseason are extremely low, losing Joe Burrow won’t help. He was limited at practice this week with knee and wrist injuries. WR Tee Higgins was also limited with a knee issue.
Detroit Lions: The list of Lions injuries is just too long to single out. They have 21 players injured this week.
Indianapolis Colts: The Colts may be without two of their WRs. Michael Pittman has been out with a back issue, while Alec Pierce is in the league’s concussion protocol.
Washington Commanders: TE Zach Ertz is also in the league’s concussion protocol.
Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks have been fading and currently find themselves outside the playoff chase. If they are without their RBs, Zach Charbonnett, who has an oblique issue, and Kenneth Walker, who has a calf issue, their chances diminish greatly. The situation becomes more dire if DK Metcalf can’t go. He’s missed practice with a shoulder injury.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Rookie RB Bucky Irving was limited this week with a back and hip issue.
