Wow the refs suck. Yep, that is the way we are starting this week. If you have watched any of the games this year, you know that the refs seem to get worse each week. The most notable bad call this week came from the Bills-Eagles game in which Bills’ quarterback (QB) Josh Allen’s jersey was ripped down from a horse-collar tackle (which is considered illegal in the NFL) by Eagles edge rusher (DE) Hasoon Reddick. Reddick and the refs acted like nothing happened.
Nonetheless, let us cover this week’s games. The games we will be covering this week include the following: the Packers dominating the Lions on Thanksgiving; the Jaguars’ narrow win over the Texans; the Bills losing in overtime to the Eagles; and the Bears’ ugly win over the Vikings.
Jordan Love leads Packers (5-6) to huge upset over the Lions (8-3) in Detroit on Thanksgiving
Packers’ QB Jordan Love was electric against the Lions, throwing for 268 yards, three touchdowns and having a 68.75 completion percentage. Even outside of the stats, everything on film looked amazing whether that be footwork, shoulder motion, or just his passes themselves. Packers head coach (HC) Matt LaFleur is such a good coach with how he schemed everything to break the Lions’ defense (even if they have not been good the last two and half weeks or so). Wow, look what happens when you draft good young wide receivers (WR) to help your QB? It always puzzled me that they never did that with Rodgers. If I had any concerns with this team, it would be that they seemed afraid to push the pedal and extend their lead instead of just playing conservatively. Could we see a late-season push from this team for a wild card spot?
Lions what was that? Two straight weeks of terrible defensive play and terrible offensive turnovers. This secondary may be one of the worst in the league, to be honest. Slowly but surely I am starting to lose hope in Ben Johnson, offensive coordinator (OC). His play calling just seems off and it does not help that Dan Campbell, head coach (HC), decides to go for it on fourth down in their own territory. Could this team be one and done in the playoffs?
Packers (5-6) next opponent: vs. Chiefs (8-3) on Dec. 3 at 7:20 p.m.
Lions (8-3) next opponent: at Saints (5-6) on Dec. 3 at 12 p.m.
Texans (6-5) game-winning field goal is no good leading to a 24-27 loss to the Jaguars (8-3) in Houston
Poor Texans. The refs somewhat lost the Texans game. WR Tank Dell had a catch that seemed to set up the Texans in a game tying position with an easy field goal. The refs disagreed that he caught the ball even though it was clear as day that he did catch the ball. That led to a 58-yard field goal. The kick was up and then hit the crossbar to lose the Texans the game. Overall though we had another great outing from this Texans team and coaching staff. QB Cj Stroud continued his MVP campaign with another 300-yard game and three total touchdowns. Can they bounce back and make a playoff push in the tough AFC?
The Jaguars are legit and people need to stop with the disrespect. This team was my Super Bowl pick at the beginning of the year and it is looking more and more right. Defense is clicking, offense is clicking and coaching is great. What more could you want? WR Calvin Ridley is showing out with his fifth game of 80-plus yards and fourth game with at least one touchdown. While overall the offense is playing well, QB Trevor Lawrence is having such a disappointing season. Last season he threw for 25 touchdowns to 8 ints while this year he is on pace for 19 touchdowns and 11 ints. Will this team be a true powerhouse in the AFC for years to come?
Texans (6-5) next opponent: vs Broncos (6-5) on Dec. 3 at 12 p.m.
Jaguars (8-3) next opponent: vs Bengals (5-6) on Dec. 4 at 7:15 p.m.
Overtime continues to haunt the Bills (6-6) as they lose 34-37 to the Eagles (10-1) in Philadelphia
I feel so bad for QB Josh Allen. He plays his heart out every game, but game after game his defense and special teams let him down. I believe there is a case to see HC Sean McDermott fired after this season. They fail time after time to close out close games, and I believe that when something like this happens repetitively it is on coaching. This team is 2-6 in one-score games this season. The whole team seems frustrated and you can tell. Now while Allen is playing at an MVP level, his turnovers are not helping at all. He leads the league in total turnovers this season with 16. At 6-6 and a tough AFC can this team turn things around after the bye? Will overtime continue to haunt this team?
Wow. As much as it pains me to say this, QB Jalen Hurts is the MVP front-runner right now. The Eagles again get by with their talent and not their coaching. Now that is not to say their coaching is bad in any way, but it has been much worse this year compared to last year. On another note, I think it is safe to say Jake Elliot is the best kicker (K) in the league based on this season. From 58 yards out and in the rain, he nails that kick in which it looked like he could have made it from 60 or more yards out. The defense did what they do best and stopped the run with the weekly forced turnover while having one of the worst pass defenses in the league. Will they run it back and go to the Super Bowl again?
Bills (6-6) next opponent: at Chiefs (8-3) on Dec. 10 at 3:25 p.m.
Eagles (10-1) next opponent: vs 49ers (8-3) on Dec. 3 at 3:25 p.m.
Bears (4-8) get an ugly win with no touchdowns over the Vikings (6-6) in Minnesota on Monday Night Football
Well, the Bears continue to break records in ugly fashion. They became the first team this season to win with zero touchdowns and only field goals scored. The defense has been going crazy lately with back-to-back games with four turnovers forced. Cornerback (CB) Jaylon Johnson continued his All-Pro case with one interception and locking down WRs all game. Edge (DE) Montez Sweat has continued to prove his contract worth with another sack recorded and several pressures against the Vikings offensive line (OL). Now let us look at the bad. First off, as a Bears fan, I hope everyone on this coaching staff is fired but most importantly offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. I think most NFL fans can agree that should happen. The reasoning behind that? He called 23 screen passes against the Vikings. 23. What is that game plan? Just pure incompetence by him. These last 7 games since QB Justin Fields has come back were supposed to prove if he is the Bears’ franchise guy or not. Well, we can not tell if he is not given the opportunity. Did you know the Bears are only two games out of the playoffs? Crazy.
The Josh Dobbs experience is over. Four interceptions in one game is awful. It was not his luck being terrible either, these were just terrible decisions left and right. The Vikings have talked about benching QB Josh Dobbs for Nick Mullens or rookie Jaren Hall. The defense honestly did what they needed to do. In the last two weeks, they have only allowed one touchdown, yet they have lost back-to-back games. The bend but do not break has worked, but sadly the offense decided to pull a Patriots and just not score much at all. Are the Vikings in danger of losing their playoff spot? Who will be their QB next season?
Bears (4-8) next opponent: vs Lions (8-3) on Dec. 10 at 12 p.m.
Vikings (6-6) next opponent: at Raiders (5-7) on Dec. 10 at 3:05 p.m.
Current Standings (#’s show ranking in conference and playoff chance % via N.F.L. Playoff Picture: Each Team’s Path to the Postseason – The New York Times for each team):
AFC North
#1 Ravens 9-3 / 99%
#5 Steelers 7-4 / 79%
#6 Browns 7-4 / 68%
#11 Bengals 5-6 / 3%
AFC West
#2 Chiefs 8-3 / >99%
#9 Broncos 6-5 / 27%
#12 Raiders 5-7 / 1%
#13 Chargers 4-7 / 9%
AFC South
#3 Jaguars 8-3 / 99%
#7 Colts 6-5 / 42%
#8 Texans 6-5 / 61%
#14 Titans 4-7 / <1%
AFC East
#4 Dolphins 8-3 / 99%
#10 Bills 6-6 / 14%
#15 Jets 4-7 / <1%
#16 Patriots 2-9 / <1%
NFC East
#1 Eagles 10-1 / >99%
#5 Cowboys 8-3 / 99%
#12 Giants 4-8 / <1%
#14 Commanders 4-8 / <1%
NFC West
#2 49ers 8-3 / >99%
#6 Seahawks 6-5 / 36%
#9 Rams 5-6 / 40%
#15 Cardinals 2-10 / <1%
NFC North
#3 Lions 8-3 / 99%
#7 Vikings 6-6 / 51%
#8 Packers 5-6 / 50%
#13 Bears 4-8 / 2%
NFC South
#4 Falcons 5-6 / 63%
#10 Saints 5-6 / 43%
#11 Buccaneers 4-7 / 15%
#16 Panthers 1-10 / <1%
