Reacting and overreacting to everything that happened during Wild-Card Weekend in the NFL…
Things That Made Me Giddy
Buffalo Is on the Board!: With a playoff win for the first time in 25 years; to put that in perspective, the last time the Bills won a playoff game Josh Allen was 25 years younger than he is today. Now, this one came with as much a sense of relief as it did celebration, due to the quality of this Bills team and dicey nature of the victory. But they get one under their belt, they move on, and they’ve still played as well as any team in football over the past two months.
Daryl Williams Saves Dyngus Day: With his recovery of an unacceptably sloppy Josh Allen fumble as Buffalo clung to a three-point lead late. If Williams doesn’t come up with it, there’s quite a pall over Western New York right now. He ended up being one of the best signings of the 2020 offseason and will be rewarded in free agency this offseason, but this moment was one more reason the Bills are fortunate to have their 28-year-old right tackle.
A Gutsy Jared Goff: Sometimes, when you try to throw a football 12 days after you’ve had a bunch of pins inserted into your shattered thumb, things don’t go perfectly. Goff didn’t look very sure of himself, but he hung in and absorbed hits, and he delivered the two or three throws they needed to have in order to complement a dominant defensive performance in Seattle.
Brandon Staley’s Job Prospects: The Rams’ 38-year-old, first-time defensive coordinator should take his VHS tapes of Herman’s Head, tape over them with the All-22 of his defense’s three games against Seattle, mail them to the six teams that have head-coaching vacancies, and specify how large a dump truck they’ll have to fill with cash in order to hire him. To do what he’s done all season with a group that has two superstars but not a whole lot of talent otherwise, and to do what he did on Saturday with and later without Aaron Donald, is exceptional.
Darious Williams’s Study Habits: When you do your homework, you know the atomic weight of Wolfram, how to plot a sine wave, and can make breath-raking pick-sixes like this. You can’t pin this on Russell Wilson for the throw, DK Metcalf for not making a play on the ball or Freddie Swain for not making the block—this is just a phenomenal defensive play by a guy who was prepared for what was coming…
Rams Defense Without Aaron Donald: I mean, do they even want him back? Considering they came into the year looking like they lacked depth, this was an exceptional job by the players and the coaching staff to continue to dominate in the fourth quarter after losing the best non-quarterback in football.
Taylor Heinicke Fever: Was the NBC crew’s praise a little over the top? Sure. But if you’ve been subjected to Football Team quarterback play in 2020, Heinicke looked like Patrick Mahomes wearing cleats coated in flubber. (Fun fact: If someone refers to the film Flubber, they are only referring to the off-brand ’90s remake starring the late Robin Williams. Correct them and tell them that The Absent-Minded Professor is the name of the original film to which they are referring, and be sure you have ice on hand for when they rightfully punch you in the face.)
Gabriel Davis’s Sideline Wizardry: I don’t know if the rookie got his feet down on either play on the Bills’ two-minute drive to end the first half (my guess is no on the first, yes on the second, but there’s no way either could have been overturned on replay). Davis’s nifty footwork put them in position for points at the end of the first half, and eventually they got seven.
Bucs O-Line Won That Battle: Football Team’s pass rush started to heat up Brady in the fourth quarter (Ted Larsen filling in for an injured Alex Cappa at right guard didn’t help), but this was a decisive win for a front five that has been generally solid, but had some long days against top-flight pass rushes this season.
Indy’s Over Routes: Frank Reich and his staff seemed to have found a way to obliterate the Bills’ zone rules.
Mario Addison’s Play Goal Line Save: He’s been another nice veteran addition from the Panthers-to-Buffalo pipeline. On a third-and-goal from the 1 near the end of the first half, he didn’t get sucked inside by the misdirection and forced Jonathan Taylor to bounce a pitch even further to the perimeter, where Tre’Davious White cleaned Taylor up for a three-yard loss. Indy went for it on fourth-and-goal from the 4 and didn’t get it. That’s a seven-point play for the vet.
Tom Brady Post-Bye Week: No world-beaters on this schedule (Minnesota, Atlanta, Detroit, Atlanta, Washington), but the numbers are absurd regardless: 5 games, 5 wins, 1,714 yards, 9.74 YPA, 14 TD, 1 INT, 0 fumbles, 35.8 points per game.
Tyler Bass Dominates the Rookie Kicker Battle: Bass nailed a 54-yarder, while Rodrigo Blankenship doinked the upright on a 33-yarder. That seems significant in a game that was decided by three points.
Jason Myers in the League of Legs: Including playoffs, he finished 26-for-26 on field goals for Seattle, including 4-for-4 from 50-plus.
Jack Doyle: For eight…
Bills Break Up This Hail Mary: I worried for Pinto Ron’s heart after Philip Rivers launched it (though surely the sigh of relief was audible from Lockport to West Seneca and in every Tonawanda in between as soon as everyone realized the ball was coming down at the 5). Micah Hyde gave it the emphatic, Bam Adebayo-two-handed block to clinch it.
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Regrets
Frank Reich Will Lose Sleep: He shouldn’t, but he will. His aggressive approach was exactly what the Colts should have done. There was no issue going for it on fourth-and-goal from the 4 with 1:53 left (remember, if they kick the field goal they’re getting three points, but they’re also giving the Bills 20 yards of field position for their two-minute offense—the chance for the touchdown was worth it). But every break went the other way in Buffalo. Gabriel Davis’s two late-first-half sideline catches could have been called either way—if either was ruled incomplete they wouldn’t have been overturned. A young lineman commits the dumbest pre-snap penalty we’ve seen in recent memory to give the Bills an extra four points before halftime. Indy’s rookie kicker doinks a 33-yarder, while Buffalo’s nails a 54-yarder. Reich’s only game management error was a massive one: challenging a very clearly correctly ruled non-fumble in the fourth quarter that was simply throwing away a timeout they’d desperately need in the end. But his gameplan was excellent, the Colts outgained the Bills by 75 yards, won the field position battle, controlled the clock, made five red-zone trips to Buffalo’s two, didn’t turn the ball over and committed only two penalties. That’s a win 95% of the time, even in the playoffs.
Kemoko Turay Jumps: There’s nothing you can say about this other than it’s the most bone-headed and costly pre-snap penalty in recent memory. The Bills had already tipped their hand that they were trying to draw the Colts offsides on this fourth-and-3 late in the first half. Turay has been limited by injury issues through three NFL seasons, and as a Rutgers alum didn’t play in many competitive big-game situations at the college level, but it’s tough to come up with an excuse. It’s just unfathomable that he’d jump here, and the reaction of the Colts’ sideline is exactly what it should be for what became a four-point penalty (Buffalo was in the end zone three plays later)…
Colts Just Throw Away a Timeout in the Fourth Quarter: I’m not sure who advised Frank Reich to throw the red flag when multiple replays had already showed Zack Moss’s knee was already down, which was the call on the field. It had a 0% chance of being overturned and cost them a timeout they very much needed down the stretch. Someone owes Reich an explanation.
John Hussey’s Game Administration: It was disastrous a couple times, including when he was clearly trying to reset the play clock before a Seahawks fourth-and-1 when (a) it shouldn’t have been reset, and (b) it was too late for Russell Wilson to know it was being reset. As a result, the Seahawks rushed on a key play and half the team jumped for a false start penalty.
How In the World Does This Flag Get Picked Up?: This is, quite obviously, a penalty, whether it’s a quarterback or a runner. There’s nothing dirty about it, but you can’t drive your shoulder into the head of a player on the ground…
Indy’s Red Zone Efficiency: Five red-zone trips but only 16 points out of them. Meanwhile, the Bills scored 14 points on two red-zone trips. That’s a bitter pill for Indy to swallow in a three-point playoff loss.
NFL Replay Central Takes a Mid-Afternoon Nap: A very close play on the Zach Pascal near-fumble in the final minute at Buffalo—one that would have clinched the game for the Bills. The fact that the replay folks just forgot a game was going on and neglected to call for a review it until Sean McDermott burned a timeout is an alarming failure of game administration. I clocked it as 31.3 seconds—and two replays shown by CBS—elapsing between the end of the previous play and the McDermott timeout (which was restored) blowing the next play dead.
DK Metcalf Losing It on the Sideline: It’s fine, in the larger scheme of things. People get heated during a game and sometimes you need to blow off steam, but not in the first quarter of a playoff game. As Joe Buck pointed out, in an empty stadium everyone on the sideline can hear your tantrum. The other thing is, when you’re the biggest, easiest guy to spot on the sideline the TV cameras will have no trouble finding you. And if the game goes sideways you and your team have to endure a bunch of questions about why you weren’t getting along with your star veteran quarterback.
Jonathan Taylor’s Hands: He’s a wonderfully talented young back; the conventional thinking thrown around is that he can catch the ball out of the backfield, they just didn’t give him a chance to do it much at Wisconsin. But he had a lot of drops in college on those limited chances, and on Saturday, the rookie had two killer drops on second-and-medium that were immediately followed by failed third-down conversions (which were followed by a punt on the edge of scoring range, and a missed field goal). This isn’t Leonard Fournette fighting it every time it gets near his hands, but Taylor has a problem with panicking and looking to go before the ball is secured.
Probably Should Have Brought Jacoby Brissett Out of the Bullpen: For that final Hail Mary in Buffalo. Rivers’s throw was a good five yards short of the end zone.
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Moments We’ll Tell Our Grandkids About
Heinicke to the Pylon: This was more exciting than every other 2020 Football Team offensive play combined.
Josh Allen Looking Off the Safety: The Colts gave him a lot to think about with some of their disguised coverages, but this is confident, high-end quarterbacking…
Russ, Moving Left, Downfield Touch: The one play the Seahawks offense delivered this postseason came on a classic Russell Wilson out-of-structure play…
Goff Owes Cooper Kupp a Coke: The ball is underthrown, which is understandable considering the pins in Goff’s thumb, but this ball is also excruciatingly late and should have been a touchdown. Instead, it’s very much in danger until Kupp bails him out…
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What We’ll Be Talking About This Week
Bills Were Lucky to Get Out of There: Which is fine—style points don’t count and they get to play again next week! But it was a reminder that the Tua Tagovailoa’s and Patriots defenses of the world don’t play in the postseason (well, at least not on the AFC side of the bracket). Josh Allen looked a little jittery at times, at least relative to his recent run of games, and Frank Reich had a bead on Sean McDermott’s defense. But Buffalo got one under their belt, and that can make a world of difference from a comfort and confidence standpoint.
Goff’s Thumb, Wolford’s Neck, Donald’s Ribs, Kupp’s Knee: Sean McVay finds solutions as well as any coach in football, but this injury list is getting to be a bit much.
Back to Work for the Bucs: Regardless of the opponent, next weekend Tampa will face an opponent with a winning record for the first time since they lost to Kansas City the Sunday after Thanksgiving (they were 1-4 against opponents who finished the regular season with a winning record).
Who Are the Seahawks Offensively?: They came into the year letting Russ cook and it started fast, resulted in a midseason meltdown, and then they backed off. But the old-school run-and-play-action offense ran out of steam for what seems like the 53rd straight year. You try not to overreact considering the tough late-season set of defenses, but it feels like a back-to-the-drawing-board offseason in Seattle, or at least a discussion of whether they can live with the turnovers if it might avoid another postseason performance like this. They have one playoff win over the past four seasons, and it was over the Josh McCown-led Eagles.
The Seahawks Need a New Plan for Jamal Adams: He’s can’t be left singled up with any receivers—let alone very good receivers—as often as he was during his first season in Seattle; opposing quarterbacks see a bright neon arrow over his head every time it happens. He is a dynamic blitzer and run defender, and he offers plenty to a defensive coordinator, but this staff is going to continue to have buyer’s remorse if they think this is how they can use him.
Is This the Last of Philip Rivers?: The Colts would probably not mind bringing him back—they’ll be out of range to draft a QB, Carson Wentz makes sense but is not guaranteed to be available (though, for the record, I’d vote for Jacoby Brissett). This season showed that Rivers can still effectively game-manage an offense as long as he has a good offensive line in front of him. His market outside of Indy might be limited and the quarterback market is relatively flooded, but he’s a capable bridge QB for someone (New England?).
And How About T.Y. Hilton?: It’s going to stun people how soft the wide receiver market is in free agency—lots of good guys will be available, and the incoming draft class might be better and deeper than last year’s phenomenal group. The market is absolutely flooded. Hilton made about $14 million this year, but I’m not sure he’ll draw more than half that on the open market. And after a season in which he was more of a role player, how interested are the Colts?
Bills Take Out Philip Rivers, Roethlisberger Next?: And if they beat Roethlisberger in the conference semifinals, they’re going to TP Eli Manning’s house to finish off the 2004 draft QB class. It’s all part of the J.P. Losman Revenge Tour.
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