The Jacksonville Jaguars came within millimeters of committing an unforgivable mistake late in their game against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday — or did they?
Trailing 20-17 in the fourth quarter, Jacksonville’s defense came up with a big stop around midfield to force a punt. Jaguars return man Jamal Agnew initially decided to let the ball bounce, but he appeared to change his mind and try to field it. Fortunately for the Jags, the ball bounced over Agnew’s hand and into the end zone.
Dolphins head coach Brian Flores challenged the play, and for good reason. Replays showed that the ball may have grazed Agnew’s finger, but the play stood as called. Here’s a look at it:
That could have gone either way. It certainly didn’t look like there was any space between Agnew’s finger and the ball, but you can understand why the call on the field was not overturned.
The Jaguars retained possession and put together a field goal drive to tie the game at 20-20.
If you remember, Agnew is the same player who made an incredible play for the Jaguars on special teams earlier this year (video here). He got just plain lucky with his ill-advised decision on Sunday.
The Arizona Cardinals attempted what would have been the longest field goal in football history on Sunday, and the end result was a touchdown for the other team.
Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury for some reason had kicker Matt Prater attempt a 68-yard field goal with seconds left in first half. The kick came up short, as expected. The Jacksonville Jaguars had their kick returner, Jamal Agnew, waiting in the back of the end zone in anticipation of the kick not reaching the goal posts. That’s exactly what happened.
Agnew then broke a tackle and got a couple of great blocks en route to the end zone.
What was Kingsbury thinking? There was no way Prater was going to make that kick, leaving two possible outcomes — a missed field goal before the half or a free touchdown for the Jags. That was just an abysmal decision from the Cardinals coach.
The Detroit Lions surprisingly traded defensive back Quandre Diggs to the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday, and Lions players didn’t hide their displeasure on social media.
Diggs was dealt to Seattle for a fifth-round pick, as reported on Twitter by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Various Lions players reacted to that report in shock and disappointment.
No members of the team had a stronger reaction than star cornerback Darius Slay, who both questioned the trade and called it “some bull—-.”
Defensive lineman Damon Harrison and return man Jamal Agnew also had strong reactions when news of the deal came out.
Diggs was a popular member of the Lions’ locker room, and what’s more, this looks like a selling move despite the team being 2-3-1. Considering how close they were to leading the NFC North — and probably should have given the officiating in that game — it’s easy to understand why players are so furious. GM Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia might have some cleaning up to do over this one.
The 2017 regular season has been packed full of surprises. From a team perspective, the Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants stand out for being so much better and so much worse than we expected, but it’s not just limited to those two organizations.
Yes, the Rams and Giants have gone in totally different directions than expected, but units like the New England Patriots defense have been worse than expected, and the the New York Jets have even found a way to open eyes.
But what players have contributed to all these surprises? Well, here’s a look at every NFL team’s most surprising player, good or bad, so far this season.
Arizona Cardinals – Adrian Peterson, RB
After appearing in only 20 games over his final three seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, many believed the career of Adrian Peterson had reached its end. Even with another opportunity given to him by the New Orleans Saints, little changed for Peterson. He appeared in four games, gaining just 81 yards on 27 carries. Then came the trade to Arizona. Although he hasn’t exactly returned to Hall of Fame form, he has gained 369 yards in five games, providing the Cardinals with an unexpected spark on the ground.
Atlanta Falcons – Matt Ryan, QB
A year after winning the NFL MVP Award and leading the Falcons to the Super Bowl, Matt Ryan has hit a bit of a wall. He’s returned to 2015 form and seen his completion percentage, yards per game, touchdown to interception ratio, yards per attempt and quarterback rating all drop — some of those considerably. He threw for 38 touchdowns last season and has just 15 in 10 games this season. His passer rating has dropped from 117.1 to 95.7. To cap it off, the Falcons are 6-4 and are no shoo-in to make the playoffs.
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