By Brandon Simmons
Better 5th Seed: AFC or NFC?
The playoff picture has been set with some dangerous teams in both conferences; but it’s the 5th seed that could be the most lethal. The AFC and NFC both have a dangerous team at the 5th seed. For the AFC, the Buffalos Bills have been a resilient underdog all season and will love for teams to take them as lightly as possible. In the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks were a former number one seeded team, but ended up at the 5 spot with their MVP-caliber quarterback and re-emerging defense. Both teams went 1-3 in the last 4 games of the season to land where they are now but there are some subtle difference to put them apart.
The Bills are a stronger team than what people might realize. Their defense is a top 5 unit and cn damage you on all levels. In the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers a couple of weeks ago, they ended up with 4 interceptions. Quarterback Josh Allen leads this offense in his 2nd year, and the Bills coaches make sure to utilize his skillset of throwing and mobility. Not saying that he’s in a class with Lamar Jackson on the latter, but he can hurt any defense that tends to ignore that aspect about his game. Also, this team is not afraid of the spotlight. They won their 2 nationally televised road games against the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers, with huge defensive performances.
The Seattle Seahawks were once the number one seed in the NFC but playing in the NFC West with the San Francisco 49ers will deter you from maintaining that spot. Nevertheless, they were still one of the strongest teams throughout football this season. They were a top 5 rushing team behind running back Chris Carson, who was a 1,000-yard rusher this season. Seahawks QB Russell Wilson threw for 4,110 yards and 31 TD’s to put this team in contender talks and insert himself into the MVP discussion early on.
Both teams are equally talented, but what it comes down to is experience, something that Seattle has plenty of whether it be with their coaching staff or with the franchise quarterback. And it’s not just playoff experience throughout the years, this team has had to fight for some wins this season. They only have 2 overtime games this year but ended up winning both. Seahawks could have won the game Sunday night, if it wasn’t for a mishap at the goal line which caused a delay of game penalty. Buffalo still has the ability to catch a team slipping if needed but Seattle is equipped to meet you head on. They re-signed running back Marshawn Lynch to help with their injured backfield, which could mean trouble not ready to play physical football in this postseason. If you couple this with their ability to find ways to win games, the Seattle Seahawks can get back to being the dangerous team they were at the beginning of the year.
Year of the Black Quarterback
This year, The Undefeated started the hashtag #yearoftheblackquarterback and the timing could not be any more perfect. It was probably the first time in a long time that this many black QB’s found themselves in the spotlight some of the top tier signal callers. Amongst this group there has been some highs and lows, with plenty of highs.
Everything was kicked off with the Arizona Cardinals drafting Kyler Murray out of Oklahoma number one overall. This happened a year after Lamar Jackson was the last QB of the first round. Speaking of Jackson, this year, in his first full season as a starting quarterback, Jackson lifted the Ravens to a number one seed in the AFC all while helping Baltimore lead the league in rushing and scoring. This performance put him at the top of the list for MVP, alongside Seattle Seahawks QB Russell Wilson. Wilson made headlines during the offseason when he got a $100 million contract extension. He took that money and went to the bank with his play this season, leading the Seahawks to a 12-4 record while throwing for over 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns. Part of his success comes from his trademark escapability, a skill that was also exhibited by Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who made headlines with his own moves. There were times when Watson would be criticized for holding the ball too but some of the Texans’ biggest offensive plays derived from him extending the play and either moving around inside the pocket or getting outside of it.
Noticeably missing from this list is Carolina Panthers QB Cam Newton and Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. Newton suffered a foot injury earlier in the year and has been out since then. He is also expected to be cut by the Panthers this coming offseason, which would allow him to reset his career elsewhere. Mahomes has been sort of quiet this year but still putting up solid numbers, and even led the Chiefs to the 2 seed for the playoffs.
The black quarterbacks in this arrived just in time to witness a changing of the guard for QB’s. As the Brees, Brady’s and Rodgers are all aging and at nearing the end of their careers, the young, black QB’s are stepping up to the plate to become the future playmakers of the league. Murray and Washington Redskins QB Dwayne Haskins could be sure to follow as well as the next ones. What the #yeroftheblackquarterback hashtag showed was that black quarterbacks have come a long way from the days of when African Americans were assumed to not have the intelligence or leadership to play the position or when a black QB was asked to play an entirely different position. Teams realize that these individuals’ talents are far superior to any prehistoric stereotype and relevant to today’s game. This is probably more than just #yearoftheblackquarterback; we may very well be entering into the #eraoftheblackquarterback.
Fire it Up
NFL coaches are now entering the time of year where their time is up as reports are pouring in about which coaches are getting fired this week. Among the names being thrown around include Jacksonville Jaguars coach Doug Marrone, the entire Dallas Cowboys coaching staff, New York Giants coach Pat Shurmer and Cleveland Browns coach Freddie Kitchens. However, Kitchens was fired after the Browns’ loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, in the wake of a disappointing season as well as Shurmer after 2 seasons.
Coming into the season, Cleveland looked like a team that was ready to take over the division. They acquired stud receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. from the Giants, quarterback Baker Mayfield was believed to make a huge step forward in his progression and the defense was thought to be solid led by defensive end Myles Garrett. All these things were assumed even when the Pittsburgh Steelers had a healthy Ben Roethlisboerger and the Ravens were coming off their playoff appearance with Lamar Jackson. But things turned downhill quickly. Cleveland was constantly plagued with inconsistency. They started off 2-2 but lost 4 straight after that. After following that slide up with a 4-game win streak, they finished the year going 1-5. Another damning aspect of the Kitchens’ tenure is the fact that Mayfield regressed from throwing 27 touchdowns and 14 picks in his rookie year, to throwing 19 touchdowns and 18 picks this season. Kitchens was thought to be a strong hire because of him being the offensive coordinator last season and helping Mayfield adjust.
For Kitchens, as well as these other coaches, it’s a sad affair when they lose their job but they knew what they signed up for and did not deliver on the goods. The worst of all these firings has to be the Browns because they are likely to make the same mistake when choosing the next head coach. Since 1999, this team has had 12 head coaches. The front office for the reborn Cleveland Browns has failed this franchise on that aspect countless times. At some point, there has to be a lightbulb that goes when going through this process. In theory, it seemed like a good idea to hire the guy as head coach who developed your franchise QB, but it’s probably not going to work if he doesn’t possess the qualities of a good head coach. And some people will argue that Kitchens doesn’t deserve all the blame, but when you’re dealing with the Browns, frustrations will overtake logic on any day.
Shoutouts/Shutouts
Jameis Winston has the honor of sharing a shout out and shut out for his historic accomplishment. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback became the first player in NFL history to throw for 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. The interception came Sunday in the Bucs’ overtime loss to the Atlanta Falcons, when Winston threw a pick 6 to Falcons linebacker Deion Jones. It’s one of those situations where “glass half full/half empty” cliché becomes a reality. On one hand, this guy threw for 30 picks – which was most in the league – and also set the single season record for pick-6’s; but he was 2nd in the league with 33 TD passes and became the 8th player in NFL history to throw for 5,000 yards. So whether the glass full or empty, it seems like Winston’s play makes people want to up drinking.
Shout out to Tennessee Titans running back Derrick for his 200 yard rushing day. Sunday against the Texans, Henry ran for 211 yards ended up taking the rushing title for the season. He is expected to be a free agent this coming offseason so he could be the next back to get paid.
Shut out to the Seattle Seahawks for their delay of game penalty which cost them the game. In Sunday’s game against the 49ers, the Seahawks were trailing 26-21 with less than a minute to go, when wide receiver John Ursua made a catch at the Niners 1 yard line to convert a 4th and 10. QB Russell Wilson went to the line to spike the ball but offensive lineman Greg Fant was hurt on the previous play. So they had to figure out how to replace him as well as get running back Marshawn Lynch in the game. But too much time went passed on the game clock and it eventually ran out, which caused a penalty. The penalty pushed the ball bac to the 6 yard line and Seahawks ended up losing. Sad turn of events for a great game but now they have something to fuel them when these two teams meet in the playoffs, because it will happen.
Playoffs are here and the schedule is set. The Texans will be hosting the Bills, which should be a fun matchup, considering both teams kind of rested their starters in Week 17 to prepare for this weekend. Texans defensive end J.J. Watt has been cleared to return so it will be interesting to see how he will be a factor. The Saints and the Vikings are going to go heads up with each other in New Orleans. These 2 teams faced off in the Divisional round in 2018, when New Orleans fell victim to the Minnesota Miracle. Now the venues have switched, so maybe the luck will change for the Saints just as well. But until then…I’ll holla.