VITO'S VIEWS

There had never been more than six or more fourth quarter lead changes in a single playoff round. It was also the first time since they started playing wild card games that four games were decided by four or fewer points in a single postseason round.

The Rams beat the Panthers by three, the Bears beat the Packers by four, The Bills beat the Jaguars by three and the 49ers beat the Eagles by four.

In the first three games, the team that had the lead with two minutes left lost.

The Eagles almost made it four when they had the ball on first down on the 49ers 20 at the end but couldn’t score.

The Bears had the best comeback in team history and became one of 12 playoff winners to come back from 18 or more points to beat the Packers, 31-27.

Josh Allen was superman again as he brought the Bills from behind in the fourth quarter twice to beat the Jaguars despite playing with foot, hand and knee injuries. He set up the winning touchdown by driving the pile almost 10 yards to the Jaguars 1. He has now gotten at least one win in six different playoff years (only Tom Brady with eight and Patrick Mahomes with seven have had more)

The only two one-sided games were the Patriots beating the Chargers 16-3 and the Texans beating the Steelers 30-6, although it was a 7-6 game for about three quarters before the Texans scored two defensive touchdowns

. On what may have been his last NFL throw, Aaron Rodgers threw a pick six. It also turned out to be the last Steeler game for Mike Tomlin, who resigned as the head coach after 19 years.

The Chargers were the seventh seed and the Packers, the NFC’s seventh seed, also lost so the seventh seeds are 1-11 since they added a seventh seed six years ago. 

Just 10 days ago, Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh, the veteran Pittsburgh and Baltimore coaches, were going against each other for the NFC North title and the fourth seed in the AFC.

The two coaches had a lot in common. Tomlin was in his 19th year and Harbaugh his 18th and both had won Super Bowls, but Tomlin hadn’t won a playoff game since 2016, while Harbaugh had taken the Ravens to the AFC title game just two years ago.   

The Steelers won when Baltimore missed a last-second field goal and advanced to the playoffs, but lost to the Houston Texans 30-6 on Monday night.

And now both teams will have new coaches next year. Harbaugh was fired in a surprise move after the loss to Pittsburgh, while Tomlin resigned Tuesday. The Steelers had no plans to fire Tomlin, but the fan base had become frustrated with his lack of success in the playoffs in recent years even though he never had a losing season.

With nine jobs open, Harbaugh is the hottest candidate on the market and appears headed to the Giants, while Tomlin — who is under contract with the Steelers in 2026 — might take a year off to try broadcasting before returning to the sidelines in 2027.

Both Tomlin and Steeler owner Art Rooney II, who was apparently surprised by Tomlin’s decision, issued statements. Tomlin said he decided he decided to step down “after much thought and reflection.” Rooney said, “It is hard to put into words the level of respect and appreciation I have for Coach Tomlin.”  

Tomlin was only the third Steelers head coach the team has hired since 1969. That was the year Chuck Noll was hired. He won four Super Bowl in the 1970s and was followed by Cowher and Tomlin, who both won one Super Bowl and lost one. Like Cowher, Cowher also resigned and never returned to the sidelines and still appears on the CBS pregame show.

This will be the first time Art Rooney II has had to hire a head coach, so the pressure is on him to make the right choice. His late father, Dan Rooney, who hired Noll, Cowher and Tomlin, set a high bar. The new coach also has to find a quarterback for the future since Aaron Rodgers is likely to retire.

If he follows his dad’s model, Art II will hire an assistant coach in his 30s who will be on the job for more than decade.

Finding the right coach is easier said than done. But the Steelers like stability and  don’t want to become one of those teams that hires a new coach every few years. 

With the two top seeds, Seattle and Denver, getting a week off, the other 12 teams will be playing six games this weekend including three prime time games.

One of the big questions is whether the two seventh seeds, Green Bay or the Chargers,  can get a victory. Since the NFL went to seven playoff teams in each conference, the seventh seeds are 1-9.

Here is a look at the six games:

 –The weekend starts at 4:30 p.m. Saturday  with the Rams at Carolina on FOX. Look for the Rams to win this one even though the Panthers beat the Rams in the regular season. But the Panthers limped into the playoffs by losing three of their last  four games.

–The 8  p.m. game on Saturday night features the Packers at the Bears on Prime. The  two division rivals split in the regular seasons but the Bears had to overcome a 10-point deficit in final two minutes in the second game with the help of a recovered onside kick  and then won in overtime. This one figures to be close and there is a lot of pressure on Green Bay coach Matt LeFleur because he is in his seventh season and has yet to make the Super Bowl.

–The Sunday  tripleheader starts with Buffalo at Jacksonville at 1 p.m. on CBS. Jacksonville was a surprise team this year under new coach Liam Coen while Buffalo had a disappointing year and didn’t win their division title. It figures to be a close game. Jacksonville probably has the better team but the Bills have the  better quarterback with Josh Allen, although Trevor Lawrence improved in the second half of of the year. Buffalo coach Sean McDermott is in ninth season  and yet to get to the Super Bowl so he could be on the hot seat if the Bills lose.

–The 4;30 p.m game on FOX pits San Francisco at defending champion Philadelphia. The Eagles cost themselves the second second seed by resting their starters against Washington but probably have the edge in this game because of the 49ers’ injuries.

–The  8 p.m. Sunday game on NBC features the Chargers at New England. The Chargers will try to win as a seventh seed traveling across the country to cold weather site.  They have a difficult task. 

–The weekend  ends with the 8 p.m. Monday night game on ESPN/ABC with Houston at Pittsburgh. This figures  to be low-scoring defensive game decided in fourth quarter as Aaron  Rodgers tries to get one more playoff win. 

The final game of the regular season came down to the final play with a playoff berth on the line Sunday after Baltimore and Pittsburgh each traded two touchdowns in the final frantic minutes, Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell missed an extra point with 55 seconds left so the Steelers had only a two-point lead and the Ravens had plenty of time to kick the game winning field goal. The Ravens got in position for the field goal with two  seconds left but Tyler Loop hit it wide right to send the Ravens home while the Steelers won the AFC North title and the fourth seed and will host the fifth-seed Texans in the wild card playoff round next weekend. The Texans nailed down the fifth seed by beating the Colts.

 –Seattle and Denver both won their season finales to win their division titles and get the top seed and a bye. The Seahawks used their strong defense to stop the 49ers 13-3 to get the NFC bye and the Broncos beat the Chargers 19-7 to clinch the AFC bye. The Chargers had clinched a wild card berth so they rested ailing starters like quarterback Justin Herbert.

–The Bucs beat the Pantherss 16-14, so they both finished 8-9.  But the Falcons beat the Saints, 19-17, to create a three-way tie at 8-9 and the Panthers won the tie breaker to win the division title and the fourth seed but have the daunting  task  of hosting the Rams  in the wild card round. If the Saints had won the Bucs would have won the division tittle.

–Philadelphia coach Nick Sirianni decided to rest some  of his starters and lost to the Commanders 24-17 and that cost him the second seed when the Lions beat the Bears 19-16. He said he has no regrets about being the third seed after losing the second seed but it could cost him a home game in the second round

–In the will card round besides Houston going to Pittsburgh and the Rams going to Carolina, the Packers go to the Bears, the Bills go to the Jaguars, the 49ers go to the Eagles and the Chargers go to the Patriots.

There won’t be a lot of drama for the final week  of the regular season. Having an 18 week season with each team playing 17 games hasn’t provided much dividends this year.

The final regular season game on Sunday night pits the Ravens at the Steelers for the AFC North Division title and a chance to host a first round playoff game as the fourth seed. The loser will not make the playoffs. But the winner isn’t expected to go deep in the playoffs since the Steelers are 9-7 and the Ravens are 8-8. 

–The best game of the weekend is Seattle at San Francisco for the NFC West title and the top seed. The loser will be a wild-card team. It is surprising the league decided to make this a Saturday night game instead of Sunday night since the winner will have a good shot at the Super Bowl.

–Denver can wrap up the top seed in the AFC by beating the Chargers Sunday and the Broncos are fortunate that Charger coach Jim Harbaugh decided to rest Justin Herbert. The Chargers are unlikely to beat the Broncos without Herbert.   

–In the first game Saturday at 4:30 p.m., Carolina will play at Tampa with both teams vying for the NFC South title but there is a twist. Carolina can clinch with a victory but will still win the division if it loses and Atlanta beat the Saints Sunday. So if the Bucs win, they have to wait until Sunday to find out if they are  the division winner and the fourth seed or miss the playoffs. It seems unusual the league didn’t schedule both games Sunday. But the winner is not likely to go deep in the playoffs.

–Jacksonville figures to win the AFC South title and the third seed by beating the Titans Sunday. But if they are upset, the Texans, who have clinched a wild card spot, can win the division title by beating the Colts.

In  some of the highlights of the second to last weekend of the season, the New England Patriots won their first division title since Tom Brady left, the Houston Texans clinched a playoff berth, the Pittsburgh Steelers lost a chance to clinch their division title and now face a prime time showdown next Sunday against the Ravens with the division title on the line and the two No. 1 seeds, Denver and Seattle, have to win their season finales to clinch first round byes.

The Patriots just needed to win their final two games to clinch their division title but they did it a week early when they routed the Jets as Drake Maye had the best quarterback day ever with five touchdown passes, 254 yards passing and a 90.1 percent completion rate as he threw only two incompletions. And then the Patriots clinched with the Bills lost to the Eagles, 13-12, when Josh Allen missed a wide open receiver in the end zone on a two point conversion try in an attempt to win the game instead of kicking an extra point to tie the game and go for overtime. The Bills have clinched a wild-card spot.

–Pittsburgh missed DK Metcalf, who was suspended for hitting a fan a week ago, as they lost  to the Cleveland Browns, 13-6, when the  Aaron Rodgers final pass from the seven went incomplete. And Baltimore routed Green Bay, 41-24, as Derrick Henry rushed for 216 yards and four touchdowns. So now the Steelers and Ravens will meet Sunday night for the NFC North, the fourth seed and the loser will go home.

–The top seeds, Seattle and Denver, both won as Seattle beat Carolina, 27-10, while holding the Panthers to 140 of offense and Bryce Young passed for only 54 yards and Denver beat the Chiefs, 20-13. Now both can clinch the No. 1 seed by winning their finales. Denver got a break when Chnarger coach John Harbaugh decided to rest Justin Herbert against the Bronnco.  The Seahawks have a tough game against the 49ers, who  edged the Bears, 42-38, in one of the most entertaining games of the year. The winner of the Seattle-49er game gets the top seed and the loser is a wild card team.

–Jacksonville edged the Colts 23-17 and now can clinch the division title and the third seed by beating the Titans. Houston beat the Chargers 20-16 to clinch a wild card spot and could still win the division if the Jaguars lose and the Texans beats the Colts.

–Carolina lost to the Seahawks but can still win the division title by beating the Bucs in the season finale. They can also win the division title if  they lose and the Falcons beat the Saints. So if the Bucs win they have to wait and see which teams wins the Falcons-Saints game to find out if they win the  division title.

The NFL didn’t have a holiday special for the fans on Christmas Day.

There were three games, but only one of the six team playing is currently seeded. Dallas was at Washington in the first game and both are eliminated. Detroit was at Minnesota in the second game, and both are longshots to make the playoffs. In the third game, AFC top seeded Denver was heavily favored over a Kansas City team that is eliminated and both of its top two quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew are injured.

Many fans can’t see the games anyway unless they live in the cities of the teams playing. The first two are on Netflix and the night game on Amazon Prime. 

-There is a good double header Saturday with Houston at the Chargers and Baltimore at Green Bay. Houston can clinch a berth with a victory, The Chargers have clinched a berth but still have a shot at the top seed if they win. They play top seeded Denver next week. Green Bay can clinch a payoff berth with a win or a Detroit loss.

–The Sunday night game features NFC second-seeded Bears at fifth-seeded San Francisco. The Bears can clinch the division title  with a win or a Green Bay loss. San Francisco needs a win to stay alive in the battle for the division title and the top seed. The 49ers have clinched a playoff berth.

–The Monday night game has the Rams at Atlanta. The Rams have clinched but need a win to stay alive in the battle for the top seed and the division title.

–The feature game Sunday is the FOX national doubleheader with Philadelphia, the  third seed in the NFC , at Buffalo, the sixth seed in the AFC. In the the other Sunday games with playoff implications for at least one team, Pittsburgh is at Cleveland, Jacksonville is at Indianapolis, the New England Patriots  are at the New York Jets and Tampa Bay is at Miami.

With just two week left  in the regular season season, the playoff picture is starting to take shape.

Ten of the 14 playoff berths are already  set since five teams have clinched in each conference. The AFC  teams that have clinched are the Broncos, Patriots, Jaguars, Chargers and Biills. In the NFC,  the Seahawks, Bears, Eagles, 49ers and Rams have clinched playoff berths.

–The San Francisco win over the  Colts  Monday night enabled three teams — Jaguars, Chargers and Bills — to cinch playoff spots.

–In the AFC, fourth seeded Pittsburgh and th seventh seeded Texans have yet to clinch. The Steelers can clinch the AFC North  with a win over the Lions and a Ravens loss at Green Bay. It remains to be seen if anything is at stake when the Ravens go to Pittsburgh next week. Houston can clinch a berth with a win or tie against the Chargers or a loss or tie by Indianapolis against Jacksonville. If both Houston and Indianapolis win, the Texans can clinch on strength of victory.

–In the NFC, fourth-seeded Carolina and seventh-seeded Green Bay have yet to clinch. If Tampa Bay  wins in Miami this week, the Panthers will play the Bucs  for the division title next week. The Packers  can clinch this week with a win over the Ravens or a loss or tie by the Lions against Minnesota.

–Seattle and Denver are top seeds with two weeks left. Seattle took over the top spot by coming back  from 16 down to beat the Rams with the help of a bizarre two-point conversion that started with a backward pass that was deflected, Denver remained in top spot despite a loss to Jacksonville.

The NFL 14 teams currently seeded with three games to go have a good chance of making it to the playoffs but there are still a lot of big games involving where teams are seeded and whether the current division leaders can win their division titles.

–The weekend gets off to a good start with the Rams at Seattle. Both are 11-3 and tied for the best record in the the NFC and the winner will be in first place in the NFC West. The Rams are currently the top seed in the  NFC and favored because Seattle’s Sam Darnold does not have a history of winning big games and lost the first game to the Rams when he threw four picks.

–The NFL will also have a Saturday doubleheader because the college regular season is over. The third-seeded Eagles with a 9-5 record will be favored over Washington, which has been eliminated, in the first game while Green Bay, the seventh seed in the NFC, will be at Chicago, the second seed at 10-4 in the night game. In the Sunday night game, New England, the second AFC seed at 11-3, will try to bounce back from the Bills loss when it meets the Ravens, who are a game behind the Steelers in the AFC North at 7-7. The Monday night will feature San Francisco , the sixth NFC seed, at Indianapolis with Philip Rivers making hi s second start. The Colts are 8-6.

–In the best CBS game Sunday, 7-6  Pittsburgh, the AFC North leader. will go to  8-6 Detroit in the doubleheader game.

–The best FOX game will feature 10-4 Jacksonville at 12-2 Denver, with both teams leading their divisions, but it won’t get much exposure because both teams had losing records last year and weren’t expected to do this well. 

Times are changing for the Chiefs. When they lost to the Chargers, 16-13, they were eliminated from the playoffs. That ended their string of 10 consecutive playoff seasons and also ended their string of seven straight appearances in the AFC title game.

And after appearing in five Super Bowls and winning three of them, they won’t be going for a fourth this year. On top of that, they lost Patrick Mahomes with a torn ACL late in the game.

Now the question is whether he will be ready to start the beginning of next year and whether he will lose any of the mobility that helped make him such a good quarterback. The irony is Tom Brady suffered a torn ACL after winning three Super Bowls at the same stage of his career. He did it in the 2008 opener so he was ready to start the 2009 season although he didn’t return to the Super Bowl until 2011.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs have to get Mahomes a better supporting cast. With Travis Kelce probably retiring, they need a tight end plus a true No. 1 receiver and upgrade the offensive line if they are to start another run. Gardner Minshew will finish the season at quarterback and they have to decide if he is an adequate backup or they also need to look for one who can start the season if Mahomes isn’t ready. And with Chris Jones showing his age, they need another dominant lineman.

This will be a test for the Chiefs to show they can reload without needing a rebuilding job. 

–Now that the Chiefs won’t be in the race to the Super Bowl, the question is which teams will be. The Broncos are currently the top seed in the AFC with a 12-2 record and have clinched a playoff spot. The New England Patriots remained the second seed at 10-3 even though they couldn’t hold a 21-0 lead and lost to the Bills, who are currently the sixth seed at 10-3. It will be difficult, though, for the Bills to overtake the Patriots with just three games left.

The Jaguars are the third seed at 10-4 after routing Jets. But if they lose at Denver this weekend and the Texans win their last three, the Texans will be the division winner and the Jaguars will be a wild card team.

The Steelers are the fourth seed after beating Miami 28-15 Monday night to go to 8-6. The are a game ahead of the Ravens and play them in the season finale. The Ravens blanked the Bengals. The 10-4 Chargers are the fifth seed after beating the Chiefs and the 9-5 Texans are the seventh seed after routing the Cardinals.

–In the NFC, the Rams are the top seed at 11-3 after beating the Lions, while the 10-4 Bears jumped into the second seed by routing the Browns 31-3 and the 9-5 Eagles are the third seed after blanking the Raiders 31-0. The Bucs lost to the Falcons 29-28 and are the fourth seed at 7-7. The Seattle Seahawks are the fifth seed at 11-3 after beating the Colts, 18-16. The 10-4 49ers are the sixth seed after beating the Titans 37-24 and the Packers are the seventh seed at 9-4-1after losing to the Broncos.

 –Seattle got the victory but the Colts showed they made the right move in signing Philip Rivers at age 44. Playing for the first time in five years, he had the Colts in the lead with 47 seconds left before the Seahawks won it with a field goal with 18 seconds left.  

–Miami was eliminated from the playoffs Monday night. The other AFC teams eliminated  are the Chiefs, Bengals, Jets, Browns, Raiders and Titans. The NFC teams eliminated are the Commanders, Giants, Vikings, Falcons, Saints and Cardinals.