NFL Thread

[Carey]

I'm not that confused, but that's mainly due to the fact that I've lost focus on anything related to "Pro Bowl".

Part of that is due to these long seasons.  Still have to rant about that along with the division/playoff venue stuff.  Might end up saving that for after the holidays.  In all fairness, I do have to respond to the following...

On 12/20/2022 at 3:53 PM, Salacious Kitty said:

You're really taking Vegas? 😱

Seventy-two years from now, when I'll be long gone, people will look back and banish me posthumously for a pick for the Raiders against the Steelers before (or even after) seeing that I picked the game prior to Harris' death.  It's a shame since I don't pick this early.  Had I waited there's ZERO chance I'd pick Vegas.  It'll be total Pittsburgh, or I wouldn't have picked the game at all.

Having said that, the reason why I ended up picking Vegas was due to culture, but more important, the matchup itself.  I'm still unhappy about what happened during the 40th anniversary, and I'm not sure the players are "all in" as true Steelers.  As mentioned, they're men wearing Steelers gear, whereas the past legends embraced the culture.  That's what it seems.  I'm not sure if they'd be more motivated.  Either way, Josh Jacobs is the NFL rushing leader.  The Steelers run defense isn't great.  The weather will suck, for both teams.  The ground game is the way to go.  Nevertheless, I probably should've avoided this game in terms of a prediction, and I used to do so in the past

[meowmommy]

Ronnie Hillman Dies of Cancer at Age 31; RB Won Super Bowl 50 with Broncos

Nobody, but nobody, should die of cancer at age 31.  So sad.

[meowmommy]

NFL, YouTube Agree to Contract for NFL Sunday Ticket Rights Starting in 2023 Season

Quote

On Wednesday, Kaplan reported talks between the NFL and Apple broke down several weeks ago over Apple refusing to meet the league's valuation. That desire for a lower cost reportedly stemmed from Apple wanting to offer Sunday Ticket at a lower price than DirecTV currently costs.

According to Kaplan, the NFL's contracts with Fox and CBS forbid lower prices for the package due to concerns it would drive viewers to Sunday Ticket and away from the afternoon network broadcast windows.

This makes no sense.  DirecTV Sunday Ticket routinely blacks out the games that are available over the air.  Oh, but it does make sense.  Any excuse for $$$$$.

Quote

It will also be available as a stand-alone a-la-carte offering on YouTube Primetime Channels — meaning fans won’t necessarily have to be YouTube TV customers to buy the package.

Found this elsewhere.  Trying to figure out, though, how one would navigate this, especially if switching back and forth between Sunday Ticket and cable.  With DirecTV, it's pretty simple because they have their own app, and I just toggle back and forth.

Edited December 22, 2022 by meowmommy

[mojoween]

The Immaculate Reception is interesting for what came after.  Imagine the ball hit the ground, time ran out, and the Raiders went on to face the Dolphins in the next game.

Now I don’t know enough to know if Oakland was better than Miami or not, but if they were?  No champagne toasts!  Ever!

[bluegirl147]

The NFL will make money off the switch but I think it will drive fans away.  Not everyone has access to Youtube.  There is still a large segment of people in this country that doesn't have access to the internet where they live.  Call me crazy but I think the goal should be more people watching games. Not putting games behind paywalls. 

 

[DrSpaceman73]

42 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

The NFL will make money off the switch but I think it will drive fans away.  Not everyone has access to Youtube.  There is still a large segment of people in this country that doesn't have access to the internet where they live.  Call me crazy but I think the goal should be more people watching games. Not putting games behind paywalls. 

 

More people have youtube than have directv.  

[bluegirl147]

8 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

More people have youtube than have directv.  

I live in a state that has thousands of households that have no internet access. They also have no cable access so they have DirectTV or Dish.  

[DrSpaceman73]

26 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

I live in a state that has thousands of households that have no internet access. They also have no cable access so they have DirectTV or Dish.  

I'm sure there are exceptions but generally speaking more people have internet access than have directv. Or cable. 

[bluegirl147]

13 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

I'm sure there are exceptions but generally speaking more people have internet access than have directv. Or cable. 

I pay for six streaming services and YouTube isn't one of them.  I don't need NFL ticket or Red Zone because I live in my team's TV market. I just don't like the idea of more and more things exclusively streaming.  I won't be surprised if at some point the Super Bowl streams or becomes pay per view.

[mojoween]

Pay?  For YouTube?  Nonsense.  I’ve lived this long without Sunday Ticket, I’ll be fine not starting now.  I’ll just bitch and moan on the few Sundays when the Bills are on the same network as the Giants.

[stonehaven]

I will say I use You Tube for the highlights. Believe me, that saves me hours of waiting for things to happen and listening to the announcers blather on. I rarely watch a game in real time anymore.

[DrSpaceman73]

1 hour ago, bluegirl147 said:

I pay for six streaming services and YouTube isn't one of them.  I don't need NFL ticket or Red Zone because I live in my team's TV market. I just don't like the idea of more and more things exclusively streaming.  I won't be surprised if at some point the Super Bowl streams or becomes pay per view.

It's was exclusively on directv before. How is that different than exclusive streaming other than a different population of people wont have access?  

The only way I can follow my favorite team is Sunday ticket and I think directv is awful so I'm good with this. 

[meowmommy]

44 minutes ago, DrSpaceman73 said:

It's was exclusively on directv before. How is that different than exclusive streaming other than a different population of people wont have access?  

The only way I can follow my favorite team is Sunday ticket and I think directv is awful so I'm good with this. 

I think the issue is that most people can get DirecTV, even if they hate it, but a large swath of people can't get internet, and of those who can, another large swath can't get enough speed to stream a game without problems.

I thought a significant part of the exemption from antitrust laws that the NFL has enjoyed for decades was contingent on it being relatively accessible to virtually everyone with a TV set.  IIRC, there was a fuss in Congress when the first playoff game went to ESPN because it excluded families without cable access.

[Carey]

To be honest, I don't think it's a big deal, or a big deal for the league that their product is headed from television to streaming.  The big deal would be for stuff like stand alone games.  DirecTV isn't a big deal when there are options for most people to watch a particular game.  The concern is if your team sucks you might be stuck with that game.  That, and the lack of an alternative.  

Still fair points re: YouTube vs DirecTV.  As mentioned, several people don't have Internet access or great Internet access.  That rules out Youtube.  DirecTV, IMO, is too much of a pain to deal with anymore.

Both have/had their pros and cons.  At the end of the day, more people than not will pursue YouTube Television or do whatever it takes to get the Sunday Ticket.  Similar to one's efforts to obtain cable for Bowl Mania.  However, when someone actually doubles down and does away with their NFL interest, they will have a valid reason (mainly if and when everything NFL turns to streaming).

For tonight's TNF: New York is favored by 2.5 over Jacksonville. The Over/Under is 36.5. That's all courtesy of FanDuel. Jacksonville wins outright, but the over does NOT hit

[mojoween]

The streaming tonight is superbly shitty.  Worst yet on the iPad.  But please, let’s stream more!

Also the Jags all-white is terrible.

[Lamb18]

Jaguars got a touchdown. Good for them! 

Score is 10-3, Jaguars.

By the way Herbstreit, it's not Mike LaFloor!

[Lamb18]

Score is 13-3 at the half. Fireman Ed doesn't look very happy. It's raining a heavy light rain, if that makes sense. Not a downpour, but everyone is soaked.

Fans were booing away at the Jets. Last play of three half, Wilson throws a long pass which the Jaguars intercept, the the Jaguars guy with the ball tosses a lateral to a teammate, then the clock runs out. 

[Lamb18]

Jets put in a new quarterback, Streveler(?). It's like the Jets were a string of Christmas tree lights and someone finally plugged them in. They even got a first down! And another one, I think.

This guy's studied at the Josh Allen QB school. He's run the ball more than anyone else on the team.

[Lamb18]

Well the Jets tanked in the red zone and Jaguars have the ball back.

[Xeliou66]

That was a horrid offensive performance by the Jets - they were beyond lifeless until Streveler came in and even then they were unable to get points. Who knows what their QB situation is going forward, Wilson is bad. I think the Jags will make the playoffs - all they have to do is beat the Texans and Titans and they win the AFC South, great turnaround for the Jags, Doug Pederson was a great hire. 

[Fukui San]

At the end of the 2020 season, the Jets won a meaningless game that put them ahead of the Jaguars. Had they lost that game, they would have been in the position to draft Trevor Lawrence. 

[Carey]

I'll never forget.  Of course, at the time it was a blessing; there was some talk that Lawrence would return to Clemson if the Jets had that top pick.  That was before Salah's arrival, which was before anyone knew that he'd be more than OK in New York.

I'm not saying they'd be ranked over Buffalo, Kansas City, Cincinnati, but with a ground game, a very good defense, and Trevor, it may have been a possibility that the Jets would've been competing for the ultimate title

[Fukui San]

I would normally say the Lawrence dodged a bullet by avoiding the Jets but instead he got the rookie year from hell with Urban Meyer so no win there. His outlook is better now with Doug Peterson. 

[merylinkid]

And with the Jets losing, the Colts are eliminated from the playoffs (which they should have been after that choke job last week).   The Bengals have CLINCHED.   The team at the beginning of the year we were saying had a Super Bowl hangover is back in it.  

[mojoween]

There is no railing on the stands!  Why are there so many people behind the end zone?   The 70’s were a wild time boy howdy.

 

[JTMacc99]

14 hours ago, Carey said:

Still fair points re: YouTube vs DirecTV.  As mentioned, several people don't have Internet access or great Internet access.  That rules out Youtube.  DirecTV, IMO, is too much of a pain to deal with anymore.

Around 6% of the U.S. population doesn't currently have access to fixed broadband internet service. (That means, access to cable or fiber service, where speeds better than the phone company can offer through DSL.) Here's the map.

For what it's worth, there is an active process right now where grants are being given to companies to make a dent in that 6%.  The reason those homes aren't connected is purely money. If it costs a company $80,000 to run 4 miles of cable to connect 8 homes, and they can hope that 5 of the 8 will take a service for $70/month, the payback for the investment is like more than 20 years. But if they get grant money to knock it down to a 12 year payback, they'll go ahead and build the cable.

And more importantly, the traditional way of distributing TV through Satellite or Cable is dying very quickly. DirecTV has a lot of challenges going forward. Things like the Sunday Ticket are definitely going to migrate towards streaming, and there's really no way to make that stop happening.

 

[meowmommy]

15 hours ago, Fukui San said:

I would normally say the Lawrence dodged a bullet by avoiding the Jets but instead he got the rookie year from hell with Urban Meyer so no win there.

That which does not kill you, makes you stronger.

6 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

Around 6% of the U.S. population doesn't currently have access to fixed broadband internet service. (That means, access to cable or fiber service, where speeds better than the phone company can offer through DSL.)

Sources of that figure seem to differ.  This article from October says 42,000,000 people have no access to broadband, which they define as download speeds above 25 mbps and upload speeds better than 3 mbps.  42 million is about 12%. 

I know when lived in rural Georgia, I had broadband, but I was subject to constant buffering.  Basically made streaming impossible.

I'm not opposed to streaming NFL packages, but maybe the NFL should be putting some of our money where their mouths are.  Taxpayers providing stadiums for billionaires and taxpayers providing infrastructure so we can keep paying inflated prices to watch games, and no accountability or even cost sharing because of the antitrust exemption.

[JTMacc99]

I’m working off of the FCC.gov numbers of 19 Million people  

https://www.fcc.gov/reports-research/reports/broadband-progress-reports/eighth-broadband-progress-report

Either way, delivery of live TV is moving very rapidly towards being mostly through the internet. There isn’t much anyone can do to stop that from happening. 

[AimingforYoko]

Jets WR Coach Miles Austin suspended one year for violating NFL gambling rules.

He did not bet on NFL games. Nice decision-making there. LOL Jets.

[Lamb18]

20 hours ago, Fukui San said:

I would normally say the Lawrence dodged a bullet by avoiding the Jets but instead he got the rookie year from hell with Urban Meyer so no win there. His outlook is better now with Doug Peterson. 

Last year I was hoping the Vikings would hire Doug Pederson for head coach. But O'Connell is doing pretty well.

[merylinkid]

16 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

Jets WR Coach Miles Austin suspended one year for violating NFL gambling rules.

He did not bet on NFL games. Nice decision-making there. LOL Jets.

SO STUPID.   PLAYERS can bet on sports other than football, but Coaches and other personnel cannot bet at all.   I get it, coaches are in a better position to overall affect the outcome of a game than players.   And if they owe gambling debts for other sports, they could be pressured to affect games in order to pay off that debt.   But its still a stupid rule.   More of the NFL hypocrisy.    They partner with sportsbooks for the $$$$ but then tell employees don't you do it. 

Guy is suspended for a year for participating in something the NFL supports.  

[meowmommy]

8 minutes ago, merylinkid said:

Guy is suspended for a year for participating in something the NFL supports.  

While DeShaun Watson....oh, never mind.

But even if it's a stupid, hypocritical rule, it's there.  How dense to know you can't do something and do it anyway.  Did he somehow not know the rule?  (Which would make him even dumber.)  Or just thought he wouldn't get caught.

I guess it was -- a gamble!

[Carey]

Before I get to my picks, a couple things:

1 hour ago, meowmommy said:

But even if it's a stupid, hypocritical rule, it's there.  How dense to know you can't do something and do it anyway.  Did he somehow not know the rule?  (Which would make him even dumber.)  Or just thought he wouldn't get caught.

That's the thing.  Rules are rules.  Regardless of the hypocrisy, I have no sympathy for Austin.  BTW, I don't know for sure he didn't bet on NFL games right now.  Also, it suspension it trending toward indefinite, at least a year.  I believe he's definitely not doing anything throughout 2023-2024 in addition to what's left for this season.

19 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

I’m working off of the FCC.gov numbers of 19 Million people  

https://www.fcc.gov/reports-research/reports/broadband-progress-reports/eighth-broadband-progress-report

Either way, delivery of live TV is moving very rapidly towards being mostly through the internet. There isn’t much anyone can do to stop that from happening. 

100%.  TBH, I'm okay with it.  I talked elsewhere how it was possible the TV I grew up with could be "extinct" though probably not.  It's doubtful with the news being rather relevant.  Basically, weekday television is nothing more than news programs, cheap stuff with a fleet of talk shows, a couple handful of reality, and sports.  Of course there's the comedy/drama/action (but all of that can go to Peacock/Paramount).

I'm fine with it since the effort to do whatever it takes to adapt isn't much.  I probably will be getting a couple new TV's over the next year or two, both will be smart TVs & I already have one.  The streaming is perfect.  As for my other TV's, those can be regulated to a nice large monitor for my computer & for movies or whatever.

If I didn't feel like adjusting, I'd be at peace since I have adapted to life without television (and the sports).  Not everyday or all the time, but I do love to read

[Carey]

Week 16 Picks:

 

Bengals vs Patriots 
Cincinnati favored by 3 [O/U 41.5]
Patriots cover, under

Eagles vs Cowboys 
Dallas favored by 4 [O/U 47.5]
Eagles cover, under

Raiders vs Steelers 
Pittsburgh favored by 1.5 [O/U 38.5]
Raiders cover, under

Bucs vs Cards 
Tampa favored by 7.5 [O/U 39.5]
Cards cover; under

Charges vs Colts 
Los Angeles favored by 4.5 [O/U 45.5]
LA covers & Over hits

I pretty much forgot about the clinching/elimination scenarios throughout the week with Indianapolis finally being done (sixth team booted from the season) and Cincinnati as the 7th seed into the postseason & with a chance at the top seed in the AFC (in addition to a successful AFC North title defense).  More on that later.

In terms of other elimination/clinching scenarios, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Buffalo, and Philadelphia are 3 teams that control their own destiny in terms of being in or out.  To be specific for the Steelers & Browns, if either loses their game, they are officially out regardless of what happens elsewhere.  They don't control their own destiny in terms of a playoff spot; really they will need A LOT of help.  For Pittsburgh, it will not take much to get officially booted (both Miami & Los Angeles winning will be enough).  Buffalo needs to win either one of their final 3 games to retain the AFC East title (or Miami can lose either one of their final three games, I believe).  The Eagles situation is rather basic.

It's not going to be easy for the Eagles to win without Hurts, and if they lose, that might defend the MVP position.  Though I think it was Mahomes to lose either way.  That's assuming Burrow doesn't absolutely crush it on January 2nd.  Though Joe would have to do that AND Patrick would have to crumble. This is also assuming Jalen skips Week 17 (and maybe even Week 18).
I think that's probable; If Philadelphia wins for the sweep over Dallas, they will be the Number One seed.  That is a nice package that comes with a guaranteed Home Field (in terms of venue) and a 1st round postseason bye.

For the AFC, that sweet deal might not be determined until Week 18.  The biggest game to determine that is Bills/Bengals.  On October 16, I made a prediction for a game 10 weeks in  advance for Buffalo to knock off Cincinnati.  Basically an in-the-moment pick given the fact that Buffalo hit an emotional win at Arrowhead + the Bengals were just above average.  Since then, the AFC North leaders have become, or trended toward elite, while Buffalo fell between above average & below elite.

As of December 24 & according to FanDuel, the AFC East leaders are a 2.5 point favorite over Cincinnati.  I probably go with Cincinnati outright had I waited to pick, but I don't see a need to change my pick with Josh Allen playing (if he isn't there, then that's a different story).  It was something to think about when Von Miller's season ended.  I guess I can hedge here with the Bengals covering even though it's 2.5 & not 3.5.  No over/under yet.  Of course I could wait until close to the game; could've waited.  However, I've waited for a ton of Bowl games & forgot to pick (or just made them but did not get to posting them).  If the Bengals survive at Paycor Stadium, the Bills would fall from 1 to 3, assuming KC keeps winning.  With that scenario, the tough test for the AFC West champs would occur in their final game.  If that proves to be tough, the the road to State Farm and SB 57 would run through Paycor.  Of course, if New England rebounds on XMAS Eve, then basically all of this paragraph is meaningless.

BTW, I'm not dealing with Denver/LA Rams, instead going with Pats/Cincy despite the top CBS game calling such a disaster.  I'm somewhat surprised Jim & Tony didn't "audible" to New England & Cincinnati.  The Top FOX team is calling a game later on; no conflict

[Lamb18]

There's been debate locally on whether Vikings should play their best players or let them rest as we have the division locked up. My feeling is to play the best until the #1 and #2 seeds are locked up. Eagles will get #1 seed if they win today. Even if Vikings lose, I think we still have #2 but it's possible SF could catch up. So I hope the best are in the game.

Unfortunately for me I have leave before the game is over because I have to be at church at 3:15 to practice before the 4:00 service. At least I'll have the game recorded.

I also turned the TV on at 11:00 so I shouldn't be 20 minutes behind the action today.

Cool, people are wearing white. That is the theme for today, a white stadium.

[mojoween]

Dunno why Minny is wearing all white at home, but since that means the Giants are in blue, I’ll take it.

[Lamb18]

The theme is having a white-out theme today, probably because of recent weather and Christmas Eve. They repainted the logo white as well as the end zones. I thought the whole field might be white but I guess it would be hard to see the yardlines and numbers. 

Cool, Jefferson just broke Randy Moss's receiving season record.

Go Panthers!

[Carey]

Count me in as one that'll be with the family.  I might stop by, but it'll probably the last time I post until after the New Year's at the earliest.  However, thought I'd mention one thing before it becomes moot.

I still think it's likely that all four NFC East teams get into the postseason.  It's doubtful, but instead of Seattle, it'll be Detroit as that wildcard to ruin what might be the only chance at an entire division getting into the playoffs.

The AFC East was in a similar position, but things went back to normal there.  It'll likely be the Chargers with KC and then Baltimore with Cincinnati.  However, if the Ravens crumble, then I guess it'll be New England with Miami (with the Jets finishing in 4th place)

[Lamb18]

At the end of the first quarter, Vikings ahead 7-0.

[Lamb18]

1st half over, Vikings ahead 10-7.

Edited December 24, 2022 by Lamb18

[Lamb18]

One of the game announcers does not like the Vikings.

4th quarter now. Score is 13-10, Giants ahead 

[Lamb18]

Hockenson just scored a touchdown. He fell on the ground and lay there a bit. Then another Viking came over and pretended to give Hockenson CPR.

YAY! Now it's 17-13, Vikings.

[Bastet]

Lovely - FOX switches us to the Giants game just in time for me to see them have to punt, which is blocked!

[mojoween]

If the Giants didn’t make so many fucking mistakes, they’d actually be a marginally decent team, she spits, while unsatisfactorily pounding on an iPad keyboard.

[Salacious Kitty]

Who saw the Pat's last TD? It was almost as crazy as the play last week, only this time in their favor. 

[Bastet]

That was a hell of a drive by the Giants.  I figure the Vikings will use their ample time to wander down the field and kick a game-winning FG in regulation, but I'm enjoying a moment of happiness first.

[Magog]

On 12/22/2022 at 11:54 PM, Fukui San said:

At the end of the 2020 season, the Jets won a meaningless game that put them ahead of the Jaguars. Had they lost that game, they would have been in the position to draft Trevor Lawrence. 

 

On 12/22/2022 at 11:57 PM, Carey said:

I'll never forget.  Of course, at the time it was a blessing; there was some talk that Lawrence would return to Clemson if the Jets had that top pick.  That was before Salah's arrival, which was before anyone knew that he'd be more than OK in New York.

It was against those sorry scummy Rams costing me an 0-16 season & it really pissed me off & ruined my Christmas. I'm still very angry about it & its why I hate those slimy scummy Rams to this day. 

Quote

The theme is having a white-out theme today, probably because of recent weather and Christmas Eve. They repainted the logo white as well as the end zones. I thought the whole field might be white but I guess it would be hard to see the yardlines and numbers. 

As for today's games, its just too bad that the Giants - Vikings game isn't played outdoors today. That would of made this currently close game (tied at 24 right now in the 4th) even more enjoyable. 

And what do you know. A Game-Winning 61 yd kick made by the Vikings to win the game!

Edited December 24, 2022 by Magog

[Bastet]

8 minutes ago, Bastet said:

That was a hell of a drive by the Giants.  I figure the Vikings will use their ample time to wander down the field and kick a game-winning FG in regulation, but I'm enjoying a moment of happiness first.

Yep - nice while it lasted.

[Xeliou66]

Vikings beat the Giants in a thriller on a last second FG!! Vikings have pulled out some dramatic wins this season.

Chiefs dominate the Seahawks 24-10, Chiefs played really good defense and Mahomes had 3 TD’s, Chiefs looked strong while the Seahawks are collapsing and Geno Smith has come back down to earth.

My Falcons eliminated from the playoffs, they were honestly playoff contenders for longer than I expected given the weakness of their QB play.

Bengals/Pats going down to the wire!!

[AimingforYoko]

It seems the Vikings are simply incapable of winning a football game without drama.

Bad week for the NY football teams.