The List: NFL 100 quarterbacks named and playoff seeding set in season’s final week
The List: NFL 100 quarterbacks named and playoff seeding set in season’s final week
The final weekend of the NFL season is usually loaded with intrigue as teams try to clinch playoff spots, while other teams already in the postseason rest their stars, leading to some crazy outcomes. This week’s column is a bit long but jam-packed with stats, information, and stories that are making headlines as we head into the playoffs.
WINNERS
Playoff matchups set after Sunday’s games - Two teams clinched a spot in the postseason and the playoff picture was set after the season’s final day. In the early afternoon games, Green Bay knocked off Detroit on a last-second Mason Crosby field goal and New Orleans demolished Carolina, putting the Packers and Saints in position for at least a first-round bye, pending the outcome of the Sunday night game. Meanwhile, Miami stunned New England, thanks to some “Fitz-magic.” Ryan Fitzpatrick found tight end Mike Gesicki with a five-yard touchdown pass with 24 seconds left, as the Dolphins scored a 27-24 road win. The Chiefs knocked off the Chargers, 31-21, giving Kansas City a first-round bye and forcing New England to play on Wild Card weekend for the first time in a decade.
Derrick Henry’s amazing day (more on that later) helped Tennessee defeat Houston, 35-14, and allowed the Titans to clinch the final wild-card spot in the AFC. Dak Prescott led Dallas’ demolition of Washington, but it didn’t matter, since the injury-depleted Eagles defeated the Giants, 34-17, to clinch the NFC East title. On Sunday night, a botched pass interference non-call against the 49ers preceded a tremendous Dre Greenlaw stop of tight end Jacob Hollister inside the 1-yard-line on a fourth-down pass with nine seconds left, allowing San Francisco to win both the NFC West and home-field advantage.
Here are this weekend’s playoff games:
AFC - 5 Buffalo at 4 Houston, Saturday at 4:30 p.m. (ABC/ESPN)
6 Tennessee at 3 New England, Saturday at 8:15 p.m. (CBS)
NFC - 6 Minnesota at 3 New Orleans, Sunday at 1 p.m. (FOX)
5 Seattle at 4 Philadelphia, Sunday at 4:30 p.m. (NBC)
NFL 100 complete after naming top 10 quarterbacks - I would not like to have been on the committee charged with making the selection of the 10 quarterbacks chosen for the NFL 100 list. The task was so impossible that stars such as Jim Kelly, Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Ryan, Warren Moon, and Eli Manning did not even make it to the list of 22 finalists.
The 12 who did not get selected include some of the most prolific passers in NFL history. Terry Bradshaw won four titles with the Steelers, Troy Aikman led the Cowboys to three championships and Drew Brees just became the league’s all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns. Others who were not chosen include Chargers high-powered passer Dan Fouts, all-time greats from the Lions (Bobby Layne), Bears (Sid Luckman) and Jets (Joe Namath), Packers superstars Aaron Rodgers and Bart Starr, dual-threat stars in Steve Young and Fran Tarkenton, as well as Norm Van Brocklin, who set the single-game record with 554 yards in Week 1 of the 1951 season.
In the end, here is who did end up making the Top 10:
Joe Montana led the 49ers to four championships and was named Super Bowl MVP three times. “Joe Cool” was an eight-time Pro Bowler who won league MVP awards in 1989 and ’90 and whose 127.8 passer rating is the highest in Super Bowl history. Tom Brady has the most regular-season wins (218) among all quarterbacks. He has 16 AFC East titles and is a six-time champion with four Super Bowl MVP awards to his credit. The three-time NFL MVP and 14-time Pro Bowler ended the season ranked second with 541 touchdown passes and 74,571 yards. Johnny Unitas led the Colts to a pair of NFL Championships and a victory in Super Bowl V. The three-time MVP was the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yards (40,239) and touchdowns (290) when he retired in 1973. Unitas was a 10-time Pro Bowler and a five-time All-Pro. Otto Graham led the Browns to a division or league title game in all 10 of his seasons, winning four AAFC and three NFL championships. He was a seven-time All-Pro and a five-time Pro Bowler. Sammy Baugh was a triple-threat as a player (quarterback, defensive back and punter), who led the Redskins to a pair of NFL titles. He was a six-time Pro Bowler and a four-time All-Pro. John Elway is one of 10 quarterbacks with 50,000 passing yards, and he led Denver to five Super Bowls with two victories. Elway was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection and the 1987 NFL MVP. Peyton Manning owns several league records, including five MVP awards, 14 seasons with 4,000 or more years, plus 5,477 passing yards and 55 scores in 2013. He is a 14-time Pro Bowler and a seven-time All-Pro who led the Colts and Broncos to titles and was the MVP of Super Bowl XLI. Roger Staubach was known for his last-minute heroics and for leading the Cowboys to four Super Bowls and two titles. The six-time Pro Bowl selection was the league’s highest-rated passer (83.4) when he retired in 1979. Brett Favre won three straight MVP awards (1995-97) and ranks fourth all-time with 71,838 yards and 508 touchdowns. He earned 11 Pro Bowl nominations, was a three-time All-Pro and has a record 18 seasons with 3,000 or more passing yards. Before becoming a studio analyst, Dan Marino retired as the league’s all-time leader with 61,361 yards and 420 touchdowns (which both now rank fifth). He was NFL MVP in 1984 after setting records with 5,084 yards and 48 touchdowns. Although Marino never led a team to a title, he was a nine-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro.
Rams top Cardinals in the final game at Coliseum - Jared Goff threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns as the Rams held off the Cardinals, 31-24, on Sunday in the final NFL game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Although Los Angeles finished 9-7, they missed out on the final wild-card spot in the NFC to the 10-6 Vikings. The Rams and Chargers will share SoFi Stadium in Hollywood Park, which is scheduled to open in July.
Best Week 17 performances - The statistical leaders are usually somewhat lacking in Week 17, mainly because playoff teams rest their top players, and those stars are typically the players making this list throughout the year. However, there were several top-notch individual performances from the season’s final day.
No one had a better game than Tennessee running back Derrick Henry, who rushed for 211 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Titans into the playoffs. The Bengals had the top pick in the draft already locked up when they took the field against the Browns, but no one told Joe Mixon, who racked up 162 yards and two scores in a Cincinnati victory. No Dalvin Cook, no problem for the Vikings. Mike Boone ran for 148 yards as Minnesota’s second- and third-stringers nearly beat Chicago. Boston Scott came off the bench to score three touchdowns against the Giants, helping to propel the Eagles into the playoffs. Other stars of the day include: Kansas City’s Damien Williams (126 yards and two scores), plus Raheem Mostert (San Francisco), Marlon Mack (Indianapolis) and Alvin Kamara (New Orleans), who each scored two touchdowns.
Among passers, Derek Carr threw for 391 yards for the Raiders in their final game representing Oakland. However, Brandon McManus sent his opponents to Las Vegas on a low note, hitting a 51-yard field goal as the deciding score in a 16-15 Denver win. Goff and Kyler Murray (327 yards) battled in Los Angeles, Fitzpatrick threw for 320 yards in the Dolphins’ win and Prescott passed for 303 yards and four touchdowns as the Cowboys topped the Redskins, 47-16.
Michael Gallup had 98 yards and caught three of Prescott’s scoring passes. Devante Parker posted the league’s top total this week with 137 yards receiving in Miami’s upset of New England. A. J. Brown hit the century mark for the third time in four games, posting 124 yards in Tennessee’s playoff-clinching victory over Houston. Breshad Perriman had 134 yards, but Tampa Bay fell to Atlanta in overtime (more on that later). Finally, tight end Darren Waller (107 yards) and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow (102) had solid games, but could not help the Raiders overcome the Broncos.
League regular season leaders - White’s huge game propelled him past Cleveland’s Nick Chubb and into the top spot on the NFL rushing list (1,540 yards to Chubb’s 1,494). White also tied with Green Bay’s Aaron Jones for the most rushing touchdowns with 16.
Tampa Bay’s Jameis Winston became just the eighth player in NFL history to throw for 5,000 yards in a season, leading the NFL with 5,109. His 33 touchdown passes finished behind Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson, who had 36.
Michael Thomas added to his league-record catch total, finishing with 149 receptions for New Orleans, way ahead of the second-place finisher, Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey (116). Thomas also led the NFL in yards by a wide margin (1,725 to 1,394 by Atlanta’s Julio Jones). Kenny Golladay posted a league-high 11 touchdown catches for Detroit.
Other leaders: Kansas City’s Harrison Butker topped the NFL in scoring with 147 points, Bobby Wagner led the league with 159 tackles for Seattle (beating out Green Bay’s Blake Martinez, who had 155), Tampa Bay’s Shaquil Barrett had three sacks on Sunday to finish with 19½ and edge Arizona’s Chandler Jones (19) for the NFL’s top mark. Finally, Tre’Davious White (Buffalo), Anthony Harris (Minnesota) and Stephon Gilmore (New England) tied for the league lead with six interceptions and Marcus Peters, who split the season between the Rams and Ravens, returned three of his five picks for touchdowns.
Records and milestones - Barrett not only led the NFL in sacks, but his performance on Sunday helped him break the Buccaneers record, which was previously held by Hall of Famer Warren Sapp (16½ in 2000).
While Lamar Jackson and Mark Ingram did not suit up for the Ravens on Sunday, Baltimore still posted 223 rushing yards against the Steelers, giving them 3,296 ground yards, breaking the record of 3,165 by the 1978 Patriots. Gus Edwards had 130 yards to lead the team.
McCaffrey not only finished with the most catches by a running back in a single season, but he also became only the third player to post a season with at least 1,000 rushing and receiving yards (1,387 rushing and 1,005 receiving). He joins 49er great Roger Craig (in 1985) and Hall of Famer Marshall Fault (in his first season with the Rams in 1999).
He might have wanted to go back to Baltimore, but Terrell Suggs played like he was right at home with the Chiefs. Suggs had a sack in his first game with Kansas City on Sunday, the 139th of his career, moving him past DeMarcus Ware (138½) for eight on the NFL’s all-time list.
Only four players have led their teams in both rushing yards and touchdowns after turning 35: Hall of Famers John Riggins (1984), Marcus Allen (1996), Emmitt Smith (2004) and now … Ryan Fitzpatrick, who topped the Dolphins with 243 yards and four scores at 37 years, 35 days old when the season ended.
Finally, the Packers won on Sunday, clinching a first-round bye with a 13-3 record. Matt LaFleur posted the third-most wins by a rookie head coach in league history. Jim Caldwell (Indianapolis in 2009) and George Seifert (San Francisco in 1989) went 14-2 in their first seasons. Both led their teams to the Super Bowl that year as well.
Quinn and Dimitroff get a vote of confidence from Falcons - After Atlanta’s early 1-7 start, both head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff were on the “hot seat.” However, the Falcons responded with a 6-2 mark in the second half of the season and owner Arthur Blank decided to bring the pair back for the 2020 season.
Quinn has a 43-37 regular-season record in five years in Atlanta, but the team has gone just 24-24 since losing a 28-3 lead against the Patriots in Super Bowl LI. Dimitroff has been in his position with the Falcons since 2008, and both he and Quinn signed contracts last year that runs through 2022.
Giants linebacker gets bonus after stat correction - Have any of you fantasy players out there turned a loss into a victory after a stat correction? Well, that is nothing compared to Markus Golden, who earned a $1 million bonus on Thursday. Golden was originally given credit for half a sack during New York’s 41-35 overtime win against Washington on December 22, but the Elias Sports Bureau changed it to a full sack to give him 10 on the season, thus triggering the incentive.
Golden had a career-high 12½ sacks with the Cardinals in 2016. He is the first Giants player to have double-digit sacks since Jason Pierre-Paul had 12½ in 2014 and the first New York linebacker to hit the mark since Lawrence Taylor had 10½ in 1990.
Ravens sign star cornerback to extension - Marcus Peters was traded from the Rams to the Ravens for linebacker Kenny Young and a fifth-round pick in mid-October. In nine games since the trade, Peters has three interceptions (including two returned for scores), 10 passes defended and 39 tackles. His performance resulted in Baltimore giving the cornerback a three-year extension worth $42 million, with $32 million guaranteed, on Saturday. The three-time Pro Bowler has 27 interceptions and six touchdowns in five seasons with the Chiefs, Rams, and Ravens.
Bengals extend the center’s contract - Peters was not the only player to sign a contract extension on Saturday. Cincinnati gave center Trey Hopkins a three-year extension worth $20.4 million, plus a $4.5 million guaranteed roster bonus. The undrafted fourth-year lineman has also started at both guard spots and played every offensive snap for the Bengals this season.
LOSERS
Coaches facing the axe on “Black Monday” - NFL head coaches seem to be on the wrong end of a new trend: having less time to prove themselves before losing their jobs over poor performance. Look no further than the two coaches who have been fired since Sunday’s games ended. Freddie Kitchens clearly lost control of the locker room in Cleveland, and a team that many predicted would make the playoffs ended up 6-10, leading to Kitchens’ ouster after just one season. Pat Shurmur had a similarly short time in New York, with the Giants firing him after a 9-23 record in two years, including a 4-12 mark in 2019. Both coaches seemed to have teams that put together enough offensive talent to win games, but did not use their skill players to the best of their potential. Also, both had to deal with Odell Beckham, Jr. causing distractions.
While Kitchens and Shurmur are the only head coaches to lose their jobs so far (although Jason Garrett in Dallas and Doug Marrone in Jacksonville could be next on the list), a few other team personnel found themselves on the outs on Monday. Redskins team president Bruce Allen was let go, following head coach Jay Gruden, who was fired in early October. Under Allen, Washington posted a 62-97-1 record and made the playoffs just twice since 2010. The Dolphins parted ways with offensive coordinator Chad O’Shea, offensive line coach Dave DeGuglielmo and safeties coach Tony Oden. All three were appointed by Brian Flores and lasted just one year with the team.
Winston earns dubious “honors” - Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston may have led the league in passing and finished second in touchdowns, but he also set two records he probably would like not to hold. Winston threw two picks on Sunday, becoming the first passer in league history to post 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in the same season. He also lost the game for his team, throwing a pass that Atlanta linebacker Deion Jones returned 28 yards for a score on the first play of overtime. The pick-six was Winston’s seventh this season, breaking the NFL record of six set by little-known Bears passer Rudy Bukich in 1966 and tied by Peyton Manning in 2001 with the Colts.
Suspect arrested in Beathard murder case - Nashville police have arrested a man in connection to the fatal stabbing of two men, including the brother of 49ers quarterback C. J. Beathard. Michael Mosley, 23, is facing two counts of criminal homicide and one count of attempted homicide after fatally stabbing Clayton Beathard, 22, and Paul Trapeni, 21, outside of The Dogwood bar in downtown Nashville and stabbed a third man in the arm and eye on December 21. After a three-day search, police tracked down Mosley in nearby Cheatham County.
The attack started after Mosley and Beathard got into an argument over a woman inside the bar. The woman was reportedly a friend of both Beathard and Trapeni. Mosley has a long criminal history, with aggravated assault, burglary and drug-related arrests dating back to 2014. At the time of the stabbing, Mosley was free on bond while facing a felony assault charge for punching and kicking a woman at a Wal-Mart in West Nashville last December.
Patriots owner faces potential prostitution charges - The Attorney General in Florida is seeking increased charges against Robert Kraft in his prostitution case. Kraft pleaded not guilty to a pair of misdemeanor charges in March, but now he could be facing a third-degree felony charge that carries a sentence of up to five years in prison.
The increased charge could depend on whether the state wins its appeal of the court disallowing video evidence against Kraft, who is one of 25 people facing charges associated with the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida. Kraft maintains he did nothing illegal when he visited the spa twice in January.
Former Bills star dies - Elbert Dubenion, a star on Buffalo’s back-to-back AFL title teams in 1964-65, died on Thursday at age 86. He had been dealing with complications from Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease for several years. Nicknamed “Golden Wheels” for his speed, Dubenion totaled 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns and led the AFL with a 27.1 yard-per-reception average while helping the Bills to their first title in 1964. His passing comes on the 55th anniversary of the that year’s AFL Championship Game, which the Bills won by a 20-7 score over the Chargers.
Dubenion ranks fourth on Buffalo’s all-time list with 5,294 receiving yards and 35 touchdowns, and is 10th with 294 catches. He was honored on Buffalo’s Wall of Fame during the 1995 season.
KGB harasses pastor - You would think a story that uses the letters “KGB” would mean the old Soviet security agency. Well, the “KGB” in this case is Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, a former Pro Bowl defensive end with the Packers. He and a couple of friends decided to go to the Assembly of God Church in Green Bay, where both his daughters were part of a Christmas pageant put on by their school, Providence Academy (nothing bad so far).
However, there were several problems with this: First, KGB is a member (some sources say leader) of the Straitway Truth Ministry, which calls itself a “Black Hebrew Group,” but many people, including local law enforcement, identify it as a “hate group” or a “cult.” He does not want his daughters to attend Providence Academy and called the pageant a “pagan even” and said it was a “sin” for them to participate. In a YouTube video posted after the pageant, Gbaja-Biamila said he was there to take them home, referring to the girls as his “property.”
The second problem… his friends were reported because they did not have children at that school, and they had concealed weapons (semi-automatic pistols) for which they did not have permits. The men refused to leave when police arrived and were arrested for trespassing. While he was not arrested with his friends, Gbaja-Biamila has been watched by police after making YouTube videos with threatening messages directed at both Providence Academy and its headmaster, Ron Jung.
Saints bring Antonio Brown in for a workout - Brown was one of six wide receivers New Orleans brought in this week, despite head coach Sean Payton saying they were not interested in him earlier in the season. Payton said the team was just keeping options open in case they were in need of receivers during the playoffs.
The seven-time Pro Bowler has had behavioral issues with the Steelers and Raiders. He signed with the Patriots in September and lasted just one week before New England cut him. Brown was placed on the exempt list as the NFL investigates his sexual assault allegations. He would need to be ruled eligible before any team could sign him.
Baseball pitcher and his wife arrested at NFL game - The Boston Globe reported that free-agent pitcher Rich Hill, along with his wife, Caitlin, were arrested December 21 outside Gillette Stadium before the Patriots game against the Bills. Caitlin Hill was arrested for disorderly conduct and trespassing while trying to sneak an oversized fanny pack into the stadium. After not being allowed entry, she first tried to hide the pack under her coat and, when that didn’t work, she attempted to go to several other entry gates before police were called.
When he saw his wife getting arrested, Rich Hill became “violent and aggressive,” according to on-site security. He also tried to intimidate officers, leading to him being cited for disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. Both had their charges reduced and fines levied. Rich Hill said he “respects law enforcement but found it difficult to witness his wife in handcuffs.” Hopefully, any major league teams interested in Hill’s services take notice. Both he and his wife exhibited the kind of entitled behavior that is all too common in society today.
Falcons’ rookie suspended - On Thursday, Atlanta cornerback Jordan Miller was suspended four games for violation of the NFL’s performance-enhancing substance policy. He missed Sunday’s finale, and will also be forced to sit out the first three games of the 2020 season. The fifth-round pick played in 10 games, registering four tackles and a fumble recovery.
Browns’ Landry has been playing hurt - Wide receiver Jarvis Landry admitted on Thursday that he has been playing all season with a fractured sacrum, a shield-shaped bone below the lumbar vertebrae in his back. Landry made his fifth straight Pro Bowl after totaling 83 catches, 1,174 yards, and five touchdowns this season. He has not missed a game in his six-year career.
Raiders rookie back Jacobs dealing with injury and infection - Josh Jacobs, the leading candidate for Offensive Rookie of the Year missed his third game in four weeks with what he says is a fractured right shoulder. Jacobs also had surgery for a skin infection in his leg on Christmas Day. He has 1,150 yards and seven touchdowns in 13 games this season.
“Injury bug” doesn’t take a break in season’s final week - Before Sunday’s games, Baltimore running back Mark Ingram (calf) and Philadelphia tight end Zach Ertz (cracked rib and lacerated kidney) were ruled out, although their teams both won.
Joining them on the injury list during the final games of the decade include: Eagles running back Miles Sanders (ankle) and guard Brandon Brooks (separated right shoulder - he will have surgery and will miss the playoffs); Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill (torn ACL); Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (back); Bears wide receivers Anthony Miller (shoulder) and Cordarrelle Patterson (concussion); Packers center Corey Linsley (back) and linebacker B. J. Goodson (neck); Panthers quarterback Will Grier (carted off the field with a foot injury); Lions wide receiver Kenny Golladay (concussion) and linebacker Devon Kennard (hamstring). Finally, Seattle lost two key players during Sunday night’s loss. Starting linebacker Mychal Kendricks suffered a torn ACL and will have season-ending surgery. Wide receiver Jaron Brown sustained an MCL injury, leaving his status for the Seahawks for Sunday’s Wild Card game in doubt.
This article marks my one-year anniversary of writing for Inside the Hashes. I hope you have enjoyed reading my stories as much as I have enjoyed researching and writing them. I hope all of you have a safe and happy New Year!
-By: Kevin Rakas
Writer