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Cowboys at Buccaneers: Time, how to watch, live stream, keys for Super Wild Card Weekend playoffs Monday night

January 17, 2023 Admin Leave a comment

The final game of Super Wild Card Weekend pits the NFC South champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers against the Dallas Cowboys.

These two teams met back in Week 1, when Tampa beat Dallas 19-3 in one of the most embarrassing games of the season for the Cowboys — a game that ended with Dak Prescott suffering a broken thumb that looked like it might end the Cowboys’ chances of even making it to where they are now. We know what happened next: the Dallas defense and Cooper Rush stepped up and saved the season, then Prescott returned and took the offense to another level while the defense backslid. The Cowboys now enter the rematch as a road favorite.

The Buccaneers were certainly one of the NFL’s most disappointing teams this season, ending the year with an 8-9 record and getting into the postseason only by virtue of having played in arguably the league’s worst division. And yet, none of that matters what you get to the tournament. They have an opportunity now to play a home game, and to make up for what they couldn’t do throughout the regular season.

So, which of these two teams will advance to take on the 49ers next weekend? We’ll find out soon enough. Before we break down the matchup, here’s a look at how you can watch the game.

How to watch

Date: Monday, Jan. 9 | Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
Location: Raymond James Stadium (Tampa)
TV: ESPN | Stream: fuboTV (try for free)
Follow: CBS Sports App
Odds: Cowboys -2.5, O/U 45.5 (courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook)

When the Cowboys have the ball

Look at the overall numbers, and the Cowboys had one of the NFL’s best offenses this season despite their starting quarterback missing a third of the year. They finished 11th in total yards and fourth in points, as well as seventh in Tru Media’s version of EPA per play. Narrow it down to just the games after Dak Prescott returned from injury, and the Cowboys basically matched the Bills for second in EPA per play.

But there’s still something about their offense that leaves one cold. They can go through stretches where they look quite bad, and struggle to get the ball to their most explosive playmakers. That happened in their playoff loss against the 49ers last season, when Tony Pollard received just six total touches and CeeDee Lamb was targeted five times, compared with 13 touches (for 35 yards) for Ezekiel Elliott and a combined 18 targets for the likes of Dalton Schultz and Cedrick Wilson. The Cowboys limped their way to 307 total yards and 17 points, and got sent home early in embarrassing fashion.

This season, they mostly avoided those types of games… except for bookending the season with them against the Buccaneers in Week 1 and the Commanders in Week 18. Those might have been the two worst games of Prescott’s entire career (by EPA per dropback, they were sixth- and fourth-worst, according to Tru Media), as he combined to complete just 28 of 66 passes for 262 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Lamb had 7 catches for 81 yards and a score on 18 targets in those two games, while Pollard had 15 touches for 41 total yards.

Simply put, none of that can happen if the Cowboys have a hope of winning this game on the road. They need to be the team that led the league in scoring between Prescott’s return in Week 7 and Week 17, scoring at least 27 points in all but one game despite averaging 1.6 turnovers per contest. The offensive line’s decline over the second half of the season (and Tyron Smith’s relative struggles switching back to the right side after a Hall of Fame career on the left) led to a decline in rushing effectiveness, and Prescott’s newfound aggression has had its positives (more explosive plays) and drawbacks (more picks).

The way for Dallas to win this game is by concentrating its offense around its explosive players. Matriculating the ball downfield all game long plays into Tampa’s hands. Mike McCarthy, Kellen Moore, and Co. need to avoid the temptation to lean on what is familiar and safe (Zeke runs on first-and-10, checkdowns to Schultz over the middle, etc.), and instead try to press the advantage they have in this contest.

When the Buccaneers have the ball

The Buccaneers offense this season has not looked all that much like what we saw during the first two years of the Tom Brady era. In 2020 and 2021, Tampa checked in seventh and second in total yards, third and second in total points, third and first in Football Outsiders’ DVOA, and fifth and third in Tru Media’s version of EPA per play. This season, the Buccaneers ranked 15th in yards, 25th in points, 16th in DVOA, and 22nd in EPA per play.

The issues along the offensive line — Ali Marpet’s retirement, Ryan Jensen’s knee injury, the loss of Alex Cappa in free agency, Tristan Wirfs’ injuries, Donovan Smith’s precipitous decline — were evident for most of the season, and they impacted every aspect of the offense.

The run game was pretty much a disaster for the entire season. Tampa ranked 30th in rush offense DVOA, and only two NFL teams averaged fewer yards before contact per carry (1.16), according to Tru Media. The Dallas defense actually finished the season ranked fifth in rush defense DVOA, but the Bucs ran all over them when these two teams met back in Week 1, with Leonard Fournette turning his 21 carries into 127 yards. (Fournette then averaged 3.2 yards per carry over the rest of the season. His 127 yards against Dallas accounted for 19% of his total rushing yards all year.)

Tampa also found itself unable to push the ball down the field in the passing game for most of the season. After Tom Brady averaged 9.06 air yards per attempt in 2020 and 8.07 per attempt last season, his average pass traveled just 6.83 yards in the air this season, according to Tru Media. Just 1.0.4% of his passes traveled at least 20 yards downfield, a steep drop from a high of 15.4% during Tampa’s Super Bowl season. The one time it really looked like the Bucs could get the ball downfield was two weeks ago against the Panthers, when Brady and Mike Evans repeatedly torched poor C.J. Henderson, who gave up 7 catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns when in coverage vs. Evans.

The Cowboys have been very vulnerable to downfield passes in recent weeks, but it’s mostly been teams targeting whichever cornerback is aligned across from Trevon Diggs. (If the two matchups between these two teams over the past two seasons are any indication, Diggs will shadow Evans. In those two games, Evans has totaled 8 catches for 95 yards and a touchdown.) Since Anthony Brown was lost for the season, Dallas has tried Kelvin Joseph, Nahshon Wright, Mackensie Alexander, and Trevon Mullen, and none of it has worked. Xavier Rhodes has been getting work in that spot during practices, and he might get the first opportunity on Monday night. Brady has to be willing to work that matchup with Chris Godwin, Russell Gage, Julio Jones, or whomever else aligns across from Rhodes (or whatever corner the Cowboys throw out there).

The way Dallas can mitigate all this is by rediscovering its pass rush, which has disappeared down the stretch of the season. After recording multiple sacks in each of the first 12 games of the season, Dallas has two sack-less games in its last five, and totaled just six sacks in those five contests. Prior to that, the Cowboys had averaged 4 per game. (Interestingly, the Cowboys still consistently got pressure during that stretch; they were just unable to turn that pressure into sacks.) Unless Micah Parsons, Demarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong, Sam Williams, and Dante Fowler dominate the game up front, it might be difficult for Dallas to deal with things on the back end.

Featured Game | Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Dallas Cowboys

Prediction: Buccaneers 27, Cowboys 26

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Buccaneers vs. Panthers score: Tom Brady, Mike Evans hook up for three TDs as Tampa Bay clinches NFC South

January 1, 2023 Admin Leave a comment

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers clinched the NFC South for the second-straight year with their 30-24 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 17. The Buccaneers haven’t looked like legitimate Super Bowl contenders for most of the season, but that changed on Sunday, as Tom Brady and his team exploded for 478 yards of total offense.

Brady completed 34 of 45 passes for 432 yards and three touchdowns — all three of which went to Mike Evans. The star wideout caught 10 passes for 207 yards and the three scores, while Chris Godwin also impressed with 120 receiving yards on nine catches.

The Panthers jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the second quarter, but managed just 10 points in the second half while Tampa Bay dropped 20 points in the fourth quarter alone. Sam Darnold completed 22 of 36 passes for 316 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, while D.J. Moore caught six passes for 117 yards and a score.

Check back soon, as this article will be turned into a takeaways piece which dives into what went down in Tampa on Sunday.

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Buccaneers vs. Panthers score: Live updates, game stats, highlights, analysis with NFC South title on the line

January 1, 2023 Admin Leave a comment

The Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are battling from Raymond James Stadium with the NFC South hanging in the balance. The Buccaneers can clinch the division in Week 17 with a win, while the Panthers need to win here and defeat the New Orleans Saints next week to earn their first playoff berth since 2017.

This game couldn’t have started any better for the Panthers. Sam Darnold led a six-play, 75-yard drive, which was capped by a 17-yard touchdown catch by Tommy Tremble. Then, safety Sam Franklin stripped the ball away from Chris Godwin on the Buccaneers’ first possession of the game. Later in the second quarter, Darnold hit D.J. Moore for a 24-yard touchdown to go up 14-0, but Tom Brady answered with a 63-yard touchdown bomb to Mike Evans.

Will the Panthers sweep the season series against the Bucs and inch closer to a division title, or will Brady wrap things up here in Week 17? Follow along in the live blog below, as we break down this matchup as it happens.

How to watch

Date: Sunday, Jan. 1 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
TV: Fox | Stream: fuboTV (try for free)
Follow: CBS Sports App
Odds: Buccaneers -4, O/U 40.5 (courtesy Caesars Sportsbook)

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Cardinals vs. Buccaneers score, takeaways: Tom Brady guides late comeback as Tampa Bay gets past Arizona in OT

December 26, 2022 Admin Leave a comment

Trace McSorley had a chance to play both hero and spoiler in his first career NFL start, helping the Cardinals take the NFC South-leading Buccaneers to overtime in the final game of the league’s Christmas Day tripleheader. In the end, however, the quarterback’s elder counterpart, Tampa Bay’s Tom Brady, got the best of the matchup. Sunday night’s showdown was far from Brady’s prettiest game; in fact, for a while, it might’ve been his most uninspiring of the year. Afforded a late opportunity to come back from a 10-point deficit, TB12 delivered in crunch time, setting up a walk-off field goal from Ryan Succop for a 19-16 win.

Here are some takeaways from Sunday night’s Buccaneers win:

Why the Buccaneers won

It’s not because they figured it all out, that’s for sure. For much of Sunday night, Tom Brady looked as listless as he’s been all season, Leonard Fournette struggled to find open lanes on the ground and only Ryan Succop appeared capable of executing consistently. But then Arizona had to putz around down the stretch, and Brady seized the chance to dial it up in the waning minutes, leaning on Fournette, Chris Godwin and Russell Gage to score 13 unanswered. If one thing worked throughout the night, it was Todd Bowles’ defense, which hit Trace McSorley seven times and logged five tackles for loss, especially stepping up if/when the Cardinals advanced the ball into enemy territory.

Why the Cardinals lost

With or without Kyler Murray and Colt McCoy, they cannot consistently move the ball. Arizona’s defense actually played quite well, with J.J. Watt offering persistent pressure in Tom Brady’s face and Marco Wilson nabbing not one but two deep-ball picks of TB12. But for all of McSorley’s gunslinging efforts — and the veteran backup did have a couple of pretty downfield shots, including one to Marquise Brown — Arizona just never sustained rhythm through the air. James Conner and Greg Dortch made the most of every touch, but others, like DeAndre Hopkins, were basically invisible. The “D,” meanwhile, appeared to be playing catch-up in the final minutes of action, perhaps finally worn down by Tampa Bay winning the time-of-possession battle.

Turning point

Third-and-9 for the Cardinals at their own 36-yard line on the first possession of OT. McSorley had already connected with Marquise Brown for a precise third-down strike earlier in the drive. Here, however, he couldn’t connect with DeAndre Hopkins on a tight-window throw to the left sideline, and officials didn’t buy Hopkins’ plea for pass interference. At that moment, with the ball going back to Brady and the next score guaranteed to win the game, it was clear Tampa Bay was poised for yet another ugly but victorious comeback.

Play of the game

It wasn’t a “good” play, necessarily, but it was huge for the Bucs: McSorley’s quick pitch to Keontay Ingram resulted in a fumble that ended up giving Tampa Bay a bonus possession and allowing the visiting team to knot things up at 16-16 late. It also just epitomizes the ugly nature of the entire back-and-forth, which included 11 penalties and five turnovers.

What’s next

The Buccaneers (7-8) will return home for a Week 17 New Year’s Day rematch with the rival Panthers (6-9), who upset the Lions on Saturday. The Cardinals (4-11), meanwhile, will hit the road to take on the Falcons (5-10), who fell to the Ravens this weekend and are now eliminated from playoff contention.

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NFL Week 16 grades: Tom Brady’s Buccaneers get ‘C’ for Christmas win; Packers earn ‘B+’ for upsetting Dolphins

December 26, 2022 Admin Leave a comment

The NFL officially turned into a winter wonderland in Week 16.

The league had eight games that kicked off with a temperature below freezing on Saturday, which was a record for a single day. Things were so cold in Nashville that the Texans-Titans game actually got delayed an hour due to rolling blackouts in Tennessee that were ordered due to the extreme cold.

The Panthers played their coldest home game in franchise history (20 degrees at kickoff), which was a 37-23 win over the Lions. The Ravens also had their coldest home game in franchise history (17 degrees), a 17-9 win over the Falcons. Not to be outdone, the Seahawks dealt with a temperature (12 degrees) that was the coldest in franchise history for any regular-season game.

One game where weather wasn’t an issue was in Minnesota, where the Vikings beat the Giants 27-24 on Greg Joseph’s game-winning field goal from 61 yards out. The kick was the fifth-longest game-winning field goal in NFL history. The Vikings are now 11-0 in one-score games this season, which is the most one-score victories in a single season in NFL history.

So what kind of grade do you get for winning on a 61-yard field goal? Let’s get to the Week 16 grades and find out.

On Christmas Sunday, the elements were much better as we saw another Tom Brady comeback in the desert, Aaron Rodgers keeping the Packers alive in Miami and Baker Mayfield putting up 50 points in L.A.

If you’re looking for a deeper dive on the Jaguars’ big win over the Jets that was played Thursday, you can check that out here.

Tampa Bay 19-16 (OT) over Arizona

Buccaneers-Cardinals grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

L.A. Rams 51-14 over Broncos

Broncos-Rams grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Green Bay 26-20 over Miami

Packers-Dolphins grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Minnesota 27-24 over N.Y. Giants

Giants-Vikings grades by Jared Dubin (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Buffalo 35-13 over Chicago

Bills-Bears grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

New Orleans 17-10 over Cleveland

Saints-Browns grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Carolina 37-23 over Detroit

Lions-Panthers grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Baltimore 17-9 over Atlanta

Falcons-Ravens grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Kansas City 24-10 over Seattle

Seahawks-Chiefs grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Cincinnati 22-18 over New England

Bengals-Patriots grades by Tyler Sullivan (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Houston 19-14 over Tennessee

Texans-Titans grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Dallas 40-34 over Philadelphia

Eagles-Cowboys grades by Jeff Kerr (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

San Francisco 37-20 over Washington

Commanders-49ers grades by Jordan Dajani (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

Pittsburgh 13-10 over Las Vegas

Raiders-Steelers grades by John Breech (Love the grades? Hate the grades? Let him know on Twitter.)

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Cardinals vs. Buccaneers score: Live updates, game stats, highlights, analysis for ‘Sunday Night Football’

December 26, 2022 Admin Leave a comment

Tom Brady and the Buccaneers are on the field closing out the NFL’s Christmas Day tripleheader, and it’s basically now or never for Tampa Bay to get itself in order ahead of a potential playoff push. Coming in on a two-game losing streak, the Bucs have struggled mightily all year, but here they get a banged-up Arizona squad on an even worse losing streak (four games) and down to third-string quarterback Trace McSorley. Even still, both sides traded ugly possessions to open the matchup, with kickers Matt Prater and Ryan Succop doing all the first-half scoring en route to a 6-6 tie before the break.

Can Brady and Co. take advantage of the Cardinals’ slide and take care of business on the road to remain atop the lowly NFC South? Or can Kliff Kingsbury somehow find some magic in McSorley and pull off the upset as a spoiler? Either way, this one has major implications in the NFC.

Stay tuned for live updates and analysis throughout Sunday’s matchup.

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49ers report card: Grading offense, defense in complete win over Buccaneers

December 12, 2022 Admin Leave a comment

SANTA CLARA — The 49ers reported more than their fair share of injuries coming out of a 35-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

But even with uncertainty with several players, including wide receiver Deebo Samuel, the 49ers were feeling mighty good about their new quarterback and their overall team performance.

“We got a quarterback,” 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa said of rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, who became the first quarterback to earn his first NFL victory against a Tom Brady-led team.

He had quite a day, and so did a lot of his teammates.

Here is a look at the 49ers’ report card from their thorough Week 14 victory over Tampa Bay at Levi’s Stadium:

Rushing offense

The 49ers tried to soften the Bucs’ defense with their emphasis on the passing game to open the game. Christian McCaffrey got his first carry on the 49ers’ fifth play from scrimmage and he tore off a 21-yard run.

The 49ers controlled the game on the ground, rushing for 209 yards and three touchdowns on 36 attempts.

Samuel got the 49ers on the board when he took a pitch, turned the corner and somehow got into the end zone.

McCaffrey put the game away with a 38-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter. He finished with 119 yards on 14 rushes. Rookie Jordan Mason came on and added 56 yards on 11 rushes.

Grade: A

Passing offense

Purdy did everything the 49ers’ asked of him in his first NFL start . . . and then some.

He showed his movement skills early in the second quarter when he scrambled 2 yards for a touchdown. On the 49ers’ next offensive play, he escaped the rush and found Samuel for an 18-yard competition.

Purdy finished with 16 completions on 21 attempts for 185 yards with two touchdown passes and no interceptions thrown. He had a 27-yard touchdown pass to McCaffrey and a 32-yarder to Brandon Aiyuk.

The 49ers’ offensive line protected Purdy well, as he was not sacked in the game.

Grade: A

Rushing defense

The Buccaneers averaged 3.6 yards per carry, and the 49ers made Tampa Bay one-dimensional. Rachaad White gained 56 yards on 13 attempts while Leonard Fournette was an absolute non-factor with 13 yards on four attempts.

Linebacker Dre Greenlaw was all over the place for the 49ers’ defense with 15 tackles.

Late in the game, the 49ers generated a third takeaway of the game when Jimmie Ward forced a fumble of White and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair came up with the fumble recovery.

Grade: A

Passing defense

Tom Brady had a rough, rough day against the 49ers’ defense.

The seven-time Super Bowl champion threw for 253 yards against the 49ers’ defense, but he lost a lot of skin to get there.

Brady completed 34 of 55 pass attempts with one touchdown pass and two interceptions thrown. Tashaun Gipson and Greenlaw registered interceptions, as Brady’s passer rating for the game was a lowly 63.7.

The 49ers did not pick up a sack against Brady, who stuck with the short-passing game. But San Francisco got enough pressure on him to make things extremely difficult.

Grade: A

Special teams

Robbie Gould was called up for extra points, not field goals. And nobody with the 49ers was complaining about that turn of events.

Return man Ray-Ray McCloud had a good day with a 14.3-yard average on three punts and 27.0 average on two kickoffs.

Punter Mitch Wishnowsky had 44.7 average (37.7 net) on three punts).

Grade: A

Coaching

The 49ers installed strong game plans on offense and defense against the NFC South-leading Buccaneers.

Coach Kyle Shanahan’s offense made best use of Purdy’s skills in running the offense. He saw something in the second quarter that prompted him to call a play that was not in the game plan. The result was Purdy’s 32-yard touchdown pass on a double-move.

Defensively, the 49ers kept Brady bottled up and took away any ability of the Bucs to make big plays.

Grade: A

Overall

The 49ers and Buccaneers are two teams who appear to be heading toward the playoffs.

The 49ers left no doubt on Sunday, racing out to a 35-0 lead and clamping down for the final 29 minutes of the game.

RELATED: Where 49ers stand in NFC playoff picture after Week 14

The 49ers did not blink after Samuel went down with an ankle injury, as the team showed an ability to keep focused through adversity.

Grade: A

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NFL Power Rankings Week 15: Where 49ers stand after win over Buccaneers

December 12, 2022 Admin Leave a comment

Week 14 of the NFL season continued to clarify the championship picture.

The Philadelphia Eagles found a new top gear in New York, hanging 48 on a Giants team that’s leaking oil like a ’72 Chevelle. In the Bay Area, Brock “Don’t Call Me Irrelevant” Purdy and the 49ers made a statement with a 35-7 dismantling of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Meanwhile, Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers resuscitated their playoff hopes with a gritty win in the “Taekz Bowl” against Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins.

As for the Bears, their draft position took a hit Sunday as the Denver Broncos continue only to be able to obtain moral victories.

Here’s where each team stands after Sunday’s Week 14 action:

32. Houston Texans (1-11-1): The Texans caught the Cowboys off guard with the Davis Mills-Jeff Driskel QB combo, but it wasn’t good enough for them to finish the upset. As the old adage goes, if you have two quarterbacks, you have zero. Texans need to find their franchise signal-caller ASAP.

31. Denver Broncos (3-10): Denver can’t eat the dead cap hit required to cut a seemingly washed Russ. The Broncos’ best chance might be to bring in Frank Reich to see if he can salvage the ruins of a franchise-wrecking trade.

30. Chicago Bears (3-10): The Bears exit the bye week to face an Eagles team that just hung 48 on the Giants and appears to be reaching top gear. Best of luck.

29. Indianapolis Colts (4-8-1): It was a good Sunday for the Colts as wins by the Panthers and Jaguars moved them up to No. 7 in the draft. They can move up to No. 6 if the Cardinals beat the Patriots on Monday night. That’s the only kind of winning going on in Indy this season.

28. Los Angeles Rams (4-9): Baker Mayfield and Sean McVay might be a really fun pairing for the next four weeks. Or maybe the Raiders just stink.

27. New Orleans Saints (4-9): If the Saints hadn’t choked last Monday night’s game away, there would be a four-way tie in the NFC South at 5-8. As it stands, the Saints are in sole possession of last place. Tough times on the Bayou.

26. Arizona Cardinals (4-8): There’s no way the Cardinals will run it back with Kliff, Kyler, and Keim next season, right?

25. Atlanta Falcons (5-8): It’s Desmond Ridder time in Atlanta. Better late than never, I guess.

24. Cleveland Browns (5-8): The Browns’ run defense lacks honor.

23. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-8): Mitch Trubisky just isn’t an NFL quarterback. Never has been. Never will be.

22. Las Vegas Raiders (5-8): The Raiders have now lost to Baker Mayfield after he was in LA for two days and Jeff Saturday after he was on “Get Up!” for two years. Impressive.

21. Carolina Panthers (5-8): Are the Sam Darnold-led Panthers the best team in the NFC South?

20. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-8): On Sunday, Trevor Lawrence became the youngest player in NFL history to throw for 350 yards, three touchdowns, and run for a touchdown in one game. Stock is going through the roof.

19. New England Patriots (6-6): From poor protection to a vanilla scheme, there are a lot of problems with the Patriots’ offense in 2022, but Mac Jones is the least of their worries.

18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7): The Bucs can’t run the ball, can’t protect Tom Brady, and can’t find a way to get Mike Evans consistently involved. That’s just the start of the issues in Tampa.

17. Green Bay Packers (5-8): The Packers’ playoff hopes aren’t dead yet, but it will take some magic from Aaron Rodgers to get Green Bay to the postseason. So you’re saying there’s a chance?

16. New York Giants (7-5-1): The Giants were a fun first-half story, but Brian Daboll’s team is limping to the finish line. New York has won just one game since Week 8 and was embarrassed by the Eagles on Sunday. Do they have anything left for next week’s critical showdown with the Commanders?

15. Tennessee Titans (7-6): The Titans fired their GM midweek, and then the team went out and laid an egg against the Jags. The ship is sinking in Nashville.

14. Seattle Seahawks (7-6): Seattle has given up 90 points on 33 drives since its bye week. That’s 2.73 points per drive which would be far and away the worst in the NFL over the course of the season. The Seahawks have been exposed.

13. New York Jets (7-6): Robert Saleh said the Jets would see the Bills again come playoff time. The Jets have to get there first.

12. Washington Commanders (7-5-1): Washington sat at home Sunday and watched its playoff chances tick up with losses by the Giants and Seahawks. A win next Sunday against New York and the Commanders should be in the driver’s seat for the No. 6 seed.

11. Detroit Lions (6-7): Just like that, the Lions have gone from 1-6 to 6-7 and are eyeing the playoffs. Detroit tripled its playoff chances with Sunday’s win over the Vikings (7 to 21 percent). Are the Lions the fourth-best team in the NFC? I could make the case.

10. Minnesota Vikings (10-3): How am I supposed to take the Vikings seriously? A 10-win team with a negative point differential? If it walks like a fraud and talks like a fraud …

9. Miami Dolphins (8-5): The 49ers showed the blueprint for how to stop the Dolphins’ offense. That the Chargers were able to do the same with a patchwork secondary and subpar coverage linebackers should have alarm bells going off in South Beach.

8. Los Angeles Chargers (7-6): Is eight high for a 7-6 Chargers team that has struggled to stop the run and can’t protect its quarterback? Yup. But with Mike Williams and Keenan Allen back, and a soft schedule in front of them, I like the Chargers to snag the No. 7 seed in the AFC.

7. Baltimore Ravens (9-4): The Roquan Smith trade was the best move of the trade deadline, but not in the way the Bears hoped.

6. Dallas Cowboys (10-3): The Cowboys were asleep for 57.5 minutes Sunday against the Texans. But a goal-line stand and a game-winning drive were enough to deliver Dallas its 10th win. Good teams find a way to win.

5. San Francisco 49ers (9-4): If Trent Dilfer can win a Super Bowl behind a vaunted defense, I don’t see any reason why Brock Purdy can’t do the same with Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers’ embarrassment of riches behind him.

4. Buffalo Bills (10-3): The Bill relied on their defense to beat the Jets on Sunday, but Josh Allen knows Buffalo’s offense has to get much better for there to be a parade in Orchard Park this February.

3. Kansas City Chiefs (10-3): Travis Kelce summed up the Chiefs’ flaws and their hopes perfectly after they avoided catastrophe against the Broncos on Sunday. “Even when you think you’ve got us, we still got 1-5 back there.”

2. Cincinnati Bengals (9-4): The Bengals have held Nick Chubb and Derrick Henry in check while also limiting Patrick Mahomes to a season-low 223 yards passing. Cincy can beat you in a number of ways.

1. Philadelphia Eagles (12-1): The NFL’s Death Star appears fully operational in Philadelphia, and the Eagles still think they have another gear to reach. Scary hours for the rest of the NFC.