The Daily Briefing Monday, January 17, 2022

Here is the Divisional Playoff schedule, FOX gets Saturday primetime, there is no early game either day and NBC doesn’t get either night game.

The NFL announced Sunday the schedule of sites, dates, and times for the Divisional Round of the playoffs on Jan. 22-23.

Saturday, Jan. 22

AFC: 4:30 p.m. (ET) Cincinnati Bengals at Tennessee Titans (CBS, Paramount+)

NFC: 8:15 p.m. (ET) San Francisco 49ers at Green Bay Packers (FOX)

Sunday, Jan. 23

NFC: 3 p.m. (ET) Arizona or LA Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NBC, Peacock)

AFC: 6:30 p.m. (ET) Buffalo Bills at Kansas City Chiefs (CBS, Paramount+)

Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reminds us why the 49ers’ NFC win at Dallas was not on FOX:

The reason CBS has Cowboys-49ers is because they bought the 4:30 window Wild Card Weekend Sunday slot for around $70M when the NFL added playoff games.

NFL generally goes with best matchup in most highly rated slot of Sunday afternoon.

This note:

@NFLResearch

Next Sunday’s AFC Divisional showdown between Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes will be the first playoff game in NFL history between QBs who each threw 5+ TD in their previous playoff game

NFC EAST

DALLAS

You would have thought Coach Mike McCarthy was safe, but maybe not if Jason LaCanfora, writing prior to Sunday’s loss, can be believed.  The problem is the success of the team is being laid to his coordinators, while any failures can be dumped on McCarthy:

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones may consider a coaching change should the team fall short of expectations this season, league sources said, with both of his top assistants to head coach Mike McCarthy drawing serious head coaching interest from other teams. Several sources who know Jones well indicated that a loss in the wild card round would prompt Jones to at least consider the direction of the team as coordinators Dan Quinn and Kellen Moore prepare for numerous head coaching interviews.

Jones has long been a huge proponent of Moore’s and believed early on in the young coach’s ability to mold an offense, work with quarterbacks and call plays. Dak Prescott has done his best work with Moore in charge and Jones is very comfortable with the coordinator’s demeanor and progress, viewing him internally as a future head coach as well. Losing Moore would be viewed by the Jones family as a significant departure, and although McCarthy has won a Lombardi Trophy, he took the job knowing Jones wanted to keep Moore as coordinator. McCarthy’s two-year tenure has also been filled with plenty of ups and downs.

“If this season doesn’t end the way Jerry thinks it should, don’t be surprised if Kellen Moore is their next head coach much sooner than later,” said one source who knows Jones well. “He does not want to lose him.”

Another source close to the owner added: “It’s not like there isn’t precedent for something like this. Remember what they did to keep Jason Garrett. It wouldn’t be out of character at all.”

Jones made Garrett the highest-paid assistant in football to help keep him from taking the Ravens head coaching job, and promoted him to head coach thereafter. Like Garrett, Moore is also a former Cowboys quarterback who was viewed as a fast riser in NFL circles. Jones invested massively in Prescott and wants to see him produce like a $40M quarterback and views Moore as essential in that process. Moore, 33, has already interviewed for the Jaguars head coaching vacancy, and the Broncos, Dolphins and Vikings will speak with him as well.

Quinn has former head coaching experience in Atlanta, taking the Falcons to the Super Bowl before reemerging in Dallas after his firing by the Falcons. He quickly turned around a Cowboys defense that has been awful for years and, in the process, became one of the most coveted candidates of this hiring cycle. The Jaguars wanted to interview Quinn — that interview has yet to take place — and the Broncos, Dolphins, Vikings and Bears also have requested to interview with him.

Losing either candidate would be a blow and losing both, or even fearing losing both, could be devastating and might be the impetus for Jones to react to keep one. Sources said ownership has not intimated in any way to anyone in the organization that they might be tapping an assistant for promotion, but there are plenty of people involved in this ongoing 2022 hiring cycle who are anticipating it if the Cowboys fall at home to the 49ers on Sunday.

But afterwards, Jerry Jones seems to say a change is not happening. Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com:

For the 10th time since 1995, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones’ team exits the postseason without even a return trip to the NFC Championship Game. Jones was asked immediately after the 23-17 home loss to the 49ers when he was as disappointed about a loss as he seemed Sunday.

“I can’t remember,” Jones said.

Jones thought he had the team to contend this season.

“We had about as good a putting-it-together and good fortune with some of the decisions we’ve made,” Jones said. “We had it come together about as good as you could do it, and we had it come together with about as healthy as you can be.”

Jones leaves yet another season disappointed, and at 79, it’s fair to ask how much patience Jones has left.

Coach Mike McCarthy, in his second season, has come under fire by media and fans for some of his in-game decision-making, his clock management and his team’s situational preparedness. With offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn doing interviews for head coaching jobs, Jones was asked about a potential coaching change with McCarthy.

“I don’t even want to discuss anything like that at this particular time. No discussion about anything,” Jones said.

He was more direct on a follow up about McCarthy having his team “unprepared.”

“I’m not going to discuss coaching, preparation, any of those things. That is not on the table,” Jones said of a coaching change.

For his part, McCarthy said he is unconcerned about his future in Dallas.

“I don’t have any concerns,” McCarthy said. “I’m proud to be standing here today. I’m proud of my football team.”

The question after Sunday is: What did Moore do to deserve the job more than McCarthy?

Dan Graziano of ESPN.com hears the chatter:

The only one of the five playoff home teams that has lost so far, Dallas enters the offseason as one of January’s biggest disappointments. You could argue the Cowboys were overseeded and shouldn’t have beaten the 49ers, since they were 6-0 against NFC East teams and 6-6 against everyone else.

But they lost a home playoff game by six points when they committed 14 penalties and called a quarterback draw up the middle from the 24-yard line with 14 seconds left and no timeout. Discipline is a reflection of coaching, and in the regular season the Cowboys led the NFL with 153 penalties and finished second with 1,103 penalty yards (1 yard behind the league-leading Raiders).

The final playcall is on offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, but the number of mistakes the Cowboys made in a game they came 7 yards away from winning is inexcusable, and it’s absolutely fair for Cowboys ownership to question whether the right people are in charge.

The verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION. The most likely outcome here is that team owner Jerry Jones sticks with McCarthy, who is 18-15 in two seasons as coach. Jones — who said he was “extraordinarily disappointed” by the loss — has stood strongly behind him through so many mistakes over the past two years, it’s clear that Jones is either determined to be right about him or really believes he’s the right coach for the team.

But there has been some chatter around the league in recent days, with Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn in high demand for head-coaching interviews with other teams, that a first-round exit could lead Dallas to move on from McCarthy and elevate Quinn to head coach rather than lose him to the Broncos or someone else. Again, not saying this will happen, and I believe it’s more likely they stay the course. But it’s not inconceivable, and you could make a case that it’s justified.

Mitchell Schwartz makes this point:

@MitchSchwartz71

How can everyone love Kellen Moore and talk about his as a potential HC candidate, and then blame McCarthy for every bad offensive play call. Either it’s McCarthy’s offense, or it’s Moore’s. Can’t pick and choose based on results.

– – –

So what happened on that final play?  QB DAK PRESCOTT feels there was time on the clock when his spike hit the ground. Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com:

Referee Alex Kemp said in a pool report that umpire Ramon George did everything correctly in spotting the ball. Quarterback Dak Prescott said he and the Cowboys did everything correctly to have time to spike the ball before the clock ran out.

“I thought I did (spike the ball in time),” Prescott said. “I didn’t hear what the ref said, what their announcement was. I just saw them running off the field and the Niners running on the field and celebrating, so understood what had happened.”

– – –

“We were going to get some yards and get down and clock it,” Prescott said. “It’s something we’ve practiced over and over again. Ran. Went and got some yards. Went down. As I was getting behind (center) Tyler (Biadasz), saw four seconds left. I thought there was obviously time to make sure everybody was set, and then honestly, just got hit from behind (by the umpire). Still, when I got up (under center), I saw two seconds. I thought I could get the snap and get it down before time expired. I’m not sure what happened other than that.”

Former NFL executive Scott Pioli criticized Prescott on Twitter for not handing the ball to the umpire to spot. “This is why coaches teach situational football!!” Pioli wrote. “The ball carrier CANNOT set the ball after the play! It’s why you teach players to HAND ball to official in hurry up. Everyone should know that rule and every team should be practicing it!!”

Prescott and the umpire bumped into each other as George tried to set the ball. Prescott said the Cowboys practice handing the ball to Biadasz.

“We’ve practiced it,” Prescott said. “You hand it to the center. The umpire, all he has to do is usually come in and tap the ball. Yeah, I mean, don’t necessarily know exactly why the hit happened, I guess. I knew he was going to come in and touch the ball. You can say, yeah, he needs to be closer to the ball or whatever. In hindsight, just tough. Yeah, tough to accept.”

Prescott spiked the ball, and, after a brief delay, Kemp announced the game was over.

“I’d like to get a play off, knowing everything that happened, thinking that I spiked the ball in time,” Prescott said. “That or not, yeah, I mean with the official getting in the way of the play as well. Tough. Tough. Just tough.”

Did CBS every re-play it in slow motion with a clock super-imposed? In any case, here is Peter King doing some fine detective work:

Fourteen seconds to play. Niners 23, Cowboys 17, in the revival of the best playoff rivalry of the last 30 years. Dallas ball at the San Francisco 41-yard line, second down, no timeouts left. Remember: 14 seconds left. “Dak has to get this ball out of bounds, or take a shot at the end zone,” Romo said on CBS.

Dak did not hear this. In time lapse:

:14 Shotgun snap to Dak Prescott.

:13 Prescott, executing a quarterback draw out of the shotgun, starts running.

:11 Prescott passes the line. It’s clear now he’s going to run to the point where he feels he can slide down and still have enough time to spike it and get off one last pass play.

:09 Prescott begins slide at the Niners’ 25.

NFC Wild Card Playoffs – San Francisco 49ers v Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. (Getty Images)

:07 Prescott begins to rise.

:05 Chaos. Prescott hands the ball to center Tyler Biadasz. But that’s a mistake. Prescott’s immediate reaction should have been to look for nearest official, because an official must touch the football before every snap.

:04 Umpire Ramon George, running in from behind the play to spot the ball, careens into the back of Prescott, trying to reach for the ball.

:03/:02 George finally gets his hands on the ball, moving it back from the Cowboys spot about a yard back to the San Francisco 24.

:01 The ball spotted, George moves away into the defense.

:00 Prescott has the ball in his hands, a millisecond before spiking it down.

No argument. It was close, but there was no replay that showed the ball out of Prescott’s hands with time left on the clock.

More chaos. No one can figure it out on the field.

“It’s gonna be over!” Romo yelled upstairs. “The ump has to touch the ball! … You can’t set your own ball! Dak Prescott should have looked and found the ref! You can’t give it to your center!”

“That’s the end of the game,” Kemp announced.

McCarthy said the Cowboys practiced this very play, down to the timing, in end-of-game or end-of-half practice situations. He blamed the collision of the ump and Prescott for the loss of enough time to prevent Dallas from having another play. Maybe, but you can’t leave the end of the game, and your season, down to one or two seconds.

Prescott said he should have gone down sooner. He’s absolutely right there.

McCarthy’s aim was to have a better shot than a Hail Mary on the last play of the game. Running five go routes from sideline to sideline would have given Dallas a better chance for Prescott to pick a receiver with some air around him near the goal line.

But with no timeouts left, a coach cannot count on the clock stopping with one second to go. There should be a clear line of communication with the quarterback when to get down. Prescott got a little greedy, and McCarthy and offensive coordinator Kellen Moore should have told him it was paramount to be down with 10 seconds left and then to hand the ball to an official, to be sure they’d have time for another play.

Or, failing that, Dallas had time for two throws deep downfield or into the end zone. No option was great here, but running so the quarterback is still getting off the ground with seven seconds left is not smart. Dallas fans were anguished, and owner Jerry Jones looked post-game like his dog just died.

After the game, an ample amount of debri was flung at the field.  Jane Slater of NFL.comheard it was being thrown at the Cowboys players, but the team prefers to think that the officials were the targets.  Nick Selbe of SI.com:

Afterward, fans and players alike were upset, with Cowboys fans throwing trash onto the field as players and officials headed for the locker room. Prescott was asked about this in his post-game presser, and he initially expressed disappointment that fans would throw trash at their own team’s players. When he was told they were throwing debris at the officials, he reportedly said, “Credit to them, then,” per ESPN’s Ed Werder.

 “The fans felt the same way as us. I guess that’s why the refs took off and got out of there so fast,” Prescott said, according to Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News. “I think everybody is upset with the way this thing played out.”

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com has thought a lot about it:

Pay no attention to the complaints for Cowboys coaches, players, and fans regarding the manner in which the officials handled the final play of Sunday’s 23-17 loss to the 49ers. The Cowboys have only themselves to blame.

They took a chance. They made a calculated risk, multiple of them. They thought it would work. It didn’t.

It was high drama. It was significant suspense. And it proved that, unlike the movies (where the stone door will never, ever crush the forearm of Indiana Jones before he can reach back for his hat), the peril present in sporting events is real.

The Cowboys made it harder to move the final snap of the game from a Hail Mary slim hope to five-verticals striking distance through a series of failures of coaching and/or execution.

First, the Cowboys knew or should have known that the umpire would be making a mad scramble to spot the ball after the play. During the timeout before the play, why not tell the officials that the next play would be a quarterback draw, and that the umpire needed to be ready to get on his horse?

It’s not uncommon for teams to give the officials a head’s up on matters of this nature, so that they are ready to deal with the situation. If umpire Ramon George had known that a run was coming with a slide to cap it, he would have avoided the split second of “oh shit,” which could have been the difference between the clock having one second and no seconds after the ensuing spike.

Second, Dak Prescott should have gotten down sooner. Instead of starting his slide at the 26 (more on that in a bit), he should have started it at the 30. This would have preserved some time and reduced the distance George had to travel to spot the ball.

There’s another less obvious benefit to being at the 30 and not the 24. With the final play starting at the 24, it became easier for the 49ers to defend the goal line and the end zone. At the 30, backing off too far would have given the Cowboys a chance to throw short of paydirt and try to run it in, either with a fast guy slicing through the defense (as Tyreek Hill once did in Dallas at the end of the first half) or with a hook and ladder-style play (as the Cowboys had done earlier in the drive).

The point is that the extra six yards from the 30 to the 24 wouldn’t have made it easier to score a touchdown. It actually could have made it harder, for reasons other than the fact that they couldn’t get the ball snapped and spiked with the prior play ending at the 24.

Third, Prescott never, ever, ever should have given the ball to the center. Based on his post-game comments, it’s clear that he was coached to do it this way, by head coach Mike McCarthy and/or offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

McCarthy said Sunday that they practice the play every week. Well, they weren’t practicing it enough. Or they weren’t practicing it properly. Prescott should have known to get the ball to the umpire. Indeed, to practice the play properly, the Cowboys should have had someone playing the role of the umpire, since what happens after the play ends is as important as (if not more important than) what happens during the play.

Fourth, Prescott and the other Cowboys needed to realize that the umpire needed to get to the ball. Prescott was in the way. Other Cowboys were in the way. If they had practiced the play with someone serving as the umpire, they would have known that George required a clear path to the ball, so that he could do his job before the next play began.

Fifth, the players should have understood that the touching of the ball by the umpire isn’t some bizarre technical requirement. The umpire spots the ball, not the offense. George, when he finally got to the ball, moved it back to a spot closer to where the slide began, at the 26. If he’d properly spotted it at the 26 (forcing the Dallas offense to move back even farther), the clock may have struck zero before the snap was even taken.

Sixth, Prescott could have (not should have, by any means) realized that he didn’t have time to get the snap and spike the ball. He could have (not should have) pivoted to another play. A fake spike. A normal drop back. A schoolyard, on the fly, chicken-salad effort to seize on the uncertainty of the moment and avoid having the clock get to triple zeroes between snap and spike.

The Cowboys were trying to thread a very thin needle on this one. Their entire season rode on it. That’s what made it even more critical that every “i” was dotted, every “t” was crossed. Every detail was planned and considered.

From snap, to run, to slide, to scramble to spot the ball, to lining up for another play, to the next snap the ball, and to the spike. Fourteen ticks. Every second counted. Every split-second counted. The Cowboys failed to execute the play and its aftermath in a way that maximized the amount of time left on the clock and minimized the chance that their final shot at the end zone would evaporate.

It’s on McCarthy. It’s on Moore. The officials didn’t screw them. The Cowboys knew the stakes, and they knew what needed to happen (and not happen) to ensure that time remained on the clock.

Whatever they did to practice the play, they didn’t do enough. Otherwise, it would have worked. The Cowboys would have had one more snap. They would have had one more chance to throw the ball to the end zone. They would have had one more opportunity to punch a ticket for a rematch of their Week One barnburner in Tampa Bay.

Any effort to explain or understand what happened on the play should focus not on any alleged failure of the officials but on the flaws in the planning, preparation, and execution by the Cowboys.

NEW YORK GIANTS

Thoughts on the Giants from Peter King:

They started at Ground Zero late in the week after Dave Gettleman quit as GM and Joe Judge got fired as head coach. “I don’t want to rush into anything,” president and co-owner John Mara said. “We made that mistake in the past.” The last three hires—Ben McAdoo, Pat Shurmur, Judge—show that Mara needs to step aside and let a new voice, a new GM, do this one, because the Giants are in the gutter after seasons of 13, 11, 12, 10 and 13 losses, and now being stuck in salary-cap hell with a bad roster. Gettleman actually did more harm to the franchise than Judge. He left them as one of five teams in negative cap shape for the 2022 season. Seven players—none of whom is a quarterback—are scheduled to account for 59.8 percent of the team’s cap in 2022, a total of $124.6 million. James Bradberry and Adoree’ Jackson are good corners—they’d better be really good for a combined $37.4 million next year. Is Leonard Williams worth 13.1 percent of the cap, at $27.3 million? Is Kenny Golladay (zero TDs this year) worth 10.2 percent of the cap, at $21.2 million? If I’m a GM candidate, I’m telling Mara: Let’s use 2022 as a fix-it year instead of scotch-taping the cap so the pain continues into 2023.

PHILADELPHIA

Should the Eagles panic over QB JALEN HURTS?  Dan Graziano of ESPN.com:

The Eagles will be in the market for a quarterback upgrade

This season was an audition for 2020 second-round draft pick Jalen Hurts — a chance for him to show the Eagles that he could be their long-term answer at quarterback. And he did a lot to state his case. He showed he could be a vital part of a run-centric offense, leading them into the playoffs in what most people would have expected to be a rebuilding year.

Hurts is certainly not without his flaws, and his issues with downfield accuracy were on full display in Sunday’s 31-15 loss to the Buccaneers. But he’s obviously a tough player with strong leadership qualities who gave the Eagles everything he had and showed enough improvement over the course of the year to convince you he’s capable of improving even more.

The verdict: NOT AN OVERREACTION. The problem is, Hurts didn’t do enough to make the Eagles sure he’s their long-term answer. And between their resources and the possibilities this offseason’s quarterback market could potentially offer, they owe it to themselves to at least consider the possibility of an upgrade.

Eagles’ mistakes prove costly in loss to BuccaneersThe Eagles have a dropped pass, turnover on downs, two interceptions and a muffed punt as they fall to the Buccaneers in the wild-card round.

The Eagles will have three first-round picks in April’s draft — Nos. 15, 16 and 19. That could offer them the opportunity to move up into the early part of the round to draft a quarterback if they think there’s one who looks like a franchise cornerstone. But if there isn’t such a player, it’s still possible that this offseason will see the likes of Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson and others on the trade market. And a team with three first-round picks in this draft would have a head start on other teams if it wanted to make a run at players like that.

It’d be no insult to Hurts if the team decided it would be better off with Wilson or Rodgers or Watson. And while it might not be possible to get those guys and might be wiser to use the picks to build around Hurts, this is an organization that is always considering all of its options at the most critical position. That’s why Hurts is on the team in the first place, remember.

NFC SOUTH

TAMPA BAY

This from former QB TOM BRADY teammate Matt Cassel:

@M_Cassel16

Thought I would have to tell my future grandkids about @TomBrady one day. At this rate they may get to go to one of his games.

– – –

NFL.com:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs is currently in a boot but has a chance to play in the Divisional Round versus the winner of Monday’s Cardinals-Rams game. Wirfs missed the second half of the Bucs’ wild-card win over the Eagles with an ankle injury. Arians might not know the status of Wirfs or center Ryan Jensen, who played through an injured ankle, until Friday.

NFC WEST

SAN FRANCISCO

You tend to forget things like QB JIMMY GAROPPOLO playing with a banged-up thumb.  He explains his horrible pick-six to Peter King:

“I didn’t grip it the right way,” said Garoppolo, playing with a torn tendon in his throwing thumb. “Not trying to make excuses, but things happen like that. Really not too much more to it than that.”

For Garoppolo, it looked like the game was over with 40 seconds left when he executed his 26th straight successful sneak for a first down on fourth-and-one from the Dallas 38. But no—Garoppolo snapped it while tackle Trent Williams was getting set in his stance, and the Niners were called for a false start. “That’s on me,” said Garoppolo. “I was over-zealous there.”

The Niners are trying to ride Garoppolo to a strong finish, obviously, but it’s hard. First, they drafted his replacement, Trey Lance, last April, and Lance is waiting in the wings until—next spring, presumably—Garoppolo is traded to smooth the way for the kid. Second: Garoppolo has a torn ligament in his thumb, and he’s trying to play through it.

“It is what it is,” Garoppolo told me from Texas. “I mean, you can imagine. It hurts. It ain’t changing any time soon. But we’re all dealing with stuff now, so no different than anyone else.”

Well, there is a difference. When a quarterback’s grip is affected, the ball’s not going where he wants and the way he wants all the time. He said his mechanics and grip “are definitely different.”

I wondered if he knew about the social-media storm about him, about his future, about his ups and downs (especially the downs), and how he handled it. If what he said is totally on the level, it’s a smart way to handle it. Ignore it—but if you hear it, use it.

“I think a big part of it is just knowing who you are—as a player and a person, really,” Garoppolo said. “That will take you a long way. It’s kind of a big part of just my mental game. I know what type of quarterback I am. I know what type of player I am in this league and where I stand. All the noise out there and everything, keep it coming. It fuels me and it keeps me going. It’s a good thing when people are talking about you.”

What a road for the Niners. In the span of 14 days, this will be the path: Win-and-in comeback from 17-0 deficit at the Rams to win on Jan 9 … Survive the weirdness at the Cowboys to win on Jan. 16 … Travel to the tundra on Jan. 22 to face the rested reigning MVP and his mates in Green Bay.

“Going from the Rams game to the Dallas game, now to Lambeau, this is the reason you play football,” Garoppolo said. “I can’t wait for it.”

LOS ANGELES RAMS

Can you spot the error here in this from Peter King?

I think this is my quick look at Cards/Rams winner vs. Tampa Bay. Two quarterbacks make playoff debuts tonight at SoFi, and I wonder if either can challenge the great and powerful Brady on home soil. Brady will be making his 47th playoff start. Think of that. That’s three full seasons! Brady’s 44, but maybe three years of playoff games should mean more logically that he’s 47 in quarterback years.

It is not a “playoff debut” for QB MATTHEW STAFFORD.

He had three starts, all losses of course, for the Lions in the postseason in 2011, 2014 and 2015.

If King meant that neither QB KYLER MURRAY or Stafford had played a postseason game at SoFi Field, he would be correct.  But since this is the first postseason game ever at SoFi Field, we don’t think that is what he meant.  The Super Bowl will be QB TOM BRADY’s SoFi Field playoff debut (or AARON RODGERS or PATRICK MAHOMES, etc).

– – –

And this:

Ari Meirov

@MySportsUpdate

#Rams officially placed safety Eric Weddle on the active roster and he will play tonight vs. the #Cardinals. From retirement to playing in a playoff game.

SEATTLE

Wasn’t it just a week ago that QB RUSSELL WILSON was pledging his eternal fealty to Seattle?  Now, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com has shadowy sources close to Wilson saying he wants to “explore his options.”

Just like last year, the Seahawks’ season crashed to a disappointing halt. Just like last year, the questions surrounding their star quarterback overshadow everything this offseason.

And just like last year, sources say Russell Wilson wants to explore his options to see what else might be out there for him.

Wilson has not demanded a trade, and it’s not clear if he will. But at the least, those close to Wilson say he wants to investigate other destinations to see if those would put him in a better position to win another championship and create the legacy he sees for himself.

In one of his final press conferences of the year, Wilson said his hope is to stay in Seattle.

“We’ve always thought I would be here,” Wilson said. “That’s been always my goal, to win multiple Super Bowls, and my plan is to be here and do that. You take every day and you just enjoy the moment.”

After a frustrating and injury-riddled season, one that saw Wilson miss three games and the Seahawks miss the playoffs for just the second time since 2012, Seattle finds itself at a crossroads.

General manager John Schneider, head coach Pete Carroll and owner Jody Allen met late this week to discuss the future in their regular end-of-season meeting. While that meeting generated no headline — nothing had changed — Carroll did offer some interesting words following it.

“Whatever is there, we got to exhaust every opportunity for our club and right from the owner, she wants us to take a look at every single opportunity to better the franchise,” Carroll told KCPQ FOX 13 Sports Director Aaron Levine in Seattle on Thursday. “That’s what we do. It’s going to take us some time to put it all together and we have a lot of difficult decisions to make this year.”

In the next breath, Carroll said, “I love this team. We’ve got the nucleus of a championship right here and we’re going to try to keep that together.”

That represents the dichotomy.

In his comments, Carroll appeared to acknowledge that this offseason’s script may follow that of last year. A year ago, Wilson’s agent Mark Rodgers — who did not return several calls seeking comment — made public four teams that Wilson would consider if he would get traded. Wilson has a full no-trade clause in his contract, which has two years remaining.

Ultimately, the Seahawks talked with the Bears about a blockbuster deal and declined to make any trade. While Schneider has famously considered nearly every trade ever presented to him, the questions are the same as last year.

Would Carroll, who will be 71 next season, want to rebuild? Could Seattle trade Wilson and improve as a team? If they end up entertaining and pulling off a blockbuster deal for picks, who actually would be their quarterback? Would that QB be better than Wilson? And finally, Seattle closed out the season with two wins with impressive performances from a healthy Wilson. Is that a glimpse into the future?

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Jan. 9 that Seattle has no plans to trade Wilson this offseason and is proceeding as if he’ll be their QB in 2022. Those questions are why. With two years left on Wilson’s deal, Seattle holds the cards.

And this from Peter King:

I think the Seahawks bear watching. I don’t know if anything changes there but my antennae are up.

AFC WEST

LAS VEGAS

Peter King casts a vote for Rich Bisaccia to no longer be “interim”:

Smart money says Mark Davis, unless he can get a mega-billboard for the Vegas strip like Jim Harbaugh, is likely to take the interim tag off Rich Bisaccia and give him the full-time gig. Davis probably should. Last week, video surfaced that showed wideout Zay Jones, during the Week 18 OT win over the Chargers, telling Bisaccia, “You’re doing a great job.” And after the wild-card loss in Cincinnati—which wasn’t very clean for the Raiders—Bisaccia got a vote of support from Derek Carr, speaking for the locker room. “We all think he’s the right guy. I have never seen a coach with the ear to the locker room like he has.”

Dan Graziano of ESPN.com thinks otherwise:

The Raiders will give the full-time head-coaching job to interim coach Rich Bisaccia

When Jon Gruden resigned earlier this season, the Raiders elevated Bisaccia, their special teams coordinator, to interim coach. The plan at the time was to have him finish out the season and then start fresh, bringing in a new coach, likely a new general manager and maybe even moving on from quarterback Derek Carr, who has one, nonguaranteed year left on his contract and will need an extension if he’s to stay. But then a funny thing happened.

After a brutal Week 14 loss in Kansas City just about ended their season, the Raiders won four straight close games to get into the playoffs before losing in the final seconds to Cincinnati in the wild-card round Saturday evening. Along the way, we’ve heard a lot of glowing things from Raiders players about Bisaccia, a coach they clearly love and for whom they played their hearts out. After the game Saturday, Carr and others were stumping for Bisaccia to get the full-time job, and the way he finished the season surely has earned him at least some consideration for it.

The verdict: OVERREACTION. A deep playoff run might have changed team owner Mark Davis’ mind, but that didn’t happen, and now I think the most likely outcome here is that Davis reverts to his original plan and goes the overhaul route. I’ve been hearing Jim Harbaugh connected to the Raiders’ opening for weeks now, and I believe it’s something Davis will pursue strongly if he hasn’t already.

Davis seems unlikely to be a prisoner of the moment, no matter how pleasant the moment has been. And while he surely has an affinity for Bisaccia (most do), the bet here is that he thinks about the bigger picture, the longer term and brings in a head coach with more pedigree who he thinks can lead the team to great things in the long term. Whether that’s the right way to go, time will tell. But I do think it’s the more likely way the Raiders go.

AFC NORTH

CINCINNATI

Peter King with the recent numbers for QB JOE BURROW:

Dating back to Week 13 against San Francisco, Burrow’s last four games of the regular season were all played with the AFC North title on the line. He lost in overtime to the Niners after bringing Cincinnati back from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to force OT. Then the Burrow-led Bengals beat Denver, Baltimore and Kansas City to win the division for the first time in six years. And Saturday, in his first NFL playoff game, Burrow out-ratinged vet Derek Carr 110-69 and the Bengals won.

Burrow’s line in those five games is astounding for a player of his experience:

74.9% completion rate

342 yards per game

13 touchdowns

0 interceptions

129.94 rating

That’s Montana at his best right there.

– – –

No DT LARRY OGUNJOBI for Saturday in Nashville (and beyond, if necessary):

If the Cincinnati Bengals are going to go on a Super Bowl run, they’ll have to do without one of their top defensive players.

Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi was placed on injured reserve Monday, ending his 2021 season. The veteran lineman suffered a right foot injury in Saturday’s wild-card victory against the Raiders. After signing with the Bengals last offseason, Ogunjobi recorded career highs in sacks (7.0), tackles for loss (12) and QB hits (16) while making 16 starts.

Fellow tackle B.J. Hill filled in nicely for Ogunjobi this past weekend, recording a sack and tackle for loss. The Bengals’ defensive line will be worth monitoring this week, as pass rusher Trey Hendrickson (concussion) and defensive tackle Mike Daniels (groin) also exited the playoff win early.

Guard Xavier Su’a-Filo, who’s been out since early October, was activated from IR.

PITTSBURGH

This:

@ScottKacsmar

Steelers are the first team in NFL history to allow 35+ points in 4 straight playoff games

AFC EAST

BUFFALO

QB JOSH ALLEN was so hot on Saturday night, he threw his first TD pass by accident.  Ryan Miller of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle:

Josh Allen threw a Buffalo Bills playoff record five touchdown passes Saturday.

He was only trying to throw four.

Buffalo’s star quarterback admitted after the Bills’ 47-17 annihilation of the New England Patriots in the Wild-Card round that his touchdown pass to Dawson Knox for the first score of the game was an accident. He was attempting to throw the ball out of the back of the end zone. 

“That’s what I was trying to do,” Allen joked before explaining his shock the Bills scored. “I thought I threw the ball away. He made an unbelievable play. I got hit and I got up and I was going back to the huddle.”

Bills report card:Offense has perfect game with 7 straight TDs as Buffalo buries Patriots

Highmark Stadium erupted, the extra point team jogged out onto the field and Allen was confused. 

“Everybody is celebrating and I had no idea what was going on. I sat down and go, ‘What happened?’ No one could tell me an explanation. I hadn’t seen the video on the screen yet. It took about three-and-a-half, four minutes for them to finally put it on the screen after we kicked the PAT.

“I was like holy crap. I did not mean for that to happen.”

Knox said that he thanked Allen for throwing him the ball on the touchdown and Allen responded, “Oh, I was actually trying to throw it away.”

Allen had more touchdowns (5) than incompletions (4) in the masterful performance.

Buffalo scored touchdowns on an NFL playoff record seven straight possessions to open the game. It’s the first time in NFL history that a team didn’t punt, attempt a field goal or turn the ball over. It was a perfect offensive game.

Allen was so hot, that when he threw a 1-yard TD pass on his final throw – he hurt his passer rating.

@JaySkurski

158.3 is a perfect passer rating.

Josh Allen has totally failed in that regard. He’s at 157.6 after going 21 of 25 for 308 yards and five touchdowns.

Replying to @JaySkurski

@KyleTheRacinFan

He had it until that 1 yd TD pass. Dropped his YPA

The key is that the passer rating system regards 12.5 yards per pass as the threshold for perfection.

When Allen was at 307 yards in 24 attempts he was at 12.8 yards per attempt.

When he threw the 1-yard TD pass, 308 divided by 25 is 12.3 yards per attempt.

Peter King:

The six players picked before Buffalo chose Josh Allen seventh overall in 2018:

Baker Mayfield, Saquon Barkley, Sam Darnold, Denzel Ward, Bradley Chubb, Quenton Nelson.

Let’s eliminate Indy picking Nelson, because the Colts’ quarterback on draft day 2018 was Andrew Luck, and there was no sign he would walk away from the game months later.

But every one of the other teams involved was looking for a QB of the future on draft weekend 2018 and still is.

Cleveland (Mayfield, Ward) will likely give Mayfield one more chance in 2022 to earn the quarterback job for the future, and who knows which way that will go.

The Giants (Barkley) had a 37-year-old passer near the end in 2018, and now has a major question mark in Daniel Jones, both in health and performance.

The Jets (Darnold) moved on from Darnold already to Zach Wilson. And who knows there.

Denver (Chubb) must not have taken the 1-hour 50-minute drive north to the Wyoming campus to see Allen in college much, because John Elway himself missed on the next iteration of John Elway.

Scouting is one crazy business.

NEW ENGLAND

From Skip Bayless:

@RealSkipBayless

Mac Jones is about as close to Tom Brady as I am to Buffalo. I’m in Los Angeles.

And this:

@RapSheet

#Patriots coach Bill Belichick was asked by reporters this morning if he plans on returning to coach in 2022: “I’d say that would be accurate.”

THIS AND THAT

PETER KING ON AWARDS

First, he explains his MVP vote and All-Pro ballot:

Each year, I publish my vote for NFL awards, the ballot I send to the Associated Press. The notable vote each year, usually, is for MVP, and it is this year too. I’ll start with why I chose Aaron Rodgers over Tom Brady, Joe Burrow and Cooper Kupp. That ended up being my 1-2-3-4.

Comparing Rodgers and Brady, this year, is a little like comparing apples and pomegranates. Brady did throw for 1,201 more yards than Rodgers, yes. Brady also threw 11 more passes per game. Brady played 1.5 more games than Rodgers; that includes the Covid game Rodgers didn’t play Nov. 7 at Kansas City, plus Rodgers sitting the second half in Week 18 at Detroit.

Green Bay was 13-3 in games Rodgers started, with one clunker—an opening day debacle at New Orleans. Tampa Bay was 13-4 with Brady starting, with two clunkers—a 9-0 loss to the Saints and a 29-19 loss at Washington. Games of 100-plus passer rating: Rodgers 11 of 16, Brady 10 of 17.

The factors that weighed on my decision:

• Watching the games. The late Paul Zimmerman used to say in Hall of Fame meetings when stat after stat about a candidate was being quoted by voters, “You watched him play. Was he dominant? Was he a Hall of Famer?” (With a few other words of color mixed in.) This season, when I watched Rodgers, I thought he was an absolute virtuoso. The position couldn’t be played better. Brady was tremendous too. And Brady’s comeback at the Meadowlands to beat the Jets in the midst of the Antonio Brown melodrama was an all-time rally by the all-time greatest. I just thought Rodgers played the position at the highest level I’ve seen. Dropping the 25-yard dime to Davante Adams between four Niners in Week 3, on the way to a winning last-second field goal . . . The 59-yard bomb he dropped out of the sky perfectly to Adams at Cincinnati in that OT win . . . Play-action darts, off-schedule throws, back-foot strikes, owning Chicago, completing 75 percent with a 14-0 TD-pick ratio after Dec. 1, with one dome game and temperature/wind speeds of 37/10, 43/12, 35/10 and 11/8 in those four non-dome games, all played with a broken toe. Sublime.

• Efficiency. Rodgers in 16 games: four interceptions, zero lost fumbles. Brady in 17 games: 12 interceptions, three lost fumbles. Brady was highly efficient with the offense relying on him so heavily. Rodgers—37 touchdowns, two turnovers in his last 15 games—was historically efficient.

• The Covid lie. This bothered me a lot. Aaron Rodgers chose not to get vaccinated and ended up missing an important game when he tested positive. Moreso, he misled the public by implying he was vaxxed. A quarterback and team leader should be there every week he’s not hurt badly. Brady was there for 17 full games, and Rodgers missed one—that’s on him.

• The case for Brady. It’s a strong one. Pro Football Focus analyst Steve Palazzolo made it eloquently. When Brady made the perfect throw to Cyril Grayson to beat the Jets in the final seconds, capping a 93-yard drive with no timeouts, it was a wow moment. As Palazzolo writes, four of the Brady picks this year were either drops by his receivers or a Hail Mary, all fluky. Palazzolo makes great points.

When you cast an MVP vote, the first reaction is: What’d you have against Brady? The answer: Nothing. Sometimes the body of work just makes one guy a hair better. And that’s why I picked Rodgers in almost a photo finish over Brady.

The rest of my 2021 all-pro team and awards:

OFFENSE

WR: Cooper Kupp, Rams; Davante Adams, Packers; Deebo Samuel, 49ers

TE: Mark Andrews, Ravens

LT: Trent Williams, 49ers

LG: Joel Bitonio, Browns

C: Creed Humphrey, Chiefs

RG: Zack Martin, Cowboys

RT: Tristan Wirfs, Bucs

QB: Aaron Rodgers, Packers

RB: Jonathan Taylor, Colts

DEFENSE

Edge: TJ Watt, Steelers; Maxx Crosby, Raiders

Interior: Aaron Donald, Rams; Jonathan Allen, WFT

LB: Micah Parsons, Cowboys; De’Vondre Campbell, Packers; Darius Leonard, Colts

CB: A.J. Terrell, Falcons; Jalen Ramsey, Rams

S: Kevin Byard, Titans; Adrian Phillips, Patriots

SPECIAL TEAMS

Kicker: Nick Folk, Patriots

Punter: Michael Dickson, Seahawks

Kick Returner: Braxton Berrios, Jets

Punt Returner: Devin Duvernay, Ravens

Special Teamer: Ashton Dulin, Colts

Long Snapper: Morgan Cox, Titans

AWARDS

Most Valuable Player: Aaron Rodgers, QB, Packers

Coach: Mike Vrabel, Titans

Assistant Coach: Jeff Stoutland, OL, Eagles

Comeback Player: Joe Burrow, QB, Bengals

Defensive Player: T.J. Watt, Steelers

Offensive Player: Cooper Kupp, Rams

Defensive Rookie: Micah Parsons, Cowboys

Offensive Rookie: Creed Humphrey, Chiefs

My thoughts:

• Very tough to leave Justin Jefferson off the team, but I just had to have Deebo Samuel (6.2 yards per rush, 18.2 yards per catch, 14 touchdowns, vital for a needy playoff offense) on the club.

• I don’t recall the last time I felt this good about a pair of tackles—Trent Williams and Tristan Wirfs—as I did this year.

• Never thought I’d leave off Trevon Diggs at corner, but the combination of the excellent year by A.J. Terrell for Atlanta and Diggs giving up an NFL-high 1,016 yards in coverage (Terrell allowed 200 yards) clinched it for me.

• Justin Tucker and Daniel Carlson are both deserving at kicker, to be sure. But Folk was 29 of 29 on kicks inside 50 yards—Tucker was 29 of 31, Carlson 34 of 36 on such kicks—and I can’t forget the 34- and 41-yarders he made with the wind gusting up to 40 mph in Buffalo last month.

• Mike Vrabel over Matt LaFleur was not an easy call, but Vrabel survived with an NFL-high 91 players in uniform, and Derrick Henry missing nine games, and earned home-field in the AFC. That’s quite an accomplishment.

• Jeff Stoutland, the Eagles offensive line coach, helped the Philly offense take a hard pivot to a run-dominant game plan when the Eagles were struggling in midseason; the Eagles led the league in rushing over the last 10 weeks. It took Stoutland’s great performance to surpass the terrific job Dan Quinn did as the Dallas defensive coordinator.

• T.J. Watt (21.5 sacks in 15 games) and Maxx Crosby (NFL-best 101 pressures, per PFF) edged Myles Garrett, but I don’t feel good about leaving off Garrett and his 78 pressures.

• I realize a center for offensive rookie feels odd, especially after Ja’Marr Chase was second in football with an 18.0 yards-per-catch average. But I thought Chiefs center Creed Humphrey—the highest-rated center in football overall, and best run-blocker, per PFF—deserved it.

And then he polls some media pals (some AP voters, others not):

Last week, I told you the panel of 36 voters (all media and former players, listed below) that I polled for NFL awards gave the MVP to Aaron Rodgers in a rout. Now here’s how the rest of my 36-voter ballot turned out:

Coach of the Year: Mike Vrabel 22, Matt LaFleur 7, Nick Sirianni 2, Brandon Staley 2, Zac Taylor 1, Brian Flores 1.

Offensive player: Cooper Kupp 20, Jonathan Taylor 14, Aaron Rodgers 1, Trent Williams 1.

Defensive player: T.J. Watt 23, Aaron Donald 5, Micah Parsons 5, Myles Garrett 3.

Offensive Rookie: Ja’Marr Chase 31, Mac Jones 4, Creed Humphrey 1.

Defensive Rookie: Micah Parsons 36.

GM/Executive: Bill Belichick 10, Brian Gutekunst 8, Duke Tobin 6, Jon Robinson 3, Howie Roseman 2, Les Snead 2, Steve Keim 2, Brett Veach 1, Will McClay 1, Jerry/Stephen Jones 1.

Assistant coach: Dan Quinn 21, Rich Bisaccia 4, Jeff Stoutland 2, Leslie Frazier 2, Josh McDaniels 2, Todd Downing 1, DeMeco Ryans 1, Dennis Allen 1, Kellen Moore 1, Steve Spagnuolo 1.

A few notes:

• I bet if the voting included Wild-Card Weekend, Bills OC Brian Daboll would have gotten a few votes as assistant coach.

• Kudos to FOX’s Curt Menefee for the lone vote for Kansas City center Creed Humphrey as offensive rookie of the year, and kudos to PFF’s Steve Palazzolo for making Niners left tackle Trent Williams his offensive player.

• There’s always a big disparity about assistant coach of the year, and it’s notable that Dallas defensive coordinator Dan Quinn won handily, 41-4 over Raiders interim coach Rich Bisaccia.

• The tight race for GM/Executive recognized Bill Belichick for orchestrating the Mac Jones first-round pick and for rebuilding some needy spots (edge rusher, tight end) in free agency.

• T.J. Watt over Aaron Donald 23-5 surprised me for the margin, not the winner.

• Obviously the late greatness of Ja’Marr Chase in the regular season led to the rout of Patriots QB Jones.

• Glad to see versatile Dallas front-seven force Micah Parsons sweep the defensive rookie vote. Can’t imagine there was a serious competitor there.

Thanks to my panel: Carl Banks, Bill Barnwell, Judy Battista, Paul Burmeister, Joe Buck, Darius Butler, Kevin Clark, Cris Collinsworth, Greg Cosell, Ian Eagle, Rich Eisen, Jori Epstein, Mike Florio, Frank Frigo, Scott Hanson, Stephen Holder, Kim Jones, Kalyn Kahler, Aditi Kinkhabwala, Andrea Kremer, Chris Long, Curt Menefee, Josh McCown, Greg Olsen, Dan Orlovsky, Steve Palazzolo, Carson Palmer, Tom Pelissero, Tashan Reed, Louis Riddick, Dianna Russini, Peter Schrager, Chris Simms, Mike Tannenbaum, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche.

THE SATURDAY NIGHT WHISTLE

Peter King with the conventional wisdom:

Jerome Boger officiating crew and NFL VP of officiating Walt Anderson. The Zapruder film of the 2021 season caught NFL officiating, at all levels, in a huge gaffe in the Raiders-Bengals game. With two minutes left in the second quarter and Cincinnati with a third down at the Vegas 10-yard line, Joe Burrow rolled right—so far right that he nearly was out of bounds before he zipped a throw to Tyler Boyd in the end zone. Touchdown. But wait. There was a loud whistle that was captured by NBC audio as the play was in progress—just as Burrow’s pass was crossing the goal line, from the replays. When the ball was caught, it appeared that Raiders corner Casey Hayward, near Boyd, put his fingers to his mouth and then pointed in the direction where the whistle was heard, as if to say, Play’s dead. Ref blew the whistle. But Boger consulted with line judge Mark Steinkerchner—was it his whistle that was blown?—and then Boger signaled his call: touchdown.

Later, Anderson told a pool reporter that the officials in the game “did not feel the whistle was blown before the receiver caught the ball.”

Awful. Blatantly false. The erroneous whistle was bad, the coverup worse.

As Ben Austro of Football Zebras pointed out, the correct call would have been to nullify the play, put the ball back at the 10- with 2:00 left on the clock, and simply replay the down. It would have been embarrassing, of course, but it would have been correct. What happened instead was a black eye for officiating, and then a coverup of a huge mistake. The league should do the honorable thing and admit the error. (ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Boger’s crew likely won’t work again in the playoffs.)

Officials that work the Wild Card round usually do not work later in the playoffs, so that’s not a scoop.  But if they did, it is hard to see why the down judge on the far side of the play should be penalized for the misfeasance of the referee and line judge.

But, we are of the minority view that the whistle, occurring just a titch later than King believes and did not seem to result in any change in the result.  ESPN’s rules analyst John Parry said “if anybody stops play, or slows down or let’s down” then a replayed down would be in order.  But we don’t see anyone slowing down in the approximately half-second or less that it took for the ball to reach Boyd.