National Football League

[on3m@n@rmy]

SEA K Janikowski is gone next year. He makes the one PAT he missed vs SF and SEA wins by 1 point, no OT. That's 3 games now SEA could have won had he made mised PATs or missed FGs.

 

[Koronin]

The Pats are not the team they were maybe 2-3 years ago. I agree we are seeing them in a downward trend, but they play in an extremely weak division. The Steelers haven't been that good for about 3-4 years now. Only reason they are leading the division right now is also the division they are in. Baltimore and Cincy aren't great although better than the competition NE is facing. With the last two games for NE being in division is unlikely they loose either of those.

 

[The Hitch]

The Pats are not the team they were maybe 2-3 years ago. I agree we are seeing them in a downward trend, but they play in an extremely weak division. The Steelers haven't been that good for about 3-4 years now. Only reason they are leading the division right now is also the division they are in. Baltimore and Cincy aren't great although better than the competition NE is facing. With the last two games for NE being in division is unlikely they loose either of those.

I think the Steelers are good. At least for a playoff run. They blow hot and cold but at their best I feel they can beat anybody. They played the Bengals and Ravens both when those teams had their original starting quarterbacks and were hot, so the division isn't as obviously bad as the AFC East.

They just had 5 extremely close games. Away to Jags away to Denver. Home to Chargers, Away to Oakland. Away to Patriots.
The Oakland one is a bad loss and I didn't see it so don't know how it looked, but the other ones were all hard games imo. They also started awful so their performance since being 3-1-2 i think it was, hasn't been bad considering they

And not only did they play close - which can be a good sign for the playoffs , but I felt they outplayed the opposition in the other games. They failed to put them away and with Denver and SD it came to bite them in the ass (though the Chargers one had an awful call which the refs admitted to Tomlin was wrong but they couldn't change it), and they lost narrowly.

With Ny and Jags they somehow found a way. But they have the skill there and the experience of winning and losing those tough games, I think they have potential.

 

[TheRossSeaParty]

I've been thinking a bit about the Pass Interference penalty and a lot of the calls that have happened over the past few weeks. It can really change the momentum of a game and I really think needs to stop being a spot foul. Passes aren't always caught and to assume that any PI call would have resulted in a caught pass is giving way too many yards away to the offense. There are also a lot of bad calls from the refs that result in major yardage. They should do something like: Which ever is greater, 15 yard penalty or half the distance from the line of scrimmage to the spot of the foul. This way we don't see those big 40+ yard PI calls that totally change the outcome of the game.

This looks like an interesting end to the season from what I've seen and I don't have a clear favorite. Every team seems to have some big exploitable weakness and a lot comes down to match ups. The right defense can totally stop some of these power house offenses.

I only really follow 3 teams (As in try and watch all their games) and catch the rest as highlights on YouTube. 1)Pats, they just don't look solid and I don't have that same feeling of inevitability with them as I have in the past. 2)Seahawks, my home team and mostly watch them for that reason. They could surprise in the playoffs but I think they need another year to really reach their full potential with new personnel. 3)Browns, I really enjoyed their skills at losing and now I really enjoy watching them win! If only they had gotten rid of Hue Jackson after last year. Or had more faith in their draft picks. But hindsight is 20/20 and I'm really looking forward to their next couple of seasons!

 

[Koronin]

The Pats are not the team they were maybe 2-3 years ago. I agree we are seeing them in a downward trend, but they play in an extremely weak division. The Steelers haven't been that good for about 3-4 years now. Only reason they are leading the division right now is also the division they are in. Baltimore and Cincy aren't great although better than the competition NE is facing. With the last two games for NE being in division is unlikely they loose either of those.

I think the Steelers are good. At least for a playoff run. They blow hot and cold but at their best I feel they can beat anybody. They played the Bengals and Ravens both when those teams had their original starting quarterbacks and were hot, so the division isn't as obviously bad as the AFC East.

They just had 5 extremely close games. Away to Jags away to Denver. Home to Chargers, Away to Oakland. Away to Patriots.
The Oakland one is a bad loss and I didn't see it so don't know how it looked, but the other ones were all hard games imo. They also started awful so their performance since being 3-1-2 i think it was, hasn't been bad considering they

And not only did they play close - which can be a good sign for the playoffs , but I felt they outplayed the opposition in the other games. They failed to put them away and with Denver and SD it came to bite them in the *** (though the Chargers one had an awful call which the refs admitted to Tomlin was wrong but they couldn't change it), and they lost narrowly.

With Ny and Jags they somehow found a way. But they have the skill there and the experience of winning and losing those tough games, I think they have potential.

They do struggle with the Jags no matter where they play. Yes the Charges games isn't really surprising considering how good the Chargers have been this year. There is no excuse for loosing to the Raiders. We watch Red Zone so only see parts of games. The out playing someone is only useful if you put them away and win the game. When you let a team hang around it's usually a bad sign. Some issues have been addressed, but not all. Also still not convinced Tomlin is that good of a coach. One big problem the team has had for awhile now is the inability to adjust at halftime.

 

[movingtarget]

Terrible officiating in the Hawks-49ers and Pats-Steelers games.

On both sides..........

 

[Nomad]

Interesting article from last summer about the concern of the referee turnover in the offseason. Apparently, 4 referees plus few other officials retired this spring. This is reported as the most in one offseason in league history. Two well known & experienced refs were Gene Steratore & Ed Hochuli (remember his big arms and very stern demeanor). Plus there was a considerable number of rule changes this year.

http://www.espn.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/277725/should-nfl-worry-about-referee-turnover-heres-why-theres-concern

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Re: Re:

You think Texans will hold the 2 seed?

Probably not. The Eagles are in a must-win situation, plus have a very solid DL. The Texans simply cannot protect Watson, which spells trouble.

As to the Steelers, Roethlesberger is usually a better QB at home than on the road, as is the team, usually, but this year not so much. There's another issue though they, and either the Texans or Patriots come playoff time are going to face either the Chargers, Chiefs or Colts, all three of whom match up very well and would be a solid pick to win on the road. Now, the Ravens or Titans could get in on a WC, as could a few others, but I'm saying it's likely to be either the Chargers or Colts, who are probably the two hottest teams in the NFL right now.

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

You think Texans will hold the 2 seed?

Probably not. The Eagles are in a must-win situation, plus have a very solid DL. The Texans simply cannot protect Watson, which spells trouble.

As to the Steelers, Roethlesberger is usually a better QB at home than on the road, as is the team, usually, but this year not so much. There's another issue though they, and either the Texans or Patriots come playoff time are going to face either the Chargers, Chiefs or Colts, all three of whom match up very well and would be a solid pick to win on the road. Now, the Ravens or Titans could get in on a WC, as could a few others, but I'm saying it's likely to be either the Chargers or Colts, who are probably the two hottest teams in the NFL right now.

Chargers are in and either a WC or can still win the division. If the Chargers win the division then the first WC is the Chiefs. The question is who gets that 2nd WC spot.

 

[Merckx index]

Pro Bowl: Mahomes and Rivers are obvious choices, but Brady gets in on his past record. Not obvious to me that he deserves it more than Luck. It’s even worse in the NFC with Brees, Goff and Rodgers. I think Matt Ryan is far more deserving than Rodgers and Goff, though the latter has only looked bad recently. Russell Wilson probably deserves it, too, though he doesn’t have the high yardage totals the others have.

Ryan has had an unusual year. Earlier, he set a record for the highest single game QB rating in a loss. He’s on a pace to have the highest QB rating ever for a losing season. Part of that is because of inflation in offensive stats, but even granting that, his season has been an outlier.

The Chargers and the Bears lead the way with 7 PBers each. The Steelers have 6, and the Chiefs, Saints, Rams, Vikings and Cowboys all have 5. The Pats? Only 2. The Steelers have 5 players on offense, and that's without Ben. The Chiefs have 4, and presumably would have had 5 with Hunt. The Bears have 6 players on defense, the Vikings 4.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-pro-bowl-selections-announced-patrick-mahomes-leads-afc-first-nod-012338702.html

 

[Koronin]

Pro Bowl: Mahomes and Rivers are obvious choices, but Brady gets in on his past record. Not obvious to me that he deserves it more than Luck. It’s even worse in the NFC with Brees, Goff and Rodgers. I think Matt Ryan is far more deserving than Rodgers and Goff, though the latter has only looked bad recently. Russell Wilson probably deserves it, too, though he doesn’t have the high yardage totals the others have.

Ryan has had an unusual year. Earlier, he set a record for the highest single game QB rating in a loss. He’s on a pace to have the highest QB rating ever for a losing season. Part of that is because of inflation in offensive stats, but even granting that, his season has been an outlier.

The Chargers and the Bears lead the way with 7 PBers each. The Steelers have 6, and the Chiefs, Saints, Rams, Vikings and Cowboys all have 5. The Pats? Only 2. The Steelers have 5 players on offense, and that's without Ben. The Chiefs have 4, and presumably would have had 5 with Hunt. The Bears have 6 players on defense, the Vikings 4.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-pro-bowl-selections-announced-patrick-mahomes-leads-afc-first-nod-012338702.html

Also remember that when they changed the Pro Bowl to between the Championship games and Super Bowl players on Super Bowl teams can't go to the Pro Bowl. So if anyone from those teams is supposed to go the next player in line goes.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Josh Gordon back at it.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theroot.com/josh-gordon-is-either-a-subject-of-his-own-stupidity-or-1831237416/amp

The Pats have a lot of issues they need to fix. Dolphins were disappointed.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I think Josh Gordon's situation at this point is more tragic than stupid. I think the fact that he said he was stepping away to address mental health is hopefully the first step, because this sounds like more than just some dude who likes to smoke pot, and gets caught. I saw Ryan Leaf interviewed and he offered to help and seemed pretty earnest about it. Though of course there are many places Josh can turn, not just Leaf, though Ryan has "been there". I just hope whatever demons Josh has, he is able to get the help he needs.

As to the ProBowl, I never thought that much of it, at least not for years. Though I gather Merckx was mostly pointing out the prestige of being named, and how some players can get short changed, and I agree with that. But even the prestige wears off as several players don't even go. The only interesting thing to me about the actual game itself is that they often experiment with some rules. But the players don't really like playing it, and usually the announcers don't make it any better, often just joking around and having fun on their Hawaiian vacation.

Merckx mentioned Russell maybe being left out. I would have thought that a few weeks ago, but the past two weeks I'm not so sure.

As to the AFC wild card, my gut still tells me that it's going to be the Chargers, and Colts, and they will likely go on the road to the Steelers and Texans. I'll take the Chargers no matter who they play there, and I may even take the Colts as well.

WAS@TEN - The Titans are a well balanced team. Washington a mess, though Johnson played fairly well last week.
BAL@LAC - Baltimore is a tricky team. Their defense is impressive, Jackson unpredictable and hard to stop because of his feet, though his arm is not bad either. If they can win this, it puts them in a much better position for the WC, or even the divsison. A loss means they may not even make the playoffs, so they'll be highly motivated. But the Chargers are the real deal, and at home.

 

[SHAD0W93]

On Gordon I feel like it is a mixture of sad and stupidity. Hopefully he can get his life together and fix whatever is bothering him.

I want the Patriots and Saints to play against each other in the Super Bowl before either retire.

I agree with Alpe about the AFC wildcard.

 

[movingtarget]

Super Bowl looks very open this year. Still major doubts about some teams and a big chance of some more upsets in this round of games.Bears look solid but don't have the offense of some other teams. Cowboys don't have the offense to win a SB. Seahawks look shaky as do the Patriots and Steelers. Rams also have some issues. No dominant teams at the moment.

 

[Tonton]

One year ago I posted about Mahomes and how he was the real deal. I thought that this year would be a transition year for the Chiefs, that Pat would get some setbacks. 9-7.

Unlike past years, now, the Chiefs can come from behind. He's special. Gruden would trade all his 1st round picks for him. Not gonna happen. Whatever happens, with Mahomes, the Babe Ruth of Football, KC will be relevant for the next decade and more.

Seahawks? Tough. We need magic.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Re:

Generally agree on Mahomes, and good call on seeing his future potential. He looks to be the MVP at this point, pretty astounding. Having one of the best coaches in the NFL, and one with an offensive mind, that really brought him along helps. But he just makes great throws, and he's been able to adapt as needed, as fast as teams seem to try to stop him.

Super Bowl looks very open this year... No dominant teams at the moment.

I would agree with this. Even the Saints, who old pretty much rank #1 rank in power ratings the last few weeks look beatable. Their offense can light people up, but have also been stalled at times. KC, as good as their offense is, hasn't been quite the same with Hunt gone. One of the greatest strengths of the Patriots over the years has been that when it comes to December (and January) football, they are as good as any team, ever really. But this year? They just don't quite look the same, though I wouldn't write them off just yet.

 

[movingtarget]

Re: Re:

Generally agree on Mahomes, and good call on seeing his future potential. He looks to be the MVP at this point, pretty astounding. Having one of the best coaches in the NFL, and one with an offensive mind, that really brought him along helps. But he just makes great throws, and he's been able to adapt as needed, as fast as teams seem to try to stop him.

Super Bowl looks very open this year... No dominant teams at the moment.

I would agree with this. Even the Saints, who old pretty much rank #1 rank in power ratings the last few weeks look beatable. Their offense can light people up, but have also been stalled at times. KC, as good as their offense is, hasn't been quite the same with Hunt gone. One of the greatest strengths of the Patriots over the years has been that when it comes to December (and January) football, they are as good as any team, ever really. But this year? They just don't quite look the same, though I wouldn't write them off just yet.

Yes the Patriots can't be written off completely but the Gordon news won't help them. The issues on other teams keeps the Patriots in the mix. The Hunt suspension was huge for Kansas. Some more questions should be answered in the upcoming round of games. The Cowboys defeat last week was horrible. They couldn't score a point.

 

[Koronin]

In the AFC the Chargers right now look like the best team even if they do end up a wild card team.

In the NFC I think IF the Saints can get their offense back on tract they are the best team there. Their defense is proving to be better than it has been in the past.

 

[jmdirt]

BAL might be rollin' watch out!

 

[BullsFan22]

AFC north and west still wide open.

 

[The Hitch]

Re: Re:

Nice upset by the 49ers. Colts was a huge win. I am more convinced than ever that the Patriots run is coming to an end. Great period for them all the same.

Eagles got hot just in time to face the Texans meaning Pats get the first round bye despite being maybe the 5th best team in the AFC due to having the easiest schedule in the league.

My prediction from a few weeks ago unfortunately becomes more and more likely every week.

The 5th seed chargers will beat 4th seed meaning that the Pats despite being the lower ranked team the easier matchup, against the Texans in Boston, whereas the 2 best teams - LA and KC fight it out.

Murphies (Brady's Law) then kicks in of everything that can go right for the Pats going right for the Pats. Chargers probably scrape through on a coin flip, giving Fborough the AFC Championship yet again.

 

[Koronin]

Re: Re:

Nice upset by the 49ers. Colts was a huge win. I am more convinced than ever that the Patriots run is coming to an end. Great period for them all the same.

Eagles got hot just in time to face the Texans meaning Pats get the first round bye despite being maybe the 5th best team in the AFC due to having the easiest schedule in the league.

My prediction from a few weeks ago unfortunately becomes more and more likely every week.

The 5th seed chargers will beat 4th seed meaning that the Pats despite being the lower ranked team the easier matchup, against the Texans in Boston, whereas the 2 best teams - LA and KC fight it out.

Murphies (Brady's Law) then kicks in of everything that can go right for the Pats going right for the Pats. Chargers probably scrape through on a coin flip, giving Fborough the AFC Championship yet again.

This is likely and very unfortunate.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

No time for predictions this week.

Nice comebacks in tough games by Rodgers and the Packers, Foles and the Eagles, Luck and the Colts.

Merry Christmas everyone!

 

[Koronin]

Merry Christmas