NFL - Discussion Thread

Kansas still have to get past Cleveland, I don't think it is going to be as easy as people think. Kansas are not firing on all cylinders at the moment, they seem to just winning lately and Cleveland are excited to be in the playoffs. I expect Kansas to win in a close high scoring game, Baker Mayfield is playing very well since he lost Beckham Jnr.

I have selected Kansas but I'm actually rooting for Cleveland to win this one tonight. There's always an upset at this stage, there wasn't one last night so it maybe in one of tonights games.

Championship games next week I think are going to be:

Buffalo vs Kansas
Green Bay vs New Orleans

Super Bowl

Green Bay vs Kansas

If that happens it becomes a rematch of the very first Super Bowl in 1967 which Bart Starr and the Packers won. I personally would like to see Buffalo against Green Bay, if Josh Allen keeps playing the way he has been this year he will surpass Mahomes as the best quarterback. The guy gets better each season where I think Mahomes has peaked.

Warrior - Well, you could say that about any game, couldn't you? "If the oter team didn't make these key mistakes they would've won." But I see your point - the Bills haven't looked very impressive but they are really fun to root for.

I think KC will beat the Browns but it'll be close. I know it's heresy as a Steelers fan but I kind of want the Browns to win. Overall I'm hoping for a Bills/Bucs Super Bowl so we can see the Bills finally get revenge on Brady for beating them for 20 years. I think a Packers/Saints vs Chiefs is much more likely though.

Chiefs win. Didn't get close until Mahomes was knocked out with a concussion. If he's not back by next week, Bills will make it to the Super Bowl.

Bucs pull the upset. They are gelling.

I think Brees is done. Sad to see him go out like this if it is indeed the end.

« Last edited by Warrior13 on Jan 17th 2021 »

I'm going Chiefs & Bucs for next week. The same prediction I had back in the Preseason.

Will change if Mahomes isn't back.

Yeah, my pick depends on if Mahomes is back too, obviously. Really sucks that their season might end like that.

I'd love to see a Bills/Bucs SB but I'm leaning towards the Packers at the moment.

Bucs annihilated the Packers early in the year, and they did not have AB and they still were getting acclimated with each other. Gonna be close, but that is tough for the Packers.

Packers are rolling pretty smoothly too though

Yeah, but rolling over who? After losing to the AB-less Bucs, they defeated the Texans, Niners, Jaguars, Bears, Eagles, Lions, Panthers, Titans, Bears, and Rams (losing to the Vikings and Colts as well). No offense, but basically all those teams were equal to or less than mediocre, excluding the Titans (who didn't go very far this year because teams actually made Tannehill beat them) and the Rams (with an injured Goff). Packers ended up having the seventh easiest schedule, making their strength of record not all that amazing. Only the Redskins had an easier strength of schedule than the Packers among the NFC Playoff Teams.

I haven't seen much of the Packers but I don't rate them that highly, like Warrior13 says, they haven't exactly faced stiff opposition. The Bucs faced the Saints twice and Kansas during the regular season. Lost all three games but it gave the team experience. I wouldn't be surprised if the Bucs beat the Packers, the cold weather is not going to be a factor for Brady coming from New England. I bet Belichick and the Patriot organisation are no happy, they look foolish now not getting the two players Brady wanted for the offense.

I think I will go Buccaneers and Bills this week, I wasn't impressed with Kansas last week but I was with the Buffalo team tackling. Last time Rogers played the Buccaneers which was only October he looked dreadful completing only 16 of 35 for 160 and 2 interceptions. On top of that the running backs couldn't run against the Bucs defense. The Packers couldn't put pressure on Brady either, this could end up being a slaughter, something like 38-17.

« Last edited by Sanzano on Jan 19th 2021 »

Shame about my Cleveland pick. I was correct about KC being flat, but Cleveland just couldn't put points on the board.

Leaderboard:
1st - Dennis (6)
1st - Mike (6)
1st - Warrior (6)
4th - Me (5)

Regardless of whether Mahomes plays, I'll be going with the Bills and Packers. KC scored 22 points against one of the worst defenses in the league. I feel that Buffalo are peaking at the right time. They've had a scare against Indy, but got through it, while KC have had it all rosy in the playoffs.
I only tipped Green Bay because they're the home team. This is a genuine 50/50.

Deshaun Watson will be leaving Houston, surely. He's been very unhappy with how the organisation has handled themselves. He recently posted himself in an Atlanta jersey (he is from Atlanta, and was an Atlanta fan as a kid) on social media. He's also been tweeting cryptic messages. There are a number of teams that would try to trade for Watson, but only a few would have the draft capital to do so:
NY Jets
Miami
Philly
NY Giants
Detroit
Atlanta
Carolina
New England
Pittsburgh
Indy
Las Vegas
Denver
Washington
Chicago
New Orleans
San Francisco
LA Rams

« Last edited by Matt77 on Jan 19th 2021 »

The Chiefs were on pace to put up 40+ before Mahomes got hurt. lol

Buffalo peaking? More like backing into the conference championship. Indy would have won if not for a botched kick and an errant pass on fourth and goal. Baltimore would have won as well if not for two rare misses by Tucker and a horrible pick six in the red zone by Jackson. A win is a win, but Buffalo hardly won either of those games. lol

You guys are free to go with who you want, but I just do not understand not going with the more fearsome offense in years with the Chiefs and probably the hottest team right now in the Bucs.

« Last edited by Warrior13 on Jan 19th 2021 »

I'm still undecided. I want to go with KC but only if Mahomes plays. And I saw a stat that when Matt Milano plays for the BIlls this year they are undefeated and their run defense goes from 28th to 9th, and they're undefeated when he plays. He didn't play in the first game against the Chiefs this year. Plus if Henne is the QB it's hard to pick KC. I don't think he was necessarily terrible he just can't make the plays Mahomes can. I'm sure they'll get Mahomes in there though.

As for the NFC game, I don't know. I know that you can never count Brady out. But you can make the same argument against them that you can with the Pack. They've beaten Atlanta twice, Detroit, Minny, Carolina twice, Giants, Raiders, Packers, Chargers, Denver. Only 1 playoff team. I think regular season victories are mostly moot once the playoffs start, anyway.

« Last edited by steelersrock01 on Jan 19th 2021 »

Warrior - Mahomes got injured with 22 minutes left, while KC lead 19-10. After scoring to lead 22-10, they only got 2 more possessions for the rest of the game.

Yes Justin Tucker (best kicker in the NFL) missed 2FGs, but Tyler Bass (arguably 3rd best kicker in the NFL) also missed 2FGs. Had both kickers hit their kicks & Lamar not thrown that pick-6, it would've ended 16-16.

I'm just not convinced about KC. They've cruised to this point of the season, and have escaped some potential embarrassing losses (they should've been swept by Las Vegas):
- Beat LA Chargers by 3pts in OT (were trailing 6-17)
- Beat Carolina by 2pts
- Beat Las Vegas by 4pts
- Beat Tampa Bay by 3pts (almost choked a 27-10 3QT lead)
- Beat Denver by 6pts
- Beat Miami by 6pts (almost choked a 30-14 3QT lead)
- Beat New Orleans by 3pts
- Beat Atlanta by 3pts (Atlanta dropped a simple Mahomes INT that would've iced the game)
- Beat Cleveland by 5pts

If KC had lost all those regular season games, they would've finished 6-10. Obviously they wouldn't have, but had they lost the games they would've if not for opposition choking, they would've finished 12-4. I think some of those losses would've been a good thing, because it would remind the team what it feels like to lose.

I saw a stat yesterday that showed that with just the games the Texans LOST in 2020 Deshaun Watson had a passer rating of 107. That is absurd, can you imagine how good he could be on a decent team.

This week I'm going Tampa Bay and Kansas City IF Mahomes plays, if not Buffalo. Aaron Rogers seems to think he has an advantage over Tom Brady in cold weather, not sure how he works that out as most of Brady's playoff wins have come in Boston which is just as cold as Green Bay.

Matt: Chiefs were up 19 at half, having missed an extra point, Mahomes also having injured the toe on his plank foot early on. If Mahomes didn't get hurt, with both his toe and the later concussion, the Chiefs easily would've put up 40, perhaps even 50. The Browns didn't stand a chance until Henne was in the ball game, and they couldn't even close it out then because that's how much better the Chiefs were than they. Why do you think there is a seven point swig whether Mahomes plays versus the Bills or not? Because that's how f*n good the Chiefs are. lol

Let's be real: just as though the Bills should've lost both of their playoff games, so the Browns should've against the Steelers. I know things didn't happen that way, but come on, no way the Browns beat the Steelers if Pittsburgh didn't gift them, and by that I mean truly bless them, with five takeaways. You're suppose to win when that happens, and by way more than the eleven points they only did by. The AFC Divisional Round should have been Colts/Chiefs & Ravens/Steelers, but, again, that didn't happen because of horrible mistakes by Pittsburgh and crucially missed opportunities by the Colts.

Dennis: I completely agree. I think both games will be close, but I have the same outcomes. I only think the Chiefs/Bills will be close because Mahomes, assuming he plays, will still be a little shaken up. Outside of that, Chiefs would roll them like any other team. I think Bucs/Packers will be close as well since the Packers have something to prove after getting whooped by the Bucs earlier in the year, plus those not named Brady and Gronk aren't all that use to play in the cold. If I was the Bucs, I'd have my practice stadium Air Conditioning cranked as low as possible so the rest of the players can get ready, putting the practice balls in a cooler/freezer to help stimulate how rock hard they're going to be.

Hearing the Redskins really want Watson, but I think it would cost them quite a bit. I would have to imagine they would have to give up at least #19 and #51 in this draft, next years 1st Rounder, Montez Sweat, and either Smith or Hieneke.

« Last edited by Warrior13 on Jan 21st 2021 »

Dennis - that's true about playing in the cold, but also remember that Brady is used to having a bye week in the wild card round and playing all of his playoff games at home. I don't think it'll be much of a factor, but something to think about nonetheless.

I do think the Chiefs are gonna win if Mahomes plays especially cause Sammy Watkins and their rookie running back are supposed to be back as well.

Looks like Dwayne Haskins is now a Pittsburgh Steeler!!! Didn't see that one coming.

That's a good trade for Washington if the Texans take Matthew Ioannidis and not Sweat. Montez Sweat in my opinion was the best player for Washigton last year. I can't see that deal getting done, the Texans need a decent quarterback to replace Watson.

Yeah I can't say I saw the Steelers signing him happening. Cool, I guess. Just what they need, another young immature player in the locker room with a notoriously lax "player's coach".

Dennis: It would have to be Sweat, as he would basically be the third 1st Rounder the Texans would be receiving. It's going to take at least three 1sts to get Watson (plus extras), and Sweat holds more value than anyone not named Young (which would definitely be off limits). Losing Sweat would stink, but the Skins would still have Young, Payne and Allen. Getting Watson while still having three of the four DL, especially since they could replace Sweat in free agency with a guy like Shaq Barrett (or even Von Miller if he hits the market as some believe), could see the Skins dominate the NFC East for years to come.

« Last edited by Warrior13 on Jan 22nd 2021 »