There was no shortage of entertainment in Week 14 of the NFL season with boilovers, blowouts and bizarre touchdowns.
The results meant that what could have been a slow and lethargic run to the playoffs with both fields set in stone but now the cat is firmly amongst the pigeons.
We’re recapping all of the action from the last few days with our 5 Lessons Learned.
1 – The Raiders Stupidity Continues to Cost Them
Lost in the hoopla surrounding Baker Mayfield’s miraculous come from behind victory was the horrendous collapse by the Raiders and they have only themselves to blame.
Leading 16-3 with 12 minutes remaining in the game, Vegas simply had to see out the final few possessions, extend their winning streak to four games and keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
Instead, Josh McDaniels decided to put the cue in the rack and play it safe which, as it almost always does, came back to bite them, and not for the first time either.
It was all going so well early on and with the Rams looking like a team starting a quarterback who had arrived 30 hours before kickoff and struggling to move the ball.
Cam Akers got the Rams back in it with this short touchdown run and after a huge defensive stop, Baker Mayfield delivered with this huge throw.
That was the fourth time this season the Raiders have blown a lead of 13 or more points and it’s a sign that Josh McDaniels has a long way to go to solve the issues plaguing this roster.
Having rattled off three straight wins prior to this calamity, some were dreaming of another late season run to the playoffs, but that isn’t going to happen now.
And they have only themselves to blame because as we mentioned with the Ravens earlier this season, the inability to hold onto a lead is the first sign of a team with a maturity issue.
Vegas will be one of the more interesting teams to follow in the offseason as they ponder more massive changes within the organisation.
2 – Cross Off Tennessee
They were the AFC’s first seed last season but this year, Tennessee just doesn’t look like a team set up to compete.
Sure they will find a way to win the AFC South but this week provided a nice reminder about why you should be desperate to take them on in the first weekend of the playoffs.
Jacksonville might not be the easybeat they were in previous seasons, but this was a game the Titans should have been able to find a way to win.
Instead the Titans could not capitalise on a fast start, having lead 14-7 at the start of the second quarter.
Jacksonville took over from there, rattling off 29 straight points including this bulldozing effort from Trevor Lawrence.
The Titans just had no answers on defence giving up 368 yards to Lawrence and their limitations were on full display for all to see.
They won’t go beyond the Wild Card round.
3 – Minnesota is not a Super Bowl Contender
Minnesota stunned plenty of people with their fast start to the season but things in the north are starting to unravel.
Kirk Cousins threw for 425 yards with no interceptions in their loss to Detroit but the passing game was pretty much the only positive from their loss to Detroit.
Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison combined for 22 rushing yards and the defence was shredded by Jared Goff to the tune of 330 yards.
The early warning signs were there for the Vikings secondary.
And it only got worse from there.
But the most embarrassing moment for the Vikings defence came on the play that sealed the victory for Detroit.
Now to take a minute from the Vikings bashing to praise the Lions for that play, get an offensive tackle, put him in motion and throw it to him on third down with the game on the line.
The next step for Detroit is to use that design again to get Sewell a touchdown.
But back to the Vikings, when an offensive tackle can get that wide open, that’s not a defence that’s good enough to compete in the playoffs.
4 – The Mahomes Pass Wasn’t That Impressive
Every single person in existence should be asking to come back as Patrick Mahomes because he can apparently do no wrong and even his mildly decent plays are being celebrated as revolutionary.
Take this week against Denver, Kansas City was cruising early on thanks in part to this Jerrick McKinnon touchdown.
Sure it was unconventional from the Chiefs quarterback but the hard work on the play was done by the guy who had to scramble to catch the ball in the first place and then outrun the defence over the next 45 yards to get the touchdown.
Not that it mattered to those following the game through the highlight clips, apparently Mahomes did all the work.
Seems a bit much doesn’t it?
That’s not to say it wasn’t a decent effort by Mahomes to push the defender away and draw in the cornerback, to free up McKinnon, but he’s made so many ridiculous plays, you don’t need to force this one into that stratosphere.
Hell, he had a touchdown pass later in the game that was a lot more impressive.
That offset a handful of boneheaded plays from the MVP favourite as his three interceptions allowed the Broncos to get back into the game and made it a much closer contest than it should have been.
5 – That’s Why You Can’t Trust Miami
Prime time, in LA and favoured to win a shootout, the Dolphins laid a massive egg against the Chargers.
Over the last few years the team had the ability to look like the best team in the league one week and a dumpster fire the next.
Through their 8-4 start, the Dolphins had spent more time looking like a Super Bowl contender thanks to their turbo powered offence.
But that turbo did not fire against an undermanned Chargers defence and they lost their advantage in the playoff race.
Tua Tagovailoa was off all night completing just three passes in the first half and a grand total of ten on the night as the Chargers gave them nothing.
Tua will always be compared to the guy who went one pick after him in the 2020 NFL Draft and for the moment, Herbert has bragging rights.
Miami meanwhile has to bounce back on a short week as they prepare to head up to Buffalo for a huge game this Sunday.