NFL Game Recaps: Week 18, 2019

Texans 22, Bills 19

This was an exciting, overtime slugfest, but both teams made a number of blunders in this game. The Texans were guilty of numerous mistakes in the early stages, as they appeared to be unprepared for Josh Allen’s rushing ability. Bill O’Brien then wasted a challenge on a pass interference call that was never going to be overturned, and Bradley Roby dropped a sure-fire pick-six. As this was happening, the offense couldn’t get anything going. Deshaun Watson took countless sacks, while DeAndre Hopkins didn’t catch a single pass in the opening half. Hopkins finally got his hands on the ball in the third quarter, and he was so eager to make something happen on his first touch that he carried the ball loosely and fumbled as a consequence.

The Bills pounced on Hopkins’ fumble and kicked a field goal on the ensuing drive. This gave them a 16-0 lead, and it seemed as though the Texans would suffer yet another humiliating playoff loss.

Watson, however, caught fire after that, and it was Buffalo’s turn to commit blunders. Allen lost a fumble to set up a Houston field goal, and then he knocked his team out of field goal range when he panicked and committed an intentional grounding penalty. Allen also recklessly lateraled on the final drive of regulation and was extremely fortunate that the ball trickled out of bounds.

The Bills ultimately trailed by three, but they hit the tying field goal at the end of regulation, thanks to another dropped Roby interception. Allen impressively converted a pair of third-and-long situations on his first overtime possession, but the Bills ultimately punter. Their defense then made a grave error, allowing way too much room to Duke Johnson on a third-and-18. Johnson picked up the first down, and then Watson somehow escaped two potential sacks on a play to find Taiwan Jones, who ran inside the Buffalo 20. The Texans kicked the decisive field goal on the very next play.

It was a tale of two halves (plus overtime) for Watson. He had just 49 passing yards prior to intermission, as he was constantly running for his life behind his atrocious offensive line. However, Watson was 14-of-17 for 198 yards and two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) following intermission. Watson, who finished 20-of-25 for 247 yards, the pair of scores and 55 rushing yards, was spectacular following the slow start. He came through in the clutch, just like he did at Clemson.

Hopkins, as mentioned, didn’t catch a single pass in the first half, yet he finished with six receptions for 90 yards and the fumble. He was the only Texan with more than 46 receiving yards. Kenny Stills (4-46) was next on the list, while Darren Fells (4-37) made a huge blunder by dropping a potential third-down reception in overtime.

Carlos Hyde caught a touchdown, salvaging his fantasy output. Hyde barely did anything otherwise, mustering just 48 yards on 16 carries. He nearly ruined this potential victory when he dropped a pitch near the goal line, resulting in a fumble. He was lucky to recover. Duke Johnson was far more effective than Hyde; he rushed for 38 yards on three attempts, while catching three balls for 30 receiving yards. It’s ridiculous that he received far fewer touches than the inferior Hyde. This was yet more proof that Bill O’Brien has no idea what he’s doing.

Devin Singletary was easily the best back in this contest. He was electric in making Houston defenders miss. He rushed for 58 yards on 13 carries, while catching six passes for 76 receiving yards. He made several big plays, including a 38-yard reception in the fourth quarter to put the team into field goal range.

Despite Singletary’s great play, he didn’t lead the Bills in rushing. That was Allen, who scrambled nine times for 92 rushing yards. Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll did a great job of scheming run plays for Allen, which made me wonder why O’Brien wasn’t doing the same with Watson.

Allen also threw well for the most part, though he was lucky that the Texans dropped a pair of potential interceptions, including what should’ve been a telegraphed pick-six. He also appeared to fumble, but his knee was ruled down after replay review. Allen finished 24-of-46 for 264 yards. He made a number of clutch third-down conversions, but some mental blunders ruined this potential victory.

Aside from Singletary, John Brown led the Bills in receiving with four catches for 50 yards. He threw a touchdown on a trick play to Allen. Duke Williams (4-49) and Cole Beasley (4-44) were close to Brown on the stat sheet.

Titans 20, Patriots 13

If you were to tell me that the Bill Belichick-Tom Brady dynasty could potentially conclude with Belichick cowardly punting on a fourth-and-6 while down one with 3:30 remaining in regulation, I would’ve told you that you were crazy. Yet, that’s exactly what happened, as Belichick opted to give away possession rather than have his top-100 NFL quarterback attempt another pass. The decision was especially odd because the Patriots had issues stopping Derrick Henry all night.

Sure enough, the Titans picked up a couple of first downs, draining the clock to less than 30 seconds in the process. The Patriots had to take over at their own 1-yard line with barely any time remaining, and Brady’s first pass on the final possession, perhaps his last throw ever, was a desperation pick-six that extended Tennessee’s lead to seven.

Belichick’s decision to punt was awful. Henry rushed for 182 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries. His defense had no answer for him throughout the entire game. In fact, the Titans’ game-winning drive, which occurred just prior to halftime, saw them give the ball to Henry seven times, which Henry turned into 75 yards and a score, as he rammed the ball down to New England’s throat.

Besides it’s not like Belichick couldn’t trust Brady. The future Hall of Famer threw well for most of the evening. The stats don’t look great – 20-of-37 for 209 yards and the final interception – but the stats don’t indicate that Brady endured numerous drops, and also one deep catch by Ben Watson that was negated by Shaq Mason being illegally downfield. Brady could’ve converted a fourth-and-6; it’s not like the Patriots were stuck in a fourth-and-15 situation, or anything.

This, by the way, was one of New England’s two major coaching gaffes. The other occurred prior to halftime when the Patriots had a first-and-goal at the Tennessee 1-yard line. For some strange reason, New England opted to run the ball twice with Sony Michel, who was predictably stuffed at the goal line. Michel had been a disappointment all year, so it made no sense to give him the ball on some of the most important downs of the game. Michel gained 61 yards on 14 carries, but almost half of that came on one 25-yard burst. Excluding that play, Michel was limited to just 36 yards on 13 attempts. So, why did Josh McDaniels call two plays for him at the goal line? It made no sense.

That said, this could be it for Brady in New England, as he’ll be hitting free agency in March. Brady can still play at a high level, but the Patriots will need to find better receivers. His only viable option was Edelman, who wasn’t even healthy. Edelman caught three passes for 30 yards and a rushing touchdown. He also dropped a pass. James White (5-62), Ben Watson (3-38) and Rex Burkhead (3-32) finished ahead of him on the stat sheet. One player who didn’t was N’Keal Harry. The rookie receiver really struggled to separate, catching just two of his seven targets for 21 yards. He was responsible for a drop as well. It’s way too early to call him a bust, but it’s hard to be optimistic about his future based on what we’ve seen from him this year.

The Patriots put the clamps on Tennessee’s top receiver, as A.J. Brown was limited to just one catch for four yards. Backup tight end Anthony Firkser caught Ryan Tannehill’s sole interception, which had to be tilting for anyone who rostered Jonnu Smith (1 catch, 9 yards). Firkser and Henry, thanks to a 22-yard reception, were the only Titans with double-digit receiving yards.

Speaking of Tannehill, he completed just eight of his 15 passes for 72 yards, one touchdown and an interception that he heaved off his back foot. Tannehill wasn’t asked to do much with Henry successfully moving the chains. He was guilty of a horrible mistake on his pick, but he made some clutch third-down conversions late in the game to keep Brady off the field.

The Titans suffered a major injury to linebacker Jayon Brown, who left the field in tears. It’s unclear how serious this injury is, but he’ll be missed versus the Ravens if he can’t play next week.

Vikings 26, Saints 20

It’s quite apparent that the NFL has a vendetta against the Saints. Perhaps this stems from Bountygate, or maybe something else, but it seems like the league will screw over the Saints at every single opportunity.

The league’s latest punishment of the Saints came on the final play of this game. Kirk Cousins lofted a touchdown pass to Kyle Rudolph in overtime to prevail, but the replay showed that Rudolph (4-31) pushed off the defender. It was both clear and obvious. Yet, the NFL refused to even review the score. They were more than happy to watch the Saints lose again.

This is the second year in a row New Orleans has lost on an obvious non-pass interference call. They were playing defense this time, but it didn’t matter. Apparently, offensive players can now shove defenders out of the way to reel in touchdowns without any sort of repercussion. Anyone battling the Saints next year should utilize this strategy.

That said, the Saints aren’t completely blameless in this loss. If you were to tell someone that a quarterback would commit a turnover and a time-management blunder at the end of regulation, 11 out of 10 people would guess that would be Kirk Cousins. That was not the case, however, as Drew Brees was the one who was responsible for multiple gaffes. The first came on his penultimate drive after some nice Taysom Hill runs. Brees lost a fumble in field goal range when he was hit in the backfield. Brees was given another chance, but he and Sean Payton refused to call a timeout after a 10-second run-off. They inexplicably carried their final timeout into overtime. Had they used the stoppage, Brees could’ve taken some shots into the end zone to win the game. Instead, the Saints settled for a long field goal, and the rest was history.

It’s a shame that this end-game drama by the Saints and the officials had to take some attention away from Kirk Cousins’ performance. Cousins made some mistakes in this game – he was lucky that a potential interception of his was dropped – but he hit some big throws at the end of regulation and overtime. His best pass was a 43-yard bomb to Adam Thielen in the extra session, which set up the Rudolph touchdown.

Cousins finished 19-of-31 for 242 yards and a touchdown. He had an up-and-down game for the most part, but he shockingly came up big in the clutch.

As for Thielen, he was healthy for the first time in a while. He began the game on a sour note when Janoris Jenkins forced a fumble of his to set up a New Orleans field goal. However, Thielen made some big catches in this game, including the 43-yarder in overtime. He finished with seven receptions for 129 yards.

Stefon Diggs, conversely, didn’t do nearly as much. He spent most of the afternoon pouting on the sideline because he was catchless. He finally came up with a big reception in the third quarter, hauling in a pass near the goal line. He also converted a third down in overtime. Those were Diggs’ only receptions of the afternoon, but he shouldn’t be too upset because he was instrumental in the team’s victory.

Dalvin Cook had an excellent game for the most part, rushing for 94 yards and two touchdowns on 28 carries. He also caught three passes for 36 receiving yards. Cook nearly made a huge mistake when he appeared to fumble the ball, which was returned for a touchdown. However, replay review showed that Cook’s knee was down. It’s no surprise that the NFL was quick to review this play, but not the Rudolph touchdown.

The Saints didn’t run the ball nearly as well as the Vikings did. Alvin Kamara was limited to just 21 yards on seven carries, but he managed to find the end zone and also catch eight passes for 34 receiving yards. The Vikings were all over Kamara, with linebacker Eric Kendricks making a tremendous play in the backfield to force a loss on a third down.

Brees finished 26-of-33 for 208 yards and a touchdown, but he was guilty of two turnovers, including the aforementioned fumble. The other was an underthrown interception on a deep shot to Ted Ginn, who was double covered. Brees was great at times in the fourth quarter, but he killed the Saints with the blunders I discussed earlier.

Brees is an impending free agent, but the Saints are expected to re-sign him. Still, the future is bright with Taysom Hill, who launched a 50-yard bomb to rookie Deonte Harris. Hill also caught a touchdown.

Two Saints finished ahead of Harris on the stat sheet: Michael Thomas (7-70) and Jared Cook (5-54). More was expected from Thomas, especially against an injury-ravaged Minnesota secondary.

Seahawks 17, Eagles 9

You hate to see a major injury decide a game, especially a playoff contest, but that’s exactly what happened in this affair. That occurred when Carson Wentz suffered a concussion on a dirty hit from Jadeveon Clowney. The stud defensive end used his helmet as a weapon on Wentz, who was already on the ground following a scramble. Somehow, a penalty wasn’t even called even though Clowney would’ve been ejected for targeting in college football.

Josh McCown stepped in for Wentz and did a good job in between the 20s. However, Philadelphia’s offense constantly bogged down in the red zone, so it really could have used its starting quarterback. Unfortunately for the Eagles, Wentz was not returning from his concussion, while Clowney was allowed to continue to play and dominate in the trenches. Clowney was part of a terrific pass rush that registered seven sacks, so his justified ejection would’ve been a major boon for the Eagles.

Meanwhile, Russell Wilson came up huge in the clutch. Shocking, I know. Wilson was terrific as both a scrambler and a passer. He picked up a first down on a third-and-15 with his legs, and he heaved multiple deep bombs to D.K. Metcalf.

Wilson finished 18-of-30 for 325 yards and a touchdown, and he also scrambled nine times for 45 rushing yards. It’s easy to see why Wilson was an MVP candidate all year, and the Seahawks will continue to be a very tough out as long as Wilson is able to play.

I mentioned Metcalf previously, and he can’t get enough praise for what he did in this game. Metcalf was a monster, hauling in seven of his nine targets for 160 yards and a touchdown. Both massive and extremely fast, Metcalf can’t be covered. He has progressed as a route runner quicker than expected, and if he continues to work hard as a result of having a major chip on his shoulder, he could become the best receiver in the NFL in a few years.

Metcalf saw one more target than Tyler Lockett in this contest. Lockett caught four passes for 62 yards. He made an amazing reception along the sideline that was initially ruled incomplete. David Moore (2-57) also contributed.

Marshawn Lynch found his way into the end zone and caught a pair of passes for 25 yards, one of which moved the chains on third-and-1. Lynch, however, didn’t do anything on the ground outside of plunge into the end zone, as he mustered just seven yards on six attempts. Travis Homer (11-12) didn’t have much success against Philadelphia’s stellar ground defense.

Going back to the Eagles, McCown went 18-of-24 for 174 yards. He also inexplicably scrambled for 23 yards. McCown did relatively well and tried his best, but his battered offensive line couldn’t hold up. Still, McCown showed why he’s one of the top backup quarterbacks in the NFL.

McCown’s favorite target was Dallas Goedert. Goedert reeled in seven of his eight targets for 73 yards. Zach Ertz also contributed (2-44), but wasn’t quite himself because of his injuries. Greg Ward was next on the receiving list. He caught three passes for 24 yards, while also drawing an interference flag.

Miles Sanders returned from injury to have a solid performance, for the most part. He rushed for 69 yards on 14 carries. There was one instance where Sanders moonwalked to avoid a defender and then bounced around like a pinball, which gave him a first down. However, Sanders crushed the Eagles with a glaring mistake, dropping a pass on fourth down in the final quarter.

Boston Scott, meanwhile, was explosive on his touches, picking up gains of 21 and 15. He dashed for 25 yards on six attempts, while also catching three balls for 23 yards.

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