Week 18: In and out
Derek Carr and the Raiders snuck out a win and eliminated the Chargers in Week 18, while keeping the Steelers alive in the playoffs.
Paid Dirt: Best Games of the Week
Las Vegas Raiders (10-7) defeat Los Angeles Chargers (9-8) in OT
Chargers-Raiders was one of the most anticipated games in Week 18 because of the playoff implications. With a Las Vegas win, the Raiders and Steelers are playoff-bound. Los Angeles fell short of extending their season. NFL fans were rooting for a tie, and the game did go to overtime, but the Raiders capitalized off a bizarre Brandon Staley timeout, drove down the field, and Daniel Carlson ended the game through the uprights. Uchenna Nwosu had a career game, which may not show up in the mainstream media, but he had four tackles for a loss and a sack. Nwosu and standout was in the face of Derek Carr the entire game. Monster pass rusher Maxx Crosby tore up Chargers’ Right Tackle Storm Norton, unleashing four quarterback hits and two sacks upon Justin Herbert. Speaking of the former Oregon Ducks’ Quarterback, Justin Herbert made plays the entire game and on multiple fourth downs. Justin Herbert vs. Derek Carr will be an exciting matchup for years to come. With great skill players including Josh Jacobs, Hunter Renfrow, Zay Jones, Darren Waller, and Foster Moreau the Raiders can match any NFL offense. The Silver and Black must fix their secondary issues before the playoffs if they have Super Bowl dreams.
Kansas City Chiefs (12-5) defeat Denver Broncos (7-10) 28-24
Mecole Hardman, who had eight receptions for 103 yards against Denver, is the difference-maker for the Chiefs if opponents’ scheme against Travis Kelce or Tyreek Hill. The Chiefs need a third option in their offense when Kelce and Hill are unavailable or will get off the field quickly. Melvin Gordon has turned down the fumbles all season, aside from Saturday’s game, when there was Melvin on Melvin crime and Melvin Ingram of the Chiefs stripped the ball from Melvin Gordon’s hands. Gordon had 808 yards on 191 rushes in 2021-22 in a part-time role and splitting carries with Javonte Williams for the Broncos. Gordon will be a free agent and sure to be paid handsomely now that his fumbling issues are a thing of the past. Drew Lock is still unproven in the NFL despite the 2021-22 season being his third season, but his rushing ability is underrated. Lock rushed four carries for 35 yards with two touchdowns against Kansas City. Denver’s Quarterback search is one of the most coveted positions in the NFL with their skill players and a more than capable defense.
Detroit Lions (3-13-1) defeat Green Bay Packers (13-4) 37-30
One of the shockers of the week. Detroit had their game of the season and between Amon-Ra St. Brown, Penei Sewell, and DeAndre Swift the Lions have a great set of building blocks on offense, On the Packers side, their offensive line must play better, or they are one and done. They may have started their positional starters, but it was not an inspiring performance from Green Bay. It’s hard to doubt Aaron Rodgers, especially when he’s having a tremendous season, but the Packers must show up in the playoffs.
Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7-1) defeat Baltimore Ravens (8-9) 16-13 in OT
T.J. Watt’s 2021-22 NFL season was one of the greatest in the history of the NFL. Watt tied Michael Strahan’s record of 22.5 sacks in a single season. Now it’s fair to mention that Strahan accomplished the feat in a 17-week season, while Watt’s was an 18-week season, even though he played for only 16 out of the 17 possible games. Latavious Murray had a prolific game rushing for 150 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown. Mark Andrews was himself and caught eight passes for 85 yards amid Lamar Jackson’s absence. Steelers fans had to wait to the end of the Chargers Raiders game to know whether they made the playoffs or not, and the city of Pittsburgh can sleep happily, for now.
Seattle Seahawks (7-10) defeat Arizona Cardinals (11-6) 38-30
The Arizona Cardinals, as they proved with last year’s, and now this year’s collapse, are not a second-half team. The Cardinals can’t be relied on in the playoffs to have consistent performance, even with J.J. Watt returning from injury. Seattle’s Rashaad Penny rushed for 23 carries for 190 yards with one touchdown and continues to cement himself as a capable NFL Running Back. Pete and Russ may have played their final game together, with speculation about either one of them moving on. It was the Seahawks of old defeating the Cardinals.
Miami Dolphins (9-8) defeat New England Patriots (10-7) 33-24
New England has its share of struggles in Miami late in the season. Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins defeated the Patriots’ hopes of jumping as high as the two seed, with a quick start held down for the rest of the game. Tua’s success with the run-pass-option was impressive in the first half. The Dolphins played a better game than New England. Duke Johnson stood out and gashed New England’s run defense to the tune of 25 carries on 117 yards and a touchdown. A few penalties went against the Patriots, but the team could have played better. With the firing of Head Coach Brian Flores, the team’s future with Tua is up in the air.
San Francisco 49ers (10-7) defeat Los Angeles Rams (12-5) 27-24
Arik Armstead and the 49ers played to their standard against the Rams. Armstead had 2.5 sacks and disrupted many plays. Brandon Aiyuk had a productive game with six receptions for 107 yards and is the second fiddle to Deebo Samuel. The Rams, meanwhile, need a proficient running game from either Sony Michel or Cam Akers, so Matthew Stafford doesn’t run the Rams into the ground with interceptions. It’s clear the Rams can’t rely on Stafford in the second half and must cut down on the turnovers. Both teams played well, and this would be a terrific matchup come playoff time.
Tennessee Titans (12-5) defeat Houston Texans (4-13) 28-25
The Texans continue to surprise by making this game close, and Davis Mills was 23/33 for 301 yards and three touchdowns. It was a vintage Danny Amendola game, with seven receptions for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Ryan Tannehill had a career day against the Texans, throwing 23/32 with 287 yards and four touchdowns in a winning effort to claim the number one seed. With a semi-healthy Derrick Henry and emerging defense, along with Coach of the Year candidate Mike Vrabel, the Titans should be taken seriously come playoff time.
Fair Catch: Games with Middling Results
Cleveland Browns (8-9) defeat Cincinnati Bengals (10-7) 21-16
In one of the weaker matchups of Week 18, with Baker Mayfield out with shoulder surgery and the Bengals resting their starters for the playoffs. D’Ernest Johnson has impressed when called upon and rushed for 123 yards on 25 carries with a touchdown. Johnson deserves a starting shot somewhere given his proven rushing ability. The Bengals are one of the hottest teams in the NFL and hopefully resting their starters doesn’t implode on them.
Minnesota Vikings (8-9) defeat Chicago Bears (6-11) 31-17
Mike Zimmer, formerly of the Vikings, and Matt Nagy, formerly of the Bears, established mediocrity in their final games with their respective teams. The opposite of mediocrity, Justin Jefferson, emphasizes his case as a top-five NFL Wide Receiver despite having Kirk Cousins as his starting Quarterback. The Bears are talented for any new Head Coach and general manager to utilize, given their top defense and skill player talent. The Vikings need a little more work and require a new philosophy around their team.
New Orleans Saints (9-8) defeat Atlanta Falcons (7-10) 30-20
Despite leading a team that missed the playoffs, Sean Payton deserves Coach of the Year votes due to his profound effect on his team that didn’t quit when starting Quarterback Jameis Winston went down to injury at the beginning of the season. The Saints fought until the end of the season, with Alvin Kamara's help, with 30 carries for 146 yards against the Falcons. In Atlanta, Russell Gage is a solid second receiving option with 66 receptions for 770 yards and four touchdowns on the season. The Falcons need to figure out their issues in the trenches, and they could be a borderline playoff team in 2022-23.
Buffalo Bills (11-6) defeat New York Jets (4-13) 27-10
C.J. Mosley is an underrated tackle machine for the New York Jets and finished with 168 combined tackles in 2021-22 with 12 solo tackles against Buffalo. The Jets are underrated, and Mosley could be the defensive leader that the team needs as it hopes to gain stride with its division rivals. Team defense kept the Bills in the game by sacking Zach Wilson nine times, despite not having a high-volume sack contributor on defense. On offense, Devin Singletary is the key for the Bills. If he produces as he has recently, the Bills have a better chance of winning. He carried the football 19 times for 88 yards and a touchdown in the victory over the Jets.
Punted: Worst Games of the Week
Washington Football Team (7-10) defeat New York Giants (4-13) 22-7
Antonio Gibson may be overshadowed in the NFL but is still a feature back in the league. In the last game as the Washington Football Team, Gibson rushed 21 times for 146 yards and a touchdown. Terry McLaurin is still a building block despite no franchise Quarterback in Washington. He had four receptions for 93 yards in the game. It was the worst performance of the season for the New York Giants, but Joe Judge’s job is safe in the Meadowlands. No team should ever run a QB sneak on third and nine from their own five-yard line, but John Mara has faith in the Head Coach, while Dave Gettleman officially retired.
Jacksonville Jaguars (3-14) defeat Indianapolis Colts (9-8) 26-11
In one of this weeks' stunners, the Jaguars pulled off the upset against the Colts. Trevor played like a number one overall pick and did what he had to for Jacksonville to win. The Jaguars had six sacks against the Colts, a testament to their effort level and a disappointing performance from the Indianapolis offensive line. Indy had playoff hopes, but the Jaguars contained Jonathan Taylor, only rushing for 75 yards on 17 carries, and Carson Wentz had a poor game. For all the draft capital the Colts gave up getting him, Wentz can’t be relied on to lead a contender to the playoffs.
Dallas Cowboys (12-5) defeat Philadelphia Eagles (9-8) 51-26
Dak Prescott had perhaps his best NFL game, throwing for 295 yards and five touchdowns on 21/27 passing. Meanwhile, Ezekiel Elliot and Tony Pollard have a case for having the best backfield in the NFL. Philadelphia played their second-string starters with a playoff spot guaranteed and was no match for the Cowboys’ first team minus the electric Trevon Diggs and Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate Micah Parsons.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (13-4) defeat Carolina Panthers (5-12) 41-17
Sam Darnold was respectable, throwing 29/42 with two touchdowns and one interception. The Panthers should go in another direction at the Quarterback position, but Darnold is a serviceable backup. Tom Brady and the Buccaneers did their thing, throwing 29/37 with 326 yards and three touchdowns. Rob Gronkowski looked like the Gronkowski of old, with seven receptions for 137 yards. The Bucs proved the AB drama is a thing of the past and will begin as the favorites against Philadelphia on Wild Card Weekend.
Reference Page
Stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference and NFL.com
Images courtesy of Getty Images
Contract information courtesy of Spotrac
Score information courtesy of NFL.com