7 Takeaways from Week 18 of the 2024 NFL season

1. The Detroit Lions are the best team in the NFL heading into the playoffs

Last night, the Lions, who are short-handed and have not been able to defend any team over the previous month, held the Minnesota Vikings to just nine points in a dominating 31-9 win. Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn figured out how to make it work in the Lions biggest game of the year. The Lions offense after being slowed down for most of the game figured it out and pulled away in the second half. This team is dangerous because they are well-coached and make in-game adjustments as good as anybody. They also now have home-field advantage and will be hard to beat from here on out.

2. Bengals fans stop blaming the Chiefs

Sure, the Bengals would have been dangerous in the playoffs. Hell, maybe they would have made it to the Super Bowl, but the simple fact is that the Bengals are not in the playoffs, and they have nobody to blame but themselves. The Chiefs played backups because they didn’t want to risk injuries to key players heading into the playoffs; that’s what almost every team in that position would do. The Bengals slow start doomed them, and that slow start was because of coaching, injuries and a lack of talent on the defensive side of the ball. The Bengals must get better or risk wasting a generational talent at quarterback.  Head Coach Zac Taylor has still lost more games than he has won, and his teams are known for slow starts to the season. But, it’s the Bengals, so no changes will be made to address the situation. Sure, Taylor got the Bengals to the Super Bowl a few years back, but over the last three years, this team has missed the playoffs twice because of slow starts.

3. Miami and Indianapolis are making huge mistakes

The Dolphins and Colts keep head coaches and GMs that should be gone. The culture in both cities is bad, and keeping the same head coach and General managers will not work out well for either. In Indianapolis, the search for a Quarterback continues, and if they decide to roll with Anthony Richardson again next year, they may end up with the number one pick of the 2026 NFL draft. The fact that the Colts GM Ballard is getting another year is mind-blowing. Does anybody think that Mike McDaniel is the answer in Miami?

4. Joe Milton is as good as anybody coming out in the 2025 NFL Draft

Milton played well yesterday against the Bills backups, and I am not basing this take off that one performance. If you have followed my articles, you know I have been high on him from the outset; I liked him in college and thought the way he plays translates well to being a starting quarterback in the NFL. Yesterday, he looked great, but it was against backups. If I were a team that needed a quarterback, I would seriously consider trading for Milton instead of drafting a quarterback for the first round.

5. The Steelers are NOT a playoffs team

The Steelers’ offense again proved last Saturday night why their season will be over quickly once the playoffs start. A bad Bengals defense held the Steelers to less than 200 yards. Over the last month, the Steelers have only averaged 14 points per game. The Steelers passing game has disappeared. Russell Wilson is looking his age, and top receiver George Pickens talks a big game but doesn’t always back it up. A few weeks ago, the Steelers looked poised to win the AFC North, but they don’t have an offense capable of doing that. They travel to Baltimore for a first-round playoff game, and it will look a lot like the game these two played a couple of weeks ago; that means an easy Raven win.

6. Jerod Mayo is gone after just one season

OK, as soon as this was announced last season, I thought it was a bad hire, but how do you expect someone to turn things around in a year? Robert Kraft liked something about Mayo if he hired him. Why has that changed so quickly? Maybe the Patriots already have decided on what they want? If they did, Mike Vrabel will become the next Patriots coach. I don’t see why this move was not made last season. No matter what my opinion of Mayo is, he deserves better than this. BTW, I don’t think Mike Vrabel will be sentimental. I think he is smart enough to see this roster is terrible and the organization as a whole is flawed and mismanaged, and I would not be surprised if he turned the Patriots down.

7. Baker Mayfield in the playoffs again

Remember in 2020 when Baker led the browns to a playoff win in Pittsburgh, and then the Browns thought they would be better off with Deshaun Watson? How has that decision worked out for the browns? The Browns sucked this year, and Deshaun Watson has been nothing but an outright flop. While Watson has flopped, Mayfield has prospered in Tampa Bay, leading the Bucs to yet another division championship. We should have known Baker was the real deal when the Browns gave up on him!