Some thoughts after watching a lot of NFL games on a Sunday for a change:
Where we stand at the moment:
• If the playoffs started today, the Texans would be traveling to Gillette for a wild-card game. More on that in a minute.
• Strength of remaining schedule:
Denver 4th
New England 24th
Jacksonville 21st
Pittsburgh 16th
Buffalo 26th
LA Chargers 5th
Houston 23rd
Indianapolis 1st
Baltimore 14th
Kansas City 30th
Miami 22nd
• I know it's popular in New England this morning to dance on the graves of the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, but I won't be doing that. The Chiefs could very well win out (a win against the Broncos would be a big help for the Patriots' hopes for the top seed). The Colts are done after Daniel Jones' injury. Riley Leonard was a good third quarterback as a project, he's no starter. The Ravens look broken as Lamar Jackson isn't right, and could lose out against the Bengals, Patriots, Packers and Steelers. The Dolphins are a nice story but play at the Steelers and Patriots, along with games against the Bengals and Buccaneers.
That leaves the beat up Chargers, who could very well lose out, starting tonight against the Eagles, with the Chiefs, Cowboys, Texans and Broncos. Basically, next Sunday's Chargers at Chiefs game is an elimination game, and that's not even 100 percent.
• The Chiefs look old, tired and not very good, but that defense can play some really good football when Chris Jones decides to bring it, and, like Tom Brady, I'll believe Mahomes is dead and buried when I see the stake sticking out of his chest.
• But now even Andy Reid has lost it - or now we remember his poor clock management because Mahomes papered over it for so long. Both decisions to for it on fourth down in the fourth quarter (tied, and down seven) were colossaly dumb and cost his team the game. It was worse than the six or seven dropped passed, two for interceptions. Nick Caley and the Texans' offense was doing absolutely nothing in the second half as Steve Spagnuolo figured them out (even without Trent McDuffie). The only way the Texans were scoring against the Chiefs was getting great field position from turnovers and/or turnover on downs. Reid handed them seven points, and the corpse of Travis Kelce handed them the final three.
• You guys can go nuts with the "Brady would never" memes in regards to Mahomes' performance last night, but I won't be. Considering the