Seahawks have the talent to be higher than the Rams, for example, yet they lost both games to them. The coaching has held them back. They beat the Browns, Lions, Eagles and were within a td of closing the door on the Cowboys, but they are in the 8th seed now, and needing help from the Bears. This team should easily be a 10+ win team with the right schemes. Playoffs or not, it’s gonna be interesting to see what changes they make in the off-season.
Seahawks have the talent to be higher than the Rams, for example, yet they lost both games to them. The coaching has held them back. They beat the Browns, Lions, Eagles and were within a td of closing the door on the Cowboys, but they are in the 8th seed now, and needing help from the Bears. This team should easily be a 10+ win team with the right schemes. Playoffs or not, it’s gonna be interesting to see what changes they make in the off-season.
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I think you're right! Pretty much exactly what I thought they'd get from Stidham. He played...okay. Not great, not bad. Just okay. Career back-up, who might find himself on a team that requires him to start a lot of games, in which he'll play...okay. I don't however think Wilson would have put up 35+ points. Of course it depends on which Wilson showed up! But the Chargers are headed towards a rebuild with a new coach, see what they can build around Herbert, and his gigantic contract. Good luck to whomever that is.
Raiders will be playing for their coach, at home. I also think this could be a make/break game for Antonio Pierce. If the Raiders win, it's 70% he gets the HC job next season. If they lose, that drops to 40%. But no, both teams are out of contention. And if I'm honest, neither are that exciting to watch.
Here's the thing though, if Buffalo beats Miami, they get the #2 seed, and KC would very likely host Miami, who I agree they can beat at home. Then likely have to go into Buffalo, which will be a real challenge. If Miami wins next week, Buffalo goes back to KC, which won't be an easy win either. There are also scenarios where even if Buffalo loses in the first round of the playoffs, Cleveland (presuming they upend Indy, or Jax) would then go to Kansas City, and I don't think that match-up favors the Chiefs. Though it would be at home. Even if they get past all this, Baltimore awaits. And I don't see anyone getting past them.
Cleveland is the true wild card in the AFC though. That defense is a serious force, a championship defense. They can fluster, frustrate, and stifle anyone. Even in Flacco's first full game when the Rams beat them, their defense was fighting to the very end, even with the team behind by 2 scores most of the game.
But you want to know a stat not often mentioned? The Ravens defense has given up 68 less points than the Browns. 331 to 263. In total yardage, the Browns are 1st overall, but the Ravens are just 4th. In yards per play they rank 1 and 2. But here's another kicker: The Browns defense has given up 40 TDs. The Ravens? Just 24.
Offense is a different story. The Ravens have a very potent offense, having scored 473 points. The only team that's scored more is Miami, at 482.
So, who exactly is going to beat Baltimore? Because I don't see it happening.
Their defense is not consistent at all though. Their offense mostly plays well. Love mostly plays well. At times their offense has looked quite good, and Love looks like he very well could be a top tier QB as soon as next season. But if you watch enough of their games their defense has struggled against good teams. I also question how deep their OL is. Haven't watched closely enough.
Yes. I think back to the Colts. The year they rested Manning and almost everyone the last game, and then some, plus the bye, then hosted the Steelers in the playoffs and played a very sloppy game and lost. They had another season when the Colts and Saints both rested players the last couple weeks (plus the bye), and both ended up making it to the Super Bowl. 49ers as well as the Cowboys used to rest players in their glory years and both won a lot. On the flip side I seem to recall Tom Brady liked playing at least some in the last game of the season. In I think 2011 they were 14-2 and had HFA and Brady played the entire last game. Then, two weeks later the entire team played completely flat in a puzzling home loss to the Jets (who they had blown out in NY a few weeks previous).
My point is there seems to be no perfect formula, unless players are hurt enough they need to rest.
I think Alex Smith nailed it in that video. The refs were asleep at the wheel and botched the call. John Parry trying to protect his referees with his convoluted explanation didn't help. Loved Rex Ryan's reaction, and his explaining how the system works. Love Rex sticking up for the players.
They showed the non-PI call in the KC-GB game, but they didn't show two more calls in the 4th quarter by that same crew that were bad. One was about 2 plays before the PI when Mahomes was clearly in bounds when the DB hit him in an attempt to keep him from getting more yards, and was flagged anyway. The other I can't recall. It wasn't as major as those two, but it was still clearly the wrong call.
I will repeat this until I'm blue in the face. The XFL solved the referee problem:
• Mic up every ref, every second of the game.
• Allow every single play to be reviewed on a coach's challenge (limited 1 per half).
At worst in this situation we could have found out the refs blew the call, and they could have just replayed the down. At worst. Instead, they arguably took the win away from the Lions, and at best made it worse by penalizing them! More egg on the face of the NFL.
I'll also repeat what I said a few weeks ago. The NFL is loaded with cash. They have more money than God. They need to pick up the phone, call Dean Blandino and Mike Peirera and say, "sorry we didn't pay you well before. We'd like you both back to fix this mess. How much?" Then write them a huge f*cking check!!!
Have house guests from Panama, they have seen American football don't really understand it, or why I am upstairs constantly watching it.. this weeks games were the first we watched together after they watched some YouTube videos that I found by typing.. Understanding American football in Spanish. I am happy beyond any expectation..
The game Spanish commentary is typically very good and this weekend was no exception, and during the different broadcasts there was an excellent, detailed explanation of the playoff picture.
I was able to use many curse words and vulgarity during the Charger game which was a bonding moment.
The game Spanish commentary is typically very good and this weekend was no exception, and during the different broadcasts there was an excellent, detailed explanation of the playoff picture.
I was able to use many curse words and vulgarity during the Charger game which was a bonding moment.
Dolphins OLB Bradley Chubb has torn ACL, out for remainder of 2023 season
Miami Dolphins pass rusher Bradley Chubb suffered a torn ACL in Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per sources.
What a predicament Harbaugh is in going into their season finale. Do you rest Lamar & most of the starters? Or instead do you play them for at least a half or so?
Recall back to the 2019 season. The Ravens finish with their best record ever, 14-2, locking up the #1 seed & a 1st rd bye. They rest Lamar & most of the starters for the last game.
Two weeks later & what happens next is one of the biggest upsets in NFL playoff history when the 9-7 & #6 seed WC Titans come into Baltimore & beat the Titans!
Titans 28-12 Ravens (Jan 11, 2020) Final Score - ESPN
Game summary of the Tennessee Titans vs. Baltimore Ravens NFL game, final score 28-12, from January 11, 2020 on ESPN.
So, I imagine Harbaugh must to be deep in thought trying to figure out what to do this Sunday. I guess this is what they pay big $$$ to these coaches for. Lol.
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It seems that the referee crew from the Detroit game has been dropped from the playoffs. They made other incorrect calls before the controversial one including a complete howler where a Detroit player tripped a Cowboys player and they gave the penalty to Detroit.It seems that no one picked it up until after the game !
Playoff-clinching scenarios for Week 18 of 2023 NFL season
NFL.com breaks down the playoff-clinching scenarios for Week 18 of the 2023 NFL season.
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Refs were messing up that whole game. They missed multiple holds on both teams (one of which should have been a safety on Cowboys instead of a touchdown to Lamb), DPI, the tripping call, and the whole eligible mess up. At least for the formers you have the excuse that’s it’s during a fast play, nothing was going on at this time and you completely screw it up.
The crew screwed up three times in the ending of the Packers vs Chiefs game; the unnecessary roughness, not keeping the clock running when MVS was driven back and lost his forward progress, and no ten second runoff on their offensive penalty when they had no timeouts. All of those happened before the DPI.
It’s just a terrible crew that should all be let go. The blonde female ref has been part of multiple crews since she started and she’s always making mistakes each game.
But like Sherman said on Undisputed, they’re still measuring first downs with sticks and chains what do you expect.
The crew screwed up three times in the ending of the Packers vs Chiefs game; the unnecessary roughness, not keeping the clock running when MVS was driven back and lost his forward progress, and no ten second runoff on their offensive penalty when they had no timeouts. All of those happened before the DPI.
It’s just a terrible crew that should all be let go. The blonde female ref has been part of multiple crews since she started and she’s always making mistakes each game.
But like Sherman said on Undisputed, they’re still measuring first downs with sticks and chains what do you expect.
Santa, I know it's late, but can the Chargers please have Harbaugh for Christmas!!? Please!! Rose Bowl nail biter!!!
Injuries haven't helped them while the Rams offense has been pretty much fit all season except for Kupp missing a few games. Even Stafford has had a healthy season. Rams also improved their O line and have the edge with the playcalling. They were in trouble early but McVay turned it around while Seattle went on a losing streak in the second half of the season. I still expected the Hawks to finish second in the division at the start of the season maybe more because of the Rams poor season last year. Nucua and Williams have had huge seasons for the Rams.
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If true we might as well ban all trick plays at this point so there is no deception or gameship being broken. Heck, offense and defense should swap what play they’re running before the snap so everyone is prepared.
I'll state it again: DET got screwed. PERIOD!
The entire game is built on 'deception and gamesmanship'.
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Don't worry, there are plenty of people out there who will remind you he's just a system quarterback. Just about anyone would have those same numbers if they were playing for SF.
I'm also old enough to remember people saying Joe Montana was a system QB. After all, Steve Young put up good numbers playing for SF, and both Steve Bono and Bill Musgrave were okay playing for them.
Good post. Thanks for clarifying.
Regarding the Rams. They have two things that make them valid. They have a DL that can get after the QB, and they have an offense that, when playing well in sync, can move the ball down the field. They showed this against Seattle, SF, and Baltimore. And yes, they appear to be healthy, which is huge this time of year. The problem is they aren't consistent enough to win enough games. But they are certainly the kind of team who can really surprise someone or knock someone off in the playoffs. I can easily see them going into Dallas or Tampa and beating either team. I'm not so sure about Detroit, who are similar, but better.
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Lamar needs to play a bit just to keep his mind and the attention of his teammates on the rest of the season. It's a long stretch to the SB if that's the plan and they are on track now.What a predicament Harbaugh is in going into their season finale. Do you rest Lamar & most of the starters? Or instead do you play them for at least a half or so?
Recall back to the 2019 season. The Ravens finish with their best record ever, 14-2, locking up the #1 seed & a 1st rd bye. They rest Lamar & most of the starters for the last game.
Two weeks later & what happens next is one of the biggest upsets in NFL playoff history when the 9-7 & #6 seed WC Titans come into Baltimore & beat the Titans!
Titans 28-12 Ravens (Jan 11, 2020) Final Score - ESPN
Game summary of the Tennessee Titans vs. Baltimore Ravens NFL game, final score 28-12, from January 11, 2020 on ESPN.www.espn.com
So, I imagine Harbaugh must to be deep in thought trying to figure out what to do this Sunday. I guess this is what they pay big $$$ to these coaches for. Lol.
Andy Reid and PM both fined for belly aching after a call, and criticism of officials. Detroit coach really showed who he is, when asked a really stupid question by member of the regular press corp, who he knew by name, he got testy and said, " how would you feel? " he went a little further to say " I don't like to lose" and he made it personal w the reporter to come down a few notches and end everything civilly. I liked the guy before, but it impressed me given all the emotion.
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Howard out as well to not make his injury worse. Dolphins offense has to score consistently otherwise this could be a repeat of earlier in the year.
Just re: the Purdy assessment: there’s got to be some room to talk about between calling a QB great and calling him the pejorative-tinged “game manager” or “journeyman.”
I think it’s okay for me to withhold judgment on Purdy because (based on , for example, espn’s all-pro selections) he has the best left tackle in the NFL, the best running back in the NFL, a 2nd-team All-pro receiver (Aiyuk) plus Debo Samuels to throw to, one the better TEs in the NFL, and a coach renowned for his offensive strategizing. All that doesn’t mean he’s not excellent. But folks who’ve watched football enough know it’s a lot easier to appear “poised” and throw accurately in the pocket if he’s not getting frequently clobbered by the pass rush or his receivers can’t get open.
This is the frustration shown by an owner who pays big money to get thee #1 OA for a QB who performs miserably & sinks the team (37 mil fully guaranteed plus a 24 mil signing bonus!).
The Panthers are a pathetic 2-14 & Bryce Young in 15 GS has thrown almost as many picks as TDs (11/10) & has a dismal Rtg of 73. Lol.
What a sad state of affairs in the Carolinas.
SF is very fortunate that it's working out so well with Mr. Irrelevant. After the debacle with drafting Trey Lance & jettisoning him after only 6 games started in two seasons - they're darn lucky that a QB projected as a career backup is now one of the top starters in the league. Something like this usually doesn't happen. Frisco must have some kind of lucky stars looking over the team. Lol.
And look at the mess with Lance. He's getting Bryce Young type $$$ to run the scout team at Dallas! He should be playing...somewhere...anywhere...with some team. You can not have a #3 0A, 23 yr old, "Mahomes 2.0" as a backup running the scout team. One of the most insane things I've ever seen in this league!
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Yet the 49ers O line has rated something like 23rd all season. When Williams misses games it's instantly noticeable. They have been playing with a third string right tackle all season and have been picking up unemployed veterans to plug holes with injuries. Take out Williams and Banks and that O line is much worse and both players have missed games this season. Purdy's strength is that he's a quick learner and processor which is what got him noticed on the practice squad and put him ahead of Lance pretty quickly. He had 48 college starts and from his first start, against Brady he's looked poised and confident. He can also scramble which puts him ahead of Jimmy G on versatility. Jimmy missed open receivers all the time or didn't see them, Purdy rarely does that. His worst trait is, taking too many risks but often it works anyway. No one knocked Montana and Young for having elite RB's and WRs.
Purdy's stats make interesting reading. His stats for long throws are the best in the league for completions and for all the talk of the 49ers YAC. The 49ers stats for YAC are below the league average . I would say they were higher when Jimmy was the QB. As usual the media pushes information that is incorrect or given too much importance. The stats say otherwise. 49ers strength is in having a top 5 defense and offense, a top 5 run game and a QB who in his second season has broken the franchise record with a game to go. They don't have many weaknesses but they have still lost four games this season. Two to the top two defenses but Vegas still has them favourites to win the SB
Semantics is the name of the game so that they can fill 25 hours a day.
In this example, if anyone calls Purdy a game manager, I would question how much they know about football and/or question their sincerity (that's not aimed at you Sciatic). Its obviously too early to call him a HoFer, but its not too early to call him very good. Yes, he has a great team around him and that makes it 'easier' for him to be very good, but you can plug about 55-63 other QB1/QB2s in there who won't be as good as he is.
I watched him carve up the Seahawks so I know he’s not irrelevant. I don’t know why saying he has an incredibly talented supporting cast on offense is interpreted as trashing him, if that’s what you’re assuming. It’s hard to tell what or who your 1st paragraph is in response to?
Actually I immediately recognized Young’s talents, it took me a lot longer to appreciate Montana’s superiority over other QBs because they were less obvious and yes, because he was as on such a talented team,
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