So Thursday Night shootouts are a thing right now. In the last six games played on this night, there have been 54, 76, 39, 84, 52 and 57 total points scored. The one game under 50 was Patriots-Steelers (even that was higher scoring than expected). In recent years we looked at if these games were lower-scoring on the short week. For the past half-season they've been the opposite.
Not to say last night's game was pretty, and in fact there were a pair of Pick Sixes in the contest. Higher-scoring does not always mean offensive showcase. But the final Thursday game of the year certainly featured a lot of points and a lot of good fantasy performers.
QUARTERBACKS
NFL teams really missed the boat on Joe Flacco this year. Even the Browns, it should be noted, started three different quarterbacks before giving Joe a contract. I had thought he retired, but to hear him talk he was staying ready and interested, waiting for calls that didn't come. Considering his level of play with the Browns, giving the offense better performance than it got from $230 million Deshaun Watson, or whatever his absurd contract is, it's remarkable. Last night he carved up Jets pass defense that 1) hadn't allowed a 300-yard passer, 2) had only allowed 2 guys to reach 260 yards, Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen, and was allowing an average of 1 TD pass per game -- multiple scores to three guys all year, despite facing a lot of the league's best quarterbacks. Flacco threw for 309 and 3. It's stunning. The Browns are in the playoffs and Flacco will probably be leading them against an AFC South winner weak defending the pass.
Trevor Siemian is I guess one of the 96 best quarterbacks on the planet, although it should be noted he's actually the 4th quarterback the Jets have used as a starter, behind Rodgers-Wilson-Tim Boyle, the latter of whom is another personnel move they can probably attribute to GM Aaron Rodgers. (Did anyone else notice a few more sideline shots of Rodgers grimacing last night than we all needed?) Siemian, to his credit from a fantasy perspective, heavily targeted the people anyone started last night. But his NFL present and future is veteran 3rd-stringer, and we don't need to talk about him anymore. If only the Jets had placed a call to Flacco, maybe they'd be in the playoff picture.
RUNNING BACKS
I think (and hope) that most people with Breece Hall on their rosters used him. We didn't rank him particularly favorably, out of respect for what the Browns defense at home has done all season long, but my surviving rosters have so many injured running backs I'm having a difficult time finding two to start, so a healthy featured guy like Hall gets into lineups even in poor matchups. Hall had a better game running it than could have been expected and caught 9 short passes for 42 yards and a score from Siemian, and that could and should have been expected -- Siemian has never seen a 2-3 yard checkdown on 3rd and 12 he won't take. (Hall's TD was 21 yards, so his other 8 catches averaged 2.6 yards.) I don't imagine I'll have Hall on any teams next year; talented guy but I don't see any reason to think a returning, 41-year-old Rodgers is any less likely to get hurt in 2024, making for another lousy year for the Jets. But he's had a lot of nice PPR games anyway, and maybe the Jets will employ a better backup quarterback than Zach Wilson.
Two other notes about Jets running backs. Israel Abanikanda was the No. 2, catching 4 passes for 27 yards. All 7 of his targets came in the final 3 minutes of the game, with New York inexplicably throwing dumpoffs, I guess to reduce the odds of Siemian throwing another Pick Six. Dalvin Cook was active but didn't step on the field. Nice investment by New York there.
Big game for Jerome Ford. He's a lot better running the ball than Kareem Hunt, and had one of the cooler touchdown receptions from a running back of the year, too. Good player, and he's going to have a role next year even assuming Nick Chubb is back healthy. Hunt will be 29 and will probably have a quiet market; he's just nothing special. The only reason I can see for Cleveland using him at all is to protect the tread on Ford's tires and reduce the hits he takes near the goal line.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Hey, we've arrived at another bad Jets personnel move that can be blamed on Aaron Rodgers. The Jets shipped off Elijah Moore last March, clearing the way for them to sign Rodgers' buddies Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb. Cobb played 3 snaps last night, while Lazard was either a healthy scratch or inactive due to illness -- not much difference. Moore hasn't had a big year but caught 5 for 61 and a touchdown in a half, before leaving due to a concussion. Lazard has 6 catches in his last seven games and Cobb has 4 catches this SEASON. OK, I'm done picking on the Jets. Probably. Garrett Wilson did his best with his 10 targets, catching 5 for 50 yards. He was pretty well covered for most of the night and a lot of his chances were contested. Not much he could do.
No other notable plays by wide receivers; Cleveland of course didn't have Amari Cooper and lost Moore in the first half. They should have both guys back the next time they play a meaningful game (Cleveland is technically still alive for the AFC North, should Baltimore lose to Miami, but for now I'm assuming a Ravens win, meaning Cleveland won't need to play any starters in Week 18).
TIGHT ENDS
What a season, and last month or so, for David Njoku. In his last four he's caught 28 passes for 373 yards and 4 touchdowns. A monster. I don't mean to rip Jets defensive coaches, but whatever. It was clear early in the week that Amari Cooper might not play, leaving Njoku as the only difference making receiver the Jets needed to account for. Instead he was wide freaking open, ripping off huge gains over the middle of the field, from the opening snap. Hey, maybe put a body in the guy's vicinity? I thought a young Tony Gonzalez had been plucked out of the timestream. It was crazy.
For the Jets, Tyler Conklin caught 5 passes for 45 yards. Without looking it up I believe Conklin has caught 4-5 passes for 40-45 yards in about 90 percent of his games this season. Looking it up, I see that his season averages are 4 catches for 38 yards. All without catching any touchdowns, which seems hard to do, until you consider he plays for the Jets.
CONCLUSIONS
That's a wrap on these Thursday night recaps for the year, unless the NFL decides to schedule a playoff game on Thursday that they can sell to Amazon Prime. (It's inevitable, but probably not this season.) A few good games (Cowboys-Seahawks stands out), but plenty of bad ones.
The Jets play the Patriots next week, and that game will be stuck in the 1 p.m. slot where nobody will have to watch any of it because it will strictly determine where those teams' first-round picks will be in next year's draft. I can't remember the details of the Rodgers trade; I think New York still has its own first in the 2024 draft, it will probably be around 8th or 9th. Hopefully Rodgers chooses a good player.
The Browns look like they're going to be a tough out in the playoffs, assuming they get everyone healthy for the first game. A month ago I hoped this team wouldn't make it, given the style of play they employed, but they're pretty impressive in the Flacco offense. Light up a talented Jets pass defense, and no one should rule out Cleveland winning a couple of games in January.