Cold Open It looked like a thousand – heck, maybe more – Bills fans found their way to a small airport in Western New York in sub-freezing temperatures to fly flags and greet their AFC East champion Bills at 2 a.m. local time Sunday morning. That painted the picture and told a story of a starving fan base stuck in a bad blender of mediocrity within their own organization while in a division with the greatest modern dynasty in football. Despite not being allowed to attend any home game this year, Bills fans found a way to say thank you for getting their wish of a home playoff game, even if ultimately they cannot attend it. As far on the field goes, the Bills didn't play down to the Broncos on Saturday; instead, they rose to the occasion and did what you would expect a contender to do as the weather turns: flex on a bad opponent and leave no doubt. In a season where it has felt like the Chiefs and then everyone else, the time to stop doubting the Bills as that contender, ready to look the Chiefs in the eye, is here. The Bills look and feel legit. Party like it is 1995, Buffalo. Just make sure to wear a mask as you get pile-driven through a beer pong table.
Ten Yard Gain
1-The Cowboys offense is humming again, especially on the ground. With Tony Pollard running through the 49ers defense, we were once again reminded as NFL fans that no matter how elite the most elite running backs are in modern football, paying a large sum of your salary cap to one and/or spending top-10 picks on one is a mistake. The Cowboys are facing salary-cap problems moving forward and have now shown, even in a small sample size, that offense and run game can operate just fine at half the cost.
2-Justin Jefferson is a rookie sensation, but he is still a rookie who hasn't necessarily earned the right to vent frustrations toward long-time veterans. It was not his fault he got caught on mic Sunday openly dissing Kirk Cousins’ decision-making in real time, so it is hard to completely criticize him. More importantly, though, Jefferson was brought into replace Stefon Diggs, who specialized in dumping on Cousins on the field. The Vikings may need to look their roster in the mirror and realize they can't keep wasting stud receivers on a quarterback who just can't elevate an offense the way his contract says he should be.
3-Carson Wentz is unhappy with the way the Eagles have treated him, reportedly, and should Jalen Hurts remain the starter heading into next year, he wants out. Doug Pederson has gone out of his way to please Wentz so much so that we are getting a Hurts announcement week-by-week – not even a declaration for the season. You cannot be mentally soft as a quarterback and not take blame even if you feel it should be pointed elsewhere. It is hard to envision a happy ending for a quarterback we thought could play in Philadelphia at an elite level for over a decade.
4-Drew Brees got hot late against the Chiefs, but it was too little too late. The Chiefs feel as if they are playing at another level of football and tease an opponent into a close game when they want to. This felt demoralizing from an NFC aspect, as if the Saints have no business in a game with the Chiefs. Can anyone in that conference keep pace in a potential Super Bowl matchup?
5-If you are giving the Bucs and Tom Brady another victory lap after Sunday's comeback against Atlanta, you need to get serious. The Falcons did what they do to everyone: they collapsed. The fact that the Bucs defense, in a division game, could get off to such a slow start – while the same can also be said for the Brady-led offense – is a scary thought if you are a Bucs fan with big dreams for the playoffs in two weeks. Tampa Bay continues to be the most unimpressive playoff team that has been publicly hyped in quite some time.
6-The light bulb feels like it is going off for Baker Mayfield. Kevin Stefanski has installed confidence in Baker, and due to an unusual offseason and preseason during a pandemic, it would be difficult for a head coach to have his young quarterback in a new system to come out flying. The Browns leaned on their elite run game and pass rush to stash wins; now it is their quarterback who has the ball jumping out of his hand and winning games for them, even if the run game gets bottled up. The Browns have the look of last year's Titans right now.
7-The Jets cannot take Justin Fields No. 2 overall after beating the Rams. Fields in a big market like New York will be given zero leeway for struggling, especially if Trevor Lawrence is as generational a talent as he is projected to be. Fields will forever be compared to Lawrence and will be criticized even more after that win against the Rams that had nothing to do with him. He will be put in a position to fail, and that is not good for his career – or the next five years of Jets football. Trade the pick, collect assets and build with Sam Darnold and the right coach.
8-Are all of us Mitchell Trubisky haters just going to keep hiding, or can someone give the guy credit? The Bears have kept their slim playoff hopes alive not because of a stifling defense, but because of Mitchell Trubisky leading this offense and scoring points. Maybe Trubisky's late run doesn't earn him a chance to come back as the Bears quarterback, but you can't help but be intrigued by whether Trubisky has saved his NFL career.
9-The Steelers’ dink-and-dunk offense has truly been exposed, and it appears they are back to the Duck Hodges-led team we saw a year ago as opposed to the 11-0 team we saw a month ago. Defensive injuries are one thing; scoring 17 points a game with Ben Roethlisberger is another. It feels like the Steelers may not win another game right now.
10- Last but not least, let us just take a moment of silence for the 2020 Patriots. The streak is over, the playoffs are no more. And, unlike 2008 when they missed the playoffs, their next appearance doesn't exactly feel like it is right around the corner.
Five Games to Chew On
My Picks
Another 3-0 week has me at 9-0 the last 3 weeks. 27-18 ATS for the season. For this week:
Football Food of The Week
Thanks for reading, as always. Have a Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season. You can follow me on Twitter and Instagram @MrazCBS.