Dolphins lack faith in Ryan Tannehill, NFL power rankings and Mike Tomlin costs Steelers
The Miami Dolphins are one of three Florida teams in need of a new quarterback, and they displayed why on Sunday, showing no faith in Ryan Tannehill.
Tied 24-24 with 3:34 remaining in regulation, the Dolphins faced third and 10 at their own 6-yard line. Head coach Adam Gase dialed up the play he believed in most with the season, and perhaps his job, on the line.
The Dolphins ran Kenyan Drake on a four-yard draw.
In the micro, it’s a questionable call that spoke volumes about his own team. In the macro, it was Gase telling the front office, ownership and every Dolphins fan that he doesn’t believe in Ryan Tannehill.
Predictably, the Colts took the ball and marched down the field, largely on the back of Andrew Luck. On 3rd and 9 following the two-minute warning, Luck escaped pressure and found Chester Rogers for 34 yards, setting up a game-winning field goal courtesy of Adam Vinatieri.
Miami, at 5-6, is all but home for the winter. Again.
All of this leads to the unavoidable conclusion: Tannehill must go. The Dolphins can escape his pact by saving $13.1 million and eating another $13.4 million in 2019, something they must be willing to do if success in the near future means anything.
If there’s any good news for the Dolphins, they aren’t alone in this predicament. In fact, they share it with their Florida neighbors to the north.
The Jaguars lost their seventh straight contest on Sunday, falling to the offensively-challenged Buffalo Bills. Blake Bortles, who wasn’t trusted to throw last week in a blown 16-0 lead against Pittsburgh, showed why in Buffalo, tossed two interceptions while notching 127 yards on 23 attempts.
Jacksonville owes Bortles $21 million, and would eat $16.5 million by releasing him come March. Incredibly, that feels like a bargain for Tom Coughin and Co.
Meanwhile, the Buccaneers finally won a game, but that doesn’t change the larger truth that they too need a new signal-caller. Tampa Bay has invested four years in Jameis Winston, and the result has been poor decision off and on the field. With Dirk Koetter certainly gone come season’s end, the Buccaneers will be mining free agency and the draft for their first franchise quarterback since Doug Williams.
For all three Sunshine State teams, the question isn’t whether it is time for a new quarterback. It’s about the potential replacements.
The incoming quarterback class is almost universally believed to be weak, especially if Oregon junior Justin Herbert stays in school.
If that’s the case, all attention focuses on free agency. For once, there could be ample, young talent on the market.
Teddy Bridgewater and Tyrod Taylor are both slated to be unrestricted free agents, and reasonably could be joined by Andy Dalton, Derek Carr, Eli Manning, Winston and Tannehill.
While Winston has been infuriating for the Buccaneers with a lack of development and situational understanding, coaches will convince themselves he needs a change of scenery. In essence, another coaching staff will believe it can fix his shortcomings and accentuate his positives.
The same can be said for Carr, who genuinely looks shellshocked in Oakland. If released, the Dolphins, Jaguars, Buccaneers and approximately a half-dozen other teams will be in on the 27-year-old, who was an MVP candidate only two seasons ago.
For now, though, the trio if finished until further notice. The Jaguars and Buccaneers have known that sad fact for quite some time.
The Dolphins found it out on Sunday, surrendering to their fears on a draw play while Tannehill helplessly, uselessly, looked on.
Power rankings
Top 10 throwback uniform sets
1. Los Angeles Chargers (’60s)
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (’70s)
3. New England Patriots (’80s)
4. Denver Broncos (’80s)
5. Buffalo Bills (’60s)
6. Philadelphia Eagles (early ’90s)
7. Miami Dolphins (’70s)
8. New York Giants (’80s)
9. Cincinnati Bengals (’70s)
10. Atlanta Falcons (’70s)
Quotable
"“Didn’t feel like talking to him. He was here trying to tell us to play for him. Then he goes to a team we play twice a year. That’s how I feel. We have people we believe in calling the plays now.”"
– Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield on not hugging Hue Jackson after the game
Mayfield unloaded on Jackson after a 35-20 Browns win over the Bengals, but was he right? Partly.
Jackson was fired. He didn’t quit. He has a right to go wherever he wants, and after two stints under Marvin Lewis in Cincinnati, the comfort level was there for a third. That said, he chose join a division rival. If Mayfield doesn’t want to be chummy after the game, that’s certainly understandable. Jackson isn’t wrong for trying to hug it out, but he also has to expect that type of cold response.
Additionally, the Bengals must understand Jackson can’t be their head coach in waiting after he was handed an interception ball by Damarious Randall. Jackson was punked in front of his entire bench and he took it, patting Randall on the helmet. The lack of respect was both shocking and telling.
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Random stat
From 2014-17, Eric Ebron caught 20 touchdown passes with the Lions. This season, Ebron has 11 touchdown receptions with Andrew Luck and the Colts.
Info learned this week
1. Tomlin is main reason for Steelers sloppy defeat
Mike Tomlin has been coaching the Steelers since 2007. He should know better.
Pittsburgh lost 24-17 to the Broncos at Mile High, largely because Tomlin failed to manage the game in every aspect. Despite the game being within one score the entire way, Pittsburgh called 14 designed runs and 59 passes, a brutal imbalance even in today’s NFL.
The result was a loss that takes away any hope of gaining home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs.
Give credit to Denver for creating four turnovers and scoring 14 points off them, but Tomlin’s management of the game is the main headline. The Steelers needed a Chris Boswell touchdown pass to end the first half after failing to run the ball with three snaps from inside the Denver 7-yard line, and then they blew a pair of timeouts in the third quarter.
With James Conner in the backfield and a Denver defense that came into the game allowing 4.7 yards per attempt (ranked 24th), Tomlin eschewed that portion of the gameplan.
For a coach with more than a decade of experience, it’s an mind-numbing sin.
2. Seahawks deal Panthers brutal loss in final seconds
Seattle is closing in on the playoff picture. Carolina has been bounced from it.
The Seahawks took out the Panthers, 30-27, on a game-winning 31-yard field goal from the ageless Sebastian Janikowski. With the win, Seattle moved to 6-5 and into a tie for the NFC’s sixth and final seed alongside the Washington Redskins, who are struggling to keep up following the Alex Smith injury.
Carolina is also at 6-5 and in the mix, but it has now lost three consecutive games including crushing defeats to the Steelers and Lions. Complicating matters is a remaining schedule that has two contests with the Saints, and a lost tiebreaker to Seattle. The Panthers still have an avenue to the postseason, but it went from a surefire trip to a full-blown race.
3. Ravens, Jackson continue towards playoff berth
Joe Flacco hurt. John Harbaugh rumors. No problem in Baltimore.
For the second straight week, Lamar Jackson and the Ravens handled their opponent, this time the Oakland Raiders, moving to 6-5 and sitting in the sixth playoff seed.
Jackson has been inconsistent as a passer, throwing a pair of interceptions while dropping the occasional dime. Baltimore definitely needs improvement from the pocket, but for now, a win gives the Ravens another notch toward the postseason.
If there’s a worry, it’s in the details. Oakland has a horrific defense and yet allowed only 20 points, with the Ravens scoring touchdowns on defense and special teams. The Ravens must be more potent offensively to deal with the better teams remaining on their schedule, including the Falcons, Chiefs and Chargers.
4. Vikings finish off Packers with impressive win
The Vikings saved their season on Sunday night, all while dooming the Packers to a meaningless final five games.
Minnesota handed Green Bay a 24-17 loss at Bank of America Stadium, with Kirk Cousins outgunning Aaron Rodgers, throwing for 342 yards and three touchdowns in his first primetime victory of the campaign.
For the Vikings, they improve to 6-4-1 on the year, putting themselves firmly in the playoff picture. As for the Packers, they fall to 4-6-1 with more questions than answers. Green Bay now has to figure out what to do with head coach Mike McCarthy, who is in his 13th year at the helm.
5. Texans, Titans square off in key AFC battle
Houston is aiming for its eight consecutive win come Monday night, hosting Tennessee in an AFC South battle rife with playoff implications.
The Texans are 7-3 and fighting for both a division title and a first-round bye in the playoffs, while the Titans sit 5-5 and on the edge of a postseason slot. If the Texans are going to challenge the Steelers, Patriots and Chiefs in the standings, this is a must-win tilt.
Houston has been playing well over the past two months, with Deshaun Watson and a punishing defensive front leading the way. If Tennessee is going to pull the upset on the road, the rushing game will have to be in peak form with Marcus Mariota threatening the edge and Derrick Henry pounding away inside.
History lesson
The Cowboys and 49ers have had more meetings than any other two teams in the conference championship round, battling five times.
In 1970, the teams played the last game ever at Kezar Stadium, with Dallas winning 17-10. The following year brought a rematch at Texas Stadium, this time a Cowboys 14-3 victory.
The duo locked up for three consecutive meetings from 1992-94, with Dallas winning the first two editions before the 49ers finally moved on to the Super Bowl in 1994, going on to beat the San Diego Chargers in Miami.
Parting shot
It’s true that the Chicago Bears are a good, ascending team. It’s also true that the Bears aren’t threatening for a Super Bowl appearance. Yet.
On Thanksgiving, Chicago beat the Lions to improve to 8-3, giving it a firm hold on the NFC North. For the first time since 2010, the Bears appeared poised to host a playoff game and perhaps win one. However, the dream likely dies there.
There’s no reason to be disappointed in that reality if you’re a Bears fan. The team wasn’t expected to be a division winner this winter, even with the excitement surrounding Matt Nagy, Khalil Mack and the rebuilt offense. The hope was for improvement and then a jump in 2019, something that came a year early.
Still, the Saints and Rams are clearly the class of the NFC. Beating either of those teams on the road come January is a borderline impossible task for Mitchell Trubisky and Co. New Orleans and Los Angeles are a combined 20-2, with the Rams only losing to the Saints, and the Saints only losing in Week 1 against the Buccaneers.
It’s apparent that Chicago is a player going forward, and the third-best NFC team right now. The Bears could win a wild card game and put a scare into New Orleans or Los Angeles, but that’s the limit in what is clearly a two-horse race.