—The NFL went to a 17-game schedule for the extra cash it brings in, but there can be a downside to that extra game. Since many teams had already clinched playoff berths or were eliminated, many teams had no incentive to win their final game.. Half the teams didn’t even play their starting quarterbacks although some were injured.
–The NFL likes to schedule division games in the final week but if one has clinched and the other needs to win to make the playoffs, it can create an advantage for the team that needs to get in. For example, Denver clinched a wild card berth by routing Kansas City 38-0 as the Chiefs rested Patrick Mahomes and several starters. The Denver win also eliminated the Bengals despite their win over Pittsburgh. But the Bengals have only themselves to blame for their slow start although they weren’t happy that the Chiefs showed little interest in winning the game.
–The Buffalo Bills were locked into the second AFC seed so they only played quarterback Josh Allen one play to keep his consecutive start alive and then lost to the Patriots, 23-16. That win cost the Patriots the top pick in the draft and dropped them all the way down to the fourth pick. So the Bills by losing kept a division rival from getting the top seed. Ad then Patriot coach Jerod Mayo was fired after one season.
–The Pittsburgh Steelers loss to Cincinnati, combined with the Chargers 34-20 victory over the Raiders, dropped the Steelers from fifth to sixth seed. That means the Steelers play their first playoff game at Baltimore instead of at Houston and the Chargers appear to get the easier game at Houston.
–What was supposed to be the game of the week if not the year didn’t live up to the hype as the Lions routed the Vikings, 31-9 and claimed the top seed in the NFC. The Lions now get the bye while the Vikings dropped to the fifth seed and will open the playoffs at the Rams. The Vikings weren’t thrilled to be the wild card team with a 14-3 record but the system is that the division winners get the first four seeds in each conference and the owners show no interest in changing it
VITO'S VIEWS 