I’m really curious how the Titans and the Chiefs game plays out. If the Titans can hold off they Chiefs, they have a real chance of winning their division this year.
New England is barely a favorite over Denver, but I think that’s because they are playing in Denver.
I know my Panthers are out of the playoff picture, but if we can beat the Redskins, that gives the NFC south a chance for two playoff teams. Not bad for a division that 2 years ago, had a division winner with a sub .500 record
I feel like this game is the season for the Lions. Win any of the last three games, and they’re pretty much a sure thing for the playoffs. Lose all three, and it gets pretty unlikely. They’ll have a tough time winning in Dallas next week, and given the Packers’ performance recently, that one will be tough too.
Please, don’t make me sweat the final three weeks. (Or at least, let me sweat about home field advantage.)
Lions-Giants should be a fun one to watch, both teams needing to win to hold off the wolves nipping at their heels. The Lions rise and fall with Stafford, who’s playing with an injured middle finger on his throwing hand.
Packers-Bears - well, the longest rivalry in the NFL gets yet another chapter. The Bears almost always seem to find another gear for the Pack, no matter how atrocious the season has been (recent 50 point blowouts notwithstanding). The Packers are heating up when the weather turns cold, and pretty much have to win out to make the playoffs, even if they get some help from the Giants this week or Dallas next week. Breaking up that chance for Green Bay is exactly the kind of thing Chicago gets off on, and would help salve the absolute hell this season has been.
Titans and Chiefs, like Zyanthia mentioned, is another game with big playoff implications. Kansas City is tied for the division lead with Oakland, and the Raiders get the Colts at home next week before going to Denver to finish the regular season. A win here helps Kansas City keep pace. Either way, both teams are almost a lock for the playoffs, but a division championship with a home game, and probably a bye week as well, can be huge benefits for a deep run. The Titans need a win to hold steady with Houston and possibly set up a week 17 showdown for the division and a playoff berth.
And then there’s Pittsburgh in Cincinnati. These teams hate each other. One is trying to lock up the division and kill the other team. One is trying to kill the other team. As much as I hate extraneous plays (looking at you, Seachickens), good smashmouth football is enjoyable.
We’re supposed to get up to eight inches of snow on Friday and Saturday, and then single digit temperatures on Sunday. This should be a great game to watch inside under a blanket.
This isn’t a good matchup for Carolina. Washington is 2nd in passing, Carolina is 30th in pass defense. Carolina’s run defense is still top 5, but the Redskins pass almost 62% of the time, plus a little more than that on the road.
Good news for Carolina is most of Washington’s defense is suspect, save for Josh Norman, and Washington blitzes, a LOT, while Cam Newton has historically been very good vs the blitz, the Super Bowl notwithstanding.
Look for a battle between Norman and Newton. Will Cam be able to stop himself from throwing at Norman? My gut says no. This could easily end up being a shootout, and whichever QB makes the bigger mistakes will lose.
ETA: also in Carolina’s favor, Washington has been consistently shitting the bed on MNF for quite a few seasons now.
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I bet the Bills never thought they’d be a 10 point favorite in any game this year. This week and next are pretty much it for the Browns chances to win a game.
Knowing Robot Arm, it was more a comment on the Seahawks uniforms and not him pointing out a typo. And those things were incredibly ugly. Actually, I’m not sure what was uglier, the Seahawks uniforms or the overall game.
Now that Jeff Fisher isn’t coaching them, I actually feel a bit bad for the Rams. But then I remember they’re owned by Stan Kroenke, so that goes away quickly.
It’s still Fisher’s shit all over the field. I think he still deserves full credit for the loss.
And maybe it’s just me but I thought John Fassel was an old, old man. His hair was covered and he’s just got that really skinny, angular face that really old men can get. I thought he was Jim Fassel’s father, not his son! (I was watching the game with the sound off)
I have this fun little dream where the Bears decide to bring Fisher back into the fold and make him their new head coach. The last decade or so has been fun to watch, but I want more.
Yeah, I saw the uniforms on TV, thought of the comment, and then found the typo. Figured it added a little something to the post. Then I got two pieces of cardboard and poked a hole in one so I could watch the game safely.
A few other questions arose, though, and what better place to ask than here.
Did this count as a throwback game for the Rams? I seem to remember they wore a white-on-blue scheme in the early-'70s. I did see one player where about half of one horn was peeling off his helmet; I guess when you’re putting billions into a new stadium you have to find economies where you can.
How long have they been playing the Law & Order music during replay challenges?
The Seahawks failed on their third challenge. The player was pushed toward the sidelines, was falling out of bounds, but looked like he extended the ball past the first-down marker before it (or any part of him) touched the ground OOB. What is the rule on that, both in theory and in practice?
[QUOTE=NFL Rulebook]
Runner Out of Bounds. If the ball is in player possession when that player goes out of bounds, the out-of-bounds spot is the forward point of the ball when the ball crosses the side line, or, if the ball does not cross the sideline, the forward point of the ball at the instant the player is out of bounds
[/QUOTE]
I think practice is pretty consistent with this (well, except at the goal line), and without looking at it again I think the call was right: the spot should be where the ball was when it passed over the sideline.
