The highly anticipated matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins was derisively referred to as the Pretenders Bowl by skeptics of both teams.
But the Dolphins might no longer be pretenders after an impressive 22–20 victory against the Cowboys on Sunday. Miami clinched a playoff spot and needs one more win to avoid a winner-take-all matchup for the AFC East title against the Buffalo Bills in Week 18.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are also one step closer to capturing a division title after an easy day against the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars.
And don’t count out the Cleveland Browns in the race for the AFC North crown. As for the Detroit Lions, it was mission accomplished after they defeated the Minnesota Vikings to clinch the NFC North.
Here’s what we learned about the Dolphins, Buccaneers, Lions, Browns and Carolina Panthers during the Christmas Eve games.
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Dolphins prove to be contenders against Cowboys
The Dolphins finally recorded a signature victory after Jason Sanders’s last-second field goal beat the Cowboys. Miami captured a postseason spot, but it also proved to be a Super Bowl contender with the home win.
After stacking wins against losing squads over the past few months, the Dolphins (11–4) were pushed by the Cowboys (10–5) during an entertaining final quarter. Tua Tagovailoa executed a 12-play, 64-yard game-winning drive to quiet some of his critics. The Dolphins had two critical third-down conversions, including a 10-yard pitch to Tyreek Hill, to set up Sanders’s 29-yard field goal.
Dallas got a much-needed three-and-out stop after its first sack of the game, setting up Dak Prescott’s sensational go-ahead drive in the fourth quarter. Prescott had two critical completions to CeeDee Lamb on money downs to continue the drive, including on fourth-and-2. Prescott closed the 17-play, 69-yard drive with an eight-yard touchdown pass to Brandin Cooks to give the Cowboys a 20–19 lead with 3:27 left in regulation. The defense couldn’t prevent Tagovailoa and Miami from crafting a go-ahead drive of their own, though, and the Dolphins left no time on the clock for Dallas to answer.
The Cowboys now have a two-game losing streak and might have blown an opportunity to take the NFC East from the struggling Eagles, who face the Giants twice and the Cardinals to end the regular season. As for the Dolphins, they’re suddenly a Super Bowl contender—and not just because they beat a winning team, but because of how well the defense has played in recent weeks. Mike McDaniel’s team can turn more doubters into believers by beating the Ravens next week to clinch the AFC East.
Bucs keep rolling, Jaguars keep fading
The Buccaneers have a four-game winning streak and took a one-game lead in the NFC South after crushing the Jaguars, 30–12.
Baker Mayfield is enjoying what may be the best stretch of his career with the help of No. 1 target Mike Evans and the guidance of offensive coordinator Dave Canales. The Buccaneers quickly jumped on the fast-fading Jaguars with two touchdowns from Mike Evans before taking a 30–0 advantage. Todd Bowles’s defense forced Trevor Lawrence into three turnovers. The Buccaneers (8–7) could lock up the NFC South next week if they beat the Saints (7–8) and the Falcons (7–8) lose to the Bears.
The Jaguars (8–7) have lost four consecutive games, but they remain tied atop the AFC South with both the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans losing Sunday. Jacksonville has winnable games vs. Carolina and Tennessee to close out the regular season. But the Jaguars won’t go far if Lawrence doesn’t improve—he has eight total turnovers in the past three games. Lawrence, who was in the concussion protocol earlier this week, was pulled early in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s lopsided game. The Jaguars announced Lawrence was ruled out with a shoulder injury.
Browns legit contenders in AFC after beating Texans
It’s time to acknowledge the Browns as Super Bowl contenders. A month ago, they had a broken offense that needed perfect performances from a dominant defense, which was enough to keep the Browns in postseason contention. Expectations changed after the Browns were forced to turn to veteran Joe Flacco because of injuries to Deshaun Watson and Dorian Thompson-Robinson, and poor play from PJ Walker.
A red-hot Flacco helped the Browns (10–5) win their third consecutive game after cruising against the Houston Texans, 36–22. Flacco recorded his third consecutive games with at least 300 passing yards and continued his dominance with wide receiver Amari Cooper and tight end David Njoku as his top targets. Cooper set a single-game franchise record with 265 receiving yards—he also contributed 11 receptions and two touchdowns. Flacco had another game with multiple interceptions, but it hasn’t hindered the Browns because of how productive the passing game has been since he took over as the starter four games ago.
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The Browns could also make a push for the AFC North title, with the Baltimore Ravens (11–3) having a difficult schedule to end the regular season. Baltimore plays on the road Monday night against the 49ers, followed by home games against the Dolphins and Steelers. With a dominant defense and offense, the Browns might win out against the Jets and Bengals.
Lions win first division crown in 30 years
The Lions deservedly had a party in the locker room after defeating the Vikings, 30–24, to clinch their first division title in 30 years. That means the Lions will host a playoff game for the first time in a very long time—hopefully against Matthew Stafford’s Rams, who currently have the sixth seed.
Regardless of which team the Lions face in the postseason, they’ll be tough to beat because of their explosive offense, featuring wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, running back Jahmyr Gibbs and tight end Sam LaPorta. Gibbs had 100 total yards and two touchdowns against the Vikings.
The defense again struggled, but mainly because of Justin Jefferson’s dominant performance. Jefferson, who recorded six catches for 141 yards and one touchdown, made the Lions (11–4) work for their first-ever NFC North title. But the defense stepped up by forcing Vikings quarterback Nick Mullens into four interceptions. Also, third-year safety Ifeatu Melifonwu had a sensational performance, with two sacks and one interception. The Lions’ defense has turned the corner the past two weeks—they held the Broncos to 17 points last week.
The Vikings’ postseason hopes look dim after losing four of their past five games. Minnesota (7–8) hosts the Packers next week and ends the regular season in Detroit. The Lions have a road showdown against the Cowboys next week.
Young impresses in Panthers’ loss to Packers
Rookie quarterback Bryce Young was one second away from pushing the Green Bay Packers into overtime after the Panthers trailed by 14 points early in the fourth quarter. The Panthers were in field goal range, but the offense didn’t set up in time for a spike after Young’s 22-yard pass to Adam Thielen, leading to a 33–30 loss. Thielen expressed frustration about the Packers getting the call on a controversial catch from Romeo Doubs that was upheld after an official review on the prior drive, which gave Green Bay a three-point lead.
But the Panthers (2–13) should be excited about the performance from Young, the 2023 No. 1 pick who has struggled throughout his rookie season. Young went 23-of-36 for 312 yards (8.9 yards per attempt), two touchdowns and didn’t have a turnover. Young displayed poise and delivered strikes to Thielen, who had 94 receiving yards, and DJ Chark Jr., who had 98 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Packers quarterback Jordan Love also had an impressive performance, despite not having wide receivers Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks because of injuries. Love finished 17-of-28 for 219 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. The Packers (7–8) kept their postseason hopes alive, sitting one game behind the Seahawks and Rams for the final two wild-card spots.
