End of Regular Season Overreactions: Playoffs? Yeah… Here We Go!

January 17, 2024

Playoff time is here. And as a Cowboy’s fan, am I nervous? Not a single bone in my body is not nervous, so there you go. Anyway, the end of the regular season is upon us, and it’s time to realize that some teams will flop, and some will flourish.

The Cowboys OWN the NFC East

Dallas Cowboys QB Dak Prescott after the week 18 win against the Washington Commanders. Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images

The streak continues. The streak of the NFC not having a repeat winner that has been going on since 2004. 2004 was also the year Facebook was launched, and was Ben Roelthlisberger’s rookie season. It’s been a long time. Moving on, the Cowboys clinched the division with a win over the lowly Washington Commanders. Going into Week 18, the Cowboys needed a win, but if they lost, they would need a Philly loss to the Giants. Now in the end it didn’t matter, but it was still nice to see the Eagles lose to the Giants. Anyway, going into the playoffs, the Cowboys have home field advantage up until at least the Championship Game. This is the Cowboys best shot at the NFC Title Game. Go Boys.

CJ Stroud… Fastest Rebuild of all time???

CJ Stroud after the Texans vs Bengals game. Photo Credit to: sandiegouniontribune.com

The Texans, after going 3-13-1 in 2022, went 10-7 and won the AFC South in just one year. How did that happen? Well, for starters, the defense stepped up along with the emergence of Derek Stingley Jr and Will Anderson Jr, who by the way, ranks 3rd in pass-rush win rate (Behind Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett). First year receiver and 3rd year receiver Tank Dell and Nico Collins having breakout seasons. The addition of first-year coach Demeco Ryans and the signings of Devin Singletary, Jimmie Ward, Dalton Shultz, Noah Brown, and Robert Woods. But above all this, it’s CJ Stroud. CJ Stroud ranks number one in TD/INT ratio, and went 9-6 as a starter. Along with a midseason collapse by the Jaguars and a dropped pass by the Colts, and the Texans complete the fastest rebuild of all time.

Miami Dolphins can’t get it done

Tua Tagovailoa is tackled by a Bills defender. Photo Credit to: si.com

The Dolphins may have beaten the Cowboys, however, that was not because they are good. It’s because Mike McCarthy decided to let his grandson call plays during the 2nd and 3rd quarter, and the defense couldn’t stop a parked car during the final drive. Anyway, Miami is now 1-5 against teams above .500 (should be 0-6), and blew the AFC East title to the Bills. Miami, tough break, and I think this shows the difference between the Cowboys and the Dolphins. The Dolphins may have won, but the Cowboys returned from the game and won two in a row, while the Dolphins lost two in a row. Miami, it’s not your year. It’s probably not the Cowboy’s year either, but it’s still not Miami’s year. The Dolphins play the Chiefs in the Wild Card round, and I will predict this game. As I am writing this, it is 11:48 AM on January 11th, 2024. So, the Chiefs have struggled near the end of this season, however, they did lock up their division title with a win over the Bengals. Meanwhile, the Dolphins have also struggled, and they blew their division in embarrassing fashion. Now, given that Tua Tagovailoa in games below 45 degrees is 0-4 as a starter and has a 57% completion percentage and that Patrick Mahomes has never lost in the playoffs before the Championship round, I don’t see him losing in the WildCard, give me the Chiefs to win 30-13, lock it in.

The Eagles are not ready

If I could pick to be in any team situation right now, it would be Baltimore. Now if I had to pick the worst situation in the league, I would go with the Philadelphia Eagles. You know you are in a bad situation when the Detroit Pistons have more wins since Dec 6 than you. But how did the Eagles arrive here? Well, it started against the Jets, where Philly lost 20-14. After that, the Eagles started to play at a much lower level. However, because of the refs, the Eagles were able to win certain games. Then, against San Francisco, the Eagles got demolished without the refs there to bail them out. That was the beginning of the end for Philly. They would play Dallas, and get destroyed by 30 points. They would play the Seahawks, and LOSE to Drew Lock. They got a win over Tommy DeVito and the ghost of Tyrod Taylor before losing to the Cardinals and losing to the Giants. There you go. perfect explanation. The Jets broke the Eagles. No other explanation.

Everyone can celebrate the playoffs, except Cowboys fans. So there you have it. Four takeaways from the FINAL week of the NFL season. How will these hold up during the season? I have no clue. But I guess we’ll find out. And yes, this conclusion is copied and pasted from my NFL Week 1 Overreactions: Being Way Too Conclusive article.