Collapsing Cowboys and an Almost Fairytale for Detroit Lions

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The 2022 regular season is in the books! We have vented our way through a season of poor officiating, an early deficiency of high-scoring games and our fair share of poor coaching. We finish the season with not too much to grumble about. Whilst the week 18 slate may have been slightly underwhelming, with so many teams having already been handed their fate, fans were at least rewarded with a Sunday night masterclass by the Detroit Lions - more on that later – and emotional scenes in Buffalo. After such a distressing and deeply emotional week, following the cardiac arrest of Damar Hamlin on Monday Night Football, no one could believe their eyes when Nyheim Hines streaked in for a 96-yard kick-off return touchdown on the opening play against the New England Patriots. The first play since the scary moment in Cincinnati and one that will be etched into the Bills’ history forever. It was a joy for everyone to see news of Damar Hamlin’s continued improvements and everyone involved in his recovery should be celebrated.

Elsewhere in the league, Emotions were also running high for JJ Watt, who could be seen shedding a tear as the clock wound down on his last ever NFL game. The future hall-of-famer announced his retirement just a few weeks ago and signed off in fine fashion, snagging himself another 2 sacks to take his total to 12.5 for the year. Not bad at all for his last ever season, if it truly proves to be that way…

It can’t all be positive, though. Welcome to the Vent Zone:

Vent – Deshaun Watson

It is so hard to evaluate the Deshaun Watson trade at this early stage. There is no doubt that after two years off the field, nobody expected big things from Watson, but surely this has Cleveland fans a little bit nervous. When compared to the other 39 quarterbacks that have attempted 150 passes this week, Watson is 38th in EPA (Expected Points Added), ahead of only Joe Flacco. This does make some sense when you consider how much time he spent away from the game (very much caused by his own actions), but I think it is fair to say that the Browns' front office would have wanted to see a bit more from the player that they gave a fully guaranteed $240million to. It isn’t quite time to sound the panic alarms just yet, but the early stages of next season are going to be a very nerve-wracking time for Browns fans that want to see their expensive QB revisit the form of his Texans days. For the rest of the league, and many fans around the world, a continued underwhelming level of performance would offer up a sense of justice. We shall have to wait and see.

Vent – Cowboys

What was that? Talk about finishing in style before a high-pressure playoff push. Not so much for the stumbling Cowboys who will have their fan base very nervous after a dismal display against the Commanders, in which Dak Prescott had one of his worst games of the season. Not at all what they wanted to see before the playoffs. The worst play of the game was Dak’s pick-six, but there was also a botched punt and a fumbled punt return. Turnovers lose you games, and there will be simply no room for error in a postseason that could see the Cowboys facing the Eagles and the 49ers, before going up against the best the AFC has to offer.

Dak Prescott attempted a shocking 14 of 37 passes and is now tied for a league-leading 15 interceptions. A stat that is more alarming when you consider he has thrown 100 to 150 passes less than most quarterbacks in the league. Is this leading towards another classic Cowboys one-and-done in the playoffs?

Brag on the Play – Lions

We have all come to expect a fearless approach from the Dan Campbell-led Lions, who despite being eliminated, fought tooth and nail to deprive their division rivals of a visit to the playoffs. Offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, was in his bag of tricks, producing an insanse lateral call late in the 4th quarter on 2nd and 17 with 2 minutes to go. This was followed followed by a bold decision to turn down a short field goal and instead opt for a 4th down pass to win the game. It is such a refreshing approach to the game, putting faith in your players to win the game. It wasn’t a fairytale end for the Lions, who won’t be in the playoffs thanks to the Seahawks’ overtime win against the Rams, but they can absolutely hold their heads high as one of the best storylines of the 2022 season.

Brag on the Play – Texans

This was brilliant. Do you reckon the Texans regret not firing Lovie Smith a week BEFORE their meaningless week 18 match, where all they had to do was lose one more game to secure the coveted number 1 pick in the draft? That team fought as if their life depended on it to get Lovie Smith a win in his last game as head coach. The Colts being a shambles and giving the Texans as many chances as possible helped a lot, but it is undeniable that Smith had his team playing hard for the last few weeks.

It was just a few weeks ago that we were discussing the consequences of the Jets’ meaningless victory over the LA Rams that led to them dropping out of the first overall pick and losing out on Trevor Lawrence. Two years later, Lawrence is looking as good as everyone hoped and Zach Wilson might be moving onto his next team in just his third year. It pains me to say it, but Wilson may be one of the worst number two overall picks ever, and this situation is the perfect argument for why locking in the number one pick is more important than a week 18 victory. It is certainly a big debate in the NFL community. What side do you come down on?

Send us your vents

Our weekly podcast features vents from fans of all teams, as well as from our hosts. We would love to have you on the show, so please do email your vents to nflventzone@gmail.com.