Ranking the 8 dumbest mistakes from a very ‘Die Hard’ Sunday in NFL Week 16

Santa gifted NFL fans an early present on Saturday of Week 16, when each game of a triple-header was increasingly more exciting than the last. All three results were pivotal to the playoff race too. The Texans won the AFC South for the fourth time in five years, the Patriots won the AFC East for the 1,100th time in the last 20 years, and the 49ers kept their No. 1 seed hopes alive.

It was fun, watchable, and even if the ending was predictable, there was still meaning behind it all. Kind of like the NFL’s version Home Alone, minus Macaulay Culkin (this year, anyway).

What Saturday’s games didn’t deliver on, however, was anyone stepping on nails or setting their hair on fire, figuratively speaking. Well, other than the turnover-fest that Texans-Bucs quickly devolved into, but whenever Jameis Winston takes the field, that’s implied at this point, right?

Luckily, there were plenty of missteps to go around Sunday. The results of the games were slightly less predictable, but there were also some heart-pounding moments (from the Dolphins-Bengals and Giants-Washington, no less!) and some straight-up carnage (mostly, the Cowboys’ dignity). Kind of like NFL’s version of Die Hard, minus Reginald VelJohnson.

Does everyone else want to marathon Christmas movies now? Yeah, us too. But first, let’s gather around the yule log and toast to Week 16’s eight dumbest mistakes:

Nobody is going to argue that a punt in the first quarter ultimately decided the course of that game. But what it can do is set the tone for the next three quarters, especially when one team has so much on the line.

While the Seahawks have already clinched a spot in the postseason, and the NFC West comes down to their Week 17 game against the 49ers, there is still the matter of seeding — and that means they needed a win against the Cardinals on Sunday.

They did not get one. More than that, they had one of the most cowardly punts of the season. From the Arizona 39-yard-line on fourth-and-7 late in the first quarter of a tie game, the Seahawks punted.

It’s also worth noting the punt came after a delay of game penalty. They could have attempted a field goal like they had planned before the penalty, or just gone for it with Russell Wilson. But nope, Pete Carroll decided to punt. The Seahawks wouldn’t sniff the Cardinals’ side of the field again until late in the third quarter, and they would go on to lose, 27-13.

New Orleans had overcome an early 14-3 deficit to take a 31-28 lead in Nashville. However, a fourth-and-7 at the Titans’ 38-yard line threatened to hand the ball back to Tennessee with a little more than four minutes remaining for a potential game-winning drive.

Head coach Sean Peyton had other plans. Instead of a punt, he had the ball snapped to upman/third-string quarterback Taysom Hill. Hill rolled to his left and delivered a perfect pass to defensive back Justin Hardee just over the first-down line.

And Hardee showed us all why he plays defense, not offense:

That gave the Titans the ball close to midfield, but Tennessee couldn’t capitalize. Khalif Raymond fumbled the ball back to the Saints the very next play after taking a hit that probably should have been flagged for unnecessary roughness for contact with a ballcarrier’s head.

Logan Ryan made a great play to break up Drew Brees’ pass to Michael Thomas early in the third quarter of his game against the Saints. It just wasn’t as good as Vrabel thought.

Ryan knocked the ball from Thomas’ hands, leaving the ball bobbling in the air as the two players jousted for position before it fell to the turf. Officials correctly ruled the play an incompletion, but that wasn’t good enough for Vrabel.

The replay left no doubt about the outcome of the play. The officials had gotten it right; there was no chance it could be a fumble or an interception — it wasn’t even close. All Vrabel had done was burn a timeout and a challenge while gifting New Orleans a free timeout before facing third-and-12. The Saints converted that long third down en route to a 70-yard touchdown drive and a 24-14 lead.

During the Browns’ 31-15 loss to the Ravens on Sunday, Mayfield threw a late pass to Dontrell Hilliard that caused his running back to get absolutely lit up when he made the catch. Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters was screaming toward Hilliard when Mayfield threw this ball:

Right after the play, Hilliard left the game with a knee injury and did not return.

There’s a lot that’s gone wrong for the Browns this season — this is just another one to add to the list.

The Bears didn’t have much of a shot trailing the Chiefs by 20 points with less than eight minutes to play Sunday night. That doesn’t mean Trubisky shouldn’t at least have tried to pick up fourth-and-really-long.

Jay Cutler is the Bears quarterback that gets crap for never caring, but this was a “f—- it” moment that may eclipse all others in Chicago.

The Browns took an early lead against the AFC-leading Ravens thanks to Baker Mayfield’s revitalized passing game. Beckham played a role in that surprising start — but his 22-yard catch in the first quarter was turned into a 7-yard net because ... uh, he, waved at some Baltimore players?

C’mon, refs.

The flag was Beckham’s first unsportsmanlike conduct penalty of the day, which also meant another flag for excessive friendliness could’ve forced him out of the game — a point that apparently led to a heated exchange between Beckham and Freddie Kitchens.

Butler managed to make two dumb mistakes in one play. First and foremost, he punched someone. Not only is it an easy way to injure your hand, but Butler also got an ejection for doing it.

The second mistake what that his game-ending tantrum was directed at the wrong player. He punched Colts tight end Jack Doyle for zero reason.

The only explanation for the right cross delivered to Doyle’s face is that Butler got the tight end confused with the offensive lineman he was tussling with seconds earlier.

Butler was the Panthers’ first-round pick in 2016, but he has barely cracked the starting lineup in four seasons. His time in Carolina was already coming to an end and his lack of composure in Week 16 isn’t going to do him any favors when he’s hunting for a new team.

All the Cowboys needed to do was beat the Eagles, and they’d be in the playoffs. Similarly, all the Eagles had to do was beat the Cowboys and they’d be in control of the NFC East.

Despite the Eagles leading all game, the Cowboys still had a chance to win late. Then came the iffy decision-making that we’re used to from Jason Garrett.

Trailing 17-9 (one score) in the fourth quarter, Dallas faced a fourth-and-8. Instead of Amari Cooper, a 1,000-yard receiver and Dak Prescott’s favorite target, lining up for what would ultimately become Dallas’ final offensive snap of the game, he was ... on the sideline.

In his place was Tavon Austin, who has 12 catches on the season, because:

On the fourth-down play — with another veteran receiver, Randall Cobb, on the bench as well — Prescott threw a fade to Michael Gallup:

And that was it for the Cowboys in Week 16 — and probably the season.

It feels silly to keep your rotation going with the entire season on the line, no? Cooper should never have left the field. Nobody can say for sure that Cooper would have made a huge play that would have saved Dallas’ season. After all, he and Prescott failed to find a rhythm all day, connecting on just four of 12 targets.

But to not even get the opportunity is just downright negligent.

Cooper later insinuated that the coaches didn’t know what they were doing (accurate):

That’s how a team with elite talent, one of the most efficient offenses, and a +82 point differential ends up 7-8, with its playoff hopes resting on the Giants pulling an upset.

Perhaps the NFC East crown simply pulled a John McClane and decided, “But, all things being equal, I’d rather be in Philadelphia.”