The NFL Roundup 2021: Week 16 Recap

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Hello again, football fans and welcome back to another edition of the NFL Roundup. One that is going to spotlight a sense of normalcy in the NFL. Because at long last, a playoff picture is coming into shape, elite teams are starting to emerge and of course, some coaches are finally making it clear that earlier success this year was nothing more than a fluke and they deserve to be on the hot seat. So, without further ado, let’s look back at the NFL’s most normal week to date (which is saying something with Covid running rampant again) and all the stories it sent our way.
 
Congratulations are in order for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Despite having one heck of a scary start to the year, thanks to their suspect secondary, the Kansas City Chiefs shored up their swiss cheese pass defense and figured out how to get their offense rolling again and for their efforts… they’re AFC West Division Champions… for the sixth year in a row and well, congratulations are in order. Simply because that’s not an easy feat and the Chiefs had to earn it the hard way and now, they get another shot at the postseason and the Lombardi Trophy, and it will be interesting to see how far they will go in the playoffs in a season where the unexpected is the outright norm.
 
The Denver Broncos MUST make some coaching changes in the offseason.
There really is a sense now, that Denver Broncos Head Coach Vic Fangio is going to stick around another year, and there is logic behind that belief. After all, ownership is in flux and the defense in Denver has performed quite well. But while that will likely be enough to give Vic another shot in Denver… the fact of the matter is, the team badly needs to make some coaching changes in the offseason, period. Because Special Teams Coordinator Tom McMahon is in over his head and Offensive Coordinator Pat Shurmur is doing a terrible job making use of the incredible tools at his offense’s disposal. So, hopefully General Manager George Paton can help Vic find a better ST and O Coordinator in the offseason… or Fangio might not make it to midseason with a new and eager owner in place.
 
The NFC Playoff Picture is finally coming into focus.
It took a lot longer than usual, but at last… we finally have an idea of what the NFC Playoff Picture is going to look like. Because Dallas, the Rams, Tampa Bay and Arizona finally clinched spots in the tournament this past weekend, leaving two more Wild Card slots to be decided in the final two weeks and thank heavens this finally happened. Because it was simply exhausting seeing good teams keep giving lesser teams a shot at the postseason and hopefully this long and drawn-out process will serve as a lesson to the top five teams… to stop taking their opponents for granted and to give it their all or the NFC Playoffs will be just as wild as the regular season.
 
The Miami Dolphins have turned their season around.
It wasn’t that long ago, that it appeared as though Miami was a team in crisis. After all, they were riding a losing streak, the front office was talking about executing a trade to be rid of Tua Tagovailoa, a man they selected at #5 in the 2020 draft. But something happened shortly after the trade deadline. In that, this team, seemingly woke up and started working on their fundamentals and the next play ahead of them and wouldn’t you know it? This renewed focus paid off in spades. Because they have just won seven games in a row and are close to locking up a playoff spot and that’s just incredible. Because this team was all but forgotten a few weeks ago and it just speaks to the power of execution and moxie, and it will be interesting to see how far this team will go if they make it to the postseason.
 
Expect the Saints to be aggressive players in this offseason’s quarterback carousel.
These days, the offseason is quite the wild place for quarterbacks, since this is when so many of them get shuffled around the league and 2022 will likely be no different and it will undoubtedly feature an aggressive new player in the mix via New Orleans. Because every QB they made use of this year has either dealt with excessive injuries or just plain stinks and that is likely going to cost them a seat at the table in the postseason. Which is why it makes sense that they will chase any and all quality free agents at QB or be involved in trade discussions. Because this team understands the importance of quality quarterback play and that without it… it will be a long time before they play in another Super Bowl.  

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