🏈🏈🏈🏈
NFL 2019-20 Week 17 Review
Well, this season is over. At least the regular season is, anyway. And it ends prematurely for a lot of teams who had playoff hopes until recent weeks, such as the Steelers, Colts, Broncos, Rams and Bears all go home after failing to qualify in these finals weeks.
There are other teams who are going to the playoffs, but who might feel like an opportunity for a higher seed, or a playoff bye, was missed. That would surely include the Seahawks, who lost their last two home games to end this season in a rather dismal note. It would also include the Patriots, who blew an opportunity to clinch what I still feel was a much-needed playoff bye after failing to beat the last place Miami Dolphins at home in the final week.
The playoff picture is now set, and I will make predictions about the playoffs later this week. For now, however, let us review the games that were played yesterday in the NFL, and explain in greater detail how these outcomes impacted the playoff picture:
Green Bay 23, Detroit 20 – Let me admit one thing: when I saw that the Lions were leading this game, 17-3, I was a little excited, but refused to get too excited about this possible stunner, knowing only too well the well-established history in recent decades of Detroit football teams flirting with doing something great, pulling off some kind of major upset, only to completely fall apart at the end. Sure enough, they suffered a complete collapse, and the Packers predictably came back to win this game. The Pack keeps winning, and the Lions keep losing. They may have been cheated in the first game, but this collapse has their DNA all over it, and I do not believe that it was a controversial call that caused this latest collapse. A dismal end to a horrific year that, once upon a time, seemed actually promising for this team. But they lose their ninth straight game to end with a horrible 3-12-1 record, which is one of the worst in the league. Green Bay gets the playoff bye as the second seed. No surprises here at all. My pick: Accurate
Miami 27, New England 24 – You just know that the Dolphins were salivating at the prospects of taking down the team that has haunted the other teams in the AFC East for two decades now. When these two teams last met, the Patriots were absolutely on fire, looking not only like the best team in the league as the defending Super Bowl champions, but looking like an all-time team. They destroyed the Dolphins in Miami, 43-0, just one week after the Ravens had picked Miami apart, 59-10. But my, how times have changed. The Pats started 8-0, but wound up losing four of their last eight games, including three of their final five now, and this one probably hurt more than the others. Why? Because they seemed to have the second seed in the AFC playoffs locked up. That would mean a week off to rest and regroup, as well as refocus, and then a home playoff game, where they usually win. Now instead, this loss coupled with the Kansas City win drops New England to the third seed, the lowest they have been all season, and that means that they have to play a game next weekend. And the Dolphins exposed some of the Patriots weaknesses, which have been on display in recent weeks. As humiliating as the blowout loss must have been for this Miami team earlier this year, this game must have been tremendous and exhilarating for them. And as awesome as it must have felt at the time for the Pats to crush the Fins in Miami en route to a historically dominant first half of the season, this loss must feel like a new low, as it really underscores the weaknesses that multiple teams have now exposed against them. It has also happened twice in Foxboro, where the Pats looked invincible, up until earlier this season. But New England hobbles to the finish line for this regular season, and they do not look like a sure bet even for next week’s wildcard game. A solid win for the hard working, never quite Dolphins. My pick: Inaccurate
Kansas City 31, L.A. Chargers 21 – The Chargers put up a real fight, made this an actual game that the Chiefs had to find a way to win, even when they were not playing their best. Yet, they survived, managed to win. With that win, they now earn the second seed throughout the playoffs, with the bye that comes with it, as a result of the Patriots loss. Again, it was not pretty. But KC managed to get the result that they wanted, and they earned a sixth straight win in the process. I think they actually might have a better chance this season than they did last year, when they were the top seed, because they learned some things, stuck with it even after some rough times, and look like a more complete team, with a potentially explosive offense, and a serious defense that is not merely trying not to screw up the game for the high-powered offense. This is a dangerous team. My pick: Accurate
Chicago 21, Minnesota 19 – This game actually involved a playoff team, but they were resting their starters. Yes, the Vikings had nothing at stake in this game, as the loss last weekend to the Packers assured no division title, and that Minnesota would be locked into the sixth seed of the NFC playoffs. So with nothing to gain, and wanting to keep their starters healthy, understandably, the Vikings did not play well. Meanwhile, the Bears were ending their season, and wanted to do so on a high note. They played well, even if Minnesota began to make a comeback in the final quarter. But it was not enough as the Bears held them off to earn the win, and finish on a positive, managing to avoid a losing season with their 8-8 record. The Vikings will now prepare for a road game in New Orleans next weekend, in a rematch of the wild divisional round playoff game a few years ago. My pick: Accurate
New Orleans 42, Carolina 10 – The Saints were playing like a team possessed in the first half, racing off to a 35-0 lead, before effectively cruising to an easy 42-10 win the rest of the way. Drew Brees completed 19 of 30 passes for 253 yards, with three touchdown passes, adding to his record number of touchdown passes. New Orleans dominated time of possession, and had decisive advantages in total yards and first downs gained. They also did not turn the ball over, while the Panthers turned it over three times. A complete effort by the Saints, who tie a franchise best overall record of 13-3. Yet surprisingly, also for the second time in franchise history, that record fails to earn a playoff bye for the Saints. They still look impressive, but assuming that they win next weekend against the Vikings, they would have to go on the road to Lambeau Field for the divisional round. My pick: Accurate
Atlanta 28, Tampa Bay 22 – This was a strange game. The Bucs fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter, but came back to score 22 points in the second. Yet, they would not score any points again in the entire game, which included the overtime session. In overtime, Jameis Winston threw a pick six to secure an Atlanta win. Not exactly the way that you want to end a season. Winston became the first player in NFL history to throw for over 5,000 yards and 30 touchdowns in a season, yet also throw 30 interceptions. That is almost an average of two INT’s per game! The Falcons recovered from a horrific 1-7 start to the season by winning six of their last eight. As I mentioned before, if they had managed to do that a bit earlier, and if they had been playing this well from the start of the season, they very well might have been a playoff team. My pick: Accurate
N.Y. Jets 13, Buffalo 6 – Gang Green managed to earn a win in a very tough place, but of course it was not the Bills starters that the Jets beat on this final day of the season. Yes, Buffalo was locked into the fifth seed, and so they had no stake in this one. So, they made this a de facto bye week, as they now prepare for Houston. For the Jets, this was a good win, and after a horrific 1-7 start, they end the season having won six of their final eight games. Not quite meeting the high expectations prior to the start of the season, but a nice win to end on a high not. My pick: Accurate
Cincinnati 33, Cleveland 23 – It was not much, but the Bengals at least ended the season on a high note, beating their cross state rivals, and earning only their second win of the entire season. The Browns did not look good, but this was a disappointing season almost from the get-go for them. It was not a meaningful game for either team, at least in terms of playoff positioning. Also, the Bengals had already locked up the first overall pick in the draft, with the worst record in the league. My pick: Accurate
Philadelphia 34, N.Y. Giants 17 – Well, another miserable season for the Giants ends with another miserable loss to the Eagles. It was a tight game until the fourth quarter, when Philly scored 17 unanswered to clinch the win and the NFC East division title finally, once and for all. They improve to 9-7, and will host the Seahawks in the wildcard game next weekend. As for the Giants, this loss completes their 4-12 season, and there will likely be a lot of changes in the long offseason to come for the G-Men. My pick: Accurate
Dallas 47, Washington 16 – Well, the Cowboys sure got the job done on their end in trying to win the NFC East and reach the playoffs, although Philly’s win against the Giants ended their hopes. Still, the Cowboys played extremely well in this one, scoring 47 points and allowing only 16 in a huge blowout win against their division rivals. The Cowboys end the season at 8-8, and it feels like another big missed opportunity of a season for the Big D. A nice win, but another disappointment for a team that sure looked good enough to reach the playoffs earlier this season. Instead, they end 8-8, while Washington finished with a 3-13 record, second worst in the league, and worst in the NFC. My pick: Accurate
L.A. Rams 31, Arizona 24 – The Rams hardly finished the season with fireworks, and this game would not have been enough to qualify for the playoffs, after the two straight losses prior to this game had ended what hopes the defending NFC Champions had. But still the Rams earned a solid win to end the season off on a good note, and should feel better heading into an offseason filled with questions that need to be addressed, if this team hopes to return back to elite form. As for the Cardinals, they finish the season with a 5-10-1 record, which was not bad, as they continue building towards a brighter future. My pick: Accurate
Denver 16, Oakland 15 – Neither of these two AFC West teams were going to the playoffs, obviously. For all intents and purposes, this game was a battle for second place in the division, without a chance at a playoff berth. The Broncos hosted, and managed to win to end the season on a high note. After a bad start to the season, Denver won their final two games and ended at 7-9. The Raiders also ended at 7-9, although they were 6-4 and with an excellent chance to qualify for the postseason, seemingly, before a very late season collapse ended what hopes they once had. My pick: Accurate
Jax 38, Indianapolis 20 – The Jaguars tried out new uniforms in this game, keeping their proud tradition of ugly uniforms alive. But they also earned the win to end the season off in strong fashion, Minishew Mania is still alive, and may continue into next season with this win, although the situation with Nick Foles, a quarterback that this team went through some trouble to obtain, remains uncertain. In any case, this was a good win that allowed the Jaguars to end the season in a high note. My pick: Inaccurate
Baltimore 28, Pittsburgh 10 – The Ravens won their 12th straight game, and finished the season with a franchise best ever 14-2 overall record. They also had 223 yards rushing against Pittsburgh, which secured an NFL single season team rushing record of 3,296 yards, just beating a mark previously held by the New England Patriots back in 1978. What was surprising was that the Ravens played so well and dominated the Steelers, even though this game actually did not mean much to them, and had no bearing on the playoffs, other than the loss eliminating the Steelers, who would have been eliminated anyway due to the win by the Titans. Pittsburgh ends the season the way that they started it, with a dismal three-game losing streak that leaves a bad taste in their mouths for a second straight offseason. My pick: Inaccurate
Tennessee 35, Houston 14 – The Titans managed to earn that final spot in the AFC playoff by virtue of beating the Texans in Houston, thus overcome their previous two-game losing streak to earn a date next weekend. They will not head off to New England, where they lost two years ago in the divisional round. For the Texans, this game did not mean much, as the win by KC assured that Houston would be the fourth seed. As such, they will host the Bills in the first AFC Wildcard game next weekend. My pick: Accurate
Sunday Night Football - San Francisco 26, Seattle 21 – What a game again between these two teams! The 49ers looked ready to dominate early on, but Seattle ultimately battled back to get back into this game. It became a close, back and forth game again, like the first meeting. In fact, it came down to the last seconds of the final quarter, when the Seahawks were deep in San Fran territory, with a chance to take the late lead. But a missed call, as well as a dumb delay of game penalty, ultimately hurt them. They still came close, missing the end zone by mere inches on their final offensive play. But San Fran hung on for the win, and thus clinched the NFC West title, as well as the top seed in the NFC playoffs with this victory. My pick: Accurate
No comments:
Post a Comment