The final phase of the season has arrived. The AFC playoff race is all but decided, the NFC is close, and many teams are waiting to be officially eliminated from the playoffs.
This week’s Four Verts begins with the very definition of a showdown: The Division.
NFC North is living up to the hype
All four teams in the NFC North had reason for hope as the season began. Three of them still are, and the Lions, Packers, and Vikings are each among the NFL’s elite this season. Barring a disaster in the final few weeks, all three of these teams will likely make the playoffs. The Lions command the division as one of the best teams in the NFL, but the Packers’ chances of winning the division could increase with Thursday night’s big game in Detroit. The Bears are still having a typical Bears season, but the rest of the division is ready to make some noise in the playoffs.
The Lions have been an incredibly dominant team this season, especially offensively. According to TruMedia, the Lions’ offense has improved success rate (48.6%), points per drive (2.84), first downs and touchdowns per play (6.44), dropback success rate (53.1%), and rushing attempts (46.9). %) is ranked number 1. . They also rank in the top five in the most expected point statistic, converting 45.7% of their third downs. They combine competent quarterback play, perhaps the best running back duo in the league, and a rockstar offensive line that mowing down defenses. Ben Johnson has a ton of talent to tap into, making his job as a play-caller much easier.
Their defense, which has been strong this year, has faced a tough test over the past month against the Packers, who boast the best offense in the league. Since Week 9, the Packers rank first in yards per play (6.6), fourth in points per drive (2.76) and third in dropback success rate (51.8%). This offense plays like a machine, and while the defense isn’t consistent down-to-down, it’s getting enough turnovers and consistently returning the ball to an offense that’s on fire. . At 9-3, they still have a good chance of winning a district title and earning a top playoff seed if they play their cards right and get a little luck.
Minnesota is caught in between them, with a 10-2 record and potentially exceeding expectations as one of the league’s up-and-coming teams. The Vikings’ defense has been one of the best in the NFL this year, and Sam Darnold has been consistent enough to lead the offense to a potential playoff berth. They have to play the Packers and Lions (and the Bears) one more time before the end of the season, but Kevin O’Connell and Brian Flores have raised expectations in Minnesota, even if their personnel isn’t in place. deserves great praise. As well known as the Lions and Packers. It’s hard to tell if this is truly a Super Bowl contender, but there’s no doubt their defense will give them a chance come January.
Then there are the Bears. At the moment, they’re trying to get to 2025, which is a fair idea to follow for a Thanksgiving masterclass.
Matt Eberflus may have exited in the worst way as a coach.
man. It’s been about a week since the Bears’ unprofessional fiasco of losing to the Lions on Thanksgiving, and I still can’t believe it. After this loss, the Bears had no choice but to fire embattled third-year head coach Matt Eberflus, still in awe of how messy the end of his coaching tenure was. You can’t help but feel that way — and it was partly the Bears’ fault. The end of everything.
This timeout failure has been talked about ad nauseum, but it is actually one of the most unimaginable unforced errors seen at any level of soccer. The Bears, who lost 23-20, called a timeout with about 30 seconds left in field goal range. The best way to play would have been to run another play, gain some yards, call a timeout, and then kick a field goal. However, the Bears’ players couldn’t really set in a timely fashion, and rookie quarterback Caleb Williams took too long to get things going, and the Bears found themselves running out of time in a hurry. I did. With just six seconds left, Williams snapped the ball and threw a prayer to Roman Odunze, but it landed incomplete, ending the game. Sloppy play by the players on the field, that’s for sure.
Still, I had to use a timeout. They could have kicked a difficult field goal, but that was certainly better than what they did. Eberflus saw his original plan evaporated and had to burn out a timeout. No discussion. Call timeout. This failure was so significant that Eberflus was forced to retire after slumping from 4 wins to 2 losses to 4 wins and 8 losses in six games. That part makes sense.
What I didn’t understand was how the Bears handled Eberflus’ firing. For some reason, Eberflus was able to meet with reporters on Friday after the game, where he said he was focused on preparing for the 49ers. Shortly after, it was reported that Eberflus had been fired, which seemed a little in bad taste. Why let him talk about his mistakes when he doesn’t have a chance to correct them? Once the game is over, let him go and move on. That part was a little weird.
The Bears’ season has been a shame fest, which is understandable given how some games have ended. Their season is certainly over, but at least they have a strong foundation to develop for their new head coach. Even worse, you could become a Raiders.
Brock Bowers should be Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Deny quarterback Mindheim! Don’t let the media make you think they’re the only ones on the field. While there are several rookie quarterbacks who deserve praise for their performance this year and are playing commensurate with their experience level, there is one rookie who is playing like one of the best players in the entire NFL – the Raiders. Tight end Brock Bowers.
Bowers has been sensational and should be the clear favorite for Offensive Rookie of the Year as one of the best tight ends in the league. According to TruMedia data, Bowers is arguably the most productive tight end in the league, especially considering the number of targets (and he’s the only truly scary offensive threat for the Raiders). Among all tight ends with at least 40 targets this season, Bowers ranks first in receptions (84), yards (884), targets (113), and targets per route (0.28). He also ranks fourth in both yards per run per route (2.18) and first downs and touchdowns per route (10.6%). That’s so great! Again, not just a rookie, but that makes him one of the most productive tight ends in the league.
This is never a successful situation for a skilled new player. The Raiders set up quarterback turnstiles in Gardner Minshew, Aidan O’Connell and Desmond Ridder. The Raiders had their worst loss in the league this season. Davante Adams was traded early in the season, creating a huge target void for the Raiders. For the Raiders’ offense to be competitive this season, Bowers needed to be that asset right away, and he has done that.
Overall, Bowers’ 884 receiving yards rank fourth in the league and lead the entire league in receptions. He is having a historically great season as the centerpiece of the Raiders’ offense. Yes, the Raiders’ offense is bad, but it will be completely unsustainable without him. At this pace, he’s on track to accumulate 1,252 receiving yards as a rookie, which would break Mike Ditka’s 1961 rookie yards record for tight ends (1,076 yards). He’s also on track to join Ditka and Kyle Pitts as the only tight ends in NFL history to reach 1,000 yards as a rookie.
If this doesn’t deserve the Newcomer Award, please cancel the award. Bowers shouldn’t be blamed for being on a bad team here. The Raiders’ problems run deep, and we all know that ultimately tight ends have limited impact on winning when they’re the team’s only top players. If he can keep this up, he should be the leader in this award and win it outright.
The Raiders didn’t overthink their draft strategy and went straight to selecting the “best player available” and acquiring an absolute superstar of the future. At least they did one thing right!
What will happen to the Chiefs this year?
I’ll keep it simple: doubting the Chiefs is at your own risk. Although an underdog considering the absurd standards they’ve set for themselves in recent years, they’re still one of the best teams in the league. I care about everyone who takes the time to read this column, and I hope they earn the wrath of Patrick Mahomes as the Chiefs fight for home-field advantage heading into the playoffs. not present.
Ignore the mediocre to downright awful teams that scrape together. Ignore the fact that the Bills beat them earlier in the season. You know what the deal is with this team. Data doesn’t matter. Before you doubt this team’s abilities, wait until the playoffs. Mahomes reads everything. Keep your team safe and don’t add fuel to the fire.
