NFL - Discussion Thread

History repeats. ;)

I think you may be right Warrior13 going with the Falcons next week, after Green Bay's brutal game against Dallas this week it's going to be tough for them to get up for another tough away game with so little time to recover. The Packers gave up 18 points in Q4 and just managed to hang on, was that tiredness or did we witness the start of a Dallas dynasty this year? I'm picking Dallas for the Super Bowl next year without a shadow of a doubt, now they have experience and motivated after such a heart breaking loss they are going to be tough to beat.

« Last edited by Sanzano on Jan 16th 2017 »

Dallas can definitely become a dynasty. I'll be shocked if they don't win a Superbowl in the next 5 years at least. Dak and Elliot may be around playing together for another 10 years.

I too have Atlanta scraping past Green Bay, but it should be close. Considering Atlanta put up 36 points on one of the stingiest defenses in the league they could easily put a 40 burger on Green Bay. Both teams have average defenses so it should come down to which offense; specifically quarterback, performs better.

And remember, Atlanta have a 67% chance of winning the Superbowl ;)

Realistically New England should thrash Pittsburgh; they couldn't even score a touchdown in their match. But then again last season I said the same about Denver and look what happened.



« Last edited by Matt77 on Jan 16th 2017 »

I can't see the Patriots losing to the Steelers next week, especially as its in Foxboro. Don't particularly want to see Tom Brady get his fifth Super Bowl ring as it would surpass Joe Montana's record and Montana and as far as I'm concerned he was the best ever, if Montana played in todays era with todays rules he'd have about seven Super Bowl rings and monster stats.

Atlanta are currently playing at their best but I don't think it is good enough to beat a balanced team like the Patriots who have arguably the best coach and quarterback to play the game leading them.

The only way Atlanta or Green Bay are going to beat New England is to score lots of points. A low-scoring game will be a nightmare for the NFC contenders.

That's exactly how I see things playing out. I think Aaron Rogers has a better chance that Matt Ryan to be honest mainly because he has the experience of being on the big stage and is playing well.

I tend to agree. However Ryan has been playing as well or at least to the same level that Rodgers has been in the last 2 months minus the 2INT KC game. If Rodgers is going to have that better chance, he first has to find a way past Atlanta. They will have one day extra preparation, will not have to fly out, will play at home for the second consecutive week while Green Bay will play away for the second consecutive week, and the players will be mentally better off before the game (can sleep in their own beds). Plus Green Bay are coming off a narrow win in a seesawing game away from home while Atlanta are coming off a dominant display at home.

Use the same logic for the AFC Championship game and New England are far better off as well.

After watching KC and Pitt play, I don't think either team will give the Pats a challenge. The line opened at +6 Steelers, I could easily see the Patriots winning by double digits.

Green Bay vs Falcons should be interesting, both higher powered offensive teams. The line opened at +4 Green Bay, I could easily see that shrinking before game day. If I had to pick right now I would lean towards Green Bay, they have the momentum going. I may change this pick closer to game day, tbh this game feels like a coin-flip to me.

« Last edited by K Dawg on Jan 16th 2017 »

Unless something disastrous happens early in the game for either team it should be close to the end with both teams scoring 30+ points. The winner will be the team that has the least turnovers, if one of these teams scores twice in quick succession it could be the end of the game for the other team as neither is great defensively. The key to this game I feel is staying within one score of the other team, neither team wants to be in the position of playing catch-up. I have a feeling the fresher, playing at home Falcons will edge it even though I think Green Bay are the better team.

« Last edited by Sanzano on Jan 16th 2017 »

The only way the Steelers win is if Leveon Bell can establish a ground game to wear down the Pats' defense. That relies on the Steelers defense holding half the Patriots' drives to field goals and touchdowns.

But the Falcons and Packers will be fun to watch for sure. Whoever wins that match is who I will root for in the Super Bowl. The one thing holding back the Packers are their injuries.

Also Warrior, I turned the Miami-Pittsburgh game off after the second strip sack. *sigh* maybe when Tom Brady leaves, there will be hope...

« Last edited by FreezShock on Jan 16th 2017 »

Yeah, I'm with you on that one FreezShock, I'll be supporting the NFC team in the Super Bowl regardless who wins next week. I think the Steelers are wasting their time turning up at Foxboro for their game. Let's be honest, only die hard Steelers fans believe they have a chance and I think that's just wishful thinking on their part, the rest of the world has resigned to the fact that it will be the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

« Last edited by Sanzano on Jan 16th 2017 »

Yeah, I still have the Pats winning against the Steelers. New England might not have as good of a Scoring Defense as KC, but their offense will surely score more than 16 against the Steelers' somewhat mediocre Defense.

I also have the Falcons winning too. Yeah, Green Bay is uber hot right now, but Rodgers and his O-Line hasn't seen as good of a Defensive Line as Atlanta has in quite a few weeks. Giants had a nice D-Line, before they threw in the towel against the Pack...

I might as well play Pokemon X and run around in the Friend Safari rather than watch the AFC championship - my chances of finding a Shiny are higher than the chances of Pittsburgh winning.

My Conference Championship Predictions: This Season: 154-108-2 (59%) | Last Week: 2-2 | This Week: 2-0

Atlanta 41-35 over Green Bay
An exciting offensive matchup that will come down to whether one team's defense plays out of their skin or whether one quarterback will dominate. I feel that at home Atlanta have the slight edge. They also had a bye 2 weeks ago. If the game was being played at Lambeau Field I'd go with Green Bay.

New England 31-26 over Pittsburgh
Should be a walk in the park for New England unless the trio for Pittsburgh all fire. Bell needs to continue his postseason form and rush for at least 100 yards and Ben needs to improve his away form specifically finding Brown on a decent amount of passes. There can only be 1 turnover from Pittsburgh because Brady isn't going to turn it over again after his 2INT performance against the 10-8 Texans. If Pittsburgh can perform well, they should keep it close, and hopefully score a touchdown this time.

« Last edited by Matt77 on Jan 22nd 2017 »

I completely agree, both Freez & Matt.

Should be good to watch, at least the NFC Championship. XD

Only if Green Bay lose. Spread the Superbowl love to teams that haven't won or featured in one before. Am absolutely rooting for Atlanta to prove the 67% chance stat right that I brought up before they scalped Denver.

I wish I had of placed some money on Atlanta at the beginning of the season when their odds were 50-1. If you had $100 dollors on them you'd be looking at a $5K pick-up if they win their next two games. Those odds have now been slashed right down to 11-5. The Patriots are 3-2.

I would cheer for the Falcons, but my mom is from Wisconsin. So... I like the Packers. Even so, I'm 60% Packers and 40% Falcons. Either way, I win!

My brother is a Dirty Bird fan and my sister loves Brady and Gronk, so we're pulling for those two. But I'd like to see Matty Ice win it all, primarily because he's the greatest gift Miami "gave" to Atlanta.

Please clarify. Most things in the NFL prior to 2015/16 are alien to me.