NFL Thread

[roamyn]

Oh Baker....  I was so rooting for you buddy.  But you proved most of them wrong, and I hope you found a more permanent home in Tampa, esp with a baby on the way.

However,  it's great to see the Lions in the NFCC.  I always like to see new teams - esp long suffering ones - get rewarded.  Gives me hope for the Browns.

[Black Knight]

The NFL has a compelling NFCC game on its hands, for sure. On the one hand, there's the Niners with arguably the best roster in the NFL and which has seen a lot of success in recent years, albeit not a Super Bowl championship, and a QB who was Mr. Irrelevant in the draft; and on the other hand there's Detroit, a longstanding joke of the NFL, whose longtime franchise QB had to be traded elsewhere to finally get a ring, and now are in reach of a Super Bowl with the QB they got back in that trade, whose team had given up on him.

I'm hoping for a great game between these two teams, unlike when I was so excited about last year's NFCC game between the Eagles and Niners, only to see that be a total freak of a disaster because of what happened with the Niners' QBs.

I'm rooting for Detroit, but I'm okay with a Niners win too.

[Artsda]

Forget Taylor, Jason Kelce as a fan is best to watch. Lol 

[Calvada]

18 hours ago, Irlandesa said:

Sports kills me.  It just hurts sometimes. 

As a Packers fan, everything in me should just be grateful they made it to the playoffs when they only had a 10% chance a few weeks ago. I should have had no expectations and everything they did once in should have been just gravy for a team whose only goal this season was to determine if Jordan Love is the QB of the future. 

But man, it would have been so much easier had the game played out like the Ravens and Texans did instead of another, super close game full of missed opportunities. 

 

I'm also a Packers fan. It would be easier to deal with this loss if it had been by 2 or 3 TDs. I keep thinking that coming into week 1, if someone told me that the Pack would be one of the final eight teams playing, I would have taken that in a heartbeat. 

For Green Bay fans, there's lots of optimism about the offense and a ton of worry about the defense. One of the primary reasons they lost the game is the abysmal play of safeties Darnell Savage and Jonathan Owens. That's been a season-long thing. Once Carlson missed the field goal, I knew the game was lost because I had no doubt that San Fran would move right down the field for the TD.   

[mojoween]

Huh.

 

[AimingforYoko]

26 minutes ago, Artsda said:

Forget Taylor, Jason Kelce as a fan is best to watch. Lol 

He's definitely enjoying his retirement:

 

[Carey]

Sounds about right.  One & one A in terms of petty ownership (well, until this year with the team that last won in 1991).

Meanwhile, in the AFC, Houston hasn't been to a conference championship ever

[JTMacc99]

I really don’t care who wins this game as long as whoever does beats the ravens next week.

[twoods]

Another vomit inducing close matchup with these two. As a Bills fan, I don’t know how much more I can take of this. Plus the defense have already lost so many players so I’m not expecting much.

[Fukui San]

Another 13 seconds incoming? Unless one of these defenses can muster a stop it could be last team with the ball wins. 

[Irlandesa]

28 minutes ago, AimingforYoko said:

He's definitely enjoying his retirement:

I don't believe he has officially retired. I know one of the insiders (Schefter or Rapaport) said he gave a goodbye/retirement speech to the team in the locker room but he came out on his podcast and said that wasn't true--he'd never make a firm decision like that during an emotional time. 

So he might retire or he might not but nothing is confirmed.

56 minutes ago, Calvada said:

I'm also a Packers fan. It would be easier to deal with this loss if it had been by 2 or 3 TDs. I keep thinking that coming into week 1, if someone told me that the Pack would be one of the final eight teams playing, I would have taken that in a heartbeat. 

Yep. This is why I came here.  Regardless of who we root for, we all know the frustrations of being fans. 

[Carey]

39 minutes ago, JTMacc99 said:

I really don’t care who wins this game as long as whoever does beats the ravens next week.

I would root for Kansas City to be honest.  If Buffalo wins?  The only reason the AFC Title Game will take place would be due to the fact that the game would need to be played in order for people to get paid.

I still think it could go either way between the AFC West champs & the AFC North champs, but the former isn't as decimated.  Plus, they won when the most important person was hurt against their nemesis

[Calvada]

1 minute ago, Irlandesa said:

Yep. This is why I came here.  Regardless of who we root for, we all know the frustrations of being fans. 

I have watched the Packers for well over 50 years; I've seen lousy teams, good teams, and a couple great teams, there's been heartbreak and happiness, and best of all, I have never had to experience an owner like Jerry Jones, David Tepper, or Daniel Snyder!  

[Magog]

Damn!! It goes wide right. 

Lets see if the Bills defense can do what their defense didn't do in those 13 seconds last time. 

Edit : Their defense failed them again.

 

Edited January 22 by Magog

[Carey]

1990!

[mojoween]

Jim Nantz did not just say wide right in a Buffalo game.

Dammitall to fuck Kansas City winning this game is an absolutely shit outcome.

Edited January 22 by mojoween

[Artsda]

There it goes, Buffalo lost this now.  

[Carey]

Kansas City escapes & heads to their sixth consecutive AFC Title Game.  It'll be the champions first road AFC championship game in 30 years

[twoods]

Eh figures with the crappy wind it will come down to a missed field goal. Hope the Ravens beat the shit out of them next week so they stop panning on the Chiefs suite. Oh wells 

[Magog]

The Chiefs are about to win this game. Yay. 😒

Another week of Taylor Swift in the suite next week. This time in Baltimore. Yay. 😒

[Fukui San]

Buffalo Wide Right.  The scriptwriters are just repeating themselves now. 

[Moose135]

Wide right kills Buffalo again…

[bluegirl147]

Looks like I will be rooting for the NFC in the Super Bowl this year.

[Carey]

(Taylor Kelce camera shots * Romo shouting) Wide right + Chiefs in the title game * Yet Another Harbaugh crowning EQUALS

Oh yeah. The NFL is definitely scripted!

[Fukui San]

Welp, Cigarette Smoking Man strikes again. 
 

Godammit Buffalo. You’re making me have to root for Baltimore next week. Actual accessories to murderers! Sigh. 

[blueray]

5 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

The only team I don't want to win the SB is the Chiefs.   

Me too. Come on ravens destroy them!

[AimingforYoko]

And Mahomes gets his first road playoff win. The legend grows. 

Why did it have to be wide right, though? That's just cruel.

[emma675]

Ugh, I hate that for the Bills (or any) kicker. 

I was fine with either KC or Buffalo winning, I didn't have a favorite. It would have been nice to see the Bills move forward for once, but... I only care about the Ravens losing next week. 

[Black Knight]

Out of the 4 AFC teams, the only one I didn't want to advance was KC. I'll be rooting for Baltimore next week. We'll see how much the NFL wants Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl.

[Salacious Kitty]

Oh, they want Taylor at the Super Bowl. I hope she's anywhere but Vegas that day.

[Carey]

IDK.  I can see the league going for the Harbaugh double dip.  Though if San Francisco gets their revenge (or Detroit makes history) it would be for nothing.

I'm not sure since Jim is facing whatever, and I think the league would impose discipline if the NCAA would've should Jim stay on the collegiate level.

By the way, Swift has another commitment in Japan around the time of the Super Bowl (though Taylor did mention the efforts to work something out)

[Bastet]

44 minutes ago, emma675 said:

I was fine with either KC or Buffalo winning, I didn't have a favorite. It would have been nice to see the Bills move forward for once, but... I only care about the Ravens losing next week. 

Same here.

[roamyn]

1 hour ago, bluegirl147 said:

Looks like I will be rooting for the NFC in the Super Bowl this year.

I'll root for the Cravens since they're the AFCN Champs.  But I wouldn't be upset w/a 49ers or Lions championship. 

I'm convinced the Bills won't win until Marv Levy passes away.  And at 98, he might be around forever.

 

 

[meowmommy]

1 hour ago, Carey said:

1990!

January 27, 1991.  My daughter's first birthday.  But Scott Norwood had a gift for me, as a Giants fan.

[Calvada]

1 hour ago, emma675 said:

Ugh, I hate that for the Bills (or any) kicker. 

Anders Carlson is probably relieved that for a few moments he isn't the kicker everyone is talking about.  

[twoods]

I think that’s really shitty of the coach to call him out. Being a kicker is hard enough, but finding out that your own coach doesn’t have your back is awful- poor Carlson. At least Josh Allen said they shouldn’t have put Bass in that position in the first place. 

Edited January 22 by twoods

[Carey]

44 minutes ago, meowmommy said:

January 27, 1991.  My daughter's first birthday.  But Scott Norwood had a gift for me, as a Giants fan.

My pick of the greatest Super Bowl of all time.  I'd probably pick XL for my favorite, but as I trend toward not picking with emotion, I absolutely loved XXV.  Everything about it was great from start to finish.

I probably should've posted the correct calendar year, but that in the moment post referenced the NFL season, not the year of the best game.  Still the only time I felt very happy for the winners and saddened for the runners-up

[Calvada]

23 minutes ago, twoods said:

I think that’s really shitty of the coach to call him out. Being a kicker is hard enough, but finding out that your own coach doesn’t have your back is awful- poor Carlson. At least Josh Allen said they shouldn’t have put Bass in that position in the first place. 

Are you talking about his comment about saying he "just prays" when it comes time for a kick?  Certainly that's what most Packers fans have done all season long!  LaFleur did say in his opening remarks postgame, before being asked anything, that it's never one play, that people would look at the missed FG, but there were a lot of missed opportunities.  I think his comment was directed more at Brian Gutekunst than Carlson, who chose not to keep Mason Crosby but go with the cheaper rookie.  Carlson has not been consistent at all this season; he missed a kick (either a FG or PAT) in each of the past 5 games and 10 of the last 12 games.  In Gutekunst's defense, the Packers weren't supposed to be contenders this year, it was to be a rebuilding year, so having a rookie kicker who struggles shouldn't have been issue.  Until they surprised everyone by making the playoffs.  

Pro sports are cruel.  An athlete is paid to perform.  Carlson is paid to make the kick and he didn't.  They will certainly bring in competition during training camp and if he continues to struggle, he will be gone.  Just like players at every position with every team.

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, Calvada said:

Are you talking about his comment about saying he "just prays" when it comes time for a kick? 

I thought that was a reporter's paraphrase of a conversation, not a direct quote.  I pay very little attention to sports media anymore for various reasons, but that's how I've seen it categorized in the little I've read (and that direct quotes have been of the there are going to be ups and downs with a young player and we're committed to development variety).

[Irlandesa]

 

6 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I thought that was a reporter's paraphrase of a conversation, not a direct quote.  I pay very little attention to sports media anymore for various reasons, but that's how I've seen it categorized in the little I've read (and that direct quotes have been of the there are going to be ups and downs with a young player and we're committed to development variety).

This is what I was going to say in my reply too. I believe the "just prays" came from the TV broadcast and it's so unlike anything I've ever heard LaFleur say about a player that I either questioned the interpretation or wondered if he was off the record.  In addition to what you wrote out, he also talks about how they've seen him do it in practice and he needs to translate that to games. 

2 hours ago, Calvada said:

I think his comment was directed more at Brian Gutekunst than Carlson, who chose not to keep Mason Crosby but go with the cheaper rookie. 

They didn't just get rid of their kicker because he was more expensive but they really thought his leg wasn't what it used to be.  Considering he didn't land on an active roster until the final three games of the season, GB wasn't the only team with that assessment.

The only roster move I think the GM might have reversed if he could is trading Rasul Douglas to Buffalo back when it looked like the GB season was lost.  He probably would have held onto one of those interceptions.

[bmasters9]

11 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

The only team I don't want to win the SB is the Chiefs.   

 Or the 49ers-- both already have titles to their name, let alone have had multiple chances, while Detroit doesn't even have one, let alone they haven't even had a chance; that's why if it's SF/KC again, I am not watching the Super Bowl.

[mojoween]

SportsCenter All Night played a clip from one of their shows and the guy was like “people are going to want to run Tyler Bass out of town but…” and who are these people?  Who?  I will fight them.

Anyone who says that clearly did not watch the fourth quarter.  And if Tyler did make the game *tying* kick, what makes anyone think the Bills defense was going to stop Kansas City?

Missed kicks = goat is one of the WORST sports narratives.

[JTMacc99]

Next weekend is set up for one big disappointment for me. The Ravens are the one AFC team I actively dislike. And after listening to Niners fans trash talk all year, they can absolutely extend their championship drought for another 25 years for all I care. 
 

But the script is written, and that’s what I am getting this year. Blech. 

[blueray]

1 hour ago, mojoween said:

SportsCenter All Night played a clip from one of their shows and the guy was like “people are going to want to run Tyler Bass out of town but…” and who are these people?  Who?  I will fight them.

Anyone who says that clearly did not watch the fourth quarter.  And if Tyler did make the game *tying* kick, what makes anyone think the Bills defense was going to stop Kansas City?

Missed kicks = goat is one of the WORST sports narratives.

I came to the conclusion it wouldn't have mattered. If he made the kick. There was still a minute left. KC would have likely just scored again. And even if they didn't, the Bills never win in overtime. So we just would have been delaying the inevitable :(.

[Carey]

1 hour ago, JTMacc99 said:

Next weekend is set up for one big disappointment for me. The Ravens are the one AFC team I actively dislike. And after listening to Niners fans trash talk all year, they can absolutely extend their championship drought for another 25 years for all I care. 
 

But the script is written, and that’s what I am getting this year. Blech. 

The Script isn't the only thing that's been written...it's been "drawn" out for years!

[JTMacc99]

That whole colors of the Super Bowl logo thing is fun and part of why I said the script has been written.  I REALLY hope it doesn't work out this year, but I should probably go ahead and make other plans for this Sunday so I don't have to sit through 7 straight hours of disappointment.

In actual football news, that one TD pass that Josh Allen threw where he scrambled to the left and then threw an absolute dart to his receiver right on the pylon was sobering. 

Nobody on my team is making that throw. Ever.

[bluegirl147]

2 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

The Ravens are the one AFC team I actively dislike

Come sit at my table.  My intense dislike for them of course stems from the fact they are my team's division rival but even without that I could never root for them.  John Harbaugh used to have such a smug look on his face that that alone would have made me dislike his team.  I am not a Lamar Jackson fan. I simply cannot find one reason to root for them.  Even if they were playing Dallas I couldn't root for them. 

But I also cannot root for KC.  As I have said before they have become the new NE and Mahomes is the new Tom Brady and in my book those are not good things.  I'm not mad Mahomes is a great football player.  I'm just so over seeing him and his team always in the AFC Championship game.  It would be nice to see someone else. 

 

[Carey]

Great points, bluegirl.  However, you could have had Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Shannon Sharpe, Torrey Smith, on this team with Harbaugh, Clowney, Odell & Lamar.  For one, they're winning everything & it would not be close.  

That would be true "hate" toward that team.  However, more than all possible scenarios in life would never, ever have me rooting for Dallas over Baltimore, period.  If the practice is to treat the Ravens as a team that's been around for 28 years instead nearly 8 decades, then it's not easy to support a team like the Cowboys over a team that hasn't been around for a long time in my lifetime.

I'll agree to disagree with Lamar for the most part.  He was rather smug against Tennessee 3 years ago but the latter did deserve it.  I think he's conducted himself rather well in front of the mic.  Rather interesting for me.  As for John, the obnoxious behavior is still there, but I still think I'd admire him if he was my head coach.  Can't say that about a lot of people (ex. Gase & Hue).

The Chiefs are this era's Patriots for sure.  Might not reach that actual level, but it is definitely vexatious that there's that one team that's always there at the end, which even started before the Patriots presence ended.  Have to go back to 2011 for someone other than Tom and Patrick in the title game, as mentioned.

I probably don't mind it as much since my team is miles away.  Their current ceiling is just getting to the playoffs, and really starting their playoffs in Weeks 17 & 18 where winning isn't a guaranteed for survival.  Nothing now with Kansas City compares (on an emotional level) to the early 2000s as well as the past decade (mid to late 2010s).  This was the year to take advantage of KC's struggles and Cincinnati's Joe Burrow being down.  If that doesn't happen again, then Pittsburgh can be better, but it will get them nowhere.

Having said that, if Pittsburgh had won the games they needed to win, enough to be the one seed.  They'd likely finally win a playoff game, but still lose to Kansas City since they never win the conference as the top seed

[JTMacc99]

I know that I tend to be on a sparsely populated island when I say I rarely if ever root against a great team or athlete just because they win a lot. This isn't to say that I root against NEW teams because they're new. I would really enjoy a Lions Super Bowl win if it happened this year, as they have a loyal fan base who would genuinely appreciate the victory. I felt the same way about the 2019 Chiefs.

So if it can't be the Lions, I'm totally rooting for the Chiefs to win their third championship. Mahomes is great and he earns his wins with talent and hard work. Andy Reid seems like a really good dude, so I'm good with him having continued success.

And on that note, Kelce and Swift also seem like they're decent people. There are SO MANY bad people to root against in the NFL, not to mention the ones who are just general purpose dicks, that I'll save my unkind words for the ones who deserve it. 

[bluegirl147]

13 minutes ago, Carey said:

However, more than all possible scenarios in life would never, ever have me rooting for Dallas over Baltimore, period. 

I didn't say I would root for Dallas. That would be one of those games I would hope was at least a close game to keep me watching.  I can't stand to watch games where someone is getting blown out.  Out of this weekends games the Baltimore/Houston is the one game I turned off before it was over. 

17 minutes ago, Carey said:

As for John, the obnoxious behavior is still there, but I still think I'd admire him if he was my head coach. 

I agree with this.  It's thinking yeah he is an asshole but he is my asshole.  

20 minutes ago, Carey said:

Have to go back to 2011 for someone other than Tom and Patrick in the title game, as mentioned.

You are right.  January 23, 2011 was the last AFC Championship that featured two teams that were not NE or WKC. A more astonishing fact is with the exception of the 2002-2003 AFC Championship game every game since 2001 season featured one of four QBs.  Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Big Ben and Patrick Mahomes. A lot of those games had two of those QBs. With Brady, Manning and Ben now gone we will see if Mahomes is joined by Josh Allen or Joe Burrow or even Lamar Jackson.