NFL 2024: NFL playoffs finalised, star Dolphin Tyreek Hill asks out of Miami, Patriots sack head coach
On the day the NFL’s playoff race was determined, coaches were sacked and superstars asked out, as the race to the Super Bowl officially began in America’s biggest sport.
A day of major drama has unfolded as the NFL’s playoff race was determined, with Detroit Lions sealing the NFC division with a resounding win over Minnesota.
Miami Dolphins, who missed out on the playoffs having suffered a 32-20 loss to the lowly New York Jets, could now be on the lookout for a new wide receiver after superstar Tyreek Hill, who is in the midst of a $120 million ($A192.6 million) contract indicated he wants to leave.
And New England Patriots sacked their first-year coach, Jerod Mayo, despite them beating the Buffalo Bills in the last week of the season. Mayo, the replacement for Bill Belichick, was fired by Patriots owner Robert Kraft following a 4-13 season.
And there is major confusion around Hill’s future at the Dolphins.
Hill claimed he was pulled from play after Miami became aware that Denver Broncos had beaten the Kansas City Chiefs in the final week – they needed the Chiefs to win to stay in contention.
However, head coach Mike McDaniel said at his post-match press conference that he was told Hill had suffered an undisclosed injury in the game and could not continue.
Hill, who won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs before his record-setting deal with Miami, said in the dressing room: “I have to do what’s best for me and my family — if that’s here or wherever the case may be.
“I’m opening the door. I’m out bro.
“It was great playing here, but at the end of the day I got to do what’s best for my career. I’m too much of a competitor to be just out there.”
Meanwhile, the Lions announced themselves as serious Super Bowl contenders with a 31-9 victory over the Vikings in what was a game to win the NFC conference.
Both teams entered the fixture with 14-2 records, but the Lions’ suffocating defence and four touchdowns to Jahmyr Gibbs – who leads the league in touchdowns – saw the home team crush Sam Darnold’s crew.
So the Lions and Chiefs – who had already claimed the AFC conference last week and rested all their big guns against Denver – will get a week’s rest.
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, George Karlaftis and Isiah Pacheco were among numerous Chiefs stars watching from the sidelines, and with the additional week off they’ll likely have a total of 25 days without a game before playing the lowest remaining seed in the AFC after the Wild Card round.
Denver’s 38-0 win over the Chiefs also saw Cincinnati Bengals knocked out of the playoff race, while last year’s Super Bowl losers San Francisco 49ers, as well as Dallas Cowboys are the other notable team who failed to make the finals.
The Wild Card round this coming weekend will see Houston Texans host LA Chargers (Sunday 8.30am AEDT), while Baltimore Ravens host a Pittsburgh Steelers side coming off four consecutive defeats (Sunday 12pm AEDT).
Three Wild Card games will be played the following day, with the Bills hosting Denver (Monday 5am AEDT), the Philadelphia Eagles at home to Green Bay Packers (Monday 8.30am AEDT) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosting Washington Commanders (Monday 12pm AEDT).
The final Wild Card game sees the Vikings travel to Los Angeles to take on the Rams (Tuesday 12pm AEDT).
The Rams were defeated in the last week by Seattle Seahawks – they both finished with 10-7 records – but LA snuck through on a tie-breaker where the strength of their opponents’ records is measured.
On that marker, Seattle had already been eliminated last week before the Rams clash, but in winning they became the first side since 2021 to have 10 wins and still miss the playoffs.
It wasn’t all a lost cause, however, as Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith collected $US6 million in bonuses for hitting three contract escalators related to throwing yards, completion percentage and Seattle winning 10 games.
This season Smith needed at least 4282 passing yards and a completion rate of at least 69.75 per cent to earn his bonuses. Against the Rams he completed 20 of his 27 pass attempts for a total of 223 yards, giving him a season total of 4320 yards at 70.4 per cent accuracy, breaking his own franchise record set in 2022.
The Bucs had secured a 27-19 victory over New Orleans, but wide receiver Mike Evans was still short of 1000 receiving yards for the season. On the final play of the game, Evans caught a nine-yard pass from quarterback Baker Mayfield to hit the 1000-yard mark, earning him a $US3 million bonus and ensuring he reached the milestone for an 11th straight season, a feat only done by the legendary Jerry Rice.
Mayfield himself picked up a healthy $US2.5 million bonus by finishing top 10 in the league of top five in the NFC for passer rating, touchdown passes, passing yards, completion percentage and yards per pass – all worth $500,000 each.
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