As December nears, the 2024 NFL season begins to reach a critical point for teams fighting for a spot in the playoffs. The competition is very close in every division, and the MVP race is also ramping up with quarterbacks like Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen, Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson and Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow playing great football.
Jackson and Allen are currently leading the charge for MVP. Both players are having arguably the best seasons of their careers.
Allen has a quarterback rating, or QBR, of 72.7 with 22 total touchdowns and five interceptions. He has also led his team to a 9-2 record, leading the AFC East handily.
On Sunday, Nov. 11, the Bills won their sixth straight game, beating the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. Allen is playing like one of the best QBs in the league, and fans can expect to see his team make the playoffs.
Jackson’s game in the air has been unlike any other season in his career, throwing for 2,876 passing yards and 25 passing touchdowns with just three interceptions. He has led his team to a 7-4 record and second-place spot in the AFC North.
The addition of running back Derrick Henry has added to Jackson’s success because teams have to be ready for them to hand the ball off.
Burrow has been on an absolute tear this year, leading the NFL in passing yards and passing touchdowns. He also has the league’s highest QBR at 76.1. The only flaw in Burrow’s MVP case is that the Cincinnati Bengals have a record of 4-7, which is third in the AFC North.
The Cincinnati defense has been below average, and they cannot seem to get things back on track. If the Bengals can get their defense on track and Burrow continues to light up NFL defenses, they could still make a run for the playoffs.
The AFC West has gotten much closer over the last couple of weeks, with the Denver Broncos and the Los Angeles Chargers both playing well. The Chiefs just recently lost to the Bills and are no longer undefeated.
The Chiefs still have an impressive record of 9-1 but have not played their best football all season. The Chargers are now only two games behind the Chiefs, so it will likely be a close finish for the AFC West.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are now two games up on the Baltimore Ravens after beating them two weeks ago at home. The Steelers’ defense is arguably the best in football, and with Russell Wilson at quarterback, they are going to be a tough team to beat.
The Bengals and the Browns are having very underwhelming seasons and are going to have to fight and claw to get their seasons back on track.
“The Steelers are the best team in the league,” said Aidan Smith, a senior finance major and Steelers fan. “We have the best defense in the league. What team has won two games in the regular season without even scoring a touchdown?”
The NFC North has been extremely close all year, with three of its four teams having winning records.
The Detroit Lions have been playing lights-out football, blowing teams out of the water. Jared Goff has played like an MVP-caliber player alongside their RB duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.
They are currently 9-1 and have not lost a game since week two of the regular season.
The Minnesota Vikings have an 8-2 record but have not been playing like it the last couple of weeks. QB Sam Darnold is turning the ball over too much, and it is only a matter of time before his poor play catches up with him and his team.
The Green Bay Packers have been playing similarly to the Vikings, doing just enough to get through games.
Even though all three teams have winning records, this division is the Lions’ to lose.
The NFC South is a division to keep a close eye on.
As of right now, the Atlanta Falcons lead with a division record of 4-1. They have played their best games of the season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where Kirk Cousins has thrown eight touchdowns and almost 900 yards in those games.
With no more games against the New Orleans Saints or the Buccaneers, they will look to beat the Carolina Panthers to go almost perfect in the division.
The Bucs have dealt with major injuries, including wide receivers Chris Godwin, who is out for the remainder of the year, and Mike Evans, who has been out for the last couple of weeks. QB Baker Mayfield has done all he can do to try and will his team to victory.
“We just can’t catch a break,” said Hank Koehler, a junior marketing major and Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan. “It’s hard to win games when your entire receiving core is hurt.”
Despite any bad luck or injury, every team in the league will need to play their best football to close out the season to make the postseason.
