For the first time in his storied 23-year career, Tom Brady lost a game that he led by at least 17 points. His turnover-filled collapse and 11-point loss to the Cincinnati Bengals was one of just two games Sunday that ended with a deficit greater than one score.
The other involved the Arizona Cardinals blowing a 9-3 second-half lead to lose to the Denver Broncos by nine after being forced to play the backup quarterback to their backup quarterback.
The remaining nine games all ended with a deficit within one score. As did three of the four games played between Thursday and Saturday. Week 15 underdogs covered in 10 of the 15 total games played before Monday.
If parity is what you wanted, it’s here.
Every underdog covered in the early slate 🤑🤑 pic.twitter.com/97JkwysKZq
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) December 18, 2022
Four underdogs won outright; the Jaguars, Steelers, Lions and Giants. And the biggest underdogs showed the most fight.
The 3-11 Bears picked off MVP favorite Jalen Hurts twice in what was just a five-point loss to the league-leading Eagles. The 1-12-1 Texans forced overtime against the Chiefs just one week after nearly knocking off the Cowboys. Speaking of the Cowboys, they were unable to hold off the underdog this time around, losing in stunning fashion to the Jaguars. The Vikings required the largest comeback in NFL history to beat the 4-9-1 Colts.
The margins have never been smaller between the best and worst teams in the NFL.
Walk-off lateral
In the same week as Brady’s big collapse, the Patriots (+2.5) let a game slip from their grasp. Rather, they threw it away.
New England led the Las Vegas Raiders by a touchdown up until a game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter. But after failing to make enough progress to attempt a field goal on their last possession, the Patriots tried that dumb lateral thing teams do at the end of games and it went as bad as I’ve ever seen it go.
NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT. @chanjones55 TOUCHDOWN FOR THE WIN.
📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/Rw64tmSqSK
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) December 19, 2022
I wouldn’t wish a loss bet like this on my worst enemy.
The largest comeback ever
In the first half of their game against the Colts on Saturday, the Vikings had three first downs. Their drives ended as follows: Punt, Fumble, Downs, Downs, Punt, Interception, Punt.
When your defense is among the worst in the NFL, that’s the exact type of half your offense can’t have. It created the exact scenario where they could get down 33-0 — though nobody saw that coming against Indy of all teams.
But the Vikings offense had been Jekyll and Hyde all season, and the good side showed up in the second half to score touchdowns on five of nine possessions to force overtime where they sealed the largest comeback win in NFL history.
THE @VIKINGS CAP OFF THE LARGEST COMEBACK IN NFL HISTORY.
FROM 33-0 DOWN TO 39-36. #INDvsMIN pic.twitter.com/p4vtjhuPY7
— NFL (@NFL) December 17, 2022
In the end it was only a three-point win. The Vikings didn’t even cover the 3.5-point spread. Their season point differential is just +2. So the biggest takeaway is probably that the Vikings aren’t as good as their 11-3 record. But it’s going to be hard to get anybody adjacent to that team to feel bad about themselves after what they just pulled off.
Jaguars on the prowl
I want to make the Cowboys loss to the Jaguars about Dallas’ defense and how bad it was in the second half. But now isn’t the time for that because Trevor Lawrence is blossoming into a star right before our eyes, and the Jaguars are making a playoff push.
Lawrence threw for a season-high four touchdowns, and his 318 yards were the most allowed by the Cowboys all year. Dallas certainly could have made more plays to put the game away after leading by 17 in the third quarter, but Lawrence deserves credit for leading his team back.
In his last six games, he’s thrown for 14 touchdowns and one interception while completing 70% of his passes. The Jaguars are 4-2 in that stretch, and now they’re just a game behind the Titans in the AFC South with games against the Jets, Texans and Titans remaining.
Losers of four straight, the Titans play the Texans and Cowboys before their finale against the Jags, and that final game could very well decide the division. Right now, Jacksonville looks like a better bet.
