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Studio 46 - Non-TPiR Discussion => Out In Left Field => Topic started by: SeaBreeze341 on July 15, 2022, 08:05:53 PM
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I'm going to start the NFL thread for the upcoming season. It's a little early than I originally planned for the most part, but not by much. Instead of bumping up the off-topic thread, I figured that with training camp a couple weeks away or so, coupled with the fact that no one's posted in the off-season thread in over a month (mainly b/c I wasn't around + no new decent news since the weekend before Memorial Day), I would get this going. After all, giving how summer flies by, the 2022 NFL Season will be here in no time!
The 103rd season, better known as the 2022 NFL Season, is slated to begin on Thursday, September 8, 2022 at Sofi Stadium in Los Angeles, California (Inglewood, CA for official accuracy, I guess). The preseason gets going real soon; as of this post, it’s actually 20 days away. The Hall of Fame Game featuring the Las Vegas Raiders & the Jacksonville Jaguars, takes place two weeks from Thursday & features several members of the HOF class of 2022 that will be inducted two days later on that Saturday in Canton, OH.
For the 17th time since 2004, the season will begin with the defending champions hosting another opponent, and I believe it’s the first time the first game of the season is being played at the same venue the last two games of the preceding schedule was played at (definitely in the past 18 years).
The home team/champs winning percentage is at least 80%. Other games scheduled in Week 1 include 13 Sunday games on Fox & CBS including a CBS/Fox game of the week at 4:25 PM Eastern. Week One will wrap up with two primetime games: one on NBC with Sunday Night Football (17th season) and on Monday on ESPN with MNF (17th season and 53rd overall). Currently, it is scheduled to conclude on Sunday, February 12, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. The regular season is done on January 8, with the playoffs starting the following Saturday, January 14.
New this year is the Thursday Night Package. After 8 seasons of Network coverage for TNF, it’s exclusive to Amazon Prime. Also, the announcers for NBC and FOX have changed. I think I mentioned that in the off-season thread; there is a connection to that and TNF, as well as ESPN (which has been changing a lot since 2015). CBS remains the same (at least the A Team). I’ll post the personalities later. In addition, the postseason has changed again; first time in a decade. I don’t believe it plays out until the postseason.
There are still 285 games on tap this year, last season featured the debut of a 17-game schedule. The extra game was AFC vs NFC; it’s the same thing this year. The difference is the AFC travels to the NFC. Basically, the structure this season is the same as last year. Two seasons ago, they avoided a Superbowl / Valentines Day conflict as they still had 16 games per team. However, it’ll be a possibility in 2027, but they’ll likely work stuff out by then (though TBH, whatever happens, life and business will continue for the most part)
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I'll let someone else make mention to the news that is slated come down at any point today, but amazingly enough, the first NFL game (albeit a pre-season one) is on Thursday. I didn't check in on Social Media on Sunday, so I missed the annual preaching of the NFL talking heads and media personalities saying how it's the last free Sunday or final week without football for over half a year (or Valentine's Day week).
Three of the biggest items that probably wrapped off the off-season include Baker Mayfield finding a new home in Carolina (https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/baker-mayfield-traded-to-panthers-winners-losers-in-deal-that-sends-former-no-1-overall-pick-to-carolina/), Tampa Bay center Ryan Jensen's big injury, and Kyler Murray getting a rather decent deal (https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/07/27/nfl-kyler-murray-contract-favorable-cardinals). The Jensen thing is unfortunate given the circumstances; as for the other two stuff, what a coincidence. Two back-to-back Heisman winning QB, Big 12 champions, and first overall picks, both starting a new chapter in their short NFL careers.
The other news includes DK Metcalf getting paid (https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34308998/source-dk-metcalf-seattle-seahawks-reach-three-year-72-million-extension), and a couple name changes for NFL stadiums, both involving the AFC North. Pittsburgh has a new name in Acrisure (following 21 years as the venue now formerly known as Heinz Field), and Cincinnati is still in the works for whatever the Paul Brown stadium will be called going forward
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With teams required to bring their roster to 53 by Tuesday, Desmond Ridder is truly making a bid for the Falcons' start. He's been efficient in largest part, but in the exhibition finale against Jacksonville so far, he's thrown two picks and has eaten fake grass twice. Marcus Mariotta hasn't played yet, but when he does he'll need to kick it up a notch.
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My preliminary early Super Bowl pick for this season is Buffalo vs. San Francisco--as Chris Berman predicted almost every year in the 90s--with the former finally getting over the hump and getting the world title they've long deserved. Other possible candidates for the big game as I see it at the moment would be Kansas City, Cincinnati, Los Angeles (Chargers), and Indianapolis in the AFC, and Los Angeles (Rams), Philadelphia, and Green Bay in the NFC. We'll of course see what happens as the ensuing months unfold.
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My predictions for playoffs teams:
AFC division winners: Chiefs, Bill's, Bengals, Titans.
AFC wild cards: Chargers, Broncos, Ravens.
NFC division winners: Rams, Cowboys, Buccaneers, Packers.
NFC wild cards: Rams, Eagles, Vikings.
The AFC West is loaded. I've long been big on Herbert and I think it's the Chargers year to break out and make the playoffs. I think the Chargers have a good overall roster, but I truly believe that Herbert will join Mahomes on the 2020s All Decades Team. Herbert is all of that. However, I'm picking the Chiefs of Mahomes and Kelce to win the AFC West every year until someone shows me they can beat them. Russell Wilson has put been into a tough spot going into this division but the Broncos overall roster is strong and I think Wilson has enough left in the tank to get the Broncos a wild card berth when combined with their overall roster. The Raiders have a solid but not spectacular roster on both sides of the ball, but ultimately, I think the division and conference prove to be a little too competitive for the Raiders to make the playoffs.
The AFC North will come down to the Bengals and Ravens. Lamar Jackson has a lot to prove but I think Burrow has a lot more help around him especially at wide receiver with Chase, I think Jackson wills the Ravens to enough wins to get a wild card. Remember that the Ravens have the GOAT kicker so that helps in close games. The Steelers are now in now in rebuilding mode with Big Ben retired. Watt and Heyward are fantastic defenders, but I don't think Trubisky is the answer and I'd actually give the Steelers a better shot had they gone with Pickett. As for the Browns, is there a worse or more inept organization in the NFL? The sheer stupidity of putting your eggs in the Watson basket? SMH!
If Derrick Henry is healthy this year, the Titans win the AFC south with ease. Henry plus a good defense plus a solid quarterback equals a division title here. It's the Titans plus 3 teams that suck.
The Bills are clearly the class of the AFC East as Josh Allen enters his prime. While the Dolphins have a good defense, I don't trust Tua or believe in him at all and the Jets will suck. I expect the Patriots to have ups and downs. That was true last year for both Mac Jones and the defense. This year, I think New England misses the playoffs by the hair of their chinny chinny chin
The NFC West is a 49ers-Rams battle. The Rams are clearly better at quarterback and Aaron Donald is either the best or 2nd best defensive tackle in NFL history (It's between Donald and Mean Joe to be the GOAT defensive tackle.) I think Ramsey is still an all pro level cornerback as well as believe Wagner has something left in the tank and I think Cooper Kupp can repeat his success from last year. On the other hand, the 49ers have an elite defense of the own with guys like Bosa and Warner. I think Lance will be well coached and with a strong overall roster will be able to overcome his growing pains to do enough to win. I think Deebo could be the X factor in this division, but I'll be stunned if both are not in the playoffs. The Seahawks are in rebuilding mode after losing Wilson on offense and Wagner on defense. The Seahawks are going to struggle. The Cardinals can't be believed in for this reason: Murray has proven he can play well when bats, ghosts, and Jack O Lanterns are around but he hasn't proven he can play well when Santa, Frosty, and Rudolph are around. Unless and until Kyler Murray proves that he can succeed when Santa, Frosty, and Rudolph are around as when bats, ghosts, and Jack O Lanterns, I can't believe in the Cardinals.
The NFC East is clearly between the Cowboys and the Eagles. Both are led by quarterbacks I'm quite sure how to feel about. Hurts did well as a running quarterback last year and threw for a decent number of yards, but his low number of touchdown passes bugs me. I'm not confident in Dak's health either and I think Elliot's best years may be behind him. On the other hand, both teams should have strong defenses. I think Parsons is the best player in the division and I give the Cowboys a slight edge though I do see both teams making the playoffs. The Giants are going to suck and as for the Commaders, if you trust a Carson Wentz led team you deserve to be disappointed.
With Brady coming out of retirement, the NFC South easily goes to the Buccaneers even with no Gronk and a mash unit of an offensive line. The defense will have to play well for this team to be a true contender but who else is there in this division. The rebuilding Falcons are the Seahawks of this division. The Panthers could go either way, I have zero feel for them, and whatever the Saints roster is or isn't, I never trust Famous Jameis the Turnover Machine.
The Packers did suffer a blow losing Adam's, but my feeling is that Adams will miss Rodgers more than Rodgers will miss him. The Pack have enough on both sides of the ball to win this division, but the talented Vikings should get a wild card. I've said before that I'm big on Herbert's future and I feel the same way about Justin Jefferson as a receiver. Hutchinson will be a stud pass rusher in the NFL, but the Lions still have too many holes to complete for a playoff berth. I don't know how I feel about Fields, but the Bears offensive line is hot garbage and their refusal to pay their star linebacker Smith speaks volumes about what a poor organization that the Chicago Bears are.
Who's winning it all? As much as I believe in Herbert and the Chargers, I think they're still a year away from true contender status though I do expect them to make the playoffs this year. I feel like the Bills, Chiefs,.and Bengals might be the the three best teams and they're all in the AFC. I'm ultimately picking the Bills to beat the Rams in Super Bowl 57.
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I'll post my stuff sometime between Friday and Sunday before the early games kickoff. I guess I'm late but it's not a big deal. Right now, I have both Los Angeles & Buffalo winning their respective divisions, regardless of what happens. Unless there's a significant injury, nothing matters tonight that'll make a difference whether I post everything before the first game or after it. I do have the Rams beating the Bills tonight. It's about an 80% success rate for defending champs winning their home opener to start the season.
I actually don't have either team winning the Super Bowl. It's tough to repeat; as for the Bills, they probably need to gain homefield advantage to have a chance (plus, avoid a premiere AFC North opponent that can win on the road). If Tampa or San Francisco get it together, they could gain revenge on LA
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The opening game turns surprisingly lopsided in the 2nd 1/2 after a 10-10 tie at halftime as the Bills beat the Rams 31-10. Josh Allen threw for 3 touchdowns and ran for a 4th while the Bills defense, Von Miller included, dominated the Rams offense. On the Rams side of things, it's McVay's 1st ever week 1 loss after winning his 1st 5 openers.
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MY 2022 STANDINGS
AFCW: Chargers, Broncos, Raiders, Chiefs
AFCS: Colts, Titans, Jaguars, Texans
AFCE: Bills, Dolphins, Patriots, Jets
AFCN: Ravens, Bengals, Browns, Steelers
NFCW: Niners, Rams, Cards,Seahawks
NFCS: Bucs, Saints, Panthers, Falcons
NFCE: Eagles, Commanders, Cowboys, Giants
NFCN: Vikings, Packers, Bears, Lions
AFC Postseason
WC: Los Angeles over Kansas City // Indianapolis over Las Vegas // Baltimore over Denver
DR: Baltimore over Buffalo // Los Angeles over Indianapolis
AFCCG: Los Angeles over Baltimore
NFC Postseason
WC: New Orleans over Minnesota // Philadelphia over Washington // San Francisco over Green Bay
DR: New Orleans over Tampa Bay // San Francisco over Philadelphia
NFCCG: San Francisco over New Orleans
SUPER BOWL LVII: Los Angeles Chargers over San Francisco 49ers
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Once again showing they can't handle prosperity, the Falcons blow a 26-10 lead and lose to New Orleans, 27-26. Marcus Mariota's Atlanta debut as QB was admirable, sacked 0 times to Jameis Winston's 4. Then in the fourth quarter, somebody gave Winston a can of spinach. Younghoe Koo's 63-yard FG attempt with :00 remaining was blocked, sealing the deal.
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As a Washington fan, it's gonna take some time to get used to Carson Wentz.
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As expected, my Cardinals lose their season opener to the Chiefs and the well oiled Mahomes, who threw for 360 yards and 5 touchdowns in the the 44-15 Chiefs win. Mahomes is 5-0 in openers and has thrown for at 3 touchdowns in each. It's going to be a long year in Arizona :(
My week 1 MVP is Minkah Fitzpatrick. Seriously, starting the season with a pick 6 AND preserving the tie at the end of regulation by blocking the extra point eventually leading to a 23-20 Steelers overtime win over the Bengals.
As far as the young studs I'm keeping an eye on, Herbert threw for 279 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Chargers 24-19 win over the Raiders and Justin Jefferson put up 184 yards and 2 touchdowns in the Vikings 23-7.
The Bears beating the 49ers AND the Giants beating the Titans? What planets have aligned?
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Looks like Brady will finish the best career ever in the NFL without losing to the Cowboys. Tampa won 19-3. Prescott will miss several weeks due to a late game injury to his hand
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Falcons are getting 11 vs. the Rams this Sunday. If they play fourth quarter ball like they did against the Saints, look for the Rams to blow the 11 out of the water.
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Couple of injury notes:
TJ Watt & Dak Prescott, who are both out, are not expected to miss a ton of time. There was fear that they both would, but that's no longer the case. Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Seattle's Jamal Adams
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Wow, I thought the Rams were going to choke against the Falcons, but they hold on and win by a score of 31-27 after the fourth quarter was less than stellar for them other than the interception that sealed it.
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Despite a comeback from the Bengals in the second half, the Dallas Cowboys pulled off a comeback this afternoon thanks to placekicker Brett Maher as they beat them 20-17.
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Whew! That Cardinals/Raiders game had everything. A rather painful loss for Vegas; unlike most teams in that spot, they had a chance in overtime, and they still blew it.
Win or lose, I didn't need to see a damn tie, so great on that scoop & score as opposed to Arizona running out of time
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YES! My Cardinals are 1-1 after that comeback as Kyler Murray threw for 277 yards and a touchdown, ran for a touchdown on the final play of regulation and converted the game tying 2 point conversion to A.J. Green. Honestly, I c
Kinda sat frozen still as Murphy was returning that fumble, almost not daring to believe it at 1st. The Cardinals actually outscored the Raiders 16-0 in the 4th 1/4.
I wonder if the NFL will ever consider changing the rules to eliminate the possibility of ties, as everyone seems to hate them. Ties ARE pretty unsatisfying.
Though the game of the day might have been in Baltimore. Before the season I acknowledged that I wasn't a believer in Tua but today he throw SIX touchdown passes as the Dolphins overcome a 21 point deficit to win.
On the injury front, Trey Lance is out for the season after breaking his ankle. My condolences to Trey Lance and his family and teammates.
Though, from a fate point of view, the 49ers are EXTREMELY lucky that they weren't able to trade Jimmy Garoppolo this offseason. Sometimes the best trades are the ones you don't make. Fate was on the 49ers side in that way.
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A stunning comeback pulled off by the Jets, scoring two touchdowns in the final two minutes to steal one from the Browns 31-30.
The Giants won today also, making them 2-0 for the first time since 2016. A perfect day for New York sports with the Mets and Yankees winning today too!
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First time since September 27, 2009 that the Yankees, Mets, Giants and Jets all won on the same day.
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My Cardinals fall to 1-2 after a 20-12 loss to the Rams in a meg game where NEITHER quarterback threw a touchdown pass! The biggest play was a 20 yard touchdown run by Cooper Kupp.
Through 3 weeks we have 2 winless teams in the 0-2-1 Texans and the 0-3 Raiders. Meanwhile, we have at least 2 undefeated teams in the 3-0 Eagles and the 3-0 Dolphins pending the Giants results on Monday Night Football.
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Falcons win their first game of the season, 27-23 against Seattle. Marcus Mariota threw for two TDs and ran for one Younghoe Koo's 3rd quarter FG tied then Mariota's 54-yd. strike to Drake London clinched it (as nobody scratched in the fourth). Home against Cleveland next week.
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Now that the NFL's Pro Bowl Game has been done away with, here is an ESPN article (https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34669351/nfl-replaces-pro-bowl-pro-bowl-games-featuring-weeklong-skills-competitions-flag-football-game) on the league's plans on what they will do between the conference championships games and the Super Bowl
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We also have news on this year's Super Bowl halftime show. It'll be sponsored by Apple Music and will feature Rihanna!
https://hollywoodlife.com/feature/rihanna-super-bowl-halftime-performer-2023-4851923/
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This Sunday night's Kansas City/Tampa Bay game is being moved to Miami because of the potential impact of hurricane Ian.
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Actually, that hasn't been confirmed as of right now. Only the practices have been moved to Miami. The Tampa/Kansas city game being played at Raymond James Stadium hasn't been ruled out, but that is very doubtful. US Bank Stadium in Minnesota might be the best case scenario, as mentioned elsewhere.
Despite the Dolphins playing on the road in Week 4 & in a couple days, playing at Hard Rock Stadium is unlikely as well. The entire state of Florida is being affected by Hurricane Ian, and while Miami isn't forecasted to take as much of a hit as other places, they may be needed for relief & aid during what will be a tough time in the Sunshine State.
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Ah. My source is in error. Mea culpa.
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Meh. I think it's just a little bit of inaccuracy. It would make sense to play in Miami where they're practicing, when you don't factor in the weather. They probably can't head to Minnesota yet since I don't think the Vikings left yet.
On a game front, specifically Giants/Cowboys: to add insult to injury, the season is over for Sterling Shephard. One of several reasons I didn't crown the GMEN or say they're back after 2 weeks. Not because of the WR's injury; it's just that it's way too early & they're not that much improved from the past season.
Bills still being the top team in the Power Ranking is something I agree with. Sure they lost to the Dolphins, but it was in like 100 degree heat, and Buffalo's entire secondary was not there. Miami is a decent team & was projected to be that, if not just better than last year, but they still did barely escape. They were fortunate last week against a team that might have something to say about Buffalo being the best
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Agree Bills should probably still be considered the best team in the league at the moment despite the loss; they're simply too talented not to be. Miami is in very good position at the moment right behind them, though, and despite their loss to the Colts, Kansas City should probably still be considered an upper echelon AFC team as well. For now, Philadelphia can probably be considered the best NFC team; Los Angeles (Rams), Green Bay, and probably Minnesota despite the Week 2 loss to the Eagles would be behind them as I see it.
I had doubts about the Giants myself, given neither of their wins thus far had been against that impressive of opponents, and I suspect they may now regress to the expected mean. Not sold on the Cowboys as of yet either; neither of their wins were over a very impressive team as of the present, and they're going to need to score a lot more points to keep up with the better teams as the season progresses.
Would it be possible to simply flip the Chiefs-Buccaneers game to Kansas City if needed, or is someone else using Arrowhead Stadium on that date?
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I'm not sure or don't think the NFL can/will allow for Kansas City to receive a 9th home game while everyone else in the AFC still has eight. Barring an event it would make sense; even though it's NFC vs AFC that wouldn't be fair to Tampa Bay. A neutral site (of the Bucs choosing) would work, or a site that the league would consider fair based on the unfortunate circumstances.
I'd be surprised if it ends up at Arrowhead, since the NFL trends to a level playing field. KC playing at home gives them a competitive advantage over the rest of the conference, and that's a no-no for the league
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The NFL announced today that the Buccaneers-Chiefs game will stay in Tampa Bay.
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The NFL announced today that the Buccaneers-Chiefs game will stay in Tampa Bay.
Although the Minneapolis area is missing out on the added game, this will make many youth football players in MN happy - they are scheduled to play games at US Bank Stadium all day on Sunday. If they moved the game, there was a radio campaign to give them all free tickets to the game.
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Well, we have some good news regarding Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. He left the game last night @ Cincinnati with a scary-looking head/neck injury, however, according to head coach Mike McDaniel, the third-year quarterback was discharged from the University of Cincinnati Medical Center relatively quickly and flew home with the team.
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Atlanta and Cleveland danced at MBS with Atlanta pulling out a 23-20 win after DeAundre Alford intercepted Browns QB Colby Brissett with less than 1:00 left and no timeouts. RB Cordarelle Patterson was a game time decision; he played and had a TD. Next week the Birds visit Tom Brady and the Bucs in Tampa Bay.
Former Georgia Bulldog Nick Chubb had an audience of students from his high school in nearby Cedartown cheering him on in the stands. Chubb ran for 118 yards and a TD.
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In the London series, Minnesota hangs on for a 28-25 win over New Orleans after a 61-yard field goal attempt by the Saints for the tie hit the upright, the crossbar, and out (double doink).
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YES!!! My Cardinals are 2-2 after coming away with a 26-16 over the Panthers thanks to a strong 2nd 1/2 as Kyler Murray threw for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns while also scoring a rushing touchdown and James Connor closed the deal with strong running at the end of the 4th 1/4. GO CARDINALS!!! :)
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Matt Ryan can't even get OL protection in Indy, eating turf six times in the Colts' 12-9 win over Denver last night. He threw for 251 and got picked twice.
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Reigning NFL DPOY TJ Watt delayed until further notice (https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34755956/tj-watt-return-steelers-delayed-due-knee-surgery-sources-say)
For what it's worth, there was talk that Watt had a setback in his rehab. He was slated to return a week from Sunday (vs Tampa Bay). I don't think he would've made too much of an impact (with rust and the GOAT as the opposition). Looks like the reason for a delay may have been confirmed
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Speaking of the GOAT, Tom Brady pretty much made the Falcons defense his bee-yotch, throwing for 351 and a TD. Bucs win 21-15 in spite of Atlanta's last ditch run in the fourth. Falcons QB Marcus Mariota ate turf 5 times. Brady is undefeated against Atlanta in 11 contests.
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YES!!!!! My Eagles are 5-0 after beating moneygamelover's Cardinals 20-17 as Cardinals' kicker Matt Ammendola misses a 43 yard field goal with less than 30 seconds left. It wasn't a pretty game for the Eagles after they started with a 14-0 lead but they did just enough to keep Kyler Murray from beating them. Up next is a Sunday night showdown with the 4-1 Cowboys that should be a really good game. Fly Eagles fly!
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I'll admit I do get quite nervous the week of Cowboy games; for the last 30 years, they've been the ones I've wanted the team to win more than any other. If they are able to win that, though, they have the chance to continue on quite a while as the league's last unbeaten team, with thus far decidedly uninspiring Pittsburgh, Houston, Washington, and Indianapolis teams on the slate after that. To the Cardinals fans on here, don't take it hard; they proved more than a worthy opponent, and if they get lucky breaks for the rest of the season, they have a strong chance at a playoff spot.
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I just checked the schedule; Philadelphia hosts the Steelers after their off week, while the latter is playing a currently scheduled night game on the road. I can go on and on in terms of the garbage scheduling and/or inconsistency, but even in a fair world or in equal structure, that Keystone State battle should be over well before halftime.
Speaking of Pittsburgh:
For SNF one week from this Sunday (10/23), while the Steelers/Dolphins seem like a game that would typically remain there, I wouldn't be shocked if it were flexed out. If it does, look for that to happen today or tomorrow in favor of Chargers/Seahawks or Giants/Jaguars. Not many options (which means that they would keep the game on NBC), save for New York, the rest of the teams are that much better. They're not as bad, though they all can improve, while I don't see how Pittsburgh can for the remainder of 2022.
Now, I don't know the specifics of what FOX or CBS protected. If one or both of the above options are protected, then forget about it. I don't think it's too likely given the fact that neither are in the national Game of the Week slot (and are teams that have been a bore over the recent past)
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Head Coach (now former HC) Matt Rhule let go from Carolina (https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34768697/carolina-panthers-fire-coach-matt-rhule-1-4-start)
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Falcons trade ILB Deion Jones and a seventh round 2024 draft pick to Cleveland in exchange for a sixth round '24 pick. Jones hasn't played this season yet as he's been on IR.
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Josh McDaniels is a numbskull. Not taking that extra point was the difference in the game tonight. The Raiders actually got a defensive stop after that but ended up stuck on 29.
On the other side, Mahomes and Kelce connected for 4 touchdown passes. With Gronk retired, there should be no doubt or argument about Travis Kelce being the best tight end in NFL at this nanosecond.
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Meh, it can be looked at either way. As mentioned, you play to win, not to tie. If they play for OT, then Derrick Carr might not even see the ball there.
However, given that Vegas blew yet another lead, they really weren't playing to win. They were winning & Kansas City didn't have a decent answer to Adams, but Kelce went off. That was what helped propel the AFC West Champions. It was a good game, but you have to play well for 60 minutes (something Atlanta didn't do which is rather routine)
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Davante Adams Charged With Assault (https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34782109/davante-adams-charged-misdemeanor-assault-mnf-shove)
To be more specific, this isn't another domestic abuse story. It's the aftermath of the Chiefs/Raiders MNF game, where the Vegas WR shoved a photographer following Kansas City's win over their division rival. Amid speculation on whether a fine/suspension was warranted, the photographer filed a police report, so Adams probably will not get off easy here
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Marcus Mariota had an efficient day in the Falcons' 28-14 win over the 49ers. Mariota was 13-14 for 130, threw for two TDs, ran for another, was sacked twice but had no INTs. Kyle Pitts, returning from IR, was the recipient of one of those TD tosses.
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My Cardinals fall to 2-4 after losing a scalper's afternoon off game in Seattle to the Seahawks 19-9. This was an ugly game in which neither quarterback threw a touchdown pass. Our offense is putrid right now. Yuck! :(
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The Giants and Jets are easily the biggest surprises of the season so far, with the teams improving to 5-1 and 4-2 respectively. The Jets had a statement win for sure beating the Packers in Lambeau 27-10.
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Washington QB Wentz to have surgery on his throwing hand (https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34818193/source-commanders-qb-carson-wentz-surgery-finger)
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Marquise Brown has a foot injury that may end his season. My Cardinals are so desperate for receiving help that they literally have traded for a player who literally got kicked out of a game by his own coach. Trading for such an immature player is a little disturbing.
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Question for all of you, regarding the New England Patriots. In your opinion, when Max Jones is cleared to play, will he be the QB, or still rely on Zappe to do the job. Or maybe flipflop?
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Question for all of you, regarding the New England Patriots. In your opinion, when Max Jones is cleared to play, will he be the QB, or still rely on Zappe to do the job. Or maybe flipflop?
If you saw Belichick's response to this very same question not too long ago, you might've laughed. For what it's worth, it's a valid question & answer. One I respect.
Verbatim, Bill said, "I don't know." And that's my response. It's too early to tell. Mac is a 1st round pick, but Zappe is playing much better. Who knows if it'll continue
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YES!!! My Cardinals beat the Saints 42-31 as Kyler Murray threw for 204 yards and a touchdown and the Cardinals scored the rest of their touchdowns on the ground and on defense. Andy Dalton, quarterbacking the Saints, snowed some good flashes in throwing for 353 yards and 4 touchdowns but also had moments of playing like a not very good football player irregardless of gender as his 3 interceptions indicate. The Cardinals are only 3-4 but no one in our division has done too great so who knows.
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A few days after trading Robbie Anderson, the Panthers trade star running back Christian McCaffrey to the 49ers for multiple draft picks. https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/christian-mccaffrey-traded-to-49ers-panthers-deal-star-rb-for-multiple-draft-picks-in-blockbuster/ (https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/christian-mccaffrey-traded-to-49ers-panthers-deal-star-rb-for-multiple-draft-picks-in-blockbuster/)
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YES!!! My Cardinals beat the Saints 42-31 as Kyler Murray threw for 204 yards and a touchdown and the Cardinals scored the rest of their touchdowns on the ground and on defense. Andy Dalton, quarterbacking the Saints, snowed some good flashes in throwing for 353 yards and 4 touchdowns but also had moments of playing like a girl as his 3 interceptions indicate. The Cardinals are only 3-4 but no one in our division has done too great so who knows.
I would be careful about using the "play like a girl" terminology.
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When you throw for 481 yards, odds are you're not losing many games. That's what Joe Burrow did in the Bengals' 35-17 win over Atlanta. The pass defense for the Falcons was simply porous.
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The Indianapolis Colts are benching QB Matt Ryan for the rest of the season. Sam Ehlinger will now start at QB.
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Let's call a spade a spade here: Father Time has caught Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Matt Ryan. We're in the Mahomes/Allen/Herbert era now. I was never that big on the Colts coming into the year anyway.
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Let's call a spade a spade here: Father Time has caught Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Matt Ryan. We're in the Mahomes/Allen/Herbert era now. I was never that big on the Colts coming into the year anyway.
I almost totally agree. Sub out Herbert for Burrow and we're good!
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Well, we've got a big trade. With rookie running back Breece Hall lost for the season due to a torn ACL and a meniscus injury, the Jets have acquired running back James Robinson from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Link: https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/jets-acquire-james-robinson-from-jaguars-via-trade-after-breece-hall-suffers-torn-acl-per-report/
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Ryan suffered a shoulder sprain Sunday but that's not why he's being benched. He was sacked three times, picked twice, has a league worst 9 picks this season and 11 fumbles (lost two).
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I would be careful about using the "play like a girl" terminology.
He's been told twice before not to make such sexist comments. Girls can play football too, quite competently. Hell, there's a girl playing on my cousin's junior football team who can not only keep up with the boys, but often outplay them.
30 days in the can.
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Hey, guess what, we got another big trade. The Bears are sending edge rusher Robert Quinn to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a fourth-round pick in next year's draft.
Link: https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34884040/chicago-bears-trading-de-robert-quinn-eagles
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Surprise, another trade! This time, it's the Giants dealing second-year wideout Kadarius Toney to the Kansas City Chiefs for a third-round compensatory and sixth-round pick in next year's draft, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.
Link: https://www.nfl.com/news/chiefs-acquiring-wr-kadarius-toney-from-giants-in-trade
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This sorta came out of nowhere:
Bengals WR Chase out About 4-6 Weeks with a hip injury (https://www.nfl.com/news/bengals-wr-ja-marr-chase-hip-not-expected-to-play-vs-browns-likely-to-be-placed-)
Given the nature of Cincinnati's game on Sunday, maybe something happened there that was overlooked or not many people paid attention to. That's not a pleasant loss for the AFC North Champions with a recent bad matchup against the Browns on Monday.
He'll miss division games against the Steelers & mentioned Browns before the divisional/championship playoff rematch combo from a year ago. Tennessee is doubtful & Kansas City is questionable. I imagine, barring any setbacks, he'll be back for the much anticipated slate of games against Belichick, Brady, and Allen (Patriots, Bucs, Bills) late in the year
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Looks like it's official. Tom and Gisele are no longer a couple (https://www.tmz.com/2022/10/28/tom-brady-gisele-bundchen-divorce-florida/)
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Carolina@Atlanta was a ride on the crazy train. Late in the game, D.J. Moore caught a 62-yard TD pass that tied it at 34-34 but was flagged for removing his helmet to celebrate. Eddy Pineiro's PAT was backed up to the 30 and he missed it. In overtime, Marcus Mariota got picked and Carolina took it to the Atlanta 20. Drive stalls, so Pineiro tries a 33-yard FG attempt. Wide left. Younghoe Koo came out for Atlanta to win it with a 41-yard FG. 37-34 the final. Whew!
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It has now officially been 57 years since the Steelers have won in Philadelphia--although Pittsburgh will get another chance to break the streak 2 years from now. The Eagles' next game also has a streak on the line, in this case an all-time to date undefeated streak against the Texans (5-0 at present).
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Just 24 hours before the NFL Trade Deadline, the Ravens make to this point the biggest splash in acquiring linebacker Roquan Smith from the Bears. Smith is a huge help to Baltimore's D, which at times has been shaky this year.
Link: https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34919410/ravens-acquire-lb-roquan-smith-trade-bears
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Last post before the 4 P.M. trade deadline today for the NFL, and a couple of big splashes by the Miami Dolphins, as they acquire outside linebacker Bradley Chubb from the Denver Broncos and a 2025 5th-round draft pick in exchange for running back Chase Edmonds, a first-round pick in next year's draft, and a 2024 fourth-round selection. Not only that, the Fins snagged RB Jeff Wilson Jr. from San Francisco.
Link: https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34925836/sources-dolphins-trade-broncos-lb-bradley-chubb
It also sounds like the Jags may be acquiring wideout Calvin Ridley from the Falcons, while T.J. Hockenson trades in his Detroit Lions Honolulu Blue and gray for Minnesota Viking purple, gold, and white.
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One more trade of note I forgot, the Bears are acquiring receiver Chase Claypool from the Steelers to help out Justin Fields. Let me know what you guys think of all the deals.
Link: https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34925571
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Falcons trade WR Calvin Ridley (currently suspended for betting on games last year) to Jacksonville. Atlanta gets a fifth round pick in '23 and a conditional fourth round pick in '24. That could jump to second round if Ridley signs a long term contract with the Jaguars.
EDITED by Steve to fix grammar at OP's request.
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On the Monday Night Football broadcast last night, the classic yellow jackets when they were part of ABC Sports back then that Joe Buck and Troy Aikman wore as part of Halloween were brought back. I hope this actually can be a permanent thing again.
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At the deadline, Falcons get Rashad Fenton (CB, South Carolina) from Kansas City. Falcons give up a conditional seventh round draft pick.
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Breaking News: Dan Snyder Making Plans To Sell The Washington Commanders (https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/34932499/snyders-hire-bank-america-securities-explore-commanders-sale)
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Sloppy play late contributes to Atlanta's 20-17 loss to the Chargers. Falcons are dead last in the league in pass defense and it showed.
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Thanks for playing, Frank Reich (Colts HC). We have consolation gifts for you.
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And now "batting clean up"...Jeff Saturday! (Former Colts Player, not former coaching assistant). No need for ESPN to fill their vacancy; the person that created that vacancy will handle that himself during the offseason
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1589737841147670528[/tweet]?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet]Bills QB Josh Allen being evaluated for an injury (http://[tweet)
To be more specific, an elbow injury. News coming from ESPN's Chris Mortensen
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The word is on Buffalo QB Josh Allen that he injured his ulnar collateral ligament and related nerves Sunday at the Jets. He's currently undergoing more tests, and they're hoping it's not similar to one he sustained during his rookie season in 2018.
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Flex alert!
The Kansas City / Los Angeles AFC West game has been flexed into Sunday Night Football one week from Sunday. That's around 8:20 on November 20 on NBC. To make room for that move, the Cincinnati / Pittsburgh AFC North game moves out of the SNL slot. Basically the games swapped networks and timeslots, which might affect those in the Cleveland & Baltimore areas who were looking forward to Dallas / Minnesota for their late Sunday fix.
Just a programming alert (for 12 days from now which the deadline to move a game other than the six-day window in the final week). First SNF flex of the season which was made possible for several reasons including 2 decent matchups original scheduled in the CBS late window
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Update on Josh Allen (related to his injury mentioned above) (https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/sean-mcdermott-says-josh-allen-is-day-to-day-due-to-elbow-injury-says-well-see-about-playing-week-10/)
Basically a situation where practice will be the guide. How he reacts this week and maybe beyond will determine his availability. Miss a game or two is the worst case scenario barring any setbacks. Then he'll have to avoid getting hurt again.
Major blow avoided (right now). That's obviously great for the Bills, but really very good news for the NFL
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Falcons' usual porous pass defense actually held P.J. Walker to 109 yards, but Carolina still prevails, 25-15. Marcus Mariota was sacked five times (thanks very little, O-line) and the rush defennse could not stop D'onta Foreman (31-130).
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It was a road game for Atlanta on a short week. However, I don't know if it would've been much different if it was on Sunday on normal rest.
Two more international games remain. One on Sunday & the other a week from Monday. Looking forward to both. First time in Germany and then later on in Mexico City. All 4 participants are rather decent this year so the games should be rather decent.
One week from Thursday will be the first Thanksgiving without John Madden as it relates to NFL football. He hadn't called a MNF since 2001 (when NBC started to air the 3rd game a decade ago from this year, he had retired 3-4 years prior to the move); though he's been a big part of the festivities being featured somewhat on the late broadcast. Even CBS & FOX gave him a shoutout (having called game for both).
To pay tribute, the NFL will honor him (https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/11/11/nfl-announces-how-itll-honor-john-madden-on-thanksgiving?fbclid=IwAR2VHiPZesbGA02QTbAC0__06ON8u90L_NCYri7EkzBBp8YVL0vaV89k8b4), this year & going forward
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This Minnesota-Buffalo game is on the crazy train. So much happening in the last minute and now it's going into overtime.
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That was a painful loss for Buffalo (33-30 in overtime). They had a big lead, blew it, and then after it felt like it was over for one team or another, it really was over for Buffalo. In position to tie, and maybe win, and then a turnover to Peterson. Allen isn't 100% but he hasn't been on an MVP level as of late.
Meanwhile, the Packers/Cowboys game was decent. Dallas got it up to a 2-possession lead, but Green Bay overcame the deficit, won the game (also an OT game) and ended their losing streak 31-28
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Of note, Matt Ryan, whom the Colts supposedly benched for the season, actually played yesterday in a game the Colts won. Threw for 222 and a TD, sacked once and no picks. Looks like Jeff Saturday gave him a leap of faith (or that it was Las Vegas they played).
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The Eagles are undefeated no more, and the team responsible is none other than my Washington Commanders! The failed lateral play at the end of the game led to a surprise double-digit win.
The 1972 Dolphins can pour another one out.
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It's the second time in three seasons Washington gave the lone remaining undefeated team their first loss; they also beat previously undefeated Pittsburgh in 2020.
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Sunday's Cleveland@Buffalo game is being moved to Ford Field in Detroit due to a snowstorm slated dump up to four feet of snow on Buffalo alone.
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If you took the over on the Jets/Patriots (38), you're eating lean. It was 3-3 going into the last 15 seconds when Marcus Jones took a punt return 78 yards for the winning score. 10-3 final. Jets managed only 68 yards of offense, three in the second half alone.
Meanwhile, Atlanta tops Chicago 27-24, sealed with a Justin Fields pick. A couple of goofy moments early on led to me think that Cartoon Network should have been airing the game.
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Yeah, I totally stayed away from that game LOL.
As much as that sucked for the Jets, it really didn't. While it's easier said than done, New York could've scored more. Always go above and beyond so that whenever the officials blunder (possible non-legal block in the back), it has no effect on the official outcome. That was more a game between two subpar teams than a defensive battle.
Nice win for Atlanta. However, the only thing left for Chicago going forward is to make sure that their opponents have fewer points. 4th game where they've looked very good on offense only to lose the game.
Philly escapes. Not a big deal against a Colts team headed by Saturday. It was still a road game off of a short week in November. Though their entire division is pretty decent. While I think the 2nd place NFC West winner will get a WC spot, it is possible that every team in the NFC East makes the playoffs this year
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Couple of corrections: Marcus Jones' punt return went 84 yards, there were 25 seconds left, and the Jets had 103 yards total offense (2 of which were in the second half).
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Zach Wilson will ride the pine in this Sunday's tilt of the Jets against Chicago.
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Not a shocker for the Jets. However, unlike in every other year, they're far from out of it in terms of the postseason. People are saying the guy needs to grow up and/or gain respect in the locker room. He needs to take ownership more when they lose, if/when it's his fault. Not sure I agree with the benching (especially with the guy replacing him) but it might be time to move on if the QB spot is what'll make the difference between meaningful success or the opposite
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Tyler Bass delivers a 45-yard FG and a 28-25 drumstick for The Bills. Josh Allen was sacked three times, Jared Goff twice.
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Speaking of the Bills-Lions game, the crowd booed at the Thanksgiving halftime show as it was shown only on the video board and not on the field.
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Dallas tops the Giants and Minnesota beats New England in other Turkey Day action.
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The Falcons once again pull defeat from the jaws of victory, losing to Washington 19-13. They're at the Washington 4 and Mariota's pass is deflected and intercepted. On the ensuing drive, Atlanta uses their timeouts to force Washington into punting with :44 left, but--D'OH!!--roughing the kicker penalty gives the Commanders an automatic first down and the game.
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My Cardinals fall to 4-8 after a 25-24 loss to the Chargers as Justin Herbert threw for 274 yards and 3 touchdowns and outshines Kyler Murray who threw for 2 touchdowns and ran for 1 but only had 191 yards. The Chargers clinched the win when Herbert found his tight end Everett for a game winning 2 point conversion with 12 seconds left. If Kingsbury is still here next year, I'll be shocked.
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Took the whole day, but the NFL has finally flexed Denver/Kansas City out of SNL in favor of Miami/LA Chargers for Week 14
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Steelers 19, Atlanta 16. Porous defense and poor usage of timeouts coupled with Mariota getting picked with :34 left dooms Atlanta. They were playing as if they were looking more forward to the bye next week.
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The Washington Commanders and the New York Giants play to a 20-20 tie after a 58-yard field goal attempt by the Giants for the win in OT came up short. Washington is now 7-5-1 while New York is 7-4-1.
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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is out for the season with a broken foot. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35182949/49ers-jimmy-garoppolo-ruled-left-foot-injury (https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35182949/49ers-jimmy-garoppolo-ruled-left-foot-injury)
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Staying on the injury front (unfortunately): Baltimore Ravens QB and 2019 NFL MVP Lamar Jackson suffered a knee injury (https://www.nfl.com/news/ravens-qb-lamar-jackson-knee-injury-broncos). HC John Harbaugh said it's not season-ending. There's no telling whether the MRI proves otherwise; barring that, Lamar is day-to-day or week-to-week.
Dallas won the turnover battle by 4 (5 to 1) & scored the most points in the fourth (33) to help the Cowboys win 54-19. Sorta happened outta nowhere as it was 21-19 following a failed 2-point conversion from Indianapolis.
Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals continue their dominance over Kansas City with a 27-24 win at Paycor. Not dominant with the final score, but they still beat KC 3 times this calendar year. Bengals have the AFC West Champions' number; however Cleveland seems to have the AFC North Champions number which is next-to-impossible to explain. Cincy will have the chance to change that narrative next week.
Houston and Chicago are the 1st and 2nd teams eliminated from playoff contention officially. Didn't think Chicago could get booted yet, and at the same time, I thought Philadelphia would clinch. Not yet, but the Bears are done
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Houston and Chicago are the 1st and 2nd teams eliminated from playoff contention officially. Didn't think Chicago could get booted yet, and at the same time, I thought Philadelphia would clinch. Not yet, but the Bears are done
I think one of the conditions that needed to happen (Which surprisingly did happen as I also thought it wasn't going to happen) was that the Giants and Commanders needed to tie.
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That was the thing. What a tough way to be eliminated (and right before their late off week). That nearly happened to Pittsburgh last year. Of course, if Chicago had won it may not have come down to that. Though it probably doesn't matter since they'd need to win out and get a ton of help each of the final 5 weeks of the season.
Speaking of New York and Washington:
NFL Flexing news didn’t take as long as it did last week: In the changes to the schedule, the Pats/Raiders out of SNF for Week 15 (12/18) in favor of Giants/Commanders.
Three games moved up a day to Saturday (12/17), as planned earlier
Colts/Vikings @ 1:00
Ravens/Browns @ 4:30
Dolphins/Bills @ 8:15
At times Eastern & all games are on NFL Network
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Carolina waives QB Baker Mayfield after he asks to be released.
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FWIW, if Chargers vs Raiders had been a tie last year and Pittsburgh had been eliminated that way, then Big Ben's last ever game would have been a comeback win over the Ravens, that would actually have been quite a fitting way for him to go out.
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It sure would have been better off than losing big at Arrowhead, though the best outcome would have been Indianapolis just simply winning against a team that was about to draft its 2nd consecutive Top overall pick. Though the Colts never win in Jacksonville, Pittsburgh fans would've been out right around 4:00 to 4:30 instead of having to wait another 7 hours to learn of the postseason fate.
Another thing that may be as infuriating, but really for New Orleans, is blowing a 13-point lead with over 5:00 left in regulation. Not surprising at all despite two drives of 91 yards and 67 yards, though nearly half of that first one was courtesy of a DPI on a 2nd & 20 play near midfield. It doesn't matter how much Tampa is struggling, chances are it's not going to go well for anyone if you can't get into the end zone, especially when you're facing the best.
Tampa Bay is finally back to .500 with 5 games remaining. The next two do not look easy but the remaining three should be okay
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Now this is odd - despite leading in the AFC South at 7-5, Jon Robinson is out as general manger of the Titans. I wonder if there have been any other instances of an NFL GM or personnel be fired mid-season while still leading their division?
https://www.nfl.com/news/titans-fire-general-manager-jon-robinson
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The Rams claim Baker Mayfield off waivers. He'll likely fill in at QB for Matthew Stafford who is out the rest of the season with an injury.
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Now this is odd - despite leading in the AFC South at 7-5, Jon Robinson is out as general manger of the Titans. I wonder if there have been any other instances of an NFL GM or personnel be fired mid-season while still leading their division?
https://www.nfl.com/news/titans-fire-general-manager-jon-robinson
I recall the Ravens booting their OC (twice in 2006 and in 2012). Now the 2012 I have to double check since they could've been in the mix with Pittsburgh & Cincinnati; the Steelers crumbled around the same time the Bengals were rising, but I don't know if Baltimore held a minimal lead, but it looked as if their window to win everything was at risk which prompted a change. In 2006 they went from 4-0 to 4-2 and made a move earlier as opposed to late. It was more a thing with Billick since he was on the hot seat.
For a role like a GM or HC, it's not common to boot somebody in that role unless there's bad off the field behavior. In the NBA Cleveland kicked out their head coach, a defending/reigning conference champion with a winning percentage above 70%. It's cruel but their standards were championships. In fact, the Pens in the NHL did the same thing twice in the past decade and a half. All instances (like the 2012 Ravens one) resulted in winning their world championship.
It appears that it's a lack of a decent relationship between Robinson and Vrabel. They're not going to get rid of the successful HC when there is a disagreement. If the coach is a goner it's probably due to the fact that the GM has had big time success OR the QB doesn't get along with the HC
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Falcons bench QB Marcus Mariota after two consecutive game ending interceptions. Desmond Ridder, who the Falcons drafted this past April, will now call the shots.
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Well, out of nowhere the Rams survive (both the game and their playoff chances) 17-16 over the visiting Raiders. It's the second consecutive NFL game where a team down 16-3 late in the game ends up with 14 quick points. Coincidentally, I suppose, the Bucs, who won the Super Bowl the year before the Rams did, were the first team to do it on Monday
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Mayfield made his Rams debut count, throwing for 230 and a TD (sacked four times) and leading a 98-yard drive in the last 2:00.
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Couple big injuries this past week include a "setback" with Von Miller, the opposite case with Jimmy G, and not much different for Lamar Jackson.
Miller, who was slated to return by the Cincinnati game, will not be returning out all
Jimmy G, who was slated to be done for rest of the season, might return during the playoffs
Lamar has no concrete timetable for an exact return, but he is not expected to play in Pittsburgh
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A major milestone was achieved today as Travis Kelce became the 5th tight end in NFL history to exceed 10000 receiving yards joining Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten, Antonio Gates, and Shannon Sharpe. Kelce is now only 15 yards away from Sharpe. Kelce has aslo exceeded the 1000 yard in a season mark for the 7th consecutive season. No other tight end has more than 4 total 1000 yard seasons. When you take into account the combination of peak, career, talent, and contribution to winning, Kelce has a GOAT tight end argument.
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My Cardinals are 4-9 after a 27-13 loss to the Patriots. Kyler Murray left early with a knee injury and while Colt Mccoy and Mac Jones both made some good throws, neither team was able to throw a touchdown pass. The Patriots used 2 rushing touchdowns and a defensive touchdown to their advantage. But, Kliff, after James Connor had that amazing touchdown run in the 2nd 1/4, why were we throwing on 4th and 1 before halftime? That was a turning point since it kept points off the board for us and allowed the Patriots to get 3 points before halftime. Interestingly. the 7-6 Patriots now occupy the final AFC Wild Card spot in what looks like it's going to be a wild west free for all for those final 2 AFC Wild Card berths. But;
IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON FROM KLIFF!
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Marcus Mariota has left the Falcons following the announcement that Desmond Ridder was replacing him at QB. Accounts conflict as to the reason: either because his wife went into labor or he was placed on IR with a knee injury. Regardless, his numbers on the field rank near the bottom of the league. In preseason, Ridder had a 60% completion ratio so Arthur Smith is rolling the dice with him.
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It's possibly a combination of both for Mariota. Plus, Atlanta isn't very good this year.
While the chance of all 8 teams in the "NFL East" (AFC East & NFC East) looked a bit promising, looks like things are starting to shape up. Both East division are sending at least 2 teams to the postseason. Possibly 3, but definitely not four. For the AFC, the Chargers are starting to rise & they are getting people back. Baltimore & Cincinnati are battling for their division so the 2nd place finisher between the 2 probably falls into the 5th seed. However, if it's the Ravens & Miami can rebound, it's possible that the Dolphins finish in 5th place which would bump the Ravens to sixth place (head to head tie-breaker). That 7th spot might be a battle between the 3rd place finisher in the AFC East and LA.
I think the Giants are done. They did okay but it was meant to be. Barring a rebound (and most important, beating Washington), I can see them getting in. Seattle is still one of the better NFC teams, and Detroit have been surprisingly good this year. It still should be an exciting finish to the NFL season!
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The 49ers, as a road team on a short week, defeat the Seahawks 21-13. Rather impressive showing with Purdy and the rest of their complete team. Not a bad TNF game but it may have consequences for the 2020 NFC East champs.
Speaking of champs, San Francisco is the second of 14 teams into the postseason. In doing so, they are the first division winners in the 2022 NFL season. They'll be able to host a playoff game. I'm not sure they can catch Philadelphia, but Minnesota might be a possibility. Nonetheless, while they might the only team to stop the Eagles, they wouldn't have to face them until Conference Title Game weekend
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Purdy went 17-26 for 217 yards and 2 touchdowns (both to Kittle) with 0 interceptions. With an elite defense, and some nice toys on offense (Mccaffrey, Kittle, and maybe Samuel if he can come back for the playoffs), the 49ers don't need Purdy to be great. Good is good enough. If Purdy is good, the 49ers can ride complementary football all the way to their 6th Lombardi. The 49ers are absolutely 1 of the teams in the mix to be a contender.
And FWIW, if NFL teams were stocks, I'd strongly advise SELL on the Vikings. I don't trust the Vikings at all and kind of expect them to finish the season poorly and lose their 1st playoff game.
Teams I can see winning it all:
NFC: 49ers, Cowboys, Eagles.
AFC: Chiefs, Bills, Bengals.
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Unclear about Marcus Mariota's status as a Falcon as (a) his wife gave birth to a girl, Makaia Lei Mariota, last Wednesday, and (b) he plans on having knee surgery soon. He was placed on IR which means he'd be out the rest of the season anyway. However, he's still taking being replaced with Desmond Ridder as a demotion which is codified by Falcons front office, who commented it was a "performance based" decision.
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It'll be interesting to see what Atlanta does. I believe Mariota is under contract for another year, and I don't know whether they'll move him or let him try to regain the spot for 2023. Sounds like Ridder is the future, but if Marcus doesn't want to back up Desmond, no sense in keeping him. However, someone would have to take him from the Falcons, I believe
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The Minnesota Vikings complete the biggest comeback in NFL history, by being down 33-0 to winning 39-36 in overtime vs the Indianapolis Colts and clinching their NFC North title.
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As Colts fans I have to wonder if they should have settled for the field goal on 4th and 1 - that would have made it a two possession game if the FG attempt went through the uprights, and tougher for the Vikings to come back to win the game. The team will have to wonder if they regretted going for it on 4th and 1...
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Either way, they definitely need to correct the defense going forward, as this marks at least the third game this year it's suffered a complete fourth quarter collapse (after the Eagles and Cowboys games). Minnesota was almost certainly going to clinch the NFC North eventually; now they make it official and for now at least (as San Francisco's increasingly looking like a strong threat--indeed I see them as the largest threat in the conference to Philadelphia going forward this season) solidify their position as the #2 seed.
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That was just an incredible unbelievable comeback. Matt Ryan has now been the quarterback on the losing side in both the largest comeback in regular season as well as Super Bowl history.
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Desmond Ridder's NFL debut with the Falcons was unspectacular to say the least, going 12-26 for 101 yards as the Falcons lose to New Orleans, 21-18. Tyler Allgeier was the bright spot for the team running for 139 yards and a score as well as converting some pivotal third downs. The Fox guys commented somebody's got to win the NFC South, and for now Tampa Bay is in the driver's seat.
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The Detroit Lions stay alive in the playoff hunt for now as they defeated the New York Jets 20-17 after a field goal attempt by the Jets with 1 second remaining missed to the left.
They still need a lot of help from other teams if they want to qualify for the playoffs.
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Meanwhile, for 7th consecutive season, the Kansas City Chiefs have won the AFC West after a surprisingly difficult 30-24 overtime win over the worst team in the league, the Houston Texans.
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Welp, it was inevitable, but my Cardinals are officially eliminated with a 24-15 loss to the Broncos in 1 of the least interesting matchups of the season. What a bust of a season. :(
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Welp, it was inevitable, but my Cardinals are officially eliminated with a 24-15 loss to the Broncos in 1 of the least interesting matchups of the season. What a bust of a season. :(
This loss means that the streak of a team being able to play in the Super Bowl at their home stadium has suddenly ended at 2. Best of luck to Las Vegas Raiders to revive this opportunity next season
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Speaking of the Raiders, the Raiders had an "I don't believe what I just saw!" moment when linebacker Chandler Jones intercepted a Patriots lateral on the final play of regulation in a tie game and returned it for a game winning touchdown to give the Raiders a bizarre 30-24 win. In a year that has been so improbable, the impossible has happened
!
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Jalen Hurts trending around doubtful to questionable for Saturday's big game at AT&T. Info recently breaking from ESPN's Adam Schefter. This is in the aftermath of Philadelphia's game; it's a shoulder injury
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Initial reports, though, have it at only a grade 1 or 2 level sprain, with him thus out no more than 2 weeks. If it was going to happen, now's the time for it to happen, with only a complete collapse in the final 3 weeks keeping the team from the #1 seed now. Thus, I'm not worried at the moment, with the rest of the team very likely more than up to the challenge in the short term.
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The Rams have been eliminated from the playoffs following their 24-12 loss to Green Bay. They're the first defending SB champs to lose ten games the following season since 1999 (Denver).
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Following the conclusion of TNF (where the Jets went from a playoff contention to close to the brink of elimination AND where the Jaguars have moved very close to taking the lead in the AFC South), the Colts have become the 6th team booted from postseason contention & the Bengals became the 7th team to clinch a playoff spot. A chance at the 1 seed is not that far off; they'll need a little help but would have to beat Buffalo, and New England before that for the best chance at it.
I'm probably not going to post until after the New Year at the earliest, so I probably want to get a couple thoughts in before it's a moot point.
The Steelers & Browns will both be done for good with a loss. However, it's probable both will be officially gone with a win, especially Pittsburgh (wins from Miami and the LA Chargers).
I still think it's likely that all four NFC East teams get into the postseason. It's doubtful, but instead of Seattle, it'll be Detroit as that wildcard to ruin what might be the only chance at an entire division getting into the playoffs.
If the Eagles win at AT&T Stadium, they will be the Top Seed, which gives them homefield & a first round bye
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Get the butter and jam...the Falcons are toast. They were eliminated from the playoffs after losing to Baltimore 17-9 and victories by the Saints and Panthers. Doesn't matter what Tampa Bay does tomorrow since they defeated Atlanta earlier in the year. Questionable play calls and penalties didn't help; Arthur Smith looked like he was going to have an aneurysm.
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My Cardinals lose to the Buccaneers 19-16 in overtime as Ryan Succop hits a game winning field goal from 40 yards out after Tom Brady completed all 6 of his passes in overtime. The Buccaneers can clinch the NFC South and the playoff berth that comes with it if they beat the Panthers next week.
The Packers kept their playoff hopes alive with a 26-20 win over the fading Dolphins.
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Tampa Bay is giving 9 and a hook against Carolina (no O/U yet). A home game for the Bucs and a nice 77 degrees forecast, the cannons should be blasting.
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With their win over the Jets Thursday and the Titans loss to the Texans, the Jaguars are now leading the AFC South with the two teams facing off in week 18.
The Steelers-Ravens matchup has been flexed into week 17's Sunday Night Football game, the Rams vs Chargers game will now be a 4:25 eastern game.
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Desmond Ridder notches his first win as a pro QB as Younghoe Koo's 19-yard FG cements a 20-19 Falcons win over Arizona. My pre-season prediction of a 5-12 season for Atlanta is officially in the toilet. (No surprise.)
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Meanwhile, the loss for the Cardinals means that they will finish 4-13 as there's a 0% chance of them beating the 49ers on the road next week.
Elsewhere, when, oh when, will NFL teams learn that Carson Wentz is NOT the answer and can't be trusted. Talk about controlling your own destiny and screwing up by losing at home to the BROWNS!
On the other side of the coin, Tom Brady still came through when it mattered most as the Buccaneers clinched the NFC South with a 30-24 win over the Panthers as Brady and Mike Evans connected for 3 touchdowns.
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In the second NFL season with 17 games, including 2 Saturday games, all games had/have a kickoff time as TBD. The original time of "To Be Determined" is a change from past years where teams would have an early or late slot with one moving to SNF as the final flex of the regular season.
The two games moving to Saturday are Kansas City/Vegas and Tennessee/Jacksonville. The first game could be for the AFC Top seed (Kansas City will be playing for homefield if Cincinnati wins the final MNF of the regular season). The second game is for the AFC Title and for one of 2 remaining spots in the AFC section of the playoffs.
With Pittsburgh win at M&T Bank Stadium, a Bengals victory will result in a successful AFC North defense, which will be the first time Cincinnati would go back-to-back. Had Baltimore won SNF, the final SNF would likely have featured the AFC North (it still could). However, if Buffalo loses, chances are Green Bay & Detroit will be the game that gets flexed into the final game of the 2022-2023 season
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The New York Giants clinched their first playoff berth since 2016 with their win against the Colts yesterday, while the Jets are eliminated from playoff contention for the 12th straight season with their loss against the Seahawks yesterday.
The NFL has released the schedule for week 18, and Green Bay vs Detroit will indeed be the Sunday night game. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10060426-nfl-week-18-schedule-snf-matchup-start-times-revealed-for-last-regular-season-games (https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10060426-nfl-week-18-schedule-snf-matchup-start-times-revealed-for-last-regular-season-games)
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Bills safety Damar Hamlin has collapsed on the field. The Monday Night Football game has been suspended with no word if it will continue tonight just yet.
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There's no way or need to continue tonight's game anymore.
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Becoming evident that this game isn't going to continue tonight. It's been an hour since Hamlin collapsed.
EDIT: Now it's official: this game has been suspended.
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It's now being reported that Hamlin is in critical condition at the hospital.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35368372/damar-hamlin-collapses-field-bills-bengals-temporarily-suspended?device=featurephone
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Keep us updated please
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Not cool to see some people blaming his collapse on the Covid-19 vaccine.
Prayers to Hamlin.
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ESPN says an update on Hamlin is not expected overnight.
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If there's anything positive to take away from the aftermath of last night, there is when it comes to one's charity. To be specific, it's the 2nd year's charity that supports his mother's daycare center.
Damar Hamlin's GoFundMe page, which had a $2,500 goal when it started a couple years ago, has now hit over $3 Million in donations as of this morning.
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Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati has been lit up in white and blue, Buffalo's colors, in support of Damar Hamlin.
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Let's certainly hope for the best; no one wants to see this become a repeat or rhyme of Chucky Mullins' fate. It was for the best the game was postponed for now, and better to wait until everyone on both sides feels ready to return to the field before continuing it.
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SportsCenter talked with two heart specialists who say that Damar has a chance to pull through thanks to the first responders who got his heart started back up in such a timely manner.
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SportsCenter talked with two heart specialists who say that Damar has a chance to pull through thanks to the first responders who got his heart started back up in such a timely manner.
I think now is a good time as any to thank our real heroes: The EMTs and first responders who help save lives. I don't think we do that often enough.
As a reporter, I've been to a number of games where athletes – and in one case, a game official – collapsed due to a sudden health episode, suffered a traumatic injury or so forth. Each time, that person's life was saved ... and it was a first responder/EMT who helped stabilize the person until doctors could begin treatment and life-saving care.
Please thank all the EMTs and first responders. They respond to many emergencies and face many challenges and save lives, and that's all that we can ask.
Prayers to Damar Hamlin and everyone whose lives he touches, including teammates, coaches, his family and friends.
Brian
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He had set up a GoFundMe for a toy drive he does for local children over the holidays. The goal was set at $2,500, but it has now raised over $4 million
All the NFL teams are now standing united behind the Bills to support Damar
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If he passes away, call off the season and make the Super Bowl a memorial service instead.
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The latest is that Hamlin's oxygen levels have improved but there is concern for possible lung damage.
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No word on when and if the game will be rescheduled, if at all - as of now Week 18 games are going ahead as planned, but the Bills-Bengals game won't be resumed this week.
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If he passes away, call off the season and make the Super Bowl a memorial service instead.
No. Do some postponing if needed, but you do not wipe out the rest of the season and the playoffs. It's scary and sad, but you don't get that morbid.
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Indeed so; that would probably be unfair to the other teams who've worked hard to get where they are now. If anything were to be cancelled, just the last week of the regular season would suffice (but only if a supermajority of at least 2/3rds of the teams agree to it, and, given the playoff teams under this scenario would likely enter the playoffs with their current seedings, that the teams that were in the hunt for a spot but fell short would be compensated, perhaps with extra draft picks come April).
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No chance that even happens. A delay is the likely course here, and I don't even think that'll happen either. They probably would only cancel games with teams that are already out. It would have to be games where both teams have been eliminated. You couldn't cancel Minnesota/Chicago since the Vikings need to win (and get some help) to move up.
Draft picks, while a nice thing, is not enough. If you're a fan or part of Seattle or Pittsburgh, that would suck if something were to get cancelled. Though to be fair, both teams probably aren't doing much anyway if they get in.
There is some discussion elsewhere that Buffalo might not be in the right mindset to play this weekend vs New England
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In good faith, I'm not sure if resuming the season as scheduled would be a good move. Depending on how you look at it, the Bills and the Bengals would have to make up the suspended game and a full one before the playoffs. And they'd both be playing with heavy hearts. The NFL may need to come to a consensus on how to handle things. If it results in a week getting delayed or even cancelled so the playoffs don't get affected, so be it.
Damar Hamlin is still in critical condition two days after his collapse. Even if we hear encouraging signs, there's still no guarantee since he's had to be resuscitated twice. It's still pretty much a wait and see regarding his condition.
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I agree it's a wait & see scenario. It'll take at least several days based on legit speculation before everyone learns of his status. It would be awesome for a nice recovery as soon as possible, but I'm not sure about that. The goal is for a full recovery for a young man with a ton of living to do. It's going to take some time, and fortunately the right people were on the field at the right time on Monday in a situation that may have been the end had it occurred almost anywhere else.
The thing is that this already affects the postseason. Maybe not directly, but the teams & venue. Whatever happens is what occurs. Many will not be okay with it, but at the end of the day, when the final decision plays out, it will be after going through all the scenarios and making a tough call.
I'm too busy to get too upset over it; someone else will be making the call, not me. It doesn't affect me one bit. There might be some effect toward the team I root for but it's minimal at most. Even TPTB from the team I root for mentioned that on Tuesday. They're too focused on their own team & their own game, and Hamlin's health.
I just don't think they're making big time changes. I can't blame Cincinnati and Buffalo for whatever they decided to do, but I imagine they're going to want to do whatever it takes to stay strong and move forward in honor of Damar Hamlin. I don't know how they're feeling or going to feel, but if I had to guess, they'll do whatever it takes to get back on the field, WHILE still focused & caring for Damar. Both teams have already made steps toward that; all the best for everyone involved.
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Damar's GoFundMe page for his charity has now reached $7 million. Out of potential tragedy comes the milk of human kindness.
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The Bills report that Hamlin's lungs are on the mend, and while still in critical condition he's improving and is awake. Good reports.
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Two key words from the recent statement. "Neurologically intact"
Pretty much positive news as it relates to the well-being of this young man this morning.
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The docs say he's communicating through writing on a notepad. His first comment: "Did we win?"
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In what I think is the best decision (but not the best timing), the NFL will cancel the Week 17 MNF game.
Here are the scenarios in the aftermath of the decision to "declare" Bills/Bengals as no contest (https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-set-to-cancel-bills-bengals-game-and-is-now-considering-some-wild-scenarios-for-afc-playoffs-per-reports/)
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Hamlin faces time team
https://www.yahoo.com/sports/damar-hamlin-bills-announce-breathing-tube-is-out-and-he-facetimed-team-153602443.html
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Former Cleveland RB Peyton Hillis is in hospital in critical condition but is improving after rescuing his children from drowning at a beach in Pensacola. More deets on it here. (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/nfl/article-11605185/Former-Browns-RB-Peyton-Hillis-critical-condition-saving-children-DROWNING.html)
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Kansas City has earned the Number One seed. Barring a Buffalo AFC Title Game appearance, Patrick Mahomes' first non-home playoff game against an AFC foe will have to wain until next year. Really, Kansas City's last road postseason was in the 2015 season.
Winner take all in the AFC title game; Jacksonville may be eliminated from playoff contention if they can't come back from their deficit, Tennessee is done outright if they blow their lead & lose
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Jacksonville wins, takes the title from the team they overcame in Tennessee, who's out. Rather painful loss but not really. Tough pick and might be a very good game with Jacksonville hosting LA (and I am assuming that a Chargers loss AND a Ravens win will NOT happen)
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I don't think it's a good idea to call the Chargers "LA" when there are people such as myself still very bitter over their depature from San Diego where they really belong.
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I don't think it's a good idea to call the Chargers "LA" when there are people such as myself still very bitter over their depature from San Diego where they really belong.
I don't think it's a bad idea either (to call them the Los Angeles Chargers). I understand how livid San Diego is, especially when you factor in how several people from LA didn't care too much about football. They were more interested in the NBA. Even without that, there is so much more to do in LA than the NFL (I have family there & that's pretty much what they've concluded). That being said, the Los Angeles Chargers is the official name for the AFC team from that area
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Tampa Bay @ Atlanta: They've pulled Tom Brady, which means he's done for the regular season (Blaine Gabbert is now calling the signals).
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Not that it meant anything except a confidence boost and where they'll be in the draft selection pecking order, Atlanta wins against Tampa Bay, 30-17. Tyler Allgeier finishes the season with 1000+ yards, and QB Desmond Ridder is truly finding a groove. In the short time he's been a Falcon, he has thrown no interceptions.
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The Chicago Bears are on the clock for the NFL Draft after their loss to Minnesota, and Houston's come from behind win over Indianapolis.
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One more spot left & one more boot left. Pittsburgh, New England, and Detroit were the 15th, 16th, and 17th teams eliminated from playoff contention (really Super Bowl contention as it's Season Finale Week). While FNIA showed the events in reserve order, the Steelers, who needed the Patriots to lose along with Miami), were gone when the Dolphins survived against the Jets. After the Steelers hit its 19th straight non-losing season, Buffalo knocked off the Pats (who needed to simply win to get in having the tiebreaker/edge over Miami).
Seattle, whose OT win eliminated the Lions, needs the team they just knocked off to win for them. If so, Seattle gets that NFC 7th seed, but it's more probable than not that Green Bay gets in, with the Packers hosting a dome team
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As expected my Cardinals finish the season 4-13 after a 38-13 loss to the 49ers as Brock Purdy threw 3 touchdown passes.
So, in the AFC the Chiefs are the 1 seed and have the 1st round bye while the Eagles have the 1 seed and 1st round bye on the NFC side.
In the AFC, the 2 seed Bills will play the 7 seed Dolphins, the 3 seed Bengals will play the 6 seed Ravens, and the 4 seed Jaguars will play the 5 seed Chargers. On the NFC side, the 2 seed 49ers will play the 7 which will be either the Packers or the Seahawks, the Packers if they win tonight, the 3 seed Vikings will play the 6 seed Giants, and the 4 seed Buccaneers will play the 5 seed Cowboys.
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With Patriots being eliminated from playoff contention, this will be the first Super Bowl at University of Phoenix Stadium/State Farm Stadium without the Patriots representing the AFC. There will be a different rep of the AFC at an Arizona-based Super Bowl since Super Bowl XXX at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe in 1996 when the Steelers faced off against Dallas. However, Brady can still make it 3 Arizona Super Bowl appearances in a row if the Bucs can successfully climb the playoff ladder and win the NFC Championship game
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As expected my Cardinals finish the season 4-13 after a 38-13 loss to the 49ers as Brock Purdy threw 3 touchdown passes.
Perhaps it's time Michael Bidwill will consider acknowledging the Pottsville Maroons as 1925 co-champions; it's just possible by now the Cardinals franchise might have a curse on it until it relented and share the title with the Maroons.
So, in the AFC the Chiefs are the 1 seed and have the 1st round bye while the Eagles have the 1 seed and 1st round bye on the NFC side.
In the AFC, the 2 seed Bills will play the 7 seed Dolphins, the 3 seed Bengals will play the 6 seed Ravens, and the 4 seed Jaguars will play the 5 seed Chargers. On the NFC side, the 2 seed 49ers will play the 7 which will be either the Packers or the Seahawks, the Packers if they win tonight, the 3 seed Vikings will play the 6 seed Giants, and the 4 seed Buccaneers will play the 5 seed Cowboys.
It goes without saying Buffalo would be the sentimental favorite to win it all now--and as they're long overdue for it, I would be pleased if they did. Kansas City and Cincinnati would be strong contenders for the AFC slot, though, particularly as Patrick Mahomes looks like the MVP frontrunner at the moment. Barring upsets, it'll likely be either Philadelphia or San Francisco, which is the only team I could see besting them at full strength at the moment, as the NFC representative.
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Buffalo winning the Super Bowl would just be so spectacular. They were contenders all season & really well before that. It's not going to be easy but I think they can get it done this season. If things hold up in the AFC, their toughest test will be against the Bengals. Then there are 4 teams in the NFC with some connections. Dallas would beat them twice, Tampa (with Brady whose record against them is incredible), San Francisco: the matchup we didn't get, and Philadelphia: the only NFC East team that doesn't have a Super Bowl win against the Bills.
FYI: SNF will be announcing the playoff schedule at the end of the Packers/Lions game. I'll try to get it on here (if it's not already posted here). In brief: 2 games Saturday, 3 on Sunday, and 1 on Monday. NBC & FOX get 2, and one each for CBS & ESPN
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Packers are gone. The Seahawks have a date in San Francisco next week.
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Playoff Schedule Time!
Saturday:
Seattle at San Francisco: 4:30 on FOX
Los Angeles at Jacksonville: 8:15 on NBC
Sunday:
Miami at Buffalo 1:00 on CBS
New York at Minnesota 4:30 on FOX
Baltimore at Cincinnati 8:15 on NBC
Monday:
Dallas at Tampa Bay: 8:15 on ESPN
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Dallas/Tampa Bay will be on ABC as well.
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Yep. Thanks Ccook. Plus, there will be the Manningcast as an option.
Took half the day, but we do have an actual Monday firing the day after the end of the regular season. Kliff is out in Arizona
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Also, some parting gifts for Texas HC Lovie Smith.
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Kliff Kingsbury clearly wasn't the answer and needed to go. Both at Texas Tech and with the Cardinals his teams usually collapsed down the stretch. This year was so bad he didn't even get the chance to do that. Time to hit the reset button.
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Damar Hamlin has been discharged & is headed back to Buffalo.
The above was first posted by Adam Schefter
ETA: The hyperlink feature is not working properly (so I couldn't link the info, but it's available online
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Damar is now home. He was discharged from a Buffalo hospital yesterday.
If the AFC Championship pits Buffalo and Kansas City, the game would be played in Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
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Great news for Damar! I can't imagine (if it happens) the scene if he was in attendance at Orchard Park for a playoff game.
Speaking of attendance, 2 people that will not be in attendance (or to be clear, playing) are Lamar Jackson & Tua. Both are inactive with a knee injury (Lamar) & a concussion. Bridgewater isn't expected [to start] & he's currently questionable.
Real quick picks: San Francisco, Jacksonville, Buffalo, New York, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay. I'll do the odds and O/U (Over/Under) later
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Here are the lines from this morning (along with my picks against the spread & the O/U (Over/Under))
Seattle/San Francisco
Niners by 9.5
O/U of 42.5
Seattle covers & under hits
Los Angeles/Jacksonville
Chargers by 2.5
O/U of 47.5
Jaguars and over
Miami/Buffalo
Bills by 13.5
O/U of 43.5
Bills and under
New York/Minnesota
Vikings by 3.0
O/U of 48.5
Giants & over
Baltimore/Cincinnati
Bengals by 8.5
O/U of 40.5
Ravens and under
Dallas/Tampa Bay
Cowboys by 2.5
O/U of 45.5
Bucs cover & under hits
In terms of my thoughts toward the playoff games, I'm going to start with MNF (in case I don't post on Monday). Dallas should win despite the history. This team hasn't won a road playoff game in 30 years. However this is the best version of Dallas in a long time (other years include 2007, 2014, and 2016). The road thing should not be an excuse. The Buccaneers are not playing well. The Cowboys aren't playing well either, so that could prevent a postseason edit (where the team w/ a better record hosts over a division champ). They nearly got shutout at home against Tampa. Finally, Tom Brady, a super-seasoned postseason NFL player, is undefeated against the Cowboys. In addition to the fact that Dak has turned it over about 8 games in a row, there isn't a great reason to pick against TB12. So, until Dallas beat Brady, I'll keep picking the GOAT over the Cowboys.
It's tough to beat the same foe 3 times. Sure the Steelers did so against the Ravens, the Cowboys did so against the Eagles, & the Seahawks against the 49ers when the 2013 Champions were very good. Speaking of that NFC West matchup, the Niners swept the Seahawks, and it wasn't pretty. I wouldn't be shocked if Seattle won outright, and I obviously would not be surprised if San Francisco won by double digits. However, Pete Carroll has a ton of postseason experience, his team exceeded expectations, and it's division football in the postseason. If all goes well, it'll be a close game (with the weather as a factor) and Niners survive a close game at home.
In addition to the sixth & final game of "Super" Wildcard Weekend, the first of 2 NBC games this weekend features a scenario where it's possible that another coach can lose his job. To be honest, there was no reason for the HC to play key people last week, especially when certain players like Joey Bosa & Mike Williams have histories with being hurt. Now the latter is probably out for the rest of the postseason, definitely inactive in their game at Jacksonville. While I had them as my Super Bowl team, I see the AFC South champs winning at home. I probably would have had the Bolts winning & advancing with an active Williams & healthy Bosa (before losing to Kansas City), but Jacksonville is rolling. They didn't look great last time, but that was against the previous division champs in Tennessee.
I would not be stunned if Brandon Staley got fired with a loss. Bad decision making, plus the league is pivoting to offense. Get someone like Harbaugh or Payton in there (before Denver gets one of those two). Ditto with Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy; though an offensive guy, it would be a bad loss in a decent season. Ravens HC John Harbaugh should be fine, but he might have to revamp/retool the offense again. Plus, the defense needs an update (following several games lost while leading by double digits).
The information spread & totals come courtesy of FanDuel as of around the 11 o'clock hour on 01/14/2023
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49ers win handily. Chargers/Jaguars to follow.
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Talk about one for the ages. Chargers led 27-0, and they lose it 31-30 on a last-second field goal.
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The Jaguars stepped on the Chargers face with a hobnail boot and broke their nose! They crushed their face!
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Looks like there could be yet another vacancy for Jim Harbaugh & Sean Payton!
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Wow.
To slightly modify the quote of a certain Phineas and Ferb character, "If I had a nickel for every team that came back from 25+ points down this season, I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it’s happened twice."
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Wow - where does this rank in terms of comebacks? Probably near the top like Minnesota not too long ago...
If this playoff game ends up costing Brandon Staley his job, the Chargers will have to look at this game during the offseason and think what they could do better for next season to not blow big leads like this one.
Would this have been different had the division winner got a playoff spot but not a guaranteed home game based on their regular season record? Perhaps, had the Chargers got home field advantage it could've... but if that division rule were to be changed for next season, you need 75% of the owners to agree on such a rule.
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Would this have been different had the division winner got a playoff spot but not a guaranteed home game based on their regular season record? Perhaps, had the Chargers got home field advantage it could've... but if that division rule were to be changed for next season, you need 75% of the owners to agree on such a rule.
Have you been reading my mind? Because I have this exact same "fix" for the current postseason format.
Ties between teams with the same record are instead broken by whether or not they won their division. If Team A won their division and B didn't, then A gets the higher seed. If neither or both teams won their division, then the usual tiebreaker procedures are used.
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I'm sorry, but I have to disagree here. I'm not in favor of a postseason change to benefit someone that didn't win their division. The NFL isn't going to change it either. You have to win your division if you want to start the postseason with a home playoff game. Otherwise, what's the point of having divisions in the league. A guaranteed playoff spot is not enough. I guess I can recall a time where you had to win your division in order to qualify for the postseason. No wildcards.
BTW, the Chargers probably would not have had much of an advantage anyway; their fanbase (L.A.) isn't as popular as most teams in the league.
I will say, or respect the fact that it's not popular if an 8-9 team gets to host a 12-5 team, even though the 8-win team won its division but the 12-win team didn't. I feel that a team that won so many games would have no trouble beating a team that didn't, regardless of the venue. I remember those late 2000s to early 2010s Ravens teams that routed several of their opponents on the road. They were good enough to win regardless of the venue.
In tonight's case, I think it was fair enough for Jacksonville to host the Chargers. The Jaguars were 9-8 while LA was 10-7. There wasn't much of a difference. Plus, Jacksonville destroyed the Chargers in Los Angeles earlier this very season.
At the end of the day, I feel that the Chargers lost because Jacksonville was really the better team, and one that was getting hot at the right time. They treated the game like it was a 60-minute game. They didn't give up. Meanwhile, the Chargers made one too many mistakes & bad decisions after their lead. The bad decision making goes back to a week ago where they played people in a meaningless game. I hardly think the venue was the reason. It was a factor, but not the definitive reason
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Third largest comeback in NFL postseason history (Buffalo in '93 and Indianapolis in '14 had bigger comebacks). The Chargers chances of winning were 98.3% after two quarters and the Jaguars TO ratio was -5. Implosion is too handy a word to describe what happened to the Chargers.
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There are so many comparisons or coincidences between last night's game and the other super-blown leads (1992 Bills/Oilers & 2013 Colts/Chiefs).
Jacksonville, like the 2013 Colts, won the regular season matchup on the road prior to duplicating the same feat in overtime. Indianapolis went on to get blown out in their next game, and the Jaguars are expected to get blown out in their next game. It's doubtful they're getting another home game next weekend against Baltimore.
Jags/Bolts was a game between teams without a Super Bowl, just like Buffalo/Houston was a game between teams without a Lombardi. BTW, there are now 4 teams without a title still remaining in the playoffs. Obviously someone had to lose the last game. So there's three in the AFC, and one in the NFC (unlikely to make it). The Jaguars are getting better every second, but teams like Buffalo & Cincinnati are built to win at least one over the next several years. BTW, Minnesota has a chance to get better following a decent year with a first-year HC.
Naturally, the Oilers (as the Tennessee Titans) would avenge their loss in a big way against Buffalo (which led to a 2-decade drought for the Bills). Kansas City avenged their loss against the Colts (which preceded the end of Luck's run resulting in rather legit chaos for Indy).
All 3 games featured a 5 seed losing on the road to a 4 seed. By the way, the Bills, on the road for the remainder of the 1992 season, outscored their next two opponents by a combined 36 points, holding them to 13 before being held to a similar score while losing by a similar margin in Super Bowl XXVII
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A couple of thoughts on today's games or so:
The Bills are 13.5 favorites. That is a lot of points. However, it could be twice as much, and I'd still take Buffalo to cover the spread. I think this could turn out to be a De Facto bye for the AFC East Champions as they rest for their next game against the Bengals or the Jaguars.
The late game might be the best of today's TV triple-header. The Giants have improved. It's been a pleasant surprise. You just never know what team will show up. Same can be said for Minnesota. I think based on this season, the GMEN will have to blow out the Vikings to win. If it's close, the NFC North champions will survive. Unless they don't since trends are meant to be broken. Of course, I'm all in on New York this week, and I could see a bonus TD to win by 10 for comfort.
The only things that suck about the primetime AFC North matchup are that it just happened a week ago, and Lamar is out. The Bengals are benefitting for the second consecutive year, but I think they'd still persevere with Jackson. It's division football & Baltimore's defense has been unkind for Cincinnati, who are not 100% up front. An upset is possible (which would get the league off the hook for their missed/omitted decision to work with Cincy & Buffalo in terms of not having to play at Orchard Park without a coin flip). Low scoring close win for the AFC North Champions, IMO, is the best call here
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Took an eternity, but the Bills are moving on.
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It was a lot closer than we thought it was going to be with all the bizarre reviews, timeouts, and delays in a football game that took almost four hours to play.
So much so that they pushed the next football game back a bit.
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Division football. Not a shocker since you get a better version of a team when it's a divisional matchup. Even more in the postseason. I was still surprised since Buffalo has been rolling while Miami, short-handed, hasn't been doing well. It could be the Bills looking ahead to Cincinnati or even Jacksonville being a factor for such a close game. If the Dolphins were great throughout the year I would've expected a close game for 60 minutes (or 4 hours)
For those wondering, chances are that the schedule for the Divisional Weekend will be disclosed at the conclusion of SNF. Maybe before that. The wait is related to what happens between Bengals/Ravens, though the bigger issue would've been over the result of Giants/Vikings. Since 2009, the NFL loves to have the top seeds play on Saturday to further pimp their advantage. However, I don't think it'll be fair for Tampa Bay or Dallas to travel to Philadelphia for a Saturday game on 4 days rest. So, I'm guessing that the Eagles game will be on Sunday unless New York wins at US Bank Stadium. It could still be on Sunday, but if it's Saturday, then it's 5 days rest for the Giants, which is normal.
For the AFC, it should not matter too much, but IMO, if Baltimore wins at Paycor, then Kansas City should be in the Saturday slot. I don't think the league is having Buffalo, despite the home team, play off of a short week against Jacksonville, who'll have an extended period of rest. Of course, if Cincinnati wins, they Chiefs still could be on Saturday (I'd bet on it). They'd host the Jaguars off of a bye. Normal rest for the top 4 seeds
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Downs go the Vikings! Minnesota is the 22nd team booted from Super Bowl contention and the 1st division champion out of the playoffs. The NFC North is completely done for the 2022-2023 season. 75% of the NFC East, meanwhile, are still alive in the postseason. Definitely no less than 50% prior to the next weekend, and there will be at least one team from the NFC East playing in the NFC Title Game.
Looks like Giants at Eagles will be on Saturday, 01/21/2023. Yet another divisional postseason game. This one at Lincoln Financial Field.
It's not official, but a Saturday NFC East game is more probable than not as the NFL is not having Tampa Bay or Dallas play on 4 days rest
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And Sunday's NFL games end with the conclusion of the third & final divisional playoff game, once again in the favor of the home team. Cincinnati wins it's fourth consecutive AFC postseason game. This time it's against Baltimore. Unlike the previous games a year ago, it ends with a typical defensive stop as time expired (plus a turnover on downs) and not a game-ending INT (or one that preceded a game winning FG). Though that 14-point swing in favor of the Bengals at the expense of the Ravens was the difference
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Looks like Giants at Eagles will be on Saturday, 01/21/2023. Yet another divisional postseason game. This one at Lincoln Financial Field.
It's not official, but a Saturday NFC East game is more probable than not as the NFL is not having Tampa Bay or Dallas play on 4 days rest
Yes, it'll be Eagles vs Giants Saturday night and Tampa Bay/Dallas vs the 49ers on Sunday. The NFL said they would not have the team winning Monday play the next round on Saturday since it would be an unfair disadvantage.
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If they ever went off of that, I wouldn't be surprised, to be honest. Either way, the league still got their Top Seeds playing on Saturday which gives them extra rest against their next opponents in the event they advance.
For the AFC, it's Kansas City hosting Jacksonville on Saturday (4:30 on NBC) and Buffalo hosting Cincinnati on Sunday (3:00 on CBS). It might be unfair that there wasn't something worked out for the Bengals like there was between KC and the Bills (and for Baltimore had they won their Week 18 game)
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It's the time for the young guns. In the AFC we have Mahomes, Allen, Burrow, and Lawernce playing next weekend and on the NFC side we have Hurts, Purdy, and Jones playing next weekend. Think about this: If the Cowboys win tomorrow night, Prescott will be the most experienced quarterback playing next weekend and his rookie year was 2016. That would mean there wouldn't be a single quarterback playing next weekend in his 8th year or later. The NFL is definitely sipping from the fountain of youth right now.
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On the early lines, the Chiefs, Eagles and Bills are favored. We may take as read the 49ers will be favored regardless of who wins Dallas/Tampa Bay tonight. But after the Giants win yesterday, those numbers don't mean squat after the coin toss.
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The Buccaneers make things interesting, but the Cowboys are headed for San Francisco next week. The divisional games are now set.
Russell Gage had to be carted off in the closing minutes with an injury.
Too early to tell, but I don't think that was Tom Brady's last game.
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Super Bowl LVII will be the first odd-numbered Super Bowl without Tom Brady since Super Bowl 47 TEN YEARS AGO. We officially will see a Brady-less Super Bowl in Arizona since Super Bowl XXX in Tempe. Big congratulations to Dallas
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This also marks a few firsts where Dallas wins their first road playoff game in 30 years, their first ever victory over Tom Brady in 8 tries, and they'll head to San Francisco for the divisional round.
Also a first since the current division realignment - the NFC East will send 3 teams to the divisional round. The last time this happened where three teams from the division was back in 1997 where Green Bay, Minnesota, and Tampa Bay from the NFC Central advanced to round 2.
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Not much to congratulate Dallas for. I might do that if they're still standing this time in a week.
On a related note, San Francisco opens as a 4-point favorite over Dallas. The Cowboys are a worse matchup than Tampa, even when you don't factor in the earlier game between the Bucs and the 49ers
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My friend who roots for Dallas was NOT happy their kicker missed 4 out of 5 extra point attempts. Here were her exact words:
"Bro, WTF?!!!! Maher have a pregame meeting with Zuerline or what?! GET YOUR (BLEEP!) TOGETHER!!!!"
My reaction: Damn.
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And then Tampa Bay fails on a two-point conversion. I was thinking Cartoon Network should have been airing this game.
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And then Tampa Bay fails on a two-point conversion. I was thinking Cartoon Network should have been airing this game.
Not that it matters now, but you couldn’t fault Tampa Bay on that one. Dallas got away with a pretty blatant holding penalty on that play.
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Buffalo and Cincinnati will get to finish on Sunday what they started over a week ago when Damar Hamlin went down
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What's rather concerning is how the line is moving way too much for my comfort (in favor of Buffalo). I think it's changed at least once or twice a day since the game became official. I'm not saying that I hate Buffalo (quite the opposite). It's just that I'm looking for a great game; Cincinnati is banged up on the O-Line. The practice period (typically Wednesday - Friday) should determine how the game will play out on Sunday
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Ravens & Greg Roman have parted ways (https://www.nfl.com/news/ravens-offensive-coordinator-greg-roman-part-ways-after-six-seasons)
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So have Tampa Bay and OC Byron Leftwich. Eight other Bucs coaches are riding off into the sunset.
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A lot of teams have booted their assistants. Minnesota in terms of defense, and as mentioned, Baltimore's offensive leadership along with the Jets and the Chargers. Looks like the Ravens have zero plans to get rid of Jackson. The six-time AFC North champions have a great culture, so I imagine they'll add extra stuff to the offense. Sorta how Phil Jackson and Chicago added to the Bulls so it wasn't all MJ as the only threat to an opposing team. OTOH, they might have to send him to another team, which isn't complementary.
Anyway, time for picks. BTW, I'm going with the home teams outright, but in terms of picking against the spread...
Jacksonville/Kansas City
Chiefs 9.5
52.5
Jaguars & over
New York/Philadelphia
Eagles 7.5
48.5
Giants & under
Cincinnati/Buffalo
Bills 5.5
49.5
Bengals and over
Dallas/San Francisco
San Francisco 3.5
46.5
Niners and over
I was going to go with Jacksonville and the points regardless of the recent increase from 8.5 to 9.5, but I feel great for Kansas City. I didn't think much of it, but this is the first playoff game for the 15 time & current AFC West champs since their meltdown on 01/30/2022
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Couple more thoughts:
The Eagles have the Giants number. They are the better team. However, if trends hold, the Giants are headed to the Super Bowl. From there, the New York Football Giants will win the Super Bowl unless Kansas City loses either one of their next 2 games.
Buffalo is undefeated at home in the playoffs. I'm not going to rank this era of the Bills over the one from the Wilson/Levy/Kelly/Smith Era. I might if they win a Super Bowl. However the Bills, who have dealt with their own injuries, get the AFC Champs at Orchard Park. Not sure why that is the case no questions asked, but that's the deal. Cincinnati has been great on the road. Not an easy game to pick, but the Bills have never lost a home playoff game.
Sure the Cowboys got hosed for playing a short week against a team with an extra day in general. Blame the league for that one. However, and IMO, the Niners shouldn't even have played last week at all. I think the 49ers win a close game, but they cover since Dallas can hang with them but in their attempt to win/take the lead, they'll flip the points for yet another backdoor cover
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Buffalo is undefeated at home in the playoffs. I'm not going to rank this era of the Bills over the one from the Wilson/Levy/Kelly/Smith Era. I might if they win a Super Bowl. However the Bills, who have dealt with their own injuries, get the AFC Champs at Orchard Park. Not sure why that is the case no questions asked, but that's the deal. Cincinnati has been great on the road. Not an easy game to pick, but the Bills have never lost a home playoff game.
Actually they did lose one playoff game in Buffalo, that being the 1996 AFC Wild Card game, which they lost to the second-year Jacksonville Jaguars 30-27. It also happened to be the final game in the Marv Levy/Jim Kelly era.
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Kansas City is one of the final 3 teams for the NFL's 2022-2023 season. It's KC's 5 consecutive trip to the AFC conference championship game, and Jacksonville is the 25th NFL team & the 3rd division winner booted from Super Bowl contention. The AFC South is completely done. Just 2 teams remain for a chance for a brand new Super Bowl winner
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Actually they did lose one playoff game in Buffalo, that being the 1996 AFC Wild Card game, which they lost to the second-year Jacksonville Jaguars 30-27. It also happened to be the final game in the Marv Levy/Jim Kelly era.
That's right; pretty much forgot about that one! Plus I spent some time a year ago doing a recap elsewhere on the post merger playoff history & results; Thank you for that reminder! I was an end of an era for sure.
The Bills have been rather successful at home nonetheless just losing once. I stand corrected; looking back, those Jacksonville teams were a nightmare which made sense given the fact that a seasoned legend in Coughlin was running the team. A guy from the the Giants dynasty & had been in the sport for decades. It was still a surprise at the time but thinking back, it was no shocker either.
I was doing some research on the history of not just Buffalo postseason, but everyone as a whole. I had to double check on the history of road teams & underdogs and their playoff success to see if what Pittsburgh did in 2005 was duplicated in the past and in the future. The road success had been done from a 5 seed, but not really a 6 seed
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The Eagles dismantled the Giants 38-7, ending their Cinderella run. Jalen Hurts looked to be completely recovered from the injury he suffered late in the season. Eagles will host the 49ers or the Cowboys next Sunday in the NFC Championship game.
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Tom Brady becomes a free agent. If he doesn't return to the Bucs, they'll be left with $35 million in dead money. So what's his plan...sign with another team (Tennessee, Las Vegas and San Francisco are interested) or take Fox up on a $375 million 10-year offer to do color for games?
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A couple notes with the Giants/Eagles game: Philadelphia became the first 1 seed to defeat the Giants in the postseason. I believe New York was 6-0 against the top seeds. Had history been on their side they would've won, and then against next week against San Francisco or Dallas since they're 5-0 in the NFC Title game. One of two teams undefeated in conference title games (Cincinnati is the other).
That being said, trends are trends. What determines the winner is on-field play, and the Eagles are just that good. Even though GameShowsRule95 mentioned that Buffalo had actually lost at home in the playoffs, 1 loss or zero losses in the postseason means nothing (more than some confidence). This was a tough game to forecast. Well I did take Cincy & the points, but despite the line moving in favor of the Bills, it held firm at 5.5 for most of the week; it didn't matter for me. 3 OL people missing for Cincinnati, but Buffalo's defense isn't that scary.
Exactly half a decade prior to Eagles/Giants featured another game at Lincoln Financial Field where the score ended up being 38-7 (hosting Minnesota on 01/21/2018). Two weeks prior to their first Super Bowl title
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Buffalo's inspirational run comes to an end. The Bengals will be going to Kansas City next weekend.
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Kansas City is favored by 2.5 over Cincinnati with a 47.5 over/under (opening line).
While Kansas City gets the extra day to rest (unlike last year), it's going to be Cincinnati vs Dallas, San Francisco, or Philadelphia. There's no reason for the AFC Championship Game to take place.
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Down goes Dallas. It'll be Philadelphia (-2.5) hosting San Francisco in the NFC Title game (01/29/2023 at 3:00 EST).
Not 4 hours removed from the conclusion of Bengals/Bills, Kansas City, originally favored by 2.5, is now only favored by 1.5
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Philadelphia VS San Francisco NFC Championship game...this one will be very tough.
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If one is superstitious, one has to wonder if there's a curse on Dallas for the last almost 30 years--maybe from Jerome Brown for the Cowboys eliminating the Eagles in 1992 and ending the original Bring It Home for Jerome campaign, on the grounds that they would not win another world title until Philadelphia made up for all the times the 90s Cowboys dynasty did eliminate them (counting thus the 1995 divisional round too)?
Both championship games look to be well stacked affairs that could go in either teams favor; each contest could come down to how has the fewest turnovers. Cincinnati may get a break with Patrick Mahomes likely not at 100%, although they'll have to in turn crack a very strong Kansas City defense. San Francisco and Philadelphia appear to be more or less evenly matched, although home field advantage may go the Eagles' way. All 4 teams would be worthy of winning it all, so we'll see what happenes.
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Considering how good both defenses are, Eagles-49ers could easily be a 3-0 or 6-3 game with no touchdowns scored.
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Saturday's Jacksonville / Kansas City game resulted in 37 Million viewers (highest viewership since 2015) (https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/nfl/article-11667991/NBC-announces-Jaguars-Chiefs-watched-37-MILLION-US.html)
Looks like that's a record for an NBC divisional round game. The Baltimore / New England game generated 34 Million. To be clear that's the number for a Saturday afternoon game. The Ravens/Patriots game was in the same slot (first of four games & first of the two Saturday games around 4:30 PM EST).
FYI: The 2015 game from the 2014 NFL season was NBC's first divisional round game in nearly 20 years (since the 1997 season) so maybe 37 Million for a day game isn't a record. So the record total in viewership is based off of the totals since the return of the NFL on NBC
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After an extensive search, the Carolina Panthers have hired Frank Reich as their new head coach.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/35532019/panthers-hire-ex-colts-coach-frank-reich-new-head-coach?device=featurephone
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It's Championship Sunday!
IMO, it's a four way version of rock-paper-scissors with whatever the Super Bowl ends up being. I think the Chiefs would beat the Niners, who I think would beat the Bengals, who I think would beat the Eagles, who I think would beat the Chiefs.
In terms of my matchup of San Francisco & Cincinnati, IMO, Cincy does not want to see the 49ers. Well, the team probably doesn't care, but there are several Cincy fans that would rather not face the NFC West champs. Not completely due to history, but Philly is a more favorable matchup.
Here's the final spread (still subject to change for whatever reason & during the game of course):
San Francisco/Philadelphia
Eagles by 2.5
Over/Under 45.5
Niners and the Under
Cincinnati/Kansas City
Chiefs by 1.5
Over/Under 48.5
Bengals and the Under
Unlike the second game, the NFC Title Game can go either way. I can see either team winning. I'm loving how so many people are picking Philly for the win. I totally love how most people go one way at the very least. Keep it up!
The spread stayed the same throughout the week from the opening line until gametime (Eagles -2.5). On one hand, the 49ers haven't faced this type of elite competition. On the other hand, neither has Philly. Well, they have in Dallas. However, they split with the Cowboys (including a win against a backup QB). Feels like it'll be a battle where Purdy might be irrelevant but to a point where it doesn't matter. If Hurts is a non-factor, that's a problem, and a bigger issue is how Lane Johnson holds up.
Well, the petty version of yours truly picked this game so fast that I really can't change it. IOW, I picked the Bengals for the win outright (in a harsh way) one week before the actual game. I don't think I do that had Mahomes not gotten hurt, but to be honest, I probably would've picked Cincy anyway. I just would've done it closer to gametime. The spread moved a ton; Cincinnati ended up being favored by 1.5 early to mid week, and now it's back to the late Sunday mark. KC probably needs to go deep into whatever (like New England did against Baltimore 8 years ago) especially in the second half. If there a bluff, then KC should be okay, but as mentioned before, I'm not going to pick against Cincinnati until the 2019 Champs beat them. It does help that they're one of 2 teams without a conference title loss with at least one appearance. By the way, I'm going with the under in this game as well. Championship points are not easy to obtain unless your (road) opponent is unworthy of being there.
Feels like a 24-20 Niners winning score and a 23-21 winning score for Cincinnati.
I'm getting 2012-2013 vibes here. Even though the Bengals made it to the Super Bowl, it feels like a decade ago where Baltimore and San Francisco feel short, but they both improved a year later. The Niners, like in 2012, are on the road again, so I can see them escaping with a victory. Even though I feel like SF is a bad matchup for Cincy, they can probably win out. They should be able to do enough to win the Super Bowl. I think they definitely will if they beat KC again after Philadelphia wins their 4th NFC title
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The Eagles are leading the 49ers 7-0 in the second quarter, but 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy was forced out of today's NFC Championship game with a right elbow injury.
https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/football/news/49ers-brock-purdy-exits-sundays-game/
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San Francisco is the 29th team, 6th division winner, and 15th & final NFC team booted from Super Bowl contention the NFC West is done; the NFC East is the last NFC division standing, as Philadelphia will be one of 2 teams headed to Arizona for Super Bowl LVII
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Kansas City has finally done it! Redemption for Patrick Mahomes as KC finally beats Cincinnati with Burrow. It's Philadelphia vs Kansas City in Super Bowl 57!
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Andy Reid vs the Eagles.
Kelce vs Kelce.
1st time the Chiefs and Eagles have ever played each other in the playoffs.
Plenty of storylines.
Congratulations to the Eagles on winning the George Halas Trophy and the Chiefs on winning the Lamar Hunt trophy. Should be a good battle for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
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I was right about one thing...the Super Bowl will have to go through Patrick Mahomes.
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The spread is out. It's not a pick em.
Philadelphia opens as a 1.5 favorite. 49.5 O/U. Not sure that was original; before I could even hit send, it started as Eagles -2 before updating to 1.5. I imagine 49.5 was accurate if not 50.5.
The totals are from FanDuel
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I think from a Bengals point of view, they're not happy with that late-hit penalty call that decided the AFC Championship Game. Would the game have gone to overtime or a different outcome would have happened had the penalty not occurred? Hard to say.
From a Chiefs point of view though, they're looking to win the Super Bowl for the first time since 2020, while the Eagles are looking to win it for the first time since 2018.
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Technically speaking, Kansas City was in Butker's range even without the penalty. Chances are that KC runs another (safe) play to get closer with 8 seconds to go.
The officiating was not good. However, I can't say Cincinnati was good overall in the AFC Title game. They still had their chances including their final offensive possession.
While I'm leaning Philadelphia, I'm not going to pick the game right away in a similar way I did with the AFC Title game. Too soon to tell; despite the matchup, I still see a way the AFC champs can get it done
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I think from a Bengals point of view, they're not happy with that late-hit penalty call that decided the AFC Championship Game. Would the game have gone to overtime or a different outcome would have happened had the penalty not occurred? Hard to say.
It was a valid call, so while they may not be happy, it isn’t a bad call. It was a bad play.
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Half of the remaining NFL HC vacancies have been addressed; both spots feature a return in some way. To be specific, a return to a team one played for & a return into the league.
New Orleans trading Sean Payton to Denver (https://www.nfl.com/news/broncos-sean-payton-head-coach-deal-saints)
Now former Niners DC DeMero Ryans heading (back) to Houston (https://www.nfl.com/news/texans-hire-49ers-dc-demeco-ryans-as-their-next-head-coach)
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Tom Brady has announced he's calling it a career. This time, he says, he means it.
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I'll believe he's retired when it's week 1 next season and he's not on a roster.
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New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft wants Tom Brady to sign a one-day contract so he can retire as a Patriot.
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More accurately: Robert Kraft wants to find a way to make extra money by staging a one-day contract.
Gotta pay for those “massages” somehow.
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The NFL Conference Championship Games Averaged Over 50 Million In Viewers (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/tv-ratings-sunday-jan-29-2023-1235313155/)
Pretty decent numbers in advance of the upcoming Super Bowl. The AFC Title Game, which was about 53 Million, was up from the same conference title game (and same participants) from 52 weeks ago. In addition to that, the late window saw an increase from last year (Niners/Rams). This year's NFC Title game was South of 50 Million (about 47 Million); you can probably thank the blowout for that total.
While the Super Bowl should do well (as is the custom), I doubt it'll set a new record in terms of ratings & viewership, something it did five times within the past decade and a half (but hasn't happened in nearly a decade)
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So, this year's Hall of Fame class with be announced on Thursday night. My five modern era selections would be Joe Thomas, Revis Island, Demarcus Ware, Patrick Willis, and Andre Johnson.
I would like to see a position diverse class so:
Joe Thomas being 1st Ballot should be a lock. One of the best offensive tackles of all time. This gets an offensive lineman in.
Revis Island at his peak was a true shutdown corner. This gets a defensive back in.
Demarcus Ware was a monster pass rusher at his peak. This gets a pass rusher in. (Ware should've gotten the nod over the undeserving Bryant Young last year. I'm going to be pissed if Jared Allen gets in before Demarcus Ware.)
Patrick Willis gets in a inside linebacker in. For me, this spot is a toss up between Patrick Willis and Zach Thomas. I prefer Willis over Thomas by the hair of his chinny chin chin.
Then's there's the wide receivers. Reggie Wayne and Torry Holt are repeat finalists along with Johnson, and I slightly prefer Wayne over Holt, though dispassionately, but, though both have been waiting longer, Adnre Johnson to me is one of the best wide receivers to ever play the game. Wayne and Holt can wait another year or two.
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I really hate to say this...many teams have failed against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. I don't see Philadelphia passing Kansas City.
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I really hate to say this...many teams have failed against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. I don't see Philadelphia passing Kansas City.
I do. To be honest, I can actually see Philadelphia winning in a rout. As a matter of fact, the only outcome that would surprise me is if Kansas City blew out Philly.
You're right: several teams have failed against Patrick Mahomes & company. However, most of them weren't as complete as a team as the Eagles are right now. The last 2 teams that had success against Patrick were complete. Fortunately KC was on the winning end of a close result over Cincinnati; Mahomes injury in Super Bowl LV was a factor as was the fact that KC were without key linemen.
Which bring up a comparison. Kansas City are dealing with a ton of injuries (as are the Eagles), and if certain players can't go, that's a problem. Plus, Patrick has to be close to 100% as he suffered one himself.
Finally, the top passing offense vs the top passing defense has led to disaster for the former. Basically, the previous 2 teams lost big
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I really hate to say this...many teams have failed against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. I don't see Philadelphia passing Kansas City.
Many teams have also failed against Hurts and the Eagles. Only one topped them at “full strength” (so to speak).
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I could plausibly see this game playing out similarly to Super Bowls 23 and 54. In Super Bowl 23, defense and special teams dominated the 1st 3 1/4s but in the 4th 1/4 Joe Montana and Jerry Rice were clutch and did their thing and the 49ers got the win. In Super Bowl 54, defense and special teams dominated the 1st 3 1/4s but in the 4th 1/4 Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were clutch and did their thing and the Chiefs got the win. I could see that happening again in Super Bowl 57 where defense and special teams dominate the majority of the game but Mahomes and Kelce are still able to pull it out in the end. That scenario seems very plausible to me.
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I'm with the rest of y'all in saying the Super Bowl will definitely be a toss-up.
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Jason Kelce's wife is nine months pregnant with their third child, so she'll be in the stands with her OBGYN just in case.
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If he is still alive--and I haven't seen any obituaries when I checked, so he may well be--one wonders if all-time Eagles fan Phil Basser, now about 104 if indeed still with us, will make the trip to Phoenix as well, if able.
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I think he's definitely still with us; we would've heard of him dying if not. With the Phillies winning the NL Pennant 3-4 months ago, he's enjoying the accomplishments. As for making the trip to State Farm Stadium, I don't know or think so. However, I guess we'll know soon, but Philadelphia did win their first Super Bowl 5 years ago so he got to experience that. Pretty much the only (verified) person that has seen all the championships since Day 1
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So, this year's Hall of Fame class with be announced on Thursday night. My five modern era selections would be Joe Thomas, Revis Island, Demarcus Ware, Patrick Willis, and Andre Johnson.
I would like to see a position diverse class so:
Joe Thomas being 1st Ballot should be a lock. One of the best offensive tackles of all time. This gets an offensive lineman in.
Revis Island at his peak was a true shutdown corner. This gets a defensive back in.
Demarcus Ware was a monster pass rusher at his peak. This gets a pass rusher in. (Ware should've gotten the nod over the undeserving Bryant Young last year. I'm going to be pissed if Jared Allen gets in before Demarcus Ware.)
Patrick Willis gets in a inside linebacker in. For me, this spot is a toss up between Patrick Willis and Zach Thomas. I prefer Willis over Thomas by the hair of his chinny chin chin.
Then's there's the wide receivers. Reggie Wayne and Torry Holt are repeat finalists along with Johnson, and I slightly prefer Wayne over Holt, though dispassionately, but, though both have been waiting longer, Adnre Johnson to me is one of the best wide receivers to ever play the game. Wayne and Holt can wait another year or two.
Rather than brainstorm on who I'd pick for 2023 Canton (and they may have already wrapped up the decision with it being disclosed before the actual show), I think I agree with your selections for the Hall of Fame. I can see Wayne or Holt going in before/instead of Johnson, but the 2 WR that have been waiting longer might cancel each other out. Sorta like the O-Line were doing before they all eventually got in (thanks to the suggestion of John Clayton). Of none of the three get in, that would be a problem.
Ware should be in & yes he should've gone in last year. Bryant Young was a good player, but he was first eligible a long time ago. He could've waited a bit longer. He wasn't in danger of being off the ballot I don't think. However, I don't think I'll be too upset if Jared Allen goes in over DeMarcus. Allen has done enough to get into the HOF. They both could go in, but I don't think so.
It's probably too late to check who's eligible but the committee tends to put in at least a couple of people that represent a certain franchise ahead of this summer's HOF Game. For example, a number of Steelers & Cowboys legends got in during 2020 and even 2021. Both Pittsburgh & Dallas played each other.
For in-season awards, I'll go with Mahomes for MVP & OPOY, Nick Bosa for DPOY, Daboll for COY, and I guess I'll stick with Purdy as a backdoor winner for ROY. Hurts could sneak in as OPOY while Pickens could manage the ROY (as he played a full season with a new guy at QB)
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So, the five modern era guys ended up being Joe Thomas, Revis Island, Demarcus Ware, Zach Thomas, and Rhonde Barber. Very happy Ware got in. I'm totally fine with the Zach Thomas pick as it was always neck and neck with him and Willis and I think Willis gets in next year. Surprised Barber got in over the wide receivers, but I now DO think Wayne, Holt, and Johnson canceled each other out because it's likely that there was no consensus on which wide receiver was the best and/or most deserving.
MVP was easily Mahomes, he apparently got 48 of 50 1st place votes with Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen getting one each.
Offensive Player of the Year was a wide receiver for the 3rd time in 4 years with Justin Jefferson winning the award.
Nick Bosa is Defensive Player of the Year.
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Probably the least amount of "noise" for a Super Bowl in quite a long time if ever, but here are the numbers (courtesy of FanDuel):
Super Bowl LVII
Kansas City vs Philadelphia
Eagles favored by 1.5
Over/Under 50.5
Philly and the under (my pick)
While I was pretty much going with Philadelphia the entire time (since the conclusion of the AFC Title Game), I was a little bit surprised that the line stayed at 1.5 basically the whole time. IMO this has been a buzz-free 14 days in terms of Super Bowl hype; I guess Vegas factored into that!
Seriously speaking, if the line did move, it would not have been by much (regardless of if it was in favor of KC or the Eagles). I figured that it would have moved somewhat as practice took place in the final days before the big game. I guess people are healthy enough to participate. Or not, but it is the Super Bowl.
It's not easy to bet against Mahomes, but I sorta have for the past several years. I've been correct about as much as I have been incorrect. Eventually I'll end up picking Kansas City and Patrick as much as I picked TB12 and New England. Especially if he can easily conquer Cincinnati. KC has to sorta win Super Bowl 57. The Eagles haven't really been tested this season. KC has been in a losing effort more than a winning effort, but they actually have faced Super Bowl contenders with people that have a chance to be HOF QBs (Burrow, Allen, Lawrence).
The issue here is that KC is less healthy than Philly. Yep; the Eagles have people banged up, or not 100% (Hurts, Johnson). These 2 weeks are a big deal. Looks like most of everyone will be ready to go.
Andy Reid is nearly perfect when coming off of a bye. I think all (but one) of his losses occurred against a team also coming off a bye (including 2004, 2020). Not ideal to bet against him over that (though I did for Super Bowl's 39 & 55).
Despite the history of top passing teams against the top passing defense, I can't see this game emulatings Super Bowls like 37 & 48. Unless people are hurt and/or KC does something insane that sets the momentum in favor of Philly. Unlike the past teams, the Reid/Mahomes duo is experienced & doesn't make a ton of mistakes. That should help make Super Bowl 57 a decent enough battle until the end.
I'll still go with Philadelphia to win because they have a much better roster. It's not even close. Maybe KC isn't as banged up, but I don't think they're that great either. If Mahomes was healthy, AND if KC had a scary defense, I think I'd definitely go with the AFC Champs. The WR core isn't fully healthy either.
Whoever wins, I'll be happy for. Both teams have a decent future going forward. However, for Super Bowl LVII, I'll go with the Eagles over KC, 28-21
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In addition to the other awards moneygamelover mentioned, Giants Head Coach Brian Daboll did officially win the Coach of the Year. That was the right call (IMO), having turned around a team that had gone nowhere over the past half decade to the postseason. Plus, the NFC East was the best division in football. In addition, the NFC New York team won a playoff game (though the awards typically factor in regular season accomplishments.
As for the AFC New York team, they have some bragging rights of their own. The Jets had 2 players that took home some NFL Honors. Garrett Wilson & Sauce Gardner won the Offensive Rookie of the Year and the Defensive Rookie of the Year, respectively. It's the 3rd time two people from the same team won both of the awards.
I totally drew a blank in terms of who would win the rookie awards. I even didn't think of Aidan Hutchinson who finished 2nd to Gardner. Oh well.
As for 2-Time league MVP Patrick Mahomes, he would be the first person in 23 years to clinch both MVP awards with a decent, winning performance in Super Bowl LVII. I believe this is the longest drought since the 90s. From 95-98, it was always 2 different people winning the NFL MVP & the Super Bowl MVP. That period had Favre winning 3 times in a row (and with Green Bay being one of the league's remaining 4 teams left in the season). That also includes a Super Bowl win for the Packers. Between 2000-2022, 10 MVPs made it to the Super Bowl (2001, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2013 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022). Each of the previous nine did not get the job done
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The Chiefs are your Super Bowl champions. Down by 10, and they won it with a late field goal.
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A huge congratulations to the Kansas City Chiefs on their 3rd Lombardi Trophy and to the Reid-Mahomes-Kelce trio for winning their 2nd. Andy Reid was smart to run down the clock and play for the field goal. Patrick Mahomes, you are now officially an all time great quarterback. Congratulations, Chiefs Kingdom!
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It happened to the 49ers a few seasons ago in the Superbowl against Kansas City. Today it happened to the Philadelphia Eagles.
To beat Kansas City in the Super Bowl, you gotta play smart football from beginning to end for the full 60 minutes. Philadelphia choked. The second half told the entire story.
I was right this time. I had a hunch.
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As an Eagles fan, the easy way out would be to blame the refs but I won't. The Chiefs had 4 possessions in the second half and went TD, TD, TD, and game winning FG, which they probably still make if the defensive holding call isn't called (it would've been a 33 yard attempt, the length of a PAT, which isn't missed very often). If our defense had gotten one stop--ONE LOUSY STOP--in 30 minutes, it's a different outcome. Heck, if our defense had remembered that you have to defend the whole field instead of just 2/3 of it, two of those TDs might not have happened. In short, that 2nd half defensive performance was inexcusable, and that's why we lost, not because of one questionable call.
All that said, congrats to the Chiefs who found the Eagles weaknesses and took advantage of them. Andy Reid continues to be a heck of a coach after all these years.
On to next year.
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For the Eagles fans, they're not happy with that defensive holding call that cost them the game, and possibly a chance to go to overtime or win it outright.
The NFL will change the rules offseason, and while it may not be a guarantee I think defensive holding should still be a 5 yard penalty, but not an automatic first down like offsides so the down would be repeated (unless if it's 5 yards or less away or a gain of more than 5 that the offensive team declines it).
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Big congratulations to KC! :-)
KC wins their 2nd straight Super Bowl on FOX. The last time this occurred was New England Patriots when they won Super Bowl XXXVI in 2002 and Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005
Philadelphia has now set the record for most points scored by a losing team with 35, surpassing the New England Patriots when they lost 41-33 in Super Bowl LII in 2018
An AFC team winning a Super Bowl in an NFC stadium has not happened since Super Bowl LIII in 2019 when the Patriots won in Atlanta
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For the Eagles fans, they're not happy with that defensive holding call that cost them the game, and possibly a chance to go to overtime or win it outright.
The NFL will change the rules offseason, and while it may not be a guarantee I think defensive holding should still be a 5 yard penalty, but not an automatic first down like offsides so the down would be repeated (unless if it's 5 yards or less away or a gain of more than 5 that the offensive team declines it).
Couldn't disagree more. Sure that's a possibility, but no something I'd bet on. This isn't as bad as the ending between Los Angeles/New Orleans in '18 or a painful loss for Buffalo in favor of Kansas City a year ago. I don't think that things favor the Eagles had the flag stayed in the official's pocket. It gives them a better chance, but I still think KC wins the game at that point.
I'm Western PA, so that means I'm not an Eagles fan. I didn't get as upset as most people. I do not think that was a great call at the end of the game. I do wish it wasn't made (I think KC still wins the game anyway); however it was a legit call. A bad call but not the worst. Even Bradberry said it was holding. Furthermore, Philadelphia couldn't do much against Kansas City defensively to stop Mahomes & company. Patrick was hurt too so it is what it is. Both teams did well, but someone had to lose the game
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Was listening to WIP in Philly this morning. The callers want the Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon's head on a silver platter.
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My mom didn't like the halftime show at all. She thought the floating platforms were cool, but the performance wasn't good
For recent halftime shows, Bruno Mars was my favorite, but in my opinion the gold standard has to be Prince in 2007 - nothing can top his performance of "Purple Rain" in the rain
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All of the hype leading up to the game - how neck and neck (and identical) stats were, one could have easily assumed this was going to be a back and forth game. And boy howdy was it definitely that!
As a Chiefs fan, its something we've had to get used to with every game the Chief's play, lol; heart attack central at times! This game could have easily gone either way there at the end, but what's done is done. Chief's Super Bowl Champions once again!
While this season has its own share of memories from watching games from home, or with friends (with the lone exception being going to the AFC Championship game with a friend two weeks ago), I'll never forget the city celebration 3 years ago - when they won it all on 02/02/20, and the whole city partied on February 5th. Before the whole covid thing changed a lot of things in my personal world for a few years, I had a secondary job as a performer on the team's drumline. Three years of being off of the line, I do hope to get back onto the line next season, but 2019 was definitely a memorable one for KC / those of us on the drumline! The photo below comes from the city celebration in 2020. Whomever the cameraperson was from one our local radio stations, caught a hilarious, but meaningful photo of me "taking in the moment" from on stage in front of thousands of fans in front of KC's Union Station, haha. (the one holding cymbals next to KC Wolf)
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An estimated 113 million viewers watched the game, making it the third most watched Super Bowl in history. There was some tuneout when it appeared Philadelphia was going to run away with it, but after the Chiefs regrouped in the second half, the numbers spiked again.