Ron Rivera now has two signature wins in his first season as Washington’s Head Coach. First, beating Dallas on Thanksgiving day and then beating the undefeated Steelers in Pittsburgh for the first time since 1991.
We are now tied with the NY Giants for first place in the Division and in a good spot to win the whole thing. We are now on a three-game winning streak, and regardless of our 5-7 record, this team is playing as well as any other division-leading team in the NFL.
We lost Antonio Gibson early in the first quarter, and Pittsburg did a great job neutralizing Terry McLaurin, but we still found ways to maximize our other offensive weapons efficiently. The resurgence of Alex Smith cannot be understated. He is clearly the comeback player of the year. This team seems inspired by his mere presence on the field.
This coming Sunday, we visit Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers. We all know how much Kyle Shanahan despises Dan Snyder, and I’m sure he will be hell-bent on beating us. Also, Jordan Reed and Trent Williams would love to have a win over their former team. San Francisco is a dangerous squad on both sides of the ball, and a win over them would be another statement victory for this young Washington Football Team.
WFT 23 — STEELERS 17:
And for the rest of the league…..
NY GIANTS 17 — SEAHAWKS 12:
The Washington Football Team connection between Colt McCoy and Alfred Morris proved effective to outscore Russell Willson. The Giants are still on top of the NFC EAST at 5-7, but they have a tough stretch ahead. First, on week 14 against Arizona and Kyler Murray. Then, on week 15 against Cleveland and Baker Mayfield. I’ll be rooting for both the Browns and the Cardinals in the coming weeks. Seattle took a step back in the NFC WEST title race. However, the Seahawks have on paper an easy game next Sunday against the winless Jets.
EAGLES 16 — PACKERS 30:
The story here is that Carson Wentz got benched, and Jaylon Hurts looked pretty good. Philadelphia has some difficult decisions to make in the offseason regarding their future at quarterback. The Packers seem to have the NFC NORTH division locked down.
DALLAS 17— RAVENS 34:
I always enjoy watching these overrated Cowboys lose, and Dallas is nearly done for the season. The Ravens have a massive game next Monday night against Cleveland — a must-win game for Baltimore to stay alive in the playoff race.
BILLS 34 — 49ers 24:
Josh Allen seems poised to lead this Buffalo team to the AFC NORTH division title. San Francisco struggled to contain Josh Allen for most of the game, but the 49ers’ defense did a commendable job against one of the most dynamic players in the NFL.
VIKINGS 27 — JAGUARS 24:
Jacksonville forced Minnesota into overtime, but the Vikings continue to find ways to win, and they remain very much alive in the playoff hunt. Jacksonville is almost as bad as the Jets right now.
RAMS 38 — CARDINALS 28:
Sean McVay has this LA team in the driver’s seat on top of the NFC WEST, and they seem to be in the right spot to win the Division. Arizona has a pretty good chance to get back into the playoff race in the next two weeks with games against the NY Giants and Eagles.
RAIDERS 31 — NY JETS 28:
Since I despise the NY Giants and as an adopted New Yorker, I really, really try to root for the NY Jets, but games like this one make it extremely hard to believe that they can become relevant soon. Gregg Williams was fired Monday morning — after making one of the worst defensive decisions of the year. The Jets were ahead in the score 28-24, and with 13 seconds left, Williams sent out an all-out blitz on Derek Carr and left a rookie corner alone to defend, which ended up on a game-winning deep ball pass. NY is now 0-12 and, most likely than not, will finish the season 0-16. The Raiders struggled and fought hard to earn this victory and essentially saved their playoff hopes for another week.
BROWNS 41 — TITANS 35:
Solid win for Cleveland, finally beating a team with a legit winning record. Tennessee is still on top of the AFC SOUTH, but Indianapolis is now just one game behind them, so the Titans have got to win out the Division to make the playoffs.
CHIEFS 22 — BRONCOS 16:
Denver put up a valiant effort by keeping this game close, but Kansas City is way too talented to be kept down for 4 quarters. Denver has got to find a quarterback next season. Kansas City will be tested by Miami next Sunday.
COLTS 26 — TEXANS 20:
Deshaun Watson made a costly mistake mishandling a snap at the end of the 4th quarter that pretty much ended the game for Houston. This was an important divisional win for Indianapolis to remain alive for the playoffs.
DOLPHINS 19 — BENGALS 7:
Brian Flores has this Miami team playing hard and is currently one game behind first-place Buffalo in the AFC NORTH. Next week’s game against Patrick Mahomes will be crucial for Miami. The Bengals are just playing out the season.
PATRIOTS 45 — CHARGERS 0:
New England shutting down Justin Hebert and the Chargers was impressive. Cam Newton’s numbers are not remarkable, but he still manages to find ways to be effective. The Chargers are a disaster and continue to nose dive.
SAINTS 21 — FALCONS 16:
Taysom Hill is 3-0 subbing for Drew Brees, but it is not such a big deal. Let us remember that last year Terry Bridgewater went on a long winning streak, also subbing for Bress. Atlanta is finishing the season very respectably.
LIONS 34 — BEARS 30:
Darrell Bevell taking over as interim Head Coach seems to have given this Detroit team a boost of energy that Matt Patricia could not conjure up in his entire losing tenure there. The last four remaining games for Detroit are against teams with winning records, and Bevell will have to find ways to finish the season strong to be considered a legit permanent Head Coach candidate. The Bears have entirely collapsed, losing 6 games in a row. Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace might be on their way out of Chicago at the end of the season.
Rod Rioja 