2018 in a nutshell: One season-defining play for all 32 NFL teams Published: Feb 06, 2019 at 09:57 AM NFL.com Writer One play. Sometimes an entire season boils down to — literally and/or figuratively. With that in mind, I was tasked with finding one season-defining play for all 32 NFL teams. This was a labor of love that included way too many hours on , but I feel like it was a more fruitful endeavor than streaming episodes of “The Office Ryan McMahon Jersey ” I’ve seen 35 times. I did enact one rule in this grand undertaking: NO POSTSEASON PLAYS. Why? Well, the playoffs are still quite fresh in everyone’s minds right now. And we already commit so much time poring over those 11 spotlight games, so what’s the fun in revisiting such well-trodden ground? Let’s go back to the 2018 portion of this season! You know, those 256 games? You’ll find my selections below. I’m sure we won’t be in agreement about everything. I mean, we be, because I feel like I nailed it. But I’ll happily accept your criticisms acro s various social media platforms. Mostly because I’m lonely now that that the season is over and people aren’t asking me if they should start this week. Without further ado, here is one play that summed up the entire season for each NFL team. You can click on each subhead for a video clip of the play. Well, except for the three plays marked by injury. While these were undoubtedly impactful moments meriting mention, there’s no need for the accompanying visuals. Most fans (and fantasy enthusiasts) wondered why Johnson wasn’t being utilized more as a receiver. And on this first-quarter touchdown reception against the , I remember thinking, And then Arizona pretty much avoided Johnson in the aerial attack for the rest of the game. It’s almost like it was a happy accident or something. This was e sentially the last highlight of the year. (Well, .) was ultimately benched. Rosen would throw a pick later in the game to end the season, and that was that. The weren’t too shabby offensively this year. flirted with 5,000 yards pa sing while posting a sparkling 35:7 touchdown-to-interception ratio. led the league in receiving yards (1,677) — he even got in the end zone more than a few times! But damn, that defense. Beset by injuries, the secondary had trouble keeping teams out of the end zone. That was evident in this game, as the held a five-point lead with just over four minutes remaining. Dalton drove the down the field and capped off the winning drive with a 13-yard strike to Green with just seven ticks left on the clock. John Harbaugh has a job in Baltimore today because of Jackson and the way he rallied the club. Now, a lot of people claimed (ignorantly) that the rookie could only run the ball, that he wasn’t a real quarterback or whatnot. And then he comes out and throws a perfect 68-yard touchdown pa s to silence the haters (at least until the playoffs, when they clamored for Joe Flacco). And yes, Andrews did have some impre sive YAC on that touchdown, but that was a seed from Jackson, and you can’t deny that. In a game that undoubtedly blew up many survivor leagues (for those people whom the Bucs hadn’t got in Week 1), in one of the biggest regular-season stunners in quite some time. But the play everyone talked about was when Allen jumped over Barr like he was on “American Ninja Warrior” or something. Allen experienced many highs and lows during his rookie season. This was a literal high. LITERAL. It’s hard to fathom now, but the were 6-2 at one point during the 2018 season. Carolina was no Rembrandt of a team, but Ron Rivera’s group was in command of a playoff spot entering its Week 10 visit to Heinz Field. Then things started to unravel against the . Carolina took an early 7-0 lead, but it was short-lived, as JuJu scored on Pittsburgh’s first offensive play from scrimmage. The would lose and commence a seven-game losing skid to knock themselves out of the playoffs. Don’t be the jerk who wants to talk about ‘s multiple boinks against the . This is a safe space for fans. So back off. But here’s the real gist. A bunch of you laughed at me when . But they made it, didn’t they, haters?! The season’s final conclusion was awful — again, beat it with — but the season as a whole was pretty positive. The knocked out the and , so that’s not bad. And it all started with Mack owning Green Bay in the first game of the year. Even if Chicago lost the game, it set the tone for the entire campaign. The scored with 1:18 remaining to take a 21-20 lead on the hated . The would have improved to 5-1 with a win, while the would have dropped to 2-3-1. So, you know what happens: Pittsburgh scores on a touchdown pa s to Brown, who weaves through what seems like 50 on the way to the end zone for the winning score with just 10 seconds to spare. Of course, it should be noted Cincy called a blitz on the play — despite being one of the league’s best pa sers against the blitz — because, well, . This about summed up the entire coaching tenure of the recently deposed Marvin Lewis. CLEVELAND BROWNS: ‘s injury (Week 3 vs. Jets) I wasn’t sure why, at the beginning of the season, Hue Jackson absolutely refused to start . But who was I to question the wisdom of a coach who had ama sed a 1-31 record over the previous two seasons? Sure, that’s not great, but it’s still one more win than I’ve ever had as an NFL coach, so respect. Hue was finally forced to do the right thing after Tyrod was sidelined in the first half of this game against the , and Mayfield went on to energize the in ways we haven’t seen since Otto Graham. (I’d imagine. Wasn’t alive for that.) I don’t want to celebrate an injury, but it’s not like we don’t cite Drew Bledsoe’s injury as one of the things that launched ‘s career. Did I just compare Baker to Brady? You’re damn right I did. Deal with it. (Hey, they , so you have to give me that.) You ever have a friend who will take reckle s gambles? Like, And then he gets two blackjacks and you’re all, That’s what it was like for the when they traded for , a move lampooned Sam Hilliard Jersey all over the internet ( ). But it paid off for the , who would go on to win the NFC East. No play defined Cooper’s career about-face more than the overtime winner that should have been a pick-six but ended up in Cooper’s hands for the touchdown. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good. The seemingly had the pinned on their 1-yard line following a brilliant punt. But Denver had failed to down the ball, and Harris, knowing the rules, scooped it up and took it to the house. fans, in the team’s Oakland farewell, went ballistic. The house was nuts. And the , who scuffled through injuries and disappointments, . The entered December in playoff contention, but four straight lo ses to end the season buried those hopes and gave the franchise consecutive losing campaigns for the first time since the ’70s. Detroit hired Matt Patricia last offseason and you thought (briefly, as it turns out) that maybe this was going to be the dawn of a new era for the . And then here, in the third quarter of the season opener, faces some pre sure and throws an ill-advised pa s over the middle that Lee steps in front of and takes to the house. And then you’re like, Just watch : That fan speaks for all of Detroit. Green Bay struggled through most of the season, but Rodgers had convinced the world that he was going to rally the to make the playoffs. The only problem? The mighty stood in their way. Even though the Pack were heavy favorites, they couldn’t muster anything offensively against a team that would end up “earning” the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. The most telling play came late in the second half, when Rodgers overthrew Adams on what could have been a 59-yard touchdown pa s. And I mean overthrew him. It’s a throw you’ve seen Rodgers make dozens of time. But this was like Rex Gro sman-level bad. The would, of course, lose and ultimately be eliminated by the . Hopkins made this one-handed, through-the-legs circus grab — something that should be talked about for years. Unfortunately, it didn’t count. Which kind of sums up the entire year for the . No matter how great Hopkins is (and he’s the best wideout in the game right now), it ultimately doesn’t matter. This season ended with another early exit from the playoffs. The were locked up with the at 34 apiece with 27 seconds left in overtime. It was fourth-and-4, with Indy on its own 43-yard line. A punt likely would’ve ended the game in a tie. The went for it. Failed. And Houston ended up winning the game after hit to set up the winning field goal. Many thought the play would hurt Indianapolis long term — and it kind of did, because, in hindsight, a tie in this game would have given Indy the AFC South — but that kind of moxie from Frank Reich inspired the to overcome a 1-5 start and make the playoffs as a wild card. I hate to do this to my friends down in Duval County, but you know this to be true. The were one of the biggest disappointments in 2018. Stemming from their Mark Reynolds Jersey trip to the 2017 AFC Championship Game — Hey, fans, where was your support when wasn’t down? — hopes were high at the outset of the season in Jacksonville. And then the team exacted revenge ! But that was about the last time things went correctly. In the Jags’ seemingly annual “Thursday Night Football” game against the , with faint playoff hopes alive, Jacksonville pinned the deep. But then , who had been dormant for most of the football season (just ask my fantasy team), ran down the Jags and physically stole their heart like Could select just about any Mahomes pa s from the entire year … but let’s go with the no-look. Sometimes, the most obvious pick is the right one. Like Becky Lynch was the obvious choice to win the Royal Rumble, but that didn’t make the payoff any le s satisfying. So we will go with this mind-bending delivery, as Mahomes set the league on fire during his MVP campaign. The struggled against the for much of this (sort of) must-win home game, but down by six late in the fourth quarter, L.A. had the ball at midfield. Then, as Gates was going down at the ‘ 38-yard line, Peanut Tillman’d the ball out of Gates’ hands and took it 62 yards for the touchdown to put the game away. L.A. ended up finishing second in the AFC West, thanks to tiebreakers. A win over the would have likely given the Bolts the No. 1 seed. They would have played host to the . And now, let the debate rage as to whether the would have won the AFC. (They would have.) I know, not everything needs to be about the . And I don’t want to pile on the , but those fans aren’t reading anything football-related anyway, as they turn their attention to the Lakers and Angels. But Chicago simply overwhelmed the on “Sunday Night Football.” The most telling play came early in the third quarter, when the ‘ defense smothered for a safety, and the offense never recovered. It was shocking to see the high-flying (who put up 54 on the just a few weeks prior) score just six points. Coach Sean McVay shouldered the blame, but this lo s really set (bad) things in motion, as the and and the other good teams the faced down the stretch really limited them offensively. The , in recent years, are like a golfer who shoots in the 100s. You’re never going to be good, but there is always one moment in each round that keeps you coming back for more, allowing you to endure the hardships and constant frustration. The Miami Miracle was like landing a 7-iron from 160 yards out, in the rough, to score an eagle. It didn’t ultimately help the final tally, but it’s something you’ll continue to talk about for years to come. (And yes, this golf hypothetical comes from experience.) Minnesota paid all this money to Cousins to push the team over the top, after coming a game short of the the previous year. The won . Tied Green Bay . And with a Thursday nighter against the looming in Week 4, it was reasonable to predict they might overlook the lowly a bit in Week 3. Well, more than — they were down 27-0 late in the fourth quarter. Cousins found Rudolph for a meaningle s score late to avoid the shutout, which was emblematic for this fraudulent team. Of course, the Vikes mi sed the two-point conversion. Just like they mi sed the playoffs. The blew a huge lead against the , and then had to rally to win. No, I’m not talking about the AFC Championship Game — this was at Foxborough, back in Week 6 of the regular season. But in the second quarter, hit Edelman on a 17-yard touchdown pa s. The first TD pa s to Edelman in more than 600 days. And during that time, Brady had thrown a TD to 54 different players. Sorry, 54 touchdown pa ses to 11 different players. And Edelman wears No. 11. So you just knew they were going to win the again, and Edelman was going to be MVP. Yep, I’m breaking the one rule I set for this file (NO POSTSEASON PLAYS). Sorry, just can’t avoid talking about this. Still, while it was a horrible no-call by the referee, there was plenty of blame to go around in New Orleans’ season-ending defeat, fans. Your team had two early trips to the red zone and came away with just six points. A pair of touchdowns (or at least one), and the tenor of the game is changed. Maybe you don’t fall for a fake punt. Maybe you don’t throw on first down after the long-gainer to (seeing how you have and Alvin Kamara). Maybe you score when you win the to s in overtime. There were a lot of mi sed chances. Look, it was a gut-wrenching mi sed call. And I feel for you. I really do. But we can’t pretend like you didn’t have your chances. Barkley was . He ama sed more than 2,000 scrimmage yards in an amazing Adam Ottavino Jersey debut season. But there was this play that stood out to me in Week 17. What went down on the stat sheet as a 1-yard, first-quarter gain was the Barkley run that reminded me most of what I grew up watching Barry Sanders do on the regular. It’s remarkable. Amazing, even. And while the play didn’t mean anything in the grand scheme of things, it was cool to watch. Kind of like the ‘ midseason surge. The went 635 days without a win. Gue s who they would finally beat to end the skid? The , of course. New York entered the game at 1-1, and things were looking great when Gang Green jumped out to a 14-0 lead. With the being the , though, they found themselves down late in the fourth quarter — but with a chance to rally! Then rookie (who is going to be great, haters) was pre sured and forced one into double-coverage with just over a minute remaining. Pick. The dropped below .500 and never recovered, finishing 4-12. The were trailing the 20-6 with just over four minutes left. Oakland understandably elected to go for it on fourth-and-5. The play was blown up from the get-go — which kind of defines the season — but Carr grounded the ball instead of at least throwing it up for grabs. Not like an interception was going to mean much of anything. I don’t want to beat up Derek, because I love him, but it was kind of a weird decision — and thus, it summed up Jon Gruden’s first year back on the sidelines. The were walking the high wire in a bid to make it back to the playoffs, as Foles was once again asked to rally the Birds after went down. But then, just after Foles released a downfield strike to (that went for a 19-yard gain), Clowney knocked the QB down and he laid on the turf for what seemed like an eternity for fans. It looked like that could be it. But Foles mi sed just one play, went back on the field and drove Philly down for ‘s 35-yard, game-winning field goal. And with that, the kept winning and whatnot. The had a number of inexplicable lo ses this year ( ), but this one against the was the worst. And it was totally avoidable. Grimble caught a pa s early in the second quarter at the Denver 20 and looked like he could have cruised into the end zone. Instead, he had to be a harda s and try to run over safety at the 1-yard line. Grimble got stuck and fumbled the ball through the end zone for a touchback. The upshot is, because it happened to the , they will probably change that rule. So there is one bright spot! SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: ‘s injury (Week 3 at Chiefs) Scott Oberg Jersey I mean, what else could it be? You don’t always want to point to injuries, but this one was certainly huge. This was the second ACL tear to rattle the during the 2018 season, as free-agent acquisition was lost before the season even started. But Jimmy ran for a first down against the and was awkwardly tackled out of bounds. When he didn’t immediately get it up, it was pretty clear what was happening. Not only in the game, but in the lost season for the . With pa sing offenses dominating the NFL in 2018, the took it old-school as the most-run happy team in the league. Of course, with Brian Schottenheimer as your OC, how could you not? I remember this touchdown from Carson because he had to fight through multiple tacklers to finally reach paydirt. That kind of stubbornne s to stick with the run largely illustrated Seattle’s offensive philosophy last season. Do you remember where you were the moment the Fitzmagic died? It was a crazy first couple of weeks for Fitzpatrick, who captivated the NFL world with to open the season. He was a bigger story than through the first two games. And then came the on “Monday Night Football.” Fitzpatrick would throw three first-half interceptions. The third was the dagger, as it was returned all the way to the house for a touchdown. The would bravely rally but could not get over the hump. The following week, Tampa lost huge in Chicago and Dirk Koetter began the QB musical chairs that kind of cost him his job. This play deserves to be mentioned twice. The barely mi sed the playoffs this past season. You think that maybe having Henry run like he was the second coming of Marion Motley would have helped a little in the first three months of the season, when the went 5-6? MAYBE. I mean, I really feel this particular run, as a fantasy guy who drafted Henry, but this had to be maddening. Henry was like the guy who ducks out to the restroom when everyone is divvying up the check at a dinner party and then walks in with a $100 bill asking how much he owes. You’re too late, Derrick! We already paid the bill! WASHINGTON REDSKINS: ‘s broken leg (Week 11 vs. Texans) If you ever want to make an older sports fan cringe, just say the words “Joe Theismann’s broken leg,” and his eyes will well up with tears. And then, 33 years to the day, — the kind of injury you wish you could get out of your mind, but can’t. Lost in this was the fact that, before Smith’s injury, the were 6-3 and in first place of the NFC East. They would never recover from this, as they lost the game to the and eventually mi sed the playoffs altogether. This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. 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