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 home the first week of playoffs to rest, they may have to face this Commanders team again, or an even better Packers team.
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.
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-yard TD run. The final was 36-30 and eliminated the Cardinals from playoff contention.
