Welcome to the final installment of my weekly NFL Column for the 2023 regular season. My goal is to watch everything so that you don’t have to. I will present to you the best games to watch back; the craziest moments; the best individual performances and the season-long stat leaders and records.
If that sounds like something you’re interested in, check in each week.
Not everybody in the UK has the ability to watch almost 20 hours of live NFL every week, but I’ll make sure you don’t miss anything you’d wish you didn’t. Without further delay…
This is what happened This Week in the NFL.
Game of the Week
If you can only watch one full game in its entirety, watch this one:
Houston Texans @ Indianapolis Colts
This was poised to be an epic game, as it was a true ‘win and you’re in’ situation, between two division rivals. In a Saturday night, prime-time matchup, the Texans and Colts battled it out in the first playoff game of the season, in Week 18.
With a playoff spot on the line and two rivals facing off with everything on the line, these two teams didn’t disappoint in a hard-fought matchup.
Other games to watch back
Buffalo Bills @ Miami Dolphins
Upset of the Week
Philadelphia Eagles 10 – 27 New York Giants
The Philadelphia Eagles came into this game needing to win to give themselves an outside shot at winning the division, so they played their starters… And it didn’t go well.
Early in the game, star receiver AJ Brown left with a knee injury and never returned, then later Jalen Hurts injured a finger on his throwing hand, and was unable to continue despite his best efforts. For what it’s worth, the Giants were already the better team before these injuries. So, not only did the Eagles fail to improve their seeding in the playoffs, they picked up some very worrying injuries. The Giants, led by Tyrod Taylor, enjoyed a comfortable victory, and now Philadelphia’s slide towards the end of the season looks even worse as they head to Tampa Bay.
Winners and Losers
Winners
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7)
Houston Texans (10-7)
Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
Detroit Lions (12-5)
Tennessee Titans (6-11)
New York Jets (7-10)
New Orleans Saints (9-8)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-8)
Green Bay Packers (9-8)
Las Vegas Raiders (8-9)
New York Giants (6-11)
Seattle Seahawks (9-8)
Kansas City Chiefs (11-6)
Los Angeles Rams (10-7)
Dallas Cowboys (12-5)
Buffalo Bills (11-6)
Losers
Baltimore Ravens (13-4)
Indianapolis Colts (9-8)
Cleveland Browns (11-6)
Minnesota Vikings (7-10)
Jacksonville Jaguars (9-8)
New England Patriots (4-13)
Atlanta Falcons (7-10)
Carolina Panthers (2-15)
Chicago Bears (7-10)
Denver Broncos (8-9)
Philadelphia Eagles (11-6)
Arizona Cardinals (4-13)
Los Angeles Chargers (5-12)
San Francisco 49ers (12-5)
Washington Commanders (4-13)
Miami Dolphins (11-6)
Final Playoff Seeding
AFC
#1 – Baltimore Ravens
#2 – Buffalo Bills
#3 – Kansas City Chiefs
#4 – Houston Texans
#5 – Cleveland Browns
#6 – Miami Dolphins
#7 – Pittsburgh Steelers
NFC
#1 – San Francisco 49ers
#2 – Dallas Cowboys
#3 – Detroit Lions
#4 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
#5 – Philadelphia Eagles
#6 – Los Angeles Rams
#7 – Green Bay Packers
2024 NFL Draft Order
1 – Carolina Panthers [traded to Chicago Bears]
2 – Washington Commanders
3 – New England Patriots
4 – Arizona Cardinals
5 – Los Angeles Chargers
6 – New York Giants
7 – Tennessee Titans
8 – Atlanta Falcons
9 – Chicago Bears
10 – New York Jets
11 – Minnesota Vikings
12 – Denver Broncos
13 – Las Vegas Raiders
14 – New Orleans Saints
15 – Indianapolis Colts
16 – Seattle Seahawks
17 – Jacksonville Jaguars
18 – Cincinnati Bengals
Super Wildcard Weekend Matchups
#2 Buffalo Bills vs #7 Pittsburgh Steelers
#3 Kansas City Chiefs vs #6 Miami Dolphins
#4 Houston Texans vs #5 Cleveland Browns
#2 Dallas Cowboys vs #7 Green Bay Packers
#3 Detroit Lions vs #6 Los Angeles Rams
#4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs #5 Philadelphia Eagles
Standout Individual Performers
Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
4 receptions on 6 targets for 41 receiving yards and a TD, plus two rookie receiver records broken.
It wasn’t the best stat line of the week or the most impressive performance, but let’s give Puka Nacua his flowers for an absolutely astonishing season. A fifth-round pick who was initially labeled as a Kupp stand-in to start the season with more reps in the veterans absence, he has now become a household name. His 4 receptions this week put him on 105, breaking the rookie receptions record, and his 41 yards got him to 1,486 which broke the rookie receiving yardage record. What a day, and what a beautiful moment it was, sharing it with his mother on the sideline.
PS, it wasn’t cool that San Francisco were double-teaming him practically the whole time he was on the field, but that does make it more funny that he still broke both records.
Nico Collins, WR, Houston Texans
9 receptions for 195 receiving yards and a TD.
If you watched this game on Saturday night, you will not be surprised to see Nico Collins on the top of our standout performers list. Not only did he score an epic 75-yard touchdown on Houston’s first offensive snap, he was just CJ Stroud’s most reliable target all day. He caught all 9 of his targets for a whopping 195 receiving yards, combining high volume with ruthless efficiency. Even after the huge first catch, Collins averaged 15 yards per reception for the rest of the game. The Texans are going to be dangerous in the playoffs, and Nico Collins will be a huge threat to any defense in the playoffs.
Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings
12 receptions on 14 targets for 192 receiving yards and a TD.
Justin Jefferson’s injury meant he missed seven games in the middle of the season, and the two on either side of his injury he was banged up and didn’t play much. However, in basically every single full game he played, Jefferson was brilliant. This week, he finished his season with the best performance of the year. He caught 12 of his 14 targets for 192 receiving yards and a touchdown in Detroit. A healthy Jettas for 17 games next year will be an absolute savage, and I can’t wait to see it.
James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals
27 rush attempts for 150 rushing yards and a TD, plus 4 receptions for 54 more receiving yards.
The Arizona Cardinals haven’t had much to play for over the last half of the season, but running back James Conner has taken the opportunity down the stretch to remind us all how good he is. Like Jefferson, he saved his best performance for last. In fact, this week, he had a career-high 150 rushing yards, and a touchdown as the cherry on top. He also added another 54 yards through the air, on 4 catches.
Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
30 rush attempts for 188 rushing yards and a TD, plus 2 receptions for 8 yards.
The Colts fell short in their win and you’re in matchup with Houston, unfortunately. However, that is not down to a lack of effort from Jonathan Taylor. He carried the ball 30 times and turned them into 188 rushing yards, with a touchdown. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough for Indianapolis to hold off the Texans.
Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets
37 rush attempts for 178 rushing yards and a TD, plus 2 receptions for 12 yards.
If 30 carries sounded like a lot why don’t you try 37 on for size? The New York Jets went to Foxboro for a snow game, and they didn’t feel like passing. So, they fed their best player, Breece Hall. The young RB turned his 37 carries into a career-high 178 rushing yards and a TD. He also added 12 yards on a pair of receptions. In defeating the Patriots for the first time since 2015, the Jets may have also put an end to Bill Belichick’s head coaching career, with one final loss to a team he dominated for so long.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, Detroit Lions
7 receptions on 10 targets for 144 receiving yards and a TD.
The Detroit Lions put the final touches on a great season this week, defeating NFC North rivals Minnesota 30-20. The star performer of the Week 18 win was Amon-Ra St. Brown, who caught 7 receptions for 144 receiving yards and a touchdown. This was his best game of the year, and the second-most yards he’s logged in a game throughout his three-year career.
Derek Carr, QB, New Orleans Saints
78.6% completion rate, 264 passing yards and 4 TD’s. 145.5 Quarterback Rating.
People who have been reading my column for a while will know I can be quite the Derek Carr apologist. This week, though, he just straight-up balled out. Whether you’re a fan of his or not, you can respect the 145.5 Quarterback Rating. He completed 22 of his 28 pass attempts (78.6%) for an efficient 264 passing yards and 4 touchdowns, including one beautiful throw to Rashid Shaheed. While the Saints weren’t able to make the playoffs, they did at least put quite the stamp on their season with a 48-17 win.
T.J. Watt, DE, Pittsburgh Steelers
6 solo tackles and 2 assists, including 2.0 Sacks.
Unfortunately, this brilliant performance was tarnished by T.J. Watt getting injured, but before that, he was able to play a key role in a playoff-berth-clinching win for the Steelers. Prior to his departure, he made 6 solo tackles and 2 assists. Among his 8 tackles, he recorded 2.0 Sacks, putting himself on 19.0 for the season. This made Watt the first player in NFL history to lead the NFL in sacks in three separate seasons. He’s been ruled out of the Wildcard game, but hopefully, he has a swift, full recovery.
Xavier McKinney, S, New York Giants
2 solo tackles and 4 assists, plus 2 Interceptions – including one unbelievable toe-tap.
The New York Giants embarrassed the Eagles this week, with a comfortable 27-10 win. Their defense, spearheaded by Xavier McKinney, not only held Philadelphia to a weak 10 points, they forced 4 turnovers. The 24-year-old safety made 6 total tackles, and secured two interceptions – one of which was a ridiculous toe-tapping effort that would have made DeAndre Hopkins proud. What a performance.
Jack Campbell, LB, Detroit Lions
7 solo tackles and 5 assists, plus a Sack.
In the Detroit Lions’ cherry-on-top victory this weekend, to secure the 3rd seed, their rookie linebacker Jack Campbell had himself a day. The Iowa-alum set a new career-high in both solo tackles and total tackles with 7 and 12 respectively. He also recorded just his second sack of the season. The young LB has a promising future ahead of him, and he’ll hope to continue with this momentum throughout the postseason.
2023 Regular Season Stat Leaders
Passing Yards – Tua Tagovailoa MIA, 4624
Passing TD’s – Dak Prescott DAL, 36
Rushing Yards – Christian McCaffrey SF, 1459
Rushing TD’s – Raheem Mostert MIA, 18
Receiving Yards – Tyreek Hill MIA, 1799
Receiving TD’s – Tyreek Hill MIA and Mike Evans TB, 13
Total TD’s – Christian McCaffrey SF and Raheem Mostert MIA, 21
Tackles (combined) – Bobby Wagner SEA, 183
Sacks – T.J. Watt PIT, 19.0
Interceptions – DaRon Bland DAL, 9
