NFL Reactions: Week 18

I can't believe we made it to Week 18. For those who read this column this year, thank you for making me a part of your fantasy football experience.  But we will keep this article going each Sunday through the Super Bowl.

As always, the last week of the season is odd. Many teams rest players. Some teams mentally check out. Sometimes, we get a look at some players we haven't seen much all year. I guess the main point is that we don't want to overreact to many of the things we saw in this week's games in terms of planning for 2023 fantasy football.

Although I always try to give actionable advice at the end of each reaction, with it being the end of the regular season, I'll just comment about the upcoming NFL Playoffs.

Sunday Takeaways

• It was a wild game in Buffalo. It was so exciting to see the Bills play this game for teammate Damar Hamlin. And words can't express how happy I am, along with everyone else, to see how well Hamlin is recovering. What an inspiration he has been to so many! In the game, the fact that Nyheim Hines returned two kickoffs for touchdowns was unreal. But with Josh Allen throwing another interception in the red zone, Buffalo needed the rest of their team to come through to get the win. Although they're right there with the Chiefs to be the favorites to go to the Super Bowl, the offense has had  occasional issues protecting the football this season. They'll need to tighten up their game to run the table in the AFC.
• The Ravens probably played it smart by sitting their starters in a meaningless game. But what was a bit surprising was that the Bengals played Joe Burrow and most of the starters after the game was seemingly out of hand. Tee Higgins took a big shot in the second half but fortunately ended up being okay. However, earlier in the game, they lost Tyler Boyd to a head injury. They also suffered an injury at offensive line just a couple weeks after losing right tackle La'El Collins to a season-ending injury. But at least we learned last year that Burrow can play well without strong protection along the line. They'll be a tough out in the postseason, and it wouldn't be surprising they never made another deep run.
• Miami battled their way into the playoffs by barely beating the Jets. Of course, playing with Skylar Thompson, a third string quarterback, certainly didn't make matters any easier. And defensively, Miami didn't have much to worry about with Joe Flacco at quarterback and the Jets missing three starters on their offensive line. As long as Miami has Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, they will be dangerous in their first-round game against the Bills, but the inconsistencies they've had throughout the second half of the season will make them unlikely to make a deep playoff run. And of course, there's the next issue of who will be their quarterback in the Wild-Card round.
• Hopefully, it was just that Jalen Hurts needed a week of work after a long layoff due to injury. Even though the Eagles were able to hold off the Giants, the offense did not look to be anywhere near mid-season form. That said, it was likely difficult to get emotionally up for a Giants team that was resting many of its key players. The Eagles will have a bye next week and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. There's little reason to think that they won't be ready to continue the excellence they've shown all season. They'll be the favorites, along with the 49ers, to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.
• The Cowboys looked completely overmatched against the Commanders. The game was a tough watch. Dak Prescott was under heavy pressure. and other than some connections over the middle of the field, the passing attack struggled to get anything going outside the hash marks. The running game was also stuck in neutral. Dallas will travel to Tampa Bay next week. There's a strong chance that they can pull off a victory, but unless they look significantly better than they did against Washington, it could be another early exit from the postseason for the Cowboys. 
• It was fun watching the battle for the No. 1 draft pick in real time. Even though the Bears trailed for most of the game, they were definitely trying to win the game. Once they finally lost, the Texans were trailing the Colts by a touchdown. But after playing miserably on offense for most of the fourth quarter, Davis Mills amazingly moved them down the field to score a touchdown with less than a minute remaining. And then to top things off, they went for the two-point conversion and made it.  After the Colts were unable to make a last minute rally, the Bears ultimately ended up with the top pick in the 2023 draft. It would be great to see Chicago trade the pick for a package of choices and then maybe trade acquired picks as well to set themselves up for future success.
• I definitely have to give props to Mike Tomlin for pulling off another winning season despite suboptimal circumstances. This team looked like they had no chance of going anywhere even six weeks ago. But they played extremely well down the stretch and set themselves up with a chance to make the playoffs in week 18. After the  Patriots lost, they just needed the Dolphins to lose as well, but a last-minute field goal by Miami put that idea to rest.

Injuries

• Mike Williams injured his back and was unable to finish the game. 
• Tyler Boyd suffered a possible concussion. 
• Pat Freiermuth sustained a knee injury, which sidelined him for the rest of the contest.
• Gus Edwards suffered a head injury and didn't return to action.