As the weeks are flying off the calendar, the winning players are being overtaken by the winning teams in importance. What difference does it make if a player rushes for 150 yards in a losing effort, especially if that player is on a team not going to the postseason?
So much of a team’s success is determined by a player’s success, but that works in reverse also. Dan Marino is considered one of the most talented QBs of all time, but he’s not in the rarified air of Tom Brady, Joe Montana, John Elway, or Patrick Mahomes because he never won one.
Winning is what matters. Look at someone like Justin Herbert. He has the size and arm strength of anyone who’s ever played. He has speed and elusiveness, too, and can make all of the throws. His knock is that he hasn’t won yet…and even among a contemporary like Joe Burrow, Burrow is held in higher esteem because he’s at least made it to a Superbowl in his young career. Perceptions can change on a dime, and one deep run by the Chargers and Herbert and his entire career trajectory can change.
With all this in mind, here are the teams this week who were big winners. They have either clinched a playoff spot, increased their percentages of getting in…or at least saved their season for at least one more week.
WINNERS:
Los Angeles Chargers: Through three quarters, it was starting to look like the same old Chargers. But a 15-3 fourth quarter propelled them to victory over the Broncos, leapfrogging them from the seventh seed to the sixth seed in the AFC.
Kansas City Chiefs: Another week, and another one scored victory for Kansas City. They defeated the Texans 27-19 on Saturday. They now find themselves 14-1 with two weeks to go, yet they still haven’t clinched the no.1 seed and a first-round bye.
Baltimore Ravens: The Ravens handled the Steelers and have clawed back to even with them. Each team is sitting at 10-5, but the Ravens have won two in a row, while the Steelers have lost two in a row. Each team has now clinched the playoffs, but Pittsburgh still controls their own destiny.
Indianapolis Colts: The Colts are now 7-8, tied with the Dolphins and Bengals, and currently the eighth seed in the AFC. They defeated the Titans 38-30 and have a 14% chance at reaching the playoffs.
Cincinnati Bengals: I said it when it happened. The Bengals losing to the Patriots in wk. one was going to kill them this season. They are now 7-8 after their 24-6 win against the Browns. They have improved their playoff odds to a whopping 7%.
Detroit Lions: The Lions are clinging to the no.1 seed in the NFC. The Eagles losing to the Commanders helped their chances dramatically, but ultimately, their head-to-head matchup against the Vikings will determine who wins their division, with the loser being the best no.5 seed in history.
Washington Commanders: The Commanders outscored the Eagles 22-6 in the fourth quarter to complete the most miraculous comeback in memory. It didn’t hurt that Jalen Hurts went down early with a concussion, but even still, it was a fantastic comeback by Jayden Daniels. He threw two interceptions but also threw five TDs.
Atlanta Falcons: Fortune favors the bold. Benching a veteran QB for a rookie, making his first NFL start, with only three weeks left in the season, and a playoff spot in the balance, is the dictionary definition of bold. So far, so good for the Falcons and Michael Penix Jr. Granted, it was only against the Giants, and Penix wasn’t exactly Joe Namath out there, but he did enough. He was 18-27 with 202 passing yards. The running game was dominant, gaining 127 yards and scoring two TDs.
Los Angeles Rams: Don’t sleep on the Rams. I’ve been saying it all year. The entire NFC West lost on Sunday, giving the Rams a bigger cushion. The Cardinals and 49ers are now out of the playoffs, and only the Seahawks can catch them. The Rams are sitting with a 9-6 record, while the Seahawks are 8-7.
Minnesota Vikings: All the Vikings do is win. All Sam Darnold does is have solid game after solid game. They won a tough game in Seattle 27-24, with Darnold throwing three TDs, with Justin Jefferson catching two of them to go along with 10 total receptions and 144 passing yds.
Miami Dolphins: The 49ers had already been eliminated, but the Dolphins still had something to play for. They won 29-17 to keep their chances alive. They are now sitting with a 9% chance of making the postseason.
Buffalo Bills: The Bills were a two-touchdown favorite at home against the Patriots. But the Pats went out to a 14-0 lead and went into halftime up 14-7. The Bills were able to wake up in the second half, took a 10-point lead, and had the game well in hand. A last minute, meaningless TD made the game closer than it was. The Bills were due a letdown game, and they had it.
LOSERS:
Denver Broncos: The Broncos haven’t been on this list for a while, and it didn’t look like they’d be this week, either. But a furious fourth-quarter comeback by the Chargers put Sean Payton and rookie Bo Nix on the losing side of the aisle. They should still reach the playoffs, but they are now the seventh seed, and their playoff odds have dropped a smidge, down to 76%.
Houston Texans: The Texans lost a tough game against the Chiefs. They have already clinched the playoffs and the division, but their injuries just keep piling up. They have now lost Tank Dell for the rest of the season…and possibly part of next year, with a gruesome knee injury. They wasted no time in snagging his replacement. Diontae Johnson was released by the Ravens earlier in the week, and the Texans grabbed him out of necessity.
Pittsburgh Steelers: The Steelers have now lost two in a row but still cling to the AFC North Division lead. They control their destiny, but the road doesn’t get easier as the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs invade Pittsburgh on Christmas.
Philadelphia Eagles: This loss may be the most pivotal in the league this year. The Eagles were on a 10-game winning streak and seemingly had their game against the Commanders well in hand. They were trying to go to 13-2 and stay in the hunt for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The loss dropped them to 12-3 and assuredly out of the race for the bye. Instead of sitting ot the first week of playoffs to rest, they may have to face this Commander’s team again, or an equally solid Packers team.
Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks are now 8-7 and have lost two in a row. And they find themselves out of the playoffs, trying to claw back and overtake the surging Rams. Coincidentally, they head to Los Angeles in wk.18 to face off against them in what could very well be a de facto playoff game, with the winner getting the division and the loser going home.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The Buccaneers had been playing great, but they went into Dallas against a team that was eliminated from the playoffs and laid an egg. The Cowboys beat the Bucs 26-24. Tampa is now looking up at the Falcons.
Arizona Cardinals: Despite their win last week against the Patriots, the Cardinals hadn’t been playing great ball. On a last-second FG the Cards managed to tie the game, but in OT, with 3:18 left, RB Chuba Hubbard scored a TD on a 21 yd TD run. The final was 36-30 and eliminated the Cardinals from playoff contention.
