NFL (2024 Season)

[jgb191]

While a coach of the year doesn't necessarily have to be a coach that guided its team to the playoffs, a coach with 4 wins winning coach of the year?  That would be the laughingstock of the NFL.

You have a good point, but while four wins doesn't sound like much on paper, my team matched last year's win total with a crumbled-down roster.  Basically I'm saying the Davis Mills/Tyrod Taylor pair won the same number of games this year as Deshaun Watson did last year.  If you look at our team's roster this year compared to last year, you can see why every prediction I heard all preseason was expected to be a winless year.  And yes I was constantly told by so many people this is the worst assembled offense in NFL history.

And not saying David Culley will win the Coach of the Year, but in my opinion (for what it's worth) his name should at least be mentioned in the consideration for it.  When a team overachieves (or underachieves), that typically due to the coaching.

[Roadgeekteen]

While a coach of the year doesn't necessarily have to be a coach that guided its team to the playoffs, a coach with 4 wins winning coach of the year?  That would be the laughingstock of the NFL.

You have a good point, but while four wins doesn't sound like much on paper, my team matched last year's win total with a crumbled-down roster.  Basically I'm saying the Davis Mills/Tyrod Taylor pair won the same number of games this year as Deshaun Watson did last year.  If you look at our team's roster this year compared to last year, you can see why every prediction I heard all preseason was expected to be a winless year.  And yes I was constantly told by so many people this is the worst assembled offense in NFL history.

And not saying David Culley will win the Coach of the Year, but in my opinion (for what it's worth) his name should at least be mentioned in the consideration for it.  When a team overachieves (or underachieves), that typically due to the coaching.

Uh he got fired

[thspfc]

Some interesting narratives going on in the run-up to Wild Card weekend.

A lot of people think the Packers are clear favorites in the NFC. ...

It blows my mind that people are counting out Brady. Seriously, the Bucs are like an afterthought to most right now. Maybe it's blissful ignorance ("I know deep down that they're going to the Super Bowl again, but I don't want them to, so I won't talk about it'). It seems to me like everyone saw the ugly loss to the Saints, the Godwin injury, and the AB chaos, and just wrote off the Bucs. ...

Oh, and the Buccaneers beat the Packers at Lambeau last year. Brady threw three interceptions in that game, and they still won. Rest assured, Brady is not going to throw three interceptions in a playoff game again.

So, it already annoys me when people say that the Packers are NFC favorites. What annoys me even more is when people say that the Niners are their biggest threat. Oh, boy. The entirety of the argument for that is that the Niners are peaking at the right time. Which, of course, they are. But somehow that "getting hot" logic is not applied to the Bucs. The Niners are 6-2 in their last eight; the Bucs are 7-1.

A couple things on this...

First, the Bucs needed some Brady magic to beat the Jets and were in a close game with the Panthers for three quarters. They're still a clear favorite to knock off the Packers IMO, but at no point in the last month plus have they looked dominant. I think they're as vulnerable as they've ever been since Brady arrived given the injuries etc.

Second, because of the seeding, the Bucs and Packers can't meet until the championship. But the Packers have to win a divisional game first, and I do think the 49ers are the most likely team to knock them off there, if they beat the Cowboys (obviously a huge qualifier). Unless the Eagles win, it will be an NFC West team going to Lambeau, and I like the 49ers' chances there more than the Rams or Cardinals given their unique style of play and run-heavy, clock control offense. We've seen that match up poorly with the Packers in the past, as recently as Christmas Day when they nearly lost to the Browns.

And finally, recency bias favors the 49ers because their Week 18 win was probably the most impressive win by any team all season. Down 17 points. Win probability as low as 0.4%. QB playing with an injured finger. Opponent playing for the division title. And in a must-win game, they became the first team ever to beat Sean McVay when trailing at halftime. I don't want to overreact, but there literally couldn't be a gutsier, more stirring way to enter the playoffs.


My hottest 49ers take is that Kyle Shanahan wouldn't mind losing in the first round or two of the playoffs. If they go on another championship or Super Bowl run with Jimmy G, the massive haul they gave up for Trey Lance starts to look kind of strange.

The Niners stunk in the first half of the Rams game. The most impressive win this season is more like the Bengals over Ravens, Cowboys over Falcons, or Cowboys over Washington where it was domination all the way through.

The Bucs lost 38-3 to the Saints last year, and then lost two more in a row in late November, dropping their record to 7-5. They were three games behind the Saints in the division. I think they were a little more vulnerable then.

And we've all forgot that it's Tom Brady.

Sorry but your take about Shanahan is pretty stupid. Football coaches want to win Super Bowls. End of story. Whatever publicity they get for "strange"  decisions is just noise if they win it all.

[webny99]

The Niners stunk in the first half of the Rams game. The most impressive win this season is more like the Bengals over Ravens, Cowboys over Falcons, or Cowboys over Washington where it was domination all the way through.

I guess we have different ideas of impressive. The three things I look for are high stakes, a comeback factor, and an underdog factor. In other words, finding a way to win when you very easily could have lost. The 49ers win over the Rams was a home run in all three categories.

To me, teams piling on when the outcome isn't in doubt doesn't really tell me anything. Since you mention two Cowboys games, sure, those were total laughers, but that was exactly what they should have been given the talent disparity. I think the most impressive Cowboys win of the season was Week 8 over the Vikings with Cooper Rush. That was the type of gutsy performance that will be remembered if they go on a playoff run.

Sorry but your take about Shanahan is pretty stupid. Football coaches want to win Super Bowls. End of story. Whatever publicity they get for "strange"  decisions is just noise if they win it all.

Of course he wants to win Super Bowls. And he obviously convinced the GM and ownership that he needed a better quarterback to do it, which is why they gave up two first-rounders to get Trey Lance. But Lance hardly played this season, so it seems reasonable that Shanahan isn't necessarily all-in on winning a Super Bowl this season.  They're sort of like the anti-Rams... for the Rams, anything short of a Super Bowl is a disappointment, whereas the 49ers are kind of playing with house money as long as it's Jimmy G starting.

[Roadgeekteen]

let's go Pats!

[Roadgeekteen]

Congrats to the Bengals for snapping their 31 year playoff drought.

[kevinb1994]

Congrats to the Bengals for snapping their 31 year playoff drought.

Yes! It's been awhile. #WhoDey

[jp the roadgeek]

let's go Pats!

Only place they're going to tonight is the woodshed

[Roadgeekteen]

What was that defense

[NWI_Irish96]

Bellichick deserves some consideration for coach of the year because he won 10 games and made the playoffs with very mediocre talent.

[Alps]

Bellichick deserves some consideration for cheater of the millennium

the only award i'll consider

[NWI_Irish96]

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/bills-become-the-first-team-in-nfl-history-to-pitch-a-perfect-offensive-game-in-playoff-win-over-patriots/

In the Bills' 47-17 blowout victory over the New England Patriots, Buffalo never punted, kicked a field goal, nor turned the ball over -- the first team in league history to go an entire game with no kicks, punts, or turnovers.

[thspfc]

Drizzling rain didn't turn Brady into Peterman. Absolute shocker in Tampa.

[Roadgeekteen]

Cowboys penalties killed them today

[NWI_Irish96]

Cowboys penalties killed them today

They did, and this isn't an excuse for the Cowboys losing, but there were two times when the refs' unnecessary delay in getting the ball spotted cost them. Once was after the fake punt when they Cowboys wanted to run another pay quickly with the SF punt return team on the field, and the second was after the last play that prevented them from getting another play off.

Add this to the inadvertent whistle fiasco from last night and that's two playoff examples of what has been a really bad year for refs. Lots of high profile blown calls and major inconsistencies. The same hit by a defender is unnecessary roughness against Brady, Rodgers or Allen, but not unnecessary roughness against Mahomes, Prescott or Wilson.

[DenverBrian]

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/bills-become-the-first-team-in-nfl-history-to-pitch-a-perfect-offensive-game-in-playoff-win-over-patriots/

In the Bills' 47-17 blowout victory over the New England Patriots, Buffalo never punted, kicked a field goal, nor turned the ball over -- the first team in league history to go an entire game with no kicks, punts, or turnovers.

No field goals; not "no kicks." There were several PAT kicks, not all of them successful.

[1995hoo]

[thspfc]

With how much I've been hating on the 49ers, it's fitting that they knock my Cowboys out. The Dallas fanbase is in a meltdown right now, I don't feel that way. 1), this team did not have Super Bowl expectations at the start of the year, and most would have considered 12-5 with a loss in the wild card a success, or just not a failure. 2), it has been made apparent that Trevon Diggs and Micah Parsons are outstanding players. 3), the salary cap is going to increase significantly in 2022. 4), I don't often think this way, but fingers crossed this is the nail in McCarthy's coffin, and Kellen Moore takes over. Moore has had three great seasons calling plays for the Cowboys, and I thought did pretty well today as well.

Dallas' #1 problem this year was not McCarthy, it was not Zeke, and it most certainly was not Dak. It was the lack of depth on defense. Outside of Diggs and swiss army knife Parsons, the team is just slow in the secondary. It was obvious against the Raiders, obvious against the Chiefs, obvious against the Cardinals, and obvious today. The copious numbers of penalties are not just a symptom of poor coaching, but also a by-product of inferior talent and speed. IMO, the needs of the Cowboys in the draft are as follows:

1. cornerback
2. safety
3. interior defensive line
4. offensive tackle

The salary cap going up next season is huge for the Cowboys, as Dak's previously record-setting contract won't be as large. Same for Zeke, DeMarcus Lawrence, Cooper, and Tyron Smith.

I'm saying that the window for this Cowboys team as we know it is 2022 and 2023. After that, all the young stars will demand bigger contracts, and some of the veterans will demand even larger ones.

I am confident in this team, and I think they WILL end the drought and make it to the NFC title game in either 2022 or 2023. They probably won't make the Super Bowl though.

[NWI_Irish96]

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/bills-become-the-first-team-in-nfl-history-to-pitch-a-perfect-offensive-game-in-playoff-win-over-patriots/

In the Bills' 47-17 blowout victory over the New England Patriots, Buffalo never punted, kicked a field goal, nor turned the ball over -- the first team in league history to go an entire game with no kicks, punts, or turnovers.

No field goals; not "no kicks." There were several PAT kicks, not all of them successful.

No kicks from scrimmage (which was implied). PATs and kickoffs are not plays from scrimmage.

[KCRoadFan]

The Divisional Round matchups are all set! (well, mostly)

Saturday 1/22
Bengals at Titans
Niners at Packers

Sunday 1/23
Rams or Cardinals (whoever wins tomorrow) at Bucs
Bills at Chiefs

Who ya got winning those?

[jgb191]

Thank You Niners for restoring peace to my home state of Texas!  Let's see that's 26 years down, 83 more years to go before the Cowboys break the Cubs' record for the longest drought in all of sports.

[KCRoadFan]

Thank You Niners for restoring peace to my home state of Texas!  Let's see that's 26 years down, 83 more years to go before the Cowboys break the Cubs' record for the longest drought in all of sports.

That is, if the Vikings or the Lions haven't won it all before then...

[Max Rockatansky]

Thank You Niners for restoring peace to my home state of Texas!  Let's see that's 26 years down, 83 more years to go before the Cowboys break the Cubs' record for the longest drought in all of sports.

That is, if the Vikings or the Lions haven't won it all before then...

Even longer streaks if you want to go with the Browns and Cardinals.

[KCRoadFan]

Thank You Niners for restoring peace to my home state of Texas!  Let's see that's 26 years down, 83 more years to go before the Cowboys break the Cubs' record for the longest drought in all of sports.

That is, if the Vikings or the Lions haven't won it all before then...

Even longer streaks if you want to go with the Browns and Cardinals.

Or, because you mentioned the Cubs, we can do baseball too - there's also the Cleveland Indians (ahem, Guardians).

[Roadgeekteen]

Bye bye Big Ben