Joe Flacco, QB, Cleveland Browns. A few weeks in the past Joe Flacco was out of the NFL and ready for his alternative. Now he’s the beginning quarterback for a playoff contender. Flacco helped lead the Browns to a 31-27 win over the Jaguars on Sunday by throwing for 311 yards and three touchdowns. He has been so good that head coach Kevin Stefanski introduced after the sport that the offense now belongs to him for the rest of the season. Flacco joined the Browns following Deshaun Watson’s season-ending damage and obtained his first begin when Dorian Thompson-Robinson was sidelined with a concussion.
Chicago Bears. The playoffs are nearly definitely out of the query for the Bears at this level, however they don’t seem to be going away with out a struggle. They’re additionally getting the very best of each worlds proper now. With Sunday’s win over Detroit they’ve now gained three out of their previous 4 video games, are taking part in aggressive soccer and on the similar time nonetheless have an enormous lead for the No. 1 total decide within the draft.
That’s as a result of they personal the Carolina Panthers’ prime decide within the 2024 NFL Draft class, and with one other loss on Sunday the Panthers are 1-12 and two video games behind each different staff within the NFL with 4 video games to play. The Bears get to maintain successful and are nonetheless prone to get the highest decide. That’s the better of the whole lot.
Zach Wilson, QB, New York Jets. Wilson has been the focus of blame for the Jets offense, but when you’ll blame him when he performs poorly it’s essential to give him credit score when he performs effectively. On Sunday, he performed effectively. He obtained his beginning job again and helped lead the Jets to a surprising 30-6 win over the Houston Texans, throwing for 301 yards and two touchdowns in what might need been the most effective video games of his profession. That efficiency helped the Jets snap their five-game shedding streak.
Buffalo Payments playoff possibilities. The Payments are one of many groups within the 7-6 quagmire that’s the AFC wild-card race, and their 20-17 win over the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs on Sunday was a large victory for them. Had they misplaced that sport they’d have fallen even additional down the standings, staring down a sport towards the dominant Dallas Cowboys subsequent week. Their capability to close down the Chiefs offense obtained them an enormous win towards a prime AFC contender and again on monitor within the playoff hunt.
Sean Payton, head coach, Denver Broncos. Payton was a punch line early within the season given the Broncos’ early struggles, particularly after his preseason rant relating to former Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett. No person is laughing at him now. The Broncos’ 24-7 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday improved them to 7-6 and was one other step ahead for his or her playoff push. Payton has helped quarterback Russell Wilson discover his type, and the Broncos protection has been taking part in dominant, turnover-driven soccer to assist them go 6-1 over their previous seven video games.
San Francisco 49ers playmakers. Quarterback Brock Purdy is taking part in some MVP-caliber soccer for the 49ers, however he’s additionally getting lots of assist from his staff’s ability place gamers. All of them shined on Sunday in a 28-16 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Christian McCaffrey rushed for 145 yards on solely 16 carries, whereas huge receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk each topped the 100-yard mark. Tight finish George Kittle additionally had an enormous day with 76 yards on solely three catches. The 49ers have one of many league’s most full rosters on paper they usually confirmed why on Sunday.