The last regular game day before the playoffs start delivered wondrous things in the US football league NFL. For example, on the Houston Texans’ last play, they were 24:31 behind the Indianapolis Colts and had just one try left. Quarterback Davis Mills threw the leather ball from 28 yards and desperately beset by several defenders in the direction of the end zone; there colleague Jordan Akins managed to pluck the ball from the air in the midst of three opponents. It was a wonderful catch. The Texans won the game with a successful two-point conversion – again Mills on Akins – even with 32:31.
It was miraculous because with those two passes, the Texans literally threw away the right to vote first at April’s talent fair. Draft order is determined based on last season’s records. It would have been wise for the Texans in the medium term to lose the game between two terrible teams, which is meaningless for this season – it is well known that there is no relegation in the US professional league NFL. Such an approach is not uncommon in US sports, it is also known in other leagues under the name “tanking”. Deliberately losing to improve draft position.
The Texans bucked that trend with their determination to win, and what happened was also significant for the NFL. Because the league is once again suspected of being cynical and putting the filling of the money storage above the sporting competition and the health of the players. After Buffalo pro Damar Hamlin’s heart attack the previous day, a uneventful weekend was important to the league’s reputation. It took games where everyone went through to the end. And as is so often the case in the NFL, it was the case this time that those who always deliver delivered: the players on the field.
Because not only the Texans acted honorably this weekend, without any thought of tanking. The Detroit Lions learned shortly before their game at the Green Bay Packers that they had no chance of a playoff participation; a loss would have seen them climb three places in the talent market rankings. “Of course it’s about something, even if it’s no longer about whether we get into the playoffs. It’s about screwing them up,” said Lions coach Dan Campbell before the game – that’s how his team played: cheeky and bold.
The German-born pass recipient Amon-Ra St. Brown was always the center of attention: once he secured a throw from quarterback Jared Goff by tucking the ball between his legs without it touching the ground; shortly thereafter he was involved in a trick play, in which he immediately forwarded a pass to a teammate, just like in basketball. St. Brown caught six passes and gained 1,161 yards, becoming the youngest receiver in Lions history to streak for a 1,000-yard season. The Lions won 20-16 and are now drafting four spots in each round behind the Packers, who they screwed up in the playoffs.
Or the Washington Commanders: They won 26:6 against the Dallas Cowboys, who therefore had no chance of a bye or at least home advantage in the first playoff round and had to play with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next Monday. A loss—which Washington could have justified by having a reserve’s reserve at quarterback—would have moved the Commanders up three places in the draft rankings. The clear message, however: no refueling, full throttle to the end.
Of course, there were also short-term relevant games: The Miami Dolphins, for example, defeated the New York Jets 11:6 shortly before the end, secured their first playoff participation since 2016 after the small crisis and will play at the Buffalo Bills on Sunday . Of course, they made the emotional contribution to the weekend: A week ago their player Damar Hamlin suffered a heart attack on the field. He is on the mend but remains in critical condition. Many wondered how the team would react to the hardships. Answer: Literally on the first play, Nyheim Hines carried the opponent’s kick-off 96 yards into the end zone – the unmistakable signal to the spectators: We are there and we want to play! A message that was representative of all NFL teams.