Just three regular season games left for 30 of the 32 NFL teams and just a couple to go for Seattle and Los Angeles after the Seahawks blitzed the Rams 24-3 Thursday.
Here are some questions that still need answers.
Will the Cleveland Browns go 0-16?
Half-way through the season I suggested no but time is running out.
In all likely-hood the Browns will not win Sunday in Buffalo or January 1st in Pittsburgh which means the only realistic hope for a victory will be December 24th against the visiting San Diego Chargers.
There are Cleveland fans already planning a parade should the Browns go a perfect 0-16.
Will the defending Super Bowl champions even make the playoffs?
The 8-5 Denver Broncos are barely holding on to the last AFC wild-card spot and they have the toughest schedule remaining.
How quickly things change!
The other 2016 Super Bowl finalist, the Carolina Panthers, are 5-8 and out of contention.
The Broncos host New England Sunday, visit Kansas City Christmas night and host the Oakland Raiders New Year’s day.
Realistically, they need to win two of three.
Denver can beat the Raiders but the Broncos will be under-dogs against the Patriots and Chiefs.
Who’s the most dangerous team lurking in each Conference?
In the AFC, the answer is the 8-5 Pittsburgh Steelers who have won four straight.
In the NFC, the Pack is back.
The 7-6 Green Bay Packers have won three in a row and Aaron Rodgers has returned to MVP form.
The Steelers are in great position to make the playoffs and win the AFC North but the Packers could get knocked out with another loss.
Pittsburgh closes at Cincinnati, home to Baltimore and home to Cleveland.
Green Bay visits Chicago, hosts Minnesota and concludes in Detroit.
Who’s the front runner for MVP?
It changes from week to week.
The top three candidates are quarterbacks; Tom Brady (New England), Matthew Stafford (Detroit) and Derek Carr (Oakland).
In an ESPN MVP Poll this week Brady received the most first place votes but it will be
hard to argue against Stafford should the Lions win the NFC North.
Which head coaches will suffer the same fate as Jeff Fisher?
The LA Rams quickly dismissed Fisher after that awful 42-14 meltdown against the Atlanta Falcons.
The most likely candidates to lose their job are Gus Bradley (Jacksonville) and Rex Ryan (Buffalo).
The time may also be up after a 14 year run (without a playoff win) for Marv Lewis (Cincinnati).
Others on the bubble include Chip Kelly (San Francisco), Mike McCoy (San Diego), John Fox (Chicago), Todd Bowles (NY Jets) Chuck Pagano (Indianapolis) and Hue Jackson (Cleveland).
Who are the Seattle Seahawks?
On one hand, the Seahawks are a team that won in New England 31-24 on November 13th but on the other hand they are just 2-4-1 on the road including a 38-10 loss last Sunday in Green Bay.
The (9-4-1) Seahawks are still a good bet to receive a first round bye and they have much more recent playoff experience than the other NFC contenders.
In a wide open conference, I would not bet against the Seahawks getting back to the Super Bowl even if they end up playing at Dallas.
Which teams with a winning record are not as good as their record?
Let’s start with the Houston Texans.
Houston is 7-6 and tied with Tennessee for the AFC South lead.
The Texans are coming off a surprising 22-17 victory in Indianapolis, however, they do play in the weakest division in the NFL where they are 4-0.
Houston is also -45 in net points and 2-5 on the road.
Quarterback QB Brock Osweiller has not lived up to his contract (4 years, $72 million) with $37 million guaranteed.
I still need to see more from 8-5 Miami, 8-5 Tampa or even the 9-4 New York Giants (despite the Giants two victories over Dallas) to become a believer.
Would the Cowboys consider going to Tony Romo?
Dallas is 11-2 without him and yet this topic gets debated each week.
Unless Dak Prescott gets injured or the Cowboys play a game with nothing at stake, Romo is destined to watch with a clip board.
Prescott did not play well in the 10-7 loss to the New York Giants but his body of work over the first 13 games has been nothing short of remarkable for a 4th round pick (135th overall) out of Mississippi State.
Barring a Jerry Jones brain cramp which is always possible, the Cowboys will pin their Super Bowl hopes on the 23 year old rookie.
Yes, this is the time of year with the holiday season approaching that the NFL intrigue heightens.
From the Quote Rack:
Fox TV play by play broadcaster Joe Buck said he once called a touchdown while peeing in a garbage can. Now, that’s what you call trash-talking.
Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California
Seattle Seahawks CB Richard Sherman, angry at the NFL’s scheduling of Thursday night games, referred to them as a “Poopfest.” Would that be the title of a potential 49ers Browns game?
Comedy writer Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com
Richard Sherman said that Thursday night games are the equivalent of the NFL is giving the middle finger to the players. Richard obviously hates the short week. Lucky for him, apparently so do The Rams.
Comedy writer Tony Chong of Vancouver
And in case you missed it:
CNBC reports Cirque du Soleil wants to hire about 450 new performers. This may include over 75 tightrope walkers, although that’s still up in the air.
Comedy writer RJ Currie www.Sportsdeke.com
Hartley Miller is the sports director and morning news anchor for 94.3 the Goat.
He also is the 94.3 radio color commentator for P.G. Cougars home games.
His column appears Fridays on myprincegeorgenow.com.
Send along a quote, note, or anecdote to [email protected]
Follow him on twitter: @Hartley_Miller