Sometimes, while watching sports, one observes a play that is so absurd and illogical that one’s brain cannot even comprehend what just occurred. The odd ending sequence of Sunday’s heartbreaking 30-24 road loss to the Las Vegas Raiders by the New England Patriots is one example. We may have just witnessed the moment that definitively demonstrated that the Patriots Dynasty is in the rearview mirror.
Officially, the game ended when Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones intercepted Patriots receiver Jakobi Meyers’ lateral pass and rumbled into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. In the official game statistics, it was recorded as a recovered fumble. But none of this adequately conveys the turmoil that erupted in the dying seconds of the game.
Let’s begin with the situation: in a game tied at 24-24, time was running short. Normally, the top aim in such a circumstance is to secure the ball and deny the opposing team any chance to score on a mistake. Perhaps you allow your quarterback to attempt a Hail Mary pass and throw directly into the end zone.
Rhamondre Stevenson of the Patriots rushed for 23 yards before bizarrely lateraling the ball to Meyers. Meyers then threw the ball to… well, all we know is that he threw the ball. Jones, after stiff-arming the New England quarterback and creating an image that will live in football infamy, plucked the ball out of the air and took it to the house.
In a heated postgame interview, head coach Bill Belichick stated, “We committed too many mistakes collectively.” (Indeed, more tense than usual.)
He wasn’t talking to just that play, which itself contained numerous mistakes, but to several situations strewn throughout the loss that was unfathomable for a team that has built its reputation over Belichick’s legendary tenure on its situational football ability.
The Patriots effectively froze themselves in the first half by calling an inexplicable timeout to negate a potential score. The Raiders then stopped a Patriots punt with 35 seconds left in the first half, foreshadowing future events. On their next possession, they scored a touchdown to extend their halftime lead to 17-3.
The only reason the Patriots were ever in a position to win this game was that the Raiders tend to throw away leads. Las Vegas had allowed 21 unanswered points until the last 34 seconds of the game, and there is a compelling argument that Derek Carr’s late touchdown pass to Keelan Cole should have been declared out of bounds.
It was eventually irrelevant. The Patriots intentionally chose to lose this game on their own. Now they are 7-7 and tied for third place in the AFC with the New York Jets.
The Patriots are not mathematically eliminated from postseason play, but this does not resemble a postseason club in the slightest, and for perhaps the first time in the Belichick era, the coaching staff bears a significant amount of responsibility.
Player of the week
Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills. By defeating the Miami Dolphins on Saturday, the Buffalo Bills won at least a postseason berth. The Dolphins were trying to keep their AFC East title chances alive.
In the fourth quarter, the Dolphins led by eight points before Josh Allen led his team to a 32-29 comeback triumph. Allen passed for four touchdowns and 304 yards and ran for an extra 77 in the victory.
Yes, that is quarterback Justin Fields of the Chicago Bears making yet another improbable play. Not only did he nearly score a touchdown, but he also managed to avoid a staggering number of Philadelphia Eagles defenders. Fields has now run for over 1,000 yards this season after Sunday’s game, putting him in the company of Lamar Jackson, and Michael Vick,… and that is all.
On Sunday, Fields also threw the ball well, completing 14 of 21 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns. As has been the case all season, his heroics were not enough to secure a victory for the Bears. The 13-1 Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Chicago Bears 25-20 and now just one more victory to secure the NFC’s top position.
Statistics of the week
This latest disgrace for the 4-9-1 Colts feels like the unofficial conclusion of the misguided Jeff Saturday experiment. This is not a guarantee, however, because the team appointed the inexperienced Saturday as head coach despite obvious warnings that the decision was doomed from the outset.
The quotation of the week
“I don’t believe I’ve ever participated in something similar.” — Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith on the frightening pregame incident between New Orleans Saints receiver Rashid Shaheed and Falcons defensive coordinator Dean Pees
That was perhaps an understatement on the side of Smith. Obviously, injuries are a feature of the NFL, but they occur less frequently during warm-ups and rarely involve the coaching staff. In a terrifying moment, medical personnel carried Pees, the league’s oldest defensive coordinator, off on a stretcher. Later, he was treated for his injuries and released.
Following the Saints’ 21-18 victory, Shaheed commented on the game. He stated, “I never met him.” “I was immediately quite concerned. But I received word that he has returned from the hospital and is healthy and doing well, so I am grateful. If he finds this, my apologies.”
The remainder of the league
Following their 20-17 loss to the Detroit Lions, the New York Jets playoff chances are in dire trouble. New York’s starting quarterback was Zach Wilson, as Mike White was ineligible to play. Wilson wasn’t outstanding against the Detroit Lions, but he led his team to a 17-13 lead in the fourth quarter.
The Jets’ defense conceded a 51-yard touchdown on fourth down with less than two minutes remaining. Greg Zuerlein was unable to convert a game-winning 48-yard field goal attempt for New York, despite having an improbable opportunity to do so. The Tigers improved to 7-7, keeping them alive in the wild-card race.
On Sunday, Jacksonville Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins secured a game-winning interception against the Dallas Cowboys in overtime, resulting in a 40-34 Jaguars triumph. Jenkins stopped the Cowboys from sealing a playoff berth with a victory, so keeping Jacksonville alive for a postseason berth.
The Jaguars’ turnaround has been led by quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who tossed four touchdown passes against a formidable Cowboys defense. Since Week 9, Lawrence’s 111.2 passer rating is the highest in the league, and he has thrown 14 touchdown passes with just one interception.
The Jaguars finished last season 3-14 and dead last in their division. Jacksonville has already quadrupled its victory count and has a legitimate opportunity to win the AFC South, especially in light of the Tennessee Titans loss to the Los Angeles Chargers (17-14).
The Houston Texans came dangerously close to winning a game against a superior opponent for the second week in a row, driving the favored Kansas City Chiefs into overtime before their inevitable 30-24 victory.
The Chiefs claimed the AFC West with the victory, while the Texans fell to 1-12-1 and moved closer to the first overall choice in the 2019 NFL draught. Consequently, they were both victorious.
The Cardinals’ disappointing season continues. In Sunday’s game against the similarly dismal Denver Broncos, they were forced to rely on veteran backup quarterback Colt McCoy when starting quarterback Kyler Murray suffered an ACL tear.
McCoy suffered a concussion against the Broncos, necessitating the use of third-string quarterback Trace McSorley. Unsurprising given the circumstances, the already-eliminated Broncos prevailed 24-15 in the meaningless contest.
33 points. Saturday’s comeback victory by the Minnesota Vikings over the woeful Indianapolis Colts was the greatest deficit ever overcome by an NFL team. Yes, this year’s Saturday NFL games kicked off with an instant classic, as the Vikings rallied from a 33-0 deficit to win 39-36 in overtime.
The 11-3 Vikings clinched the NFC North with the victory but failed to silence their doubters. Yes, Minnesota has demonstrated that it can overcome a 33-point disadvantage, but it has also demonstrated that it can fall into one.
It takes more than a little luck to go 9-0 in one-score games, as the Vikings have done this season, and now they must see if their good fortune holds up in the playoffs.
