National Football League

[The Hitch]

They need to tone him down or it won't be too long before he sustains a major injury. He's currently the 9th leading rusher in the NFL with 1,017 yds on 151 carries! Very risky to be having your franchise QB rushing the ball that much. And from what I've seen he isn't exactly sliding down or running out of bounds all the time - he's been hit pretty hard at times.

He could get away with this at Louisville when he ran for an unbelievable 4,132 yds on 655 carries in just 3 seasons! But this is the NFL - he didn't see many 250 lb linebackers with 4.5 speed that want to take your head off when he was playing in the ACC.

I still think Baltimore looks like geniuses drafting him and dumping Flacco, who's looking like an aging injury-prone QB that needs to retire (no surprises there). Jackson is an incredible 17-4 as a starter since taking over mid-season last year. I believe they have the inside track to the SB. And running the RPO with a variety of pistol & spread formations suits his style perfectly (similar to what he ran in college). But if they don't toned his rushing down or at least have him slide down and run out of bounds all the time he could be one hit away from a major injury.

NFL Offense Rushing Stat Leaders, 2023 Regular Season - ESPN

ESPN is the place for NFL stats! Discover the Offense Rushing stat leaders of the 2023 NFL Regular Season.

www.espn.com

Oh, didn't realize you already posted it.

They need Jackson to play tomorrow obviously, but since its the jets at home, I would see if they can get a big lead and rest him for much of the 2nd half.

After that, if the Pats and Chiefs were to lose, Ravens would have the 1 seed locked up already. that's unlikely though.

So they will almost certainly need 1 more win . 10 days until the next game.
At Browns is not an easy game -since Browns killed them last time. Have to play Jackson there. BUT, if you can get the win, you have the 1 seed locked up, and a bye week.

Don't rest the whole squad, but definately rest Jackson against Steelers after that imo. Give him 2 weeks to get to as good fitness as he can.

 

[jmdirt]

There is starting to be a lot of people saying that Lamar should stop running as much/slide more/etc. So what they are saying is call it a season now, you've won 11 games that's a good season no need to win anymore, who cares about the playoffs or the Superbowl... If LJ doesn't do what he does, BAL will not go deep into the playoffs. Sure, he has his entire career ahead of him but they are playing for THIS YEAR. The entire BAL offense was/is a gamble that is paying off, they can't pull their chips now.

EDIT: Hitch an I posted near the same time. Resting him selectively isn't a bad idea, but they have to be careful with that as well.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Yes, that's the rub. While he is a very good QB with his arm, the games where his running has been contained, the team hasn't been nearly as dominant. So for him to just turn into a mobile passer who doesn't run very often and still lead them to the SB, this season at least, I don't see that happening. They are going to have to roll the dice, let him do his thing, and hope he doesn't get clobbered, hope he does go out of bounds a little more often, slide a little more often. Having said that, he's does move fairly well with the pocket and keeps his eyes down field before taking off (compare to Kaepernick for example), and he is already improving at avoiding hits, (better than RG3 did for example.) Maybe Robert is giving him tips on the sidelines? "Don't do as I did, son..."

I don't see the Jets beating the Ravens, but Thursday games can be weird, and the Jets have been all over the board this season and have zero to lose. I also can see Baltimore beating Cleveland. The Browns managed to put up 40 points on them and somewhat keep Jackson in check last time, but without Myles Garrett, the Brown defense won't be nearly as good. The Browns are also somewhat of a sketchy, inconsistent team already. They would have to win out and get some help to make the playoffs, and I don't see either happening. In fact, they could find a way to lose in Arizona this weekend.

 

[movingtarget]

Yes, that's the rub. While he is a very good QB with his arm, the games where his running has been contained, the team hasn't been nearly as dominant. So for him to just turn into a mobile passer who doesn't run very often and still lead them to the SB, this season at least, I don't see that happening. They are going to have to roll the dice, let him do his thing, and hope he doesn't get clobbered, hope he does go out of bounds a little more often, slide a little more often. Having said that, he's does move fairly well with the pocket and keeps his eyes down field before taking off (compare to Kaepernick for example), and he is already improving at avoiding hits, (better than RG3 did for example.) Maybe Robert is giving him tips on the sidelines? "Don't do as I did, son..."

I don't see the Jets beating the Ravens, but Thursday games can be weird, and the Jets have been all over the board this season and have zero to lose. I also can see Baltimore beating Cleveland. The Browns managed to put up 40 points on them and somewhat keep Jackson in check last time, but without Myles Garrett, the Brown defense won't be nearly as good. The Browns are also somewhat of a sketchy, inconsistent team already. They would have to win out and get some help to make the playoffs, and I don't see either happening. In fact, they could find a way to lose in Arizona this weekend.

Cardinals seem to find many ways to lose. While the Browns are mediocre I think they will squeak by. The Jets are all over the shop. Maybe the win over the Cowboys was over valued looking at what's happened since. The Cowboys are similar to the Browns, at least the Eagles have some excuses with injuries. Don't think Harbaugh will try and change Jackson's style after spending so much time polishing it. His passing has improved a lot anyway. Greg Roman was calling plays for Kaep at the 49ers so the fit has been a good one and probably a natural one. This is the time of the season where none of the playoff teams want injuries of course. Bears lost one of their defenders for the season and now Seattle has lost one of their RBs for the season. 49ers lost Richburg for the season as well.

 

[Koronin]

From the injury report the Steelers released today it sounds like it's possible that both James Connor and JuJu Smith-Schuter could be back this weekend.

 

[The Hitch]

Cardinals seem to find many ways to lose. While the Browns are mediocre I think they will squeak by. The Jets are all over the shop. Maybe the win over the Cowboys was over valued looking at what's happened since. The Cowboys are similar to the Browns, at least the Eagles have some excuses with injuries. Don't think Harbaugh will try and change Jackson's style after spending so much time polishing it. His passing has improved a lot anyway. Greg Roman was calling plays for Kaep at the 49ers so the fit has been a good one and probably a natural one. This is the time of the season where none of the playoff teams want injuries of course. Bears lost one of their defenders for the season and now Seattle has lost one of their RBs for the season. 49ers lost Richburg for the season as well.

Arizona are doing a good job, getting a potentially top 5 pick with a team thats not necessarily that bad, which if hit on (big if), added to Kyler Murray improving in his 2nd season could give them a boost for the future.
Sort of like SF last year. I mean if KC don't injury Garopolo I think they go 8-8 or some such, don't get Bosa and without Bosa they certainly don't crush it like they are this year.

 

[jmdirt]

Every game that I've watched LJ play, I can't help but laugh and wonder what all of those GMs, coaches, and talking heads who discounted him or suggested that he become a RB think now (especially the ones' who teams aren't too great). Granted, some of the credit goes to the entire organization for building around him instead of just trying to plug him in, but even just plugging him in would be better than what some teams have (or drafted ahead/instead of him).

I'm not discounting all of the other great players and coaches that BAL has assembled, but LJ is a pretty huge piece of their success. I also don't know that 'having more film on him' makes much difference when he's flying past or juking them out of their shoes.

 

[Nomad]

Every game that I watched LJ play, I can't help but laugh and wonder what all of those GMs, coaches, and talking heads who discounted him or suggested that he become a RB think now (especially the ones' who teams aren't too great). Granted, some of the credit goes to the entire organization for building around him instead of just trying to plug him in, but even just plugging him in would be better than what some teams have (or drafted ahead/instead of him).

I'm not discounting all of the other great players and coaches that BAL has assembled, but LJ is a pretty huge piece of their success. I also don't know that 'having more film on him' makes much difference when he's flying past or juking them out of their shoes.

I've mentioned before that Baltimore looks like geniuses drafting him and parting ways with Flacco. However, if you think having your QB as the team's leading rusher and one of top rushers in the league is a good thing, then you're just fooling yourself that this doesn't come with a high risk of a major injury or cumulative effects from the weekly pounding that could cause problems. Say they go to the SB or even win it this year - do they continue to have him rush the ball this much next season? How about the next year? And the year after that and so on?

I believe sometime during pregame Aikman made the statement to the effect that rushing the ball as much as he does and taking that kind of pounding may prevent him from "finishing games." I recall two big hits on LJ on rushing attempts - one particular hard hit near the head area. But to his credit he did run out of bounds a few times instead of squeezing out a few more yards and getting clocked.

 

[jmdirt]

IMO: who cares about next year! LJ may never never have another season like this so live for now, not five years from now. The Ravens might not be this good again for 10 years so play for the Championship this year.

IMO: having LJ be who he is, isn't a good thing, its a GREAT thing!

Disclaimer: I hope that he has many season like this, but its still a pretty unforgiving game.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Every game that I watched LJ play, I can't help but laugh and wonder what all of those GMs, coaches, and talking heads who discounted him or suggested that he become a RB think now.

I can't recall the game, but after one superb performance with his arm he got into the press conference after the game and joked, "not bad for a running back, eh?!"

Seriously, the guy is on his way to the MVP. No, his career can't continue down this path, but as I said before, Baltimore has built their team around him playing like this, for now, and they have got to roll the dice, tell him to keep his head up and slide or run out of bounds if there's any doubt, but otherwise just go out and play, for the now, for this season. If he can keep it up, and the team as a whole keeps playing the way they do, and they win the SB, he can blow both knees out in practice next year and it will be worth it (gulp!). Having said that, he throws the ball very well on the run and does a great job of keeping his eyes down the field. If they plan it just right, in 2020 and beyond they can teach a little more caution into him, and get him to move more with the pocket as it breaks down, and run a little less, and he'll still be a superb QB. Steve Young comes to mind.

I'm a little afraid they will get into the playoffs and Kansas City can beat them, even in Baltimore. KC's offense, QB, experience, and coach have the ability to keep pace with them and put up enough points on the board to beat the Ravens. Something tells me Kansas City is going to win out (DEN, @CHI, LAC) and surge heading into the playoffs. If they do, and New England can't beat Buffalo, the Chiefs will take the #2 seed as well. The issue with all these teams is that the AFC has wildcard teams that are surging. I'm not saying the Bills, Steelers or Titans are going to win the Super Bowl, but any of these teams right now are capable of going on the road in the playoffs and upsetting someone as they are all playing well late in the season.

 

[Merckx index]

IMO: who cares about next year! LJ may never never have another season like this so live for now, not five years from now. The Ravens might not be this good again for 10 years so play for the Championship this year.

IMO: having LJ be who he is, isn't a good thing, its a GREAT thing!

If he can keep it up, and the team as a whole keeps playing the way they do, and they win the SB, he can blow both knees out in practice next year and it will be worth it

Reminds me of that famous Goldman study that found so many Olympic athletes would be willing to die in five years from some drug if it got them a gold medal. You two seem to support the idea in principle, aside from the banned aspect of doping. Never mind if Jackson has a career-ending injury, just get that SB win.

Do you think Jackson's backup, RG3, would feel satisfied with his career today if he had won a SB during the brief time he was at his peak? Do you think he would have traded that one SB for years of great performance? Sure, winning the SB is every NFL player's dream, but is it worth sacrificing the entire rest of your career for? For the Ravens, sure, because as noted, they might not get another chance like this for a long time. But from Jackson's point of view? YMMV, I guess. But from my perspective, it's unfortunately in the Ravens's interest to jeopardize a player's career when it probably wouldn't be in his interest.

Speaking of RG3, this is probably the best situation he can be in. He's never going to be a starter, but whenever the Ravens blow out another opponent, he gets to play in the fourth quarter at least. And even in his banged up condition, he's probably one of the few QBs who can take over the Raven offense and run plays similar to ones Jackson runs.

 

[SHAD0W93]

The Ravens had the game plan to beat the Chiefs, they just couldn't score and fell behind. Their team is better than when they first played and the Ravens seem to be the best time to slow the Chiefs explosiveness and control the clock.

 

[jmdirt]

Reminds me of that famous Goldman study that found so many Olympic athletes would be willing to die in five years from some drug if it got them a gold medal. You two seem to support the idea in principle, aside from the banned aspect of doping. Never mind if Jackson has a career-ending injury, just get that SB win.

Do you think Jackson's backup, RG3, would feel satisfied with his career today if he had won a SB during the brief time he was at his peak? Do you think he would have traded that one SB for years of great performance? Sure, winning the SB is every NFL player's dream, but is it worth sacrificing the entire rest of your career for? For the Ravens, sure, because as noted, they might not get another chance like this for a long time. But from Jackson's point of view? YMMV, I guess. But from my perspective, it's unfortunately in the Ravens's interest to jeopardize a player's career when it probably wouldn't be in his interest.

Speaking of RG3, this is probably the best situation he can be in. He's never going to be a starter, but whenever the Ravens blow out another opponent, he gets to play in the fourth quarter at least. And even in his banged up condition, he's probably one of the few QBs who can take over the Raven offense and run plays similar to ones Jackson runs.

Well, I would venture to say that most NFL guys have stuff in their blood that isn't great for their longevity, and they all know that what they are doing could kill them. Yes, I am supporting that idea in principle. What if they sacrifice this year in the interest of his long term career and he gets blow up in the first game next year? You gotta play for now because each play could be the end of your career.

 

[movingtarget]

Having a reserve QB who has the same style as Jackson is a calculated risk..............

 

[The Hitch]

Was randomly looking at the TD record and notice that Brees is only 2 away now.

Even though the NFL has a billion stats for every position, career passing TD's together with career rushing yards and career sacks is actually one of the big statistics that matter.

And Brees has the Colts, no less at home on Monday Night Football.

Which is funny because last year they put Saints on prime time in week 8 or so, calculating that he would break the yardage record that week and it worked.

This year they just fluked it.

However, Brady plays the day before, and he's only 1 behind Brees. So Brady can get the joint record or even the record (with 4 TDs) and hold it for a day.

Every game that I've watched LJ play, I can't help but laugh and wonder what all of those GMs, coaches, and talking heads who discounted him or suggested that he become a RB think now (especially the ones' who teams aren't too great). Granted, some of the credit goes to the entire organization for building around him instead of just trying to plug him in, but even just plugging him in would be better than what some teams have (or drafted ahead/instead of him).

I'm not discounting all of the other great players and coaches that BAL has assembled, but LJ is a pretty huge piece of their success. I also don't know that 'having more film on him' makes much difference when he's flying past or juking them out of their shoes.

TBF to the people that doubted Lamar, its perfectly understandable. Now i don't watch college football, dont know any players until they come into the NFL, so wasn't making any predictions about Lamar.

But every player tells you they are gonna give it their all etc etc, theres no way of knowing who is right. Looking at the history of running QBs, a lot of them dont work out. Even the good ones like RG3 and Kaep can fall off pretty quick. Looking at the history of good prospects, most bomb.

It wasn't personal. They just thought he wouldn't work out.
Even the Ravens didn't think that highly of him cos they chose a tight end ahead of him.

He proved everyone wrong. His reward is he's the face of the NFL, gonna get millions (probably) and is the only person who might somehow replace Ray Lewis as the eternal face of the Ravens.

And whatsmore, precisely because people underestimated him, he got onto a team that actually has a chance of winning, unlike his codraftees who got onto teams like the Jets, Giants, Browns, Redskins etc.

Reminds me of that famous Goldman study that found so many Olympic athletes would be willing to die in five years from some drug if it got them a gold medal. You two seem to support the idea in principle, aside from the banned aspect of doping. Never mind if Jackson has a career-ending injury, just get that SB win.

Well the difference is the olympics is a 4 year buildup and many only get one shot in their career. SB is once a year and if your on a good enough team/ franchise, you can get your shot at the playoffs a few times,

But yeah people at this level of sports generally have to have the - winning now means everything mentality. I think I saw an interview with Sherman 5 years ago talking about how he knows the CTE risks but its worth it for the now.

Seriously, the guy is on his way to the MVP. No, his career can't continue down this path, but as I said before, Baltimore has built their team around him playing like this, for now, and they have got to roll the dice, tell him to keep his head up and slide or run out of bounds if there's any doubt, but otherwise just go out and play, for the now, for this season.

In the Jets game i was surprised to see him still in the game at 35-7 with 10 minutes in the 4th. And he did a 20 yard run too. I mean, let RG3 play at that stage

He also said he will play both remaining games. I hope they change that if the 1 seed is wrapped up by then

The issue with all these teams is that the AFC has wildcard teams that are surging. I'm not saying the Bills, Steelers or Titans are going to win the Super Bowl, but any of these teams right now are capable of going on the road in the playoffs and upsetting someone as they are all playing well late in the season.

I on the other hand will go out on a limb and say i do not think these teams are capable of upsets. Especially the Steelers. Its very impressive that they are where they are but their 3rd qb is starting. They played some good teams close but don't have any wins there, apart from the Rams when the Rams were freefalling. They also played bad teams close.

Impressive but they are the team I would want in the playoffs.
Titans have been impressive and I like them but I think they are a level below the Ravens and some of the NFC giants.
Bills have gotten hot now, with the away crushing of Dallas, but they also feasted largely on an easy schedule and lost games (Eagles, Browns) that should have been won

 

[jmdirt]

Was randomly looking at the TD record and notice that Brees is only 2 away now.

Even though the NFL has a billion stats for every position, career passing TD's together with career rushing yards and career sacks is actually one of the big statistics that matter.

And Brees has the Colts, no less at home on Monday Night Football.

Which is funny because last year they put Saints on prime time in week 8 or so, calculating that he would break the yardage record that week and it worked.

This year they just fluked it.

However, Brady plays the day before, and he's only 1 behind Brees. So Brady can get the joint record or even the record (with 4 TDs) and hold it for a day.



TBF to the people that doubted Lamar, its perfectly understandable. Now i don't watch college football, dont know any players until they come into the NFL, so wasn't making any predictions about Lamar.

But every player tells you they are gonna give it their all etc etc, theres no way of knowing who is right. Looking at the history of running QBs, a lot of them dont work out. Even the good ones like RG3 and Kaep can fall off pretty quick. Looking at the history of good prospects, most bomb.

It wasn't personal. They just thought he wouldn't work out.
Even the Ravens didn't think that highly of him cos they chose a tight end ahead of him.

He proved everyone wrong. His reward is he's the face of the NFL, gonna get millions (probably) and is the only person who might somehow replace Ray Lewis as the eternal face of the Ravens.

And whatsmore, precisely because people underestimated him, he got onto a team that actually has a chance of winning, unlike his codraftees who got onto teams like the Jets, Giants, Browns, Redskins etc.



Well the difference is the olympics is a 4 year buildup and many only get one shot in their career. SB is once a year and if your on a good enough team/ franchise, you can get your shot at the playoffs a few times,

But yeah people at this level of sports generally have to have the - winning now means everything mentality. I think I saw an interview with Sherman 5 years ago talking about how he knows the CTE risks but its worth it for the now.



In the Jets game i was surprised to see him still in the game at 35-7 with 10 minutes in the 4th. And he did a 20 yard run too. I mean, let RG3 play at that stage

He also said he will play both remaining games. I hope they change that if the 1 seed is wrapped up by then




I on the other hand will go out on a limb and say i do not think these teams are capable of upsets. Especially the Steelers. Its very impressive that they are where they are but their 3rd qb is starting. They played some good teams close but don't have any wins there, apart from the Rams when the Rams were freefalling. They also played bad teams close.

Impressive but they are the team I would want in the playoffs.
Titans have been impressive and I like them but I think they are a level below the Ravens and some of the NFC giants.
Bills have gotten hot now, with the away crushing of Dallas, but they also feasted largely on an easy schedule and lost games (Eagles, Browns) that should have been won

I don't watch too much NCAA football either (mostly the Saturday evening game...whoever is on), but watched Louisville a few times just to see LJ play. If the scouts/GMs/coaches couldn't see that he wasn't just another running QB, they should be fired. BAL took him later because they saw (certainly a bit of a gamble) that no one else was going to take him. JH even said as much that if there was more interest, they would have taken him ahead of Hurst, but were 99% sure that he would be there at the end of the 1st round. Belichick or Payton (maybe both, I can't remember) pondered: can you see why we all wanted him as a RB do everything out of the backfield guy?!

Eh, we could debate this for days, but I'm glad that he and BAL are making this work, its entertaining for me.

 

[jmdirt]

AB has lost his mind...I hope that people around him can help/get him help!

I'll let you read your favorite source to find out what happened this AM...

 

[SHAD0W93]

AB has lost his mind...I hope that people around him can help/get him help!

I'll let you read your favorite source to find out what happened this AM...

XD
He would be perfect in the infomercials with his "but wait there's more" and "you won't believe what will happen this time." Did the civil suit with Mrs. Taylor get refiled?

 

[movingtarget]

The AB cartoon can't be far away, it seems to be in development or maybe it's already here as reality online........the sort of athlete that needed a strong advisor...............whether he would listen is another thing but I'm sure plenty of people have probably already tried to talk some sense into him.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Reminds me of that famous Goldman study that found so many Olympic athletes would be willing to die in five years from some drug if it got them a gold medal. You two seem to support the idea in principle, aside from the banned aspect of doping. Never mind if Jackson has a career-ending injury, just get that SB win.

Your post got me thinking (they always to, but this one more so than usual!). I say that because I recall that study, and would have always answered "no" to the gold medal in exchange for a short long life question. So why did I support it here? I think it's because a career ending injury would not be the end of Jackson's life. Also because football is such a rough sport, and many players have short careers. Yes, QB's usually have longer ones, but not those who run a lot. There's also a concern about CTE that every player must have. So my mind is thinking it's almost inevitable that he's going to get hurt if he keeps playing the way he does, and it's not likely he'll adapt enough to be good enough as a mobile passer who rarely runs, to lead a future team to a Super Bowl. But it still has me thinking. If I were him, what would I really want if faced with this choice?

Speaking of RG3, this is probably the best situation he can be in. He's never going to be a starter, but...he's probably one of the few QBs who can take over the Raven offense and run plays similar to ones Jackson runs.

I would completely agree with you here. I was surprised at some of the hits he took in Thursday's game. None were hard hits, but I would think at the stage of his career, with how many injuries he's had, why even risk it at all in a game where you're playing garbage time and the team could need you for leadership, and the fact is that RG3 does have an excellent arm most of the time?

But every player tells you they are gonna give it their all etc etc, theres no way of knowing who is right. Looking at the history of running QBs, a lot of them dont work out. Even the good ones like RG3 and Kaep can fall off pretty quick. Looking at the history of good prospects, most bomb.

I think of Terrell Pryor. He was drafted in the supplemental draft the Raiders who talked about making him a receiver, but tried to make him a QB, which is what he really wanted to be. But he never panned out, and he eventually did become a WR and was decent for a few years. After a game or two it should have also been apparent that another Raiders QB should have become a fullback (JaMarcus Russell)!

Well the difference is the Olympics is a 4 year buildup and many only get one shot in their career. SB is once a year and if your on a good enough team/ franchise, you can get your shot at the playoffs a few times,

In the Jets game i was surprised to see him still in the game at 35-7 with 10 minutes in the 4th. And he did a 20 yard run too. I mean, let RG3 play at that stage.

He also said he will play both remaining games. I hope they change that if the 1 seed is wrapped up by then.

Good point on the Olympics being 4 years. I also agree with your other two points. Though I think Jackson should play some in the last two games, there really isn't much reason to keep him in games long, that's for sure.

Good point on the Steelers too Hitch.

 

[SHAD0W93]

To make up for Alps usual post (though it won't be as good).

Chi 23 vs GB 24: Green Bay to beat a surging Bears team by 2 points or less as they always do. First game was low scoring but this one should have more points scored as offenses are in sync compared to beginning of the year.

Cin 6 vs NE 34: Patriots to take out their frustrations on the Bengals as before. Defense to be like the first 8 games and offense in a little more sync but going more hurry up and trickery with formations and play designs. Not perfect but better than before. Brady with 4 TDs and 0 INT, 300 yds.

SEA 30 vs NC 14: Seahawks to win in order to stay on the niners heels.

HOU 30 vs TEN 34: A close game at home but Tannehill remains on fire and they win with a last minute touchdown.

MIA 24 vs NY 7: this game can go either way on who wins and/or if they tie. But I'm putting faith in my Dolphins to show their progress into next year.

PHI 17 vs WAS 14: even more of a conundrum than previous game. On one hand I will like the Eagles to win in order to keep it close with the Cowboys, on the other Redskins making the playoffs from Eagles and Cowboys ineptitude would be hysterical. But I'm going with the Eagles in an ugly win.

DEN 21 vs KC 35: Broncos to continue to play better without Flacco and to keep it close in the beginning but fall behind from Chief's speed against a tired defense.

TB 27 vs DET 10: A struggle all around for Lions.

Cle 17 vs Arz 14: Browns to win a close game.

Jac 21 vs OAK 24: Raiders to make up for last week.

MIN 34 vs LOS 24: Cousins to keep getting better.

LOS 30 vs DAL 21: cowboys to shoot themselves in the foot repeatedly and get it together to late.

ATL 20 vs SF 38: no contest with the Niners continuing their run.

BUF 10 vs PIT 3: Bills to grind out the win with a battle of defenses in Heinz Field.

IND 17 vs NO 44: Saints to pour it on, Brees to get the TD record from Brady and most likely hold it, Colts continue to struggle after the injuries to Brissett and Hilton.

 

[The Hitch]

To make up for Alps usual post (though it won't be as good).

Chi 23 vs GB 24: Green Bay to beat a surging Bears team by 2 points or less as they always do. First game was low scoring but this one should have more points scored as offenses are in sync compared to beginning of the year.

Cin 6 vs NE 34: Patriots to take out their frustrations on the Bengals as before. Defense to be like the first 8 games and offense in a little more sync but going more hurry up and trickery with formations and play designs. Not perfect but better than before. Brady with 4 TDs and 0 INT, 300 yds.

SEA 30 vs NC 14: Seahawks to win in order to stay on the niners heels.

HOU 30 vs TEN 34: A close game at home but Tannehill remains on fire and they win with a last minute touchdown.

MIA 24 vs NY 7: this game can go either way on who wins and/or if they tie. But I'm putting faith in my Dolphins to show their progress into next year.

PHI 17 vs WAS 14: even more of a conundrum than previous game. On one hand I will like the Eagles to win in order to keep it close with the Cowboys, on the other Redskins making the playoffs from Eagles and Cowboys ineptitude would be hysterical. But I'm going with the Eagles in an ugly win.

DEN 21 vs KC 35: Broncos to continue to play better without Flacco and to keep it close in the beginning but fall behind from Chief's speed against a tired defense.

TB 27 vs DET 10: A struggle all around for Lions.

Cle 17 vs Arz 14: Browns to win a close game.

Jac 21 vs OAK 24: Raiders to make up for last week.

MIN 34 vs LOS 24: Cousins to keep getting better.

LOS 30 vs DAL 21: cowboys to shoot themselves in the foot repeatedly and get it together to late.

ATL 20 vs SF 38: no contest with the Niners continuing their run.

BUF 10 vs PIT 3: Bills to grind out the win with a battle of defenses in Heinz Field.

IND 17 vs NO 44: Saints to pour it on, Brees to get the TD record from Brady and most likely hold it, Colts continue to struggle after the injuries to Brissett and Hilton.

Interesting. So you think Brady will break the career TD record.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Interesting. So you think Brady will break the career TD record.

I hope so but I don't think he will keep it at all and Brees will finish ahead of him overall barring injury.

 

[The Hitch]

I hope so but I don't think he will keep it at all and Brees will finish ahead of him overall barring injury.

Obviously. But it would be the most Brady thing ever for him to have the record for one day, because Brees got injured for just enough time and because brees got the later slot on the day the record was set

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

As I mentioned last week, we're getting to the time in the year when injuries and weather play factors in games. I agree with several of Shadow's thoughts.

NE@CIN - Cincy offense could be held under 100 yards here. Cold, but no inclement weather. Both Edelman and Sunu are playing hurt, but that won't change the outcome of the game.
TB@DET - Tampa playing well, most of the time, which is enough to win in Detroit.
HOU@TEN - While Watson has been playing superb, the Texans are maddeningly inconsistent. Titans at home.
DEN@KC - I said once he was signed Flacco was a very poor choice. Is Lock the answer? He has been lately, but their good defense will have troubles with Mahomes. Chiefs one of the healthier teams in the league. Snow should equalize things a little, and make the game fun to watch.
MIA@NYG - Don't really care.
PHI@WAS - Don't care either. But I like Shadow's idea of having Washington win out, and both Philly and Dallas lose out, merely as a crazy scenario. Eagles still missing key players due to injury. Winds in the nation's capital may equalize things, force more runs. Curious if they all heal by week 17...
SEA@CAR - The Panthers aren't in a free fall, but Wilson could feast on them this game. Perry out hurts, but Seattle's running game isn't limited to one back.
CHI@GB - Bitter cold weather in this game. Trubisky's run somewhat ends, but Packers not at 100% health on offense (still).
MIN@LAC - The Chargers are the best/worst team in the NFL, but the Vikings are deeper, more consistent, and must win to keep pace. But they could blow this game, easily.
JAX@OAK - Every other week Oakland looks like they could make the playoffs. Jacksonville has so many problems, mostly on both lines.
CLE@ARI - This isn't going to be an easy win for a messy Browns team, but they too must win to stay alive, and Arizona is sketchy. Nice weather at least!
LAR@DAL - The Rams are somewhat over the "we should have won the SB!" hump and finally playing well again, the Cowboys are not a pushover, and really need to win, but I think they are the weaker team here for sure.
ATL@SF - Falcons are still loaded with talent, but no one really expects them to win this game, even with Sherman, Williams and Ford out, do they?
BUF@PIT - Snow will make this game fun to watch. I expect a pretty low scoring affair, but the biggest factor is that Hodges could really struggle against the Bills defense, with both Smith-Shuster and McDonald out. Allen has the arm strength to cut through any weather. But that doesn't mean he'll pile up the points.

IND@NO - Saints, at home, records for Brees or not.