Merry Christmas one and all!

There are two weeks left in the regular season and teams are playing like it at both ends of the spectrum. Some squads are doing everything they can to put themselves in the best possible position to chase a Lombardi Trophy, while others are watching the final grains of sand drop through the hourglass. Such is life.

What do we make of everybody all throughout the line? How do we feel about the state of the NFL as the tournament gets ready to kick off?

Our job here at The Skinny Post, between Michael Peterson and RJ Ochoa, is to discuss just that.

Have we seen the final game Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce will play together?

Being frank here, I don’t know how it is possible that we haven’t.

Mahomes has often been compared to Tom Brady in terms of the greatness that each achieved in different respects and it appears that the former is at the point in his career where his team has to set up the run for a second type of dynasty. That is obviously easier said than done.

If we live in the Brady comparison then this means that Mahomes will have to move on past the original core of talent around him toward a new one. Nothing lasts forever and it seems like it is just time for Kansas City and Travis Kelce to go their separate ways.

I think the most fascinating part of all of this will be what Kelce’s future looks like and if he is playing anywhere else. Maybe a homecoming to Cleveland? Who knows.

Kelce said on his podcast following the loss in the Super Bowl that he did not want to go out after a loss like that, ensuring he was returning for at least one more year with the Chiefs. Now, the future Hall-of-Famer will miss the postseason for the first time in over a decade and he actually knows the exact date his 2025 season will end.

Seeing as how this year has gone, I bet Kelce wishes he would have retired earlier this year, huh?

I don’t blame Kelce by any means, but this is a classic case of “overstaying your welcome.” Kelce wanted the fairy-tale ending to his career and he may be going out with a little more than a murmur. Lost in the news that Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL against the Chargers in Week 15 was that the loss might truly be the last time both Mahomes and Kelce share the football field.

If Kelce retires like we all expect this offseason, then that’s it. Fin. The end of a historic era for Chiefs football. At 36 years old, it’s very tough to see Kelce wanting to go another round, especially knowing that Mahomes may not be ready in time to start the 2026 season.

Am I sad about this reality? Not personally.

Are the Chargers back in the “contender” conversation?

I definitely believe that the NFL needs to give the recent win streak of the Chargers some weight, but I understand any and all skepticism that may still be there. The offensive line is still ATROCIOUS and the Chargers really did pull out wins against the Eagles and Chiefs in spite of their nonexistent pass protection.

The defense has truly shown that they’re one of the best in the NFL. A lot of good units have suffered forgettable performances this year so I won’t hold the Jaguars’ performance against them, especially seeing how Jacksonville has surged as of late.

Now moving forward, the Bolts have two games remaining against two of the other elite defenses in the NFL. If the Chargers are for real, they’ll be very competitive in those games. I don’t think they need to outright win because…well…that offense against the Texans and Broncos pass rush sounds like a nightmare. If Los Angeles can, at the minimum, show they’re able to hang with the other top teams in the AFC, then I’ll at least have SOME confidence that they may be able to get out of the Wild Card round for the first time in Justin Herbert’s career.

If I am buying any team in this camp then I think it’s the Jaguars.

The Chargers are so hard to trust. I realize that this is unfair and involves a past of theirs that technically has nothing to do with the present, but until they prove it I am going to remain skeptical.

Beyond the narrative of it all, how do we know that Justin Herbert’s hand is not going to be an issue moving forward? He and the Chargers just thrashed the Cowboys, but I mean, as our resident Cowboys person, that hardly impresses me. The Cardinals have lost 12 of their last 13 and the Lions have lost 3 of their last 4… their only wins in those stretches were against Dallas.

I hope the same sort of future doesn’t lie ahead for the Chargers for Michael’s sake.

Which first-year head coach has been more impressive? Ben Johnson with the Bears or Liam Coen with the Jaguars?

I love this question (shoutout Michael, and a bit of foreshadowing here too) because I don’t think Liam Coen is getting enough credit. The Jaguars are on fire and their offense is amazing… he is sort of living up to all of the hype, isn’t he?

Forgive me for stating the obvious, but we are going to have somebody come out of the AFC with a much stronger reputation at the end of this season. It may not be somebody who wins the Super Bowl or reaches it, but in a field without Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, and possibly/probably Lamar Jackson… that opens the door for new blood to come in.

Why can’t that be Trevor Lawrence, Liam Coen, and the Jags? I kind of think it will be.

As impressive as I think Johnson’s job has been with the Bears, it’s tough not to consider Coen’s job even more incredible. The Bears spent a lot of money this offseason to improve their team’s biggest shortcomings and that is obviously paying off. The Jaguars did not do as much improving this offseason and yet are impressing each week all the same.

Coen did wonders as the OC with the Bucs. He’s now doing the same with a cast that I’d argue is not as talented as the group he had in 2024. It’s also not as talented as the group Johnson is coaching in Chicago.

For all these reasons, Coen is the more impressive coach right now to me.

Michael’s Chargers beat RJ’s Cowboys in the TSP Bowl. The loser must now say a lot of nice things about the other!

Prior to the Cowboys/Chargers game my friend Michael and I decided to make a wager on the result of the game where the loser would have to say something about the winner. I would not advise wagering anything on behalf of the Dallas Cowboys.

But I absolutely would advise having Michael Peterson in your life. I have been fortunate to work with Michael for several years now and mean it when I say that he is more than a colleague. He is a friend. He asks about my wife and son. We communicate about things in life that have nothing to do with work. I am fortunate to have him in my life and am prayerful that he, his wife, and his daughter all have an absolutely wonderful Christmas (and that you and yours do as well).

As is obvious I am pretty down on the Cowboys and they have really made football less fun for me on many levels over the last two years. Thankfully I have people like Michael in my professional and personal life who help to keep that flame burning when my favorite team is setting fire to all the rest.

Cheers to Michael once more and allow me to tell you all if you were unaware… he looks exactly like Baker Mayfield.

RJ is so good at gassing up his friends and now I want to cry. Who is cutting onions around here?

Happy Holidays, everyone!