For those of you who are diehard NFL fans, it was worth the wait last night to watch the end of the Raiders-Chargers game. Given all the tiebreakers and with the Colts losing to the lowly Jaguars and the Steelers winning in OT, it came down to this game to determine the final AFC teams in the playoffs. The Chargers and Raiders each controlled their own destiny but if they tied, they would both get in and the Steelers would be out. The Steelers were in if there wasn’t a tie.
The Chargers rallied late – making several 4th down conversions along the way – to force overtime and with the game tied in the final couple of minutes, the Raiders had the ball near midfield and were just running the ball. They were in position to just run out the clock, have the game end as a tie, and see both the Raiders and Chargers get into the playoffs with the Steelers eliminated. All the Chargers had to do was keep them from picking up 7 – 8 yards a run. Well, they couldn’t do it and then the Chargers called a timeout with 32 seconds left that was a head scratcher. The coach said that he wanted to get different personnel in on defense as the Raiders were running each play. But you wonder if that pissed off the Raiders’ coach who then decided to go for the winning field goal?
Think about it as if the Giants were playing the Cowboys and if they allowed the game to end in a tie, both get into the playoffs, and some random team gets eliminated. Even attempting a long field goal as time expires is a risk as the kick can get blocked and returned for a touchdown on the game’s final play. The Raiders opted to kick it and got the win. SU says the outcome is good for the NFL as they played to win but if you were the Raiders, you were safer taking the tie. No doubt sticking it to a division rival played a role in the decision-making. It was a wild finish for the season’s final regular season game and worth staying up late to see.
The Novak Djokovic drama continues in Australia. There are no heroes here. While SU is a long-time Djokovic fan, he has some dumb views and is anti-vax. Tennis Australia should have denied his application to play back in December and called it a day. He won in court today and is allowed to stay in the country for the moment but apparently the Australian government can still throw him out of the country which also includes a 3-year ban from returning to Australia. He would be almost 38 years old then. SU also believes the other majors may enforce a vaccine mandate for their tournaments this year (they all should do just that) and then where is he? He will be denied and that will be his legacy. Sure, there are those who will see him as some type of martyr – freedom to make others sick is actually a cause? – but he is risking being able to play in any more major tournaments and he’s not getting any younger.
Apparently, he tested positive for Covid in mid-December but there are many pictures of him out in public the next day in various events in Serbia without a mask. What is up with that? Unforced errors.
On the brighter side, Klay Thompson returned for Golden State last night after 30 months of rehab from 2 major injuries. He looked good and is a good guy to root for.
SU’s fearless NFL playoff predictions to follow later in the week. I am starting well with the Colts being eliminated.
Sports Update Intergalactic 
As a longtime Chargers fan, exhausting game to watch- pass interference call at the end of the first half was a killer. They’ve also been terrible against the run all year. Put themselves in this position though with a bad loss against Houston a couple of weeks ago.
Saw that the Australian court which ruled on the Djokovic visa has a website which live-streamed the hearing- if the Immigration Minister tries to deport him maybe that hearing will be televised as well. French Sports Minister has already said that Novax is welcome to play in the French Open regardless of his vaccination status. We’ll see what Macron has to say about that- France has been pretty proactive re vaccinations.
And that is why the NFL remains the #1 sport in the USA and continues to separate themselves from the rest of the pack. What a great weekend of football. Even though these weren’t the playoffs some of the games had that playoff aura.
The AFC is really wide open, but I still give KC, with all their past playoff experience the edge. If Henry comes back and is 80-90% of the “old” henry then I can see them as slight favorites… very slight favorites because of the home field advantage.
Which Bengals team will show up? They are the wild card in the ASFC which can win their Conference if they are working on all cylinders. Ditto with Buffalo. It’s as wide open as i can remember.
The easy pick in the NFC is Green Bay, especially with the rest and all games at home. Though i hate the Cowboys, being that i am a Giant fan, they too, if they are working on all cylinders can make some noise. Ditto with the Rams. I can’t see Brady’s Bunch winning the conference with many of their lethal weapons not playing and having to play in the cold weather… though Brady can.
Will the real New York Knicks please stand up. I knew the Celtics were going to cream them at home. They have been under achievers so far in my book. They need another go to star to make things interesting for the fans.
The memorial Services for the Giants and the Jets will take place at Temple Sholom this coming Friday night. This may be one of God’s greatest tests to revitalize them… especially the Giants. We need The Macabees to handle our offensive line.
NFL week 18 was as exciting as MLB 2011 which had multiple teams battling for a playoff spot down to the wire. It was great to watch, except when I could not watch when Pitt vs Baltimore was switched over to the meaningless JETS game. Is anyone at CBS paying attention? Can we at least get a little box with a simulcast on the screen? Lawyers and bean counters running the show rather than fans at the NFL broadcast center.
Both Giants and Jets with another flop of a season finishing 4-13, yet the sentiment could not be more different. The Jets are on the rise and the Giants have hit rock bottom (we hope). There is no way Joe Judge can stay as coach. His team quit on him and he quit on the team when twice QB sneaking at the 5 yard line, afraid to even try to compete. It was as pitiful as his classless rant last week attacking the former coach and WFT. He reminds me a bit of Eric Mangini but has won much much less. Sometimes you are too bright for your own good.
Hire a new President/GM and let him hire a new coach. The team needs a fresh start and needs outside help.