1. We’re witnessing Marcus Mariota become a legitimate MVP candidate.
After a 1-3 start, the Tennessee Titans have now won five of their last eight games behind the superb play of second-year quarterback Marcus Mariota. Mariota has thrown multiple touchdowns every game since Week 5, and he’s the NFL’s highest-rated passer during that span (117.7 rating). The Titans are right in the thick of the AFC South race, and if they can reach the playoffs, Mariota deserves serious MVP consideration.
2. Dallas all but secured home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
On Thanksgiving Day, the Dallas Cowboys held off the Washington Redskins, 31-26, behind typically strong performances from Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, and the beast of an offensive line. With Seattle’s upset loss to the suddenly-surging Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Cowboys are now 2.5 games up on the Seahawks in the NFC playoff race. Barring a shocking collapse, the road to the Super Bowl on the NFC side will go through the Cowboys.
3. Kirk Cousins will be the league’s highest-paid quarterback by next season.
Kirk Cousins couldn’t lead the Washington Redskins to a win on Thanksgiving Day, but there’s not much more he could have done. The free-agent-to-be torched the Dallas defense for 449 yards and three touchdowns without throwing an interception. His 77.36 completion percentage was the highest ever for a quarterback who threw the ball at least 50 times without turning it over. Cousins is now on pace for over 5,000 passing yards in 2016 to go with an impressive 29-to-10 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Cousins has a good supporting cast at his disposal, but he’s commanding the offense extremely well, and he’s the Redskins’ best chance to win going forward. Look for Cousins to bring home at least a five-year deal worth $125 million and $60-plus million guaranteed.
4. It’s just not Cam Newton’s season.
Last year’s league MVP continued his downward spiral in 2016, completing just 50 percent of his passes against a porous Oakland Raiders defense. Cam Newton has never been an extremely accurate passer, but his 55.9 completion percentage for the year is low even by his standards – and he ranks 31st out of 33 qualifying passers in that statistic. It’s looking more and more like his breakout campaign of ’15 was a fluke and not the norm; this year, Newton is being outpassed by Trevor Siemian, Colin Kaepernick, and Cody Kessler in terms of ANY/A. It’s not going to get easier for Cam either, as he travels to Seattle next week to play the ferocious Legion of Boom defense.
5. The AFC West is one of the strongest divisions in recent years.
The Oakland Raiders (9-2) are arguably the NFL’s biggest surprise team of 2016 (outside of Dallas), and they’re on track to secure a first-round bye in the playoffs. But don’t sleep on the Kansas City Chiefs (8-3) or last year’s Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos (7-4) either. The Chiefs’ comeback win over the Broncos on Sunday Night Football gives them the current edge in the AFC wild card race, although there’s a very strong chance all three of these teams end up making the postseason. Even the last-place San Diego Chargers (5-6) have an impressive +22 point differential and could play spoiler down the stretch.
6. Adam Gase has continued to work wonders with fifth-year passer Ryan Tannehill.
Miami won its sixth straight game on Sunday, holding off a San Francisco comeback to improve to 7-4 on the season; in fact, if the playoffs started now, the Dolphins would have the last wild card spot over the Denver Broncos. During the Dolphins’ winning streak, Ryan Tannehill has played the best football of his career. He’s completed 67.63 percent of his passes for nine touchdowns and just one interception during that stretch. Tannehill’s biggest problem has always been his tendency to hold onto the ball too long and take unnecessary sacks, but he’s been sacked just nine times in the last six games after absorbing 17 in his first five.
7. At nearly 38 years old, Drew Brees has taken his passing efficiency to a whole new level.
If you follow me on Twitter or have read my articles before, my affinity for Drew Brees is no secret. That being disclosed, what he’s doing right now is nothing short of jaw-dropping. Brees was surgical on a pretty good Los Angeles Rams’ defense on Sunday, completing 77.78 percent of his passes for four touchdowns and no interceptions (plus a rushing score). Brees has now completed 70 percent of his passes in an NFL-record six straight games, and he’s on pace to break the league’s single-season record for completion percentage (71.5). Brees is also on track for what would be his fifth 5,000-yard passing campaign and seventh passing title. If the New Orleans Saints could just surround him with some semblance of a formidable defense, the team would be in the NFC South lead.
8. The Los Angeles Rams saw positive signs from their first overall draft selection.
After sitting Jared Goff for the first two-thirds of his rookie season, the Los Angeles Rams finally let him play last week, although the results were inspiring (134 passing yards, no touchdowns). He was significantly better this past Sunday, in fact, throwing three touchdown passes all in the first half. Goff finished with a 62.50 completion percentage and a 100.3 passer rating. It was against an awful New Orleans Saints defense, but even so, the results have to be extremely inspiring for Rams fans that have had to endure Case Keenum all year.
9. There’s no clear-cut favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year award, but Von Miller is as good a bet as anyone.
With five weeks remaining in the 2016 NFL season, it’s anyone’s game for the Defensive Player of the Year award. Reigning Super Bowl MVP Von Miller is a pretty logical bet though, and he was a one-man wrecking crew against the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive line on Sunday. Miller picked up three sacks, four tackles for a loss, and a team-high 10 total tackles. He’s now leading the NFL in sacks (12.5) and has 17.5 in his last 13 games, counting the AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl. Other strong candidates for the league’s DPOY award include Aaron Donald (PFF’s top-rated player in 2016), Khalil Mack (9.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, a pick-six), Marcus Peters (NFL-best eight turnovers), and Landon Collins (five interceptions and three sacks).
10. It’s looking like the Cleveland Browns will go 0-16.
The Cleveland Cavaliers won last year’s NBA Finals. The Cleveland Indians were four outs from winning the World Series. The Cleveland Browns? They’ll be lucky if they can outscore an opponent in one game. After a 27-13 loss to the New York Giants, the Browns are now 0-12 and just four games from joining the 2008 Detroit Lions as the only teams in the 16-game era to go winless for a whole season. What’s surprising is that there’s some talent to be found on this Browns’ team – Terrelle Pryor is a future Pro Bowl wide receiver, Joe Thomas has been the league’s best offensive lineman for the last decade, and rookie first-round receiver Corey Coleman looks like a playmaker. The Browns’ remaining schedule includes the Cincinnati Bengals, the Buffalo Bills, the San Diego Chargers, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Just one of those teams has a winning record. Can the Browns find a way to win just one of those?
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