We look at what’s been going on in the NFL as we transition to 2025.
Good job to everybody reading this for making it to 2025. As the real life calendar turns to 2025, the NFL calendar comes down to its final week. With the season winding down, the playoff picture is becoming clearer, and teams are starting preparations for the offseason. Let’s see what’s going on.
NFC South
The Bucs now control the NFC South
The Buccaneers absolutely trounced the Panthers on Sunday. A few hours later, the Falcons lost in overtime to the Commanders. That means the Bucs now have a one game lead in the division and control their destiny. They make the playoffs with a win or Falcons loss. The Falcons can only make it by beating the Panthers and getting a Buccaneers loss to the Saints, which seems very unlikely.
The Saints are really bad
Speaking of the Saints, they’ve crumbled into one of the NFL’s worst team after they got a little two game interim coach bump. They’re 1-4 in their last five with the sole win coming against the Giants. They were the first team this season to be shut out this season a couple weeks ago and then lost by two scores at home to the Raiders.
The rest of the NFL
Saquon Barkley will not get the single season rushing record
Barkley joined the very exclusive 2,000 yard club with 167 yards against the Cowboys. He needs just 101 yards to break Eric Dickerson’s record, but Eagles coach Nick Sirianni has said that Barkley is going to sit the Eagles’ Week 18 game against the Giants in preparation for the playoffs. The Eagles are locked in as the two seed in the NFC, and they’re clearly and justifiably prioritizing health for a playoff run over a record.
The Cowboys are releasing Ezekiel Elliot to “give him a chance at the playoffs”
Apparently it’s a mutual parting of ways between Elliot and the Cowboys with the reasoning that he’d like a chance to latch onto a playoff team. I don’t know what playoff team is going to be interested in a back that’s averaged 3.1 yards per carry this season and hasn’t averaged 4.0 yards per carry since 2021.
The Giants knocked the Colts out of the playoffs and themselves out of the number one pick
The Giants had lost ten games in a row and appeared to be no threat to win another game this season. They flipped that idea on its head on Sunday. They scored 45 points, which is normally about three weeks of scoring for them. It was a shocking win for them and a shocking loss for the Colts. The Colts now find themselves out of playoff contention, while the Giants, who desperately need a quarterback and looked destined to land Shedeur Sanders, now hold the fourth overall pick.
There are three teams vying for the last AFC playoff spot
There are two playoff spots left up for grabs heading into the final week of the season. One will go to ever wins the NFC South. The other is the seventh seed in the AFC. The Broncos, Dolphins, and Bengals all have a chance to take it. If the Broncos win, they’re win. If they lose and the Dolphins win, the Dolphins take the last AFC playoff spot. If both teams lose and the Bengals win, the Bengals somehow make the playoffs. It’s really wild that both the Dolphins and Bengals still have a chance to make the playoffs, but that’s where we are.