I don’t know why U2’s “Sunday Bloody Sunday” has been in my head all day. The Monday after the final Sunday of the NFL season is known as Black Monday for all the firings that reverberate throughout the league. The Patriots didn’t wait until Monday. Ninety minutes after the Patriots won their way out of the no.1 pick in the draft, Robert Kraft sent out a press release, announcing the services of HC Jerod Mayo were no longer needed.
Mayo becomes the latest in a long line of one-and-down head coaches. This was inevitable, but still jarring that it was done before the final Patriot tailgaters left the parking lot. Kraft held a short press conference today and put the blame on himself, saying he put Mayo in a tough spot. He thanked him and said he is convinced he’ll be a good HC somewhere in the future…I won’t hold my breath. He seemed over his head, beyond his depth, for much of the season. The firing cannot be questioned…but what can be questioned is the hiring. At the press conference, he said he measures nine times and cuts once. In this case, he probably should have measured a tenth time.
By far, the biggest losers of the week were the Pats. Last week, I mocked the Giants for winning, taking themselves out of the No. 1 pick in the draft. This week, I must mock the Patriots for their meaningless win at Gillette Stadium. It dropped them from no.1 to no.4. Fans brought signs begging them to lose, and every positive play and score brought on resounding boos. The last two seasons have produced a combined 8-26 record. With the no.1 pick staring them in the face, the fans were hoping for a 7-27 record.
Another loser this week was the Cincinnati Bengals. They did all they could and took care of their business. The Dolphins did their part by losing to the Jets. But the Broncos dominated a disinterested Chiefs team, who benched most of their significant players. The Broncos won 38-0. Maybe if the Bengals didn’t lose in wk. one against the Patriots, they’d be in the playoffs right now.
The Falcons lost to the Panthers in OT, but it turned out to be irrelevant because the Buccaneers managed to win a tougher-than-expected game against the Saints. The Bucs are big winners, securing the No. 3 seed in the NFC. They avoided a potential buzzsaw if they slid to the no.4 seed. Dropping one spot would have brought the Vikings to their doorsteps.
The Vikings probably played their worst game of the season, and it cost them the division. It also cost them the No. 1 seed, and bye. They may be the best wildcard team in history, but they are still only a wildcard team. They should still win, but they are heading to Los Angeles to face the Rams. Although they are 1.5pt favorites, a road playoff game is far more difficult than a cushy home game.
And speaking about losers…when I initially saw the Rams resting all of their normal starters, I thought they were locked into the No. 3 seed. But then I realized they needed the game to get the no.3 seed and avoid either the Vikings or Lions in that first wildcard game. I can’t for the life of me understand why they willingly accepted their fate of having the Vikings come to town. It makes zero sense to me.
The Steelers lost again, and they have now plummeted down to the no.6 seed. They will be going to Baltimore next week. It was just a few weeks ago they had the division well in hand, with a scenario of the Ravens visiting them. The last month has flip-flopped everything. This isn’t to say they can’t win in Baltimore, but they have been playing terribly and are sitting as an 8.5 underdog.
The Packers lost a tough game against the Bears 24-22. It dropped them all the way down to the no.7 seed. They will head to Philadelphia to face a really tough Eagles team. And they will be doing it without WR Christian Watson, who tore his ACL in Sunday’s game. This is a tough draw for the Packers.
Aside from Jerod Mayo losing his job, Doug Pederson was also relieved of his duties. The Jaguars were one of the biggest disappointments this season, and this wasn’t a surprise at all. And long before Trevor Lawrence’s season ended due to injury, the team was going nowhere. If the next guy can get something out of a healthy Lawrence next year, the Jags could get back to being a playoff team.
The Biggest winner of the week was the Detroit Lions. They dominated the Vikings on both sides of the ball and truly look like the best team in the league. They have the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye. The most surprising part of the game wasn’t that they put up 31pts, it was that their beat-up defense held the Vikings to only nine pts. To keep that offense out of the endzone is no small task. Jahmyr Gibbs had a game for the ages. If he can carry this performance into the playoffs, the Lions will definitely hoist the Lombardi Trophy. He had a combined 170 yds, accounting for all four of the team’s TDs.
On the coaching side, the biggest winner this week is Brain Daboll. Nearly everyone felt Daboll would be looking for a new gig after Monday. The Giants were an abysmal 3-14, but ownership put out a press release saying Daboll would be coming back to begin the 2025 season. His leash is short, but he is still employed.
