Somehow, another NFL regular season has come and gone. When the very first game kicked off on Sept. 10, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there was no way to ensure we’d make it here.
Some teams (like the Browns) are sure as heck glad we did. Others (like the Jets) might’ve been OK with opting out, had that been an option.
At any rate, an unprecedented 14 teams have advanced to the playoffs, leaving 18 teams to head home, dust off their golf clubs and maybe join a fantasy hockey league or something.
On an eventful last day of the NFL’s anything-but-regular season, here are our key takeaways.
Browns partying like it’s 2002
Three years ago, Cleveland Browns fans staged a parade to “honour” the team’s 0-16 season. Now, they have something real to celebrate.
Baker Mayfield — Cleveland’s first-overall draft prize in 2018 after the winless season — guided the Browns to their first playoff berth since 2002 on Sunday, with a game-sealing first down in the final minute of a 24-22 win.
Sunday’s goal was simple for Cleveland: beat the Pittsburgh Steelers (sans a resting Ben Roethlisberger, who didn’t even make the trip to Ohio) and receive a post-season spot. In typical Browns fashion, though, the process was much trickier than it had to be.
Cleveland never trailed, but it gave the Steelers a chance when Browns coach Kevin Stefanski opted to go for a fourth-and-seven with 3:40 left — instead of attempting a 52-yard field goal to make it a two-score game.
The Steelers’ defence held up, then their offence marched down to score with 1:23 left. But Mason Rudolph failed to connect with Chase Claypool on a two-point conversion attempt, which gave the Browns the separation they needed.
Live it up, Browns fans. For those who gritted through the litany of mediocre signal-callers, from Holcomb to Hoyer and Frye to Weeden, this one’s for you.
Just know you’ll see a full-strength Pittsburgh bunch — in the Steel City — next week.
DH2K, Titans are kings of the AFC South
Forgive me for not knowing exactly how to describe the acts of Derrick Henry, Tennessee’s literal Titan, who is at times both an unstoppable force and immovable object.
Henry, who possesses breakaway speed despite packing 247 pounds into a six-foot-three frame, is exactly the type of player you should aspire to build in Madden. So perhaps it should be no surprise that he’s tearing up NFL defences and piling up milestones along the way.
With 250 rushing yards in Sunday’s shootout win over the Houston Texans, Henry became just the eighth player in NFL history to amass 2,000-plus rushing yards in a single season. He’s the first NFLer since Adrian Peterson (2012) to do that, and it’s not an accomplishment to take lightly.
Tennessee certainly needed every yard from him on Sunday. His final four yards put rookie kicker Sam Sloman in position to hit the game-winning field goal as time expired.
Next week, Henry and the AFC South champion Titans will host the Baltimore Ravens in a glorified track meet. The Titans, of course, have the league’s top rusher. But with Lamar Jackson and a stable of viable tailbacks in tow, the Ravens have the top rushing offence as a team.
Football Team, Eagles join forces to help Washington win NFC East
“Can you imagine being a member of the New York Giants and watching (this game)?” Cris Collinsworth asked his broadcast partner, Al Michaels, during their Sunday night call on NBC.
“No,” Michaels replied, pointedly.
Somewhere in or around East Rutherford, N.J., Giants players watched the prime-time matchup between the Washington Football Team and the Philadelphia Eagles with great interest. After beating the Dallas Cowboys earlier in the day, the Giants were in line to clinch the dreadful NFC East so long as Washington lost to Philadelphia.
Here’s the problem, though: a Washington win was beneficial to both teams playing Sunday night. And that’s what happened, as the Football Team won the division with a 20-14 victory.
For the Football Team, obviously, the incentive to win was a division title and a home playoff game. For the Eagles, the incentive to not win was a three-spot bump in the 2021 draft order, from ninth to sixth.
So when the Eagles trailed by only three points with 12:35 left in the game, they opted to remove quarterback Jalen Hurts in favour of third-stringer Nate Sudfeld. Three plays later, Sudfeld threw an interception.
On Philadelphia’s next possession, Sudfeld mishandled a snap and Washington recovered the fumble, which led to a field goal. All told, Sudfeld guided Philadelphia’s offence a total of 33 yards on four possessions, committing two turnovers and achieving one first down.
It seemed painfully obvious that Philadelphia was playing to lose, at least in the eyes of some Giants players:
Eagles coach Doug Pederson said in his post-game press conference that he was “coaching to win” and that playing Sudfeld was his decision. Whether or not that’s true, Giants fans won’t soon forget what happened here.
Meanwhile, Washington (7-9) became just the fifth team in NFL history — albeit third since 2010 — to reach the playoffs with a losing record. For what it’s worth, the 2010 Seahawks and 2015 Panthers both won their wild-card round matchups.
Rams ride anonymous quarterback to playoff berth
John Wolford has a LinkedIn profile, like many of us, only his features “Quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams” as his current job title. After Sunday, he can go ahead and add “led my team to a playoff-clinching win,” if he wants.
Wolford, a 25-year-old with exactly zero NFL snaps prior to this week, was called upon to take the place of L.A.’s injured starter Jared Goff (broken thumb) with a post-season spot at stake.
In an 18-7 win over the Cardinals (who were also fighting for their playoff lives), Wolford was not exactly a star: 231 passing yards, 56 rushing yards and one interception. But that was enough, as the Rams showed up on defence to claim a safety and an 84-yard pick six.
Troy Hill takes it back 84 yards. @RamsNFL take the lead! #RamsHouse
: #AZvsLAR on CBS
: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/fohj8JnptQ pic.twitter.com/SddICNwSIl— NFL (@NFL) January 3, 2021
Arizona had a funky quarterback situation of its own, as Kyler Murray was in, out and back in again while fighting an ankle injury. Between Murray and his backup — ex-CFLer Chris Streveler — the Cardinals compiled only 214 total yards, their fewest in a game this season.
If the Rams have it their way, Goff will be healthy enough to start next week’s wild-card game against the Seattle Seahawks. But if not, at least Wolford has his first NFL start (and win) accounted for.
Does the equity-analyst-turned-NFL-quarterback need a LinkedIn account still? Probably not. But thanks to a bit of superstition, he’s keeping it active for now.
John Wolford says he actually is not going to delete his Linked-In account because he is 1-0 with it active
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) January 4, 2021
Rodgers, Packers are the class of the NFC
How do you motivate a mid-30s quarterback to regain MVP form? Trade up to draft his replacement, of course!
Just kidding, we wouldn’t dream of giving the bulk of the credit for Aaron Rodgers’ remarkable season to the front office that took Jordan Love in the first round of April’s draft. The praise belongs to Rodgers alone, and pretty soon a third MVP trophy should belong to him, too.
Rodgers’s 13th season as Green Bay’s starting quarterback included an NFL-best 48 passing touchdowns (his career high) versus just five interceptions and nearly 270 yards per game. His 2020 campaign has been a hot fudge sundae, and Week 17 was the Maraschino cherry perched on top.
Green Bay needed a win to lock up home field advantage and, consequently, the conference’s lone bye for next week’s wild-card round. Playing on the road against the rival Chicago Bears, who could’ve clinched a playoff spot with a win, Rodgers had four touchdown passes and 240 yards on just 24 attempts.
He linked with Davante Adams for a touchdown — their 18th such connection in 14 games this year — and helped Adams break Sterling Sharpe’s single-season franchise record for receptions.
Green Bay may have drafted for the future, but Rodgers has ensured there’s plenty to be excited about in Titletown at present.
Oh, and for the Bears, their loss was oddly their gain. Despite losing to the Packers, and failing to achieve a winning season for the seventh time in the past eight years, Chicago (8-8) snuck in as the No. 7 seed thanks to Arizona’s loss.
Don’t tell that to the poor Dolphins fans, whose 10-6 group didn’t make the cut in the AFC.
