Each week of the NFL season brings a host of new questions… and answers some old ones, too. Let’s recap what we learned in week 14… and what we’ll be wondering about in week 15 and beyond.
ASKED: Who’s more hopeless, Jets or Bears?
There were some shameful milestones in the NFL this weekend. First, the Jets lost (shocker) and for the longest time in all major American professional sports. Meanwhile, in the first game of the post-Eberflus era, the Bears were blown out by San Francisco 38-13 in a game that didn’t even look that competitive. Combined, they are 7-19, and the hope that flickered when Aaron Rodgers signed and when the Bears won a few games early this season is now extinguished.
So that raises a crucial question. Assuming you’re not a fan of either of these teams (if you are, condolences), which one would you rather root for? I know, it’s like choosing whether to eat live, wriggling worms or three months’ worth of leftovers. But which of these teams has the greatest potential? Saying “Bears” is fair — Chicago has Caleb Williams, after all — but the Bears front office has an uncanny ability to hire the worst possible personnel to maximize the potential of their stars. Saying “Jets” doesn’t explain the mysterious aura of stupidity that drains the talent from every player who puts on the green, even a four-time MVP. Chicago probably has a brighter near future, but “brighter” in the sense that a 40-watt bulb is brighter than candlelight.
Either way, it’s a grim, dark future for these teams and their fans. As Bono sings in the Christmas classic ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’: ‘Thank God it’s them instead of you.’
ANSWERED: The Chiefs are beyond furious
Some teams are good across the board. Some teams are ridiculously lucky. Only one team in the NFL – and perhaps in all of professional sports – is good at both And fortunately with a championship-winning degree. The Kansas City Chiefs are the most maddening team in sports, not because they win, but because of the way they win – with luck built on talent, with skills that always seem to benefit from a healthy dose of luck.
Once again an AFC West team had Kansas City on the ropes in the final seconds of the game, and once again the Chiefs wriggled free. This time the opponent was the Los Angeles Chargers, and this time the luck came in the form of an accidental doink out of time on Sunday night:
It’s clear the Chiefs are headed to the playoffs. And probably the AFC Championship, of course. And if they’re down by 14 in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl, someone somewhere is going to think, “Now we’ve got them.” And they will be so, so wrong.
ASKED: Is there hope in Carolina?
Watching a losing team find itself is like watching a baby take its first steps. You don’t want to put too much hope in the venture because it will likely end in disaster. And you definitely don’t want them to catch you watching because that will ruin the whole business. But there is slow, steady progress nonetheless.
Yes, the Panthers have only three wins this season. But their last three losses have been by one possession, all to playoff contenders: Kansas City, Tampa Bay (in OT) and, on Sunday, Philadelphia. One big reason: the rise of Bryce Young. (You can’t really call it a resurgence if there wasn’t an uptick in the first place.) The Panthers nearly upset the Eagles, only for Xavier Legette to drop a potential go-ahead touchdown pass on the game’s finale. minute. And that pass came at the end of a 97-yard drive on the road, the kind of test that makes many more experienced quarterbacks wither.
It’s a long road to even scratch the surface for Young and the Panthers. But at least now they are swimming in the right direction.
ANSWERED: Russell Wilson is a magician
In a league where most careers go inexorably downward, it’s good to see someone reverse that trend and move right. Russell Wilson has revived a career that was thought to be dead, and without Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield, he would be the runaway Comeback Player of the Year. He’s not flashing fantasy stats — he threw for just 158 yards in Sunday’s win over Cleveland — but he’s doing exactly what he needs to do to lead Pittsburgh to win after win. He threw for two touchdowns on Sunday and posted his latest hype video shortly after:
The Steelers got Wilson for a paltry $1.2 million (‘paltry’ is a very relative term) this season, but it will cost much more to bring him back next year. As recently as October that seemed unlikely, but Wilson has magically conjured up a great second act.
QUESTION: How far can the Rams go?
Trying to pick a winner in the NFC West right now is like trying to find true love at a Christmas party. You may be doing it right and sailing happily through New Year’s Day, but you’re more likely to be wrong and have a messy breakup right before the holidays.
The current hot topic is the Rams, who just punched mighty Buffalo right in the face on national television. Matthew Stafford threw for 320 yards and two touchdowns, Puka Nacua was responsible for 162 of those yards and one of the touchdowns. Sean McVay showed why he’s still one of the sharpest, most inventive side minds in the game…and Sean McDermott showed why there will always be concerns about the Bills unless and until they lift a Lombardi Trophy.
Los Angeles is currently one game out of first place in the NFC West, but is in a good position to make the playoffs. Would you like to meet this team in January?
ANSWERED: The AFC South should be relegated
At some point on Sunday, every game went to halftime with an early start, except Jaguars-Titans. It was a special form of torture for NFL fans, who were forced to watch AFC South football, and it brought back memories of pre-Prime Video Thursday night games. (Amazing how a billion dollars a year can buy Lions-Packers and Rams-49ers games, isn’t it?) The Jaguars won 10-6, an ugly game whose first (and only) touchdown wasn’t until late in the afternoon was scored. the fourth quarter.
At this point, just fold the division and send these two teams to the SEC. On the plus side, both the Titans and Jaguars would have a good shot at making the College Football Playoff. Their power of planning would be unparalleled to say the least.
