JIM LANG’S 10 NFL THINGS: WEEK 16
Hi there, before we get started, I wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday and a very Merry Christmas. Sorry, I still say Merry Christmas; don’t judge me. With the holidays approaching, things are getting interesting in the NFL. And as a result of Covid and the Omicron variant, the schedule was turned upside down this week. What started out as the NFL announcing players testing positive for Covid on a daily basis changed in a real hurry. By the end of the week, the league was giving hourly updates. With that in mind, here is a look back at what happened this week in the NFL.
1 – Thursday – Week 15 kicked off Thursday in LA as the golden boy with the golden arm, Justin Herbert and the Chargers hosted Patrick Mahomes and the red-hot Chiefs. The game started on a sombre note with the injury to Chargers tight end Donald Parham Jr. He was taken to the UCLA Medical Centre and treated for a concussion. As of Friday, the Chargers reported that Parham would be released from the hospital. As far as the rest of the game, Chargers fans were left with a lot of questions for coach Brandon Staley and his devotion to analytics. In Staley’s world, you always go for it on 4th down. In theory, I like this practice. But you can’t go for it on 4th down each and every time, that makes no sense. Twice the Chargers had a chance to kick a short field-goal, and twice they failed on their 4th down attempts. This is where Staley’s logic is flawed. The Chiefs came into the game riding a 6-game winning steak, and their defence has been incredible the past month. In my mind, playing a team like the Chiefs, you take points whenever and wherever you can. If this was the Chiefs in the first six weeks of the season that was struggling to score points and struggling defensively, then Staley’s decision making would make total sense. But not Thursday night. And that allowed Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce to go to work late in the fourth quarter and in over-time. The Chargers lost a game they should have won, and the Chiefs are riding a 7-game winning streak and now have the inside track at the top seed in the AFC. Not bad for a team who was 3-4 at one point this season.
2 – Saturday night – Week 15 continued Saturday night in Indianapolis as the Colts hosted the red-hot New England Patriots. The Colts came into the game winners of 4 of their past 5 games. The Patriots were riding a 7-game winning streak. After a night of sloppy play from both quarterbacks, it was the Colts amazing running back Jonathan Taylor that sealed the victory for the home-side. Yes, Colts linebacker Darius Leonard was a key factor in the win. But the number one star of the game was Jonathan Taylor. Taylor ended up with 29 carries for 170 yards and one highlight reel touchdown run late in the 4th quarter. Taylor is the first running back since LaDainian Tomlinson to go 11 straight games with at least one rushing touchdown. Bill Belichick and the Patriots can point to a number of reasons why they lost the game, but the biggest reason is they simply could not stop Taylor.
3 – 2 points – First off, let me say how much I respect and admire John Harbaugh as a coach. His resume speaks for itself. Having said that, I was yelling at the TV as Harbaugh went for a 2-point conversion at the end of their loss to the Packers. Why? Kick the PAT, go to overtime and take your chances. This loss is on Harbaugh, plain and simple. There was no excuse to do what he did. While I was shaking my head in disgust at Harbaugh during the Ravens game, I was nodding my head in deep admiration for the Steelers Joe Haden in their desperately needed win. With the game on the line, Haden made a text-book tackle in the open field to preserve the Steelers win over the Titans.
4 – The Packers – Thanks to Harbaugh’s boneheaded decision, the Packers won the game, and they are the NFC North Champions. That means at least one team will have to travel to the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field in mid-January to face Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. In the past 4 weeks, Rodgers has passed for 1,301 yards, 13 touchdowns and zero interceptions. Rodgers has the highest passer rating in the NFL and his touchdown to interception ratio is off the charts. This might end up being the best season of Rodgers incredible career.
5 – The 49ers – Or should I say, the Bullies by the Bay? Winners of 5 of their past 6 games, teams around the NFC better beware of the 49ers. The 49ers are one of the most physically punishing teams in the NFL right now. To top it off, tight end George Kittle has become a nightmare for opposing defences. Up next, the 49ers take on the Titans and the Texans before they wrap up the regular season against the Rams. I would not want to face this 49ers team in the post-season.
6 – The Bengals – That was a clutch win for the Bengals. Here they were, riding a two-game losing streak, on the road in a tough barn and playing a solid Broncos team. That’s what made their win so impressive. I like what Zac Taylor is building in Cincinnati. They have a franchise quarterback in Joe Burrow, a star receiver in Ja’Marr Chase and a very productive running back in Joe Mixon. Next week, the Bengals take on the Ravens in what should a wild AFC North show-down.
7 – Who Dat? – Every member of the Saints defence deserves a game ball. They did such an excellent job of shutting down and shutting out Tom Brady and the Buccaneers offence, that Brady smashed a tablet on the sidelines out of frustration. The Saints are now 7-7 and with their remaining schedule, there is no reason why they don’t end the year with 9 wins and a spot in the playoffs.
8 – Playoff Update – With only three weeks left in the regular season, there is still a lot to be determined in the NFL. The only team that has clinched a playoff spot so far is the Green Bay Packers. The Wild Card in both the NFC and the AFC is going to come down to the final week of the regular season. An equally large battle is the fight for the top seed in the NFC and the AFC. Only one team gets a bye week in the new playoff format, and that makes that top seed even more valuable.
9 – Monday Night Mayhem – Week 15 in the NFL continued Monday with a Covid inspired double-header. In the first game, the Browns hosted the Las Vegas Raiders in Cleveland. In a hostile environment, Daniel Carlson nailed the game winning, 48-yard field-goal as time expired. While the Raiders won the game, I have the utmost respect to the way Cleveland’s Nick Mullens played in a losing cause. In the regularly scheduled game, the Bears hosted their long-time rivals, the Minnesota Vikings in Chicago. This game was best summed up by one leather-lunged fan whose trash talking of Matt Nagy was picked up by the sideline microphones, ‘After further review, we suck!’ Nagy has got to go if the Bears want to become a respectable team again. With the win, the Vikings are still very much alive in the NFC Wild Card race. By the way, Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson is a special player.
10 – Terrible Tuesday – With Covid numbers spiralling out of control by the end of the last week, the NFL had no choice but to reschedule a number of games. The LA Rams hosted the Seattle Seahawks. At the same time, the Eagles were hosting the Washington Football Team in Philadelphia. I will start in LA and another impressive game by Cooper Kupp. The Rams seemingly unstoppable receiver has 122 catches for 1,625 yards and 14 touchdowns. And he has three games left to play! The Rams win is bad news for the Cardinals as both teams are 10-4 and the Rams have the better schedule the rest of the season. Meanwhile in Philadelphia, the Eagles survived some sloppy play in the first half and managed to beat a short-handed Washington Football team. Say what you and about the Eagles, they sure can run the football. A Wild Card spot in the NFC is still a possibility for the Eagles.
Covid permitting, Week 16 in the NFL will kick off Thursday in Nashville as the Titans host the 49ers. The 49ers come into the game on a roll and playing the kind of physical football that is perfect for this time of the year.
That will be followed by a Christmas day double-header with the Packers hosting the Browns and the Cardinals hosting the Colts.
On Boxing Day, there will be a normal slate of Sunday games.
Merry Christmas and I will talk to you next week.
(Jim Lang is Canada’s foremost expert on the NFL. Follow him on Twitter at @JimLangSports)
