Welcome to the fifth volume of The End Zone Report, where I delve into everything football. In today’s report, we are going to cover players and coaches who just lost their jobs and will be breaking down the NFL divisional round matchups.
Three weeks ago, Sam Darnold was a rich man. A man who had played way past the one-year, ten million dollar contract he was given last offseason by the Vikings. Although the Vikings had their quarterback of the future sitting right there on the bench, Sam Darnold had played so well throughout the season that the former third overall pick was looking like the best decision the franchise had ever made. However, the NFL is a cutthroat business. In week 17 and the wild card round, Darnold probably played himself right out of that contract.
In the span of two weeks, a talented leader like Darnold probably secured himself a measly two-year contract with a tanking team for barely any more money than he is making now. Being the nature of the business, there were plenty of players and coaches who just lost out on big money this offseason.
How about another quarterback? Being the most important position on the field, the quarterback is supposed to perform up to standards at all times. Russell “Mr. Unlimited” Wilson failed to do that. The Pittsburgh Steelers started off the season hot, behind Justin Fields as their signal-caller. After replacing him with Wilson, the team rolled out a couple more wins to achieve a 10-3 record. That’s where everything went south.
The Pittsburgh Steelers ended the season with a 10-8 record, including their wild card loss to the Ravens. In those last five games, Wilson’s quarterback rating never exceeded 55, a sad ending to such a fairytale season for the squad. Wilson might return to the Steelers next season, but they will certainly entertain competition for him, to ensure the best possible season.
Finally, let’s look at Mike McCarthy, the former head coach of the Dallas Cowboys who just got canned for no apparent reason. Team owner Jerry Jones gave guarantees about his job amidst their losing season and just decided to fire him. Then again, Jones is a little bit cuckoo, as shown by his preferred meal of racoons and squirrels. So yes, Mike was on the hot seat for a while, but there were never any actual job threats. Now, when his best players all go down with injuries, he suddenly gets fired. The NFL is still as cutthroat as it has ever been, and this shows that.
Now, let’s glance back at the NFL playoffs for a moment. The NFL Divisional round just finished, and it is time to breakdown each of the games.
Let’s start off with the one that hit closest to home. The Ravens lost to the Bills in heartbreaking fashion, with Lamar Jackson orchestrating a marvelous touchdown drive only for Mark Andrews to drop the two-point conversion. Then again, that’s not what we are here to talk about. While the Ravens had more yards, the Bills did a great job of preventing turnovers and protecting the ball. What’s next? While the Ravens take time off to get ready for next year, they might want to invest in a wide receiver through the draft or potentially a speedy defensive tackle to aid Michael Pierce.
In order for the Bills to win their next matchup against Kansas City, they will have to do a couple things. A more explosive offensive performance from Josh Allen would definitely help them pierce the Chiefs wall and potentially involving their primary running back in more plays.
Speaking of the Chiefs, they eked out an ugly win against the Houston Texans. The Texans could easily solve some problems by replacing their entire offensive line, but for the purpose of realism we’ll focus on their interior line. Stroud was under pressure the entire night, and because his two secondary receivers were out he had only one target to throw to.
On the flip side of things, the Chiefs are ready to compete. With the aid of a rejuvenated Travis Kelce, a prime-looking Patrick Mahomes and of course, the aid of the refs, the Chiefs look scary for the rest of the playoffs.
How about one of the biggest upsets in recent NFL history? The Commanders, led by Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, handled the Detroit Lions. The Lions honestly don’t have much they can add to their roster. If it wasn’t for injuries, they would probably have the best offense and defense in the entire nfl. So why did they lose? Jared Goff threw three picks and the team lost the turnover battle. They need to ride it out and hope for some better luck next season.
The Commanders aren’t a serious threat. At least, they weren’t. Behind the explosive combo or arm strength and running from Daniels, they could potentially handle business against the Eagles next weekend.
The Eagles put away the Rams in a surprisingly close game. The Rams need to evaluate their options for the future at quarterback, but other than that, their entire roster could be improved. That’s easier said than done, so they’ll probably place their focus on cornerback and safety to help prevent deep plays.
As for the Eagles, I don’t think they are real Super Bowl contenders. They struggled to beat their last two opponents despite being given plenty of opportunities to blow them out. Expect them to drop against the Commanders.
That’s it for the fifth volume of The End Zone Report. Keep a look out for the next one.
