The NFL is approaching the 5-year anniversary of a non-call on a blatant pass interference in the NFC championship game that helped the Rams advance to the Super Bowl over the Saints.
It’s a black eye the league would like to forget, a difficult task in a season that’s been shaped to a significant degree by the men in stripes, particularly the debacle in Dallas Saturday night that kicked off Week 17 and has ramifications that could ripple through the road to Super Bowl 58.
Crucial choices by coaches also proved pivotal over the weekend.
LET RUSS STEW
Denver will miss the playoffs for the eighth straight year but the Broncos’ quarterback carousel continues its perpetual churn with Sean Payton benching nine-time Pro Bowl QB Russell Wilson in favor of journeyman Jarrett Stidham, who didn’t look like a significant upgrade in Denver’s 16-9 win over the Chargers. Still, the move forecasts a whopping $85 million in dead cap charges for the Broncos over the next two seasons with a costly divorce from Russell seemingly inevitable.
BAD CONNECTION
The Rams are returning to the playoffs after a year’s absence thanks to a 26—25 win over the Giants highlighted by Brian Daboll’s decision to go for 2 backfiring when Tyrod Taylor missed a wide-open Saquon Barkley on a rollout to the right in the closing minutes at the Meadowlands.
HOMECOMING KING
Former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon returned to Philly and made some risky calls that paid off Sunday with the Cardinals stunning the Eagles 35-31.
Philadelphia was sitting pretty at 10-1 a month ago but four December losses mean they’ll likely have to hit the road for the postseason and hope to follow in the path of the 2012 Ravens, who also lost four games in December only to get hot in January and win it all.
Even the calls that appeared to backfire ended up working out for Gannon, who was much maligned in Philadelphia for a defense that collapsed in the second half of last season’s Super Bowl loss to Kansas City,
Tied at 28, Gannon called for an onside kick. Although the Eagles recovered it, they only got a field goal and James Conner’s touchdown with 22 seconds left on the next drive was the winner as Kyler Murray led Arizona to TDs on all four of its second-half possessions.
“I wanted to make sure at all costs Kyler had the ball in his hand,” Gannon said.
LIONS LAMENT
In Dallas, Lions coach Dan Campbell went for 2 three times instead of kicking the extra point to all but certainly force overtime. That aggression paid off briefly but a late flag changed everything and the Lions left Dallas feeling they would have won the game had it been officiated correctly.
