Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Willie Snead cost his team a chance to put the Tennessee Titans away in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s AFC Wild Card game.
The Ravens made the decision to go for it facing a 4th and 2 from the Tennessee 23. With a 17-13 lead and 4:28 left, a first down would have kept the drive alive, let the Ravens burn more time, and potentially set themselves up for a touchdown that almost certainly would have put the game to bed.
The Ravens looked to have successfully picked up the first on a short pass to J.K. Dobbins, but Snead was called for offensive pass interference after essentially setting a pick on a defender.
The Ravens had to settle for a 51-yard field goal, which they did convert, but they could have essentially finished off the game there. In the end, they did so after Marcus Peters intercepted Ryan Tannehill on the ensuing drive.
Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel made some conservative calls in Sunday’s playoff game against the Baltimore Ravens, and he faced a great deal of criticism for some of the decisions.
The Titans punted twice on 4th-and-2 from near midfield in the second half. They were trailing 17-10 the first time and 17-13 the second time, which was midway through the fourth quarter.
The second punt drew some animated reactions on social media. Fans and analysts could not fathom why Vrabel would punt the ball away on 4th-and-2 from the Baltimore 40-yard line with his team trailing 17-13. Here are some of the reactions:
For what it’s worth, the result wasn’t disastrous either time. On the first punt, the Titans pinned the Ravens deep in their own territory and forced a three-and-out. The second time was a bit more costly, as Baltimore put together a drive that lasted nearly six minutes and kicked a field goal to take a 20-13 lead.
Vrabel has a defensive background, and he obviously trusted his defense in both of those situations. But he has the best running back in the NFL in Derrick Henry, and the Ravens have arguably the most explosive player in Lamar Jackson. You have to like your team’s chances of getting two yards from Henry in that spot rather than giving it back to Jackson.
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Mike Vrabel and John Harbaugh had their differences earlier in the season, which is one of the reasons NFL fans were looking forward to the two coaches meeting again in the playoffs on Sunday. Not surprisingly, Vrabel downplayed the tension between the two. And he did so in hilarious fashion.
Prior to Sunday’s Wild Card game between the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans, ESPN’s Dianna Russini asked Vrabel who would win in a fight between him and Harbaugh. Vrabel laughed and had a great response.
“If me fighting coaches was gonna make a difference in us winning, I would fight them all,” Vrabel said. “But it’s not, and it’s gonna be the players that are gonna determine the outcome of the game.”
Harbaugh refused to shake Vrabel’s hand at midfield following Tennessee’s overtime win over the Ravens earlier this season. Harbaugh tried to downplay snubbing Vrabel, but it was clear he was upset and waved Vrabel off. You can see the video here.
The issue was likely that Titans players gathered on the Ravens’ midfield logo at M&T Bank Stadium prior to kickoff in an attempt to irritate their opponent. It worked, as Harbaugh came out to confront Titans players and got into it with Malcolm Butler.
Harbaugh and Vrabel were seen having what appeared to be a friendly conversation prior to kickoff on Sunday, so all indications are they have both moved on.
Photo: Chipermc/Wikimedia via cc by-sa 4.0
Deshaun Watson may decide this offseason that he wants out of Houston, but the star quarterback has not yet requested or demanded a trade.
Watson has been on vacation and has not spoken with the Texans, ESPN’s Josina Anderson reports. That means the topic of a trade has not been discussed by the two sides.
Even if Watson is on vacation, the fact that he has not demanded a trade through his agent or otherwise is a positive sign for the Texans. That could, in theory, mean the Pro Bowler is taking time to think about his future and has not completely given up on the idea of returning to Houston in 2021.
Watson is said to be furious with the Texans that they did not give him any input in their general manager search. He is also reportedly angry that the team did not interview Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy for their head coaching vacancy.
Watson has a no-trade clause in the contract extension he signed before the season. However, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported on Sunday that there could potentially be a blockbuster quarterback swap involving Watson, and Watson may be open to it.
AJ Brown got the Tennessee Titans on the board in their Wild Card game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday with an outstanding touchdown catch, but the star receiver may have gotten some help from the officiating crew.
Brown appeared to get away with committing offensive pass interference on his one-handed touchdown grab. There was a lot of contact between him and Ravens cornerback Marlon Humphrey, but it looked like Brown clearly created separation by pushing off with his left arm. You can see the play below:
Of course, the push-off looked a lot more obvious in slow motion. You can understand why no flag was thrown when you watch the play in full speed.
Brown caught three passes on the drive, and all came with Humphrey in coverage. It’s possible the officials were giving him the benefit of the doubt given how dominant he had been to that point.
Brown may have gotten bent out of shape this season over being compared to a certain Hall of Famer, but it won’t be long before the comparisons are warranted.
The Cleveland Browns will be without head coach Kevin Stefanski for their playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, and the team has taken some drastic measures to assure it does not lose anymore members of its coaching staff.
Members of the Browns’ coaching staff all drove from Cleveland to Pittsburgh for Sunday’s game rather than flying, according to Albert Breer of The MMQB. The travel arrangements were made as a precaution to both avoid potentially exposing coaches to COVID-19 and allow more space for players to distance on the team flight. Coaches were given the option of driving themselves or having a car service bring them.
Stefanski was one of several members of the Browns organization to test positive for COVID-19 leading up to the Wild Card playoff game. The coach will have to watch the game in isolation at his home and cannot be in contact with the team due to NFL rules.
It’s unfortunate that Stefanski is missing Cleveland’s first playoff game in nearly a decade, but his absence may not even be the most heartbreaking story from the Browns this week.
The Los Angeles Rams were able to win a road playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night despite injuries to several key players. Fortunately, it sounds like Aaron Donald will be available for next week’s game.
Donald left Saturday’s 30-20 win with a rib injury. The star defensive tackle appeared to be in significant pain, but Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reported on Sunday that X-rays on Donald’s ribs were negative. The Rams are “hopeful” he will be able to play in the Divisional Round.
It goes without saying that the Rams need Donald. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year is the definition of a difference-maker, and game-planning against L.A. would be infinitely easier if Donald were unavailable.
Donald had two sacks against the Seahawks and 13.5 during the regular season. He also forced four fumbles this year.
Rams quarterback John Wolford also left Saturday’s game after suffering a frightening neck injury, and reports on him have also been positive. Jared Goff, who is recovering from thumb surgery, came on in relief and led L.A. to a win. Goff is expected to start next week. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp, who suffered a knee injury, is also said to be fine.
The Rams will focus on getting healthy as they await their next opponent.
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The Houston Texans apparently did not consult Deshaun Watson prior to hiring Nick Caserio as their general manager, but the quarterback wasn’t the only person who was ignored. The Texans also chose not to heed the advice of their own search firm.
Texans owner Cal McNair hired search firm Korn Ferry to assist the team in hiring a general manager. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the firm settled on Pittsburgh Steelers vice president of football and business administration Omar Khan, with ESPN analyst Louis Riddick also considered a finalist. McNair ended up ignoring the advice he paid top dollar for and going with Caserio.
Watson is said to be angry that he was not consulted before Caserio was hired, which doesn’t necessarily mean he disagrees with the hire itself. However, sources told Schefter that multiple people in the Texans organization are upset that McNair ignored the search firm’s advice and pivoted so abruptly.
Caserio has a close relationship with Texans vice president of football operations Jack Easterby. Both worked together with Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots prior to taking their respective jobs in Houston. That almost certainly played a role in Caserio landing the GM job.
The Texans have reportedly not been able to get in touch with Watson in days. The quarterback’s agent sent a tweet on Friday ripping the team, though he quickly deleted it. You can see a screenshot of the tweet here.
If Watson does wind up demanding a trade, a new report says he could be swapped for another quarterback in a blockbuster deal.
Deshaun Watson is clearly unhappy with the moves the Houston Texans have made in the days since their 2020 season ended, and there has been a lot of talk about him demanding a trade. If that happens, the Miami Dolphins will reportedly be a potential suitor to watch.
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen confirmed on “Sunday NFL Countdown” that Watson is frustrated with the Texans for not involving him in the decision to hire general manager Nick Caserio and not interviewing Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy as part of their head coaching search. Mortensen said Watson’s “concerns about the franchise’s insensitivity on social justice causes have been reinforced.”
If the Texans do start exploring trade possibilities, Mortensen says the idea of swapping Watson for Tua Tagovailoa has been floated.
“You’re not gonna get anything but denials at this stage from both franchises, but this is an offseason puzzle we may be trying to put together,” the NFL insider said.
Watson has a no-trade clause as part of the $156 million contract extension he signed with Houston, but he would reportedly be open to playing for the Dolphins.
Trades of that magnitude are extremely rare in the NFL. That said, there have been some rumblings that Dolphins head coach Brian Flores is not sold on Tagovailoa. The idea of giving up on a No. 5 overall pick after one season seems farfetched, but Miami would almost certainly consider it if they were replacing Tagovailoa with an established Pro Bowler like Watson.
The Texans have reportedly not been able to get in touch with Watson in days. The quarterback’s agent sent a tweet on Friday ripping the team, though he quickly deleted it. You can see a screenshot of the tweet here.
The Philadelphia Eagles had an ugly 2020 season that fittingly ended with a tanking controversy, and now there is talk that they could wind up searching for a new head coach.
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported on “Sunday NFL Countdown” that Doug Pederson’s status as head coach of the Eagles is “not firm.” Mortensen said he and ESPN colleague Tim McManus were told Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is concerned about the current state of the franchise.
“Pederson could be out if owner Jeffrey Lurie is not confident about Pederson’s vision going forward after the two meet again soon,” Mortensen said. “Lurie’s concerns extend well beyond Carson Wentz.”
This is not the first time this season that we have heard that Pederson is on the hot seat. The coach even acknowledged it early in the year, though a report prior to Week 17 claimed the Eagles are planning to bring him back.
Of course, we still don’t know exactly what happened in that Week 17 game. Pederson benched Jalen Hurts in favor of Nate Sudfeld late in Philly’s loss to Washington. While the Eagles were already eliminated from playoff contention, some felt they were tanking in order to improve their draft position. Players were said to be furious about it and needed to be restrained from going after Pederson.
One Eagles veteran defended Pederson’s decision to play Sudfeld, which could indicate there is a locker room divide. If that is the case and Lurie feels the issues can’t easily be resolved, he could decide to bring in a new head coach.
