NFL Thread

[AimingforYoko]

27 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Aaaand Mac Jones has been benched. Surprised it took so long.

A lot of times, he hasn't been the problem, but today he earned every bit of that benching. Horrible decision-making.

[Fukui San]

I think we can put the Patriots in the "drafting a QB next year" list.

[Salacious Kitty]

3 minutes ago, Fukui San said:

I think we can put the Patriots in the "drafting a QB next year" list.

Shall we put them in the Tanking for Caleb Williams pool? 😀

[Carey]

1 minute ago, Salacious Kitty said:

5 minutes ago, Fukui San said:

I think we can put the Patriots in the "drafting a QB next year" list.

Shall we put them in the Tanking for Caleb Williams pool? 😀

Whatever it takes for Bill Belichick and the Pats to respectively pass Phil Jackson and the Pack in terms of hardware!

[Fukui San]

7 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Shall we put them in the Tanking for Caleb Williams pool? 😀

I don't think they're going to be that bad this year is the thing. Like, 6-11 bad, maybe. But not 3-14 #1 pick bad.

[Carey]

While one could take Caleb staying another year with a grain of salt, I wouldn't blame him.  How is it fair to Williams going forward?  He'll go down as a bust through no fault of his own if Chicago gets him.  Arizona same thing but to a lesser extent.  There are just a lot of awful NFL programs these days

[twoods]

Already tired of this Taylor nonsense. Even Chris looks annoyed already being forced to talk about it. 

[emma675]

I don't hate Taylor Swift, but I am so tired of hearing about her and Travis Kelce. It's like I can't escape it, it's everywhere. 

[mojoween]

Taylor was the second bullet point in the NFL alert’s game notes.  Sigh.

My new irritation is like a bad haiku at this point.

The Jets are wearing 

White at home even though it’s

Night and should be black

[Artsda]

Love Taylor but this should not be distraction and it seems to become that. 

[emma675]

I would say we play a Taylor Swift on camera drinking game, but we'd all be blackout drunk before halftime. 

[Fukui San]

I hate that Taylor is taking away from what's on the field!

*sees that the Jets are on the field*

OK, let's talk about Taylor some more!

 

Network execs were SO excited this year that the New York City teams were going to be good. Now we have them both in prime time throughout the year! Yay!

[JTMacc99]

The Giants got stuck with 4 of their first 6 at night. We have a theory that the brutal front loaded schedule is punishment for Mara being SO vocal a opposing the idea of flexing teams into Thursday games. 

[Fukui San]

Why must we the viewers also be punished as well?

I'm pretty sure there's never been a 17-2 final before. Stop the game!

[JTMacc99]

3 minutes ago, Fukui San said:

Why must we the viewers also be punished as well?

I'm pretty sure there's never been a 17-2 final before. Stop the game!

At least with the Giants, after week six, they’ll only pop up on prime time once more. Not sure how many Jets games are left. 

[JTMacc99]

Im thinking the Jets are going to need 14 more points from their defense, but I’m not thinking the Chiefs will be as accommodating as the Patriots were today with Dallas. 
 

(Side note: The broadcast today noted that Dallas had led the league two years in a row which never happens. It’s really hard to figure.)

[michelec]

55 minutes ago, emma675 said:

I don't hate Taylor Swift, but I am so tired of hearing about her and Travis Kelce. It's like I can't escape it, it's everywhere. 

NBC News sent me a notification on my phone that she was at MetLife. After being subjected to shots of her in the sky box every 30 seconds last week, decided tonight would be a good time to catch up on my DVR watching instead. 

Edited October 2, 2023 by michelec

[Carey]

Just wait until next week.  When Cousins either throws it to the wrong team or the defense of Kirk's team blows it.  That game for the CBS late window replaced the Jets/Broncos one, BTW

[Bastet]

The TV I want to have tonight's game on can only see the networks via app (logged into my Dish account), and the NBC app is not working.  I have decided this is the universe sparing me from all the Taylor Swift hoopla, and rather than moving to another room, I'm just skipping the game.

[Carey]

I love Taylor Swift, but I agree this is not cool for the fans that actually listened to whomever and did something else whenever she was on television.

In other words, she was a big deal during the summer.  Well, she's been a big deal for a long time, but it was rather epic this summer season.  People told the "haters" or whomever, "Your TV came with a remote.  You know what to do with it if you don't want to watch Swift stuff."

So the football fans who didn't need Taylor in their lives did that, and they're doing what they've been doing since Day One.  That's watching football.

You have to show her from time to time, but more than that?  Yikes!  TBH, this might be league-driven.  Though FOX is aggressive with this stuff.  NBC not so much, and CBS hates it.  It's NFL driven, period

[Crs97]

It’s annoying, but I’m glad she’s just living her life.  It’s not her fault the camera is on her.  I’m rooting for the Jets, but the only fly in the ointment is I know she’ll be blamed as a “distraction.”

[Salacious Kitty]

I've read that Taylor and Travis are going to film, or have filmed a commercial. For the Super Bowl, maybe? I guess they clicked. Whatever. 

I'm just gonna shake it off. 😃

[emma675]

In between Taylor shots and info, the Jets are actually making this a game. I feel like the Chief's offense has not clicked so far this season. Something is off and they have yet to figure it out.

[twoods]

Jets D is pretty good. Too bad Zach Wilson is on their team. 

[Guest]

What a shocker. Mahomes throws his third interception of the night and suddenly the refs see a hold by the defense. It’s really tiring for these games to constantly be decided by the refs protecting Patrick. 

[Chit Chat]

9 hours ago, Carey said:

You have to show her from time to time, but more than that?  Yikes! 

It wasn't to this level, but the cameras constantly panned over to Kurt Warner's wife when he was playing.  They made a big deal that he married a woman who had kids and apparently, he was the only male on the planet to have stepped into the role of stepfather so beautifully.   😏

[JTMacc99]

The NFL consistently claims the top 18 of 20 highest rated primetime TV shows every year. (They have most of the next 20 as well.) So it's not like they need any help.

However it would be criminal neglect of any network covering a Chiefs game not to give plenty of looks at Taylor Swift when she's in attendance of a game. (And Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman as long as they're at it, but mostly Taylor Swift.)

The Chiefs/Bears game last week did the second best ratings number of the year at 24.3 million viewers, which was just behind the opening game at 24.7 million. I'm willing to bet that given the week of all the non-football fans getting up to speed on what's going on, that last night's game will now be the highest rated game of the season.

So I'm just going to roll with it. Heck I might even decided to become invested in it, as I'm convincing myself as I'm typing right now that it's definitely part of any Chiefs game as long as she's in attendance. 

The Chiefs have three more prime time games:

• Thursday Oct. 12 (home Broncos, so any reason to watch would be welcome.)
• Nov. 20 home, Eagles (If they're still a couple, this would be a fun one for her to go to, as hanging with Mom Kelce during that game could be cool.)
• Dec. 3 @ Packers (Taylor gets to put on cute Winter outfits!)

They also have a 9:30 AM game vs Miami on Nov. 5. I'm assuming that game is in London (all new people to get excited about a Swift sighting!), and a bunch of the 4 PM games that might be national games. 

 

[Carey]

That's fine, as long as the spin isn't "The Taylor Swift Effect" since the NFL has produced the best numbers without her.

Just as long as they show her if Travis puts the ball on the ground in a way similar to what took place late in 2022 at Paycor

[bluegirl147]

9 hours ago, deaja said:

What a shocker. Mahomes throws his third interception of the night and suddenly the refs see a hold by the defense. It’s really tiring for these games to constantly be decided by the refs protecting Patrick. 

With Brady gone it's all about Mahomes now.

Although these awful calls aren't just happening in Chief's games. They have always happened but they are now just so blatantly wrong the announcers and their replay guy are saying they don't see the penalties either.  

11 hours ago, Carey said:

TBH, this might be league-driven.  Though FOX is aggressive with this stuff.  NBC not so much, and CBS hates it.  It's NFL driven, period

I feel like the more the NFL does to appeal to people other than football fans it alienates football fans.

Edited October 2, 2023 by bluegirl147

[SuprSuprElevated]

[Magog]

😒

I much rather they get brand new owners. It infuriates me that such great players & gentlemen like Sid Luckman, Gale Sayers, Dick Butkus, Walter Payton, William Perry (The Fridge), Devin Hester, & the 1985 team have to be associated with this sad excuse of a football team & their worthless Not Worth A Damn owners. I really wish that those current owners would just flat out go away & take Jerry Jones & that stupid son with them. If it wasn't for that 1985 Super Bowl team, the Bears will be right there with the Detroit Lions. At least, the Lions went 0-16 for me so I can never ever hate the Lions like I do with the Bears.

As for the games yesterday, this face says it all for me. 

😒

From the Bears choking away a 28-7 lead late in the 3rd Quarter to the sucky Broncos, to the Cowboys having a walk in the park against the Patriots (38-3), & to that 3 hour suckfest that is the Chiefs - Jets. I feel so happy having to relive the recap of that game & how excited Taylor Swift was about it on that repulsive Z-100 Morning Show this morning. 😒

Quote

The Chiefs have three more prime time games:

Yay. 😒

Quote

Thursday Oct. 12 (home Broncos, so any reason to watch would be welcome.)

I think walking on a 100 yard sharp cactus field barefoot is lot less painful than this crummy game. Plus, the Broncos won yesterday, so there is even less of a reason to watch it.

Quote

Nov. 20 home, Eagles (If they're still a couple, this would be a fun one for her to go to, as hanging with Mom Kelce during that game could be cool.)

I can't even get remotely excited about that game. This game will be a root for neither type of game, unlike the Super Bowl.

Quote

Dec. 3 @ Packers (Taylor gets to put on cute Winter outfits!)

I'm sure that my very nearsighted eyes will really appreciate that. There is good chance that game could be 38-0 type beatdown. 

Frankly, I should be lucky that the Chiefs are not playing in Dallas this season. Can you imagine Taylor Swift hanging around in the suite with Jerry Jones & how vomit-inducing that will be? Plus, the fact that it'll probably be a non-rootable game for me.

Edited October 2, 2023 by Magog

[bluegirl147]

27 minutes ago, Magog said:

I can't even get remotely excited about that game. This game will be a root for neither type of game,

I feel like there have been so many of those games and we are just at week 4.  I will sometimes watch games that my team isn't playing in but the match ups so far have been meh.  And even the ones that are supposed to be good games have been meh.  If Buffalo and Miami had been a late game I probably would have watched it just to see if the Dolphins were brought back down to earth.   That seems to be happening more and more.  I'm rooting for teams to lose.  And those teams are changing from week to week. I don't know what it is but this season just feels off.

[Kip Hackman]

Panthers fans right now:

[JTMacc99]

9 minutes ago, Kip Hackman said:

Panthers fans right now:

Sounds like they're a little banged up, and without a particularly strong roster to start, it's showing on the field. They've got defensive backs out, and they're starting a rookie and a waiver claim at the guard spots on the OL. 

I've got a LOT of experience watching what happens when you lose starting offensive linemen at multiple spots along the line, and it usually looks like what happened to the Panthers yesterday: Five sacks in the second half, including one that resulted in a fumble/defensive touchdown.

Hopefully they'll get back the one guard who is still recovering from last year's injury, and they'll give that young QB a little more time to work with.

[Kip Hackman]

5 minutes ago, JTMacc99 said:

Sounds like they're a little banged up, and without a particularly strong roster to start, it's showing on the field. They've got defensive backs out, and they're starting a rookie and a waiver claim at the guard spots on the OL.

This is all true.

But we're looking like a bottom-5 team, in a year where we've traded next year's 1st round pick. We let Steve Wilks go because we wanted an offensive-minded coach ... and the offense looks like garbage. And the guy that half the fanbase wanted to draft at #1 (CJ Stroud) is looking pretty good in Houston.

Fun times.

[JTMacc99]

12 minutes ago, Kip Hackman said:

And the guy that half the fanbase wanted to draft at #1 (CJ Stroud) is looking pretty good in Houston.

Oh. Yeah... That doesn't help. I didn't think about that from a fan base perspective. 

Stroud has been really good. 

And on that note, that's some head coaching job going on in Houston right now. Same for Arizona and Indianapolis. None of those teams got any respect going into the season, and they're all playing tough even if they're not racking up wins.

 

[bluegirl147]

59 minutes ago, Kip Hackman said:

Panthers fans right now:

Is there room at that table for some Steelers fans?

[Carey]

14 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Is there room at that table for some Steelers fans?

Actually, is there any room at the table for Panthers fans.  The black and gold usually takeover stuff like Vegas' Allegiant Stadium, so Carolina would be ones shutout here

[Kip Hackman]

3 hours ago, Carey said:

The black and gold usually takeover stuff like Vegas' Allegiant Stadium, so Carolina would be ones shutout here

Pretty much every visiting fanbase takes over the Panther's stadium. That's what PSL's get you. This was yesterday:

 

 

[JTMacc99]

The NFC South is still feeling like a wide open division. Starting 0-4 is a really bad way to be part of it, but I would think the Panthers could still play some meaningful games this year. 

As I've mentioned a few times, I liked the Bucs more than pretty much everybody this year, but they're not a lock to run away with anything. The Saints and Falcons looked like they're nothing to write home about yesterday.  All is not lost yet for the Panthers, but they need to get some key players back.

And realistically, the best thing that can happen this year is for them to get to OL sorted out and get a year of useful experience for the QB.

[Chit Chat]

2 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

As I've mentioned a few times, I liked the Bucs more than pretty much everybody this year, but they're not a lock to run away with anything.

The Bucs seem to be improving, but they keep getting injuries.  Mike Evans tends to get hamstring injuries, so he might be iffy on when he'll play.  Hopefully they guys can stay healthy and have a winning season, if nothing else.  Hoping for the best, but always prepared for the worst!

[Carey]

The doubt on Tampa Bay started with me.  Maybe a record of 0-14-3 was harsh, but I honestly did not picture a game this season where you can check a W in terms of its outcome.  Maybe they'll have success in the NFC South as opposed to the NFC South having a couple wins against the 2020 champions.

Todd Bowles does not have a great history as a HC, and he couldn't do much with Tom Brady.  Therefore I figured it was curtains for Todd & company as the Bucs trend toward Caleb like several teams in the league

However, they might be okay.  Maybe not sustainable, but if all goes well, they might be playoff bound.  Maybe they'll win a game before things end.  Fortunately, unless you're Philly, San Francisco, and maybe Detroit & Dallas, nobody is scary in the NFC

[Chit Chat]

19 minutes ago, Carey said:

The doubt on Tampa Bay started with me. 

We didn't have much expectation for the team as the season started, but we are always hopeful, and it makes us happy when they win a game.  We just take it week by week and hope that they don't rack up too many injuries.  

22 minutes ago, Carey said:

Todd Bowles does not have a great history as a HC, and he couldn't do much with Tom Brady.

It didn't help that Brady was preoccupied with his crumbling marriage (as he should be).  I'm not placing all the blame on him for last season, but all of that drama going on off the field with him didn't help things.  

I'm thinking back to all of the discussions and complaints about the media frenzy over Tom Brady and can't help but think how that was nothing compared to the Swift-mania that's going on right now!!  What a distraction (and I mean that for the fans!!) I hate when the cameras constantly pan up to the boxes in order to show us some celebrity watching the game.  We don't care!!  Show us the damn game! 

[mojoween]

8 hours ago, Kip Hackman said:

Panthers fans right now:

I was actually thinking about this this morning when they were playing radio highlight(s) of Christian McCaffrey yesterday.  Are Panthers fans pissed at the organization for letting him go, or are you happy that he is flourishing?

[Magog]

This had sure been an exciting game tonight, so far.

😒

[Black Knight]

Well, this CNN article sure makes it abundantly clear why the focus on Swift.

I assume Swift's people carefully vetted Kelce after the previous fiasco, and the NFL is a juggernaut, so this particular showmance will likely last at least through the season and postseason. The NFL's dream will be for Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl cheering her boyfriend on.

[DrSpaceman73]

The giants are SO BAD ....I know carolina is 0-4 but giants might be worse. 

 

3 loses by a combined score of 94 -15. 

 

They somehow scored 31 points second half game two but in the other 3.5 games combined a total of 15 points. 

 

Again outside that one half of play outscored 114-15 so far this year. 

[emma675]

46 minutes ago, Black Knight said:

Well, this CNN article sure makes it abundantly clear why the focus on Swift.

I assume Swift's people carefully vetted Kelce after the previous fiasco, and the NFL is a juggernaut, so this particular showmance will likely last at least through the season and postseason. The NFL's dream will be for Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl cheering her boyfriend on.

Interesting article, although I did have one nitpick. It said Taylor has no peers, which I think Beyonce might take offense to, lol.

But I do wonder if the Taylor/Kelce romance is manufactured as the Taylor/Tom Hiddleston romance seemed to be. And yet, only Tom came away looking like a fool, Taylor was untouched. 

But it seems like we aren't going to escape Taylor if she's helping the NFL pull in the numbers. 

[Carey]

Too bad Taylor isn't a couple with Daboll.  That might have been the only thing that could help the Giants be winners in the NFL

[baldryanr]

Yeah, the grumpy fans who can't stand her are vastly outnumbered by her legions.  It's still stupid that her presence is drawing in the numbers, though.  All she's doing is cheering on the sidelines - why watch a 3 hour game just to see a few quick reaction shots?  Don't get me wrong, sports fans can be morons too, but it's not like the biggest "insert your favorite athlete here" fans are going to watch their hero sit in an audience.