As we return to campus for the final push before break, NFL teams, too, are gearing up for a last push as playoff spots are taken and seasons are lost. Before the hors d’oeuvres rolled out on Thanksgiving Thursday, the feasting kicked off in the morning with the Green Bay Packers leaving the Detroit Lions hungry, upsetting the division-leading Lions 29-22. Despite their disappointing loss, Detroit’s success thus far is reflective of a larger trend this season. In 2023, we have seen squads completely reinvent themselves, which this most recent NFL week showcased.
The Pittsburgh Steelers fired Matt Canada, their offensive coordinator, after three seasons with the team. Pittsburgh seemed to immediately reap the benefits of this decision, seeing, for the first time in 58 games, 400-plus yards of offensive production. Still, the Steelers have a lot to prove. The Houston Texans are joining the new-look squad on the shoulders of rookie quarterback CJ Stroud. Stroud has garnered significant praise, with some even saying that the young quarterback should be this year’s Most Valuable Player. Stroud lost momentum this week, going 21-24 against a hot-and-cold Jacksonville Jaguars squad—our fourth unlikely contender. The Jaguars have appeared dangerous, but I do not think they are as daunting as they seem. Despite sitting in first place in the AFC South, the Jaguars have still scored fewer total points than the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans, who are second and third place in the division, respectively. The Jaguars can no doubt get into a rhythm behind their solid defense and respectable offense, but the Jaguars (or rather, the cubs) have some maturing to do. The final rekindled contender is the Denver Broncos. Mortgaging much of their future by trading draft picks and young talent for quarterback Russell Wilson and head coach Sean Payton, the Broncos struggled to justify the decision with a rocky start to the season. But Denver has surprised the football world after going on a five-game win streak that they extended with a 29-12 victory against the Cleveland Browns to get back into playoff contention. Sean Payton found his chemistry with Wilson, relying on a more balanced offensive approach that is less focused on throwing the ball.
For now, the emergence of these new-look teams has taken the place of former NFL powerhouses and contenders. Potentially the best examples are the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Rams. The Patriots kept it close with the New York Giants on Sunday, but ended up missing a late-game field goal that would have tied the game, losing 7-10. The Patriots have replaced quarterback Mac Jones in successive poor outings with Bailey Zappe, who has not been much better—both quarterbacks threw an interception against the Giants. The Patriots are now 2-9 and at the bottom of the AFC East, sitting below the nauseating New York Jets. Two seasons after winning the Super Bowl, the Rams have fallen off a cliff as they struggle to hang onto a .500 record. Los Angeles defeated the Arizona Cardinals 37-14, but this outcome is indicative of a larger trend in the NFL today—the bad teams are really bad, and they get beat up on. The Dallas Cowboys look dominant, but they have been winning against really poor teams, with seven of their eight wins against teams below .500.
As the playoff picture is shaping up, I will look back at some past takes and check in on how I predicted the season. Next week, look out for a playoff prediction and forecast check-in. What happened to the Buffalo Bills? Are the Philadelphia Eagles legit? And who is coming out of the AFC North?