Heading into the final week of the 2020 NFL season, three teams are in the mix for the NFC East title: the Washington Football Team, Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants. Washington and Dallas are currently tied atop the division with identical 6-9 records, but they're trending in opposite directions heading into Week 17.
The Cowboys are heating up and appear to have rediscovered an offensive rhythm that eluded them ever since Dak Prescott was lost to a season-ending injury in Week 5. Backup quarterback Andy Dalton, who missed time this season with a concussion and also COVID-19, has resettled into the starting lineup and is a big reason why the offense is humming again. He got the ball to each of Dallas' playmakers while knocking the Philadelphia Eagles out of the NFC East race in Week 16; he'll have an opportunity to do the same against the Giants in Week 17. We'll take a look at some of Dalton's numbers during the Cowboys' current streak in this week's numbers to know.
We'll also take a look at Washington, which has struggled to find the same level of stability at quarterback. Dwayne Haskins, who was released on Monday, was holding the team back as the starter. This squad is at its best when Alex Smith is under center, but Smith has been injured and Washington's grip on the NFC East is slipping as a result. We'll show you the numbers that illustrate just how badly this team needs Smith to make a healthy return for the season finale against Philadelphia.
2
The New York Jets have won two games in a row, clinching the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL draft. The alleged tank for Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is officially over, now that the Jacksonville Jaguars have locked up the top pick. Jets fans who are upset about this can take solace in the fact that there are other quarterbacks in next year's draft and — who knows? — one of them might turn out better than Lawrence. BYU's Zach Wilson is a name to watch as draft season heats up.
There's also the possibility that New York sticks with Sam Darnold. He hasn't lived up to his billing as a former No. 3 overall pick, but he's still only 23 years old and has now beaten two winning teams in a row. The Jets could bring Darnold back and use the second-overall pick in next year's draft to select Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell. If Darnold doesn't make the leap with 2020 first-rounder Mekhi Becton on one side and Sewell protecting the other, maybe then it will be time to move on. The bigger question might be what this sudden winning streak means for head coach Adam Gase. He seemed as good as gone earlier in the season, but he's hung around and could be coaching for his job in Week 17. That's got to be an unsettling thought if you're a Jets fan.
3
The Dallas Cowboys have won three games in a row, as quarterback Andy Dalton is leading a resurgent offense. Earlier this season, when starting quarterback Das Prescott was still healthy, the Cowboys had an explosive offense. Over the past three weeks, Dalton seems to have unlocked this potential. He has thrown for 771 yards, seven touchdowns and only one interception during Dallas' three-game winning streak. A season-high 377 of those yards came in Sunday's 37-17 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
Before catching fire in the past three weeks, the Cowboys looked like the least likely team to win the NFC East. They were 3-9, including 0-2 in head-to-head matchups with the division-leading Washington Football Team. Now after knocking the Eagles out of playoff contention, they're tied with Washington at 6-9 and have a chance to steal the division title from their rival in the regular-season finale. All the Cowboys need is a win over the New York Giants and a Washington loss to the Eagles. That seems fairly likely to happen, if you've seen any of these four teams play recently.
21
The Pittsburgh Steelers were on the verge of a fourth straight loss on Sunday. Then, they scored 21 unanswered points to beat the Indianapolis Colts 28-24. You could see the narratives starting to form when Pittsburgh was trailing 24-7 in the third quarter: Ben Roethlisberger is washed, the Steelers are finished. Big Ben must have heard the criticism, because he put forth an impressive late-game performance and, as a result, his team looked more like the one that started the season 11-0.
Roethlisberger finished the game with 342 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. He completed 34 of his 49 pass attempts, including a couple of deep balls that had been missing from his arsenal. His arm (as well as Pittsburgh's defense) did most of the heavy lifting in the comeback effort, as the Steelers only finished with 20 rushing yards. If any quarterback looked close to hanging them up after this game, it was Philip Rivers, who couldn't get anything going for the Colts in the second half and also threw a costly interception in the fourth quarter. The truth is both of these aging quarterbacks lean heavily on their respective defenses; neither one would survive a shootout versus Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen in the AFC Playoffs.
47
The Washington Football Team is a completely different football team, depending on who's starting at quarterback. When Alex Smith starts, they are 4-1 with a +47 point differential. When anyone else starts, they are 2-8 with a -47 point differential. We know that the Week 17 starter won't be Dwayne Haskins, as he was unceremoniously released by the team on Monday. If Smith isn't healthy enough to go, and the starter is Taylor Heinicke, Washington will be in trouble for what basically amounts to a playoff game against Philly in the season finale.
The funny thing is, from a statistical standpoint, Smith hasn't been that much better than Haskins. He has thrown only four touchdowns compared to six interceptions in seven games played (five starts), and his passer rating is a paltry 79.0. Smith brings veteran savvy, though, and is less likely to make mistakes that cost his team the game. He's smart and experienced enough to know that Washington wins with its defense, and that's the biggest reason why he's needed on the field next Sunday.
91
By now, you've probably heard about Alvin Kamara's six-touchdown performance on Christmas Day. But did you know the last player to rush for six touchdowns in a single game before him was Ernie Nevers — 91 YEARS AGO. Nevers set this record while playing for the Cardinals in 1929, back when they were from Chicago. That's how rarely you see a player score six rushing touchdowns in a single game.
Kamara now leads the NFL with 21 total touchdowns on the season (16 rushing, five receiving). He's having a tremendous season, after signing a lucrative contract extension in September. He's already set a career high for yards from scrimmage with 1,688, which is an average of 112.5 yards/game. Kamara's production is so consistent that the Saints can count on him to carry the team every week, whether he does it as a ball carrier or as a pass catcher. With Drew Brees still working his way back to full strength, the value Kamara brings to New Orleans cannot be understated.
130
After beating the New York Giants 27-13 on Sunday, the Baltimore Ravens surpassed the Kansas City Chiefs and now have the best point differential in the NFL (+130). No team in the past 25 seasons has led the NFL in point differential in back-to-back seasons, but the Ravens are close after also leading the league last year (+249). This is thanks to a recent surge of four straight wins, after suffering through a 1-4 stretch in the middle of the season.
Of course, none of this matters if quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Ravens can't win a playoff game. As dominant as their point differential looks, they still haven't locked up a playoff spot. Baltimore can do that with a win (or a Browns/Colts loss) in Week 17. If the Ravens fall short of the playoffs — or lose in the first round — it will be hard to dispute Jackson's growing reputation as a great regular-season quarterback who can't get the job done when it matters most.
1,416
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has 1,416 receiving yards on the season, becoming the first tight end in NFL history to eclipse the 1,400-yard mark. Kelce's pass-catching ability has always been as strong as most wide receivers, but now he's officially producing on the level of the elite players at that position. With one week left in the season, he is on pace to become the first tight end ever to lead the league in receiving yards.
Kelce, who has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in five straight seasons, has already set career highs for receptions (105) and receiving touchdowns (11) in 2020. He is undoubtedly the favorite target of All-Pro quarterback Patrick Mahomes. With the Chiefs locking up the No. 1 seed in the AFC Playoffs, look for Kelce to further his domination in the postseason. He caught four touchdown passes during Kansas City's Super Bowl run last season, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him top that number en route to a second consecutive championship.