By Brandon Simmons
Takeaway from the Seahawks/49ers Game
The Seattle Seahawks beat the San Francisco 49ers to take homefield advantage in the NFC. The Seahawks took the 1 seed with a 16-3 victory in the 49ers turf, Levi’s Stadium, the same place where this season’s Super Bowl will be held.
The biggest takeaway from this game is that the Seahawks may very well be worth all of the hype. Time and time again they have shown they are the legit best team in this conference , if not in the league. At QB, Sam Darnold has carried this Seattle team through some adversarial moments, including the comeback victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 16. Saturday, against the 49ers, they showed their whole arsonal. Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker dealt plenty of damage to the Niners, extending plenty of drives to get the team in scoring positions. The Seahawks defense, an underrated component of this run, really showed up and showed out. Seahawks linebacker Drake Thomas got an interception in the 4th quarter that stopped an impending scoring drive by San Fran. This unit also got 3 sacks and held Niners running back Christian McCaffrey to only 23 yards.
The bottom line is the Seattle Seahawks demonstrated their propensity as a complete team on all phases of the game. So while many might question whether they trust Sam Darnold or not, the Seahawks are a team that can play well enough on either side of the ball to eradicate any mistakes.
Takeaway from the Steelers/Ravens Game
The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens 26-24 in a game that came down to missed kicks. The Steelers were doqn 10-3 at halftime, but scored 10 straight in the 3rd quarter to make it 13-10 heading into the 4th quarter. That’s when all hell broke loose. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson threw a TD to wide receiver Zay Flowers to make the score 17-13. Steelers answer back when running back Kenneth Gainwell rushed for a goal line TD to go up 20-17. Jackson and Flowers respond with another TD connection taking the lead at 24-20. Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers throws a TD to wide receiver Calvin Austin but misses the extra point, making their lead 26-24. The Racens drove down the field for the game winning field goal but missed it and lost the game.
This game’s 4th quarter was a perfect imitation of the Baltimore’s Ravens season. Everything up to this point had gone wrong but Lamar Jackson was still the best chance gor them to win. When the Steelers scored touchdowns, it was Jackson – through his own arm – that threw 2 touchdown passes for over 50 yards each, connecting with his number one receiver Flowers. Jackson even threw the pass to Ravens tight end Isiah Likely to get them in field goal range, which obviously became a failed attempt. Still, before that moment they were dealing with injuries and failures to move the ball, sort of like the problems they were facing all season.
As for the Pittsburgh Steelers, another signature ugly win for them. They came out in the 2nd half and took over in gritty fashion. Connor Heyward scored a rushing TD while Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt who got a pick in the 3rd quarter which led to a field goal, giving Pittsburgh the lead heading into the 4th quarter. After going down 24-20, Rodgers throws a TD to wide receiver Calvin Austin III to take a 2 point lead and the eventual game winning score. Basically, it was a win that needed the whole team which is on brand for the Steelers especially in this rivalry series. Hell, the tight ends got some major shine. In addition to Heyward’s TD sneak, Steelers tight end and fan favorite Pat Friermuth caught a 30 yard reception to set up a rushing TD by running back Kenneth Gainwell. The Steelers reminded everyone their tradition of competitive football still lives through them and will rise up against the best of them.
Initial Black Monday Reaction
As always, the Monday after the final NFL regular season game always has numerous coaches catching the pink slip. Here ‘s the biggest items from that day:
- The Cleveland Browns fired Kevin Stefanski after 6 seasons. A year after going 3-14, the Browns went 5-12 under Stefanski.
- The Arizona Cardinals fires Jonathan Gannon after 3 seasons. The Cardinals were 15-36 in the Gannon era.
- The Atlanta Falcons fired Raheem Morris hours after the team beat the New Orleans Saints, which was part of their late season winning streak.
- The Las Vegas Raiders fired Pete Caroll after only one season, the 2nd straight year of going one and done with a head coach.
- The Miami Dolphins still have Mile McDaniel as their head coach for now.
- Update: The Ravens part ways with John Harbaugh after 18 years. It’s not such a surprising move but definitely significant. The Ravens had a strong finish to compete for the division title but had rough start to the year. Their defense was also atrocious, especially in pass defense where they ranked 30th.
The Morris firing seems odd but the Falcons also let go of their General Manager Terry Fontenot as well. Usually when a GM is let go, the head coach is soon to follow. While Morris was only in his 2nd year, and lost his starting QB to injury, Atlanta has not made a postseason since 2019. They probably figured to make their change all at once, especially with Morris posting a losing record during his tenure.
Stefanski is a 2 time coach of the year, but has only led the Browns to the playoffs twice in his 6 seasons. The first year, in 2020, he led them to a Wild Card win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, then in 2023, he led the team to the playoffs using 5 different quarterbacks, including Joe Flacco, who started the game against the Houston Texans, a team they beat earlier that year but got thrashed by in the postseason. Flacco also left the team the following season, came back this year and was traded again. Speaking of Browns QB’s, Stefanski had to maneuver through QB situation of playing rookies Dillon Gabriel, whom Cleveland picked in the 3rd round, and Shadeur Sanders, who was chosen in the 5th round. Stefanski received heavy criticism for his approach to the latter QB which drummed up headlines weekly. While Stefanski, didn’t have his best showing these past couple of seasons, it’s already being reported that the New York Giants, Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons are expressing interest in him, so his time off might be cut short.
Shoutouts/Shutouts
Shout out to Cleveland Browns end Myles Garrett for setting the single season sack record. Sunday, against the Cincinnati Bengals, Garrett recorded the sack in the 4th quarter on Bengals QB Joe Burrow. He broke the record that was owned by Steelers.linebacler T.J. Watt and former New York Giant and Hall of Fame defensive end Michael Strahan. Watt tied with Strahan back in 2021, who got the record back in 2001,and the record now has a new leader in Garrett in just a few years later
Shut out to the New York Jets, who were shut out of recording interceptions. The Jets become the first team in NFL history to finish a regular season with no interceptions. The lowest number of interceptions recorded during a season was 2 by the 2018 San Francisco 49ers.
Welp…that’s a wrap for the regular season. The Wild Card kicks off this Saturday and ends on Monday. If there was a game that had the potential to go either way, it would be the Jacksonville Jaguars hosting the Buffalo Bills, 2 offenses that should keep the scoreboard well lit. But until then…I’ll holla.
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