NFL (2024 Season)

[Alps]

So I guess a Bears vs Chargers would be the ultimate roadgeek Super Bowl, right?

Or Jets-49ers

that would be my dream super bowl for other reasons

[GreenLanternCorps]

[Max Rockatansky]

When/why did the Bengals fandom adopt Louisiana slang?  I'm told this has been something the fan base has done for decades but I never have actually witnessed it when I've attended past Bengals home games.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

When/why did the Bengals fandom adopt Louisiana slang?  I'm told this has been something the fan base has done for decades but I never have actually witnessed it when I've attended past Bengals home games.

Hard to be yelling "who dey?" when you're losing 31-7.

[Max Rockatansky]

When/why did the Bengals fandom adopt Louisiana slang?  I'm told this has been something the fan base has done for decades but I never have actually witnessed it when I've attended past Bengals home games.

Hard to be yelling "who dey?" when you're losing 31-7.

That is true, they certainly were pretty bad when I attended Bengals home games.

[Big John]

When/why did the Bengals fandom adopt Louisiana slang?  I'm told this has been something the fan base has done for decades but I never have actually witnessed it when I've attended past Bengals home games.

It is debatable who started their chant first, but the Saints chant is more famous.

[Max Rockatansky]

When/why did the Bengals fandom adopt Louisiana slang?  I'm told this has been something the fan base has done for decades but I never have actually witnessed it when I've attended past Bengals home games.

It is debatable who started their chant first, but the Saints chant is more famous.

Definitely strikes me as more "Cajun"  that what would expect out of the Midwest.

[jeffandnicole]

When/why did the Bengals fandom adopt Louisiana slang?  I'm told this has been something the fan base has done for decades but I never have actually witnessed it when I've attended past Bengals home games.

It is debatable who started their chant first, but the Saints chant is more famous.

Definitely strikes me as more "Cajun"  that what would expect out of the Midwest.

Didn't have much of a chance to think of their own, with a surprise appearance in the Super Bowl. The best they could do is copy off someone else!

[NWI_Irish96]

So I guess a Bears vs Chargers would be the ultimate roadgeek Super Bowl, right?

Or Jets-49ers

I think a US 66 Super Bowl would excite roadgeeks more than an I-80 Super Bowl.

[Big John]

Who Dat - popularized in 1983:  https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/movies_tv/article_d1dfedfa-3174-539e-8f05-c7ac471014a3.html#:~:text=The%20rise%20of%20the%20%22Who%20dat%3F%22%20chant%20in,Swoboda.%20HBOJohn%20Goodman%20in%20the%20upcoming%20%27%20Treme.%27

Who Dey - started sometime in the 1980s:  https://blackchronicle.com/how-bengals-chant-started-and-what-it-means/: 

[Max Rockatansky]

Who Dat - popularized in 1983:  https://www.nola.com/entertainment_life/movies_tv/article_d1dfedfa-3174-539e-8f05-c7ac471014a3.html#:~:text=The%20rise%20of%20the%20%22Who%20dat%3F%22%20chant%20in,Swoboda.%20HBOJohn%20Goodman%20in%20the%20upcoming%20%27%20Treme.%27

Who Dey - started sometime in the 1980s:  https://blackchronicle.com/how-bengals-chant-started-and-what-it-means/:

But "Who Dat"  definitely is old school Cajun Slang:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Who_Dat%3F

I'm not sure what's going with "Who Dey"  other than it sounds Cajun but seemingly isn't.

Is there some sort of Ottoman Empire following in Cincinnati?

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dey

What I find really vexing is how the Midwest dialect comes up with something like "who dey?"   Having grown up in Michigan I would expect most people would just say "who are they?"  over even something like "who they?"

[Great Lakes Roads]

Congrats to the LA Rams for winning the 56th annual Superbowl! 23-20

[NWI_Irish96]

Nice to see that they gave the MVP to the most deserving guy and not just defaulting to the QB.

[Big John]

^^ I thought Aaron Donald deserved it more.

[DenverBrian]

^^ I thought Aaron Donald deserved it more.

He didn't really get going until the second half. Cupp was there all four quarters.

[thspfc]

Typical whining about the lovable losers losing supposedly due to referees while the big bad talented perennial winners win. Had the facemask on Higgins been called correctly, that game would have been over well before the final Rams drive that included the PI call on Cincy that everyone is freaking out over (which FWIW was a good call). Long story short, the Rams lost one of their best players in the second quarter and still beat Cincy. Like every team in almost every NFL game to ever exist, they got no help whatsoever from the referees.

I might have been the only person who stayed on the Rams hype train the whole way. Turns out, losing three games doesn't spell death.

A third of the way through, my top ten would be:

1. Rams
2. Cardinals
3. Buccaneers
4. Bills
5. Ravens
6. Cowboys
7. Packers
8. Chargers
9. Chiefs
10. Titans

I had them at #1 in October, and never wavered much. I think the lowest I ever had them was #4.

Huh. Everyone told me that the Rams are falling apart and might not even make the playoffs (yes, I've heard/seen multiple people say that). Weird that they're 8-4, have a top 10 quarterback, a top 5 coach, a top 5 group of skill players, a solid offensive line, and a defense that is malleable at its worst but dominant at its best.

News flash: good teams can have bad stretches.

My Super Bowl score prediction: Rams 27, Bengals 13

Don't get me wrong, I want this to be a good game. Unlike past Super Bowls, I don't really care who wins. However, the Rams pass rush against the Bengals offensive line? And Jalen Ramsey covering Ja'Marr Chase? Chase hasn't faced anyone quite as good as Ramsey in his career. Burrow is going to have to get the ball out quickly, which mitigates Cincy's strong downfield passing game. Cincy has also scored only 5 touchdowns in the playoffs, compared to 12 field goals. Kicking four field goals per game worked when the Bengals were moving the ball into opposing territory on almost every drive, but I don't think they're going to move the ball as well against the Rams.

Pretty good I think. Game was closer than predicted, but it amounts to a total of 11 points off, which is solid. Chase had a quiet day by his standards. Cincy's o-line didn't stand a chance. And not scoring a touchdown after Stafford's second INT kept the Rams well within striking distance. Field goals worked when they were moving into opposing territory all the time, but they barely sniffed Rams territory after making it 20-13.

Better team won. Cincy needs to fix their o-line immediately. If they get that right they'll be around for a while. If they don't they could squander an era that seems very promising right now.

Can't wait for an offseason of endless Aaron Rodgers discussion and made-up drama about Kyler Murray.

[thspfc]

^^ I thought Aaron Donald deserved it more.

Kupp was basically Stafford's only major target after OBJ went down, with Higbee already out.

[NWI_Irish96]

Typical whining about the lovable losers losing supposedly due to referees while the big bad talented perennial winners win. Had the facemask on Higgins been called correctly, that game would have been over well before the final Rams drive that included the PI call on Cincy that everyone is freaking out over (which FWIW was a good call). Long story short, the Rams lost one of their best players in the second quarter and still beat Cincy. Like every team in almost every NFL game to ever exist, they got no help whatsoever from the referees.

I might have been the only person who stayed on the Rams hype train the whole way. Turns out, losing three games doesn't spell death.

The 3rd down defensive holding penalty before the PI penalty is the one that was bad, but as you noted, there was the missed face mask on the other side so the refs didn't decide this game.

My preseason pick was for the Rams to get to the Super Bowl (and lose to Buffalo).

Unless Rodgers and Adams are both willing to take ridiculous hometown discounts, the Packers don't have enough cap space for both. I think he ends up in Denver.

[webny99]

An unlikely path leads to a likely champion...  Rams win!! I'd say that was a very good Super Bowl. Not an all-time classic, but still pretty good. We had two great storylines, a close game that came down to the wire, and the better team won in the end. Certainly the best Super Bowl since Pats-Eagles.

More on the Rams and Bengals later, but for now... I get to post my favorite stat of the 2021-22 playoffs, maybe of all time. This may never be topped:

Bills beat the Patriots by 30 points
The ENTIRE last three rounds of the playoffs (divisional round, championships, and Super Bowl) were decided by a COMBINED 24 points

[webny99]

(Oh, and I didn't have any issues with Kupp winning MVP. Kupp and Donald were both worthy IMO. Donald sealed the game, but that final TD drive was all Kupp, including a run for a first down. The Rams don't come close to winning without both players.)

[ozarkman417]

That was a very hard fought win for the Rams, which was impressive given the injuries their players had (namely OBJ), especially the flag-filled last scoring drive at the end.

If the Bengals did make their first down in the last minute or so, they might have been able to:
-Get in field goal range
-Kick to tie the game
-Go into OT and maybe win from there

This Super Bowl was way better than the last one, which was not even close. This combined with the playoffs has been a post-season to remember. The wait for the Bengal's first ring continues. 

[Max Rockatansky]

It was pretty wild watching my extended family with this game given they are Rams fans.  They looked totally dejected until the last couple minutes of the 4th quarter. 

[ozarkman417]

There are still a few Rams fans around here from when they were in St. Louis. Springfield is kinda a mix when it comes to the two larger MO city's sports teams. I say this because even when the Rams were in St. Louis, Springfield was pretty solidly Chiefs, yet we have always been solidly Cardinals (probably because we have a farm team for them here).

Anyway, what in Cincinnati do y'all think will happen first: Brent Spence Bridge replacement, or a Bengals Super Bowl win?

[Max Rockatansky]

There are still a few Rams fans around here from when they were in St. Louis. Springfield is kinda a mix when it comes to the two larger MO city's sports teams. I say this because even when the Rams were in St. Louis, Springfield was pretty solidly Chiefs, yet we have always been solidly Cardinals (probably because we have a farm team for them here).

Anyway, what in Cincinnati do y'all think will happen first: Brent Spence Bridge replacement, or a Bengals Super Bowl win?

I think you can count on the Bengals staying in the mix for the foreseeable future so long as Joe Burrow stays healthy. 

[jgb191]

There are still a few Rams fans around here from when they were in St. Louis. Springfield is kinda a mix when it comes to the two larger MO city's sports teams. I say this because even when the Rams were in St. Louis, Springfield was pretty solidly Chiefs, yet we have always been solidly Cardinals (probably because we have a farm team for them here).

How about midway places like Columbia and state capital Jefferson?  half (KC) & half (STL) maybe?

Here in Texas I would say that anywhere beyond a hundred miles outside the Greater Houston metro, you're looking at the overwhelming majority Cowboys fans (sadly speaking); I'm pretty sure that Conroe and Willis are majority Texans, but once you get to Huntsville you start to get into Cowboys-majority territory.  In my hometown of Corpus Christi, it is probably around 70% for Cowboys and 30% Texans (myself included).

Is Columbus, Ohio in the Bengals majority or Browns majority?  Any Bengals fans in Toledo or Akron/Canton maybe?

If you live in the PA capital Harrisburg, are you more likely Steelers or Eagles fan?