Browns snap streak; Tom Brady hits stride
After 256 video games, the field is set and all 14 playoff groups are booked for the NFL playoffs.
The Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers will relaxation throughout the wild-card spherical subsequent week as they get pleasure from their first-round byes. But earlier than we transfer onto the postseason, it is time to check out groups that surged late within the yr and ones that sputtered. No squad had an even bigger letdown than the Miami Dolphins, who awakened on Sunday because the No. 5 seed within the AFC and went to mattress out of the playoff image, altogether.
But the place Miami stumbled, it opened a door for the Indianapolis Colts, who snuck into the playoffs as the ultimate seed within the convention.
Here are the Week 17 winners and losers.
WINNERS
Streak busting
For the primary time in 18 years, the Cleveland Browns are in the playoffs. This is a momentous achievement for a fan base that has been tortured with quarterback busts, ineffective teaching staffs and practically twenty years — if no more — of dysfunction. And whereas the sport was maybe nearer than it ought to’ve been, because the Steelers rested quite a lot of starters together with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the Browns did sufficient to finish the streak.
Cleveland’s offensive manufacturing wasn’t significantly spectacular, nevertheless it was clear. The Browns dedicated simply 4 penalties for under 19 yards. They did not flip the ball over. They transformed half of their 12 third-down makes an attempt. On protection, they pressured the Steelers’ passers and generated 4 sacks. They have a gradual speeding assault, an honest passer in Baker Mayfield and playmakers on either side of the ball. Kicking, although, is a matter. But most significantly, rookie coach Kevin Stefanski has put in a tradition in Cleveland that may maintain growth and long-term success.
“There is work left to be done,” Stefanski stated. “The goal was never just to make the playoffs.”
Baltimore Ravens speeding assault
Yes, the current opponents have not been the best high quality. But of their final 5 video games, the Ravens look as if they’ll be an issue within the playoffs. A dominant 38-3 romping of the Bengals clinched a postseason berth and confirmed that this crew’s speeding offense is again to earlier ranges that made quarterback Lamar Jackson the league MVP final season.
Against Cincinnati, the Ravens ran for 404 yards. 404! That provides Baltimore an absurd 267.4 speeding yards a recreation over its final 5, all of which have been victories. That has helped Baltimore chew clock and prolong drives. In that span, it has transformed 38 of 62 (61.3%) third-down tries. That’s a components it might probably use to win video games on the street within the playoffs.
The Tampa Tom offense
Another crew whose offense is hitting its stride on the proper time is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They closed out their common season with a convincing 44-27 victory towards the Falcons and have now scored a mean of 34.6 factors a recreation over their final seven. One motive has been the emergence of operating again Ronald Jones II, whose manufacturing has helped open up the passing recreation by forcing defenses to commit extra gamers to cease the run.
The consequence has been an explosion for Tom Brady. In 5 of the final seven video games, Brady has thrown for a minimum of 340 yards. In that span, he has a 20:5 touchdown-to-interception ratio. In truth, at 43 years outdated, Brady turned simply the second participant in league historical past to throw for 40 or extra landing passes for 2 totally different groups. Brady has additionally discovered a reference to receiver Antonio Brown, who has 4 touchdowns within the final three weeks. Of course, it additionally helps when your offensive line provides you this a lot time.
LOSERS
Doug Pederson
This was as questionable a training resolution seen in current reminiscence and one which legitimately begs the query of whether or not Pederson deliberately damage his crew’s probabilities at competing to enhance their draft place. Pederson, in a three-point recreation within the regular-season finale, the marquee matchup the NFL entrance workplace promoted as the sport of the week, benched his promising younger quarterback Jalen Hurts for journeyman backup Nate Sudfeld. This was performed below the guise of attempting to judge Sudfeld. The Eagles lost, 20-14.
Here’s the difficulty. Sudfeld is a five-year NFL veteran with a restricted talent set, a participant who has been within the group since 2017. What is there to judge? Why would not Pederson wish to see extra of Hurts, a rookie who ascended to starter and has nonetheless solely tried 148 profession passes? Had the Eagles gained, they’d’ve claimed the ninth total choose within the 2021 NFL draft. With the loss, they now choose sixth. This is a transfer that may push a coach to lose a locker room. All it’s important to do is see the seems of disbelief and frustration on the faces of Eagles veterans.
Chan Gailey, Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
No crew suffered an even bigger defeat than Miami. The Dolphins had every part to play for and wanted to defeat an excellent Bills crew to clinch a playoff spot. Even with a loss, they’d’ve had a shot, however would’ve wanted the Jaguars to defeat the Colts. That did not occur. Instead, Miami was embarrassed 56-26 and can miss the postseason for the fourth consecutive season.
Gailey, Miami’s offensive coordinator, merely did not put collectively an efficient plan within the crew’s greatest recreation of the yr till it was far too late. To be honest, Miami’s protection deserves a ton of blame for letting Bills quarterback Josh Allen go for 224 yards and three touchdowns, with one choose, in part-time responsibility. The Bills pulled Allen early and sat a number of different key starters. It’s extensively recognized that rookie Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has excelled in an up-tempo offense and has seemed extra snug. Yet, it wasn’t till Miami confronted a 22-point deficit in the beginning of the third quarter that Gailey opted for a no-huddle. The Dolphins dropped passes, went three of 14 on third-down tries, appeared virtually disinterested at occasions and easily confirmed they by no means belonged within the playoffs.
Arizona Cardinals
Part of it was unhealthy timing, with quarterback Kyler Murray struggling an damage final week after which getting dinged up with an ankle injury within the finale towards the Rams, however the Cardinals narrowly missed out on the postseason after falling to L.A.. That means a season that directly seemed promising now finally ends up being for naught. And in the long run, it was streaky inconsistency that did Arizona in. Murray did return within the fourth quarter on Sunday, however by then it was too late.
There was some progress for Arizona this yr, however offensive third-down inefficiency usually doomed the offense, as did intervals of Murray being ineffective at speeding the ball.
New York Giants
It needed to have been depressing, winning a hard-fought game against the Cowboys to maintain your minimal playoff hopes alive, solely to see the crew it’s good to win … pull their younger, proficient quarterback for an unremarkable third-stringer. That’s not the one motive the Giants missed the playoffs. Let’s be clear: This crew went 6-10 and had loads of probabilities to tug forward within the NFC East over the 2020 season. New York failed to do this and that is what occurs when groups do not maintain their very own enterprise.
But Pederson’s swap occurred when this was only a three-point recreation, one through which Philadelphia very effectively might’ve fought again. And there’s merely no query Hurts supplies Philadelphia extra of an opportunity to be aggressive than Nate Sudfeld. Giants players were rightly upset on social media, however this additionally was presupposed to be the marquee recreation for the ultimate week of the common season. Fans have been robbed, too.
Teams that may’t play within the components
The groups that clinched the highest seeds of their respective conferences, the Chiefs within the AFC and the Packers within the NFC, simply occur to play in stadiums the place icy winds are recognized to whip throughout the sector this time of the yr. Both are recognized to dump rain/sleet/snow on any given day, making it a harder problem for dome and warm-weather groups.
The Packers, who clinched the No. 1 seed with a 35-16 victory towards the Bears, went 7-1 this season at Lambeau Field, the place the final recreation there was in a snowstorm. The Chiefs rested nearly all of their starters in the finale loss against the Chargers to drop to 6-2 at Arrowhead. Home-field benefit definitely is totally different this yr with the pandemic, however there are different chilly climate groups that can host a minimum of one playoff recreation: the Bills, Steelers, Titans and Seahawks. That means groups that do not defend the ball, do not prioritize timing and particulars of their offensive operation and commit penalties and unforced errors could wrestle much more.
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