With the 2022 season, the NFL is contesting the 103rd season in its history, and superstar Tom Brady will also continue to be involved despite having announced the end of his career in the meantime. The season will then conclude on February 5, 2023, with the big highlight, Super Bowl number 57.
On the way to one of the major sports highlights of the year, we will keep you up to date with all the news, results and stories about the great spectacle in American football in the NFL ticker.
NFL: J.J. Watt ends career
J.J. Watt of the Arizona Cardinals will end his successful career following the current NFL season. The defensive end, who has been named Best Defensive Player of the Year three times, made the announcement on Twitter on Tuesday (Dec. 27, 2022).
Watt has played in the National Football League since 2011. Last October, the 33-year-old had made headlines when the rhythm of his heart had to be restored by electric shock due to atrial fibrillation. Watt was back on the field just three days after treatment. The Cardinals no longer have a chance to make the playoffs. They have two regular-season games remaining in the new year at the Atlanta Falcons (Jan. 1, 2023) and the San Francisco 49ers (Jan. 8).
Los Angeles Chargers celebrate first playoff berth since 2018
The Los Angeles Chargers reached the National Football League (NFL) playoffs for the first time since 2018 on Monday (Dec. 26, 2022). The Chargers won 20-3 at the Indianapolis Colts and also benefited from previous losses by the New York Jets, New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders. As a result, Los Angeles has secured a spot in the AFC Wild Card.
It will be the Chargers’ first postseason appearance under head coach Brandon Staley, 40, and with star quarterback Justin Herbert, 24, drafted sixth overall in the 2020 NFL Draft.
“I’m really proud of how this season went for our football team and what we were able to show to make it to the postseason. That’s probably what I’m most proud of,” Staley said, “Not just being there, but how we did it and what it took to get there. But this is just the beginning for us.”
Herbert completed a strong 25 of 31 passes to his pass receivers for 235 yards of space gained – one interception eluded him. But the match-winner for the Chargers was running back Austin Ekeler (27), who scored the two touchdowns. With 16 touchdowns, he leads the NFL as he did in the preseason.
The Colts, on the other hand, disappointed beyond measure nine days after their historic loss after taking a 33-0 lead against the Minnesota Vikings. Quarterback Nick Foles (33), who stepped in for Matt Ryan (37), completed only 143 yards of passes, threw three interceptions and was also sacked seven times.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers still in playoff contention
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got an important win in the NFL on Christmas. The team led by quarterback Tom Brady (45) won 19-16 at the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday (25 December 2022) thanks to a field goal in overtime.
Kicker Ryan Succop (36) converted all four of his attempts in the game. Brady threw for 281 yards of space and a touchdown, but he also committed two fumbles. In the final quarter and overtime, however, the 45-year-old quarterback shined like in his prime.
The Buccaneers remain at the top of their NFC South division after their seventh win of the season. They can clinch the division title and qualify for the playoffs with a win against their direct rivals Carolina Panthers (6-9) on the next matchday.
In what was ultimately a meaningless game between two of the season’s disappointments, the defending champion Los Angeles Rams clearly defeated the Denver Broncos 51-14, leaving both teams with no chance of making the playoffs.
The Green Bay Packers (7-8), on the other hand, kept their remaining hopes alive by beating the Miami Dolphins 26-20. The team led by quarterback Aaron Rodgers benefited from three ball losses by his counterpart Tua Tagovailoa in the final quarter.
Steelers win against Raiders – 49ers finish off Commanders
The Pittsburgh Steelers celebrated a 13-10 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in NFL action on Saturday night (Dec. 24, 2022). In minus 13 degrees Celsius – the coldest home game of the Steelers since 1989 – wide receiver George Pickens scored the decisive points for the victory after a 14-yard pass from quarterback Kenny Pickett with 46 seconds left.
The Steelers dedicated the victory to their former star Franco Harris, who died Wednesday at age 72. “We dedicated it to Franco,” Pickett said. “It felt like he was with us tonight.”
The running back won four Super Bowls with the Steelers and was inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 1990. He was actually supposed to be honored in person before the game against the Raiders and his No. 32 “retired” in his honor. At halftime, Harris’ widow Dana Dokmanovich was presented with her late husband’s jersey in an emotional ceremony.
Led by quarterback Brock Purdy, the San Francisco 49ers won 37-20 over the Washington Commanders, their eighth straight victory. San Francisco thus keeps the pressure on Minnesota in the race for second place in the NFC. The Commanders, however, are still one ahead of Seattle and Detroit in the race for the final playoff spot in the NFC after three straight losses.
Purdy had come in for the injured Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 13. He has thrown two touchdown passes in four consecutive games for the 49ers, winning all three of his starts. Purdy joins Hall of Famer Kurt Warner as the only quarterbacks to win their first three games and throw multiple touchdown passes in each game since record-keeping began in 1950.
The Dallas Cowboys prevailed over the Philadelphia Eagles, who had previously won five in a row, 40-34. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott threw for three touchdowns and for 347 yards. The NFL-leading Eagles (13-2) committed two turnovers in the final five minutes and missed the chance to clinch first place in the NFC in a battle of playoff rivals.
Jacksonville keeps NFL playoff chances alive
The Jacksonville Jaguars kept their NFL playoff chances alive with an emphatic win at the New York Jets. The 19-3 win on Thursday night (local time) means the Jaguars remain in control of their own destiny. With two wins in their remaining two games, including on the final day against the division rival Tennessee Titans, the Jaguars would clinch their AFC South division and move into the playoffs.
In a duel between last year’s No. 1 and No. 2 drafted
Quarterbacks, Trevor (23) Lawrence of the Jaguars dominated Thursday. He led his team to its third straight win with 229 yards thrown and 51 rushing yards. He also scored the only touchdown of the game.
Jets quarterback Zach Wilson (23), on the other hand, had a bad night, throwing for only 82 yards of space gain, including a fumble. He was substituted late in the third quarter and replaced by Chris Streveler (27).
The Jets are in danger of missing the playoffs for the 12th straight season – no other NFL team has waited longer than six years to make it. The Jets’ fourth straight loss leaves them in tenth place in the AFC with seven wins and eight losses, and seven teams from the conference qualify for the playoffs.
Champions already out: LA Rams miss NFL playoffs
The Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams have been eliminated from the National Football League (NFL) play-off race. In the 14th game of the season, the defending champions were beaten 12-24 by the Green Bay Packers and no longer have a chance of making it to the championship round.
With their tenth loss, the Rams set an NFL negative record. In 1999/2000, the champion Denver Broncos had also lost ten times in the main round. However, Los Angeles still has three games to play, with the severely depleted team facing Denver on Christmas. Green Bay, led by star quarterback Aaron Rodgers, preserved its slim chances of making the playoffs by winning the Monday Night Game. The Packers (6-8) are third in the NFC North.
Baker Mayfield released by Carolina Panthers – will the 49ers snatch up the quarterback?
A rather short interlude: The Carolina Panthers have released Baker Mayfield on Monday (December 5, 2022), according to coinciding US media reports. The former Number 1 pick had only arrived from the Cleveland Browns before the current season, but put up modest numbers in Charlotte: In seven games, he returned just 57.8 percent of his balls for a total of 1313 yards, threw six touchdowns and just as many interceptions. That gives him a quarterback rating of 74.4.
Unexpectedly, Mayfield could now become an option for the San Francisco 49ers. Their quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo broke his right foot in a 33-17 win over the Miami Dolphins and is out for the rest of the season. On Sunday, NFL rookie Brock Purdy replaced Garoppolo after his injury shortly after the start of the game.