National Football League

[Alpe d'Huez]

Daniel Jones could be JJ McCarthy, who had a historically bad game against the Packers. Going 12/19 for just 89 yards. Two picks. And sacked 5 times for -35 yards. But the sacks weren't really on blitzes, he was holding onto the ball forever. 34.2 passer rating, just 17.9 QBR. An absolutely miserable game. It was so bad, he could have spiked the ball every single play and had a higher passer rating. Next up for the 4-7 Vikings? Seattle, where Darnold won't even need "revenge" to make Vikings fans wonder "what if?"

Meanwhile, bad passes from Purdy, bad decisions by both teams, and a slippery pig have made MNF entertaining, if nothing else so far.

 

[Oldman]

It it always surprises me how hard it is for NFL teams to close out games where they have big early leads. (See Eagles yesterday as well). Probably because in today’s NFL even good running teams can’t do much once a defense knows it’s likely a running play. Thirty years ago 3rd and 3 was maybe run/ maybe pass, and 3rd and 2 was definite run. Now, all but the best running teams will often pass on 3rd and 1. So it’s very difficult for a team with a big lead at halftime to run the ball more in the 2nd half the way college team might.

Yes, but the 'Hawks just decided "let's not hurt any more linebackers..." and rope a doped to the finish. That two of the "drive" sustaining passes from Cam Ward in the 4th qtr were just tosses into space confirmed coverage was way deep. That the Titan's first half score was the most telegraphed, underthrown pass Seattle fans hope to never see again from Darnold was the mistake. Gotta stop that.

 

[Oldman]

On the heels of my post on Sea and the 1 and 0000 team they kept almost into the game we have Monday Night Football.
And the worst misuse of two teams' excellent defense and offensive attempts that 2 QBs could accomplish without a network turning to "technical difficulty" sign offs to play reruns of Two and a Half Men.
I tuned this game out minutes into the 3rd quarter.

 

[movingtarget]

Ugly ass game but the 49ers will take the win. What would the 49ers do without CMC ? Panthers playoff chances just got harder. Panthers offense was ugly but Purdy was determined to keep them in the game with some terrible throws. Shanahan looked frustrated but luckily the young defense played well. One thing about Mac Jones, so far this season he has looked better than Purdy at keeping the offense ticking over and less careless with the ball. Panthers defense was pretty good but the lack of possession meant they were on the field too often .

 

[Nomad]

Daniel Jones could be JJ McCarthy, who had a historically bad game against the Packers. Going 12/19 for just 89 yards. Two picks. And sacked 5 times for -35 yards. But the sacks weren't really on blitzes, he was holding onto the ball forever. 34.2 passer rating, just 17.9 QBR. An absolutely miserable game. It was so bad, he could have spiked the ball every single play and had a higher passer rating. Next up for the 4-7 Vikings? Seattle, where Darnold won't even need "revenge" to make Vikings fans wonder "what if?"

Those are some egregious numbers. He's clearly the worst performing young gun out of that gunslinger draft class: Williams, Maye, Daniels, Nix & even Penix Jr (pre-injury) are performing much better. And with the exception of Penix, those guys look like they've made it as franchise QBs. McCarthy? IDK - another Zach Wilson in the making?

And speaking of McCarthy, he's now in concussion protocol (reported symptoms on the flight back from GB). That leaves Max Brosmer as the starter (Wentz on IR) - the local kid out of the Univ of Minnesota. Give the UDFA a chance - he can't do any worse than McCarthy. Lol

Vikings place struggling QB McCarthy in protocol

Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy has entered the concussion protocol after reporting symptoms on the flight home Sunday night, coach Kevin O'Connell said.

www.espn.com

 

[Oldman]

Ugly ass game but the 49ers will take the win. What would the 49ers do without CMC ? Panthers playoff chances just got harder. Panthers offense was ugly but Purdy was determined to keep them in the game with some terrible throws. Shanahan looked frustrated but luckily the young defense played well. One thing about Mac Jones, so far this season he has looked better than Purdy at keeping the offense ticking over and less careless with the ball. Panthers defense was pretty good but the lack of possession meant they were on the field too often .

The worst part of Purdy's throws were they weren't even close to who was the intended target.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

As to Purdy vs. Jones. While Mac was definitely solid, in some games he played better than others. But he did lead the 49ers to a series of wins, so I don't think one "ugly ass" game by Purdy (and everyone else on the field without the initials CMC) is going to change things.

As to Max Brosmer starting for the Vikings. This is why I also think the Raiders should bail on the season and start Cam Miller the rest of the way. Nothing to lose. Geno Smith has been terrible, how much worse can they be with Cam? The Raiders OL is awful, and Cam was highly mobile in college, so that could be fun to watch at least.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

 

[Sciatic]

Yes, but the 'Hawks just decided "let's not hurt any more linebackers..." and rope a doped to the finish. That two of the "drive" sustaining passes from Cam Ward in the 4th qtr were just tosses into space confirmed coverage was way deep. That the Titan's first half score was the most telegraphed, underthrown pass Seattle fans hope to never see again from Darnold was the mistake. Gotta stop that.

Good points—and both safety and linebacker corps will continue to lack depth, though Jones could be back.

 

[Oldman]

Good points—and both safety and linebacker corps will continue to lack depth, though Jones could be back.

Looks like Quandre Diggs is eager to resign on the practice squad. Seattle was sad to see him go to the Titans whom he asked for a release. Tyler Lockett left them, too. It'd be weird if those two and Bobby Wagner turned up as senior advisors to the Hawks.

 

[Nomad]

As to Max Brosmer starting for the Vikings. This is why I also think the Raiders should bail on the season and start Cam Miller the rest of the way. Nothing to lose. Geno Smith has been terrible, how much worse can they be with Cam? The Raiders OL is awful, and Cam was highly mobile in college, so that could be fun to watch at least.

Great point and "Raidersbeat.com" completely agrees with you. The Raiders are out of the playoff picture, so playing Smith is meaningless from this point on & he might not even be with the team next year. They've seen enough of O'Connor & his limited upside as he's not their franchise QB. And Pickett is not starting material either. And besides, neither of those guys are mobile pocket passers/dual-threats limiting their playmaking ability. Miller was a bonafide dual-threat at NDSU & should get the chance to start some games.

There's One Move Pete Carroll and the Raiders Have to at Least Try Before the End of the 2025 Season - Raiders Beat

Geno Smith is now more than halfway through what will probably go down as...

www.raidersbeat.com

 

[Nomad]

This comparison is about as bad as it gets. Lol. IMO, the problem with McCarthy is his lack of passing experience in college. He's got elite arm strength - particularly with velocity, and he's fast & athletic. So, he has the raw materials to be a good mobile pocket passer. He just didn't throw enough in college. Harbaugh ran a run-orientated offense at Michigan where McCarthy, when they did throw, threw a lot of play-action to wide open guys. He didn't get much experience throwing 30-40 passes a game resulting in big yardage, throwing into tight windows, hurry-up offense situations, etc. (Michigan wasn't behind by many opponents late in their games).

In 3 seasons as the starter, he threw for only 6226 yds & 49 TDs - and never more than 2900 yds in a single season. By comparison, the other young guns from that class were all throwing for 4000 + yds per season. For example, Bo Nix threw for 4500 yds & 45 TDs in just his Sr year alone! And 15,000 yds & 113 TDs in his collage career! Caleb Williams in 3 seasons threw for over 10,000 yds & 93 TDs. Even Jayden Daniels, who was a pure dual-threat amassing big rushing yardage, threw for over 12,000 yds & 89 TDs in his college career. Potential franchise QB prospects need to throw the ball in college - a lot in college - against all kinds of defensive schemes & game situations. The more experience passing....the better development.

No two buts about it because if owners expect these 1st rounders to step right in day 1 as the starter, they better have adequate college experience to help them better adjust to the pro game.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Nix had twice the throws, yards, completions, TDs, in college. as JJ.

You can even look at Brock Purdy. Nearly 1,000 completions and over 12,000 yards. Heck, look at Tyson Bagent. He may never end up an NFL starter, but when he has played, he's looked both poised, and surprisingly good. So much so, the Bears extended him with a nice $10m deal just to be a backup. In college he threw for 17,034 yards, and 159 TDs.

And then there are Anthony Richardson and Tre Lance. Still trying to figure out how to play QB.

Hindsight is 20/20, but it boggles the mind the Vikings had both Darnold and Daniel Jones, and let both walk. They could have simply franchised Sam at $40m for another year, but they didn't. They had that much faith in JJ.

 

[Nomad]

Good point on Purdy - and he was also very mobile rushing for some decent yardage while at Iowa St.

You never know about Bagent - if he could get the chance to go to another team & compete for the starting job.

The Lance draft (#3 OA) is probably one of the worst high 1st rd selections ever. He played only one entire season at NDSU throwing only 287 times for 2786 yds...that's it. Lol. There's no precedent of a guy playing one year at the FCS level & being drafted in the 1st rd let alone in any round. By comparison Carson Wentz played three seasons at NDSU throwing 612 times for over 5100 yds. Not a lot either but more twice the throws & yardage.

On AR, I can see why the Colts took a chance on him with a high1st rd selection. There's a precedent set with Cam Newton. Both are identical in with elite size, both have elite arm strength & both scored a perfect RAS athletic score at the Combine. Newton also had limited college experience playing only 2 yrs of college ball - one at Binn JC & the other at Auburn. In total at the two schools, he only threw for 5741 yds. However, he was selected #1 OA by the Panthers. Newton breezed through the preseason earning the starting job as a rookie. Surprisingly, he threw for 4051 yds (16 game schedule back turn), 21 TDs & a fair 85 Rtg while adding another 706 yds rushing. So, amazingly given that limited college experience, he played well his rookie year & a star was born.

Not so fortunate for AR when he suffered that season-ending shoulder injury to his throwing arm in week #5 in his rookie year. He looked good in preseason beating out Minshew for the starting job. And unfortunately things haven't gotten any better...only worse. I believe the Colts banked on the idea that they had another Cam Newton in the making. The million dollar question is can AR be developed into a franchise QB or is it hopeless & he'll join the long list of other 1st rd busts?

 

[Nomad]

Who would have thought that both the Chiefs & Bills would be at the bottom end of the playoff picture with the season approaching the home stretch:

https://twitter.com/x/status/1992954238813827256

View: https://x.com/BfloFanatics/status/1992954238813827256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1992954238813827256%7Ctwgr%5Ec5adb481d09bfe338181d70446f9055ffbb6a794%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fatozsports.com%2Fnfl%2Fbuffalo-bills-news%2Fchance-bounce-back-major-hit-spencer-brown-christian-benford-maxwell-hairston-week-13-pittsburgh-steelers%2F

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I have slightly more faith in the Chiefs doing well than the Bills. Also, to me both New England and Denver (and Indy) are all beatable come playoff time. But I also like several teams in the NFC more than AFC right now.

GB@DET - I like the Lions offense here to score enough points to win.
KC@DAL - I'll take the Chiefs in a high scoring affair.
CIN@BAL - Burrow's chance to play spoiler...presuming he's playing.

CHI@PHI - Friday's game. Bears somehow keep winning. This is a real test though.

 

[Nomad]

I like the high scoring affair with the Chiefs & Cowboys, but I feel the Chiefs will lose & that'll be the nail in the coffin. Reid looks tired & worn out (at 67, he's the 2nd oldest coach in the league). And Mahomes isn't throwing the ball as good as he has in previous seasons.

They say Burrow is a go. But I wonder how rusty he'll be after a 2 month layoff? He might need a game or two to get back into the groove.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Since it's been proven that the game has pretty much passed Pete Carroll by (and Belichick?), it makes you wonder how far behind that trend Reid is. Also with most games being "must win" it makes it increasingly hard for KC, indeed.

Really nice win for the Packers. Their offense looked very efficient for the first time in weeks. And it was impressive how they closed out the game.

 

[Sciatic]

start the game already! (chiefs-Cowboys supposed to be 1;30 start) Both the networks and the stadium make such an extravagancy (even more than usual) for these holiday games. They must figure they can get people to watch for 4 hours since they're on the couch anyways.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Really nice win for the Cowboys. I have to give Brian Schottenheimer credit. Also Dak. I didn't think they'd win a clutch game like this, and they did.

Chiefs have to be considered about done at this point. They don't have to win out, but at most can afford 1 single loss, and they have three tough games to go. Texans, Chargers, and Denver twice. All three have a significantly better defense than Dallas.

Cowboys game next week against Detroit looms large for them. There may simply be too many good teams in the NFC for the Cowboys to make the playoffs at this point.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Packers with a huge win over the Lions who keep pace with the Bears. I think they’re better than the Bears, Bears just have extra help. Lions playoff chances are on life support and worsening by the week. They have to win out to get the 6th or 7th and then I’d think they’re one and done. Looks like there window has closed, which is disappointing from all the injuries they had last year.

Cowboys with an even bigger win over the Chiefs to keep in it for the division or fifth seed. I thought the Chiefs were going to win after the shenanigans that occurred on their final touchdown drive. Cowboys are coming around nicely and will be dangerous in the playoffs. Chiefs playoff chances are also on life support and require a lot of help. Despite Mahomes and the offense have high moments in drives, they can’t sustain it over a quarter or half remotely compared consistent. I think their lucky die is getting harder and harder to roll a 20. In a way they remind me a better 2022 Bucs who also couldn’t get out of their own way but at a worse rate.

 

[BullsFan22]

Yeah, whoever loses the Lions vs Cowboys game is out of the playoffs. Really surprised with the way the Lions have played this season. I know they’ve had to deal with injuries, but still.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Someone convince me Joe Burrow isn't the most valuable player.

But all those turnovers killed the Ravens chances. Now they too look likely done for the season.

 

[SHAD0W93]

Someone convince me Joe Burrow isn't the most valuable player.

But all those turnovers killed the Ravens chances. Now they too look likely done for the season.

Bengals choking those close games away while Burrow was out will likely cost them the division and playoffs. Only way they make it is if they win out, Ravens lose 3, and Steelers lose 2-3. Point blank, if they won 2 of those they’d be right there in the division lead fight and in charge of their destiny. I think Burrow and Chase while very unlikely, should go to Dolphins. With that offense and a better offensive line and defense I think Burrow could do well. Or he goes to Seahawks.

 

[Oldman]

Someone convince me Joe Burrow isn't the most valuable player.

But all those turnovers killed the Ravens chances. Now they too look likely done for the season.

Lamar channeled his inner Brock for this game. The fact that they are still possibly in the division hunt is....? Burrow was a pleasure to watch.
Tried to keep an eye on the Dallas/KC clash with the sound off and a table of guests. Could've recorded it but the 4th quarter had a thriller going.
Good play by both.