Week 18 on the NFL schedule is in the books and the best performances deserve to be recognized by our MMQB staff. Even if you’re feeling down because your team didn’t win, maybe one of your favorite players or coaches gets awarded a game ball by our staff.
Here are this weekend’s standouts:
Conor Orr: Nyheim Hines, KR, Bills. Okay, I’ll take the easy one here. This was the first time since 2010 that we’ve seen two kickoff returns for a touchdown in one game. This was the first time in Bills history that it happened. This was the most kick return yards in one game by any Bills player. But, mostly, it was an absolute emotional volcano of a play that helped the Bills ease their return to the field after Damar Hamlin’s medical emergency. It’s cliche to say that this was a Hollywood ending, but in this case, I don’t think Hollywood is corny enough to actually conjure this up and make it seem believable.
Hines had a pair of kickoff return touchdowns for the Bills, who are the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs.
JAMIE GERMANO/USA TODAY NETWORK
John Pluym: Mike Tomlin, Coach, Steelers. Tomlin hasn’t had a losing season in his 16 years at the helm after Pittsburgh defeated the Browns to improve to 9–8. The Steelers won six of their seven and seven of their past nine games. Pittsburgh has a solid foundation moving forward. Tomlin made the move to play quarterback Kenny Pickett and he delivered four consecutive wins down the stretch, including two on the last series of the game. Pittsburgh also has Najee Harris and George Pickens on offense, along with a very talented tight end in Pat Freiermuth. Defensively, the Steelers got back former Defensive Player of the Year TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith had a big season stepping in after Watt was injured. There’s no doubt the future looks bright in Pittsburgh as long as Tomlin is the head coach.
Gary Gramling: The Heyward Family, Steelers. It was a big day for veteran D-lineman (and, if there’s any justice, future Hall of Famer) Cameron in what could be his final game with the Steelers. Against an albeit dysfunctional Browns offense, he had two sacks of Deshaun Watson, his only blemish coming on an absurd roughing the passer call. And then there’s rookie tight end/fullback/H-back Connor, who saw his role in the offense grow of late, with three more catches for 45 yards. The Watts got all that Subway ad money. How about a Blimpie commercial for the Heywards?
Claire Kuwana: Jason Sanders, K, Dolphins. After a five-game losing streak, it was Sanders’s 50-yard field goal that helped the Dolphins to their first playoff berth since 2016. The 11–6 win over the Jets Sunday wasn’t pretty, as Tyreek Hill tweeted after the game, but Sanders did what he needed to in order to compensate for the otherwise limited offense in Miami. He was a perfect 3-of-3 on field goals, making him the only player on the team to score a point (the remaining two points came from a safety), but it was enough to give the Dolphins a rematch against the Bills in the first round of the playoffs.
Mitch Goldich: Davis Mills, QB and Jordan Akins, WR, Texans. Week 18 had a lot of bad football, with different teams caring about their games different amounts. Some teams emptied their benches, either because the season ended last week or because they were locked into a particular playoff seed. But the Texans, who were eliminated from contention seemingly forever ago, have been trying hard for a solid month now. And that game-winning 14-play, 83-yard drive to beat the Colts and cost themselves the No. 1 pick in the draft was a perfect microcosm of a silly day. It was thrilling, it was hilarious, it was not good for the team, but we couldn’t look away. Jordan Akins scored an otherwise meaningless octopus that has a chance to have a dramatic impact on Alabama QB Bryce Young and a handful of teams across the league for years to come. What a day.
