Welcome to Part II of my Monday Morning Quarterback Post for Week 18. All of the games on the late slate involved playoff implications for at least one of the teams involved. The Sunday night game between the Chargers and Raiders had some wild possibilities and the contest had a fittingly crazy finish.
After I posted Part I the New York Giants came to their senses and fired head coach Joe Judge. My guess is the Giants were leaning toward keeping him, but when they saw the media reactions on Monday when he wasn't let go they had a change of heart. Good for them because keeping Judge another season would have been insane.
Just remember I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan and I'm extremely biased. Feel free to agree or disagree about anything mentioned here. All comments are welcome.
To Tie Or Not To Tie, That Was The Question
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Raiders 35 Chargers 32 OT
The Sunday night football game featured one of the oddest playoff scenarios I can remember. Due to the Jaguars surprising upset of the Colts, both the Chargers and the Raiders would enter the playoffs if the game ended in a tie. Otherwise the winner would advance and the Pittsburgh Steelers would claim the final playoff spot. Let the kneeling begin!
Of course it didn’t happen that way. Probably because the league would have been embarrassed beyond belief by such a farce. The two franchises are old rivals and fought for victory. Although the thoughts of that pesky tie were raised by the end.
The Chargers got off to a bad start as they gave up 10 points in the 1st quarter. The Raiders got their TD via a short field provided by the Chargers on a muffed punt. Los Angeles roared back in the 2nd quarter with back-to-back long TD drives to go ahead 14-10. Then the Raiders used a long run by Jalen Richard and 41 yard pass interference penalty to get possession at the Chargers 1-yard line. Josh Jacobs darted into the end zone and Las Vegas took a 17-14 lead into halftime.
After the break Los Angeles took the kickoff and drove into Raiders territory. The drive stalled at the 33-yard line and the Chargers missed a field goal attempt. L.A. got the ball back after a Raiders punt and head coach Brandon Staley made a disputable play call. Facing a 4th and 1 on their own 18-yard line, the Chargers decided to go for it. The Raiders stuffed the attempt for a loss and took the ball on the Chargers 16-yard line. Luckily for L.A. their defense held the Raiders to a field goal. Las Vegas was up 20-14 heading into the final period.
The 4th quarter was wild. The Raiders opened up the scoring with a Derek Carr TD pass. They went for two, but failed so their lead was 26-14. The Chargers needed to make something happen fast, but Justin Herbert threw an interception. The Raiders then drove into Chargers territory and kicked a 52 yard field goal to increase their lead to 29-14 with 8 and half minutes left on the clock.
Down 15 points, the Chargers were desperate. Justin Herbert however remained calm under pressure. He got hot and drove L.A. down the field, throwing a TD pass to Josh Palmer. The Chargers converted a two point play and cut their deficit to 29-22 with 4 and half minutes left in regulation.
The Raiders could have ended the game with a couple of first downs, but they couldn’t even record one and punted to Los Angeles. The Chargers got the ball back on their 17 yard line with a little over two minutes on the clock down by seven points. Three straight Herbert incompletions left the Chargers facing a 4th and 10 with their season on the line. Herbert connected with Keenan Allen to get the first down, however three more incompletions left the Chargers to face 4th and 10 again. This time Los Angeles was bailed out by a Raiders holding penalty to get the first down.
Time was running short as Herbert started to find some receivers. The Chargers moved the ball down to the Raiders 12-yard line, but only five seconds remained on the clock. With time for only one more play, Herbert found Mike Williams in the end zone. The extra point was good and the game headed to overtime.
The Raiders won the toss and kicked a field goal. That gave the Chargers a chance to win, but they had to settle for tying the game once again with a field goal of their own. Now the stage was set for a weird finish. Remember, both teams would advance if the game ended in a tie. The Raiders were well aware and much to the chagrin of Steelers fans Las Vegas lazily ran the ball down the field to chew up clock. They made it to the Chargers 39-yard line, facing a 3rd and 4 seemingly content to just let the clock keep running. The Chargers panicked and called a time out to stop the clock. The Raiders gained 10 yards on a run after the time out and kicked a field goal to win 35-32. The victory sent both the Raiders and the Steelers into the postseason.
What a crazy finish! The Raiders managed to win their last three games to secure a playoff spot. Derek Carr (20/36, 186 yards, 2 TDs) will get to start his first playoff game after eight years in the league. Josh Jacobs (26 rushes, 132 yards, 1 TD) had a big day to propel the offense. The Raiders finished the season 10-7. They will open up the playoffs Saturday afternoon in Cincinnati.
It was a disappointing finish for a Chargers team that looked like a contender for a good chunk of the season. Justin Herbert (34/64, 383 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT) struggled with accuracy, but made big gains when he connected. Mike Williams (9 receptions, 119 yards, 1 TD) was his top target. Los Angeles finished the season at 9-8.
Brandon Staley was ripped for taking that timeout in overtime. A tie was good enough to advance. However when he explained his rationale it did make sense. The Raiders would have had to run at least one more play and any decent gain would have put them in field goal position. Staley called the timeout to get his best run defense into the game. Of course it backfired when the Chargers gave up ten yards on a run anyway. Staley’s real mistake in my eyes was going for it on 4th and 1 so deep in his own territory in the 3rd quarter. The failed conversion set the Raiders up for an easy field goal. Staley eschewed punting as much as possible this season and it cost him in the end.
Another Crazy Game Out West
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49ers 27 Rams 24 OT
The playoff stakes were high in this NFC West matchup. A win would give the Rams the NFC West title, a loss could have sent them to a wild card spot if the Cardinals won. The 49ers had even more on the line. A win clinched them a wild card spot. A loss meant they would miss the playoffs if the Saints beat the Falcons.
The Rams looked like they would run away with this game in the first half as they put 17 points up on the board. The 49ers first three possessions ended with two punts and an interception. The Niners finally found a little traction on offense and managed to kick a field goal as the 2nd quarter came to a close. Los Angeles led 17-3 at halftime.
The 3rd quarter was an entirely different story as the 49ers found life on offense and the defense stepped up. The Niners scored two TDs to tie the game up at 17-17 heading into the final period.
The 4th quarter opened up with a couple of punts before San Francisco started to move the ball. They made all the way into the red zone before Jimmy Garoppolo threw another interception. A long pass and several big running plays let the Rams drive deep into 49ers territory. A TD pass from Matthew Stafford to Cooper Kupp let L.A. retake the lead 24-17 with 2 and a half minutes left in the game.
The Niners season was on the line, but they went a fast three and out. The Rams took possession with under two minutes to go and could have finished off San Francisco with a few first downs. Yet they were stopped by the Niners, who burned their final timeouts to get the ball back with a minute and half left in regulation.
It looked bad for the Niners. They had the ball on their own 12-yard, needing to score a TD to tie the game with no timeouts. Turned out it was no big deal. Garoppolo got hot and hit on several long passes to lead the 49ers to a game tying TD in barely over a minute. The Rams couldn’t do anything in the game’s final seconds and the contest went to overtime.
The Niners won the toss and started moving the rock downfield. They made it as far as the Rams 6-yard line, but faced a 4th down from there. San Francisco kicked a field goal to go ahead 27-24, but the Rams would still get a possession.
The 49ers only kicked a field goal, but they took over seven minute off the clock in doing so. The Rams only had two and half minutes left to score. They needed to move fast and Stafford tried to hit Odell Beckham with a deep bomb, but the pass was intercepted. Game over.
Another wild game. The Niners looked like garbage in the first half, must have been quite a halftime speech by Kyle Shanahan because the team was much better in the second half. Jimmy Garoppolo (23/32, 316 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs) made a few mistakes, but when the game was on the line at the end he was money. He got a lot of help from Deebo Samuel who made contributions all over the field. Samuel caught 4 passes for 95 yards, ran the ball 8 times for 45 yards and a TD and threw a 24 yard TD pass on a trick play. This guy is a weapon.
The win advanced San Francisco into the playoffs as they finished the season at 10-7. They will play the Cowboys in Dallas next Sunday. Uh oh. I’m not gonna lie, I’m shitting bricks over this game. The Niners are a horrible matchup for the Cowboys. I’ll be sending extra prayers to coach Landry before this game.
The Rams had total control of this game before falling apart in the second half. They came alive enough in the 4th to retake the lead before falling apart on offense and defense all over again. Matthew Stafford (21/32, 238 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs) continues to throw a lot of interceptions. Cooper Kupp (7 receptions, 118 yards, 1 TD, 18 yards rushing) has been the real hero of the offense and deserves MVP consideration. Too bad wide receivers never win.
The Rams finished their season at 12-5. They caught a break when the Cardinals lost, so they still won the NFC West. However a win would have propelled them into the #2 seed and a game next week at home against the Eagles. Instead the loss dropped them to the #4 seed and they will face the Cardinals at home next Monday night. The two teams split their season series, but Arizona won the game in Los Angeles.
Around The League
He'll get the beast back for the playoffs
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Titans 28 Texans 25
The mission was simple for the Tennessee Titans in Week 18. Win and claim the #1 seed in the AFC that comes with the important bye week. Otherwise they would have to play in the first week of the playoffs. Tennessee accomplished the mission, but give credit to the Texans for not making it easy.
Obviously the Titans were the much better team, however the Texans did defeat Tennessee earlier in the season so this game was not going to be a walk in the park. In theory at least. The 1st quarter was defensive showdown that featured 4 punts and a missed field goal by the Titans.
Tennessee’s offense woke up in the 2nd quarter as Ryan Tannehill found his groove. He fired three TD passes as the Texans offense continued to lay dormant. The Titans led 21-0 at the break and seemed to be firmly in control of the game.
Yet the Texans, who only totaled 67 yards of offense in the first half, came out of the break like a completely new team. The defense started to stymie the Titans and Davis Mills got the offense into rhythm. Houston outscored Tennessee 10-0 in the 3rd quarter and started the final period off with another TD drive to cut Tennessee’s once large lead down to 21-18 with a successful two point conversion.
The Titans, after giving up 18 straight points, finally found some more life on offense. Tannehill hit a few more big passes to lead the Titans to a TD and a 28-18 lead. Yet Houston wasn’t ready to give up. Determined to play spoiler, Mills stayed hot and drove the Texans down for another TD. With a little over 4 minutes left in the game the Titans only led 28-25.
Yet the Texans comeback ended there. A completion by Tannehill and couple of nice runs by Dontrell Hilliard gave the Titans enough first downs to run out the clock and end the game with a win.
Most pundits thought the Titans would collapse without Derrick Henry, but Ryan Tannehill (23/32, 287 yards, 4 TDs) stepped up to the plate. He completed his TD passes to four different receivers, one of them being Julio Jones. It was the first TD reception of the season for Jones. If he can stay healthy enough to play, and that is a GIANT if, he can be a difference maker for the Titans moving forward. Even better for Tennessee is it seems like Derrick Henry will be ready to come back for the playoffs. The Titans finished the season 12-5 and captured the #1 seed in the AFC. They have a bye next week.
Houston had a lousy season, but the rise of rookie quarterback Davis Mills (23/30, 301 yards, 3 TDs) has been a revelation. Danny Amendola (7 receptions, 113 yards, 2 TDs) was his top target.
The Texans finished the season 4-13. For good reason, their roster stinks. Yet on Thursday they fired first year head coach David Culley. I don’t know why. What the hell was he supposed to do with that team? Most folks, including myself, wondered if they would win any games heading into the season. The front office in Houston is a dumpster fire, I doubt anybody with options will want that job.
Saints 30 Falcons 20
The Saints were in a tough position in Week 18 because they didn’t control their own playoff destiny. They not only needed to defeat the Falcons, they needed the 49ers to lose as well. New Orleans took care of business, the Rams collapse leaves them at home to watch the playoffs with the rest of us.
New Orleans season was ruined by numerous injuries on offense. Things didn’t get better in Week 18 as quarterback Taysom Hill went down in the 2nd quarter with an injury as the Saints trailed 10-7. However Trevor Siemian came off the bench to put the Saints ahead for good. He finished a TD drive started by Hill and led another one of his own before the break to give New Orleans a 24-6 lead at halftime.
The Saints ran the ball a lot after the break to eat up the clock. They tacked on a few more field goals as the Falcons offense never threatened them. Atlanta got a garbage time TD to make the final score look better, but the Saints won with ease.
It was almost fitting that Taysom Hill (7/9, 107 yards, 1 TD) got injured because injuries to nearly all of the Saints quarterbacks is what doomed their season. Trevor Siemian (9/15, 71 yards, 2 TDs) was good enough off the bench. Alvin Kamara (30 rushes, 146 yards) did the heavy lifting to secure the win. The Saints finished the season 9-8. Will they go after a new quarterback in the offseason or will they hope Jameis Winston can come back healthy?
The Falcons finished the season 7-10 and I am left to wonder how they managed to win seven games. This team isn’t good and even though they had a soft schedule I’m still surprised they won that many games. The highlight off their season was when the Cowboys whipped their ass 43-3. Oh wait, that was my favorite part of their season. Sorry about that. This team needs a serious rebuild, but the first step needs to be letting Matt Ryan go and I’m not sure they are ready to do that.
Bills 27 Jets 10
All the Bills needed to do to wrap up the AFC East was defeat the Jets at home. Easy right? Right? Turned out it wasn’t really that easy at all. That’s a scary fact for Bills fans.
Buffalo scored on their first two possessions to take a 10-0 lead after the 1st quarter. The Jets started off the 2nd quarter by having a punt blocked, giving Buffalo the ball on New York’s 35-yard line. Despite the premium field position, Buffalo turned the ball over on downs and got zero points. That seemed to be a sign of things to come as the Bills offense went missing for several quarters.
Somehow the Jets managed to get a couple of drives going and were only down 13-10 entering the final quarter. Could the Bills really blow this game? No, Josh Allen made some plays with his arm and legs to score two 4th quarter TDs for Buffalo. The final score wasn’t close, but for three quarters the Jets were actually in this game.
Buffalo needs to be worried moving on to the postseason. When Josh Allen (24/45, 239 yards, 2 TDs) is on they look unstoppable, but when he isn’t the offense does nothing. The blueprint for beating Buffalo is pretty simple. The Bills finished the season 11-6 and won the AFC East division title. They ended up with the #3 seed in the conference and will host a familiar foe next Saturday night: the New England Patriots. They better hope the weather isn’t too windy.
The Jets gave Buffalo a good fight, but they are the Jets. Zach Wilson (7/20, 87 yards, 1 TD) capped off his lousy rookie season with a terrible game. At least he didn’t throw any picks. Wilson did little of anything this year to convince people he is going to be the answer at quarterback moving forward, but with the money the Jets have tied up in him he will be given another chance next year. The Jets finished their season at 4-13.
Dolphins 33 Patriots 29
The Patriots needed to win this game to have any hope of winning the AFC East. Hell if they won and got real lucky they could have even moved up to the #2 seed in the AFC. Not only didn’t they get lucky, they didn’t even win. What is it about South Florida that is Kryptonite to New England? They didn’t win there much even when they had Tom Brady.
New England put themselves in a big hole early. They let the Dolphins march right down the field for a TD with their first possession and then Mac Jones’s first pass was intercepted for a pick-six. Halfway through the 1st quarter New England already trailed 14-0. The Patriots got a TD in the 2nd quarter, but still trailed 17-7 at the break.
The Patriot opened the second half with a field goal, yet then surrendered another TD to Miami. New England started to drive the ball again, but Mac Jones lost a fumble and the Dolphins converted the turnover into a field goal. Early in the 4th quarter the Dolphins led 27-10.
However the Patriots were resilient and scored two unanswered TDs in the 4th quarter to get within three points. The Dolphins couldn’t quite run out the clock and punted the ball to New England with 14 seconds left on the clock. The Patriots got the ball back on their own 2-yard line. They needed more than a miracle, they needed divine intervention. It didn’t happen as Mac Jones fumbled on the Dolphins returned it for a TD on the game’s final play.
The Patriots played a sloppy game, something that doesn’t happen normally let alone in important games. Mac Jones (20/30, 261 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 2 fumbles) led a furious comeback attempt, but his turnovers helped put the Patriots in a hole to begin with. The Patriots finished the season 10-7, getting a wild card spot in the #6 seed. That means a return trip to Buffalo next Saturday night.
The Dolphins took advantage of the Patriot’s mistakes and held on for the victory. Tua Tagovailoa (15/22, 109 yards, 1 TD) was well contained, but running back Duke Johnson (25 rushes, 117 yards, 1 TD) led a ground attack that piled up 195 yards. The Dolphins finished the season at 9-8.
Despite coming back from a 1-7 start to finish with a winning record, head coach Brian Flores was fired by the Dolphins. It came as a shock after the Dolphins just missed the playoffs by one game in each of the last two seasons with a weak roster. Apparently Flores and Tua didn’t get along. I’m surprised they stuck with Tua after all the talks about trading for another quarterback.
Buccaneers 41 Panthers 17
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had already claimed the NFC South title well ahead of Week 18. Yet they still needed to win because of seeding. The Bucs could have finished anywhere from the #2 to the #4 seed. A win and loss by the Rams got them the #2 seed.
Despite having plenty to play for, the Buccaneers came out rather flat on offense. After three quarters the Bucs only led 17-10. By the time the 4th quarter rolled around Tom Brady had seen enough. He led Tampa on four scoring drives for 24 points to blow the game wide open. Brady even made sure he stayed in the game long enough to ensure Rob Gronkowski hit the performance bonus in his contract. I thought Antonio Brown said he was a bad guy? Did Brown lie to us? Who would have thought? I know, everybody on the entire face of the planet.
Brady (29/37, 326 yards, 3 TDs) peppered Gronk (7 receptions, 137 yards) with targets. He also found the opportunity to hit Mike Evans (6 receptions, 89 yards, 2 TDs) with a couple of TD passes. At 44 years old Brady led the NFL in passing yards and passing TDs. Pretty freakin’ impressive. The Bucs finished the season at 13-4 and captured the #2 seed in the NFC. They will host the Eagles next Sunday. They beat the Eagles in Philadelphia 28-22 all the way back in Week 6.
The Panthers surprised everyone with their 3-0 start to the season, but oh boy did everything fall apart after that. Sam Darnold (29/42, 219 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT) didn’t do anything to convince us that he is the answer at quarterback moving forward. Christian McCaffrey missed most of the season with injuries again. The Panthers have decided to give head coach Matt Rhule another chance, but I suspect it’s his last one. The Panthers finished the season at 5-12.
Seahawks 38 Cardinals 30
The Cardinals had a lot to play for in Week 18. A win would have possibly given them the NFC West title and a chance at the #2 seed in the conference. The Seahawks on the other hand had nothing to play for but pride. Russell Wilson’s thumb injury earlier this year derailed their season. Yet when this game entered the 4th quarter tied at 24-24, it was Seattle who played like the team who had something to gain.
Seattle got off to a rough start. On their second play of the game, Russell Wilson was strip sacked and the Cardinals returned the fumble for an early TD. Yet Wilson picked himself up and threw a 43 yard TD pass to Tyler Lockett on Seattle’s next possession to tie the game.
Arizona kicked a field goal to start the 2nd quarter, but the Seahawks followed by scoring 10 more points before the break to take a 17-10 lead at halftime.
The game picked up in intensity in the second half. Arizona took the opening kickoff and drove down for a TD to tie the game at 17-17. Seattle got the ball, but Wilson was intercepted and the Cards defense returned the ball to the Seahawks 1-yard line. James Conner smashed into the end zone and the Cardinals retook the lead 24-17. A couple of punts followed before Rashaad Penny made a long run and Russell Wilson hit a few passes to give the Seahawks another TD. The game was tied at 24-24.
Before entering the final period, the Cardinals punter fumbled a snap and the Seahawks recovered. Seattle began the 4th quarter on the Cardinals 10-yard line. Three plays later Russell Wilson ran the ball into the end zone to give the Seahawks the lead at 31-24. The Cardinals responded with a field goal, but Rashaad Penny busted through the Arizona defense for a 62 yard TD run. With a little less than 5 minutes left on the clock, Seattle led 38-27.
Arizona started to drive the ball, but time was running out. With a little over a minute left they faced a 4th and goal from the Seahawks 18-yard line. Instead of going for it, the Cards kicked a field goal and decided to take their chance on an onside kick. They probably had better odds of converting the 4th down. The Seahawks recovered the kick and won the game.
Seattle finished their lost season with a big win. Russell Wilson (15/26, 238 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 1 fumble, 1 rushing TD) had some costly turnovers, but also made some big plays. The one bright spot for the Seahawks year has been the emergence of Rashaad Penny (23 rushes, 190 yards, 1 TD), who finished the year with several strong games. The Seahawks finished the season at 7-10. The big question this offseason is if Russell Wilson will return or will he demand a trade. My first thought is if Seattle coughs up a big enough contract he’ll stay. Then again Wilson seems to be fairly pussy-whipped by his wife and if she wants a change of scenery he’ll oblige.
With the Rams loss, the Cardinals blew an opportunity to win the division and get at least one home playoff game. Then again maybe that is for the best since Arizona finished the year with an abysmal 3-5 record at home. Kyler Murray (28/39, 240 yards, 1 TD) was uninspiring in a very important game. James Conner was solid on the ground (15 rushes, 5 yards, 1 TD) and in the air (6 receptions, 41 yards, 1 TD).
Arizona finished their season at 11-6 and garnered a wild card spot in the #5 seed. They will play the #4 seed Rams in Los Angeles next Monday night. They split the season series, but the Cardinals won the game in L.A. 37-20 back in October.
Whew, we finally made it to the end of the longest NFL season in history. I love football, but I'll stand by my earlier claim that 16 games was enough.
Did your favorite team make the playoffs? If so congratulations. I wish them luck, unless they face off against the Cowboys. In that circumstance they can go to hell.
If you favorite team is out of the playoffs try to enjoy the postseason anyway. You can always root for America's Team you know. Don't be a commie!
Thanks for reading and feel free to make a comment below.
My Vikings didn't make the playoffs this year so I'll be jumping on the Bills bandwagon and also hoping for the Packers to lose!
I wouldn't mind seeing the Bills win it all, if Dallas is out of course. It was a shame that talented Buffalo crew in the early 90's lost all four Super Bowls. They were a great team.
You know if Dallas beats San Fran and the Bucs beat the Eagles I'll be rooting for the Pack to lose pretty hard myself.
Been a crazy week. They definitely need to change the OT situation in the NFL.
I was always of the opinion that a full 5th quarter should be played for overtime. The league and the union reason that it is too much of an injury risk. Of course that didn't stop them from tacking another full game at the end of the regular season for $$$.
Yeah definitely. Maybe even use the college format. Nonetheless a tie should never exist.