Nearly sixteen full weeks into the season, and much has been decided. Plenty remains TBD.
In the NFC, the top seed is basically down to two teams in the same division, the Lions and the Vikings. In the AFC, the Chiefs are on the brink of clinching the No. 1 spot but it’s far from cemented.
Nine teams remain alive in the NFC, and 10 are alive in the AFC. Three divisions remain undecided. Thirteen teams officially have a fork stuck in them.
Here’s a snapshot of each of the games that led to only 19 teams remaining in the mix for the Super Bowl LIX championship.
Chiefs 27, Texans 19.
Kansas City moved to 14-1, closing in on the No. 1 seed. With one win or one Buffalo loss, the road to the Superdome goes through Arrowhead.
Receiver Hollywood Brown finally made his Chiefs debut, with five catches for 45 yards. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes had a career-long 15-yard touchdown run, despite a high ankle sprain.
Houston receiver Tank Dell suffered a dislocated kneecap while catching a touchdown pass. The injury required hospitalization. He returned to Houston on Sunday; he still may have surgery.
Ravens 34, Steelers 17.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson improved to 2-4 for his career against the Steelers, and Baltimore beat Pittsburgh for only the second time in 10 games.
Running back Derrick Henry rumbled for 162 yards on 24 carries, an average of 6.8 yards per carry. He has 1,636 yards for the season.
Lamar is back in the MVP conversation. He has 37 touchdown passes and only four interceptions for the season. If the Ravens win the division, will Lamar overcome Josh Allen and others?
The Steelers were on the brink of clinching. Now, it’ll be a fight. They still face the Chiefs and Bengals to end the season. The best news is that both games will provide the Renegade boost in quarter number four. Pittsburgh’s road schedule has concluded.
Falcons 34, Giants 7.
In New York’s 100th season, the Giants lost 10 games in a row for the first time in franchise history. Hooray?
The Giants also tied a single-season high with losses, at 13. Double hooray?
Michael Penix, Jr. debuted at quarterback for the Falcons. After the game, he told PFT by phone that he didn’t do anything more than he did to prepare for his debut as QB1 game than he did as QB2, since as a backup he always prepared like he was the starter.
A second straight strong defensive performance helped Penix’s cause, capped by a pair of pick-sixes. It will be harder next week, when he hits the road to Maryland for a Sunday night game against the Commanders.
Panthers 36, Cardinals 30 (OT).
A once-promising season for the Cardinals ended with a thud in Charlotte, as the Panthers outpaced Arizona in overtime.
Half of Carolina’s wins this year have happened in overtime. Quarterback Bryce Young now has five career wins; four have come via game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime.
Now eliminated from contention after losing four of five games, the Cardinals play out the string against the Rams and 49ers. The first game, they can play spoiler. In the second, it’s meaningless for both teams.
Lions 34, Bears 17.
The Lions control their path to the No. 1 seed; win the last two games (at 49ers, vs. Vikings), and the road to New Orleans goes through Detroit.
Jared Goff has eight touchdown passes, 830 yards, and no interceptions over the last two games.
The Bears have lost nine in a row. During those nine games, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams hasn’t thrown a single interception.
Bengals 24, Browns 6.
The Bengals are very much alive, after their third straight win for the first time this season. If they win the final two games (vs. Broncos, at Steelers), and if the Broncos lose to the Chiefs in Week 18, the Colts lose one, and the Dolphins lose one, Cincinnati is in. Amazingly.
And none of the other teams in the AFC will want to see Cincinnati and quarterback Joe Burrow.
Burrow is the fifth player with three or more touchdowns in seven straight games; the others are Tom Brady, Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning, and Dan Marino.
Ja’Marr Chase broke his own Cincinnati franchise record for receiving yards in a season 1,510.
The Browns have lost four games in a row for the second time this year. They’re the first team with three or more turnovers in five straight games since the 2013 Lions.
Colts 38, Titans 30.
The Colts remain alive for a playoff berth, even with seven wins. All seven have been by one score.
Running back Jonathan Taylor had 218 yards and three rushing touchdowns, a week after dropping the ball short of the goal line and opening the door for the Broncos to run away with the game. Against Tennessee, Indy had a franchise record 335 passing yards and only 11 pass attempts.
With 12 losses, that’s the most the Titans have had in a season since 2015.
Rams 19, Jets 9.
The Rams have won four in a row for the first time this season, clinching their seventh winning season in eight years under Sean McVay.
Home teams continue to be winless at MetLife Stadium on Sundays this year, at a combined 0-11. Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is one touchdown pass shy of 500.
L.A. wins the NFC West by winning the final two games of the season — vs. Cardinals, vs. Seahawks.
Commanders 36, Eagles 33.
The Commanders outscored the Eagles 22-6 in the fourth quarter to get their 10th win. It’s their best start to a season since 1991.
Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels reclaimed control of the offensive rookie of the year award with five touchdown passes. The Commanders also overcame five turnovers to win, for the first time since 2002.
The loss ended Philly’s franchise-record 10-game winning streak. They played most of the game without quarterback Jalen Hurts, who has a concussion.
Running back Saquon Barkley needs 268 yards over the final two games to break the single-season rushing record. He has four touchdown runs of 65 yards or longer and 10 touchdown runs in which he wasn’t touched.
The Eagles can clinch the NFC East with one win or one Commanders loss. The Commanders will capture the division is they win both and the Eagles lose both.
Vikings 27, Seahawks 24.
Like the Lions, the Vikings control their path to the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Win both games, and the Vikings have the top spot in the NFC postseason field for the first time since 1998.
The Vikings have won eight in a row, dropping the Seahawks to their second straight loss.
Receiver Justin Jefferson is the third player in NFL history with 1,300 or more receiving yards in four of his first five seasons. The others are Torry Holt and Randy Moss.
Bills 24, Patriots 21.
The Bills have won nine of 10, but they failed to become the first team to score 30 or more points in nine straight games.
Quarterback Josh Allen suffered a right elbow contusion in the fourth quarter, but he didn’t miss a play. He said he took a helmet to the funny bone.
The Patriots have lost 12 or more games for the first time ever. Quarterback Drake Maye is the first Patriots quarterback with an interception in seven straight games since Drew Bledsoe in 1997.
Raiders 19, Jaguars 14.
Tight end Brock Bowers is the third rookie tight end with 1,000 or more receiving yards. The others are Mike Ditka and Kyle Pitts.
The Raiders avoided losing 11 in a row for the first time since 1962.
Dolphins 29, 49ers 17.
The San Francisco 49ers were eliminated from postseason contention before the game even started. And they played like it.
At 6-9, plenty of changes could be coming after the season. And one big question will be whether they give quarterback Brock Purdy a market-value contract or anything close to it.
The Dolphins are still alive. Somehow.
Cowboys 26, Buccaneers 24.
Despite being eliminated before the game started, the Cowboys played like they were still very much alive. Which might have ensured coach Mike McCarthy’s return.
Tampa’s loss drops them into a tie with the Falcons in the NFC South. Which means the Falcons are in first place, since they swept the Bucs this season.
Atlanta finishes with the Commanders and the Panthers. The Bucs end with the Panthers and the Saints. Tampa Bay needs to pick up a game in order to win the division for the fourth straight year.
