NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Stepped out for a minute, came back and Cardinals have tied the Eagles at 21. wtf

 

Texans get six sacks, defensive TD in 26-3 rout of Titans

The Texans went 11-28-1 over the past three seasons combined. They won their ninth game of 2023 with a 26-3 blowout of the Titans in the final home game of the season.

Houston (9-7) will clinch a playoff berth with win at Indianapolis next week. Tennessee fell to 5-11 in losing to the Texans for the second time in three weeks.

The Texans knocked out Will Levis for the second time as he left in the first half after a strip-sack by Jerry Hughes that Sheldon Rankins returned for a 13-yard touchdown. Levis, who has a right foot injury, was replaced by Ryan Tannehill.

Tennessee gained only 187 yards.

PFT

 

Jaguars shut down Bryce Young, Panthers in 26-0 win

The Jaguars didn’t have quarterback Trevor Lawrence against the Panthers on Sunday, but their defense made sure that his absence didn’t lead to another loss.

Josh Allen had three sacks and Travon Walker had a pair as the Jaguars totally overwhelmed quarterback Bryce Young and the rest of the Panthers. The 26-0 win ended a four-game Jaguars losing streak and leaves them a step closer to winning the AFC South.

 

Colts improve to 9-7 with 23-20 victory over Raiders

The Colts couldn’t clinch a playoff berth on Sunday, but they did get one step closer to making the postseason in Shane Steichen’s first season as head coach.

Indianapolis defeated Las Vegas 23-20 on Sunday.

Running back Jonathan Taylor gave the Colts an early 7-0 lead with a 5-yard touchdown. Josh Downs had gotten Indianapolis in scoring position with a 50-yard reception.

Alec Pierce also had a 58-yard touchdown catch in the first half as the Colts led 14-3 at halftime.

 

Justin Fields and the Bears hammer the Falcons in cold and snowy Chicago

The Falcons were still in playoff contention and the Bears were not, but it was Chicago that looked like a team with plenty to play for today.

The Bears dominated the Falcons from start to finish in the cold and snow of Chicago today, winning 37-17 in a game that was never really in doubt.

Justin Fields turned in a solid effort, completing 20 of 32 passes for 268 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions, and also running for a touchdown. The Bears clinched the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft with the Panthers’ loss today, and the big question will be whether Fields has done enough to establish himself as the franchise quarterback, and convince the Bears’ brass to trade down instead of picking a passer, just as they did in the 2023 draft.

The Falcons may have been playing for coach Arthur Smith’s job, and if so, this was a rough one for Smith’s prospects in Atlanta. Smith’s offense looked incompetent, with Taylor Heinicke throwing three interceptions and Desmond Ridder throwing one. The highly drafted tight end Kyle Pitts was a non-factor, and Bijan Robinson was only moderately effective. This Falcons team is not good enough.

Both the Bears and the Falcons are now 7-9, but the Bears have to feel a lot better about their future.

PFT

 

Ravens lock up AFC's top seed, AFC North title with win over Dolphins

The Baltimore Ravens are the kings of the AFC -- and the AFC North.

With their 56-19 win Sunday over the Miami Dolphins, the Ravens clinched the conference's top seed along with the AFC North title. Along with the winner's spoils of home-field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs, the Ravens have now secured the conference's only bye to begin the postseason.

NFL.com
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So why was Tua out there late in a blowout?... now he's injured.

 

Bills defeat Patriots 27-21, setting up matchup with Dolphins for AFC East title

 

San Francisco is officially the cream of the crop in the NFC.

The 49ers clinched their conference's No. 1 seed on Sunday following their 27-10 win over the Commanders and the Eagles' 35-31 upset loss to the Cardinals, assuring themselves a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout their hopeful journey to Super Bowl LVIII.

 

Warren with a beautiful run for a TD, Steelers up, 7-0

Go Steelers! (Vikings need all the help they can get)

 

This can still happen:

 

Im loving what the Bengals are doing in KC... its funny as hell.

 

Here's a classy act.

 

Steelers are impressive, power run game, good yards in the air, solid defense. Maybe 1 penalty, no turnovers. Thats how you do it.

 

Stick has guts! Bloodied and still runs the ball... Ive seen him take 2 head-shots and no call, but he pops right back up and goes again.

 

I think Harris just sealed the deal.

 

Steelers improve to 9-7, drop Seahawks to 8-8

Mike Tomlin’s Steelers have their ups and downs, but they’re never losers.

The Steelers beat the Seahawks 30-23 today, running Pittsburgh’s record to 9-7 and clinching a winning season. This is Tomlin’s 17th season as the Steelers’ head coach, and they’ve never finished with a losing record.

Whether the Steelers will be a playoff team is another question, one that we won’t find out until next week, when they face the Ravens. Baltimore has already clinched the No. 1 seed and may rest Lamar Jackson and other key starters, which would help the Steelers as they attempt to finish 10-7.

Today the Steelers got an efficient game from starting quarterback Mason Rudolph, who threw for 274 yards and no interceptions, and George Pickens topped 100 receiving yards. Najee Harris topped 100 rushing yards and wisely slid down on his final carry, rather than running into the end zone, to preserve the Steelers’ win.

Seattle got a solid game from Geno Smith, but the Seahawks’ defense didn’t do enough.

The Seahawks’ playoff hopes were dealt a severe blow as they fell to 8-8 on the season. A win would have put Seattle in great shape for a wild card berth, but a loss means they’re going to need to win and get help in Week 18.

In a year with plenty of parity, both the Steelers and the Seahawks have hovered around .500. But in a game that both teams needed, Tomlin’s team found a way to get the job done.

PFT

 

Well, KC went and blew it.

 

You know, if the Steelers would've developed MR, they'd be better off. They could really use Justin Fields or Kyler Murray. I wonder where they'd be this year.

 

This is very interesting, but obviously too little too late...

NFL officiating crew in controversial Lions-Cowboys game may be downgraded ahead of playoffs: report

Adam Schefter pointed to several controversial calls with the crew

The officiating crew that worked the game between the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys could be downgraded before the postseason over the controversial call at the end of the game, according to an NFL insider.

Brad Allen and his crew drew the ire of the NFL world when a Lions go-ahead 2-point conversion late in the game was negated over a penalty. The discrepancy came over which offensive lineman reported as eligible. Taylor Decker said he was the player who reported as eligible but Dan Skipper was deemed to be the person.

NFL insider Adam Schefter appeared on ESPN’s "Sunday NFL Countdown" and explained the consequences of the penalty.

"This has generated an awful lot of reaction around the league as you might expect. And I think teams have found fault with both sides here," Schefter said on the program. "They think the Lions tried to trick the Cowboys and instead tricked the officials by sending three offensive linemen over to the official when they say only one lineman should’ve been reporting.

"And then the officials did miss the call. Brad Allen, got the wrong player reporting. And that’s been a continuation of a string of high-profile misses from the Brad Allen crew this year."

Schefter pointed to a series of other controversial calls around the NFL in which Allen’s crew was officiating.

"You remember earlier in the year, there was pass interference with (Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver) Marquez Valdes-Scantling that was not called – the same Brad Allen crew in this game where the (Green Bay Packers) defensive back goes over his shoulder. There was the pass interference call at Atlanta with the Saints that was not called when clearly it was pass interference that influenced that game. This was a roughing the passer penalty when (Cleveland Browns linebacker) Za’Darius Smith was fined but it was not called. And there’s one thread that ties together all those calls – it is the same Brad Allen crew time and time again."

Schefter said it would be a "surprise" if anyone from Allen’s crew reaches the postseason.

"Now, you will see mixed crews in the postseason and clearly this crew will be downgraded and it will be a surprise to see some of them reach the postseason," Schefter said. "But that’s a decision the league will have to reach.

"There will still be plenty of fallout from a decision that now very likely will influence how the NFC seeds are laid out and in the second round because Detroit right now seems locked into the third seed. Last night’s call could mean that the Lions in the divisional playoff round would play the NFC East winner rather than hosting that divisional playoff game."

Head coach Dan Campbell was agitated after the game and suggested that he talked about this scenario with officials before the game.

"I don’t want to talk about it," he said. "I explain everything pregame to a tee, OK? I did that."

Allen explained the penalty in the pool report.

"That conversation is where (Skipper) reports to me, and I then go to the defensive team, and I say to them ‘(Skipper) has reported as an eligible receiver,’ so they will be aware of who has reported and then I return to my position," Allen said. "That was the conversation with the defensive line."

FOX