NFL Game Recaps: Week 18, 2021

NFL Game Recaps of previous weeks and seasons can be found via links at the bottom of the page.

Chiefs 28, Broncos 24

The Broncos had nothing to play for, but their goal was to snap Kansas City’s 12-game winning streak against them. They played with much more effort than anyone could have expected, given that head coach Vic Fangio’s job security is in question. It actually appeared as though the Broncos would pull the upset, maintaining possession in the red zone while leading 21-20 in the fourth quarter, but a costly mistake ruined Denver’s chances of getting the unexpected win.

Melvin Gordon enjoyed a terrific game, rushing for 110 yards and a touchdown on just 12 carries, but he was responsible for the blunder. He lost a fumble in the red zone, which linebacker Nick Bolton scooped and ran back for a score. The Chiefs, now up seven, held the Broncos to a field goal on their next and final possession to preserve the victory.

The Chiefs prevailed, but it was far from a convincing victory. Prior to their final possession when they ran down the clock, the Chiefs were outgained by the Broncos. They also averaged 1.4 fewer yards per play. They were woeful against the run, surrendering big gains to Gordon and Javonte Williams (12-46). They also didn’t seem to understand that Drew Lock was capable of scrambling; two of Denver’s three touchdowns came on Lock runs.

Offensively, things weren’t much better. Patrick Mahomes struggled to move the chains, scoring just 13 points following the opening drive. Part of the problem was that Tyreek Hill suffered an injury in pre-game warmups. With Travis Kelce stymied by a defense that plays well against tight ends, Mahomes had to turn to Mecole Hardman, Byron Pringle and his running backs. Mahomes, as a result, didn’t have a great completion percentage, and he got away with a couple of potential interceptions.

Mahomes finished 27-of-44 for 270 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran nine times for 54 rushing yards. This wasn’t a bad game for Mahomes, considering the circumstances, but he didn’t perform on a playoff level either. This easily could’ve been a loss had Gordon not fumbled.

With Hill banged up, and Kelce smothered, the Chiefs’ leading receiver was Hardman, who caught eight of his 11 targets for 103 yards, including a 44-yard sprint at the very end. Pringle (5-56) was next, while Kelce (4-34) hauled in one of Mahomes’ touchdowns. Hill, playing just a handful of snaps, caught one ball for two yards.

Mahomes’ other touchdown went to Jerick McKinnon (3-26), who was part of a three-headed rushing attack. Derrick Gore mustered 30 yards on seven carries, while Darrel Williams was limited to 17 yards on seven attempts, though he caught three passes for 50 receiving yards.

As for the Broncos, Lock completed just half of his passes, going 12-of-24 for 162 yards. Lock was brilliant as a scrambler, but inconsistent as a passer. Lock made some clutch throws, but also heaved some helpless balls out of bounds or way ahead of open receivers.

Lock had the most success throwing to Tim Patrick, who caught six passes for 95 yards. He and Jerry Jeudy (3-30) were the only Denver players with more than 18 receiving yards. Jeudy should’ve caught a long pass in the first quarter, but Lock overthrew him.

Cowboys 51, Eagles 20

Pay no attention to this score. The Cowboys played all of their starters, including Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, while the Eagles sat most of their starters for the entire night. This resembled a preseason game in which one team tries, while the other just wants to see how its reserves play.

In three quarters of action, Prescott went 21-of-27 for 295 yards and five touchdowns. The fifth score gave him the Cowboys’ single-season passing touchdown record, beating out Tony Romo’s 36 mark by one. Prescott posted a great-looking stat line – the ESPN announcers marveled at the numbers – but Philadelphia’s backup defenders left receivers wide open the entire night. There was nothing impressive about Prescott’s performance. In fact, it could give the team a false sense of security because the offense really struggled down the stretch.

Prescott threw a pair of touchdowns to two players, and neither was Amari Cooper or CeeDee Lamb. Instead, it was Cedrick Wilson and Dalton Schultz. While Schultz had a mediocre night otherwise – three catches, 21 yards – Wilson led the team in receiving with five grabs for 119 yards. Wilson will be key for the Cowboys in the playoffs because he’s taking the injured Michael Gallup’s spot in the lineup.

As for Cooper and Lamb, the former had the better stat line with five catches for 79 yards. Lamb was limited to two grabs for 45 yards.

Elliott needed 85 rushing yards to eclipse 1,000 for the season. He barely got there, generating 87 yards on 18 carries. That said, Elliott has not played well for most of the season, and it’s a borderline disappointment that he couldn’t get to the century mark versus a team playing its backups.

Very few Eagles played their starters. For example, center Jason Kelce took the opening snap and then sat the rest of the way to keep his consecutive games streak alive. DeVonta Smith played the first quarter and did enough (3-41) to eclipse DeSean Jackson’s franchise rookie receiving yards record. I imagine Jackson will have many sleepless nights in the future.

Otherwise, it was the Gardner Minshew show. Minshew played well when Smith was in the game, but was worse after that. Minshew went 19-of-33 for 186 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. The pick was not his fault; the ball bounced off J.J. Arcega-Whiteside’s hands. Arcega-Whiteside had a rough night; he also dropped a touchdown.

Quez Watkins led the Eagles in receiving, thanks to a 36-yard touchdown reception on the last non-kneeldown from scrimmage. Watkins caught five balls for 84 yards and a touchdown. Jalen Reagor (2-19) dropped a pass, which was not a surprise.

Kenneth Gainwell and Jason Huntley combined to handle most of the workload. Gainwell outgained Huntley, 78-51, on one fewer carry (13-12). He rushed for a touchdown and also caught four passes for nine receiving yards.

Jaguars 26, Colts 11

All the Colts needed to do in order to reach the playoffs was beat the worst team in the NFL. That was it. They were 16-point favorites to open the week, so it seemed like a simple task. As the Colts learned, however, an ugly monster named Aurora Snowmo kills teams that need to win in the final couple of weeks of the season. Indianapolis just became the latest victim, as Aurora Snowmo dragged the Colts’ corpse into the very bottom of the Jacksonville swimming pool.

There were two problems for the Jaguars entering this game, despite the apparent lopsided matchup. The first was that the Jaguars have a solid run defense, so the Colts needed to get more out of Carson Wentz. That automatically put Indianapolis in play for a loss because Wentz has been terrible for most of the season. Wentz was responsible for a comedy of errors in the second half of this affair. He lost a fumble on a strip-sack, then committed what should’ve been two interceptions. The first was an overthrow, while the second was fired right to a Jacksonville defender. Replay review showed that the first pick was bobbled and ruled incomplete as a result, but the fact remains that Wentz played poorly.

Wentz finished 17-of-29 for 185 yards and an interception, and yet those numbers were enhanced by garbage time. It was 26-3 when Wentz fired his sole score to Michael Pittman. The Colts have to feel incredibly stupid for surrendering multiple picks, including a first-rounder, to obtain the former Eagles signal-caller.

The second problem for the Colts was their pass rush. They generate less pressure on the quarterback than any other team in the NFL. Trevor Lawrence has endured a rocky rookie campaign, but a major issue for him has been poor pass protection. This wasn’t a concern for Lawrence in the initial meeting between these teams, and that was the case again in the rematch. Lawrence had all day to find his receivers, and he was red hot on third down as a result. Lawrence converted 7-of-15 third downs.

Lawrence finished 23-of-32 for 223 yards and two touchdowns. He should’ve thrown a third score, but Laviska Shenault dropped the ball in the end zone just prior to halftime. Still, Lawrence was great, and this should give the Jaguars some hope entering the 2022 season.

Lawrence’s touchdowns went to Marvin Jones and Laquon Treadwell. Jones led the team in receiving with seven catches for 88 yards, while Treadwell made three grabs for 24 yards. Shenault, meanwhile, had a positive performance despite the dropped touchdown. He caught five passes for 62 yards.

Ryquell Armstead made a nice comeback from missing all of 2020 with an illness. He led the Jaguars in rushing in this contest, gaining 52 yards on nine carries.

Amazingly, Armstead wasn’t too far away from Jonathan Taylor. The Jaguars did a great job on him like they did in the first meeting between these teams. Taylor was restricted to 77 yards on 15 carries, as Jacksonville stuffed Taylor on multiple short-yardage situations.

Pittman, as mentioned, scored a garbage-time touchdown. He led the Colts in receiving with six catches for 64 yards and a touchdown even though he didn’t see a single target in the first half.

Steelers 16, Ravens 13

The Steelers needed a win and a loss by the Colts to make the playoffs. It seemed as though Indianapolis losing to Jacksonville would be the difficult task, but as it turned out, it all came down to Pittsburgh’s ability to win at Baltimore. The Jaguars demolished the Colts, but the Steelers trailed the Ravens for most of the afternoon.

Because of Tyler Huntley’s accuracy woes, however, the Ravens had issues pulling away from the Steelers. They led 10-3 and 10-6 for a while, but Ben Roethlisberger, playing in his final regular-season game as a Steeler, engineered a great drive in the fourth quarter to take the lead. He ultimately found Chase Claypool in the end zone to go ahead. The Ravens struck back with a field goal to finish regulation. Neither team had much success moving the chains in overtime, but the Steelers, stuck in a fourth-and-8 outside of field goal range, had to go for it with about 2:30 remaining in the extra session. A tie would do nothing for them, so they had to get points on this possession.

On what could’ve been Roethlisberger’s final pass, the veteran quarterback fired a strike (or rather, a dying duck) to Ray-Ray McCloud for a 10-yard gain. This moved the chains into field goal range, setting up the decisive field goal. This clinched a playoff berth for the Steelers, provided the Chargers and Raiders wouldn’t tie.

There was a chance a heralded NFL single-season record would be broken in this game, as T.J. Watt needed one sack to tie Michael Strahan’s 22.5 mark. He appeared to get it right away, but was cheated when the press box inexplicably ruled the play as a tackle for loss. Watt eventually got his needed sack prior to halftime. He ended up tied with Strahan, but should’ve gotten to 23.5. At the very least, Watt can know he got the record legitimately, whereas Strahan notched his final sack when Brett Favre took a dive.

Roethlisberger finished 30-of-44 for 244 yards, one touchdown and an interception, a horrible pass into double coverage. Roethlisberger was heroic in the fourth quarter and overtime, but the overall performance was poor, considering that he was battling Baltimore’s injury-ravaged receiving corps.

It looked like it was going to be a long day for the Steeler passing attack when Diontae Johnson suffered an injury in the first quarter. Johnson didn’t miss much action, however, as he ended up with seven catches for 51 yards. He trailed only Pat Freiermuth (6-53) in the box score. Claypool made five grabs for 37 yards and the fourth-quarter touchdown.

Najee Harris also had an injury scare in this game. He left on the second drive, but eventually returned. He was limited to 28 yards on 11 carries, but he caught four passes for 27 receiving yards.

Harris wasn’t even close to the rushing lead in this contest, as Baltimore had a great matchup against Pittsburgh’s woeful run defense. Devonta Freeman didn’t do much (5-21) because Latavius Murray handled most of the workload. Murray looked like a spry running back for the first time in ages, as he dashed for 150 yards and a touchdown on 16 attempts.

Huntley also was a big factor as a rusher, scrambling 12 times for 72 rushing yards. That was basically the only way he had success because he was dreadful as a passer. He barely completed half of his passes, going 16-of-31 for only 141 yards. He threw two interceptions as well. The first was an overthrow in Mark Andrews’ direction, while the second was a late, telegraphed throw to Andrews in the end zone. These picks were the difference, as they explain why the Ravens, who outgained the Steelers (381-314) and averaged 1.2 more yards per play, ended up losing.

Despite the two interceptions thrown his way, Andrews still led the Ravens in receiving with eight grabs for 85 yards. Marquise Brown (3-27) and Rashod Bateman (2-22) were the only other Ravens with double-digit receiving yardage. Brown dropped a potential touchdown.

Browns 21, Bengals 16

I’m not going to spend much time on this game. The Bengals sat so many players that Samaje Perine didn’t even play. The Browns, meanwhile, used Case Keenum instead of the injured Baker Mayfield, so there was nothing to learn in this contest.

Keenum was a disappointment. He threw two touchdowns on 17-of-24 passing (176 yards), but was guilty of an interception and a lost fumble that was returned for a touchdown by the Bengals when this was a 14-0 affair. The Browns outgained the Bengals by a wide margin (376-182), so it was this scoop-and-score that prevented Cleveland from covering the spread.

That said, Keenum should’ve thrown a third score. That was nullified when Donovan Peoples-Jones (3-38) dropped the ball in the end zone on a fourth down. The only Cleveland receiver with more yardage than Peoples-Jones was Jarvis Landry, who hauled in six balls for 75 yards and a touchdown.

While Mayfield didn’t play, Nick Chubb barely saw any action. He was given just nine carries, turning them into 58 yards. Instead, it was D’Ernest Johnson who led the way with 123 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.

There’s not much to say about the Bengals. Brandon Allen was an underwhelming 15-of-29 for 136 yards and a touchdown. Trent Taylor (2-41) was the leading receiver. Trayveon Williams had the most rushing yardage (9-38).

Vikings 31, Bears 17

Despite the Vikings winning by two touchdowns, the Bears held a lead for most of this game. They were up 14-3 at intermission, and it appeared as though they would take a massive lead when Andy Dalton dived into the end zone in the third quarter. Thanks to an incredibly stupid NFL rule, the replay review said that Dalton gave himself up even though he was clearly diving toward the goal line. The touchdown was reversed, and Dalton took a big sack on fourth down to keep the Vikings in the game.

Minnesota’s offense was dreadful for most of the afternoon with plenty of three-and-outs. Kirk Cousins struggled with pressure, but eventually got on track and hit some deep passes to Justin Jefferson and K.J. Osborn. A touchdown pass to the latter gave the Vikings a seven-point lead, which expanded to 14 when Dalton heaved a pick-six off his back foot.

Cousins was excellent in the second half after a slow start. He was 8-of-12 for 174 yards and three scores following intermission. His overall numbers were 14-of-22 for 250 yards and the three touchdowns.

Cousins’ three touchdowns went to different players. Jefferson led the way with five catches for 107 yards, with Ihmir Smith-Marsette coming in at a close three receptions for 103 yards. Osborn’s 21-yard score was his only reception of the afternoon.

Dalvin Cook struggled to find running room in this contest, doing nothing outside of a 29-yard burst in the second half. Cook was limited to 79 yards on 14 carries.

Cook edged out David Montgomery for the rushing lead in this game. Montgomery couldn’t get much in this favorable matchup, registering 72 yards on 20 carries. He wasn’t very involved in the passing game for some reason; he had two receptions for seven receiving yards.

Dalton posted a nice yardage total, going 33-of-48 for 325 yards and a touchdown. However, he threw two interceptions, including the pick-six. He took some horrible sacks in this game as well.

Darnell Mooney was the Bears’ leading receiver by a wide margin. He caught 12 of his 16 targets for 126 yards. Cole Kmet was next with four grabs for 48 yards.

Redskins 22, Giants 7

If anything, Giants fans got their money’s worth in terms of booing their team in this game. Their team put on an absolutely pathetic display in their season finale against the Redskins.

The New York fans’ first opportunity to harass their team occurred on a fourth-and-1 try on the Washington 32-yard line in the first quarter. The Giants ran a play for someone named Alex Bachman for some reason, and Bachman took a 4-yard loss. Things got much worse after that. The Giants ran a quarterback sneak on a third-and-8 on their own 4-yard. On the following possession, the Giants then called a run for Devontae Booker on a third-and-8. The New York coaches got the memo at halftime, so they finally dialed up a deep pass to begin the third quarter. Jake Fromm launched a long pass toward Kenny Golladay, who dropped the pass. The ball was a bit ahead of Golladay, but the heavily paid receiver could have dived for it.

This game was 6-0 for a while, as Washington’s offense couldn’t do anything. That changed when the Washington defense took matters into its own hands with a pick-six on a weak Fromm floater. With the Giants’ offense unable to do anything, that effectively ended this contest.

Heinicke was the best quarterback in this game, but only by default. He completed just half of his passes, going 9-of-18 for 120 yards. Because of his struggles, only one receiver, Terry McLaurin, topped 14 receiving yards. McLaurin caught four passes for 93 yards.

It was the Antonio Gibson show for the Redskins’ offense. Ron Rivera said he would want to get his young players involved in this game, and I suppose Gibson qualified. Gibson rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown on just 21 carries.

The Giants’ leading rusher happened to be Fromm, which is just sad. He scrambled five times for 53 yards. Saquon Barkley finished his dreadful season with 30 yards on 11 carries.

Fromm’s passing was worse than Barkley’s rushing. He went 15-of-31 for 103 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, and those stats were enhanced by garbage time. He also lost a fumble deep in his own territory to set up a Washington field goal. Fromm should quit football and become a coach.

The Giants’ leading receiver was Darius Slayton, who caught two passes for 29 yards and a score. He barely edged out the overpaid Golladay (3-22).

Titans 28, Texans 25

Despite a huge lead at halftime, there was some drama for the Titans at the beginning of this game, which Tennessee needed to win to clinch the No. 1 seed. A.J. Brown suffered an injury on the first drive and went into the medical tent. The Titans, as a result, had trouble putting any points on the scoreboard. This was a scoreless affair for a while.

Fortunately for the Titans, Brown returned to action, allowing Tennessee’s offense to begin clicking. Ryan Tannehill fired three touchdown passes in the opening half, as the 21-0 lead seemingly put this game out of reach for Houston before the third quarter even began.

And yet, the game somehow wasn’t over. The Titans completely dominated the first half, outgaining the Texans, 268-69, but Houston put together a tremendous comeback to threaten the No. 1 seed away from the Titans. Tannehill cooled off considerably following intermission, as he was guilty of numerous mistakes. He overthrew Julio Jones for what should’ve been a sure touchdown. He then fumbled, but saw a teammate recover the loose ball. After that, he appeared to fire an interception into double coverage, but a Houston defender dropped the ball.

Had the Texans taken advantage of these potential turnovers, they may have prevailed because Davis Mills was on fire in the second half. Mills was 16-of-19 for 240 yards and three touchdowns following intermission. He struggled early – his overall numbers were 23-of-33, 301 yards, three scores – but the Titans had no answer for him down the stretch. The Texans will give Mills a chance to be the starter in 2022.

Mills’ preferred receiver was Danny Amendola, of all people. Amendola looked like he was partying with Tom Brady once again, catching seven of his eight targets for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Nico Collins (3-67) was next. Meanwhile, Brandin Cooks was surprisingly underwhelming with just three grabs for 26 yards.

The Texans struggled to run the ball on the Titans, which was not a surprise. Burkhead rumbled for 24 yards on 12 carries, but caught three passes for 42 yards. One of his catches was a leaping grab.

Tennessee had a better afternoon moving the chains on the ground, as both D’Onta Foreman (21-69) and Dontrell Hilliard (9-57) combined for 126 rushing yards. Foreman appeared to score a touchdown in the first half, but a stupid illegal substitution penalty negated it. Derrick Henry will return in two weeks.

Tannehill’s final numbers were 23-of-32 for 287 yards and four touchdowns. The stats look great, but as mentioned, Tannehill struggled down the stretch. He completed just five passes in the second half.

Tannehill’s touchdowns went to four different players, including Nick Westbrook (4-78), who led the team in receiving. The other three touchdown scorers were the top two receivers – Brown (4-68) and Julio Jones (5-58) – and Anthony Firkser (4-56). Jones’ touchdown was his first with Tennessee.

Lions 37, Packers 30
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: The Lions lost out on the No. 1 pick because they decided they absolutely had to beat Jordan Love. That said, the Lions will get either Kayvon Thibodeaux, Aidan Hutchinson or Kenny Pickett at No. 2 overall, so it’s not a total loss.

The Packers planned on playing their starters for a few series to keep them sharp for the playoffs. Green Bay was welcoming back left tackle David Bakhtiri and center Josh Myers, so it made sense to give those veterans what were essentially preseason warmup snaps to knock off the rust before the Packers rest over their first-round bye week. Thus, Green Bay’s starters played the first half before Jordan Love struggled over the final two quarters.

For Detroit, this game was all about the 2022 NFL Draft and getting more developmental snaps for their young players. With Jacksonville winning, the Lions could have had the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, but their players and coaches had too much pride to tank. After being out for a few games, Lions starting quarterback Jared Goff was back on the field. This was a final audition for Goff to potentially get the Lions to pass on Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett, or supply a tape for other teams to show that he is a competent starter. Goff and the Lions played extremely hard to close out their season on a positive note.

On the first play from scrimmage, Aaron Rodgers connected on a 22-yard completion to Allen Lazard. Rodgers then finished the long drive with a short touchdown pass to Lazard. After trading punts, the Lions pulled out a great trick play with a reverse to wide receiver Tom Kennedy. He pulled up and threw a strike to hit Kalif Raymond on the run about 20 yards downfield, and Raymond raced for a 75-yard touchdown on the surprised Green Bay defense.

Following the Lions’ fourth-down stop in Packers territory, Amon-Ra St. Brown started ripping up the Packers secondary, moving the ball down the field to set up a first-and-goal. Goff threw a strike to St. Brown to put Detroit up 14-7 on a fourth down. Rodgers responded by moving the ball down the field and then lofting in a 29-yard touchdown pass to Lazard. Goff responded with a late field goal drive, letting the Lions take a 17-13 lead into the half.

Love took over for the Packers in the second half, and he promptly took a strip-sack, which he recovered. On the next play, Packers receiver Juwann Winfree, however, was stripped by A.J. Parker and Ifeatu Melifonwu at the Packers 36. The Lions recovered and then pulled out another trick play, running a reverse to St. Brown that saw him pitch it back to Goff, who found tight end Brock Wright wide open for a touchdown. The Packers responded with a field goal drive to cut the Lions lead to 24-16.

Love put together a nice drive late in the third quarter. After a tight end dropped a touchdown, Love converted a fourth-and-2 with a pass to Winfree and then threw a completion on a third-and-2 to set up a first-and-goal that turned into a rushing score for Patrick Taylor.

Goff responded by leading a field goal drive to go up 27-22 midway through the fourth quarter. Packers tight end Josaiah Deguara (3-66-1) then took a tight end screen for a 62-yard touchdown. Love ran a read option in for a two-point conversion to give Green Bay a 30-27 lead.

A superb route and run after the catch by St. Brown resulted in a 28-yard completion to get Detroit into field goal range, and then a completion to Wright got inside the 20. D’Andre Swift (7-30-1) ran around the corner to get into the end zone from 15 yards out to take a 34-30 lead with 1:54 remaining. A few plays later, a batted ball and dropped catch was intercepted by C.J. Moore. The Lions then tacked on a field goal, and Love had one more shot down by a touchdown with 41 seconds remaining. Love had Equanimeous St. Brown running open for a long deep touchdown, but he threw a terrible pass for an incompletion. Two plays later, Love threw another awful pass, and it was picked off by Tracy Walker to clinch the win for Detroit.

Rodgers was 14-of-18 for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Love had some good passes and some horrible ones, but overall he would get a failing grade for his half of play. He completed 10-of-17 passes for 134 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

A.J. Dillon ran for 63 yards on 14 carries in only one half of play.

Lazard (5-75-2) and Davante Adams (6-55) could have had massive games if they had played in the second half.

Goff completed 21-of-30 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns.

Jamaal Williams was Detroit’s leading rusher with 43 yards on 13 carries.

St. Brown led the Lions in receiving by catching eight passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. He also had a 12-yard run.

Buccaneers 41, Panthers 17
By Charlie Campbell – @draftcampbell

EDITOR’S NOTE: I didn’t think Tom Brady would play the entire game. I was right. Brady played three-and-a-half quarters! Thank goodness I didn’t recommend betting the Panthers.

The Buccaneers wanted this win with hopes of getting the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Thanks to the 49ers knocking off the Rams, Tampa Bay is the second seed and in position to play at home until a potential trip to Green Bay in the NFC Championship. Hence, the Bucs played their starters deep into the fourth quarter. After a good start for Carolina, it was all Tampa Bay, which cruised over an overmatched Panthers squad.

On the opening drive, Panthers got moving with a completion to D.J. Moore for about 20 yards after the cornerback fell down. A completion to Robby Anderson moved down the field and a short touchdown pass to Chuba Hubbard led to a 7-0 lead for Carolina. The Panthers’ defense started the game well, but after the Bucs’ defense got a fourth-down stop, Brady converted a fourth-and-2 with a gain of 14 to Mike Evans. That ended up grabbing a field goal for Tampa Bay.

Late in the first half, Brady found Evans for a gain of 37 yards to get close to midfield. Two completions to Rob Gronkowski added 30 more yards, and a completion to Breshard Perriman went for 24 yards. On second-and-goal, Brady tossed an easy touchdown to Le’Veon Bell, and that gave the Bucs a 10-7 lead at halftime.

Brady stayed hot to open the third quarter, using Gronkowski and his receivers to set up a short rushing touchdown from Ke’Shawn Vaughn (10-29-1). Carolina responded with a field goal drive to make it 17-10, but the Bucs’ offense was in a groove, moving down the field before Brady threw a short touchdown pass to Evans on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Down 24-10, Sam Darnold responded with a nice drive, using Moore and a screen to Ameer Abdullah to move down the field. To cap the possession, Darnold lofted in a beauty to Anderson (7-50-1) for a 19-yard touchdown. The Buccaneers put the game away on the next possession with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Evans. Darnold was stripped of the ball, and Tampa Bay recovered at the Carolina 27. The Buccaneers turned that into a field goal. In garbage time, Scotty Miller took an end around for a 33-yard touchdown and Carolina’s Anderson caused an interception for Darnold. The game finished 41-17.

Brady completed 29-of-37 passes for 326 yards and three touchdowns.

Gronkowski led the Bucs through the air with seven catches for 137 yards and a touchdown. Evans caught six passes for 89 yards and two scores.

Darnold completed 29-of-42 passes for 219 yards, two touchdowns and interception. He played better than expected despite a lack of rushing game and a terrible offensive line.

Moore caught seven passes for 87 yards.

Dolphins 33, Patriots 24

During the pre-game meetings Mac Jones had with the TV announcers, he marveled at how much progress his team had made throughout the season after watching film of the first game against Miami. Apparently, there wasn’t much progression, as the Patriots lost by more than they did in the season opener to Miami.

Jones deserved lots of blame for this defeat. His numbers actually look pretty good – 20-of-30 for 261 yards, one touchdown, one interception – but much of this occurred in garbage time. The Dolphins led 27-10 in the fourth quarter, allowing Jones to pick up his yardage and his touchdown toward the end of the game when the Dolphins took their foot off the gas. Jones was just 8-of-15 for 107 yards and the interception at halftime. The pick was returned for six in the first quarter, as Jones was guilty of a telegraphed throw.

Jones wasn’t solely responsible for this defeat. The defense struggled at stopping the run, with Duke Johnson rushing for 117 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Johnson wasn’t the only productive Miami runner, with Phillip Lindsay picking up 40 yards on 11 attempts. Even Tua Tagovailoa got into the mix, scrambling five times for 38 rushing yards.

Tagovailoa needed to be productive as a runner because he didn’t do much aerially. He had a nice completion percentage (15-of-22), but accumulated just 109 yards and a touchdown. He didn’t make any mistakes, which allowed the Dolphins to hold on to their big, early lead.

With Tagovailoa not doing much as a passer, Durham Smythe’s 32 receiving yards led the team on the stat sheet. Jaylen Waddle was next; he caught five balls for 27 yards and a touchdown.

The top receiver in this contest was Hunter Henry, who hauled in five of his six targets for 86 yards. Jakobi Meyers (4-70) was next on the stat sheet.

Damien Harris struggled to find running room, mustering only 37 yards on 11 carries. However, he helped his DFS players with a touchdown and four catches for 36 receiving yards.

Saints 30, Falcons 20

The Saints were stricken with injuries all year, and that continued to be a big problem in this game. Taysom Hill was knocked out of the contest in the second quarter after getting hurt, and yet it didn’t matter. The Saints had every opportunity to choke, but Hill’s replacement, Trevor Siemian, was terrific as a replacement.

Siemian went 9-of-15 for 71 yards and two touchdowns. He obviously didn’t post a high yardage total, but was clutch in converting third downs. The Saints were 8-of-16 in such instances, while the Falcons were much worse (3-of-10) on third down. That was the difference of this game, as New Orleans kept drives alive and sat on the ball for what seemed like an eternity. The eternity, by the way, was actually 39 of the 60 minutes of this game.

The Saints’ victory was just half the formula for them to reach the playoffs. They also needed the 49ers to lose, which appeared to be a certainty when the Rams were up 17-0 at halftime. San Francisco engineered an unlikely comeback, however, eliminating the Saints from the playoffs.

While Siemian was clutch, Alvin Kamara was the best performer. He gashed the Falcons with ease, accumulating 146 yards on 30 carries. He didn’t do as much in the passing game – two catches, 16 receiving yards – but he was such a force as a rusher.

Kamara commanded so much of the workload that only one Saint logged more than 26 receiving yards. That was Tre’Quan Smith, who caught five of his seven targets for 76 yards and a touchdown. Marquez Callaway didn’t catch a single pass because he was targeted only once.

The Falcons didn’t nearly have as much success running the ball. Mike Davis was limited to 30 yards on six carries, while Cordarrelle Patterson (4-11) did even less. Davis was worse, however, as he gave the Saints seven free points with a lost fumble in the second quarter. Davis was guilty of two fumbles.

Matt Ryan also made a mistake. He was responsible for an interception on an underthrown pass in the first half. Ryan finished 20-of-33 for 216 yards, one touchdown and a pick, but much of his production came in garbage time. That includes the touchdown pass, which came on the final non-kneeldown play from scrimmage. Ryan had just 62 yards and a pick heading into halftime.

Ryan’s touchdown went to Russell Gage, who hauled nine of his 13 targets for 126 yards and a touchdown. Gage had just two receptions for 35 yards entering halftime, so like Ryan, Gage did most of his damage in garbage time.

Elsewhere in the Falcons’ receiving corps, Olamide Zaccheaus (3-47) and Hayden Hurst (1-33) were the only other Falcons with double-digit receiving yards. Kyle Pitts was a major disappointment with just two catches for eight yards.

Bills 27, Jets 10

For a game that was often a one- or two-score margin for most of the afternoon – Buffalo led 13-10 entering the fourth quarter – this affair was awfully lopsided. The Bills ultimately won 27-10 because of a late Devin Singletary touchdown, but this should have been well decided beforehand. The Bills outgained the Jets, 424-53, with the Jets averaging just 1.2 yards per play!

This game was close for a while for two reasons. First, the Bills surrendered points on a blocked punt. Second, the Bills didn’t have the best success in the red zone. They had five drives entering Jets territory that combined for only six points. This includes a fourth-down failure at the Jets’ 29-yard line and a field goal from the Jets’ 3. Bad luck played a part at times, with Stefon Diggs missing out on a touchdown because he had just one foot inbounds in the end zone.

Nevertheless, the Bills prevailed to clinch the AFC East. Josh Allen had two touchdowns in this victory, though his completion percentage wasn’t very impressive in the windy, Orchard Park conditions. Allen went 24-of-45 for 239 yards and two touchdowns. As mentioned, he should’ve had a third, but Diggs couldn’t stay inbounds.

Despite the missed touchdown, Diggs still had a great game. He caught nine of his 14 targets for 81 yards and a score. He also drew an interference flag. Diggs was far away from the next-leading receiver, Dawson Knox (3-49), followed by Gabriel Davis (3-39). Davis was extremely inefficient in this game, compiling that production on a whopping 14 targets.

Singletary had a big game, scoring two of the Bills’ three touchdowns. He rushed for 88 yards and a score on 19 attempts, and he caught two passes for 24 receiving yards and a touchdown.

The Jets, meanwhile, had a dreadful performance from Zach Wilson. The No. 2 overall rookie had played well lately, but was fortunate to battle softer defenses. This was a much more difficult test. As a result, Wilson had a hideous stat line of 7-of-20 for 87 yards and a touchdown. Wilson had absolutely no time in the pocket, constantly under siege by the league’s top pass-rushing defense. It’s a miracle Wilson didn’t commit a turnover, but he had some issues with dropping way too deep in the pocket, which he’s guilty of occasionally. On one instance, he dropped back about 25 yards and then sailed a helpless pass out of bounds. He later took an 11-yard loss on a “sack” by running out of bounds while way behind the line of scrimmage rather than throwing the ball away. Wilson completed just two passes in the second half.

Keelan Cole caught three of Wilson’s seven completions, doing so for 54 yards and a 40-yard touchdown. Michael Carter, who saw three targets, couldn’t come down with a completion. He was limited to 19 yards on nine carries, trailing Wilson in rushing. Wilson scrambled twice for 24 rushing yards, picking up 20 yards on one of his scampers.

Seahawks 38, Cardinals 30

The Cardinals didn’t know it at the time, but they would have won the NFC West had they prevailed in this game. Thanks to the Rams losing to the 49ers, Arizona would have claimed a home game in the playoffs, but will instead have to venture to Los Angeles in the opening round.

The Cardinals didn’t just lose this game. They were absolutely dominated. That may sound strange, considering the 38-30 score, but the Seahawks crushed Arizona in all regards. They outgained the Cardinals, 431-305, and they averaged 3.4 more yards per play. The Cardinals merely kept this game close via three fluky touchdowns. The first came right away when Russell Wilson was strip-sacked to open the game. The second was the result of a rare Wilson interception that was overthrown as a result of pressure. The third came in garbage time. Thus, if you exclude garbage time, the Cardinals’ offense really scored just 10 points, which correlates with their 4.2 yards-per-play average.

Kyler Murray had yet another frustrating game. He spent some of the afternoon yelling at his receivers for being in the wrong spots. The Seahawks also did a good job of limiting his runs. Wilson went 28-of-39 for 240 yards and a touchdown, but some of this occurred in garbage time. Murray accumulated just 71 passing yards heading into intermission. He was also limited to just 35 rushing yards.

Aside from Zach Ertz, Murray didn’t look comfortable throwing to anyone. Ertz caught seven of his 10 targets for 84 yards, but the next-leading receiver was Christian Kirk with just two grabs for 43 yards. A.J. Green (4-23) was a big disappointment.

James Conner was questionable heading into this game, but played well in a tough matchup. He rushed for 52 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, and he also caught all six of his targets for 41 receiving yards and a second score.

While Conner played well, he paled in comparison to Rashaad Penny, who continued the monstrous finish to his 2021 campaign. Penny dashed for 190 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, which includes a 62-yard burst toward the end of regulation. The announcers commented how Adrian Peterson’s mentorship has helped Penny become a better player after struggling for much of his career.

Wilson also played well, continuing his dominant game from Week 17. Aside from the fumble and interception, Wilson torched the Cardinals mercilessly. He went 15-of-26 for 238 yards and three touchdowns otherwise.

The Cardinals are great at taking away the opposing No. 1 receiver, which is why Tyler Lockett is often Seattle’s leader in yardage in this matchup. That proved to be the case once again, with Lockett hauling in five passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns. D.K. Metcalf, constantly smothered, also caught five balls, but for only 58 yards. Freddie Swain (1-25) reeled in Wilson’s third touchdown, while Gerald Everett (1-20) dropped a potential score in the second quarter.

49ers 27, Rams 24

How did the 49ers win this game? I imagine anyone who watched only the first half may be asking that. San Francisco was trailing 17-0 at intermission, after all. The Rams dominated this game in every regard up until that moment.

The 49ers took over in the second half via multiple regards. They ran the ball down the Rams’ throat with Elijah Mitchell and Deebo Samuel. Meanwhile, their defense took over to limit Matthew Stafford. The former Lion quarterback was a near-perfect 15-of-16 for 153 yards and two touchdowns in the opening half, yet he was just 5-of-16 for 85 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions following intermission.

While the 49ers’ comeback was spectacular – in particular, the game-tying drive at the end – Stafford’s meltdown must be discussed before anything else. Stafford’s back seemed to be perfectly fine at the beginning of this contest, but it clearly continued to be an issue because Stafford hasn’t played well for a full game since the Monday night affair versus the Cardinals. He was even limping around toward the end.

Stafford finished 21-of-32 for 238 yards, three touchdowns and the two picks. His first interception was a deep shot into double coverage, while the second ended the game in overtime. The toss was an underthrown ball to Odell Beckham Jr., which may have been complete if Stafford were completely healthy. Instead, Stafford has been dealing with what has been reported as “chronic back issues.”

Stafford’s late-game incompetence prevented Cooper Kupp from breaking Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving yards record. It seemed as though Kupp would get there when he had 84 receiving yards by halftime, but he didn’t do much in the second half. He finished with seven grabs for 118 yards and a touchdown. Tyler Higbee was also a monster, reeling in six of his eight targets for 55 yards and two touchdowns.

Kupp and Higbee were the only productive weapons for Stafford. Both Van Jefferson (2-31) and Beckham (2-18) were big disappointments, but I wouldn’t say it’s their fault.

The Rams, unlike the 49ers, had issues running the ball. Sony Michel mustered just 43 yards on 21 carries, while Cam Akers made his return from injury, but managed to get only three yards on five attempts. It was the Rams’ inability to rush the ball that allowed the 49ers to mount their comeback; the Rams ran thrice on a late drive, but got almost nothing in the process.

Conversely, the 49ers rushed extremely well. Mitchell led the way with 85 yards on 21 carries, while Samuel dashed for 45 yards and a touchdown on eight attempts. Samuel was also key in the receiving game, as one might suspect. He finished second on the team in receiving with four grabs for 95 yards.

Samuel trailed only Brandon Aiyuk on the receiving chart, as Aiyuk hauled in six of his seven targets for 107 yards. However, it was Jauan Jennings who scored both aerial touchdowns. Jennings was terrific in the second half with six catches for 94 yards, though it must be noted that the Rams left Jennings wide open at the very end.

Jimmy Garoppolo deserves credit for helping to lead the comeback, including the final possession in regulation where he found Samuel for a 43-yard connection. Garoppolo had a mixed game. He had some great moments, allowing him to go 23-of-32 for 316 yards and a touchdown. However, he also threw two interceptions. One was a ridiculous heave into triple coverage when the 49ers were in field goal range to take the lead during a 17-17 tie. Fortunately for Garoppolo, he was able to bounce back from that blunder.

Raiders 35, Chargers 32

The Chargers were favored and picked by the public to prevail. It was easy to see why. The Chargers had the flashier team with all of their fantasy stars, namely Justin Herbert, Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.

These players, however, were responsible for numerous mistakes throughout the first three quarters. Ekeler dropped a pass and was stuffed on his own 18-yard line on a fourth-and-1 on their own 18, setting up a field goal for the Raiders. Allen was also guilty of a drop despite doing almost nothing otherwise. Herbert committed an interception in the third quarter on a pass to Williams. With all of this occurring, the Raiders were able to build a 29-14 advantage, which would have been greater had the Raiders been more efficient in the red zone.

The Raiders’ red zone incompetence played a role in this game because the 15-point margin allowed the Chargers to make a comeback. The San Angeles superstars who previously struggled suddenly came through in the clutch. Both Allen and Williams made catches on fourth down. Williams, in particular, was a monster down the stretch. He hauled in a touchdown on the final play in regulation and then reeled in a 47-yard Herbert dart on another fourth down in overtime. The Chargers, down three at the time, needed at least a field goal to extend the game, and that’s exactly what they got.

This was still a tie, however, which meant the Raiders would have one final chance to prevail. Carr made an amazing throw toward the sideline, and Zay Jones made an even better catch. This moved the Raiders over midfield. Eight yards later, the Raiders kicked a field goal in the final seconds of regulation. A miss still would’ve given them a playoff berth, but the kick instead determined the fate of the Chargers and Steelers. Daniel Carlson’s 47-yard attempt was good, so the Steelers, not the Chargers, claimed the final spot in the playoffs along with the Raiders.

There was a huge disparity between the two passing numbers of these two quarterbacks. Carr was the winner, yet he was just 20-of-36 for 186 yards and two touchdowns. Herbert, the loser, went 34-of-64 for 383 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. That said, this was all a byproduct of game script. Carr, after all, had more passing yardage than Herbert at halftime. Herbert simply needed to fire as many passes as possible in the second half, which would explain the 64 attempts. To Herbert’s credit, he was clutch at times in the fourth quarter and overtime, but the final miscue in the red zone prevented the win and the playoff berth.

The Raiders did most of their damage on the ground. The Chargers once again struggled to stop the run, as Jacobs rumbled for 132 yards and a touchdown on 26 carries. The Chargers, conversely, didn’t get nearly as much from Ekeler, who tallied 64 yards on 16 attempts. However, Ekeler scored two touchdowns, one on the ground and one aerially. He helped the passing attack with five receptions for 25 receiving yards.

Ekeler was sixth on the Chargers’ receiving chart, placing well behind Williams, who was at the top. Williams, as mentioned, was brilliant down the stretch. He hauled in nine of his 17 targets for 119 yards and a touchdown. He was followed by Jared Cook (4-80) and Jalen Guyton (6-52). Allen had the same exact stat line as Guyton, as he was smothered by Nate Hobbs, one of the top slot receivers in the NFL.

The Raiders’ leading receiver was an unlikely player, as Darren Waller (2-22) didn’t have the best chemistry with Carr in his first action since Thanksgiving. Waller dropped a couple of passes, while Carr missed him for what could’ve been a deep touchdown. Hunter Renfrow was also limited (4-13), though he scored twice. Instead, Bryan Edwards (4-63) paced the Raiders in receiving.

For more thoughts, check out my updated NFL Power Rankings, which will be posted Tuesday morning.

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