The usual Philadelphia and, one might say, also the usual Baltimore in the big match of the NFL evening. The Eagles win at the Ravens 24-19 and are ever closer to the playoffs with the usual made-in-Philly formula. Saquon Barkley and defense, defense and Saquon Barkley. There is no escape from the recipe that has led Philadelphia to win the last eight games, only the Lions have done better than Barkley and his teammates with ten wins in a row. After a first quarter dominated by the Ravens, Philly’s dominance actually began, after Baltimore’s initial 9-0, they went 24-3 from mid-second quarter to the last minute of the fourth quarter and totally controlled the match. Likely’s touchdown three seconds from the end changes the score but not the substance, the Eagles place the most classic of SuperBowl “statements” and position themselves as the Lions’ main rival in the NFC. On the other hand, the usual Ravens who missed the big match and now fall to eight wins and five defeats, two defeats more than the Steelers who currently lead the AFC North. Baltimore’s playoff position does not seem to be in question, but they will hardly be able to play at home in the postseason and for the Ravens it is a missed advantage given the conditions that can be found in Baltimore in January.
NFL, Bucs and Rams remain in the playoff race
The crazy race for the NFL Playoffs in the NFC is increasingly alive and the victories of Tampa Bay and Los Angeles heat up the last month of the regular season even more. The Bucs win in overtime against the Carolina Panthers 26-23 and join the Atlanta Falcons at the top of the NFC South with six wins and six losses. At the moment, according to what the standings say, whoever wins the Division goes to the playoffs as the number 4 seed (the four winners of the Divisions access the playoffs by right and play their first match at home), whoever finishes second today is out of the postseason . The Falcons are ahead in the standings because they won both seasonal head-to-head matches against the Bucs, who to win the NFC South will have to win one more game than Cousins and his teammates. Slightly different story for the Rams, who are also at six wins and six losses, but the NFC West is currently led by the Seattle Seahawks with seven wins and five losses. Los Angeles beat the Saints 21-14 tonight in New Orleans, thus remaining in the wake of the Seahawks pirates in New York against the Jets. The Rams won the first direct match against the Seahawks and will host Seattle on the last day of the Regular Season. The problem? It’s that unlike the NFC South where New Orleans and Carolina are at the bottom of the NFL standings, the other two teams in the NFC West are also in full swing for the postseason, given that the Arizona Cardinals have six wins and six losses, while the San Francisco 49ers are at five wins and six losses waiting to play (soon) on Sunday Night in the snow against the Buffalo Bills. We need to prepare for a fiery last month, the NFC West is the most balanced division in the NFL and between now and January 5th there will be fun.
