The penultimate game day in the National Football League (NFL) held some surprises for the spectators – and probably for the players themselves.
USA – The 17th day of the game National Football League (NFL) had plenty of exciting surprises in store for viewers! However, the Monday Night Game was also overshadowed by a serious incident.
Separated in color, united in cause: Fans of the Cincinnati Bengals and the Buffalo Bills pray in front of the hospital for the player Damar Hamlin (24), who was revived on the field. © Dylan Buell/Getty Images via AFP
We have already discussed game abandonment after Collapse and on-court resuscitation of 24-year-old Bills pro Damar Hamlin reported.
According to several media reports, the NFL is said to have told the teams: “Warm up for five minutes when he’s taken care of, and then we’ll continue.” (Now quite clumsily formulated from source 27.)
The coaches, players, and yes, fans of both the host Cincinnati Bengals and the visibly shocked Buffalo Bills must have been thinking something like, “But you’ve all been on your pills, haven’t you?” – and both teams left the field. The game was canceled at the end. Rightly so. After all, this isn’t UEFA… #EURO2021.
Fans from both camps joined in praying for Hamlin, showing solidarity and respect for the hospital. Football is family. Let’s hope for an early all-clear.
It was important to me to begin with by emphasizing this topic and, above all, the exemplary reaction of the spectators, before I get to the actual gameplay. Which we’ll get to next.
Going into the game too confident can backfire badly
Alone among robbers: Niners running back Christian “Run-CMC” McCaffrey (26) flees from the Las Vegas Raiders defense. © Ethan Miller/Getty Images via AFP
No one likes to microsleep while reading, so let’s get to the (depending on team affiliation) highlights of matchday 17 in a nutshell.
The Philadelphia Eagles lose to the New Orleans Saints. No, I’m not committed. The best team in the league picked up a solid 10:20 smack against a team that no longer even had theoretical chances of a place in the playoffs.
Maybe someone should tell the Eagles they haven’t secured their first seed in the playoffs yet. Old football rule: you walk on the field as a winner and go in the dressing room as a loser.
The San Francisco 49ers would have had almost the same experience in perhaps the best game of the weekend against the Las Vegas Raiders. Only in extra time were the favored Niners able to secure a 37:34 victory with a field goal.
34 points against the league’s best defense – a defense that hasn’t conceded a point for six straight quarters this season. Many bay defense players didn’t even know that the scoreboard can show a three to the opponent up front. For the fifth time this season, the Raiders were up by at least ten points and still lost.
If you have the chance to watch this open exchange of blows again: do it.
Brady in the playoffs, Seahawks have yet to fight for it
Tom Brady (45) leads the Tampa Bay Buccaneers into the playoffs again despite losing half the games. © Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images via AFP
Who also did it was Tom Brady (45). Lost half the games and still in Super Bowl Race.
Only the G… no, slow down, folks. Anyone can do it when the other three teams in your division are even worse. You really don’t have to award prizes for something like that.
His Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 8-8 in the NFC South, trailing the Saints (7-9), Carolina Panthers (6-10), and Atlanta Falcons (6-10). The Bucs can lose next week and still can’t be overtaken. Almost sensational.
The Denver Broncos — who have won just four games this season — ended up failing in the sensation of defeating the AFC’s top team, the Kansas City Chiefs. They marched into the last quarter with a 17:13 lead, but with a 24:27 loss it was time for the ice bucket.
The coming week will be particularly wild for the Patriots, Jaguars, Dolphins, Seahawks, Packers, Lions, Steelers and Titans. They all still have to worry about making the playoffs.
Oh, and the injured (actor in) “Poe” is back. Poe? Edgar Alan? Yes – almost.
This – that is, the writer – is buried in Baltimore, which is why the NFL team there is called “Ravens” and the mascot raven is called Poe.
The latter has now ceremoniously returned with a Shawn Michaels performance (wrestling fans remember).
Which teams are sure to make the playoffs?
14 of the 32 teams will play in the playoffs for the Super Bowl. These eleven teams are already certain in the post-season tournament:
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Kansas City Chiefs
- san francisco 49ers
- Buffalo Bills
- Minnesota Vikings
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Dallas Cowboys
- Baltimore Ravens
- New York Giants
These clubs have to fear for the last three places (the underlined ones would be there if the season were already over):
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Seattle Seahawks
- New England Patriots
- Detroit Lions
- Miami Dolphins
- Green Bay Packers
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Tennessee Titans
Players from the following teams can watch the Super Bowl from the comfort of their own couch:
- Houston Texans
- Chicago Bears
- Arizona Cardinals
- Denver Broncos
- Indianapolis Colts
- Los Angeles Rams
- Atlanta Falcons
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Carolina Panthers
- Cleveland Browns
- New Orleans Saints
- New York Jets
- Washington Commanders
Landed hard: The Philadelphia Eagles – until recently the sole top team in the league – surprisingly lost feathers against the New Orleans Saints. © Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images via AFP
So did the teams in the 17th week of National Football League played:
(As is typical for the NFL, the away team comes first, with wins-losses in brackets and, if applicable, ties last.)
Dallas Cowboys (12-4) @ Tennessee Titans (7-9) 27:13
Arizona Cardinals (4-12) @ Atlanta Falcons (6-10) 19:20
Chicago Bears (3-13) @ Detroit Lions (8-8) 10:41
Jacksonville Jaguars (8-8) @ Houston Texans (2-13) 31:3
Denver Broncos (4-12) @ Kansas City Chiefs (13-3) 24:27
Miami Dolphins (8-8) @ New England Patriots (8-8) 21:23
Indianapolis Colts (4-11-1) @ New York Giants (9-6) 10:38
New Orleans Saints (7-9) @ Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) 20:10
Carolina Panthers (6-10) @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-8) 24:30
Cleveland Browns (7-9) @ Washington Commanders (7-8) 24:10
San Francisco 49ers (12-4) @ Las Vegas Raiders (6-10) 37:34 (OT)
New York Jets (7-9) @ Seattle Seahawks (8-8) 6:23
Minnesota Vikings (12-4) @ Green Bay Packers (8-8) 17:41
Los Angeles Rams (5-11) @ Los Angeles Chargers (10-6) 10:31
Pittsburgh Steelers (8-8) @ Baltimore Ravens (10-6) 16:13
Buffalo Bills (12-3) @ Cincinnati Bengals (11-4) (canceled)
You can see how special our German players have delivered in the NFL in this column read.