by Ryan Mercier
As it turns out, Sunday was loaded with important matchups. The postseason is alive for several teams which were counted out and a few squads climbed up their division in a significant way.
Cleveland Browns (5-4) at Cincinnati Bengals (5-4)
Cincinnati had become a buzzy team trying to become the next big thing when the Cleveland Browns laid a hammer drop in the Bengals own building. While the Baltimore Ravens (6-2) have a clear lead in the AFC North, this thing is far from over.
The Bengals currently own the tiebreaker over Baltimore thanks to a huge 41-17 victory. How about the Browns, who today drubbed the Bengals, 41-16? Cleveland has an incredibly odd opportunity looming in their schedule at the end of November. The Browns play in Baltimore on Sunday Night Football in Week 12, have their bye week, and come home to host the Ravens again in Week 14.
New England Patriots (5-4) at Carolina Panthers (4-5)
Nothing says crossroads like two .500 teams facing off with a chance to own a winning record by game’s end. The audible groans of CBS commentator Adam Archuleta tell you everything you need to know about the performance of Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold.
The Patriots had just 273 yards of offense, averaged 4.6 yards per play, and still won convincingly by 18 points. Remember the New England Patriots? Well, they’re a half-game out of their division.
Los Angeles Chargers (5-3) at Philadelphia Eagles (3-6)
At the end of this game, the Chargers could find themselves at the top of their division or the Eagles could remarkably remain in the playoff hunt. A loss for L.A. would have meant a .500 record and, as the day unfolded, sole possession of last place in the AFC West. This was an enormous game for the Bolts.
They rose to the occasion. Justin Herbert led an offensive attack which outgained the Eagles 445-331 in yardage and the Chargers scored on every drive in the second half. Philadelphia made it a challenge by rushing for a whopping 176 yards on the ground and Jalen Hurts led a game-tying TD march in the fourth quarter.
Atlanta Falcons (4-4) at New Orleans Saints (5-3)
The Falcons? THE FALCONS? Yeah, the Falcons. They started the season 0-2. They beat three of the worst teams in football over their next four games. Now, they defeated Trevor Siemian and the Saints. They almost blew a 24-6 4th quarter lead, of course, but instead became an NFC playoff team at the current snapshot of the standings.
No ties. The Atlanta Falcons are all alone as the 7th best team in the NFC.
Honorable Mention
Minnesota Vikings (3-5) at Baltimore Ravens (6-2) was a big game for the Vikings to have a pulse or the Ravens to grab hold of the AFC North.
Denver Broncos (5-4) at Dallas Cowboys (6-2) was an important 30-16 victory for the Broncos as they earned a winning record. However, Dallas is hardly affected except for a chance at the No. 1 seed.
Las Vegas Raiders (5-3) at New York Giants (3-6) started as an opportunity for the Raiders to take hold of the AFC West and ended with the question: Are the Giants completely, totally, surely out of it?
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