Windy City Gridiron
1. The Chicago Bears (9-3) and New England Patriots (11-2) are the two best teams in their respective conferences. Just like we figured before the season, right? Two teams led by second-year quarterbacks with new head coaches, at that. In the weirdest year of NFL football we’ve seen in a while, it’s perfect to see two teams going worst-to-first at the same time.
2. Ben Johnson is my favorite NFL psycho. Ripping his shirt off to get the city of Chicago free hotdogs. Stalking the tunnels like he’s pissed off at the world when his team is 9-3. He’s the crazy person the Chicago Bears always deserved and needed as their head coach.
3. It just feels like this can’t really be happening. The Kansas City Chiefs are truly in danger of missing the playoffs unless they get a ton of help in the AFC. And if they do make it, they almost certainly won’t see a playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium. Just goes to show there is the limit to just how much an all-time quarterback can cover up for a team, especially when he’s not playing his best. Weirdly enough, the last time the Chiefs were 6-6 and had to win out to make the playoffs? Mahomes’ first year in 2017.
4. I have never seen a kicker miss a field goal in an NFL game by…straight-up missing the football. Technically, Younghoe Koo didn’t even miss the kick because he didn’t actually attempt it. The play instead went down as a sack. Let’s just say it reminded me of the last time I went golfing.
5. I try not to get too caught up in week-by-week evaluations when it comes to the MVP (aka Best QB) Award. For me, it’s about both consistency and, quite literally, how valuable you are to your team. On both counts, Drake Maye should be this year’s NFL MVP. Because there is absolutely no way the Patriots would have 11 wins if he wasn’t their quarterback. Given the state of their roster, they probably wouldn’t even have six, even with their relatively light schedule. Any time the lists you find yourself on repeatedly include only Dan Marino and yourself, you’re probably cooking. If Caleb Williams was playing like this, Chicago would riot for him.
6. We need to have a conversation about Abdul Carter. I don’t care if you are the No. 3 overall pick on a team with a lame-duck (now-fired) head coach and are playing out the string. You’re a rookie with 1.5 career sacks. I better see you front and center for every meeting 10 minutes early. The talent isn’t remotely Carter’s issue. But his attitude is not that of someone I’d want to build a defense around.
7. We don’t give officials a lot of credit. But I’m going to do it here: not calling the Patriots’ Christian Elliss for a personal foul for detonating Jaxson Dart along the sideline was a hell of a call. It might have...
