The questions and discussion…
1) In the Philadelphia Eagles 41-7 butt-whopping over the Dallas Cowboys the team not only put an exclamation point on their locking up the NFC East but their star running back Saquon Barkley ran 31 times for 167 yards, the last of which was a 23-yard romp that pushed him over 2,000 rushing yards for the season at 2,004. Barkley is now 101 yards from surpassing Eric Dickerson’s single season rushing yardage record.
With the division wrapped up and the chances slim of the Eagles capturing the No. 1 seed in the NFC…
If you are head coach Nick Sirianni do you give Barkley a shot to pursue and surpass Dickerson in the regular-season finale against the New York Giants or do you use the Week 18 game as a pseudo bye and rest the bulk of the team’s starters including Saquon Barkley? Why or why not?
Dan
Saquon Barkley
While the news has already came out that Saquon Barkley will sit for their Week 18 match-up against the New York Giants, I think that’s somewhat the right call. While Saquon Barkley can surpass the all-time record against a poor Giants’ run defense, he is still 101 yards away from the record.
I would play the starters for a half and sit them the second half. While that can give Saquon Barkley enough time to beat the record, I don’t think that’s a main priority of anybody, including Saquon. I’m not a fan of sitting players for the final game, but rather playing a half so that they can still get some game reps in, and no momentum is lost with the week off.
The Eagles aren’t playing for much. They’re locked into the second seed in the NFC playoffs and there’s no reason to risk injury or problems occurring in the final game before the most important part of the season. Who cares about the record? If Saquon gets hurt playing in a game that won’t make a difference for the team and is forced to sit out for the playoffs, what was the purpose? There’s no reason to risk that.
Joe
Regarding the single season rushing record…
With the number two seed locked up and no shot at getting the number one seed there is no way the Eagles need to or should have Barkley rush 30-plus carries in back-to-back weeks with the wild-card round coming up next for the team. But versus the Giants, who have one of the worst run defenses going this season, e shouldn’t need that many touches to rack up the needed 102 yards to break Dickerson’s record.
If I’m HC Nick Sirianni I have whoever is playing at QB give Barkley a handful of carries early in the game and see if he breaks a big run or gets most of the way there. If he looks close to getting the record by his 10th carry or so then keep him in to set the mark. If not, if he’s nowhere close to getting the needed yards, Sirianni gave him a shot at it but the post season is more important; no sense in tempting fate more than he needs to… get his butt out there.
Now… all of my musings are going for naught as recent reports are saying Barkley, along with a slew of other starters, will be given the day off.
C’est la guerre…
2) Going into the Week 16 contest with the Los Angeles Chargers, the Broncos had three games to get one win to make the playoffs. But now, after losing to the Chargers and then losing to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 17, Denver must win their regular-season finale against the Kansas City Chiefs to get a necessary 10th win to secure their place in this season’s playoffs.
Can the Broncos bounce back from their current two-game losing streak and win a make-or-break game versus the Chiefs for a playoff spot? Why or why not?
Dan
Denver Broncos
I think the Denver Broncos have a perfect situation coming into a must-win game against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs, having already locked up the number one overall seed in the AFC, will be sitting their starters. That means they won’t face Chris Jones, Travis Kelce or Patrick Mahomes. So without the Chiefs’ stars starting, and already playing a ton of close games this season, and with Carson Wentz starting at quarterback, the Broncos will, in all reality, be playing against second- and third-stringers. It leaves them in a good position to win this game. They almost beat the Chiefs earlier in the season when the Chiefs were playing their starters. If they didn’t get a final kick blocked, they would have won the game. So I think the Broncos are going to pull this game out and put Bo Nix into the postseason in year one. Bo Nix has a ton of experience. He’s played in major games in college with the Oregon Ducks. This is a huge game in the biggest level of football. I picked Denver to win in the group picks, and I believe Denver pulls this out.
Joe
The Broncos are a big favorite in this game and that’s due to the fact that the Chiefs are expected to be resting their starters with the number one seed pick and home field throughout the AFC playoffs already in their pocket.
The assumption is that with the Chiefs sitting all their starters, the Broncos might feel like a lock to win this game versus the Chiefs.
But let’s whoa down here for a moment…
During Andy Reid’s tenure as HC in KC, the Chiefs have benched their starters in the final week of the season a total of four times and they’ve gone 2-2 in those games. Simply put the Chiefs, regardless of who they have playing in this game are not going to just show up; they will put up a decent showing and frankly it’s chance for those so-called backups replacing the teams starters to have their moment in the NFL let the coaches take notice of their preparation for the game and their ability to paly at a high level.
And it’s not like backup QB Carson Wentz is a washout and just hanging on to try for ring with Chiefs as Mahome’s backup… he has success in the NFL before and he still got a lot left in the tank as he leads the team into the final game of the regular season. You can bet Wentz is going to want to prove that he can still play in the NFL, so don’t go counting the Chief out of this game yet, because I ain’t.
Which means Denver will not win this game and there will be no bounce back whatsoever.
3) Despite suffering their third consecutive loss in Week 17 the Pittsburgh Steelers are still postseason-bound.
But with the way the Steelers have been performing throughout their current losing streak, on offense and defense, is this Steelers’ team capable of making some noise in the postseason or is this team doomed to be a “one and done” for this year’s playoffs? Why or why not?
And regarding the Steelers’ QB play and their offense…
Where will Russell Wilson be playing on opening day of the 2025/26 season… Pittsburgh or somewhere else? Why?
Dan
Pittsburgh Steelers
With the Steelers dominant defense and the most reliable kicker in the league this season, Chris Boswell, the Steelers are poised to make some noise come postseason. This is the time of the year where playing in Pittsburgh is an advantage. Even if they have to play on the road, the teams that are in the postseason in the AFC are cold-weather teams.
The playoffs are also the time where teams win by defense and kickers making big-time field goals. They just need Russell Wilson to play quality football, which means keeping possession and not turning the ball over. Wilson has playoff experience. He’s won a Super Bowl before. Mike Tomlin is one of the best coaches in football. He’s been in the postseason consistently. He’s won a Super Bowl before and been to multiple. I think the Steelers are in a great position to make noise in the playoffs.
I also think, while there’s rumors that the Steelers are looking at various quarterbacks around the league, will keep Russell Wilson as quarterback for the next two-to-three years. He’s been great since he’s stepped in. He’s been an upgrade over Justin Fields. He’s been allowed to play his brand of football, and they didn’t bring him in for a one-year bridge gap. They brought him in to Pittsburgh to play for the next couple of seasons, and I think he’s a perfect fit for their offense. Wilson will be under center come September 2025.
Joe
I have long touted defense as being the biggest reason why most teams win games and in particular championship games. And the Steelers have long been noted for their team defense through the years and have kept that rep up through the Mike Tomlin era.
So with that said…
I don’t see the Steelers being a one and done team in the playoffs but as far the Steelers making some noise in this year’s playoffs… I just don’t see them pulling out wins against the better teams, especially if the need to score a lot of points to win those games, they will face as the team gets deeper into the playoffs.
The Steelers get past the Wild Card but lose in the Divisional Round.
As for Wilson…
He probably tests free agency and in my opinion has a better than 50-50 shot at playing elsewhere in the 2025/26 season.
And I’m leaning to that way of thinking… he will arguably be the number one free agent QB and unless the Steelers strike early with a deal he can’t refuse I think he takes his shot and he goes for that last big deal to close out his NFL career.
4) In the Washington Commanders’ Week 17 victory over the Atlanta Falcons, Jayden Daniels threw for 227 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another 127 yards including leading a game winning drive in OT where he carried the ball six times for 42 yards and completed all four of his passes for 30 yards, the last of which was a two-yard touchdown pass for the 30-24 win and a guaranteed playoff berth…
Did Daniel’s performance in Week 17 just lock up the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year Award? Why or why not?
Dan
Jayden Daniels
Jayden Daniels locked up the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award a couple weeks ago, but if he didn’t before Week 17, he definitely locked it up after a quality win over Atlanta. He had 227 passing yards and three touchdowns, including two to tight end Zach Ertz – one which was the game-winning touchdown grab in overtime. He also had 127 rushing yards. He led the Commanders on a game-tying drive in the fourth quarter to send them to overtime, and then the game-winning drive in overtime. He’s had 3,530 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and 9 interceptions on the year. He had 864 rushing yards with 6 rushing touchdowns on the season. He’s turned the Commanders around into a competitor and in playoff position. With the impact he’s in Washington, he’s been the best rookie in the NFL.
Joe
If he doesn’t’ win the OROY then I want to see the people who vote for this award drug tested.
If he hadn’t already had the award locked up prior to the Week 17 game then his performance in that Week 17 game sealed the deal and cliched the OROY for Daniels this year.
5) And while on the topic of NFL awards…
Is this year’s NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year destined to be a Philadelphia Eagle cornerback? Why or why not?
If yes… which CB wins? Why?
If no… then who is your DROY? Why?
Dan
Jared Verse
I don’t think the rookie comes out of Philadelphia, but rather on the other side of the country in Los Angeles. Jared Verse will be the Defensive Rookie of the Year.
He’s also moved into the betting favorite by a good margin to win the award.
He’s had 75 pressures this season, which is fourth in the NFL among all players. He also has 23 more pressures than any other rookie. He’s had 65 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, 11 tackles-for-loss, 18 quarterback hits and two forced fumbles, passes defensed and two fumble recoveries.
After the loss of Aaron Donald in the off-season to retirement, they haven’t missed a beat on the defensive line with Jared Verse stepping right into his shoes and filling an enormous role. I’m going with the betting odds, and the stat sheet. Give it to Jared Verse.
Joe
Quinyon Mitchell
With lockdown coverage and game-changing impact, Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell has helped to transform an Eagles defense from being a unit that finished near the bottom of the league in pass defense last year to being among the NFL’s elite this year as the team currently ranks among the top teams in total yards allowed and passing defense.
For the last few weeks of the NFL season the odds for who wins this award has been changing from Mitchell being the favorite to win this award to the Rams’ Jared Verse being the favorite.
But I think Mitchell has a big game against a sad sack Giants offense and sneaks in and snatches the award away from Verse.
Leave a Reply