Welcome to our weekly column where we look at all things NFL from our regular NFL tipster and Rugby League raconteur Nick Tedeschi. He will look at the good, the bad and the ugly of the NFL, holding back no punches.
Black Monday Looming Large
We are two weeks away from one of the great days of the NFL season – Black Monday – when coaches are fired en masse. Who will go and who is a chance of going? Let’s break it down.
Will Go
Raheem Morris (Atlanta): Statistically one of the worst coaches in NFL history, the Falcons again horribly disappointing with no clear identity under Raheem Morris. Zero chance he returns.
Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland): There have been excuses but he is not surviving another three-win season even at a franchise desperate to bring stability.
Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay): The Bucs should have the NFC South wrapped up but have collapsed in humiliating fashion. He has always been an underwhelming coach and his sacking will only bring improvement.
Could Go
Pete Carroll (Las Vegas): Carroll’s first year at the Raiders has been a disaster but Mark Davis is not a wealthy owner and seems to be paying enough coaches – meaning he likely gets one more crack.
Zac Taylor (Cincinnati): Taylor has a Super Bowl on his resume and has a fair excuse this year with Joe Burrow missing most of the season but there has been a concern he has underachieved so he is no lock to return.
Aaron Glenn (NY Jets): Unlikely to be one-and-done but the Jets brass have been less than impressed with the game management and player development. He has made staff changes though and the Jets brass have shown they are looking long-term so he likely survives.
Mike McDaniel (Miami): The Dolphins sacked their GM and the Dolphins have shown some fight over the backend of the season and McDaniel’s flexibility will likely save him.
Rough Chance To Go
Sean McDermott (Buffalo): The Bills have an outstanding regular season record under McDermott and he won’t be sacked on Black Monday but if the Bills fall short of the Super Bowl again there will be a discussion about looking at another coach during peak Josh Allen to get them over the hump.
Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh): The calls for his sackings have quietened the last fortnight with Pittsburgh likely to win the division and the Steelers have had just three head coaches since 1969 but given the lack of playoff success he could be moved on.
Play The Whistle
The Seattle Seahawks now lead the NFC West and are in the box seat to win the No.1 seed in the NFC all because they called a ridiculous play but played to the whistle. Attempting to tie the game with a two-point try, Sam Darnold attempted a backwards pass that was knocked down immediately by the Rams. Rather than clean up the ball, the Rams celebrated while Seattle tailback Zach Charbonnet casually picked up the ball in the endzone. The play was reviewed just before the kickoff and awarded successful in the correct but utterly ridiculous decision that set up a one-point Seattle win. Always play the whistle.
DK Dumb Klown
There is probably no dumber act in sports than an athlete physically attacking a fan but that did not stop DK Metcalf striking a Lions fan in an act of such egregious stupidity it will likely lead to his season being ended by NFL HQ.
Week 16 Bad Beat Power Rankings
No sport lends itself to cruel beats more than American football. Here are the worst for Week 16 – a week where the beats were as bad and as plentiful as they have ever been:
5. Washington +7.5: The Commanders led 10-7 against division rivals Philadelphia when Marcus Mariota went down injured. Josh Johnson came in, threw an inane pick and the Eagles won by 11.
4. Detroit Win: The Lions had no business winning despite being short-priced favourites against the Steelers but looked to have claimed it on the last drive when Amon-Ra St Brown delivered an incredible lateral to Jarod Goff, who dived over. OPI was called though, ending the game.
3. Baltimore -2.5: The Ravens were cruising to victory over the Pats with a 10-point lead with just 10 minutes to play but the Pats scored twice with Lamar Jackson missing the second half with a back injury.
2. Seattle -1.5/LA Rams Win: This was brutal unless you took the Rams +1.5. Seattle were gifted overtime thanks to an obscene two-point try conversion that seemed to steal a win from the jaws of victory for the Rams. Seattle then went for two in OT to give themselves the win – but kill -1.5 bettors.
1. Green Bay Win: Green Bay’s chance of winning against Chicago hovered around the 99% mark with Chicago trailing by 10 with 2.04 left. The kicked a field goal, recovered an onside kick, scored and then scored a walkoff TD in overtime to deliver one of the worst beats ever for Packers bettors.
Fun Fact #1
The largest US cities without an NFL team are San Antonio, San Diego, Austin, San Jose, Columbus and Oklahoma City.
Fun Fact #2
Soldier Field in Chicago is the lowest capacity NFL stadium at 61,500.
Fun Fact #3
The Raiders lead the NFL with the most head coaches since 2000 with 15. Cleveland and Detroit sit second with 12.
Punter Fact of the Week
Pat McInally, the Harvard educated Cincinnati Bengals punter from 1976 to 1985, holds the record for most touchdowns by a punter with five over the course of his career.
Read It
There has been no more wild story in football this year than that of former Michigan coach Sherrone Moore, who was fired and then arrested after he broke into the home of a staffer he was allegedly having an affair with armed with a knife. He remains in custody as the fallout continues from an utterly stunning fall from grace from the head coach of one of the biggest football programs in the country. Read about his “long history of domestic violence” here.
Watch It
The Raiders have tended to find themselves in the middle of some of the most controversial, memorable calls in history. One of the most famous was ‘The Holy Roller’, an underhanded pass that was declared a fumble that won Oakland a game against San Diego in 1978. Watch the famous play here.