A holiday weekend of football gave us the best gift we could probably ask for: there isn’t one team that is leagues above the rest in the NFL. Well maybe that’s not necessarily true, but if it isn’t, it’s not the team we originally thought it might be. There’s a newly declared top team in football after 16 weeks and they hail from Baltimore. The Ravens delivered arguably the performance of the season and changed the entire perspective of what the playoffs could be. A game in San Francisco that felt like Rocky walking into Russia to face Ivan Drago ended with the Ravens coming out with a clean victory. With the season rounding out, the Baltimore win was the headline, but plenty of other teams provided storylines, for better or for worse.
A Christmas Day Statement Game by Baltimore
For the past several weeks and a majority of the season it was feeling like the San Francisco 49ers were in a different class compared to every other team in the NFL. With stars on both sides of the football, two MVP candidates, and dominating wins against some of the best teams in the NFL, San Francisco looked like a train that could not be stopped. Everything we may have thought about the inevitable outcome of this season changed on Christmas night as the Baltimore Ravens dismantled that very team on their home field by a score of 33-19.
Despite Baltimore having the AFC’s top record and being relatively healthy for the first time in several seasons, few gave the Ravens any chance in a tough holiday road game that was also a primetime television cap to a weekend of football. Baltimore took that opportunity to give notice to all other teams in the NFL and football fans across the globe to officially claim themselves as contenders, maybe even favorites, and not pretenders to win the Lombardi Trophy.
Brock Purdy’s MVP chances were erased after this game. Purdy, who has been the stable presence this Niners lineup has needed in recent years, had his worst game as a pro, throwing four interceptions and no touchdowns before exiting in the fourth quarter after a “stinger”. The Ravens defense hunted Purdy all evening, leading to errant throws and tipped balls that led to interceptions.
Offensively, Baltimore was paced by the play of Lamar Jackson, who was the best player on the field, passing for 252 yards and two touchdowns, and rushing for a modest 45 yards. The stat line may not seem anything spectacular, but Jackson provided big or clutch plays when the Ravens needed it to extend drives. An outside chance at his second MVP before last night, Jackson has officially put his name in the race.
Baltimore now holds the best record in all of the NFL. They have shown with a balanced offense and playmaking quarterback, as well as a very good defense that didn’t seem to have as much respect as other teams until the Niners game, they are as good as any team in the NFL. The Ravens won’t have much time to enjoy this victory though as they will play Miami this upcoming week and try to defend that number one seed they currently hold in the AFC.
Although this is a wake up call for San Francisco, the 49ers have done enough to prove they are still the best team in the NFC and one of the elite in all of football. What this game does seem to show though is that when the game script needs to be thrown out, Brock Purdy may not be the quarterback who can bring your team back from the dead. It’s also one game, but I think this settles that Christian McCaffrey has been the consistent MVP of this team (and in my personal opinion the entire NFL). The 49ers still hold the top seed the NFC and will look to hold off the likes of Philadelphia, Detroit, and Dallas over the last two weeks.
All in all, a Ravens win gives us hope that a season with pretty mediocre football will not have playoffs that will consist of one team trucking through everyone. Although the quality of the NFL in 2023 may not be great, at least it should still be competitive.
Fins Sink Cowboys with Last Second Win
Where Ravens-Niners may have been the battle of bests in the AFC and NFC, Miami-Dallas may have been the battle of second bests. Two teams in the NFL who at times look like they could win the whole thing, but also struggle against some of league’s upper echelon opponents. As one could expect of two teams with such similarities, this game ended in a close finish with Miami claiming a 22-20 last second field goal victory.
The similarities with these teams was jarring. Both teams have successful quarterbacks who have been doubted in the past, elite wide receivers, quality running backs who don’t get as much attention as the bigger names on their offense, and young talented defenses.
Despite the talent on both offenses, it was the defenses that kept the teams in check. Neither the Cowboys or Dolphins gained over 400 yards and outside of a first drive fumble by Dak Prescott at the Miami 2 yard line, there was not a turnover in the game. Just quality defense, making every yard hard to earn.
Unfortunately for Dallas, that fumble on the goal line likely cost them the entire game. After Dallas took a 20-19 lead with 3:27 to go in the fourth quarter, Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins offense led a 12 play 64 yard play drive that drained the clock and ended the game on 29 yard Jason Sanders field goal.
The win for Miami now puts them one win away from clinching the AFC East title and keeps them on pace to be within one game of the AFC top seed that Baltimore currently holds. With a game against Baltimore next week, Miami controls their own fate.
On the other side, the Dallas loss bumps them back out of the top spot in the NFC East and into the top wild card spot. With Dallas being near the same level as some of the other good teams in the conference, this is devastate for the Cowboys as home field could be the difference between a playoff run or a first round exit. The Cowboys will get another tough test next week as they play Detroit who just clinched up their first division title in 30 years.
MIA: Kansas City Offense Struggles Continue
After last year’s Super Bowl victory, it seemed like it was unanimous that football followers would all agree to never doubt the Chiefs chances at winning a Super Bowl if Patrick Mahomes is playing. After 16 weeks in the 2023 season, we may want to change that to include “except with this Chiefs team”.
Kansas City had their Christmas ruined as they were beat at home by the Las Vegas Raiders, 20-14. To make matters worse, Kansas City, who was not long ago one of the most electric offenses the NFL had ever seen, lost to this Raiders team that did not complete an offensive pass for the final three quarters. Yes, you read that correctly.
It has been pretty ugly in general lately, but the Kansas City defense did their party on Monday, holding Las Vegas to just 205 yards of total offense and only surrendering six total points. The scoring for the Raiders came off of back to back turnover touchdowns in the second quarter. The first being an Isaiah Pacheco fumble at the 8 yard line that a Raiders defender returned for a touchdown and the second being the next official play from scrimmage when Mahomes threw a 33 yard interception return.
The remainder of the game would continue to be a snooze fest of lackluster offense on both sides, minus a late Justin Watson touchdown for the Chiefs before Las Vegas would close out the game. The Kansas City sideline was visibly frustrated during the game with Travis Kelce being caught on camera tossing his helmet to the sideline.
At this point, it’s hard to believe in this Kansas City team. If you were to tell me that the Chiefs are playing the Raiders at home on Christmas Day and that Raiders team will not complete a singular pass for three quarters, I would’ve bet my life savings on the Chiefs winning that game in the past. One, this is a reason why sports betting is a cruel game and two, this isn’t the Chiefs team of the past. The offense lacks any true number one weapon. Sure, Rashee Rice is nice, but he still needs time to come in to his own. Pacheco is a quality running back, but has struggled with some injuries. Travis Kelce just doesn’t look the same this season. Mahomes, for all his greatness, he can’t do it by himself and when he does try it has shown to make him even look vulnerable.
This version of Kansas City looks like a team that bullied everyone else for years and finally has been punched by one kid, then two kids, no several, and they don’t know what to do. Three weeks out from the playoffs, there’s not likely much that can be done to fix this team.
Detroit’s Division Title-less Streak Ends at 30 Years
Let’s give an ode to the Detroit Lions, who just clinched their first NFC North title and first division championship since they won the NFC Central back in 1993. As a fan of the Minnesota Vikings and the team the Lions just beat at home to clinch this divisional title, I can honestly say I’m happy for the Lions franchise and their fans.
Growing up as a fan of a team in the NFC North my feelings towards other teams was always always cheer against Green Bay, mostly impartial to Chicago (minus hating on Jay Cutler), and cheering for Detroit against anyone outside of Minnesota. This wasn’t a pity cheer for an inferior team. I actually liked a lot of the Lions players and teams over the years. Sure, Ndamukong Suh was dirty, but Barry Sanders, Calvin Johnson, and Matthew Stafford are some of my favorite players of all time for various reasons. I was also big Herman Moore fan as a kid when I would study football rosters out of the sports almanac.
In all of my years of watching football, this was the most hyped a season had been for the Lions and although there is always obvious hesitancy for a team that has provided so much disappointment, Lions fans have earned this. They truly have a very good team. How will they stack up against the big boys in the NFC? It’s hard to know for sure, but a road game in Dallas this upcoming week will be a good test. Regardless, this is a gritty and tough football team with a coach that has become one of my favorites in the NFL. I love watch Dan Campbell and how emotionally bought in to the game he is. The guy really gives a shit and you can tell it’s not just about a paycheck, but about accomplishing something with the guys he has on this roster and bringing something to a city that they’ve never seen.
As a Vikings fan born in 1989, I’ve seen as many Super Bowls featuring Minnesota as Detroit fans have seen featuring the Lions. It’s always bittersweet for me to see a franchise win a Super Bowl for the first time, making that list of non-Super Bowl winning teams even smaller. That being said, I love everything about this Detroit team. The players, the coach, the quarterback who was sold off. If the Lions are able to turn this first division title into a first Super Bowl appearance and victory, I’d say it’s well deserved for The Motor City.
Congratulations Detroit.
Week 17 Game Watchability Rankings
16. Falcons vs Bears: Despite Chicago playing decent, dare I say good, football lately, and Atlanta technically not being out of the NFC South race, this game has more to do with draft position than any playoff implications. The most intriguing thing about this matchup is to continue to watch the performances at both quarterback positions in determining if either the Bears or Falcons move on from their current situations in the aforementioned draft.
15. Chargers vs Broncos: Denver essentially cost themselves any chance at a playoff spot with their loss to New England on Christmas Eve. A real blown opportunity for the Broncos who had a midseason turnaround while Kansas City would have put a previously expected over AFC West race to be open for business again. Los Angeles will also be looking to new horizons next year, but their fate was decided much earlier. This now turns into a pretty lifeless late season AFC West matchup.
14. Cardinals vs Eagles: Philadelphia has once again retained the NFC East lead and with the 49ers loss to Baltimore, an NFC top seed isn’t completely out of reach yet. The Eagles still leave much to be desired in their recent performances. A home game against an Arizona team that is locked in to a top five pick should be an easy win, but it’s hard to know for sure with how the Eagles have been performing lately.
13. 49ers vs Commanders: Suddenly San Francisco is not unbeatable. That doesn’t mean we should expect that a very poor Washington team will be able to hang with the team that was trucking through everyone for a majority of the season. Yes, San Francisco was punched in the jaw against Baltimore, but the Commanders are definitely not the Ravens. One could argue Washington could be in the worst position a team could be in by playing this Niners team after that bad of a loss. Fortunately for Washington, that only improves draft position.
12. Rams vs Giants: Los Angeles is now sitting in an NFC playoff position and it is well deserved as the Rams continue to look like a playoff team when their offense is relatively healthy. It appears the Tommy Devito moment is now over in New York, but it was another fun backup quarterback run for this season. For all football fans’ sake, let’s hope the Rams win this one so we can watch them in the playoffs instead of Minnesota, New Orleans, Green Bay, or Atlanta.
11. Panthers vs Jaguars: “The Battle of the Cats” doesn’t look as ferocious as it sounds. We already know that Carolina has been the worst team in football, but Jacksonville has now lost four in a row and has a chance to be bounced from the playoffs if they don’t close out the season with wins. The Panthers saw Bryce Young’s best game against Green Bay last weekend and still ended up on the wrong end of the final score. In Jacksonville, Trevor Lawrence went from borderline top five quarterback to maybe not even a top 10 player at the position. Plenty of concerns for both of these teams heading into this matchup, but Jacksonville has much more to lose.
10. Jets vs Browns: On paper, these teams are so similar. Elite defenses with uncertainties on offense. It’s actually hard to believe that Cleveland has been able to weather the storm of the season so much better than New York has. This one may be ugly, but it might be ugly like the old school days of football. Great defenses with every yard having to be earned. With the playoffs approaching, this will be a great test to see how Cleveland manages playing against another elite defense.
9. Patriots vs Bills: Last week wasn’t pretty for Buffalo, but they avoided disaster by pulling out a win against the Chargers. The work isn’t over yet though. At 9-6 and with four 8-7 teams looming behind, this is a game Buffalo should and needs to win. They will play a New England team that just played spoiler for another AFC team in the Denver Broncos. Buffalo has an opportunity to be a real contender in the AFC if they are playing to their capabilities, but they need to start playing that way consistently.
8. Titans vs Texans: Will C.J. Stroud be able to return from concussion protocol this week? The Houston Texans playoff hopes may depend on it. Either way it’s been a successful season for Houston, but with Stroud this team looked like a legitimate playoff team. Tennessee has been eliminated for weeks and the previously dominating team of the AFC South may have some big changes coming after this disappointing season.
7. Raiders vs Colts: Indianapolis has continued to hold the final remaining playoff spot in the AFC for weeks. With so much competition in the AFC it will be interesting to see if they can hold off for two more weeks. The first test might be challenging enough as they face Las Vegas who is coming off an impressive win in Kansas City in a game in which the Raiders offense provided no passing yards for the final three quarters. Technically, Las Vegas isn’t out of a playoff spot either, but they need to win both games in the final two weeks and get a lot of help.
6. Bengals vs Chiefs: The game of the week that features two teams in which belief may be disappearing. First we have the Cincinnati Bengals who saw the version of Jake Browning that was cut by several teams. Browning had been playing well, but he came down to earth in a costly loss to Pittsburgh. Now we have Kansas City. It is seeming more and more like the Kansas City offense everyone has been waiting on to break through is not going to come. Patrick Mahomes just doesn’t have enough or barely any weapons and Travis Kelce looks a shell of the player we’ve seen over his career. Bengals need a win to keep any playoff hopes alive and the Chiefs just need a win to pump some belief back into the team.
5. Saints vs Buccaneers: The NFC South crown may be decided in this very game. The Saints are in third place in their division, but New Orleans closes out the season with a chance to beat the Atlanta Falcons. In the simplest terms, if Tampa Bay can win this game and then defeat Carolina in week 18, they will be division winners of the South once again. The division is sitting there on a silver platter for Tampa Bay
4. Packers vs Vikings: This NFC North matchup will almost certainly eliminate the loser from any playoff hopes. The Vikings took care of business in Green Bay earlier in the season, but that was Kirk Cousins last game and the Minnesota quarterback carousel has been a bumpy ride since then. Jordan Love is looking like a legitimate starting quarterback for the Packers, but the Green Bay defense has been so costly that anything Love and the offense do, it doesn’t seem to matter. Terrible quarterback play vs terrible defense. Something has to give.
3. Steelers vs Seahawks: Seattle sits holding the final playoff spot in the NFC with two weeks to go. Pittsburgh, with the same 8-7 record but two places out of a playoff spot, aspires to be in that position. Despite the fact that Pittsburgh and Seattle are in two different conferences, a loss for either team could do tremendous damage to any playoff hopes. The Steelers could even be eliminated if the wrong combination of teams win with a Pittsburgh loss. These two teams have been the model of inconsistency that represents a wide range of the teams in the NFL this season.
2. Lions vs Cowboys: A real potential Divisional Playoff preview with Detroit and Dallas. Detroit clinched their first division crown in 30 years this past weekend. Dallas had a tough loss to Miami, but has already clinched and right now is the most deadly wild card team in all of the NFL. A top seed in the NFC isn’t completely out of reach for either team, but it is more attainable for the Lions if they are able to win both of their remaining games. Dallas would love to just leap frog Philadelphia again and find home field in at least one round of the playoffs as the NFC East champs.
1. Dolphins vs Ravens: Baltimore is officially the best team in the NFL until someone else proves otherwise. The Ravens workload doesn’t get any less busy though as they go from a game pitting the top two teams in the NFL against each other right into a matchup between the top two AFC teams. In a year where it has been hard to find teams that look great with minimal flaws, Baltimore and Miami are two of only a couple of nominees. Baltimore’s dominance in San Francisco currently removes any doubt that they are one of the NFL elites, but Miami finally earned a marquee win by beating a legitimate playoff contender in Dallas, something they hadn’t accomplished yet this season. As great as Baltimore’s big Christmas Day win was, a loss to Miami will immediately remove them from the top AFC seed.
The Brewball NFL Power Rankings
- Baltimore Ravens (12-3)
- San Francisco 49ers (11-4)
- Miami Dolphins (11-4)
- Philadelphia Eagles (11-4)
- Buffalo Bills (9-6)
- Detroit Lions (11-4)
- Dallas Cowboys (10-5)
- Cleveland Browns (10-5)
- Kansas City Chiefs (9-6)
- Los Angeles Rams (8-7)
- Seattle Seahawks (8-7)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-7)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (8-7)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (8-7)
- Indianapolis Colts (8-7)
- Houston Texans (8-7)
- Cincinnati Bengals (8-7)
- Denver Broncos (7-8)
- Green Bay Packers (7-8)
- Minnesota Vikings (7-8)
- Las Vegas Raiders (7-8)
- New Orleans Saints (7-8)
- Atlanta Falcons (7-8)
- Chicago Bears (6-9)
- New York Jets (6-9)
- Tennessee Titans (5-10)
- New York Giants (5-10)
- Los Angeles Chargers (5-10)
- New England Patriots (4-11)
- Arizona Cardinals (3-12)
- Washington Commanders (4-11)
- Carolina Panthers (2-13)