It’s been a while since I’ve written about the NFL. Balancing other projects, going to my brother’s baseball games, and dealing with school made it harder for me to do this weekly. Since my last column, COVID has spread throughout the league, storylines have flipped, and the MVP race has been all over the place. These are just some general observations I’ve noticed so far this year that have captivated the attention of many viewers of the sport.

Seattle Rebuild Incoming

The Seattle Seahawks lost to the Chicago Bears on a snowy afternoon in Lumen field. The Seahawks had led multiple possessions heading into the fourth quarter but failed to keep it. The Bears would eventually take the lead after converting a 2-pt conversion to lead by one point.

Seattle has been on a roller coaster all year long; the extended season makes it feel like 20 weeks of football have already passed. Russell Wilson dislocated his thumb earlier in the year and missed five weeks of the season, this set the team back in the win column and their playoff hopes dwindled each week without him. Safety Jamal Adams, who their traded two first-round picks for and made him the highest-paid safety in the league, had his season cut short due to shoulder surgery.

Since Wilson made his return to the gridiron in week 10, he has struggled to throw with a 60% completion percentage, rushed for less than 100 yards which is uncharacteristic of Wilson, and likely will throw for less than 3,000 yards in his career for the first time. He recovered from his surgery faster than expected leading some fans to believe he wasn’t 100 percent when rejoined the team. The chirps of a Wilson waiving his no-trade clause this offseason for a new team seem incredibly likely to happen more than ever.

The defense under Ken Norton Jr. has slowly improved as the season has progressed. In the first five weeks of the season, they had allowed the most passing yards and were second to last in stopping the run, leaving them ranked as the worst defense in the NFL. Since their bye in week 9, they have allowed 19 points per game compared to the 26 points be game to start the year. This defense has shown tons of grit to combat their lack of talent in the secondary and pass rush, a few tweaks to those weak spots can really transform Seattle’s defense for the next season.

With changes likely coming in the Pacific Northwest, it’s possible the Pete Carrol era comes to an end. He brought Seattle their only NFL title and coached up one of the most legendary defensive units in the history of the game. If Seattle chooses to fire their coach, it will be the first indicator of major changes for that franchise.

Miami Resurgence

The Dolphins were 1-7 to start the season, had given their first-round pick to the Eagles, and rumors of the organization not being convinced with first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa made the Mami look like the disaster of the season considering they were expected to compete for their division and a spot in the NFL playoffs. Since then, they have won seven straight games, are in the playoff picture, and Tua has become the most accurate QB in the league during that time (79% completion percentage).

The biggest factor for the Dolphins getting back into the playoff picture is their defense stepping up and becoming the elite unit many expected to see at the beginning of the season. According to CBS Sports, since week 9 the Dolphins have allowed the least amount of yards per play (4.3), first in sacks per attempt (13.5%) and what is most impressive is that they have allowed the least points per game (10.7). To put that into perspective, from weeks one through eight they allowed 28.9 points per game.

Brian Flores has turned the ship around and reignited the playoff push when it looked impossible, Flores looks like the prime candidate for the coach of the year award. Their road to make one of the Wild Card spots in the AFC will defiantly be in their hands if they win out against the Titans and Patriots. The race for a playoff spot in the AFC is extremely tight, there is no room for error for any of the competing teams.

Cardinals Collapse Incoming

The Arizona Cardinals had the best start to the NFL season with highlight plays every week from Kyler Murray, the defense becoming dominant, and being the last undefeated team in the league. Coach Kliff Kingsbury hadn’t convinced many Cardinals fans that he could lead this team to become real contenders but had shut them up during their dominant start to the season.

However, at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how you start but instead how you finish the season. Kingsbury’s Cardinals are going through a rough patch of football at the final stretch of the regular season. The Cards have lost DeAndre Hopkins for the rest of the NFL season and may get J.J Watt back if they made a deep run in the postseason.

Kyler Murray's return from an ankle injury earlier in the month has seen his play dip compared to the beginning of the season. In the Cardinals blowout loss to the Detroit Lions, Murray couldn’t move the chains through the air and the run game was effective. The next week, they faced one of the hottest teams in the league in the Indianapolis Colts at home on Christmas Day. The Colts are a run-heavy team and were missing their starting offensive linemen during the game. Arizona struggled to set their prints on the game and the Colts kept the offense in check while missing their best player in Darius Leonard.

Last season the Cardinals had a similar dip, they were fighting for a playoff spot but losses in the final games of the season saw them left out of the postseason. Fortunately for Arizona, they have already clinched a playoff berth for the playoffs. To end the season, they travel to Jerry’s world to face the Cowboys and end the season at home to play the Seahawks. The Cardinals are going to need confidence coming into the playoffs and getting a winning streak to end the season will go a long way in helping them get ready for the first postseason run in the Kyler Murray era.

Baker Not That Guy

After a four interceptions performance (in which he should’ve had more interceptions) and lackluster QB play in the Browns Christmas game against the Green Bay Packers, fans have never been more divided on whether or not Baker Mayfield is QB of the future. Mayfield was the Brown’s first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year that season. While he hasn’t broken out like his fellow QB’s from the same draft, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, many expected the season to be when the former Oklahoma quarterback takes his play up another level, but it’s been nothing, but average QB play all year long. His stats across the board are down and is in the bottom five of QB completion percentage across the league.

Mayfield has dealt with injuries for most of the season and has tried to play through it all. He suffered a fracture on his humorous bone and his throwing shoulder popped out in the same game against the Cardinals. He tested positive for Covid-19 which made him miss the game against the Raiders.

The organization decided that it was best to get rid of Odell Beckham Jr. after his father had posted videos of the QB missing his wide-open son. The Browns haven’t had their full offense healthy at any point this season making it harder for Mayfield to have a consistent rhythm for his targets.

This offseason the Browns are going to have to decide whether or not to give him a big-money extension, a small “prove-it” 1-year deal, or completely move on from him. After his recent performances for the Browns, the team would look crazy to want to give Mayfield a big extension. This year the Browns dealt with so much on and off the gridiron, that might be what's sways the front office into giving him one last chance.

Duval Dumpster fire

This past offseason, the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach opening looked like one of the best options available for any coach, first overall pick to get one of the best prospects coming out of college, a young team, lots of cap space, and good draft capital. After Urban Meyer got fired from that job in which he hired a coach that had made racist remarks before, went home to go visit his bar and have inappropriate interactions with a college girl, called his own coaching staff losers, didn’t know if one of his players had played in a game, and kicked one of his players for not playing well(and honestly a lot more drama between players), the Jaguars organization has hit rock bottom.

First overall pick, Trevor Lawrence has struggled all year long and is in the bottom half of all major statistical QB categories. It hasn’t been any help that weapons like D.J Chark and Travis Etienne were lost early in the year and the running game had never been utilized to help take pressure off the rookie QB. It’s been a tough season for Lawrence when it comes to his play, having to deal with issues in the locker room, and being the face of the franchise was too much for him this year.

It will be intriguing to see who the next Jaguars head coach will be. The culture in Duval has not been great for many years and especially now after all the drama Urban Meyer brought on the team. Names like Buccaneer’s offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich, former Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell, and former Philadelphia Eagles and Super Bowl-winning head coach Doug Pederson are currently being rumored to get interviews with the Jaguars once the offseason begins. It was just 3 years ago that they almost made it to the Super Bowl, now they continue to tread in the waters of mediocrity.

Big Ben’s Last Dance

Reports early in the year indicated that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger will likely retire at the end of the 2021 NFL season. The 39-year-old quarterback has been in the league since 2004, having won two Super Bowls in 2004 and 2010. His play has been on a steep decline for the past three years, losing almost all his mobility, accuracy problems, and a decline offensive line are all making it tough for Steelers fans to see their longtime legendary QB have a weak ending to his career.

While the Steelers offense has had their troubles, the defense has been as hard as steel to crack. T.J Watt is having another fantastic year and Cameron Hayward is having a resurgent season in the trenches. With the Steelers trying to make a Wild Card spot, the defense needs to stay sharp and hope the offense can get going when it matters most. Pittsburgh’s loss to the Kanas City Chiefs exposed the team’s lack of scoring, the immature moments from some of their players, and the ability for their secondary to become exposed too by quality QB’s. Big Ben will likely retire at the end of the year meaning this could be his last chance for another ring. The motivation to get to the big game one final time is what could help push Ben to play better and something for the team to gather around. The Steelers are stuck in the now but really must think of the future immediately once Big Ben calls it quits on a Hall of Fame career.