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What turns into of the turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes that engender such emotion at our Thanksgiving tables?
They’re scooped into containers to attend within the wings as leftovers, carrying the identical potential for anticipation, pleasure, and probably even anguish as once they first emerged from the oven.
So it’s with the NFL groups that supplied a well-recognized backdrop to Thursday’s feasts. Sure, Inexperienced Bay beat Detroit and Dallas edged Kansas Metropolis earlier than Cincinnati thumped Baltimore. However who’s to say any of the defeated gained’t be paraded for consumption once more when the playoffs start in January — that month when so many aspire to eat far, far lower than they did through the holidays?
The Lions, Chiefs, and Ravens aren’t precisely accustomed to the “Within the Hunt” and “On the Bubble” headers on playoff outlook graphics on TV. Detroit and Kansas Metropolis seized the highest seeds within the NFC and AFC, respectively, final season, and Baltimore has been a well-recognized fixture atop the AFC North.
Whereas turnovers and inconsistency haunted the Ravens in opposition to the not-yet-mathematically-eliminated Bengals — “We didn’t play a successful soccer sport,” Baltimore coach John Harbaugh stated — the crew had been surging till then.
Thursday’s loss stopped the Ravens’ five-game successful streak and dropped them a half-game behind division-leading Pittsburgh. As in the identical Steelers struggling to seek out their stride forward of matchups with the Ravens in Baltimore (Week 14) and in Pittsburgh (Week 18).
Detroit’s dwelling loss to Inexperienced Bay secured a sweep of the season collection for the Packers, considerably denting the Lions’ probabilities at a 3rd consecutive NFC North crown.
Advancing to the playoffs nonetheless is in play, although, with a mixture of dwelling enchancment and out of doors assist.
The Lions can sweep present division chief Chicago with a Week 18 victory. By then, we’ll know whether or not the Bears are true contenders, as two video games in opposition to Inexperienced Bay and a go to to San Francisco await after at this time’s Black Friday sport at defending Tremendous Bowl champion Philadelphia.
In fact, the banged-up Lions get a gauntlet of their very own, with 4 of their remaining 5 video games in opposition to groups with successful information, together with three versus division leaders.
“Like I advised the crew, ‘It is irritating, I do know. We have got so much to be grateful for even after a loss,’” Lions coach Dan Campbell stated. “And look, we have dug ourselves a bit little bit of a gap, that is the underside line. We’re in a bit little bit of a gap, however that is simply what it’s.
“So, all we have to do is fear about cleansing up this after which attending to the following sport and discovering a option to win the following one in entrance of us.”
That’s the chorus in Kansas Metropolis. The reigning AFC champs fell to 6-6 with a shootout loss in Dallas.
“If we’re gonna make the playoffs,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes stated, “we’re gonna need to win ’em all.”
KC additionally should hope for stumbling amongst a number of groups with higher footing within the standings. They’ve misplaced to every of the golf equipment in present possession of AFC wild-card spots — the Los Angeles Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Buffalo Payments — all by one rating.
Houston holds the conference-record tiebreaker over the Chiefs, too, although a Week 14 matchup in Kansas Metropolis presents a possibility to impression that.
“We’ll reply,” Chiefs defensive sort out Chris Jones stated.
Not in contrast to that further slice of pumpkin pie. Please excuse me.
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