–The talk of the weekend was Kadarius Toney of the Chiefs lining up offsides and nullifying a touchdown play that would have given the Chiefs the lead over Buffalo with less than two minutes left. Toney was definitely lined up offsides but officials often don’t call it and Patrick Mahomes went ballistic after the game and coach Andy Reid said it was an embarrassment to the league. Mahomes said he regretted his loss of composure the next day. The bigger problem for Mahomes is that his receivers have dropped 33 passes and will likely cost him a shot at a repeat this year although Mahomes may still carry them to the playoffs..
–The Philadelphia Eagles were the big losers Sunday as a setback to the Cowboys dropped them from first to fifth seed as a wild card. Meanwhile, the 49ers were the first team to clinch a playoff berth and took over the top seed in the NFC by beating Seattle. The road to the Super Bowl likely goes through San Francisco in the NFC.
–It is a different story in the AFC where three of the four division leaders lost and Baltimore remained the top seed by beating.the Rams with an overtime touchdown on a punt return. The three division leaders that lost, Miami, Chiefs and Jaguars, all remained in first place in their divisions despite the losses. The 8-5 Chiefs now only have a one game lead over the 7-6 Broncos while the Jaguars have a one game lead and the tie break over the Colts and Texans and the 9-4 Dolphins have a twp game lead pver the Bills.
–The Bills and Bengals are two of the six AFC teams that are 7-6 and both won over the weekend to keep themselves in the playoff picture as they attempt to salvage what has been a disappointing season for both teams.
–The Panthers fell to 1-12 iwith the loss to the Saints and are now two games ahead of the 3-10 Cardinals and Patriots in the battle for the top pick. That is good news for the Bears, who own the Panthers’ top pick. The Bears are a longshot to grab a wild card spot at 5-8 despite an upset win over the Lions. The Cardinals had a bye while the Patriots hurt themselves in the battle for the top pick while beating the Steelers.
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