Welcome to the Wild-Card Weekend edition of the Sunday FreakOut, where we react and overreact to everything that is happening in this weekend’s games, with live updates after each game. For the full roundup podcast-style, be sure to subscribe to The MMQB Podcast, in your feed every Monday morning...
Things That Made Me Giddy
Josh Allen Devoured Bill Belichick’s Soul: We don’t need to rehash it (at least not this weekend), but the Patriots’ wind-swept win in Orchard Park last December birthed tens of thousands of terrible takes. The worst of them was along the lines of: Actually, the Patriots only threw three times because they don’t think much of Josh Allen and the Bills’ offensive coaches. In three of their past four matchups, Bill Belichick and the Patriots have had zero answers for Josh Allen. That isn’t hyperbole; they have not come up with any kind of strategy—micro or macro—to stop this offense. Throw out the gale force game, and Allen has averaged 39.3 points in his last three against New England. The Bills didn’t punt in the past two. Belichick has never been beaten this thoroughly, and repeatedly, by one player and one team at any point in his career.
Josh Allen Out of Structure: He made the opening touchdown drive happen, with a long scramble and then a looked-much-easier-than-it-was flip to Dawson Knox in the back corner of the end zone. (I was going to write that it’s the kind of thing you don’t get from Mac Jones, but Jones delivered two of those plays on the subsequent drive!)
Joe Burrow Is Going to Win MVPs: He’s operating the kind of offense that would normally be run by a 10-year veteran, and he’s doing it with two street-free-agent types holding down the right side of the line.
Derek Carr Is, Actually, Underrated: The NFL is full of quarterbacks who twist into knots trying to brand themselves as disrespected or underestimated in some way. For three seasons Carr watched as his coach subtly and not-so-subtly flirted with other quarterbacks, only to outlast that coach and drag the Raiders to an incredibly unlikely playoff appearance, and within one throw of pushing that playoff appearance to overtime. Whatever the length of Jon Gruden’s contract was, Mark Davis should give Carr the same.
That Bills Offensive Line: They were pretty good in 2020. They were not very good in 2021. On Saturday night, they mauled a Patriots front that doesn’t often get mauled.
Rohan Will Be a Bills Fan Within Six Months: He just doesn’t know it yet.
Regrets
The Whistle: As Joe Burrow neared the sideline on what became a second-quarter touchdown throw. Of course, these things happen—how they keep happening with incredible frequency to the people tasked with officiating the highest level of professional football is baffling, but for now let’s just say, pobody’s nerfect, that’s why pencils have erasers, etc. What’s truly stunning is that none of the seven members of a postseason officiating crew, nor the folks helping them from New York, did what is the correct thing according to both the rule book and common sense, which is consider the play blown dead and replay the down.
Mac Jones and the Saddest Fake Spike: Which I think we can all agree is among the worst of the Harry Potter knockoffs. Aside from that: The Patriots had two timeouts at this point. In what world is any defense going to be fooled by a fake spike? (Not Earth.)
Moments We’ll Tell Our Grandkids About
Micah Hyde’s Pick: Incredible range, though also an assist to Mac Jones for moving him in that direction with the poorly-thought-out pump fake (yes, he's trying to draw him up to the tight end, but still...). Anyway, if you’re a believer in the Butterfly Effect…
Dawson Knox Congratulates Adrian Phillips on His Recent Contract Extension:
What We’ll Be Talking About This Week (and This Offseason)
Call the “Divisional Round” Playoffs the “Conference Semifinals”: If you have any self respect.
The Mac Jones Patriots: On one hand, being selected by the greatest coach in football history gives Jones a kind of benefit of the doubt that other young quarterbacks will never get. On the other hand, he’s going to play John Allen twice a year from now until the end of time, and more often than not it’s not going to go well. Jones is a quality starter and obviously the answer in New England for at least the next four seasons. But the Patriots will have to come up with a formula to catch Buffalo, just like the rest of the AFC East was trying to do to them for the past two decades. Jones can be a part of that formula, but will he ever be the reason they catch the Bills?
Just Keep Rich Bisaccia: Mark Davis has to let this group run it back one more time.
J.C. Jackson’s Free Agency: He’s a fine player, but he has to get as far away from Buffalo as possible. Every time he goes against this Bills team he morphs into the guy on the Washington Generals who gets his shorts pulled down every game.
