MVP MAHOMES IS LOCKED AND LOADED
The playoff seedings are set after a wild Week 17, and
Digest has you covered with all of the playoff preview and Sunday roundup
action you can handle, including:
• The flaw in Lamar Jackson's game that may prove costly
against the Chargers
• The best way for the Bears to prevent more Nick Foles magic
• The reason the Seahawks' ground-and-pound approach will
prove more effective than the Cowboys' ground-and-pound approach
• The Texans' search for a fifth player to step up for them
against the Colts
• One viewer's play-by-play diary of Sunday's action to make
you feel like you are glued to your television and wondering whose bright idea
it was to pay Kirk Cousins all that money all over again
• 2019 power rankings of teams that failed to make the
playoffs
...and much more.
But we started with the guy whose 50 touchdown passes not
only ensured that his team would have home-field advantage throughout the
playoffs but also reset our expectations of what great young quarterbacks can
do.
WHAT MAKES PAT
MAHOMES THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN THE PLAYOFFS
Patrick Mahomes' 50th touchdown pass was an 89-yard
showstopper.
Mahomes dropped back on 3rd-and-long, nearly into his own
end zone, stepped up to avoid pressure, flicked the ball effortlessly to
Demarcus Robinson about 50 yards down the field and trusted his receiver to
out-leap a defender, snatch the ball and trot the other 40 yards into the end
zone.
The Chiefs needed a play that would take the life out of the
Raiders once and for all and guarantee home-field advantage. Mahomes delivered,
as he has done so often this season. It was an MVP moment for the
prohibitive favorite to win the award.
Oh, and did we mention that it was also Mahomes' 50th
touchdown pass?
Three quarterbacks in NFL history have thrown 50 touchdown
passes in a season: Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and
Patrick Mahomes.
Brady did it in 2007, when he was a 30-year-old three-time
Super Bowl champion. Manning did it in 2013, when he was a 37-year-old living
legend.
Mahomes is 23 years old. The last time we saw a quarterback
remotely as good as Mahomes at so young an age was Dan Marino in 1984, a
lifetime ago in an NFL that was very different.
Yes, yes: this was a record-smashing offensive year all
around, so take all offensive totals with a grain of salt, blah blah blah.
Maybe throwing 50 touchdowns is slightly easier this year than in past years.
But even so, no other QB came even close to Mahomes' 50
touchdowns in this season of madcap offense. Not perennial MVP bridesmaid Drew Brees (32), not
Brady (25), not second-place finisher Andrew Luck (39,
thanks to three in the Sunday Night win).
Mahomes is unlike any quarterback we have ever seen, past or
present. His accomplishments are going to change the NFL in ways we cannot yet
anticipate. But you didn't need statistics to illustrate that if you have been
paying attention all season.
Mahomes is not just the the clear-cut choice for MVP but
also Digest's official Player No One Wants to Face in the Playoffs. He has
the potential to turn any defensive game plan into the scribbles of an
overstimulated toddler.
That's just one of the playoff awards and designations
handed out by Digest on Sunday night, though. Here's the full rundown:
PLAYER NO ONE WANTS TO FACE IN THE PLAYOFFS: Mahomes
TEAM NO ONE WANTS TO FACE IN THE PLAYOFFS: The
Saints rested most of their starters and looked dreadful in a 33-14 loss to the
Panthers scrubs and subs. It's the kind of game that prompts lots of hand-wringing
about "momentum" for two weeks, after which the well-rested Saints
beat some team with a "hot hand" in the Superdome 42-10.
PLACE NO ONE WANTS TO PLAY IN THE PLAYOFFS: The
Superdome and Arrowhead Stadium are tough, but only Foxborough can trick opponents
into surrendering when they leave the tunnel. The weather will probably stink
in two weeks, too.
TEAMS THE FAVORITES WISH HAD BEEN ELIMINATED: Nick
Foles and the Eagles climbed into the playoffs because Kirk Cousins and the
Vikings offense couldn't get out of their own way. The Colts reached the
playoffs despite a shaky performance against the Titans because of Marcus
Mariota's injury.
Rest assured that the other contenders would rather see
Cousins and Blaine Gabbert (or the sideways-listing Steelers on some
technicality) than the red-hot Eagles and Colts. The Bears, in particular,
could have spared themselves a dose of Foles mojo by resting their starters and
doing whatever it takes to let Cousins win a big game (sitting down and
checking their email before each snap, perhaps).
TEAM MOST SCREWED BY SEEDINGS: The 12-4 Chargers
must travel across the country to play a 1 p.m. road game against the 10-6
Ravens, which doesn't seem fair. On the other hand, if the Chargers played a
home game in the postseason, it would really underscore the fact that they play
in the kind of venue that usually hosts licensed classic rock tribute bands.
TEAM EVERYONE WANTS TO PLAY IN THE POSTSEASON: Remember
the last time the Texans beat a really good opponent? Neither do we.
There's plenty more playoff-preview coverage in upcoming
segments. But first, let's take a look back on a wacky Week 17 like any other,
only more so.
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