NFL (2024 Season)

[CoreySamson]

Texans aren't firing Culley

Makes sense, it would be crazy to create more drama by firing a coach who seems to have calmed things down and gotten as much as possible out of a bad roster. They've already matched last year's win total and Mills has been decent, so there's not much more you could ask out of a coach that knowingly walked into a terrible situation. Besides, not a lot can change until the Watson situation is resolved, so it makes sense to keep things as stable as possible.

The Jaguars, on the other hand, have a massive offseason ahead.

Yeah, I'm actually very pleased with how they played this year.

[roadman65]

I see the Eagles got a chance being the Vikings lost. A team that had a 2-5 record at one point got in at the end.

[Henry]

The last regular season game of 2021-22 will undoubtedly be the most important. Half of me wants to see the Steelers win, the Colts lose, and Chargers/Raiders to end in a tie. More than half of me, actually. The meltdown would be hilarious.

I was going to say the result of Steelers-Ravens doesn't matter as long as the Jaguars beat the Colts, but that's not quite true. If the Ravens won, the Raiders would clinch a playoff spot, so that would leave them with nothing to play for (Chargers would still be win and in).

The Steelers winning would eliminate the loser of Chargers-Raiders unless they tie, so that's obviously a much more dramatic scenario. I would have thought this was something only nerds like me care about, but it's definitely been out there this week.

I still think that the Seahawks would've made it if not for Russ suffering the first major injury of his career. The couple weeks that it took them when he got back to get their offense back in sync was really what costed them the season. They scored 28 points total in three games over that stretch, and since then have scored an average of 29.6 per game over their last five.

I think going 1-2 with Geno when they could have very easily gone 3-0 was the killer. Both losses were decided by a late FG, one caused by a Geno fumble in overtime. Would have been less pressure on Russ to come back if they had a better record too (although he seemed to be determined to come back ASAP regardless).

I need the Steelers to lose for all the people who told me that the best thing about a 17-game schedule was that nobody would finish with a .500 record.

Yes, if the Steelers lose, they will be 8-8-1, which translates to .500. But the way the Ravens have been playing lately (five straight losses), it would have to take a miracle for them to make it happen.

[webny99]

Yes, if the Steelers lose, they will be 8-8-1, which translates to .500. But the way the Ravens have been playing lately (five straight losses), it would have to take a miracle for them to make it happen.

On the other hand, 4 of those 5 losses are by a COMBINED 5 points. One-point games are rare to begin with, but to lose three in five weeks is just unbelievable.

Of course, three of the losses also involved some questionable 2-pt conversion situations which could have changed the outcome. All that is to say, they've been competitive with Huntley and have not at any point played like an 0-5 team. They could just as easily be 3-2 or even 4-1 in that stretch.

[thspfc]

Yes, if the Steelers lose, they will be 8-8-1, which translates to .500. But the way the Ravens have been playing lately (five straight losses), it would have to take a miracle for them to make it happen.

On the other hand, 4 of those 5 losses are by a COMBINED 5 points. One-point games are rare to begin with, but to lose three in five weeks is just unbelievable. 

Of course, three of the losses also involved some questionable 2-pt conversion situations which could have changed the outcome. All that is to say, they've been competitive with Huntley and have not at any point played like an 0-5 team. They could just as easily be 3-2 or even 4-1 in that stretch.

So what?

[webny99]

So what?

So I'll take them to beat the Steelers. They're a much better team even with Huntley. The only reason the Steelers have won any games at all is good coaching and good luck. They're about five plays away from being 2-14.

[webny99]

I'm a bit concerned about the Bengals' decision not to start Burrow in Week 18. I keep having flashbacks to the 2019 Bills, a similarly young team lacking playoff experience, who rested their starters against the Jets and then imploded in the Wild Card Round. I couldn't help but wonder if that week off got them out of sync at the worst possible time. For the Bengals, there's also the fact that if they lose, they could fall to the #4 seed and likely end up with a worse opponent in the playoffs.

[webny99]

My nominations for game of the year:

Cowboys 29, Buccaneers 31 - Week 1
Ravens 27, Raiders 33 (OT) — Week 1
Chiefs 35, Ravens 36 — Week 2
Colts 25, Ravens 31 (OT) — Week 5
Browns 42, Chargers 47 — Week 5
Bills 31, Titans 34 — Week 6
Packers 31, Vikings 34 — Week 11
Bills 27, Buccaneers 33 (OT) — Week 14
Chiefs 34, Chargers 28 (OT) — Week 15
Chiefs 31, Bengals 34 — Week 17

And my personal favorite game: 49ers 41, Lions 33 — Week 1

[webny99]

My nominations for Coach of the Year:

1. Mike Vrabel, Titans
2. Matt LaFleur, Packers
3. Bill Belichick, Patriots
4. Zac Taylor, Bengals
5. Frank Reich, Colts

You could also make a case for Brandon Staley, Nick Sirianni, and maybe a few others. And if there was ever going to be an interim coach win coach of the year, I don't think there will ever be a more deserving candidate than Rich Bisaccia after all the Raiders have been through this season.

[thspfc]

My nominations for game of the year:

Ravens 27, Raiders 33 (OT) — Week 1
Chiefs 35, Ravens 36 — Week 2
Titans 33, Seahawks 30 (OT) — Week 2
Colts 25, Ravens 31 (OT) — Week 5
Browns 42, Chargers 47 — Week 5
Bills 31, Titans 34 — Week 6
Packers 31, Vikings 34 — Week 11
Bills 27, Buccaneers 33 (OT) — Week 14
Chiefs 34, Chargers 28 (OT) — Week 15
Chiefs 31, Bengals 34 — Week 17

And my personal favorite game: 49ers 41, Lions 33 — Week 1

Not sure how one could leave Cowboys/Buccaneers off the list. Maybe it's just me, but that night was one of my favorite sports memories ever. Seeing a full NFL stadium for the first time since Super Bowl LIV, Dak playing an incredible game in his return from a devastating injury, some of the best quarterback and wide receiver play I've ever seen in a game, and Brady leading a game-winning drive to punctuate it.

I would also add Vikings/Cardinals, Cowboys/Patriots, Vikings/Ravens, Raiders/Cowboys, and Steelers/Vikings. (wow, that's a lot of Vikings games  ) I'd probably take off Titans/Seahawks because I didn't find that one particularly interesting as far as overtime games go - I was more intrigued by Cowboys/Chargers which was in the same time slot of the same week.

Packers/49ers, Packers/Bengals, Bengals/Jets, Vikings/Lions, and Packers/Ravens deserve honorable mentions for having glued-to-your-seat endings, but they weren't super entertaining games all the way through.

My vote for absolute best, period, goes to Browns/Chargers.

My personal favorites (as in, I found them fascinating for a variety of different reasons):

- Cowboys/Buccaneers, aforementioned
- Bengals/Jets because of the Mike White story and resulting memes
- Chiefs/Raiders first edition because it was the turning point for the Chiefs
- Cowboys/Chiefs because it was the day I knew that the Chiefs were going to win the Super Bowl (we'll see how this ages)
- Texans/Titans first edition because, I called it!
- Steelers/Vikings because I love big comebacks and late rallies, even if they fall inches short like that one did
- Washington/Cowboys second edition because it's always nice when Washington takes an old-fashioned whupping
- Every Saints loss

[thspfc]

My nominations for Coach of the Year:

1. Mike Vrabel, Titans
2. Matt LaFleur, Packers
3. Bill Belichick, Patriots
4. Zac Taylor, Bengals
5. Frank Reich, Colts

You could also make a case for Brandon Staley, Nick Sirianni, and maybe a few others. And if there was ever going to be an interim coach win coach of the year, I don't think there will ever be a more deserving candidate than Rich Bisaccia after all the Raiders have been through this season.

Agree with this list except I would add Sirianni and Bisaccia to the actual real list, add Tomlin as well, subtract Reich, and I don't think you can make a case for Staley.

[webny99]

Not sure how one could leave Cowboys/Buccaneers off the list. Maybe it's just me, but that night was one of my favorite sports memories ever. Seeing a full NFL stadium for the first time since Super Bowl LIV, Dak playing an incredible game in his return from a devastating injury, some of the best quarterback and wide receiver play I've ever seen in a game, and Brady leading a game-winning drive to punctuate it.

I would also add Vikings/Cardinals, Cowboys/Patriots, Vikings/Ravens, Raiders/Cowboys, and Steelers/Vikings. (wow, that's a lot of Vikings games  ) I'd probably take off Titans/Seahawks because I didn't find that one particularly interesting as far as overtime games go - I was more intrigued by Cowboys/Chargers which was in the same time slot of the same week.

I guess I'll replace Titans-Seahawks with the season opener.

I still thought that was a really impressive win for the Titans with the way they came back from down 2 scores to force OT. That was also when we thought the Seahawks were good and expected them to win those type of close games. Probably the #1 game on Vrabel's COTY resume.

I mostly had Colts-Ravens in there because of Lamar's incredible individual performance, so you could probably replace that one too in terms of being a great game from start to finish. I might throw in Steelers-Chargers in terms of the total madness that ensued in the 4th quarter, similar to Steelers-Vikings, but even crazier because the Steelers actually had a lead at one point and the Chargers had to come back after blowing a big lead.

[webny99]

My nominations for Coach of the Year:

1. Mike Vrabel, Titans
2. Matt LaFleur, Packers
3. Bill Belichick, Patriots
4. Zac Taylor, Bengals
5. Frank Reich, Colts

You could also make a case for Brandon Staley, Nick Sirianni, and maybe a few others. And if there was ever going to be an interim coach win coach of the year, I don't think there will ever be a more deserving candidate than Rich Bisaccia after all the Raiders have been through this season.

Agree with this list except I would add Sirianni and Bisaccia to the actual real list, add Tomlin as well, subtract Reich, and I don't think you can make a case for Staley.

Reich depends on if they make the playoffs. The Colts started 0-3 and then went 9-3, with really impressive wins over three playoff teams (Bills, Pats, Cardinals), which I do think matters. Beating the Raiders would have helped, but Wentz had been out all week too.

I'd put John Harbaugh and Sean Payton on the list ahead of Mike Tomlin. Both the Ravens and Saints have been incredibly injury-ravaged and have still been competitive almost every week, and have scraped together enough wins to still be in the playoff mix, which is a credit to coaching.

The case for Staley is that he seems to be well-liked and respected, he brought a clear vision and much-needed change to the Chargers organization, and he has a chance to make the playoffs as a first-year head coach. The Chargers have had a couple head-scratchers this year, but they haven't "choked" like they have in previous years, and the one game where they did choke (against the Steelers), they still won! I'd put him in the same tier as Sirianni: a decent nominee, but very unlikely to win it.

[Alps]

My nominations for game of the year:

Ravens 27, Raiders 33 (OT) — Week 1
Chiefs 35, Ravens 36 — Week 2
Titans 33, Seahawks 30 (OT) — Week 2
Colts 25, Ravens 31 (OT) — Week 5
Browns 42, Chargers 47 — Week 5
Bills 31, Titans 34 — Week 6
Packers 31, Vikings 34 — Week 11
Bills 27, Buccaneers 33 (OT) — Week 14
Chiefs 34, Chargers 28 (OT) — Week 15
Chiefs 31, Bengals 34 — Week 17

And my personal favorite game: 49ers 41, Lions 33 — Week 1

I will say that Jets/Titans was a pretty memorable game.

[webny99]

I will say that Jets/Titans was a pretty memorable game.

Actually Jets-Bengals aka the Mike White game was pretty good too.

[triplemultiplex]

I'm a bit concerned about the Bengals' decision not to start Burrow in Week 18. I keep having flashbacks to the 2019 Bills, a similarly young team lacking playoff experience, who rested their starters against the Jets and then imploded in the Wild Card Round. I couldn't help but wonder if that week off got them out of sync at the worst possible time. For the Bengals, there's also the fact that if they lose, they could fall to the #4 seed and likely end up with a worse opponent in the playoffs.

Well it is the Bengals, after all.  They've got a playoff losing streak going long enough to demoralize even the most ardent fan.  I have my doubts about them no matter what they do in Week 18.  They got some young talent, but I don't think they break that streak this winter.

[thspfc]

I'm a bit concerned about the Bengals' decision not to start Burrow in Week 18. I keep having flashbacks to the 2019 Bills, a similarly young team lacking playoff experience, who rested their starters against the Jets and then imploded in the Wild Card Round. I couldn't help but wonder if that week off got them out of sync at the worst possible time. For the Bengals, there's also the fact that if they lose, they could fall to the #4 seed and likely end up with a worse opponent in the playoffs.

Well it is the Bengals, after all.  They've got a playoff losing streak going long enough to demoralize even the most ardent fan.  I have my doubts about them no matter what they do in Week 18.  They got some young talent, but I don't think they break that streak this winter.

The 2019 Bills just weren't that good. IIRC they were up 16-0 on the Texans at one point, and that was a surprise because most agreed that they made the playoffs by virtue of being an average team that played a weak schedule.

And in the end, it's one of those situations where the coach, or whoever else is making those descisons, just can't win. If they rest their starters week 18 and come out flat in the playoffs, people will say they should have played week 18. If they play their starters week 18 and one of them gets hurt (God forbid it's Burrow), people will say they should have rested. I don't think there's a golden rule. As with almost everything in life, decisions should be made on a case-by-case basis. If I was the Bengals head coach I would probably be resting them this week, but there are situations where I wouldn't (for example, if a team is on a 2+ game losing streak going into week 18, and needs to flush that bad taste out).

[webny99]

The 2019 Bills just weren't that good. IIRC they were up 16-0 on the Texans at one point, and that was a surprise because most agreed that they made the playoffs by virtue of being an average team that played a weak schedule.

Come on now. The 2019 Bills had the #2 scoring defense, beat your Cowboys by double digits on Thanksgiving, clinched a playoff spot in Week 15, would have likely been 11-5 if they didn't rest starters, and would have been in the divisional playoffs if not for a blindside block penalty. Josh Allen also led the league in comeback/game winning drives that season, was injured in one of their losses, another loss was on a missed field goal, and they took the Ravens down to the wire in Lamar's MVP season.

No question the offense wasn't good enough to make them a true Super Bowl contender, which was a major factor in the loss to the Texans and the subsequent Diggs trade, but they were absolutely better than "average".

[webny99]

Speaking of game of the year, nothing will ever top that Bills-Texans game for the absolute insanity that ensued in the second half and overtime. Craziest wild-card game in NFL history and it's not particularly close. I can't believe that was 2 years ago already, I remember it like it was yesterday.

[NWI_Irish96]

Speaking of game of the year, nothing will ever top that Bills-Texans game for the absolute insanity that ensued in the second half and overtime. Craziest wild-card game in NFL history and it's not particularly close. I can't believe that was 2 years ago already, I remember it like it was yesterday.

So there was a Buffalo-Houston game from before you were born that was actually more crazy than that one.

[webny99]

Speaking of game of the year, nothing will ever top that Bills-Texans game for the absolute insanity that ensued in the second half and overtime. Craziest wild-card game in NFL history and it's not particularly close. I can't believe that was 2 years ago already, I remember it like it was yesterday.

So there was a Buffalo-Houston game from before you were born that was actually more crazy than that one.

Ah, darn, I forgot that was a Wild Card game as well. Because the same two cities were involved, some called the 2020 game Houston's revenge for the original Comeback. The games were eerily similar, with the trailing team taking a 3 pt lead, giving up a field goal to force OT, and then winning in OT. Houston's comeback was only half the size (16 pts instead of 32 pts), but I still think the game as a whole was equally crazy. Aside from the comeback factor, it was total chaos and every other play was absolutely bonkers.

Those two and the Colts' 28-point comeback against the Chiefs in 2014 are definitely top three.

[thspfc]

The 2019 Bills just weren't that good. IIRC they were up 16-0 on the Texans at one point, and that was a surprise because most agreed that they made the playoffs by virtue of being an average team that played a weak schedule.

Come on now. The 2019 Bills had the #2 scoring defense, beat your Cowboys by double digits on Thanksgiving, clinched a playoff spot in Week 15, would have likely been 11-5 if they didn't rest starters, and would have been in the divisional playoffs if not for a blindside block penalty. Josh Allen also led the league in comeback/game winning drives that season, was injured in one of their losses, another loss was on a missed field goal, and they took the Ravens down to the wire in Lamar's MVP season.

No question the offense wasn't good enough to make them a true Super Bowl contender, which was a major factor in the loss to the Texans and the subsequent Diggs trade, but they were absolutely better than "average".

Wow wow wow, if they "likely would have been in the playoffs if not for a blindside block penalty" , then isn't your argument that they shouldn't have rested starters in week 17 irrelevant? You just negated your own original point.

[thspfc]

Speaking of game of the year, nothing will ever top that Bills-Texans game for the absolute insanity that ensued in the second half and overtime. Craziest wild-card game in NFL history and it's not particularly close. I can't believe that was 2 years ago already, I remember it like it was yesterday.

Chiefs/Colts in 2013

Packers/Cardinals in 2010

[thspfc]

Cowboys outscore the Eagles 92-47 in two games this season. Don't care if one of them was against backups. Dallas sweeps the NFC East and enters the playoffs having won 5 of their last 6 and scored 129 points in their last three games.

[jeffandnicole]

Cowboys outscore the Eagles 92-47 in two games this season. Don't care if one of them was against backups. Dallas sweeps the NFC East and enters the playoffs having won 5 of their last 6 and scored 129 points in their last three games.

They've been a good second half of the gsme team too.

But...they still have to play next week. And their playoff history of late isn't great. Will not giving their starters a rest help or hurt? Could they even be a little too confident going in to the playoffs?