By David Thatcher
Final Games and Playoff Implications
The final week of regular season football featured 16 games all between division rivals. However, certain games did have some playoff implications for certain teams such as the Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Rams, Cincinnati Bengals, and Denver Broncos.
The Miami Dolphins lost their matchup to the New York Jets with a score of 32-20 giving the Jets their fifth win of the season and giving Miami their ninth loss which would have taken them out of playoff contention even if the Denver Broncos lost their matchup to the Chiefs.
In Atlanta, the Falcons found themselves in a shootout with the Carolina Panthers who ultimately came out victorious in the high scoring 44-38 game in overtime. The Panthers win gave them their fifth of the season and Atlanta’s ninth loss of the season. However, despite Atlanta’s loss they would have been eliminated from playoff contention as they would be unable to win the NFC South due to the outcome of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game.
Continuing with the Buccaneers, they found themselves in the victory column over the New Orleans Saints with a score of 27-19. The win gave Tampa Bay their 10th win of the season and secured the NFC South title giving them a spot in the playoffs.
While the Los Angeles Rams did not need to win to make it into the playoffs a win would have playoff implications as it would affect the seeding in the playoffs. However, the Rams did lose their matchup to the Seattle Seahawks 30-25 meaning the Rams would be the fourth seed in the NFC and the Buccaneers would be the three seed.
Cincinnati won their matchup over the Pittsburgh Steelers with a score of 19-17. Despite the win Cincinnati still needed help from both the Jets and Chiefs hoping both the Dolphins and Broncos would lose their matchups to make it into the playoffs which they did not receive as the Broncos would win their final game of the season clinching their spot to the playoffs.
In Denver the Broncos had the fortunate circumstance of having to face the Kansas City Chiefs backups as they decided to rest their starters due to already clinching the one seed in the AFC and giving their starters ample amount of time to rest. The Broncos won with a score of 38-0 securing their spot in the playoffs and their 10th win of the season.
Playoff Matchups
Below are the wildcard weekend matchups that have been played and their outcomes. The numbers beside the teams denote their seeding.
AFC
(2) Buffalo Bills v. (7) Denver Broncos, Winner - Buffalo Bills, 31-7
(3) Baltimore Ravens v. (6) Pittsburgh Steelers, Winner - Baltimore Ravens, 28-14
(4) Houston Texans v. (5) Los Angeles Chargers, Winner - Houston Texans, 32-12
BYE - (1) Kansas City Chiefs
NFC
(2) Philadelphia Eagles v. (7) Green Bay Packers, Winner - Philadelphia Eagles, 22-10
(3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers v. (6) Washington Commanders, Winner - Washington Commanders, 23-20
(4) Los Angeles Rams v. (5) Minnesota Vikings, Monday, Jan. Winner - Los Angeles Rams, 27-9
BYE - (1) Detroit Lions
Divisional Round Matchups
(1) Kansas City Chiefs v. (4) Houston Texans, Saturday, Jan. 18th, 1:30 PM PST
(1) Detroit Lions v. (6) Washington Commanders, Saturday, Jan. 18th, 5:00 PM PST
(2) Philadelphia Eagles v. (4) Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Jan. 19th, 12:00 PM PST
(2) Buffalo Bills v. (3) Baltimore Ravens, Sunday, Jan. 19th, 3:30 PM PST
AP Releases All-Pro 1st Team Roster
The Associated Press released the official 2024 All-Pro team on January 10th, 2025.
The AP First Team All-Pro roster is a prestigious honor awarded to the best players at their positions which is based on their performance during the regular season.
Below is the first team All-Pro roster for offense, defense, and special teams.
OFFENSE
Quarterback - Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Running Back - Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles
Fullback - Patrick Ricard, Baltimore Ravens
Wide Receiver - Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings
Wide Receiver - Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals
Wide Receiver - Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
Tight End - Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders
Left Tackle - Tristan Wirfs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Left Guard - Joe Thuney, Kansas City Chiefs
Center - Creed Humphrey, Kansas City Chiefs
Right Guard - Quinn Meinerz, Denver Broncos
Right Tackle - Penei Sewell, Detroit Lions
DEFENSE
Interior D-Line - Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs
Interior D-Line - Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers
Edge Rusher - Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals
Edge Rusher - Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns
Linebacker - Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens
Linebacker - Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers
Linebacker - Zack Baun, Philadelphia Eagles
Cornerback - Patrick Surtain II, Denver Broncos
Cornerback - Derek Stingley Jr., Houston Texans
Slot Cornerback - Marlon Humphrey, Baltimore Ravens
Safety - Xavier MicKinney, Green Bay Packers
Safety - Kerby Joseph, Detroit Lions
SPECIAL TEAMS
Kicker - Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers
Punter - Jack Fox, Detroit Lions
Punt Returner - Marvin Mims Jr., Denver Broncos
Kick Returner - KaVontae Turpin, Dallas Cowboys
Special Teams - Brenden Schooler, New England Patriots
Long Snapper - Andrew DePaola, Minnesota Vikings
Regular Season Standings
NFC | WINS - LOSS | AFC | WINS - LOSS |
1. Detroit Lions | 15 - 2 | 1. Kansas City Chiefs | 15 - 2 |
2. Philadelphia Eagles | 14 - 3 | 2. Buffalo Bills | 13 - 4 |
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 10 - 7 | 3. Baltimore Ravens | 12 - 5 |
4. Los Angeles Rams | 10 - 7 | 4. Houston Texans | 10 - 7 |
5. Minnesota Vikings | 14 - 3 | 5. Los Angeles Chargers | 11 - 6 |
6. Washington Commanders | 12 - 5 | 6. Pittsburgh Steelers | 10 - 7 |
7. Green Bay Packers | 11 - 6 | 7. Denver Broncos | 10 - 7 |
8. Seattle Seahawks | 10 - 7 | 8. Cincinnati Bengals | 9 - 8 |
9. Atlanta Falcons | 8 - 9 | 9. Indianapolis Colts | 8 - 9 |
10. Arizona Cardinals | 8 - 9 | 10. Miami Dolphins | 8 - 9 |
11. Dallas Cowboys | 7 - 10 | 11. New York Jets | 5 - 12 |
12. San Francisco 49ers | 6 - 11 | 12. Jacksonville Jaguars | 4 - 13 |
13. Chicago Bears | 5 - 12 | 13. New England Patriots | 4 - 13 |
14. Carolina Panthers | 5 - 12 | 14. Las Vegas Raiders | 4 - 13 |
15. New Orleans Saints | 5 - 12 | 15. Cleveland Browns | 3 - 14 |
16. New York Giants | 3 - 14 | 16. Tennessee Titans | 3 - 14 |
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