National Football League

[movingtarget]

You ain't heard nuthin! I lived in the greater NY area for years. Non stop talk, with the strongest opinions of people who are certain they are right!

You are right though if the KC line can't keep the Broncos pass rush off Mahomes, it will be a long day for him. Hence a 13-9 KC win is possible.

As to Mac Jones, he hasn't played well enough in the last two weeks to supplant Purdy. He's filled in admirably, redeemed himself (though not to the level of Darnold, I don't think), but Purdy will play as soon as he's truly ready.

No one surprised Fox fired Sanchez. I'm only mildly surprised the are putting Brees in the booth, when they had Brady Quinn the last two weeks, and he did well, and has done quite a few NFL games in the past (though mostly an NCAA guy). Curious to hear how Brees does.

If I were Seattle I'd be a bit concerned about Arizona as well. They have been at least good all season, and they seem to have really rallied behind Brissett. Now that he's been given the keys to the car, they are going to be a tough out for anyone, including Seattle.

The Cardinals have looked better with Brissett. Yes Darnold had a better season for the Vikings but he was also throwing to two elite WR's not WR 3's and 4's.. I'm expecting two wild divisional match ups in the NFC West this week. The Bills can beat the Chiefs any time in the regular season it seems. Just have to get it done in the playoffs. Brees was a bit bland last time he was on TV but no worse than Brady.

 

[Nomad]

Athletes are just built different. I wouldn’t be able to use my arm for weeks if that happened to me.

Jayden Daniels (elbow) won't need surgery, not expected to land on IR; Commanders to re-evaluate after bye

Still it's a bad year for him performance wise, injury wise, etc. The "Wow" QB from last year that basically single-handedly turn the team around has completely gone the other direction this year. Unbelievable would be the word to describe it.

The QB that seems to have emerged as the gem of that draft class is Drake Maye. He is absolutely on fire: Over 2200 yds passing, 74% completion pct, 4th in TD passes thrown, 116 passer rating, 5th highest QBR rating, 270 yds rushing - and the team is winning tied with other teams for the best record currently. His name is brought up in every MVP conversation.

The other starters from last season, Nix & Williams, aren't performing anywhere near Maye. Nix has regressed significantly from his numbers that he posted last season & Williams isn't coming anywhere close to the expectations that Johnson set for him at the beginning of the season.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Let's be a little honest about the Patriots though. They beat: Atlanta, Cleveland, Tennessee and New Orleans, Buffalo and Carolina. They lost to the Steelers and Raiders, and eeked out a win over Miami. Aside from the Bills, not exactly murderer's row they took out. And their D has played very well. They play at Tampa this week.

ATL@IND - In Germany. Let's see if the Colts bounce back from last week's loss to Pittsburgh.
CLE@NYJ - Paul "Moneyball" DePodestra has resigned as VP of number crunching for the Browns. A new era? (they ignored much of what he said anyway).
NO@CAR - Panthers playing well. What a mess the Saints are in. Can Brees suit up?
NE@TB - I like Tampa to bounce back here. But Godwin still out. Irving out too. Boutte out for NE.
BAL@MIN - This too could be an interesting game. Vikings fairly healthy. Ravens almost back to full strength.
NYG@CHI - On paper the Bears should win, but...
LAR@SF - Here's one to watch. Purdy probably going to play, but Pearsal still out. Rams maybe the most healthy team in the NFL.
PIT@LAC - Chargers OL decimated. But their D may ruin Rodgers day. Khalil Mack back to full practice.

PHI@GB - Packers have got to find a way to get into the end zone.

 

[movingtarget]

Sooner or later the Falcons will win a game but this week against the Colts is unlikely.

Hard to see Carolina losing to the Saints.

Patriots and Buccs will be an interesting one. Maybe the Patriots in a close one.

Ravens have picked up but the Vikings looked good last week. Maybe the Vikings can do it.

Hardly anyone is picking the Rams to lose again to the 49ers. Since then the 49ers have lost Warner, Bosa and Mykal Williams off the defense. 49ers are going to need turnovers and a good run game to have any chance. while the defense is full of rookies and back ups. Maybe Shanahan can do enough scheming one more time..

Dunno what to make of the Packers after the early hype and the Parsons trade. Think the Eagles will do enough to win. GB is also banged up at WR.

Everyone seems to think Seattle will beat the Cardinals easily. Cardinals have lost a lot of close games with silly mistakes but seem to be improving with Brissett at QB and a few injured players returning. Cardinals for the upset.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Terrific morning game in Berlin! Jonathan Taylor, 244 yards! MVP!

I do not think Seattle will beat Arizona easily.

Rain in the NE/TB game.

 

[Potomac]

Chicago is going to get hammered by lake effect snow later. It might get up to 3 inches per hour.

I would have really liked to see this game in the snow and wish the timing was better. They will be moving to a dome soon and another cold weather city loses its football weather mojo

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Almost no snow in Chicago. Proving my point that dome stadiums suck. A real tragedy that both Cleveland and Chicago are getting fixed roof stadiums. Minnesota, Detroit, even warm places like Atlanta and soon Tennessee. Not a retractable roof, a dome. Once outside football, the elements, fresh air. One step closer to the NBA.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Unreal outcomes today:

• Bills unbelievably bad against Miami. Zero energy. Grossly overconfident.
• Giants had the Bears beat. Dart goes out, Wilson can do nothing. And a 14 point 4Q swing.
• Houston scored 26 straight points in 4Q to beat Jacksonville.
• Cleveland's last gasp chance blown by a guy jumping offsides when everyone knew the Jets were not going to snap the ball. Stefanski likely has ulcers.
• I'm back to thinking Bryce Young doesn't have it. Tyler Shough might. Certainly more than Rattler.
• Much needed win for the Ravens.
• Really nice win for the Patriots over Tampa. Good in all phases. Now 2 games up on the Bills, plus they own the tiebreaker, winning in Buffalo.

 

[movingtarget]

NFC West games were one sided. Rams and Seattle too good. 49ers defense had no answers to Stafford even though they got within 8 points, The Rams quickly kicked clear again.

 

[Nomad]

Definitely some unreal outcomes. The Bills getting hammered by the Dolphins? WTH? (They must have been at a late-night beach party or something. Lol). Houston coming alive in the 4Q scoring 26 pts guided by Davis Mills? (Over 300 yds of total O including the game winning TD run!) Can't be the same guy who was terrible last week against the Broncos?

Watch most of the Giants-Bears games as it was the featured FOX morning game for my area (I have streaming services for the ESPN channels, Peacock & Prime but I use old-fashioned rabbit ears for over-the-air FOX, CBS, NBC, etc). Dart was having a phenomenal game until he got hurt - banged his head on the turf as he was tackled on a nice run taking off from the pocket. It looks like he's in concussion protocol.

Williams looked really good both passing & rushing (63 yds) - throwing & running for a score. He showed his athleticism & dual-threat capability today (he's fast having run a 4.57). Furthermore, his arm talent is without a doubt elite - he made a couple of Mahomes type "Wow" passes throwing awkwardly off-balance, off-platform, etc. The Bears, hard to believe, are 6-3 & right in the thick of things in the division.

Watched bit & pieces of the Rams-49ers. Stafford was on fire with 280 yds & 4 TDs! He leads the league in TD passes with 21 (only 2 picks) & a 113 passer rating! All this at age 37 & a bad back? (he's definitely has to be in the MVP conversation). And Jones also threw the ball very well - only 1 pick & no other turnovers - they were just outclassed by arguably the best team in the NFC.

And Taylor - 244 yds - definitely in the MVP conversation!

And am I reading the stats right on the Lions high-octane O in the drubbing of the Commmanders? Lol Over 500 yds total O, scored on every possession except the last one which was the victory formation. And 8 yds average per play. And this was the Commanders 4th loss in a row of 20 or more points. The Commanders are a sinking ship & appear done from any legitimate shot at postseason.

 

[Nomad]

Let's be a little honest about the Patriots though. They beat: Atlanta, Cleveland, Tennessee and New Orleans, Buffalo and Carolina. They lost to the Steelers and Raiders, and eeked out a win over Miami. Aside from the Bills, not exactly murderer's row they took out. And their D has played very well. They play at Tampa this week.

That's a fair point but the 2nd half of their schedule doesn't get much better. Really only 2 tough teams they play; the Ravens & the 2nd game against the Bills. The Bucs win today was impressive but Maye didn't play his best game (not a bad game but nothing compared to some of his past showings). Even if they drop both the Ravens & Bills game, they should finish 13-4, 12-5 at the worst & make the postseason, IMO.

 

[Nomad]

Almost no snow in Chicago. Proving my point that dome stadiums suck. A real tragedy that both Cleveland and Chicago are getting fixed roof stadiums. Minnesota, Detroit, even warm places like Atlanta and soon Tennessee. Not a retractable roof, a dome. Once outside football, the elements, fresh air. One step closer to the NBA.

I think that new Bears stadium has been placed on hold - $800m shortfall that ownership is having trouble finding (they don't want to go to the taxpayers for any funding...rightfully so).

Chicago Bears’ stadium plans hit stumbling block

The Chicago Bears’ plans for a new stadium have suffered a setback after the NFL team failed to receive funding support from the state of Illinois during the fall legislative session.

www.thestadiumbusiness.com

The Broncos announced plans for a new stadium to be built by 2031. The stadium to be built downtown near Coors Field will have a retractable roof and is estimated to be over $4 billion, privately funded by the team's ownership group.

 

[Nomad]

Great day for the Ravens - a win plus a Steelers loss!

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I'm fine with retractable roofs. There's a limit to how much of the elements you want to deal with. But pure domes suck.

Announcers at the start of the Commanders game listed how many guys they were missing, with three more players who played a week ago now out. Dan Quinn was talking about how injuries are usually a wash, and you just accept them and move on, but this season has been especially cruel to them.

Miserable game for Rodgers tonight. Whatever chance the Steelers had lost to multiple botches.

The Seattle at Rams game next week is going to be something. Seattle has to get pressure on Stafford. You do that, he wilts. But even at his age he's still very good at throwing on the run. Seahawks two losses are by a combined 7 points. That's it. The winner of that game takes a good step towards high playoff expectations .

Don't ask me who the best team in the AFC is. The USA Today guys mostly think it's the Chiefs who will prevail!