RED HOT GRIDIRON 2023 Week 17

[spiderfan]

Happy New Year SCtoC! Your official NFL Analyst, Spiderfan, here coming to you with the first Red Hot Gridiron of 2024. We have a whole bunch to tackle, so without further ado, let us begin!

The Russell Wilson Situation

Of all the opinions I have expressed in this column during the 2023 NFL season, the one that I take the most vindication in is the Denver Broncos not making the playoffs. Unlike people in the national sports media complex who actively root for their buddy Sean Payton in his coaching escapades and who took great joy in the Broncos' winning streak, I remained steadfast in my condition that because of Broncos QB Russell Wilson being washed up, the Broncos would not make the playoffs. Turns out, I was right. 

But my gloating does not deserve a whole segment in itself. I could put that in Other Thoughts easy enough. The reason the Broncos get a segment is because Broncos HC Sean Payton lied. What did he lie about specifically? Well, after their loss to the Patriots, with the Broncos still in remote playoff contention, he made the decision to bench Russell Wilson in favor of Jarrett Stidham to give the offense a spark. As it would turn out, the reason Wilson was benched was not because of football reasons (if Payton was going to do that, he should have done it when the Broncos were 1-5), but because of business reasons. Because Wilson was given a morbidly obese contract after he was traded to the Broncos, he has a large injury guarantee (not to mention non-injury guaranteed money) that would result in over 30 million dollars being given to him in 2025 if he couldn't pass a physical in early March. 

It would also be revealed by Wilson and the NFL Players Association that, the Broncos tried to bench Wilson earlier in the year, the scenario being that unless he reworked his morbidly obese contract he would be benched. Now, the Broncos are faced with a situation where they have a washed up QB who has a morbidly obese contract who has now called them out and has no reason work with them when it comes to a contract renegotiation because the overpaid and overrated head coach decided to lie in front of the entire football world. 

As someone who was brought much joy by Russell Wilson at one point in time, it saddens me to see his career get to this point. Him being a shadow of his former self was bad enough. Now, he is at the center of an even uglier divorce from the Broncos than he was with the Seahawks. When he inevitably becomes a free agent I'm curious to see where his next stop is. 

Never Go For The Win 

Here is a chunk of a segment I wrote all the back in 2021 on the topic of going for the win:

I know that this will be probably be an unpopular opinion and that is fine. I personally think that you should never go for the win. To be specific, I am irritated when coaches at the NFL and college level decide after scoring a late touchdown to go for a two point conversion instead of kicking the extra point to send the game into overtime. I understand that when the decision is made there are usually outstanding circumstances such as a team sucks and is facing a much better team or a kicker sucks and there is arguably a better chance of a two point conversion than an extra point.

Detroit Lions HC Dan Campbell in his usual aggressive style decided to go for the win, not once, not twice, but 3 TIMES. Now, as has been discussed endlessly since the play happened, the first time the Lions went for the win should have won them the game. The referees as they have done in the past cost the Lions the game. However, as I just said, the Lions would not have put themselves in position to have the referees cost them the game, if they had kicked the extra point and taken the game into overtime. 

The Lions loss ended up costing them a chance at the #1 seed and because they didn't get the #1 seed, the 49ers got it instead. Whether the 49ers take the #1 seed and run with it has yet to be seen. What we do know is that the Lions are now likely to be the #3 seed and are likely to play the Los Angeles Rams led by their former quarterback Matthew Stafford. Just writing that sentence made me feel the Bobby Layne Curse energy. 

Reducto Appears on New Year's Eve

Speaking of Matthew Stafford his Rams played the New York Football Tinys on New Year's Eve. Coming into the game, the Tinys felt a new found sense of optimism with Tyrod Taylor once again taking the starting QB role after DeVito Mania fizzled out after only a little bit longer than Passtronaut Mania did. After all Taylor nearly led the Eagles all the way back against the Eagles last week. The Rams are hot right now, but a potential for a slip up was there right? 

As it turned out, the potential was turning into reality. The Tinys managed to hang in against the Rams throughout the game, when late in the 4th quarter, they scored a defensive TD, which was followed up by the Tinys going for the win and failing. See previous segment for my thoughts on that. Yet despite their failure on the two point conversion, the Tinys forced a Rams three and out needing only a FG to win the game. Tryod Taylor had a big run setting up said aforementioned FG. And that was when Reducto decided to make one last appearance in 2023.



Giants K Mason Crosby missed that field goal. The Rams clinched a playoff spot. 

Playoff Scenarios Simplified 

Here are the notable playoff clinching scenarios explained with the help of ESPN:

If the Texans win against the Colts, they win the AFC South, and are in the playoffs. If they lose to the Colts they are out.

If the Colts win against the Texans, they clinch a playoff spot, and if the Jaguars lose to the Titans, the Colts win the AFC South. If the Colts lose they are out. 

If the Jaguars win against the Titans, they win the AFC South. If they lose they are out. 

If the Buccaneers win against the Panthers, they win the NFC South. If they lose they are out.

If the Falcons win against the Saints and the Buccaneers lose to the Panthers, they win the NFC South. If they lose they are out and if the Buccaneers win against the Panthers they are out.

If the Saints win against the Falcons and the Buccaneers lose to the Panthers, they win the NFC South. If they lose they are out and if the Buccaneers win, and the Saints win against the Falcons, the Saints will need the Seahawks to lose to make the playoffs.

If the Packers win against the Bears they are in. If they lose they are out.

If the Seahawks win against the Cardinals, they will need the Bears to beat the Packers to be in. If the Seahawks lose or the Packers win, they are out.

If the Vikings win against the Lions, they will need the Packers to lose, the Seahawks to lose, and the Buccaneers or Saints to lose to be in. If they lose, or the Packers, Seahawks, Buccaneers, or Saints win, they are out. 

Other Thoughts:

-Joe Flacco's renaissance has lasted longer than DeVito Mania and Passtronaunt Mania. This is no flash in the plan. The Flacco led Browns are for real.

-Browns HC Kevin Stefanski deserves to be Coach of the Year

-Whether or not the Texans win a playoff game or even make the playoffs, their future is bright. 

-The Bears should build around Justin Fields. With the capital they can get for the #1 pick this year and the capital they got for last year's #1 pick, they have real potential to build the next great team in the NFC.

-I said a little while ago that if the Ravens beat the 49ers and Dolphins, that Lamar Jackson should get the MVP. Well, the Ravens crushed the 49ers and the Dolphins, so I think is fair to say Lamar Jackson is going to be the MVP.

-The Buccaneers blew a major opportunity against the Saints. Next week's game against the Panthers is not only the biggest game of the season, but I would argue it is the biggest game of Baker Mayfield's career. He leads them to a win? He remains the starter of the Buccaneers. If not? He probably becomes a backup for the remainder of his career. 

-The Bills tried their best to lose, but they were playing the Patriots, so the odds of them actually losing were low.

-You would think betting on a team like the Eagles against the Cardinals would be sure a thing. Sunday was yet another reminder that there are no sure things in the NFL. That is worth celebrating... unless you bet on the heavy favorite.

-Golly, the Panthers are bad.

-If not for Kevin Stefanski's making the playoffs with 4 different quarterbacks, Colts HC Shane Steichen deserved Coach of the Year. The fact that the Colts are on the verge of making the playoffs with Gardner Minshew at quarterback continues to impress me week in and week out. 

-There is football left to play and a big trade can certainly happen, but right now it seems like Caleb Williams to the Commanders is where things are headed.

-The Steelers beating the Seahawks is the least surprising outcome of the week in my opinion.

-Despite their sub-XFL level receiving corps, the Chiefs have managed to make the playoffs. Another Super Bowl run seems even more unlikely than it did earlier in the season. 

-Call it a hot take, but I don't think the Vikings should have ever benched Josh Dobbs. Even at his worst, he was no worse than either Jaren Hall or Nick Mullens.


And with all of that said that all is for this week's Red Hot Gridiron. As always I hope ya enjoyed, certainly more than last week's, and I hope to see ya again next week. Remember, football is the greatest game in the world. This is spiderfan out.