Damar Hamlin + Winners and Losers for week 17

Damar Hamlin

A quick note before we begin the column for this week. It’s impossible to ignore the tragic and downright terrifying situation that occurred during the Bills-Bengals game on MNF. As of this writing, Damar Hamlin is thankfully in a stable albeit critical condition. Hopefully as time passes, Hamlin will make a full recovery. It’s been great to see the football community unite and respond to such a shocking event. As of now, Hamlin’s charity that gives toys to impoverished children has raised $4,879,500. It serves as a reminder that although we all love football and what it brings to our lives, it’s just a game and what unites us, is our shared humanity. That was evident in just about every step of the process throughout MNF. Bengals and Bills players alike united in thoughts and prayers. Fans stood in a shocked silence and everyone involved quickly realised that continuing to play a game when a man’s life hanged in the balance, seem callous and irresponsible. Special mention must go to head coach’s Sean McDermott and Zac Taylor who understood the gravity of the situation and made the judgement call to not resume play. Likewise, the MNF crew were terrific in handling a situation they were in no way prepared for. Hosts Booger McFarland and others spoke little of the game itself and instead discussed the brotherhood instilled within teams and indeed, the football community. It was handled as well as it possibly could have been by all involved. Other than one notable shock host who deserves no more attention than he’s already received, it was a unanimous and unified response to a tragic incident. It was a freak accident that reminded us all about the fragility of life. The tackle itself was nothing out of the ordinary and one can only hope Tee Higgins holds no guilt over the incident and that he’s able to handle what I’m sure must be an immense amount of pressure for something that is no way his fault. The status of the game itself is unclear. It’s not being rescheduled for week 18 and there’s talks it may not be played at all. But all that seems inconsequential as we all sit here with baited breath hoping and praying that Hamlin pulls through.

There’s no easy transition onto what’s normally a column that combines a little bit of humour alongside some analysis of football. It feels so out place to make stupid jokes and rip on Russell Wilson after we all got served a reminder that these players are human beings who deserve the love and respect any of us would expect from each other. It’s a strange dichotomy that doesn’t have an easy and rectifiable answer beyond treating each other a little better. My planned intro for this piece as you’ll soon see, was meant to be something that was played straight for laughs. Now it comes with a bittersweet taste. It would feel disingenuous however, to leave it out and so here it is in pure unedited form.

Winners and Losers, Week 17 of the NFL Season.

We entered 2023 in the bad place. As the clock struck midnight, Ohio State struck a ball that veered wide right of the uprights to send Georgia into the CFB final. We as a universe, forgot to drill holes in the safe at the end of 2022. We as a collective consciousness, said fuck it and threw a Molotov to solve our problems. The Jaguars may actually be a good football team. I repeat, WE ARE IN THE BAD PLACE. How else do you explain a week of ugly, awful football that’s usually reserved for the first month of the season. Minshew mania died, Nick Foles writhed in agony while Kayvon Thibedaux did 1000 snow angels, Russell Wilson played a semi competent football game for the 2nd time in three week and the Jaguars were the only team that actually produced a result that was to be expected. All that was missing was some frozen yoghurt and a Blake Bortles sighting. Despite all that, this week features a lot of winners and only a couple of clear losers. While it’s true that the Vikings got embarrassed, Dallas struggled against a bunch of third stringers and the Jets lost any and all hope of a playoff appearance, none of those outcomes either deviated from expectation or altered the playoff landscape much. As such, we’ll be focusing on the winners this week along with just a couple losers.

Winners: Tampa

Last week, the Bucs rallied to beat an Arizona team led by 6th round pick in the 2019 draft, Trace McSorley. That kept the lead in the division though a loss to the Panthers this week would result in them relinquishing a divisional lead that they’ve held all season long. In their previous matchup, the Bucs got demolished. Although Evans had a big game, Brady was forced to throw 49 times for just under 300 yards and the run game was all but useless against a stacked Panthers defensive line. PJ Walker was the QB during that game and despite throwing 36 less times, he had two more touchdowns than Brady whilst the run game of Carolina gained a bulk of the yards. The end score of that first outing was 21-3. Tampa didn’t score until the 4th quarter and the loss brought Brady to a game under 500, the first time in a decade that he’s held such a record that late into the season. Despite all of this history, Tampa were favoured entering the game even with the game being played on the road. It appeared initially that the oddsmakers made a rare mistake, offering a line despite all logic screaming for Carolina to steal this one.

It all started with the opening drive. Sam Darnold connected with a wide open DJ Moore off a play action pass. From there, Carolina marched down the field through a mixture of runs and carefully scripted passes designed to make Darnold’s first read the open man. A simple corner route by Tommy Tremble later (alongside a clear out post route by DJ Moore) and just like that, Carolina was up 7-0. Tampa would respond by marching down the field themselves before disaster would strike. On third and 10, Brady would connect with Godwin for a 25 yard gain but would fumble it after Sam Lloyd performed the classic peanut punch. It was a squandered opportunity on an otherwise eventful drive. Bucs fans I’m sure were having flashbacks to the Bengals game from a couple weeks ago where turnovers crushed promising drive after promising drive. Unlike the battle against Cincy however, the Tampa D would hold and for the next few possessions, both teams would punt, reflecting the subpar offensive capabilities each have displayed this season. Succop would eventually miss a 53 yarder for the Bucs, once again failing to contribute points despite Tampa moving the ball in spite of some horrific play-calling (Brady spent the entire drive trying to convert first downs on 2nd and third downs after inept run after inept run was called on first down).

Carolina would respond with another TD drive, putting them up 14-0. It was an impressive drive by Darnold who’s played well since the departure of former head coach Matt Rhule. Darnold would convert on 4th and 3 on the drive, drifting left and completing a tight out route to DJ Moore. The Darnold to Moore connection would continue a couple plays later for a 24 yard score. It was a picture perfect throw by Darnold who slotted it perfectly in the space between Moore and the defender Winfield. Given how Tampa have pulled out their wins this season, it was far from a death sentence. But with the season on the line, being down 14-0 is far from ideal against a team who excels at killing the clock. A couple of punts later and Tampa would score on a 63 yard deep ball to Mike Evans. It was the sort of connection that Brady has been off on all season long. A throw that’s always been two yards too far. But not this time. Keith Taylor, despite playing 10 yards off coverage, would get burned by Evans and Brady delivered a textbook throw. Evans never even needed to break stride on the catch.

On the ensuing drive, a mistimed snap would give Tampa the ball straight back and, in the Carolina red zone. But the Bucs would kick a FG despite it being a 4th and one. A cowardly and potentially game losing decision given the season was on the line. That brought the game to half time with the Bucs getting the ball back to start the 2nd half. Both teams likely entered the lockeroom displeased at all the missed opportunities. Carolina gave way 10 points off easy to avoid mistakes. It gave Tampa life and they were lucky the game wasn’t tied. For the Bucs, they were down to a team they likely never even gave much of a second thought to prior to the start of the season. Brady has been challenged by some sup par QB’s this season and this game was no different. A wounded offensive line was getting crushed by the Panthers pass rush and once again, they were unable to rush the ball at all. It forced Tampa to be limited offensively and were lucky that they were gifted opportunities from Panther mistakes.

Only being down four, despite having played some pretty forgettable football, Tampa had to be optimistic exiting the locker-room. But the opening drive was spelled with silly mistakes and they punted after gaining a single first down. Carolina would continue with the egregious errors made in the first half as Darnold slung an underthrown deep ball into double coverage that was picked off. It was his first INT in four games and went against the mistake free football principal that the new era Panthers were founded upon. Tampa responded by marching down the field and…… stalling in the panthers red zone even after converting on a 4th and two on the drive. It forced a chip shot FG that was blocked. A 15 play, 90 yard,7 minute drive that was all for naught. To make matters worse, Carolina would score on the ensuing drive that saw a return to form in clever play-calls. In what was a glorious throwback to the days of old, Darnold ran a play action off an I formation and hit DJ Moore for a huge gain (only a Vita Vea rush stopped the play from going for 6). A few plays later and Darnold made a beautiful read of the defence along with a rocket of a throw to match to bring the score to 21-10. Darnold was far from perfect this game but throws like this one is precisely why he was drafted in the first round.

So, after a drive where few mistakes were made and it was good, well thought out football was displayed, it only seemed inevitable that the game returned to stupid, careless mistakes. Defending a go route from Mike Evans, CJ Henderson got caught watching Brady instead of his man and Evans sauntered past him (literally, he wasn’t even sprinting on this one) for a wide-open score. Commentator Greg Olsen was flat out confused as to what was running through Henderson’s mind and it’s hard to blame him. Twice now, Evans had abused DB’s making stupid mistakes. A quick panthers punt later and the time of possession battle was starting to take its toll. Ordinarily, Carolina has thrived on rushing the ball and controlling the clock. But Tampa’s defensive front owned the line of scrimmage, forcing Darnold to have a surprisingly good game despite being forced to throw. This came at the expense of the clock however and now the pass rush was slowing for the Panthers. Brady had all day on the ensuing drive and took advantage, marching down the field to the Panthers 30 before connecting with Evans for his third score of the day. Despite playing man coverage and playing 10 yards off, Henderson would get beat yet again on a go route. It gave Evans 9 catches for 200 yards and 3 scores. Two touchdowns were from off coverage, all three scores in man coverage where Evans didn’t even so much as feign running a double move.

That put Carolina in a precarious position. Down 3, playoffs on the line, needing Darnold to at least get in FG range to tie it. Instead of all that, it would a quick 3 and out after his pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage. Despite that, the defence would finally play some mistake free football forcing a punt as the pass rush finally remerged. But cause for celebration would be short lived for Panthers fans as rookie LT Ikem Ikeonwu got beat by Vita Vea who’d strip sack Darnold and give Tampa the ball back at the Panthers 6 yard line. Two plays later, Brady would sneak in for a score to give Tampa a 9 point lead and seal the game. Carolina would score a FG on the ensuing drive but no miracle onside kick and score was to be had. It would seal the division for Tampa, ensuring Brady yet another playoff berth as well as home field advantage for their game against Dallas in wildcard weekend. Certainly as you’ve read this piece, it’s clear that Tampa won the game in spite of itself. Although the defence looked rock solid in defending the run, it’s still worrying how easily Darnold and Co tore up the Tampa secondary. Fortunately, they’ll have a couple weeks to address those issues and likely rest the starters for a meaningless game against the Falcons next week.

Winner: Giants

It’s not worth wasting anyone’s time for what was an utter razing of whatever pride Indy had left in their squad. But it’s worth mentioning that the Giants sealed a playoff appearance with the victory and did so in impressive fashion against a team who at times, has put up a fight. Daniel Jones continues to make his case for a contract extension (at the very least, a franchise tag) as he’s thriving despite throwing to wide receivers not even fantasy owners have heard of. The young defence continues to show promise as Thibodeaux and Lawrence spear head a surprisingly feisty defensive line. New York are now locked into the second wild card spot and will play some combination of Philly, San Fran or Minnesota depending on the outcomes of week 18. Interestingly enough, they have the power to decide some of that outcome as a victory against Philly could potentially shake up the seedings. Regardless of whether they play their starters or rest them, this week was a clear victory for the Giants who make the playoffs despite owning just a single division win.

Winner: Packers

The death of the Green Bay Packers was greatly exaggerated it seems. Winners of four straight games, Rodgers and co have now given themselves control of their own destiny. If they beat Detroit next week, they’re in the playoffs. Lose and they’re out. It seemed like an impossibility for all but the most cynical NFC North fans even just a month ago. But sure enough, the schedule got easier and all that was needed was an upset against the shaky Vikings. The game itself was absolute clusterfuck. Minnisota got the ball at GB’s one yard line after a blocked punt and settled for a FG. On the ensuing kickoff, GB returned it for a score. Two drives later, Kirk threw a pick 6. A few drives after that, Kirk got picked off again. By half-time, the score was 27-3 with every single point in the game scored off of one mistake or another. It was a mess of a game that would’ve been amusing to examine were it not so dreadful. The Vikings committed 4 straight “mistakes” (turnovers or missed FG’s) with GB scoring on the ensuing drive every single time. Although some garbage time points were scored, make no mistake, the game was somehow uglier than the final score line suggests. Nonetheless, you play whoever is front of you and Rodgers took advantage of it. Should they win, they’ll take the 7 seed in the wildcard race, playing some combination of the 49ers, Eagles or Vikings.

Winner: Mike Tomlin

A complete failure of a season is seemingly an impossibility for the most underappreciated coach in football. Despite possessing a rookie signal caller in the most unremarkable QB draft class in an age, Tomlin has once again pulled a rabbit out of his hat. The game itself was ugly in the way every Ravens-Steelers game has always been when this rivalry was at it’s peak. It’s not worth covering unless you have a love for Najee or a hatred of Gus Edwards. Instead, the focus goes upon Tomlin who despite having a 2-6 record entering week 10, have won 6 of their last 8, giving them a 500 record.  It’s a remarkable accomplishment for a team that should’ve been dead and buried and who had little to fight for given the Ravens and Bengals both fighting it out atop the division standings. And yet, here they are, on the fringes of a wildcard berth, fighting for the final spot. They don’t control their own destiny, far from it in fact. But the fact they’re even still in the hunt to begin with is absolute lunacy and is the biggest testament to Tomlin’s coaching ability since we found out just how insane Antonio Brown actually is.

Loser: Panthers

Little can be said here that hasn’t been said already. But it’s worth placing them in the losers column all the same, if for little else than posterity. It was a game they had won numerous times throughout. Even Darnold isn’t to blame for the loss despite the 2 (or three depending on how you interpret the botched snap) turnovers. Instead, it was the inability to defend Mike Evans on deep balls. All three touchdowns were simply egregious mistakes, the last two of which made by the same player (CJ Henderson). Yes, Jaycee Horn was out but that doesn’t excuse the unbelievable mistakes that sunk a season they almost salvaged after the Matt Rhule disaster. It’s a sad and undeserving end for Carolina. The offseason couldn’t have gone any worse for them. They gave up mid-season, trading Mcaffery and firing their head coach. Despite that, they rallied, winning four of their last 6 since firing Rhule. Still, at leas there’s hope moving forward for the plucky Panthers squad as word spread of a potential Harbough signing.

Loser: Commanders

Last but not least, the good ol Commies who knocked themselves out of playoff contention by making the unbelievably stupid decision to start Carson Wentz over Taylor Heinickie. Make no mistake, Heinickie is not the future QB of this franchise. His play this season has been acceptable but he’s had 4 games throwing under 200 yards, multiple games with no TD’s and 0 games with 300+ yards. However, he hasn’t had a multiple INT game all season long. Not one. Carson Wentz, who the Commanders decided to go with in the deciding few weeks of the season with their playoff hopes hanging in the balance, has three multiple INT games. One of said games, was of course this week as in a win or go home game against Cleveland, Wentz threw for 143 yards and 3 INT’s. Not all of the blame lies on his shoulders. That would be unfair and disingenuous given that the Commanders led at half time despite throwing two of his three picks in the first half. Nor was he responsible for Cooper having a speedster’s stat line despite being an aging possession receiver. But it’s hard to examine the choice to start Wentz as little more than a money play. By not starting Heinickie, the Commanders don’t have to give Heinickie all his playing incentives whilst also playing the QB who’s on the books for 22 million this year and has a 0-cost dead cap hit were they to cut him after this year. It seems unlikely that a team fighting for a playoff appearance would make such an idiotic decision based on financial incentives. But it’s hard to ignore the rationale given everything we know about the owner. Wentz had done little to inspire confidence in his play prior to his return. The fact that he stayed on the bench even after he became healthy only reaffirms this. It’s hard to feel sympathy for this franchise given everything their owner has been accused of. But the loss did mean the death of a potential all NFC East playoff appearance. And for that, this Dallas fan is just a little sad we didn’t get to see it.

That’ll do it for another week. It’s the most difficult and uncomfortable column i’ve ever written. I’m sure there’s more I could have written. But I hope to anyone who’s reading this, that you got some measure of enjoyment out of it all the same. There’s just one more week left of regular season football. Let’s all enjoy it while it lasts, continue to hope and pray Hamlin pulls through and learn something from everything that’s happened this week.