NFL Thread

[Lamb18]

On 10/1/2023 at 10:58 AM, Magog said:

DeShawn Watson is not playing today because of a right shoulder injury. Some rookie name Dorian-Thompson Robinson will  be starting for the Browns today.

As for Kirk Cousins, hopefully he will lead the Vikings to another loss today like he did last week. I'm enjoying his outright suckiness on the Vikings.

Too bad.

[Lamb18]

On 10/1/2023 at 10:25 PM, 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. 

Maybe Mahomes and Cousins will have an interception throwing contest next week. 

[bluegirl147]

1 hour ago, baldryanr said:

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.

I think Taylor's presence is seen as an endorsement of the NFL in general and the Chiefs specifically.  Sales of Travis Kelce's jersey has skyrocketed.   Will these new "fans" stick around if Taylor doesn't stick around?  

[Carey]

1 hour ago, Lamb18 said:

Maybe Mahomes and Cousins will have an interception throwing contest next week. 

Doubtful.  Minnesota's defense isn't great.  If it's a close battle, Patrick might just throw one, but this game might not be decent looking.

While it is at US Bank Stadium, unless the Vikings survive, hopefully they will not focus too much on Swift to where no one will encode Mahomes win against his 31st team

[Guest]

10 hours ago, emma675 said:

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

I've seen multiple people post on FB about their pre-teen daughters trying to convince them to take them to a KC game in hopes of running into Taylor and/or just being in the same arena as her.  

I don't mind reaction shots any more than I minded Aiden Hutchinson's parents being mic-ed up for the season opener (which is to say, I'm like "meh, kinda weird but whatever") but the constant references get annoying to me.  Especially during the recaps when I'm trying to see actual highlights. We really don't need to see how many songs of hers you can reference in sports highlights, announcers.  Yes, Aaron Rodgers' injury left a Blank Space, we get it. Move on. 

 

[Kip Hackman]

15 hours ago, mojoween said:

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?

I'd say that most Panther fans are happy he's flourishing. We've never had a Kyle Shanahan here, or surrounded him with the offensive talent that's in SF. For years he was basically our only weapon, and defenses keyed on that.

In short, Panther fans are happy for him because they know he wouldn't be putting up these crazy numbers if he were still here.

Around these parts, we're used to wasting generational talents (CMC, Kuechly. Cam, Smitty, etc)

[baldryanr]

3 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

I think Taylor's presence is seen as an endorsement of the NFL in general and the Chiefs specifically.  Sales of Travis Kelce's jersey has skyrocketed.   Will these new "fans" stick around if Taylor doesn't stick around?  

I mean, of course jersey sales have spiked.  If/when they break up then her fans are going to need something to burn, especially if he's perceived as having done something wrong.

[JTMacc99]

7 hours ago, baldryanr said:

It's still stupid that her presence is drawing in the numbers, though. 

MILLIONS of extra viewers. As @Black Knight posted in the CNN article above, the Sunday game did an average of 27M viewers with a high of 29.2M. It was the highest rated TV program since the Super Bowl in February. 

Millions of additional, young and/or female viewers, which is incredibly valuable to advertisers. 

I tried to articulate this when I posted the other day about me just rolling with it because I'm fascinated by how big a deal it is, it's not an NFL thing. It's a broadcasters/network thing. 

They HAVE to make a big deal about anything and everything Taylor Swift. All of those extra millions (MILLIONS) of young viewers are worth a fortune in advertising dollars. If I were in charge of NBC, I would on-the-spot fire anybody who said, "We should probably dial back the Swift coverage because some NFL fans think it's distracting."

[Chit Chat]

3 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

I would on-the-spot fire anybody who said, "We should probably dial back the Swift coverage because some NFL fans think it's distracting."

I find the whole thing annoying!  I hate when they pan up to the stands for long periods of time.  I'd much rather have the players miked up so I can hear them trash talking each other!

[Carey]

As far as Taylor Swift goes, if she's the reason people are watching football, or if it's the reason why the NFL is the actual biggest TV show in 40 years, or since M.A.S.H ended, then so be it.

If you're on the fence toward attending one of the next Super Bowls (Superdome & Levi), I would do everything possible to obtain your ticket.  If Swift decides to perform in the Super Bowl in either one of the next two Super Bowls, you're not getting in, period

[SuprSuprElevated]

19 hours ago, bluegirl147 said:

Will these new "fans" stick around if Taylor doesn't stick around?  

Hah!

You said "if".

[Carey]

IMO, a fair conclusion based on swiftgate is that you can hate it but respect it.  IOW, you may not be a fan of it, but you'd probably might not make it to the next second in your career if you put an end to the nonsense.  Both can be the case.  Though I might not fire someone as quick as JTMacc99, but I would probably boot someone for saying that in that way (can't show Taylor anymore because her haters hate it).  I'd be like, "Okay, Todd (or whatever your name is).  I see.  I'll get back to you on that."  Then 24 hours later, "Todd" would be unemployed.  Might give someone the benefit of the doubt that he or she is joking.  If you're running a network, you cut back on Taylor Swift if it messes with one's revenue.  If she turns out to be a bad person and/or viewership goes down, that would be a different story.  The NFL has been very good at running something to the ground, but pivoting off of it quick.  So no, the league isn't going to crumble.  They adjust, move to what's next, and people move on & are happy.

Plus, this isn't new.  It's October; it's early in a long football season.  There's always something that isn't too focused on the actual game.  Eventually it'll die down as we move to November, December, and January where the games mean more.  Except it might not, but more people will adjust & deal with it to where they'll still get their viewing in while Taylor is shown a ton.  I don't even think she'll be going to all the games, but probably several (especially if it's SNF, MNF, and a 4:25 game).  We'll see about that TNF game against Denver

[JTMacc99]

Interesting week for my survival pool.

Pretty much everybody is taking either the Detroit or Miami, with a collection of Washington picks rounding out the remaining survivors. 

I already used up Washington. I should probably just go with the crowd and take the obvious Lions pick. But I'm feeling like going off the reservation this week and doing something like taking the Jets over the Broncos. Fortunately, I still have time to NOT do that.

Week 5

 Bears Commanders Thu 10/5, 8:15 p.m. ET, Amazon PrimeFedExField

 Jaguars Bills9:30 a.m. ET, NFLNTottenham Hotspur Stadium

 Saints Patriots1 p.m. ET, CBSGillette Stadium

 Titans Colts1 p.m. ET, CBSLucas Oil Stadium

 Ravens Steelers1 p.m. ET, CBSAcrisure Stadium

 Texans Falcons1 p.m. ET, FOXMercedes-Benz Stadium

 Panthers Lions1 p.m. ET, FOXFord Field

 Giants Dolphins1 p.m. ET, FOXHard Rock Stadium

 Bengals Cardinals4:05 p.m. ET, FOXState Farm Stadium

 Eagles Rams4:05 p.m. ET, FOXSoFi Stadium

 Jets Broncos4:25 p.m. ET, CBSEmpower Field at Mile High

 Chiefs Vikings4:25 p.m. ET, CBSU.S. Bank Stadium

 Cowboys 49ers8:20 p.m. ET, NBCLevi's Stadium

 Packers RaidersMon 10/9, 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPNAllegiant Stadium

[mojoween]

This is where the Swift Experience as endorsed by the NFL loses me.  This is the first paragraph written by someone from the Associated Press about Sauce Gardner’s reaction to the hold -

”Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner fired a second shot at refs who called him for a costly fourth-quarter penalty that helped the Kansas City Chiefs - cheered on by pop star Taylor Swift - avoid an upset on Sunday night with a 23-20 win at MetLife Stadium.”

Swifties are not going to read this article.  Why even mention her days later?  I mean the jist of the article was only tangentially about Kansas City anydamnway and Travis wasn’t even mentioned at all.  So stupid.

[bluegirl147]

3 hours ago, Carey said:

 Eventually it'll die down as we move to November, December, and January where the games mean more.

Taylor starts another leg of concert tour in November.  In Argentina I think. So she won't be at any games till she finishes her tour.  Now if she is still being talked about during the KC games during this time then that is ridiculous.  Well even more ridiculous than it is now.

17 minutes ago, mojoween said:

This is where the Swift Experience as endorsed by the NFL loses me.  This is the first paragraph written by someone from the Associated Press about Sauce Gardner’s reaction to the hold -

 

 

Swifties are not going to read this article.  Why even mention her days later?  I mean the jist of the article was only tangentially about Kansas City anydamnway and Travis wasn’t even mentioned at all.  So stupid.

And this is why I miss real journalists.  People who just reported the news.  People that weren't trying to get clicks or likes or whatever.   So did this writer insert Taylor's name into the story because if someone is doing a google alert on Taylor this article will pop up?  What's next? Hearing Travis Kelce, alleged boyfriend of Taylor Swift, caught the ball for 21 yards? Patrick Mahomes threw a pass to Taylor Swift's alleged boyfriend for 21 yards?

[Carey]

41 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

Taylor starts another leg of concert tour in November.  In Argentina I think. So she won't be at any games till she finishes her tour.  Now if she is still being talked about during the KC games during this time then that is ridiculous.  Well even more ridiculous than it is now.

Awww that sucks.  Or maybe it's convenient.  Planet Earth will not be treated to her sad reaction since she'll be unavailable against KC's conference nemesis.  Though who knows what to expect from Cincinnati?

42 minutes ago, bluegirl147 said:

And this is why I miss real journalists.  People who just reported the news.  People that weren't trying to get clicks or likes or whatever.   So did this writer insert Taylor's name into the story because if someone is doing a google alert on Taylor this article will pop up?  What's next? Hearing Travis Kelce, alleged boyfriend of Taylor Swift, caught the ball for 21 yards? Patrick Mahomes threw a pass to Taylor Swift's alleged boyfriend for 21 yards?

As mentioned, SNF was slated to do well without her.  The ratings & viewership probably were slated to hit those numbers, or maybe not but still top everything else in the ratings before Aaron Rodgers got hurt. 

Also mentioned someplace else, the NFL has been around for over a century & Miss Swift has only been around for less than 3.5 decades.  Of course the totals are better with her than without, but the number are not going to be on the level of the Louie Anderson Family Feud if she's not there

[bluegirl147]

Even he thinks it's too much coverage.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/even-travis-kelce-thinks-the-nfl-is-overdoing-it-with-taylor-swift-coverage-160606189.html

[AimingforYoko]

You know who's enjoying this as much as the NFL itself? Josh Allen. He's dating Hailee Steinfeld and was a little freaked out by the paparazzi when it first hit the news. Now no one's paying attention to that NFL-Celebrity romance.

[Carey]

I think I forgot about that completely before today.

 

A couple scheduling changes for Week Six include Tampa Bay & Detroit moving from the 1:00 start time to the GOTW slot of 4:25, and the Jets/Eagles game likely no longer being the game the A Team will be calling one week from Sunday.  The latter looks like it'll be a blowout.

What may be odd is the scheduled SNF game featuring New York & Buffalo is still in that 8:20 spot.  Probably not ideal to flex out an NFC East team, but Cleveland/San Francisco would've been a better matchup.  IMO, that was the only choice to move to Sunday night, but I guess it was protected.

Kansas City & Minnesota is now the 4:25 main game on 10/08/23, as opposed to Jets & Denver.  

[JTMacc99]

17 hours ago, AimingforYoko said:

You know who's enjoying this as much as the NFL itself? Josh Allen. He's dating Hailee Steinfeld and was a little freaked out by the paparazzi when it first hit the news. Now no one's paying attention to that NFL-Celebrity romance.

Ooh. Good for them; I hope that one works out. I've watched a couple interviews with her because she's in some of the Marvel stuff I watch. I find her to be very likeable and bright. And Allen seems like he is also pretty darn likeable whenever I hear him interviewed or when he was playing golf on "The Match".

They would have very tall, very good looking kids. Heh.

[mojoween]

Now I obviously have not seen the cover of every People magazine that has ever been published in its decades of existence, but I feel comfortable saying that last week and this week is the first time the same football player has been on the cover two weeks in a row.

I’m not going to tell you which football player; you have to work that out for yourselves.

[BetterButter]

 

[mojoween]

I feel like I should be all worked up about what Evan Neal said, but I’m not.  Certainly not as crazed as Don LaGreca, that’s for damn sure.

If the fans are crying and whining about what Evan said, doesn’t that help make his point?  He said what he said and he meant it when he said it.  Honesty might hurt, but at least it’s honest.

[AimingforYoko]

1 hour ago, BetterButter said:

 

The platonic ideal of a name for a linebacker. R.I.P.

[mojoween]

WHAT is Washington wearing?

[JTMacc99]

53 minutes ago, mojoween said:

WHAT is Washington wearing?

I don’t hate the uniforms tonight. This is a team that needs a new name and a brand refresh anyway. Whatever they’re called and wearing this year is hopefully going to be fixed going forward. 
 

I do love that they are getting whooped by the Bears so far in the first half. (Should be even more. That was absolutely pass interference in the end zone.)

[Carey]

For now several reasons, I refrained from picking this game (outright).  I was actually going to predict a tie here, which means a Chicago win as they were +6 or whatever.  Washington's success is not sustainable; no way it was worth it to "bet" TNF tonight.

The uniforms are not that awful.  Sure, their current name can go away, but I'm never going to agree about moving to whatever they were called until this current name.  Fortunately I've gotten so used to saying "Washington" and nothing more

[twoods]

I like their black uniforms. I’m also glad that the Bears finally won a game. 

Edited October 6, 2023 by twoods

[JTMacc99]

10 hours ago, twoods said:

I like their black uniforms. I’m also glad that the Bears finally won a game. 

The NFL is an interesting league. There really isn't a lot that separates most teams. A couple good plays and/or a couple of mistakes by the other team and the winless Bears can win comfortably against a team that just last week took one of the best teams in the league to OT. 

On the other hand, Washington's 2-2 record coming into this game had tight wins over Arizona and Denver and a blowout loss to Buffalo to go with that close loss. So they're nothing to write home about, and the Bears did a good job not shooting themselves in the foot last night. 

[janeyjay]

There's something poetic about the Bears getting their first win in forever on the same day that Dick Butkus died. 

[Carey]

There's also someone hilarious about the Bears getting their first win since Chase Claypool disappeared.

It's unfortunate that it took Dick Butkus passing on for Chicago to win for the first time in quite a long time.  While I don't expect them to turn a new leaf (this season), I think they'll trend toward the era and play inspired in honor of him.  The good news is that there are about a quarter dozen NFC teams that are too good to where they'll have no chance

[Lamb18]

22 hours ago, mojoween said:

Now I obviously have not seen the cover of every People magazine that has ever been published in its decades of existence, but I feel comfortable saying that last week and this week is the first time the same football player has been on the cover two weeks in a row.

I’m not going to tell you which football player; you have to work that out for yourselves.

He will also be People's sexiest man of the year (picture of Taylor Swift behind him).

[roamyn]

On 10/5/2023 at 7:27 PM, mojoween said:

I feel like I should be all worked up about what Evan Neal said, but I’m not.  Certainly not as crazed as Don LaGreca, that’s for damn sure.

That was hilarious for damn sure!

Can we now please stop with the narrative that Justin Fields can't throw!  For two weeks in a row he's thrown for four TDs and those were gorgeous throws.  Yes, he still needs improvement, but for whichever media pundit said 282 yards wasn't great (I don't remember which one, I watch so many), Kiss My Buckeye Ass.

I hope Chicago moves on from him, trades him to ATL or somewhere else, gets Caleb Williams and Caleb struggles too.  It's not fair to the fans, but that organization is terrible.  If I remember correctly Bryce Young was a sure thing, too and ready made for the NFL.  How's that working out for you now, Carolina, the only non-win team.  Thank God CJ went to Houston which seems to have a great coaching staff.

RIP Legendary Player and Personality Dick Butkus.  Hubby & I just watched his episode of Night Court last week, by chance.

[DrSpaceman73]

Johnathan taylor new contract. 3 years 42 million .  26 million guarranteed

As a colts fan I'm surprised.  Really thought he'd be traded. 

It's a reasonable deal for both sides

[Carey]

It's a very good deal.  Good for Indy.  Also helps, IMO, that the Colts look OK at worst.

 

Week 5 Picks: Buffalo, Baltimore, New England, Indianapolis, Miami, Detroit, Houston, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Denver, San Francisco, Green Bay

Week 5 ATS & O/U: Buffalo, Rams, Minnesota, San Francisco, Green Bay. Under in the London Game, SNF, and MNF. Over in everything else

[Carey]

Looks like people will have to wait for 2024 to see Milano in action on the field.  In addition to the Bills linebacker, I think there were a half dozen Buffalo defensive players going down in a hurry in London.

Obviously with Matt exiting on the cart with a significant cast, that's the biggest issue, along with the concern for the AFC East Champions paying the price if they go off of their plans for Von Miller.

[mojoween]

If this game holds, the NFL might want to look into if one team stays in London for two weeks and one has to fly over within the week is a competitive disadvantage.

[twoods]

Ugh Milano was having such a great season. What a blow to the defense. 

[SuprSuprElevated]

[Carey]

27 minutes ago, mojoween said:

If this game holds, the NFL might want to look into if one team stays in London for two weeks and one has to fly over within the week is a competitive disadvantage.

I totally forgot that I was going to pick Jacksonville for this very reason.  Well, at least cover (Bills -5.5).  I still felt that Buffalo was good enough to win, but while they've pulled to within 4, those injuries might be the difference more than the advantage Jacksonville has.

Still, I agree that they'll look into it, but I don't know how best they could fix it

[blueray]

Not play there. I don't get why there are games in London. If they are trying to grow a market, I don't see that working. What are they going get their own team?

[Carey]

That is fair enough.  Probably not the solution the NFL will ever go with, but that would cross off a competitive disadvantage.

I love the international games.  Looks like 9:30 AM Eastern is the time going forward for everything there.  That ain't changing.  But things feel tremendous, moreso if you're there.

I will disagree with the league about having a team permanently.  That would be a double-standard.

BTW, nobody goes to Jacksonville for football.  So that's part of the London thing.  IMO, an easier fix would be to move the Jaguars to Atlanta

[Magog]

1 hour ago, Carey said:

BTW, nobody goes to Jacksonville for football.  So that's part of the London thing.  IMO, an easier fix would be to move the Jaguars to Atlanta

If the Jaguars become good or become a Super Bowl contender, then people will come out & support them. 

And why does Atlanta deserve another NFL team? They already have the Falcons & that rotten skunk smelling stench called 28-3. 

As for todays games, the Chiefs - Vikings is another root for neither game. Kirk Cousins won last week & that didn't make me very happy, so he'll most certainly find a way to fall on his face. The Chiefs are not very rootable for obvious reasons. 😒

I hope that Jerry Jones sleeps well tonight when his Cowboys go down again to the 49ers. His sadness when they lose tonight will bring a huge smile to my face. 

Edited October 8, 2023 by Magog

[Carey]

Georgia South is a thing, I guess.  Plus, it would be an AFC Atlanta team.  Though I would root for a New Orleans AFC team.  At most, a quarter handful of people dream of Atlanta and call it a good dream.

People dream about Bourbon Street, on the other hand.  Heck, people dream ON Bourbon Street!

[mojoween]

I don’t know how this Giants game is going to end (I can guess, but let’s not speculate) but Jonathan Vilma’s quiet “oh no” as Tyreek Hill runs faster than Secretariat is going to haunt my nightmares.

[Carey]

I don't know how the New York game is going to end either.  I imagine it'll end with either Daniel Jones throwing a pass to an NFL player or Tua Tagovailoa throwing a pass to an NFL player.  Not sure the name of the player but he'll be in turquoise, white, and orange either way

[Fukui San]

Perhaps I'm wrong about the Patriots and they're not just regular bad but the worst team in the league. It's not impossible.

For the first time, I can see Robert Kraft parting ways with Belichick this offseason.

[Carey]

1 minute ago, Fukui San said:

Perhaps I'm wrong about the Patriots and they're not just regular bad but the worst team in the league. It's not impossible.

For the first time, I can see Robert Kraft parting ways with Belichick this offseason.

I was just coming back here to post about this!

Nothing would thrill me more than for Kraft to boot Bill, and the latter doesn't get a chance to pass Shula

[AimingforYoko]

Yeah, the party's definitely over in New England. Clean that offense out top to bottom.

[Fukui San]

If you have to have a stinker of a season, it’s apparently a good year to have an earned top 5 pick and a need for a QB. 
 

Question is will Belichick be the one making the pick?