Somehow, another NFL regular season came and went. When the very first game started on Sept. 10, amid the ongoing recent time Pandemic, there was no way to make sure we got here.
Some teams (like the Browns) are certain like we did. Others (like the Jets) might have agreed to withdraw, if that had been an option.
Either way, 14 unprecedented teams have qualified for the playoffs, letting 18 teams go home, free their golf clubs and maybe join a Fantasy hockey League or something.
On a hectic final day of the NFL regular season, here are our main takeaways
Browns partying like it’s 2002Three years ago, Cleveland Browns fans staged a challenge to “honor” the team’s 0-16 season.
Now they have something real to celebrate.
Baker Mayfield-Cleveland’s first World draft pick in 2018 after the winless season-guided the Browns to their first playoff spot since 2002 on Sunday, with a first but in the final minute of a 24-22 victory.
Sunday’s goal was simple for Cleveland: beat the Pittsburgh Steelers (without a rest Ben Roethlisberger, who didn’t even make the trip to Ohio) and receive a postseason berth. In typical Browns fashion, however, the process was much trickier than it had to be.
Cleveland was never engaged, but it gave the Steelers a chance when the Browns arrived Kevin Stefanski chose to go for a four-and-seven with 3: 40 left-instead of attempting a 52-yard field goal to make it a two-point game.
The Steelers ‘ defense held on, then their offense marched to score with 1: 23 to go. But Mason Rudolph did not meet to connect with Chase Claypool on a two-point conversion attempt, which gave the Browns the separation from which they are available.
Live it up, Brown fans. For those who have crossed the litany of mediocre signalers, from Holcomb to Hoyer and Frye to Weeden, this one is for you.
Just know that you see a full Pittsburgh group-in the city of steel-next week.
DH2K, Titans are kings of the AFC South
Forgive me for not knowing exactly how to describe the deeds of Derrick Henry, Tennessee’s literary Titan, who is scented with both an impossible force and a motionless object.
Henry, who possesses Echo speed despite packing 247 pounds in a six-foot-three frame, is exactly the type of player you have to aspire to build in Madden. So maybe it shouldn’t be surprising that he’s tearing up NFL defenses and stacking milestones along the way.
With 250 rushing yards in Sunday’s strikeout victory over the Houston Texans, Henry became the player in NFL history to amass more than 2,000 rushing yards in a single season. He is the first minister since Adrian Peterson (2012) to do so, and this is not an accomplishment to be taken lightly.
Tennessee had some need to heckle him Sunday. His final four yards put rookie kicker Sam Sloman in position to hit the game-winning but at the end of time.
Next week, Henry and the AFC South champion Titans host the Baltimore Ravens in a glorified track meet. The Titans, of course, have the best rusher in the league. But with Lamar Jackson and a stable of viable backs in tow, the Ravens have the best precision offense 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 (that game)?Cris Collinsworth asked his broadcast partner, Al Michaels, during their Sunday night call on NBC.
“No,” Michaels replies, ostensibly.
Source Party in or car from East Rutherford, N. J., Giants players watched the prime-time game 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 discover the terrible NFC East as Washington lost to Philadelphia.
Here’s the problem, though: a win by Washington was beneficial for both teams playing Sunday night. And that’s what happened, as the Football team took over the division with a 20-14 victory.
For the Football team, obviously, the invitation to win was a division title and a home playoff game. For the Eagles, the invitation not to win was a three-place finish in the 2021 draft order, from new to sixth.
So when the Eagles weren’t strikeing from the finish by just three points at 12:35 of the game, they chose to remove quarterback Jalen Hurts in favor of three-line Nate Sudfeld. Three plays after, Sudfeld threw an interception.
On Philadelphia’s next possession, Sudfeld badly earned a snap and Washington recovered the fumble, which led to a field goal. Overall, Sudfeld guided Philadelphia’s offense to a 33-yard total in four possessions, committing two turnovers and making a first-down.
It’s obvious Philadelphia is playing to lose, at least in the eyes of some Giants players:
Eagles coach Doug Pederson said at his post-game press conference that he was “coming in to win” and playing Sudfeld was his decision. Whether true or not, fans of the Giants will not soon forget what happened here.
Meanwhile, Washington (7-9) became only the fifth team in NFL history — though three since 2010 — to reach the playoffs with a losing record. For what it’s worth, the 2010 Seahawks and 2015 Panthers both handed their wild-card games.