NFL - Discussion Thread

You're right about Mahomes and turnovers. Mahomes had 5 last week, and Brees has had 2 all season!

Indy are a very underrated team. Even when they were 1-5 I felt they were better than that. Now they're 5-5, and hosting Miami. Luck has thrown 3TDs in 7 consecutive games, and hasn't been sacked for an insane number of plays. For Pittsburgh, they easily could win that hypothetical matchup by a FG like they so often do, but I worry whether James Connor can keep his good form up, and the whole team for that matter. They've won 6 straight, and if their momentum stops at the wrong time, it could be fatal.

Matt: At this point, I'm not sure if the Colts will make the playoffs. They have as good of a shot as any to do so, but there is absolutely no way they will win on the road in the postseason. Not happening. Chargers would have a shot, but they usually choke and I would suspect them to do so on the road as well.

I'm pretty sure Dallas will win the NFC East, but I doubt they can defeat Carolina/Minnesota/Green Bay in the playoffs, even if they are at home. Chicago would have a shot, but if they face an NFC North Foe in the playoffs, it would be tough even at home.

NO WAY ANY WILD CARD WINNER NOT NAMED PITTSBURGH WILL TAKE DOWN PATRIOTS OR CHIEFS. Clearly the Saints and Rams should advance to the NFC Championship.

Um. Warrior, have you forgot about what KC do in the playoffs? Remember last season, at home, choking a 21-3 HT lead? Remember 2 seasons ago, when they scored 0 TDs? Do NOT believe in KC until they win in the divisional round of playoffs. There is a reason you taught me to never believe in KC.

Indy winning was an out there pick I admit. I picked them cause it's not interesting to just pick all the favourites. I actually think they have a shot though, as long as they keep protecting Luck the way they are. And for playoffs, I trust them more than Baltimore, Tennessee, Cincy, & Miami. I mean, Quarterback: BAL < IND, Consistency: TEN < IND, Defense: CIN < IND, Offense: MIA < IND.

Logically, if Indy beat Miami they will make the playoffs, and if Miami pull off the upset, Indy are eliminated.

« Last edited by Matt77 on Nov 24th 2018 »

Decent enough tipping week by all of us. We all have 9 correct tips this week Warrior & Dennis you both tipped no upsets, while I tipped San Francisco (L) and Cleveland (W).

Lamar Jackson has a very limited future in the NFL. He went well rushing once again, but his passing game was ugly.
Jacksonville are a disgrace. They lost to a team with a QB who went 8/19 for 160 yards... Bortles was worse... 7 losses in a row for Jacksonville who used to be 3-1...
Seattle got another comeback win against a playoff contender. Carolina used to be 5-0 at home! Down 20-27, Seattle scored a 37-yard TD to tie the scores on 4th and 3, and then after Carolina missed a FG, Seattle got one of their own! #6 seed: Advantage Seattle
Mayfield has made Cleveland look like drafting experts, as they got out to a 28-0 away lead and ultimately won 35-10, with Mayfield throwing 4TDs and 0INTs. Dalton got benched after such a blowout, and Cincy have to be eliminated from playoff contention now.
NE did the usual.
Barkley disappeared big time for NY Giants, as they gave up a big lead to lose by a FG. Now that Washington are gone from playoffs, I need Philly to keep winning.
Nick Mullens' NFL career is over after that performance. It sounds harsh, but you don't get too many tasks easier than the Tampa Bay D. Beathard will be back next week surely.
LA Chargers were trailing 0-10 at QT, only for Rivers to complete 25 consecutive passes (NFL record) and for them to win 45-10!
Miami had a 24-14 lead @ Indy, only for them to come back and win with a late FG. While there were 2INTs, Luck extended his streak to 8 consecutive games with 3TDs. Tannehill was solid, and clarly an upgrade from Osweiler regardless of the injuries on offense.
The Dogs failed on their trip to the red-zone to try tie the game, and Denver got a huge upset win! I was sure they were going to win with a last-second FG.

« Last edited by Matt77 on Nov 25th 2018 »

Dalton was not benched. He hurt his thumb. *rolls eyes*

Carolina screwed us. So did the Jags. As well as Pitt.

Bengals quit. Lewis must be fired.

Looks like the Packers/Vikings will decide the winner/winners for the week.

By benched I meant taken out of the game. I should've been more specific.

I was very tempted to pick Seattle, so I'm not surprised with their win. I only tipped Carolina because they were 5-0 at home pre-game.

Lol, Jacksonville. If Buffalo wasn't the opposition I would've been tempted to pick against JAX. But I thought they could at least do enough to beat Buffalo of all teams... How on earth has this happened to this team???????????????????????? 3-8??????????????

At this stage of the season having Bell would've been handy. Connor is still going ok, but he's in a small form slump. He's never played an entire season at this level before (I think) and definitely hasn't played any playoff games. They can't rely on Ben to throw 400 yards every week.

I must say I didn't expect Cincy to get thrashed despite tipping against them. Trailing 0-28, AT HOME, against a team who hasn't won 2 consecutive games forever, is abysmal. But watch out. Last season after being terrible they won their last 2 games against playoff hopefuls Detroit & Baltimore to keep Lewis's job. I wouldn't be surprised if he clings on.

Minnesota are up 24-14 with a quarter to go. Green Bay are lucky to even be in this game; Dan Bailey missed 2 consecutive FG attempts. I wouldn't be surprised at all if Green Bay come back and win this. Although it will be a challenge; Cousins is 26-32 for 299 yards, 3TDs 0INTs.

Well, things were going smoothly. They sacked Rodgers on 3rd down and then from their own 7 yards line, got to GB 31, before as he so often does, Cousins got sacked when he couldn't afford to be.

Hahahaha, Minnesota had to punt, but Green Bay fumbled!

« Last edited by Matt77 on Nov 25th 2018 »

My one upset pick. lol

Anyways, Green Bay are eliminated from playoffs. Not mathematically, but technically. Best case is they finish 9-6-1. No way that gets them the division, and in the NFC that record may not even be enough for a wildcard spot. Keep in mind Green Bay are 0-6 on the road too.

I went through and roughly predicted the final standings of the competition:

New England: 12-4 (2nd seed)
Miami: 9-7
Buffalo: 6-10
NY Jets: 3-13

Pittsburgh: 10-5-1 (4th seed)
Baltimore: 8-8
Cleveland: 6-9-1
Cincy: 6-10

Houston: 11-5 (3rd seed)
Tennessee: 10-6* (6th seed)
Indy: 9-7
Jacksonville: 4-12

Kansas City: 13-3 (1st seed)
Denver: 10-6* (5th seed)
LA Chargers: 10-6*
Oakland: 2-14

* 3-way tie. LA Chargers eliminated based on H2H with Denver. 5th seed would go to Denver for a better conference record
---------------------------------------
Dallas: 11-5* (3rd seed)
Philly: 8-8
Washington: 7-9
NY Giants: 3-13

Chicago: 11-5* (4th seed)
Minnesota: 9-6-1 (6th seed)
Green Bay: 8-7-1
Detroit: 5-11

New Orleans: 14-2 (2nd seed)
Carolina: 8-8
Atlanta: 6-10
Tampa Bay: 5-11

LA Rams: 15-1 (1st seed)
Seattle: 11-5 (5th seed)
Arizona: 2-14
San Francisco: 2-14

* Tiebreaker decided by divisional record
---------------------------------------

I had no idea how winnable some of Denver's games are. I see them winning out, beating LA Chargers at home in week 17 to sneak into playoffs. Tennessee also get the edge over Indy, just. I see them winning at home also, against Indy, also in week 17.
I also see Seattle potentially winning out, and easily taking the 5th seed. Carolina are in big trouble; 2 games against New Orleans make it very difficult to make playoffs. Minnesota get in with a mediocre 9-6-1 record.
Funnily enough, after all the talk of this stronger NFC, I see both wildcard teams in the AFC finishing 10-6.

tl;dr - LA Chargers @ Denver, and Indy @ Tennessee are 2 crucial week 17 divisional games.

« Last edited by Matt77 on Nov 26th 2018 »

Congrats of winning this week you two. My gut was telling me on Saturday to switch to Vikings, but I kept my pick based solely on my family's picks. There are fifteen of us picking this year, and I've been leading since Week 1. My uncle is the closest to me, only six games back. He ultimately picked the Pack, and since I had picked the Pack to begin with and didn't want to lose a game to him that could go either way, I kept it. I really need Houston to pull through tonight since he went with a Titans upset.

Denver could easily win out. Will they? I'm not so sure based on how they play at times. We shall see.

Already looked at next week's games. Some are easy, some are toss ups. My first look through as me at 9 home teams and seven road teams. We'll see.

« Last edited by Warrior13 on Nov 26th 2018 »

Matt, I had the same train of thought as you regarding the Carolina vs Seattle game. I actually changed it on Friday when I found out about Carolina's 5-0 home record.

How did the Jaguars lose to Buffalo, I know Leonard Forutne got ejected for fighting but even so I would have expected them to beat Buffalo. Not sure how Cleveland went into the Bengals back yard and destroyed them, must have been the motivation of Hue Jackson coaching their bitter rivals. I know Baker Mayfield wasn't happy about it. Philadelphia resoundingly stopped Barkley, have they decided they suddenly want to win the NFC East now that Washington has been pegged back. Not sure how Denver went to Pittsburgh and walked away with a win, I thought it was tough for the oppostion to win there and impossible for a mediocre team like Denver to do it. Bell must be laughing as the Steelers could use him right about now.

I'm suprised Warrior13 went with Green Bay against the Vikings after how badly they have been playing recently. I didn't realise I hadn't picked no upsets, I changed my selections at least three times during the week, it's just a coincidence I picked the same as Warrior13 who cannot be caught now unless something wierd happens in the NFL and all the favourites start losing which doesn't happen at this stage of the season.


« Last edited by Sanzano on Nov 26th 2018 »

Dennis, Dennis, Dennis. You've mixed up the home and away team, again! Denver were at home! If in doubt, look at the venue the game it being played at.

Warrior don't worry. Houston are at home, have a 21-10 lead, and Tennessee are facing a 4th and 34...
And Houston even scored, making it 24-10 at HT.

I have the same view with Denver. They could potentially lose some of them. But I favor them in every matchup.

Dennis, I think Buffalo and Josh Allen were fired up big time. Jalen Ramsey said in the pre-season that Allen was trash, and joked that Allen's practices were picks waiting to happen. Then DURING the match, he started saying "You trash" over and over again right in front of the Buffalo bench. Funnily enough after the match, Ramsey seemed annoyed that Allen wouldn't immediately shake his hand. That is ultimate karma. But geez, Ramsey sure is a locker room cancer...

Yeah, after picking off Dalton while leading 21-0, the Cleveland player went and GAVE Hue Jackson the ball! And apparently Mayfield wasn't Jackson's biggest fan either. But like Warrior said, it's probably that Cincy have quit.

Dennis, Philly have a 2% chance of winning the NFC East. I mean, they were trailing NY Giants, AT HOME, 3-19 at one stage. It was only a huge NYG choke that saved them. I predict Dallas to win out (including Thursday against NO), and even if they lose 1, Philly still need 10-6. Philly have been terrible this season.

Thought Colts/Jags would be a tough pick. Not now. Bortles has benched for Cody Kessler. The Offensive Coordinator has been fired. Leonard Fornette is suspended for the game.

Colts all the way now. XD

To be honest, Kessler isn't much of a downgrade. I see him as a solid game manager. The only problem is he is allergic to throwing deep. But they are so screwed without Fournette.

Houston thrashed Tennessee 34-17 after trailing 0-10 lol. This even happened with Mariota passing for 22/23 (96%) for 303 yards, 2TDs, 0INTs?!?!?! What the...

Do not let the numbers for Mariota fool you: only like two or three of his completions were for more than ten yards.

Mariota's completions were: (in yards)
2
19
-1
7
61 Touchdown
21
4
3
14
7
7
13
13
11
48 Touchdown
2
12
20
8
13

Lol. Lonely Master, Mariota passed longer than 10 yards 11 times...

Matt, I was just looking at our previous results trying to figure out how we got so far behind Warrior13 and noticed on Week 2 you dropped 5 games to me. If it hadn't been for that week you'd be challenging Warrior13 for the lead instead of being in a dogfight with trying to avoid coming in last place.

I see Rueben Foster has been released by the 49rs, I wonder if the Redskins will pick him up. The linebacker was part of the championship winning Crimson Tide team that Washington currently have five players from including Allen and Payne. Talk around the NFL at the moment says if Foster was reunited with his former team mates they would keep him on the straight and narrow. Is it worth taking a chance on this former number 1 draft pick or is he just trouble. He recently got arrested for domestic abuse. There's other players around the league that have issues that the fans brush under the carpet. The most famous being the current Pittsburgh quarterback who has raped young hotel workers twice and is still playing in the NFL.

Don't take him. He was a 1st round pick too, not #1 overall. He's had several warnings surrounding domestic violence incidents, and hasn't listened to any of them. Washington are better off drafting someone who has worked hard and not broken any rules. If this was his first offence, I'd say take him, but he clearly hasn't learned from his mistakes.

Yeah, when the NFL used to allow comments on their website there'd always be a few people hating on Big Ben. Who knows whether he really did it or if it's just girls after cash. But the fact it's supposedly happened more than once suggests it may be true...

What's with the NFL and their suspending of players??? It's so inconsistent. Brady got suspended for 4 games for the supposed Deflategate saga that wasn't even proven to be true. Jamieis Winston got suspended for domestic violence incidents. Mark Ingram got suspended for performance enhancing drug use. Yet Zeke Elliot was allowed to delay a suspension, and Big Ben gets no punishment. I don't like how powerful the NFL is to suspend players for non-football offences, but if they're going to enforce it, it has to be enforced for everyone.

« Last edited by Matt77 on Nov 27th 2018 »

My sentiments exactly Matt, something obviously happened regarding the player in question as they are two separate incidents that are very similar. But because he is the franchise player of the Steelers both incidents have been swept underneath the carpet by the NFL. I guess they don't want the scandal such an incident would cause, I know how protective the NFL is over their image.

You're right about Rueben Foster, he'll probably be more trouble than he is worth, just can't help but think he is the missing piece of the Crimson Tide defense that dominated college football and they could probably do the same in the NFL with him in place next to his team mates.

"...I know how protective the NFL is over their image."

Absolutely spot on.