The penultimate weekend of NFL regular season football is practically done; I say practically because there is a Monday night game of some outsized personal importance that still remains to be played (more on that in a smidge). As mused on Christmas Day, what we got under the tree Thursday was underwhelming football but ultimately began a trend that played out to the max as the weekend played out. The phrase that this subhead pays homage to, “any given…” was never truer. One truly can’t assume any particular game will yield the expected result.
Nodding their heads in blind agreement no doubt are the Pittsburgh Steelers, who gave the AKRON BEACON-JOURNAL’s Chris Easterling an unanticipated upbeat story:
The Browns were playing for nothing by pride and being a spoiler. The Pittsburgh Steelers were playing for the AFC North championship. Turns out, there’s always something to play for when Cleveland is playing Pittsburgh. That showed as the Browns led the whole way in a 13-6 win over the Steelers.
The game came down to four plays from the Browns’ 10. After a 3-yard pass to Adam Thielen on first down, three Aaron Rodgers passes from the Cleveland 7 were incomplete, including a fourth-down pass break-up by Denzel Ward.
Equally as shell-shocked are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, whose late season woes were compounded greatly with a trip down Alligator’s Alley that no doubt surprised even the sun-kissed faithful who chose to stick by the Dead Fish Walking. The PALM BEACH POST’s Hal Habib sounded just as surprised as his counterpart in the Cleveland DMA:
One team had nothing to play for. The other team was fighting for a playoff spot. One team had a rookie quarterback starting only his second NFL game. The other team had a veteran.
Put it together and the Miami Dolphins, who aren’t going to the playoffs, rode rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers to a 20-17 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and veteran Baker Mayfield.
Ewers threw touchdown passes of 63 yards to Theo Wease and 11 to Greg Dulcich. He rarely looked like a rookie .The Dolphins improved to 7-9 with only a visit to New England remaining on their 2025 schedule. The Bucs fell to 7-9 but because Carolina lost at Seattle, they remain in contention for a playoff berth.
With all due respect to Mar Habib, the game he last referenced was played in Charlotte, where the homestanders were grandstanded with the reminder that just because the NFL’s flawed playoff system considered them a contender for a home post-season game, a team actually worthy of playing into January offered a resounding reminder that in this case even the home crowd and a time zone advantage meant squat. CBS SPORTS’ Jordan Dajani soberly reported:
The Seattle Seahawks have now won six straight games after defeating the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, 27-10. This was a sloppy contest that featured a 3-3 halftime score. However, a couple of Carolina turnovers in the third quarter opened the door for the Seahawks to run away with win No. 13, and that’s exactly what they did.
While victorious, Sam Darnold didn’t fare particularly well in his revenge game. He completed 18 of 27 passes for 147 yards, one touchdown and one interception, and also lost a fumble in the first half. Jaxon Smith-Njigba caught nine passes for 72 yards, but the Seahawks really relied on the ground game. Zach Charbonnet rushed 18 times for 110 yards and two touchdowns.
As for the Panthers, their offense recorded just 139 total yards. Bryce Young completed 14 of 24 passes for a mere 54 yards and one interception, but did add a touchdown on the ground. Rookie phenom Tetairoa McMillan caught just one pass for five yards.
Meanwhile, in the day’s showcase games, we got a coupla more examples that even the best teams can still come up a dollar short. THE MORNING CALL’s Christiaan Defranco tersely described how the dreams of the edifice once known as Ralph Wilson Stadium hosting a playoff game in its 53rd and final season were dashed markedly:
Buoyed by their defense, the Eagles hung on for a 13-12 victory over the Bills in rainy, sloppy Buffalo on Sunday. Here’s how the Birds graded out by position group. Jalen Hurts managed the game efficiently enough to win, throwing a short touchdown to Dallas Goedert and avoiding turnovers. Still, the passing game lacked rhythm and punch, particularly after halftime. The Philly front controlled long stretches of the game, generating pressure and helping hold Buffalo without a touchdown until late. The unit delivered in key moments.
And in by far the best game of the day, if not the entire regular season, at least one writer’s rediscovered love ultimately fell just a few yards short of a storybook finish, as THE ATHLETIC’s Michael Dominsky enthusiastically blogged late last night:
The San Francisco 49ers have held on to beat the Chicago Bears 42-38 in a thrilling game on “Sunday Night Football.” The Bears had a chance to win the game on the final play from the 2-yard line but Caleb Williams’ throw into the end zone fell incomplete.
Brock Purdy had another massive game, throwing for 303 yards and accounting for five total touchdowns, while Christian McCaffrey recorded 181 scrimmage yards and added a touchdown. Williams was impressive in the loss, throwing for 330 yards and two touchdowns.
The 49ers remain in a wild-card spot in the standings but can claim the NFC West title and the No. 1 overall seed in the conference with a win at home against the Seattle Seahawks next week. Chicago’s loss eliminates it from contention for the No. 1 seed, locking the Bears into either the No. 2 or 3 seed.
All well and good, and what this ensures is at least the national games this coming weekend will be meaningful. The Niners and Hawks’ tilt will headline Saturday night for ESPN and ABC, with the Browns and Steelers vying for the AFC #4 seed on the final SNF of the regular season. The Panthers-Bucs “showdown” and the Broncos’ quest for the #1 seed will serve as meaningful late afternoon games. Other than that–little but pride will be at stake, and you might very well be justified if you slept in next Sunday, given the array of games the league has stuck us with in the early window. Remember, fantasy season for all but the most addicted will be done. And trust me, I know that.
My stomach is churning as we type this, and for a change it’s not strictly due to the extra spice that snuck into my roasted veggies last night. As this is being written I’m clinging to an 18.26 point advantage in my Yahoo league championship game, my team being helped by some serviceable performances from my stalwarts JSN, Jonathan Taylor, the recently healed Omarion Hampton and the desperation grab at quarterback for Jacoby Brissett that was necessitated when my second stringer Jordan Love failed to be cleared for battle after last week’s concussion. My season comes down to whether or not an Atlanta Falcons receiver–if he’s able to play, it’ll be Drake London, if not, my opponent snagged Darnell Mooney off the waiver wire as last night’s game was being played (it’s a legal move in my league, and more power to him for being that prescient).
If you’ve got any juju or voodoo, do what you can to sprinkle it over the Rams’ defense and in particular their cornerbacks. Let Bijan Robinson or Kyle Pitts, or G-d forbid Kirk Cousins’ legs, lead the upset in Hotlanta if one is to occur. At least I’ll be watching tonight.