By: Lucas Camacho
Photo Credit: AP, USA Today, and Getty Images
NFL RECAP WEEK 18
At long last, we’ve reached the final week of the regular NFL season. It was a weekend that promised twists and turns, and we got them. The final tickets to the playoffs were punched, and the matchups are set. Let’s break down each game one last time before we settle in for some postseason football madness.
BROWNS 14 – BENGALS 31
This was an otherwise meaningless game. The Browns were locked in as the fifth seed for the AFC playoffs (and a dangerous one at that) and were resting their main stars. The Bengals were already eliminated after a last-minute choke last week to the Chiefs. Nevertheless, the Bengals were motivated to stay above .500, and they did accomplish that. Bengals quarterback Jake Browning, who has had an up and down tenure as the starter filling in for Joe Burrow, had a respectable day throwing for 156 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. With this forgettable game out of the way, the Browns can focus on going on the road next week.
JETS 17 – PATRIOTS 3
How the mighty have fallen. This would indeed be a sad way to end Bill Belichick’s tenure in New England (if this is indeed his last game in Foxborough). This was another meaningless game, but not to the Jets. This was their chance as they had a 15-game losing streak spanning years against the Patriots. Jets running back Breece Hall led the way for his team, carrying the ball 37 times for 178 yards and a touchdown. The Jets will look to next year when they have a healthy Aaron Rodgers at the helm. As for the Patriots, they will have the number 3 pick in the draft this year. There will also be questions about Belichick’s future. He has said that he is open to changes such as allowing someone else to handle personnel duties, and maybe that convinces owner Robert Kraft to let him stay.
CHIEFS 13 – CHARGERS 12
The Chargers’ season is mercifully over. Turns out, backup quarterback Easton Stick can’t even lead the Chargers to victory over the Chiefs’ “B Team”. There was no need for the Chiefs to play their stars as they were already locked into the number three seed. Stick threw 28 for 47 for 258 yards but didn’t get a touchdown yet again. There are questions going forward with both teams. For the Chargers, it’s how to better protect star quarterback Justin Herbert so that this doesn’t happen again. For the Chiefs, it’s the question of whether their reign as the most dominating team in the NFL is over. That last question will be answered next week as the Chiefs host a wild card game next week to be streamed on Peacock (sorry Swifties).
BRONCOS 14 – RAIDERS 27
Of all the meaningless games this last weekend of the NFL season, I would rank this one as the most important. The reason being is that this was the last chance for Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce to make his case for being the permanent coach for the team next year. The Raiders rallied to their coach and took down the Broncos in a game that determined “2nd place” in the AFC West. Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell has improved from week-to-week, as he threw for 244 yards and two touchdowns. The case for Pierce to remain the coach is strong. He led the Raiders to a possible playoff chance while simultaneously overseeing a Raiders team that didn’t commit too many penalties (for the first time in…ever in Raiders franchise history). As for the Broncos, there is already drama surrounding Russell Wilson, and now their front office has to clean up this mess or face another letdown.
RAMS 21 – 49ERS 20
This game may have been meaningless for any playoff seeding, but it was important for one reason: it was the last chance for Rams rookie wide receiver Puka Nacua to make his case for Rookie of the Year over Texans quarterback CJ Stroud. Nacua only stayed in the game long enough to break the rookie records for most catches and receiving yards. First, Nacua broke Bill Groman’s record of 1,473 yards, which had stood since 1960, before adding one more catch to break Jalen Waddle’s catches record set back in 2021. It’s been a great season for Nacua, but now he has to wait and see if it’s enough to overtake an equally impressive season put together by CJ Stroud. As for both teams, the Rams and 49ers’ stars got rest. The 49ers have a bye while the Rams head on the road.
STEELERS 17 – RAVENS 10
To start off the games that mattered, we go to Saturday’s matchup between the Steelers and the Super Bowl favorite Ravens. The Ravens were going to rest their starters as they already had the number one seed and a bye for next week. The Steelers though were fighting for their playoff lives. They needed a win and for one of the games on Sunday to flip their way to break into the playoffs. The Steelers stepped up and answered the call, led by wide receiver Diontae Johnson who made an impressive play for a 71-yard touchdown. As for the Ravens, there was, as stated before, no reason to try as they await the outcome of the wildcard weekend to see who their opponent will be (or, more accurately, first victim…).
TEXANS 23 – COLTS 19
This was a crucial game with a clear objective: win and you’re in but lose and you’re out. The Texans and Colts battled each other with the final playoff spot in the AFC on the line. Rookie of the Year favorite CJ Stroud led his team in a grueling battle throwing for 264 yards and two touchdowns. In the end, a crucial 4th down drops from the Colts ended the game: sending the Texans to the playoffs and the Colts into the offseason. The Texans will be in for a tough test as they host the red-hot Cleveland Browns next Saturday. Stroud is also in a dogfight with Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua for Rookie of the Year, as both players put together impressive rookie campaigns. As for the Colts, the question for next year will be who their starting quarterback will be: Gardner Minshew or a, hopefully, healthy Anthony Richardson?
FALCONS 17 – SAINTS 48
This game could be considered under the umbrella of the popular Disney+ cartoon series What If…? The reason being that if the Buccaneers lost, the winner of this game would win the division. With those stakes in mind, the Saints completely torched the Falcons. For a team that had more ups and downs this year than a Leonardo DiCaprio movie, the Saints offense finally clicked at the right time. Quarterback Derek Carr in particular had one of the best games of his season, throwing for 264 yards and a whopping four touchdown passes. For the Falcons, the time to shake things up for the offseason started when they fired their head coach after yesterday’s game. As for the Saints, they had hope…until…
BUCCANEERS 9 – PANTHERS 0
…this. The Buccaneers had full control over their destiny going into this game: win and the division was theirs. They only had one hurdle to go through: the utterly disappointing Carolina Panthers. Despite that, this was an off game at the worst time for the Buccaneers, who only managed 9 points of offense. Fortunately, the defense stepped up to blank a Panthers offense that never materialized this year. Neither quarterback had a good game as Baker Mayfield threw for only 137 yards while Bryce Young only threw for 94 yards. Tampa Bay will be hosting the final playoff game of Wild-card Weekend next Monday. As for the Panthers, it may be time to confront the real possibility that Bryce Young was overhyped and may not be the franchise quarterback that other people said he was. After all, look at pick number two from the same draft, CJ Stroud. Houston is in the playoffs, while Carolina is left to head into the offseason without a first round pick in the next draft. No matter the case, Carolina will have to figure things out, and it’s already started when they announced Monday morning that they fired their general manager.
VIKINGS 20 – LIONS 30
This game was only meaningful to the Vikings. They needed a win to keep their meager playoff hopes alive. They couldn’t even do that. Turns out, the Lions were more than happy to play their stars to eliminate their division rival for good, even though they were already locked into the number 3 seed. The Vikings had a very slim hope of making it to the playoffs, and their quarterback struggles since Kirk Cousins went down continued. Going into next year, the Vikings do have some bright spots. Justin Jefferson, who can still be considered among the best receivers in the league, looks healthy and ready to go after a stint on the IR this season. That showed when Jefferson burned the Lions’ defense in this game for 192 yards and a touchdown. However, on the other side, the Lions decision to use their stars to eliminate the Vikings may come back to haunt them. Detroit saw their breakout star, tight end Sam LaPorta, leave the game with a knee injury. The news from insiders say that the injury isn’t as bad as was initially feared, but it is still NOT good news. That’s not what you want to hear with a Rams team peaking at the right time rolling into town, led by Matthew Stafford: the quarterback the Lions dealt away in a trade that delivered a Super Bowl title to the Rams.
JAGUARS 20 – TITANS 28
Turns out, Bill Belichick’s loss in his possible last game as the Patriots head coach wasn’t the only game to be classified under the heading “how the mighty have fallen”. That distinction also belongs to the Jacksonville Jaguars. A few weeks ago, the Jaguars were cruising into the playoffs. However, they ended up losing 5 of their last 6 games, including this one, and now the unthinkable has occurred: the Jaguars are out of the playoffs. The consistent troubles of the Jaguars offense in the red zone spelled their doom as the Titans played the spoiler role once again. Titans running back Derek Henry carried the ball 19 times for 153 yards and a touchdown in an amazing way to end his career with the Titans (Henry is expected to hit the free agency market this offseason). While questions surrounding how to replace Henry will swirl around the Titans, the Jaguars will have even more questions this offseason. The biggest question will be how Jacksonville could have utterly collapsed in the final weeks of the season? The answer may not be as obvious as people may think: their offensive line. If they can’t protect quarterback Trevor Lawrence and they can’t make a hole for running back Travis Etienne Jr. to do what he does best…than that might be a good rebuilding point to start for the Jaguars. Also of note, this loss is one of the scenarios the Steelers were hoping for, as this result sends them into the playoffs to continue their “never say die” story.
EAGLES 10 – GIANTS 27
Speaking of collapses, there is reason for concern going forward in the case of the Eagles. They needed to win this game to stay alive in the race for the NFC East title. Instead, they let it slip away against a lowly Giants team. The Eagles had a collapse like the Jaguars: dropping 5 of their last 6 games. The Eagles played flat against the Giants, led by quarterback and journeyman Tyrod Taylor, who had a respectable performance throwing for 297 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Going forward, Tyrod Taylor may be the answer the Giants have been looking for, as their quarterback position is one of the many question marks they’ll have this offseason. As for the Eagles, they better hope they’ve finally hit rock bottom. It’s a disastrous way to go into the playoffs for a team that was once at the top of the league. Now they must go on the road against the Buccaneers in the last playoff game of Wild-card Weekend. But, even if they won this game, it wouldn’t have matter because…
COWBOYS 38 – COMMANDERS 10
The Eagles got as much help from the Commanders as they did from the Giants. The Cowboys rolled for a rare road victory to rip the NFC East away from the Eagles. It was another great performance from Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who led the way throwing for 279 yards with four touchdowns and an interception. With the division crown now theirs, the Cowboys get to host a playoff game, which suits them well since all five of the Cowboys’ losses this year have come from on the road. As for the Commanders, the time for change has begun. Hours before this article was written, the Commanders announced they had fired their head coach Ron Rivera. There is also the question of what do the Commanders do with the number 2 picked in the draft. If they’re lucky, they may see future NFL star Caleb Williams fall to them depending on what the number one pick is and who makes it.
SEAHAWKS 21 – CARDINALS 20
The Seahawks faced a situation like the Vikings: win to keep the chances of making the playoffs alive. Unlike the Vikings, however, the Seahawks weren’t going to let this opportunity slip away. The Cardinals battled to play spoiler, but a failed Field Goal attempt allowed the Seahawks to slip away with the victory. Kyler Murray has managed to quiet talk of replacing him as the Cardinals’ quarterback since his return from a knee injury, throwing for 262 yards and a touchdown against the Seahawks. The Cardinals have what they need to rebuild for next year with 10 picks in next year’s draft. As for the Seahawks, this victory…unfortunately…came too little too late because…
BEARS 9 – PACKERS 17
Whatever little hope the Saints and Seahawks had been dashed as the Packers claimed the last playoff spot with a win over their sworn enemies, the Chicago Bears. The Packers were led by an amazing performance by Jordan Love, who threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns. This result ended the bleak hopes the Saints had of making the playoffs and leaves them with questions at quarterback going forward. This also eliminated the Seahawks well before their game was even over, leaving them with as many questions at quarterback as the Saints. As for the Packers, they’ll head on the road against a Dallas Cowboys team that has been perfect all year at home. Back to the Bears, the biggest question is what they will do with the number one pick. Justin Fields clearly hasn’t done enough to quiet the speculation as to his future as the quarterback for the Bears. So now do the Bears keep Fields and use the number one pick to trade for draft capital to build a better team around him? Or is the allure of such a coveted prospect like Caleb Williams too much of a temptation for the Bears?
BILLS 21 – DOLPHINS 14
The playoff picture was set by the time the Sunday Night game kicked off. Jacksonville’s earlier loss not only sent the Steelers to the playoffs, but the Bills too. This game was only meant to determine whether the Dolphins or the Bills would emerge as the AFC East Division Champions. After a close game, the Bills squeaked out a victory and secured both the division and the number two seed. Bills quarterback Josh Allen had to overcome two interceptions, but he also threw for 359 yards and two touchdowns. The Dolphins were still reeling from their massive beating last week at the hands of the Ravens as their offense failed to score in the second half. The Dolphins now must hit the road for a tough, but very winnable, matchup with the Chiefs (whose struggles are in some cases worse than the Dolphins’). As for the Bills, they’ll be hosting the Charlie Buckets (for you Wonka fans out there) of this year’s playoffs: the scrappy and tough Pittsburg Steelers.