The Chiefs moved a step closer to getting the first seed in the AFC when they rallied to beat Miami and Buffalo handed Pittsburgh its second loss.
The Chiefs are now 12-1 with a possible Super Bowl preview coming up against the Saints. Pittsburgh is 11-2 with two consecutive losses and doesn’t look like a team destined for the Super Bowl.
The Steelers are coping with injuries on defense, have problems running the ball and Big Ben is struggling. Not a formula for beating the Chiefs in the playoffs.
–The Chiefs are now 8-1 when down by 10 points with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback after the win over Miami. It shows the Chiefs are never out of it. And Mahomes is on a roll going down the stretch. He has passed for 2,309 yards the last six games, the most in any six-game streak in NFL history. Drew Brees was second with 2,276 yards in 2012-13.
–The Bills are peaking down the stretch after their victory over Pittsburgh. If they win their first two playoff games, can they go into Arrowhead and beat the Chiefs in the AFC title game. With the Steelers at two losses, the Bills at three, three teams at four losses and two at five in the AFC, the odds are the Chiefs will get the top seed, win a home playoff game and then host the AFC title game. After their game at New Orleans, they will not play another road game unless or until they go to the Super Bowl. They close the season at home against Atlanta and the Chargers.
–Ring down the curtain on the Patriot dynasty. They were eliminated from contention for the AFC East division they owned for two decades with the loss to the Rams and the Bills win. The Patriots are 5-7 and will likely miss the playoffs. And they don’t have a quarterback of the future and have a lot of holes because GM Bill belichick hasn’t done a good job of drafting for coach Bill Belichick. And for the last two decades, none of the other three teams has had an elite quarterback. Now the Bills have Josh Allen and the Dolphins have Tua with Trevor Lawrence probably heading to the Jets. How long is Belichick going to continue coaching? He should have retired when Tom Brady walked out the door.
–Speaking of Brady, Tampa Bay is now 8-5 after the win over the Vikings. The key was that the Bucs ran 26 times and Brady threw 23 times. The emphasis on the running game makes the play action passes more effective. Brady has a better chance to make the playoffs than the Patriots do.
–The Saints finally lost a game without Drew Brees to a Philadelphia team that benched Carson Wentz. The Saints had won their last eight games without Brees. The Eagles gave rookie Jalen Hurts his first start and he gave them a running threat as he rushed for 106 yards in 18 carries to help the Eagles upset the Saints. The only other quarterback to rush for 100 yards in his first start was Lamar Jackson. Hurts performances now raises questions about Wentz’ future. For now, Hurts is the quarterback.
–The Washington football team took over sole possession of first place in the NFC East at 6-7 as they upset the 49ers and the Giants had their four-game winning streak snapped by the loss to the Cardinals. With the Giants at 5-8, the Eagles at 4-8-1 and the Cowboys at 4-9, the race is still wide open in the NFC Least.
–After Baltimore won Monday night at Cleveland, road teams are 104-103-1 (neutral site game), which shows the lack has fans has diluted the home field edge.
–Baltimore not only won with a game winning 55-yard field goal by Justin Tucker but they covered the spread with a safety on the last play. The Ravens were favored by three or 3 ½, which meant the Browns would get a push or a cover. But the Browns tried several laterals on the final play and the Ravens got a safety to cover. A double loss for Browns fans.