If The Season Ended Today:

The NFC – where the Niners go to the top spot as the Eagles fall (for now) to WC1

                                       W-L                Conf

San Francisco*  West     10-3                 8-1

Dallas                East      10-3                 7-3

Detroit               North       9-4                 6-3

Tampa Bay       South       6-7                5-4

Philadelphia      WC1      10-3                6-2

Minnesota         WC2        7-6                6-3

Green Bay        WC3        6-7                4-4

LA Rams                          6-7                4-4

Seattle                              6-7                5-5

Atlanta                              6-7                4-5

New Orleans                    6-7                 3-5

Four good teams (if the Eagles and Lions are still good) and seven teams scrambling for the last 3 spots.  Could either the Giants or Bears, both 5-8, get in

CHI remaining – at Browns, CARDINALS, FALCONS, at Packers

NYG remaining – at Saints, at Eagles, RAMS, EAGLES

Not sure we see 4-0 for either, but 3-1 to get to an 8-9 playoff line?

And in the AFC, only Baltimore and Cleveland won among the seven teams that were in the playoffs last week.

Baltimore        North    10-3              6-3

Miami              East       9-4              6-3

Kansas City    West       8-5             6-2

Jacksonville    South     8-5              6-4                                                                               

Cleveland        WC1      8-5             6-3

Pittsburgh        WC2      7-6             5-4

Indianapolis     WC3      7-6             5-4

Houston                         7-6             4-4

Denver                          7-6             4-5

Cincinnati                      7-6             3-6

Buffalo                           7-6             4-5

So 9 teams are either 8-5 or 7-6 with 5 spots available.

This overall summation from Adam Schefter:

@AdamSchefter

Heading into week 15, 30 teams remain in postseason contention and 24 teams are either in playoff position or within one game of a playoff spot.

NFC NORTH

MINNESOTA

The chest injury that prevented WR JUSTIN JEFFERSON from finishing Sunday’s game in Vegas is not expected to keep him out this week in Cincinnati.  Kevin Seifert ofESPN.com:

The Minnesota Vikings are optimistic about receiver Justin Jefferson’s chances of making a quick recovery from the chest injury that sidelined him after 13 snaps Sunday during the team’s 3-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Doctors ruled out any significant internal injuries during a quick trip to a local hospital and Jefferson returned to Minnesota with the team Sunday night. As a result, coach Kevin O’Connell said: “I consider Justin day-to-day with a good chance to hopefully be with us playing on Saturday in Cincinnati.”

Jefferson had just returned from a seven-game absence caused by a right hamstring injury suffered in Week 5. After leaping to make his second catch of Sunday’s game with 9:54 remaining in the second quarter, he absorbed a hard hit in the back from Raiders safety Marcus Epps.

“He’s doing pretty well today,” O’Connell said of Jefferson. “It’s just a matter of continuing to monitor any potential things that could arise.”

O’Connell, however, was not ready to announce who would be throwing passes Saturday to Jefferson. Backup quarterback Nick Mullens replaced starter Josh Dobbs in the fourth quarter Sunday and led the Vikings on their only scoring drive, completing 9 of 13 passes for 83 yards.

Mullens would appear to be the likeliest choice, but O’Connell said: “It’s just a matter of dialogue with the staff and making sure that everybody understands where I would like to go with the decision, and then the communication with the players.”

In other injury news, O’Connell said it is “up in the air” whether right tackle Brian O’Neill (left ankle) or running back Alexander Mattison (right ankle) would be able to practice and play this week. Right guard Ed Ingram, who missed the first game of his career Sunday because of a hip injury, has a good chance to return this week, O’Connell said.

Linebacker Jordan Hicks, who has made a quick recovery from compartment syndrome in his right leg, will have his 21-day practice window opened this week or next, O’Connell said.

NFC EAST

NEW YORK GIANTS

Charlotte Carroll of The Athletic on the growing legend of QB TOMMY DeVITO:

Two weeks ago, someone asked New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito about the hand gesture.

You know the one. The pinched fingers. The one that is so easily identifiable as Italian. It doesn’t quite have a name, but you know it when you see it. It has been the talk of New York ever since DeVito took the reins for the Giants.

“Everybody is doing it at this point. I don’t know,” the New Jersey native said of the mini-phenomenon he’s started. “I’m cool with it. It’s just a vibe.”

The gesture has become a part of the growing DeVito legend. As for the vibe, he’s changing the one in New York. The Giants have gone from a team on the brink of a meltdown to one that suddenly has hope. DeVito is largely responsible.

In the month since he took over as the Giants starter, he has become a fan favorite. An almost overnight sensation, he’s the local kid who played at Don Bosco Prep and is now suiting up for his hometown team and helping keep their faint playoff hopes alive. Put in a losing situation — he took over a 2-7 team – he’s won over Giants fans and is proving to be a winner on the field, too.

The crazy part is the DeVito story probably should never have even been a story. Not this year, at least. He was an undrafted rookie who was never supposed to play this season. Daniel Jones was the starter. Tyrod Taylor was the backup. DeVito wasn’t part of the plan.

He was only thrust into the spotlight because both quarterbacks got hurt. And once Taylor returned from injured reserve, DeVito would head back to the bench. Except, that’s not what the Giants decided to do. After helping lead them to back-to-back wins entering their Week 13 bye, the Giants elected to stick with DeVito.

And on Monday night, under the lights of MetLife Stadium, DeVito made that look like a very wise decision. The quarterback led the Giants to a 24-22 comeback win over the Green Bay Packers, including conducting a masterful last-minute march down the field to set up a game-winning Randy Bullock field goal to push New York to 5-8 and on the edge of playoff contention.

While Wink Martindale’s defense deserves credit for forcing two Jordan Love turnovers and flummoxing the young Packers quarterback all game, Monday night was all about DeVito-mania. From his Jersey swagger, to the finger pinch, to the stories about DeVito living at home and his mom cooking him, “Tommy Cutlets,” dinner, the world couldn’t get enough. Even DeVito’s agent, Sean Stellato, became part of the story.

But it was DeVito’s play on the field that became the bigger story. He did everything he needed to do to win, starting by staying upright.

After getting sacked 20 times in his first three starts, DeVito and the Giants came up with a better plan for him to stay afoot. It worked beautifully, as DeVito wasn’t sacked once on Monday. He also didn’t throw an interception or turn the ball over at all for a third straight game. He finished 17-of-21 passing for 158 yards with a gorgeous touchdown pass to Isaiah Hodgins on a broken play.

“I didn’t know he could run like that,” running back Saquon Barkley said of DeVito, who added 10 carries for 71 yards on the ground. “That throw he made to Isaiah in the back of the end zone — the catch was amazing, but rolling to his right, throwing a dart, he’s a heckuva player. He’s the real deal.”

DeVito proved as much on the final drive. Following a strange Barkley fumble and a Packers touchdown that put Green Bay ahead 22-21 late in the fourth quarter, DeVito had 1:33 to drive the Giants down the field to position Bullock for a game-winning field goal attempt.

Ahead of that final series, Giants coach Brian Daboll said he knew he didn’t have to worry about his rookie quarterback and didn’t have to tell him much.

“‘Here are a couple plays you like: Go out and rip that son of a bitch,’” Daboll recalled telling DeVito.

In the huddle, DeVito kept it simple.

“Let’s go win the game,” DeVito said. “It’s on us, on the offense.”

After three quick-hitting passes that racked up 21 yards, DeVito connected with Wan’Dale Robinson down the right sideline for a 32-yard gain. DeVito finished the drive 4-of-4 for 53 yards.

“He’s all laugh and joking whatever in the locker room, but whenever we get out there on the field, it’s like he’s a stone-cold killer,” said Robinson, who finished Monday with six catches for 79 yards. “I feel like that’s what you want out of your quarterback. I mean he’s laser-focused and just letting everybody know this was going to be ours.”

After a few Barkley runs and with the Giants in field goal range, DeVito headed to the sidelines and stood with Daboll to watch the kick. The coach told DeVito he wasn’t going to watch, but then changed his mind. As soon as the ball sailed through the uprights, the two jumped into each other’s arms.

DeVito stayed on the field after the win with his teammates, throwing up his right arm in celebration and greeting fans still celebrating the victory. In the locker room, the finger pinch gesture was everywhere as the team celebrated their first winning streak of the season.

“He earned the right to play today, and he earned the right to play the next week,” Daboll said. “The kid’s done a good job.”

NFC SOUTH

CAROLINA

Frank Schwab of YahooSports.com with a polite assessment of QB BRYCE YOUNG:

The Carolina Panthers called the right play late in the first half on Sunday. Jonathan Mingo ran a post route and was wide open for what would have been a touchdown.

And Bryce Young absolutely missed him. He overthrew him even as Mingo was as open as a receiver can be in that situation. The pass wasn’t close either. If there’s one play to sum up Young’s rookie season, that was it.

The stat line for Young that flashed on the bottom lines of the other NFL games — it’s not like much of the country was watching the one-win Panthers take on the New Orleans Saints — was hard to ignore. At halftime, Young was 3 of 15 for 29 yards with a lost fumble. The Saints don’t have a bad pass defense, but it isn’t frightening many opponents. It crushed Young in a 28-6 Panthers loss, dropping them to 1-12 this season.

There have been many low points in this horrific Panthers season. Coach Frank Reich was fired before his first season was done. Owner David Tepper continues to draw attention for his impulsive decisions. But the worst news is the Panthers’ blockbuster trade in March to get Young continues to look like a complete miss. If Young doesn’t turn things around, it could be a long-term problem given what the Panthers gave up.

The Panthers traded the ninth overall pick and a late second-round pick this year, a 2024 first-round pick and a 2025 second-round pick, along with receiver D.J. Moore, for the top pick to get Young. The ninth pick ended up being NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year favorite Jalen Carter. Moore has been very good with Chicago Bears and scored twice Sunday. The Panthers’ 2024 first-round pick is almost surely going to be first overall, with a pair of elite QB prospects in Caleb Williams and Drake Maye potentially in the class, and the Panthers don’t even own the pick. And, of course, the Panthers passed on C.J. Stroud, who is having a historic rookie season, to take Young.

The problem with Young isn’t that he’s making a ton of mistakes, which is good. He has nine interceptions and five lost fumbles, which isn’t good but not egregious for a rookie. But he isn’t making much happen either. For a No. 1 overall pick, there is a troubling lack of “wow” plays this season. He has just 20 completions of 20 or more yards, the fewest of any quarterback with 350 attempts. His 5.3 yards per attempt is 0.8 yards behind any other regular starting quarterback. Other rookies struggle but at least give their teams a handful of highlights that remind everyone why they were a top pick. It’s hard to come up with any great highlights for Young over his 417 attempts. If you watched Young all season and didn’t know where he was drafted, you’d never guess he was the first overall pick. That’s an issue.

That sets up a weird offseason, especially as the Panthers try to sell their head-coaching job to attractive candidates. The Panthers’ optimism surrounding Young will be that he was the first overall pick and his situation as a rookie was poor. You’ll probably hear a lot of “if the Panthers can build a better team/staff around Young he can improve quickly” this offseason, but there’s not much from his NFL tape to indicate that’s true. It’s a lot of blind hope based on his college career.

Young isn’t a bust. It’s too early for that. It’s hard to judge any quarterback on less than a full season in a bad situation. But it’s also fair if the Panthers are secretly having some buyer’s remorse, and what Young’s struggles could mean for their coaching search.

On the other hand, this is what Schwab has to say about QB WILL LEVIS of the Titans.

Will Levis is a good example of a rookie QB who has struggled some but with enough splash plays to get the Titans excited about his potential. He was great as he rallied the Titans from a 14-point deficit in the final minutes at Miami to pull off a stunning upset. There’s plenty to iron out — he had plenty of mistakes Monday night including a pick 6 to a defensive lineman — but there’s also something to build on.

NEW ORLEANS

Ouch.

Luke Johnson of NoLa.com:

It hasn’t just been the two concussions and the sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr has dealt with this season.

After an uneven performance in the Saints 28-6 win against the Carolina Panthers, during which he threw for 119 yards with two touchdowns and an interception, Carr confirmed that he also played through a fractured rib. And it’s not the first time this season he’s done so.

“I’ve had a couple (fractured ribs) this year,” Carr said. “I think I’m up to three now.”

The latest rib fracture happened last week against the Detroit Lions, and the rib injury was annotated on the injury report throughout the week.

Carr declined to elaborate on when the other injuries occurred, other than to say they were not connected to the hits that knocked him out of losses to the Packers and Vikings.

This is something he said the Saints have had some recent experience dealing with, which has helped him stay ready to compete on game day.

“What’s crazy is they had a whole bunch of them last year, they know how to treat them, stuff to help you be close to as best as you can,” Carr said. “Ribs for any rotational athlete are tough, but I felt good enough, they felt confident enough that I could at least be out there and execute.”

TAMPA BAY

Greg Auman with a fun fact:

@gregauman

So in the last two years, tight end Cade Otton has three TD catches to give the Bucs the lead in the final minute of regulation. Tampa Bay only has four others in the last 10 years.

NFC WEST

SAN FRANCISCO

When the Packers went down on Monday night, the 49ers clinched a playoff spot.  And they can clinch the first overall seed in the NFC by winning the last four games.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

When Giants kicker Randy Bullock’s last-second field goal sailed through the uprights at MetLife Stadium on Monday night, it did more than send the Packers to a painful defeat.

It also made the 49ers the first team to claim a place in the 2023 NFL playoffs. It is the third straight season that the 49ers have advanced to the playoffs, but head coach Kyle Shanahan made it clear earlier on Monday that the team is not just looking for a spot at the dance because they want to be the main attraction.

“I’ll have a reaction when it is the No. 1 spot, if it is, because that’s when the season ends,” Shanahan said, via the 49ersWebzone.com. “Right now, it doesn’t mean much. It just means where you’re at now. And I know we won’t be that if we don’t handle business this week. So that’s really all we’re worried about this week, and then we’ll move to who we play after that.”

The 49ers moved into that No. 1 spot with their win over the Seahawks and the Eagles’ loss to the Cowboys on Sunday. They’ll stay there by winning out and having the NFC playoffs come through Levi’s Stadium would likely make them a sizable favorite to make the second Super Bowl appearance of Shanahan’s tenure.

AFC WEST

KANSAS CITY

QB PATRICK MAHOMES’ reputation took a hit Sunday, along with that of Andy Reid, when he/they got bent out of shape after an NFL official threw a flag in the final minute on an obvious offside.

Andrew Whitworth:

@AndrewWhitworth

We have lost our minds. 

We want outcomes, so we change rules. 12 men on the field for buffalo didn’t affect FG result against broncos. But it broke a rule so they kick it again and lost.

Chiefs lost because they kept breaking a rule.  That’s it. 

Explain this play to a kid.

Here are the rules of football. 

1. If you play wide receiver line up with your feet behind the ball and not past or even with it. 

2. When you get out there tell the SL judge if you are off or on.  He will let you know if you need to back up to be off.  Or scoot up to be on. 

3.  If you line up offsides, just like on Defense if they line up offside, It’s a penalty.  

Good talk.  Let’s play ball

And this impassioned take from John Frascella:

@LegendSports7

I’ve lost all respect for Pat Mahomes.

Sure, he was annoying on the Netflix series QUARTERBACK, but yesterday was a whole new level.

The Chiefs have been getting favorable calls for YEARS.

They’ve gotten HUGE calls in both the AFC Championship AND Super Bowl.

Last year, it was so rigged toward the end, the poor Bengals literally had no chance to beat the Chiefs in the AFC title game.

So now… on a CORRECT call, in a freakin’ regular season game… Mahomes cries, throws his equipment, lashes out at everyone and complains like a baby to the media?

He can’t even shake hands with Josh Allen like a man? That was a tough battle out there. Both defenses were on. Show some respect for your fellow quarterback after a tough day on both sides!

Instead? Mahomes is literally complaining about the call to Allen! Seriously, man? You think Josh Allen gives a crap about your baby shit? They just won!

This is a complete and utter embarrassment for the NFL.

Mahomes is supposed to be one of the cornerstones of the league.

Instead, he’s showing kids all over the globe that it’s okay to cry, scream and throw things every time you don’t get your way.

I hope the Chiefs lose every game for the rest of the season.

In the cold light of day on Monday, Mahomes tried to regain some lost luster – succeeding, at least, with Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, one of the truly greats guys of the NFL, slipped out of character on Sunday after officials wiped out a go-ahead touchdown by finding that Chiefs receiver Kadarius Toney lined up offside. On Monday, he retreated to the man we’ve always known.

“Obviously, you don’t want to react that way,” Mahomes told Carrington Harrison of 610 Sports in Kansas City. “I mean, I care, man. I love this game. I love my teammates. And I want to go out there and put everything on the line to win. But obviously, can’t do that. Can’t be that way toward officials or really anybody in life. . . . More than anything, I regret the way I acted towards Josh [Allen] after the game, because he had nothing to do with it. So I was still hot and emotional, but you can’t do that, man. Not a great example for kids watching the game.”

Cameras and microphones captured Mahomes complaining to Allen after the game about the call. As if Allen can do anything about it.

It ultimately was a bad look for Mahomes. He seems to know it. To his credit.

We all make mistakes. The challenge is to admit it, learn from it, and move on.

Here’s Andy Reid walking things back as well.  He says it was an embarrassment to the NFL that the officials wouldn’t talk to him.  Kevin Patra of NFL.com:

After Sunday’s 20-17 loss to Buffalo, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid called the offsides penalty on Kadarius Toney that wiped out a would-be touchdown “a bit embarrassing” for the NFL.

Monday, Reid walked back his criticism, saying that Toney failed to check with the ref before the play.

“Normally, he looks over to the sideline and just gets an OK,” Reid told reporters. “On that one, he just happened not to. That’s the coaching point. Just make sure you check with the guy on the side just to see if you’re aligned. I mean, he’s not lining up offsides on purpose. Listen, he was two inches or an inch from being legal. Like I said, you can argue both sides of it.”

With 1:25 remaining in Sunday’s game, Patrick Mahomes hit Travis Kelce in stride. The tight end weaved past a tackler. As defenders converged, Kelce tossed a lateral to Toney, who scampered to paydirt. The flag at the start of the play, however, wiped out the score in an eventual loss.

After the game, Mahomes and Reid were hot, criticizing officials for making the call.

Reid backpedaled on Monday, saying Toney needed to line up properly.

“Do we need to line up right? Yeah, we do. We got to take care of that. We can’t put it in the officials’ hands,” Reid said.

The mistake was the latest from Toney, who owns immense talent but fails to do the little things to make himself and the team successful. Wittingly or not, the comments from Reid and Mahomes after the contest took the spotlight off Toney’s blunder and placed it on officials who made the correct call.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Monday morning that the NFL will review Reid’s and Mahomes’ postgame comments as there is a long-standing policy against questioning the integrity of the referees, per a source.

Reid told reporters on Monday that his frustration stemmed from the lack of communication with the officials.

“I know what I said about the officials yesterday or insinuated about the officials,” he said. “Listen, there are no excuses on this thing. That’s not what I’m saying. I’ve always had a good working relationship with these guys, and that’s the important part. They know when they tell me something with a guy, I’m going to go address the guy like right now and make sure that it gets changed. When you’re talking about inches, those types of things, and those happen in the game — I’ve been doing this a long time — this isn’t an excuse or a blame on the officials for blowing the game. That’s not what it is. But it’s that working relationship. That part is so important in this thing. Cause you can see it on both sides, whether it’s a defensive player lining up in the neutral zone at times or that. You give a head coach a heads up, and then, in our case, we tell them. And then if they get called, listen, you were warned. That’s how it’s worked over the years. That’s what I was really trying to get across.

“I take a lot of pride in taking what the officials give me and going to our players and telling them. Like, immediately telling them and giving them that. Telling them that, ‘Hey listen, they’re giving you a warning, if you don’t do it, that’s on your plate.’ That’s the important part that I was trying to get across but probably not very well after the game.”

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

QB JUSTIN HERBERT’s finger is unlikely to allow him to play with the short week.

@AdamSchefter

Chargers’ QB Justin Herbert is not expected to play Thursday night vs the Raiders due to his fractured right index finger and he will be consulting with Dr. Steven Shin to determine the extent of the injury and how much time he will miss, per source.

In fact, it won’t let him play for the rest of the year.

Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk.com:

Justin Herbert has played his last snap of the 2023 season.

The Chargers quarterback is out for the season following surgery to repair his fractured index finger on his throwing hand, according to multiple reports.

Herbert suffered the injury during the first half of Sunday’s loss to the Broncos. Head coach Brandon Staley noted on Monday that the team would do what’s best for Herbert and the quarterback’s future. With the Chargers at 5-8 and having little chance to make it to the postseason, it’s clear shutting Herbert down is the right move.

The No. 6 overall pick of the 2020 draft, Herbert had started 62 consecutive games. Los Angeles signed him to a five-year extension worth a reported $262.5 million in late July, securing his future with the club.

But the 2023 season has been a disappointment for the Chargers, as the team has not been able to find much consistency on offense or defense. Herbert will finish with the same 93.2 passer rating as he had last season. But his yards per game went from 278.8 in 2022 to 241.1 in 2023.

In 13 games this season, Herbert completed 65.1 percent of his throws for 3,134 yards with 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Easton Stick is expected to start for the Chargers the rest of the way, beginning with Thursday’s matchup against the Raiders.

Who is this QB EASTON STICK?  He fits in between QBs CARSON WENTZ and TREY LANCE on the North Dakota State QB timeline.

This list of North Dakota State QB draft picks:

2016    1-2       Carson Wentz             Philadelphia Eagles                QB

2019    5-28     Easton Stick               Los Angeles Chargers            QB

2021    1-3       Trey Lance                  San Francisco 49ers               QB

Stick was 49-3 in 3+ seasons as the Bison starter, setting the record for most wins by an FCS starter.  In addition to passing for 88 TDs, he ran for 41 more.

In four years with the Chargers, he had thrown 1 pass before last Sunday.

Hometown is Omaha.  His girlfriend, Cheyenne Knight, is an LPGA golfer.

AFC NORTH

BALTIMORE

Ravens S KYLE HAMILTON has a knee issue.  Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com:

The Baltimore Ravens received some encouraging news regarding one of their top defensive players.

An MRI on Monday revealed safety Kyle Hamilton has a sprained MCL and is considered week-to-week, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It initially appeared that Hamilton significantly injured his left knee when a Los Angeles Rams defender collided into him late in the first quarter of Sunday’s 37-31 overtime win.

At his Monday media session, Ravens coach John Harbaugh declined to comment on the specifics of the injury but acknowledged that Hamilton’s injury could be short term.

“Kyle looks like he will be day-to-day,” Harbaugh said. “So, we’ll see as we go through the week. He’ll have a chance to play in this game.”

In other injury news, wide receiver-returner Devin Duvernay could have a more extended absence and miss more than a week due to his back injury, Harbaugh said.

Asked whether Tylan Wallace, who scored the winning 76-yard punt return for a touchdown in overtime Sunday, would continue to be Baltimore’s returner, Harbaugh not surprisingly said with a smile, “I think he’s earned it.”

A first-round pick a year ago, Hamilton has become one of the most versatile playmakers on the NFL’s second-ranked defense. He has recorded 69 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions this season. Before he was hurt Sunday, Hamilton set a Ravens single-season record with his ninth tackle for loss, surpassing Ed Reed’s mark from 2003.

The Ravens (10-3), who currently hold the No. 1 seed in the AFC, play at the AFC South-leading Jacksonville Jaguars (8-5) on Sunday night.

CINCINNATI

QB DESHAUN WATSON caught some attention last week when he sat in a luxury suite with his wife, high above his teammates striving for victory.

Meanwhile, QB JOE BURROW is on the sidelines with his fill-in and giving away his suite.  Amber Harding of http://Outkick.com:

Joe Burrow, once again, had to watch the Cincinnati Bengals game from the sideline. But that doesn’t mean everyone had to stand out in the cold — more specifically, Jake Browning’s family.

For Sunday’s matchup against the Indianapolis Colts, Burrow gifted his suite at Paycor Stadium to his backup quarterback, whose friends and family were in town for the game.

Burrow had purchased the suite for his own family to use this season, and a luxury box can cost anywhere from $12,000-$22,000, depending on the game.

“First of all, that is not my box,” Browning told reporters. “I did not buy that during the pre-season. Very expensive. So Joe Burrow was nice enough to give them some tickets so they didn’t have to sit up in the cold.”

Originally from California, Browning said he has gotten used to freezing temperatures, but his family and friends have not. Two friends from back home, Jake’s girlfriend, his brother, his sister and his sister’s boyfriend were all in attendance and able to enjoy the luxury suite.

“It’s always nice to have people there, and it’s mostly nice after a win because you can go get dinner,” Browning added.

And a celebratory dinner at that.

– – –

Barstool calls the Bengals the best of a sorry AFC lot:

Barstool getting on board:

“When you look at the AFC, you got the Chiefs crying about calls, the Bills coach speaking like a wack job in the locker room, the Ravens are exciting but seem to never be able to bury a team and let everyone hang around, Frank has convinced me The Dolphins will never bring him happiness, the Jets are the Jets, Stroud is very fun but a rookie, the Steelers are falling apart, and the Chargers are always a mess.

Why aren’t we all just adopting the Bengals as the fun team to root for the rest of the way? Don’t people like fun ? Wouldn’t it be a great story to watch the Bengals go muck up the playoffs. Browning earn himself a fat paycheck somehere and hand the reigns back to Burrow? Maybe it’s just me but I’m all in on the Bengals the rest of the way here.”

CLEVELAND

The Browns are on their fourth quarterback.  They also will be getting deep into the left tackle pool.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Browns won’t be getting left tackle Jedrick Wills back this season.

Wills has been on injured reserve for more than a month because of sprained MCL and multiple reports say that he had arthroscopic surgery on his knee on Tuesday morning. Wills will not be able to return to action as a result of the operation.

It’s the second time in as many days that a Browns tackle has been shut down for the season. Rookie Dawand Jones hurt his knee in practice before Sunday’s win over the Jaguars and head coach Kevin Stefanski announced on Monday that he will not be back on the field before 2024.

Jones was starting at right tackle because Jack Conklin was lost for the season in September. James Hudson took over for him and Geron Christian has been starting at left tackle in an alignment that is now set to continue as long as both players can stay off the injury report.

AFC SOUTH

TENNESSEE

“No way the Titans win,” said the DB flipping over to Tennessee-Miami after the Giants win.  This after the DERRICK HENRY fumble and RB RAHEEM MOSTERT TD that “clinched” the game.

Although we switched to another channel, we did go back for the final minute – but missed both Titans TDs.

Jordan Dajani of CBSSports.com has more:

The Tennessee Titans pulled off the most improbable upset of the 2023 season on Monday night, as they overcame a double-digit deficit in the final minutes to down the Miami Dolphins, 28-27. Previously, the Titans were 0-7 on the year away from the state of Tennessee while the Dolphins were 9-0 in Miami, but Tua Tagovailoa and Co. let this one slip late.

With this win from the Titans, teams are now 4-2074 when down 14 or more points in the final three minutes over the last 20 seasons. With the Titans being 14-point underdogs, this was the largest upset since the Jacksonville Jaguars upset the Indianapolis Colts in the 2021 regular season finale. What happened Monday night was a miracle, and it’s somewhat fitting that it took place two days following the death of former Titans tight end Frank Wycheck, who was one of the heroes of the “Music City Miracle.”

This was a close affair for the majority of the night. In fact, the Titans even held a 13-10 lead entering the final quarter. However, a couple of critical turnovers put Tennessee’s hopes for an upset in jeopardy. With 6:07 remaining in the final stanza, Eric Garror muffed a punt right outside his own end zone, gifting Miami a short field. Raheem Mostert punched in a four-yard touchdown two plays later. On the Titans’ very next play from scrimmage, Derrick Henry fumbled, setting up yet another Mostert touchdown. Now down 27-13 with 4:34 remaining in the game, it wasn’t looking good for Tennessee. But the Titans didn’t give up.

Rookie quarterback Will Levis then put together a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, capped by a three-yard DeAndre Hopkins reception. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine caught the two-point conversion to pull Tennessee within six points.

The Dolphins then went three-and-out on their next drive, giving Levis another chance. He went 64 yards on four plays thanks to a couple splash pickups from Hopkins and Chig Okonkwo, and Henry then recorded a three-yard touchdown to take the lead back, 28-27, with 1:49 remaining. It was then the defense’s turn to shine, as Harold Landry sacked Tagovailoa on a fourth-and-2 – sealing the incredible comeback victory for the Titans.

Tennessee’s offense out-gained the explosive Miami unit, 403 yards to 366 yards, while Levis threw for a career-high 327 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Hopkins dominated Miami’s secondary with 124 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions, and Landry starred on the defensive side with a career-high three sacks.

Amazing, the Dolphins gave up a 14-point lead within 2:45 of obtaining it, without a giveaway.  Then, they still had 1:49 to get the winning FG (more than  the Giants had a few minutes earlier) but failed.

AFC EAST

MIAMI

A bum ankle didn’t keep WR TYREEK HILL out, thanks to inspiration from his bride.  Marcel Louis-Jacques of ESPN.com:

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill played only 33 snaps in Monday night’s 28-27 loss to the Tennessee Titans after suffering an ankle injury in the first quarter.

Hill was tackled out of bounds after catching a pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and immediately writhed in pain before leaving the field. He initially walked across the field from the Titans’ sideline to the Dolphins’ but ran the final 20 or so yards after hearing “MVP” chants from the home crowd.

The NFL’s leader in receiving yards didn’t play another snap until the Dolphins’ second drive of the third quarter, inspired in part by a text from his wife.

“When it happened, like my first reaction was like, man, my ankle is gone,” he said. “My adrenaline kicked in, I ran off the field, then I sat for a while and it got stiff and I was going through a lot of pain. Then I just made up in my mind, I came in at halftime, I texted my wife, I was like, ‘This s— hurt.’ I need an ankle massage tonight, and she’s like, ‘You’d better get your ass back in that game, dawg.’ I was like, ‘All right.’

“So I just made up my mind that it’s going to hurt. It’s going to suck. Tonight and tomorrow morning. I just went back in the game on my own, without anybody saying, ‘Reek, go.’ It was like, no, f— this, I’ve got to get out there and bring some energy and be that spark.”

Miami was outgained by the Titans 403 yards to 366 and largely struggled without Hill in the game. Miami played without starting offensive linemen Terron Armstead, Robert Hunt and Isaiah Wynn, who were inactive, and center Connor Williams, who left the game because of a knee injury in the first quarter and did not return.

After the game, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said he hadn’t spoken with the training staff yet for an update on Williams, who was seen wearing a knee brace while standing on the sideline during the game.

“I know it would take a lot to keep him out,” McDaniel said. “It’s probably not the most positive.”

While the Dolphins averaged 5.1 yards per carry, rushing for 158 yards on 31 attempts, they were far less successful throwing the ball.

Against Miami’s decimated offensive line, the Titans attacked, pressuring Tagovailoa on 39% of his dropbacks Monday night. Tagovailoa completed just 4 of 11 passes for 27 yards when pressured and was sacked five times.

He finished with 240 scoreless yards, completing 23 of 33 passes and snapping a streak of 21 consecutive games with a passing touchdown.

“I think what they wanted game-plan-wise was to put a shell over our team, forcing us to run the ball, forcing us to beat them that way,” Tagovailoa said. “But when you have someone like Tyreek go down, it does make it tough, but when you also have a couple of your key O-linemen go down, as well, it does hurt the guys up front and sort of the way we operate.

“I think one of the toughest parts of that is a lot of those guys haven’t gotten reps at some of the positions. It’s not to say that we practice for situations like this to happen. It just so happened that Connor went down and we already had a couple of our guys out. But needless to say, I know the guys up front will get better. I know the guys around me will get better. I will continue to get better. That’s the only way we can grow. We’ve just got to watch the tape. Tough loss tonight, but it’s going to linger like this if we don’t do anything about that.”

Despite playing a minimized role, Hill finished with 61 yards on four catches. Jaylen Waddle led the team in receiving yards with 79 on six catches.

After going 4-61 on Monday, Hill sits at 97 catches, 1,542 yards and 12 TDs through 13 games.

Doing the math, he’s on a pace now for 127 catches, 16 TDs and the key number – 2,017 receiving yards.

He’s bidding to be the first NFL player to 2,000 in a season.  The NFL record is 1,964 by Calvin Johnson in 2012.

THIS AND THAT

BROADCAST NEWS

Richard Dietsch of The Athletic reports that Al Michaels is out, and Noah Eagle is in, on NBC’s playoffs team:

NFL broadcasts will be without Al Michaels’ classic commentary voice for this season’s playoffs, as NBC Sports made the decision that Michaels will be left off the playoff commentary team, according to a source briefed on the decision Tuesday. News of the coverage decision was first reported by the New York Post.

Michaels covered the wild-card game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Los Angeles Chargers for NBC last year and received criticism for his perceived lack of enthusiasm in what was the third-largest comeback victory in playoff history.

The 79-year-old broadcasting icon has worked the Amazon Prime “Thursday Night Football” broadcasts alongside Kirk Herbstreit for the past two seasons. In the playoffs, Michaels joined Tony Dungy for last year’s AFC wild-card game.

Michaels and Pat Summerall share the record of calling 11 Super Bowls.

NBC will broadcast three playoff games in January, with two of them being handled by Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth, the network’s “Sunday Night Football” team.

Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge, who have called Big Ten games together as NBC’s top college broadcasting team, will be on the call for the first weekend of postseason games as well. Sideline reporter Kathryn Tappen will join them.

2024 DRAFT

North Carolina QB DRAKE MAYE stuck around Chapel Hill in 2023, even as other colleges sniffed around with bags of NIL cash.  But the lure of the NFL will see him forego his two remaining years of eligibility.

North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye, one of the top NFL prospects in college football, told ESPN on Monday that he’s forgoing the remainder of his eligibility at UNC to declare for the NFL draft.

Maye, a redshirt sophomore, started all 26 games of his career during the past two seasons at UNC. He told ESPN that he will not play in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl against West Virginia. He’ll leave school with a 17-9 record as a starter.

“Just sitting down with my family and the people I trust the most in life, including my coaches,” Maye said. “This is the best decision for me and my future. It was my lifelong dream to play quarterback at North Carolina, and I get a chance to check off another dream and play quarterback in the NFL.”

Maye is a contender to be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, and his decision to declare sets the stage for a potential monthslong debate for that spot. USC quarterback Caleb Williams has not declared his intentions for 2024 but has also made clear he’s not playing in the postseason.

Over his North Carolina career, Maye threw for 8,018 yards, ranking him fifth on UNC’s all-time passing list. He ranks fourth on UNC’s career touchdown list with 63.

Maye led UNC to the ACC championship game in 2022, as the Tar Heels started the season 9-1 and ascended to as high as No. 13 in the rankings. This season, UNC began the year 6-0 and climbed as high as No. 10.

Some of the sport’s biggest powers expressed interest in Maye after the 2022 season, but he said he never wavered on his commitment to UNC and has no regrets.

“This is the place I always wanted to play quarterback,” Maye told ESPN. “Thinking back over my time in college, I couldn’t imagine playing anywhere else. Last spring, when you heard rumors flying after the season about me transferring somewhere else, it wouldn’t have sat right with me and my family and the legacy I’m trying to leave at Carolina. I wanted to play here at North Carolina, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”