The NFL Roundup 2019: Week 16 – What We Learned

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Week 16 in the NFL can be a bittersweet time for football fans. For some teams provide their fans with the wonderful gift of a magnificent win, while others… give their fans a lump of coal in the form of a loss. But regardless of whether your team won or lost, I think we can all agree upon the fact, that it is a wonderful thing that we were all able to celebrate in the gift of football this past weekend, and the many storylines and lessons that our favorite teams provided us with and taught us, are the gifts that will keep on giving. Since we have plenty to discuss as we wait for one more week of regular season football and with that in mind, it’s time for us to dive right in and discuss everything that we learned from this past weekend’s slate of games.
 
The Houston Texans earned their divisional title the hard way.
Don’t get me wrong, clinching the AFC South is no small accomplishment, and I tip my cap to the Houston Texans for doing so. But let’s be honest, they definitely did this in the most difficult way imaginable. Because this team has seen its share of ups and downs this season, with some heartbreaking losses along the way. But what matters more, is that they buckled down in the most critical of moments and kept the Buccaneers at bay on Sunday and for their hard fought efforts this season, they get to enjoy a home game in the playoffs and they are indeed the Kings of the AFC South and I hope they relish in every single second of it for as long as they can. Because they have lots of work to do in the next couple of weeks.
 
The Buffalo Bills aren’t quite ready to be viewed as an elite team.
Make no mistake about it, the Buffalo Bills have had quite the season. For after years subpar play and heartbreaking seasons, they finally put it all together this year and have been one of the feel-good stories in the NFL. But their loss on Sunday to the New England Patriots demonstrated the fact that this team needs a little more time before we can call them elite. Because they let the moment overwhelm them, and despite having opportunities to put the Pats away, fear got in the way, and while they are all set to make their first playoff appearance in years, their inexperience and obvious nerves will likely help them secure an early exit from the tournament. And while that will likely no bring no comfort or joy to footballs fans looking for this wonderful tale to continue or Bills fans in general, it will all be fine in the end. Because this team is getting better year by year and it won’t be long before the Bills are a force to be reckoned with.
 
Expect big changes for the Los Angeles Rams this offseason.
There’s really no positive way to spin what happened to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, because this was a huge loss, one that exposed all kinds of deficiencies on this particular squad, the kind that prompt change to come to a particular team. And I expect them to be sweeping and powerful in the offseason, starting with likely a coordinator change on defense and a complete overhaul of the secondary and the changes won’t end there. Because the offense needs a spark too, and there’s a fair chance there will be some changes at wide receiver and running back and it should be interesting to see what kinds of big names the team pursues in free agency as ownership works to make this team as competitive as possible before they move into their brand new home.
 
Once again, the Dallas Cowboys managed to disappoint football fans everywhere.
There was, understandably, a lot of hype leading up to the Cowboys/Eagles game on Sunday and there was good reason for that. Because this was Dallas’ grand opportunity to shut down the critics and show the football world that they had the talent and the coaching to get the job done. But alas, once again an important game for this team ended in outright disaster. For the offense couldn’t get anything going, and the defense couldn’t stop the Eagles when it counted most and well… once again the Cowboys found a way to disappoint the football world and this is just irritating on so many levels. Because they have proven time and time again that they can play at a high level. Which means once again, the conversation and the blame reverts to the coaching staff and it really does seem that barring a miracle, a new head coach will be on the sidelines in Dallas next year and that’s a good thing because this team needs a solid leader on the sideline in 2020.
 
The Seattle Seahawks have only themselves to blame for their stunning loss on Sunday.
If there’s one important lesson that everyone knows about football, whether you’ve played the game or watch it religiously, it’s that; you always take your opponent seriously. Because teams that stink, are always hungry for a win and will do whatever it takes to enjoy the thrill that comes with a victory, especially over a quality team and that’s a lesson that the Seattle Seahawks forgot on Sunday. Because they walked into that game, firmly believing that the Arizona Cardinals would be a pushover and they paid the price. Because the Cards seized every opportunity that came their way and played some inspired ball in the process and of course, walked away with a win and well, hopefully this horrible loss serves as a solid reminder to the Seahawks to take their opponents seriously, or they’ll face another embarrassing defeat in this manner.  

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