And Then There Were Four
Just like that, the NFL is down to four teams left in the playoffs. The divisional round saw a lot of good matchups, but ultimately, it was the top two teams in both the AFC and the NFC that will advance.
In the AFC, the New England Patriots will be traveling to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, January 20that 5:40 pm CST. For the Patriots, they beat up on the Los Angeles Chargers 41-28 in the divisional round. The Chiefs also had a cakewalk as they beat the Colts 31-13. The two will now face off in what may prove to be a brutally cold playoff game. According to the AP, the National Weather Service projects an artic blast, where temperatures may go well below zero. We will see if it can be cold enough to cool down two offenses that couldn’t have been hotter this last weekend.
In the NFC, it will be an indoor game as the Los Angeles Rams will be traveling to the Superdome to take on the New Orleans Saints. This game, also on January 20th, will be the early game with a 2:05 pm CST start. In the divisional round, the Rams were able to dismiss the Dallas Cowboys 30-22 behind the strong play of Todd Gurley and CJ Anderson, who each rushed for over 100 yards and combined for 3 touchdowns. For the Saints, they were able to get by the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles 20-14 as Drew Brees threw for 301 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Could Kareem Hunt Reunite With Matt Nagy?
During an end of the season press conference on Monday, Chicago Bears’ head coach Matt Nagy said that he has recently spoken with Kareem Hunt. Hunt, who is currently on the league’s exempt list, was released this season after video surfaced of Hunt attacking a young woman. With Hunt not facing charges relating to the incident, it will be interesting to see if any team pursues the embattled running back. When asked about it, Bears’ general manager Ryan Pace said that they are not close to the point of pursuing him. Still, with Nagy having coached Hunt during his time with the Kansas City Chiefs, the connection is certainly apparent, and the Bears might be on a shortlist of teams that Hunt would want to play for.
How Much Longer Does Rob Gronkowski Have?
Since being draft, there haven’t been too many more charismatic characters in the NFL than New England Patriots’ tight end, Rob Gronkowski. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, though, his time in the league may be coming to a close. This is nothing new as this is not the first time that Gronkowski has threatened retirement. Last season, after trade rumors had surfaced that the Patriots were shopping the tight end to the Detroit Lions, he threatened to hang them up. Battled by injuries and an underwhelming statistical season, at least by his standards, he is once again considering calling it a career whenever the Patriots season comes to a close. In his career, Gronkowski has brought in 521 receptions for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns. His best season, in 2011, saw him go for 1,327 yards and a whopping 17 touchdowns on 90 receptions. This season, though, has been relatively disappointing, as he has only gone for 682 yards and 3 touchdowns on just 47 catches. If he does indeed decide to call it a career, it has been one heck of a ride, but at only 29, it remains to be seen whether this postseason will be the last of Gronk or not.
Catching Up On Coaching Hires
As the playoffs push on, the coaching carousel is in full swing around the league. Some recent hires of big names include the following:
Joining new Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur’s coaching staff will be Nathaniel Hacket as offensive coordinator. Hacket was fired by the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier this season after their offense had struggled after ranking towards the top in offense in 2017.
Gary Kubiak will be joining the Minnesota Vikings to work with the offensive unit. Even though Kevin Stefanski is their offensive coordinator, Kubiak will work as an offensive advisor. He will also have the chance to work with his son, Klint Kubiak, who will be the Vikings’ quarterbacks coach.
Reports indicate that Jim Caldwell may be taking a similar position as Kubiak in Miami. While it is uncertain what his official role will be, Caldwell will be joining Miami to try to turn around their offense.
The Cleveland Browns have added a couple high profile assistant coaches in Todd Monken and Steve Wilks. Monken served as the Buccaneers offense and will now have a chance to work with quarterback Baker Mayfield. For Wilks, who was recently fired as the Arizona Cardinals’ head coach, he will have a chance to work with a young defense led by Myles Garrett.
Chuck Pagano has been hired by the Chicago Bears to lead their defensive unit. After incumbent Vic Fangio got the Denver Broncos head coaching job, the Bears had been looking for someone to lead their vaunted defense. Pagano, who has worked as both the Colts head coach and a Ravens defensive coordinator will look to continue building off of the success of one of the top defenses in the NFL.
Kyler Murray To Enter NFL Draft
It has been a very interesting year for Kyler Murray. The Oklahoma football and baseball star, who was drafted by the Oakland Athletics and penned a signing bonus of over $4 million, was still allowed to play his final season of football with the Sooners. That final season turned into a Heisman Trophy-winning season, where he led Oklahoma to a spot in the NCAA playoffs. Unfortunately for the Oakland A’s, that dynamite season might have changed his mind on his future profession. On Monday, Murray announced that he has entered the 2019 NFL Draft.
From a financial perspective, this might be a win-win for Murray. To try to prevent him from entering the NFL, the Oakland A’s could theoretically offer him a contract that would persuade him to put his football dreams behind him. On the other hand, if he can convince NFL teams that he is serious about playing football, he very well could be a first-round draft pick, which would be a more certain lucrative contract than minor league baseball. Adding to his good fortune, this is a relatively weak quarterback draft class, which might make Murray all the more enticing. Regardless, Murray is set to become a very rich young man playing a professional sport, we just don’t know which one yet.
