NFL Thread

[xaxat]

While he could afford it, I've never heard even a rumor about Musk having any interest about owning a NFL team. On top of that, he is kind of busy (both with managerial  and, more importantly, financially interests)

I have 50/50 on this ending up being a deal where Jay Z (who has been thirsting to be a part of the league for years) becoming a majority/minority owner.

The funny thing is that there are some some seriously rich billionaires that the general public has never heard of, who could buy the WTF. It wasn't Sam Walton (RIP) who set the record for franchise valuation when he bought the Broncos, but a family member.

ETA, Oh wait. This may have something to do with it.

Sources: U.S. attorney's office investigating Commanders over alleged financial improprieties

Edited November 2, 2022 by xaxat

[merylinkid]

14 hours ago, xaxat said:

The funny thing is that there are some some seriously rich billionaires that the general public has never heard of, who could buy the WT

Can I have the winning Powerball numbers @xaxat?

Apparently media entrepreneur Byron Allen (WHO???) is emerging as a bidder.   He would be the first majority African-American owner of an NFL franchise.  

https://wtop.com/washington-commanders/2022/11/fans-react-to-possible-commanders-sale-as-suitor-emerges/

[Carey]

Byron Allen was who I was thinking of more than Jay-Z in terms of who I'd like to see purchase an NFL team.  The former was in the mix for the Denver spot; it didn't work it, but Allen said he'd hope he would be able to get there one day.  There was optimism since I knew of a couple of teams that were/are close to an ownership change (Miami, Seattle, and here with Washington).

It would be a positive look for the NFL but it's easier said than done, I believe.

Non-related, Eagles are favored by 13.5 over the Texans.  I think Philadelphia will escape, Houston covers at home on a short week.  The under hits (44.5 O/U) since it can be a sloppy game with both teams sorta wanting to get the heck out of the stadium to start a longer break

[Salacious Kitty]

Showing my age, RIP Ray Guy. 

[Carey]

Glad he got into Canton & lived to enjoy that moment.

[merylinkid]

4 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Showing my age, RIP Ray Guy. 

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

[Xeliou66]

Here are my predictions for Week 9 in the NFL 

Eagles over Texans. 
Falcons over Chargers. 
Dolphins over Bears.  
Bengals over Panthers.  
Packers over Lions.  
Patriots over Colts.  
Bills over Jets.  
Vikings over Commanders. 
Jaguars over Raiders.  
Cardinals over Seahawks. 
Buccaneers over Rams. 
Chiefs over Titans.  
Ravens over Saints.  

[Lamb18]

Well I just got home from choir practice and here the Eagles and Texans are tied. I was thinking it would be a blowout. I know I will say Astros or Oilers instead of Texans.

[Xeliou66]

Eagles go to 8-0, they didn’t play great at times but overall they did their job, their offense moved the ball well and their defense got a couple of key turnovers. The Texans made it competitive against a much better team, Pierce is a really good rusher for them, but they just don’t have much talent and Davis Mills isn’t the answer for them.

[Carey]

The game was what you'd expect.  Philly still won comfortably, Houston covered, and the over just barely hit (go figure).  IOW, the numbers were on point for this TNF game.  Now, the Eagles get another long break after having come off of one before their division game at Lincoln Financial vs Washington

[merylinkid]

Al Michaels said it best "Good teams find a way to win bad games."    Eagles were not having the best night, but they managed to hold it together instead of imploding.   Things are looking good for them down the stretch.

[Danielg342]

I'm reminded of the post-game show on TNT after the Phoenix Suns outlasted the Seattle Supersonics. This was in Seattle's final season in the NBA, so the team was bad and Phoenix was in the midst of the Steve Nash years, so everyone expected a blowout. Instead, Phoenix only won by eight points.

Kenny Smith said afterwards that "bad teams don't get blown out all the time. They just find ways to lose". I think that very much applies to how the Houston Texans fared against the Philadelphia Eagles last night. Davis Mills throws a bad pass (one that was tipped, mind you) and that turns the game around entirely for the Eagles. The penalty after the ensuing touchdown that allowed the Eagles to go for two and make the game firmly a two touchdown lead also didn't help the Texans.

This is why when I look at the NFL, the NBA, MLB or the NHL that I don't believe there is any team so bad that they can't at least compete with everyone else. The talent level is too high. There are teams who are doing badly and teams that are doing well, and I still believe if you're a team worth your salt- like the Eagles- you'll find a way to beat the teams who are performing poorly, like Houston.

Still, last night, the Texans showed in the majors there are truly no "easy outs".

ETA- One other thing about the Eagles, because I'm starting to see the memes denigrating their success. Yeah, I too wonder if they're truly the best team in the NFL, and yes, it was only two years ago we saw Philly's in-state counterparts flounder after an 11-0 start. However, you can only play who's on your schedule, so I can't fault the Eagles for taking care of business as they should. We'll see what they're truly made of- they still have their last game against Dallas and both of their games against the Giants, games that, if the Eagles lose, could cost them the division- but I think after last night Philly showed they are full marks for their record as it stands.

Edited November 4, 2022 by Danielg342

[meowmommy]

Who the hell designed the schedule so there are eight early games and only two late games tomorrow???

And LA-TB, the "national" late game that a large swath of the country will have as their only option, is probably not going to be the big draw the league and the networks thought it was going to be before both teams started circling the drain.

Edited November 5, 2022 by meowmommy

[Black Knight]

28 minutes ago, meowmommy said:

Who the hell designed the schedule so there are eight early games and only two late games tomorrow???

Probably because of DST ending. Yes, there's that extra hour of sleep, but it's still a longer day and later in the day especially people will feel that when the clock says 8pm but the body thinks it's 9pm and so forth.

[meowmommy]

2 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

Probably because of DST ending. Yes, there's that extra hour of sleep, but it's still a longer day and later in the day especially people will feel that when the clock says 8pm but the body thinks it's 9pm and so forth.

Don't know if they've done that in years past.  And if that mattered, shouldn't they move the SNF game back an hour?

I'm glad we don't do that shit in Arizona.  But tomorrow, because we don't move our clocks, the games will come on at 11 and 2 instead of 10 and 1.

[Carey]

5 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

36 minutes ago, meowmommy said:

Who the hell designed the schedule so there are eight early games and only two late games tomorrow???

Probably because of DST ending. Yes, there's that extra hour of sleep, but it's still a longer day and later in the day especially people will feel that when the clock says 8pm but the body thinks it's 9pm and so forth.

Not sure about that.  In 2019 there were 4 games that started late.  Then 3 last year.

Maybe that could be the case, but IMO, a big reason is that there are six teams off this week

[Xeliou66]

1 hour ago, meowmommy said:

Who the hell designed the schedule so there are eight early games and only two late games tomorrow???

And LA-TB, the "national" late game that a large swath of the country will have as their only option, is probably not going to be the big draw the league and the networks thought it was going to be before both teams started circling the drain.

The Rams/Bucs game definitely looked like a marquee matchup coming into the season, a battle of the last 2 Super Bowl winners and a rematch of an exciting divisional round playoff game from last season. Now it’s looking like almost a must win game for both teams - the Rams are 3-4, the Bucs are 3-5, and neither team can afford to fall much further behind. So I still find the matchup compelling as both teams are talented but have greatly disappointed and have issues, but could still get back to the playoffs if they turn things around. 

[meowmommy]

18 hours ago, Carey said:

Maybe that could be the case, but IMO, a big reason is that there are six teams off this week

My issue wasn't the number of games, but the distribution.  Although I don't ever remember six teams being on a bye at one time.  Is that something new?

Both the late games are being carried on my local channels, which means they're blacked out on Sunday Ticket.  (Which means out of thirteen games this week, six are blacked out.)  I should get a refund for half a day.  Fat chance of that happening.

[Carey]

Picks time!

Week Nine: Atlanta, Washington, Cincinnati, Detroit, Vegas, New England, Buffalo, Washington, Arizona, Rams, Kansas City, Baltimore

Big Games In Terms Of Odds & O/U

Packers by 4
O/U 49.5
Lions win outright, under hits

Bucs by 3
O/U 42.5
Rams cover, under hits

Chiefs by 12.5
45.5
Titans & the points, over hits

Ravens 1.5
47.5
Saints cover, over hits

Green Bay should win, but I wouldn't be shocked if Detroit wins, only because it's at Ford Field.  

For the GOTW, similar to Rams games against San Francisco (until this year) AND Tampa games against New Orleans, I always seem to be wrong between Rams/Bucs games.  Tampa Bay should win with extra rest, and LA sucks right now.  So I guess I'll pick the loser again.

Chiefs should win, period.  Andy Reid has won nearly 87% of his games coming off of a bye.  I don't know if they'll cover.  The only win against Tennessee was their AFC Title win in the 2019 season.  Might be a great game.

Baltimore & New Orleans is a true toss IMO.  Saints suck in terms of run defense, but their homefield is a great one.  Especially at night

I totally understand what meowmommy said about the game distribution.  On the other hand I don't have a big problem with how the league handles it.  I think they want to have everyone open with a boatload of games, and then save that late window for a featured, big game that would otherwise be on Sunday Night Football.  Typically, the non Game of the Week features West Coast teams since an early start would be 10 AM PST.  Naturally that's hypocritical since the NFL still has West Coast teams travelling East for a game that kicks off around 1:00 EST

[Johannah]

So excited...  Just got an email that I'm getting the Red Zone for free today.  Perfect timing.  My team (The Ravens) don't play until Monday night. I don't subscribe to the Red Zone because the optimum time for watching would be during the early Sunday time slot and that's usually when the Ravens are playing and I watch them exclusively.  There are usually only a couple afternoon games and they are sometimes both televised so I can flip between them - or the regular NFL network does that for me.

[Xeliou66]

Falcons off to a great start, up 10-0 on the Chargers, it’s great seeing the Falcons run the ball so well after years of having a weak rushing attack.

Lions and Packers tied at 0, both teams with long drives but no points so far.

Bengals up 7-0 on the Panthers.

Raiders up 7-0 on Jags.

Dolphins up 7-3 on the Bears.

[Xeliou66]

Chargers have come back and taken the lead against my Falcons, 14-10. Falcons pass defense sucks, especially without Terrell.

Bengals destroying the Panthers, up 28-0, Mixon with 3 TD’s in the first half.

Bills up 14-3 on the Jets.

Dolphins up 21-17 on the Bears in a surprisingly high scoring game.

Lions go up 8-0 on the Packers, the Packers offense once again looks like shit with Rodgers throwing 2 picks both times they got something going, and the Lions have the worst defense in the NFL. Crazy how the Packers have fallen apart.

[Magog]

21 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

22 hours ago, meowmommy said:

Who the hell designed the schedule so there are eight early games and only two late games tomorrow???

And LA-TB, the "national" late game that a large swath of the country will have as their only option, is probably not going to be the big draw the league and the networks thought it was going to be before both teams started circling the drain.

The Rams/Bucs game definitely looked like a marquee matchup coming into the season, a battle of the last 2 Super Bowl winners and a rematch of an exciting divisional round playoff game from last season. Now it’s looking like almost a must win game for both teams - the Rams are 3-4, the Bucs are 3-5, and neither team can afford to fall much further behind. So I still find the matchup compelling as both teams are talented but have greatly disappointed and have issues, but could still get back to the playoffs if they turn things around. 

All I know is that its basically a marquee matchup of 2 very loathsome & unrootable teams. Its another game where either way I lose. The Cowboys have a bye today so thankfully, I won't have to deal with those losers today.

Speaking of that, why am I getting next week's Cowboys-Packers game commercial during the past several days? Its pretty much another game with both teams are very loathsome & unrootable. 

4 minutes ago, Xeliou66 said:

Chargers have come back and taken the lead against my Falcons, 14-10. Falcons pass defense sucks, especially without Terrell.

The Falcons will find a way to mess it up, like they usually do. They just happen to play another team (sucky Chargers) that constantly messes up like they do.

[twoods]

Poor Lions defense- holding the Packers to no points and got another INt but their offense is so awful that they will still likely lose this game. 

Bills game is way too close.

[Lamb18]

I was right to be worried about the Commanders/Vikings game. Commies are ahead 10-7.

[Carey]

Meanwhile, looks like it's possible that my FOX affiliate will move to a different game before the top of the hour.  Anything but the current Bengals/Panthers

[Carey]

New York so far so good toward a 96-yard drive.

Man, the Bills defense has been great, except when it counts.  Matt Milano and someone else missing.  While I'd still go with Buffalo, it's division football.  With the AFC East tough this year, that might be a big factor to erase the Bills much-needed win at Arrowhead, where it was necessary to make sure Kansas City didn't backdoor back over the AFC East champions again in terms of the standings

[Xeliou66]

FUCK, Falcons lose on a last second FG to the Chargers. Falcons defense really failed them at several key moments, their pass defense sucks, and Mariota just can’t throw the ball deep and isn’t a good passer. At least we’ve been competitive in almost every game, but we aren’t going to finish with a winning record.

Jets take a 20-17 lead on the Bills with 1:43 left, exciting finish at the Meadowlands.

Lions up 15-9 on the Packers.

Dolphins up 35-32 on the Bears.

Lots of exciting games - the Bengals blew out the Panthers and that’s been the only blowout so far.

[bluegirl147]

When I'm watching a game that has teams I don't like or dislike I always root for an upset.  So yay NY Jets.

[twoods]

Nice win by the Jets. Figured the Bills would lose since they’ve lost so much on their defense, and Josh Allen threw some more dumb interceptions. He needs to clean that up if they are going to win the division.
 

Looks like the Commanders may lose as well. What a shame. 

Edited November 6, 2022 by twoods

[meowmommy]

GB now has lost five in a row.  Couldn't happen to a more deserving asshole.

Lotsa upsets this week.  The pundits will continue to whine about the lack of "quality" in the league this year.  Maybe.  But fun to watch.

[Xeliou66]

Jets beat the Bills 20-17, Jets are playing really well and are a much improved team.

Lions beat the Packers 15-9, embarrassing loss for the Packers who have totally imploded, Rodgers played terribly, and the Packers just look like a lousy team. I wonder if Rodgers will get benched at some point, because they have fallen apart.

Vikings come back and beat the Commanders.

Jags get the win over the Raiders.

Exciting day of NFL so far.

[Carey]

That Bills game is the games that they cannot have if they want the road to State Farm to run through Orchard Park.  The good news is that the Chiefs still have to deal with Cincinnati at Paycor.  The bad news (somewhat): so do the Bills

[DrSpaceman73]

21 minutes ago, meowmommy said:

GB now has lost five in a row.  Couldn't happen to a more deserving asshole.

Lotsa upsets this week.  The pundits will continue to whine about the lack of "quality" in the league this year.  Maybe.  But fun to watch.

It COULD actually if it was brady.  But it's close with him snd rodgers. 

[Bastet]

I don't personally care about the NFC North, but I have a friend who's a Bears fan and another who's a Packers fan.  I hate Brett Favre, so always mildly rooted for the Bears during his era, but then switched to doing that for the Packers once he was gone, figuring it was the Green Bay fan friend's turn at long last (plus, I loved Clay Matthews).  But after Rodgers revealed himself to be an asshole nutjob, nope. 

I didn't see today's game (I watched the Raiders play the Jaguars, as my only other option was the Chargers/Falcons match-up), but enjoyed the "highlights" of Rodgers looking like ass.

I also harbor some residual affection for the Lions from the Barry Sanders years, so all around I'm happy with the outcome of that one.

[Xeliou66]

This Rams/Bucs game is just fucking ugly - both teams look pretty awful. I can never recall a defending Super Bowl championship team playing as poorly as the Rams are this season, and the Bucs look weak as well.

[BlueSkies]

Zack Wilson still didnt have the best day as a QB.  But the one thing he did today which he hadn't in the past was run for first downs.  

Good comeback win for the Jets.  I see them a legit playoff team.  still think the Bills will win that division 

[Xeliou66]

3 minutes ago, BlueSkies said:

Zack Wilson still didnt have the best day as a QB.  But the one thing he did today which he hadn't in the past was run for first downs.  

Good comeback win for the Jets.  I see them a legit playoff team.  still think the Bills will win that division 

I think the Jets have a shot at the playoffs, but I think they will finish 3rd in the division behind the Bills and Fins. It’s a good division. The Jets have done a good job building a solid team and had a great draft this year, it really hurts them that Breece Hall went down with injury as he was having a really good rookie year, they have a lot of talented young pieces and I think they have a shot at the playoffs.

[mojoween]

Fuck’s sake, Romo.  If it’s fourth and five, and the penalty is five yards, it’s first down, dumbass.

Not that it mattered, because Tampa proceeded to march themselves backwards ten yards, but still.  

Edited November 6, 2022 by mojoween

[BlueSkies]

11 minutes ago, Xeliou66 said:

I think the Jets have a shot at the playoffs, but I think they will finish 3rd in the division behind the Bills and Fins. It’s a good division. The Jets have done a good job building a solid team and had a great draft this year, it really hurts them that Breece Hall went down with injury as he was having a really good rookie year, they have a lot of talented young pieces and I think they have a shot at the playoffs.

yeah.  Saleh is a good coach too 

[emma675]

The Bucs are 4th and 2, the punting team comes out, and then runs off the field. 

Romo: "This has got to be a Tom Brady decision. Tom's like, coach, trust me."

Brady promptly gets sacked. 

Me: laughs my ass off

[Irlandesa]

2 hours ago, Xeliou66 said:

Lions beat the Packers 15-9, embarrassing loss for the Packers who have totally imploded, Rodgers played terribly, and the Packers just look like a lousy team. I wonder if Rodgers will get benched at some point, because they have fallen apart.

As a Packers fan, I'm very curious about how the GM feels.  He drafted Love to replace Rodgers.  He chose not to pull the trigger after great years from Rodgers and the coach supporting the current QB.  He re-signed him for a disgusting amount of money and he's paying terribly.

In an alternate universe, he could have traded Rodgers (or had him retire) and rode Love.  It's possible they would have been terrible anyway under Love but he would have been a much cheaper version of terrible.

[Xeliou66]

Seahawks beat the Cards 31-21, Seahawks have been one of the biggest surprises of the season, particularly how well Geno Smith has played. I think Kliff is gone in Arizona, he’s just not getting the job done, they are underperforming and wasting Kyler Murray’s talent and are headed for the NFC West cellar it appears.

[Carey]

Of course, it takes finally picking LA over Tampa for this to happen.  It's routine, but losing to the Rams was anything BUT routine heading into 2021!

[Lady Whistleup]

Well, never count out TB12.

[mojoween]

I was sweeping out the cat litter room so was listening and not watching, but I call bullshit.  Fuck Brady.

[Carey]

The LA Rams are the worst defending champions in the history of sports.  Now and forever!

[AimingforYoko]

Pete Caroll, frontrunner for Coach of the year.

Just now, Carey said:

The LA Rams are the worst defending champions in the history of sports.  Now and forever!

Nah, the Florida Marlins will always hold that title.

[Chit Chat]

Yay Bucs!  Boo for making it a nailbiter though.  :)  

[Xeliou66]

Wild game, neither team looked good but Brady and the Bucs pulled it out. I never count out Tom Brady. The Bucs needed that win, and even with the holes they have they are still the favorites to win the weak NFC South. The Rams are playing worse than any defending champion I can ever remember, they suck, they could’ve won this game but their defense couldn’t hold up at the end. The Rams are falling out of the playoff race - I think next week’s Rams/Cards game is a must win for both teams, I don’t see the loser getting back into the race.