Both Pennsylvania NFL Teams Tank in Important Final Regular Season Games

Today the National Football League playoffs begin with three games today and three tomorrow.  Two teams, the Miami Dolphins and New York Giants, though, won't be participating, due in large part to the league's Pennsylvania teams, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles, tanking in their own respective ways in the final regular season game.  Pittsburgh, already assured of a first round home game, decided to sit out their star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and other essential first team starters for their final contest against the Cleveland Browns, a team struggling to make the playoffs for the first time in many years.  In spite of the Steelers benching many of their best players, the Browns just barely won the game 24-22...the outcome doubtless would have gone to Pittsburgh had they taken this game seriously.  But they didn't, and by so doing gave Cleveland the final wildcard playoff spot over Miami, which would have had the tiebreaker advantage for the two teams had the Browns lost.  As for Philadelphia, in a close contest against the Washington Redskins Football Team who needed to avoid losing to them to get into the playoffs over the New York Giants, were into the fourth quarter when they refused to try a potential game-tying field goal and then benched their starting quarterback Jason Hurts and other offensive players for the team's final attempt of the game, now behind by six points.  The Eagles players were besides themselves in shock at their coach Doug Pederson's decision to tank (although he denied that intention) and a couple had to be restrained from approaching him.  The resulting loss gives Philadelphia higher draft picks, but it also ensured that the New York Giants wouldn't make the playoffs since they likewise would have beaten Washington with a tiebreaker advantage...

The Miami Dolphins are "my" team in the NFL, so Pittsburgh's actions disappointed me the most...I actually was pulling for Washington to beat Philadelphia based largely on my recent trip to that city and my respect for their veteran quarterback Alex Smith.  But it was disgusting to see what the Eagles' coach did at the end of that game and it made the "Football Team's" victory much less than sweet...