Tag: 2023 nfl playoffs

The Dolphins defense scored an awesome big-man TD after a wild strip sack of Josh Allen

BIG. MAN. TOUCHDOWN!!!

No one in their right mind expected the Miami Dolphins to put up much of a fight on Sunday afternoon. Especially with third-stringer Skylar Thompson entrenched as the starter. That is, no one except the Dolphins, who used the aftermath of a fight between Josh Allen and Christian Wilkins as a spark to regain momentum.

After Miami, somewhat inexplicably for a massive and shorthanded underdog, fought back from a 17-0 deficit, it kept coming in the second half. And on a first-down play on the Bills’ first possession of the third quarter, the Dolphins’ Eric Rowe sacked Josh Allen, forcing a fumble.

In the ensuing madness, as everyone on the field scrambled for the ball, Miami’s Zach Sieler — a listed 304-pound man — wound up scooping and scoring to give his team an unthinkable 24-20 lead. (Let’s also not forget that Tony Romo had a pre-play jinx.)

Just a bonkers play all around for a very large human being:

The fumble was Allen’s third turnover of the afternoon. In a game where all the Bills likely had to do was play their game and show up, the only thing that would’ve kept the Dolphins hanging around was a sloppy spate of Allen turnovers. And that’s precisely what happened for a quarterback who had 18 giveaways (!) in the regular season.

It’s pretty much a developing worst-case scenario for the Bills in their playoff opener.

Brandon Staley’s shortcomings all too obvious in Chargers’ wild-card collapse

Brandon Staley is a great defensive mind. But he has things to learn as a head coach, and the Chargers’ wild-card collapse showed them all.

Brandon Staley has done as much over the last few years to forward the new light box/multiple coverage defensive paradigm as any coach in the league. He has made some interesting decisions based on analytics in his two seasons as the Los Angeles Chargers’ head coach. As a scheme guy, and as a coach who can build a winning defense, Staley has nothing left to prove.

But as a head coach, Staley has a lot to learn.

Moving from coordinator to head coach is a weird and often unexpected journey. That ability to see and react to everything at the proverbial 30,000-foot level — to be the CEO — is not something everybody finds easy or possible to attain. Which is why some utterly brilliant coordinators have flamed out as head coaches, and some perfectly ordinary schematic minds have been great in the top job.

It’s not for everybody. Not to say that it will never be for Staley, but after Saturday’s 31-30 wild-card loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, in which Staley’s Chargers blew a 27-0 second-quarter lead and seemed to have no answer for a Jags team that was very busy throwing up all over itself in the first half, there have to be serious questions regarding Staley’s understanding of his current job.

In his press conference following the third-largest postseason collapse in the history of professional football, Staley had a lot to say about how his offense and defense underperformed as the game went on. He had things to say about his team’s penalty tendencies in the second half, and he had a veiled shot or two for referee Shawn Smith’s officiating crew — valid to a point, as Smith and his team had a terrible game overall.

What you did not see was Staley taking a leadership role and putting the responsibility upon himself.

“We just didn’t play clean enough football in the second half in all three phases,” Staley concluded. “We didn’t score the ball or possess it well enough on defense. We had far too many penalties in the second half that really hurt us and didn’t play well enough in the red (zone) area, didn’t perform well there in the two minute at the end of the game. Just didn’t play a good second half of football as a team.

“Defensively, penalties just really hurt our team. We had a second-and-18 that [was] going to be a third-and-19. We have a PI (pass interference). We had an offsides when it would have been a sack. We have a penalty that allows them to go for two. An unsportsmanlike penalty, it goes for two. So I thought penalties hurt us in the second half on defense. On offense, we just didn’t sustain drives in the second half, and didn’t run the football effectively enough, and then didn’t do well enough on third down in the second half. We had some killer third-and-shorts that we didn’t make today. And then, obviously, we missed a kick down the stretch that really hurt us.”

Coaching decisions, adapting to in-game changes, and situational awareness were not mentioned. They should have been, and Staley should have put that onus on himself.

A late hit on Josh Allen led to a potential momentum-shifting Bills-Dolphins fight

Don’t mess with the QB, Miami! No one would let this slide.

As the Buffalo Bills cruised along in their AFC Wild Card matchup, the Miami Dolphins were looking for an opening. Anything that might rattle the AFC East champions enough to crack open the door and come back from a multiple-score deficit on the road. With third-stringer Skylar Thompson playing quarterback for the Dolphins, finding any extra edge would be paramount.

We saw a perfect example of the Dolphins’ strategy after a late second-quarter Josh Allen interception. While Miami’s Xavien Howard picked the stud QB off on an errant deep toss, defensive lineman Christian Wilkins took some apparent liberties with Allen after the throw.

Allen, understandably, took exception to Wilkins’ antics, and a moderately-sized fight eventually broke out between the two divisional rival teams:

Nice play and hands by Howard!

Not a nice play by Wilkins!

But at least Allen is a rather large quarterback — a listed 6-foot-5, 237 pounds — and can defend himself, even against 300-plus-pound men like Wilkins. Once the physical exchange happened between these two, there was no way the Bills would let Wilkins get off unscathed.

Again, I totally understand the response. Look at how fast they swarmed him. Once more, a lesson to all defenders: Don’t touch the QB away from the play or between the whistles.

If this is how the Dolphins want to win this game, by getting in the Bills’ head, I don’t think it’s a very sustainable strategy. Though, Miami started to stymie Buffalo more after this whole mess, going on a 14-0 run — picking off Allen again — to close the first half and stay within a three-point margin.

So, I guess playing outside the margins a bit couldn’t hurt to try for an underdog like Miami. But then again, given this incident — it seems like it would hurt to try! At least in the moment when Wilkins received the full wrath of the Bills’ team for getting into it with Allen.

NFL fans blasted Charles Woodson and Michael Vick for carelessly pushing Lamar Jackson to risk his health

This was some really bad TV.

Lamar Jackson’s health has loomed over the Baltimore Ravens’ playoff prospects for over a month since he sprained a PCL ligament in his knee. On a grander scale, Jackson’s future in Baltimore — with no long-term deal in place whenever the Ravens’ season concludes — has hovered as a specter over the team’s entire 2022.

But, likely knowing people’s conversations about his status behind the scenes,  Jackson took control of his narrative as the Ravens got set to take on the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC Wild Card round. Since Baltimore leadership hasn’t exactly stumped much for its franchise QB of late — more or less speaking in vague terms since his knee injury, leaving their talisman open to criticism — it was only fair Jackson stood up for himself.

With Jackson officially sitting out from the Ravens’ playoff matchup with the Bengals on Sunday night, FOX analysts/ex-players Michael Vick and Charles Woodson shared some thoughts about the electric talent during Saturday coverage.

At no risk of hyperbole, I assure you: The two men realistically could not have shared more careless thoughts as absurd Football Guys to push Jackson to play and risk his long-term well-being for a team that’s offered him zero stability moving forward. That’s not even to say Jackson is sitting out over a financial dispute. If Jackson says his knee is unstable at age 26 (!) and that he isn’t fit enough to play, then his words are enough. Why on Earth would he lie? And don’t think I’m overlooking host Charissa Thompson seeming to irresponsibly suggest Jackson is sitting out purely because he doesn’t have a contract.

What a truly terrible segment of television:

I’m still aghast at how casually Woodson seems to question Jackson’s commitment to the Ravens in the name of winning what is a meaningless football game in the grand scheme of someone’s life. That goes double for Vick to back Woodson’s sentiment up without a second thought, as if either man is in a reasonable position to critique Jackson’s personal risk assessment.

Never mind that we, once again, have been having (who am I kidding, had?) a larger conversation about NFL player safety in the wake of Damar Hamlin’s collapse from cardiac arrest. Which happened only weeks ago. With Vick and Woodson acting as the poster boys, it’s as if significant segments of the football world already forget the various egregious screw-ups in that scary situation because it’s the playoffs. And the playoffs, to many people, take precedence over young men taking their safety into their own hands. Heaven forbid. I’m not surprised discussions have quickly shifted, to some, about wins and losses. I guess it’s just how pro football proliferates shamelessly, and that remains disappointing.

What are we doing here?

I’d encourage football figures like Woodson and Vick — for two, and definitely not exceptions — to consider their words about player safety more carefully moving forward. Or, you know, maybe holster these sentiments internally for quality reflection on their part. It seems like they could use a step back themselves. But I know this league, and I know how people close to it think. It’s likely impossible for some people to dial back the backward “give it up for your team at all costs” opinions. They can’t help themselves.

So, yeah, I’m not too optimistic these kinds of outlandish football thoughts on a whim will stop being aired out any time soon.

NFL fans roasted the Chargers’ receipts hype video after their epic meltdown against the Jaguars

The Chargers kept receipts of everything people said. And they were all right.

NFL hype videos are great. When done properly, they’ll have even the most casual non-athletes ready to run through a brick wall.

Sometimes, they can backfire.

The Los Angeles Chargers’ hype video for their playoff game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday did both. The video featured a bunch of receipts being printed with critical quotes from sports pundits.

The video probably fired up the team’s fanbase, but it also provided bulletin board material for the rest of social media once the team blew a 27-0 lead to lose to the Jaguars for one of the worst beats ever. As it turns out, those receipts were an accurate accounting of the team.

NFL Twitter had fun with this one.

Sad beat: A $1.4 million live bet on the Chargers before their collapse might be the worst bet ever

Somebody lost $1.4 million after live betting on the Chargers when they were up big on the Jaguars.

The Los Angeles Chargers’ loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars after leading 27-0 is the third-largest blown lead in NFL playoff history, so naturally, it’s one of the worst betting beats of all-time too.

LA was favored to win, and all the people who had money riding on those odds were left stunned.

This bad beat is a lot worse for some, though. People actually put money on the Chargers’ moneyline after they were already leading by a lot, live betting the game when odds weren’t nearly as rewarding. Some of those bets were massive…like $1.4 million at a paltry -12500 odds massive.

That’s how much one DraftKings bettor lost on the game.

This has to be the worst bet I’ve ever seen. Risking $1.4 million to win $11,000 seems like hustling backwards. I don’t have $1.4 million to bet, so maybe this person knows something I don’t, but if I did have $1.4 million to play around with, that $11,000 wouldn’t feel like much…especially not at the risk of losing said $1.4 million…especially when the potential for the Chargers to Charger is always around the corner.

But while this person quite possibly placed the worst bet on the game (or ever?), they weren’t the only ones to make a bad decision Saturday night. A bettor at Caesars placed a $54,000 bet on the Chargers that would have won $1,080.

I’ll never understand these types of bets. I can only guess it’s people with a lot of cash to blow just doing it for the thrill.

My thoughts are with the people who made the more typical pre-game bets and had to ride the rollercoaster of emotions as their bets went from straight cash to straight ash in just a couple hours. Or even futures bets on the Chargers to win the Super Bowl like this one that would’ve WON $1 million.

Either way, there’s a lesson for everyone here: don’t bet money on the Chargers that you aren’t prepared to lose.

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NFL fans ripped Al Michaels and Tony Dungy for sucking the air out of Jaguars’ unforgettable win

Al and Tony treated a historic comeback like it was a random Thursday night.

If you had zero score context, you would’ve thought that Al Michaels — in a special return appearance to NBC — and Tony Dungy were calling a random, run-of-the-mill October game. But no, they actually had the call of the Jacksonville Jaguars shocking the Los Angeles Chargers in the third-largest playoff comeback in NFL playoff history.

Did the announcing pair sell the moment, adding relevant excitement or thrills to one of the more remarkable outcomes in the sport’s century-plus lore? Did they noticeably change their tone or have viewers on the edge of their seats as the Jaguars slowly inched their way back to drive a stake into the Chargers and continue that franchise’s curse? Perhaps they even discussed what might be on the line for Brandon Staley and his future in L.A. as the drama built in Jacksonville?

Dearest Readers, if they did, I must have missed it! And so did nearly everyone else watching the chaos unfold on Saturday night. It’s almost difficult to describe just how badly Michaels and Dungy whiffed on the dramatic moment. Their call of the game was that bad.

The football world wasn’t remotely happy with the guys in the booth.

8 steps to the Jaguars stunning Chargers in third-largest comeback in NFL playoff history

A step-by-step breakdown of how the Jaguars pulled off their stunning comeback.

After one half of play for the Jacksonville Jaguars Saturday night, everyone in the NFL world started to pencil in the Los Angeles Chargers in the Divisional Round. Trevor Lawrence looked like a pumpkin. Jacksonville’s defense couldn’t buy a stop. And Doug Pederson seemingly had no answers in front of a shell-shocked crowd while chasing a 27-0 deficit.

My, my, how quickly matters can shift in just over 30 minutes of play. Instead of surrendering and letting the perennially cursed Chargers cruise and advance, a 36-yard Riley Patterson field goal saw the Jaguars pull off the third-largest comeback in NFL playoff history to win 31-30 as time expired. And by the time the dust settles on this one, Brandon Staley might no longer be employed by L.A.

That’s because it’s the first time ever an NFL team has won a playoff game despite having a -5 turnover margin:

How did the Jaguars pull off the miracle? And how did the Chargers keep the door open for their own epic collapse? Let’s break the eight essential steps down — in order — as Jacksonville celebrates one of the wildest mid-January victories in pro football lore.

The Chargers wrote another chapter in their cursed history by blowing a 27-0 playoff lead to the Jaguars

The Chargers exist solely to torture their fans. Saturday’s Wild Card loss was further proof.

We take the Chargers’ badness for granted.

Los Angeles’ non-Rams team isn’t quite the punchline the Cleveland Browns are. Its quarterbacks don’t see ghosts like Sam Darnold. It isn’t the backdrop to Thanksgiving day misery like the Detroit Lions. There isn’t a 28-3 deflation in the Super Bowl like the Atlanta Falcons.

But now, thanks to a genuinely baffling collapse, there is 27-0 in the Wild Card round.

Embattled head coach Brandon Staley and his 2022 Chargers came into the 2023 Playoffs as a 2.5-point favorite. They took a four-possession lead in the second quarter. They won the turnover battle five to zero. They possessed the ball five minutes more than the Jacksonville Jaguars. They held the Jags to two third down conversions on 10 attempts.

They lost, 31-30.

This is, even for a franchise continually spelunking its way through the NFL’s crust, a new low. Los Angeles has lost winnable games to goal line fumbles. It’s had kickers botch game-winning field goals while watching former botch-heavy kickers go on to Pro Bowl seasons elsewhere. It’s seen starting quarterbacks lost due to punctured lungs perpetrated by its own training staff. This is, amazingly, merely a recap of the last three years since Philip Rivers left town.

Before that, there were classic Charger disappointments. The move from a dilapidated stadium in San Diego when a billionaire owner failed to get the public to pay enough for a new venue. Rivers, at the tail end of an eight-game winning streak, tearing his ACL before a 2008 AFC title game loss to the New England Patriots. Five different teams with at least 12 wins in the regular season since 1961 that failed to advance beyond the Divisional Round.

Staley was merely the latest argonaut exploring the ignored territory of Charger despair. His offense, protecting a lead, gave way to a running game that gained fewer than three yards per carry and limited his ability to run the clock. His passing game, without Mike Williams in the lineup thanks to a back fracture suffered while playing a meaningless Week 18 loss to the Denver Broncos, grew stagnant in the second half. The Jaguars bracketed Keenan Allen and dared LA to beat them with anyone else.

They did not.

After taking a 24-0 lead, the Chargers possessed the ball eight times. Those drives, in order:

  • three plays, eight yards, punt (muffed and recovered)
  • four plays, one yard, field goal
  • one play, -1 yard (end of half kneel down)
  • seven plays, 37 yards, punt
  • seven plays, 45 yards, field goal
  • 14 plays, 58 yards, missed field goal
  • three plays, five yards, punt (with a chance to grind the clock down to zero).

The Chargers had to protect a three possession lead. They averaged 3.9 yards per play and 0.375 points per drive in that stretch.

Where does the blame lie? Several sources remain, but Staley rightfully will take the brunt of this. He couldn’t mobilize his offense or find the knockout punch to crush the Jags’ spirit. He challenged a catch in the fourth quarter he almost certainly wasn’t going to win on a low-impact eight-yard catch to rob his team of a costly field goal in a tight game. He once again failed to make Justin Herbert the star he has the potential to be behind an offensive line and receiving corps beat up by injury.

Staley, despite a 19-15 regular season record, could be fired. A thirsty ownership group may be unable to resist the temptation of pairing Herbert with Sean Payton, the man who pushed Drew Brees to a Hall of Fame career. Or maybe the team will turn to a different up-and-coming assistant — perhaps one with an offensive pedigree rather than former Rams DC Staley — and hope he can unlock the greatness inherent in this team.

History suggests this will not matter. The Chargers will be great, or they will be good, or they will be terrible and it will all end the same way. Disappointment stalks the devoted few LA fans like a vampire in the night, waiting only to drain its victims after allowing them to fatten up on a budding franchise quarterback or flashy draft moves or a surprising regular season. Quietly, it strikes, devastating in a way everyone notices, then quickly forgets about weeks later.

Saturday’s loss was simply another incident. Los Angeles couldn’t secure the worst come-from-ahead loss of the year — that belongs to the Indianapolis Colts, who once led the Vikings 33-0 before collapsing. It wasn’t the worst come-from-ahead loss in postseason history — it has to settle for third. The Chargers can’t even be the best at being the worst, and that’s a very, very Chargers thing to be.

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49ers’ Brock Purdy had priceless reaction to learning LeBron James loved his playoff debut

Purdy was SO happy!

The San Francisco 49ers might be the most complete team in the entire NFL playoff field. After their monstrous defense humbled the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card Game on Saturday, they seem poised for yet another deep playoff run.

But the X-factor in any fruitful January for San Francisco is Brock Purdy. After a sterling performance where Kyle Shanahan unleashed the rookie’s deep ball, and he broke an NFL rookie playoff record, Purdy became the talk of the NFL world.

One particularly notable person, NBA star LeBron James, took note of Purdy balling out as the 49ers advanced to the Divisional Round:

During his media availability after the 49ers’ rousing 41-23 win, a press member told Purdy that James had complimented his performance. The young Purdy — roughly 15 years younger than the 38-year-old James — almost seemed to be in disbelief one of the biggest names in sports had actually noticed him:

Aw, look at the smile on Purdy’s face!

Something tells me this won’t be the last time a sports mega-star is taken aback by Purdy at the helm of the 49ers’ buzzsaw offense this winter.