The NFL Roundup 2022: Week 18 Recap

Written by John Edward Betancourt

​Hello again, football fans and welcome to another edition of the NFL Roundup. One that is going to be filled to the brim with awe. Because the final week of the NFL season was jam-packed with stunning surprises and the morning after offered up a few of its own as well. So, let’s not waste any time today and dive right into all the top storylines and stunning moments that Week 18 in the NFL, sent our way.
 
The Denver Broncos made the right call, in firing Vic Fangio.
Make no mistake about it, Vic Fangio is in fact, a great defensive football coach. For he truly improved the Broncos defense during his time as head coach with the team, to the point where every player found success in his system. But alas, being a great defensive coordinator with the title of head coach, does not bring you great success, nor does failing to hold the offense and special teams accountable to their mistakes and those are the reasons why Denver let him go on Sunday and the team definitely made the right call. Because the Broncos need a true leader at the helm of this team and now that Vic is off to his next DC job, the search can begin for a genuine leader, one that will get the most out of the coaching staff and this team and finally lead the Broncos back to their winning ways.
 
The NFC North had quite the housecleaning Monday morning.
It is definitely safe to say that everyone around the league expected Mike Zimmer and Matt Nagy to be relieved from their respective duties this morning and that definitely did happen first thing. But what was genuinely surprising about their exit is that they weren't alone when it comes to their respective franchises. For General Managers Rick Spielman and Ryan Pace were also fired on Black Monday and well, that kind of housecleaning just goes to show that ownership in Minnesota and Chicago, fully understand that a fresh start and a fresh set of eyes are needed to get these teams over the hump and hopefully, they make the right hires at all levels this time since these fans deserve better than what they’ve received as of late.
 
The Miami Dolphins made a huge mistake in firing Brian Flores.
Every year, Black Monday offers up a surprising firing. One where a coach that deserved better is sent packing and this year; the Miami Dolphins decided to be the team to make that happen. For they released Brian Flores this morning and uh, that’s a dumb move. Because Flores did an amazing job with a team that is young and unproven. In fact, he only had one losing season in his time with Miami and put forth one heck of a 2021 campaign. One where he took a 1-7 start and transformed it into a 9-8 season, and it just doesn’t make sense to fire a guy that can get that kind of performance out of a raw team. But that’s what Miami did, and it was a poor decision, and now they’re back to square one when they could have been in a great place in 2022 with Flores at the helm.
 
Another year, another set of records (mostly) fall.
Say what you will about the addition of an extra game and what it will do to records, but one way or another, they continue to fall, and this season is no exception to that. Since Sunday saw two players make quite the splash with single season records. For T.J. Watt tied the coveted single season sack record by netting 22.5 this year, putting him amongst the league’s elite pass rushers and Cooper Kupp… well he basically has every single season passing record known to man and extra game or no, they did this, they broke those records, and they deserve every ounce of praise and every accolade that comes with their accomplishments. 
 
Head Coach Brandon Staley made a boneheaded mistake last night.
It is a prevailing belief in the NFL, that you do whatever it takes to make it to the playoffs. Because a shot at the tournament, is a shot at the Super Bowl and that's why you don't hear teams complain which seed they receive if they make it in, because they know this is their shot. With that being said however, clearly Los Angeles Chargers Head Coach Brandon Staley, missed that memo and that mantra. Because despite having a chance to make it to the playoffs by forcing a tie against the Raiders last night, Staley opted to call a timeout for no apparent reason and in doing so, gave the Raiders the chance to ponder upon how best to win the game and well... they did. Sending Los Angeles home and hopefully teaching Staley a valuable lesson. In that, sometimes when a grand opportunity presents itself, you don't play it safe and go for broke. 

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