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Week 17 (Sunday 12/31) - Results
Just for Show
Washington Redskins 10 at New York Giants 18
Green Bay Packers 11 at Detroit Lions 35
Houston Texans 13 at Indianapolis Colts 22
Dallas Cowboys 6 at Philadelphia Eagles 0
Kansas City Chiefs 27 at Denver Broncos 24

Last Chance to Make Playoffs (plus some seeding impacts)
Jacksonville Jaguars 10 at Tennessee Titans 15
Buffalo Bills 22 at Miami Dolphins 16
Arizona Cardinals 26 at Seattle Seahawks 24
Carolina Panthers 10 at Atlanta Falcons 22
Cincinnati Bengals 31 at Baltimore Ravens 27
"Oakland" Raiders 10 at Los Angeles Chargers 30

Seeding-Only Games
New York Jets 6 at New England Patriots 26
Chicago Bears 10 at Minnesota Vikings 23
Cleveland Browns 24 at Pittsburgh Steelers 28
San Francisco 49ers 34 at Los Angeles Rams 13
New Orleans Saints 24 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31

Congratulations to the Cleveland Browns for becoming the second NFL team to achieve a PERFECT 0-16 season!

Also, some teams are making coaching changes before midnight, so we might as well start tracking.

Coach News/Moves
New York Giants fired Ben McAdoo after 2-10 start along with GM Jerry Reese. Dave Gettleman will be the Giants' new GM hiring McAdoo's replacement.

Indianapolis Colts have (finally) fired Chuck Pagano after a 4-12 season.

It was reported that this will be Marvin Lewis's last season with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Following their loss to the Chargers, the Raiders have fired Jack Del Rio.

2017 Playoffs

AFC
1. New England Patriots
2. Pittsburgh Steelers
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
4. Kansas City Chiefs
5. Tennessee Titans
6. Buffalo Bills

NFC
1. Philadelphia Eagles
2. Minnesota Vikings
3. Los Angeles Rams
4. New Orleans Saints
5. Carolina Panthers
6. Atlanta Falcons

Marvin Lewis might be done with the Bengals, but he decided to kill playoff hopes for the Lions and Ravens on his way out. In doing so, he helps the Buffalo Bills secure their first playoff appearance since 1999.

Ugh, there is no one I want to root for in there. Here's to hoping it's at least a good SB.

How could the 0-16 Browns possibly miss with two of the top 4 picks in the 2018 draft?
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2018 ... -top-four/
1. Cleveland Browns
2. New York/New Jersey Giants
3. Indianapolis Colts
4. Cleveland Browns (from Houston Texans)
5. Denver Broncos
6. New York/New Jersey Jets
7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
8. Chicago Bears
9 or 10. San Francisco 49ers
10 or 9. Las Vegas Raiders
11. Miami Dolphins
12. Cincinnati Bengals
13. Washington Redskins
14. Green Bay Packers
15. Arizona Cardinals
16. Baltimore Ravens
17. Los Angeles Chargers
18. Seattle Seahawks
19. Dallas Cowboys
20. Detroit Lions
The remaining picks of the first round will be determined by the reverse of the finishing order of the twelve teams that made the playoffs.
Tennessee Titans
Buffalo Bills
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
Jacksonville Jaguars
Buffalo Bills (from Kansas City Chiefs)
Los Angeles Rams
New Orleans Saints
Pittsburgh Steelers
Minnesota Vikings
Philadelphia Eagles
New England Patriots

DancinJack wrote:

Ugh, there is no one I want to root for in there. Here's to hoping it's at least a good SB.

The Steelers are the only team I would "like" to see win from the AFC for Ryan Shazier. They're also the only real challengers for the Patriots unless Kansas City have sobered up from their roller coaster season.

The NFC has better stories. Seeing Nick Foles lead the Eagles would be really neat, and that would be the first Lombardi for the franchise in a sea of NFC East trophies. Seeing the Panthers or Falcons finally shake off their hangovers would also be poetic, and it would be franchise first for either.

superjawes wrote:

DancinJack wrote:

Ugh, there is no one I want to root for in there. Here's to hoping it's at least a good SB.

The Steelers are the only team I would "like" to see win from the AFC for Ryan Shazier. They're also the only real challengers for the Patriots unless Kansas City have sobered up from their roller coaster season.

The NFC has better stories. Seeing Nick Foles lead the Eagles would be really neat, and that would be the first Lombardi for the franchise in a sea of NFC East trophies. Seeing the Panthers or Falcons finally shake off their hangovers would also be poetic, and it would be franchise first for either.

Or in my case hopefully the Vikings can go all the way. It would be their first one as well, as well as being the first team to win it all in their home stadium.

The 2017 NFL playoffs are irrelevant. Everyone knows the best team in the NFL isn't even in the playoffs. The San Francisco Jimmy Garoppolos are undefeated at 5-0 and have beaten 3 playoff teams in a row. Therefore they are the best team in the NFL.

In fact, they are the best team ever and I declare them all-time champions. All season and playoff games going forward are not sanctioned and their results are irrelevant.

As a 49ers fan myself I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't think that's quite how things works.

Redocbew wrote:

As a 49ers fan myself I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't think that's quite how things works.

Well, it seems to be the mindset of the average Patriots fan, at least 'round my area.

9ers fans will feel very awkward if Jimmy G isn't their QB next season. After all, his contract just ended

Anyway, we have some more coaching moves.

Fired:
The Lions fired Jim Caldwell today.

Bruce Arians announced his retirement from coaching, leaving a spot open with the Cardinals.

Not a HC, but the Packers (finally) let Defensive Coordinator Dom Capers go.

Safe Coaches:
Vance Joseph (Denver Broncos), Hue Jackson (Cleveland Browns), Dirk Koetter (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Jay Gruden (Washington Redskins)

If I was a Browns fan I'd be livid. I'm usually all for giving HC's 3 years or so before canning them, but one damn game in 2 years? Oh man I'd be done--not for the bad record but for keeping that coach

Redocbew wrote:

As a 49ers fan myself I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't think that's quite how things works.

I was only half serious, as a life-long Niners fan myself

superjawes wrote:

9ers fans will feel very awkward if Jimmy G isn't their QB next season. After all, his contract just ended

Zero chance that happens aside from some career-ending injury in the off-season, but even if it did happen then my point would be proven as the San Francisco Jimmy Garoppolos would go down in history as the only unbeaten team!

superjawes wrote:

It was reported that this will be Marvin Lewis's last season with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Well...nevermind.

As a lifelong Bills fan , I've waited one third of my life for them to sneak into the playoffs again. My hats off to Andy Dalton and the Bengals for beating the Ravens to get the Bills into them. Story line is interesting, former Bills coach, Marrone, and former Bills player, Dareus ,recently traded to Jacksonville.

Vikings vs Chiefs in the Superbowl.

The oddsmakers favor a Patriots-Vikings SuperBowl matchup:
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2018 ... s-top-nfc/

Wild Card Weekend
Saturday
Tennessee Titans at Kansas City Chiefs
Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Rams

Sunday
Buffalo Bills at Jacksonville Jaguars
Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints

This could be a weird weekend. All the NFC teams are pretty good, so anyone can win, and none of the AFC teams are solid picks, so anyone can win...oh well. NFC games should be better to watch overall. Also might want to schedule some time to watch the ESPN game (Titans/Chiefs), as rumors suggest that Gruden will be getting a new job.

Wonder if Damage and Gyromancer (a/k/a Jr. Damage) are at Arrowhead right now?

Wild Card Weekend - Results
Saturday
Tennessee Titans 22 at Kansas City Chiefs 21
Atlanta Falcons 26 at Los Angeles Rams 13

Sunday
Buffalo Bills 3 at Jacksonville Jaguars 10
Carolina Panthers 26 at New Orleans Saints 31

Wild Card weekend mostly went as expected. The Chiefs managed to blow it, the Falcons showed that their experience is worth more than the Rams flashy season, and Carolina made it a ballgame for New Orleans. Now the playoffs can really begin.

Divisional Weekend
Saturday
Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles
Tennessee Titans at New England Patriots

Sunday
Jacksonville Jaguars at Pittsburgh Steelers
New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings

The best game to watch should be Falcons/Eagles. The Eagles have only one weakness, but having an extra week of practice should smooth out some of Foles' rough edges, so I expect a close game in Philadelphia.

The next-best game should be Saints/Vikings. The Vikings won the Week 1 matchup, but I think the Saints have come a long way since then, and experience will lead to the upset in Minneapolis. Still, this is a close matchup and worth watching.

The other rematch in Divisional Weekend is Jaguars/Steelers. Big Ben's Week 5 meltdown was embarassing, but the team looks MUCH better now, and the Bills played a close game in Jacksonville. Then add experience and weather. Steelers *should* get a decisive victory.

Finally, we have the Titans in New England, which will be another sacrifice of an AFC South team to the football gods. New England wins this one by a landslide.

The best game to watch should be Falcons/Eagles. The Eagles have only one weakness, but having an extra week of practice should smooth out some of Foles' rough edges, so I expect a close game in Philadelphia.

Told ya! I mean it was an easy prediction to make...

Divisional Weekend - Results
Saturday
Atlanta Falcons 10 at Philadelphia Eagles 15
Tennessee Titans 14 at New England Patriots 35

Sunday
Jacksonville Jaguars 45 at Pittsburgh Steelers 42
New Orleans Saints 24 at Minnesota Vikings 29

Darn. 0 for 2 on Sunday's games. Heckofa ending in Minnesota, though.

superjawes wrote:

..Heckofa ending in Minnesota, though.

yup.


Really, all the Saints had to do was some pass interference with the Vikings receivers - the clock and the distance (even with a penalty) would have done the rest.


I wouldn't be surprised if there were some Viking's fans in the stadium that walked away in disgust once the Saints picked-up their last TD; it *should* have been over then. (..it was at that time that I was thinking Vikings fans were in the stadium curled-up into a fetal position whimpering. ..and I'm pretty sure any atheists in the stand there at the end might have started believing in a benevolent deity.)

CScottG wrote:

Really, all the Saints had to do was some pass interference with the Vikings receivers - the clock and the distance (even with a penalty) would have done the rest.

A defensive penalty would have stopped the clock (and provided a game extension if time expired), and the catch was made inside the target line for a FG.

This is a highlight that should be played on loop for defenders. Diggs was way too far inbounds for a critical catch like that (no Minnesota TOs), and a good tackle would have ended the game. But instead of wrapping up the receiver and keeping the clock running to zero, Marcus Williams dove for a hit and MISSED.

That really hurts if your Marcus Williams, the Saints, or their fans, but it's a teachable moment for all defenders.

superjawes wrote:

CScottG wrote:

Really, all the Saints had to do was some pass interference with the Vikings receivers - the clock and the distance (even with a penalty) would have done the rest.

A defensive penalty would have stopped the clock (and provided a game extension if time expired), and the catch was made inside the target line for a FG.

-that's interesting, at what point is the clocked stopped? (..What I'm assuming here is defensive pass interference with the result that the receiver does NOT catch the ball.) and yeah, the location for the foul was within territory (w/ 1st down from that penalty) - but the field goal is not assured.

It's that timing thing - there was what? about 3 seconds left on the clock from the time he caught the ball? (..and it was a FANTASTIC catch (and scramble) - just an incredible display of athleticism.) (..I only saw it real-time, and haven't looked at any replay material.)

superjawes wrote:

..Marcus Williams dove for a hit and MISSED.

..but it's a teachable moment for all defenders.

Yup.

I was partially incorrect. Defensive penalties do not always cause a clock stoppage until the following snap. However, this is the case in the last 5 minutes of the game. Found a writeup from a 2015 game on ESPN.

tl;dr: prior to 1985, all defensive penalties stopped the clock at any point in the game, but games were running too long under those rules. So now the clock can start on "ready to play" prior to the 2-minute warning in the 1st half, and the same is true before the final 5 minutes of regulation.

The ball was caught with ~3 seconds on the clock. Ideally, the Saints would have intercepted the ball to end the game. Second option is making the tackle to end the game. Third-best option would be a plain incomplete pass, giving MN those seconds for a shot at the end zone or lateral play. WAY down at the bottom of that list is committing DPI to give a shot at a field goal.

AFC Championship
Jacksonville Jaguars at New England Patriots

NFC Championship
Minnesota Vikings at Philadelphia Eagles

So there's a rumble of news out of New England, but I'm not sure what to make of it, so I would still consider the Patriots the favorite in the AFC championship.

NFC-side, I feel like people forgot that the Eagles are more than Carson Wentz. The team is still really solid, and again, Foles has history with the team, which puts him in a much better place to take over and lead the team to victory. Granted, the Vikings are still good and deserve to be in this game, so I am not counting them out at all.

...and once again, living proof that the Prevent Offense doesn't work worth sh1t.

Why did Jax run it up the middle on 1st down on ALL BUT ONE possession in the 2nd half? They stopped playing to win as soon as the score was 14-3. Why break away from the formula that worked so well?

Oh well, good luck Eagles or Vikings. And I don't care if you have a 56-7 lead with 4:00 left in the 4th quarter.. PLAY TO WIN.

I *really* hope the Eagles win the Superbowl. (..hell, they've only been there twice - I'm hoping they don't make it a "3-peat" performance.)

..did anyone see that 2nd (this season) episode of the X Files where one of the dead "lone gunmen" was in a virtual world where the Patriots never, ever, won a game? (..that scene cracked me up for its absurdity.)