What's Wright - NFL Week 18 Reaction: What's next for Lamar & Ravens? Steelers SUPER BOWL hopes + coaches FIRED | Nick Wright

New year energy, same crew and sponsors. Demonze is running late for the most dad reason ever, a seven-week-old and about ninety minutes of sleep, so he’ll slide in. Quick housekeeping and a fast voicemail vibe: Hawks and Trae Young are exploring trades, my long-touted Southeast point guard shuffle still fits, Dylan Brooks as an All-Star is comedy, LeBron belongs, and yes, I fly in brand-new socks with my shoes off. All right, on to a brutal Ravens finish and a chaotic wildcard slate.

The Steelers edged the Ravens, but the real story is a decade of Baltimore heartbreak. Think last-second gut punches, goal-line disasters, and top-seed flameouts. This year fit the script: a rookie kicker pushed a chip shot after Lamar rescued them late, and it all unraveled again.

It’s tough. I didn’t see it coming down to the new kicker. Lamar kept them alive, Likely came up huge, but the postgame non-answer on Harbaugh says a lot.

Lamar’s night was odd. Three quiet quarters, then a sensational fourth with two career-level plays, but an early hole and teammate errors left him no bailout. You can’t pin it on him, but it’s not a heroic win either. The endgame was risk-averse: one timeout, fourteen seconds, Henry’s ball security in their heads, the league’s toughest kicking stadium, and a rookie sent to win it from longer range. Lamar later said he’d snapped at the kicker pre-kick, which doesn’t help a kid’s confidence. Big picture, Harbaugh still being in place is the headline. Lamar dodged the ‘do you want him back’ question, and that fuels what I’ve been hinting at: real strain there. Add a cap-clogging deal to rework and Lamar wanting top-of-market guarantees, and keeping Harbaugh could make a hard negotiation harder.

On Pittsburgh, I was dismissive most of the year. I’m not now. Their offense has perked up, they just put points on a hot defense, they’re getting healthier, and that pass rush travels. Houston has cooled a bit. I like the Steelers’ shot in that matchup.

I think Houston stops them, but I get why you’re warming up to Pittsburgh.

One more angle. I wonder if Rodgers hangs in longer once the playoffs begin. He sped up to protect himself down the stretch. In that Ravens second half, he took a shot and still held a beat more. Houston’s front is nasty, though, so it’s a thin edge.

Switching to the NFC. Darnold and the Seahawks locked up the one seed. You’ve been bullish. Now that they’re favorites, how confident are you?

It speaks to an imperfect field that a Darnold-led team tops the board. He was electric for nine games, then dipped hard after the first Rams meeting. The roster and defense are excellent, McDonald has them organized, and Darnold still plays with conviction, but the slide is real. I’d lean Rams head-to-head, though the Rams’ path is rough. San Francisco missing the bye hurt them badly. Quick bracket note for fans: the tournament reseeds, so seven always goes to one, two and three can’t see one in round two, and six never sees two in round two.

MVP whiplash. Stafford moved ahead after the weekend. Did the books jump the gun?

They did. Pricing a vote without polling invites bad certainty. I said I didn’t want this to be a December award. For me, Stafford’s the pick. Harder schedule, monster volume, and he’s a dozen scores clear. May was great, but the two-seed versus five-seed thing is schedule-driven, and the Rams were a stop away from the one. Stafford posted 4,700 yards, 46 touchdowns, eight picks. May’s total yards edge comes from rushing, but even adding those scores, Stafford’s still way ahead.

And third place?

Trevor. They ripped off eight straight, he closed with nineteen touchdowns and one turnover at nearly three hundred a game. That’s a finishing kick worthy of a podium.

Black Monday. Raiders, Falcons, Browns, and Cardinals just opened, with the Giants and Titans already on the market. What’s the best job?

It’s a rough board. The Giants have prestige, but the quick hook and front office questions are real. Atlanta’s talent and division appeal, Tennessee hinges on what you think of Cam Ward, and Arizona’s patient timeline might suit a builder. The Raiders and Browns look toughest. On quarterbacks, I’m not in on Dart, and Shador’s rookie season was bottom-tier by every measure. If he becomes a high-end backup, that’s a win for a fifth-rounder. All this loops back to Baltimore: if they moved on from Harbaugh, that job dwarfs the field, but if they keep him, you risk the musical chairs landing you with another retread.

Miles Garrett set the single-season sack mark. Where does it rank?

Reggie White’s twelve-game explosion is still the gold standard, but Garrett just delivered the best pure rush season in decades. He did it without a ton of favorable pass scripts and was stout versus the run. And the Bengals carping about a stoppage is goofy. The league pauses for a handful of true records: single-season rushing, receiving, passing, and sacks. Career totals like Rice and Emmitt are safe for years. If Chase ever breaks Calvin’s single-season yards, they’ll stop it for him too.

Quick hits. Tampa nosed past Carolina, but that late swoon was ugly and my preseason picks face-planted. Kansas City without Mahomes was a horror show on offense. Jacksonville closed hot and drew Buffalo in round one; I think the winner of that game reaches the Super Bowl. Houston juggled Stroud’s snaps and still won. Green Bay lives at the seven seed under LaFleur. Chicago’s late rallies keep failing, and Philly’s loss cost them the two, which matters given Sirianni and Hurts’ home-road split in the playoffs. Denver’s defense made life tough, and Bo Nix’s second half was shaky outside the Packers game. The Jets went an entire season without an interception, which flatters some opponent stat lines.

Listener Q. Why doesn’t Drake May get more credit for the Patriots’ turnaround?

He had a strong year, but saying he ‘turned them around’ ignores he was already there. That framing fits a coach like Vrabel changing the culture. Not calling him MVP isn’t disrespect. It’s just choosing Stafford’s season.

Ideal Super Bowl for the league?

Bills are the headliner. The Jets with Rodgers are a close second for brand juice. On the NFC side, Rams or Eagles pair best, with Bears as a dark horse for ratings. Least flashy but very possible is Seahawks versus Jags. It’s the Super Bowl. Everyone still watches.

Demonze hustled in on no sleep, the crew held the line, and the internet gods cut us a break. Wildcard preview on Thursday, betting show on Friday, plus a full preseason accountability check. We’ll see you then.