NFL Week 15

[Guest The Winter Of My Discontent]

Don't worry Banky, the good guys took the lead again.

[Guest The Winter Of My Discontent]

Its hilarious how Boston fans are the biggest whiners. The patriots went on a 20+ game winning streak, now they've lost two games all year they are predicting the apocolypse for their franchise. Unfortunately the Pats have never been as good as their billing, they just managed to squeek by through msot of their tough games. The luck ran out for them in 2002, and it will again this year. Tom Brady is NOT Joe Montana. If I ever here anyone say that I'll gladly point them in the direction of this game. People will be making a movie about this. One of the biggets upsets ever. And it ruled.

[Guest Crazy Dan]

Great weekend for football, as for once the Raider's blackout gave the Bay Area a good matchup, the Packers and Jags, which I had three Fantasy Players, but the game was great with the Jags showing they can win on the road in the cold. Favre threw two picks in the endzone, one was the fault of Driver who had the ball ripped from his hands, but Favre threw one to Franks, that was easily picked and Favre had no business throwing. If the Jags make it to the playoffs, they are definately a team you don't want to play, if possible, as they have a good defense and running game that can grind out yards and time. The Pack still make the playoffs, after some real horrendous games, after this loss that they basically turned over to the Jags. But something about the Pack that indicates that this might be a short post season.

 

Funny, the Raiders vs. Titans game would have been fun to watch. Man, not a game for all you defense lovers out there. Volek had one of the best games for a QB, 4 pass TD's and 1 rush TD, and passsing yards that was close to 500. But Collins was good too, as he is finally coming into his own as a QB for Norv Turner and Porter is finally blossuming as a #1 WR. Raiders have at least pass thier win total for last year and have actually shown signs of improving on both sides of the ball.

 

Niners vs. Skins - Ahh, my poor Niners, who have so many issues that I could write forever, so I will say the Skins Def picked Dorsey four times, on return for a TD and that was a factor for their win. The Niners did limit Portis to yards only and only lost by 10 points. Too bad they can't play the Cardinals 16 times, but they are inline for the number one pick, but all the good QB's are appearing they might stick around for their SR year. Such is life, but kudos to the Skins defense, which if the Skins ever get their act together on OFf, could lead them far into the playoffs.

 

Chargers vs. Browns - Well, Shottenheimer is Coach of the Year, as the Chargers go from doormats to West Champs. LT is one of the best RB in the league, Gates has blossumed into one of the top TE, and Brees finally came into his own as QB, making the Chargers wonder why they paid Rivers 40 million, for refusing to report to camp. The Browns are in tailspin, so expect the Browns to spring clean the whole team and start over, as Butch Davies might be better suited for the NCAA.

 

Cards vs Rams - Well go figure, the Cards can't beat the Niners one weak, and beat up on the Rams the following. Strange world we live in. The Rams I guess really don't want to win the West and I am still miffed how Martz still has a job.

 

'Hawks vs. Jets - The Seahawks will win the West by default, but have serious issues. The Jets finally discover that Moss can play and Martin continues to be one of the better RB' s in the league. The Jets definately are a team that with a good matchup could make it to the AFC title game, but definately a first round winner.

 

Vikings vs. Lions- Man, how do you botch a extra point? Poor Lions, they look to have all the momentum by scoring that TD and needed just an extra point to tie the game, but sometimes you get no breaks. Shame too, becuase Harrington had one of his best games of the season. Culpepper finally broke out of his mini-slump and with Moss getting healthier, this could be a sleeper team in the NFC.

 

Falcons vs. Panthers- Nice win by the Falcons, as the Panthers were the hottest team in the NFC, rebounding from a horrendous start to get back into playoff contention. Vick won this game with his feet, which if he is not contained, he has the talent to win games on his own. Nice D. effort on Atl, shutting down a previous hot RB in Goings. Even though it is sad that three 6-8 teams are vying for the final playoff spot in the NFC, the Panthers are at least playing with heart and are a much better team than their record would indicate.

 

Steelers vs. Giants - Eli has his best NFL game and Tiki actually scores, but it was not enough for the Giants, but the Giants made it a game against the possible number 1 AFC seed, is commandable. Big Ben continues to win as a rookie and Bettis has shown that he still has his legs. A much better game than what I had expected.

 

Broncos vs. KC - Well the Broncos are in a tailspin and I think it is time for Shannahan to take a year off and start somewhere else, as I think he has done all he could do with Denver. Champ Bailey has been burnt so many times by the long ball, that he has not had the impact he was supposed to have when the Broncos traded Portis. Jake Plummer I am afraid will never reach the greatness I thought he would reach when he was playing at ASU and it is time for Den to make some changes. Larry Johnson has done a remarkable fill in job for Holmes and Kennison has been hot, but this is a case of too little, too late. KC needs to really focus on the defense this off season, because that was their achilles heal.

 

NE vs Mia - Well for all the drama that was Miami's season, at least they have the satisfaction of finally beating the Pats and possibly costing them the #1 seed and NE on the road during any playoff game knocks their chances down a notch. Belichek called the dreaded prevent D and it prevented them from winning a game that they needed to keep pace with Pitt. Really shocking to see the Pats choke a lead away like they did and this team has some question marks about their secondary. Also, turning the ball over does not help either.

 

Phili vs. Cowboys - Well Phili won and it sealed homefield during the playoffs, but losing TO to his first serious injury, might actually make Phili the losers during the playoffs as Phili struggled to throw to anyone not named Westbrook. Lack of WR talent has been Phili's main weakness and losing TO, makes Phili very beatable.

 

Ind vs Balt - Well Payton did not break the record, but he still had a solid game and the Defense played Dungy Defense and shut down the Ravens until Payton got his game going. Indianapolis looks like this might be their year, as their Defense can shut another team down enogh to allow the offense to pull ahead, which reminds of the Rams of 1999. Boller threw too many picks and that also hurt the Ravens, who needed a win here to keep pace in the playoff hunt. But also not having any real WR hurts too.

 

Tampa vs NO - Well Tampa choked this one away and NO still is alive, gotta love it when the NFC only has five .500 teams currently alive and a sub 500 team might make it.

 

Finally, Buf vs. Cinci - well bouncing back from a 0-5 start, the Bills have played right into the playoff hunt. Their defense has been nasty, sacking and causing turnovers. Lee Evans has benefitted from Moulds double teams, giving Bledsoe another target he has been lacking since Price was there. Losing McGahee will hurt, but they still have Henry who will be well rested and capable of handling the RB duties. Cinci will have to wait for next year.

[Precious Roy 0]

Its hilarious how Boston fans are the biggest whiners. The patriots went on a 20+ game winning streak, now they've lost two games all year they are predicting the apocolypse for their franchise. Unfortunately the Pats have never been as good as their billing, they just managed to squeek by through msot of their tough games. The luck ran out for them in 2002, and it will again this year. Tom Brady is NOT Joe Montana. If I ever here anyone say that I'll gladly point them in the direction of this game. People will be making a movie about this. One of the biggets upsets ever. And it ruled.

We're still winning in January, don't get your hopes up.

[Art Sandusky 0]

Okay, I'll go ahead and call the Super Bowl now, and people can hold me to this if either (or neither) team doesn't make it:

 

Indianapolis versus Philadelphia, with the Colts winning in a thrilling shootout or in a blowout. No real middle ground.

 

My backup pick is San Diego versus Atlanta. That game has San Diego winning by a fair margin, although Atlanta keeps them from pulling away too much.

 

Neither Pittsburgh nor New England will make it. I'm no stat boy or expert on the game, it's a gut feeling.

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

If the Pats don't fix their secondary by the time they run into the Colts, they're going to get torched.

[The Man in Blak 0]

Yeah, that's a good point. The Colts picked the right year to have a ridiculous high-flying offense (moreso than even last year), because it seems like a lot of the teams will be going into the playoffs with secondary issues.

[Slayer 0]

Colts are not going to the SB.

 

Manning will collapse when faced with a real defense, whether it be the Patriots (who have owned him in the last four years anyway), the Steelers, or even the Jets.

[the pinjockey 0]

Indianapolis versus Philadelphia, with the Colts winning in a thrilling shootout or in a blowout. No real middle ground.

I was just talking with a friend last night that this would be the absolute worst draw for the Eagles. The one thing they can not do now is win a shootout. I think, the way their defense is playing now, they can keep Pittsburgh or NE in check enough where a couple of big plays can win them the game. But Indy will keep Rod Hood (a CB I like, but not to play 80% of the defensive plays in a game) on the field with 3 WR sets and force Trotter (who has been the spark for the D since put in the lineup) off the field. I don't think they would get enough pressure on Manning with just the front four and he could pick apart their blitz.

[cabbageboy 0]

I think the reason I've never much liked Brady is that there's just something...flukish about the guy. As in he's not really THAT good, nor were the Pats one of the best teams ever last year. I mean honestly can you imagine that team beating the old school 49ers? These guys struggled to beat the friggin BROWNS for god's sake.

 

Miami winning last night isn't one of the biggest upsets ever. It's a rivalry game, and Miami really isn't as bad as their record. Ricky Williams screwed them over but they could always play D. I think the Pats were what, a 7-8 pt. favorite?

[Red Baron 0]

If the Colts and Patriots play against each other, the score would be a combined 90 points and whoever scores the most wins. It's gonna be touchdown vs touchdown.

 

Prediction:

 

Steelers vs Packers.

[Guest Nanks]

Packers?????? How the fuck are the Packers getting by the Eagles with their secondary?? It doesn't matter that TO's gone, did you see what McNabb did to them last time?? Hell, Westbrook caught 3 of the TDs anyway. Packers will do well to win their division let alone the NFC.

[Crimson Platypus 0]

I think the reason I've never much liked Brady is that there's just something...flukish about the guy. As in he's not really THAT good, nor were the Pats one of the best teams ever last year. I mean honestly can you imagine that team beating the old school 49ers? These guys struggled to beat the friggin BROWNS for god's sake.

 

Miami winning last night isn't one of the biggest upsets ever. It's a rivalry game, and Miami really isn't as bad as their record. Ricky Williams screwed them over but they could always play D. I think the Pats were what, a 7-8 pt. favorite?

And lets be honest here, if Miami had even an average O-line that game wouldn't have been close. I thought Feely played fairly well last night despite being under pressure pretty often...

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Packers?????? How the fuck are the Packers getting by the Eagles with their secondary?? It doesn't matter that TO's gone, did you see what McNabb did to them last time?? Hell, Westbrook caught 3 of the TDs anyway. Packers will do well to win their division let alone the NFC.

They won't have to. Without TO, the Eagles are getting beat by Minnesota in the divisional championships. Of course, this still means Green Bay has to get by Atlanta. But if they do, we know they can beat Minnesota, they've already done it.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Yeah, that was without Randy Moss, though. But I kind of like that everyone is underestimating the Pack, not like they don't have reason to, but still. They'll be motivated to prove people wrong come playoff time, and maybe Favre has it in him to not be an idiot again in the playoffs. Whatever happened to that run-oriented offense I'd been hearing about? Green only passed the 1000 yard mark this past Sunday. This has really been an off year for him.

 

I really think TO is the difference in Philadelphia's offense. From what I remember of that game, Westbrook didn't do much on the ground, but Green Bay was not ready for him as a receiving threat out of the backfield.

 

Steelers vs Packers.

 

I'd really love to see this matchup, especially if it is the SB because Green Bay will have redeemed themselves by beating the Eagles and Falcons. That's the only way I'll have any hope, and it's a long shot. I have to admit though, with the exception of the Green Bay game, Philadelphia has been playing down to "lesser" teams, and it certainly seems like it's a mental thing. Now that they blew out the Pack, if they face them again in the playoffs, I don't think anyone is going to take Green Bay seriously in that game.

 

I really think a lot of it comes down to what the Pack can do in these next two weeks, which are really more for pride than anything considering Minnesota and Chicago are the two biggest rivalries.

[therealworldschampion 0]

They won't have to. Without TO, the Eagles are getting beat by Minnesota in the divisional championships. Of course, this still means Green Bay has to get by Atlanta. But if they do, we know they can beat Minnesota, they've already done it.

 

Heh Minnesota winning on the road in January....

[Guest The Winter Of My Discontent]

My prediction:

 

Buffalo vs. Philly

 

Philly may be decemated, but there isn't anyone who can knock them off. The Vikings have a really bad defense, one McNabb could easily exploit on his own. And don't forget Westbrook, he didn't have him in the playoffs last year.

 

I don't see the Patriots winning. Their secondary is getting picked on. A lot of the players are getting older. Their offense was never anything special; easily something the Steelers or Bills could contain.

 

If the Bills don't make the playoffs, the Steelers will make it to the Super Bowl. But the way those Bills are playing now, I don't know. They finally are reaching their potential. I always scratched my head to wonder what went wrong after their blowout of the Pats in week 1 last year. They have an amazing defense. The key is ultimately McGahee who takes so much pressure off of Bledsoe.

[therealworldschampion 0]

Another factor is the coaching. With the exception of Jon Fox, I think Reid has the advantage on the rest of the coaches in the NFC playoffs. Mora's too green, Holmgren's lost it, Reid has outcoached Sherman before, Mike Moron will find a way to blow a game, and I think my 5 year old brother could outcoach Mike Tice.

[KingPK 0]

Horrid loss last night, worse than the Steelers since at least you can say "well, Pittsburgh just beat them in every facet that day" instead of seeing your team do things that you have never seen them do before. Brady's always had problems against Miami in Florida, so I think his performance was more of an aberration (just some STUPID decisions and floaty passes. He did throw 3 TDs though).

 

Miami's offense didn't really do anything special themselves, but they took advantage of every Pats mistake giving them a short field alongside some questionable defensive decisions (putting Troy Brown on D one-on-one against a guy 5" taller than him in crunch-time?)

 

If there's one postive from this it's that the Pats always bounce back from bad losses, so I think they should take care of the Jets on Sunday.

[Red Baron 0]

The Dolphins winning helped me win 85 dollars.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Horrid loss last night, worse than the Steelers since at least you can say "well, Pittsburgh just beat them in every facet that day" instead of seeing your team do things that you have never seen them do before. Brady's always had problems against Miami in Florida, so I think his performance was more of an aberration (just some STUPID decisions and floaty passes. He did throw 3 TDs though).

The first pick I saw him throw in the 4th quarter was really stupid, and probably a byproduct of overconfidence since he made that pass while sitting on his ass I forget if it was last week or the week before. He obviously tried doing the exact same thing, and that was what led to the Miami INT that got the go-ahead TD. The last one was a result of him not throwing the ball away when he should have.

 

Another factor is the coaching. With the exception of Jon Fox, I think Reid has the advantage on the rest of the coaches in the NFC playoffs. Mora's too green, Holmgren's lost it, Reid has outcoached Sherman before, Mike Moron will find a way to blow a game, and I think my 5 year old brother could outcoach Mike Tice.

 

Just because Andy Reid has outcoached Sherman before, doesn't mean he'll do it again. Last year, the Packers found a way to lose both games they played against the Eagles, losing late leads in both of those games. I don't know if I'd place the blame more on the coaching there or on Ed Donatell, who was fired in favor of a far worse defensive coordinator in Bob Slowik. Either way, Green Bay should have won both of those games which means Sherman had outcoached Reid for a while in those games until McNabb and the lucky 4th down play we all know and love came into play. The real skewer is the matchup of Tom "Why didn't they fire me two-three years ago?" Rossley versus Jim Johnson. Philly is lucky to not have had him leave for a head coaching job already.

[therealworldschampion 0]

Philly is lucky to not have had him leave for a head coaching job already

 

Johnson's age is pretty much why he hasn't left for an HC position. Now Brad Childress, the offensive coordinator is the one that is supposed to be getting the big job offers.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

I was half-joking when I said Minny would beat Philadelphia. I think they could, but I am not making the mistake of underestimating the Eagles without TO. They are still a very good team. They have to avoid playing Carolina though. Carolina I think would beat them at this point in time.

 

I actually feel much the same way as I did when they had TO. I think the Super Bowl this year will be New England over Atlanta. New England was snoozing on Monday, so were the Steelers on Sunday. The Dolphins just happen to be playing better football right now than the Giants, so they won and the Giants blew it. It happens to dominant teams sometimes at this point in the year. It does give Pittsburgh homefield, but that only gives them a fighting chance. They had little to no chance at Foxboro, and I still consider the Patriots the favourites now. The Colts will have to go on the road outdoors in either Foxboro or Pittsburgh, that's if they can get by a surging Bills team or a tough Jets team that destroyed them two years ago. Those are three brutal games the Colts have to win just to get to the Super Bowl. I don't see them doing it Atlanta.

 

Philadelphia clinched too soon in the NFC. They are this years version of the 1995 Chiefs, 1996 Broncos or 1998 Vikings. I can't see them getting up to play Carolina or Atlanta after a series of meaningless games. Happens all the time. There is usually one big upset in the playoffs (last year was Panthers @ Rams) and they seem a likely candidate for it if they get a bad draw. And they would get Carolina in the Divisional Playoffs if the Panthers manage to make it that far. Eagles fans should be praying that a crummy team like the Rams or Saints sneak into the playoffs. They would likely get Green Bay or Minnesota then, which aren't a walk in the park either, but I'd take them over the Panthers right now. Atlanta has the easiest road, which is why I think they will pull through. Plus, they proved they could beat the Panthers, even if it was by the skin of their teeth.

[Slayer 0]

I was half-joking

That's funny in itself

[Guest Failed Mascot]

Its hilarious how Boston fans are the biggest whiners. The patriots went on a 20+ game winning streak, now they've lost two games all year they are predicting the apocolypse for their franchise. Unfortunately the Pats have never been as good as their billing, they just managed to squeek by through msot of their tough games. The luck ran out for them in 2002, and it will again this year. Tom Brady is NOT Joe Montana. If I ever here anyone say that I'll gladly point them in the direction of this game. People will be making a movie about this. One of the biggets upsets ever. And it ruled.

I've noticed alot of the people who are supposed Boston fans here are typical bandwagoners. I don't think you've seen me whine but once about this. I think they should have run Dillon more but other than that they played as well as they could for a team without a secondary. In all honesty if Carson Palmer didn't go down I think the Bengals would have won the week before.

[Slayer 0]

 

Donovan Darius fined $75K for his lariat on Robert Ferguson, no suspension

[Guest Vitamin X]

Jack Del Rio claims that he wasn't intentionally trying to hurt Ferguson. The most amazing part was that he hung on to the ball. Take that, Todd Pinkston.

 

Oh, and the hit which has left Ferguson still hospitalized, Robert actually said that he'll be back in time for the playoffs, although Sherman was far less optimistic about that, just happy that it isn't a career-threatening injury. Everytime I think about Robert Ferguson, I think about how they drafted him over Chris Chambers, and was supposed to be the top-caliber receiver they eventually got in Javon Walker.

 

Also, from this article-

While Sherman and several players were steamed about the play, a few of Ferguson's teammates said plays like that are part of football.

 

"I wouldn't call it a cheap shot," said tight end Bubba Franks . "Darren Sharper tried to take one of their guys out like that but he missed. It's the game we play."

 

On ESPNews' "Monday Morning Quarterback" program, commentator, former NFL coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer Mike Ditka said Darius deserved to be penalized and ejected but should not be suspended. Ditka and colleague Eric Allen, a former Pro Bowl defensive back, said Darius overran Ferguson on the play and his only way of bringing Ferguson down was to reach out with his arm. Ditka saw the play as illegal but not intentional.

 

Two wrongs don't make a right, Bubba.