Month: January 2020

HIGHLIGHTS: Clippers fall 114-104 to Nuggets

Twin brothers Shaquem and Shaquill Griffin broke out a handshake celebration after sacking Aaron Rodgers on Sunday.

Seattle Seahawks linebacker Shaquem Griffin found a familiar face after he recorded his first career sack against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Divisional Round on Sunday.

Following Griffin’s sack of Aaron Rodgers on third-and-9 in the fourth quarter, his brother Shaquill Griffin followed closely behind with a tackle of his own. While Shaquem was credited with the sack, the twins celebrated promptly with a handshake after they combined to take down Rodgers. 

Shaquem’s first career sack took 2.77 seconds, the second-fastest sack of the NFL postseason, according to Next Gen Stats. Meanwhile, Shaquill finished the game with three tackles of his own. 

The Griffin twins were drafted in consecutive years by Seattle, with Shaquill taken in 2017 and Shaquem in 2018. 

Thanks to a well-oiled offense and with a rookie head coach, the Packers will get another try at the 49ers in their first conference championship game since 2016.

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers advance to the NFC Championship game after defeating Russell Wilson and the Seahawks in the divisional round.

It had been almost three full years since Aaron Rodgers had last thrown a pass in the NFL postseason. Ty Montgomery was Green Bay’s leading rusher that regular season, Jordy Nelson the team’s leading receiver. A lot has changed in the months since: a new head coach, new skill position players, an improved defense. And a more grizzled beard on the face of its signal-caller. “I’m 36,” Rodgers told reporters earlier this week. “I know what this is all about.”

No. 2 Green Bay’s offense also now features a bonafide rushing attack: the 5’8” Aaron Jones is arguably as important to his team’s success as the former league MVP. But with the Packers nursing a 28-23 lead with under 2:30 to play in the game, Rodgers made the kind of throws that fans have come to expect over his Hall of Fame career. First, it was a 32-yard touch pass into the arms of wide receiver Davante Adams streaking up the right sideline. Then, just 20 seconds later, he found tight end Jimmy Graham on a slant for a second third down conversation that iced the game away. Sunday’s 28-23 Packers victory over the Seattle Seahawks resulted in plenty of grass-stained jerseys. But looks aside, it moved Green Bay to within 60 minutes of the Super Bowl.

“We started the game the right way,” Rodgers said after the win. “And we finished it the right way.”

One series before closing the game, Rodgers watched as his defense had stopped a second-half push by the No. 5 Seahawks. Russell Wilson and the Seattle offense scored three touchdowns in the game’s final 30 minutes compared to Green Bay’s one. And while the Seahawks entered Sunday having been 10-2 in games decided by eight or fewer points in the regular season, the Packers entered 8-1 in one-score situations.

As Rodgers alluded postgame, Green Bay’s offense looked sharp at the start. The Cal product orchestrated an eight-play, 75-yard drive in just over four minutes that resulted in a 20-yard touchdown catch from Adams. But a 45-yard Jason Myers field goal cut the Packers’ lead to just 7-3, breaking a 10-minute scoreless streak.

It was then Jones’s turn to answer the call. The fifth-round pick in 2017 averaged 136.5 scrimmage yards per game over the final four weeks of the regular season. While he finished with only 66 combined on Sunday, he knifed through the trenches with just under 10 minutes to go in the second quarter, extending Green Bay’s lead to 14-3. The Packers would grow their lead even further thanks to another Jones score with just over a minute to go in the half, taking a 21-3 advantage into the locker room.

But the Seahawks, like they’ve shown a number of times both this season and in recent memory against Green Bay in particular, wouldn’t go away. Wilson hit WR Tyler Lockett on a fourth-and-1 at Green Bay’s five-yard-line to extend their eventual five-plus minute drive. And one play later, the recently un-retired Marshawn Lynch found the end zone, slashing the Seahawks’ deficit to just 11.

The dueling offenses would trade touchdowns to close the third period. But Seattle would cut into Green Bay’s lead early in the fourth when Lynch powered through the gut of the Packers’ defense for his second score of the game. Wilson was sacked on the team’s two-point attempt, however, leaving the game’s margin at five. The third round pick in the 2012 NFL draft finished 21-of-31 for 277 and one score, and added 64 yards rushing on the ground.

For years, everything in the Packers’ orbit seemed to revolve around their star quarterback. But needing a stop with under five minutes to play, Rodgers watched as his defense made the plays required. He finished with a modest 243 passing yards and two touchdowns, completing 16 of his 27 attempts, but made clutch throws when the game hung in the balance. The Packers, in the end, converted nine of their 14 third down chances.

Jones had also put the Packers in position to emerge victorious on Sunday evening. And Adams, the team’s star wideout who missed four games earlier this season dealing with a turf toe injury, hauled in one of key receptions en route to finishing with a game-high eight catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns.

The Packers are headed to their first NFC Championship game since 2016. Their opponent next Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers, beat them handily in Week 11 of the regular season. However, the now veteran QB knows a Super Bowl is within reach.

“They’re only four teams and we’re one of them,” he said afterward. “We have a legitimate chance.”

After going down 24-0 early in the game, Kansas City engineered one of the greatest playoff comebacks we have ever seen against Houston, an experience that most struggled even to put into words.

KANSAS CITY — This is what a breakdown looks like:

Texans coach Bill O’Brien unfolded his play sheet and adjusted the knob on the headset power pack attached to his hip. Fireworks popped and exploded a few hundred feet overhead to commemorate Damien Williams’s five-yard touchdown run at the 4:39 mark of the third quarter, putting his team down by 17. Arrowhead Stadium was shaking; it hadn’t stopped shaking for the better part of the afternoon. Men wielding large Chiefs flags sprinted back and forth across the midfield space crowding O’Brien’s immediate line of sight. Under normal circumstances this is one of the worst places on Earth to be losing a football game of consequence. On this particular afternoon? Pure Hell.

There was a fleeting moment when O’Brien had this place under his sneaker heel. A 54-yard touchdown from Deshaun Watson to Kenny Stills on a brilliant screen-and-go three minutes into the game, followed by a blocked punt swatted into the end zone and recovered for a score. A muffed punt recovered by the Texans, leading to another touchdown from Watson to Darren Fells drove the score to 21–0 in the first quarter. The 75,503 rowdies, hopped up on parking lot rum and cokes which they kept cold with the fallen snow, were silenced. It was so quiet you could hear the public address announcer detailing the particulars of the evening’s 50-50 raffle without the slightest difficulty.

That was before one of the greatest comebacks in playoff history kicked into full throttle and stunned everyone wearing blue. Forty-one straight unanswered points allowed. Fifty-one points in a half-hour of game time allowed—so many touchdowns that the stadium had to announce that they’d run out of fireworks to launch after scores. 

It was the largest blown lead in a half of football in NFL playoff history, squandering a series of gifts from the football heavens. The No. 4-seeded Texans were ahead by more than three touchdowns and steamrolling their way toward hosting the conference title game against a divisional opponent they’d already beaten once this year.

So what does a man do when he’s standing there amid the chaos, still more than 20 game minutes left in the longest afternoon of his life? The inevitable now seems impossible. Visions of the Super Bowl cracked over a distant horizon, quickly replaced by the thorny questions about job security. From the collar of his navy blue jacket, O’Brien plucked his glasses and placed them on their trademark perch at the end of his nose. It’s unlikely the move changed his view for the better.

“We definitely have to do a better job of coaching,” he’d say after the game, noting that there was really nothing he could say to the players in the locker room.

The Chiefs are headed back to the conference title game following an 51-31 win over the Texans on a cloudy, freezing day in the heartland. Patrick Mahomes was brilliant, going 23 of 35 for 321 yards and five touchdowns. Tight end Travis Kelce caught 10 balls for 134 yards and scored three times. Their locker room following the game raised a decibel level as each player filtered in to join the celebration, while the Texans packed up the remnants of a lost season into navy duffle bags and industrial laundry bins in near total silence.

“You’re up 24 nothin’ and the next thing you know it’s tied up,” wide receiver Will Fuller said. “So it’s tough.”

When asked if he could put the experience into words, he said no.

***

This is what a breakdown sounds like: 

In the Texans locker room after the loss, no voices climbed above a whisper, mostly drowned out by the clang of plastic shoulder pads hitting the floor, the running water from a nearby shower, or the splash of a thick game-plan packet, warning about Mahomes’s hard counts, hitting the edge of the trash bin. Defensive end J.J. Watt sat at his locker and stared into the distance. His hands were clasped together and his elbows rested on his thigh pads. Based on the angle, he could have been looking at Whitney Mercilus, Morris Claiborne or Bradley Roby, though it could have been a target a thousand miles from Kanas City.

“The beginning of the game was exactly how you would write it up if you could possibly write it up in a script” Watt said. “You go up 24-0 in a tough environment on the road, the special teams are making great plays… then it all falls apart.”

It’s difficult to pinpoint when the Texans began to crash down to earth. On a fourth-and-one at the Kansas City 21-yard line with 10:58 to go in the second quarter, it appeared O’Brien was poised to go for it, knocking the Chiefs out for good. Disorganization on the sideline, stemming from an uncertainty on whether or not to challenge the spot of the ball, combined with O’Brien not liking any of the play calls he had for the fourth down situation, forced him to pull back and kick a field goal.

The Chiefs scored two plays later to cut the lead to 17.

On a fourth-and-four from Houston’s own 31-yard line, the team ran a fake punt to safety Justin Reid. One player said that this was a sight adjustment call that kicks in when the punt team gets a certain look. Reid sprinted toward the first down marker on the Texans’ sideline but was wrapped at the legs by Kansas City safety Daniel Sorensen.

The Chiefs scored four plays later and cut the lead to 10.

And so it went, five more drives in a row that ended in touchdowns, turning a Texans blowout into a Chiefs win so convincing that the early traffic crowd began safely firing up their cars early in the fourth quarter. After big runs, Mahomes would sprint toward the crowd behind the south end zone and spread his arms like a conductor after the encore. They acted as though the initial deficit was just some enjoyable handicap affixed to them just so the game more competitive.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid laughed about it afterward. What was he thinking when his team was down 24?

“That we need to score some points.”

Was there a moment when he thought it was going to be O.K.?

“I think we’re always O.K.,” he said. “We just keep firing and we’re going to be alright.”

Maybe this is what a breakdown feels like—the notion that, after it starts there is nothing you can do to stop it. One minute, you’re holstering your play sheet after dialing up a first-quarter kill shot that could send your team to the Super Bowl. The next, you’re just a man all alone on the sidelines amid the fireworks wondering where it all went wrong. 

Question or comment? Email us at talkback@themmqb.com.

Texans QB Deshaun Watson was unequivocal in his support of coach Bill O’Brien after Houston surrendered a 24-0 lead in a loss to the Chiefs: “I love that man. I’m going to play hard for that man. … as long as I’m at quarterback, he’s cool with me.”

Jimmy Johnson learned of his Pro Football Hall of Fame election live on-air during halftime of Sunday’s matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers.

Former Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins coach Jimmy Johnson was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020 on Sunday evening. 

Johnson learned of the news live on-air during halftime of Sunday’s matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers. Pro Football Hall of Fame president David Baker surprised Johnson on-set with the honor. 

As he was presented with the news, Johnson became emotional and was congratulated by his NFL on FOX colleagues. He then was choked up as he expressed his gratitude. 

“The only thing I can think of is all the assistant coaches that worked for me, all the great players that have played for me—they are the reason that I’m here,” Johnson said.

In his five seasons as head coach in Dallas, Johnson led the Cowboys to two consecutive Super Bowl victories in 1992 and 1993. Johnson then went to the postseason three times as coach of the Miami Dolphins from 1996-99. 

Prior to the NFL, Johnson spent ten seasons as coach of Oklahoma State and Miami. He led the Hurricanes to an undefeated season and national title in 1987.

“This is so special to me, because when you put in the work that we put in, it’s nice to know people appreciate it,” Johnson said.

Johnson joins Bill Cowher as part of the NFL’s Centennial Slate for the Class of 2020 in acknowledgment of the league’s 100th season. Cowher was announced as the first member of the Centennial Slate when he found out live-on air Saturday. 

The rest of the 15-person Centennial Slate for the Class of 2020 will be revealed on Wednesday, Jan. 15 on “Good Morning Football.”

Jimmy Johnson, who coached the Cowboys to two Super Bowl championships in the 1990s, has been elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, joining fellow coach Bill Cowher.

Check out the latest rumors and notes from around MLB.

The St. Louis Cardinals have engaged in “preliminary” trade talks with the Colorado Rockies for third baseman Nolan Arenado, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi.

St. Louis has emerged as a “viable suitor” for Arenado as the Cardinals are reportedly looking to add another star position player before Spring Training begins in February.

Arenado is entering the second season of his eight-year, $260 million extension with the Rockies. The five-time All-Star and seven-time National League Gold Glove Award winner has a full no-trade clause included in his contract.

As Spring Training draws near, here are the latest rumors around MLB.

• Lefthander Alex Wood has agreed to a one-year, $4 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Incentives can amount to $6 million. (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)
• The Texas Rangers and third baseman Todd Frazier have agreed to a one-year contract with a club option for 2021. (Evan Grant, Dallas Morning News)
• The Cardinals may be more likely to sign outfielder Nicholas Castellanos than to re-sign Marcell Ozuna since Castellanos is not tied to draft-pick compensation. (Ken Rosenthal, MLB Network)

The Chiefs beat the Texans 51-31 on Sunday, becoming the first team in postseason history to win by 20 points after trailing by at least 20.