Vikings crush Bears, Hawks avoid disaster against Raiders; Lions injuries; predicting CFP upheavals

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🏈 Hello everyone, but especially…

THE VIKINGS OF MINNESOTA AND (AT RÉCUT) THE FALCONS OF ATLANTA

It was far from pretty for long periods, but the Vikings And Falcons both picked up wins last night to keep pace with their respective playoff races.

The Vikings moved away from Bear, 30-12. Justin Jefferson got the party started with an early touchdown Sam Darnold and followed the score by shout Randy Mosswho fights cancer. (Moss was also pre-match honored.) Minnesota racked up 114 rushing yards, both Aaron Jones And Cam Akers scoring, and the defense was relentless.

At 12-2 this season, Minnesota is in the thick of things in the NFC North, just one game behind Lionsas well as for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Atlanta is only in this section because I believe there is no such thing as a bad win. But that’s as close as it gets. Entering a four-game losing streak, the Falcons barely held on, 15-9, against the Raiders. Kirk Cousins finally threw a touchdown pass, but he struggled mightily beyond that. The Raiders, who have now lost 10 straight games and are the third-string quarterback Desmond Ridderactually headed toward Hail Mary field goal range, but two attempts into the end zone failed. Sesame Robinson had 135 total yards to complete an otherwise unsightly offense.

Cousins ​​just doesn’t look like himself anymore. He looks like a 36-year-old quarterback coming off a torn Achilles tendon, and that’s exactly what he is. He can’t move, he can’t drive the ball, and so Atlanta’s offense can’t do anything creative. Atlanta remains one game behind Tampa Bay in the NFC South, but even Raheem Morris admitted Falcons need better quarterback play.

👍 Honorable mentions

🏈 And not such a good morning for…

DETROIT LIONS

The successes have continued to flow for the Lions Monday.

Montgomery is the physical complement between the tackles Jahmyr GibbsMcNeill not only defends the run superbly, but also generates penetration against the pass inside, and Davis is the best man coverage corner for a team that plays the highest man coverage rate in the NFL.

These three losses represent considerable losses, but I fear that the injuries to McNeill and Davis could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. After all, we could almost build a starting lineup of injured Detroit defenders.

• DL: Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill, John Cominsky, Marcus Davenport
• GM: Alex Anzalone, Derrick Barnes, Malcolm Rodriguez
• DB: Carlton Davis, Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Ifetu Melifonwu

There is still plenty of talent and great coaching on this team, and the culture behind it Dan Campbell is second to none, but at some point the X’s and O’s can’t cover the Jimmys and Joes, especially at the Super Bowl level. The Lions have their work cut out for them.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏈 NFL Playoff Photo: AFC Teams Almost Ready, NFC Scrambled

Week 15 did a lot to brighten up the AFC playoff photo. Here is the ranking of the teams still alive:

1. Chiefs (13-1, clinched AFC West)
2. Bills (11-3, won AFC East)
3. Steelers (10-4, clinched playoff spot, leads AFC North)
4. Texans (9-5, clinched AFC South)
5. Ravens (9-5)
6. Broncos (9-5)
7. Chargers (8-6)
8. Foals (6-8)
9. Dolphins (6-8)
10. Bengals (6-8)

Neither the Colts, Dolphins nor Bengals have more than a 7% chance of making the playoffs, according to SportsLine. So in all likelihood the only thing up for grabs over the next three weeks is a top seven finish.

Unlike the AFC, the NFC playoff photo became tighter in week 15.

1. Lions (12-2, playoff berth, NFC North leader)
2. Eagles (12-2, clinched playoff berth, leads NFC East)
3. Rams (8-6, leads NFC West)
4. Buccaneers (8-6, leads NFC South)
5. Vikings (12-2, playoff berth)
6. Packers (10-4)
7. Commanders (9-5)
8. Seahawks (8-6)
9. Falcons (7-7)
10. Cardinals (7-7)
11. 49ers (6-8)
12. Cowboys (6-8)
13. Saints (5-9)

These last three teams can probably be counted, according to SportsLine’s projections, but the top 10 is a wild ride.

• Detroit leads Philadelphia in first place thanks to a superior conference record, but there’s no room for error.
• The NFC West is tight, with divisional matchups in Week 17 (Cardinals-Rams) and Week 18 (49ers-Cardinals and Seahawks-Rams) looming large.
• Falcons remain in despair over Buccaneers mistake; Atlanta would hold the tiebreaker if the teams finished with identical records.
• The Commanders’ lead for the final wild card spot dwindled as the Buccaneers, Rams and Seahawks (before Sunday night) surged.

Exciting (and nervous) times await you!

🏈 Predicting College Football Playoff Upsets

With NFL Week 15 in the books, the first round of the College Football Playoff is next. Hosts Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas And Ohio State are big favorites, but Shehan Jeyarajah ranked all four matches in terms of upset probabilityand his best candidate is…

• Jeyarajah: “(6) Penn State (-8.5) vs. (11) SMU – SMU has a lot more offensive playmakers heading into the game, headlined by quarterback Kevin Jennings (3,050 passing yards, 379 rushing yards, 27 touchdowns). Run back Brashard Smith is a threat both as a runner and pass catcher as a converted receiver, while eight total players on the roster have had at least 275 receiving yards. Five players have at least four receiving touchdowns, and that doesn’t even count the leading receiver Roderick Daniels Jr. …The Nittany Lions need to keep the game low-scoring and defense-oriented. “

Much has been made about the format of the CFP and the changes could be on the way. Brandon Marcello has the rest, including Potential changes in seeding, automatic bidding and field size.

🏈 Dave Clawson leaves Wake Forest

Waking up forest coach Dave Clawson resigned from his role Monday, a surprise move shortly after the Demon Deacons’ offseason. Clawson, 57, will remain at the university as a special adviser to the athletic director John Currie.

• In a statement, Clawson said “After completing my 25th season as a head coach and my 36th in a row in college football, the time is right for me and my family to assume this new role at Wake Forest University.”
• The Clawson Demon Deacons were coming off their second straight 4-8 campaign. Before that, Clawson led them to seven consecutive bowl appearances, a school record. That stretch included an appearance in the ACC Championship Game in 2021, the same season he won ACC Coach of the Year.
• Overall, Clawson finishes 67-69 (32-55) in Winston-Salem.

Of the seven FBS programs in North Carolina, five will have a new coach next season. North Carolina (Mack Brown has Bill Belichick) is the most notable change, but Appalachian State, Charlotte And East Carolina also have new faces in charge. THE Demon Deacons must act quicklywrites Shehan Jeyarajah.

📺What we watch on Tuesday

🏀 Seton Hall vs. No. 5 LSU (W)6 p.m. on FS1
🏀 North Carolina vs. No. 7 Florida (M)7 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 25 Clemson in South Carolina (M)7 p.m. on the SEC Network
🏀 NBA Cup Final: Bucks vs. Thunder8:30 p.m. on ABC
🏀 Iowa State vs. No. 4 UConn (W)8:30 p.m. on FS1
🏈 Frisco Bowl: No. 25 Memphis vs. West Virginia9 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 10 Oklahoma vs. No. 20 Michigan (W)9:30 p.m. on ESPN2