NFL writers Mike Jones, Ted Nguyen and Dan Pompei share their thoughts on a Week 13 in which playoff races tightened as the season\u2019s home stretch approached. Jones:<\/strong> There\u2019s a lot wrong with the Steelers\u2019 offense, but topping the list is the lack of a consistent, explosive downfield pass catching threat. DK Metcalf is averaging 13.4 yards per reception, 25th in the league through Sunday night. He hasn\u2019t been a consistent chain-mover either, producing just 30 first-down receptions, 29th in the league. The Steelers don\u2019t have another pass catcher in the top 100 in the NFL in receiving yards (tight end Pat Freiermuth is 106th with 298 yards). Pittsburgh\u2019s decision to trade George Pickens to Dallas looks worse and worse as the season goes on. He has 1,142 receiving yards and eight touchdowns for the Cowboys, which is more than Pittsburgh\u2019s wide receiving unit as a whole. He had issues with maturity and professionalism in Pittsburgh, and the Steelers didn\u2019t want to reward Pickens with a rich contract extension. But they certainly miss his production. The other big issue involves Pittsburgh\u2019s offensive line, which struggles both in run blocking and pass protection. So, that\u2019s why they can\u2019t move the ball well, even against a weaker defense like Buffalo\u2019s.<\/p>\n Pompei:<\/strong> The Steelers exemplify the NFL\u2019s mushy middle. They get after the passer but don\u2019t do anything else particularly well. They also aren\u2019t incompetent enough in any area to the point of not being unable to compete with most teams. We shouldn\u2019t forget they have quality wins against the Patriots and Colts, so the Steelers are not a pushover. A healthy Rodgers would go a long way to making the Steelers a playoff contender. Rodgers may no longer be a quarterback his team can win because of, but he absolutely is a quarterback his team can win with. He has not been at his best, however, since the season opener.<\/p>\n Nguyen:<\/strong> Even when the offense was playing better, the Steelers had very little margin for error. Rodgers was already averse to taking hits before the wrist injury and was getting rid of the ball faster than any other quarterback. That can work when you have a favorable game script, but when the Steelers needed to throw downfield, Rodgers wouldn\u2019t \u2014 unless he got wide open opportunities. The defense was predictable and got exposed early in their downturn. Coach Mike Tomlin made some adjustments and that side of the ball has played better lately, but the offense has been so bad that it hasn\u2019t mattered. Though Tomlin may still be a great motivator and culture-setter, the game may have passed him by.<\/p>\n Mike Vrabel of the <\/strong>Patriots and Ben Johnson of the Bears, whose teams are both in contention for first-round byes in the playoffs, are the betting favorites for Coach of the Year. Who\u2019s your pick as of today?<\/strong><\/p>\n Pompei:<\/strong> So many good choices. Beyond Vrabel and Johnson, there are Todd Bowles, Dave Canales, Liam Coen, Sean Payton, Kyle Shanahan, Shane Steichen, and maybe Brian Schottenheimer if the Dallas Cowboys remain on their trajectory. The winner will be decided in December. But as of now, Johnson should be in the lead. His staffing, leadership, messaging, player evaluation, player development, game planning and play calling have been outstanding. The Bears\u2019 mentality has completely changed<\/a>, and it\u2019s a reflection of their head coach. What\u2019s more, Johnson\u2019s absence has been felt in Detroit<\/a> as much as his presence has been felt in Chicago.<\/p>\n \n Bears coach Ben Johnson has Chicago atop the NFC after an upset win over Nick Sirianni\u2019s Philadelphia Eagles. (Mitchell Leff \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n Nguyen:<\/strong> This is such a close race between several deserving candidates. Mike Macdonald has the Seattle Seahawks playing like a machine, Sean McVay has the Rams playing as good as they have in his tenure, and Shanahan has the San Francisco 49ers in the playoff picture despite several devastating injuries. The job Johnson has done with the Bears has been remarkable. The offense went from one of the worst in the league to one of the most explosive, in one season.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll give the nod to Macdonald though. The Seahawks\u2019 defense is the best in the league, and his decision to move on from Ryan Grubb and hire Klint Kubiak as his offensive coordinator has been one of the most impactful of the season. The Seahawks are true contenders, and Macdonald got them there in his second season.<\/p>\n Jones:<\/strong> Kyle Shanahan. Yes, Johnson has infused the Bears with life, and he\u2019s helping Caleb Williams develop into a franchise quarterback. And yes, Vrabel has quickly restored the Patriots into a first-class unit. But Shanahan \u2014 despite multiple stints without his starting quarterback and despite losing a plethora of other difference-makers for the season, including defensive stars Fred Warner and Nick Bosa \u2014 still having his team in the playoff hunt is most impressive. Any other team would have crumbled. But Shanahan and his staff keep on plugging in replacement players and positioning them for success.<\/p>\n After the Texans upset the Colts and the Jacksonville Jaguars dominated the Tennessee Titans, the AFC South now has three teams within a game of each other. Who\u2019s your pick to win the division?<\/strong><\/p>\n Pompei:<\/strong> The Texans are the most interesting and best team in the division at the moment, with four straight wins including Sunday\u2019s victory over the Colts. They arguably have the league\u2019s best defense, which is a good thing to have in December. If they could get C.J. Stroud playing like he did in 2023, they almost assuredly would be the South\u2019s best. We shouldn\u2019t sleep on the Colts, but they are showing how difficult it is to sustain a superior level of play over 17 games. The season finale between the Colts and Texans will decide the division.<\/p>\n Jones:<\/strong> I\u2019m going with the Jaguars. Despite the maddening inconsistencies that plague Trevor Lawrence, Liam Coen\u2019s team has a lot working in its favor. The Jaguars have one of the league\u2019s leading rushing attacks. They have an opportunistic defense, which ranks among the league leaders in takeaways. And their remaining schedule plays out pretty favorably. They have two games (Weeks 14 and 17) against the sagging Colts, who have now lost three of their last four. They also play the New York Jets (which should be another win), travel to Denver (the toughest test remaining) and close out the season against Tennessee. Houston is surging with four straight wins but might come up short in its pursuit of the Jaguars. Indianapolis isn\u2019t the same with Daniel Jones hobbled, and the Colts have a mean final stretch (with games against the Seahawks and 49ers and another game against Houston, plus two against Jacksonville) and seem primed for a dream-killing fizzle.<\/p>\n \n C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans are in the thick of the AFC South race after upsetting the Indianapolis Colts. (Dylan Buell \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n Nguyen:<\/strong> I thought the Colts could shift their identity into a defensive team with cornerbacks Charvarius Ward and Sauce Gardner locking down receivers, but Gardner was hurt<\/a> early on Sunday and the Texans were able to create enough explosive plays in the pass game to win. Jones was already falling back to earth before his leg injury,<\/a> but with his mobility hindered, this Colts offense will be limited. They played an elite Texans defense Sunday, so we\u2019ll see if they can get on track against the Jaguars.<\/p>\n Both the Texans and Jaguars seem to be getting it together at the right time. The Texans\u2019 offense has limitations, but they\u2019re getting chunks in the passing game. If that continues, and with that defense, I think they have a shot at taking the South.<\/p>\n Just when we all crowned the Rams the best team in the NFL, they looked unsteady on both sides of the ball in a 31-28 loss to the Carolina Panthers<\/a>. Did that shake your faith in Los Angeles as the Super Bowl favorite?<\/strong><\/p>\n Nguyen: <\/strong>The Rams were playing such good, consistent ball that they were bound for a letdown. I don\u2019t want to take away from the Panthers. They deserve a ton of credit for winning the game, and their offensive line \u2014 even with injuries \u2014 owned the Rams up front. The three biggest plays in this game were Matthew Stafford\u2019s two interceptions (one in the red zone and a pick six) and his fourth quarter fumble. Stafford had only thrown two interceptions before this game. I don\u2019t think we\u2019ll see too many games in which Stafford is as careless with the ball, so I\u2019m not concerned with the Rams moving forward.<\/p>\n Jones:<\/strong> Every now and then, a quality team has one of those uncharacteristically bad performances and loses to a team it had no business struggling against. That\u2019s what happened to the Rams on Sunday. Stafford threw two interceptions after enjoying a record-setting streak of 28 touchdown passes without an interception. He then had a fumble that snuffed out the Rams\u2019 chances for a game-winning drive. L.A.\u2019s defense also appeared flat and gave up too many big plays, failing to record a takeaway for the first time in five games. Hats off to the Panthers for their performance, but I still believe in the Rams. They\u2019ll get this game out of their system and will probably use it as a wakeup call before gearing up for a strong finish to the season and a deep playoff run.<\/p>\n Pompei:<\/strong> Perhaps the Lombardi Trophy was awarded a bit too early? The Rams had an excellent run and remain one of football\u2019s best. But it\u2019s a long season and most teams slip up here and there, as the Rams did Sunday. We can\u2019t forget the Rams have a number of quality wins, having beaten the Texans, Colts, Ravens, Jaguars, 49ers, Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, among others. They will be defined by how they play in December and January, and \u2014 they hope \u2014 February. This appears to be one of those wide-open seasons in which no clear Super Bowl favorites can be established. We are likely in for some wild surprises.<\/p>\n
After a strong start, the Steelers have now lost five of their past seven games and could barely move the ball in Sunday\u2019s 26-7 loss to the Buffalo Bills<\/a>. What\u2019s gone wrong, besides Aaron Rodgers getting injured?<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Bears](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2248946308-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Texans](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2249212139-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
![\"Carolina](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/GettyImages-2249229391-scaled.jpg\")
<\/p>\n