The NFL might be, at its heart, an insanely corrupt organization bent on valuing profits above its athletes, its fans, and any sort of sense of common decency, but this week, all of us members of the sports media must grudgingly accept that it has done us a big favor.
No, I'm not talking about the games – the vast majority of the ones played yesterday were meaningless. I'm talking about the fact that most teams felt that Sunday was the perfect time to fire coaches, retire coaches, fire GMs, or do something else to give us something to discuss prior to the Wild Card round. If you missed any of the action because you were in bed hung over from a New Year's Eve party that went a little bit too late, never fear. We'll recap all of it for you, with some help from Metallica.
"Hero of the Day": Aaron Rodgers makes good on his promise to run the table
"Fade to Black": The Raiders (and Texans) really don't have any hope in the playoffs
Sure, there was little hope for the Raiders and Texans before this past Sunday, but at the same time, there was that slight, twinkling chance that Matt McGloin and Tom Savage could beat the odds and lead their respective teams to playoff success.
Now their hopes, it seems, will fade away, drifting further every day. The Texans' move to Tom Savage seems like a lateral one, and Matt McGloin simply can't run the offense anywhere nearly as effectively as Derek Carr could.
On the plus side, one of these teams literally has to win next week, since they play each other, so there's no chance of both of these teams completely flaming out. Small comfort, I know.
"For Whom the Bell Tolls": The 49ers and Bills don't really have any hope, period
"Sad But True": We're going to get a Patriots-Cowboys Super Bowl, aren't we?
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