Turnover-prone QB and aging RB highlight players who can propel Steelers into playoffs

The Steelers (9-7) need one of five scenarios to play out in Week 18 for them to clinch a postseason berth. Several players will play a large role, but here are three that could have the biggest impact on determining Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes.

First and foremost, the Steelers must take care of their own business and that’s defeating the Ravens (13-3) on Saturday. Luckily for Pittsburgh, Baltimore already has the No. 1 seed in the AFC locked up and it will be resting some of its starters, including MVP-favorite QB Lamar Jackson.

Head coach John Harbaugh announced that Tyler Huntley will start at quarterback in Week 18, setting up Watt to put a stamp on his Defensive Player of the Year campaign. If Watt makes Huntley uncomfortable early and often, it may just be enough for the Steelers to get the win and for him to win his second DPOY.

One of the more likely scenarios that could send the Steelers into the postseason is the Dolphins (11-5) defeating the Bills (10-6) on “Sunday Night Football.” Buffalo won 48-20 in its first meeting of the season with Miami in Week 4. But Allen’s play has been up and down all season.

The six-year quarterback has thrown the second most interceptions (16) in the NFL this season. The Bills have been hot as of late, winning their last four straight games. But all it would take is for Allen to have another multi-turnover game to send Pittsburgh into the playoffs.

The other scenario that could play out on Sunday is the Titans (5-11) upsetting or tying the Jaguars (9-7). Jacksonville won its first matchup 34-14 against Tennessee earlier this season as well, but the Titans will likely do their best to get Henry more involved this time around.

The 30-year-old ran for just 38 yards on 10 attempts in Week 11. He is surely looking to prove he still has gas left in the tank as his eighth season in the NFL comes to a close. Plus, head coach Mike Vrabel seems to have his team as fired up as ever ahead of its season finale at home.

“It sucks to lose,” Vrabel said. “Losing. Awful. That’s why I want to win because you don’t sleep. You want to win for the players that bust their tail. That’s it.”

We don’t know if Arthur Smith will be the head coach of the Falcons next season, but we do know that Taylor Heinicke and Desmond Ridder won’t be starting at quarterback. Heinicke and Ridder have consistently held the offense back with their turnovers. This has been the case for the veteran for his entire career; he’s a gunslinger, so it shouldn’t be all too surprising, but the 2022 third-round pick has shown no signs of improvement over the course of a full season. The Falcons have yet to invest significant assets in the quarterback position, and Smith may lose his job because of it. A couple of backup-caliber free-agent contracts and a third-round pick is chump change considering what most franchise quarterbacks cost. There are a few different avenues Terry Fontenot can take this offseason. Most Falcons fans prefer drafting a quarterback. Three prospects will surely require the club to trade up the draft — Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams and Drake Maye. The latter two are probably locks to be two of the three first picks, and the reigning Heisman might sneak into the top five. The Falcons have plenty of draft capital to make a move for one of them, though. They could also use that arsenal of picks to trade for a guy like Justin Fields, but that is a much trickier route to take. Fields’ fifth-year option will need to be exercised this offseason, which is a difficult decision when he’s never played a down in Atlanta. The Falcons would then have to sign him to a new deal, forgoing the most valuable thing in this sport — a rookie quarterback contract. Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins, Baker Mayfield and Ryan Tannehill headline an underwhelming free-agent class. It might not be what Falcons fans want, but if Arthur Smith is coaching for his job in 2024, putting his eggs in a rookie’s or Justin Field’s basket seems risky. A veteran like Kirk Cousins could step in and immediately take this team to the postseason. If you ask Falcons great Roddy White, he prefers the hometown hero — Justin Fields. On paper, the fit makes sense, but the complexity of his contract situation cannot be overlooked. Moreover, Fields will have no shortage of suitors if the Bears do shop him. The Falcons will have to potentially part ways with one or two second-round picks for what could potentially be a one-year rental if he doesn’t show enough in 2024. There is a risk with acquiring Fields, but that’s the case with any of these scenarios.

Boston Celtics guard Derrick White issued a strong statement on Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander after the Thunder beat the Celtics on Tuesday. White had nothing but positive things to say about Gilgeous-Alexander. “He’s one of the best players in the league,” White said about Gilgeous-Alexander. “I feel like every game he gets to his spot and makes a play. So obviously we’ve got to see what went wrong and try to correct it. He’s one of the best players in the league and proved it today.” The Thunder defeated the Celtics by a final score of 127-123. Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 36 points, six rebounds and seven assists while shooting 14-of-22 from the field, 3-of-5 from beyond the arc and 5-of-8 from the free-throw line in 36 minutes. “Shai’s one of the best in the league,” White said. “They do a good job of creating confusion and testing our communication and everything. So they’re a tough team to guard and I think the whole league is trying to figure it out.” The Thunder have the second-best record in the West. They are 23-10. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 2.5 steals and 0.8 blocks on the season while shooting 54.6% overall, 33.9% from 3 and 90.4% from the foul line. Gilgeous-Alexander is third in the NBA in total points, third in points per game, first in total steals, first in steals per game, third in field goals and second in player efficiency rating. The Kentucky product is one of the betting favorites to win the MVP Award this season. All signs point toward the Thunder making the playoffs this season for the first time since 2020, and with Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way, OKC could win it all.

Mississippi is an early winner in college football’s 2024 transfer portal. In just the past few weeks, Ole Miss has signed four of 247Sports’ top 20 players in the portal, all from rival Southeastern Conference schools: defensive lineman Walter Nolen (Texas A M, No. 1), edge-rusher Princely Umanmielen (Florida, No. 10), edge-rusher Tyler Baron (Tennessee, No. 11) and wide receiver Antwane “Juice” Wells (South Carolina, No. 16). However, every program loses players in the portal, too. On Thursday, sophomore running back Quinshon Judkins — a star for Ole Miss this season — announced his intention to enter the portal. Judkins was one of the most dynamic players in Mississippi’s offense during his two seasons in Oxford, tallying 3,006 scrimmage yards and 34 touchdowns. He was a first-team All-SEC running back in each of those two seasons. Judkins is from Pike Road, Ala., which could mean he has Ole Miss’ rivals in the state, Alabama or Auburn, in mind as a landing spot. CBS Sports writer Barrett Sallee listed Miami and Clemson as other options for Judkins and also mentioned Deion Sanders’ Colorado program. Sallee pointed out that the Buffaloes had the worst rushing offense of any FBS team in 2023 (68.9 rushing yards per game). According to 247Sports, if Mississippi wants to add a running back in the portal, its best options from Power Five schools are Dante Dowdell (freshman, Oregon), Ja’Quinden Jackson (junior, Utah) and Jordan Houston (senior, North Carolina State). The outlet’s top two running backs in the portal are Peny Boone (junior, Toledo) and Rashad Amos (junior, Miami of Ohio). Interestingly, while Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin wished Judkins well, quarterback Jaxson Dart posted — and later deleted — a cryptic video on Instagram of retired NFL QB Tom Brady saying he would rather play against selfish players than with them. Whether Mississippi’s offense will suffer without Judkins remains to be seen in 2024, but his transfer proves that if a program lives by the portal, it can also get rocked by the portal.

The Alabama Crimson Tide fell to the Michigan Wolverines 27-20 in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Down just three points at halftime (13-10), however, head coach Nick Saban knew he needed to wake up his team. “I said we’re not playing Alabama football. We’re not executing very well. We’re not playing with great intensity,” Saban stated on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “I said, ‘you guys were all hootin’ and hollerin’ in here before the game. That’s like whistling in the graveyard, man.’ You got to go compete. You got to go execute. You got to have discipline to execute.” Saban’s halftime message worked for the majority of the second half. Alabama scored 10 unanswered points to lead 20-13. But the team’s shutout ended after 28 minutes and 26 seconds. Michigan was able to tie the game with just 1:34 left to take the game into overtime, where it won thanks to its defense stuffing QB Jalen Milroe on a fourth-and-goal attempt at the three-yard line. Saban believed his team played well up until 4:41 left in regulation. But he added that Alabama had several opportunities to make it a two-score game and didn’t. His messaging is quickly shifting now that the season has come to an abrupt halt. “Well we’re not enjoying life after getting beat I can tell you that,” Saban added. “I think it’s always a motivation for you when the season doesn’t end like you want it to. Players are usually hungry and want to prove something. Hopefully that’ll be the case with our team.” The rest of college football seems to be catching up to Saban as Alabama has now gone back-to-back years without being featured in the national title game. Maybe the team’s latest loss will force Saban to reconsider his approach for the 2024 season.

The Browns have had one of the best defenses, if not the best, in the NFL this season. A major reason why has been the addition of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. But his time in Cleveland could be short-lived. “I’m really happy here … I love this organization. I love the city of Cleveland,” Schwartz told reporters. “But I’d say this. Any job that you do, you always aspire to the top of that profession. I’m no different there.” It’s clear Schwartz has aspirations of being a head coach in the league once again. He was last a head coach in the NFL for the Detroit Lions from 2009-13. But his 29-51 record during the span was far from good enough. Credit must be given where credit is due, and Schwartz has certainly raised the expectations surrounding the Browns in just one season. Cleveland’s defense went from allowing 331.2 total yards per game in 2022 to allowing a league-best 266.6 total yards per game in 2023. Schwartz has also raised DE Myles Garrett’s level of play, which many thought wasn’t possible. He has set the 28-year-old up to potentially win his first NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Garrett is the current favorite to win the award, per FanDuel, with 42 tackles, 14 sacks, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and three passes defensed on the year. However, three head coaches have already been fired this season (Raiders’ Josh McDaniels, Panthers’ Frank Reich and Chargers’ Brandon Staley) and more are likely to come following Week 18. If a team searching for its next head coach believes Schwartz could bring a similar turnaround to its city, it would be surprising if he would turn down the opportunity given his latest comments. That is certainly not a scenario Browns fans are hoping plays out.

After investing heavily in the offense in the previous two NFL drafts, Green Bay finds itself with an abundance of players at skill positions. With Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, and Jayden Reed all in the mix, the receiver room looks strong. These players all offer different skill sets, and each one has played an important role at various times this season. Add in the emergence of rookie tight ends Tucker Kraft and Luke Musgrave and this Packers offense boasts an array of speedy pass catchers. Outside of the aforementioned group, players like Bo Melton and Malik Heath have had chances to shine in 2023. The decision to build around Jordan Love with these players has paid dividends. With a suddenly crowded receiver room, the question for Green Bay becomes: which Packers skill players will make the cut in 2024? Assessing the Packers Skill Players Going into 2024 The short answer is none. Going into the season, Green Bay carried eight receivers on their 70-man roster. Two of those players, Melton and Grant DuBose were practice squad players. The other six have all seen significant reps this season. Samori Toure is the only receiver to not start one game this season. Toure is also the only Packers receiver not to catch a touchdown this season. If there were to be an odd man out, it could be Toure. A seventh-round pick out of Nebraska in 2022, Toure saw limited time last season and ended his rookie year with one touchdown catch. He also recently hit the injured reserve list. That made way for Melton to be signed to the active roster. This could signal the end of the road for Toure in Green Bay, and perhaps the start of something strong for Melton. Comparing Old And New Looking at how these Packers receivers complement one another, it’s easy to see why the organization will want to keep the core intact. A memorable group of receivers made life easier for Aaron Rodgers in his early tenure with the Packers, and this current core has shades of that group. Fans might be quick to draw comparisons between those players and these. For entertainment’s sake, let’s say Doubs is James Jones. Watching Watson tear down the field brings memories of Greg Jennings in his prime. A natural runner, Reed has shades of Randall Cobb to his game. No player is a direct comparison to Jordy Nelson, but Reed might also be the closest of the bunch. As for Wicks, he’s in a class of his own. Few players have shown the sort of pop and tenacity in the open field as Wicks. And if you’re expecting there to be a comparison to Devante Adams, there is not. Big Questions For The Backs It is safe to assume that both Kraft and Musgrave are safe at tight end. That leaves the running backs. A.J. Dillon is set to be a free agent in the spring. As for Aaron Jones, he’s playing out a restructured contract that is supposed to keep him in Green Bay through 2024. That restructure gave Green Bay flexibility going forward and signaled Jones’ desire to stay a Packer. But with players like Saquon Barkley, Austin Ekeler, Derrick Henry, and Josh Jacobs all likely to hit the open market this spring, there’s a chance Green Bay enters next season with neither Jones nor Dillon. Whether they sign a free agent running back to shore up the room or not, the Packers are poised to draft one. The 2024 class does not boast a blue-chip talent like Jahmyr Gibbs or Bijan Robinson. But both Bucky Irving (Oregon) and Trey Benson (Florida State) could be big upgrades to the running back room. Irving is more of a power back but has the speed and agility to break loose. Benson has shades of Joe Mixon to his game and could offer a workhorse for Green Bay if they are in the market for one. All in all, entering the off-season with more answers than questions about the young offense is an ideal place to be. As for the defense, that’s another story.