Wednesday 26 December 2018 06:14, UK
Neil Reynolds picks six storylines from Week 16 in the NFL, including Andrew Luck guiding the Colts into playoff position and Nick Foles providing some Christmas magic for the Eagles...
Happy Christmas everyone!
As we head into the final weekend of the regular season after the Christmas break, here are six headlines that caught my eye on another Sunday night of high drama in the NFL.
Some playoff spots were filled and others were left very much up for grabs...
Pittsburgh are a quality team and could very well have produced back-to-back wins over New England and New Orleans. But they came up just short against the Saints and are very likely to miss the playoffs now.
The Steelers need to beat the Bengals next weekend and hope that Cleveland upsets Baltimore. It could happen, as the Browns are a dangerous team, but Pittsburgh have too much quality to be relying on help from others.
The key point of this game came late in the fourth quarter with the Steelers leading by four. On fourth down, Pittsburgh rolled the dice in their own territory and faked a punt. Roosevelt Nix came up short, Drew Brees drove the Saints to a touchdown and it was game over when a frantic Steelers drive at the end resulted in a JuJu Smith-Schuster fumble.
They say that fortune favours the brave - well, not on this occasion. Leading by four, you punt the ball away and rely on a defense that had played well in the second half. You have to make the Saints go the length of the field - you don't give Brees an easier path to the end zone.
With one game to play, the soaring Ravens have taken control of the AFC North and they did so with a commanding and impressive 22-10 win over the Chargers on Saturday night.
This game reminded us just how dominant Baltimore can be on defense, as they held the Chargers to only 198 total yards, sacked Philip Rivers four times and forced three turnovers. But they also proved that rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson is more than just a runner as he topped 200 yards passing.
Ravens safety Eric Weddle said after that game that no one would want to face Baltimore in the playoffs. And he is right. The Ravens play a brutal, old-fashioned and in-your-face style of American football. If they now open things up in the passing game, they could be genuine Super Bowl contenders and not just an amusing and intriguing throwback watch in this modern, pass-happy NFL.
We're deep into winter and the playoffs are just around the corner… so it's perfectly right and natural that backup quarterback Nick Foles is back on the field and playing like a stud for the Eagles.
He did just that last season in leading the Eagles to Super Bowl glory and on Sunday he guided his team to a 32-30 victory over the Texans by throwing for a career-high 471 yards and four touchdowns.
It was a stellar display from Foles, but it might not be enough. The Eagles are still alive and face the Redskins in Week 17. They need to win that game and have the Bears beat the Vikings. That could very well happen and the Eagles - led by Foles - would be a dangerous proposition in the postseason. Watch this space!
The Texans' loss helped out the Patriots, who are now on course for a first-round bye in the playoffs, even though they were less than stellar in Sunday's 24-12 win over the Bills.
The Patriots have won the AFC East for an NFL record 10 years in a row, but it does feel like their reign of terror over the rest of the league is coming to an end. They look banged up and old and that makes them securing an extra week off of vital importance.
Experience will play a part in the playoffs but Tom Brady looks shaky - he went 13 of 24 for 126 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions against Buffalo - and Rob Gronkowski is a spent force at tight end, held without a single catch on Sunday. They've lost explosive receiver Josh Gordon too, suspended indefinitely for failing another drugs test.
If Bill Belichick guides this team to another Super Bowl appearance at the end of this season, it will definitely be the greatest achievement in his Hall of Fame career.
Name drop alert! I've always had a really good relationship with Colts quarterback Andrew Luck and I make no apology for being one of his biggest fans. I missed him when he was sidelined for all of 2017 with a shoulder injury and the league is a better place with him in it.
Luck has been nothing short of magical this season and his late-game heroics have placed the Colts within touching distance of a playoff berth that seemed pure folly heading into 2018.
Luck threw a game-winning touchdown pass to Chester Rogers with 55 seconds remaining to guide the Colts past the Giants, and that is not the first time he and his team have delivered late in contests. Sunday marked the Colts' fourth win by three points or fewer in the past seven games.
I expect this team to get into the playoffs with a win over Tennessee next Sunday night and when they do get to the postseason, Luck can guide this team on a miracle run. They have an elite passer and a growing defense - the Colts will be another dangerous team that no one will want to face in the playoffs.
The Seahawks are back in the playoffs after a one-year absence, booking their place with a sensational 38-31 win over the Chiefs on Sunday night.
Let's give Pete Carroll some massive credit here as he has guided the Seahawks to the playoffs in six of the past seven seasons. But this was supposed to be a rebuilding year, I hear you cry!
The Seahawks cleaned house in the offseason and re-shaped their roster with young, hungry players with a point to prove. Sounds a lot like the first incarnation of Seattle's Super Bowl-winning team of 2013.
Carroll's message had turned old and sour with a lot of disgruntled veterans. Seattle made the unusual move of keeping the coach and moving the players on and it has paid dividends as they prepare for the NFC playoffs in the New Year. Carroll's coaching job has been one of the very best in the league this season.
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