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NFL Week 17!!


CRASHER

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The last real week of football for the season (though with the WORST PLACE winner probably playing Arizona next week we will still have one more game of anti-football left for once…hooray!)….jobs will be won….rookies tried out…coaches will be wished their best in the Future Endeavors…and the road to the Super Bowl begins for 12… well really 10...minus the 2 teams playing for the Anti-Football Championship I mentioned above…..and ALL the games are crammed into one….crazy….Sunday…NFC teams on CBS…madness is afoot, and it’s also the hardest week of the season to reasonably predict (though a reason record of 151-88….not too shabby!)

 

Sunday Dec 28:

1pm:

Indianapolis at Tennessee:

Indy REALLY needs this game to get sharp….and healthy and get their team ready for the playoffs….they’ve really stumbled and just need to Thank the Christ that the AFC South is pretty horrible this year….no TY Hilton….garbage running game….sub-par O-Line play and bad defense…..this is really a two win team if Andrew Luck hasn’t been as good as he’s been  this year for them (given he has to do too much and it shows in the high numbers in turnovers and mistakes, but that won’t get fixed till the off-season)…..the Titans have been a colossal failure this year….Jake Locker has run his course and while Mettenberger showed flashes of hope….like Locker he fell victim to the crappy O-line and terrible defense….you can say in essence the Colts and Titans are pretty damn identical aside from the play of Luck this year (hrmmmm…. I should factor him in my MVP voting…eh?)…deep down the Titans want and need to lose this game too, just to secure the best chance possible at a top-end draft pick…an easy pick….but a damned difficult one to watch…..

Winner:  Colts

Game Quality:  DUD

 

San Diego at Kansas City:

So no Alex Smith this week…somehow he got a lacerated spleen….wonder if Dwayne Bowe stabbed him in desperation to finally get a TD pass this year….haaa, but now its up to Chase Daniels to be the one to chase what seems like an unthinkable moment of history….no passing TDs to a WR all season long, which is even more baffling when you realize how many times KC throws the ball….just baffling, yes the Chiefs have a prayer at the playoffs….but then again, Andy Reid has a prayer of wearing size 30 jeans in his lifetime…..I’d not wanna bet on it….and not when they’re playing a team who’s playing for playoffs too and is a better team with a vastly superior QB under center too….plus the Chargers are the NFL Version of the Zombie Apocalypse….they…just…..won’t….DIE…dammit…..

Winner:   Chargers

Game Quality:  ** ½ (CMON, you know you wanna the Chiefs streak live on….)

 

NY Jets at Miami:

One of the few “nothing games” going on this week….and that’s all the fault of the Dolphins….once again they came into December and had it all in their hands and they took a head first stage dive off into an empty crowd (HA…you thought I was making an Owen Hart joke….gotcha!!) ….the only thing keeping the Dolphin coaching staff in place is the progress in Ryan Tannehill (I can feel Daniel twitching and I’m ok with that….but there’s more starting QB’s out there worse than Tanny than better at this point…and even if you start over, you’d probably be in the same spot in three years)…..if you don’t believe me….just look across the field on Sunday….Geno…NO….Vick…NO….dare I mention Sanchez and Tebow?? You’re either one of two teams in the NFL….you’re either one with a QB you trust with the ball or you’re one desperately looking for one! But none of this has any bearing on the game….I also think the front office coming out and saying Philbin’s job is safe was a poor decision this week and the Jets might actually want to send Rex out the door the right way (or with the reboot going on in that Front Office……show that these guys should be back next year)…..and even with the nice win last week, I still see Miami in nose-dive mode and losing this one…..

Winner:  Jets

Game Quality:  * (oh it will be UGLY though)

 

Chicago at Minnesota:

Sooo….hey Jay Cutler…..remember last week when we dumped you??? Yeah….that kinda didn’t work out too good…..well that other QB….had some promise….but yeah….damned concussions…..boy is this gonna be a cluster….you know how bad of a cluster….they called REX GROSSMAN to come out of retirement to play this game….AND HE SAID NO!!!!! Damn…..hey Minnesota….sounds like its your lucky week, eh?? Well you need one after that stinker with the Dolphins…..and its a lot easier to expect the team with hope and promise on its side in a meaningless football game as opposed to the team coming apart at the seams who can’t defend ANYONE……

Winner:  Vikings

Game Quality:  ** ½ (bonus points to watch Jay Cutler suffer!)

 

Buffalo at New England:

Why in God’s name is Buffalo starting Orton?? I get you’ve given up on Manuel (which is ridiculous considering how FEW ACTUAL GAMES HE’S BEEN IN….oi)….I just don’t get it…..Orton’s the reason you’re not in the playoffs (I  know he’s the best option the Bills have now but he’s the CLASSIC retread QB that can’t get your squad past 8 wins just because he doesn’t have the juice in his arm anymore)….and you’re gonna throw him out there in the Patriots tune-up game before their playoff bye week?? Good job Buffalo…you almost deserve to win to move up in the draft….but you won’t….

Winner:  Patriots

Game Quality:  DUD

 

Philadelphia at NY Giants:

Nice of the NFL to cram all the irrelevant games into the one PM hour….let the East Coast sleep in a little this week….maybe enjoy some other hobbies….you know….like these teams will be doing next week….maybe Odell Beckham can go take batting practice in Yankee Stadium one handed…..hell he could single-handedly coach the Devils now too….why not?? I’m just glad we can put the damn highlight reel to bed now and move on with our dam lives….and Phily…..oh the questions…..is fast, TOO FAST to be successful in the NFL? (it also doesn’t help having two finesse running backs and an arsenal of questions at QB now….a team built on offense…..you know….should have a good offense after all…. Chip Kelly better realize, the PLAYERS make the system and not the system making the players)…the Eagles do have some pieces on offense (but I’m wondering about McCoy being a true between the tackles power back who gets the big short yards when you need them)….and Lord knows what they do at QB next year….but one thing for sure…..they’ll be plenty of one-handed circus grabs here to keep me nice and pissed all through the off-season…..the Giants seem more into the playing for pride then the Eagles in their current state….

Winner:  Giants

Game Quality:  **

 

New Orleans at Tampa Bay:

So wow…..a disappointing, terrible and overrated team…..and the Bucs too….. another fine sh!t sandwich in your morning cheerios….good grief….I’d love to say good things about the Saints offense, but Drew Brees has been as much of the problem as anyone this year….least they can run the ball good, and that’s one better thing than Tampa’s got (this feels repetitive….maybe this is NOT the best time to be watching “the Edge of Tomorrow” as I write this ….I feel like I’m writing the same crap over and over …..maybe I shouldn’t admit that…..ah well….let the Saints end the year on a high note….and the Bucs end it on the Draft Clock…..

Winner:  Saints

Game Quality:  DUD

 

Dallas at Washington:

Well at least the Cowboys have a chance to get a bye and maybe if the Gods align and everyone ties the games around them….yeah….home field delusions! Plus a little payback at one of the few regular season stinkers the Cowboys had was this first REDSKIN game (at home….hell it probably got McCoy paid next season to back someone up)….at least RG III playing for his short and possibly long-term future as an NFL QB….that will make it interesting….but in the end it’s gotta come down to the Cowboy running game and controlling the line of scrimmage (and lucky for Dallas the only teams that seem to give the Dallas line problems are in the NFC East, and aside from them it’s tee time at 4pm!)…Dallas needs this too much, and the Redskins are just a damned mess

Winner:  Cowboys

Game Quality:  * ¾

 

Cleveland at Baltimore:

…speaking of teams that are a mess….. Case Keenum…..Ravens D…..BWHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Don’t worry oh Purple Haze, you get a chance to meet a new nemesis in the 3rd String QB again this week…. Johnny Failure is on IR and Brian Hoyer is already filling out applications for other QB jobs….all cute jokes aside though, the Ravens need to play this like they have a shot since they won’t be eliminated at this point (well unless San Diego is up 20 at the half)….this is what makes picking games this week so goddamned hard….you have to layer your predictions dammit…and its hard to expect a QB off the street to beat a team in a must-win game….well two weeks in a row…heh…..I almost snorted chuckling at that……

Winner: Ravens

Game Quality:  ** (Those 3rd Stringers do love seeing the Ravens D)

 

Jacksonville at Houston:

I was going to take Jacksonville based on Blake Bortles and his progression during the year and the fact that he’s growing weapons…and better….chemistry….with his offensive players….the defense is starting to improve too and the Jaguars do love these pseudo-runs where they fool you into thinking they will be average in the next season (I feel for it last year too dammit….)….the Texcians are still pretty much a one man show with JJ Watt and whatever Arian Foster has left in the tank, but a 9-7 bounceback while downgrading at QB and getting NOTHING from the Clown named Clowney (I waited too long for that horrible pun)…and I’m telling my heart to just shut up and not pick the 3-win team two weeks in a row…

Winner:  Texicans

Game Quality:  * ¾

 

4pm:

Carolina at Atlanta:

WHOOOO, the WORST PLACE CHAMPIONSHIP and one-way ticket to the anti-Football Hall of Fame!! If only we could award the winner a Championship belt right??? The Panthers are showing life on defense, some running game behind Jonathan Stewart (actually kinda looking worth his awful contract)….Cam Newton getting back on the field helps (though I’m still not sure about rolling him out there, the guy has a long career ahead of him)….but Atlanta is good at home, and good against this crappy NFC South, not to mention if the Falcon receivers are healthy….Carolina’s not stopping them….plus I get a kick out of the Falcons being 6-0 in the South and 1-9 against actual live football teams….it amuses me…and home coming matters in these game!

Winner:  Falcons

Game Quality:  DUD

 

Oakland at Denver:

This is actually tougher to gauge then you’d think at first glance….to be honest the Raiders and Carr are playing better offensive football at the moment and the Broncos are hurt and stumbling (aside of CJ Anderson and the Bronco running game)….but wait…the Broncos re-vamped their defense “just in case of this” …..right??? Haaaaaa…..remember way back when Demarcus Ware was signed? Remember what I called him…..yeup, they have a Peyton Manning on defense….just watch in the next few weeks…the Raiders will make a game of this, but I do think  the Denver running attack is too strong, and even as improved as the Raiders have been, I don’t see them being THAT good to be able to play spoiler two weeks in a row like that….

Winner:  Broncos

Game Quality: ** (eh, the Raider offense could make it interesting)

 

Green Bay at Detroit:

The best and probably most important game of the weekend…..can the Lions follow the Bills formula and play good enough defense to slow down the Packer attack (ironic since the Bills did walk off Detroit’s turf twice victorious this season after all)…..let’s put it this way, the last time the Lions won in Lambeau….Martin Brodeur wasn’t in the NHL yet (1991)…the Packers have slowed down a tad in the last few games….perhaps saving it for the playoffs? I still don’t fully trust Stafford and this Lions offense…not to mention Dome teams when they go outside in the elements they do tend to suck, especially when their offense is chuck it to Calvin and Tate and pray…..I’m just gonna relax and stick with the Packers since they’ve probably got the league MVP as their QB after all….the one true “gotta see” game this weekend…..

Winner: Packers

Game Quality:  ****

 

Arizona at San Francisco:

Oi….so now Stanton is out for the playoffs too due to a complication in his knee surgery….oh boy, they’re stuck with “random QB-x” for the playoffs….good Christ….and the odds say they’ll take that random QB to Atlanta next week (try crunching the numbers, it takes a Detroit win and AZ loss for the Cardinals to make the trip to Jerry World)….at least they’re playing the 49ers, and Kap’s been a 3rd string QB all year long….amazingly Frank Gore needs like 40 yards for another 1,000 yard season …anything else about what you get from the 49ers this weekend?? Damned if I know, but it’s really tough in the NFL to expect any 4rd string QB (not playing the Ravens) to have a big game….and maybe the 49ers show a sense of pride….and I think Aryans is out of rabbits in the hate to pull out here…

Winner:  49ers

Game Quality:  * ¾

 

 

St Louis at Seattle:

Oh St Louis, you managed to disappoint and fool me TWICE this year….I thought you’d be ok despite the Bradford injury since you’re used to not playing with him all season, then your defense got hot, the running game clicked….and I saw a run in the scheduled and a chance to go .500, and you shrunk smaller than my Christmas Shopping List did this year :P…..Seattle needs this for home field, that defense, Russell Wilson and Marshawn are all Seattle need to achieve this…I don’t think I need say much more…

Winner:  Seahawks

Game Quality:  DUD

 

8pm:

Cincinnati at Pittsburgh:

Sooo, the big question looms…..did the Bengals actually step up and win an actual big time prime time football game last week, or were the Broncos in full-playoff form last week (always dangerous when you go “full-Manning” after all)…the Bengals are packing a good running game (or course it was Hill since I drafted Bernard this year…ahhh memories)….AJ Green is hurting but they expect him to play Sunday Night …and the loser of this game probably gets Indianapolis who are ripe for the picking….so maybe losing IS winning this time, also by the time they kick off they will know all the scenarios ….but I’d need a wheezing blue box to know all that crap myself on Saturday morning….so I’m gonna have to stick with the basics (not to mention why NBC picked two already clinched teams when they coulda had Green Bay and Detroit is beyond me)….I’ll just take the better team and hope the pick sticks to the wall….there may not be much reason to watch this one by the time it starts….

Winner:  Steelers

Game Quality:  **

 

NFL Final Regular Season Power Rankings:

AFC:

  1. New England….cruising along is good when you’re on top
  2. Pittsburgh….definitely trending up and has the weapons to hang with anyone
  3. Denver….good thing Peyton has that pizza gig …..
  4. Indianapolis…..the Andrew Luck Show needs a supporting cast badly….
  5. San Diego….bastards won’t die!!

 

NFC:

  1. Seattle….this team and QB and home field = clear favorite to win it all (again)
  2. Green Bay….as long as they can avoid Seattle….and Buffalo…looking damn good….
  3. Dallas….voted “team most likely to beat Seattle”…. God help us all…..
  4. Detroit…kinda forgotten because they’re the Lions, but they could be dangerous
  5. Atlanta….since I’m forced to choose between Arizona, Carolina and them….yeahhh
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The truly hilarious thing if Atlanta wins (besides the fact it'll likely save Mike Smith's job cause they'll probably make the second round) is that they would go 6-0 in that garbage division, and 1-9 outside of it - playing the one out of division team they beat next week to boot :lol:

 

Edited by NJDevs4978
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The truly hilarious thing if Atlanta wins (besides the fact it'll likely save Mike Smith's job cause they'll probably make the second round) is that they would go 6-0 in that garbage division, and 1-9 outside of it - playing the one out of division team they beat next week to boot :lol:

 

 

 

I dunno, the Falcons do win WORST PLACE and get killed next week (especially to Ryan Lindlay....whoever :P ).....I could still see Smith getting fired

 

but yeah that division thing is hilarious :lol:

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I dunno, the Falcons do win WORST PLACE and get killed next week (especially to Ryan Lindlay....whoever :P ).....I could still see Smith getting fired

 

but yeah that division thing is hilarious :lol:

 

Now that the Falcons got ape-stomped at home I'm surprised they didn't future endeavor Mike Smith already.  Probably waiting till 12:01 tonight to do it on Black Monday lol.  DR gets another year to kick around Rivera, even if they lose in the first round I doubt he's going anywhere at this point.

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Now that the Falcons got ape-stomped at home I'm surprised they didn't future endeavor Mike Smith already.  Probably waiting till 12:01 tonight to do it on Black Monday lol.  DR gets another year to kick around Rivera, even if they lose in the first round I doubt he's going anywhere at this point.

 

Considering all the offensive losses and even a few of the defensive ones....even winning a below .500 division, and the first team and coach to win it twice in a row....I'd say Rivera's job is safe....he's starting to get to the point the Panthers might think he's the guy for Cam....and that's rarifed air kinda job security for any coach

 

Was it just me or were none of the games this weekend really all that exciting?

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Considering all the offensive losses and even a few of the defensive ones....even winning a below .500 division, and the first team and coach to win it twice in a row....I'd say Rivera's job is safe....he's starting to get to the point the Panthers might think he's the guy for Cam....and that's rarifed air kinda job security for any coach

 

Was it just me or were none of the games this weekend really all that exciting?

 

I didn't even really watch much of today's games.  There wasn't exactly anything on the line other than the last playoff spot in the AFC which the Ravens I didn't think could possibly find a way to blow against Cleveland's third-string offense - and they almost did.  Of course no fantasy football implications for most people this week either.  

 

Just a lot of seeding to lock in that wasn't going to change anyway (Seattle wasn't going to lose to the Rams at home, Denver wasn't going to lose to the Raiders at home with byes on the line and the Packers probably weren't losing to Detroit unless Rodgers was forcibly removed from the stadium).  And of course the NFC South showdown was fittingly a horrid game.

Edited by NJDevs4978
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Sucks to lose Harbs. Crazy, not a single rumour over the season or before was even true. As long as the team Keeps Fangio, i can breathe a little easier, and of course they draft a WR at #15.

Pittsburgh ( if Bell can play ) will be, very, dangerous.

Im sticking with a Pitt- Sea SB.

Who knows. Dallas is hot and extremely dangerous away to.

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As so many have shown, coaching and game managing is two different things. Rivera is an excellent Monday-Sat coach, but he has struggled for years handling end of game situations and being way too conservative. It cost them the Cincy game this year (ended up a tie) and the first ATL game.

 

It's been such an odd season, but the team the Panthers have been the last few weeks is not the same team they were mid season. That's the thing with the NFL. It's such a short season, an inuries can kill teams. It's 16 weeks but the NFL is spread out over 4 months. A lot changes. The NFL is all about overdramatic statements about this team sucking and this team being great, when it's always somewhere in the middle (The Broncos were crowned the champs, the Seahawks finished, etc, etc. The Panthers went from simply being unable to block Cam with injuries to the o-line and new combinations each week to finally being healthy and Cam going weeks without being touched. The secondary has been completely revamped that it's unrecognizable to the ones Big Ben and Aaron Rodgers tore apart.

 

Anyway, Ron has done a good job. But speaking to the very first point, NFL coaches don't get the luxury to watch NFL games. They are working on Sunday, when fans see 16 games a week play out. Every year, they see dozens and dozens of late game situations and great ways and bad ways of managing the clock, using timeouts, what to do down two scores late in the game, what to do up 2 points with 90 seconds left when the other team has two timeouts. I know this isn't a new idea, but it does amaze me that teams don't have a consultant talking the coach through it late. I mean there are some very good coaches out there that have no clue how to manage late game situations at all and there seasons are done partly because of it. (Andy Reid, Mike Smith, Mike Mccoy).

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Pats will not make it to the Super Bowl.  The O-line is becoming an issue again, and Brady is not the same player without a good line.  They can talk about the fact that they had key players out of the lineup (Gronk and Edelman, which obviously hurts), or that there was nothing to play for, but Brady's on-field body language made it very clear that the Pats WERE trying to win this game (or at least look better on offense than they did against the Jets), and he was clearly not happy with his line.  I don't think they're going into the postseason on the note that they had hoped for...I think they wanted to get a big first-half lead to show that all is well, and then, had they lost with Garoppolo in the second half or simply didn't look that good, so be it. 

 

The good news for them is, if the offense falters in the playoffs yet again (and what I saw against the Jets and Bills looked very familiar), it looks like the defense now actually has a shot to keep them in it.  But any of the AFC playoff teams are fully capable of knocking them off, and I think it will happen.   

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CR, gotta disagree....if Bell is out for the Steelers I don't see any of these teams having the pieces to beat the Pats....who's gonna beat them??? Baltimore??? heh..... the Bengals??? :lol:...certainly not the Colts or Broncos either....

 

....the playoff seeding really didn't do Dallas any favors either.....they get their 2nd worst match-up possible with Detroit (only Green Bay would be worse since Dallas can't handle their offense), and a win would send them to Lambeau the next week....which must have Seattle doing backflips.....they get the Carolina/Arizona "winnner" next week and have it all looking like its gonna roll their way again too.....

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Yeah if the Ravens weren't so inept the last two weeks I'd give them a shot against the Pats since they always play them well.  I suppose Denver might have a shot with the new ground-and-pound offense they have but I'm not sure their D's good enough to play a game in the low 20's with the Pats.  Bell might be healthy by then since Pittsburgh could only meet the Pats in the AFC Championship but unlike the Ravens they never seem to match up well with the Pats.

Edited by NJDevs4978
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I don't think a Pitt team that's 26th in sacks on the season with a horrendous back four was beating New England anyway, but that said the Bell injury could be healed enough if Pitt survives two playoff games to play New England in the AFC Championship game.  In the AFC, this Denver team feels a lot like the title-winning Colts team Peyton had; strong defense, strong running game and Peyton doing just enough.  If anyone in the AFC is beating New England IN New England in January, I'd pick the Broncos first, but ultimately Peyton's going to have to beat someone with his arm.

 

And in the NFC, it all lines up for a Seattle Super Bowl run; they don't see Dallas till the championship game, which means Dallas will have to beat Detroit at home and then go to Green Bay to make it that far.  

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Sucks to lose Harbs. Crazy, not a single rumour over the season or before was even true. As long as the team Keeps Fangio, i can breathe a little easier, and of course they draft a WR at #15.

Pittsburgh ( if Bell can play ) will be, very, dangerous.

Im sticking with a Pitt- Sea SB.

Who knows. Dallas is hot and extremely dangerous away to.

How were the rumors not true? Harbaugh was a lame duck from the kickoff and Michigan was among the most rumored destinations.

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Sucks to lose Harbs. Crazy, not a single rumour over the season or before was even true. As long as the team Keeps Fangio, i can breathe a little easier, and of course they draft a WR at #15.

Pittsburgh ( if Bell can play ) will be, very, dangerous.

Im sticking with a Pitt- Sea SB.

Who knows. Dallas is hot and extremely dangerous away to.

 

What?  Harbs was gone the second they lost to Seattle in the Championship game.   The Cleveland Rumors started earlier than the draft (trade Harbaugh for picks).    Michigan came from nowhere, as Oakland was his destination.

 

Pittsburgh is beatable, they do not match up well against New England with/without Bell.

 

I am not watching the game Saturday night.  We just dont' deserve to be in it.

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What?  Harbs was gone the second they lost to Seattle in the Championship game.   The Cleveland Rumors started earlier than the draft (trade Harbaugh for picks).    Michigan came from nowhere, as Oakland was his destination.

 

Pittsburgh is beatable, they do not match up well against New England with/without Bell.

 

I am not watching the game Saturday night.  We just dont' deserve to be in it.

 

You're there.  That's all that matters.  And if NE has to play the Ravens, I will definitely be nervous.  They've already gone into NE twice and won big in the playoffs. 

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I mean the locker room atmosphere. Was none. And the Cleveland trade proposal. Never happened.

What? Harbs was gone the second they lost to Seattle in the Championship game. The Cleveland Rumors started earlier than the draft (trade Harbaugh for picks). Michigan came from nowhere, as Oakland was his destination.

Pittsburgh is beatable, they do not match up well against New England with/without Bell.

I am not watching the game Saturday night. We just dont' deserve to be in it.

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