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John Harbaugh, Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens have never shied away from taking chances and putting teams away with gutsy calls that have often worked in the past.
They tried to do that again yesterday in Pittsburgh… but failed. Instead of kicking an extra point with 12 seconds left that would have tied the game and most likely would have sent it to overtime they went for two points and the win.
Gutsy, indeed.
Tight end Mark Andrews, however, was unable to pull in a pass from Jackson that would have been an easy two-points if he could have caught it and the Ravens, who are now 8-4, lost, 20-19.
And just like that the AFC playoff picture became a beautiful mess that should be pretty chaotic down the stretch, which is awesome.
The loss moved Bill Belichick and the 8-4 Patriots to the No. 1 seed in the AFC. They, of course, play the 7-4 Bills tonight in Buffalo in a game that could change things once again if Mac Jones and Co. can’t get it done.
The Chiefs won their fifth straight game last night and are also at 8-4 and are back to being the serious contenders that we thought they would be.
The Titans are also 8-4 and got to sit yesterday out with a bye. Their coach, Mike Vrabel, was watching that Chiefs game and wasn’t happy with the refs and shared his frustrations with the world, which only makes things more juicy.
The Steelers not only won the game yesterday but they also remained right there in the hunt for the final playoff spot in the AFC. A loss yesterday would have been crushing and likely would have ended their season. But now they are still alive thanks to that failed 2-point conversion, which is total madness.
The race for the No. 1 seed is much more important these days with only one team getting a bye in each conference. That bye week is GIGANTIC because not only do you get to rest but then you just need to win two home games to get to the Super Bowl. It’s a monstrous advantage and now the AFC has four teams at 8-4 and one team at 7-4 (who could be 8-4 with a win tonight) whou could all take home that No. 1 spot.
This next month of football is going to have so much drama and we should tip our caps to the Ravens for doing their part to make it even more wild.
Quick hits: NFL Week 13 Awards… Bowl game previews with AI art… Lions glorious winning radio call… And more.
– My NFL Week 13 Awards look back at the good, the bad, and the hilarious from Sunday’s action. You have to see the video of Gardner Minshew and his dad celebrating in the parking lot after the Eagles’ win.
– Jason Kirk previews all 43 college bowl games by using AI-generated art. It’s a fun way to start your Monday.
– The Lions’ radio call of their game-winning TD yesterday was so good. So was Dan Campbell’s sideline celebration.
– Raiders RB Kenyan Drake called out the NFL to look at its tackling rules after he broke his ankle yesterday.
– Michigan fans singing ‘Mr. Brightside’ a cappella at the end of Saturday night’s Big Ten title game was so awesome.
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