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Week 14 - Results

Thursday Night Football, 12/6
Jacksonville Jaguars 9 at Tennessee Titans 30

Sunday 12/9
New York Jets 27 at Buffalo Bills 23
New York Giants 40 at Washington Redskins 16
New Orleans Saints 28 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers 14
New England Patriots 33 at Miami Dolphins 34
Baltimore Ravens 24 at Kansas City Chiefs 27
Indianapolis Colts 24 at Houston Texans 21
Atlanta Falcons 20 at Green Bay Packers 34
Carolina Panthers 20 at Cleveland Browns 26
Denver Broncos 14 at San Francisco 49ers 20
Cincinnati Bengals 21 at Los Angeles Chargers 26
Detroit Lions 17 at Arizona Cardinals 3
Pittsburgh Steelers 21 at "Oakland" Raiders 24
Philadelphia Eagles 23 at Dallas Cowboys 29

Sunday Night Football
Los Angeles Rams 6 at Chicago Bears 15

Monday Night Football, 12/10
Minnesota Vikings 7 at Seattle Seahawks 21

Crazy Week 14. In the AFC North, only the Cleveland Browns won, leaving the division wide open (on paper). The Broncos' playoff hopes stumble while the Colts and Dolphins get closer. The NFC East continues to be the NFC East, as the Giants stomp on Washington's hopes to stay in the race while the Cowboys win a wild one.

SNF EDIT: And the Rams fall again! I missed most of this game, but this Bears defense is legit. Trubinsky did have a couple of Cutler-esque moments tossing picks, but that could be solved by taking a sack of money to a QB-whisperer in the offseason. As for the Rams, the biggest hit is dropping back to the #2 seed.

Looking ahead, the Rams have rematch with the Eagles, followed by a pair of divisional games. The Bears host GB next week before road games in SF and MIN. The Saints--current #1 seed with a tiebreaker over the Rams--have the Steelers sandwiched between games against the Panthers. That should keep things pretty close atop of the NFC.

MNF EDIT: Heckuva collapse in the 4th, eh? The Seahawks protect their #5 seed while making the #6 more competitive.

Those Seahawks jerseys are so obnoxious they shouldn’t be allowable. I can’t even focus on the game.

The Egg wrote:

Those Seahawks jerseys are so obnoxious they shouldn’t be allowable. I can’t even focus on the game.

The Seahawks have the best Color Rush jerseys. Sure, they are a bit of an eyesore with 11 on the field, but they offer something DIFFERENT, and that color is basically perfect for the Seattle fan base.

superjawes wrote:

The Egg wrote:

Those Seahawks jerseys are so obnoxious they shouldn’t be allowable. I can’t even focus on the game.

The Seahawks have the best Color Rush jerseys. Sure, they are a bit of an eyesore with 11 on the field, but they offer something DIFFERENT, and that color is basically perfect for the Seattle fan base.

It's a cool color in small amounts, but that looked like 11 guys running around in full-body reflective safety vests. The game should start with a seizure warning when they're wearing those.

Anyhow, the only thing worse than the uniforms was ESPN's announcing cast. Jason Witten has no business in the broadcast booth. Then they had......some african american guy on the phone? Whenever he spoke it sounded like the mic was being randomly patched in from somewhere, and they never showed him on-screen. What the hell is ESPN doing? Reminded me of the home shopping network where they always have someone on the phone.

I love those jerseys. I love the Seahawks unis in general.

Witten is a one-and-done broadcaster. He's not very good in general, but I was watching when he sort of praised OJ Simpson's running back play. Somehow he chose the only example worse than Ray Rice.

Booger apparently has a neat setup on the sidelines with TVs/tablets/whatever, but I hear he's in the way of the home crowd, and it does feel like he's trying to do Witten's job from the sidelines, like ESPN were trying to "fix" the Witten situation without kicking him out mid-season.

superjawes wrote:

Witten is a one-and-done broadcaster. He's not very good in general, but I was watching when he sort of praised OJ Simpson's running back play. Somehow he chose the only example worse than Ray Rice.

Booger apparently has a neat setup on the sidelines with TVs/tablets/whatever, but I hear he's in the way of the home crowd, and it does feel like he's trying to do Witten's job from the sidelines, like ESPN were trying to "fix" the Witten situation without kicking him out mid-season.

Yeah, the MNF color is a mess this season.

IMO Romo should just do every game (like, every game that's played every week - not just MNF). That'd fix it.

We got another one! Somehow Mike Priefer still has a job, though. Guess it's too easy to blame kickers...

superjawes wrote:

The Egg wrote:

Those Seahawks jerseys are so obnoxious they shouldn’t be allowable. I can’t even focus on the game.

The Seahawks have the best Color Rush jerseys. Sure, they are a bit of an eyesore with 11 on the field, but they offer something DIFFERENT, and that color is basically perfect for the Seattle fan base.

You're right. Retarded is perfect for this fanbase.

techguy wrote:

You're right. Retarded is perfect for this fanbase.

was this really necessary?

techguy wrote:

superjawes wrote:

The Egg wrote:

Those Seahawks jerseys are so obnoxious they shouldn’t be allowable. I can’t even focus on the game.

The Seahawks have the best Color Rush jerseys. Sure, they are a bit of an eyesore with 11 on the field, but they offer something DIFFERENT, and that color is basically perfect for the Seattle fan base.

You're right. Retarded is perfect for this fanbase.

Way to keep it classy.

TheEmrys wrote:

techguy wrote:

superjawes wrote:

The Seahawks have the best Color Rush jerseys. Sure, they are a bit of an eyesore with 11 on the field, but they offer something DIFFERENT, and that color is basically perfect for the Seattle fan base.

You're right. Retarded is perfect for this fanbase.

Way to keep it classy.

I stand by my remark. The fanbase of the Seahawks has some of the worst examples of fandom I have ever seen. Classless doesn't begin to describe them. Right up there with Philadelphia.

techguy wrote:

I stand by my remark. The fanbase of the Seahawks has some of the worst examples of fandom I have ever seen. Classless doesn't begin to describe them. Right up there with Philadelphia.

Just stop, dude. Just stop.

DancinJack wrote:

techguy wrote:

I stand by my remark. The fanbase of the Seahawks has some of the worst examples of fandom I have ever seen. Classless doesn't begin to describe them. Right up there with Philadelphia.

Just stop, dude. Just stop.

Feel free to ignore me. I'm just stating my opinion.

And this is where this particular argument will end.

RIght?

I am not a fan of color rush jerseys at all. However, my 5 year old son loves them as does my wife. So, mission accomished, NFL. On a more civil note, the Seahawks looked like a tough team for the playoffs. And Minnesota's vaunted defense looked great in the red zone, but just about terrible everywhere else, aside from preventing explosive plays. Seahawks vs Cowboys could be a pretty great game. Bobby Wagner could very well be the NFC DPOY, but won't win it. He leads his team in tackles AND HASN'T MISSED A TACKLE ALL YEAR. What? Even Madden forces missed tackles.

Has Jon Gruden completely lost his mind? Trading away not just valuable pieces, but pieces intrinsic to winning seems like poor judgement or a completely absent ability to evaluate and utilize talent. I truly thought Amari Cooper was done the last two years. Turns out, he just wasn't utilized properly.

There are some Color Rush looks that should just be permanent. The throwback look of the Saints and Giants come to mind, as does the modern yellow-on-black of the Steelers.

As for Gruden...I still don't know. It's either a long-term calculation to mold a bunch of draftees for long careers under his leadership, or he's an egomaniac who will always drive talent away when they don't follow him 100%. And unfortunately for Oakland Vegas Raider Nation, we won't know for a few years.

Seattle/Minnesota was a telling game. Seattle generally play well in Prime Time, but I am getting a "we're back" vibe from them, and they probably have the right combination of experience to make a run in any given year (assuming the talent stays healthy). Minnesota, on the other hand, look like one of the 2017 flukes. Kirk was supposed to be the missing piece, but they've had struggles in all phases of the game. Remember that the Bills beat them 27-6 in Minneapolis, and so far they've only beat teams with losing records (SF, PHI, ARI, NYJ, DET, GB)

It's mid-December with three weeks left in the NFL season. Amazingly, the Cleveland Browns are still "in the hunt" for a playoff spot, but it's a very slim (0.2%) chance:
http://www.espn.com/blog/cleveland-brow ... uld-happen

Heck, the Bengals are still technically "in the hunt". With the playoff noose tightening, we might as well get this down...

Week 15

Thursday Night Football, 12/13
Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs

Saturday, 12/15
Houston Texans at New York Jets
Cleveland Browns at Denver Broncos

Sunday 12/16
Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions at Buffalo Bills
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Baltimore Ravens
Arizona Cardinals at Atlanta Falcons
"Oakland" Raiders at Cincinnati Bengals
Tennessee Titans at New York Giants
Miami Dolphins at Minnesota Vikings
Washington Redskins at Jacksonville Jaguars
Dallas Cowboys at Indianapolis Colts
Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers
New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers

Sunday Night Football
Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Rams

Monday Night Football, 12/10
New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers

What's that? The Browns are back in Prime Time! If ever there was a "make or break" game for Cleveland's 2018 story, that's it. I honestly should take the Broncos, though. Mile High in December will not be kind to the kids from Cleveland. Still, it's an elimination game. The loser is OUT of the hunt.

My actual picks are pretty predictable. I'm taking the reliable Chiefs and Saints, even in divisional games. The Chiefs have the home field advantage, but few defenses are ready on Thursday, and KC have the best offense in the league. Even if Rivers & co. win this one, I think the Chiefs score 40+. The Saints are still playing for home-field advantage, and the Panthers are slipping, so I like NO in prime time, too. Finally, the Seahawks showed their strength on Monday night, and the 49ers aren't great. This one will be closer, but I still like the 'Hawks.

If you want games to watch, the Cowboys are on a hot streak, and the Colts have snapped a couple of those. Keep an eye on Indy. The Bears are looking good, but a divisional game in December can spell trouble. I wouldn't be surprised if GB play to embarrass their longest rival. I also just like all the prime time games this week. Even the Eagles and Rams could get wild. The underdogs look more like underdogs in 2018, so we'll see the last gasp of the reigning SB champs, or we'll see them make a statement in LA.

I don't like picking intra-division games, especially when the pick is away. Your Saints choice would have me nervous, except there's some good indications that Newton is playing injured. My personal choices would include Baltimore and Jacksonville. The Bears should be extra motivated because they also clinch the division with a win, but I don't know that I'd ever actually put money on them beating the Packers. Seattle will also clinch a wildcard with a win over the 49ers, so that's an exception to what I said above.

Same on divisional games, but like I said, I'm picking two of the most reliable teams (and they're playing for their first round byes). Baltimore should be a lock, but they sometimes do the Pittsburgh thing and lose to bad teams. (Notice how I didn't take the Steelers over the Raiders last week?) Washington are bad, especially down two (maybe three) QBs, but Jacksonville are also in a QB hole, so that's a trap pick.

If I were to make additional picks, I would probably take Atlanta, since they ***should*** be able to manage the Cardinals (at home). FiveThirtyEight have them at 73%, which seems right. The Texans should also breeze past the Jets, but my Colts still have a shot at the AFC South, so I would prefer a Jets win.

I also missed a game. We've got a battle between Miracles this week. Miami have the more recent one (legends say Patriots fans are still sitting in shock), but Minnesota's Miracle put them in the NFC Championship game last year. I think this game is closer than FiveThirtyEight have it (72% MIN), and with both teams still hunting for playoff berths, anything can happen.

superjawes wrote:

Miami have the more recent one (legends say Patriots fans are still sitting in shock)

I just love it when the Patriots lose like that. The groans in the office are enough to sweeten the pain of my Steelers playing down to bad opponents.

That was quite a game Thursday night. The Los Angeles Chargers have now clinched a playoff berth, though they have not yet determined if the Chargers or the Kansas City Chiefs will win the AFC West. One of these two teams will be the fifth seed (highest wild card) and the other may be the first seed.

Yup. Chiefs vs. Seahawks looks like it will be a great game now.

Week 15 - Results

Thursday Night Football, 12/13
Los Angeles Chargers 29 at Kansas City Chiefs 28

Saturday, 12/15
Houston Texans 29 at New York Jets 22
Cleveland Browns 17 at Denver Broncos 16

Sunday 12/16
Green Bay Packers 17 at Chicago Bears 24
Detroit Lions 13 at Buffalo Bills 14
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 12 at Baltimore Ravens 20
Arizona Cardinals 14 at Atlanta Falcons 40
"Oakland" Raiders 16 at Cincinnati Bengals 30
Tennessee Titans 17 at New York Giants 0
Miami Dolphins 17 at Minnesota Vikings 41
Washington Redskins 16 at Jacksonville Jaguars 13
Dallas Cowboys 0 at Indianapolis Colts 23
Seattle Seahawks 23 at San Francisco 49ers 26
New England Patriots 10 at Pittsburgh Steelers 17

Sunday Night Football
Philadelphia Eagles Underdogs 30 at Los Angeles Rams 23

Monday Night Football, 12/10
New Orleans Saints 12 at Carolina Panthers 9

It's been a week of spoilers. On Thursday the Chargers pulled out a division win against the Chiefs to secure a playoff spot and extend battle for the AFC West. Then on Saturday, the "Hey, anything can happen" Cleveland Browns beat the Broncos in Denver. Today, the Colts snapped the Cowboys' win streak, the 49ers upset the Seahawks' Wild Card campaign, and the Steelers bump the Patriots down to the 3rd seed. Speaking of the Patriots, this was the second chance to win the AFC East, and for the second time, they come up short. It's likely they still win the division, but the Bills and Jets can still come out swinging for a chance to upset the reigning AFC champions.

SNF EDIT: I'll be calling them the Philadelphia Underdogs until they're eliminated from the playoffs.

MNF EDIT: The Panthers tried to spoil on Monday night, but come up short. The Saints inch closer to home-field advantage.

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/standings/playoffrace
Today's games finally stuck a fork in a lot of teams that weren't serious playoff contenders but were still hanging on to a thin hope.

NFC
Clinched division title:
New Orleans Saints (NFC South) 11-2
Los Angeles Rams (NFC West) 11-2
Chicago Bears (NFC North) 10-4
Currently In:
Dallas Cowboys 8-6 (remaining: Giants & Buccaneers)
Seattle Seahawks 8-6 (remaining: Chiefs & Cardinals)
Minnesota Vikings 7-6-1 (remaining: Lions & Bears)
Still Alive:
Washington Redskins 7-7 (remaining: Titans & Eagles)
Carolina Panthers 6-7 (remaining: Saints, Falcons & Saints)
Philadelphia Eagles 6-7 (remaining: Rams, Texans & Redskins)

AFC
Clinched playoff berth:
Kansas City Chiefs 11-3
Los Angeles Chargers 11-3
Currently In:
Houston Texans 10-4 (remaining: Eagles & Jaguars)
New England Patriots 9-5 (remaining: Bills & Jets)
Pittsburgh Steelers 8-5-1 (remaining: Saints & Bengals)
Baltimore Ravens 8-6 (remaining: Chargers & Browns)
Still Alive:
Indianapolis Colts 8-6 (remaining: Giants & Titans)
Tennessee Titans 8-6 (remaining: Redskins & Colts)
Miami Dolphins 7-7 (remaining: Jaguars & Bills)
Cleveland Browns 6-7-1 (remaining: Bengals & Ravens)

Getting ready for the draft:
Arizona Cardinals 3-11
Oakland Raiders Tankers 3-11
San Francisco 49ers 4-10
New York Jersey Jets 4-10
Jacksonville Jaguars 4-10
Atlanta Falcons 5-9
Buffalo Bills 5-9
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5-9
New York Jersey Giants 5-9
Detroit Lions 5-9
Green Bay Packers 5-8-1
Cincinnati Bengals 6-8
Denver Broncos 6-8

Despite "doing a good job of getting themselves a high drraft pick", Mark Davis and John Gruden's Raiders may be looking for a home for next season.

JustAnEngineer wrote:

Despite "doing a good job of getting themselves a high drraft pick", Mark Davis and John Gruden's Raiders may be looking for a home for next season.

My best guess is that they end up playing with the 49ers at Levi's Stadium. It's the most convenient option in the short term that won't require moving anything or anyone to Southern California.

I know this is a bit early, but since we're already down two head coaches, it's probably worth looking at the head coaching landscape.

First Year Results
Indianapolis Colts, Frank Reich - 8-6
Chicago Bears, Matt Nagy - 10-4, NFC North Champions
New York Giants, Pat Shurmur - 5-9 (DNQ for playoffs)
Tennessee Titans, Mike Vrabel - 8-6
Arizona Cardinals, Steve Wilks - 3-11 (DNQ for playoffs)
"Oakland" Raiders, Jon Gruden, 3-11 (DNQ for playoffs)
Detroit Lions, Matt Patricia, 5-9 (DNQ for playoffs)

Clearly, Chicago feel like the biggest winners right now, as they are the only team to have secured a division championship. I think both the Colts and Titans have a chance to take the AFC South, but both of those teams also should feel good being alive among some stiff competition.

Fired
Green Bay Packers, (4-7-1) - Mike McCarthy
Cleveland Browns (2-5-1) - Hue Jackson

Firing Mike McCarthy was the right move, firing Hue Jackson was not. The Packers' play calling had been growing stale...at least 4 seasons ago. If Jackson was going to be fired, it SHOULD have been after the 1-31 record in his first 2 seasons. I think that firing him after his best season with the Browns indicates a power struggle in Cleveland that will not turn out well.

The Hot Seats (pulled from ESPN)
New York Jets (4-10, DNQ for playoffs) - Todd Bowles
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-9, DNQ for playoffs) - Dirk Koetter
Cincinnati Bengals (6-8, DNQ for playoffs) - Marvin Lewis
Dallas Cowboys (8-6) - Jason Garrett
Denver Broncos (6-8, DNQ for playoffs) - Vance Joseph

I don't know if I agree with putting Marvin Lewis on this list. Booting him last year would make sense, but keeping him on and firing him after losing his QB and #1 receiver seems less likely. OTOH, it might just be the excuse to move on after being 0-7 in the playoffs and failing to qualify two years in a row. If the Jets and Bucs fire their coaches, it shouldn't surprise anyone. These teams have been not good for too long, and since both have young QBs, a shakeup might be the next step. I don't like seeing Vance Joseph on here, but Elway doesn't seem to have the patience at QB, so I wouldn't be surprised if Joseph is unemployed on New Years Eve. Now that leaves Jason Garrett...this guy also has a poor postseason record despite having players like Elliot and Prescott fall into his lap. I think he *should* be gone, but the Cowboys are still leading the NFC East, and a division championship might extend his tenure in Dallas, deserved or not.

For the record, ESPN also have John Harbaugh on this list, but I completely disagree with that, even if the Ravens are thinking about new head coaches. That would be very bad^TM for Baltimore.

Probably/Possibly Safe, but Should be Hot Seats (My Take)
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-10, DNQ for playoffs) - Doug Marrone
"Oakland" Raiders (3-11, DNQ for playoffs) - Jon Gruden
New York Giants (5-9, DNQ for playoffs) - Pat Shurmur
Carolina Panthers (6-7) - Ron Rivera

Okay, I know Marrone is only in his second year, but this is a 4-win team that went to the AFC Championship last year. Maybe give him 2019, but if an offense doesn't materialize, give him the boot. Now Rivera might be in a hot seat in two weeks, but I want to highlight him, since the Panthers have been pretty bad in the years following that 15-1 Super Bowl run. Frankly, I'd have fired him after benching Cam Newton in 2016.

That leaves the First Years. Gruden has burned a lot of talent for the Raiders to be as bad as they are. I know he's safe for a year or two (or ten) more, but the Raiders need to turn around very quickly. Also, I said a few weeks ago that Pat Shurmur was committing the same mistake Ben McAdoo did by blaming everything on Eli, and I stand by that. The Giants will be in a very deep hole if they follow Denver or Minnesota's lead trying to buy a QB to fix their problems.

superjawes wrote:

First Year Results
Indianapolis Colts, Frank Reich - 8-6 (2017: 4-12, 2016: 8-8)
Chicago Bears, Matt Nagy - 10-4, NFC North Champions (2017: 5-11. 2016: 3-13)
New York Giants, Pat Shurmur - 5-9 (DNQ for playoffs) (2017: 3-13, 2016: 11-5)
Tennessee Titans, Mike Vrabel - 8-6 (2017: 9-7, 2016: 9-7)
Arizona Cardinals, Steve Wilks - 3-11 (DNQ for playoffs) (2017: 8-8, 2016: 7-8-1)
"Oakland" Raiders, Jon Gruden, 3-11 (DNQ for playoffs) (2017: 6-10, 2016: 12-4)
Detroit Lions, Matt Patricia, 5-9 (DNQ for playoffs) (2017: 9-7, 2016: 9-7)
Cleveland Browns, Gregg Williams, 4-2 (2018: 2-5-1, 2017: 0-16, 2016: 1-15)
Fired
Green Bay Packers, (4-7-1) - Mike McCarthy (2017: 7-9, 2016: 10-6)
Cleveland Browns (2-5-1) - Hue Jackson (2017: 0-16, 2016: 1-15)
The Hot Seats (pulled from ESPN)
New York Jets (4-10, DNQ for playoffs) - Todd Bowles (2017: 5-11, 2016: 5-11)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-9, DNQ for playoffs) - Dirk Koetter (2017: 5-11, 2016: 9-7)
Cincinnati Bengals (6-8, DNQ for playoffs) - Marvin Lewis (2017: 7-9, 2016: 6-9-1)
Dallas Cowboys (8-6) - Jason Garrett (2017: 9-7. 2016: 13-3)
Denver Broncos (6-8, DNQ for playoffs) - Vance Joseph (2017: 5-11, 2016: 9-7)
Probably/Possibly Safe, but Should be Hot Seats (My Take)
Jacksonville Jaguars (4-10, DNQ for playoffs) - Doug Marrone (2017: 10-6, 2016: 3-13)
Carolina Panthers (6-7) - Ron Rivera (2017: 11-5, 2016: 6-10)

I added the 2016 & 2017 records for each team.

Seattle really didn't want that Wildcard spot, eh? The Rams are starting to look like teams figured them out, but they'd have to lose to either San Francisco or Arizona to lose the bye. That being the case, the Bears are pretty much locked in at #3. They could very well end up playing a meaningless game in Minnesota to end the season, and then playing the Vikings again the following week in the Wildcard round. Not that it really matters once New Orleans gets homefield advantage. I could see them losing if they had to come to Chicago in January (like in '06), or maybe somewhere like Seattle, but they're basically unstoppable at home.

I'm pulling for Baltimore to get the last AFC wildcard. It's a shame the Colts can't get in as well; I think they're better than Houston despite the record.