Around the NFL: Browns Upset by Jets, Seahawks Earn First NFC West Title Since 2016

Cale Berger |

Updated: Dec 28, 2020

Welcome to Around the NFL, where Cale Berger of Steelers Now will recap early-week action and take a look ahead at some of the most important matchups from the Pittsburgh Steelers perspective.

Monday Night Preview

Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots, 8:15 p.m., ESPN

Having clinched their first division title in 25 years a week ago, Buffalo will look to jostle for playoff position and fine tune Sunday when they take on the already eliminated Patriots.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen has had an MVP-caliber season, but his poorest performance of the year came Week 8 versus New England. Head coach Bill Belichick may have a history of torturing young quarterbacks, and Allen is no exception, as he has struggled his entire career against the Pats. In four career games, Allen has completed just 50% of his passes for three touchdowns and six interceptions, his most against any team. With his club playoff bound, Allen needs to exercise his Foxborough demons and keep up his recent strong play with the games growing more important by the week.

Barred from the postseason for the first time since 2008, the Patriots have little to play for heading into Week 16. The Cam Newton experiment has been unsuccessful, with the former MVP unlikely to return in 2021. After an encouraging start to the season, Newton has struggled down the stretch, throwing just five touchdowns with ten interceptions. He has not been much of a threat with his legs either, rushing for just two scores over the last five games after nine in his first eight. The Bills knocked off the Pats in Week 8 after forcing Newton to fumble late. They should not find it difficult to force turnovers again, given they have 22 takeaways this season.

Even with a playoff berth locked up, the Bills will have added motivation Sunday, as they can secure their first season sweep of the Patriots since 1999.

AROUND THE NFL THIS WEEKEND

Miami Dolphins 26 Las Vegas Raiders 25

FitzMagic struck again Saturday night, as the journeyman quarterback came off the bench to lead Miami to a come from behind win in Las Vegas.

Ryan Fitzpatrick entered the game in the fourth quarter with Miami in desperate need of a spark, and immediately found running back Myles Gaskin for a 59-yard touchdown to take a 23-22 lead. The Raiders were not to be counted out just yet and retook a slight lead with a field, but left far to much time remaining for Fitzpatrick and company to work with.

With :19 seconds remaining and the ball on his own 25-yard line, Fitzpatrick did the unthinkable and completed one of the most incredible passes of the season that couples with a brutal facemask penalty, set the Dolphins up for a game-winning field goal.

FitzMAGIC? #FinsUp

📺: #MIAvsLV on @NFLNetwork
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/Gd3pMdskDl pic.twitter.com/qVzZt5R506

— NFL (@NFL) December 27, 2020

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr demonstrated his toughness Saturday with the season on the line, playing through what was believed to be a significant groin injury to pass for 336 yards and a touchdown. Wideout Nelson Agholor was the primary target with five receptions for 155 and a score, while tight end Darren Waller caught five of his own for 112, setting a pair of franchise records in the process. Waller set the single-season record for a Raiders tight end with 96 receptions, and became just the second tight end in team history with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.

Currently in the playoff picture, Miami will look to cement their postseason candidacy on the road at Buffalo. Officially eliminated from playoff contention with the loss, Las Vegas closes out their season at Denver.

New York Jets 23 Cleveland Browns 16

The Jets earned their first win of the season a week ago and clearly liked the feeling, as they pulled off their second-straight upset, this time over the Browns.

Shorthanded with four wide receivers, including Jarvis Landry, placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list late Saturday night, Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield inexplicably threw the ball 53 times for 285 yards, while workhorse running back Nick Chubb had just eleven attempts for 28 yards and a score on the ground. His partner Kareem Hunt only carried the rock four times for eleven yards, but also got a score of his own. For an offensive mind at the forefront of the Coach of the Year conversation in Kevin Stefanski, the Browns put forth a head-scratching game plan to say the least, placing their 2020 playoff hopes in a state of limbo.

New York’s offense pulled out all the stops in securing their second win of the season and got a strong showing out of quarterback Sam Darnold, who passed for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Jamison Crowder had a big day as well through the air. Not only did he catch seven passes for 92 yards and a score, but he also threw a touchdown, a 43-yard, trick play strike to Braxton Berrios.

JAMISON CROWDER 43-YARD TD PASS 😱

Jets breaking out the trick plays 🔥

(via @nyjets)pic.twitter.com/3ighZ8XGPx

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 27, 2020

Cleveland hosts Pittsburgh in the regular season finale next weekend, as they look to secure their first playoff appearance since 2002. New York travels to New England.

Los Angeles Rams at Seattle Seahawks, 4:25 p.m., WPGH-TV

The Seahawks clinched their first NFC West title since 2016 with their thumping of the Rams on Sunday.

After dreadful start to the season, Seattle’s defense has improved week-by-week, culminating in a suffocating performance against Los Angeles. Rams quarterback Jared Goff was under constant duress and only completed 24 of 43 passes for 234 yards and interception, courtesy of stellar safety Quandre Diggs. Defensive tackle had a big day upfront for Seattle, recording two sacks and two tackles-for-loss. The Rams’ nine points were their lowest total scored since Week 12 of last season.

#Seahawks ball ‼️@qdiggs6 gets a huge interception on Jared Goff, his fifth of the season!

📺: #LARvsSEA on FOX pic.twitter.com/yqnVtN2r9F

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) December 27, 2020

Offensively, quarterback Russell Wilson was effective opposing the Rams’ top-ranked pass defense, throwing for 225 yards and a touchdown. Wilson also rushed for a score, but he was sacked five times on the afternoon, twice by Rams linebacker Leonard Floyd. The veteran passer went to young phenom D.K. Metcalf early and often, as the second-year wideout led the Seahawks with six receptions for 59 yards. Metcalf is closing in on one of the most prolific seasons in franchise history, needing just six receiving yards to pass Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve Largent for the most by a Seahawk in a single year.

Seattle will head south to face San Francisco in Week 17, while Los Angeles will fight for their playoff lives against Arizona.