The List: Browns, Bills, and Buccaneers Break Playoff droughts in Wild Card Round

The playoffs are here! This year’s incarnation includes seven teams reaching postseason play from each conference, creating what the NFL called Super Wild Card weekend. Three long-standing playoff droughts ended, with the Browns and Bills winning their first playoff games since the mid-1990s and the Buccaneers earning their first postseason victory since the Super Bowl XXXVII title after the 2002 season.

You would think that the news would solely be focused on the field during the playoffs, but at least this week, you would be wrong. There are so many happenings, either with injuries, COVID-related news, or coaching and front office change that they almost didn’t fit in the story. So just sit back, relax, and read all about Wild Card weekend in this “super” edition of The List.

THE GAMES

Browns strike early and often to topple the Steelers

The Browns jumped out to a big early lead and withstood a Steelers rally to register their first playoff victory since 1994 with a 48-37 road win over their AFC North rivals on Sunday night. The victory also snapped Cleveland’s 17-game losing streak at Heinz Field. Perhaps the only good thing for Pittsburgh was that there were no fans in the stadium.

On Pittsburgh’s first play from scrimmage, Maurkice Pouncey snapped the ball over Ben Roethlisberger’s head and into the end zone, where it was recovered by Karl Joseph for a touchdown. The Steelers’ next drive ended when Ben Roethlisberger was intercepted by M.J. Stewart less than five minutes into the game. The Browns capitalized just three plays later, with Baker Mayfield finding Jarvis Landry with a 40-yard strike for a 14-0 lead. After a Pittsburgh punt, Cleveland drove down the field for another score. Nick Chubb ran for 38 yards and Mayfield hit Rashard Higgins with a 12-yard pass to set up an 11-yard touchdown run by Kareem Hunt. Roethlisberger threw another interception deep in his own territory, and Hunt scored again three plays later to go up, 28-0. The Browns became the first team to score four first-quarter touchdowns since the Raiders in 1969.

Pittsburgh finally got on the board just after the two-minute warning of the first half, thanks to a James Conner touchdown run, but the Browns responded, with Mayfield finding tight end Austin Hooper for a seven-yard score with 34 seconds remaining. The Steelers managed to get into Cleveland territory, thanks to an 11-yard run by Benny Snell Jr. and first-down passes to Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool. Chris Boswell ended the half with a 49-yard field goal as time expired to make the score 35-10 in favor of the Browns.

The Steelers pulled to within 12 points late in the third quarter after Roethlisberger hit Eric Ebron and JuJu Smith-Schuster with scoring passes, but the Browns responded with a 40-yard Mayfield pass to Chubb early in the fourth. Less than two minutes after that score, Roethlisberger and Claypool hooked up for a scoring strike, but the Browns got field goals from Cody Parkey on back-to-back possessions to take a 48-29 lead with 2:51 left. Roethlisberger found Claypool for a second touchdown, but Cleveland recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.

Mayfield had 263 yards and three touchdowns passing, Chubb had 76 yards rushing and 69 yards and a score receiving, Landry totaled 92 yards and a touchdown, and Hunt ran for 48 yards and two scores for the Browns. Roethlisberger threw for a Wild Card game-record 501 yards and four touchdowns, but he also tossed four interceptions. Conner ran for 37 yards and a touchdown, and five Steelers had strong receiving games, including Smith-Schuster (13 receptions for 157 yards and a touchdown), Johnson (11-117), James Washington (5-72), Ebron (7-62 and a touchdown) and Claypool (5-59 and two scores).

Super Wild Card weekend was dominated by quarterbacks drafted in 2018. Richie Dordas recaps the games here. 

Bills get their first playoff win since 1995

Josh Allen threw for 324 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran for 54 yards and another score to lead the Bills to a 27-24 victory over the Colts on Saturday afternoon, the team’s first playoff win in a quarter-century. The teams traded scores early on, with Week 17 star Jonathan Taylor rushing for an Indianapolis touchdown and Allen responding with a three-yard pass to tight end Dawson Knox and a five-yard run with 14 seconds left in the first half to take a 14-10 lead into the break

Buffalo extended its lead on a Tyler Bass field goal in the third quarter and a 35-yard pass from Allen to Stefon Diggs early in the fourth. Philip Rivers responded with touchdown passes to Zach Pascal and Jack Doyle to cut the Colts’ deficit to three points with 6:13 remaining. However, the Buffalo defense took over and stopped Indianapolis at midfield as the clock wound down.

Diggs had six catches for 128 yards and a touchdown and Gabriel Davis added 85 yards for the Bills. Diggs became the first receiver to post 125 yards and a score receiving for multiple teams since Jerry Rice. Rivers threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns, Taylor (78 yards and a score) and Nyheim Hines (75 yards) were the top rushers and Michael Pittman (five catches for 90 yards) and Doyle (7-70 and a touchdown) were the top receivers for the Colts.

Buccaneers win their first playoff game since 2002

Washington’s first playoff appearance since dropping the Redskins came up just short. Tom Brady had 381 yards and two touchdowns to lead Tampa Bay to a 31-23 victory over Washington on Saturday night. The win was the Buccaneers’ first in the playoffs since they beat the Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII.

Brady threw touchdown passes to Antonio Brown and Chris Godwin and Ryan Succop added a pair of field goals as Tampa Bay took an 18-7 lead into halftime. Washington responded with a Dustin Hopkins field goal and a run by quarterback Taylor Heinicke to cut the deficit to two points heading into the final quarter. Starting in place of Alex Smith, who was out with a calf injury, Heinicke was knocked out after taking a pair of hits early in the fourth, but he returned after missing just a few minutes of game action.

The Buccaneers extended their lead on another Succop field goal and a touchdown run by Leonard Fournette. Heinicke responded with an 11-yard pass to Steven Sims Jr., cutting the Washington deficit to five points, but Succop hit his fourth kick of the game with 2:49 left. Heinicke got his team to midfield with a 16-yard pass to Terry McLaurin and a 10-yarder to Cam Sims, but four straight incompletions ended Washington’s season.

Fournette ran for 93 yards and a touchdown, Mike Evans had a game-high 119 yards, tight end Cameron Brate added 80 and Godwin had 79 yards and a score for Tampa Bay. Heinicke threw for 306 yards and a touchdown and ran for 46 yards and a score, and Washington had three receivers post solid games, including Cam Sims (seven catches for 104 yards), McLaurin (6-75), and tight end Logan Thomas (5-74).

Ravens win a hard-hitting affair over the Titans

Lamar Jackson ran for 136 yards and a touchdown, and he also had 179 yards passing to win his first playoff game. The Ravens held 2,000-yard rusher, Derrick Henry, to just 40 yards, and Tennessee had just 209 overall as Baltimore won, 20-13, on Sunday afternoon.

The Titans jumped out to a 10-0 lead after the first quarter, thanks to a pass from Ryan Tannehill to A.J. Brown and a Stephen Gostkowski field goal. Baltimore evened the score in the second on a Justin Tucker kick and Jackson’s 48-yard touchdown scamper. The Ravens took control with a J.K. Dobbins scoring run in the third quarter. The teams traded field goals in the fourth, but the final Tennessee drive ended when Tannehill was intercepted by Marcus Peters.

Dobbins ran for 43 yards and a touchdown and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown added a game-high 109 yards for Baltimore. Tannehill had 165 yards and a touchdown passing, and Brown registered 83 yards and a score receiving for Tennessee.

The Titans top Richie Dordas’ list of the NFL’s biggest winners and losers in Week 17. 

Rams stifle Wilson and the Seahawks

Cam Akers ran for 131 yards and a touchdown, and the Rams held Russell Wilson and the Seahawks in check for a 30-20 victory on Saturday evening. John Wolford was knocked out of the game after suffering a neck injury early in the first quarter on a hit that landed him in the hospital. Jared Goff entered and threw for 155 yards and hit Robert Woods with a fourth-quarter touchdown pass.

Wilson had 174 yards and two touchdowns passing and 50 yards rushing, but he was sacked five times and he threw an interception that was returned 42 yards for a score by Darious Williams. The Rams held the Seahawks to 278 yards, with Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd each registering two sacks for Los Angeles. However, Donald left the game with a rib injury.

Brees leads the Saints past the Bears

Drew Brees is not ready to let his career end just yet. Amid reports that he could retire whenever this playoff run ends, Brees threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns as the Saints shut down the Bears, 21-9.

Alvin Kamara ran for 99 yards and a touchdown, Deonte Harris posted a game-high seven catches and 83 yards and Michael Thomas added 73 yards and a score for New Orleans. Mitchell Trubisky threw for 199 yards, and his last-second pass was snagged by tight end Jimmy Graham with a one-handed grab.

Sunday evening’s game took on a more kid-friendly approach, at least if you turned on Nickelodeon’s coverage. The end zone became the “Slime Zone,” with the network’s staple green liquid being shot virtually after every touchdown. The telecast also featured a superimposed image of Nickelodeon character SpongeBob SquarePants between the uprights on field goal attempts and child actor Iain Armitage explaining rules to the home audience as his Young Sheldon character. Saints coach Sean Payton even agreed to get slimed for real after the game.

Stat Leaders

Ben Roethlisberger set a Wild Card round record with 501 yards passing, and he threw four touchdowns, but he also tossed four interceptions and the Steelers lost to the Browns. Tom Brady (381 yards) outdueled Taylor Heinicke (306) in Tampa Bay’s victory over Washington, and Josh Allen (324) got the better of Philip Rivers (309) as Buffalo edged Indianapolis.

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson led all rushers on Wild Card weekend with 136 yards and a touchdown against the Titans, and Rams rookie Cam Akers was close behind with 131 yards and a score in a win over the Seahawks. New Orleans’ Alvin Kamara (99 yards and a touchdown) and Tampa Bay’s Leonard Fournette (93 yards and a score) had solid games but fell just short of the 100-yard mark.

Pittsburgh star JuJu Smith-Schuster posted week-high totals with 13 catches for 157 yards in a loss to Cleveland. Other top receiving stars during last weekend’s games include Buffalo’s Stefon Diggs (six catches for 128 yards), Tampa Bay’s Mike Evans (6-119), Pittsburgh’s Diontae Johnson (11-117), Baltimore’s Marquise Brown (7-109) and Washington’s Cam Sims (7-104). Seattle’s DK Metcalf (96 yards) and Pittsburgh’s Chase Claypool (59) each scored twice, but both were on the losing end of their games.

Four of the best Inside the Hashes writers pick who will win NFL awards this season. 

THE NEWS

Donald and Kelce top NFL All-Pro teams: The NFL announced its All-Pro teams on Friday. Unlike the Pro Bowl, which uses a combination of fan, player, and coach voting, the All-Pro teams are selected by a panel of 50 national media members who cover the game. This season, there were two unanimous selections, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who is an All-Pro for the third time, and Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who is a six-time selection. While the teams usually include one player for each starting position, there were more this year due to several ties in the voting. The full rosters are below and you can view the complete voting results here.

FIRST TEAM

QB: Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay); RB: Derrick Henry (Tennessee); WR: Davante Adams (Green Bay), Stefon Diggs (Buffalo) and Tyreek Hill (Kansas City); TE: Travis Kelce (Kansas City); LT: David Bakhtiari (Green Bay); LG: Quenton Nelson (Indianapolis); C: Corey Linsley (Green Bay); RG: Brandon Scherff (Washington); RT: Jack Conklin (Cleveland); DE/Edge: T. J. Watt (Pittsburgh) and Myles Garrett (Cleveland); Interior Linemen: Aaron Donald (L.A. Rams) and DeForest Buckner (Indianapolis); LB: Fred Warner (San Francisco), Bobby Wagner (Seattle) and Darius Leonard (Indianapolis); CB: Xavien Howard (Miami) and Jalen Ramsey (L. A. Rams); S: Tyrann Mathieu (Kansas City), Minkah Fitzpatrick (Pittsburgh) and Budda Baker (Arizona)(tie between Fitzpatrick and Baker); K: Jason Sanders (Miami); P: Jake Bailey (New England); KR: Cordarrelle Patterson (Chicago); PR: Gunner Olszewski (New England); Special Teams: George Odum (Indianapolis); Long Snapper: Morgan Cox (Baltimore).

SECOND TEAM

QB: Josh Allen (Buffalo) and Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City)(tied); RB: Alvin Kamara (New Orleans); WR: DeAndre Hopkins (Arizona), Justin Jefferson (Minnesota), Calvin Ridley (Atlanta), DK Metcalf (Seattle) and Cole Beasley (Buffalo)(tie between Ridley, Metcalf and Beasley); TE: None; LT: Garrett Bolles (Denver); LG: Joel Bitonio (Cleveland); C: Ryan Kelly (Indianapolis) and Frank Ragnow (Detroit)(tied); RG: Wyatt Teller (Cleveland); RT: Ryan Ramczyk (New Orleans); DE/Edge: Khalil Mack (Chicago) and Za’Darius Smith (Green Bay); Interior Linemen: Chris Jones (Kansas City) and Cameron Heyward (Pittsburgh); Linebackers: Devin White (Tampa Bay), Demario Davis (New Orleans), Lavonte David (Tampa Bay) and Roquan Smith (Chicago)(tie between David and Smith); CB: Jaire Alexander (Green Bay) and Tre’Davious White (Buffalo); S: Jamal Adams (Seattle) and Jessie Bates (Cincinnati); K: Justin Tucker (Baltimore); P: Jake Fox (Detroit); KR: Andre Roberts (Buffalo); PR: Jakeem Grant (Miami); Special Teams: Matthew Slater (New England); Long Snapper: Luke Rhodes (Indianapolis).

Former Steelers fullback Lester passed away

Tim Lester, a fullback who spent eight seasons in the NFL, passed away due to complications for COVID-19 on Tuesday evening at age 52. Lester, an Eastern Kentucky product, was drafted by the Rams in the 10th round of the 1992 NFL Draft. He earned his nickname “Bus Driver” due to the fact that he blocked for future Hall of Fame running back Jerome “The Bus” Bettis in both Los Angeles and Pittsburgh.

Lester finished his professional career with the Cowboys in 1999. After his retirement, he returned to his home state of Georgia to become a youth coach, start a non-profit organization to help at-risk youths, and go into ministry.

Eagles fire Pederson and Schwartz officially walks away

Last week, Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was leaning toward taking a year off from coaching. He made that decision official this week, but that wasn’t the biggest hit to Philadelphia’s coaching staff by a long shot. On Monday, Super Bowl-winning head coach Doug Pederson was fired after five seasons in the City of Brotherly Love.

 Pederson had a 42-27-1 mark in those five seasons, but the Eagles went just 4-11-1 in 2020 and ended their season with a loss to Washington that included Pederson pulling young quarterback Jalen Hurts in the midst of a close game. Apparently, owner Jeffrey Lurie was not satisfied with the direction the club was headed, especially with a quarterback controversy between Hurts and Carson Wentz.

Despite recent struggles, Pederson led Philadelphia to its first championship in 57 years with a 41-33 victory over New England in Super Bowl LII. The Eagles tied a franchise-best mark in the 2017 season, going 13-3 while ranking third in the league in scoring offense. Philadelphia went to the playoffs in each of the following two seasons but did not make it past the Division Round.

Schwartz, the head coach of the Lions from 2009-13, has been Pederson’s defensive coordinator since 2016. Despite ranking fourth in total defense in the Super Bowl season, the Eagles have been in the middle of the NFL pack for the most part and ranked 20th in 2020.

Cowboys fire two coaches and bring in Quinn

Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan and defensive line coach Mike Tomsula, two coaches who came to Dallas last January, were fired by the Cowboys on Friday. The Nolan-led defense ranked 28th in the NFL last season and the Cowboys allowed the second-most rushing yards in the league.

The job of trying to improve on those numbers will now fall to Dan Quinn, who was hired as the new defensive coordinator on Monday. Quinn had a 43-42 regular-season record in parts of six seasons with the Falcons before Atlanta fired him in October. His defenses ranked in the bottom third of the league three times, but in one of those seasons (2016), the Falcons reached Super Bowl LI before they suffered an all-time collapse against the Patriots.

With the exception of the 2016 season, Nolan has been coaching in the NFL since being hired as Denver’s special teams coach by Dan Reeves in 1987. He had an 18-37 record as the head coach of the 49ers for parts of four seasons (2005-08). Tomsula, who began his NFL coaching career in 2007, has some head coach experience as well. He coached one game with the 49ers after Mike Singletary was fired before the end of the 2010 season, and he also had a 5-11 mark with San Francisco in 2015.

Raiders bring in Bradley as defensive coordinator

Gus Bradley, who spent the past four years as defensive coordinator of the Chargers, was hired in the same role by the Raiders on Tuesday. Bradley replaces Rod Marinelli, who was the interim defensive coordinator after Las Vegas fired Paul Guenther on December 13.

Bradley began his NFL career as the Buccaneers’ linebackers coach in 2006. After three years in Tampa Bay, he moved completely across the country to become Seattle’s defensive coordinator from 2009-12. Bradley was hired as head coach of the Jaguars in 2013, but he was fired after posting just a 14-48 record in four seasons. He joined the Chargers in 2017 (after his fourth cross-country coaching move) and he will now try to fix a Raiders defense that ranked 30th in points allowed last season.

Bears defensive coordinator Pagano retires

Chuck Pagano, who spent the past two seasons as the Bears’ defensive coordinator, retired on Tuesday evening. Pagano began as a graduate assistant with USC in 1984, and has been involved either in the college ranks or the NFL every year since.

He started his professional career as the Browns’ secondary coach from 2001-04 and held the same position with the Raiders in 2005-06. After a year as North Carolina’s defensive coordinator, he returned to the NFL, serving as the Ravens’ secondary coach from 2008-10 and defensive coordinator in 2011. Pagano was hired for his only head coaching role the following year with the Colts. In five years, he led Indianapolis to a 53-43 record and three playoff berths, including a run to the 2014 AFC Championship Game, all while battling leukemia. After he was fired by the Colts, he spent 2018 as a consultant for several NFL teams before the Bears hired him last year. Chicago ranked sixth in the league in scoring defense during Pagano’s tenure.

Texans hire Caserio as general manager

Nick Caserio is taking his six championships to Houston. The former scout and director of player personnel with the Patriots was hired as the Texans’ general manager last week, replacing Bill O’Brien, who was fired as both head coach and GM in early October. The 45-year-old Caserio began his NFL tenure in 2001 as a personnel assistant, and he also spent time as an offensive coaching assistant, scout, wide receivers coach, and director of pro personnel before being promoted to the director of player personnel role in 2008. Houston originally wanted to interview him before the 2019 season, but the Patriots blocked him from speaking with other teams.

One person who is not happy with this move, or at least the hiring process, is Pro Bowl quarterback Deshaun Watson. Owner Cal McNair told Watson that he would be involved in the search for a new general manager and head coach, including giving feedback on candidates, but he was not included in this hire, according to reports.

I can see both sides of this conflict. Even without O’Brien, the Texans seem to be bungling communications with their star. Last year, you traded away his favorite target, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (which Watson found out on Twitter) and now you tell him you are going to listen to his voice about the coach and GM hires and then simply don’t ask him. However, Watson’s attitude is indicative of a growing problem in the NFL: players being part of the hiring process. The owners should be smart and hire general managers and coaches who work best with the players they already have (if they are committed to keeping them like the Texans supposedly are with Watson). Players should NOT be a part of hiring or firing for either of those two positions. Those should be executive decisions that players have no part in making because it sets a bad precedent. Imagine any other corporate structure where a lower-level worker is allowed to have a say in who the owner hires as his regional manager or executive vice president. One thing is clear, the Texans have whiffed badly on how they handled this and they need to fix things, or else they will lose their star quarterback.

Dolphins offensive coordinator Gailey resigned

Chan Gailey, who has spent nearly 40 years as a coach in college and the professional ranks, resigned as offensive coordinator of the Dolphins after one season. He was Miami’s fourth different coach to hold that position in as many years.

Gailey’s coaching career began as a graduate assistant with the alma mater, the University of Florida, in 1974 and included jobs on both offense and defense. He was the head coach of Troy State in 1983-84 and led the Trojans to the Division II National Championship in his second season. Gailey also had head coaching stints with Samford in 1993 and Georgia Tech from 2002-07. In the NFL, he was offensive coordinator under Bill Cowher in Pittsburgh in the mid-1990s and was a head coach in Dallas (1998-99) and Buffalo (2010-12). After a two-year run as offensive coordinator from the Jets (2015-16), Gailey came out of retirement in 2020 to do the same job with the Dolphins, a position he also held with the team in 2000-01. Miami ranked 15th in scoring offense this season.

Sowers to leave 49ers coaching staff

Katie Sowers, a pioneer in the ever-growing group of female coaches in the NFL, announced she will not return to the 49ers, ending her four-year relationship with the team. After her own playing career with the U.S. National Team ended, Sowers began as a training game assistant for wide receivers with the Falcons in 2016. Following her one-year stint with Atlanta, she moved on to San Francisco.

When she began her role as a seasonal offensive assistant with the 4ers in 2017, Sowers became the third full-time female coach in league history, joining Jen Welter, who was an assistant coaching intern in 2015 with the Cardinals, and Kathryn Smith, who was a special teams quality control with the Bills in 2016, but has been involved with NFL franchises since 2003. Before the 2017 season, Sowers became the first openly gay coach in NFL history. She worked with former NFL star Wes Welker as an offensive assistant on San Francisco’s coaching staff for the past two seasons.

Giants retain general manager Gettleman

On Jan. 6, Giants owner John Mara announced that general manager Dave Gettleman will return for a fourth season. Gettleman served as New York’s director of pro personnel from 1999-2011 and moved up to senior pro personnel analyst for one season before being hired as Carolina’s general manager in 2013. After five seasons with the Panthers, the two-time Super Bowl winner returned to the Giants in 2018. Despite posting only a 15-33 record during his three seasons in his most recent stint with New York, Gettleman’s relationship with new head coach Joe Judge was highlighted by Mara.

Seahawks extend general manager Schneider

Despite their early playoff exit, the Seahawks are giving general manager John Schneider a five-year contract extension that will keep him in Seattle through the 2027 draft. Schneider started his career as a scout with the Packers in 1993 and, after several other stops, he has served as executive vice president and general manager of the Seahawks since 2010. He earned a championship ring with Green Bay after a victory over New England in Super Bowl XXXI and also won another title when Seattle defeated Denver in Super Bowl XLVIII. The move also blocks the Lions’ pursuit of Schneider, who had a year left on his existing contract before signing this extension.

Seattle parts ways with offensive coordinator

An upset loss against the Rams in the Wild Card round was too much for Seahawks management to bear. Despite giving general manager John Schneider a contract extension earlier in the day, Seattle and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer decided to part ways on Tuesday evening after three seasons with the team. The Seahawks were one of the league’s highest-scoring teams in the first half of 2020, but their offense cooled off in the second half and sputtered against the Rams.

Schottenheimer, the son of longtime NFL head coach, Marty Schottenheimer, began his career as a Rams assistant in 1997. He was the quarterbacks coach for the Redskins (2001) and Chargers (2002-05), then became the offensive coordinator of the Jets (2006-11) and Rams (2012-14). After one year running the offense with the University of Georgia, Schottenheimer returned to the NFL as quarterback coach with the Colts in 2016. He spent two seasons with Indianapolis before moving on to Seattle under Pete Carroll.

Dolphins and Panthers coaches named for Senior Bowl

The most prominent pre-draft showcase for college players finally has its coaches. The Reese’s Senior Bowl announced on Monday that the Dolphins staff led by head coach Brian Flores and the Panthers staff, including head coach Matt Rhule, will lead teams at the event, which will take place on January 30 at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, on the campus of the University of South Alabama.

Flores was a Boston College product who won three Super Bowls as a scout, special teams assistant, and defensive coach with the Patriots before joining the Dolphins in 2019. Rhule was on the sidelines in college from 1998 until 2019, except for a one-year stint as the Giants’ assistant offensive line coach in 2012. After serving as head coach at Temple and Baylor, Rhule was named to the same post with the Panthers this season. Both clubs will be getting a look at players who they conceivably could draft later this year. The Dolphins hold picks 3 (from Houston in the Laremy Tunsil trade from 2019) and 18, while the Panthers currently hold the eighth selection.

Longtime Texans and Falcons quarterback Schaub retired

Matt Schaub, who came to prominence with the Texans in the late 2000s, retired last week after 16 NFL seasons. Schaub, a Virginia product, began his career in 2004 as a backup to Michael Vick in Atlanta after the Falcons drafted him in the third round. He was traded to Houston in March 2007 and became the starter almost immediately, as the Texans released David Carr the next day.

Schaub led the Texans to three winning seasons and the team’s first two postseason appearances, although he missed the final six regular-season games and two playoff contests in 2011 with a Lisfrance injury in his foot. The following year, he led Houston to a franchise-best 12-4 mark and won a Wild Card game over the Bengals before the Texans lost to the Patriots in the Division Round.

After seven years with Houston, Schaub was traded to the Raiders in 2014. He spent one year each in Oakland and Baltimore before rejoining Atlanta in 2016. However, he started just one game in five seasons in place of an injured Matt Ryan. Schaub finished his career with 25,467 yards, 136 touchdowns, 91 interceptions, and a 47-46 regular-season record.

Veteran safety Bethea retired

Safety Antoine Bethea, who did not play in more than a year, officially retired from the NFL after 14 seasons on Jan. 7. A sixth-round pick out of Howard University in 2006, Bethea spent his first eight seasons with Indianapolis, earning two Pro Bowl selections (2007 and ’09) and making four tackles for the Colts in a 29-17 win over the Bears in Super Bowl XLI, which capped off his rookie season nicely.

Bethea signed with the 49ers in 2014 and made the Pro Bowl that season after posting four interceptions. After three years in San Francisco, he signed with Arizona in 2017 and registered a career-best five picks. Bethea joined the Giants in 2019 and made 110 tackles while starting all 16 games with New York. Overall, he played 209 games, amassed 25 interceptions, and made 1,333 tackles, which included eight seasons with 100 or more.

Colts tackle Castonzo retired

Anthony Castonzo, who started 144 games in a 10-year NFL career, announced his retirement on Tuesday. He missed four games in 2020, and his season ended with an ankle injury that required surgery. Although he never made a Pro Bowl, Castonzo was a stalwart as Andrew Luck’s blindside protector for most of his career. The 2011 first-round pick out of Boston College also started eight playoff games, including the 2014 AFC Championship Game, in which the Colts fell to the Patriots, 45-7.

Bills replace Moss with Freeman

The Bills will be without the services of backup running back Zack Moss for the rest of the postseason after he suffered an ankle injury in a Wild Card victory over the Colts. Buffalo found his replacement about 400 miles to the southeast. The Giants released Devonta Freeman last week and the Bills signed him to their practice squad on Tuesday. Freeman was one of several backs used to replace the injured Saquon Barkley this season, and the former Falcon ran for 172 yards and a touchdown in five games with New York.

Packers sign former Colts lineman

Jared Veldheer has the opportunity to do something unheard of in the NFL, appeared in playoff games for different teams in the same season. He spent all of 2019 and most of 2020 retired before signing with the Colts in December. Veldheer started the season finale against the Jaguars and the Wild Card loss to the Bills. Indianapolis released him after the game and he signed with Green Bay. Since he had been on the Colts’ practice squad (which undergoes the same COVID-19 testing as active roster players), the Packers will not have to wait the usual six days to get Veldheer’s services, making him eligible for Saturday’s Division Round game against the Rams.

Belichick turns down an award

In the final days of his presidency, Donald Trump gave out the Presidential Medal of Freedom to five people, but New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was not one of them. Belichick declined the honor, citing the violence at the U. S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

Sports stars have been common recipients of the medal, which is awarded by the president for “especially meritorious contribution to the security or national interests if the United States, world peace or cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.” Like his predecessors, President Trump has given the award to several athletes, including baseball icon Babe Ruth and Cowboys Hall of Fame quarterback Roger Staubach in 2018, basketball legends Bob Cousy and Jerry West, racing driver and later team owner Roger Penske, former Yankees star closer Mariano Rivera and golf champion Tiger Woods in 2019, as well as Olympic gold medalist wrestler Dan Gable, former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz and Olympic track and field athlete Jim Ryun last year. On Jan. 7, the president awarded three golfers, modern stars Gary Player and Annika Sorenstam, and the legendary Babe Didrikson Zaharias, as well as two members of the U. S. House of Representatives, Jim Jordan (Ohio) and Devin Nunes (California).

Turning down an award of this magnitude would be difficult for most people to do, despite the controversy surrounding the person giving it out. Trump has awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to just 24 people during his presidency, compared to 118 by Barack Obama, 85 by George W. Bush, 110 by Bill Clinton, and 100 by Ronald Reagan (yes, the others all served two terms and Trump only served one, but do the math and you’ll see Trump has been particularly stingy with this award).

Aaron Rodgers: MVP quarterback, commercial star … game show host?

You can add guest host to Aaron Rodgers’ growing list of accolades, along with his Super Bowl MVP and two NFL MVP awards (and he is the frontrunner for a third this season), nine Pro Bowls, three All-Pros. Rodgers announced on The Pat McAfee Show, hosted by the former NFL punter turned wrestler, that he would be a guest host on a future episode of the game show, Jeopardy!. 

Rodgers has experience in front of the camera. He was an extra on Game of Thrones, stars alongside Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in commercials for State Farm Insurance, and was also a winner on a 2015 episode of Celebrity Jeopardy! Since longtime host, Alex Trebeck passed away on Nov. 8, with his final episodes airing in early January. The show will use a series of guest hosts, starting with the game’s all-time great champion, 74-time winner Ken Jennings, followed by talk show host and news anchor, Katie Couric.

NFL announces social justice grants

Last week, the NFL announced 13 new grants totaling about $4.3 million for nonprofit organizations across the country. The grants help communities of color in the areas of education, leadership, employment, social issues, and technology, and they are part of the Inspire Change initiative, in which the NFL promises to contribute $250 million over the next 10 years to social justice issues. Since its launch during the 2018 season, Inspire Change has collected more than $95 million in contributions.

Post-regular season injury updates

Even though the regular season is over, some teams had to address injury issues stemming from their final game. In addition to being without their head coach for the first playoff game, the Browns placed center Nick Harris (knee) and defensive end Olivier Vernon (Achilles) on injured reserve on Jan. 5. Two days later, the Rams took tackle Andrew Whitworth off IR. Whitworth suffered an injury to his MCL and PCL ligaments and had not played since Week 10.

Several teams also dealt with late-week injury news, as the Buccaneers announced running back LeSean McCoy would not play on Saturday night due to an illness, and the Saints ruled that both defensive end Trey Hendrickson (neck) and guard Nick Easton (concussion) would miss their Wild Card game.

The games themselves led to the loss of key players, with none more damaging than running back Zack Moss, who will miss the rest of the postseason after suffering an ankle injury early in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s win against the Colts. Rams All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald suffered torn rib cartilage during Saturday’s victory over the Seahawks, but he is expected to play against the Packers in the Division Round. Tampa Bay lost running back Ronald Jones (quad) and guard Alex Cappa (ankle) during the win over Washington.

Other players who left their Wild Card games include Saints defensive back Patrick Robinson and running back Latavius Murray (both with thigh injuries), Steelers linebacker Alex Highsmith and cornerback Mike Hilton (both with ankle injuries), Bears defensive backs DeAndre Houston-Carson (concussion), and Sherrick McManis (hamstring), Browns linebacker B.J. Goodson (shoulder), tackle Jack Conklin (hamstring) and guard Michael Dunn (calf). Washington standout rookie Chase Young suffered a mild ankle sprain and quarterback Taylor Heinicke sustained an AC joint sprain against Tampa Bay, but Heinicke returned after missing just a few minutes of action.

COVID finally takes a back seat

Despite the Browns being without head coach Kevin Stefanski, among others, on Sunday night, the COVID-19 pandemic was mostly pushed to the background during Wild Card weekend. Cleveland was finally able to practice on Friday, but safety Ronnie Harrison tested positive that same day.

The team took tight end Harrison Bryant, as well as linebackers Malcolm Smith and Montrel Meander, off the reserve/COVID-19 list on Saturday, but several key players, including both starting cornerbacks, Denzel Ward and Kevin Johnson, along with Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio and wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge, missed the game against the Steelers. In that contest, Stefanski was replaced by special teams coach Mike Preifer.

After Cleveland’s road victory over Pittsburgh, the team received even better news. On Monday, Stefanski and all the other players except for Harrison were cleared to return to the team this week ahead of the Browns’ tilt with the top-seeded Chiefs in the Division Round.

The Browns were not the only team to get good news about players returning this week. The Rams defeated the Seahawks after getting back two stars who had been on the reserve list. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp returned to the team on Jan. 6 and defensive lineman Michael Brockers came back two days later. Both played key roles in the win over Seattle. Kupp had a team-high 78 yards receiving and Brockers made one tackle while helping to hold the usually potent Seahawks offense to 278 total yards.

In addition to Kupp, three other players were taken off the reserve list on Jan. 6: Browns linebacker B.J. Goodson, Bills running back T.J. Yeldon, and 49ers wide receiver Trent Taylor. The following day, the Titans pulled kicker Stephen Gostkowski off the reserve/COVID-19 list and placed offensive lineman Aaron Brewer on the list. The Browns also activated safety Andrew Sendejo and the Steelers activated tight end Eric Ebron and linebacker Cassius Marsh. Finally, on Monday, the Buccaneers took linebacker Devin White and defensive tackle Steve McLendon off the reserve list on Monday. Both missed Tampa Bay’s previous two games but will be available for Sunday night’s Division Round matchup with New Orleans. 

Packers welcome fans for the Divisional Round

The Frozen Tundra will get a little more of its mystique back this weekend as about 6,000 fans will be able to attend the Saturday afternoon game between the Rams and Packers at Lambeau Field. Green Bay announced late last week that tickets would be available, and attendance will include Packers season ticket holders, as well as invited frontline healthcare workers and first responders.

Division round schedule: Saturday’s action features the Packers hosting the Rams (4:30 p.m. on FOX) and the Bills hosting the Ravens (8:15 p.m. on NBC). Sunday’s slate includes the Chiefs hosting the Browns (3 p.m. on CBS) and the Saints hosting the Buccaneers (6:40 p.m. on FOX).

Writer

-By: Kevin Rakas