I don't know how Mike McCarthy survives Sunday. You can't be unbeaten at home, where you steamrolled teams all season, and find yourself down 27-0 late in the first half. Just an absolutely disgusting display of football, offensively and defensively (hey Seattle, you sure you want Dan Quinn? Really?).
Jerry Jones should call Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel ASAP and decide who fits best. This will require egos to be subjugated, but this McCarthy thing isn't working when it matters most. That is unless Jerry puts the blame elsewhere and admits that his franchise QB isn't that; he's more of a regular season than a postseason hero. That would require an even greater swallowing of pride and ego, so I deem it unlikely, but Dak Prescott was a mess Sunday. A bunch of bad decisions. Even Mac Jones could be heard saying, "Hey, why would you do that?"
Vrabel has a good relationship with Stephen Jones. They've been two of the eight acting members of the NFL's competition committee.
Then there's Belichick. Here's his quote from his September 27th press conference as the Pats got ready to visit Dallas (hello, 38-3).
"I have a ton of respect for Jerry and Stephen (Jones) and the way they run the organization down there. They've had decades of success. They were really the team of the 90s with Jimmy (Johnson), and they've been good. They've been competitive every year, obviously more than competitive. They've had a lot of great players down there. Tony (Romo) had a great run. Those are great years there with Tony, Coach (Bill) Parcells.
"We played them here in the early 2000s, but I always keep an eye on them, just the way they do things. They've gotten a lot of players that they've gotten a lot of production from that I'd say aren't big-name players – free agents, guys that they dig out down there. I think their scouting staff does a good job. They're very experienced. Almost all of their scouts have been with the Cowboys their entire career, so they home-grow them, and they learn their system. I think they manage their personnel really well. Stephen kind of runs that with their personnel department, but, I mean, very consistent organization. They show up every week, every year pretty good. So, I have a ton of respect for them. Definitely watch what they do and how they do it and try to learn from it."
Holy tongue bath, and, as we (and many others) have suggested, is a situation that bears watching in the coming days.
TUA-ROUBLE
Another year, another disappointing end for the Miami Dolphins. They got worked in Kansas City Saturday night, flat-lining in the cold. We saw it coming. The Fins weren't good against good teams this season, losing six of seven to teams with winning records. Now comes the inevitable: change.
"Unfortunately, every locker room is going to be different every year, salary cap and guys wanting to get paid and going other places,' said Tyreek Hill. "I feel in my heart that if this team were to come back together, this is the right group of people to win. We have everything that it takes. You can see that the defense came along, and as an offense, we have to be able to put drives together and help those guys out. We just can't be a bunch of front-runners. Next year, I feel like we'll learn from it."
The record-setting offense faded mightily down the stretch, and in their season-ending three-game losing streak, Tua Tagovailoa didn't come close to equaling his high level of play prior. His passer rating in the first 15 games was 105.4. The last three? 66.5. He also threw more interceptions than touchdowns and saw his pass yards per attempt plummet (8.5 to 5.9). Now, he enters an offseason where a significant contract extension could be on the table.
"I don't feel any pressure at all,' said Tagovailoa. "I have full trust in myself. I have full trust in what I'm capable of doing for our organization, but outside of that, we're focusing on tonight and what happened. We're going to simmer on this and see what we can do to get better from it for next year."
As for the Chiefs, betting against Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid in the playoffs seems foolish, doesn't it? That duo is now 10-2 at home in the postseason, and the only two losses were in AFC Championship games (2018, 2021).
The quarterback was unfazed by the chilly temperatures, spinning it well from the start and, at least for one night, making us forget the offensive struggles that have plagued KC for the better part of the year.
"Pat had a nice day right from the get-go," said Reid. "I don't think they anticipated us throwing the ball quite as much as we did — but we were able to come out and sling it. A lot of quarterbacks can't do what he did in that kind of weather."
"It wasn't like we were going to just run the football," said Mahomes. "We ran the football well — but at the same time, you've got to throw the football in order to have success in this league. I take that as a challenge: to be able to go out there and throw whenever teams are playing that aggressive coverage."
Very few QBs can sling it with that precision and velocity in such poor conditions. The Patriots had one of those guys for the better part of two decades. It should be a reminder that more arm talent is required of the next signal caller in Foxborough. In fact, it should be near the top of the list.
SEE YOUR FUTURE. BE YOUR FUTURE
Count me as someone who believes the Patriots are a ways away from being a real contender. But the Houston Texans should give you a roadmap for the possibilities of a speedier turnaround.
It's the quarterback, silly.
C.J. Stroud didn't just take the Texans from worst to first, but he has them in the elite 8 in this, his rookie year. Yes, he has a good line in front of him, but the same receivers that Davis Mills couldn't elevate, Stroud and new offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik have.
Stroud threw for 274 yards, 3 TDs, and 0 INTs in his first career playoff game, becoming just the fourth rookie QB in NFL history to have 250+ pass yards and 3+ pass TDs in a playoff game, joining HOF Sammy Baugh, Prescott and Brock Purdy.
"I wish you guys could be in the huddle and around him," said tight end Brevin Jordan. "The dude is unbelievable, how he moves, how he talks, everything, you can tell from training camp that he was a captain and a QB1, since like day two. You could tell how he moved, like how he walks around the locker room and talks to guys. When you have a humble, confident guy who loves to work, the sky's the limit."
So if you're the Pats and decide Caleb Williams or Drake Maye is the truth, you do what it takes to get him.
Meanwhile, Joe Flacco and the Browns saw their magic end in Houston. I assume Flacco won't be back there next year, with DeShaun Watson expected to return from shoulder surgery. That Flacco threw as many TDs as Watson did in fewer games should alarm Cleveland fans, especially considering how they bankrolled the Texans' resurgence in that trade. Also, shame on Jim Schwartz's defense. They could have done more to disrupt Stroud's rhythm, and that simplicity - and perhaps arrogance - proved costly.
FINALLY
This is two-fold.
One, it took until Sunday night to finally get a competitive game on Super Wild Card weekend (not all that super so far). Two, the Lions won a playoff game. There was a shot of a grown man crying in the stands. My guess is he had been overserved, but after 31 seasons without a postseason victory, I get the outpouring of emotion.
Matthew Stafford and Jared Goff became the first pair of starting QBs to start in the same game against a team they previously played for. Each QB had 275+ pass yards, 1+ pass TD, and 0 INT in the game, and Goff's 121.8 passer rating was his highest in a playoff start.
"I'm telling you what, it doesn't get any better," said Dan Campbell. "It's everything you dream of and more."
This is year three of the Campbell era, and once people got over his "biting kneecaps" speech, it's hard to find fault with the job he's done there. He is a leader of men who can speak confidence into existence. Campbell stuck with embattled DC Aaron Glenn and hired OC Ben Johnson. He handles the big picture while letting them do their jobs. Hopefully, Jerod Mayo has been taking notes from afar.