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Just when we all thought we could go quietly into the playoff races in The NFL the football Gods have yet again turned our world upside down. It was a crazy week and weekend. The teams that were supposed to win, lost and the teams that were supposed to loose, won. Go figure. We really didn’t have much else to focus on now that college football is on it’s final leg heading into the bowl season and it’s playoff for a national championship. With the FSU snub now being considered old news and fading from the spotlight we needed new drama and excitement and as usual we got exactly what we needed via some crazy NFL games with some rather shocking outcomes. Instead of preparing for the holidays I think we should all prepare for some huge battles on the gridiron. It’s come to the point where it’s every man (or team) for themselves. Govern yourselves accordingly because I think it’s gonna get ugly. 

Let’s start with some of the winners. No one needed a win more then The Buffalo Bills who were sitting at 6-6 going into the weekend and facing a tough opponent in The Kansas City Chiefs. As luck would have it an epic back and forth battle between Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes was capped with a victory for The Bills when a Kansas City touchdown was called back over an offensive offsides call that resulted in a 20-17 victory for Buffalo. For once the refs did not gift a game to Kansas City. The luck of The Kansas City Chiefs may gave run out finally.The Bills season might be saved after all. 

The game between The Dallas Cowboys and The Philadelphia Eagles was heralded as the game of the week however it turned into the bust of the month as Philadelphia folded quickly to a Dallas team that looks ready to compete for a Superbowl, finally. Dak Prescott propelled himself into MVP contention with a stellar performance leading The Cowboys to a 33-13 victory over last year’s conference champion. Could this be the year, at long last, for Dallas? Lord knows Jerry Jones needs another Superbowl victory before he takes that final sail into the sunset on his 400 million dollar mega yacht! Philadelphia might in fact be overrated as everyone says. 

The Denver Broncos, once the literal doormat of their division once again found a way to win defeating the San Diego Chargers 24-7 and are now looking at a potential playoff berth. For a team that was once on the verge of banishment for being such consistent losers The Broncos have turned it around in a remarkable way. Hats off to the coaches and players in Denver for sticking with it. 

Of course no one can speak of winners and winning without mentioning The San Francisco 49ers right? After a mid season hiccup that saw the boys from the Bay Area drop three straight it seems a though the 49ers are back on track and firing on all cylinders. Led by a quarterback that was the last pick in the draft and started his career riding the bench, Wonder Boy Brock Purdy, San Francisco looks to be the only team out there with consistent play. With a lot of luck and the ability to stay healthy they could go deep in the playoffs but we’ll have to take a wait and see attitude. One just never knows. The California Dream may or may not become a reality.

Now, on to the the teams that lost and this is where it gets ugly.You might want to ask the kids to leave the room folks. 

I’m not sure what is happening in Miami. Once they were by far the favorite to win their division, their conference and maybe even The Superbowl. Now I question wether or not they’ll even win a playoff game.  Allowing a comeback victory by Tennessee and loosing 28-27 on Monday Night Football is not how myself and millions of other South Floridians envisioned the week beginning. What was supposed to be a prime time showcase for the most explosive and dynamic offense the league has ever seen turned into a choke job of epic, almost Biblical proportions as the Titans walked away into the night with a victory. This one will hurt for a while. 

A couple weeks ago The Detroit Lions were the toast of the town, chewing up opponents with a regularity not experienced in The Motor City since Kennedy was president. At the same time the Chicago Bears were looking into a deep, dark void of misery after experiencing more losses then anyone from the Windy City could count. This past weekend saw those roles reversed as Chicago was finally able to put a great game together and defeat the Lions 28-13. With Detroit firmly entrenched in a losing streak it might be time to regroup and refocus for The Lions. I like it when the underdogs win. It’s time for Tge Lions to get their act together. 

I don’t know what to say about an NFL game where the final score is 3-0 like it was in this past Sunday’s matchup between The Vikings and The Raiders. I suppose I could say that someone needs to get fired because they’re not doing their job. I could also say that some, or most, of the players need to be cut from the league entirely but I’m not in charge. I’d be upset if I paid a lot of money for tickets to watch this fiasco and I think everyone else would be as well. In this particular game it was the fan that lost. It was the average working class die hard American who spends his hard earned money to watch his team play and ends up witnessing million dollar players sleep walking thru a game. The only word I can use to describe it is pathetic. 

All this being said it’s safe to say that the run up to the playoffs in The NFL is in full swing. The confusion starts when you try to pick an obvious Superbowl contender. Sure, the 49ers look solid but one or two late season injuries could end it for them. We all remember what happened last year. Dallas is of course everyone’s favorite if you live in the south eastern part of America but with only one playoff appearance in the last decade they lack experience. Kansas City? Well maybe if Mahomes and Kelce can have great games in the latter part of the season. The Ravens of course look like an obvious choice but like many teams lack consistency.

The bottom line is this and I believe I’ve said it before. Which ever team gets hot going into the playoffs could win it all. If you get into the playoffs, regardless of your regular season record and win four straight you’ll be hoisting the Trophy. Play On I Say!!!

Kev

Kev's Corner Our Staffs Weekly Sports perspective

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