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Kansas City's reserves were walloped in Denver, with the Chiefs having earned the right to play as hard as they wanted to while extending the rest period for their big dogs in pursuit of a third straight championship. Kansas City is as well-positioned and prepared as any team out there to go win it. The defense hadn't allowed more than 19 points in any of the previous five games before Sunday. DB Chamarri Conner suffered a shoulder injury in the Week 18 loss to the Broncos, but he has two weeks to get healthy. The offense is doing just fine, too. Patrick Mahomes was heating up down the stretch, having posted an 11:0 TD-to-INT ratio since mid-November. The switch of Joe Thuney to left tackle seemed to pay off, and the Chiefs might not trust D.J. Humphries enough to in the playoffs. Either way, they should be heavy favorites to get through the Divisional Round and reach another AFC Championship Game.

If there was one thing that could've boosted this team to even greater heights in Week 18, it was what the injury-riddled defense accomplished against Minnesota: turning in a lights-out performance against a hot opponent when few outside the team facility imagined it possible. Aaron Glenn was perhaps the least hyped of the four play-callers in Sunday night's battle, and yet Detroit's defensive coordinator might have come up with the best game plan of them all, absolutely stopping the Vikings in their tracks. The return of linebacker Alex Anzalone was a huge help, and defensive back Amik Robertson stepped up with a monster game against Justin Jefferson. The red-zone execution was fantastic. And despite only getting two sacks, the Lions' pressure against Sam Darnold was relentless (40% pressure rate, per NGS). The reward is a week's worth of rest as the NFC's No. 1 seed -- and boy, this team probably needed it. The Lions have been running in the red for weeks now. Time to recharge and reload in Detroit. 

The Bills didn't look like a team motivated to hand the Patriots the first overall pick in the 2025 ����������Draft, operating at golf-cart speed for most of their eventual loss in New England. Josh Allen should be raring to go in Sunday's wild-card game against Denver. The star quarterback's protected by a strong offensive line and at the peak of his powers, earning serious MVP consideration this season. He looks ready to take his career to the next level. Will the Bills' defense hold up its end of the bargain? On Sunday, Buffalo rested many key contributors, including linebacker Matt Milano, who could be an X-factor after his late-season return from a torn biceps. I'm worried that Buffalo's issues in run defense could crop up in the playoffs; if those come into play Sunday against the Broncos, there might be cause for concern. But the only team to beat the Chiefs' starters this season is in this spot for a reason: winning a championship is absolutely within reach. 

The Eagles technically didn't even field on Sunday (they were one short of the standard allotment of available players), and their backups still played at a high enough level to help secure another victory heading into the playoffs. This team boasts nearly the same level of proficiency as the 2022 Eagles, who came up just short in Super Bowl LVII two years ago, and that gives Philly an excellent chance to win the franchise's second post-merger championship (it would be No. 5 overall). Saquon Barkley, who rested in Week 18, about giving up an opportunity to set a new single-season rushing mark, and now he'll enter the playoffs as one of the league's biggest non-QB difference makers. He began his brilliant campaign down in Brazil with a three-touchdown outing against Green Bay -- the same team he'll face Sunday.

Saturday's throttling of the Browns was about the defense. From Nate Wiggins' pick-six to big man Michael Pierce's interception (with another Kyle Van Noy sack in between), the Ravens were mostly dominant on that side of the ball, compensating for a slow start by the offense that kept the score semi-close. Then Lamar Jackson heated up and Derrick Henry rumbled for two TDs. Right now, it just feels like the Ravens are flying way below where they were on the radar at this time last year, when they were the team everyone was looking up at. Now the Ravens are the hunters, lying in the weeds. Sure, there's some tall grass in the AFC, but the best version of this team can mow down the field.

Following the disappointment in Detroit on Sunday night, the Vikings are resigned to be known as the winningest team not to capture its division, tied for the most wins by a playoff team that did not land a No. 1 seed (since seeding began in 1975). This weekend, they'll have to face the Rams in Los Angeles, where Matthew Stafford and Co. beat Minnesota earlier this season. The missed opportunities against the Lions -- the red-zone failures, the quick field-goal drive allowed on a Detroit possession that began 20 seconds before halftime, Andrew Van Ginkel's inability to haul in a would-be pick-six -- were just so uncharacteristic of what we'd seen from this team coming in. Meanwhile, the Vikings' offensive line was under fire all night. Sam Darnold was only sacked twice, but they were both huge: a 17-yard loss to the 3-yard line in the first quarter and a fourth-quarter sack that took away the go-for-it possibility on fourth down, when Minnesota was down two scores. Darnold didn't play up to his 2024 standard, completing just two of 11 passes for 7 yards in four red-zone trips. If the Vikings don't clean that up, any disappointment bubbling around this season will only run deeper.

The Commanders pulled Jayden Daniels at halftime, with the offense struggling and their pursuit of the sixth seed still undecided. But it was probably the right call, giving Daniels some rest for and whatever other bruises he's accumulated through a brilliant rookie season. Dan Quinn has pushed just about every right button in his first year in Washington, too, so it's no surprise his crew then fought back to win in Dallas. Also fitting: Each of the Commanders' past four victories came down to their final play from scrimmage. They've proven themselves to be a feisty, resilient bunch, apparently ignorant of which games they should and shouldn't win. That's a scary brand of team to face in the postseason, even with a serious first-round opponent (Tampa Bay) on tap. Not only did the Bucs beat them in Week 1, but Tampa also has been in win-or-else mode since dropping to 4-6 in late November.

A month ago, the Packers looked like one of the NFC's more dangerous teams, even if they couldn't wrest the NFC North away from the Lions. So much has changed since then. On Sunday, Green Bay slinked back to the No. 7 spot in the NFC, setting up a rematch of Week 1's loss to the Eagles, who rested starters in Week 18. Jordan Love's elbow injury might turn out to be much ado about nothing, but the loss of Christian Watson to an ACL tear cost the Packers a key playmaker in the passing game, even if they have learned not to count on the oft-injured receiver. The sluggish loss to the Bears was no way to limp into the playoffs, marked by major breakdowns in every phase of the game -- including coaching, via Matt LaFleur's . Green Bay looked unprepared, or perhaps like a team that was looking ahead. But if that was the case, why? Washington was losing in the fourth quarter of its game, and if the Commanders had fallen, the Packers could have jumped up a spot. They need to dispel the bad juju, or it's going to be a short postseason stay.

The Chargers got off to a sluggish offensive start against the Raiders, then were given a huge boost from Daiyan Henley's interception right before the half. Justin Herbert capitalized, with great performances from Quentin Johnston (in perhaps the best game of his career) and Ladd McConkey. Having those two receivers play the way they did down the stretch is a major lift for this offense, which hasn't quite been able to crank up the run game the way it did earlier in the season. The Bolts weathered two tough periods in 2024, twice losing three in four-game spans, but they enter the playoffs as a team absolutely capable of taking care of business against a weathered Texans squad on the road. Yes, the offensive line looms as a worry, but L.A. has more away victories (six) than Houston has home wins (five). After Round 1? It's anyone's guess, but the Chargers will have to elevate their game if they want to do more damage.

The raucous celebration for Mike Evans, who surpassed the 1,000-yard receiving mark to tie a record and late in the win over the Saints on Sunday, was a great chance for the Bucs to blow off some steam. They'd been through the ringer all season long, weathering long stretches of frustration, buoyed by impressive resilience and grit. True to form, the outcome of the game was also in doubt until the final few minutes, with the Saints carrying a lead and control of the contest into the fourth quarter. The Bucs can be their own worst enemy at times, but they also profile like a squad that can scare the living daylights out of many postseason opponents. Tampa beat the Commanders by three scores, albeit in Week 1. The Bucs vanquished the Lions and Eagles early in the season, too. But that was before Hurricane Milton and the 1-5 stretch around midseason, when Tampa was swept by Atlanta, necessitating the late-season run just to get into the playoffs. The Bucs will have their hands full and are by no means a perfect squad, but they can't be ignored.

The Broncos are painting themselves as the young, hungry bunch with nothing to lose after ending an eight-season postseason drought, and honestly, that's probably their best way to go about approaching these playoffs. They're significant wild-card underdogs against the mighty Bills, and yet there's still a path to victory in Buffalo, where the Bills did have to sweat out a couple of close shaves on their way to an 8-0 mark this season. Don't forget about Sean Payton leading a rousing last-second win for the Broncos at Highmark Stadium last season, even if that only counts for so much now. The main problem is that I don't think the Broncos will stick with the run enough to exploit a potential weakness there for Buffalo, and Denver hasn't exactly stacked up amazingly well against the league's heavyweights this season. 

In Week 18, the Rams played and acted like they didn't care who they'd face in the Wild Card Round, because there was only so much say they had in the matter. It allowed Sean McVay to rest certain players and get QB2 -- who had not been in a game since last season, when he was with the Raiders -- ample work. It's nice going into the playoffs with a coach and QB who have recent Super Bowl titles (and a backup who's played in a Super Bowl), kicking off with a home game against a team you've previously beaten. Vikings-Rams 2.0 will be another reunion of sorts, as these teams' connections run deep, but Minnesota is a different caliber of foe now than it was when the Rams last faced the Vikings in Week 8. Back in October, L.A. prevailed in a Thursday Night Football game featuring a controversial ending. I'm prepared for another barnburner at SoFi.

The look on Mike Tomlin's face when Saturday's game against Cincinnati slipped away from Pittsburgh told the whole story. This Steelers team -- specifically the offense -- just looks like it's grinding its gears right now, unable to find explosive plays or consistently produce drives. Russell Wilson's struggles down the stretch -- which started to crop up after the first Bengals game in Week 13 -- don't bode well for the postseason. Neither does a dormant run game that failed twice in short-yardage situations and could not crack the 80-yard mark on the day. The defense has shouldered a lot of the load when times have been tough, but in marquee matchups, that unit has been a little overmatched. The Steelers beat the Ravens in their first meeting, but they were playing better then and needed a few wild things to happen to win. The second matchup in Baltimore was controlled by the Ravens. The wild-card showdown feels like a wicked challenge, having to go back to Charm City.

Even knowing the starters mostly got the chance to rest up in Week 18, it's not at all out of bounds to wonder how this Texans team is going to score major points offensively in a wild-card game against the Chargers. The Bolts have allowed the fewest points in the ����������this season, and Houston's issues on the line and at receiver have held the offense back significantly down the stretch. In their three games prior to the regular-season finale, the Texans scored a total of just 41 points, with two of those games coming at home. That's worrisome, even if all three opponents featured worthy defenses. The spotlight is also shining brightly on C.J. Stroud after a regressive Year 2. Then again, the Texans might have something to exploit if the Chargers' own OL issues continue to fester. Perhaps Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter can heat up the edges and kickstart the squad defensively. It seems like Houston's going to need some kind of spark from outside the offense.

Their season officially when Denver blasted the Chiefs' backups, but the Bengals left everything they had on the field Saturday night in Pittsburgh, clearly looking more dangerous than the Steelers team that is hitting the playoffs. If not for its elimination from postseason contention, Cincinnati would be higher than Pittsburgh on this list. The Bengals have no one to blame but themselves for coming up short, and they know it. The fallout was that four assistant coaches, including defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, lost their jobs. Now we wait to find out what happens with impending free agent Tee Higgins and whether the Bengals can find the right defensive architect for next season. In a cruel twist of fate, Anarumo led the Bengals to an outstanding Week 18 effort -- probably the best version we got all season, considering the opponent.

The Seahawks were the only 10-win team to miss the playoffs, and though the Week 18 victory over the Rams might have felt like little more than a nice finish to a disappointing season, they seemed to approach it like a launching pad for the offseason. Geno Smith finished strong, hitting several key passing marks Sunday to kick in some financial bonuses, but the semi-surprising firing of coordinator Ryan Grubb signals a change on offense. My guess is that Mike Macdonald wants to be a much run-heavier operation, as he witnessed firsthand in his time at University of Michigan and with the Ravens. The numbers suggest that the Seahawks’ defense was also pretty good over the course of 17 games, with the bulk of that unit expected back next season, but Macdonald surely will lament some of the key breakdowns on D that led to Seattle missing the postseason. This might be a team in some flux, but you’d hardly call it a "rebuilding" situation. The 'Hawks should be positioned to compete again, assuming Macdonald finds the right offensive play-caller.

The Cardinals undoubtedly built a foundation in Jonathan Gannon’s second campaign leading the franchise. They fed off the energy from a strong late-season showing in 2023 and an encouraging offseason, doubling their win total in 2024, outscoring their opponents by 21 points and doing so against a tough slate of competition that featured a hearty opponents’ win percentage of .536. That’s tangible progress for a franchise that was in the doldrums not too long ago. Yet the pangs of regret are unavoidable when you consider where the Cardinals stood coming out of their bye into Week 12: at 6-4 and atop the NFC West, seemingly in decent shape for a playoff run. It never happened. They were swept by Seattle and suffered three other close losses (by a combined 11 points), only winning down the stretch against a bad New England team and a 49ers squad starting a lot of backups in Week 18. That’s the unfortunate reality for an improved Arizona squad, even as it forged its way back to relevance. 

Head coach Mike McDaniel and GM Chris Grier will return next season, owner Stephen Ross announced, but the future of Tyreek Hill in Miami is suddenly much murkier after the star wide receiver’s comments on Sunday. Perhaps moving on from Hill -- who is due nearly $28 million next season, per OverTheCap -- is best for the Dolphins spiritually, but it would leave a big hole in their offense, even with Hill coming off his most difficult season in years. The Dolphins suffered right alongside him for their first losing season since 2019. Even if you can split Miami’s 2024 campaign into two parts -- with and without Tua Tagovailoa -- it’s worth noting the Dolphins were 6-5 with Tagovailoa starting and 2-4 with others at QB. That suggests there is far more to address than just the Hill situation, and trading him for draft assets won’t ensure a quick fix. The AFC East remains a cloudy division, but the three teams that missed the playoffs are still looking (way) up at the Bills for now.

Atlanta's 2024 offseason kicked off with the Kirk Cousins signing, then took what seemed like a strange left turn with the drafting of Michael Penix Jr. Odd that as we sit here now -- with the Falcons missing the playoffs even after starting the year 6-3 with a season sweep over Tampa Bay -- Atlanta figures to pivot to Penix going forward. Another $10 million becomes guaranteed to Cousins if he’s still on the roster come March 17, so you can expect a decision on his future prior to that date. Penix couldn’t vault the Falcons back into the playoffs, even with some promising moments down the stretch, as Atlanta lost its final two games in overtime. Seeing Penix throw for 312 yards and two touchdowns against the Panthers, along with massive games from Drake London and Bijan Robinson, was enough of a cliffhanger to keep fans encouraged, even while lamenting a seventh straight season without a spot in the playoffs.

Shane Steichen and Chris Ballard will return in 2024, which may or may not have irritated fans tired of the franchise being stuck in a cycle of mediocrity. The focus now shifts to Anthony Richardson, who enters the most pivotal offseason of his career. We might have said the same thing one year ago, but this time it really matters after Richardson was benched, regained his job but then failed to put a stamp on his season down the stretch. He’s a 50 percent passer with 21 TDs (11 passing, 10 rushing) and 17 turnovers in 15 starts. Assuming AR's back as the starter next season, the Colts will have to go even more in on surrounding him with the proper talent and offensive scheme to get the most out of his rare athletic traits. That and fixing a broken defense -- with a new coordinator -- are the two main offseason priorities.

Jerry Jones spoke with the media for almost 40 minutes after the season-ending loss to the Commanders, and the topic of Mike McCarthy’s future obviously was one of the main talking points. But how much did we really learn from Jones’ words in the aftermath of a lost season, one that ended with a 2-7 mark at AT&T Stadium? McCarthy’s contract expires on Jan. 14, providing something of a fast-arriving deadline to figure out how this team will proceed in 2025. Interestingly, the Bears have requested permission to interview McCarthy for their head-coaching position. Jones did make one thing clear on Sunday: He’s keeping the GM title, so some things won’t change in Dallas. How Jones proceeds with the coaching situation is anyone’s guess now. It wouldn’t be an ����������offseason without at least a little Cowboys drama.

It’s easy to triage the 49ers’ issues in a lost season as boiling down to a slew of major injuries, with QB Brock Purdy and each of the “Big Four” members on offense missing multiple games (including Christian McCaffrey and Brandon Aiyuk for the majority of the season), and the defense also being ravaged by poor health. But it’s a tougher operation to dig deeper and realize that the 49ers suffered from poor special teams play and increasingly leaky performances on defense, while the team never hit the November-December stride that had been a hallmark of most previous Kyle Shanahan squads in San Francisco. Now Purdy’s contract situation comes to the forefront, raising questions about whether the Niners can keep their talent core together and quickly rebound in 2025. 

Caleb Williams’ often-trying season ended on a high note, as he led a pretty gutsy late drive to take down a playoff-bound Packers team that was playing to win. D.J. Moore’s late fumble (after Keenan Allen’s ) felt like the latest gaffe in a season full of them. But credit Williams for making a few massive throws to Rome Odunze and Moore to set up the game-winning field goal. It was a fitting way to come full circle after the Packers blocked a similar try in Chicago earlier this year. Don’t tell Bears fans that beating the Packers doesn’t matter; if nothing else, they’re just sick of losing to them, especially in Green Bay. The Bears have miles to go before they pass the Packers, as a huge offseason looms. But amid all the doom and gloom, the kernels of talent on both sides of the ball make this an attractive destination for the next head coach. 

The Panthers benched Bryce Young, and the vultures followed en masse. The No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 ����������Draft, they said, was a colossal bust, the likes from which the franchise would not recover anytime soon. But while it was tough watching two of their 2022 quarterbacks, Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield, turn in career years for playoff contenders, a funny thing happened: Young regained his swag. If you watched any Panthers ball down the stretch, you saw an unburdened Young playing with the same level of bravado as he did at Alabama. Even while the team suffered through a rough four-game stretch against better competition late in the season, Young finished out the string with a brilliant final three games -- seven passing TDs, three more rushing scores and zero interceptions. That’s a heck of a thing to see heading into the offseason, considering where things were just a few months back.

How do you rate the Saints’ head-coaching opening? I had trouble coming up with major reasons for optimism with this situation, and I felt validated after I read Judy Battista’s ranking of the current vacancies, which listed New Orleans' job last among the original five openings, behind even those of the Jets and Jaguars. That’s because the Saints are saddled with and currently have one of the league’s older rosters, with few clear, young building blocks outside of some recent draft picks. Derek Carr can still win in this league, but he’s now heading toward his age-34 season, and no obvious succession plan appears to be in place yet. Even in a winnable division, there’s only so much immediate hope that can be peddled for next season.

The Jets will run yet another franchise-tilting, full-scale offseason makeover, something they’ve become familiar with in recent years. Ironically, running things back a year ago proved to be a shortsighted solution for a team so badly seeking continuity and cohesion. Their intent might have been noble, but the fallout started quickly with the in-season firings of Robert Saleh and Joe Douglas, and they’ll continue with yet another change at QB. Aaron Rodgers enjoyed a proper sendoff Sunday, turning back the clock to finish up with a vintage game in an upset of Miami. He got his 500th TD and added three more, putting a sweet finish on his otherwise bitter two-year run in New York. Rodgers even enjoyed some gallows humor when asked about an ����������Network report suggesting he’s told people close to him that he’ll retire this offseason, replying: “People said they were close to me?” That and a rare Jets win helped ease the season-long tension, but it won’t be long before the tough decisions start up again.

Doug Pederson is out, but Trent Baalke stays, with the next head coach reporting directly to owner Shad Khan, leaving an interesting dynamic that might not be appealing to every candidate out there. Still, the Jaguars have a lot of interesting pieces, including a pair of top pass rushers, a shutdown corner in Tyson Campbell, a brilliant young wide receiver in Brian Thomas Jr. and a quarterback in Trevor Lawrence who, at the very least, has shown he can play at a high level in stretches. The jury remains hung on Lawrence for now, however, especially at the price the team is paying him, as the former No. 1 overall pick has battled injuries and inconsistency the past two years and now will be running yet another system in his fifth season. 

The coaching questions remain unanswered for now, even if that’s the first order of business for the down-and-out franchise. There were some nice moments in Week 18, with Jakobi Meyers topping 1,000 yards for the season and Brock Bowers putting a bow on what was the best season ever by a rookie tight end with a late touchdown. Aidan O’Connell also showed more good than bad in what was a positive stretch for him late in the season, but flipped the game against the Chargers. The Raiders appeared poised to push them to a tough game, but the pick gave the Chargers life as they blasted their way to victory in the second half. It’s hard to imagine O’Connell entering next season as the unquestioned, unchallenged starter, but it feels foolish not to keep investing in him after his season was sidetracked by knee and thumb injuries yet still ended on the upswing.

EDITOR'S UPDATE: After publishing on Tuesday, ����������Network Insiders Mike Garafolo, Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport reported that the Raiders fired head coach Antonio Pierce.

The firing of Jerod Mayo wasn’t completely out of the blue, but it was a mild surprise given the timing of it on Sunday night. Not long ago, it appeared Mayo was going to be rewarded with patience from the Kraft family, but he didn’t even get a chance to campaign for his job in a Monday meeting. That tells me they know which direction they’re headed, even if they’ll comply with a cast of interviews. The question is what happens to the coaching and scouting staffs? Some members likely will stay, but others almost certainly will not as a function of Mayo being let go -- especially with how swiftly it occurred. Losing the No. 1 overall pick wasn’t the collapse some will make it out to be, but let’s be honest: It wasn’t the best-case scenario from a value standpoint, either. This puts the Patriots in a bit of no man’s land -- all around -- heading into a critical offseason. They have the biggest piece in place in Drake Maye, and Joe Milton III looked in Week 18 like a heck of a project worth investing in, but almost every other role on the team needs major inspection and likely change.

The Giants worked their way back into the third pick of the 2025 ����������Draft after slipping out of the No. 1 slot in Week 16. Quarterback figures to be the most important issue to address this offseason now that we know Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen will be back. Schoen did serious legwork on the 2024 QB draft class but was unable to swing a deal to get high enough to take one. The Giants reportedly wanted Drake Maye after the first two picks went off the board, and now the question becomes whether there’s a Maye-caliber prospect in this year’s crop. The Giants’ consolation prize, Malik Nabers, just finished 2024 with the second-most receptions ever by a rookie and catching nearly half the Giants’ TD passes this season, doing so with poor quarterback play on the whole. That’s encouraging, but the Giants have to find the proper man to deliver Nabers (and others) the football, or they’ll be back in a similar place a year from now.

This franchise slipped into the first overall pick in the draft for the first time in nearly half a century, and it’s a fascinating place to be for a team that can’t go into next season with Will Levis as the only QB on the roster. Did I mention Tennessee just fired general manager Ran Carthon after only two years on the job? Interesting times in Nashville, to say the least. Whether the Titans end up believing there’s a quarterback worth selecting atop the 2025 ����������Draft will be one of the big storylines of the offseason. In a way, they're in a similar spot to where the Falcons were last season, and it wouldn’t be shocking if they strongly considered the veteran-quarterback route. The irony would be rich if they were to pursue, say, Kirk Cousins. But that’s all speculation for down the road. The Titans have a ton of work to do to tidy up their ship outside of quarterback, and we’re months away from finding out how they plan to do so. The pressing matter for today is obvious, though: Who'll be the next GM to lead this team in transition?

We know there will be an offensive shift of some sort after coordinator Ken Dorsey and OL coach Andy Dickerson were let go following yet another poor offensive showing in the loss to Baltimore. The offense struggled with and without Deshaun Watson this season, so changes were expected. But with Watson set to come back, the only real beacon of light would be for another quarterback to challenge him for the starting role next season. Frankly, it could bring out the best in Watson, who has been a historically sunk cost to this point in Cleveland. And perhaps it gives the Browns a new figure of hope at the position, whether that comes via the veteran market or the draft. The Patriots winning bumped Cleveland up to No. 2 in the 2025 ����������Draft, so the Browns will be in position to draft a quarterback if they believe one is worth taking that high.