The Ringer - Everything You Need to Know About Week 17 of the 2019 NFL Season2020-01-05T18:26:15-05:00http://www.theringer.com/rss/stream/208059492020-01-05T18:26:15-05:002020-01-05T18:26:15-05:00At Long Last, Jason Garrett Is Out As Cowboys Head Coach
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<p>Garrett will not return to Dallas in 2020, ending a nine-year tenure full of clapping, heartbreak, and a stunning number of 8-8 seasons</p> <p id="fKVVSw">At the NFL combine in March, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told reporters that he wanted another Super Bowl more than he wanted another billion dollars. “There is absolutely nothing, short of the health and goodwill of the people I care about, there’s nothing that means more to me than if I could get a Super Bowl,” Jones <a href="https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/03/03/jerry-jones-this-is-my-30th-year-i-dont-have-30-more-i-want-a-super-bowl-now/">said</a>. </p>
<p id="Fr0DAm">For the past decade, Jones believed that head coach Jason Garrett would be the man to deliver him that Super Bowl. After Jones took what felt like <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2020/1/3/21048224/jason-garrett-jerry-jones-dallas-cowboys-coaching-limbo">another decade to contemplate Garrett’s fate</a>, the Cowboys owner has finally made his decision. Garrett’s contract as Cowboys coach is set to expire on January 14, and the team informed him on Sunday he will not be re-signed to a new one, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/NFLonFOX/status/1213956591524835328">Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer</a>. Glazer <a href="https://twitter.com/NotScTop10plays/status/1213889685359071240?s=20">reported</a> earlier on Sunday that Garrett was still asking Jones to consider keeping him as the head coach, so perhaps Garrett thinks this breakup is more like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXkHH6iWKO0">turning keys on a submarine</a>.</p>
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<p id="jZEIk9">The decision ends Garrett’s nine-year tenure with the Cowboys, which will go down as one of the most frustrating periods in the franchise’s 59-year history. Garrett finishes with a record of 85-67. He went 2-3 in the playoffs, and never advanced to an NFC championship game despite having multiple Super Bowl–caliber rosters. This year, Dallas had the healthiest and most talented team in the NFC East, but went 8-8 and failed to qualify for the postseason after losing a matchup against Philadelphia in Week 16 that ultimately decided the division. That’s par for the course for Garrett’s career: In each of his first three seasons in charge, the Cowboys went 8-8 and lost a de facto NFC East title game in the final two weeks of the season. It’s fitting that Garrett went out the way he came in.</p>
<p id="U86pPr">When Dallas did make the playoffs under Garrett’s watch, the trips didn’t last long. He registered two double-digit-win seasons: the 12-4 season in 2014, and the 13-3 campaign in 2016 that earned the Cowboys the NFC’s no. 1 seed. Both of those seasons ended with heartbreaking losses to the Packers, one of which turned on the infamous <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1khK6is-Bfs">Dez Bryant catch that wasn’t</a>. </p>
<p id="1VpBRC">Garrett’s lack of playoff success infuriated Cowboys fans, especially considering how much talent the team routinely accumulated. The coach presided over at least parts of the careers of Bryant, Tony Romo, Dak Prescott, Jason Witten, DeMarco Murray, and Ezekiel Elliott, plus offensive linemen Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, and Travis Frederick. Except for Romo and Prescott, all of those players have been named first-team All-Pro. Yet for seven of Garrett’s nine seasons at the helm, the whole of Dallas’s team was less than the sum of its parts. Garrett’s offensive play-calling got stale enough that he gave up the duty after 2013. Five years later, the Cowboys offense remained repetitive and predictable. It took the team trading a first-rounder for receiver Amari Cooper in October 2018 to inject life into that unit, and even when the offense finally began to hum the Cowboys struggled to beat teams with winning records.</p>
<p id="cdWusC">This year, the Cowboys seemed poised to make a Super Bowl run. With Prescott entering the final season of his ludicrously cheap rookie contract, Dallas was able to pay big for premier talent elsewhere: It boasted the league’s most expensive offensive line and highest-paid running back, and gave shiny new deals to defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and linebacker Jaylon Smith. New offensive coordinator Kellen Moore took over play-calling responsibilities and modernized the Cowboys offense, and the division was downtrodden elsewhere; Philadelphia was beset by injuries, and New York and Washington were in the doldrums. Instead of dominating, though, Dallas wilted when it mattered most. That’s a feature of the Garrett era, not a bug.</p>
<p id="dSDJNk">No matter how many times Garrett’s teams underperformed in the past, Jones stood by him. He <a href="https://www.espn.com/dallas/nfl/story/_/id/7348885/dallas-cowboys-owner-jerry-jones-says-jason-garrett-job-safe">defended Garrett</a> after the Cowboys went 8-8 and lost the division to the Giants in the final week of the 2011 season. He <a href="https://www.espn.com/dallas/nfl/story/_/id/8869626/jerry-jones-dallas-cowboys-hints-jason-garrett-give-play-calling">defended Garrett</a> after the Cowboys went 8-8 and lost the division to Washington in the final week of 2012. He <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/jerry-jones-cowboys-going-forward-with-jason-garrett-in-2014/">defended Garrett</a> after the Cowboys went 8-8 and lost the division to the Eagles in the final week of 2013. In 2014, the final year of Garrett’s first contract, the Cowboys went 12-4 and lost in the divisional round. Jones, believing the team had turned the corner, signed Garrett to a new deal worth $30 million over five years. In the first year of that contract, Dallas dipped to 4-12. “Change isn’t always the right answer,” Jones <a href="https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/01/01/stephen-jones-on-jason-garretts-future-hes-safe/">said</a> after that season. “We’re not big believers in it.” </p>
<p id="rBwf03">Jones’s almost unwavering belief in Garrett was strange considering the coach’s lack of a track record. The son of longtime Cowboys scout Jim Garrett, Jason was signed as Dallas’s third-string quarterback in 1992. The arrangement came about because Jim asked then-Cowboys offensive coordinator Norv Turner to give his son a tryout. “I said, ‘Norv, I hate to do this to you, but could you ever look at Jason?’” the late Jim Garrett told <a href="https://www.dallascowboys.com/video/deep-blue-the-jim-garrett-story-383416">the official Cowboys website in a video last year</a>. </p>
<p id="yQQblo">The Cowboys signed Jason and he spent eight seasons with the team, going from the practice squad to third-string quarterback to backup for Troy Aikman. Garrett later served stints on the Giants, Buccaneers, and Dolphins and retired after the 2004 season. He became the Dolphins quarterbacks coach in 2005, working with Daunte Culpepper and Joey Harrington, and was brought back to Dallas to run the offense in 2007; the move looked brilliant when the Cowboys finished second in points per game. Garrett began to get head-coaching interviews in the winter of 2008, so Jones made him <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=3200822">the highest-paid assistant in football</a>, with a roughly $3 million salary. When Wade Phillips was fired midseason in 2010, Garrett was promoted to interim head coach, and then given the full-time job in January 2010. He remained in that role until 2020, though his tenure truly ended when he went peak <em>Friday Night Lights </em>by playing a football game with his family on the field at AT&T Stadium after Dallas was eliminated in Week 17.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">RT tracksmackdawn: RT dmn_cowboys: Hours after the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DallasCowboys?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DallasCowboys</a> win over the Redskins, Jason Garrett took to the field at AT&T Stadium for possibly the last time as head coach to throw around the football with his family and friends. <br><br> : SmileyPoo… <a href="https://t.co/Psyn4lhx22">pic.twitter.com/Psyn4lhx22</a></p>— Gameday Media Inc (@GamedayMediaInc) <a href="https://twitter.com/GamedayMediaInc/status/1211669342846365696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2019</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jason Garrett still out here playing QB for both teams <a href="https://t.co/lLEMZLvHCB">pic.twitter.com/lLEMZLvHCB</a></p>— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) <a href="https://twitter.com/jonmachota/status/1211502052125356032?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2019</a>
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<p id="wsEvYD">There are plenty of candidates to become the Cowboys’ next coach. They’ve reportedly already interviewed former Packers coach Mike McCarthy and former Bengals coach Marvin Lewis. At the college level, Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley, Baylor’s Matt Rhule, and former Ohio State coach Urban Meyer have all been rumored to be on Dallas’s radar. Coaching the most popular team in America and the most valuable sports franchise in the world is tantalizing enough to intrigue anybody this side of Bill Belichick. But whoever Jones chooses will not be in charge. Jerry is in charge. </p>
<p id="sMpuOj">“You can’t look at three playoff wins over the last 25 years and surmise that all the problems over that time have to do with coaching,” former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman <a href="https://www.star-telegram.com/sports/nfl/dallas-cowboys/article238026979.html">said in December</a>. “I think you have to look at the top and say how are we doing it from the top? I think businesses do that. I think anyone worth their salt evaluate it from the top down.”</p>
<p id="m6ME5v">After Aikman made those comments, <a href="https://1053thefan.radio.com/articles/news/jerry-jones-says-cowboys-have-not-met-with-any-coaches">a Dallas radio host asked Jones</a>, point blank, why he was still the best person to be the Cowboys GM. “I have always thought that when you can cut out the person between the decision-maker and the people doing the recommending, that you can make quicker, more succinct, and more responsive decisions,” Jones said. “The very first press conference I was ever involved in [in 1989], I explained to everyone how I was going to run the Dallas Cowboys. Since I owned them. The very first one. I said I would be involved in everything from this to jocks and socks, whatever. And I‘m not trying to be cute. There has never been any doubt in anybody’s mind how I run the Dallas Cowboys, and how I ran the Cowboys from the day I got here. <em>Nobody</em> can exchange a player, nobody can do anything unless I have approved it tacitly or otherwise.” </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="mccImT">Jones says he would give up anything for another Super Bowl, but when he hires his next head coach, we’ll see whether he’s willing to give up any control. If not, he may have to be happy with another billion dollars.</p>
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2020/1/5/21043150/jason-garrett-head-coach-dallas-cowboys-jerry-jonesDanny Heifetz2020-01-01T14:43:24-05:002020-01-01T14:43:24-05:00‘Slow News Day’: The Ravens and the 49ers Are Going to the Super Bowl
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<p>With playoffs starting this week, Kevin Clark is already confident in his Super Bowl prediction </p> <p id="s4urzN">The NFL playoffs start this week and <em>The Ringer</em>’s Kevin Clark is already confident in his Super Bowl matchup prediction. He explains why he thinks the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers will meet in Super Bowl LIV before addressing the mess that is the Cleveland Browns. Then Ryen Russillo joins the show to talk about the Browns, Freddie Kitchens, and Kevin Clark’s recent interaction with Steve Belichick.</p>
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https://www.theringer.com/2020/1/1/21045701/slow-news-day-the-ravens-and-the-49ers-are-going-to-the-super-bowlKevin ClarkRyen Russillo2019-12-30T19:09:57-05:002019-12-30T19:09:57-05:00‘The Ryen Russillo Podcast’: What to Wear: 2020 With Chris Long and Big Cat. Plus Week 17 Recap.
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<p>Plus, Chris Long shares some Week 17 stories from his career</p> <p id="492VHb"><a href="https://art19.com/shows/the-ryen-russillo-podcast/episodes/4255a235-48f1-4bea-800b-902f8c690db5">It’s the end of the NFL regular season</a>, and Russillo is joined by two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Long to discuss Week 17. They discuss 49ers-Seahawks, Lions-Packers, Patriots-Dolphins, Eagles-Giants, Jameis Winston’s future, head coach turnover, and Round 1 projections. Plus, Chris Long shares some Week 17 stories from his career and more (8:50). Then Chris and Ryen are joined by Big Cat of the <em>Pardon My Take</em> podcast to talk about male fashion trends in 2020 and what gems from the past they would like to bring back (1:18:25).</p>
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<p id="iPb6i9"><strong>Subscribe:</strong> <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ryen-russillo-podcast/id1433966613">Apple Podcasts</a> / <a href="https://art19.com/shows/the-ryen-russillo-podcast">Art19</a> / <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/DualThreatWithRyenRussillo">RSS</a></p>
https://www.theringer.com/video/2019/12/30/21043696/the-ryen-russillo-podcast-what-to-wear-2020-with-chris-long-and-big-cat-plus-week-17-recapRyen Russillo2019-12-30T13:11:05-05:002019-12-30T13:11:05-05:00The Giants’ Pat Shurmur Era Is Over. The Dave Gettleman Era Continues.
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<p>New York fired its head coach on the heels of a 4-12 season, but its decision to keep its GM is more consequential—and controversial</p> <p id="5aP5Ow">The New York Football Giants have the worst record (12-36) in the NFL over the last three years. Now, the coach who oversaw two of those seasons is gone. On Monday, after New York completed a 4-12 campaign, Giants co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch fired head coach Pat Shurmur.</p>
<p id="622it0">“The last three seasons have been extremely disappointing for the organization and our fans,” Mara said in a <a href="https://www.giants.com/news/giants-part-ways-with-head-coach-pat-shurmur">statement released by the team</a>. “Pat has been a successful and highly-respected NFL coach for 21 years and he is not solely responsible for our record. But we came to the conclusion it is best to have a fresh start with the coaching staff.”</p>
<p id="v4hjI1">Mara and Tisch also announced that they will be retaining Giants general manager Dave Gettleman, who has been in his role for the last two years, “in 2020 and hopefully for many years after that,” Mara said in the statement. “We believe he is the right person to lead us going forward. Dave has a long record of success.”</p>
<p id="JaTUET">Despite the joint statement from Mara and Tisch, <a href="https://theathletic.com/1495757/2019/12/30/as-the-giants-end-their-season-pat-shurmur-and-dave-gettleman-await-official-news-on-their-futures/">multiple reports</a> <a href="https://nypost.com/2019/12/28/giants-owners-could-be-at-odds-over-pat-shurmurs-future/">have stated</a> that the Giants ownership was divided about keeping Shurmur and Gettleman, with Tisch preferring change and Mara preferring stability. It’s unclear what part of this team deserves to be stabilized, however, given that it has fewer wins over the last three years than the Browns, who infamously went 0-16 one season during that stretch.</p>
<p id="gJFkct">Shurmur coached in both Cleveland and New York, and he leaves both cities after two years with a 9-23 record. (Hey, at least he’s consistent.) The nine wins across two seasons are fewer than former Giants coach Ben McAdoo recorded in his 11-5 debut campaign. After overseeing a Vikings offense that flourished behind quarterback Case Keenum in 2017, Shurmur was hired in 2018 with the expectation that he would turn the Giants around after they went 3-13 in 2017. Instead, they went 5-11 in 2018 and 4-12 in 2019, with Shurmur failing to inject much creativity into New York’s offense. He rarely found new ways to get Saquon Barkley the ball (Barkley lined up in the slot 10 times this season; Christian McCaffrey lined up there 66 times), and he didn’t instill much pocket presence in Daniel Jones, the no. 6 draft pick who started his career with two spectacular wins but lost his next eight games. Jones fumbled 18 times this season, the most for a player in a single season since Daunte Culpepper fumbled 23 times for the Minnesota Vikings in 2002. Jones reached that mark in just 13 games.</p>
<p id="rz9bR8">The decision to fire Shurmur didn’t come as a surprise. The choice to keep Gettleman, though, is more consequential and controversial. Gettleman came to New York after the 2017 season, and in his time in charge he’s proved to be a good scout but a terrible manager. Gettleman clearly has a decent eye for talent, drafting Barkley, guard Will Hernandez, defensive end Lorenzo Carter, and receiver Darius Slayton. But he nullifies any value he brings there by eschewing modern team-building logic. Gettleman began his Giants tenure by mocking the analytics departments that have propelled the Ravens to become the league’s best and most exciting team. Whereas most franchises subscribe to the notion that having as many draft picks as possible is a good thing, Gettleman goes the other way. His philosophy is essentially the opposite of that of Bill Belichick and the Patriots.</p>
<p id="AIgss1">“All kidding aside, having 12 picks is crazy,” Gettleman <a href="https://www.giants.com/news/gettleman-sets-scene-for-thickest-draft-as-gm">said before this spring’s draft</a>. “One of the things I have talked about is that you don’t want to draft a player that you are going to cut. Every guy you draft, there is a reason you are drafting him and a reason that he should make your club. First-, second-, third-round draft picks at the very least, you are looking for a big rotational player.”</p>
<p id="jsUCJN">Gettleman has never traded down as a GM, during his time with either the Panthers or the Giants. After the 2018 draft, he told reporters that he had only been offered “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSE3xtMwujE&feature=youtu.be&t=308">a bag of doughnuts, a hot pretzel, a hot dog</a>” for the no. 2 pick that became Barkley, even though the Jets traded away three second-rounders to move up to the no. 3 spot. Gettleman <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSE3xtMwujE&feature=youtu.be&t=308">also said</a> that once the Browns surprised everyone by taking Baker Mayfield at no. 1 overall in 2018, he didn’t even want to field phone calls for the no. 2 pick. Considering that quarterbacks Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, and Lamar Jackson were still on the board, not taking phone calls for that pick was borderline malpractice.</p>
<p id="pfaUeo">Gettleman also reportedly didn’t call other teams when he wanted to trade Odell Beckham Jr. last offseason. The Giants signed Beckham to what was then the largest deal for a receiver in league history in August 2018, later saying “we didn’t sign him to trade him.” But Gettleman soon began to shop Beckham and completed a deal with Browns GM John Dorsey, his friend of 37 years, without first asking other teams if they could beat Cleveland’s offer. “The 49ers were stunned,” according to a joint report from <a href="https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/26432284/this-real-how-browns-pulled-odell-beckham-jr-trade">ESPN’s Jordan Raanan and Pat McManamon</a>. “[San Francisco general manager John] Lynch and Gettleman had multiple conversations spanning weeks. Despite the 49ers monitoring the situation closely, they ultimately never heard from the Giants before the trade was made.”</p>
<p id="5HlaKs">Gettleman also let safety Landon Collins leave the Giants in 2019 free agency rather than franchise-tagging him or trading him at the 2018 deadline. Based on the record-setting contract that Collins signed with Washington, he likely would’ve netted New York more than the third-round compensatory pick he may get the team next year. In October, Gettleman dealt third- and fifth-round picks in 2020—including the no. 68 pick in the draft—for Jets defensive end Leonard Williams, who was in the final year of his contract. Williams did not register a sack in seven games with the Giants this year and is now due to become a free agent.</p>
<p id="BHBPhk">Gettleman is not entirely safe, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Schefter <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1211656361811070976?s=20">reported</a> Monday that Gettleman and Dorsey may be at the whims of the teams’ next head coaches, who may have input on whether they stay. For Gettleman, that could mean his future may depend on the preferences of Baylor head coach Matt Rhule or Pats offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, <a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1211678171655000064">both of whom have been linked to the Giants’ vacancy</a>. </p>
<p id="zQzfwt">If Gettleman does return, it’s still unlikely that quarterback Eli Manning will play for the Giants again. His contract is set to expire, probably ending his 15 years with the team that included two Super Bowl wins over the Patriots.</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="unn1vU">This team is a long way away from those Super Bowl teams. New York’s 12 wins from 2017 to 2019 are the franchise’s lowest total over a three-year span since the mid-1970s, before the league went to a 16-game regular season. On the bright side, the Giants have nowhere to go but up.</p>
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/12/30/21043084/pat-shurmur-dave-gettleman-new-york-giantsDanny Heifetz2019-12-30T12:43:20-05:002019-12-30T12:43:20-05:00Which NFL Playoff Team Has the Best Chance to Win the Super Bowl?
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<p>The postseason field is finally locked, which means it’s time to handicap all 12 teams and determine which is most (and least) likely to hold up the Lombardi Trophy come February</p> <aside id="GCZ3Xa"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 17 of the 2019 NFL Season","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/12/29/21041908/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-17-of-the-2019-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="twYYKF">We did it. It’s finally playoff time. After 16 grueling games and a surprisingly wild Week 17, the NFL postseason field is set. So rather than pore over what happened on Sunday, I thought it’d be best to go through all 12 playoff teams and determine which one has the best chance to win it all. Let’s get to it. </p>
<h3 id="P7EHUn">12. Philadelphia Eagles</h3>
<p id="Tp5iQw">Doug Pederson’s team gutted out huge wins in the past couple of weeks to sneak into the playoff field, but Philly is just too banged up to make a run. The list of injured Eagles is ridiculous. Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, Malik Jackson, Lane Johnson, Zach Ertz, Jordan Howard, Jalen Mills, Nelson Agholor, and Ronald Darby were all out for Week 17, and that was <em>before </em>both running back Miles Sanders and guard Brandon Brooks left Sunday’s game with injuries. Philly still has plenty of talent, especially in its front four. But even if the Eagles somehow sneak past the Seahawks—who are dealing with their own injury issues right now—next week, it’d be tough to go on the road in the divisional round and beat a talented group like the 49ers. The Eagles are a well-coached team that will be relevant again next season as they bring back most of this roster, but this just isn’t their year. </p>
<h3 id="16Q1ve">11. Minnesota Vikings</h3>
<p id="TSr9JS">At their best, the Vikings have looked like one of the top teams in football this season. Mike Zimmer’s defense has continued its trademark excellence—with guys like Eric Kendricks and Danielle Hunter turning in career years—and that unit will likely finish in the top 10 in Football Outsiders’ DVOA for the fourth straight season. That just isn’t easy to do in this era. </p>
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<p id="rIs8JT">Great defense has become the expectation in Minnesota, but what set this year’s Vikings apart was the offense<em>. </em>Offensive adviser Gary Kubiak and offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski devised a play-action-heavy system that perfectly fit quarterback Kirk Cousins and the Vikings’ offensive personnel. Cousins had arguably the best season of his career in 2019. During a seven-game stretch in the middle of the season, Cousins completed 73.3 percent of his passes while throwing 18 touchdowns and just one interception. Minnesota’s offense settled into a groove in October and currently ranks 10th in DVOA. </p>
<p id="IOYV5O">If <em>that </em>Vikings team shows up in the wild-card round against New Orleans, Minnesota may very well have a chance to pull off an upset. But this group had a troubling performance in its last meaningful game. In Week 16, with the chance at a division title on the line, the Vikings got dismantled by the Packers defense; Cousins averaged just 3.13 yards per attempt and completed 16 of his 31 attempts in a 23-10 throttling. That game could be an aberration—especially considering that Minnesota’s top two running backs were out with injury. But New Orleans has a talented defense and frightening front four that could easily give the Vikings fits in the same way Green Bay did. The Superdome is never an easy place to play, and it’s not surprising that Minnesota opened as an 8-point underdog. </p>
<h3 id="3woa82">10. Buffalo Bills</h3>
<p id="sXx8tq">It’s been a fun season for Bills fans, but it still feels like this team is a year away from making any significant noise in the postseason. Buffalo’s defense could absolutely be a problem for the Texans in the wild-card round. The Bills’ secondary is one of the league’s best, and there’s a reason that Buffalo is currently ranked third in pass defense DVOA. But if Sean McDermott’s team does manage to knock off Houston, a trip to Baltimore will likely follow. The Bills hung with the Ravens in a 24-17 loss earlier this month, but it’s hard to imagine a Josh Allen–led offense keeping pace with Lamar Jackson on the road. Buffalo’s front office has done an excellent job of assembling this team and steering the franchise in the right direction, but it just doesn’t feel like the Bills are ready to take on the AFC’s heavy hitters. </p>
<h3 id="MCG8w3">9. Tennessee Titans</h3>
<p id="VgyDLH">Congratulations, Titans. You took care of business in Week 17 and secured the no. 6 seed in the AFC. Your reward? A trip to New England to face the greatest coach and quarterback of all time. Playing in Gillette Stadium in the playoffs has long been a nightmare for visiting teams, but this year, going to Foxborough doesn’t seem quite as daunting. I’m sure this statement will come back to haunt me when the Patriots are lifting the Lombardi Trophy in February, but Bill Belichick’s team looks more vulnerable than it has in years. </p>
<p id="gXsqYR">The Titans, on the other hand, have looked like a completely different team since inserting Ryan Tannehill into the starting lineup. Tennessee ranks <em>fifth </em>in weighted offensive DVOA (which prioritizes recent performance) and has developed a strong identity on offense. The Titans want to pound the ball with Derrick Henry—who looked healthy and explosive on Sunday after sitting out Week 16 with a hamstring injury—and use play-action complements to their ground game. Tannehill has played the best football of his career under first-year coordinator Arthur Smith, and he’s developed a strong connection with the offensive weapons in this system. The Patriots’ top-ranked defense will be a significant challenge for this Titans group, but it wouldn’t be shocking to see Tennessee go into New England and pull off a win. </p>
<aside id="E1aCxU"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"The Winners and Losers of NFL Week 17","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/12/30/21042438/winners-losers-week-17-nfl-playoffs"}]}'></div></aside><h3 id="ybfNdV">8. Houston Texans</h3>
<p id="J4Jq4c">It’s difficult to get a handle on how good the Texans really are. When healthy and clicking, Deshaun Watson and his receivers can burn defenses to the ground. But Will Fuller is still nursing a groin injury, and though Kenny Stills is a solid alternative if Fuller can’t go this weekend against the Bills, Houston’s passing game is just different with its speedster on the field. As Pro Football Focus’s Kevin Cole <a href="https://twitter.com/KevinColePFF/status/1210189518491414528?s=20">pointed out</a> earlier this week, Watson’s expected points added with Fuller in the lineup is an absurd 78.2 this season. With Fuller out, that number is negative-4.3. Watson, Fuller, and DeAndre Hopkins is a combination that should scare any defense, but the rest of Houston’s roster still has plenty of holes. The Texans are expected to get J.J. Watt back this week after he missed eight games with a torn pec, but even with their star pass rusher back in the fold, there are plenty of questions about how Houston’s defense will hold up against teams like Baltimore and Kansas City—should the Texans make it past the wild-card round. This defense is healthier than it’s been all season, especially in the secondary, but the Texans still aren’t quite in the same class as the AFC’s best. </p>
<h3 id="S7LFlm">7. Seattle Seahawks</h3>
<p id="9bafx1">Based on their injury issues and recent offensive slump, the Seahawks should probably be lower on this list. Seattle has enjoyed some excellent luck in close games this season and could easily be 9-7 if a couple of opposing kickers had made field goals late in games. But Russell Wilson gives this team a chance any time it takes the field. After starting the season on an MVP-worthy tear, Wilson has fallen off a bit during the second half of the year, but he still brought this team within about 6 inches of winning the NFC West on Sunday night. Injuries to key players like Chris Carson, Duane Brown, and Quandre Diggs have hurt Seattle, but no one would be surprised if this group went on the road and beat the Eagles next weekend—despite being short-handed. A win over Philly would likely mean a rubber match with the 49ers in the divisional round, and we’ve already seen how well Seattle plays against its division rivals this season. The Seahawks may not be quite as talented as some of the other playoff contenders, but this group has a way of sticking around. </p>
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<h3 id="3fIdUV">6. Green Bay Packers</h3>
<p id="r3oJIL">It’s been a disheartening couple of weeks for the Green Bay passing game. With a first-round bye on the line on Sunday, the Packers were expected to blow out a David Blough–led Detroit team. Instead, Aaron Rodgers struggled to find his receivers all afternoon, and Green Bay needed a late touchdown drive to tie the game and a last-second Mason Crosby field goal to win it. The Packers are still a daunting opponent, with their strong defense—particularly the Za’Darius Smith–led pass rush—and excellent skill-position duo of Aaron Jones and Davante Adams. But even with a first-round bye and a home game in the divisional round, it’s hard to imagine Green Bay beating a team like New Orleans if the offense continues to struggle. The Packers may have gotten the no. 2 seed, but at this point, they’re clearly the third-best team in the NFC. </p>
<h3 id="LJqHdY">5. New England Patriots</h3>
<p id="r629Gu">Throwing dirt on the Patriots is always risky, but Sunday’s letdown against the Dolphins was worrisome. New England has lost <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/12/2/20991783/patriots-loss-texans-tom-brady-bill-belichick-playoff-path">ugly games in December before</a>, but with a first-round bye on the line, the Patriots couldn’t dispatch a four-win Dolphins team that’s in the midst of an organizational teardown. The Pats offense lacks an identity. Tom Brady has almost single-handedly overcome a lack of weapons in the past, but at age 42, he’s not able to carry this unit in the same way. New England just doesn’t have many answers on that side of the ball right now. The Pats tried to feed N’Keal Harry on Sunday, but the rookie receiver doesn’t look ready to take on such a large role. No one would be surprised if the Patriots defense carried them to a couple of ugly wins and got this team back into the AFC championship game, but it also wouldn’t be shocking to see New England lose to a feisty Titans team on Saturday. </p>
<h3 id="qPl7mE">4. San Francisco 49ers</h3>
<p id="PIy9WY">After riding a red-hot defense for the first half of the season, the Niners have been forced to lean on head coach Kyle Shanahan and the offense in recent weeks. There are worse fates. Aside from tight end George Kittle, San Francisco doesn’t have any established stars on offense, but Shanahan has found a recipe that works. Undrafted running back Raheem Mostert has developed into an explosive threat. Rookie receiver Deebo Samuel has become a terror with the ball in his hands, and Shanahan continues to find creative ways to get him in space. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk emerged as a vertical threat in Sunday’s win over the Seahawks. The Niners are a creative, talented bunch that will enjoy home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. If San Francisco can get key defenders Jaquiski Tartt and Dee Ford back healthy for the playoffs, this team can absolutely get all the way to the Super Bowl. </p>
<h3 id="onAYuY">3. Kansas City Chiefs</h3>
<p id="ul7Gjv">Man, did the Chiefs catch a break on Sunday. New England’s loss to Miami opened the door for Kansas City to snag the AFC’s no. 2 seed and a crucial first-round bye. This weekend, instead of hosting a Titans team that beat them in November, the Chiefs will be watching the wild-card round from the comfort of their own homes. Sunday’s seed shuffling may also result in the Chiefs hosting the Patriots in the divisional round rather than heading to Foxborough—which is a potentially season-changing swing. Kansas City is less than a month removed from picking up a convincing road win over the Pats; hosting the Patriots this time around, the Chiefs would almost surely be a considerable favorite. Andy Reid’s team wasn’t the juggernaut that many expected them to be heading into the season. But this group has overcome a serious injury to Patrick Mahomes, fixed many of its issues on defense, and ended up with a bye in the first round. The Chiefs are the team we thought they were. It just took a while to get there.</p>
<h3 id="MIoqYd">2. New Orleans Saints</h3>
<p id="SkuCWh">The Lions failed to come through on Sunday, which means the Saints won’t have an all-important first-round bye. But this still looks like the best team in the NFC. New Orleans has lost a couple of key defenders to injury this season, but from top to bottom this roster is absolutely loaded. Drew Brees has been lights-out since returning from his thumb injury in Week 8, and missing five games has turned out to be a blessing for the 40-year-old quarterback. After wearing down near the end of last season, Brees looked fresh in Sunday’s teardown of the Panthers. He’s playing as well as any passer in football right now, and the rest of the offense seems to be falling into place as well. Running back Alvin Kamara hasn’t produced this season like he has in the past, but he’s looked good over the Saints’ past couple of games. And Michael Thomas has been unstoppable all year. If New Orleans can take care of the Vikings this week, the team will head to Green Bay for the divisional round. That’s no easy task, but at this point, the Saints are better than the Packers. Winning two road games en route to the Super Bowl is a significant challenge, but this is the type of team that can pull it off. </p>
<h3 id="fniFfz">1. Baltimore Ravens </h3>
<p class="c-end-para" id="Fa4K1X">I mean, c’mon. No other team could top this list. The Ravens have looked like a machine during the second half of the season. Lamar Jackson is the runaway MVP, Baltimore has the best-designed offense in the league, and the defense has emerged as a dangerous unit. The Ravens have the most efficient passing game in the NFL, the best running game in the league, and a cavalcade of stars on both sides of the ball. This team is the favorite to win it all. </p>
<aside id="Mri4uP"><div data-anthem-component="newsletter" data-anthem-component-data='{"slug":"ringer_newsletter"}'></div></aside>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/12/30/21042994/nfl-playoff-teams-chances-to-win-super-bowl-ravens-saints-49ers-patriotsRobert Mays2019-12-30T08:06:00-05:002019-12-30T08:06:00-05:00NFL Playoff Gambling, Niners Magic, Jameis 30/30, and the Stumbling Pats With Cousin Sal
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<p>Bill Simmons is joined by Cousin Sal to discuss a 49ers-Seahawks nail-biter</p> <p id="6iy6UL"><a href="https://art19.com/shows/the-bill-simmons-podcast/episodes/998c7b76-6892-463e-a4a2-db7de04a8bfb">Bill Simmons is joined by Cousin Sal</a> to discuss a 49ers-Seahawks nail-biter, the Dolphins taking down the Patriots, Cowboys-Giants, Jameis Winston’s 30 for 30, favorite Cleveland Browns coach of the decade, and Super Bowl odds (1:54), before guessing the lines for Round 1 of the NFL playoffs (52:25). Finally, Bill is joined by his daughter, Zoe Simmons, to briefly discuss the standout teen culture moments of 2019 (1:22:20).</p>
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https://www.theringer.com/the-bill-simmons-podcast/2019/12/30/21042579/nfl-playoff-gambling-niners-magic-jameis-30-30-stumbling-pats-with-cousin-salBill Simmons2019-12-30T02:32:22-05:002019-12-30T02:32:22-05:00The Winners and Losers of NFL Week 17
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<p>The Dolphins relegated the Patriots to wild-card weekend for the first time in a decade, the Eagles’ roster of randos clinched a playoff berth, and Jameis Winston cemented his status as an NFL legend</p> <aside id="NHJgWE"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 17 of the 2019 NFL Season","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/12/29/21041908/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-17-of-the-2019-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="6Ug0iM"><em>Every week this NFL season, we will celebrate the electric plays, investigate the colossal blunders, and explain the inexplicable moments of the most recent slate. Welcome to Winners and Losers. Which one are you?</em></p>
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<h3 id="ujT0Ff">Winner: The End of the NFL Season</h3>
<p id="0RT3Bk">There were 256 regular-season NFL games this year, and the race for home-field advantage in the NFC came down to a few inches in the final seconds of the 256th. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">This angle shows Jacob Hollister just falling short of the goal line. Wild finish! <a href="https://t.co/e9FqTfKDjl">pic.twitter.com/e9FqTfKDjl</a></p>— Eric Rosenthal (@ericsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/ericsports/status/1211504925458354177?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2019</a>
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<p id="Hnbsqt">Let’s start at the end, with 30 seconds remaining in the NFC West–deciding matchup between the 49ers and Seahawks. If San Francisco won, it would be the no. 1 seed and play home games until the Super Bowl. If Seattle won, the Seahawks would play a home game next week, and the Niners would be the no. 5 seed, eligible to play a home playoff game only if they won back-to-back road games and hosted the no. 6 seed (who also won back-to-back road games) in the NFC championship game. So, yeah, there was a lot on the line. </p>
<p id="WALNKb">Trailing 26-21, the Seahawks were driving for a win. The below play—a fourth-down throw to a player with zero career catches—was almost normal compared to what followed:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Former <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HawaiiFB?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HawaiiFB</a> receiver John Ursua’s first catch of the season was a HUGE one! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bowsinthepros?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#bowsinthepros</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoBows?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoBows</a><br> <a href="https://t.co/74cNYWo699">pic.twitter.com/74cNYWo699</a></p>— ESPN Honolulu (@ESPNHonolulu) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNHonolulu/status/1211503335875854336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2019</a>
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<p id="ogkFVJ">The catch by John Ursua kept Seattle alive by giving them a first down, but didn’t win them the game. It gave Seattle the ball at the 1-yard line with 23 seconds left and no timeouts. But left tackle George Fant was limping after the play, and struggled to get back to the line of scrimmage for the next snap. The Seahawks had no timeouts left, and couldn’t run a play with an injured left tackle, so they decided to spike the ball, giving themselves a chance to reboot.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">With about 25 seconds left on the play clock, it’s seems like the Seattle Medical Staff was running on to the field and Fant waives them off. Throws everything off. Russ thinks they may have re-set the play clock. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FantsFault?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FantsFault</a> <a href="https://t.co/2XG7ECRcU9">pic.twitter.com/2XG7ECRcU9</a></p>— GrantLA (@GrantedLA) <a href="https://twitter.com/GrantedLA/status/1211510682413219846?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2019</a>
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<p id="lYYhll">Now, the clock seemingly wasn’t a factor—but personnel was. The Seahawks had the ball at the 1-yard line with the game on the line—just like they did in Super Bowl XLIX, when they famously didn’t hand the ball to power back extraordinaire Marshawn Lynch. Luckily, Seattle had a chance to right that wrong—the Seahawks thrilled the NFL world by signing Lynch out of retirement last week after injuries to starting running back Chris Carson and backup C.J. Prosise. </p>
<p id="UXA16c">But something got screwed up. Maybe Pete Carroll spent a second too long thinking about whether to go to Lynch. Maybe Lynch, who was signed literally days ago and hadn’t been a part of the team’s two-minute-drill installs, wasn’t expecting to be called into the game. (It seemed like Lynch was wearing a hat instead of a helmet on the sideline, and took time to find his proper equipment.) Despite having 40 seconds to set up their next play after the spike, the Seahawks were called for a delay of game due to the confusion over Lynch’s entry. That moved the ball back to the 5-yard line. After the game, at least one Seahawk <a href="https://twitter.com/gbellseattle/status/1211509771515265024">claimed the team had been prepared to hand the ball to Lynch</a>, but from the 5-yard line, they had to pass. </p>
<p id="cziYEG">After incomplete passes on second and third down, the spike came back to haunt the Seahawks, who were now facing a second straight fourth down for the division. Wilson threw to tight end Jacob Hollister, who tried his best to will the ball into the end zone, but fell inches short. </p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">ALL GAS, NO BRAKE ⛽️ <a href="https://t.co/cuOXBEOljv">pic.twitter.com/cuOXBEOljv</a></p>— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) <a href="https://twitter.com/49ers/status/1211503990187278336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2019</a>
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<p id="4Msz2g">The aftermath of this was chaos. The 49ers acted as if Hollister had fumbled, and ran the ball back 100 yards to the opposite end zone. The Seahawks argued that Hollister had actually scored. Wilson’s elbow, for some reason, began gushing blood, and nobody seemed to know or care why. Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth carried on a polite conversation in the NBC booth about nothing in particular to hide the fact they were just as clueless about what was happening as the rest of the world.</p>
<p id="v3pmh9">This is how the NFL season ended, with a maelstrom of thrilling plays and baffling Pete Carroll choices. Don’t be bummed the NFL season is over, even if, like me, your favorite four months of the year are the four months when you spend every Sunday on a couch with your favorite comfort foods, your frustrating fantasy teams, and the dulcet tones of Scott Hanson. It’s not just that all good things must come to an end—it’s that some things are good <em>because</em> they come to an end. </p>
<p id="9WtZDN">If NFL fields were endless, there would be no goal line, and the Seahawks and Niners wouldn’t have put every ounce of their effort into getting Hollister across the goal line or keeping him on the other side. If NFL games were endless, the ticking clock wouldn’t have existed, and Hollister’s push would’ve been just another play in an eternal battle for points. And if the NFL season were endless, NFC West positioning wouldn’t have been so critical. I guess I’m sad the NFL season is over, but the perfect struggle in its final moments makes me glad the end of the NFL season exists.</p>
<aside id="6psSIG"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"The Seahawks Blew It Against the 49ers With Some Baffling Decisions","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/12/30/21042401/the-seahawks-blew-a-chance-at-winning-the-nfc-west-with-a-series-of-baffling-decisions"}]}'></div></aside><h3 id="48NBSY">Loser: The New Orleans Saints</h3>
<p id="7W72SH">The Saints won their final game of the year—dominated, honestly, taking a 35-0 lead on the Panthers in the first half and coasting to a 42-10 win. But don’t worry, the Saints still got screwed.</p>
<p id="3lzFFz">New Orleans went 13-3 this year, which is good enough to earn a first-round bye in almost every NFL season. But this year, the Packers and 49ers also went into Week 17 at 12-3. If <em>either</em> team lost, the Saints would have gotten a first-round bye. But the 49ers beat both the Packers and Saints in the regular season, giving them the no. 1 seed in case of a three-way tie, and the Packers had the better conference record, giving them the no. 2 seed. </p>
<p id="OScvdD">The Packers fell into a 17-3 hole against the eliminated Lions—but outscored Detroit 20-3 down the stretch to win on a field goal as the clock expired:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">GAME. WINNER.<a href="https://twitter.com/crosbykicks2?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@crosbykicks2</a> delivers the first-round playoff bye!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GBvsDET?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GBvsDET</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoPackGo?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoPackGo</a> <a href="https://t.co/xuZBr0gDkI">pic.twitter.com/xuZBr0gDkI</a></p>— Green Bay Packers (@packers) <a href="https://twitter.com/packers/status/1211398288525709313?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2019</a>
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<p id="hLhy89">Still, the Saints had a chance to get a first-round bye if the Niners lost. But, well, all that stuff we talked about up there happened—plus one thing I didn’t mention. On third down, Wilson targeted Hollister, but 49ers linebacker Fred Warner grabbed Hollister and prevented him from getting the ball:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Why didn't the refs review this for pass interference?! COME ON! <a href="https://t.co/3r02j9gjIm">pic.twitter.com/3r02j9gjIm</a></p>— Samuel Gold (@SamuelRGold) <a href="https://twitter.com/SamuelRGold/status/1211503703930351616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2019</a>
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<p id="GkH4L7">Hypothetically, this play should have been reviewed, because missed pass interference calls are reviewable this season—you know, because of <em>THE HORRIBLE THING THAT HAPPENED TO THE SAINTS LAST YEAR</em>. The one positive of the Saints getting eliminated from the postseason because of a missed pass interference call was that it caused the NFL to make pass interference reviewable—except the rollout of that rule change was so inconsistent and fraught that making pass interference reviewable has widely been viewed as a negative. The botched rollout of PI review could’ve been redeemed if the NFL had stopped play to ensure that this missed call in a pivotal play in a critical game was rectified. Instead, the game kept moving, the Seahawks lost, and the Saints have to play next weekend.</p>
<p id="0cU9D9">Missing out on a first-round bye is a really big deal. It’s not just that the Saints might lose to the Vikings next week—and they really might. It’s that if they win, they’ll have to play on the road against the Packers, and if they win that, they’ll probably have to play on the road against the Niners. There’s a reason every Super Bowl participant since 2012 has gotten a first-round bye—it’s really hard to win three straight games in back-to-back-to-back weeks. According to <em>FiveThirtyEight, </em>the Saints’ hopes of winning the Super Bowl would have jumped to 22 percent with a Niners loss. <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2019-nfl-predictions/">Instead they fell to 11 percent</a>.</p>
<p id="hfHdfd">Since the NFL went to a 16-game schedule in 1978, just two 13-3 teams have ever been forced to play on wild-card weekend. The most recent? The 2011 Saints, who lost their second-round game to the Niners.</p>
<p id="5Tj3hD">For the second straight year, New Orleans was screwed by a missed pass interference call, which led them to tie their own record for the best team to have to play four postseason games to win a championship. Such is life for the Saints. Hey, at least LSU has good juju this year. </p>
<h3 id="YMzbJt">Winner: The Miami Dolphins</h3>
<p id="to6K6j">Week 17 is a special kind of magic. The best teams in the league often have the least to play for, while the worst seem unsure whether they should try to win or lose. For some teams, it’s the most important week of the year; for others, it’s just an annoying obligation. You can never really be sure which teams will show up. The things that happen feel like they take place in some sort of alternate dreamworld. The games sometimes seem forgettable—and that’s why each year, something happens that I’ll never forget. </p>
<p id="AjEqOy">One reason the Patriots are in the Super Bowl almost every year is because they generally have to play one fewer playoff game than most teams. Their complete dominance of the AFC East means they’ve had a first-round bye in each of the past nine seasons, giving them one fewer hurdle en route to a championship. All the Pats needed to do to get one for a 10th straight year was beat the Dolphins in Week 17.</p>
<p id="kRg8HB"><em>The Dolphins. </em>A team that, earlier this year, many thought had the potential to be the worst in NFL history. After all, <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/9/25/20883906/miami-dolphins-tanking-season-worst-plays">there were times this season</a> when the Dolphins were on pace to score fewer points than any team in NFL history and also allow more points than any team in NFL history—and that was before they decided to start trading away their few talented players for future draft picks. They were the face of NFL tanking, epitomized by their 43-0 loss to the Patriots in Week 2, a game in which the Dolphins scored zero touchdowns but threw two interceptions that were returned for touchdowns. It looked less like an NFL game and more like a Week 1 college football game where Big State paid Directional Tech $1.8 million to get their asses kicked. </p>
<p id="MkBjRF">The Dolphins did turn things around over the course of the year, improving to 4-11 entering Week 17, which is just a regular Bad Team Record and not a historic disgrace. But still, the Patriots were obviously expected to win. They were 17-point favorites, a playoff-bound team with reason to keep playing, going up against a team that could only hurt its draft position by winning.</p>
<p id="HMheOt">But Week 17 is a strange land—so unpredictable that even the trivial field of fantasy football feels too important to be decided by such unusual performances. On paper, Miami had nothing to play for. But on the field, it seemed like they had <em>everything</em> to play for. And maybe they did. <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/12/23/21034821/winners-and-losers-week-16">Like we said last week</a>: Front offices might tank, but players and coaches don’t, and the Dolphins clearly resented the idea that they would lay down on the field. Week 17 offered an opportunity to get back at the team that made them a laughingstock. </p>
<p id="VupMdN">The Dolphins picked off Tom Brady for a touchdown to give themselves an early 10-0 lead, with former Patriot Eric Rowe taking the ball into the end zone for a score:</p>
<div id="19A76P">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">ERIC. ROWE. PICK. SIX.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MIAvsNE?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MIAvsNE</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FinsUp?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FinsUp</a> <a href="https://t.co/4HbdX8qXgb">pic.twitter.com/4HbdX8qXgb</a></p>— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) <a href="https://twitter.com/MiamiDolphins/status/1211358682564435968?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2019</a>
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<p id="lrWSQC">Miami wide receiver DeVante Parker, labeled by many as a bust, absolutely torched cornerback Stephon Gilmore, considered by many as a favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year. He finished with eight catches for 137 yards, by far the most any receiver had this season against the Patriots:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Note the situation, the matchup... this is ELITE from Devante Parker. <a href="https://t.co/hz50nYAXRC">pic.twitter.com/hz50nYAXRC</a></p>— Travis Wingfield (@WingfieldNFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/WingfieldNFL/status/1211389499755753472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2019</a>
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<p id="upgJyd">Ryan Fitzpatrick had 320 passing yards and threw the game-winning touchdown:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ryan Fitzpatrick to Mike Gesicki and the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Dolphins?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Dolphins</a> take the lead with 24 seconds remaining.<br><br>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NFL</a>) <a href="https://t.co/9XvDbI5i5p">pic.twitter.com/9XvDbI5i5p</a></p>— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) <a href="https://twitter.com/MySportsUpdate/status/1211390730079473666?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2019</a>
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<p id="vJy44l">The Dolphins <em>did</em> have something to play for. Rowe, and the many other Dolphins players and coaches who came over from New England with head coach Brian Flores, wanted to prove they could be useful outside of New England’s system, that they hadn’t just been cogs in the Bill Belichick machine. Fitzpatrick is 37 years old, and has no desire to help the Dolphins get a higher pick in next year’s NFL draft so they can better select his replacement. They might not have wanted a win in the conventional sense like the Patriots, whose postseason positioning could be improved by an on-field result—but they had reasons to play.</p>
<p id="SGonow">Miami’s 27-24 win is <a href="https://twitter.com/ActionNetworkHQ/status/1211392476042399755">the biggest upset in terms of point spread since 1995</a>. It’s more than just a late-season oddity, because now the Pats will have to play on wild-card weekend, a circumstance which drastically damages their hopes of repeating as champions. Before Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins, the Patriots had a 10 percent chance of winning the Super Bowl, per <em>FiveThirtyEight</em>; after the loss, <a href="https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2019-nfl-predictions/">that dropped to 3 percent</a>. </p>
<p id="c3jDuI">Week 17 is a special kind of magic, and you never know what it will bring. This year, a team that looked like it could be one of the worst of all time handed the greatest dynasty in the history of the sport their most significant setback in a decade.</p>
<aside id="t9Sy1u"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"The Patriots Lost at Home to the Dolphins, and Lost Their First-Round Bye","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/12/29/21041790/new-england-patriots-miami-dolphins-first-round-bye"},{"title":"Jameis Winston Writes a Storybook Ending in His Quest to Join the 30-TD, 30-INT Club","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/12/29/21041849/jameis-winston-30-interception-30-touchdown-club"}]}'></div></aside><h3 id="zLprBX">Winner: Jameis Winston’s Horrible, Beautiful Record</h3>
<p id="QrEuHf">Jameis Winston died as he lived. Of course, he lived by dumping barrels of kerosene over himself and jumping into fire pits. When you live like that, you sort of expect to die like that. </p>
<p id="VOKWKk"><a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/12/26/21038046/jameis-winston-tampa-bay-buccaneers-quarterback-season-benchmark">Earlier this week,</a> I wrote about how Winston had the potential to make history in Week 17. Not only could he become the eighth quarterback ever to throw for 5,000 yards in a season—a good record!—but he could become the first quarterback ever to have 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in the same season, and the first quarterback with 30 interceptions in a season since 1988—not exactly great records. </p>
<p id="IkRtbE">Winston hit 5,000 yards without much trouble, passing that mark in the second quarter. But he spent most of the game stuck on 29 interceptions. I was worried. Did Winston not realize that he was on the cusp of history?</p>
<p id="kmLRxn">Of course, there was no need to fear. Winston threw his 30th interception of the year in the most dramatic fashion possible. When the game went to overtime, Winston ensured that his first pass of the extra session would be the last pass of his season by throwing a game-ending pick-six:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Game of Thrones writers are jealous of the ending to Jameis' season<a href="https://t.co/iLMmyLqZp0">pic.twitter.com/iLMmyLqZp0</a></p>— PFF (@PFF) <a href="https://twitter.com/PFF/status/1211396451714109446?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2019</a>
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<p id="1yojrY">Winston didn’t just hit the 30-30 mark with the pick—he also set the all-time single-season record for pick-sixes in a season with his seventh. He’s the first quarterback to throw a walk-off OT pick-six since 2015, and the first quarterback to throw a season-ending OT pick-six since Matt Hasselbeck’s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAgG9XcrDFY">famous “we want the ball and we’re gonna score” pick-six in 2004.</a></p>
<p id="i7GMz1">For people who watch Winston just to see the interceptions, this was a perfect ending. Head coach Bruce Arians, on the other hand, seemed positively fed up with the Winston experience:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Arians, asked if Winston throwing a pick-six in overtime is worst possible way to end a season: “I can’t think of anything worse.”</p>— Greg Auman (@gregauman) <a href="https://twitter.com/gregauman/status/1211401034876276742?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2019</a>
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<div id="fo0ZqH">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Bruce Arians on Winston’s 30-30 season: “So much good and so much outright terrible.”</p>— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ry_Bass/status/1211400892462911488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2019</a>
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<p id="dHeDIG">From an actual football perspective, this was a somewhat disgraceful moment. Winston set <em>multiple</em> ignominious records for failure on a game-losing play that ensured his team would finish with a losing record. From the sounds of it, Winston’s continued inability to throw passes to the right team could be a big factor as the Buccaneers decide whether to retain him for 2020 and beyond. </p>
<p id="LyuNWJ">But I can’t remember a funnier NFL moment than a quarterback <em>setting multiple ignominious records on a game-losing play that ensured his team would finish with a losing record</em>. It wasn’t just a failure. It was a monument to the concept of failure, an argument that failing can be spectacular if players dream big enough. Like I said, Winston died as he lived. </p>
<h3 id="Cmr1wJ">Loser: Freddie Kitchens</h3>
<p id="4Bml2r">Freddie Kitchens had one of the easiest ultimatums in history. Ahead of Week 17, <a href="https://www.wkyc.com/article/sports/nfl/browns/report-browns-undecided-on-firing-freddie-kitchens-win-vs-bengals-could-save-job/95-e227b02a-c408-4412-91a3-e6b1620dfbb7">Browns ownership was reportedly considering letting Kitchens keep his job with a win over the 1-14 Bengals.</a> It’s like giving a student a passing grade for successfully writing their name on the top of the page.</p>
<div class="c-float-left"><aside id="gElafb"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"The Browns Wasted No Time Firing Freddie Kitchens","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/12/29/21042199/browns-fire-freddie-kitchens-jimmy-haslam"},{"title":"The Browns Came Into 2019 With Hype. They Enter 2020 in Chaos. ","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/12/22/21034282/exit-interview-cleveland-browns-freddie-kitchens-baker-mayfield"}]}'></div></aside></div>
<p id="10vDwO">It also defies all logic: This Browns season was an absolute disaster, as a talent-laden squad fell out of the playoffs with players <a href="http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000001088854/article/multiple-browns-say-come-get-me-to-cardinals">begging to be traded</a> and a <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/odell-beckham-yells-at-freddie-kitchens-during-fourth-quarter-of-browns-loss-to-ravens/">star player getting into screaming matches with Kitchens on the sideline</a>. How could a victory in a meaningless game against an awful team mitigate a whole season of embarrassments?</p>
<p id="844X3Y">Freddie failed the test. Cincinnati exploded for 33 points, including a touchdown scored while the Browns had only 10 players on the field:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Browns had 10 guys on the field for Bengals third-and-goal TD run (proof via <a href="https://twitter.com/NextGenStats?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NextGenStats</a>) <a href="https://t.co/h3a8WzVsry">pic.twitter.com/h3a8WzVsry</a></p>— Jake Trotter (@Jake_Trotter) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jake_Trotter/status/1211355569094873090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2019</a>
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<p id="eaC3DB">The Bengals, who, like I said, had just one win in their first 15 games of the season, ran circles around the Browns. Literally, in Andy Dalton’s case, which is especially upsetting, because he’s Andy Dalton.</p>
<div id="u4jSmO">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">You’re not gonna catch <a href="https://twitter.com/andydalton14?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@andydalton14</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CLEvsCIN?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CLEvsCIN</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SeizeTheDEY?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SeizeTheDEY</a> <a href="https://t.co/I37jg6n7mL">pic.twitter.com/I37jg6n7mL</a></p>— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bengals/status/1211362598102454272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2019</a>
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<p id="hmQZPA">It was a successful moment for players from both franchises. The Bengals, who had already secured the no. 1 pick in the draft, no longer had to deal with their fans rooting against them, and gleefully exploded with a long-awaited victory. And the Browns, no longer even hypothetically in the running for the playoffs, uh, didn’t seem particularly motivated to save Kitchens’s job. The loss would’ve been humiliating if it wasn’t exactly what the team apparently wanted.</p>
<p id="i6UQPJ">If Kitchens’s tenure came down to a single game, then that’s a terrible decision, because it gave him the chance to save his job with a win that should’ve come easily. Luckily for the Browns, Kitchens made the decision easy. Knowing that his job was on the line, Kitchens’s team lost to the worst team in the NFL in a game where they forgot to regularly put the correct amount of players on the field. </p>
<p id="1kNEyM"><a href="https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1211449422866984960">The Kitchens era is over</a>. The ultimatum delivered by Browns management was only justified by the fact Kitchens failed. All Kitchens had to do was write his name at the top of the test to pass, but he spent his time doodling all over the page instead.</p>
<h3 id="5QeSBe">Winner: Big Man Touchdowns</h3>
<p id="oRM9uc">It was a banner year for large football players scoring. Earlier this season, we highlighted a receiving touchdown by 347-pound Vita Vea, the heaviest player in NFL history to catch a touchdown. <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/12/23/21034821/winners-and-losers-week-16">Last week</a>, we wrote about how there had been more touchdown catches by players 300 pounds or heavier than in any previous season in NFL history. But Sunday brought one more Big Man touchdown record: The Falcons ran a tackle-eligible play to get 311-pound Ty Sambrailo this 35-yard touchdown.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">BIG MAN UP THE SEAM!<br><br>Right tackle Ty Sambrailo goes 35 yards on the TD reception! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/InBrotherhood?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#InBrotherhood</a><br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ATLvsTB?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ATLvsTB</a> on FOX<br> : NFL app // Yahoo Sports app<br>Watch free on mobile: <a href="https://t.co/HYJhHN7b2Y">https://t.co/HYJhHN7b2Y</a> <a href="https://t.co/Zj4t4uHCDf">pic.twitter.com/Zj4t4uHCDf</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1211349114744496128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2019</a>
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<p id="IQKtSX">Sambrailo’s score was the longest touchdown reception by a player weighing more than 300 pounds (and the longest touchdown reception by any offensive lineman) in NFL history. </p>
<p id="F60byS">Most passing touchdowns to offensive linemen are from within the 5-yard-line—they’re based on the defense forgetting to cover a lineman who declared as eligible for juuuuuust long enough for them to get open and catch a pass. They’re <em>not</em> designed for that player to catch the pass <em>AND THEN RUN</em>, because offensive linemen aren’t typically good at running. The Falcons apparently did not care. They gave Sambrailo the ball and asked him to pick up 22 yards after the catch.</p>
<p id="rR22NA">Was it pretty? No. At a certain point, Sambrailo realized defenders were gaining on him and tried to sprint faster, and realized he <em>couldn’t</em> sprint faster. He’s a cargo van with a top speed of 80 miles per hour. He can smash that gas pedal all he wants; it’s not going any faster. But it doesn’t matter. The play was drawn up well enough that the cargo van hit the finish line before the Formula 1 racers behind him. As it turns out, a cargo van’s top speed is still pretty damn fast. </p>
<p id="AB5Wgt">2019 was the Year of the Big Man Touchdown. We saw big men showcase their array of talents in the receiving game more often than ever, and in more different ways than ever. These might be trick plays, and they might not work as a team’s base offense, but the linemen involved are talented enough to turn them into successful scores time and time again. The only thing that makes me happier than 2019 being the Year of the Big Man Touchdown is that the successes of these talented big men will lead to every subsequent year being another Year of the Big Man Touchdown.</p>
<h3 id="BMPgId">Winner: Derrick Henry</h3>
<p id="s15DrN">Do running backs matter? People on Twitter have opinions about this! My personal answer to this question is “maybe,” but I do know this: No running back has mattered more in any one game than Derrick Henry did Sunday. </p>
<p id="GFnZbS">The Titans entered Sunday with a win-and-in playoff scenario. If they lost, they were probably still good, but if they beat the Texans, they were guaranteed a playoff spot. How’d they get that playoff spot? By giving the ball to Henry, over and over and over again. </p>
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<p id="jCW4Lx">Henry had 32 rushing attempts—the most of any player in any game all season long—and went for 211 yards, the second most of any player in any game all season long. He had three touchdowns, including this 53-yard score:</p>
<div id="B16OoH">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Derrick Henry takes the lead for the rushing title on a 53-yard TOUCHDOWN! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Titans?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Titans</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/KingHenry_2?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KingHenry_2</a><br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TENvsHOU?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TENvsHOU</a> on CBS<br> : NFL app // Yahoo Sports app<br>Watch free on mobile: <a href="https://t.co/HYJhHN7b2Y">https://t.co/HYJhHN7b2Y</a> <a href="https://t.co/4O5zFyPgCT">pic.twitter.com/4O5zFyPgCT</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1211439075137179648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2019</a>
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<p id="SfkThe">That 53-yard carry didn’t just ice the 35-14 win and give the Titans a playoff spot—it pushed Henry past Nick Chubb of the Browns for the NFL rushing lead. Chubb had entered the day with a 124-yard lead on Henry for the rushing title, but had only 41 yards in the Browns’ loss to the Bengals.</p>
<p id="L8LRku">To summarize: Henry had just about the best running game of the season to power his team to the postseason while becoming the rushing champion. Do running backs matter? I don’t know—but from time to time, they can do awesome things, and watching players do awesome things is awesome, and awesome things matter. </p>
<h3 id="tfPhDs">Loser: Anybody Who Had Derrick Henry on Their Fantasy Team and Lost Last Week When He Was Injured and Had to Watch Him Go for 211 Yards and Three Touchdowns After the Season Was Over</h3>
<p id="lolu1E">Bummer, guys. </p>
<h3 id="7VApb1">Winner: The Replacement Philadelphia Eagles </h3>
<p id="0LxX6K">Lots of teams play randos Week 17. The Vikings played Sean Mannion, who had just one start at quarterback in his first five seasons in the NFL, in place of Kirk Cousins. The Bills’ two leading receivers were Duke Williams and Tommy Sweeney, who had 11 receptions for 184 yards Sunday—they’d previously combined for nine career receptions. Mike Boone, who had 125 yards on the season entering Sunday, ran for 148 for the Vikings. </p>
<div class="c-float-left"><aside id="nqQNBn"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"The Eagles Overcame Every Obstacle to Win the NFC East ","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/12/29/21042049/philadelphia-eagles-nfc-east-champions-wild-card-playoffs"}]}'></div></aside></div>
<p id="6l9EXb">The Eagles also played lots of randos Sunday. Their leading wide receiver, Deontay Burnett, hadn’t played in an NFL game since last season when he was on the Jets. Their only receiving touchdown of the day was caught by Joshua Perkins, who hadn’t caught a touchdown since 2016, when he played for the Falcons. (To find out info on him, you have to Google “Josh Perkins football” because there’s a G League player named Josh Perkins, and G League players are more notable than replacement-level tight ends.) By the end of the day, their top running back was Boston Scott, who is not a guy that called into WEEI so frequently that he got a job as a sidekick during the drive-time sports-talk hour, but a 5-foot-6 running back picked in the sixth round by the Saints last year. </p>
<p id="RnYKDX">But there’s a difference between the Eagles’ rando squad and players like Mannion, Boone, Williams, and Sweeney making appearances. The Eagles had everything to play for Sunday, as they could clinch the NFC East with a win over the Giants, but their skill positions have been devastated by injuries. The team’s top three wide receivers (DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery, and Nelson Agholor), three of their top four running backs (Jordan Howard, Corey Clement, and Darren Sproles) and their top tight end (Zach Ertz) were out with injuries going into Sunday’s game. And midway through the game, their second running back, Miles Sanders, suffered an injury as well. </p>
<p id="7XG5Nn">And so, with the season of the line, the randos were a necessity. Perkins, who was cut by the Eagles in August, had the first touchdown catch of the game.</p>
<div id="vsy7zl">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">TOUCHDOWN EAGLES!!!<br><br>Wentz ➡️ Perkins!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FlyEaglesFly?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FlyEaglesFly</a> <a href="https://t.co/8U4zXjpvnj">pic.twitter.com/8U4zXjpvnj</a></p>— DIE-HARD Fans (@Eaglesfans9) <a href="https://twitter.com/Eaglesfans9/status/1211415673336946690?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2019</a>
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<p id="6f0Xpm">Burnett, cut by the Jets and 49ers this year, made a critical fourth-quarter grab.</p>
<div id="fEWTqL">
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">One day they’ll figure out what we already know, <a href="https://twitter.com/Deontay_Burnett?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Deontay_Burnett</a> is a baller. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USCtotheNFL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USCtotheNFL</a><a href="https://t.co/iIh4yVdSsM">pic.twitter.com/iIh4yVdSsM</a></p>— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) <a href="https://twitter.com/USC_Athletics/status/1211435214771089409?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 29, 2019</a>
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<p id="95sJVT">But the star was Scott, who led the team in both rushing and receiving and finished with 138 yards and three touchdowns. Here’s Scott catching the screen pass that essentially iced the game, including a completely unnecessary spin move in the open field with no defenders in his way:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Boston Scott is becoming a Philadelphia legend. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FlyEaglesFly?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FlyEaglesFly</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/BostonScott2?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BostonScott2</a><br><br> : <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PHIvsNYG?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PHIvsNYG</a> on FOX<br> : NFL app // Yahoo Sports app<br>Watch free on mobile: <a href="https://t.co/HYJhHN7b2Y">https://t.co/HYJhHN7b2Y</a> <a href="https://t.co/lb44HQLWMD">pic.twitter.com/lb44HQLWMD</a></p>— NFL (@NFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1211440476689059840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2019</a>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Sorry bout the spin move WiFi made the game lag</p>— Boston Scott (@BostonScott2) <a href="https://twitter.com/BostonScott2/status/1211459710551052288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2019</a>
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<p id="WnPteu">The Eagles won, 34-17, to clinch their postseason berth. I’m not exactly optimistic about their playoff chances—this is a 9-7 team that is only in the playoffs because an NFC East team is guaranteed a playoff spot, and is now relying on players signed off the street in critical roles. Even for a team with a history of backups doing incredible things in the postseason … it seems unlikely that these backups are going to do incredible things in the postseason.</p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="G5KLa1">The Eagles’ season will probably end with a loss. But Sunday will give Philadelphia a fond memory of the 2019 season—a day when players who had been cast off by other teams emerged as Philadelphia heroes, giving the team a shot at the championship when nobody else was capable of suiting up. </p>
https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/12/30/21042438/winners-losers-week-17-nfl-playoffsRodger Sherman2019-12-30T01:48:36-05:002019-12-30T01:48:36-05:00The Seahawks Blew It Against the 49ers With Some Baffling Decisions
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<img alt="San Francisco 49ers v&nbsp;Seattle Seahawks" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SMgbWtJKZcnEK9i5wMlml2MAI6A=/179x0:1603x1068/1310x983/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/65992488/1190910662.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Let’s count all the ways Seattle got it wrong in the closing moments of its loss to San Francisco on Sunday </p> <aside id="eZMcpa"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Everything You Need to Know About Week 17 of the 2019 NFL Season","url":"https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/12/29/21041908/everything-you-need-to-know-about-week-17-of-the-2019-nfl-season"}]}'></div></aside><p id="4pYRzV">The Seahawks are not exactly known for their sound decision-making during late-game, goal-line situations. But even taking that famous history into account, their delay-of-game penalty in the closing minute of the team’s 26-21 loss to the 49ers is like <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTc--4jz0GQ">something out of <em>Billy Madison</em></a>: You’ll be dumber for having learned how it happened. </p>
<p id="4GVxOp">First, let’s back up a few plays—because the delay-of-game penalty is hardly the only baffling mistake Seattle made on its final possession. Trailing by five points with 42 seconds left and facing fourth-and-10 from San Francisco’s 12-yard line, the Seahawks were in a classic do-or-die situation. But the team didn’t turn to Tyler Lockett or D.K. Metcalf or any of its established playmakers. Instead, Russell Wilson rolled out and fired a pass to John Ursua, a rookie seventh-round wide receiver who had never caught a pass before. Ursua had just four snaps to his name coming into the night and had appeared in just two games all season. He deserves credit: On his first-ever NFL completion, he hauled the ball in just 1 yard short of the goal line then sprinted almost immediately back to the center of the field, knowing that the Seahawks had no timeouts and needed to stop the clock with a spike.</p>
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<p id="R7g9LJ">It’s wild that Ursua was even on the field for the most important play of Seattle’s season (he earned time due to a Week 16 concussion to receiver Malik Turner), much less that he was the focal point of it. But it’s the sequence of events that followed when the game seemed to really enter the Twilight Zone.</p>
<p id="BVh2oH">With the seconds ticking, Seattle struggled to get to the line because offensive lineman George Fant remained on the turf back where Wilson had made his fourth-down throw. When the Seahawks did get set, Wilson spiked the ball—already a questionable decision given that the Niners defense was on its heels. If the Seahawks had a play ready to go there, they might have been able to take advantage of the scrambling 49ers.</p>
<p id="VK2JH4">Nevertheless, second-and-goal on the half-yard line is never a bad place to be, even with just 22 seconds on the clock and no timeouts. Here the Seahawks made their most critical error. After turning to a complete nobody on their previous play, they brought in a Seahawks legend. Marshawn Lynch, who wasn’t on the field for the two-minute drill, came onto the field to a roar from the crowd. But this is when the play clock wound all the way down—with no one even <em>close</em> to being ready to run a play. How did it go so wrong? It’s some of the worst game mismanagement you’ll ever see:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">He had a cap on because he doesn’t play in the two minute drill. It was a mad dumb scramble at the 1 because Fant was limping and I don’t even know if Marshawn was ready either</p>— Brian Floyd (@BrianMFloyd) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrianMFloyd/status/1211504916746817537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2019</a>
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<p id="5QchI3">When asked about the mix-up later, head coach <a href="https://twitter.com/StacyRost/status/1211510764382539776">Pete Carroll said they</a> “called the personnel” but “didn’t get it communicated with the backs.” It’s a botched substitution that cost Seattle the game.</p>
<p id="eQZb99">Lynch may be a Seattle veteran, but he was also signed off the street just six days ago after having been out of football for a year. He hadn’t played with the Seahawks since 2015. He wasn’t ready to run out there during the two-minute drill because of course he wasn’t: It’s unlikely he had the familiarity with the playbook or his teammates to be reliable in a high-pressure, time-critical situation. It was weird to have Ursua out there, but it would have been even weirder to have Lynch out there.</p>
<p id="F2IMic">Not only was Lynch not prepared, <em>he wasn’t even a useful player in this situation</em>. Yes, he can turn on his classic Beastmode abilities at the 1-yard line (as he did on a 1-yard score earlier in the quarter), but the Seahawks had no timeouts. If Lynch were to get stuffed, they’d be in a crisis (my guess is they wanted to use Lynch to bait the Niners on a play-action pass; Carroll said “<a href="https://twitter.com/gbellseattle/status/1211511967208202246">we’ll never know</a>” whether he intended to give the ball to Lynch after the game). The team’s better bet was to let their Pro Bowl, dual-threat quarterback have as many shots at the end zone as they could give him.</p>
<p id="YhvqDy">Instead, in the chaos, Seattle got hit with that delay of game, and took a massive hit to their chances of winning:</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">The delay of game costs the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Seahawks?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Seahawks</a> 13% GWC. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SFvsSEA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SFvsSEA</a></p>— EdjSports (@edjsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/edjsports/status/1211503018476294144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 30, 2019</a>
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<p id="ceiFcj">Wilson couldn’t connect on second or third down (to be fair, that latter play looked like a missed defensive-pass interference). On the subsequent fourth-and-the-season from the 5, Wilson found tight end Jacob Hollister in nearly the exact same place as he found Ursua … and Hollister was also short, this time by just inches after an incredible tackle by rookie linebacker Dre Greenlaw.</p>
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<p id="uMvo0u">Let’s review what not to do when a game is on the line. The Seahawks (1) threw to a player who had never caught a pass before; (2) spiked away what may have been their best chance at punching the ball in the end zone; (3) called on a player who had been signed just days before, wasn’t ready, and wouldn’t be very useful in this specific situation anyway; (4) botched a goal-line substitution; and (5) lost track of the play clock. Not all of those mistakes are equal (and no. 1 even worked for the most part), but they all add up to one bitter loss.</p>
<p id="RNFRZU">As a result, the Seahawks will enter wild-card weekend as the no. 5 seed, traveling to Philadelphia to play the Eagles. They would have been the no. 3 seed with a win, which wouldn’t grant the luxury of a first-round bye but would have meant hosting a playoff game in Seattle. That said, in this specific playoff scenario, it may actually be advantageous for Seattle to travel and take on a <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/12/29/21042049/philadelphia-eagles-nfc-east-champions-wild-card-playoffs">banged-up Eagles team</a> rather than host the Vikings (though the Seahawks did beat both teams earlier this year and, coincidentally, they beat the Eagles in Philly and the Vikings in Seattle). At 9-7, the Eagles may be the worst team in the postseason. </p>
<p class="c-end-para" id="uASvOR">The loss stings even more for Seattle considering how much it boosted San Francisco’s playoff fortunes. With the win, the 49ers earned the no. 1 seed in the conference, massively boosting their Super Bowl odds. As Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth outlined on <em>Sunday Night Football</em>, 26 of the past 34 Super Bowl participants (i.e., since the 2002 realignment) have benefited from a first-round bye. That’s more than 76 percent—and no. 1 seeds specifically have won five of the past six Super Bowls. Instead of being forced to win three consecutive road games for a shot at the Lombardi Trophy like the Seahawks will now have to, the Niners will need just two wins at home. If San Francisco does make it to the Super Bowl this year, the team can thank the Seahawks for the assist. </p>
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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2019/12/30/21042401/seahawks-blew-chance-at-winning-nfc-west-with-series-of-baffling-decisionsRiley McAtee