2023 NFL season

 

Lamar's absurdity,

 chemistry with poential powers wins Ravens. Baltimore just got a reminder of what it's like to have Lamar Jackson available for a playoff push. The previous most valuable player was Electric Sunday Night, which advanced to week 15 for the first time since 2020. He wasn't perfect through the air, committing one bad interception and totaling just 171 passing yards on the night, but he consistently built a chain. This resulted in moving throws or left defenders on highlight reel runs when the Ravens needed it.Jackson paced Baltimore's 251-yard rushing outing with 97 of his own. He combined the best he had to offer with his arm and legs in the night game when he shrugged off a Downey Smoot sack, dropped far into the pocket to buy time and a long ball to Isaiah. Opened between two guards.The jaw-dropper set up a final Gus Edwards touchdown to start the final stanza, and it was also indicative of the confidence Jackson had in his backup tight ends. Led the team with five receptions and 70 receiving yards. He was also the receiver of Jackson's only TD pass, a narrow-window laser and the TE's second score in as many weeks.

The error-prone Jags hit a three-game skid.

Jacksonville seemed determined to put the game away. The Jaguars got to one point at or beyond Baltimore's 36-yard line on four straight drives, yet went into halftime with a goose egg. The first two of those ended with Brandon McManus' miss kicks, while Trevor Lawrence was responsible for the latter two. First, entering the red zone,Lawrence apparently kicked himself off the ball, and Baltimore's Arthur Mullett fumbled it for a scoop-up. On the ensuing drive, a two-minute drill that reached the Ravens' 5-yard line, the franchise QB mishandled the running clock after a 36-yard dime and a shotgun pass to rookie Parker Washington. I let go of the spike1 yard gain and stay inside to send the clock to triple zero. Lawrence and company played cleaner (comparatively) in the second half, but the Ravens' 10-point lead with two quarters left proved to be too big a deficit. On a night when Lawrence surprisingly looked troubled by his sprained ankle two weeks ago and a Rayshawn Jenkins-led defense gave Jacksonville a shot, the Jags still dropped their third straight. The three-way tie for the top of the AFC South is now 8-6 with three remaining

Baltimore continues to take care of business.

In Week 11, all four AFC division leaders were heading into the season finale with three losses. Since then, the Dolphins have lost one, the Chiefs have dropped two and the Jaguars are stuck on a three-game losing streak. Crow? They are now winners of four in a row. Baltimore's offense is underwhelming on the ground, giving up just over 200 yards for the second time this season has set and surpassed 100 yards rushing in every game this year. The defense has completely complemented him, especially Sunday night, when it buckled down and allowed the Jaguars' offense to break through. After giving the Jaguars a long drive to start the night, the unit stiffened as the game came down to three of their last four plays. The fourth ended on an upswing.The Ravens are now officially the first team in the AFC playoffs. They should be confident heading into two matchups against the 49ers and Dolphins that could be the best games of the year.

The next general stat of the game: 

Lamar Jackson's 26-yard completion to Isaiah likely included 7.24 seconds to throw in the third quarter, 1.3 yards of target separation and 18.7% completion probability, Jackson's second-best in 2023. More improbable completions.

 

NFL Research; 

with his strip-sack against the Jaguars, Justin Madobuyke became the third player (since sacks became official in 1982) to have more than   0.5 sacks in 11 consecutive games in a season. 

The MVP candidate shines as the 49ers plant 40 burgers in Arizona. 

Get ready for another round of the most valuable player disThe MVP ccussions in the Bay Area this week. Quarterback Brock Purdy paced the Cardinals' defense, tossing four touchdowns. Possessing the ability to make plays outside of the structure of the offense, Purdy made pitches, touch lobs and threw balls with pinpoint accuracy to give his pass catchers room to run.Even on plays when the Cardinals had the 49ers' offense backed up on third-and-long, Purdy found answers. Keeping Christian McCaffrey on the field helps. The running back was dominant, rushing for 115 yards with a TD and adding a team-high five catches for 72 yards and two more scores. CMC dominated the Cards this season, scoring a total of seven TDs in two contests. Debo Samuel scored twice, his third straight game with multiple touchdowns. The 49ers' offensive embarrassment of riches was on display in Arizona.

The Cardinals racked up 234 yards in the loss.

 Arizona took advantage of the 49ers losing their top two defensive tackles, Arik Armstead and Javon Hargrave, holding the Niners to 234 yards on the ground, an average of 7.8 yards per rush. James Conner ran for 44 yards, and Emary Demercado had a 49-yard gallop. The Cards came out wanting to control the ball, which worked early, as the game sat at 14-13 late in the second quarter.But the better team pulled out. Despite piling up 436 total yards, Arizona's offense blew away any chance of keeping the contest close. Kyler Murray threw a pick-six early in the fourth down. A botched handoff ended a third-quarter TD scoring opportunity that would have made it an eight-point game. The Cardinals roster isn't talented enough to overcome mistakes, especially against the NFC's top seed.

San Francisco wins the NFC West. With three games to play, Kyle Shanahan's club wrapped up the division title with a 12th consecutive division victory. Now the Niners have their sights set on the No. 1 seed. The pre-game three-game losing streak feels like a long time ago. San Francisco has won six straight to go 11-3, averaging 34.5 points per game in those tilts. The 49ers close out the season with games against the Ravens, Commanders and Rams. A win, and the road to the Super Bowl in the NFC goes through Santa Clara.