The 2013 NFL regular season ended in dramatic fashion on Sunday with some breathtaking finishes.
While some teams punched their tickets to the postseason, others were left to pick up the pieces from a disappointing final Sunday of the regular season. A backup quarterback almost led the Dallas Cowboys to a surprising victory over first-year head coach Chip Kelly and the Philadelphia Eagles. But it wasn’t to be. The San Diego Chargers defied all odds by earning the final wildcard spot in the AFC, while the Chicago Bears fell at home in a do-or-die matchup against the Aaron Rodgers-led Green Bay Packers.
Yeah, Week 17 action had a little bit of everything. Here are your winners and losers from the final day of the 2013 regular season.
Winner(s): Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers
Playing in his first game since early November against the very same team that injured him, Rodgers started out rusty in Green Bay’s do-or-die game against the Bears. He threw two first half interceptions, including one in the end zone. The former league MVP rebounded by completing 25-of-39 passes for over 300 yards and two scores in leading the Packers from behind to win 33-28 in dramatic fashion. On fourth and eight from the Bears 48 with less than one minute remaining and down by one, Rodgers hit Randall Cobb for a game-winning touchdown to send Green Bay to the playoffs as the NFC North champions.
It was just a month ago that Green Bay was seemingly dead in the NFC playoff race. It was coming off a tie against the lowly Minnesota Vikings and was looking down on both the Detroit Lions and Chicago in the division. By virtue of a giant-sized collapse by Jim Schwartz and Co. in Detroit as well as two-game losing streak by the Bears, Green Bay will host its biggest nemesis outside of the division next week in the form of the San Francisco 49ers. This wouldn’t have been possible without Rodgers on the field.
Loser(s): Miami Dolphins
Miami controlled its own destiny in the AFC wildcard race heading into its Week 16 matchup with the last place Buffalo Bills. It responded by being shoutout in an uninspiring road performance. Even after that horrendous loss, the Dolphins stood a good chance of earning a playoff spot if they could defeat the New York Jets at home in Week 17.
It wasn’t to be.
Ryan Tannehill threw a crucial fourth quarter interception and was picked off three times in the game. Miami’s defense allowed 374 total yards to an anemic Jets’ offense, as Geno Smith outplayed his AFC East counterpart on the road to close out an up-and-down rookie season. Overall, Miami finished the season by scoring just seven points in its final eight quarters. This loss was magnified even further by the fact that the Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. In reality, a win against New York would have clinched a playoff spot.
Winner: Colin Kaepernick, Quarterback, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco needed a lot of different things to go right on Sunday if it was going to earn home-field advantage in the playoffs. By virtue of wins by the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks, the only thing that went right was San Francisco’s late-game victory over the division rival Arizona Cardinals. In an interesting turn, the 49ers relied on Colin Kaepernick and the passing game, just as their defense was faulting down the stretch. The third-year quarterback, who had been much maligned after early-season struggles, responded by throwing for 310 yards and two scores in San Francisco’s 23-20 win.
The interesting dynamic here is that San Francisco wrapped up the No. 5 overall seed in the NFC, which means that it can logically avoid the Seattle Seahawks in the Pacific Northwest until the NFC Championship game. Kaepernick, who has tallied over 2,900 total yards with 22 touchdowns and just four interceptions since the 49ers Week 3 loss to Indianapolis, will now line up against a Green Bay Packers team that he has dominated. If the talented quarterback continues to play at this level, San Francisco will be a tough out in the playoffs.
Loser(s): Cleveland Browns Fans
It was pretty evident that Cleveland was heading into the 2013 season in the process of a widespread rebuild. It had just hired former Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski to be its new head coach and was relying on a struggling “young” quarterback in the form of Brandon Weeden to lead an unproven offensive attack. The front office, led by general manager Michael Lombardi, dealt running back Trent Richardson to the Indianapolis Colts for a first-round pick in the 2014 NFL draft after just two games. This took away one of the Browns best weapons on offense and pretty much signified that they were throwing in the towel for the 2013 season.
In the end, Cleveland finished with a 4-12 record and in last place in the AFC North. This much was expected.
Instead of attempting to rebuild with a young head coach in Chud, the Browns new ownership group and front office decided that it made all the sense in the world to jump the gun and fire Chudzinski after less than a calendar year on the job. It’s this type of lack of continuity in Cleveland that has made it a laughing stock around the National Football League. Unfortunately, it couldn’t happen to a better sports city. Browns’ fans are among the best in the sports world, and shouldn’t be forced to deal with this type of ineptitude from an organization that has won a total of one playoff game since 1990. They deserve better.
Winner(s): Les Snead and the St. Louis Rams
A team that lost by multiple scores on Sunday and ended the season in last place. How in the world can the Rams be considered winners? It’s relatively simple. By virtue of the Washington Redskins loss to the New York Giants in the Meadowlands, St. Louis now possesses the No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft.
Unless you have been hiding under a cave with the crazies waiting for the end, you know that this pick was acquired in the now infamous Robert Griffin III deal. While RGIII was preparing for the offseason in sweats on Sunday, Les Snead was salivating over the idea of having two selections in the top half of the ’14 draft. Add more talent to the mix in St. Louis and it could be a legitimate playoff contender in 2014. That’s reason to celebrate in the Gateway to the West.
Loser(s): Hot Seat Head Coaches
We already know that Browns head coach Rob Chudzinski has been fired. There are other reports out there that indicate both Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan and Minnesota Vikings head man Leslie Frazier will be fired. Neither one of those come as much of a surprise considering that Washington and Minnesota finished in last place a year after earning surprise trips to the postseason.
Among others possibly getting their walking papers on “Black Monday,” as it has become to be known are: Jim Schwartz (Detroit Lions), Mike Munchak (Tennessee Titans), Dennis Allen (Oakland Raiders), Greg Schiano (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Tom Coughlin (New York Giants). While all of these coaches won’t get the axe, it’s rather easy to say that some of them will be shown the door.
More than just the head coaches, there are a ton of bottom-level assistants that we don’t hear about who will be fired today. These guys have families, responsibilities and fly under the radar as important members of coaching staffs and organizations. Yes, the NFL is a brutal business.
Winner: Cam Newton, Quarterback, Carolina Panthers
Proving skeptics wrong and leading the Panthers to a first-round bye, Newton has shown the leadership ability that many indicated he was missing prior to a breakout 2013 campaign. The Panthers’ 21-20 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday wrapped up the NFC South title and guaranteed them a home game in the divisional round. They have now won 11 of their last 12 games and join San Francisco as the hottest team in the conference heading into the playoffs.
While Newton’s performance recently hasn’t been awe-inspiring (14 touchdowns and eight interceptions in his last nine games), he has helped the Panthers overcome in-game adversity throughout the season…something that he had not done in the past. No matter what happens in the playoffs, there is no more questioning Newton’s maturity level. He has taken that next step and is now a lead in the Panthers’ locker room. If nothing else, this changes the conversation as it relates to the former No. 1 overall pick. He’s now a top-tier quarterback (and leader) in the NFL.
Loser(s): Dallas Cowboys
See a common theme here? This article could have been written in each of the last three seasons and the Cowboys would be “losers.” It’s actually bordering on hilarity what has happened with Dallas in the final week of the regular season over the past three years. After losing in do-or-die games against the New York Giants and Washington Redskins over the previous two seasons, Dallas played host to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football with an opportunity to win the NFC East. Unfortunately for those hoping that history didn’t repeat itself, backup quarterback Kyle Orton threw a late-game interception with Dallas driving for a possibly game-winning field goal.
Orton was called on to replace Tony Romo, who underwent back surgery this past Friday. Overall, the veteran had a stellar game. He threw for 358 yards and two scores in the narrow defeat. It was, however, this one interception that reminded us of the quarterback he was replacing that sent Dallas home for the winter. Call it bad luck or whatever you want, but it’s back to the drawing board for a Cowboys’ team that has won a total of two playoff games since their 1995 Super Bowl championship.
(Photo credit: Cowboys mascot photo via @kileykmiec)
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