This was an insane wild card weekend that no doubt left many fans with incredible stories. From the perseverance of Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars to the collapse of the Minnesota Vikings, it really had it all.
From start to finish this weekend gave us plenty to talk about in this weeks instalment of our winners and losers column. With that in mind let’s get into it.
Winner – The NFL
Just under a week after what was a lackadaisical National Championship, the NFL dug into their bag of tricks and put on an absolute show for Wild Card weekend. Even without teams like New England, Green Bay, or Pittsburgh, fans were given an insane slate of games. Many got to witness what was a comeback to remember by Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars, as well as Tom Brady’s first ever loss to the Dallas Cowboys in a slaughter fest in Tampa.
The age old debate about college football versus professional football will never have a true definitive answer. At this point in time it is almost two entirely different products, both have good and bad things about them. But no matter what it is all still football, the greatest sport on the planet. It is full of incredible stories and improbable comebacks from guys like Geno Smith. The Seahawks quarterback deserves a shout out in this week’s winners for leading the Seahawks to the playoffs. Even if this weekend’s game did not go their way, it is still an incredible story.
Loser – Los Angeles Chargers
I am sure that everyone saw this one coming – it really goes without saying. For those who haven’t heard, the Chargers blew a 27-point lead to the Jacksonville Jaguars. And as bad as that is, the problems stem from a lot more than what happened this weekend. Leading up to the game, the Chargers carelessly decided to play their starters in Week 18. The move that has been heavily criticized, not least because it resulted in Mike Williams getting injured and missing the Jaguars game.
Young coaches that lead their teams to winning records aren’t usually criticized, yet with Staley it is different. This Chargers team was a well-oiled machine with Super Bowl hopes before the season began, but a plethora of injuries and their mishandling would derail these aspirations. The offense was also mishandled, and the team have already moved on from offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi.
At the end of the day a team should not lose a game with a +5 turnover differential, yet here we are. The seat is heating up for second-year head coach Brandon Staley. Anymore funny business and his tenure may be over sooner than expected. The Chargers will be a team to keep an eye on over the offseason, with many changes likely to be made, not least on offense.
Winner – Daniel Jones
Daniel Jones had a legacy game on Sunday against “New York’s Favorite Team” the Minnesota Vikings. To sum it up, the Giants quarterback threw for 301 yards and had two touchdowns. As well as finding success on multiple occasions using his legs to extend plays and tear apart a Vikings defense. The Giants only had to punt once on Sunday – tip your caps to Brian Daboll, who has worked miracles with this offense. Don’t forget that just a year ago that this team was drawing up quarterback sneaks on third and long, and now here they are in the divisional round about to take on division rival Philadelphia Eagles.
As my friend put it on Sunday, Daniel Jones played like Josh Allen while Josh Allen played like Daniel Jones. The two quarterbacks seemingly switched places. Jones is playing on the fifth-year option and there will no doubt be much debate over whether he deserves a new deal. If he can continue these big performances and upset the Eagles that just might happen.
Loser – Miami’s Super Bowl Window
Not too long ago fans were talking about what was going to be the “great Dolphins rebuild.” This team had everything going for them at the time: the draft picks, the coach, the defense, everything was there. Fast forward and you have a team with just five draft picks in 2023, none of which are in the first round. We are all left wondering as to what the Dolphins will do this offseason as they have a couple of problems they will need to address if they would like to be back competing next season.
One of these problems is what to do with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who seemingly cannot stay on the field. He has been battered and beaten senselessly since entering the league and now spends his Sundays watching from the sidelines, looking at the pieces that the front office went out to get for him. It is a similar situation to Lamar Jackson in a way, who may not even be a Raven in 2023. To add onto their problems, they still have a bit of a coaching issue. There have been rumors that the front office doesn’t want to continue with Mike McDaniel. Let us not forget their involvement with Sean Payton.
Overall the Dolphins managed to play a very competitive game on Sunday, something that few were realistically expecting. In the end it still wasn’t enough to get it done against the Bills though. This was a team that many had as a Super Bowl favorite just weeks into the season, with a high-powered offense built around speed, yet injuries derailed what was a promising year for the Dolphins.
Winner – Kyle Shanahan & the 49ers
The fact that this team hasn’t won a Super Bowl yet under Shanahan is truly a wonder. As an organization plenty of talent has been in and out in San Francisco. This trend continues as the Titans have hired Ran Carthon to be their new GM. Carthon was a director of pro personnel and is another home grown talent in San Fran. But our original story was what transpired on Saturday against the Seahawks.
The 49ers had a uncharacteristically slow start in Saturday’s game and were even trailing at half time to the Geno Smith led Seahawks. That would soon change as Kyle Shanahan’s 49ers came out rolling in the second half. This team looked like a Super Bowl favorite in the second half, much in thanks to Brock Purdy’s performance. The Purdy experience has been a fun one for fans as ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ is seemingly much more relevant today. Purdy would throw for 332 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday in their 41-23 victory over Seattle.
All eyes are on the seventh round quarterback out of Iowa State, and sure there is plenty to talk about. But much of what we are seeing is in thanks to Shanahan and the team he has built around him. This offense has a plethora of talent surrounding the rookie quarterback, making it a much easier transition than what it would have been for most. He’s also playing in Shanahan’s excellent scheme, which will fill any defensive coordinator with frustration. Everyone involved deserves plenty of credit.
Loser – Tom Brady
Tom Brady is the greatest of all time, but man has he made it hard to love him recently. It has been a long season for Brady and the Bucs, with an 8-9 finish that certainly was not very pretty. The quarterback couldn’t stay out of the news, which seemingly was a distraction, whilst both the offensive and defensive play calling have been poor. On Monday night it was immediately apparent that nobody from the NFC South belonged in the playoffs. Brady received his first loss against Dallas despite Brett Maher missing four extra points. The offense just could not get it rolling soon enough, or ever at that.
One play has been thrown in the spotlight as the Buccaneers quarterback seemingly tried a slide tackle against a Cowboys defender after a turnover – not a great look from the veteran quarterback who has been seemingly moody in recent years. Entering the offseason the question is raised once again as to whether this is the last time we see Brady suit up. As a long time Patriots fan, I personally couldn’t care less as to what Tom does. I am grateful for all he brought my franchise, but if it were I would have gone out knowing I lost to the eventual Super Bowl Champions.