National Football League

[SHAD0W93]

Maybe the dolphins v Steelers game will turn into that one the steelers won with a last second field goal.

 

[The Hitch]

God what an awful end to the Tampa Bay game. Refs yet again deciding the game.

I usually blame the NFL and not the refs cos refs are human but a mistake like that should be an automatic firing.

It reminds me of the guy who run out the punt for GB in Los Angeles last year, costing Rodgers a 2 minute drill to win the game.

Was immediately cut. A mistake like this from the refs, should result in the same.

 

[movingtarget]

Tampa Bay game was a crazy one as was the Bears game. Who would want to be coaching Trubisky and Winston ? More kicker woes for the Bears and not a result they needed. Chargers looked better though with some good defensive plays. Without Montgomery the Bears offense would be stagnant.

 

[Koronin]

The Bears/Chargers game was crazy. It looked like the Bears were trying to give it away and they still had a chance to win it.

SF looks for real at this point.

 

[movingtarget]

The Bears/Chargers game was crazy. It looked like the Bears were trying to give it away and they still had a chance to win it.

SF looks for real at this point.

Happy with the Niner's form. Finally the fans have something to cheer about but their biggest test will be the second half of the season with that schedule. Needless to say their running game and defense is looking great at the moment.

 

[Oldermanish]

Less than halfway through the season, a dull Thursday night game has a higher TV rating than the World Series on US television.

Only picking a couple games, again.

SEA@ATL - Matt Ryan out this week, not that Atlanta would have won.
TB@TEN - It looks like Mariota's time is up in Tennessee, as Ryan Tannehill gets a second chance.
ARI@NO - It looks like Drew Brees is going to start. Not that they need him (amazing thing to say, really).
PHI@BUF - At 5-1 the Bills have yet to beat a good team. Are the Eagles good? They have a load of talent. But they couldn't move the ball against Dallas.
LAC@CHI - Both of these teams are struggling, but shouldn't be.
CAR@SF - Allen falls to earth against this D. Looks like one of those 13-6 games.
OAK@HOU - Are the Raiders really a contender? This game will tell.
CLE@NE - This has the markings of an upset. Talented, desperate team, Pats light years ahead and able to coast.
GB@KC - No Mahomes...but the game should still be entertaining. Moore has played well.

MIA@PIT - You asked for an evenly matched MNF game. This might be....close at least.

You didn't completely jinx the Seahawks but they sure tried to hand this one to Atlanta. That, and Dan Quinn knew quickly how to counter Seattle's defense and adjusted beautifully. At least SEA didn't cough up the ball but they need to be at least a 3 quarter team to beat SF.

 

[movingtarget]

Speaking of Atlanta. There is some talk that Quinn's future is now being decided. Not such a surprise.

 

[Nomad]

Speaking of Atlanta. There is some talk that Quinn's future is now being decided. Not such a surprise.

Hard to believe the Falcons are sitting at 1-7 at the halfway point of the season. Last season they were 7-9 and it looks like it would be difficult, if not impossible, to even match last year's disappointing season.

And what a sad state of affairs here in Bronco land with Flacco out for this week's game against the Browns and possibly headed to IR with a herniated disk in his neck. With Lock "not ready yet" remaining on IR, that leaves Brandon Allen to start who has never taken a regular season snap (what is this now...the 3rd QB in the league with the last name of "Allen?" Lol).

The Elway "win now" platform is turning into a total disaster - the Broncos sitting at 2-6 at the halfway point. I can vividly remember Elway's talking up of the signing of Flacco last spring. Statements that he's in his prime and he'll bring a lot to the Broncos' organization with his leadership, SB winning QB, and all that jazz. He's too much of an injury risk and Baltimore obviously new that moving on with Jackson.

Broncos announce Joe Flacco is out for Week 9 with herniated disc in neck, could reportedly go on IR

Devastating news out of Houston: Season ending surgery for J.J. Watt:

Injuries cost J.J. Watt what should’ve been the prime of his career

J.J. Watt is a generational talent, but by the end of 2019, he will have missed 32 games in four seasons.

www.google.com

 

[Oldermanish]

Hard to believe the Falcons are sitting at 1-7 at the halfway point of the season. Last season they were 7-9 and it looks like it would be difficult, if not impossible, to even match last year's disappointing season.

And what a sad state of affairs here in Bronco land with Flacco out for this week's game against the Browns and possibly headed to IR with a herniated disk in his neck. With Lock "not ready yet" remaining on IR, that leaves Brandon Allen to start who has never taken a regular season snap (what is this now...the 3rd QB in the league with the last name of "Allen?" Lol).

The Elway "win now" platform is turning into a total disaster - the Broncos sitting at 2-6 at the halfway point. I can vividly remember Elway's talking up of the signing of Flacco last spring. Statements that he's in his prime and he'll bring a lot to the Broncos' organization with his leadership, SB winning QB, and all that jazz. He's too much of an injury risk and Baltimore obviously new that moving on with Jackson.

Broncos announce Joe Flacco is out for Week 9 with herniated disc in neck, could reportedly go on IR

Devastating news out of Houston: Season ending surgery for J.J. Watt:

Injuries cost J.J. Watt what should’ve been the prime of his career

J.J. Watt is a generational talent, but by the end of 2019, he will have missed 32 games in four seasons.

www.google.com

Flacco may have been judged overrated by some but a former SB Champion shouldn't go out this way.

 

[movingtarget]

Hard to believe the Falcons are sitting at 1-7 at the halfway point of the season. Last season they were 7-9 and it looks like it would be difficult, if not impossible, to even match last year's disappointing season.

And what a sad state of affairs here in Bronco land with Flacco out for this week's game against the Browns and possibly headed to IR with a herniated disk in his neck. With Lock "not ready yet" remaining on IR, that leaves Brandon Allen to start who has never taken a regular season snap (what is this now...the 3rd QB in the league with the last name of "Allen?" Lol).

The Elway "win now" platform is turning into a total disaster - the Broncos sitting at 2-6 at the halfway point. I can vividly remember Elway's talking up of the signing of Flacco last spring. Statements that he's in his prime and he'll bring a lot to the Broncos' organization with his leadership, SB winning QB, and all that jazz. He's too much of an injury risk and Baltimore obviously new that moving on with Jackson.

Broncos announce Joe Flacco is out for Week 9 with herniated disc in neck, could reportedly go on IR

Devastating news out of Houston: Season ending surgery for J.J. Watt:

Injuries cost J.J. Watt what should’ve been the prime of his career

J.J. Watt is a generational talent, but by the end of 2019, he will have missed 32 games in four seasons.

www.google.com

The Bears obviously wish they could go back to the draft and have a second pick. Trubisky and Mayfield have been terrible, Winston goes from great to dreadful in two plays regularly, Newton was awful before Allen took over, Rivers has had some terrible games this year. But the coaches of the Bears and Browns are just as liable as their QB's. Some of the play calling...............not to mention their team's mistake ridden play with dropped balls and turnovers.

I wonder if Elway pursued Foles before deciding on Flacco ? Even Kaepernick would have been a low risk, short term proposition if he was signed as a back up. Could he have done any worse than Elways' recent choices ? Re-signing Osweiler at one point looked like a desperate move. I thought Lynch would have done better at Denver. NO certainly made a wise choice in signing Bridgewater as a back up. The Colts QB Brissett has been better than many expected. Cousins is playing better, Matt Ryan not so good in a team that will probably get a makeover very soon.

 

[Koronin]

NO made a very good decision on signing Bridgewater as their back up. He proved he was worth it while Breeze was out with injury.

As a Steeler fan (who has never liked Roethlisberger), I'm watching our back-ups and seeing other teams having even more issues with their QBs, that I'm not feeling too badly by what we have with our back ups. Not sure if either is really starter material, but they are playing OK. No I'm not taking much from a win over Miami.

 

[SHAD0W93]

New England has gone from a stacked offense in the beginning of the year to a hobbled one. If Sanu can get a hold of the system fast it will be a good grab as well as Henry coming back from IR (hopefully he was studying the playbook). New England will be scary if their offense starts firing on all cylinders.

 

[F_Cance]

8-0. Not the best game, but a win is a win.

 

[movingtarget]

8-0. Not the best game, but a win is a win.

Yeah a scratchy win. They looked a bit flat and were missing tackles and giving away silly penalties which the 49ers haven't been doing much of lately. They now have eleven days to prepare for the Seahawks game which should be a good one. The one big thing to come out of the game is that Jimmy had his best game of the season at QB with four TD's and no intercepts. The Cardinals were doing quite well against the run so he had to throw the ball more than he has been doing lately. Cardinals are not one of the cellar dweller teams that much is apparent. Injuries have hurt them. Murray did some nice things also especially on his first drive and in the second half.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Thursday games are usually scratchy. Still, when the Niners get Staley, McGlinchey and Juszczyk back - all should be ready around Thanksgiving, their offense will have serious depth.

Interesting how far Josh Gorden has fallen. Having said that, I think he'll do well in Seattle.

Thoughts on some games:

HOU@JAX - In London, I'll take the Texans, Watt or no Watt.
CHI@PHI - Philly's ground game finally got their offense going against Buffalo, and I still think they win the east.
MIN@KC - Still hard to tell how good Minnesota is. But this game, even on the road, is a good matchup for them. Mahomes "doubtful" last I heard. I'm thinking he plays.
TEN@CAR - Let's see how Allen bounces back, and if Tannehill is for real.
WAS@BUF - After their D getting pounded out last week, this is what Buffalo needs, a team with a hapless offense and rookie Haskins.
TB@SEA - I remember when these were the two new expansion teams.
DET@OAK - A surprising amount of people think Oakland is coming together, and a relatively soft 2nd half schedule may push them to a WC spot.
GB@LAC - The Chargers are just an enigma, a loss here would push them to the brink. Adams likely back for GB.
CLE@DEN - Browns really under performing, this should help.
NE@BAL - Unquestionably the biggest test yet for the Pats. I think they mostly contain Jackson, but lose a close one, finally giving up some points, while their offense adjusts.

DAL@NYG - A classic rivalry, having it in NYC makes it close.

Some mid-season picks on who wins the Superbowl on NFL.com from some "experts":

Midseason Super Bowl LIV predictions: Patriots-Saints in Miami?

Are Tom Brady and Drew Brees on a collision course to meet in Miami this February? With the 2019 NFL season at its midpoint, our analysts revisit/revise their Super Bowl LIV forecasts.

www.nfl.com

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

Interesting how far Josh Gorden has fallen. Having said that, I think he'll do well in Seattle.

Thoughts on some games:
NE@BAL - Unquestionably the biggest test yet for the Pats. I think they mostly contain Jackson, but lose a close one, finally giving up some points, while their offense adjusts.

First, I'll agree w/all your winner predictions but one. I think NE still wins in BAL. But do agree it should be a close, tough game.

As for Josh Gordon, at least weed is legal in the state of WA, haha, even if the NFL frowns on it. Seriously though, I hear Russ Wilson likes JG, wanted him in Seattle, and went to bat for him. Russ got his wish. Seattle was something like 25th on the waiver wire pecking order, meaning most teams passed on JG. It's a low risk, high potential for reward for Seattle. Or did Seattle just pick JG up to keep him out of the hands of another team even lower on the waiver wire pecking order (hint: a division rival from the Bay Area)? JG will not play this Sunday vs the Bucs.

 

[SHAD0W93]

I agree with you alpe besides thinking the Vikings can sneak one and Patriots v Ravens being close in the beginning and end with the Patriots winning by 2 scores have Ravens mishaps.

 

[The Hitch]

Thursday games are usually scratchy. Still, when the Niners get Staley, McGlinchey and Juszczyk back - all should be ready around Thanksgiving, their offense will have serious depth.

Interesting how far Josh Gorden has fallen. Having said that, I think he'll do well in Seattle.

Thoughts on some games:

HOU@JAX - In London, I'll take the Texans, Watt or no Watt.
CHI@PHI - Philly's ground game finally got their offense going against Buffalo, and I still think they win the east.
MIN@KC - Still hard to tell how good Minnesota is. But this game, even on the road, is a good matchup for them. Mahomes "doubtful" last I heard. I'm thinking he plays.
TEN@CAR - Let's see how Allen bounces back, and if Tannehill is for real.
WAS@BUF - After their D getting pounded out last week, this is what Buffalo needs, a team with a hapless offense and rookie Haskins.
TB@SEA - I remember when these were the two new expansion teams.
DET@OAK - A surprising amount of people think Oakland is coming together, and a relatively soft 2nd half schedule may push them to a WC spot.
GB@LAC - The Chargers are just an enigma, a loss here would push them to the brink. Adams likely back for GB.
CLE@DEN - Browns really under performing, this should help.
NE@BAL - Unquestionably the biggest test yet for the Pats. I think they mostly contain Jackson, but lose a close one, finally giving up some points, while their offense adjusts.

DAL@NYG - A classic rivalry, having it in NYC makes it close.

Some mid-season picks on who wins the Superbowl on NFL.com from some "experts":

Midseason Super Bowl LIV predictions: Patriots-Saints in Miami?

Are Tom Brady and Drew Brees on a collision course to meet in Miami this February? With the 2019 NFL season at its midpoint, our analysts revisit/revise their Super Bowl LIV forecasts.

www.nfl.com

I agree with most of your predictions.

But the NFL rarely goes according to how one expects so:

TB shock Seattle- they are a very hold cold team, and if they get hot - no one sees this coming.
KC lose 4 in a row at Arrowhead- Mahomes isn't playing and MN are in 2017 form.
LAC beat Green Bay - another one no one sees coming but Green Bay aren't as good as their record. They can't have things/ refs go their way in every game.
NE vs Bal: Pats picked up a Bal player last week who will tell them the whole scheme. Bellichick will have a plan for Jackson. The defense will suffocate him like they did Goff and get enough turnovers. Baltimore defense will do enough early but at some point Sonny Michel will get some runs in.

 

[movingtarget]

I wouldn't be surprised by a Ravens win nor a Vikings win. Eagles looked much better in their last game. Buffalo's offense continues to be a problem. Patriots and 49ers now run into the tougher half of their schedule. Be interested to see if the Browns favourable schedule can give them some momentum. Big queries still, about them, the Cowboys and and Bills. I think the Bears are in trouble and a switch at QB can't be far off.

 

[The Hitch]

I wouldn't be surprised by a Ravens win nor a Vikings win.

Vikings are 5.5 point favourites.

I mean I know KC has a decent home field and the gap isn't so big that the right play hear and there won' cause an upset, but no one should be surprised if the Vikings win against an all around weaker team that has lost 4 of their last 5 at home and is led by an average qb who just came out of retirement to hold a clipboard.

 

[movingtarget]

The Chiefs kicker obviously had a good game. The QB was coaching high school football recently. Unbelievable.

I knew Miami wasn't far away from a win and they had the right opposition to achieve it.

The Bears were godawful in the first half of their game. The Eagles had all of the ball for a full half and couldn't do much with it. The Eagles are going to have to do much better than that if they want to be relevant later while the Bears season looks pretty much done.

Good win for the Texans and MCaffery bounces back for the Panthers. What would they be doing without him ?

 

[on3m@n@rmy]

I agree with most of your predictions.

But the NFL rarely goes according to how one expects so:

TB shock Seattle- they are a very hold cold team, and if they get hot - no one sees this coming.
KC lose 4 in a row at Arrowhead- Mahomes isn't playing and MN are in 2017 form.
LAC beat Green Bay - another one no one sees coming but Green Bay aren't as good as their record. They can't have things/ refs go their way in every game.
NE vs Bal: Pats picked up a Bal player last week who will tell them the whole scheme. Bellichick will have a plan for Jackson. The defense will suffocate him like they did Goff and get enough turnovers. Baltimore defense will do enough early but at some point Sonny Michel will get some runs in.

good call on the LAC over GB. NE / BAL still in the 2nd qtr, BAL with a 10 pt lead. TB nearly shocked SEA. SEA won in OT. TB was not what I'd call hot, but the outcome mighta been different had they been hot. As SEA fan, it was a disgusting/frustrating game to watch their defense consistently muck it up. SEA defense cannot stop S::t. SEA keeps playing in their base D all game long (do not use nickle or dime D), and keep getting beat in the intermediate passing game with sloppy, blown coverage zone pass D. Defensive players at times were just not on the same page. A royal communication breakdown. I question the SEA DC Ken Norton's calls on many a Tampa offensive play. I think Norton should be fired. Maybe not now, but after the season. While at it, maybe fire the K (Meyers) who missed two easy FGs and one PAT (7 points they coulda used to keep it out of OT). TB missed one FG too, so missed kicks amounted to a net 4-pt difference had all the kicks been made. Reminds me of Janikowski last season.

 

[Nomad]

Vikings are 5.5 point favourites.

I mean I know KC has a decent home field and the gap isn't so big that the right play hear and there won' cause an upset, but no one should be surprised if the Vikings win against an all around weaker team that has lost 4 of their last 5 at home and is led by an average qb who just came out of retirement to hold a clipboard.

And that clipboard holding QB beat a very good Vikings team. I've got to admit I'm surprised by the performance of Moore (I think Alpe mentioned in one post that he thought he wasn't too bad of a QB?) Moore's exceeded expectations going 2-1 so far with just that one close loss to GB. Definitely no need to rush Mahomes back, though they go into their bye week.

And to my complete surprise another clipboard holding QB performed exceptionally well for his NFL debut beating Cleveland. I would have thought Brandon Allen would struggle and this would be an automatic "W" for Cleveland. But Allen managed the game very well and finished with some impressive stats for his debut (12-20, 193 yds, 2 TDs, no picks/no turnovers). And clearly Allen's athleticism running for 1st downs when no one is open and the pocket collapses is something the Broncos just didn't have with Flacco.

Cleveland's offense looks terrible as Mayfield continues to struggle. He can't find open receivers, holds to the ball too long, not picking up the blitzes, settling for FGs in the redzone and missed a wide open Beckem what could have been a potential game winner late in the 4th. This team is in a complete downward spiral. With all that talent on both sides of ball and a #1 OA pick at QB in his second year - they can't even beat a bad Broncos team starting a no-name QB who has never taken a snap before. Lol. Kitchens is gotta go...and now.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Patriots didn't show up in the first and adjusted but the fumble (i feel like that fumble had a good chance of being over turned after watching it later. Edelman started losing control and gain control with both hands and his helmet were the ball wasn't moving, then he hit the ground and ball came out making it down by contact but it is what it is.) And INT (which Brady should know better but trying to catch up) were the back breakers. They got beat up and it's at a good time. They still need help on offense, from what I saw they only ran the same personal package. Which is unusual as they change it up a lot.

 

[Koronin]

We have RedZone on during the day for games so don't watch any entire game, but parts of all the games. From what I saw on RedZone the Miami/NYJets game was strange/crazy. The two safeties just helped with the craziness of that game.