/
In this episode, Santiago Leon and Joe Toscano recap NFL 2022-23 Week 18 and discuss the NFL Playoffs.
Contributors
Santiago Leon – @sleon
Joe Toscano – @joeybagovdonuts
NFL Week 18 Recap
KC 31 LV 13
The Kansas City Chiefs left no doubts on locking up the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, cruising to a 31-13 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in the regular season finale. Kansas City will have a first-round bye in the AFC playoffs and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
TEN 20 JAX 16
Josh Allen’s 37-yard fumble return with 2:51 remaining helped the Jaguars beat rival Tennessee 20-16 on Saturday night and secure their first AFC South championship since 2017.
TB 17 ATL 30
Desmond Ridder’s first two touchdown passes powered the Falcons to a 30-17 win over the playoff-bound Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday after Tom Brady added to his imposing list of records.
Brady left the game in the second quarter and had to watch the remainder of his first career loss to the Falcons from the sideline.
Brady was in the game long enough to break his own NFL record for most completions in a season.
Brady had been 11-0 in his career against Atlanta, including New England’s 34-28 win over the Falcons in the Super Bowl following the 2016 season.
NE 23 BUF 35
Nyheim Hines returned another kickoff 101 yards for a go-ahead score in a 35-23 win and elimination over the New England Patriots.
MIN 29 CHI 13
Kirk Cousins threw for 225 yards and a touchdown in the first half and watched the rest of the way as the NFC North champion Vikings tuned up for the playoffs by beating the Chicago Bears 29-13 on Sunday.
Chicago also got a big win by landing the No. 1 pick in the draft. The loss combined with Houston prevailing 32-31 at Indianapolis put Chicago in the top spot for the first time since 1947.
BAL 16 CIN 27
Joe Burrow threw for a touchdown and Joe Mixon ran for another as the Bengals took advantage of four Ravens turnovers to win 27-16 on Sunday.
Ravens team that rested some key players ahead of the postseason and avoided a coin flip to determine the site of their playoff game against Baltimore.
Baltimore was without its two top quarterbacks. Lamar Jackson hasn’t practiced since his knee injury in a Dec. 4 game against the Broncos, and it’s unclear whether he will be available for the playoffs. Backup Tyler Huntley has also been banged up and was inactive on Sunday. The Ravens also rested two of their biggest offensive weapons, Mark Andrews and J.K. Dobbins.
HOU 32 IND 31
Texans fire head coach Lovie Smith
NYJ 6 MIA 11
Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders, whose booming go-ahead kick with 18 seconds helped Miami squeak past the New York Jets 11-6 on Sunday to clinch a postseason berth for the first time since 2016.
Miami (9-8) snapped a five-game losing streak, and then had to wait a few minutes for Buffalo to defeat New England 35-23 to make the Dolphins’ playoff appearance official.
CAR 10 NO 7
Panthers Eddy Pineiro kicked a 42-yard field goal as time expired, and Carolina closed out its season with an opportunistic 10-7 victory over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
CLE 14 PIT 28
Just as the clock hit zero to finish off a 28-14 victory over Cleveland on Sunday, Pittsburgh’s slim but for weeks seemingly zombielike playoff chances vanished when the Miami Dolphins kicked a late field goal and tacked on a safety to beat the New York Jets and earn the AFC’s seventh and final postseason spot.
Coach Mike Tomlin still has kept his winning streak
LAC 28 DEN 31
Russell Wilson rediscovered some of his magic Sunday, throwing for three touchdowns and a trio of bull’s-eye deep balls that each covered more than 50 yards in the Broncos’ 31-28 win over the playoff-bound Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chargers (10-7) played most of their starters for most of the game, even though they knew before kickoff they were locked into the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs with a first-round game at Jacksonville on Saturday night.
NYG 16 PHI 22
Jalen Hurts returned from a sprained right shoulder and threw for 229 yards under a conservative game plan, and the Philadelphia Eagles clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a 22-16 win over the New York Giants on Sunday night.
The Eagles rebounded from two straight losses behind backup QB Gardner Minshew to clinch the NFC East, the top spot in the conference and home field throughout the playoffs. The team also gets a bye, one more pivotal week of rest for Hurts.
AZ 13 SF 38
Brock Purdy threw three touchdown passes for his sixth straight game with multiple TDs and the 49ers clinched the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs with a 38-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Purdy’s 10th straight win
LAR 16 SEA 19
Seattle will be the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoffs after beating the Los Angeles Rams 19-16 in overtime on Sunday and getting the help it needed with Detroit beating Green Bay later Sunday night in the final game of the NFL regular season.
Jason Myers kicked a 32-yard field goal midway through overtime to give Seattle (9-8) the victory after he hit the upright from 46 yards on the final play of regulation.
DAL 6 WAS 26
Dak Prescott completed just 14 of his 37 passes for 128 yards, threw another interception that was returned for a touchdown and the Cowboys laid an egg in their final regular-season game, losing 26-6 to the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
Sam Howell threw a touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin among his 11 of 19 passing for 169 yards and ran for another among his 35 yards rushing. The fifth-round pick out of North Carolina became the first Washington rookie QB to throw and run for a TD in a game since Robert Griffin III in 2012.
DET 20 GB 16
The four-time MVP and the Green Bay Packers won’t be participating in the playoffs.
Aaron Rodgers was intercepted by Kerby Joseph on what might have been the final pass of the future Hall of Famer’s career, and Green Bay lost 20-16 to the Detroit Lions on Sunday night in a game the Packers needed to win to reach the playoffs.
Rodgers went 17 of 27 for 205 yards with one touchdown and became the eighth NFL player to have at least 5,000 career completions.
Super Wild Card Weekend
(7) Seahawks at (2) 49ers, 4:30 p.m. ET (Fox)
(5) Chargers at (4) Jaguars, 8:15 p.m. ET (NBC)
Sunday, Jan. 15
(7) Dolphins at (2) Bills, 1 p.m. ET (CBS)
(6) Giants at (3) Vikings, 4:30 p.m. ET (Fox)
(6) Ravens at (3) Bengals, 8:15 p.m. ET (NBC)
Monday, Jan. 16
(5) Cowboys at (4) Buccaneers, 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN/ABC)
PREDICTIONS
TCU vs Georgia Bulldogs
JT: Georgia
Poll Question
What is your favorite office desk item? #NationalCleanOffYourDeskDay
Stapler – 33.3%, Pencils and Pens 33.3%, Paperclips – 16.7%, whiteout -16.7
JT: Toys
Santiago Leon is the Founder and CEO of the Sports Cast. He covers NFL, NBA, and world soccer. He’s also founder of sleon productions, which he specializes in technology and serves clients with solutions to make their business grow.