NFL

Not good. Already sporting a brace on his bulky left knee, Watson injured the other one in the second quarter. Simply running in a straight line at less than full speed, Watson crumpled into a heap. He did limp his way to the sideline under his own power but was eventually carted from the blue medical tent. The oft-injured wideout appeared to be in tears. It’s safe to say Watson’s status for the Wild Card Round is now in doubt. Stay tuned.

This was planned by Buffalo all along. Allen has the franchise record with 115 consecutive starts, and the team wanted him to keep that streak alive. He took one snap, handed the ball to James Cook, and then sprinted off the field. Allen will end the regular season with 3,731 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, and six interceptions, plus 531 rushing yards and another 12 touchdowns on the ground. While the passing yardage seems light, Allen averaged the most yardage per attempt in his career and attempted almost 100 fewer passes than any other season in the last five years thanks to Buffalo having a solid ground game. The 28-year-old remains one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the NFL but could be in for a tough battle against a good Broncos defense in the Wild Card round if Denver wins today. If Kansas City wins, Allen would have a much easier matchup against either the Dolphins’ or Bengals’ defense.

Speaking on FOX NFL Pregame, Glazer noted that O’Connell is about to enter the final year of his contract and has not had extension talks with the team. O’Connell is 34-16 as the Vikings’ boss and is playing for the No. 1 overall seed later today. There’s no chance Minnesota parts ways with him, even for a king’s ransom. Expect the two sides to iron out a contract extension at some point in the offseason.

With the Packers already locked into the postseason, Jacobs said he was unlikely to get a heavy workload against Chicago. “Just being honest, being realistic, I don’t see me taking that many carries in this game,” Jacobs said. “Obviously, I want to play. I’m going to push to play, and I’m playing. But I don’t see myself taking 30 carries.” This could leave Emanuel Wilson as the team’s lead back, with Chris Brooks mixing in. Wilson has been efficient in limited opportunities behind Jacobs in 2024.

All eight players are starters and major contributors for the Bills, including three players on their starting defensive line; however, the Bills are locked into the second seed in the AFC, so there is no reason for any of them to suit up for this game. This would appear to be good news for Drake Maye and Rhamondre Stevenson, but the Patriots will secure the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft with a loss today, so it’s hard to gauge just how motivated anybody will be in this game. It would be best to avoid any players if you’re still playing in fantasy leagues.

In a run-on sentence for the ages, Schefter added loads of caveats including but not limited to teams wondering if they should inquire about the Steelers’ willingness to move on Tomlin. He quickly said he doesn’t expect a move to happen. Neither do we. The Super Bowl champion head coach has yet to see a losing record in 18 seasons on the headset. Pittsburgh is coming off back-to-back seasons with 10 wins. While the team hasn’t made it out of the Wild Card Round in seven years, it’s hard to pin that on Tomlin given Pittsburgh’s lackluster quarterback play during that stretch. Another first-round exit will keep the rumor mill turning, but all signs point to Tomlin sticking in Pittsburgh for 2025.

Richardson recently referenced having back issues since he was young, but that was apparently news to the Colts. Steichen also said Richardson is not expected to require surgery, and that his recent spasms flareup is a short-term issue. Alrighty then. It would certainly appear there is a disconnect between coach and player. How severe is unclear. With both Steichen and Richardson at a crossroads, the Colts are set to be one of the offseason’s most fascinating teams.

Schefter noted that it also feels like there will be changes within the organization. He named GM Chris Ballard as a potential candidate before mentioning assistant GM Ed Dodds as a potential replacement. Steichen has failed to make much of the oft-injured Anthony Richardson, leading many to believe the team will move on from him after two losing seasons. That doesn’t appear to be the case. It’s possible the Colts go in a different direction at quarterback next year, giving Steichen a shot to show his worth sans Richardson. Either way, he is definitively on the hot seat heading into 2025.