Around the NFC
49ers keep it going: Does it even matter who plays quarterback for Kyle Shanahan? Rookie Brock Purdy put together another efficient performance Thursday night at Seattle and helped the 49ers get to 10-4 overall, clinching the AFC West in the process. Not bad for Mr. Irrelevant. San Francisco’s defense is worth the price of admission, as is their offensive line. Now they’ve got some time to play for seeding and get Purdy prepared for the playoffs.
Detroitap push: The Lions have some work to do and will need help to get into the playoffs (538 currently gives them a 20% chance), but even thatap pretty impressive. Dan Campbell’s team lost five straight early in the season but has bounced back from a 1-6 start by winning five of their past six. In that span, quarterback Jared Goff’s thrown 10 touchdowns and one pick. In their past five games, the Lions are averaging 32.2 points per game.
Cowboys’ WR add: After weeks of nonstop talk about adding a high-profile free-agent receiver, Dallas finally agreed to terms with…. T.Y. Hilton, who is not Odell Beckham Jr. Maybe OBJ will land somewhere — he says he just wants to play in the playoffs — or maybe that’ll have to wait until next year. Either way, the Cowboys now have to try to figure out a way to track down the Eagles.
Around the AFC
Mentor or tormentor?: Itap Bill Belichick against Josh McDaniels in the desert this weekend. McDaniels looked like the one prepared to put together a playoff push this year until Vegas inexplicably allowed Baker Mayfield, who probably hadn’t even read the Rams’ employee handbook yet, let alone figured out the playbook, to go 98 yards in two minutes to beat them.
High-flying Bengals: Cincinnati will know by the time it takes the field Sunday what happened with fellow 9-4 division rival Baltimore. As for Joe Burrow and company, they’ve won nine of their past 11 and are on a five-game heater. If they can find a way to win back-to-back road games against Tampa Bay and New England — call it the Tom Brady Historic Highway — they’ll host Buffalo with a chance to make some noise in the AFC before the playoffs start.
No. 1 seed?: Kansas City almost blew a big lead against the Broncos on Sunday, but should roll against the 1-11-1 Texans this weekend. They are a game back of Buffalo by virtue of a head-to-head tiebreaker but have a chance to win out with Houston, Seattle, Denver and Vegas left on the schedule.
Game of the Week
New York Giants at Washington
Of the Sunday slate, the best matchup is an NFC East game rife with playoff implications. The Giants and Commanders are in wild card contention and two weeks removed from playing to a 20-all tie. It’s conceivable that the East could get three teams into the playoffs. Currently 538 gives Washington a 77% chance of making the playoffs and the Giants a 52% chance. With a win, though, New York’s odds jump to 90%. Washington jumps to 93% with a win. Bottom line: Big game.
Commanders 23, Giants 21
Lock of the Week
Philadelphia at Chicago
There are several candidates for this one this week — though Houston showed last week against Dallas that the notion of a “lock” can be dicey in the NFL. The Eagles are 6-0 on the road, nine-point favorites against Chicago and have only a one-point loss to Washington on the right-hand side of the ledger. Their past three games they’ve scored 40, 35 and 48. The Bears are 29th in the NFL in scoring defense, allowing 26.8 per game.
Eagles 34, Bears 20
Upset of the Week
Tennessee at Los Angeles Chargers
Justin Herbert and the Chargers are coming off a big win against Miami and the Titans have lost three straight. Tennessee’s playoff prospects still look good in the weak AFC South, but itap been a tough road recently. Los Angeles, meanwhile, is essentially a coin flip for the playoffs and a three-point favorite against Mike Vrabel’s team. Feels like a Derrick Henry kind of afternoon.
Titans 24, Chargers 23
