Last week I mentioned that week 17 was set up for some chaotic finishes and it certainly lived up to that. Divisions were finally won as well as seven playoff spots. There were some late game dramatics and even a bizarre tank job in the middle of a game. This was the last week of the regular season and thus this will be the last winners and losers column for the season. At the end I\’ll crown my winners and losers for the season. So without further ado let\’s jump into it.
Winner #1 The NFL
It wasn\’t always pretty and it didn\’t always make sense, but the NFL got through the entire season. Here we are at the end of the season without one game being cancelled. That in itself is a major victory for the NFL. With the pandemic going on and there being over 1500 players to account for the idea that the season would be completed seemed like a pipe dream. Yet the NFL managed to do just that. There of course were some hiccups along the way, but at the end of the day all 256 games were played.
Loser #1 Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins came into this week only needing a win to secure their spot in the playoffs. Unfortunately for them, they suffered an embarrassing loss to the Buffalo Bills. Rookie QB Tua looked awful as the Bills defense left him befuddled all afternoon. The loss left the Dolphins on the outside of the playoff picture. The performance raised some questions about Tua\’s ability to be the starting QB moving forward. It\’s a disappointing end to the season especially when destiny was in their hands.
Winner #2 Indianapolis Colts
Miami\’s loss and the Colts\’ victory over the Jaguars meant the Colts were able to sneak into the playoffs. If not for some late game heroics from Tennessee, the Colts would\’ve won their division as well. While being able to win the division would\’ve been nice the main goal was to make the playoffs. This team certainly had a roller-coaster season, but it shall continue for at least one more week. Veteran QB Philip Rivers was brought in to make a deep playoff run and now we get to see if he can accomplish that.
Loser #2 Arizona Cardinals
Like Miami, the Arizona Cardinals only needed to win their game to make the playoffs. Also like Miami, the Cardinals failed to do so against a Rams team starting their backup QB. Unfortunately for the Cardinals their own starting QB Kyler Murray was forced out of the game early due to an ankle injury. With him gone their offense self-combusted and were unable to produce. Only scoring 7 points in a do or die game just won\’t cut it. Especially when your offense gifts the other team 9 points. The future is bright for the Cardinals, but that doesn\’t make this loss hurt any less.
Winner #3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
One of the hottest teams in the NFL continued rolling this weekend with a win over the Atlanta Falcons. The win secured the 5th seed in the NFC which is why they are winners this week. Having the 5th seed means Tampa will get to play against the Washington Football Team. Of all the potential opponents in the first round, this is by far the most ideal one. Of course Tampa will have to show up and beat Washington on the road, but its a good first matchup. This franchise has put all its chips in to win a title. Being able to secure the 5th seed helps that become more of a reality.
Loser #3 Doug Pederson
Eagles head coach pulled one of the biggest tank jobs on national TV. Late in the third quarter, the Eagles drive stalled about 5 yards away from the end zone. Down 3 conventional wisdom would be to kick the FG to tie the game. The Eagles opted to go for it on fourth down with a play that never had a chance at succeeding. Then on their next drive, he sent out third-string QB Nate Sudfield who immediately turned the ball over. In a very winnable game the Eagles head coach gave up while his players were playing their hearts out. Culture is the reason why certain franchises win while others find ways to lose. This type of coaching will be hard to overturn in the future.
Bonus Winner Cleveland Browns
Celebrate Cleveland because for the first time in 18 years the Browns are going to the playoffs. To be a Cleveland fan is to know heartbreak and despair, but not this weekend. In true Cleveland fashion, the Browns made it an unnecessarily stressful last couple of minutes in the game. That includes a heart in mouth moment during the Steelers\’ onside kick, which every Browns fan was fearing the worse. Luckily for the city of Cleveland the ball was safely recovered and the Browns were able to see out the game.
2020 Winner of the year Derrick Henry
Derrick Henry became only the 8th RB in NFL history to rush for over 2000 yards in a single season. It\’s a remarkable achievement considering how pass happy the league has become. In an era where teams rely on their QBs for success Henry has exception to this rule. Not only is he the exception to this rule, but he\’s singlehandedly saving the value to this position. Many teams have shown regret signing a RB to a big contract and the popular opinion is to not pay RBs a lot of money. But Henry has been worth every penny of his deal this season. The man had 4 games this season where he rushed for over 200 yards. The Titans are division winners and a lot of the credit should go to this man.
2020 Runner Up Josh Allen
Josh Allen had a breakout season throwing 37 TDs and over 4500 yards as he led the Bills to a 13-3 record. While Aaron Rodgers should win the MVP this season, Allen is definitely a contender for the award. His play this season has solidified him as the Bills franchise QB and given their fans a reason to be optimistic this postseason. Allen might be the AFC\’s best chance at dethroning the Mahomes led Chiefs this season. The fact that they are easily the second best team has a lot to do with the improvement of Allen this season. We will see if he can translate that into some success in the playoffs, but for now we can appreciate the wonderful season this young man had.
2020 Loser of the year Bill O\’Brien/ Houston Texans
Bill O\’Brien was fired midway this season and left a dumpster fire in Houston. The Texans traded away one of the league\’s best playmakers in Hopkins for a RB that spent have the year injured. If that wasn\’t bad enough the Texans led by Bill O\’Brien traded away their first round pick in a win now move. The move spectacularly backfired and now instead of having a top three pick in the upcoming draft the Texans will watch another team used their pick. Oh, and remember when I said they made win now moves? Yeah because of their win now moves they are going to be over the salary cap for next season. This means they will have to cut some quality players to get under the cap. The Texans find themselves in one of the worst situations in the NFL and they can thank Bill O\’Brien for that.
2020 Runner Up NFC East
Anytime your division winner finishes the season with a losing record you know something went wrong. The 2020 NFC East will go down as one of the worst divisions in NFL history. Every single team in this division at some point in this season started a backup QB. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott suffering a season ending injury doomed their season. At least that\’s what we thought until the other three teams conspired to keep the Cowboys in the race. Carson Wentz, who just missed out being the 2020 runner up by himself, had a disastrous season which may see him shipped out of Philly. The Giants suffered key injuries and early season incompetence. Meanwhile, the division winners Washington had enough internal drama to make a soap opera proud. This division was a hot mess and we can only hope that this division bounces back next season.