NFL Update: Hunt for the Coming Winter

The NFL season has been full of parity. The best team in the league in dominant fashion has been the Detroit Lions to much surprise. Teams like the San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals have found way after way to disappoint their fans. This week and in the coming weeks, I will break down the team of the week, loser of the week, game/story of the week, and give division standing updates. I hope you all enjoy.

Team of the Week: Buffalo Bills – The Bills beat up on the 9ers in a blizzard this week and on the surface, it is nothing. When you factor in that the Bills beat the Chiefs in the middle of November and have not lost in two months, then it becomes a big deal. The Bills ran up and down all night over the 9ers and they have already clinched their division. They combined for two-hundred-twenty yards. The Bills suffered losses to the Ravens and Texans early in the season and seemed to grow from both defeats and look like the most threatening team in the AFC to the Chiefs threepeat.

The Bills got rid of Stefon Diggs in the offseason, and I do not think it is a coincidence that Josh Allen has thrown fourteen less interceptions than he did last season. Statistically speaking, each of the Bills best position players on offense is below the age of twenty of five, and they have leaders like Amari Cooper and Marquez Valdez-Scantling who are thirty but also prove to be dangerous threats. Currently, this team is the best in the AFC, but the question remains will they be prepared for the postseason with this young core?

Power Rankings:

1. Detroit Lions – The Lions up to this point, have won eleven straight games dating back to September. This Lions team has gotten a lot better defensively despite not having their best player in Aidan Hutchinson and on offense is a total and complete juggernaut. They beat the Packers this week on Thursday night in a game that proved their case as the best team in the league.

2. Philadelphia Eagles – The Eagles had a massive win over the Baltimore Ravens this past week. Saquon Barkley had a “quiet game” (by his standards), rushing for a touchdown and one-hundred-nine yards. Barkley has made the Eagles a force to be reckoned with in the NFC and has made them true contenders this season. The Eagles have just two losses this season and they both came in September to the Falcons and Bucs.

3. Buffalo Bills – A win against the Chiefs a week ago has solidified the Bills as the team to beat in the AFC headed into the playoffs. With the Bills having the tiebreaker over the Chiefs, they are just one game behind in the race for home advantage throughout the playoffs. The Bills have one more game against a team with a winning record this season, so clinching the top spot in the conference is certainly within the realm of possibility.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers – This is a team that had a million questions surrounding its offense headed into the season. Although quarterback Russell Wilson hasn’t been perfect, he has been damn good and that is enough for the Steelers to have achieved a record of nine wins and three losses. The Ravens have a bye this week, which means if the Steelers defeat the Browns (no easy task) they will open up a two-game lead on their division rival with just four games remaining.

Game of the Week: Chargers vs. Chiefs – The Chargers are three games behind the Chiefs with five games remaining in the entire season. This means that the Chiefs just have to win three games to clinch the division even if the Chargers win out. The Chiefs have had narrow escape after close call in the past month but somehow have only dropped one game all season. They have not had the toughest of schedules so this will prove to be a tough task for the two-time defending champions to see if they are poised to make yet another deep playoff run.

              As for the Chargers, it is their first season under head coach Jim Harbaugh. The Chargers have a record of eight wins and four losses but have only lost to teams who are currently holding playoff spots. This includes a loss to their upcoming opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs, by a score of seventeen-ten. Both teams have strong defenses but have struggled putting the pieces together offensively. I expect another low-scoring game that will see if the Chiefs still got it or if the Chargers are ahead of schedule in the Jim Harbaugh era.

Story of the Week: AFC North – The Ravens are now a game and a half behind the Steelers in the race for the division, which leaves little room for error. The Ravens are currently two and two in division play which includes a loss to a team that did not score a touchdown and the woeful Browns in Jameis Winston’s first start this season. The Steelers have one of the toughest remaining schedules in the league, which means they have to take advantage of the two games they have left against below .500 teams. The Steelers will play against each of their division opponents this season once more, and matchups with the Eagles and Chiefs are on deck. The Ravens will play two teams who have been subpar at best in the Browns and Giants along with a flawed Houston Texan team. This creates an all-important situation for the Steelers as they dropped their first game against Cleveland in a snowstorm.

Trap Game Alert: Falcons vs. Vikings – Kirk’s return. Kirk Cousins was the face of the Vikings from the day he signed with the team until the day he left. He never got further than the NFC Championship, but he is the best quarterback they had in quite some time. The Falcons are struggling to make their talented offense a cohesive unit but have a formidable defense. The Vikings with quarterback Sam Darnold have just two losses all season but have had a couple of near misses with teams like the Chicago Bears and New York Jets. The Falcons, though just a mere six wins and six losses, have beaten the Eagles this season which makes this game so intriguing to me. Many, including myself, think that the Vikings record is sketchy, so this is a chance to see if they can respond to pressure or crumble as the waves rise.

Loser of the Week: The New York Jets – I will keep this short and brief. The Jets decided to give Aaron Rodgers everything he wanted. After that, they decided to blame everyone besides him and the owner Woody Johnson for all their problems. For all these reasons (along with them being the Jets) the Jets are stuck at three wins. Also, former Jet Defensive Tackle Leonard Williams had a pick-six on Aaron Rodgers this week.

Player of the Week: Saquon Barkley – He is the reason the Eagles are contenders. It is because of his run game and his offensive line that the Eagles have lost just two games all season. Saquon Barkley had a touchdown run against a strong Ravens run defense, for twenty yards which gave the Eagles the insurance touchdown they needed to hold on. With the shakiness of the Eagles pass-game, Saquon has continued to deliver every time he has been called on. By far the MVP.

Division Leaders:

AFC: Pittsburgh Steelers (+1.5), Kansas City Chiefs (+3), Buffalo Bills (Clinched), Houston Texans (+2)

Wild Card Teams: LA Chargers (+2.5), Baltimore Ravens (+2), Denver Broncos (+1.5)

In the Hunt: AFC: Indianapolis Colts (2 GB), Miami Dolphins (2.5 GB)

NFC: Detroit Lions (+1.5), Philadelphia Eagles (+2.5) Seattle Seahawks (+1), Atlanta Falcons (Tiebreaker)

Wild Card Teams: Minnesota Vikings (+4), Washington Commanders (+2.5) Green Bay Packers (+2),

In the Hunt: Tampa Bay Bucs (2.5 GB), LA Rams (2.5 GB), Arizona Cardinals (2.5 GB)