I've been watching football a long time. Long enough that perhaps my aging memory has forgotten some final weeks of the NFL regular season that were crazier than yesterday. But I don't think so. To have three different important, meaningful games go to overtime, with outcomes affecting both the teams playing and multiple teams watching, right through until the final play of the night game -- unprecedented. Never seen anything like it.
Kansas City at Denver: Denver and Drew Lock came to play; so did Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams. Sadly for Gordon, he undermined an otherwise impressive game by losing a game-changing fumble on a play that Kansas City saw coming a mile away, blew up in the backfield, and ran back for the game-winning score. Denver bizarrely kicked a field goal in the final minutes while trailing by 7 points, something I've seen happen a couple of times in recent weeks. Why? What's the argument for kicking a field goal late in the fourth quarter to pull within 4? I suppose the since-fired Vic Fangio was asked about it post-game and I guess it doesn't matter now. Tyreek Hill suffering an injury in pregame warmups, just a final blow to those with Hill who had a few too many disappointing weeks by the guy. Another good game by Mecole Hardman in a game that Hill missed; literally the only time he has good games.
Dallas at Philadelphia: So yeah, Dallas surprised us big-time by playing starters through the third quarter, with Dak Prescott throwing 5 TDs, the kind of game that would have been appreciated in any other week this season. Apologies to those who left Dak on the bench. The Eagles weren't playing defense, or playing at all, which made things really easy. To me the guesswork involved in playoff team motivations is one of the main reasons why fantasy Super Bowls shouldn't involve Week 18. But kudos to those who started Dak. A note on Gardner Minshew. He's a nice backup quarterback. I respect him believing he can and should start in the NFL, and given some of the quarterbacks around the league, he's right. But no team should be looking at him as a desirable starter.
Packers at Lions: So Packers played Rodgers-Adams-Dillon some, about a half each, and if you played them maybe they got you more points than the other options available to you would have. But in general I'm going to want the guy who plays full-time; rare you get a quarterback putting up huge numbers (Prescottian?) in a half or three quarters. Lions got a big day, again, from Amon-Ra St. Brown, and a late touchdown from D'Andre Swift. Kudos to this team for playing hard all year, and costing itself the No. 1 overall pick with this upset win besides. Gotta respect that.
Colts at Jaguars: I am not a football coach, and anything I can say to criticize the Colts about the offensive game plan needs to factor in that Indianapolis' defense played much, much worse than expected. But I watched most of this game, and an error seemed to be made in putting the offense in the hands of Carson Wentz, who at times has proven to be careless with both the football and his decision-making, and not in the hands and feet of the guy who would arguably be the MVP if the league ever gave these things to non-quarterbacks, Jonathan Taylor. Here's Wentz dropping back and taking a sack...on 1st and goal from the 7. I have no doubt that Jacksonville was focusing on the run, but I'm sorry, it was painful to watch them continually ask Wentz to make plays that didn't involve HANDING THE BALL OFF to Taylor. Anyway, kudos to Trevor Lawrence and Jacksonville, who played their best game all season and still got the No. 1 overall pick next year. That will help.
Football Team at Giants: Antonio Gibson has a big game, which I thought was possible given his chance for 1,000-yard season and the reality that New York wasn't going to do anything to force Washington away from the run. Both he and McLaurin got their 1,000-yard seasons, Washington dominated. Presumably people saw the Giants call a quarterback sneak on 3rd and 9 from near their own goal line, presumably worried about their quarterback taking a safety or turning it over. However they defended it at their press conference, pretty awful.
Bears at Vikings: Slugfest with lots of nice offensive numbers, except from Dalvin Cook. But most passing game options were good, as both teams went through the motions of trying to win and save their coaches' jobs. These decisions were already made. Darnell Mooney will be an interesting case in next year's drafts -- pretty great season, especially all things considered.
Titans at Texans: Entertaining game, and I'll tip my cap to the Texans for playing hard even after falling behind 21-0. I pointed out the number of blowout losses this team had, but I'll agree that David Culley did enough with this talent-thin team to maybe deserve another year. Not that he'll likely get it, but he didn't embarrass himself or anything. Well, the three- and four-back committee the team employed for much of the year was embarrassing. Anyway, huge game for Ryan Tannehill, made some strong throws throughout. D'Onta Foreman had a nice game running it and lost an early touchdown on a silly penalty; defensive player entering the game on offense near the goal line didn't properly report. Painful for those counting on Foreman. Huge game for Danny Amendola, helped by Brandin Cooks leaving early due to a knee injury, hope not too serious.
Steelers at Ravens: This was a remarkably fun game to watch, what with it gradually becoming clear that the Colts were going to lose and the winner of this one would make the playoffs. (Barring a Chargers-Raiders tie, which of course wouldn't happen.) And because you kind of knew it would be low-scoring, with neither offense very good and because these teams usually play defensive struggles, every play seemed critical. It wasn't all good, with neither quarterback making many plays and receivers from both teams committing some drops. But in overtime we got the drama of Diontae Johnson dropping a perfect throw on third down that would have set up the game-winning field goal, only to be followed by a crazy clutch fourth-down throw and catch to set up the game-winning field goal. Steelers win, and there's a 99 percent chance they're going to the playoffs. Unless...
Bengals at Browns: Hopefully people didn't start Samaje Perine. Once teams make the decision to rest starters, key backups are also fair game to get a seat. Cincinnati didn't play anyone for long. The Browns featured D'Ernest Johnson, who had a great day; one hopes he has a better fate in 2022 than No. 3 running back somewhere. Jarvis Landry the other usable Brown as their season came to a quiet end.
49ers at Rams: I know there's Davante Adams and Justin Jefferson and maybe even someone else I'm forgetting at the moment. But just maybe the two best wide receivers in the league this season were in this game, with Cooper Kupp and Deebo Samuel making plays throughout. But the Niners made a few more. Both quarterbacks forced some throws and committed turnovers leading to losses or near losses. Both coaches, especially Sean McVay, who seems to have the 49ers in his head at this point, made missteps. And now both teams are in the playoffs, and it's hard not to feel like San Francisco has just as much chance to go far as the Rams, even with Jimmy Garoppolo not actually being as good as Matthew Stafford. Great game.
Panthers at Buccaneers: Bucs put up big numbers late to win this game, but it was closer than the final score. You wonder if all the injuries and drama involving Antonio Brown will factor into Tampa Bay's postseason run; they look a little tired, and definitely hard to be confident that they'll just start clicking in the postseason, assuming they get Leonard Fournette back fully healthy. But they seem to have a favorable opening matchup with Philadelphia, and they'll probably be favored in the next game, too. A Green Bay-Tampa Bay NFC Championship looks kind of likely.
Seahawks at Cardinals: Arizona hasn't played particularly well for most of the second half of the season. Getting J.J. Watt back might help the defense, emotionally if nothing else, as might having DeAndre Hopkins back on offense, although that seems less likely. They open against the Rams, and that's a winnable game. So maybe. Big game here by Rashaad Penny, who busted a long touchdown run late. Good for him, I think he'll make some money somewhere, maybe even Seattle. Lots of changes coming for the Seahawks though.
Saints at Falcons: Weirdest story I heard yesterday morning was the speculation that the Steelers would pursue Matt Ryan in the offseason. Because they want to replace one old, statue-like quarterback with another one? Falcons profess commitment to Ryan but I think there are some financial considerations there. Whatever the case, Atlanta looks years from being relevant. And the Saints have some mirror-looking to do in the offseason too.
Patriots at Dolphins: I suppose the Patriots wanted to win this game, but there didn't seem to be a ton of urgency about it. I suppose subconsciously they knew the Bills weren't going to lose to the Jets, even though that one was close for a while. I know there's a lot of enthusiasm about the season Mac Jones had, and they seem to have a couple of nice young running backs. But I will be surprised if this team doesn't have a quick playoff exit. Dolphins fire head coach Brian Flores, a little surprising. Seems like the guy that should be fired is whoever decided to draft Tua over Justin Herbert.
Jets at Bills:Nice game -- nice month -- for Devin Singletary. You wonder a little why it took so long for the team to commit to him, given the way he's played. Bills now get their third game with the Patriots in the last six weeks. I know there's some intangible concerns about facing Bill Belichick and whatnot, but if I were a Bills fan I'd rather be playing New England than the Chargers. Jets...not much to say. Another offseason of questions and turmoil coming up.
Chargers at Raiders: The term "instant classic" is tossed around a lot these days. I'm not sure any game I've seen in years has earned it more than this one. By the fourth quarter, with the Chargers completing fourth down after fourth down, I thought I was watching one of the classic 80s Chargers games, with Dan Fouts duking it out with Marino or Ken Anderson. And years from now this game will be watched with no awareness of the fact it affected whether three teams would make or not make the playoffs, and the reality that a tie was potentially desirable, something that pretty much never happens and seldom comes as close as it did last night. I can't imagine what it was like for Steelers player and fans, basically celebrating making the playoffs hours earlier and being hit with the dawning realization that Oops, no, actually... It might be snatched away. Crazy stuff.
In overtime, for those who couldn't stay up, it looked like the Raiders would be content to tie, putting both teams in the playoffs. Then the Chargers called timeout, stunning both announcers and seemingly the Raiders. After which a Jacobs run put them in field goal range and they tried the kick, despite the small risk of a block or something which could result in a loss. Chargers coach Brandon Staley explained it as wanting to get the right defense on the field, which it can only be said failed miserably. I presume Staley lay awake last night wondering what might have happened if the timeout hadn't been called. Decent chance the teams tie, and we're talking about one of the most miraculous outcomes in NFL history. Maybe we still are.
A final note about the two best teams who missed the playoffs, the Colts and Chargers. With the Colts, they blew a lot of games they should have won this season, not just yesterday. Pretty young and talented team with a strong defense; they just need to do a better job, I think, of reining in or at least coaching up Wentz at key moments.
The Chargers weren't good enough on defense. They didn't make enough plays, not last night and not in some other losses. But I see Herbert out there making throws like he did last night and think he's the closest thing to Dan Marino or John Elway we've seen in 30 years. I think he's going to be in a lot of playoff games, even if one of them won't come next week.