Niagara Falls, NY – Happy Monday. I hate the NFL for a lot of things, but I also can’t stop talking about it because people care about it. And there’s a lot to talk about this weekend with the playoffs and coaching vacancies. I know some of my colleagues got to these topics earlier this week, but you know, this is the benefit and pain of being on Mondays—sometimes you get to them later. But I still want my say. So with that said, here’s the lineup for today: NFL playoff game review and prediction and NFL coaching vacancies.
NFL Playoffs
It was a good weekend for the NFL. Five playoff games so far. Three games were decided in the final two minutes, a 4th was decided in the final three minutes, and the 5th and most recent one was rather anti-climactic, being decided in the final seven minutes.
LA Rams vs. Carolina: It was a weird game. The game started out sloppy but eventually got better as both defenses kept coughing up points and the offenses turning the ball over until the Rams’ defense came up strong in the end. One too many drops for the Panthers, especially when they needed a play. A veteran team beating a young team in a playoff moment—it happens.
Eagles vs. 49ers: The defending champion Eagles, up 16-10 in the fourth quarter at home, could not seal the deal as the 49ers came back to score 13 points and walk away 23-16. The 49ers lost their All-Star tight end, George Kittle, which probably means they’re going to be done next week. But the loss for the Eagles makes sense if you think about it; they just haven’t quite looked like themselves from last season, and, as expected, they couldn’t get it right last night.
Packers vs. Bears: The Packers must be sick to their stomach. After blowing a lead to the Bears in Chicago less than a month ago, they did it again. The Packers were up 21-6 going into the 4th quarter, and the Bears started warming up. The Bears made enough plays to briefly take the lead, then the Packers tied it, and then the Bears made the big play. The Packers’ kicker missed an extra point and then missed the game-tying kick with no time left. Special teams killed Green Bay again.
Bills vs. Jaguars: This is another example of a veteran playoff team knocking off a younger, less experienced playoff team. It was a good one; the Jaguars went up, but the Bills pushed back, exemplified by their 10 yard tush push. But the difference was the Bills’ defense managed to be clutch. As former NFL linebacker Bart Scott said “you don’t have to play great, but when you need a stop, you get that stop. That’s why people think some defenses are great.” The Bills needed a play to stop the final drive, and they made it with a batted-ball interception to end the game.
Chargers vs. Patriots: This was the least appealing game of the night. Both offenses were just terrible for the large majority of it. The defenses would get a turnover, and the offenses couldn’t do anything with it, highlighted by the Chargers. The Chargers need to invest in some offensive line depth—Herbert was running for his life—plus it seemed like none of their receivers could get separation, so maybe they need better receivers, too. I kept saying the Chargers needed somebody to make a play, and nobody did. Then, when it was 9-3 in the fourth, the Patriots scored a touchdown, and you knew it was over. The Chargers didn’t have that kind of offense in them.
Texans vs. Steelers: We don’t know which way this is going to go, but I wouldn’t rule out the Steelers playing at home with a veteran QB. The Texans have overachieved in the last couple of seasons with a first-time head coach and what was a de facto rookie QB in C.J. Stroud. But in the cold, with an experienced coach and an experienced QB, I’m taking Pittsburgh.
NFL Coaching Vacancies
Cleveland: The firing of Kevin Stefanski makes sense because he’s just underachieved, another in a long line who couldn’t turn the Browns around. The Browns are generally not appealing; they’re a bit like the Jets, with decades of mismanagement and dysfunction. However, this time they’ve got a clear NFL-caliber (maybe above-average) QB, a number-one running back, and a quality tight end. So they’ve got talent, and they played a lot of rookies last season, so there’s a lot of young talent to mold with the right leadership. Oddly enough, this might be the perfect spot for John Harbaugh.
Arizona: It seems like Kyler Murray is NFL-standard but not good enough to lead a team to the playoffs or anything better, so he’ll probably be moving on to be a backup somewhere else. I think they need an offensive-minded coach because they do have weapons.
Tennessee: I’m surprised they’re looking for a new coach already, as they just drafted their rookie quarterback, who had a solid season. Normally, you want to keep your coach and quarterback combo, so I think this team looks for a veteran head coach—maybe somebody like Pete Carroll—but I don’t know if his West Coast style would mesh well in the heartland.
Baltimore: Apparently, because John Harbaugh wouldn’t fire Todd Monken, who was a terrible offensive coordinator, Harbaugh was also let go. I think this is a mouth-watering prospect; you still have a quality running back in Derek Henry with another year or two left and a star QB in Lamar Jackson only turning 29. I’m not sure who would go here, but you might be better off with a young, talented Sean McVay type—someone with fresh energy and playoff-winning experience.
Las Vegas: Man, this whole organization is a mess. I really think this is a place that could use a commanding presence like a John Harbaugh, somebody who’s seen it and done it all. They need to get serious with the guys. They actually should bring back Antonio Pierce, but if they’re not going to, I’m not quite sure who would be a good fit in today’s NFL.
Atlanta: This is a team that could also use the John Harbaugh effect, but you know, if he brings that offensive coordinator with him, they may decide that’s too big a move for Bijan Robinson and the crew. They have tons of offensive upside but need a tighter defense.
New York Giants: They’ve got their running backs and quarterback of the future and some young talent, so this is the kind of team where you go with a young offensive coordinator like the Bills’ Joe Brady or someone like that and let him build with this team.
Miami: They hired a former Packers executive as their GM, so I think they’re going to go with a Packers-style hire and find themselves a young offensive coordinator with talent and appeal and give him the keys. I know they just did that with Mike McDaniel, but it doesn’t look like they’re going to switch to a defensive guy or a veteran coach.
That’s it for now, come back tomorrow for more in-depth analysis with Ben Whitney.
