The Tennessee Titans shattered the Jacksonville Jaguars’ playoff dream by winning 28-20. The defeat of the Jags also confirmed the presence of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Buffalo Bills in the next stage. Derrick Henry, who will be eligible for full free agency, produced 153 rushing yards and a touchdown. A performance worthy of King Henry in what looked like a farewell match for the attacking halfback. After the meeting, Henry took the time to thank the crowd for the eight seasons he spent in Tennessee. As for the Jaguars, the end of the season was a failure. After compiling a 7-3 record, Trevor Lawrence and his teammates collapsed with five losses in their last six games. Lawrence has lost his last five starts, missing the Jags’ only victory during this disastrous streak.
Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers advanced to the playoffs with a 9-0 victory over the woeful Carolina Panthers. The Tampa organization became the only one in the National Conference South Division to advance to the next stage four years in a row. Mayfield, who played seven games with the Panthers last season, finished the campaign with a 9-8 record, a better record than the previous season (8-9), Tom Brady’s last with the Florida team. . The Bucs’ playoff appearance comes with a $1 million bonus for Mayfield. Another good news for the man who finished the calendar with 4,044 yards through the air and 28 touchdown passes in 17 games. Todd Bowles’ men will begin the dance of the month of January by facing the Philadelphia Eagles.
Who predicted that a fifth-round pick from last draft would rewrite the NFL record books this season? This is what Puka Nacua did on the last Sunday of the season, against the San Francisco 49ers. The Los Angeles Rams wide receiver became the rookie with the most passing yards in a season. He had 41 against the Niners to finish his freshman year with 1,485 yards. He thus beats a 63-year-old record which was held by Bill Groman (1473). Nacua also finishes the season with another record for a rookie, 105 catches. It’s quite a career start for the former Brigham Young University Cougars. The Rams defeated the 49ers 21-20 and will face Matthew Stafford’s former team, the Detroit Lions, in the first round of the playoffs.
Did Bill Belichick coach his last game for the Patriots? Rumors about a changing of the guard in New England continue to fuel the news. The Pats closed out their schedule with a 17-3 loss to the New York Jets to improve their record to 4-13. It’s the worst record in Belichick’s 29-year head coaching career, who spent the last 24 seasons in New England. The main person concerned was evasive about his situation after the match. He simply said he would sit down with Patriots owner Robert Kraft, as he does after every season, to discuss the future of the organization. Belichick boasts a career record of 302 wins and 164 losses. Fun fact: His record with a quarterback other than Tom Brady is 84-103. The quarterback position has been greatly lacking in New England since the departure of the legendary number 12. The poor performances of Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe have done nothing to reassure Patriots nation. The good news for the organization is that they hold the third overall pick in the upcoming draft.
