Wicked: For Now.

The film Wicked enthralled movie audiences during the 2024 holiday season. The musical, based on the Broadway smash, based on the 1995 bestseller that turned out to be a superspreader for the prequelitis epidemic, based on the Hollywood classic, based on the unreadable 1900 children’s novel written by a cuckoo bird, offered filmgoers something original and fresh: upbeat songs, dazzling cinematography, intricate choreography, and a lively coming-of-age dramedy set in a hypersaturated fantasy realm. Wicked’s only flaw: it was merely part one of a two-part story.

Wicked: For Good came out a few weeks ago, and it’s basically Revenge of the Sith with lots of repetitive ballads. Quick: stop the character development and get everyone into their Wizard of Oz starting positions! Also, we learn that the Cowardly Lion has crippling PTSD, the Tin Woodsman is a red-pilled incel, and the Scarecrow is … faking it? A double agent? Can we go back to frolicking around the magical library, plz?

I was thinking about the Wicked films while watching the NFL on Sunday. That’s only fair, because I was thinking about the NFL while watching Wicked: For Good. (That’s the last cheap shot. Maybe.)

Week 14 featured several sibling-rivalry divisional games which appeared to have colossal stakes. But each of those games really ended in a cliffhanger. For Act 2’s stunning conclusions, you’ll have to check back in a few weeks:

• The Steelers outlasted the sloppy Ravens for a 27-22 victory. The Ravens will get a chance at revenge, however, in the season finale.
• The Packers survived the hard-running Bears for a 28-21 win. But the Bears host the Packers in a Week 16 Saturday night rematch.
• The Jaguars delivered a potential knockout blow with a 36-19 win over the-Colts, who appear to have lost Daniel Jones for the season. Nothing can be taken for granted in the wonderful world of the AFC South, however. The rematch takes place in Indy in Week 17.

While this trio of divisional showdowns may have been anticlimactic, the games were far from meaningless. Let’s take a closer look at each game so we determine who is likely to get knocked out of the playoff chase and end the season singing about how sadly everything turned out, as well as who is likely to reach the playoffs and … sing about how sadly everything turned out? I MAY NOT HAVE BEEN WICKED’S TARGET AUDIENCE.

Wicked Divisional Showdown I: Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Baltimore Ravens 22

What Happened

Mike Tomlin heard the hometown Fire the Coach! chants and insider whispers that his Steelers-coach-for-eternity status was in jeopardy. Aaron Rodgers heard the snickers about his It’s my party and I’ll watch film with Ben Skowronek if I want to! birthday bash. And the Ravens once again succumbed to sloppy execution laced with terrible mojo.

Rodgers lofted a 52-yard teardrop to D.K. Metcalf on the first Steelers play from scrimmage, scrambling (!) one yard for a touchdown a few plays later to take a 7-3 lead.

Rodgers completed three more sideline deep shots to Metcalf and Calvin Austin throughout the game and added a 38-yard catch-and-run touchdown to Jaylen Warren, often exploiting man-to-man coverage against easy-to-spot, ineffective Ravens blitzes.

The Ravens kept self-sabotaging their efforts to come back: a missed extra point before halftime; a penalty on a field goal attempt that allowed the Steelers to score seven points instead of three; a third-quarter kickoff out-of-bounds that helped the Steelers drive for a short field goal; a dropped pass by Rashod Bateman on third-and-4 from the 10-yard line to start the fourth quarter.

An apparent Rodgers interception in the fourth quarter was ruled a sack when officials determined that his knee was down after he retrieved a pass that was rejected straight back to him. Instead of handing the Ravens the ball in scoring position, the Steelers were able to punt. An apparent Isaiah Likely touchdown was ruled incomplete when Joey Porter swatted the football out of Likely’s outstretched hands before he could take his third step in the end zone. A holding penalty on a punt return pushed the Ravens back from their 44 to their 26-yard line after a last-ditch defensive stop; a second holding penalty pushed them even further back. Alex Highsmith sacked Lamar Jackson with nine seconds left to preserve the Steelers victory.

What It Means for the Steelers (Besides “They are in first place now.”)

All the things that can usually be said about the Steelers after their narrow victories can be said about them after this one.

The Steelers made fewer mistakes than their opponent. Their star veterans made splash plays when needed. Rodgers’ defense-reading capabilities and deep desire to tell his doubters to go f**k themselves were positive factors. A few conservative fourth-down decisions by Tomlin paid off in the long run. It looked better on the highlight reel than it looked on the field, but all that matters is that it looks best in the standings.

The familiar Steelers formula for bare-minimum success should carry them into the playoffs. Considering the number of inexperienced (Patriots), similarly-grungy (Broncos) or self-destructive (waves hands) teams that might be waiting for them, their formula could even take them a little further.

Keep an eye on the injury report, however: left tackle Andrus Peat and hulkish tight end Darnell Washington both left Sunday’s game with concussions.

What It Means for the Ravens (Besides “They are in trouble now.”)

Jackson looked like his old self when he chose to take off for daylight. He was indecisive and easy to corral, however, when the pocket collapsed around him. The Steelers applied pressure up the middle often, particularly in the second half. Jackson responded by squirting off-target checkdowns over the middle of the field.

The Ravens defense produced zero sacks and little pressure, even when blitzing. They now have just 19 sacks all season. Their lack of pass rush may ultimately do more to keep them out of the playoffs than whatever is going on with Jackson’s lingering injuries.

What’s Next

The Ravens host the Joe Burrow Bengals, then visit the Patriots. They have zero easy outs the rest of the way.

The Steelers host the Dolphins, who are somehow still mathematically alive (they seem to beat the Jets every week), next Monday night.

Wicked Divisional Showdown II: Green Bay Packers 28, Chicago Bears 21

What Happened

The hare beat the tortoise on a fourth-and-1 red-zone interception in the final seconds.

Jordan Love threw two long touchdown passes to Christian Watson and another to Bo Melton. That summarizes the Packers offense for three-and-a-half quarters. I think every other play they attempted was either a Josh Jacobs run for two yards or an incompletion to Romeo Doubs.

Given multiple opportunities to keep the game close, Ben Johnson painted a running-and-YAC masterpiece. D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai took turns hammering the ball up the middle. Swift, Luther Burden and others turned Caleb Williams dinks-and-dunks into productive gains. When the Bears were behind the sticks, Williams dropped back, scrambled to his right, pointed down the field and fired random fastballs up the sideline. But the Bears were rarely behind the sticks in the second half. Williams tossed a short touchdown to wide-open Colston Loveland to cap one of the most methodical 83-yard drives in football history and tie the game at 21-21 with 8:00 to play.

Matt LaFleur then decided to beat the Bears at their own game, unleashing Jacobs as a rusher and receiver. Jacobs churned out 42 of the Packers’ 65 yards, including a tough third-and-2 conversion and a second-effort touchdown, to give the Packers the lead with 3:32 left.

Williams threw a pair of his best passes of the game to get the Bears to the Packers 23-yard line. Two Monangai runs set up third-and-1. Kingsley Enagbare stuffed Monangai for no gain to set up fourth-and-1.

Johnson called a designed rollout to the left. The Packers defense took away Williams’ underneath receivers and his rushing option, but Cole Kmet was uncovered in the back of the end zone. Williams’ throw was a little late and a little short, however, and Keisean Nixon leapt for a game-icing interception.

What It Means for the Packers (Besides “They are in first place now.”)

Defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt is out for the year, and it showed. Granted, the Bears have been running roughshod on everyone lately, but it looked like the Packers were going to lose this game due to their inability to stop first-page-of-the-playbook dives up the middle.

Receivers Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden returned on the other side of the ball, and Reed made a difference with 53 scrimmage yards, including an 18-yard play-action floater on the final drive. Love’s playmaker corps is now as close to full strength as it has been all season.

The mucky, low-scoring Packers losses to the Browns, Eagles and Panthers remain in the team’s playoff portfolio, leaving the team with little margin for error. They are about to embark on a tough two-game road trip. Sunday’s win was a gut-check, and it extended a four-game winning streak, but the Packers cannot afford to celebrate.

What It Means for the Bears (Besides “They are in trouble now.”)

There’s an obvious limiting factor to the Bears success this year. His name is Caleb Williams.