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Studio 46 - Non-TPiR Discussion => Out In Left Field => Topic started by: SeaBreeze341 on August 05, 2021, 11:47:32 AM
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The 102nd season, which will see the return of pre-season games & fans, is slated to begin on Thursday, September 9, 2021 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. That’s five weeks from today, and as mentioned, the preseason gets going. That starts tonight with the Hall of Fame Game featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers & the Dallas Cowboys, who will also be apart of the opener for the regular season against the Buccaneers. The home team/champs winning percentage is at least 80%. Other games scheduled in Week one 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 (16th season) and on Monday on ESPN with MNF (16th season and 52nd overall). Currently, it is scheduled to conclude on Sunday, February 13, 2022 in Los Angeles. For the 16th 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 game of the preceding schedule was played at (definitely in the past 17 years).
Unlike last year, the cause for concern is minimal, if it’s even there to begin with. Outside of the shuffling of several games, they still managed to play all 269 games, a major win. Right now I don’t expect any issues, and I think that they’ll get all 285 played this season, and on time.
On a related note to the game total, this season features the debut of a 17-game schedule, and fortunately it’s AFC vs NFC. It’s the first change of that type since 1978. As a result, everything will get pushed back, including the postseason, which remains at 14 teams (second season for that). They avoid a Superbowl / Valentines Day conflict this year. However, it’ll be a possibility in 2027, but they’ll likely get to 18 games by then
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The Atlanta Falcons start their campaign with a preseason tilt against Tennessee next Friday. Did they draft the right people to keep Matt Ryan from getting sacked? Or someone who could fill Julio Jones' cleats? Coin flip, Ouija board and star alignment says Atlanta will finish 8-9. (Now watch me be horribly wrong. Again. See you in January!)
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Battle of the B-squads last night and the Titans prevail, 23-3. A.J. McCarron and Feleipe Franks, looking for the backup QB spot for Atlanta, combined for only 52 yards on seven completions.
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Even when there's no football, business is boomin' in the NFL
Jaguars cut Tim Tebow (https://www.nfl.com/news/jacksonville-jaguars-release-qb-turned-te-tim-tebow)
Jamal Adams is getting paid. He'll be with the Seahawks for a long time (https://www.nfl.com/news/seahawks-jamal-adams-agree-to-four-year-70-million-extension)
No surprise with the former star QB and league QB turned TE. Tim probably did it a bit too late (as in a decade or so late). Tebow will be fine
Seattle was going to tag Adams in '22 & '23 without this. No winners if that played out. They need each other (Jamal more since money is a good thing)
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Elsewhere, the Pats cut Cam Newton, A.J. McCarron is out for Atlanta for the season with an injury, and Jameis Winston will be the starting QB for New Orleans.
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Cam Newton had a bad year last year. Couldn't throw the ball down the field and his accuracy was so bad *redacted*. Personally, I think father time has caught Cam Newton early. He'll get a chance to get picked up by another team but maybe not as a starter. Houston maybe since Deshaun Watson won't be playing this year with all the legal stuff hanging over him. The days of sitting and learning are a thing of the past. In this era of the NFL highly drafted quarterbacks play right away and the success of Justin Herbert last year makes it even more likely highly drafted rookies will see the field. Mac Jones may well be the long term answer in New England.
I believe this is the second time you've been told not to make that comment. I've seen plenty of females who are just as capable if not more than men at sports, so you'll leave your sexist comments out of this and any other discussion.
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Dak Prescott and Tom Brady got the season off to a roaring start, almost going toe to toe (Prescott 3 TDs/1 INT/403 yds, Brady 4 TDs/2 INTs/379 yds) with the Buccaneers prevailing 31-29.
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It was a pretty good game, stayed up late to watch it. Makes me want to see my Washington Football Team play on Sunday even more now. Football season's back!
The current name of the football team in our nation's capital is "Washington Football Team". It may be dumb, but the former name is deeply offensive to indigenous persons and thus has been retired, and as such they should not be referred to by said former name.
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It was a GREAT season opener. Despite the loss, the Cowboys should be encouraged by how well Dak both played and moved around. He looked pretty healthy to me. And I don't expect much out of the NFC East so a division for the Cowboys is a reasonable goal.
When the Cowboys took the lead at 1:24, I know the Buccaneers were still going to win. That's what happens when you have Tom Brady. Brady's 585 career passing touchdowns are an impressive all time record, but man, how great is Gronk too. When he's at his best, there's no one like Gronk as far as tight ends go. I give the Buccaneers a good chance at repeating. No Super Bowl champion has repeated since the 2004 Patriots, but the Buccaneers brought back all 22 starters and Brady and Gronk are more settled into being Buccaneers while still having plenty left in the tank.
Excited to watch my Cardinals on Sunday, but I'm honestly expecting a loss as I don't see any way we stop Derrick Henry. In fact, I think Henry has a puncher's chance to become the first non quarterback to win regular season MVP since Adrian Peterson in 2012.
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It was a pretty good game, stayed up late to watch it. Makes me want to see my Washington Football Team play on Sunday even more now. Football season's back!
The current name of the football team in our nation's capital is "Washington Football Team". It may be dumb, but the former name is deeply offensive to indigenous persons and thus has been retired, and as such they should not be referred to by said former name.
*redacted*
If that's not acceptable to you, please ban me.
Don't threaten me with a good time, buddy! Goodbye.
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It was a GREAT season opener. Despite the loss, the Cowboys should be encouraged by how well Dak both played and moved around. He looked pretty healthy to me. And I don't expect much out of the NFC East so a division for the Cowboys is a reasonable goal.
Perhaps, but they'll probably have to earn it, with both Washington and Philadelphia looking a bit more optimistic themselves at the moment. It's likely true we shouldn't expect much from the division this year, but it's also wide open, which counterbalances to a degree.
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YES!!! My Cardinals are 1-0 after dominating the Titans on both sides of the ball in a 38-13 as Kyler Murray threw 4 touchdown passes, 2 each to DeAndre Hopkins and Christian Kirk, while running for a 5th himself. Meanwhile, the defense held Derrick Henry to 58 yards and Chandler Jones had 5 sacks. Great win to start the season! GO CARDINALS! :)
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So much for going 285-0!
Strongly considered picking Arizona. It's super early and Tennessee isn't bad, except they were. The West travel to East for a 1 PM game had me settle for the Titans. The Cardinals are going to be great but they will have a tough road with a tough division. Plus, they have a likely Superbowl winner if not contender in Cleveland for their 17th game
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The Falcons embarrassed themselves in front of the home crowd, 32-6 against Philadelphia. They simply become inept when they get to the red zone. Too many penalties and horrible pass defense. Gonna be a long season.
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Washington has one long season ahead of themselves. The defense was kind of rusty at home against the Chargers, but they did manage to keep the score Close most of the game.
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All I have to say is PAIN. The Browns lead for almost the entire game, but then in the 4th quarter, things just fell apart and they lost to the Chiefs 33-29. *sigh* And the streak of regular season openers without a win for Cleveland gets extended another year. We'll see if they bounce back next Sunday against Houston.
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Washington has one long season ahead of themselves. The defense was kind of rusty at home against the Chargers, but they did manage to keep the score Close most of the game.
The NFC East is still a weak division and Washington has some talent, plus the Chargers are a pretty good team. Don't count them out yet, though the QB situation with Fitzpatrick getting hurt today is something to watch.
Not the best debut for Trevor Lawrence or Zach Wilson today, though Trevor did get over 300 yards and Wilson and the Jets as a whole looked better in the second half.
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The NFC East is still a weak division and Washington has some talent, plus the Chargers are a pretty good team. Don't count them out yet, though the QB situation with Fitzpatrick getting hurt today is something to watch.
Not the best debut for Trevor Lawrence or Zach Wilson today, though Trevor did get over 300 yards and Wilson and the Jets as a whole looked better in the second half.
Still think it's Dallas' division to lose. Barring BS and injury, they're the best and most complete team. While Washington & New York did well against Tampa last year, the Cowboys fell short in a game they were slated to get blown out in. Maybe it was an off night for the Bucs, or the Cowboys are the 2016 version of themselves.
Of course, Philadelphia rolled big time. So unless the Giants surge, it'll be a three-way against the Cowboys, the Eagles, and Washington
Meanwhile, my pick for New England for the AFC East isn't too bad. They didn't win, but Buffalo sorta fell by the wayside bigtime
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I see the Cowboys as the favorite in the NFC East also, and they did play very well despite the loss Thursday. The Eagles won big today, but I think more than anything it showed how bad the Falcons are.
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The NFC West battle is going to be interesting... 8-O
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WEST IS BEST! After the Raiders wild 33 -27 overtime win over the Ravens, the NFC West and the AFC West are a combined 8-0.
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It helped that there were no division matchups between the 8 NFL West teams. While the league tends to avoid Week One division games, there are typically a couple (AFC East & South this year). None the less, the teams in the West are all rather legit at worst, especially in the NFC.
I probably have to look it up to confirm it, but I believe that's the only time this has happened. I doubt it occurred before 2002 where one part of the country swept the competition (which would result in a 9-0 or a 10-0 record). More teams involved coupled with more division or regional matchups in Week One. Pro Football Reference probably would confirm it before anyone actually made the time to double check.
By the way, it is possible that the West of both the AFC & NFC can get to 16-0. It's unlikely, but based on the matchups, it's not super difficult to impossible either
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Atlanta's loss to the Eagles was their worst opening day loss since 1987, when Tampa Bay beat them 48-10. The Falcons went 3-12 that year and this week they face Brady and the Bucs (early line has the Bucs giving 12). This could be an impending sign.
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Well, I think I finally got a featured Giants game correct. It seems as if anytime I pick against New York, they win, and then they lose everything I pick them to win. It would have helped to remember that Daniel Jones is (or was) undefeated against Washington. FWIW, he did his part to win the game, but Taylor Heinicke was slightly better. IMO, Washington was the better team and lost the lead, and their game winning FG is just a part of football.
Nevertheless, I actually picked the right way, though I probably should've hedged it, and would've been right doing so. BTW, the media was pimping this game saying that TNF isn't boring! Meh, the game was okay and came down to the end. The difference is that Tampa/Dallas was slated to be better, with the Bucs winning big or just winning. The Cowboys playing is must see TV. Not much anticipation between the Giants and Washington
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To be honest, the Giants should not have lost this game, however an injury, questionable penalties, dropped passes, cost the team their first win.
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YES!! My Cardinals are 2-0 after escaping with a 34-33 win over the Vikings. Kyler Murray threw for 400 yards and 3 touchdowns and the Cardinals caught a break as the Vikings missed a 37 yard field goal at the buzzer. The Vikings need to make a change at the kicker position.
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The Vikings need to make a change at the kicker position.
Greg Joseph joins the kicker club in Minnesota! I predicted the missed extra point would come back to haunt. He makes two 52-yard field goals and shanks the 37-yard one.... :boo:
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Tampa Bay 48, Atlanta 25. Matt Ryan gets picked three times and Tom Brady was simply more than a match for him. Some dubious special team play calls add to the Falcons' woes.
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Despite a rash of injuries throughout the game, it's the Browns who escape with a 31-21 win over the Texans. Consider the Bud Light victory fridges officially open in Cleveland! It's onto the Chicago game next, Sunday at 1 pm EDT.
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Well, my Cardinals are 3-0 despite being on the wrong end of a 1st 1/2 that looked a lot like the end of the 2013 Iron Bowl. A critical pick 6 from Bryon Murphy gave the Cardinals a lead that they never relinquished. Kyler Murray threw for 316 and scored a rushing touchdown while James Connor ran for 2 scores in a 31-19 win. GO CARDINALS! :)
Justin Turner is the GOAT kicker. No ifs, and, ors, or buts.
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Atlanta chalks up their first win of the year (including preseason), 17-14 against the Giants in a game that Fox wishes they could have shown infomercials instead. Not a textbook example of pro football.
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The halftime show will be performed by 5 legends:
Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige, & Kendrick Lamar.
Mary J Blige is the only "repeat", as she will be making her 2nd halftime appearance. Her last appearance was in Super Bowl 35 in 2001 in Tampa (Baltimore decimated NY Giants). She performed in the final song "Walk This Way" with Aerosmith, NSYNC, Britney Spears, and Nelly. This is her first time being in a halftime on NBC, since SB XXXV aired on CBS
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Matt Ryan throws for 4 TDs, three to RB Cordarrelle Patterson, but the Falcons still lose to the Washington Football Team, 34-30. Washington had two failed PATs and a failed two-point conversion and still won.
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YES!!! My Cardinals are 4-0 after a coming with a 37-20 win over the Rams. Kyler Murray led a balanced attack throwing for 268 yards and 2 touchdowns. What a huge division win! It's an important breakthrough for Murray and Kingsbury, who had lost their 1st 4 matchup with the rams. GO CARDINALS! :)
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And certainly an important win given how stacked the NFC West appears to be at the moment and considering the Rams have looked like serious Super Bowl contenders so far. As the Cardinals are long overdue for a world title, it would certainly be great if they did go on to win it all.
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Matt Ryan throws for 4 TDs, three to RB Cordarrelle Patterson, but the Falcons still lose to the Washington Football Team, 34-30. Washington had two failed PATs and a failed two-point conversion and still won.
Ouch.
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If I were a very generous human being (who's to say I'm not), I should probably post my picks for Seattle Seahawks games going forward. Though I think I picked them to win in Week One. Next Sunday might be a better bet, TBH. That depends on Russ' health (the guy has yet to miss any time IIRC)
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The Seattle Seahawks has the weekend off, but it's likely anything but great. Plus they played on Thursday, so not only is it not a true bye-week, but there's a good chance that their QB Russell Wilson took his final snap for the remainder of his career.
The former Super Bowl champion, 2-time NFC champ, and 4X NFC West winner could miss up to 2 months following surgery (https://www.fieldgulls.com/2021/10/8/22715911/post-snap-reads-10-8-seahawks-lose-in-awkward-fashion-as-russell-wilson-gets-injured) after an injury to a finger of his throwing hand. On a side note, I think the Steelers will still lose to Seattle on Sunday Night Football in a week, but a Seahawks win is not a sure thing anymore.
Russell was never going to break Brett Favre's record, but he had perfect attendance since Day One. No starts missed since he entered the league nearly a decade ago. Wilson will be 33 next month, and he'd need to play through the 2030 season when he'd reach 42 in order to set a new record. Nonetheless, his play is unique in that he was an expert in avoiding big hits and really never got hurt. It's amazing given how bad his O-Line is. That, among other things is why he reportedly hasn't been happy. I don't think he was long for the team down the road, but he is under contract until the middle of the decade.
If Seattle falls big, I don't think they'll bring him back off of IR this year. We'll see what happened in 2022, but it'll not looking great, especially given how deep the NFC West is this season. Doesn't help that the NFC South may have multiple contenders in addition to Tampa Bay
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Atlanta and the New York Jets take the NFL to old Blighty where the Falcons prevail, 27-20. Cordarrelle Patterson and Kyle Pitts have rapidly evolved into Ryan's go-to guys.
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The Seattle Seahawks has the weekend off, but it's likely anything but great. Plus they played on Thursday, so not only is it not a true bye-week, but there's a good chance that their QB Russell Wilson took his final snap for the remainder of his career.
I really doubt his injury is career ending.
Good win for Atlanta, despite missing their top two receivers. It was only a matter of time before Pitts had a big day. I see they learned how to recover an onside kick since last season (not that the Jets would've had enough time to tie it anyway if they recovered) :D
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I really doubt his injury is career ending.
Oh no. It's not career ending. In career-ending, I'm referring to his Seattle Seahawks career. Even that is a stretch, but I'd be shocked if he called it a career.
Sorry I posted it that way! I totally didn't mean he was done; just possibly done in Seattle.
Packers escape. As mentioned, no one wanted to win this game. As of 2021, there are still ties in the biggest sport, so it was almost possible
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Matt Ryan becomes the seventh player to reach 5,000 career completions and the second to reach 5,000 completions in the shortest time (minimum of 205 games).
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Some trouble for the New York Giants so far during their game against the Dallas Cowboys. As running back, Saquon Barkley left the game on a cart after injuring his left ankle in the first quarter and losing starting quarterback Daniel Jones to a head injury in the same quarter.
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YES!!!!! MY Cardinals are 5-0 after beating the 49ers 17-10 in what was a defensive struggle most of the day. A touchdown pass from Kyler Murray to Deandre Hopkins with about 5 minutes left gave the Cardinals a 17-7 lead and they held on 17-10 after a key 4th down bat down by J.J. Watt. Beating divisional opponents in back to back weeks is very encouraging. GO CARDINALS!!!!! :)
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And the Browns choked. *sighs* There were some rough calls throughout the game, but the one that sticks with me the most is the DPI, when Mike Williams clearly grabbed a hold of A.J. Green's jersey (the defensive back, not the current Cardinals wide receiver). Should've been Offensive Pass Interference if you ask me.
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Oh no. It's not career ending. In career-ending, I'm referring to his Seattle Seahawks career. Even that is a stretch, but I'd be shocked if he called it a career.
Sorry I posted it that way! I totally didn't mean he was done; just possibly done in Seattle.
Oh ok, thank you for clarifying. I thought you may have meant just his time in Seattle. I could see that especially with the rumors he wanted out over this past offseason. It will be really interesting to see what direction they go.
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Big wins (both in National spots) for the franchises that headlined Super Bowl's 27 & 28. Dallas crushed New York at home, which was expected (and aided due to multiple GMEN injuries to their most important players). Buffalo wasn't as expected as it's a road game in the sight where they got soundly beaten by reigning AFC Champions Kansas City.
The Bills are playing awesome football, and they appear to be the team to beat. Plus, they might finally get the title that eluded them in the 90s. As mentioned, the team that was their biggest villain is also rolling in the Cowboys. Of course, Tampa is rolling and would be a tough matchup for the AFC East leader. Finally it's not a sure thing in their conference as teams like the Chargers & Baltimore are not going to be easy to brush aside
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Breaking News: Jon Gruden is out in Vegas. He is tendering his resignation. (https://www.nfl.com/news/jon-gruden-resigns-as-las-vegas-raiders-head-coach)
I first heard the news on Westwood One listening to Kevin Harlan and Jaws for Monday Night Football. ESPN hasn't mentioned it yet, but I imagine Adam Schefter will break it there during halftime. Rich Eisen & Mike Florio will discuss as well. Feels surprising, but it is not shocking
ETA: ESPN has in fact mentioned it (https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32384058/jon-gruden-las-vegas-raiders-head-coach). Despite the emails occurring a decade ago, with the news of more emails going from the league to the Raiders, the only surprise is if Mark Davis hadn't fired Jon 24 hours removed from this breaking news
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The Cleveland Browns, who played and won a road playoff game in January without their head coach, get to host a team without its head coach on Sunday (https://www.nfl.com/news/cardinals-hc-kliff-kingsbury-positive-for-covid-19-will-miss-game-vs-browns). I’m not sure if it’ll be called into question if the last unbeaten falls due to that. Though, until the Chubb inactive news, I was leaning toward Cleveland anyway
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The Tampa Bucs of the 70s can now pop the champagne. Their record is safe. The second longest losing streak has ended, with a Jaguars win at the buzzer. The winner had yet to make a field goal, and they ended up making two big ones to seal the deal.
With that, once again, Detroit is the last team left that has yet to win a game this year
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YES!!!!!! My Cardinals are 6-0 after dominating the Browns in a 37-14 win as Kyler Murray threw for 229 yards and 4 touchdowns including 2 to DeAndre Hopkins. I'm honestly amazed that the Cardinals even won this game at all, given the dire circumstances that they entered the game with. GO CARDINALS! :)
Meanwhile, the Broncos 3-0 start is being exposed as a fraud now that they're no longer playing teams that suck.
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YES!!!!!! My Cardinals are 6-0 after dominating the Browns in a 37-14 win as Kyler Murray threw for 229 yards and 4 touchdowns including 2 to DeAndre Hopkins. I'm honestly amazed that the Cardinals even won this game at all, given the dire circumstances that they entered the game with. GO CARDINALS! :)
Meanwhile, the Broncos 3-0 start is being exposed as a fraud now that they're no longer playing teams that suck.
Congratulations on the Cards win. And my fantasy football team is down the drain thanks to finding out that Kareem Hunt will miss 4-to-6 weeks with a calf injury, at least. Ugh.
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I guess we can pump the brakes on the Ravens topping their 2019 season. However, they got humbled in similar fashion against Denver before they got the chance to rip their hearts out in 2012. Lamar might no longer be the clear cut MVP leader, but the fact is Cincinnati is doing what people speculated, except they're doing it in a year or two in advance. Maybe Joe Burrow could be in the conversation for league MVP, but if all goes well, the team with the longest postseason drought in wins might torment the AFC North for a very long time. The AFC is tricky; probably not a Pats dominance but it's possible. Then maybe they'll win a title as long as San Francisco isn't the NFC represent!
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YES!!!!!!! My Cardinals are 7-0 after beating the Texans 31-5 as Kyler Murray threw for 261 yards and 3 touchdowns, 1 each to DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk, and new Cardinal Zach Ertz. FWIW, this is the 1st game in NFL history to end with a score of 31-5. GO CARDINALS!!!!!!! :)
Congratulations to Tom Brady on becoming the only quarterback in NFL history with over 600 career passing touchdowns. (602 at this nanosecond)
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Man, Indy has sure turned things around after their collapse at M&T Bank Stadium. Since their slow start, save for that painful loss in Baltimore, they've been on the winning side. Solid performance in the rain at Levi's against San Francisco. We'll see how they handle Tennessee (the likely favorites to repeat in their division). Whoever doesn't win the AFC South could be the 7th wildcard and ruin another contender that probably thought they were sneaking into the postseason
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One can say what they want about Tom Brady (members of my immediate family notably), but what he did in yesterday's Bucs-Bears tilt was nothing short of awesomesauce. He gave his Bucs cap to a 9-year-old little boy in the stands who is a cancer survivor. The joy on the kid's face spoke volumes.
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Man, Indy has sure turned things around after their collapse at M&T Bank Stadium. Since their slow start, save for that painful loss in Baltimore, they've been on the winning side. Solid performance in the rain at Levi's against San Francisco. We'll see how they handle Tennessee (the likely favorites to repeat in their division). Whoever doesn't win the AFC South could be the 7th wildcard and ruin another contender that probably thought they were sneaking into the postseason
Which in turn would be just fine by Philadelphia, who would be happy to see Indianapolis make the playoffs with Carson Wentz playing as many games as possible so they would get a third first round pick next year. So we'll see how that pans out in the end.
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How bout them Seahawks! Man, talk about a massive fall from glory. Times have changed; despite picking the Saints FTW, I would never have picked New Orleans to beat Seattle at Lumen Field regardless of the fact that this is not the LOB (Legion of boom) era. FWIW, I would not have this season had Russell been playing.
I'm not a Philly fan, but I so love seeing a team get a nice draft pick without sucking outright. I might not live to see it, if it even happens at all, but it would be awesome if someone traded their first round pick to the eventual Super Bowl champion in the same period said team finished last in the league.
Even without what Tom did on Sunday, I had come to the point where I totally admire the guy. Really, that occurred prior to his sixth Super Bowl title on February 3rd, 2019, and full blown last year. What I'm seeing from Brady is likely who he is and has been forever. That really was just so special, and to "steal" from SVP, it was the best thing I saw on Sunday.
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In probably the best Thursday Night Football game this season, two big time names will be missing in action in JJ Watt and Davante Adams. The latter was no surprise due to his Covid status coupled with a short week. I don't know if Adams was able to test negative twice, but with the lack of practice, it really would not have mattered at all. Apparently, since 2019, Aaron Rodgers is undefeated (with a minimum of 5 starts) when Adams is not in the lineup.
The bigger surprise is JJ Watt's status. I didn't catch that; he got injured on Sunday but played through it. Now, he could be done for the year. BTW, Watt got paid last summer. Still, I like Arizona FTW. A close game that I think the Packers will cover, but I had the Cards winning even before the news of the inactives
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Kyler Murray throws a pick (one of two in the game) with :12 left in the game, sealing a 24-21 Packers win and handing the Cardinals their first loss. Aaron Rodgers throws for 184 and 2 TDs.
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With Arizona’s loss at home to the Packers, there are no more undefeated teams left. Last year the NFL made it all the way to December before all 32 teams tasted defeat. This year, despite the annual mid-September start, we don’t even get out of October and into November with at least one undefeated team. Not really a big deal since that’s not the ultimate goal. Plus, it’s impossible for more than two teams per conference (four overall) to win all of their games prior to the postseason in January.
Nevertheless, pretty good game & nice win for Green Bay. First win against the Cardinals in nearly a decade. Even that horrific 2018 squad was able to conquer the Packers in Lambeau, so it was a mild surprise to see Aaron Rodgers and no Adams win at State Farm Stadium. Similar to the Steelers last year, I didn’t think the only unbeaten team was the best team in the conference or in the league. Great start & much better than in 2012, and this time, the remaining schedule is favorable. Nine years ago, most of their losses came to good teams & playoff teams. So the Cards should be able to regroup and get to where they want to go, meaning a chance to play at SoFi in February.
Arizona will not drop to fourth place with wins from Tampa and the Rams. Eventually, it’s possible they will if everyone keeps winning including Dallas (conference record). The Cards and Cowboys do have a game against each other later. But for now, they’ll drop to third since they beat division rival LA. Or they’ll stay in second if New Orleans can win on Sunday
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Despite Dak Prescott being out due to a calf injury, the Dallas Cowboys continues their winning streak with a 20-16 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
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Breaking news: The Rams are trading for Von Miller https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32526503/sources-los-angeles-rams-finalizing-trade-acquire-von-miller-denver-broncos
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Apparently, Dallas was trying to obtain Von Miller as well. While I could see Tampa get it together and rise to the top along with Green Bay dominating, Dallas is still for real this year. However, Von to LA is a big deal. He isn’t as good as in the past, but he doesn’t need to be. It’s possible that the Rams win out through February.
Other trade stuff included Melvin Ingram going from Pittsburgh to Kansas City & Watson from Houston going nowhere
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Henry Riggs III has been released by the Raiders after his high-speed DUI crash that killed a 23-year old woman.
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Apparently, Dallas was trying to obtain Von Miller as well. While I could see Tampa get it together and rise to the top along with Green Bay dominating, Dallas is still for real this year. However, Von to LA is a big deal. He isn’t as good as in the past, but he doesn’t need to be. It’s possible that the Rams win out through February.
Other trade stuff included Melvin Ingram going from Pittsburgh to Kansas City & Watson from Houston going nowhere
Still, one should consider that so far, the Cowboys have yet to really beat anyone of note thanks to what has panned out to be an almost ridiculously easy schedule. If they want a Super Bowl berth, they'll have to really earn it against the other clear NFC contenders--and with well over a quarter of the payroll locked into about 10 players at the present, it'll likely be more difficult for them to remain competitive at a high level for long without making major sacrifices.
Rams probably now have to be considered the NFC favorite. Buccaneers and Cardinals are also right in the mix. Right now I see either the Bills or Ravens--maybe the Bengals might make a dark horse run, Titans may still have a shot even without Derrick Henry--as the AFC representative. We'll see how everything pans out
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Aaron Rodgers tests positive for COVID-19 and will miss Sunday's game against the Chiefs. Jordan Love will make his first career start for the Packers. https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32542413/green-bay-packers-qb-aaron-rodgers-tests-positive-covid-19-source-says (https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32542413/green-bay-packers-qb-aaron-rodgers-tests-positive-covid-19-source-says)
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Well, back to the awful Thursday Night Football slate, as Indianapolis basically blows out the Jets. It is the Jets, but much needed win for the Colts. Even though Tennessee lost Derrick Henry, the Titans did sweep the season series. The schedule for Indy is much more difficult down the stretch. Plus at best they'll be 2 back + the tiebreaker. Tennessee has a couple of tough games coming up and the Colts have about 5. Indy might gain ground, but I think they'll fall short. There's still a ton of time left and anything can happen
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Odell Beckham Jr. has parted ways with the Browns.
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Atlanta tops New Orleans on a Younghoe Koo FG with :00 left in a game they didn't deserve to win. A 24-3 lead was squandered in (what else?) the fourth quarter, through a defense in which a chihuahua could defend better and inexcusable penalties. Matt Ryan's 64-yard toss to Cordarelle Patterson set things up for the win. Atlanta is now 4-4 with Dallas on tap next week.
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YES!!!!!!!! My Cardinals are 8-1 after coming away with a 31-17 win over the 49ers as backup quarterback Colt McCoy completed an efficient 18 of 22 passes for 229 yards and a touchdown and the Cardinals also score 3 rushing touchdowns, including 2 by James Connor. It always feels good to get a win over a division rival! GO CARDINALS!!!!!!!! :)
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Adios losing streak. Browns lay a thumping on Cincinnati in the first Battle of Ohio in the 2021 season. Baker Mayfield hit two touchdown passes, and Chubb broke off two scores on the ground. Next up, New England.
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Sunday was weird. The Giants beating the Raiders, the Jaguars beating the Bills, and the Broncos not only beating the Cowboys but having a 30-0 lead at one point.
What's really interesting now is AFC West race which LITERALLY has all 4 teams within a 1/2 game of each other. Raiders and Chargers are both 5-3 and Chiefs and Broncos are both 5-4. All 4 teams have had their ups and downs. The AFC West is turning into a fascinating and unpredictable race.
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But that of course is what we like to see, so hopefully it'll stay close to the end. We'll see who grabs the reins in the division this week, if anyone (for one thing, over the last 30 years, I've noticed, the Broncos can't lose to Philadelphia in Denver, but can't beat them in Pennsylvania, and the winner usually piles up a lot of points in the process. We'll see if that pattern continues).
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Well, the Steelers survive, and it appeared that the Black & Gold were prime for yet another Tomlin loss. Nevertheless, Coach Mike finally got his first win as a head coach against Chicago. Something had to give there, given the fact that Pittsburgh has the longest-ever record in terms of home wins on Monday Night Football (19 with a chance to go to 20 on January 3rd 2022).
Who knows what'll happen when the Steelers play host to Detroit on Sunday? Given how yesterday went, I could sorta see the Lions win (for the only time). After all, they're coming off of a bye playing a team with short rest!
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Sunday was weird. The Giants beating the Raiders, the Jaguars beating the Bills, and the Broncos not only beating the Cowboys but having a 30-0 lead at one point.
What's really interesting now is AFC West race which LITERALLY has all 4 teams within a 1/2 game of each other. Raiders and Chargers are both 5-3 and Chiefs and Broncos are both 5-4. All 4 teams have had their ups and downs. The AFC West is turning into a fascinating and unpredictable race.
It was a crazy week indeed. Really both in the professional & collegiate levels!
It's not just the AFC West that's tight. It's the AFC as a whole. 11 out of 16 teams have a winning record after 9 weeks / half the second, which is rather unprecedented. With a Colts win, 75% of the conference will be at .500 or better. Out of the teams with a winning record the team in 11th place (or in reality, currently tied in 7th place amongst five teams) is only two back of the leader (Tennessee).
The AFC has no clear-cut favorite, especially after Sunday's set of upsets. Tennessee could roll, New England could make a run & emulate 2001, and both Buffalo & Cleveland can regain their 2020 magic. Baltimore is probably the team I think will represent the AFC. They're likely getting into the postseason, and that's all it takes. Houston and New York are done; Miami probably can't make a run given their opponents and total outlook. Jacksonville could make a run. Helps that they're in the worst division; 7-2 is a tough ask. 5-4 seems reasonable for Jacksonville, at which point it would've been nice if they'd won 2 or 3 games in addition to their wins over Miami and Buffalo.
Meanwhile, the NFC features one team that might be the team to beat, but it's a different team every-so-often. That includes Tampa, Green Bay, Dallas, Arizona, & Los Angeles. Everyone else likely has to fight for two wildcard spots (non NFC West winner probably gets that 5th seed). Everyone except Detroit because the Lions are glorified garbage.
Big Thursday news includes Cam Newton's return to Carolina (https://www.nfl.com/news/panthers-bringing-back-former-mvp-qb-cam-newton) and OBJ choosing the Rams for his third team following his stint in Cleveland (https://www.nfl.com/news/odell-beckham-agrees-to-terms-on-one-year-deal-to-join-nfc-contender-rams)
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Aaron Rodgers clears COVID protocols. The Packers have till 4 PM tomorrow to reactivate him for the Seahawks game.
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Yeesh. Febreze couldn't remove the stink the Falcons made in their 43-3 loss to Dallas. It gets no less daunting as they have a short week to prepare for New England Thursday.
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Meanwhile, we had our first sister-kisser of the season between the Lions and the Steelers. Najee Harris pulled a Donovan McNabb by saying he didn't know NFL games can end in ties.
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Meanwhile, we had our first sister-kisser of the season between the Lions and the Steelers. Najee Harris pulled a Donovan McNabb by saying he didn't know NFL games can end in ties.
Unlike Najee Harris, Donovan was a veteran when he made that pathetic error. Harris isn't the leader of the team either. BTW, pathetic use or lack of use by the Steelers on their star RB.
Looks like the Chiefs are back to being the Chiefs for now, while the Packers might be in a better position to get that top seed after all since Tampa is a mess
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New England 25, Atlanta 0. 🤮 The remainder of the Falcons games this season will be televised on Cartoon Network.
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Well good news by the shores of Lake Erie (Unless you're a Detroit Lions fan). Running backs Nick Chubb have been activated from the COVID/Reserve list, and should be active Sunday for the Browns.
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There's rarely good news for a Lions fan. Even there best things (Barry Sanders and Megatron) got cut short. They haven't won a playoff game since 1991, and they've never been to a Super Bowl. I know we don't think about curses in the NFL like we do in MLB, but I'm starting to think the Curse of Bobby Layne is real.
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What's crazy is that Detroit doesn't have the longest drought when it comes to winning a playoff game. The fact is the Lions weren't expected to be good, though I didn't think they'd be this bad
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YES!!!!!!!!! My Cardinals are 9-2 after hanging on to beat the division rival Seahawks 23-13 as Colt McCoy was fantastic in his backup quarterback role completing an impressive 35 of 44 passes for 328 and 2 touchdowns while godsend acquisition Zach Ertz caught 8 passes for 88 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Cardinals win today was totally awesome baby. GO CARDINALS!!!!!!!!! :)
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I don't know if I'd crown Arizona (and if the Cards won, the NFC would have its 12th Superbowl winner, to go with the second division to have all of its member as super bowl winners at least once since 1966). The fact is they're the only 2 loss team prior to Thanksgiving. It's so competitive now. I imagine teams will start to pull away, but it's rare (and exciting) to be in the unknown. Especially with a 17-game season & 14 postseason teams!
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New England 25, Atlanta 0. 🤮 The remainder of the Falcons games this season will be televised on Cartoon Network.
Can the Seahawks join you? :oww:
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Can the Seahawks join you? :oww:
New England 25, Atlanta 0. 🤮 The remainder of the Falcons games this season will be televised on Cartoon Network.
Looks like the line starts behind Houston!
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Atlanta@Jacksonville this Sunday is Pick 'Em. Wouldn't surprise me if the Jaguars blew the Falcons out of the water.
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So, what was the O/U on penalty flags in the Las Vegas-Dallas game?😜
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So, what was the O/U on penalty flags in the Las Vegas-Dallas game?😜
I watched the game yesterday, and I was thinking the same thing.
Dallas had a chance to win it several times.. Oh well
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Cowboys Head Coach Mike McCarthy Tested Positive For Covid; Out For TNF Against The Saints (https://www.si.com/nfl/cowboys/news/dallas-coach-mike-mccarthy-out-covid-news)
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YES!!!!!!!!!! My Cardinals are 10-2 after coming away with a 33-22 win over the Bears as Kyler Murray accounts for 4 touchdowns, 2 each through the air and on the ground and the Cardinals defense intercepts Andy Dalton 4 times. Nice to get to 10 wins. GO CARDINALS!!!!!!!!!! :)
Man the Dolphins have turned their season around with a 5 game winning streak after a 1-7 start.
And the Lions finally got a win, beating the Vikings on Jared Goff's touchdown pass on the game's final play.
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The Falcons did against Tampa Bay what Georgia did yesterday against Alabama--fail to get to the QB. Tom Brady throws four TD passes and had time to smoke a cigarette in the pocket while Matt Ryan ate astroturf five times. Birds lose 30-17.
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Meanwhile, the Ravens had a chance to go for win with a 2-point convert, but that attempt failed as the Steelers hang on to win by a 20-19 score (although the Steelers missed an extra point of their own). I think it would have been best for them to just kick it for the tie, but then again extra points aren't gimmes anymore like they used to.
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Meanwhile, Philadelphia's winning streak over the Jets reaches 12-0, the longest undefeated streak by one team against another to date. Which sets up an important match with Washington in 2 weeks, as whoever wins that game very likely has a strong inside track to one of the NFC wild card slots.
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Finally, Kansas City's win over Denver gives the AFC a 4-way tie for first place as of Week 13. There is still one game to play that would not change much with those standings. If the season ended today, New England would have home-field throughout the postseason & that first-round bye due to conference record. Kansas City would be 4th place behind 2nd place Tennessee & 3rd Place Baltimore thanks to losing to both teams. Even without that, the KC has an inferior conference record.
A Patriots win on MNF means the standings stay the same, but with NE having an outright lead in the AFC. I believe Buffalo would simply replace New England at the top if the Bills win.
Pittsburgh's win over Baltimore means that the Steelers are two wins away from coach Tomlin having an outright record in terms of total years to start a HC career without a losing record.
Despite Detroit being the last team to win a game AND Jacksonville current 4th place position in the AFC South, Houston is the first team officially eliminated from playoff contention. Still, the Lions are in position to draft 1st overall. Afterwards, I think it's a toss between the Texans and the Jaguars
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The Patriots take control of the AFC East with a 14-10 win over the Bills in a game in which Mac Jones only attempted THREE passes with only TWO completions. The Patriots kept the ball on the ground in the wind and relied on their strong defense to get them a win. Even though defense has been the main strength of the Patriots during their 7 game winning streak, it still felt super ultra weird to have a quarterback only attempt 3 passes in a game, especially in this era, though it's understandable why they did so and it worked out for them
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I guess weather is part of the game, but I don't think Buffalo was going to win with better weather. Both are still great teams with awesome defense. The problem is Buffalo is pretty much one-dimensional on offense.
Tough loss for the Bills as the Patriots have total position on them. New England still gets their break, and a home game against Buffalo later on. Meanwhile the other test of the new and improved Buffalo Bills is the man behind their misery (IOW, a game at Raymond James Stadium starring Tom Brady)
You just never know with the Pats. It sorta reminded me of their (true revenge) game against Baltimore in Season 95 when they passed on every play during their successful quest to overcome two 14-point deficits
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On Thursday, Minnesota was one iota from getting its head coach fired. Even if Pittsburgh had scored toward the end of the game, they would still need to make the 2-point conversion just to achieve a tie & send the game into OT. IMO, PIT loses without getting the ball, or they fail to score a TD and MIN does enough to survive at US Bank Stadium.
Nevertheless, the Vikings beat the Steelers at home, which was what was expected since the beginning of the season but not so much a week or so prior to the game. While the Vikings needed the game more than the Steelers, the latter probably needs help with the loss. I don’t think they’ll win out. They should win at least one against Cleveland, Tennessee & (to a lesser extent) Baltimore, but will not beat Kansas City IMO.
Fortunately Pittsburgh’s division (AFC North) doesn’t have anyone running away with the title, a shot at the title. If San Francisco wins that’s good news for the Black & Gold. Ditto if the Ravens lose, but it would be courtesy of the Browns. It would put Pittsburgh in 4th place but keep them in the mix for the division. Meanwhile, Mike Zimmer is probably done in Minnesota anyway, but it would’ve been poetic if Pittsburgh had made that an early exit for the Vikings head coach. They would have been responsible for the firings of both Cincinnati coordinators from the 2013 Bengals team (Hue Jackson was let go in 2018 after PIT beat CLE). BTW, even with a win, I don’t see Pittsburgh in the playoffs this year.
Speaking of the postseason, we won’t know until after Monday Night Football whether Arizona will become the first team playoff bound for 2021. They could be the second or third team depending on what New Orleans does against New York. The Cardinals cannot win the NFC West just yet, but a win over Los Angeles will put them close to the title. Tampa Bay could become the first team to win a division title. They’ll need to beat Buffalo and get some help. It should be a matter of when, not if for the Bucs. Green Bay can’t clinch the NFC North in Week 14; while they have the best shot at topping Arizona for the top seed, they need help this week just to get into the playoffs. Again, similar to the Buccaneers, it’s when, not if for the Packers.
Houston, the first team booted from playoff contention, likely will have other teams joining them this weekend, including the previously winless Lions, the Jets, and Jacksonville, who’s actually ranked below the Texans. They’re all out if they lose, but Detroit and the Jaguars probably will fall by the wayside regardless of their outcome. The Jets actually have a reasonable chance to survive to Week 15 if they beat the Saints.
No one in the AFC can clinch a playoff spot, including New England. However, the Patriots are off this week
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Tom Brady today broke Drew Brees record for career passes completed and at this nanosecond stands at 7156 completions. By grabbing this record, Brady now owns every significant NFL passing record for both the regular season and the postseason. If Brady makes the Pro Bowl this year, he will break a tie he shares with 4 others for most career Pro Bowls as it would be his 15th. QB GOAT and NFL GOAT!
And how bout those Buccaneers and 49ers. Amazing overtime wins for both.
And man, don't poke the bear, Raiders. Man did the Chiefs dominate the Raiders from the very first snap.
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Atlanta beats Carolina 29-21, but only because Cam Newton kept tripping over himself, compounded by backup QB P.J. Walker's three picks. Atlanta and New Orleans are tied for second in the NFC South but still distant to Tampa Bay.
Starting tonight, the MNF games for the rest of the season will air on both ESPN and ABC.
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Well, despite all the inconsistencies, the Cleveland Browns somehow managed to pull off an upset of the Baltimore Ravens yesterday. Also surprisingly, with said win and losses by the Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland has jumped to number two in the AFC North and number eight in the AFC playoff picture right now. Next up for the Browns is a national spotlight appearance as they welcome the Las Vegas Raiders (who may be without Darren Waller) on Saturday with a 4:30 P.M. kick-off. Here we go Brownies, here we go!
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Everything okay moneygamelover? You usually post a recap after the Cardinals football games!
Totally messing with you, sorry. Even though Aaron Donald is the man & I root for No. 99 FTW, I actually wanted Arizona to get the sweep on MNF. Kyler Murray is not 100%, but what a contest. Figured they'd win with all those guys out coupled with the fact that they won on the road when LA was slightly better & surging.
Tough loss for Arizona, but necessary win for Los Angeles! Pretty good game nonetheless. Looked like Arizona was on the way early for the season sweep, then the Rams moved the score up to a huge lead real quick in the second half. The Cards were pretty close toward achieving a tie to get to overtime, but fell 30-23 to their division rival.
The Cardinals have been rolling for most of the season & really are in no danger of missing the playoffs with 4 games left, most of which are winnable games. However, they fail to be the first team to clinch a postseason berth.
Arizona, Green Bay, and Tampa Bay are tied for first place in the NFC, with the Packers currently in first place off of tiebreakers due to a better conference record, while the Bucs are second place currently thanks to defeating better teams than what the Cardinals have faced this season (SOV). If all three win out, the road to SoFi Stadium will go through Lambeau in the NFC. It would be the second time in as many years that Green Bay gets the top seed. Unlike last year, it should benefit the Packers with a full slate of fans.
The only roadblock I see for the Packers is this Sunday at Baltimore. The good news for them is Lamar not being 100%. Regardless, if Green Bay can escape with a victory at M&T Bank Stadium, the top spot would be theirs to lose. If they lose, then I think it’ll go to Tampa. Unless Arizona beats Dallas on the road, but then it may come down to strength of victory. I have to check the common opponents to see if it would qualify (if so, it would benefit the Buccaneers since I don’t see then losing to Carolina at all, but Tampa lost to the Rams). Arizona could surpass Tampa in terms of SOV (strength of victory) since the latter’s remaining opponents are flat out awful. Arizona still has Indy (which could be a loss come to think of it) and Dallas. Those are pretty good teams with decent records, but the Cards have Detroit which would alter any decent chance they have of pull ahead of Tampa Bay.
At the end of the day, I think Tampa wins out (though New Orleans has had their number in non-playoff games), Green Bay might win out, but Arizona might not with a couple tough games against the Cowboys and Colts. Might split those two but still a lot to be determined
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The Rams still have a shot at the NFC West title, although I think Arizona holds onto it in the end. Los Angeles thus likely gets the first wild card slot in the end. Dallas will probably have to settle for the 4th seed having lost the head to head to Tampa Bay, although we'll see if anyone ahead of them stumbles. San Francisco seems likely to get wild card slot #2, and so the last spot is likely a 3 way race between Minnesota, Philadelphia, and Washington, with the winner of Sunday's game between the latter two likely getting for now the inside track thereto (currently what's the tiebreakers status with each of them and the Vikings?)
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The Rams still have a shot at the NFC West title, although I think Arizona holds onto it in the end. Los Angeles thus likely gets the first wild card slot in the end. Dallas will probably have to settle for the 4th seed having lost the head to head to Tampa Bay, although we'll see if anyone ahead of them stumbles. San Francisco seems likely to get wild card slot #2, and so the last spot is likely a 3 way race between Minnesota, Philadelphia, and Washington, with the winner of Sunday's game between the latter two likely getting for now the inside track thereto (currently what's the tiebreakers status with each of them and the Vikings?)
I don't think it's going to happen for the Rams either. As mentioned, Arizona has a couple tough games left, but so do the Rams. A road bout with the Ravens is not going to be easy; they have a home game to close the season, but San Francisco just seems to have L.A.'s number. In addition to that, Arizona has a better division record. The best the Rams can do is 4-2, and the Cards have Seattle to get to 5-1 with a win.
Hard to believe that Dallas was ahead of Tampa earlier, to where they wouldn't have to worry about going back to Raymond James Stadium. Of course, they almost won there. TBH, I don't think the tiebreaker will factor between the Cowboys & the Bucs because I don't think the former can catch up to the NFC leaders. Plus, Green Bay just has Dallas' number in the postseason regardless of where the game is played. Which is sorta funny, as the Cowboys conference rival in the Niners has the Packers number in the playoffs! Speaking of one's "number", the Packers will always have Chicago's number!
In terms of a 3-way tie, Washington edges out Minnesota & Philadelphia due to a more superior conference record. Philly trails Minnesota due to common record, which follows the conference mark when comparing teams outside of a particular division. Of course the current tiebreaker between the Eagles and Washington will be meaningless (barring a split and matching records after 18 weeks), but the latter holds the edge for winning at least one division game whereas Philly hasn’t won anything yet. A ton of division games left to play which will give us a clear path
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Well, we have a late night bombshell, Urban Meyer has been fired from the post of Jaguars head coach.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32879774/urban-meyer-jacksonville-jaguars-head-coach-rocky-first-year
Ultimately, there was going to be no choice given all the issues in play, so it's probably better that it happened sooner rather than later.
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On Wednesday, news broke in relation to COVID where Cleveland Browns HC Kevin Stefanski & QB Baker Mayfield both tested positive (https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32874128/cleveland-browns-head-coach-kevin-stefanski-tests-positive-covid-19). It's just half a handful within a major situation where several dozen people were infected, including former Browns WR and current Rams WR OBJ.
It's the second time in a year for Stefanski, who apparently has received the booster shot.
It looks like the NFL is looking into what to do next, because it can get out of hand, especially with the postseason coming up next month & no plans to boot the fans from the stadium. As for Cleveland's game against Las Vegas, that is still happening on Saturday as scheduled (or flexed since it wasn't originally slated for December 18, just a possibility prior to the move)
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Three games have been rescheduled due to the Omicron spread. Las Vegas-Cleveland will now go at 5 PM ET on Monday, Dec. 20 (NFL Network) while Washington-Philadelphia and Seattle-Rams kickoff Tuesday at 7 PM ET on those markets' Fox stations.
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Postponing a game to Tuesday is outrageous. If Washington is unable to field a team, make them forfeit the game.
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Postponing a game to Tuesday is outrageous. If Washington is unable to field a team, make them forfeit the game.
The NFL is not having teams forfeit their games for the sake of forfeiting games. We don't know whether Washington violated protocols. If they have and caused an outbreak, that's a different story. Plus, the Eagles might not want their game to be forfeited, at least the players for monetary reasons. If the game gets cancelled, Philadelphia doesn't get paid
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The Eagles would win the forfeit. Playing on. Tuesday is a terrible turnaround time. I honestly don’t care one iota if DC did or didn’t violate protocols. They can’t field a team on a scheduled game day, and there is no act of nature involved. That’s how the cookie should crumble. No shame in it, but you can’t play, you lose.
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The real issue with canceling a game by forfeit is the players who wouldn't get paid for that non played game. I can't see the NFLPA standing for that. Money is the issue here.
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Those are the NFL’s own rules as agreed to with the NFLPA.
And frankly, too (bleep) bad. That’s life sometimes.
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The Eagles would win the forfeit. Playing on. Tuesday is a terrible turnaround time. I honestly don’t care one iota if DC did or didn’t violate protocols. They can’t field a team on a scheduled game day, and there is no act of nature involved. That’s how the cookie should crumble. No shame in it, but you can’t play, you lose.
It appears the source of the problem with Washington may trace to Montez Sweat, who was open about not being vaccinated before this. At the moment, many Philadelphia fans are not happy, believing that they're being penalized for what they see as Washington's missteps, and worried about this leaving them too short a turnaround before the Week 16 Giants game. I can see the opposite viewpoint of these as well, and there may not be a "right" answer either way. As others have noted, forfeitures would be probably unlikely as no one would want to lose the money, least of all the league itself or the players.
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The CBA thing is a valid point. If the league moving the games over COVID violates it, that's a different story. The NFLPA would have a case here. However, I believe the discussion was due to an outbreak started by someone unvaccinated and/or some careless individual.
On the other hand, without the proof of one's intention to cause an outbreak, there really isn't anything anyone can do. The forfeit thing came into play due to carelessness. If it's unintentional, that's a different story. With the newer variant, the NFL would have an argument. The problem I have is that they should have said that things are subject to change. To say that nothing will be rescheduled is not good. Yeah there's nothing the players and teams can do about it, as the NFL is in control. Still, there's nothing wrong with a mention that they will handle any outstanding situations as they come up. That way, they don't look bad for moving a game late in the week after repeated comments saying that a game will take place as planned
As mentioned, it's about the money. No one wins with a forfeit. I think they should have kept the games as they were, but mainly due to the fact that they said they would not move them. What the league should've said was that we'll look into it, and that a schedule change is a possibility.
Meh, I think Vegas still finds a way to lose, the Eagles & Washington would be a toss up. The Rams is interesting, since it could wreck their Week 16 plans. However, I don't think there's enough time to catch Arizona
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The bigger issue is this isn't baseball where rainouts have been part of the equation for years and it is no fault of anyone. Moving a game to a Tuesday is patently unfair to the team with no outbreak that now needs to prepare with even less time than had they had the Monday game.
Either set the rules or don't. This "well we have a rule but we'll just ignore it when the situation arises" is cowardly.
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Correction: both Tuesday games will be nationwide on Fox. Half will see Seattle-Rams and the other half Washington- Philadelphia. Check local listings, to coin a phrase.
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See Tom Brady. See Cameron Jordan gobble Brady like a Lenny's sub. See Brady smash a tablet in the Bucs' 9-0 loss to New Orleans. Hear him say "We're not going to win scoring no points." Thank you, Captain Obvious.
Meanwhile, Dallas still can't clinch the NFC East since whoever wins tomorrow's Washington-Philadelphia game will still be three games behind with three to play. Elsewhere, the Atlanta Falcons are 0-5 against teams with winning records, losing to the 49ers yesterday 31-13.
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First time TB12's been shutout in nearly a decade and a half. FWIW, I love a defense battle, but what a very awful game. To be fair to both teams, New Orleans was missing their HC, and several of their top players were not there. Tampa lost a ton of their players IN game.
Technically, I think Dallas can clinch something (NFC East) if the Eagles/Washington game ends in a tie. Or the Cowboy would have to clinch the SOV tiebreaker with a Philly win.
If I had to guess, it's not happening for them. We would know about the SOV by now. The Saints and Niners both won, so no playoff spot yet. Looks like no one can clinch, and not one can get booted either until Week 16.
Green Bay does become the first of 14 teams headed into the playoffs next month. In addition to that, they 3-peat at NFC North Champions. The Packers, one of 8 2021 Division winners, has a rather nice inside track to the top spot in their conference (thanks to losses by Arizona and the Bucs)
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Tampa Bay will be without WR Chris Godwin the rest of the season. ACL injury. Vegas still likes the Bucs' giving 11-1/2 vs. Carolina Sunday.
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Dallas has their playoff ticket punched following Tennessee beating the 49ers last night. The Cowboys can clinch the east with a win and an Eagles loss (the latter rather unlikely as the Eagles give 10 as they play the 4-10 Giants).
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Atlanta's playoff hopes still have a pulse after a 20-16 win over Detroit. It is their first home win in Atlanta this year and the first since last November.
Tampa Bay has the NFC South locked, while Dallas still won't clinch the East no matter what happens tonight against Washington.
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It's now official for Kansas City as their 36-10 win against Pittsburgh clinched their sixth consecutive AFC West title. The win also earned them a trip to the playoffs for the seventh time.
https://www.nfl.com/news/kansas-city-chiefs-clinch-sixth-consecutive-afc-west-title
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Shows what's I know dept.: Dallas did clinch the NFC East by virtue of the tiebreaker against the Eagles. The two teams meet again January 9.
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As a Washington fan, what I witnessed last night is the worst performance from a D.C. sports team that I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Every single person in that organization should be ashamed of themselves for putting that garbage product out on the field.
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What planets have aligned? The Dolphins are over. 500 after starting 1-7 and now sitting at 8-7. Just. Wow!
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Atlanta's playoff hopes still have a pulse after a 20-16 win over Detroit. It is their first home win in Atlanta this year and the first since last November.
Tampa Bay has the NFC South locked, while Dallas still won't clinch the East no matter what happens tonight against Washington.
They beat the NY Jets at home this past October.
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That game was played in London and Atlanta was designated as the home team. This refers to games played in Atlanta proper.
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What planets have aligned? The Dolphins are over. 500 after starting 1-7 and now sitting at 8-7. Just. Wow!
Well, their schedule during the time definitely helped. They played the Saints starting a 4th string QB, the Jets twice, Giants, Panthers, Texans, and the Ravens who are right now out of the playoffs. Their final two games are against the Titans and Patriots, so those will be much bigger tests for the Dolphins.
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That game was played in London and Atlanta was designated as the home team. This refers to games played in Atlanta proper.
That's right! I forgot that game was in London!
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To paraphrase an episode title from the dramedy Succession with some language from the sitcom The Good Place. There are no words to describe the shirt show at the fork factory on what Tampa Bay’s Antonio Brown did at today’s game through the Bucs would win 28-24 against the New York Jets.
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2022/01/02/antonio-brown-strips-down-on-bucs-sideline-goes-to-locker-room
But on a brighter note for Rams fans, they will win the NFC West title if the Cardinals lose their game to the Dallas Cowboys or if that game ends in a tie.
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Atlanta's playoff hopes have officially circled the drain after a 29-15 loss to Buffalo, who are going to the postseason. Josh Allen overcomes three picks and runs for two scores. Matt Ryan took points off the board after running for what appeared to be a touchdown, then he got assessed a 15-yard taunting penalty. Replay showed he was down short of the goal this putting the ball on the 16, but instead of getting a FG, he goes on fourth and fails.
As for Antonio Brown, nobody seems to know what he was melting down about. They've now said he's no longer a Buccaneer.
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Antonio Brown's career is over.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/32979872/tampa-bay-buccaneers-wr-antonio-brown-rips-equipment-runs-field-midgame?device=featurephone
I'm sure the Rams are glad they traded for Miller and signed Beckham now. Both made key plays in the Rams win over the Ravens today.
Oh, and Jamar Chase is Offensive Rookie of the year. Period. What a win for the Bengals over the Chiefs to clinch the AFC North.
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The New England Patriots have clinched a spot in the playoffs today with their 50-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tennessee Titans 34-3 win over the Miami Dolphins.
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YES!!!!!!!!!!! My Cardinals are 11-5 after snapping the Cowboys 4 game winning streak surviving a Cowboys 4th 1/4 rally for a 25-22 victory as Kyler Murray threw for 263 yards and 2 touchdowns. And how about that catch by Johnathan Ward on that fake punt eh?! :) It feels great to get a big road win like this! GO CARDINALS!!!!!!!!!!! :)
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What would their current tiebreaker with the Rams for the division title look like? And would San Francisco have any chance of passing them for the 5th seed at the moment? Either way, it now looks increasingly likely, unless Minnesota can make up the large deficit they're currently facing as I'm typing this, that Philadelphia will get the last NFC wild card slot (close call for Jalen Hurts after that game avoiding the collapsing stands, but fortunately he was unharmed), which leads to an interesting conundrum of how much they should play the starters against Dallas in the finale knowing there's a chance they could have a rematch with them in the wild card round.
The AFC's #1 seed now looks like the Titans' to lose, although never count Kansas City out. Patriots could still make noise after their extremely emphatic (if predicable under the circumstances) win today, as too could the Colts. In short, it's going to be wide open this postseason, so stay tuned.
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As far as the NFC West division, it goes to the Rams if they beat the 49ers. If the 49ers beat the Rams, the Cardinals can win the NFC West with a win over the Seahawks. The Rams and Cardinals split the head to head but the Cardinals have a better division record. If the Rams beat the 49ers, they are guaranteed a better record than the Cardinals. If the Cardinals win and the Rams lose, they have the same record but the Cardinals would finish with the better in division record. If the 49ers beat the Rams and the Cardinals lose, they'd have the same record but the Cardinals have a better division record. The 49ers are actually only 1-4 in division. If I understand it correctly
, the 49ers and Eagles control their own destiny for playoff berths next week and the Saints need a 49ers or Eagles loss for a chance. The Colts control their own destiny for a playoff berth and should beat the Jaguars. And the Bengals are actually alive for a 1 seed. Though I don't see the Titans losing to the Texans twice.
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Washington Football Team will unveil their new name on February 2. As per a statement from team president Jason Wright Wright on the team website, the new name is not Wolves or RedWolves.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/04/sport/washington-football-team-name-change-spt-intl/index.html
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As Antonio Brown Turns: Brown released a statement saying he had been playing with an ankle injury and refused a pain killer as being against NFLPA policy. That's when it hit the fan with Bruce Arians who said he was unaware Brown had an ankle injury. Oh, to be the gorilla in the room...
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Not really a "hold my beer" individual from New York, but likely one as it relates to crazy stories from Tampa the East Rutherford
"Spectator" Suing The NFL New York Teams (Giants & Jets) For Playing Games In New Jersey Instead Of New York (https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/priscos-nfl-week-18-picks-chargers-prevail-in-win-or-go-home-showdown-49ers-miss-out-on-playoffs/)
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Week 18 Picks: Chiefs, Cowboys, Washington, Browns, Ravens, Packers, Jaguars, Vikings, Texans, Falcons, Cardinals, Bills, Buccaneers, Dolphins, Niners, TIE
I probably could've been a little more sane and picked Los Angeles for Game 272. If they win, the seeding remains the same. However, if Las Vegas wins, that's a different story. The Raiders would be in no matter what if the other 15 games play out based off of my predictions. However, if they want to knock off the Chargers at home, that would be fair enough. Not sure the Bolts scare Vegas enough to risk injury for better playoff positioning & allowing the Colts starring Jonathan Taylor into the postseason. Plus, they'd go to cold Cincinnati to open their run. Not that the alternative is any better (which would be a game at Tennessee; and the Titans might get Derrick Henry back).
If I actually go 16 for 16, the playoff field would look something like this:
AFC: Kansas City, Tennessee, Buffalo, Cincinnati, New England, Los Angeles, Los Vegas
NFC: Green Bay, Tampa Bay, Arizona, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco
I suppose I could wait a minute or so, but those are really my predictions on who'll represent the 14-team field in the 2021-2022 NFL Postseason. FWIW, Detroit would backdoor back to the Top Overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft
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Week 18 Picks: Chiefs, Cowboys, Washington, Browns, Ravens, Packers, Jaguars, Vikings, Texans, Falcons, Cardinals, Bills, Buccaneers, Dolphins, Niners, TIE
I probably could've been a little more sane and picked Los Angeles for Game 272. If they win, the seeding remains the same. However, if Las Vegas wins, that's a different story. The Raiders would be in no matter what if the other 15 games play out based off of my predictions. However, if they want to knock off the Chargers at home, that would be fair enough. Not sure the Bolts scare Vegas enough to risk injury for better playoff positioning & allowing the Colts starring Jonathan Taylor into the postseason. Plus, they'd go to cold Cincinnati to open their run. Not that the alternative is any better (which would be a game at Tennessee; and the Titans might get Derrick Henry back).
If I actually go 16 for 16, the playoff field would look something like this:
AFC: Kansas City, Tennessee, Buffalo, Cincinnati, New England, Los Angeles, Los Vegas
NFC: Green Bay, Tampa Bay, Arizona, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco
I suppose I could wait a minute or so, but those are really my predictions on who'll represent the 14-team field in the 2021-2022 NFL Postseason. FWIW, Detroit would backdoor back to the Top Overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft
You left out PHI in the NFC postseason table.
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You left out PHI in the NFC postseason table.
Whoops! I did for real. My fault, not sure how I did so. I guess my mind was still on 6 teams per conference despite the change being in its second year, coupled with the fact that I still added the Bolts. Thanks, ooboh.
In addition to that, I forgot how to spell Las Vegas. It's been a rather rough past couple of days (prior to late Friday morning)
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Vic Fangio Out As Denver Broncos Head Coach (https://www.nfl.com/news/broncos-parting-ways-with-hc-vic-fangio-after-three-seasons)
As for Saturday's games, Tennessee will have to capture that Top seed themselves, as Kansas City beating the Broncos (for the 13th consecutive time) puts the pressure on the Titans as they face the Texans on the road. Dallas win puts pressure on LA, Arizona, and Tampa to win to prevent the Cowboys from moving from the 4th spot to the 2nd or 3rd spot
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Jacksonville and Detroit are both winning their respective games, but for all intents and purposes, Jacksonville is on the clock for the draft. They're handing it to Indy right now, so the fans who attended in clown attire are looking a little more foolish than they are.
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Well, now I am starting to look foolish (what else is new?😉) as Green Bay now leads Detroit. If it holds up, Detroit will be on the clock.
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Looks like Aidan Hutchinson will "end up staying local" after all. Unless Detroit thinks Goff ain't the guy going forward in which case maybe Kenny Pickett gets his career wrecked as a Lion
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Well, Detroit beats Green Bay, so I wuz right the first time. Jaguars are on the clock.
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With the Steelers winning and the Colts losing, the scenario where the Chargers and Raiders can both get in with a tie is now in play. The plot thickens:
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The road to SoFi Stadium for the AFC will go through Tennessee. For the first time in the Mahomes Era, Kansas City will have to win 3 games to get to the Super Bowl. They might get an unprecedented 3 home games but it's still 3 games with no bye prior to the big game
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New Orleans' win over Atlanta was a hollow win as San Francisco's overtime win against the Rams means the Saints are done.
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With the results of these late games, the NFC section of the postseason is set. Green Bay gets the week off, Tampa, Los Angeles, and Dallas open on their home turf, and Arizona, San Francisco, and Philadelphia at least get a chance.
Two of the three between Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles will fill the final two spots in the AFC. I still think it's a tie, but not over a 70-minute victory formation style game with both teams taking a knee.
Looks like it's the end of the road for Mike Zimmer, Matt Nagy, and Joe Judge. Dan Campbell should be safe. Despite making fun of Detroit over the years, what a great guy. Deserves a chance to win there
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I'll hold off on picking Wild Card Weekend until we know the AFC matchups, but here's my picks for the major yearly awards:
MVP: Aaron Rodgers.
Offensive Player of the Year: Cooper Kupp. (Johnathan Taylor lost my support for this award with his collapse down the stretch as well as his team's.)
Defensive Player of the Year: Aaron Donald.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: No contest Jamar Chase.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Micah Parsons.
Coach of the Year: Mike Vrabel.
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Well, the playoffs are now set, and the 14 teams are finalized!
AFC: Tennessee, Kansas City, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Las Vegas, New England, Pittsburgh
NFC: Green Bay, Tampa Bay, Dallas, Los Angeles, Arizona, San Francisco, Philadelphia
Tennessee & Green Bay have the week off and will host until the Super Bowl or until they lose, whichever comes first
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WOW! For a nanosecond I thought that the Raiders were for the tie. Perhaps if the Chargers hadn't called that weird timeout, it would have played out that way.
My Wild Card Picks:
Raiders over Bengals.
Bills over Patriots.
Chiefs over Steelers.
Buccaneers over Eagles.
Cowboys over 49ers.
Rams over Cardinals. :(
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Here's where they'll be on TV, all times Eastern:
Saturday:
Las Vegas@Cincinnati - 4:30 PM, NBC
New England@Buffalo - 8:15 PM, CBS
Sunday:
Philadelphia@Tampa Bay - 1:05 PM, Fox
San Francisco@Dallas - 4:40 PM, CBS
Pittsburgh@Kansas City - 8:15 PM, NBC
Monday:
Arizona@Los Angeles Rams - 8:20 PM, ABC and ESPN
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I'll get the opening lines on here as soon as possible (unless Ccook can do so in advance), but the NFL typically stays busy between the end of the regular season and the postseason. In other words, today is Black Monday, where you usually see several head coaches, GMs, etc lose their jobs.
As mentioned, Vic Fangio is out, which was all but likely Saturday night before becoming official Sunday morning.
Matt Nagy's ouster is now official. That was pretty much inevitable in the weeks leading up to the end. Nothing on Mike Zimmer, Joe Judge or Frank Reich yet. Not sure about Carolina or Seattle, but it is early
I guess it took posting this for the Zimmer news to become official!
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It's possible Dave Gettleman may go as the fall guy for Judge in New York first, as one suspects Giants management may not be keen on admitting another coaching error, as Judge, especially after his crazed rant last week, increasingly looks like.
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Surprisingly, despite the end of season success, the Dolphins have fired Brian Flores. I'm not quite sure this move makes sense. I mean, the Dolphins won eight straight games to close the campaign. Oh well, sometimes that's how the NFL works.
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Got the lines right here, courtesy of CBS Sports:
Cincinnati 6-1/2 over Las Vegas
Buffalo 4-1/2 over New England
Tampa Bay 8-1/2 over Philadelphia
Dallas 3 over San Francisco
Kansas City 12-1/2 over Pittsburgh
Rams 4 over Arizona
All home teams are favored. We'll see how the numbers fluctuate between now and Saturday.
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Surprisingly, despite the end of season success, the Dolphins have fired Brian Flores. I'm not quite sure this move makes sense. I mean, the Dolphins won eight straight games to close the campaign. Oh well, sometimes that's how the NFL works.
They won 8 of their last 9. They lost to Tennessee last week.
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Updated Lines & O/U Totals (Likely Final Totals outside of Live action):
Raiders at Bengals: 5.5 [O/U: 48.5]
Patriots at Bills: 4.5 [O/U: 43.5]
Eagles at Buccaneers: 8.5 [O/U: 45.5]
49ers at Cowboys: 3.0 [O/U: 51]
Steelers at Chiefs: 12.5 [O/U: 46]
Cardinals at Rams: 3.5 [O/U: 49.5]
Ccook thanks for posting the early lines
Announcers for the games, FYI
Raiders at Bengals: Mike Tirico & Drew Brees
Patriots at Bills: Ian Eagle & Charles Davis
Eagles at Buccaneers: Joe Buck & Troy Aikman
49ers at Cowboys: Jim Nantz & Tony Romo
Steelers at Chiefs: Al Michaels & Cris Collinsworth
Cardinals at Rams: Steve Levy, Louis Riddick, & Brian Greise
The kickoff times for the Divisional Round Matchups, which were previously disclosed Around Game 256 during the 1990-2019 Postseason Format, likely will not get disclosed until sometime on Sunday. From what I understand, the NFL doesn’t want teams that had Monday night games playing on Saturday. However, this would only apply to the NFC.
In the past, it’s been quite common that the Number One seed gets that Saturday game, which gives them an extra day of rest against their Championship foe should [the top seed] win their first game. I do not think there’s an issue that prevents Tennessee from being announced as the Saturday game. However, I don’t see the urgency to announce it until the Conclusion of the Cowboys/Niners game. FWIW, I don’t think both 1 seeds played in the Divisional round on the second day (Sunday). It’s usually none or just one.
The way I see it, if Philadelphia or San Francisco win, then they could announce next weekend’s kickoff times on SNF. The Rams and Cardinals would both avoid going to Green Bay. If Dallas & Tampa both win, they could still announce the times, but IMO, the Packers would play the MNF winner on Sunday while the Titans host the surviving worst team left (which would be Pittsburgh if they win).
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The odds/line and announcing stuff come to you courtesy of FanDuel & 506 respectively.
I'm going with Cincinnati and Buffalo for the win on Saturday. To make things simple, I ought to pick the MNF game instead of the SNF game. That way, I can pick all 3 Sunday games at once. While I'm leaning Arizona, I don't know who I'd bet on. I don't think Pittsburgh can control a game for 60 Minutes against Kansas City at Arrowhead in the Patrick Mahomes Era. I think they can be competitive since they've had recent postseason experience. Tough it's night and day compared to the Chiefs.
Not often I pick against Belichick, and it might be the only time I do. Or I can pick against Bill four times. Anyway, Buffalo in general is going to be brutal. It's the Patriots, but I still love seeing teams travel to Orchard Park and struggle thanks to the weather!
As mentioned, I can't see Burrow and this team being like past Bengals teams. Cincinnati has the longest playoff drought, but with a win, they'll go from last to first. In other words, they'll have the shortest playoff drought (for a minute and change). It's there for them. If the Raiders pull off the upset, then here come everyone to say the Bengals can't win in the playoffs. Good things are coming Cincy's way, win or lose. Finally, the Raiders have the 4th longest playoff drought. Burrow's game to lose
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For the first time in over 30 years, the Cincinnati Bengals have won a playoff game. Even though they've moved (twice!) since 1991, Cincy ended up beating the team that started their 31 year, 8 game postseason losing streak in the Raiders. Really, the officiating was awful, but the Raiders made way too many blunders to where the game could've gotten out of hand like the one that followed it.
Buffalo defeats New England by the score of 47-17. Not sure if they AND Tampa will get to the Super Bowl, but based on what we've seen, this Bills team is nothing like the past teams Bill and Tom owned over the course of 2 decades. Probably a long way to avenge that, but this season proves that the Bills are really the new leaders in the AFC East (2-1 over the Pats, and a decent battle against Brady at Raymond James Stadium that went from a near wipeout to a painful loss). Josh Allen threw for a lot & 5 TDs.
We'll know by Monday the AFC bracket, but Cincinnati will be travelling on the road for their next divisional game. Buffalo still has a shot at getting a second consecutive home game, but it is a very long shot based on what needs to happen to play a second game at Orchard Park
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Belichick Says It's Accurate He's Back In 2022 (https://clutchpoints.com/patriots-news-bill-belichick-blunt-response-to-question-on-coaching-in-2022/)
FWIW, Belichick exits on his own terms
Settling with Tampa, Dallas, and Arizona for the win. Not easy choices at all for this NFC slate. Especially the Cowboys/Niners game on the 28th anniversary of that classic matchup of the final telecast during the CBS NFC Era. If those play out, I think we'll see Cowboys at Bucs then Bengals at Titans on Saturday ; Bills at Chiefs then Cards at Packers on Sunday
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Tampa advances after pantsing Philadelphia and taking their lunch money (even if Brady did get sacked three times). 49ers look like they're ready for Dallas early.
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Crazy ending for the 49ers-Cowboys, but S.F. goes on to Green Bay next week while Tampa Bay hosts the winner of tomorrow's Arizona-Rams tilt.
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"That’s the end of the game!" *runs off the field like a cheetah*
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Dallas fans to ref: "I know where you live!!!"
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What the hell was Dak thinking running with no timeouts and only 14 seconds?????
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That's the play (Cowboys coach) McCarthy called. McCarthy thought Prescott would have enough time to spike the ball afterward and wanted the shorter field for the last play.
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Another lackluster game ends a Sunday of postseason football and Ben Roethlisberger's career. Three of the match-ups for the Divisional Round are set:
Cincinnati (4) at Tennessee (1)
Buffalo (3) at Kansas City (2)
San Francisco (6) at Green Bay (1)
Tampa Bay will know their opponent tomorrow night, following the conclusion of the Arizona/LA Rams game.
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Game Times & Networks For The Divisional Round:
Cincinnati at Tennessee (01/22 @ 4:30 on CBS)
San Francisco at Green Bay (01/22 @ 8:15 on FOX)
MNF Winner* at Tampa Bay (01/23 @ 3:00 on NBC)
Buffalo at Kansas City (01/23 @ 6:30 on CBS)
* Arizona at Los Angeles
FYI: I think I'll definitely update; I thought FOX had two games in this second round, but only due to CBS getting the extra game in the first round. That aside, it makes sense based off of the the 2014-2019 postseason format as FOX has two in the divisional round every other year (even NFL seasons / odd years in terms of when the playoffs occur)
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Here are the lines of the three set games:
Tennessee 3-1/2 over Cincinnati
Green Bay 5 over San Francisco
Kansas City 2-1/2 over Buffalo
Green Bay/San Francisco should be the best game on the board, given SF was the underdog yesterday, came out with guns a-blazin' and held on for dear life to win.
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Apparently fans were throwing debris onto the field at the end of the S.F.-Dallas game as the referees ran for the tunnel with Dak Prescott commenting "Credit to them." Sour grapes for their own poor time management maybe?
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There was no way that umpire was going to make it all the way over to the line to spot the ball for Dak to spike it in time. That's on Dak, not the officiating crew. Since NFL already saw fir to suspend that referee crew during the Raiders/Bengals game, time will tell of Dak gets some kind of penalty for that comment.
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That nonsense at the end of the game was not the best move, and quite a blunder as mentioned. Know the rules, and be aware of the clock at the end of the game. People can ignore the criticism of clock management all they want, but unless they address it in private, these things will continue to occur.
IMO, and as mentioned, had they had enough time for the play, there was no guarantee Dallas was going to win the game. That nonsense would have been better suited to set up a FG attempt.
Say what you will about Tony Romo, but IIRC, he made mention of the Cowboys maybe going deep in advance. Barring a game-winning pick, they either take the lead or the ball is batted down, but with Dallas having a second shot at a "Hail Mary" attempt. I agree there, but at the end of the day, throw to the endzone and go from there. That, and/or don't commit defensive holding penalties with precious TOs if/when you get the ball back for one more shot.
Man, we probably are not talking about this if Nick Bosa doesn't go down. Hope he's okay going forward
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And with that, the Rams are Florida bound.
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The line for TB/LA has Tampa Bay giving 3.
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Raiders General Manager Mike Mayock Out In Las Vegas (https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/33087691/gm-mike-mayock-fired-las-vegas-raiders-three-seasons)
Feels like an under-the-radar boot, given the fact that they made the postseason despite everything within that organization. it is based on the timing, but it's anything other than a surprise
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My Divisional Round picks:
Titans over Bengals.
Packers over 49ers.
Buccaneers over Rams.
Chiefs over Bills.
I'm guessing we'll get 1 vs 2 matchups in both conferences. Chiefs vs Bills is the hardest game of the 4 for me to have a feel for.
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Final lines (prior to the first kickoff) feature Tennessee favored by 4 (up half a point from earlier) and Green Bay favored by 5.5 (up half a point from the opening total but down half a point from mid-week). I don’t know what the opening over/under total was, but it’ll end with 47.5 for both Saturday games (up a half point from mid-week). With about over 2 hours away from kickoff, scores are subject to change, but it’s unlikely given the fact that the personnel will be finalized 90 minutes before gametime.
The lines for Sunday’s games have Tampa remaining as 3-point home favorites, while Kansas City’s spread is down a point from earlier. Over/Under for Bucs/Rams remain the same, but Chiefs/Bills have move to 54.
I think every-game will be tough to pick correctly, including Packers/Niners. Despite what Colin Cowherd said, I can see San Francisco winning the game outright. The thing they have going for them is that they’ve had Rodgers number in three of his most important games. In other words, A-Rod is winless in the postseason against his “home” team. The good news for Green Bay is that despite San Francisco’s success against the 17-year vet, they didn’t face an MVP version of him. Furthermore, each of their 3 wins (2012, 2013, & 2019) came in seasons where they beat him in the regular season. In addition to that, they are playing against a Packers team coming off of a bye.
If history and trends hold up, the Bengals will be Super Bowl bound with a win against the Titans. The bad news is that Cincinnati is winless in road playoff games. The good news, however, is that Tennessee is 0-2 as the Top seed, and like the other season (2000 & 2008) they’ll be facing a classic AFC Central team. The Titans are 1-2 off of a bye since 1999, I believe, all against AFC North opponents. It’s a new era for the Bengals. I’ll take Cincinnati to win outright, but if they had been favored, I would’ve taken Tennessee because at worst, I don’t think the Titans will lose by much. It’s over for the AFC North (champions) if Derrick Henry doesn’t miss a beat and/or Kevin Byard turns Chase into just a professional wide receiver. Of course, it would help if Tannehill can do a little more than something, and he can. I just don’t think it be close to being able to match a confident Burrow and company.
I was considering a SF victory. I’m going with the Niners and the points, but the Packers is the team I see going to their 3 straight conference final, second at home, and this time, with fans. Fortunately, trends don’t matter, but performance due to injuries will.
I’ve have to post my Sunday stuff later, but while chalk seems to be the thing this weekend, it’s basically prediction-hedging for yours truly (for the most part). In other words, all road teams including Buffalo cover, but only Cincinnati moves on IMO. That’s a tough one to figure out!
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The Bengals knock off the #1 seeded Titans. They'll visit the winner of the other AFC Divisional game next week.
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The Bengals knock off the #1 seeded Titans. They'll visit the winner of the other AFC Divisional game next week.
Whether it's the Bills or the Chiefs, the Bengals cannot afford to let QB Joe Burrow take a whopping 9 SACKS and expect to go to the Super Bowl as the AFC Champions.
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And the other #1 seed goes down. The 49ers also move on with a walk-off field goal.
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And the other #1 seed goes down. The 49ers also move on with a walk-off field goal.
Even though I am a Niners fan, I am speechless on how they won that game. VERY speechless. We weren't favored to win this game, but the defense and the special teams were the major factors.
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a reminder that Drew and his punching of the Punch a Bunch board predicted the Bengals going far
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You can move forward and pencil in the Bengals for a football game on 02/13/2022 at SoFi Stadium. Find me a game where Cincinnati walks out a loser in an AFC Title Game.
Well, with a low scoring Saturday affair, I’m hoping for the opposite for the Sunday games. It looks likely in the CBS game, but not as much in the NBC game. Speaking of Saturday games…
Tennessee became the 25th team, the 13th AFC team, the 2nd division champion and the first One Seed to fall out of the 2021-2022 NFL season. The Titans, as referenced are winless as the top seed, 0-3 all to AFC Central teams. Well, it’s the AFC North, but Baltimore was still an AFC Central team as the North hadn’t been a thing yet. With the Titans exit, the second division exits; the AFC South is finished.
Cincinnati is the first of four teams headed to the Championship week. It’s their third AFC Title Game in just over 40 years, and the first one on the road. The Bengals, who have yet to win 3 playoff games in a single postseason, have yet to lose a Conference Championship, at least in the Modern Era. They did win for the first time on the road, and with that, something will have to give.
Green Bay became the 26th team, the 13th NFC team, the 3rd division champion and the last One Seed to fall out of the 2021-2022 NFL season. The NFC North is the third division booted from the postseason. With this change, the road to SoFi will now go through Raymond James Stadium for the NFC.
San Francisco will be one of 3 teams headed into the NFL’s Final 3. By the time the 49ers take the field in the NFC Title Game, the team representing the AFC in the Super Bowl will be disclosed. With the Niners victory, there are 6 teams remaining in the 2021 NFL Season.
Predictions for Sunday:
I’m going with Tampa Bay for the win. Outright! I was planning to have Los Angeles cover, but if they were to do just enough to cover, they’d probably do enough to win, period. There is reason to believe that the Rams can win, but the stakes are so much higher. They’ve had success against TB12, and sure I goofed and flipped to Green Bay to avoid the trend. I did something similar last year with New Orleans. The Bucs are getting people back, they’re at home, and the Rams are going West to East playing a NOON Pacific game on short week. Finally, I think I have to go back to 01/20/2013 in terms of the last time I bet against Tom Brady & was correct.
It should be a great game at Arrowhead, and I can see either team blowing out the other. Either team can win a close game, too, but I’ll go with Kansas City for the win. What made me decide is emotion. Buffalo might be all emotional after their epic game against their “antagonist” in New England. First home game with a boatload of fans at Orchard Park (in a very long time), they took it to the Pats. The Chiefs dominated the Steelers as well, but it was just business as usual. Not a ton of people picked the Bills to win, and just about everyone thought Pittsburgh would lose a week after they thought the season was over for the Black N Gold. No emotions for the Chiefs. Just another home playoff victory. By the way, the road to the Super Bowl in the AFC now goes through Arrowhead for the 4th consecutive season
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What a game. Brady ties it, but the magic runs out because he left too much time. The Rams are going to the Conference finals.
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That game was not a work of art with the turnovers, especially from the Rams. I digress, it's been a weekend for the underdogs. Let's see if Buffalo can complete the sweep..
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Tom Brady: I'm on the comeback.
Cooper Kupp: Hold my beer.
Even with the win, the Rams need to cut Cam Akers.
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It would be a complete sweep of road teams. Too bad that didn't happen in 2015 LOL!
For the 3rd game of 3 as of this point, a field goal decides the game. Plus, for the first time, there will be a conference championship game at the site of the Super Bowl
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6195+ days since a team won back-to-back Super Bowls. Kudos to L.A. Rams on the win today :-)
This will officially be the first Super Bowl with Collinsworth announcing that will not feature Tom Brady in it. Cris has been colour commentator in all of Brady's super bowl appearances : 39 (fox), 46, 49, and 52 (NBC). In my opinion. If Tom DID end up making the Super Bowl, I think he would be on the losing end. He hadn't been a winner in an even-numbered Super Bowl since Feb. 1, 2004
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Have I ever mentioned how much I really hate the NFL's overtime rules? :(
Hell of a game though. One for the ages for sure.
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The overtime rules do suck. It was the Chiefs who were on the other end of it in the 2018 AFC Championship Game. I'd rather they adopt college overtime rules or play out a full quarter.
Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes are gods. I always thought that the longest game in NFL history on Christmas Day 1971 was the greatest divisional round game ever. Now, I think the Allen-Mahomes showdown is the greatest divisional round game ever. Man, Allen and Mahomes were both so clutch when it mattered. Travis Kelce is the best tight end in the NFL right now. WOW!
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I'm not a fan of the overtime rules, especially when it comes to tonight's result. Especially when you factor in the fact that the Bills antagonist was in the same spot in the very same stadium, but with the opposite result (as mentioned).
That being said, I'll take this over the college rules all day, any day, period. Especially now since they changed the rules to a 2-point conversion contest in the 3rd OT and beyond.
I do think that they need to modify it a little bit (and I'll map out what I'd do later); I've often said to try and win in regulation. Both teams did everything they could in regulation. This is one of those cases where I can't fault the Bills or even the Chiefs. Most times, people play for the tie or play it safe and settle for OT, and it costs them. Kansas City was actually going for the win with 13 seconds left. That's how you do it
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Opening Lines & Over / Under Totals:
Kansas City Favored By 7 (O/U 53.5)
Los Angeles Favored By 3.5 (O/U 46.5)
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On TV:
Cincinnati at Kansas City - 3 PM ET, CBS
San Francisco at Rams - 6:30 PM ET, Fox
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Sean Payton has announced he is stepping down as head coach of the Saints.
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Here are couple of links to the Breaking News Ccook posted as I was updating my tags to make sure I posted the correct message from the Rap Sheet.
1486048076343226370[/tweet]]Sean Payton Stepping Down As Saints Head Coach (http://[tweet)
Payton Era Ends After 16 Years (https://www.nfl.com/news/sean-payton-stepping-down-as-head-coach-of-saints-after-15-seasons)
BTW, this was rumored on Sunday morning from Ian Rapoport around the same time news on Brady not being committed to 2022 broke
ETA: Source/Proof courtesy of the main NFL Webpage
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A week from today, the Washington Football Team announces their new name. A dude on YouTube claims that the name was leaked, and it's the Washington Commanders. Of course, this is to be taken with the ol' grain of salt. Wait till it becomes official.
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Official: Ben Roethlisberger calls it a career. (https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/steelers-legend-ben-roethlisberger-officially-announces-his-retirement-from-the-nfl/)
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The Denver Broncos are hiring Nathaniel Hackett as their new head coach, making him the first new head coach hired of the offseason. Hackett had been the Offensive Coordinator of the Green Bay Packers for the past 3 seasons, and with him and Aaron Rodgers having a great relationship this fuels speculation the Broncos will trade for Rodgers to be their new QB.
https://www.nfl.com/news/broncos-finalizing-deal-to-make-nathaniel-hackett-new-head-coach (https://www.nfl.com/news/broncos-finalizing-deal-to-make-nathaniel-hackett-new-head-coach)
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Hackett actually might be the second. Maybe the first with Matt Eberflus being announced prior (https://www.nfl.com/news/matt-eberflus-bears-hire-colts-dc-as-head-coach), but nevertheless, 2 of the 9 vacancies have been filled.
The Denver hire, IMO was better. Offense seems to be the key. A lot of success has come from HC with offensive minds (outside of Bill Belichick, everyone that's won the Super Bowl featured a head coach with an offensive background). 2013 was the last time a defensive-minded guy won the Big Game (save for 2014, 2016, and 2018).
The last four teams left featured teams with an offensive coach. Maybe Eberflus works out, but it's Fields' second year; a decent OC would be needed in Chicago
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Commanders is out as the new name for Washington. Commanders.com was already registered by another interest. So we wait till February 2 for the actual name.
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Aww shucks! The Commanders would've been a cool name for Washington. Though I think I recall that it had been unavailable around this time 1.5 years ago. I'd still stick with calling them Washington anyway, and their eventual new name could be uninspiring enough that maybe The Football Team would work as their permanent name. Though they haven't won enough to be considered that in addition to its lameness.
Staying with that division, the New York Giants have hired their next coach (https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/giants-hire-former-bills-offensive-coordinator-brian-daboll-as-their-next-head-coach/). Now the former Bills OC, Brian Daboll brings 4 years of recent success from Buffalo. With the exit of Daboll and the Giant's new GM Joe Schoen, also from Buffalo (assistant GM) who was hired a week prior, that's a big loss the Bills will have to deal with. It's sad too since you'd think Buffalo would attempt to go for it one more time. It could be good news for New York, but I don't know if it'll be at a championship level. However, it could be enough for the NFC East.
FYI: Pretty significant line movement between the AFC Title Game the last time I checked. Kansas City is now favored by 7.5. Wowzers! Los Angeles is still favored by 3.5. That might change prior to the NFC Title Game if it hasn't already
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Ratings & Viewership For The Divisional Round:
If last weekend is a trend of what’s to come, then it’s possible the NFL can set a new record for their conference championship games & a seven-year old super bowl record.
Totals:
Chiefs/Bills: over 42.74 Million Viewers (21.7 rating)
Rams/Bucs: 38.1 Million Viewers (Hollywood reporter)
Bengals/Titans: 30.75 (HW reporter)
Niners/Packers: 36.92 (HW reporter)
The Cincinnati/Tennessee game was the most watched game in that spot since 2016, and the Kansas City & Buffalo was the most watched Divisional Round game in 5 years & the most watched one on CBS in 6 years. Los Angeles/Tampa Bay posted a 19.8 rating.
The info comes to you courtesy of Sports Media Watch (https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2022/01/nfl-ratings-bills-chiefs-divisional-viewership-most-watched-rams-buccaneers-packers-49ers/) and several other places including the Hollywood Reporter
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Tom Brady calling it quits after 22 seasons & halfway to his 45th birthday. That's your breaking news for January
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I'm surprised he's retiring because he'd always talked about wanting to play at 45 and it feels weird to walk away from that goal at the precipice of it.
Tom Brady walks away as the GOAT quarterback and NFL player. In fact, my overall Mount Rushmore of Pro Football would be George Halas, John Madden, John Facenda, and Tom Brady.
Congratulations to Tom Brady on a fabulous career.
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My picks for the AFC and NFC Championship Games:
Rams over 49ers.
Chiefs over Bengals.
It'd be cool if it went the other way though. If the 49ers and Bengals win, we'd get a rematch of Super Bowl 23, one of the best of my childhood. I can still hear Dick Enberg's voice: "Montana. Touchdown! John Taylor!"
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We'd also get a Super Bowl 16 rematch. The other classic duo of Summerall & Madden calling their first of 8 Super Bowls together. I'm actually picking both of those teams against the spread, but I'll post tomorrow morning whether I'll go with them outright. Still waiting on last minute injury news.
By the way, looks like we have to pump the brakes on the Tom Brady stuff. I think it's still going to happen, but it's not as definitely as it appeared when the news broke prior to his agent and later his dad saying he's far from a decision
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If Brady does retire, some think Rodgers will head to Tampa Bay. We shall see.
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I’m going to go with Cincinnati for the win. Maybe it’s a petty hedge, and I’m likely to be wrong, but I’m going with the Bengals for the win since the events that occurred the week before benefit Cincy more than KC.
There may be nothing the Bengals can do to prevent another 9-sack disaster. They’ll have the offseason to fix their line (something they should’ve started in 2019-2020). Burrow is a no-excuses kinda guy. Kansas City is a better team than Tennessee. However, Cincy did beat them. It was a home game but the time and way they won is no joke. The Chiefs finished a late game in OT, and that spots Cincinnati a day and then some.
Probably an easy pick that I’m zagging on while everyone’s zigging. Of course, I picked the Chiefs and Bengals to each win both of their first two games, and I was correct. So I may or may not be right, but it’s not like ignoring them as a contender sorta like I did with the 49ers.
Speaking of San Francisco, I’m picking them to win. Unlike the AFC Title Game, I have more company here. The Niners have had LA’s number for quite a long time. That even includes that awful year in 2020, but it also includes a down year for the Rams in 2019 when the SF went 13-3 and was the top seed on the way to the Super Bowl. This year, the Niners blew out Los Angeles, and when the opposite was about to occur, SF rallied and won. That was the last time I picked San Francisco to win the game. As for Los Angles, I don’t think I’ve picked them to win a game either. Definitely a reversal of the AFC side, but it goes into the regular season where the only time I picked them to win, they lost (save for Week 18). That’s for the most part.
I guess I’m betting on Stafford to turn into the turnover version of him. Unless that happens, Los Angeles will have a shot. As mentioned, the D line for SF is top notch to the Rams O Line. However, there are some legit people on the defense for the Rams. If they can cause misery for the Niners offense, the Rams are going to be the first team to play at home for both their conference game & the Super Bowl, with a chance to win their second title, and second in as many cities
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For the first time in 33 years, the Bengals are going to the Super Bowl. Will they meet the 49ers there for the third time? We'll know later tonight.
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(https://i.imgur.com/INF9oNP.png)
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Twenty-two years to the day of winning Super Bowl XXXIV as the St. Louis Rams, Los Angeles has clinched the NFC Championship with a 20-17 victory against the 49ers.
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For the first time ever, a conference championship winner will win a home game to advance to the Super Bowl on their Home Field!
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https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10155634874873484 (https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10155634874873484) I guess for a Price quip? I know Cody Davis should be on the Pats now, but whatever.
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First Line/Odds: Los Angeles is favored by 4 vs Cincinnati. Over/Under is 50
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This is a classic case of the young guns against the grizzled veterans.
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Matthew Stafford sure proved his haters in Detroit wrong.
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No doubt many members of Lions management are now heavily lamenting letting him go. If he can lead Los Angeles to the victory, it'll more than validate his career to date. Cincinnati, meanwhile, has certainly earned coming this far for all the years of misery that have preceded this moment, and at least this time doesn't have to worry about John Candy being there in SoFi Stadium (at least physically) to inspire the Rams to victory as he did in Super Bowl XXIII. May the better team win.
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1488522498060824583[/tweet]]Now it's official. (http://[tweet)
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Picking the Rams for two reasons. As a SoCal native, the Rams are the only vested interest I have (and have had through the playoffs). Second, as Georgia has been home to me for many Saturday afternoons in the fall, a Rams win with Stafford helming would be the cherry on an already generous ice cream sundae for Bulldog fans.
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The new name for Washington won't be announced till later this morning but sources--including WRC (NBC) in Washington--say it will be the Commanders.
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Brian Flores has sued the NFL and three teams -- the Dolphins, Broncos and Giants -- alleging discrimination regarding his interview processes with Denver and New York and his firing last month by Miami.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/33194862/brian-flores-sues-nfl-others-former-miami-dolphins-coach-alleges-racism-hiring-practices?platform=amp
Yikes!
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It's official: say hello to the Washington Commanders. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2022/02/02/washington-football-team-new-name/)
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Meh. There may have been a ton of better choices, but there also could've been a lot of worse ones as well. At least they actually & finally settled with a new name
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The Jaguars hire Doug Pederson has coach, thus meaning going by the scheduling rotation that he'll be returning to Lincoln Financial Field at some point next season.
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Two new hires: Lovie Smith is Houston's new head coach while Dennis Allen fills the HC shoes in New Orleans.
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Associated Press NFL Awards
MVP: Aaron Rodgers
OPOY: Cooper Cupp
DPOY: TJ Watt
COY: Mike Vrabel
DROY: Micah Parsons
OROY: Ja'Marr Chase
CPOY: Joe Burrow
ROY: Ja'Marr Chase
The Cincinnati Bengals, my Super Bowl pick FTW, pretty much cleaned up Thursday night. I can see several of the awards going another direction, but I pretty much agree with all of it
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The 2022 Hall of Fame class is Leroy Butler, Tony Boselli, Richard Seymour, Sam Mills, Bryant Young, senior Cliff Branch, coach Dick Vermeil, and contributor Art Mcnally, a ref.
For the most part I'm okay with this, but how on god's green earth did Bryant Young get in over Demarcus Ware? Demarcus Ware is a major snub.
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(Holding my nose)
Rams 27, Bengals 19
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The 2022 Hall of Fame class is Leroy Butler, Tony Boselli, Richard Seymour, Sam Mills, Bryant Young, senior Cliff Branch, coach Dick Vermeil, and contributor Art Mcnally, a ref.
For the most part I'm okay with this, but how on god's green earth did Bryant Young get in over Demarcus Ware? Demarcus Ware is a major snub.
I pretty much forgot Ware was up this year. I remembered around November; seemed like he was getting in with no one threatening his first year entry.
Fortunately this looks like this will be the last year for a while they NFL Honors & HOF revelation will occur on the Thursday before the Super Bowl (instead of the day before). I wasn't even excited for anything this year, but it did hit me when Ware didn't get the call. Not really a lock, but that was a little surprising, I agree.
No first-ballot guys this year, which is odd. That usually happens, even when people don't deserve it. Hester can wait, Johnson? Meh. The problem, however, is the log jam of HOF candidates returns; IOW, they were finally getting people in that should've been there earlier (Faneca in 2021, Boselli this year). There should be room the next couple of years, esp 2024 before legit people become eligible mid-decade. Joe Thomas should be a lock in 2023. Revis? Maybe, Deebo? Maybe not. Good thing there s a coach category instead of having a HOF coach take up one of five spots!
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Agree Ware probably should have gone in right away, although he should make it within a year or two. I myself am disappointed they're still holding out on Eric Allen when he has more than enough career interceptions to qualify; of his longtime teammates, I also think Clyde Simmons has enough sacks for solid consideration.
Sam Mills was also long overdue in making it, joining his longtime partner Rickey Jackson finally. Does anyone here think their fellow Dome Patrollers Pat Swilling and Vaughn Johnson also did enough to make it?
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Agree Ware probably should have gone in right away, although he should make it within a year or two. I myself am disappointed they're still holding out on Eric Allen when he has more than enough career interceptions to qualify; of his longtime teammates, I also think Clyde Simmons has enough sacks for solid consideration.
Sam Mills was also long overdue in making it, joining his longtime partner Rickey Jackson finally. Does anyone here think their fellow Dome Patrollers Pat Swilling and Vaughn Johnson also did enough to make it?
Swilling won a Defensive Player of the year award in 1991 and was a 5 time Pro Bowler and 2 time 1st team All Pro. I think Swilling has a case. FWIW, this was Mills's last year in the modern era pool, so it's a good thing he made.
Eric Allen is the most underrated CB of the 1990s. In fact, I think that amongst CBs whose primary decade was the 1990s. only Deion Sanders and Rod Woodson were better.
I pretty much forgot Ware was up this year. I remembered around November; seemed like he was getting in with no one threatening his first year entry.
Fortunately this looks like this will be the last year for a while they NFL Honors & HOF revelation will occur on the Thursday before the Super Bowl (instead of the day before). I wasn't even excited for anything this year, but it did hit me when Ware didn't get the call. Not really a lock, but that was a little surprising, I agree.
No first-ballot guys this year, which is odd. That usually happens, even when people don't deserve it. Hester can wait, Johnson? Meh. The problem, however, is the log jam of HOF candidates returns; IOW, they were finally getting people in that should've been there earlier (Faneca in 2021, Boselli this year). There should be room the next couple of years, esp 2024 before legit people become eligible mid-decade. Joe Thomas should be a lock in 2023. Revis? Maybe, Deebo? Maybe not. Good thing there s a coach category instead of having a HOF coach take up one of five spots!
I agree on Boselli being long overdue.
I've thought all along Joe Thomas was a lock for 1st Ballot, but Ware not getting 1st ballot has shaken my confidence in that.
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Swilling won a Defensive Player of the year award in 1991 and was a 5 time Pro Bowler and 2 time 1st team All Pro. I think Swilling has a case. FWIW, this was Mills's last year in the modern era pool, so it's a good thing he made.
Eric Allen is the most underrated CB of the 1990s. In fact, I think that amongst CBs whose primary decade was the 1990s. only Deion Sanders and Rod Woodson were better.
I've thought all along Joe Thomas was a lock for 1st Ballot, but Ware not getting 1st ballot has shaken my confidence in that.
Good logic for all of them. And also, in additional regards to the Gang Green defenses of the late 80s-early 90s, do you think Jerome Brown is worthy with just enough years played to be considered? It would be admittedly a bit borderline with that in mind, but if Terrell Davis could rightfully get in with basically the same amount of seasons played, one would have to in theory consider Brown, who likely would have ended up with a Hall of Fame resume had fate been kinder, and in the time he did have put up pretty impressive numbers
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Despite a left knee injury for Rams wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in the second quarter and whose questionable to return as per this 1493025640861237250[/tweet]]tweet (http://[tweet), they are leading 13-10 against Cincinnati at the half.
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AMAZING halftime show, first off!! :-D :D
Also, congratulations to the Rams on your fist super bowl win since 2000!! (8051 days ago) :-D :-D
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Cincinnati should really consider getting an offensive line that doesn't let their QB get sacked eight times in a game.
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Cooper Kupp continues to be among Stafford's best weapons.
Hey Bengals, at least you covered, thanks to the Rams failing on the 2-point conversion. Some decent cheddar is being filed out.
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Meh. Cincy would've found a way to cover the spread. Not sure how if the game plays out to where the Rams convert the 2 pointer, but the game just plays out that way.
I'll be honest, while Cincinnati needs to fix their line to really be dangerous, I don't know or think they will. You just don't know with Mike Brown running things. We'll see, but they might consider doing so since the AFC will respect the Bengals more than before and give them their best. Plus, Baltimore probably won't have their entire team on IR or down and out in 2022.
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Double sweet night for Rams WR Van Jefferson. His wife went into labor during the game and was rushed from the stadium to hospital. After the game, Jefferson skipped the celebration and at the hospital joined his wife who had delivered a baby boy.
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That's very nice. Jefferson making it to see his son enter the world beats any celebration. Pretty neat he was able to do that and still participate in the Super Bowl. FWIW, a lot of great moments from the winning team (which is usually most years at the very least). We had a couple proposals, kids playing in confetti, and pretty much players calling it quits. Winning as an actual part of the team is super great, over a fan of the team or even someone pulling for them.
So the ratings are still not available as of this post. That would mean the final ratings and viewership, but it will top Super Bowl 55 for sure. How high or whether it’ll Top SuperbowlXLIX will be determined as soon as possible.
I wanted a good game, as did most of everyone else, and that’s how things played out. I was on point with the under and with Cincinnati ATS (against the spread, which ranged from 3.5 to 4.5 before kickoff). I picked the Bengals to win their first title 21-18, so I was wrong there but I (and some of the smartest out there) figured that it wasn’t going to be a Rams blowout or a shootout. A 23-20 final score proved that. I believe the over hits with ease had Cincy converted that fourth and one to get Evan in position to send things to OT (a true coin-flip).
What a season. A lot happened, both on and off the field. We’ll see what happens with the Brian Flores stuff (FWIW, the lawsuit that was filed goes over several items including tanking in Miami possibly for $100,000 a loss, the inadvertent text from Belichick to Flores about Daboll being the guy before Flores even interviewed, and Elway/Ellis being drunk for Brian’s Denver interview back whenever).
Onto next year, or whatever’s next. There no more football until September 2022 (or August if you count preseason, though they really could start in August on a weeknight prior to Labor Day if they wanted to). However, one key item that makes football king is the off season stuff. Not stupid things, but happenings connected to the new season (or the aftermath of the preceding season like retirement). That includes Free Agency, The NFL Draft, and the Schedule Release. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with the Rams, Bucs, and Packers. Who knows whether Cincinnati will successfully address their O-Line issue!
Maybe it’s cliché, but people are placing the Rams as the team most likely to return to the Superbowl (if not continue its success). Meh; I don’t know about that. They’re so over, whereas the Bengals are fourth in cap space with their best players under control until 2023. The Rams got the title, the motivation might die down with the loss of a lot of people.
Finally, next year’s Super Bowl favorites include: Buffalo at 7/1, Dallas at 12/1, Green bay at 13/1, and San Francisco at 15/1. Kansas City is at +750, while the winners Los Angeles opens at +1200. Runners-up Cincinnati is actually tied with 2021 early favorite & division rival Baltimore at 20/1. Houston, still the only franchise to never host a divisional round and/or reach the conference title game weekend, is 180/1. Just lovely. This is as of 02/14/2022 & definitely subject to change
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Two final things to mention as the 2021 NFL has officially come to a close:
Minnesota’s hiring of now former Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell is now official. The Vikings really couldn’t do much while Los Angeles was still playing. So, after Jim Harbaugh went back to Michigan, there was still this void (even though it wasn’t), but all the near dozen spots have been filled.
The Super Bowl ratings & viewership totals have varied from all of the sources. I’ve seen a 36.9 rating, courtesy of Showbuzz Daily, where they also mentioned over 99 Million in terms of viewers. Nonetheless, it looks like things rebounded after last year’s major dive. According to Yahoo Sports, 112.3 Million in viewers was the total.
While things may have peaked mid-decade in the 2010s, Sunday’s game was the best showing in quite a long time. That may have been aided by the teams and the Halftime show. M.A.S.H Series Finale in 1983 is still Top Ten overall, and Super Bowl XLIX is still the most watched program in television history