OTL: Just What the Doctor Ordered?

The Baltimore Ravens had their bye week but the NFL didn’t sit still while they got some rest. NFL Sunday saw the Philadelphia Eagles survive a scare from the spoiler-spirited Carolina Panthers, Baker Mayfield’s Buccaneers holding off the Raiders and the New York Giants finding out new ways to hurt their fans.

In New York, things started out bad for the Giants as Drew Lock missed on his first eight passes. It ended bad with a blocked field goal to prevent overtime. If you ever feel bad as a Ravens fan, here’s a couple images for you to put things in perspective:

Giants fans feel a certain way…..#Giants100 pic.twitter.com/JtpGRVHEbp

— New York Revival (@NewYorkRevival) December 8, 2024

Final thoughts from the Giants 14-11 loss to the Saints:

•You know it’s a really bad season when the fans at MetLife Stadium are cheering the blocked kick to end the game. The Giants fans are clearly embracing the tank for the better draft pick.

•Drew Lock was not good out… pic.twitter.com/bqjBeNElEi

— Doug Rush (@TheDougRush) December 8, 2024

If you’re going to be a team with two Super Bowls since 2000, you’d much rather be the Baltimore Ravens than the Giants. The Ravens have been a competitive team and always have a shot as long as Lamar Jackson‘s on the field. There’s not a lot that can make you feel better about your team when you have an extra week to wait after a loss but just remember it can get so much worse. It’s also important to remember the fun of not having to survive fourth quarter stress bombs.

Stress free football today pic.twitter.com/Ej3QKO0jOz

— The Ravens Realm (@RealmRavens) December 8, 2024

One thing that didn’t get better though was the Ravens chances of winning the AFC North. The Pittsburgh Steelers secured their 10th win of the season by beating the Cleveland Browns 27-14. The Browns had a couple of missed field goals (What is going with this every week in Pittsburgh?!!) another special teams miscue, and two Jameis Winston interceptions. John Breech gave the Steelers an A- in his NFL report cards article for CBS Sports.

After getting surprised by Jameis Winston in Week 12, the Steelers defense was ready for him this time around. The defense sacked Winston three times, with two of those coming from Cameron Heyward. The constant pressure also led to two interceptions, including one by Keeanu Benton in the second quarter that eventually led to a Pittsburgh touchdown. The offense looked sluggish in the first half, but Russell Wilson came out firing during a third quarter where he threw for 91 yards and two touchdowns (Wilson threw for 67 yards and zero touchdowns in the other three quarters combined). The Steelers continue to look like one of the best teams in the AFC.

This was one of those movies that you’ve seen 100 times, where you know every line. The Browns went to Pittsburgh and got the result they probably should have had when they won in a flukey snow game a couple weeks ago. The Browns made it interesting in the beginning just to do what they typically do in Pittsburgh: lose in frustrating fashion. The Steelers still have to play the Eagles and Chiefs and still have a rematch against the Ravens. They haven’t clinched the AFC North but they are in a very comfortable driver’s seat. The Ravens have no room for error and they have to hope the Steelers fall against their toughest competition.

Russell Wilson back to the Super Bowl would be unbelievable.

— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) December 8, 2024

The Steelers are 10-3 and they have a buzz about them that is unsettling to say the least. Kay Adams tweeted that Russell Wilson back in the Super Bowl would be unbelievable. She’s kind of got a point if you take off the purple glasses. Wilson was left out with the trash by the Broncos and now he’s seeing a career resurgence on a contending team. It remains to be seen if the Steelers are Super Bowl contenders but this is the biggest chance Pittsburgh has had since Ben Roethlisberger retired. The Steelers are about to be tested and if you’re reading this I sense you hope they fail the test. It’s a little too interesting for comfort isn’t it?

The game of the week had to be the Buffalo Bills being hosted by the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams won the game 44-42 in what was the NFL’s answer to Penn State vs. Oregon from the other night. Josh Allen went 342 yards passing for three touchdowns and picked up 82 yards on the ground for another three touchdowns. How does that even happen? How does that add up to a loss? Puka Nakua had 162 receiving yards and Matthew Stafford completed 23-30 of his passes for 320 yards and two touchdowns. This game was like a video game.

This was a MVP performance from Allen, even in a loss says Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports:

Josh Allen became the odds-on favorite to win NFL MVP ahead of Sunday’s Week 14 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams. The Buffalo Bills quarterback may have secured his place in the pecking order despite his club falling to Matthew Stafford and Co., becoming the first player of the Super Bowl era to log three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns in the same game.

Allen was a one-man wrecking crew for Buffalo against the Rams, throwing for 342 yards while rushing for a team-high 82 yards on 10 carries, in a 44-42 defeat. Only Pro Football Hall of Famer Otto Graham, a three-time MVP who quarterbacked the Cleveland Browns from 1946-1955, also scored three times as both a passer and rusher, but he did it in the 1954 NFL Championship Game, well before the 1966 merger between the AFL and NFL.

This is one of the best performances I’ve ever seen end in a loss. Allen was incredible in this game; he was genuinely fun to watch. Allen is playing the best football of his career and because of that the Bills didn’t go away quietly in a contest the Rams could have run away with it a couple of times. Things have changed so much since the Ravens dominant Sunday Night Football victory over the Bills. Now the Bills may be the team to beat in the AFC.

For Coach Joe D. pic.twitter.com/UH9pQjwoWR

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 6, 2024

On the Baltimore front, here’s a very touching video paying tribute to Joe D’Alessandris, who sadly passed away before the start of the season. For the Ravens “My Cause, My Cleats” program these shoes were issued to the Ravens’ coaching staff. They support the Baltimore chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, an organization that D’Alessandris worked with. The Ravens coaches wore the Nike shoes when the Ravens battled the Philadelphia Eagles. This was a very special thing done to honor the legacy of a great man.

Comeback strong after the bye @PapaJohnsBal pic.twitter.com/tgjZ98Qc7h

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) December 6, 2024

The good news for the Ravens is that John Harbaugh is 13-3 coming off a bye week. The Ravens play the 2-11 Giants too, so all signs point to a get right game. Does this make anyone else a little nervous, or is that just me?

Cam Newton PLEADS with Lamar Jackson and goes SCORCHED EARTH on the media

“He is the greatest dual-threat QB to play this game, bar none. You can do things on the football field that nobody has ever been able to do. That’s your skill, not your deficit” pic.twitter.com/pOO3bc1OM9

— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) December 9, 2024

Cam Newton has some comments he wants Lamar Jackson to hear. The great dual-threat quarterback calls Jackson the greatest dual threat quarterback and calls for Jackson to lean into his remarkable ability to run the football. Newton argues that the noise around Jackson and the pressure to win a certain way should be ignored. Newton’s plea is for Jackson to be himself and do the things only he can do.

I think this is a great way to come at this. Newton is on to something. Jackson does indeed do things that only he can do. The Eagles game showed the cost of Jackson not leaning into his unique style. There were multiple opportunities for Jackson to take off running and make a difference where he ended up forcing a pass or taking a bad sack. Jackson has always been pressured to win as a passer first and a runner second. I think there’s value in not thinking about it and just having Jackson show the kind of player he is in the moment and on the fly. I understand saving yourself from big hits but as the season gets going into an ultra-important stretch of games, Jackson needs to be ready to take off when he can electrify the energy of this team.

Bye bye, bye week. Hello Monday.

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