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dan graziano
week 17 is absolutely to beg We overreact to it.
The Steelers have already blown it! derrick henry going to play five more seasons and break every recordtexas defense going to be unbeatable In the playoffs! tyler shaw there is one franchise qb, Commanders Everyone needs to be fired!
A lot happened before Sunday in Week 17. A lot of things were solved and spiced up too. week 18 The set is set with two division titles and two 1-seeds on the line. We’re at the point in the season where we know whether our early season overreactions were overreactions or not. But what we’re reacting to this week, as we try to figure out which overreactions can be sustained and which are mirages, feels highly consequential. So, let’s get to it.
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Henry, are the Ravens destined to run over the Steelers?
NFC South winner guaranteed early exit?
Patriots Dynasty 2.0 ready to launch?
Is the Lions’ Super Bowl window already closed?
Is the NFL Draft Lottery on the horizon?
Ravens are going to beat Steelers and reach playoffs
Baltimore and Henry held a show on Saturday night win 41-24 At Lambeau Field. Henry ran for 216 yards and Four Touchdown on a career-high 36 carries. In addition to saving the championship dreams of thousands of fantasy football managers, he also kept the Ravens’ season alive, as they prevailed in a must-win game in which they without playing starting quarterback injured lamar jackson,
However, Baltimore still needed help on Sunday, and it got it. Browns beat Steelers 13-6which prevented Pittsburgh from clinching the AFC North and established a Week 18 Winner-Take-All Showdown Between the Ravens and Steelers in Pittsburgh. The winner will be the division champion. The loser will be out of the playoffs.
0:23
‘King Henry’ dominates Green Bay with fourth TD
Derrick Henry threw for his fourth rushing touchdown of the game, and Baltimore tied his career high by defeating Green Bay.
Verdict: No overreaction
The Steelers have been playing tough the last three weeks. They allowed the Dolphins 63 yards on 16 carries in week 15He gave up 15 yards on 12 carries against the Lions in week 16And they allowed 78 yards on 25 carries to a Browns team that was playing without its best players, quinshawn judkinsHowever, for the season, the Steelers rank 25th in the league in opponents’ rush EPA, 20th in opponents’ rushing success rate, and 14th in yards allowed per rush, Also while they lived in baltimore in week 14Henry had 94 yards on 25 carries and the Ravens as a team had 217 yards on 40 carries.
rookie defensive tackle derrick harmon Didn’t play the Week 14 game but has played the last two weeks, which is probably a big reason for the change. But just because they’ve been tough against the run lately doesn’t mean the Steelers are guaranteed to have an answer for Henry.
Can Pittsburgh win? Absolutely. It beat the Ravens just three weeks ago and Baltimore hasn’t been reliable this season. But if something opens up with Henry on Saturday, it could be a tough day for the Steelers defense, while the offense could struggle again. DK Metcalf still SuspendedThe Steelers had a chance to beat Cleveland on Sunday and make the Week 18 game against Baltimore irrelevant, They missed, and Henry could make them regret it,
The NFC South champion will lose its first-round home playoff game.
Both teams vying for the NFC South lost on Sunday. Panthers in first place fell 27-10 The Seahawks are at home while the Buccaneers are in second place. lost 20-17 For the Dolphins in Miami. Carolina’s loss dropped the Panthers to 8–8. Tampa Bay’s loss was its fourth in a row, seventh in the last eight games, and the Bucs fell to 7–9.
This means that if the Buccaneers beat the Panthers at home next weekThey will win the NFC South with a losing record. If the 9-8 Panthers team is able to win out next week, they will still get to host a playoff game. Not exactly an inspiring race to the end.
Verdict: Overreaction
We can argue about whether it’s fair or unfair that the 9-8 or 8-9 division champion gets to host a playoff game against a 13-4 or 12-5 wild-card team, but the rules say they do. And we’ve seen that it matters. The Seahawks were 7-9 division champions 15 years ago, when they defeated the defending Super Bowl champion Saints in the famous wild-card round.animal quake” game.
The NFC South champion is going to host a first-round game against some NFC West team, either the Seahawks (who already have 13 wins), the 49ers or the Rams (who each had 11 wins before playing their Week 17 game). Obviously a tough matchup, as Sunday’s Seahawks-Panthers result showed. but the panthers did it recently beat the rams There’s another one in Charlotte week 9 win over the Packers at Lambeau Field on his resume, so he can do Defeated other playoff teams.
The Bucs have only won one game since Halloween, but before this game they had lost beat houston In September, together seattle And san francisco In October. There are still a lot of good players on the Bucs. it will be
The Patriots are about to start a new dynasty all around drake may and mike vrabel
New England completely destroyed the Jets 42-10 On Sunday. Mays was 19 of 21 for 256 yards and five touchdown passes and barely played in the second half. if they beat the dolphins next week and chargers beat the broncosNot only would the Patriots have stopped the Bills’ streak of five straight division titles, they would have been the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs and earned a first-round bye.
Vrabel’s first season as New England’s head coach and Mayes’ second season as the Patriots’ starting quarterback have been resounding successes. Those guys are up for Coach of the Year and MVP awards, respectively, and New England has a chance to return glory to their franchise with a Super Bowl run.
1:41
Drake Mays shines in Patriots blowout of Jets
Drake Mays threw five touchdowns in the Patriots’ 42–10 win over the Jets.
Verdict: Overreaction
Total respect to the Patriots for what they’ve been able to do this season. And it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them make some noise in the playoffs, especially if they get the No. 1 seed. Mei looks like the real deal and Vrabel clearly is. They are likely to remain here as a genuine AFC East contender. But we have known for the last half decade that bills josh allen And Sean McDermott can win a division title as well.
I know New England fans don’t want to hear this, but the Patriots have benefited from one of the easier schedules in the league. Next season, they will face a first- or second-place schedule that will test them even more. Of course, by next year, they should also have bolstered their roster after another offseason of aggressively acquiring players, so perhaps they’ll be established. Regardless, Buffalo won’t go far as long as it has Allen, and this spot doesn’t spit out words like “dynasty” after a good season. Even if it’s great.
Lions’ Super Bowl window is closed
Two seasons ago, the Lions were 12–5 and held a 17-point lead over the 49ers at halftime. nfc championship game In Santa Clara, California. They lost that game, and Detroit coach Dan Campbell made a comment afterward that you can never be sure you’ll get that far again.
Last year, the Lions went 15-2 and had the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs but lost to commanders In the divisional round. Leo on Thursday… lost 23-10 to drop the Vikings to 8–8 for the season. Loss detroit wiped out Playoff contention raised further questions about whether this is a team headed in the wrong direction.
1:08
RC: Goff’s performance vs. Vikings unacceptable
Ryan Clark explains why Jared Goff’s play in a must-win game vs. the Vikings was unacceptable and why he won’t compare the QB to Sam Darnold.
Verdict: Overreaction
There may be some questions worth asking about the quarterback Jared GoffThe performances of late this season and whether the Lions have gone as far as they could with him. Rams asked himself these questions five years ago, Traded Goff and a bunch of picks For Matthew Stafford And promptly won the Super Bowl.
It might also be worth asking some questions about how badly the offense missed former coordinator Ben Johnson, who left. after last season And the Bears won the NFC North in his first year as coach. But Campbell and G.M. Brad Holmes Has shown exceptional ability to put together a top-end roster and develop a top-end coaching staff. I’m not going to let one season of decline convince me that the Lions are done.
There will be an NFL Draft Lottery within five years
giants and attackers met on sunday In the “battle” of 2-13 teams major implications For the top overall pick in the 2026 draft. The Raiders’ approach to this game raised a lot of eyebrows around the league and brought to the surface an old debate about tanking and teams not trying their best to win games at the end of the season if losing could improve their draft position.
Las Vegas keeps three starters – edge rusher max crosbytight end brock bowers and safety jeremy chinn — But injured reserve Last week, although all three of them played and finished their week 16 games without restrictions. Crosby was said to be angry at the decision. left team facility After receiving the news. According to sources, there were some people in the Giants building who thought what the Raiders were doing seemed strange. New York added several players to their injury report on Friday and Saturday and did not appear at full strength in Vegas either.
Verdict: No overreaction
Raiders can say whatever they want about Crosby may require knee surgery Postseason. Every year, dozens of NFL players finish their season, then undergo offseason surgery. Almost every player is under criticism at this point in the season, and if a team wants to tell you that a player has an injury that is keeping him from playing, it’s very hard to prove them wrong. But then again, the way the Raiders have handled the past week has got a lot of people talking around the league.
The Raiders were absolutely brutal in Sunday’s 34-10 loss. they did No It seems as if a team is trying hard to win. The NFL absolutely does not want its teams to get the perception that they are lagging in games that count in the standings. So if other teams raise enough doubts about what the Raiders are doing, it’s entirely possible that anti-tanking measures will be discussed in offseason owners meetings.
