Football is a wonderful, thrilling, inspiring game that can lift us to new heights in our lives.
But football is also a weird, inexplicable, at times downright stupid game that may force you to perform Keith Moon-level furniture destruction in your own living room.
So, as much as we at Touchdown Wire endeavor to write about what makes the game great, there are also times when it’s important to point out the dumb plays, boneheaded decisions, and officiating errors that make football all too human.
Folks, it’s time for the Worst of the Week for Week 15 of the 2023 NFL season.
The Vikings' abysmal tush-pushes in overtime against the Bengals.
The Tush Push is automatic for some teams — well, it’s automatic for the Philadelphia Eagles — and it is not so much for other teams. The teams on the negative side of the ledger generally suffer because they don’t know how to do it. The Minnesota Vikings would certainly fall into the latter unfortunate category after their 27-24 overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday.
With 6:36 and 6:15 left in overtime, the Vikings tried their own version of the Brotherly Shove, with a wrinkle that didn’t work at all. On both plays — a third-and-1 and a fourth-and-1 — Minnesota motioned receiver Brandon Powell behind quarterback Nick Mullens as the “pusher.” As Powell stands 5-foot-8 and weighs 181 pounds, it was not an optimal strategy, and the Vikings didn’t get a single yard out of their two tries.
OT just as wild as the rest of this game. Who you got?
📺: #MINvsCIN on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/NSP16XcJnU— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) December 16, 2023
Who we got? Definitely not the Vikings in this case.
Teams punting when down by double digits.
With 3:21 left in the third quarter of their eventual 30-13 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, the Pittsburgh Steelers elected to punt on the Indianapolis 35-yard line instead of trying a field goal. The Steelers were down 24-13 at the time, and a Chris Boswell field goal would have made it a one-score game. As Boswell has made five of six field goals from 50 or more yards this season, the odds were pretty good that the try would have been successful.
As it turned out, head coach Mike Tomlin’s frustration with his own offense was the reason he declined to give it a shot.
“Not a lot had gone in our way to that juncture that made me feel good about banging a 57-yard field goal, particularly on the down before,” Tomlin said after the game. “I thought we might take a shot or check it down, and we end up throwing the ball out of bounds. So, I didn’t like that field positioning.”
The pass Tomlin was talking about came from Mitch Trubisky — an errant fade ball to receiver George Pickens (more on him in a minute).
The Denver Broncos (more on them in a minute, too) made a similar decision against the Detroit Lions on Saturday. In an eventual 42-17 blowout, Sean Payton made the call to punt with 11:05 left in the game, and the Broncos down 35-10 from their own 44-yard line. The effort was further sullied by an unnecessary roughness call on Denver.
Down 35-10 to #Lions in the fourth quarter and #Broncos HC Sean Payton elects to punt?!
Make that logical for me please pic.twitter.com/nRhc9uErOh
— Luke Patterson (@LukePattersonLP) December 17, 2023
Payton didn’t talk about the punt call, but as we will soon see, he had other things to discuss.
The Broncos getting three points out of three potential touchdowns.
The sequence of plays that really drove Sean Payton nuts started with 2:15 left in the third quarter, when Russell Wilson threw an eight-yard pass to Jaleel McLaughlin that certainly looked like it could have been a touchdown.
No go. So, on third down from the one-yard line, Wilson tossed the ball to Javonte Williams, who certainly looked like he could have scored a touchdown.
By now, Payton was ready to spit nails at referee John Hussey, which is certainly relatable. But things were only starting to get weird. On fourth down, fullback Michael Burton certainly looked like he could have scored a touchdown, but Hussey called offensive offside on guard Quinn Meinerz, and the play was negated.
Sean Payton will not be happy when he sees this replay: https://t.co/iqSRWEBucg
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 17, 2023
Payton settled for a 23-yard Wil Lutz field goal, and then, he went off on Wilson.
Sean Payton screaming at Russell Wilson after that drive.
Not sure what Russ did wrong? pic.twitter.com/8tHBc2Zblr
— uSTADIUM (@uSTADIUM) December 17, 2023
Perhaps Payton was unhappy with Wilson for getting to the line before he could challenge any of the previous spots. We don’t know, because after the game, Payton said that what is said between him and Wilson is none of anybody’s business.
Wilson talked about that sequence in depth.
“When we came out in the second half, we did a really good job of going down the field, marching down the field. We did a really good job of scoring a touchdown there, made it 21-7. Unfortunately, they ended up scoring, but we responded again, came all the way down the field. I’m not sure how many plays it was, probably 12, some 15 plays, or whatever, on the second drive of the second half, respond and try to make it a 14-point game.
“Honestly, I thought Javonte may have been in on that first one and then Jaleel even, too. And then Burton, he got in there, but unfortunately, they called a penalty and I think that would’ve given us a chance to keep the game close, 28-14. Any time it’s striking distance like that, we believe we can win because of the guys we have and the character of guys and the effort that everybody puts in. Unfortunately, it didn’t go our way.”
And the thing about Hussey this season is that he’s earned no benefit of the doubt at all. He probably shouldn’t be in the NFL, but here’s where we are with officiating at this point.
The George Pickens Experience.
More Steelers… for a team standing at 7-7, this team sure isn’t happy right now. Losing three straight games (four of their last five) and falling to the bottom of the AFC North will do that to you, but there’s more to the story here.
Yes, starting quarterback Kenny Pickett is injured, and Mitch Trubisky is nobody’s idea of a starting quarterback. But this Steelers team seems to have issues related to focus and effort we have not seen from other Mike Tomlin-coached teams. How you put the toothpaste back in the tube is tough to say, because when you have the kind of stuff we’re about to discuss, I don’t know what to do about it.
One reason the Steelers were unable to score after their first 13 points (there were several) was this “effort” in run-blocking from receiver George Pickens.
George Pickens run blocking effort 🥶. Should’ve been a TD. pic.twitter.com/STZjKAD53i
— TJ Goebig (@GoebigTj) December 16, 2023
Pickens has been visibly unhappy about his role in Pittsburgh’s misbegotten offense, but you really don’t want to see this. And for a guy who has been known for pancaking opposing defenders, this is not good. And it’s not the first time.
There was this retreat from No. 14 against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 13…
This red zone block wasn’t exactly textbook, either. Nice piledrive from tight end Darnell Washington on the right side of the formation, though. This was fourth-and-1 from the Arizona one-yard line, and that’s another missed touchdown when it was a 3-3 tie.
I’m not quite sure what to say about this “Ole” against Cleveland Browns safety Juan Thornhill in Week 2, but it’s not ideal.
It certainly makes a yinzer long for the days of Hines Ward.
These aren’t your uncle’s steeler receivers. https://t.co/ngMMxqZSTU pic.twitter.com/hbp7wHttpO
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) December 17, 2023
“All right then, let’s be honest, right?,” Tomlin said after the Colts game. “We are a fundamentally poor football group right now. We’re playing losing football and I take responsibility for that. By losing football I mean we’re just not doing fundamental things well enough. We’re not. We’re turning the ball over, we’re highly penalized, we don’t play good in situations and so, I’m just acknowledging that.
“I don’t necessarily have the answers as we sit here today. If I had the answers we would’ve played differently today. But, I will acknowledge things won’t continue the way that they are. We’re not going to keep doing the same things that we’re doing and expect or hope for a different result. So, we got a seven-day turnaround – we’ll see what those seven days hold for us. But, I’m just acknowledging right now that we’re playing losing football, and I own that. Not a good day.”
George Pickens is far from the only problem with the Steelers, but when you watch the decline in intensity here, there is a personification factor, and that’s truly unfortunate.
That was certainly the case wben Trubisky overshot Pickens for his second interception of the day against the Colts. Again, we get Pickens’ frustration, but you can’t have receivers loafing like this when a defender has the ball in his hands.
The Kadarius Toney Experience.
With 9:20 left in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the New England Patriots, Patrick Mahomes threw a short pass to receiver Kadarius Toney, which turned out to be a mistake. Toney dropped the pass into the hands of linebacker Jahlani Tavai. Fortunately, the Chiefs were up 27-10 at that point, so Toney could not snatch defeat from the jaws of victory as he did in Week 14 with his now-infamous offside penalty.
Kadarius Toney should not go on social media today. pic.twitter.com/IGISyOLRPm
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 17, 2023
Patrick Mahomes after his pass to Kadarius Toney hits his hands and is then intercepted. 😡 pic.twitter.com/D6Ydut5Lbs
— James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) December 17, 2023
It was the second time this season that a Toney drop went right into the hands of an enemy defender; the first time happened in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions, when Toney’s foible allowed rookie safety Brian Branch to nab a pick-six in his first NFL game.
“We’ll see how things go,” Andy Reid said after the game, when asked if he might sit Toney for a while. “I’m not down on Toney. He does some good things, man, so we’ve just got to keep – he’s a young guy, so we’re not talking about somebody that has been in this league a long time.”
Toney is in his third NFL season, but we suppose we’re splitting hairs.
The Panthers' attendance problem.
The Carolina Panthers beat the Atlanta Falcons 9-7 on Sunday to raise their record to 2-12 on the season, but we’re wondering if it matters, because this game looked like a preseason scrimmage. Barely anybody showed up on a drizzly day at Bank of America Stadium, which is a refutation of owner David Tepper and everything that’s gone wrong this season.
There’s good news, though — the Panthers are at the forefront of modern technology, allowing their fans to use facial recognition technology to enter the stadium.
From the release:
The Panthers and Verizon are adding facial recognition technology at Bank of America Stadium that “will allow football fans to get into games faster.” Beginning with this weekend’s home game against the Falcons, Silver Club season ticket holders “will be able to opt in at the north and south stadium gates” to get in without showing their tickets “but instead by being recognized at iPad stations using Verizon’s ‘Express Entry’ technology.” Verizon technology is now in all 30 NFL stadiums, but the Panthers are “one of the first in the league to introduce ‘Express Entry’ facial recognition.” Tepper Sports & Entertainment “declined to disclose” how much the entry system cost. Tepper Sports “plans to make available facial recognition entry to all Panthers’ season ticket holders next season”
Well, the Panthers have two of their last three games of the 2023 season at home — against the Green Bay Packers next Sunday, and the season finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on January 7. We’ll just have to wait and see if anybody shows up to test it.
The Jets' offense (slight return)
The New York Jets were eliminated from the playoffs today, which makes 13 straight seasons without a postseason for Gang Green. That’s the NFL’s longest current streak, and the longest such streak since the Cleveland Browns went 17 straight years from 2003 through 2019. Before then, you’d have to look up the Buffalo Bills, who went from 2000 through 2016 without a playoff game.
There’s no secret as to what the problem has been for Robert Saleh’s squad this season — it’s an offense that becomes more putrid as time goes on. Things were especially dire in the Jets’ 30-0 Sunday loss to the Miami Dolphins. In the first half, quarterback Zach Wilson completed four of 11 passes for 26 yards before he left the game for what was first termed “Hydration” and later was clarified to be a “Head injury,” and later, a concussion.
The Jets didn’t even make it past their own 42-yard line until the third quarter, at which point backup Trevor Siemian threw this helium ball of an interception to Brandon Jones.
🚨 INTERCEPTION 🚨
Brandon Jones picks off Trevor Siemian and the Dolphins are rolling this afternoon in Miami!pic.twitter.com/Go2A7SGFSG
— Dolphins Nation (@DolphinNationCP) December 17, 2023
Siemian finished his day with 14 completions in 26 attempts for 110 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 32.5 — which was worse than Wilson’s 44.9.
And if you think Aaron Rodgers is eager to return to this debacle, well…
The absolute disgust on Rodger’s face
Quickest achillies recovery in the history of mankind wasted because the front office, coaching staff and team couldn’t play competent football
Systematic failure pic.twitter.com/DZEDWVUlJ3
— NYJ Matt (@NYJ_Matt) December 17, 2023
The Commanders trying to deal with pre-snap motion.
Every defense, no matter how great, has its liabilities. Of course, when your defense can’t stop anyone for anything, your liabilities are that much more severe. In the case of the Washington Commanders, who came into Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Rams ranked Dead Freaking Last in Defensive DVOA, there’s a lot going on. Head coach Ron Rivera probably hoped that firing defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio on November 24 and taking over the defense himself would help, but that hasn’t been the case.
The Commanders have been busting coverages all season long, no matter the scheme, and that’s been particularly true whenever opposing offenses throw any kind of pre-snap motion against them. Through Week 14, per Sports Ifo Solutions, Washington had allowed a completion rate of 65.0%, 16 touchdowns to just two interceptions, an opponent passer rating of 109.6, and an EPA of 37.26 against passes with pre-snap motion.
With 14:07 left in the third quarter against the Rams, the Commanders gave receiver Cooper Kupp the widest possible berth on this 62-yard touchdown pass, and you would expect five-man football teams in the most desolate environs of Alaska to defend motion better than this.
how do you fire jack del rio and your coverage gets WORSE pic.twitter.com/3uGdrXsXWY
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) December 17, 2023
Kupp was just a little bit open 😅 #WASvsLAR pic.twitter.com/c1ooZA4Scl
— NFL (@NFL) December 17, 2023
Matthew Stafford & Cooper Kupp (62-yd TD) 📽️
Kupp had 17.0 yards of separation from the nearest defender, the 2nd-most separation on a completion over 50 yards of air distance in the NGS era (since 2016).
🔹 Completion Probability: 73.6%
Powered by @awscloud pic.twitter.com/m1OdXcqqye
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) December 17, 2023
What’s worse is that the Commanders got a full slab of that kind of run-up jet motion off the edge against Tyreek Hill and the Miami Dolphins in Week 13 on this 60-yard touchdown pass.
And then, the Commanders had a full extra bye week for prepare for something similar from the Rams, who have one of the NFL’s best and most diverse motion offenses.
The Commanders are just playing out the season, and Rivera is unlikely to return, but you’d like to see a bit more cognitive learning than what’s going on here.
