Pennsylvania’s NFL franchises each clinched their respective divisions, but the thought of a Turnpike Super Bowl took a detour.
The Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers are now a combined 22-4 this season, but the Eagles may have just suffered the most devastating loss of the season. And I’m not even talking about a game that gets marked in the “L” column in the standings. With a potentially devastating injury to Carson Wentz, the possibility of an all-Pennsylvania Super Bowl may have been dealt a traumatic blow on Sunday despite both the Eagles and Steelers locking down their respective divisions.
Eagles clinch NFC East but lose Wentz (for the year?)
UPDATE: @Eagles reportedly fear QB Carson Wentz suffered torn ACL in win over @RamsNFL. #NFL https://t.co/Lq8g7ceA84 pic.twitter.com/ZqoMGwJ3os
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) December 11, 2017
The Philadelphia Eagles clinched the NFC East with a thrilling 43-35 victory on the road against the Los Angeles Rams. The hyped showdown between Jared Goff and Carson Wentz — the top two picks in the 2016 NFL Draft — lived up to the billing for three quarters, but took a sour turn toward the end of the third quarter.
Wentz left the game with an injured left knee a few plays after taking a hit to his knee on a dive toward the end zone. After a brief examination in the sideline medical tent, Wentz was escorted to the locker room for further examination and the early indications are he suffered a torn ACL that will keep him out of action for the next six months.
If Carson Wentz does indeed have a torn ACL, he will have stayed in the game, played four more plays, and thrown a TD to Alshon Jeffery with an injured knee.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 11, 2017
Carson Wentz’s ACL was loose when it was tested manually today, which is why team fears it’s torn; Wentz is scheduled to undergo an MRI in Philadelphia on Monday, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 11, 2017
Here's a look at Carson Wentz walking off the field shortly after leaving the game with an injury. pic.twitter.com/jh3vHdxkmW
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) December 11, 2017
Eagles fans, of course, have their way of dealing with the news of potentially losing an MVP-worthy quarterback for the remainder of the season…
Wentz can have whatever body part of mine he needs
— Godzilla Shammgodzilla (@FanSince09) December 11, 2017
Toasting to an NFC East championship pic.twitter.com/tE2r0kpHQt
— Mike (@85mf) December 11, 2017
Prayers up to the brother @cj_wentz #GOD #AO1
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) December 11, 2017
Wentz was picked off on the first drive of the game, which led to an early Rams touchdown, but after that he was quite impressive. In just under three quarters of play, Wentz passed for 291 yards and four touchdowns, outperforming Goff’s four-quarter performance with 199 yards, two touchdowns, and a fumble. During his time on the field, Wentz tied and then broke the franchise record for most passing touchdowns in a single season by climbing to 33 touchdowns on the year, and the record was set with quite a highlight from Alshon Jeffery…
.@cj_wentz with his 33rd TD pass of the season, a new #Eagles single-season record.#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/ExSIZ1giWe
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) December 10, 2017
The Eagles were forced to come from behind in the fourth quarter with Nick Foles at quarterback. A pair of field goals by rookie Jake Elliott and some key defensive plays in the fourth quarter helped the Eagles scratch together a hard-fought win in the Los Angeles Coliseum.
The win moved the Eagles back to the top of the NFC playoff picture after the Minnesota Vikings took a loss earlier in the day against Carolina. And with the division all wrapped up, the Eagles secured their spot in the playoffs. But what their chances will be without Wentz should be drastically different than if Wentz were healthy. The Eagles may end up being the top seed in the NFC, but how lethal they are at home will be in some serious question now.
Pyrrhic Victory: a victory that inflicts such a devastating toll on the victor that it is tantamount to defeat.
See also: Eagles over Rams 12/10/17.— Amy Fadool Kane (@amyfadoolNBCS) December 11, 2017
Wentz and Goff, leaving Winston and Mariota in the rear-view mirror
— RosterWatch (@RosterWatch) December 10, 2017
As for the Rams, they stay in first place in the NFC West even with the loss because the Seattle Seahawks lost on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars. And those Seahawks may be a little undermanned next week for a key division showdown if the NFL’s disciplinary office has anything to say about it.
Things got ugly in Jacksonville
With the Jaguars looking to preserve a 30-24 lead and hold off a late rally by Seattle, Michael Bennett stirred things up by attempting to roll into a Jacksonville offensive lineman. This led to a bit of a scuffle, the first of a handful, and things only got worse from there. Jags running back Leonard Fournette came in to defend his teammate, leading to a bit more pushing and shoving.
https://twitter.com/Jesse__Foster/status/940020546795917312
After all of that came to a close, Seattle defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson was ejected just one play later. This is when things got even worse for the league, even though we avoided a full Pistons-Pacers type of a meltdown. A couple of fans threw something on to the field in the direction of Jefferson, who had to be held back from going into the stands.
BIZARRE ENDING | After Seahawks DL Quinton Jefferson is ejected, he nearly climbs into the stands after fans throw drinks at him.
STORY —> https://t.co/Ld7yURnrCb pic.twitter.com/SUJOWNvord— News4JAX (@wjxt4) December 11, 2017
Look, this is pretty simple. Should Jefferson have just gone into the locker room and be done with it? Of course. But then again, there were multiple Jaguars fans throwing stuff at him. That’s not cool. Nobody is on the right side in this situation, and there is plenty of blame to share here.
Those Jags fans found to be throwing anything on the field should be banned from attending an NFL game in the future (although I just don’t know how exactly something like that can possibly be enforced), and Jefferson should be disciplined for his actions on the field and on the way off the field.
https://twitter.com/davelozo/status/940028084295626752
Pay close attention to how the NFL office handles this situation. The league should not consider how important a game is coming up next week at home against the Rams over doing what is right with disciplining all players involved in this ugliness. The Seahawks also just dropped out of the NFC playoff seeding with the loss with the Atlanta Falcons moving into the sixth seed by virtue of their win over the Saints on Thursday night and a head-to-head tiebreaker a few weeks ago.
Vikings stumble at Carolina
As mentioned earlier, the Eagles regained the top spot in the NFC playoff picture. They actually earned some brief breathing room with a full one-game lead in the conference after Minnesota’s highly-respected defense met its match against Cam Newton and the Panthers. Newton may not have loaded the box score (137 passing yards, 1 TD, 70 rushing yards) but his 62-yard run late in the fourth quarter helped set up a go-ahead score for the Panthers in a 31-24 victory.
The Vikings are still in terrific shape in the NFC North and have the one-game lead in the pursuit of a first-round bye week in the NFC playoffs (and we’ll also see what happens with the Eagles without Carson Wentz). Jonathan Stewart rushed for 103 yards and three touchdowns in the win and the Carolina defense picked off Case Keenum twice. Minnesota had three turnovers in the game, which led to 10 Carolina points.
But look, I just want to talk about postgame Cam Newton for a brief moment.
https://twitter.com/JourdanRodrigue/status/940042355775696907
Cam's here pic.twitter.com/GmGD9457SC
— Kelsey Riggs (@kelseyriggs) December 10, 2017
"Cam can show you the world" pic.twitter.com/Iv7mAlhy25
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) December 10, 2017
NFL media’s story before Cam’s final drive run vs. NFL media’s story after pic.twitter.com/yiw9p4YEaz
— Ben Swain (@TheBenSwain) December 10, 2017
The Vikings still lead the NFC North by a considerable margin and are ready to put a bow on the division any week now. And, for now, the Vikings remain in the two-seed in the conference to get a first-round bye week as they are one game ahead of the Rams. The Panthers just moved into a first-place tie in the NFC South with the New Orleans Saints, but the Saints hold the tiebreaker with a 2-0 season record against Carolina. Regardless, the Panthers are holding on to a playoff spot with the five seed as a result of this win against the Vikings.
The Race For No. 1 (Draft Pick)
— Brendan Porath (@BrendanPorath) December 10, 2017
The Cleveland Browns are coming close to locking down the No. 1 draft pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. With the changes in the front office made in the past week, MAYBE THINGS WILL FINALLY WORK OUT FOR THE HA HA HA HA HA HA… I couldn’t even finish that one with a straight face.
The latest exhibition of Browns’ ineptitude was on full display with DeShone Kizer throwing up the arm punt of the year at the NFL level, with it also coming at the worst possible time; he was picked off in overtime, and the Green Bay Packers scored a game-winning touchdown six plays later courtesy of a 25-yard pass from Brett Hundley to Davante Adams.
Oh dear, Kizer https://t.co/FXoDxC88HX
— Matt Clapp (@Matt2Clapp) December 10, 2017
Not only did the Green Bay win allow Packers fans to think about the possibility of sneaking into the postseason and getting Aaron Rodgers back, but the Browns fell to 0-13. Just three losses separate Cleveland from an 0-16 season, but the Browns can potentially wrap up the top pick with a loss next week. If the Browns lose next weekend at home against the Baltimore Ravens, then the Browns can start thinking about what to do with the top pick in the draft.
🤦🏾♂️
— LeBron James (@KingJames) December 10, 2017
The only other team in the running is the New York Giants, who fell to 2-11 in the first game of the post-Ben McAdoo era with a 30-10 setback at home against the Dallas Cowboys. And with the San Francisco 49ers picking up their third win of the year and the Denver Broncos winning their fourth game of the season, it’s pretty much down to the Browns and Giants.
NFL Blitz
Steelers 39, Ravens 38: Trailing the Ravens 38-29 in the fourth quarter, the Steelers made a late comeback to clinch the AFC North with a wild win on Sunday Night Football.
Kings of the North. pic.twitter.com/sng7uz7dAX
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 11, 2017
Ben Roethlisberger attempted 66 passes, completing 44 of them for 506 yards. The difference maker in the game? Who else, but Antonio Brown?
Got 8️⃣4️⃣ on speed dial. pic.twitter.com/LIcU7dXaOV
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) December 11, 2017
Ryan Shazier is on the minds of his teammates tonight. pic.twitter.com/zBVTpdhZ5k
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 11, 2017
Chiefs 26, Raiders 15: The Chiefs finally got back some mojo with a key division win against the Oakland Raiders. Rookie Kareem Hunt rushed for 116 yards and a score in the win, and the Chiefs needed this one in a bad way. Those who have been following the NFL Blitz in recent weeks have seen me suggesting the division may be going a different way, but the Chiefs managed to stay on top of the division, which sets up a big matchup next week…
Chargers 30, Redskins 13: That’s because the Chargers keep on winning too! The Chargers won their fourth-straight game to stay even atop the AFC West with Kansas City with identical 7-6 records. The Chargers bolted out to a 13-0 lead in the first quarter and still left points on the field, but after leading 23-6 at halftime, there was no turning back in this one.
Next week, the Chargers visit the Chiefs with first place in the division on the line. This will be Kansas City’s opportunity to retake control of the division after losing steam following a hot start to the year. Lose that one, and the Chargers may just win the division in their first season in Los Angeles.
Lions 24, Buccaneers 21: Matthew Stafford and the Lions remain on the playoff radar after the franchise quarterback passed for 381 yards and a touchdown in a road win in Tampa. The Bucs were officially eliminated from the postseason, leaving Jameis Winston plenty of time to work on his pregame speech methods…
The Bucs have officially been eliminated from playoff contention. pic.twitter.com/xk41rvYJEn
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 10, 2017
Bills 13, Colts 7 (OT): The Bills and Colts played in the snow game of the year in the NFL, and it even went to overtime. Adam Vinatieri sent the game to overtime with a 43-yard extra point attempt. Just look how much snow needed to be cleared to make that happen…
Man I am crying pic.twitter.com/ciVxTErp7X
— Will Brinson (@WillBrinson) December 10, 2017
LeSean McCoy ended the game after going dashing through the snow.
.@CutOnDime25 in the SNOW… Unstoppable.@BuffaloBills WIN! #GoBills https://t.co/WnNmeYQXXc
— NFL (@NFL) December 10, 2017
ESPN stuck with their corporate synergy to have some fun with the game. In case you forgot there is a new Star Wars moving coming out this week.
Spotted in Buffalo. pic.twitter.com/6fvTO0vk6H
— ESPN (@espn) December 10, 2017
Bears 33, Bengals 7: Mitch Trubisky passed for 271 yards and a touchdown, but it was Jordan Howard who ruled the day with 147 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a blowout win against the Bengals. Afterward, the Bears took it to ESPN’s NFL minds…
Don’t play the lottery, guys.#CHIvsCIN #DaBears pic.twitter.com/GIdYrv3sr1
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 10, 2017
Broncos 23, Jets 0: Josh McCown broke his left hand and the Jets got blanked by a dreadful Broncos team. The moral of the story here? Never let Manish Mehta write a feature story about a Jets player redeeming his career.
Move over SI cover curse… two weeks in a row! cc @OldTakesExposed pic.twitter.com/eJdxOlH6TO
— Greg Krieg (@GregJKrieg) December 10, 2017
Cardinals 12, Titans 7: It was not a good afternoon for Marcus Mariota, who was sacked three times and picked off twice by the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals also kept Derrick Henry and the Titans running game from taking off for a big day, with Tennessee limited to just 65 rushing yards. Mariota said after the game he has to be better, and he’s not wrong about that. The Titans fell one game behind Jacksonville in the AFC South but Tennessee gets San Francisco next weekend. But about those 49ers…
49ers 26, Texans 16: It has been just two games against low-quality opponents, but you think the 49ers are happy to have Jimmy Garoppolo leading the offense?
Since the 49ers started Jimmy Garoppolo at QB, San Francisco is undefeated.
Facts only. pic.twitter.com/Znn80lXG1N
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 11, 2017
All your rowdy friends are coming over tonight
The New England Patriots can clinch the AFC East Monday night with a win in Miami. The Patriots come into the game with a record of 10-2 and would have a four-game lead on the Buffalo Bills with a road win on Monday night, thus clinching the division with three games to play. With the Steelers winning Sunday night, the Patriots would stay in the two-seed regardless of the outcome Monday night, but the game next week against the Steelers in Pittsburgh will settle who gets the No. 1 seed with two weeks to go after that.
I see absolutely no reason to doubt the Patriots get out of Miami with a sizable victory.