With the calendar turning to December, we finally have a good idea about potential playoff matchups.
The Cowboys appear to be the NFC’s fifth seed, but they can still push for the No. 1 seed if they beat the Eagles in Week 14. Dallas might need home field advantage to have a legitimate chance of making the Super Bowl.
But what about a potential matchup between Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff in the wild-card round? Both the Rams and Lions won in Week 13.
Let’s analyze a few potential playoff scenarios for this week’s “Fact or Fiction.”
Rams, Lions will meet in NFC wild-card game
Manzano’s view: Fact
The Rams and Lions are on track to meet in the NFC wild-card round for a potential playoff matchup with plenty of story lines.
This would be Stafford’s return to Detroit and Goff's potential revenge game against the Rams. The quarterbacks swapped places in the blockbuster 2021 trade that eventually led to Stafford winning a Super Bowl in Los Angeles. With Goff, the Lions (9–3) are on the verge of winning their first divisional crown in three decades.
Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports
This juicy playoff matchup seemed more realistic after the Rams (6–6) defeated the Browns to extend their winning streak to three games and put themselves in a good position to capture a wild-card spot. The Rams would likely need to get to the sixth seed to potentially face the Lions in the opening round. Los Angeles plays Baltimore, Washington, New Orleans, the Giants and San Francisco for its final five regular-season games.
Texans’ DeMeco Ryans is the Coach of the Year
Manzano’s view: Fiction
Ryans has had an impressive first season in Houston (7–5), but it’s too soon to call the race for Coach of the Year, especially with a handful of deserving candidates. Dan Campbell has the Lions at 9–3 and on track to capture the organization’s first NFC North title. Shane Steichen also has the Colts (7–5) in the playoff mix. And Miami’s Mike McDaniel and Philadelphia’s Nick Sirianni should also be in the conversation. Regardless if Ryans wins the award, the Texans could be on the cusp of a years-long run with an impressive 2023 rookie class.
C.J. Stroud is a lock for Offensive Rookie of the Year and remains an MVP candidate. Edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. continues to show improvements, and wide receiver Tank Dell has emerged as a dangerous downfield threat. Unfortunately, Dell sustained a season-ending leg injury in Sunday’s win against the Broncos. The loss of Dell will hurt, but the Texans have plenty of depth at wide receiver. Ryans has Houston surging on both sides of the football and could end the year with hardware.
Steelers will make postseason, despite Cardinals loss
Manzano’s view: Fiction
The Steelers’ postseason hopes took a hit after a surprising home loss to the struggling Cardinals. Pittsburgh also lost starting quarterback Kenny Pickett, who exited with an ankle injury. Backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky didn’t do much for an offense that continued its season-long struggles against one of the worst defenses in the league. If Pickett misses time due to his injury, the Steelers might be better off thinking about 2024 than a postseason push.
Pittsburgh plays the two-win Patriots next week but has to face the Colts, Bengals, Seahawks and Ravens for the final four games of the regular season. It’s tough seeing the Steelers winning more than two games with its stagnant offense that lacks a passing attack, with or without Pickett.
Mark Schiefelbein/AP
Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill will reach 2,000 receiving yards
Manzano’s view: Fact
Hill is on track to become the first player in NFL history to reach 2,000 receiving yards in a single season—and he might do it in only 16 games. Hill had another prolific outing, recording five catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday’s win against the Commanders. Hill now has 1,481 receiving yards with five games left in the regular season. The All-Pro wideout needs to average 103.8 yards per game to reach the milestone—or 129.75 yards to do it in the next four games.
But Hill won’t have the luxury of playing the Commanders’ poor secondary again. The Dolphins will face the tough defenses of the Jets, Cowboys and Ravens in the final month. Miami also has games against Tennessee and Buffalo—two defenses that have been inconsistent this season. Regardless of the defense, Hill is a matchup nightmare for all opponents on a weekly basis. Lions great Calvin Johnson holds the record for most receiving yards in a season, racking up 1,964 yards in 2012.
Cowboys need home field advantage to make Super Bowl
Manzano’s view: Fact
CeeDee Lamb was shocked to learn that his Cowboys’ offense plays better on artificial turf than on grass, according to the Amazon Prime broadcast Thursday night. Most players prefer to play on grass, which could be why the star wideout was surprised about the statistical note (Dallas is 9–0 on turf and 0–3 on grass this season). But the Cowboys’ impressive turf numbers might be more about the home field advantage they have created for themselves in recent seasons (AT&T Stadium has artificial turf). The Cowboys dropped 41 points during their win against the Seahawks to give them their 14th consecutive home victory.
If Dallas finds a way to gain the No. 1 seed in the NFC, this might be the team to finally get the prestigious franchise back in the Super Bowl for the first time since 1996. If the Cowboys don’t win the NFC East, they might have to travel to San Francisco and Philadelphia—two teams that play on grass that the Cowboys have lost to already this season. Dallas has work to do in the standings but received help from the 49ers, who crushed the Eagles on Sunday. Philadelphia (10–2) plays in Dallas (9–3) in Week 14.
