And just like that, our playoff hopes came tumbling down. Look, losing sucks, but we, Washington fans, should hold our heads high — There were many moving parts here; Losing our starting QB Ryan Fitzpatrick on week 1 and having a massive Covid outbreak where close to 30 players and 7 coaches tested positive and could not be on the field was our undoing. Plus, all of this happening right in the middle of our playoff hunt was a kill-shot for Washington. But despite all of that, Washington was still in the thick of things.
Montez Sweat did not play due to a horrible family tragedy to make things worse. So our defense went without one of our top defensive weapons.
I was impressed by how the secondary continues to show up, Kendall Fuller, Bobby McCain, and Cam Curl are legit starters, and we should continue to build solid depth around them. And even William Jackson III was coming into his own before getting injured.
Next week, we finish up against the NY Giants, and we’ll have an excellent chance to end the season strong — and to evaluate some key players and potential free agents heading into 2022.
It was announced that 2-2-22 is the official launching date of the NEW team name and logo — Names like Commanders, Hogs, Red Hogs and Admirals lead the list of favorite names. I’m leaning towards Hogs, Red Hogs, or Commanders. In any case, I’m holding my breath ‘till 2.2.22
WFT 16 — EAGLES 20
COWBOYS 22 — CARDINALS 25
Kyler Murray looked phenomenal again, making Dallas and their overrated defense look inefficient. The Cardinals can win their division in week 18 with a win and Rams loss. Next week, Arizona visits Seattle. Advantage, Arizona Cardinals.
Dallas got exposed yet again; they only manage to put up big wins against injury and covid riddled teams. Kyler Murray showed why Dallas would most likely be a 1 and done playoff team. Next week, Dallas visits Philadelphia. Advantage, Philadelphia Eagles.
NY GIANTS 3 — BEARS 29
All Chicago needed to win this game was 2 first-quarter TDs and a bunch of field goals to annihilate NY. Unfortunately, the Bears are eliminated from playoff contention and are now playing for Matt Nagy’s job. Next week, Chicago visits Minnesota. Advantage Minnesota Vikings.
The Giants are doubling down on keeping Joe Judge as their head coach in 2022 — Big mistake; it will come down to haunt them. Next week, NY hosts Washington. Advantage, The Washington Football Team
BENGALS 34 — CHIEFS 21
RAIDERS 23 — COLTS 20
The Raiders are now 1 win away from clinching the final AFC wildcard spot. This is a remarkable achievement for a team that experienced many off-the-field issues. Next up, LAS Vegas hosts the LA Chargers. Advantage, Las Vegas Raiders.
The Colts took a tumble here to lock up a playoff spot. Indy now has to win their next game and get some help. Next week, Indianapolis visits Jacksonville. Advantage, Indianapolis Colts.
49ERS 23 — TEXANS 7
The 49ers are putting together some wins despite having inconsistency at the QB position. Still, San Francisco needs to win on week 18 or hope for a New Orleans loss to make the playoffs. Next up, San Francisco visits the LA Rams. Advantage, LA Rams.
Houston’s 2 game winning streak came to an end, and with the regular season coming to an end, their main focus should be on figuring out the Deshaun Watson situation. Next up, Houston hosts Tennessee. Advantage, Tennessee Titans.
LA RAMS 20 — RAVENS 19
The Rams are rolling into the post-season in a 5 game winning streak. To clinch the division, LA needs to win on week 18 or hope for a Cardinals loss. Next week, LA hosts San Francisco. Advantage, LA Rams.
Baltimore is clinging to life, and they have to win week 18 and hope for a bunch of scenarios to go their way. Next week, Baltimore Hosts Pittsburgh. Advantage, Pittsburgh Steelers.
PACKERS 37 — VIKINGS 10
Having cliched the NFC North and the number 1 seed, Green Bay is feeling pretty good about their playoff chances. Next up, Green Bay visits Detroit. Advantage, Green Bay Packers.
Anti-vaxxer Kirk Cousins tested positive for Covid and could not play in this game, which ended up costing Minnesota a chance to make the playoffs. So maybe it is time to revisit where cousins and Zimmer fit in Minnesota’s future. Next up, Minnesota hosts Chicago. Advantage, Chicago Bears.
BILLS 29 — FALCONS 15
Buffalo continues to surge and is one win away from clinching their division. Next week, Buffalo hosts the NY Jets. Advantage, Buffalo Bills
Atlanta had a slim chance at a wildcard spot, but they are now officially eliminated from contention. Nevertheless, The Falcons can play spoiler on week 18 against their division rival. Next week, Atlanta hosts New Orleans. Advantage, New Orleans Saints.
BUCCANNEERS 28 — NY JETS 24
Antonio Brown stole the show with his antics and clownish behavior. However, Tampa Bay seems to be in good shape heading into the playoff without AB. Next up, Tampa Bay hosts Carolina. Advantage, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Jets are playing hard and showing flashes of tough and gritty football. Their offseason moves will be crucial for their chance to improve and contend in 2022. Next up, NY hosts Buffalo. Advantage, Buffalo Bills.
TITANS 34 — DOLPHINS 3
Tennessee is 1 win away from clinching the number 1 seed in the AFC. The Titans have proven to be a dangerous team, despite not having Derrick Henry. Next week, Tennessee visits Houston. Advantage, Tennessee Titans.
Sadly, Miami playoff hopes came to an end here. It was impressive how Miami went from a 1-7 hole to start the season to a 7 game winning streak; nevertheless, it was a deep hole to crawl from. Next week, Miami plays spoiler hosting New England. Advantage, Miami Dolphins.
SEAHAWKS 51 — LIONS 29
After a disappointing 2021 season, Seattle is respectfully trying to finish up the season. But questions regarding Russell Wilson’s future will be a hot topic during the offseason. Next up, Seattle hosts Arizona. Advantage, Arizona Cardinals.
The Lions have some pieces in place for 2022 and a solid head coach in Dan Campbell. I’m curious to see what kind of offseason moves Detroit makes. Next up, Detroit hosts Green Bay. Advantage, Green Bay Packers.
LA CHARGERS 34 — BRONCOS 7
The Chargers are 1 win away from securing a playoff spot, but they have to beat divisional rival Vegas, a team they already beat on week 4. Next week, LA visits LAs Vegas. Advantage, Las Vegas Raiders.
Denver is now focused on rebuilding; first, they need to address the QB position and build around a new QB, wisely using all the accumulated draft capital. The Broncos have cleared enough cap room to go after a top-lever QB like Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers. Also, Vic Fangio’s future is another question Denver must address soon. Next week, Denver hosts Kansas City. Advantage, Kansas City Chiefs.
SAINTS 18 — PANTHERS 10
The Saints are rallying back into playoff contention and need to win on week 18 and hope for a loss by San Francisco. Next up, New Orleans visits Atlanta. Advantage, New Orleans Saints.
Carolina is a mess right now; Matt Rule is a hack and needs to go. Cam Newton showed that he can still get things done but needs more talent around him. Newton should go to a contender or a better-coached team. Next up, Carolina visits Tampa Bay. Advantage, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
PATRIOTS 50 — JAGUARS 10
New England clinched a playoff spot with this one-sided win. However, they can still win the division by winning on week 18 and a Buffalo loss. Next week, New England visits Miami. Advantage, Miami Dolphins.
Jacksonville’s first order of business in 2022 is to find an experienced NFL head coach to build around Trevor Lawrence. Next week, Jacksonville hosts Indianapolis. Advantage, Indianapolis Colts.
STEELERS 26 — BROWNS 14
It was Big Ben’s final regular-season game at home. Pittsburgh’s playoff chances are slim, but they still need to win on week 18 and hope for Jacksonville to beat Indy — not very likely. Next week, Pittsburgh visits Baltimore. Advantage, Pittsburgh Steelers.
Cleveland was a Super Bowl favorite heading into the season, and now they are eliminated from the playoffs and with the possibility of partying ways with Baker Mayfield. Next week, Cleveland visits Cincinnati. Advantage, Cincinnati Bengals.
Rod Rioja 