Game of the week
Arizona at L.A. Rams
No Jared Goff, no problem. John Wolford, he of no NFL regular season passes, steps in for this winner-moves-on/loser-probably-goes-home matchup. The Rams (a three-point underdog) clinch a wild-card spot thanks to defensive coordinator Brandon Staley’s game plan, which will bottle up quarterback Kyler Murray.
Rams 14, Cardinals 10
Lock of the week
Atlanta at Tampa Bay
Have Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich finally gotten out of Tom Brady’s way? It appears so and that makes Tampa Bay (a seven-point favorite) a tough out in the playoffs. During the second half of the Atlanta win and first half of the Detroit win, Brady threw for 668 yards and six touchdowns.
Buccaneers 40, Falcons 28
Upset of the week
Washington at Philadelphia
Who knew the Sunday night finale would pit a 6-9 Washington team against a 4-10-1 Philadelphia team? Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts spoils WFT’s playoff hopes and allows Dallas — yes, Dallas — to advance to next week due to its early Sunday win over the Giants. WFT is a two-point favorite.
Eagles 19, WFT 7
Around the NFC: Aaron Rodgers deserves third NFL MVP award
Haskins all-time bust. In a decision made by owner Dan Snyder, Washington drafted Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins, a starter for only one season, 15th overall in 2019. But coach Ron Rivera gave up on Haskins, cutting him a day after benching him during the loss to Carolina. “I just felt it was time to make the move,” Rivera told reporters. “I just thought I’d take advantage of the opportunity for us both to go in a different direction.” How rare was this move? Frequent contributor/pro football historian Dan Daly said Philadelphia waived Frank Tripucka (No. 9 pick in 1949) four games into his rookie season and he never threw a pass for the Eagles. Tripucka is familiar to Broncos fans — his No. 18 is retired and he started 40 games for the team in their first four years of existence (1960-63).
Third MVP for Rodgers? We don’t have a vote, but Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers would be our pick for NFL MVP, which would be his third win and first in six years. Rodgers enters Sunday with a league-best 44 touchdown passes (only five interceptions) and 119.4 passer rating. Two touchdowns against Chicago will give him a career high and his rating is his best since 122.5 in 2011.
Cowboys’ surge. When does three consecutive games count as surging? When we’re discussing the 2020 NFC East. Dallas was 3-9 after getting run over by Baltimore on Dec. 8, but have defeated Cincinnati by 23, San Francisco by eight and Philadelphia by 20 points. Dallas needs to win at the New York Giants on Sunday and then have Philadelphia beat Washington Sunday night to clinch the division. “We’ve had a lot of changes and a lot of experiences to learn from,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “I just think that we’re playing better in all three phases. We’re clearly a better-playing football team.”
Around the AFC: Bills, Chiefs on collision course to play in conference title game
Bills vs. Chiefs please. Sign us up for a Buffalo-Kansas City AFC championship game. The Bills (12-3) are a blast to watch because offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, who should be hired by Jacksonville and paired with quarterback Trevor Lawrence, runs such a diverse system with personnel packages, pre-snap movement and deep shots. And the Chiefs (13-1) introduce new plays seemingly every week. The Chiefs are first in yards (425.7) and second in scoring (30.1); the Bills are fourth in yards (392.5) and sixth in scoring (28.9). Buffalo can clinch the AFC’s second seed with a win over Miami; Kansas City has wrapped up the first-round bye and quarterback Patrick Mahomes won’t play against the Los Angeles Chargers.
McDaniels doesn’t top list. It’s been a long time since New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels didn’t have early-January buzz for head-coach openings. It is understandable if McDaniels’ stock took a hit in the eyes of NFL owners when he committed and then backed out of becoming Indianapolis’ coach two years ago. The other factor: The Patriots stink without Tom Brady (6-9 record and 30th in yards per game). Of wanting a second kick at the head-coaching can, McDaniels told reporters: “I definitely want to do that. I’d love to have that opportunity if it presents itself.” It’s been a decade since his year-and-a-half stint with the Broncos ended (11-17 record).
Browns could end drought. All that is standing between Cleveland and its first playoff berth since 2002 is Pittsburgh backup quarterback Mason Rudolph. The Steelers, having wrapped up the AFC North, will sit Ben Roethlisberger. Down four receivers, the Browns lost last week at the New York Jets to set up Sunday’s need-a-win situation. (The Browns could qualify if the Colts lose to Jacksonville … don’t count on that). The Browns (10-5) have their most wins since 2007 (10-6) and can post their first season of at least 11 wins since 1994 (Bill Belichick was the coach).
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Week 17 NFL Picks: Rams turn to back-up QB John Wolford to clinch playoff spot vs. Arizona - The Denver Post
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