There are currently six 7-6 teams in the AFC fighting for two wild-card spots. In the NFC, there are six 6-7 teams vying for two wild-cards, although one of those 6-7 teams will win the rugged NFC South division. And amazingly, the Giants and Bears are both just one game back of wild-card consideration. The Cowboys currently hold the tiebreaker over the Eagles for the divisional lead, but only because they’ve played one more divisional game. Should both the Boys and Eagles win out, Philadelphia will win the division and Dallas would likely travel to the NFC South winner.
Speaking of the Cowboys, the marquee game appears to be Dallas at Buffalo. The Bills are firmly back in the playoff hunt, but I will admit that I’m a bit surprised that they are favored over the Cowboys. Home field obviously is a factor, as Dallas is 7-0 at home, but just 3-3 on the road. I’m also a bit surprised that the Lions are a 5-point favorite over the Broncos, as I would have expected the line to be much closer. The Titans are favored over Houston, and the Bengals are favored over the Vikings. Nick Mullens returns from a back injury to start for Minnesota, becoming their fourth starter in a 7-game stretch. Another interesting game will take place on Saturday, as two of the 7-6 teams in the AFC face off when Pittsburgh travels to Indianapolis. And hopefully the MNF game will have as much drama as the two Monday games this week.
What games are you looking forward to watching? Putting any money on them? Let’s hear it!
Supposedly Robert Kraft has already fired Bill Belichick in his mind, following the Nov 12 game against the Colts. According to the report, Kraft decided to keep Belichick around for the rest of the season and then part ways, potentially by way of a “trade” to another team.
It’s not really clear if this is based on actual insider knowledge, or just Tom Curran of NBC Sports trying to read the same tea leaves that everyone else is.
It’s not my joke, but it seems like the NFL is trying to get us all divorced by having football on Saturdays. Screw them kids. Lol.
I completely agree. I would have made this game a pick 'em or maybe Lions by 1. I haven’t bet much this season, but this game looks like a moneymaker. Which of course ensures the Lions will win. But seriously, the Broncos are playing great and the Lions are in a total tailspin. Wonder what I’m missing, maybe they think the Lions pass rush will have a field day.
This will be an interesting one. I really hope this is the one we get to watch here (it likely will be). I would say this should be flexed, but the Sunday night game is another solid one. Will be worth watching to see how Dallas handles the cold, I suspect as much as anything that explains the line.
I read this earlier this week. Color me dubious. When the video leaked of a shirtless Belichick doing the walk of shame from some Southie’s house, I considered that this could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. But this is rub-and-tug Kraft we’re talking about.
Assuming the Pats settle into the 2nd overall pick and have a chance to rebuild around Williams or Maye, I’m not sure if that helps or hurts Bill’s case. His defense is still good and Bill the GM will have a harder time screwing up the pick this high. I wouldn’t characterize this as a total rebuild for the Pats as their roster still has a fair bit of talent, it’s just getting killed by its QB. So maybe Bill would be willing to hang around. I don’t think the Pats will be better in the immediate term under a rookie HC in Mayo. It’s not like Bill’s coaching tree is anything to speak of. It probably all depends on the personal relationship. Kraft doesn’t want to fire the guy that basically built his franchise, and Bill probably doesn’t want to start over somewhere else to get his record. Gonna be a lot of drama for sure in the days following week 18.
Some people have suggested Belichick going to San Diego. Which I admit makes a ton of sense, but I don’t know if Bill is the guy that dreams about SoCal weather and sun like many of us. The Chargers aren’t generally known for spending top dollar on coaches, so we’ll see. Bill is 77 so I also don’t know that any team would be eager to part with a high draft pick to sign him. The AFC West with Payton, Reid and Belichick would be pretty wild.
I’m not sure what other landing spots make sense. The Bears feel like a bad fit for a lot of reasons. The Raiders picking him up after the McDaniels and Gruden fiascos seems unlikely. Washington feels like a possibility, but that team is really in rebuild mode and that division is looking tough right now. Carolina’s owner is crazy enough to do it, but the team is atrocious and they can’t be giving away more draft capital. It’s a winnable division, but that team needs a lot of help and Bill the GM sucks.
Only if you can hire two good ones. If not, you basically put the nail in the coffin of the Pats as a marquee franchise. What if the Chiefs had jettisoned Reid when they drafted Mahomes? The 49ers rebooting Lynch and Shanahan when picking Lance?
I’m mainly thinking about how Belichick is already in his 70s. He’s definitely going to be replaced sooner rather than later. Seems like the absolute best possible scenario would be to have a top three overall pick for the new regime.
Whatever team Belichick coaches for is going to have to be a contender already. Bill isn’t going to be willing to wait long for his coveted Shula record.
Well, I follow Patriots news (actual news, not tabloid “news”) reasonably closely, and never heard a single peep about this. And this from reporters who have been speculating obsessively about Belichick being fired for well over a month now.
So my take from that is that it is complete nonsense and not newsworthy, i.e. that ain’t Bill.
Brock Purdy throws for 368 yards, 2 tds, 1 int, and a 122.1 passer rating.
Matthew Stafford passes for 294 yards, 3 tds, 0 int, and a 103.7 passer rating.
Desmond Fucking Ridder throws for 347 yards, 1 tds, 1 int, and a passer rating if 90.3.
Yet Tommy Devito, who threw for a paltry 159 yards, with 1 td, 0 int, and a 113.2 passer rating, wins NFC offensive player of the week.
I love me a “undrafted QB is now a starter” stories, but this Devito crap is getting ridiculous.
At least he’s helping the Giants fans forget they’re paying Daniel Jones $40 million a year.
