NFL

• Falcons 20, Cardinals 19
  • Games like this one obviously don’t matter in terms of playoff positioning, so they’re mostly about the development and showcasing of talent. For the Falcons, Desmond Ridder appears to be developing. The rookie signal-caller has upped his completion percentage in each of the past two weeks, and may be positioning himself to be Atlanta’s quarterback to open the 2023 season, especially with the Falcons at 6-10 and perhaps out of the mix for drafting a blue-chip quarterback.
  • For the Cardinals, this has certainly been a lost season, but the team put up a valiant effort yesterday. Trey McBride is starting to flash at tight end, as are Cameron Thomas and Myjai Sanders off the edge. J.J. Watt announced last week that he would be retiring following this season, and we’ve been lucky to watch Watt the past 12 years in the NFL. Watt recorded a sack in this contest, and is having his best campaign since 2018.
• Lions 41, Bears 10
  • Detroit has come a long way since a 1-6 start. Now 8-8, the Lions have Jared Goff playing at a level he hasn’t reached since he helped the Rams reach the Super Bowl several years ago. Additionally, the mix and usage of Jamaal Williams and D’Andre Swift out of the backfield has proven effective, even if it’s fair to argue the talented Swift has been underutilized. The Lions haven’t been the best at sacking quarterbacks this season, but the club registered seven quarterback takedowns yesterday, and had the Bears’ offensive line in a blender all afternoon. The Lions face a tall task of winning in Green Bay next week, but Dan Campbell’s team is capable.
  • The stretch run of this season has basically gone perfectly for the Bears. Justin Fields, especially as a passer, wasn’t great in this game, but he’s displayed significant growth as this season has gone on. Along with the improvement of Fields, the Bears have continued to lose, and now the club is locked into a top-four pick for the upcoming draft. Chicago has plenty of holes, but fortunately it’ll have way more cap space than any other team to work with this spring. Priorities A, B, and C should be supplementing franchise quarterback Justin Fields with more talent, at both wide receiver and along the offensive line.
• Chiefs 27, Broncos 24
  • The Chiefs shouldn’t be too concerned by this close result. Denver also played Kansas City well several weeks ago, and the team is still in position to secure the AFC’s top seed. With that said, it sure would be a relief if the Chiefs were to roll the Raiders next week. Two key matters for Kansas City: Patrick Mahomes eliminating bad interceptions and Chris Jones continuing to perform at an elite level.
  • The Broncos have a huge offseason ahead of them, and so many areas of the roster need fixing. Russell Wilson, who went 26-38 for 222 yards yesterday, of course needs to get closer to the level he played at as a Seahawk, but that’s not all. Improvement from Wilson should also boost the effectiveness of pass catchers such as Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy. On the other side of the ball, a few things need cleaned up, but youngster Patrick Surtain II and veteran Justin Simmons are nice building blocks.
• Patriots 23, Dolphins 21
  • The Patriots have been maligned at an unjustifiably high level for an 8-8 team thus far. New England sports an excellent defense, led by guys like Matthew Judon, Josh Uche, and Kyle Dugger, and as long as Mac Jones plays reasonably well, the Patriots are capable of consistently winning games. Mac Jones playing well is a big if, though. He’s been one of the NFL’s worst starting quarterbacks in 2022, and a good defense should be able to feast on him come playoff time — if New England makes it.
  • The Dolphins have now dropped five straight games. I stated it at the time and still stand by it — the trade for Bradley Chubb was a bad one. The Dolphins aren’t a contender and never were. The team has had some bad luck this year with injuries at the game’s most important position, but that doesn’t excuse poor play on the defensive side of the ball. Miami is still alive, but it may have to win next week with Skylar Thompson commanding the offense.
• Giants 38, Colts 10
  • Daniel Jones has put New York in an interesting spot. I’m sure the club is thrilled that the 25-year-old has put the team in the playoffs for the first time since 2016, but the front office will need to determine what to do with Jones contractually following this campaign. The Duke product has posted a QBR of over 50.0 in each of his last four outings, which is quite impressive given his lack of an elite pass catching arsenal. In this particular game, Dexter Lawrence and Landon Collins played well defensively.
  • The Colts are a mess, but once things started to go haywire, perhaps this is what the club wanted. Indianapolis is basically bottoming out, but still probably won’t be drafting high enough to secure Bryce Young or CJ Stroud outright. On the bright side, linebackers Bobby Okereke and Zaire Franklin combined for 27 tackles yesterday, continuing their strong campaigns.
• Saints 20, Eagles 10
  • New Orleans won’t be making an appearence in this year’s postseason, but the team has to happy to have Marshon Lattimore back. The stud cornerback had a interception in this tilt, and was key to the Saints shutting down Philadelphia’s scoring unit. The Saints need to find a franchise quarterback and figure out their salary cap situation, but winning seven games this season considering the circumstances isn’t an abject failure in any way.
  • Gardner Minshew, despite a poor showing yesterday, is a solid backup quarterback, but the Eagles surely miss Jalen Hurts. DeVonta Smith (115 yards) and A.J. Brown (97 yards) received plenty of catchable passes in this game, but Minshew simply doesn’t control and manage a game well enough. Lost in the result of this contest was the Eagles continuing their rampage on opposing quarterbacks. The league’s best pass rush recorded seven sacks, including two each from the talented edge duo of Hasson Reddick and Brandon Graham.
• Buccaneers 30, Panthers 24
  • I can’t believe how well Tom Brady, at age 45, continues to perform. The future hall of famer went 34-45 for 432 yards and three touchdowns in this game, and finally started clicking with Mike Evans again. This Tampa Bay team is probably still more shine than substance, but should be able to at least make the Cowboys or Eagles sweat during the Wild Card round. Lavonte David isn’t 45-years-old, but he’s had an underrated career and is still playing at an admirably high level.
  • Sam Darnold has actually done a decent job since grabbing the starting job, but this Panthers team simply doesn’t have the horses to get to the playoffs. D.J. Moore has ramped up his play of late, and Frankie Luvu continued his breakout season yesterday, but loads of talent, and perhaps a new coaching staff, is needed in Carolina.
• Browns 24, Commanders 10
  • The second half of this game was a welcomed sign, but Cleveland obviously needs to prioritize getting Deshaun Watson right for next season. For better or worse, the Browns are a run-first team, which is counterintuitive to giving up a substantial amount of capital to acquire and pay Watson. With talents such as Nick Chubb, Joel Bitonio, and Myles Garrett on the roster, the Browns need to figure things out — and fast. Perhaps yesterday was the start of that.
  • The decision by Ron Rivera to start Carson Wentz in this game, in hindsight, doesn’t look good. The former No. 2 overall pick was just 16-28 for 143 yards and three costly interceptions. Washington, now eliminated from the postseason, will have all offseason to mull over how it wasted a quality defense headlined by talents such as Jamin Davis, Daron Payne, and Montez Sweat.
• Jaguars 31, Texans 3
  • Yes, the Texans are dreadful, but Jacksonville has taken meaningful steps forward as this season has progressed, as winning games you’re supposed to win is a vital skill to have. Winning this game so easily was particularly impressive given that Trevor Lawrence struggled mightily. Lawrence will have to play better in order to beat the Titans in a crucial game next week, but the Jags should feel good about their chances of prevailing.
  • The Texans, at this point, are just withering away. Not many players on the current roster will be a part of the next great Houston team, which makes these games lose even more juice for the front office and fans. Jerry Hughes, who recorded his ninth sack of the season in this game, should’ve been moved earlier in the season for a draft pick or two. As a part of this rebuild, Houston needs every selection it can get.
• 49ers 37, Raiders 34
  • Credit to the Raiders, but it was fairly suspiring that San Francisco didn’t roll Las Vegas in this game. Yet again, Brock Purdy and many of the 49ers’ playmakers had solid outings, but the defense needs to take a look in the mirror after an unusually poor display. Giving up 365 passing yards to Jarrett Stidham shouldn’t be the standard for a team that fancies itself as a Super Bowl contender. Fortunately for the 49ers, the team has a get-right game next week versus Arizona.
  • Derek Carr is a solid quarterback, but I get why he was benched by the Raiders. It’s a risky move, though, as there’s no guarantee Las Vegas will find someone better to lead the team. Yesterday, it helped Jarrett Stidham that the team employs Davante Adams, who registered 153 yards and two scores on seven receptions. In addition to addressing the quarterback spot, Las Vegas needs to improve its defense if it wishes to contend in 2023 in a division featuring Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert.
• Seahawks 23, Jets 6
  • It was a bit perplexing as to why Seattle was an underdog in this contest. The Seahawks in this game were able to operate at high efficiency both through the air and on the ground, which gave their defense more than enough room to work with. Despite a bit of a late season swoon, the Seahawks are in decent playoff position, which is amazing given what was predicted of them last summer. It’s certainly helped that Seattle has had several unheralded players perform unexpectedly well, including Darrell Taylor, Quinton Jefferson, and Tariq Woolen.
  • The Jets still don’t have quite enough juice to truly compete at a high level, so the club’s collapse hasn’t exactly been stunning. Mike White, who tossed two interceptions in this game, isn’t the team’s long-term answer at quarterback. In addition to White, ownership will also need to evaluate whether Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh are the right men for their respective positions. Whiffing on Zach Wilson at No. 2 overall definitely doesn’t help Douglas’ case.
• Packers 41, Vikings 17
  • The Packers have been winning, but the recipe has been ball control, a solid running game, and stout defense — a stark contrast from previous seasons consisting of Aaron Rodgers posting gaudy numbers. One win away from a playoff berth, Green Bay tallied eight quarterback hits yesterday, and paved the way for Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon to combine for over 150 rushing yards. The team that receives the NFC’s No. 2 seed probably won’t sleep well if the Packers sneak in as the No. 7 seed, and rightfully so.
  • The Vikings were the worst 12-3 team of all time, and they’re probably the worst 12-4 team, too. Kirk Cousins was masterfully bad in this contest, as he and Jaire Alexander limited Justin Jefferson to just one catch for 15 yards. Minnesota’s defense, which was strong earlier in the year, hasn’t faired well for weeks. This team screams one-and-done come playoff time.
• Chargers 31, Rams 10
  • Things have been a bit too quiet surrounding the Chargers lately, and maybe that’s a good thing. The team received probably a bit too much hype the past few seasons, but this iteration of the club has been more workmanlike. The three-headed monster of Justin Herbert, Austin Ekeler, and Mike Williams was marvelous yesterday, making it easy for a talented Los Angeles team to mow over the decimated Rams.
  • This season has been a lost one for the Rams, but I’m curious as to how the team will respond in 2023. Matthew Stafford and Sean McVay should be back, but the team’s salary cap and draft pick situation isn’t ideal. Perhaps the Rams should move off a few of their bigger names in order to create a more balanced roster, but that goes against the ideals that helped them win the title in 2021.
• Steelers 16, Ravens 13
  • The Steelers simply don’t die. There’s some talent in Pittsburgh, but this probably should’ve been a reloading year. It’s been proven, though, that the valiant organization is too prideful for that. Week after week, Kenny Pickett looks better and better, and in this game, the Steelers’ offensive line actually opened some nice holes in the running game. Per usual, T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick were awesome on defense.
  • Tyler Huntley is a capable second stringer, but Baltimore needs Lamar Jackson back in order to have a shot at contending. In this tilt, just one Raven (Mark Andrews) had over 12 receiving yards. That’s not a recipe for victory in today’s NFL. Hitting the quarterback nine times, especially a rookie, should result in a win, but the Ravens were able to turn just two of those nine hits into sacks last night. This was a missed opportunity for the Ravens, as a win, at the very least, would’ve put the team in position to face the AFC South winner during Wild Card weekend.

NBA

• Grizzlies 118, Kings 108
  • The Grizzlies are so well-rounded, and this contest was a good example of that. Missing Desmond Bane, Memphis had six players in double figures.