Cover 7 | Sunday A daily NFL destination that provides in-depth analysis of football’s biggest stories. Each Sunday, three of The Athletic’s NFL writers react to the biggest news, plays and performances from the day’s games.
We’re in the home stretch of the 2023 NFL season with the playoff push in full swing. Sunday’s early window featured two games involving teams that entered the day in the current postseason field: Browns at Texans and Lions at Vikings.
The Lions clinched the NFC North with a come-from-behind 30-24 win in Minnesota, Detroit’s first division title since winning the NFC Central in 1993. The Browns jumped out to a 36-7 lead and cruised to a 36-22 win in Houston. Cleveland QB Joe Flacco posted his third-straight 300-yard passing game and WR Amari Cooper racked up a franchise-record 265 receiving yards and a pair of scores in the victory.
Elsewhere, losses by the Texans and the Colts (to the Falcons) created a four-way tie for the No. 7 seed in the AFC at 8-7. In the NFC, the Seahawks’ win over the Titans paired with the Vikings’ loss to Detroit means Seattle now sits in the NFC’s final playoff spot.
The Athletic NFL writers Mike Jones, Ted Nguyen and Dan Pompei share their thoughts on Sunday’s biggest developments.
The Browns blew out the Texans 36-22 behind big games from Flacco and Cooper and another dominant showing on defense. The victory clinched Cleveland’s third 10-win season in the last 25 years. Who’s been more impressive: Head coach Kevin Stefanski making it work with four QBs for the patchwork Cleveland offense or coordinator Jim Schwartz guiding the difference-making Browns defense?
Pompei: Stefanski is a candidate for head coach of the year and Schwartz is a candidate for assistant coach of the year. They both have been outstanding. Schwartz, however, is driving a Cadillac. What Stefanski has done with missing pieces on offense has been remarkable. He’s not only found ways to make it work without Deshaun Watson, but also without Nick Chubb, one of football’s best running backs. If any general manager in the league thought Joe Flacco was capable of playing like he’s playing, Flacco would have been signed since the beginning of last offseason.
Jones: Definitely Stefanski. Yes, Schwartz’s defense is lights out and makes game-changing plays each week. But I don’t think we truly appreciate how challenging it is to keep an offense afloat despite repeated change at the most important position. Or, the fact that the Browns offense has remained productive despite also losing their star running back and starting right tackle and left tackle. Stefanski has figured out how to maximize his players’ talents, mask deficiencies and position that unit for success. GM Andrew Berry deserves praise for identifying Flacco as the perfect man to bring off the street to direct this offense for Stefanski, but it’s Stefanski who is pushing all the buttons and pulling all of the levers to ensure this unit remains productive. With Watson at QB, the Browns averaged 28 points and 333 yards per game. Without him, Cleveland initially struggled, but once Flacco entered the picture, improvement followed. In the last four games, Cleveland has averaged 26.5 points and 377 yards per game while going 4-1 and remaining squarely in the playoff picture. Pretty impressive.
there must have been some magic in that elite arm we found#CLEvsHOU on CBS & NFL+ pic.twitter.com/w7olwb3j40
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) December 24, 2023
Nguyen: The entire Browns coaching staff has been impressive. This Browns defense was ranked 17th in defensive success rate last season. This season, they’re first and historically good in that metric. Schwartz deserves a ton of credit for how he’s weaponized that defense and they’ve been good all season. Stefanski and the offensive staff have dealt with devastating injuries all year and had to cobble together offense with smoke and mirrors. Sometimes, they were successful. Sometimes, they weren’t. But I love that they kept trying whatever they could. With Flacco, they can run a regular offense and they are thriving. Schwartz deserves more credit if we have to give it to someone but Stefanski has been great.
The Lions clinched the NFC North with their 30-24 win over the Vikings, Detroit’s first division title since 1993. Simply put, will this be the Lions’ most “significant” win of the year or have they done enough — particularly on defense — to be considered true NFC contenders?
Pompei: The Lions aren’t a perfect team. But aside from the 49ers, every team has had significant flaws exposed. If the Lions can play a little better defensively, they can beat anyone. It will help if they can get C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Alim McNeill and James Houston back on the field. Their offense is capable of erasing defensive mistakes. Jared Goff is dealing again after a rough stretch of games. Rookies Jahmyr Gibbs and Brian Branch are maturing and making plays. And the Lions know how to hang in during a tough game. There is not a more resilient group in the league.
Jones: I don’t know that they’re “true NFC contenders.” They’re definitely talented, but there’s something with this team that makes it hard to fully believe in them. Maybe it’s the way they lost to the Packers and Bears and struggled to put the Vikings away. Maybe it’s the way they got their doors blown off by the Ravens. Again, they’re a good team. But I don’t see them threatening the 49ers, they likely will struggle against the Cowboys’ defense, and if the Eagles can get their groove back, I don’t see Detroit being better than them either. Great accomplishment to win a division for only the ninth time in the franchise’s 93-year history. But I don’t view them as legit contenders to win the NFC.
TOOK THE NORTH đź‘‘ #AllGrit | #OnePride pic.twitter.com/1tXlOTE0WX
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 24, 2023
Nguyen: The most significant part of this win was Goff playing well against an aggressive blitzing defense. The last time Goff faced a Brian Flores-led defense was when he was a Ram and Goff was so bad that that game was a significant factor in L.A. choosing to move on from him. Goff was poised and in control this time around, completing 75 percent of his passes and keeping the offense on schedule. Goff showed he can perform against an aggressive defense, which demonstrates some maturity. I do feel like the Lions have done enough to be true contenders. I wouldn’t put them in the class of the 49ers or even the Eagles but they have a chance against anyone with their offense.
Following the Texans’ loss to the Browns and the Colts’ loss to the Falcons, there is a logjam for the AFC’s No. 7 seed at 8-7. Who do you think is best positioned to grab a playoff spot among the 8-7 teams and why?
Pompei: The Texans will have the edge assuming C.J. Stroud returns next week. They’ll have to beat the Titans and Colts. Houston lost to Indianapolis earlier in the season and Indy also will be playing to stay alive. That game was the second week of the season. Since then, the Texans are 7-3 in games Stroud started and finished. The qualifier is they are going to have to play better defense in their final two games than they did against the Browns. It won’t matter how well Stroud throws if they give up 36 points against both opponents. That was an aberration, however. The Texans allowed 21.9 points per game against the rest of their schedule.
Jones: I give the edge to the Colts. They currently have a tiebreaker over the Texans because of head-to-head win percentage, and they have the Raiders and Houston remaining while the Texans have to play the Titans and then the Colts. The Titans are a tougher draw than Las Vegas. That Week 18 matchup will be an intense showdown for sure.
Nguyen: I like the Texans. They have the best quarterback of the bunch in Stroud and I believe he should be able to come back next week. Houston won a game with Case Keenum to keep it in the race. The Texans have two tough-but-winnable games left against the Titans and the Colts. The final game against Indy might decide who makes the playoffs and I trust Stroud in that game much more than I trust Gardner Minshew. I can’t put my trust in Mason Rudolph, Jake Browning or Russell Wilson either.
(Photo of Joe Flacco: Tim Warner / Getty Images)
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