The wild-card winners, three of them on the road as lower seeds, showed their strengths—and sent a warning that the divisional round could be ripe for more upsets.  

The Ravens D shuts down a Baker Mayfield-Browns miracle to send ground-and-pound Baltimore to the playoffs (and Pittsburgh packing), the Eagles get it done and the Vikings don’t, the Colts cruise (and it’s not just Luck), the Jets and Bucs join the teams looking for new coaches as the old year ends and—oh, yeah—there’s plenty more football to be played! Week 17, and beyond ...

With a gutsy comeback win against Pittsburgh, Drew Brees and company solidify their standing as the Super Bowl favorite. Plus, the Colts, Titans, Eagles and Vikings jockey for the playoffs, the latest coaching carousel buzz and more as the regular season hits its climax.

Big Sunday wins by the Steelers, Eagles and Vikings turned the momentum around for teams whose seasons seemed to be slipping away, while the Ravens have fully embraced Lamar Jackson for their run at the postseason. And yes, Baker Mayfield’s Browns have the look of a playoff team—if only they’d gotten an earlier jump on a needed change. Plus notes and nuggets on the coaching carousel, the draft and much more.   

We asked evaluators from around the NFL: Which prospects helped themselves the most during bowl season?

Everyone’s heard about just how star-studded the defensive group of players in the 2019 NFL draft are, and the edge rushers do not disappoint.

Quarterbacks typically rise as the draft process goes on. Our latest first-round projection has two passers going in the top 10, with another moving into the back of Round 1.

For fans looking beyond the 2018 season, the biggest needs for the 16 teams comprising the bottom half of the NFL through 11 weeks, and the 2019 draft prospects who could fit the bill for each.

The Eagles took a different approach than the one they used the first time around, but Drew Brees had it figured out by halftime. A look at how the Saints turned it on after a slow start against the Eagles.

From the Monday Morning NFL Podcast, a discussion of the rocky starts and big finishes from the quarterbacks in the Bears-Eagles wild-card game.

The MMQB Podcast discusses each of the NFL's head coach openings.

He’s has less than a full season of games as a starter under his belt, but Mahomes continues to do things no one has ever seen before. Is it time to make “most talented QB to ever play” a two-man debate?

As the NFL coaching carousel continues to aggressively spin—only two head coaching spots of eight remain open—one longtime coach’s name hasn’t been part of the conversation. Some people might think it’s for good reason that Jeff Fisher hasn’t been considered (a .512 career coaching record over more than 20 years) but Fisher wants to be.

After a 2016 concussion, Sam Shields months in darkness, shut off from the world, before finally determining to battle back. Two years on, he’s a key defensive and special-teams cog on a Rams club with Super Bowl aspirations. 

SI spent the last four months with the Vikings: observing cryotherapy, watching film with coaches and strolling with the GM, trying to capture a franchise on the cusp of glory. Instead, something far more true to the NFL happened—an unpredictable, volatile season. These are the highs and lows of Minnesota’s journey, with an ending yet to come.

A one-of-a-kind franchise, a front office’s conservative approach, a roster caught in limbo, and the friction between the legendary quarterback and the embattled head coach. A closer examination of what has led to the Green Bay Packers’ most disappointing season of the past decade.