NFL - Discussion Thread

To think, Brees could've been a Dolphin so long ago. ;_;

Then again he wouldn't have won a SB ring with us. He'd be Marino 2.0.

Not a very good week for me again, I got burned by quite a few teams, notibly Atlanta, Denver, Greenbay, Tennesssee, and Dallas who all lost. I nearly went down with Carolina until they beat the NY Giants with 6 seconds left on the clock with a 46 yard field goal.

It appears there are quite a few teams that for some reason or another don't play nearly as good on the road as they do when they are at home which is something I am going to have to look out for. All the stats available for each and every team and I barely get 50% of them right, I'm beginning to wonder if I will have more wins just flipping a coin.

I see James Connor ran for 110 yards on 21 carries and 2 touchdowns for the Steelers. I bet that stressed out Le'Veon Bell who wants to return to the Steelers, looks like they don't need him.


« Last edited by Sanzano on Oct 8th 2018 »

This week was a nightmare... Week 2 all over again... lol

I just don't get it with some of these teams. The Eagles and Jaguars, two super bowl contenders last year, win one week and then lose the next. The same goes for the Ravens, Packers and Broncos, except that none of them had all that great of a year last season.

Of course, after debating whether to picks the upsets of Buffalo and Cleveland and eventually not doing so, both of them win. lol

Apparently, Tennessee can beat any team, including the former Super Bowl Champions, that aren't found in the AFC East. Better remember that when they are facing the Jets and Patriots. lol

Mine and Matt's Phins lost again, but I expected as much. 3-2 isn't that bad. If we sweep the Bills and Jets, we, theoretically speaking, will have 6 out of 8 wins. Factoring in predicted losses against both the Vikings and Packers when on the road, we'll technically be 6-4. It's looking more and more that the Wild Cards for the AFC might be as low as 9-7, but we'll need to win ten just to the be on the safe side. In order to do that, we will need some key wins at home, most likely against the Pats, Lions, and Bears.

Denver proved last week that the Chiefs aren't this high and mighty team, even if the Jaguars poor defensive effort tried to prove otherwise. No team will ever go undefeated again, especially a team with as poor a defense as Kansas City. Wouldn't surprise me if the Patriots defeated them next week.

Falcons are done... unless they can somehow win 9/11 games with that beat up defense.

Panthers got sooooooo lucky with that 63 yard field goal to win the game... but I'm not complaining since I picked them. lol

The 49ers are so upsetting right now. CJ Beathard is just as good a QB as Jimmy G, and yet the Niners O-Line is still as dreadful as last year. Beathard is getting beat up. No wonder why Jimmy G tore his ACL while scrambling.

I'm not sure the Rams are as good as people think. Their defense can get quite lazy at times, probably because those players know just how explosive their Offense is. They are still the team to beat in the NFC, but they aren't unbeatable.

Anyone got the Redskins tonight? lol

Messy week of tipping, but we collectively did bad. My good form continues, and Dennis you're now back on even terms with Warrior Your Dallas upset fell through, but good job changing to Pittsburgh. We both got the Minnesota upset too. Warrior your Jacksonville upset fell through (did you REALLY trust Bortles?), but like Dennis you picked PIT. You tipped Philly though, so you lost out there. I won out with MIN, but my Atlanta upset fell through big time. Since week 3 began, I am leading 29-26-25.

WannaBeLikeMike - 47 (31)
Sanzano - 47 (43)
TheChosenOne - 45 (33)

The new arrangement of the NFL website is a mess to try analyse games on, but I'll do my best.

Denver really are god awful aren't they? I still think they should've picked a QB. Case Keenum is not a franchise QB outside of Minnesota. Graham Gano kicked a history-making 63-yard FG to bat NY Giants at the last second. Miami did their first choke in years, and it was AWFUL. Leading 17-0 against the so called chokers themselves, they were outscored 0-27 after that point, including 24pts in the last quarter! Cincy have officially lost the title of Cincinnati Bungles. That's 3 comeback wins this season from Cincy. Cleveland finally won an overtime game, and Baltimore showed just why you should never trust them. Detroit got a huge win in the context of their season, and they can thank Mason Crosby missing 4/5FGs and an XP! Kansas City found a D, and were very impressive against the disgusting Jaguars. What is with Bortles?!?! One week he torches opposition teams, then the next he's a dud. Tennessee showed me why I should have never trusted them, scoring 0TDs against Buffalo of all teams. Atlanta are so, so screwed, and sadly Pittsburgh are division favourites again. LA Chargers handles Oakland easier than I thought they would. Derek Carr just isn't goo enough at the moment. So many end-zone INTs... Minnesota piled the pressure on Philly in a crucial win. Kirk Cousins is literally carrying this team to wins, even if he makes some mistakes. Arizona somehow won a game comfortably despite being dominated. Beathard thoroughly outplayed a disappointing Rosen, but there are just too many picks. LA Rams got super gutsy, going for it on 4th & 1 at LA 42. If that fails they get criticised like Indy were. But it worked, so they get called heroes. Again Seattle proved how different a team they are at home. Houston got an overtime win against Dallas in what seemed like a dull game.

Dennis this was a great week for Washington. NY Giants lost a game in heartbreaking fashion to fall to 1-4, Dallas lost a game in overtime after they punted at HOU 42. Philly lost a game by 2 points where their comeback fell short. This means NY Giants are out of the picture for the division, and Dallas & Philly have some problems. IF Washington can break their Dallas hoodoo and get at least a 4-2 division record, the NFC East is theirs to lose.

What an awful choke by Miami. That was a huge chance to go 4-1 and keep up with the AFC pack. Tannehill has sadly regressed again, and all my talk about fantastic records under Gase and being undefeated when leading at HT can be thrown out the window now. Throwing 2INTs (one being a pick-6) and losing a fumble (returned for a TD) is unforgivable, and they were all done in the last quarter. It's lucky Miami got those 3 wins to start the year, because if they're not careful they may not get many more.

Warrior - You posted as I was typing. You were so right about Tennessee. They're just so...I don't even have words. Miami are 98% done though. No way in hell we beat Chicago. Mack & Co. will have a field day. Both Buffalo games look questionable now too, and Detroit & Indy should now beat us. I actually thought KC were impressive, but like you say they can't sustain this form and should soon return to their mediocre selves. You taught me well not to jump on their bandwagon. I agree about Beathard. He knows how to move down the field, but there are just too many INTs. If he sorts that out there's huge upside with him, and he could be a bargain if a team wants to pick him up. LA Rams did get complacent, but lets remember Seattle are a very good team at home. And no, Washington can't do it :(

Beathard is getting beat up, hard. :p

Too corny?

« Last edited by Matt77 on Oct 8th 2018 »

Trying to get the results right each week is proving to be more difficult than I first assumed. Next week I am going to try something different and see if I have more success. What I plan is giving the home team a 7 point head start regardless of who they are and then pick a winner. IfI had of done that this week I would have got a lot more results correct.

On paper you have to fancy New Orleans to win tonight which is why I have gone for them but I wouldn?t be surprised if Washington wins the way my luck has been this week, mind you that is one game I would?t mind being wrong on. Atlanta keep letting me down as does Green Bay, I don?t think neither team is up to much this season, especially when they play away from home.. I?m going to keep a loser eye on Carolina, they are quietly getting the job done each week.

« Last edited by Sanzano on Oct 8th 2018 »

As all three of us predicted the game followed the script and the Deadskins got blown away 43-19 to the Drew Brees led Saints. He threw for 363 yards and 3 Touchdowns as he broke Peyton Manning?s record passing for the most yards in NFL history. As for Washington, that?s twice now this season the team hasn?t turned up to play, they are like the Jeckyl and Hyde of the NFL, one dominant performance followed by a dud. Talking of duds, Adrian Peterson rushed for 6 yards on 4 carries, what sort of stat is that by a future first ballot hall of famer. NFC East is a really poor division this year with Washington currently leading it by half a game. Saints vs Rams will be an interesting game when they eventually cross paths on November 4th.

« Last edited by Sanzano on Oct 9th 2018 »

A couple of days ago I said:

Washington definitely have a chance, but I worry that they'll put together a performance similar to the 9-21 loss to Indy, who are 0-4 against all other teams they've played this season. Last season Washington stuffed the NO running game and gave other teams the formula to beat NO, but they let Brees tear them to shreds with not a lot of time left. If they're going to pull off the upset, they must make it the priority to stop Brees.

Oh dear me.

So awful by Washington. Alex Smith was mediocre at best and the running game was back to its best. Count on this, Washington WILL defeat Carolina next week. Tampa Bay, Cleveland, & Atlanta all had New Orleans in serious trouble, but only TB could land the killer blow. Champion teams need to be kicked when they're down, otherwise they'll run away to a 12-4 record. I can't believe Drew Brees is the top passer in NFL history, but hasn't ever won an MVP award.

Put Peterson's poor game down to the fact Washington couldn't get enough first downs. I mean, they only gave him the ball 4 times. New Orleans got torched by Tampa Bay and Atlanta. Alex Smith needs to do better. Like you say Washington are only in contention for the NFC East because it's an awful division.

Speaking of NFC East predictions, who knows who will win it now. Washington stunk after I had high hopes for them, but Philly have lost Jay Ajayi to a torn ACL. That's almost career over for Ajayi, who has really banged up knees at the best of times. Examples like the NFC East are why I don't like the division system for playoff qualification. I think playoffs should be awarded to the top 12 teams of the season, regardless of divisions or conferences. I mean, one season Carolina finished 7-8-1 and got a home playoff game, yet Philly finished 10-6 and missed playoffs completely!

Just wondering, how many current players do you think will make the Hall of Fame?

Tom Brady and Aaron Rogers are definates, everyone else will have to rely on the ballot to get in. You may say what about Drew Brees, isn't he a definite inductee after breaking the all time record for passing yards? There's two knocks against Brees, the first he plays half his games in a dome and secondly he is in an era where because of the new rules getting over 300 yards is not as difficult as it once was.

How many of these players do you think will make it? I personally think three or four with a couple of more having to wait a few years before they get enshrined.
Matt Ryan
Terrell Suggs
LeSean McCoy
Luke Kuechly
Kyle Long
A.J. Green
Joe Thomas
Jason Witten
Von Miller
Matthew Stafford
J.J. Watt
Adam Vinatieri
Jalen Ramsey
Adrian Peterson
Eric Berry
Antonio Gates
Aaron Donald
Ndamukong Suh
Harrison Smith
Eli Manning
Leonard Williams
Khalil Mack
Jason Peters
Ben Roethlisberger
Joe Staley
Richard Sherman
Gerald McCoy
Marcus Mariota
Trent Williams

It will be a disgrace if Brees isn't inducted. It doesn't matter if he plays half his games indoors, or if it's a modern era. About the modern era, Brady and Rodgers have played in exactly the same era. About the indoors, he still has to play 50% of games outdoors.

Of the players on your list there are a few I don't know, since this is only my 4th season following the NFL. But to me, the only player I could confidently sent into the HOF is Adrian Peterson. To me being inducted means you're at a completely different level to other players. Maybe some of the younger players on that list will make it, but that remains to be seen.

A lot of people say Eli Manning is almost guaranteed a place, but to me he's average. Yes he's won SBs and has had a pretty good career overall, but in his last 3 or 4 seasons he has been a mediocre QB.

« Last edited by Matt77 on Oct 10th 2018 »

When I think of great quarterbacks since the Super Bowl era Brees name does not come immediately to mind.

I can think of a few who I'd rather see inducted before Brees and definately Eli Manning.

Phil Sims (2 Super Bowls)
Jim Plunkett (2 Super Bowls)
Ken Stabler (1 Super Bowl)
Boomer Esiason
Ken Anderson

There's no way Brees is as good as Brady and Peyton Manning, that's for sure and they are the quarterbacks of his era that he will be compared to as they played with the same rules as him.

As for Peterson, I don't think he is an automatic entry either. He may have to wait a couple of years before he gets the call to have his bust done. I still can't believe Roger Craig hasn't been inducted. He played for the SF49rs and he was the first running back to gain 1,000 yards rushing and recieving in one year. What did Adrian Peterson achieve apart from being an all time top 10 rusher?

My question to you is, why is Aaron Rodgers a certainty and Brees questionable? Rodgers has won 1 SB (when Green Bay were the 6th seed) and is in the same era as Brees.

You don't immediately think of Brees when it comes to great QBs because he's been made to be an underrated player. You rarely hear about him. Just like we don't hear enough about his underrated stat to start the season, of 11TDs and 0INTs.

« Last edited by Matt77 on Oct 10th 2018 »

I can think of three areas of the top of my head where Aaron Rogers is superior to Drew Brees. There's throwing the deep ball, no quarterback in the NFL throws a better deep ball than Rogers. Mobility out of the pocket, Rogers is more atheletic basically, and decision making. When it comes to making the right decisions Rogers has the better track record by a mile. You'll no doubt hit me with a load of stats which show they are pretty similar but be honest Matt if you had to pick one who would you take? I'd take Rogers all day long. Not knocking Brees, he's had a remarkable career, not sure if it is Hall of Fame worthy though when you compare him with quarterbacks he'd be along side.

Tom Brady
Peyton Manning
Joe Montana
John Elway
Dan Marino
Jim Kelly
Warren Moon
Dan Fouts
Brett Favre
Troy Aikman

Mind you looking at my list now he's not that far off the bottom three. I wonder what Warrior13 thinks, he's probably seen the players above play.

I'm a fan of Brees, mainly because he kept New Orleans semi-competitive and kept them above 5-11 consistently, even when the defense was disgraceful for years, and the rest of the team was average. Ever since I started following (2015) NO were very average, before their revival last season. In those years, if Brees didn't play NO would've been 3-13 at best.

You have good points about Rodgers. I agree he is probably the better QB, but not by much. I find it unfair that Rodgers is basically a HOF lock, and Brees is questionable, despite them being close in ability.

Brees does have at least this season, and probably next season too, to add to his CV. If he could achieve 2 of becoming the leading passer in NFL history, winning another SB, and winning an MVP, surely he would be recognised more. New Orleans were a defender not choking-away from the NFC Championship game last season, and look to be playing at a similar level this season.

« Last edited by Matt77 on Oct 10th 2018 »

If New Orleans get to the playoffs and Washington are eliminated I will get behind the Saints. Brees is a good guy away from football so I?ll be rooting for them. I just don?f ?feel? nothing for the Rams, Patriots, and Chiefs. Now with Alvin Kamara back the Saints I feel have a decent shot if the can hold it together for the duration of the season.

Ugh... These picks...

My gut told me to go with the Broncos, but I went with the Rams instead. I better get a free win the Broncos end up winning. lol

Went with my Phins too. They need to win if they wanna make the playoffs. If they don't win, I will adjust accordingly for the rest of the season since it will obviously be a bust. :/

A had a few so-called upsets, but I don't know how absurd they are this week. (At least, not like picking the Broncos would have been.)

The theory of Dennis with starting the home team +7 sounds like a good one. I picked a few of the home teams in 50/50 matchups.

Cincy, NY Jets, & Tennessee could all screw me over, but the fact they were home swung me. Tennessee were listed as an upset. I don't care if Washington are listed as favourites; that is an upset pick. My other upset pick was Oakland over Seattle. Seattle are garbage away from home, even if Oakland aren't at home either.

10 home teams and 5 away teams this week.

« Last edited by Matt77 on Oct 10th 2018 »

Who is the favourite between Washngton and Carolina? I'm going Carolina, I think Christian McCaffrey will have a big day catching passes out of the backfield like Kamara of the Saints did against a Washington team that now has several injuries on defense. Adrian Peterson suffered a dislocated shoulder in the loss to New Orleans so I don't know if he wil be playing.

I'm also taking the Patriots to beat Kansas City. New England are at home and during the month of October since 2000 the Patriots are 58-18.

This is not as easy as I though trying to pick winners. Miami have a big game against Chicago they could do with winning. Not sure they can do it to be honest, the Bears are a vastly improved team.

I've got eight home teams and seven away teams.

According to the website, Carolina & Kansas City are upset picks. I agree with KC, but I'd think Carolina would be favourites.

I went with NE like you. KC have to slow down eventually, and NE are back to their absolute best. I went out on a limb with Washington because:
- They are at home (we've seen home teams win quite a lot of games)
- Carolina are due for a loss (should've lost, at home, to the woeful NY Giants)
- Washington's pattern has been WLWL (week 1 they got a shutout, week 2 they stunk, week 3 they easily accounted for GB, week 5 they stunk, so this week they will surely play well)

I think Miami's hot start to the season is over. Any hope of it continuing was extinguished by disgraceful 4th quarter play from Tannehill (0 score, 1 INT, 1 pick-6, 1 fumble-6) and an ultimate choke by the team after leading 17-0 in Q3. I'm just thankful Miami have banked 3 wins, because I can't see them winning many more. The offense has made 400+ yards in a game ONCE IN THE PAST 23 GAMES. I think Chicago will win that matchup 24-10, with Miami scoring a garbage time TD.

« Last edited by Matt77 on Oct 11th 2018 »

I had to laugh at the Giants losing to Philadelphia last night. Wentz proved that the Giants should have opted for a quarterback in the draft. Even rushing for over 200 yards Barkley and the G-Men still came up short. The quickest and most efficient way of getting into the end zone is throwing the ball. This has to be Eli?s last year I would have thought. No way the Giants fans are going to tolerate another year like this especially when their cross town rivals the Jets selected the player the Giants should have picked.