Cold Open
Antonio Brown's shirtless, on-field, crowd-waving quit-job at MetLife Stadium last Sunday was incredible theater. It was however, not surprising. Only Brown could've potentially left a team and the league in this manner. With all of that said, as poorly as Brown handled this moment and his career, if he was truly hurting on his bad ankle, this is an atrocious job by Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians to force him into a game.
Beyond that is this issue of mental health. Clearly, Brown isn't always in the right mind frame, in life and in the NFL. Following the game, Tom Brady tried lecturing fans and media to show empathy for Brown. This I struggle with, as it comes across as hypocritical. If Brady cared so much about Brown's mental health, why would he push to get Brown on the Bucs -- when no team would sign him -- and back in a sport where headshots are common? Brown helped Brady win a ring, and now that he did that, he wants to lecture on Brown's mental health? Be consistent.
Ten-Yard Gain
No. 1: The Bengals have their signature victory, as they survived punches by Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs at home. A month ago, when they dropped home games to the Chargers and 49ers, it looked like things might spiral for Cincinnati. But now the AFC North champs can rest Joe Burrow and others, and elect to play the Patriots in a wild-card game.
No. 2: The future of Baker Mayfield with the Browns is up in the air, but I do think the Lions make a lot of sense here. His heart and brashness feel like a perfect match for first-year head coach Dan Campbell. Mayfield has already helped rebuild an organization, and he can help get Detroit there before the team commits to drafting a new quarterback.
No. 3: What's next for the Steelers? Big Ben delayed a reboot, as it led to the drafting of a first-round running back, making them just talented enough to be out of the mix for a great quarterback prospect. In this draft class, there may only be one quarterback worth trusting, and for the Steelers to get that player may require a huge trade-up. Can they go the route of Wilson, Rodgers, or even Watson?
No. 4: Michael Gallup's season-ending knee injury is a really big deal for the Cowboys. CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper should be more than enough for Dallas at the receiver position, but Gallup has been so much of that special sauce for keeping their offense moving.
No. 5: As much as we can't trust Matthew Stafford, who can you trust? The Bucs' injuries have mounted, the Packers always lose in NFC title games of late, the Cardinals were in a freefall before last week, and the Cowboys are still coached by Mike McCarthy. The NFC's representative in Super Bowl 56 will have undoubtedly overcome a major flaw to get there.
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No. 6: The Bills are as dangerous as any team in the AFC, but playing the Patriots in the wild-card round is the worst possible matchup. They should be thankful the Bengals are sitting Burrow in Week 18. Now the Bills will likely get the Colts in a rematch, where they know how Indianapolis ran them into the ground two months ago.
No. 7: The 49ers should start Trey Lance this week and possibly again in the playoffs. They're not talented enough to win three road games in the playoffs and get to Super Bowl 56, so why not let Lance take it from here? He played well in the second half of Sunday's win over the Texans. Getting him playoff experience now will be way more important for the franchise than a coin-flip win with Jimmy Garoppolo under center.
No. 8: Credit where credit is due to Nick Sirianni. The Eagles' coach has gone from rock, paper, scissors with prospects to making the playoffs with a roster some thought would rank bottom-five in the league. Jalen Hurts has shown growth and the team survived an injury from defensive star Brandon Graham.
No. 9: Is it a hot take to say that the Manningcast would be so much better if they cut the broadcast down to just two interviews per game? The best part of watching Peyton and Eli isn't listening to what Bill Cowher or Snoop Dogg has to say. It's about listening to what the Manning brothers see on the field, and what they'd be doing with certain looks from defenses.
No. 10: The NFL's forcing of two meaningful games in Week 18 already feels like a letdown, and how could it not be? Even with the expanded playoff, by scheduling division-only games to end the regular season, it actually limits the amount of fun win-and-in games. As a result, guaranteeing Disney two meaningful games every year is going to be a stretch, as we already see with the Broncos trotting out on a TV near you this Saturday.
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Five Games to Chew On
Jets at Bills: To the credit of Robert Saleh, the Jets have played some of their most competitive ball in the last few weeks, after being embarrassed by Gardner Minshew and the Eagles. Zach Wilson is playing solid football and showing growth. Now they have a chance to go to Buffalo and play spoiler against the Bills. The Jets won't win, but this game has the potential to be to close for comfort.
Colts at Jaguars: It's been eight long years for the Colts to get a win in Jacksonville, or London. Now they need one to get in. The Jags need to lose to secure the top overall pick in the upcoming draft, but Trevor Lawrence will try his hardest to leave fans with a positive moment from his rookie campaign. Will Carson Wentz ruin the Colts' playoff hopes with turnovers and turn things upside down?
Saints at Falcons: This has an outside chance of being the final game for two quarterbacks starting for these teams. I don't believe Taysom Hill will be traded in the offseason, but he likely goes back to being a utility weapon in 2022. Matt Ryan may be dealt in a potential Falcons rebuild as well. A win and a Niners loss has the Saints dancing, but their rival would love to play spoiler.
49ers at Rams: I'm somewhat surprised this game wasn't flexed to Saturday, with the Niners needing a win against the Rams -- a game they sure can lose. I believe Lance should play, even if the Niners come up short. Stafford Pick-6 watch will make every Rams game that much more difficult to predict the rest of the way.
Chargers at Raiders: The fun thought of two teams kneeling out a game if the Colts lose was great fodder. Indy is going to win, though, which means this is a huge moment for Justin Herbert and Derek Carr. Should the Raiders not look like they belong in the same offensive class as the Chargers, would that spell the end of Carr in Vegas?
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My Picks
Another 2-1 week has me at 32-19-1 overall this season. There's only 12 games left to pick from this week through the playoffs, which means we've assured being over .500 on the year. For this week, I'm taking three big AFC favorites, playing for something against lousy teams:
Chiefs (-11) at Broncos: Denver's defense has willed itself all year to over-performing. This may be Vic Fangio's final game -- heck, it may even be Teddy Bridgewater's final game, too. Ultimately, the Chiefs have to play quite a bit in this game to assure a win in the rare off chance the Titans lose. Eleven points isn't much to lay if you trust a 21-7 type first half from the Chiefs. I'll take them.
Colts (-15.5) at Jaguars: This number is high once it goes over 14. The fact remains, this Jags team is out of gas, if they had any to begin with. They were embarrassed by the Pats, and now have to deal with the Colts' offensive line and wear-and-tear run game throughout the day. The Colts are well aware of the franchise struggles in Jacksonville, well aware they played all year to rally here after losing just last week. Indy will smash the Jags by four touchdowns when all is said and done.
Titans (-10) at Texans: It's win and the AFC's top seed for Tennessee with Derrick Henry lurking for the playoffs. The Texans have been resilient in recent weeks, but they let the 49ers game slip from their grasp in the fourth quarter. The Titans will know, probably, that the Chiefs have won by the time they play Sunday. They can't fool around -- they have a week off in their sight by taking care of business. This also has the potential for a thumping, as Texans players are looking ahead to the offseason.
Football Food of the Week
The Ultimate Potato Volcano. That's right, read it again if you have to. Grab your favorite potato toppings -- mine are bacon, cheese, sour cream. Stuff them into a potato, coat it with BBQ sauce, and wrap that sucker in bacon. Close out the NFL regular season with that eruption in your mouth. Here's the recipe: https://kitchendivas.com/volcano-potato/
Thanks for reading as always, and enjoy the first-ever Week 18. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @MrazCBS.