The holiday season is the perfect time to pen a new Christmas classic. It's the "Twelve Days of Football," as written and produced by yours truly and backed up by the CBS Sports Radio house band.
12: Losing SeasonsDating back to 2007, the Browns have only been losers. The closest they'd come was a 7-8-1 campaign a few years ago, which underscores just how pathetic the last decade-plus has been. For a dozen years, Cleveland has been under .500 and the cycle of pain has been unrelenting. Until this year. It's the best campaign since the Browns went 10-6 in '07, and they're already matched that win total with two weeks to play. Barring a collapse, the Brown will be back in the playoffs for the first time since '02, and that's a sight for sore eyes.
11: Broken ribsDrew Brees isn't just 41-years old. He's also trying to hit playoff form after double-digit broken ribs. He missed the last month and looked awful in the first half against the Chiefs, but rallied in the second. The only way the Saints can make it to a Super Bowl is with Brees under center, and playing effectively. Taysom Hill isn't dragging them to February. So can Brees actually compete after returning from this severe of an injury?
10: Men on the fieldThe sad saga of the Chargers’ special teams is actually a comedic opera. Anthony Lynn has watched his unit take the crown as perhaps the worst in NFL history. If there is a seminal moment, it was against the offensively challenged Patriots. The L.A. special teams had a litany of gaffes, including 10 men on the field, 12 men on the field, a punt return touchdown allowed, a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown, and two other penalties on kick returns. You have to try to be that bad.
9: Ghosts of Super BowlsThe dynastic run of 19 years and a 6-3 record in the Big Game may never be topped. But the Patriots feel light years away from that right now. They've been eliminated from the playoffs before Christmas, and the quarterback situation is a disaster. Everyone keeps waiting for New England to look right. They keep waiting for young players to flash. Pats fans are hanging their hope on cap space. What if, however, this is the new normal? The Bills and Dolphins have surged past the Pats with great coaching and franchise quarterbacks. The ghosts don't score touchdowns on Sundays.
8: Point LeadEntering the 4th quarter of the Wild Card Playoff last year against the Texans, the Bills had more than a touchdown advantage. It was 16-0 at the half. But a series of poor execution and boneheaded plays by Josh Allen opened the door for Houston to steal the game. Buffalo has left no such doubt this year. They have ascended to the AFC East throne and look like the best challenge to the Chiefs in the AFC. It's been 25 year since the Bills hosted a playoff game. It's just too bad Bills Mafia has to watch from home.
7: Trubisky startsThe Bears started the season with Mitch under center and went 3-0. But Matt Nagy felt he could get more out of the position and turned to Nick Foles. Entering December, Nagy had seen enough and went back to Mitch in a sinking season. He's won his last two games, and is now 5-2 on the year. The Bears have faint playoff hopes alive. If Chicago plays well enough to sneak into the postseason and Trubisky is the starter, can you toss him aside in the offseason? It looked inevitable a few weeks ago. Not anymore.
6: Days of waitingThe Ravens and Steelers had to pace around their houses for nearly a week to get their Thanksgiving Night game finally played. When they took the field on a Wednesday afternoon, it predictably looked sloppy. Almost like it was a Wednesday afternoon game. Since then, the Steelers have unraveled, while the Ravens have taken flight. The mid-week game may have been the turning point in both teams’ Super Bowl drives.
5: Stripper ringsOh, Dwayne Haskins. The Washington quarterback finally got the job back because of injuries to Kyle Allen and Alex Smith. But he immediately set that opportunity on fire by partying with five strippers the night of the Seahawks game. Those rings certainly weren't wedding bands, but instead the type of jewelry Haskins should have been smart enough to avoid. If he gets COVID, he can't play. He could pass it to his teammates. He puts the team in a terrible position before the playoffs. How can you immediately trash a third chance? When you are Dwayne Haskins, you are prone to make absurdly poor judgements.
4: COVID QBsThe Broncos know all too well what happens when a QB room is exposed to the virus. They were forced to play the Saints without a quarterback. When a converted practice squad wide receiver is under center in an NFL game on days notice, it's going to be ugly. It was. Much like the "scab games" of '87, we'll remember this season for Denver's "no quarterback game."
3: Mental miscuesTom Brady is one of the greatest of all-time because of his intelligence and decision-making. So watching him forget it was 4th down in a loss on national TV, and then forget/ignore/avoid shaking the hands of two opposing quarterbacks that beat him (Foles, Jared Goff) was head-scratching. Brady has built a reputation above reproach in sportsmanship and mental acuity. This year has poked plenty of holes in that.
2: Franchise rookiesJoe Burrow. Justin Herbert. The Bengals. The Chargers. Two franchises destined for heartbreak and gut punches have found their guys. Before Burrow's injury, he looked like everything the Bengals have not been (fiery, exciting, winning). While L.A. has blown so many situations around Herbert, the rookie from Oregon has all the traits to be a star. Great players, now let's see if the organizations can avoid wasting it.
1: Win for TrevorThe Jaguars and Jets are locked in a race for the generational talent from Clemson. Both have a single win. The Jets may have blown their chance at him by shockingly beating the Rams. The next great QB is sitting there at No. 1. Which teams wants him most by losing most?