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Well, the 2021-22 regular season is now over. A bizarre and unpredictable season ended with a wild finish that, perhaps predictably, brought some serious surprises. The biggest shock came when the Colts, fighting for their playoff lives, fell almost without a fight to the worst team in the league in Jacksonville. The Cowboys moved up one seed after the Rams, looking to win the NFC West division title, lost yet again to the Niners, who earned a playoff spot. Yet the Rams still backed into the division title as the Cardinals lost at home to Seattle, which was yet another unexpected result. Buffalo won the division title outright by manhandling the lowly Jets, as predicted, but they would have won anyway, since the Patriots lost to the Dolphins, which gave Miami a season sweep over New England for the first time since 2000, which happened to be the first season for Belichick and Brady for the Patriots.
Then, there was the insanity of the Raiders-Chargers game on Sunday Night Football, and all of the ramifications that came from that. Ultimately, the Raiders won, and so the Silver and Black move onto the postseason, as do the Steelers, which was a big surprise. Pittsburgh looked very much like a long shot just a few weeks ago. Now, they are in the postseason as the seventh seed in the AFC. And the Titans struggled and flirted with a late collapse against Houston, only to do just enough to preserve the win that finally clinches home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs, and a playoff bye. The Bengals lost their final game, allowing the Bills to move up to the third seed in the AFC overall.
Let's take a closer look at all of the action from Sunday's games:
Washington 22, NY Giants 7 – One of the games that mattered little, except maybe for the pride involved for both teams. Washington was the better team of the two for most of the season, and they played like it, showing why from early on. They are not known for having a particularly explosive offense or anything, and so they built their lead up slowly but surely with field goals in the first two quarters, and then a touchdown in the third quarter for a 12-0 lead. The G-Men finally scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to give themselves a chance at a win, but Washington answered with an 8-play, 72-yard drive that culminated in an 8-yard touchdown run by Antonio Gibson that effectively put the game out of reach. They added a field goal for the final margin. Overall, Washington dominated, hanging onto the ball for over 32 minutes and piling up 325 yards and 16 first downs on offense, while the Giants only managed 177 yards and 10 first downs. Big Blue also committed three turnovers that hurt, while Washington had none. Overall, the Giants scored a total of 26 points in their final four games, which is most likely the least of any team in the league during that stretch (I did not extensively research this, or anything, but it feels right). Also, they lost all of their final six games of the season, even though they still had a chance at reaching the playoffs at the beginning of that stretch. So they clearly are a team that needs to address some issues. Their offensive woes are just overwhelming, particularly on the offensive line. Same old story for the G-Men, who now begin their long offseason, and try to answer some of the many, many questions surrounding them and their future. Head coach Joe Judge was fired, so the team will get a new head coach for next season. The Giants finish this season with a 4-13 mark, second worst in the NFC, and among the very worst in the entire league. Washington, meanwhile, finished the season at 7-10. My pick: Accurate
Buffalo 27, NY Jets 10 – The Bills kind of were an inconsistent team this season. But they had a chance to win the division outright with a win here in this game. And they took care of business, breaking out of what was a close game entering the fourth quarter (the Bills led, 13-10) to finally ice the game with two touchdowns. It was enough to not only secure the win, but finally, to clinch a second straight AFC East division title, the first time that Buffalo has won consecutive division titles since their Super Bowl days of the early nineties. Buffalo’s offense was not incredibly explosive in this game in terms of points, yet they hung onto the ball for exactly 37 minutes and produced 424 yards and 25 first downs. Meanwhile, Buffalo’s defense completely shut down Gang Green., who only managed 53 yards and 4 first downs on offense, both of which are incredibly low numbers. In fact, the 53 total yards of offense for them set a new franchise record for lowest total number of yards in a game. Buffalo produced eight times the total number of yards that the Jets earned all day, and they also earned more than six times the number of first downs. So to say that this was not a good day for Gang Green would be an understatement. This was the second straight season where the Jets failed to win so much as a single game within their own division. The Bills improved to 11-6 on the season, and enter the playoffs as the third seed overall in the AFC, and now prepare to host the division rival Patriots. The Jets, meanwhile, drop to 4-13, as they now enter the long offseason with a bad taste of a horrific loss to think about. My pick: Accurate
Minnesota 31, Chicago 17 – This was another game without any kind of playoff ramifications for either team, or for any other team, either. The Bears jumped out to an impressive 14-0 lead by late in the second quarter. After that, however, it was all Minnesota, as they outscored Da Bears the rest of the way, 31-3. That, despite Chicago enjoying advantages in almost every statistical category. They held onto the ball for nearly 37 minutes and gained 356 yards and 24 first downs, to just 331 yards and 11 first downs for the Vikings. However, the Bears did commit two turnovers, one of which came late in the fourth quarter, and basically iced the comeback win for Minnesota. With the win, the Vikings finish the season with an 8-9 record, while the Bears wind up 6-11 on the year. My pick: Inaccurate
Jacksonville 26, Indianapolis 11 – Most people seem to agree that this was truly the most shocking outcome of this past weekend. For my part, I had seriously expected the Colts to be at their best, with all that was on the line for them. A simple win – and remember that the Jaguars are literally the worst team in the league this season, at least in terms of overall record – and Indy would have qualified for the postseason. But they came out completely flat instead. Jax looked fired up from the first, jumping out to an early 7-0 lead with a touchdown in the first quarter. The Colts got a field goal in the second quarter to make it a close game, but after that, the Jaguars simply took over. They scored two field goals to take a 13-3 lead into the locker rooms by halftime. They added 10 more points in the third quarter, and had built up a rather shocking 26-3 lead in the fourth quarter before the Colts finally scored a touchdown and showed some signs of actual life. By then, however, it was far too little and much too late. The Jaguars held onto the ball for over 33 minutes and pilled up 318 yards and 19 first downs, while limiting the Colts to just 233 yards and 13 first downs. Also, Indy committed two turnovers. Carson Wentz has had his share of struggles this season, but he really could not help his team out of this hole. The Jaguars stun the Colts and prevent them from reaching a playoff spot that seemed, frankly, like a foregone conclusion prior to this game. As a result, the 9-8 Colts instead begin their offseason, as do the Jaguars, who improve to 3-14 but finish the season with the worst overall record for a second year in a row, which means that they “earn” the first overall pick in the upcoming draft later this year. My pick: Wildly Inaccurate
Cleveland 21, Cincinnati16 – In a classic case of too little, too late, the Browns won this particular battle of Ohio. Of course, the Bengals had already clinched the AFC North division title, and so they were resting their starters for this one. Nevertheless, the Browns played for pride, managing to end their season on a positive note with a win. Cleveland held onto the ball for over 33 minutes and gained 376 yards and 24 first downs, to just 182 yards and 11 first downs for the Bengals. The Browns did commit two turnovers, but they were able to overcome that in order to win this one to improve to 8-9 this season. As for the Bengals, they finish the regular season at 10-7, but will still host a playoff game against the Raiders this coming weekend as division champs, seeking the first playoff win in franchise history since the 1990-91 season. My pick: Inaccurate
Detroit 37, Green Bay 30 – The Lions managed to win a game for pride against a Packers team that sat out their starters after a while. Of course, that makes sense, since the Pack had already clinched homefield advantage and a playoff bye before this game, and so they did not need to win. Still, Detroit struggled and had to stage a comeback in the fourth quarter to earn this one. It was a back and forth game, with a number of momentum switches and lead changes. Green Bay held onto the ball for over 33 minutes, but they also committed three turnovers, while the Lions had none. Detroit’s offense produced 404 yards and 19 first downs, to 378 yards and 22 first downs for the Packers. With the win, the Lions improve to 3-13-1 to finish out the season, while Green Bay end the regular season with an NFL best 13-4 mark, and end the season with the best overall record in the NFC for a third straight season (they were tied with the 49ers and Saints two years ago, and were alone with the best overall record now for the past two seasons). My pick: Accurate
Tennessee 28, Houston 25 – Tennessee looked like they were ready to roar and earn themselves a statement win to clinch the top seed and home field advantage throughout the AFC playoffs. They jumped out to a 21-0 lead with three touchdowns in the second quarter, which they kept by halftime. The Titans indeed looked like they would be cruising their way to a easy victory. But the Texans came storming back, scoring 10 points in the third quarter, then adding a touchdown with a successful two-point conversion early in the fourth, closing to within a field goal at that point. The Titans scored a touchdown midway through the final quarter, but Houston again answered with another touchdown of their own, once again making it a three-point game. The Texans simply had no quit in them in this one. Ultimately, however, the Titans did finally clinch the win, although it proved to be a lot more difficult then expected for them. They held onto the ball for well over 33 minutes and gained 405 yards and 23 first downs on offense, while the Texans got 353 yards and 18 first downs. The Texans finish the season with a 4-13 record, while the Titans finish at 12-5, and now get to rest for the playoff bye as the AFC’s top seed. My pick: Accurate
Pittsburgh 16, Baltimore 13 – In a de facto playoff game, with the winner keeping their playoff hopes alive and the loser watching their season and hopes end in disappointment, it proved to be a back and forth game on an ugly, wet day in Baltimore. Ultimately, this one went into overtime. The Steelers were actually outgained by the Ravens, 381 yards and 20 first downs to 314 yards and 19 first downs for Pittsburgh. But Baltimore also committed three turnovers to just one for the Steelers. The win improved Pittsburgh to 9-7-1 on the year and, improbably, they sneak into the playoffs as the seventh and final seed in the AFC. The Ravens, meanwhile, finish the season at 8-9 and miss the playoffs, after losing all of their final six games, a streak that saw them go from the top overall record in the AFC to missing the playoffs. My pick: Accurate
New Orleans 30, Atlanta 20 – The Saints entered this game with their playoff hopes still alive, and they got their end of the job done. They beat the Falcons in Atlanta, really taking over in the second quarter, and then hanging on with two field goals in the fourth that put the game out of reach for the hometown Falcons. New Orleans hung onto the ball for almost 40 minutes, gaining 369 yards and 22 first downs, to just 257 yards and 13 first downs for Atlanta. The Falcons also had three turnovers, which certainly did not help their cause. The loss dropped Atlanta to 7-10 on the year. Meanwhile, the Saints improved to 9-8, but still missed reaching the postseason by virtue of the 49ers win over the Rams in Los Angeles. My pick: Accurate
San Francisco 27, LA Rams 24 – Sometimes, you wonder what it is that one team has over another. That is probably the case with the 49ers over the Rams. When the 49ers look like a dominant team, like thy did two years ago, they sweep the Ram. When the 49ers struggle through a losing season and the Rams are a playoff team, San Francisco still sweeps them. And this year, when the Rams are division champions and the 49ers are inconsistent, they still manage to sweep the Rams and, by so doing, now scrape their way into the playoffs. The Niners were solid on offense, outgaining the Rams with 449 yards and 23 first downs, to just 265 yards and 19 for Los Angeles. Both teams committed two turnovers. It looked like the Rams were going to romp to victory as they jumped out to a 17-0 lead int eh second quarter, but it was all San Francisco after that, as they tie it to force overtime, and then get the winning score once there to improve to 10-7 and earn their spot in the postseason. The Rams finish 13-5, and despite the loss, they backed into the NFC West division title as a result of the Cardinals surprising loss. My pick: Inaccurate
Miami 33, New England 24 – With a chance to win the division title if they won and the Bills lost, the Patriots just fell flat, losing instead to Miami. Despite outgained the Dolphins with 379 yards to just 298 for the Fins, the three turnovers that they committed proved costly. Als, Miami hung onto the ball for over 33 minutes, and produced 23 first downs to 21 for New England, despite the decisive advantage that the Patriots enjoyed in terms of overall yards gained. The Dolphins took over this game by jumping out to a 17-0 lead, and never really allowed New England to mount a serious comeback, as they finish the season with a winning record at 9-8. The Pats finish 10-7, but they did qualify for the postseason, as they will now head up to Buffalo for a Wild Card showdown with their division rivals, the Bill. My pick: Inaccurate
Seattle 38, Arizona 30 – The Cardinals blew a chance to win the division title, as the Rams lost, but so did they. The Seahawks really were just playing for pride, and a chance to play spoilers. Yet, they succeeded, and the hometown Cards failed. Despite hanging onto the ball for over 35 minutes, the Cardinals were significantly outgained by the Seahawks, 431 yards to 305 yards. Arizona had 20 first downs, while Seattle had 19. The ‘Hawks suffered two turnovers, to just one for the Cardinals. Still, the Seahawks hang on for a win to end the season at 7-10, while the Cardinals finish 11-6. They no head to a Wild Card Game showdown with the Rams, but they look shaky, having lost four of their last five games. My pick: Inaccurate
Tampa Bay 41, Carolina 17 – In a season defined by inconsistency, the defending champions were actually fairly consistent through most of the season, and ended this season with a predictable win against the Panthers. Carolina kept it fairly close after a touchdown in the fourth quarter made it a one possession game. It was all Tampa Bay after that, as they scored 17 unanswered points to make it a blowout final score. The Bucs only held onto the ball for under 25 minutes, yet they outgained the Panthers 409 yards and 21 first downs to just 317 yards and 18 first downs for Carolina. The Panthers also committed two turnovers, which did not help their cause any. Tampa Bay ends their regular season with a franchise record best 13-4 mark, and are the second seed in the NFC. Meanwhile, the Panthers finish the season at 5-12, with this being a seventh straight loss. My pick: Accurate
SNF: Las Vegas 35, LA Chargers 32 (OT) – This was an incredible game with a wild finish which served as a fitting end to an unpredictable NFL season. It was a crazy back and forth game, with the two teams switching momentum and leads several times. The two teams just kept answering one another, with the Chargers in particular showing some incredible fight in them, continually scoring touchdowns just under the game to stay alive in this one. Ultimately, however, the Raiders were able to get a field goal attempt on the final play of overtime, and they were able to split the uprights for yet another win secured on the final play of the game, which seems to be a habit with them. The win improves the Raiders to 10-7, and catapults them into the postseason for the first time since 2016. The Chargers, meanwhile, finish the season at 9-8, and miss the postseason. My pick: Accurate
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