NFL WEEK SIX guns ablazing

The Game Room
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Some things you don’t have to wonder about in the NFL. Aaron Rodgers will make an ass out of himself to “trigger” the media that he hates and, at the same time, so desperately craves/needs/lives for attention from. Injuries will rob us of the joy of watching elite players at their best (Justin Jefferson, Anthony Richardson, Devone Achane are just the latest). Jerry Jones will be annoying. And teams you are sure are horrible will play well, and teams you are sure are dominant will lose. That last one is one of the best reasons to watch NFL football. Any Given Sunday.

Some things I’m wondering about: Are the Patriots really this bad? They played Miami and Philly pretty close in weeks 1 and 2, but have looked awful since. I’m a bit shocked Bellicheat may actually get fired after this year. Are the Niners really this good? I think they are, but it’s a long season. Which Bears team/Justin Fields will show up week to week? Will Kirk Cousins get any respect, ever, and if he does, will he get traded before the trade deadline? Your guess is as good as mine.

If you know the answers, let me know. Preferably before the sportsbook closes.

Here’s your games:

Thursday Night Football

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos KC -10.5 (-110)

Sunday, October 15th, 2023

Morning/Tottenham Hotspur (I just love typing Hotspur. I think that’s what I would name my horse in the Wild West).

Tennessee Titans vs. Baltimore Ravens TEN +4 (-110)

Early

Atlanta Falcons vs. Washington Commanders ATL -2.5 (-110)
Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings CHI +2.5 (-110)
Cincinnati Bengals vs. Seattle Seahawks CIN -3 (-105)
Cleveland Browns vs. San Francisco 49ers CLE +6 (-110)
Miami Dolphins vs. Carolina Panthers MIA -13.5 (-110)
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Indianapolis Colts JAX -4 (-110)
Houston Texans vs. New Orleans Saints HOU +1.5 (-110)

Late

Las Vegas Raiders vs. New England Patriots LV -3 (-120)
Los Angeles Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals LAR -7 (-110)
New York Jets vs. Philadelphia Eagles NYJ +7 (-110)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Detroit Lions TB +3 (+100)

Sunday Night Football

Buffalo Bills vs. New York Giants BUF -14 (-110)

Monday Night Football

Los Angeles Chargers vs. Dallas Cowboys LAC +2 (-110)

I’ll likely not watch much football this weekend. It’s not just because my beloved Packers are on bye, it’s also my wedding anniversary, and any partner who would keep an asshole like me around for 25+ years is worth taking a day off of football for. So while I’m doing a winery tour/hike/fancy dinner, I’ll leave watching football to rest of you.

Thursday’s game is available, but only diehards and Taylor Swift fans will be able to sit through this one. Although I do love watching whiny prick Sean Payton lose over and over and over, not even that will motivate me to watch what should be an entirely skippable game.

Titans/Ravens could be a fascinating game or it could easily be horribly boring. Here’s hoping
Lamar Jackson spices things up and Derrick Henry turns back the clock, otherwise, it’s skippable too.

I don’t think there is enough money in the world to make me sit through the entire Falcons/Commanders game, and that’s one of the closest spreads of the week. Bears/Vikings bears (I kill me!) watching though as both teams could put on a show. Maybe the Browns defense keeps a lid on the Niners, but I don’t think their offense can keep up even with the Niners even if the Browns keep them out of the endzone.

Of the late games, I’m most intrigued by the Rams/Cardinals. I assumed both teams would be bad this year as they rebuilt, but both Gannon and McVey have their teams playing hard. Great job by both of them.

Sunday night will be atrocious, but Monday night’s game is the one with a ton of promise. I’m thoroughly convinced either Brandon Staley or nepobaby Dean Spanos ran over an elderly woman of Roma descent who cursed them to always under-acheive and to lose close games. As to football, I think the matchup between a high powered Chargers offense coming off a bye against an outstanding Dallas defense will be fascinating to watch. Thank heavens it’s on Monday night, so I can watch it in full.

So, what are you celebrating this weekend that will keep you from football? Which teams have surprised you the most? Which team is exactly what you thought they were?

Let’s hear from you!

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I still have a little bit of a soft spot for Russell Wilson. While there has been some enjoyment about watching the Broncos faulter, I’d still love to see him beat the Chiefs. I’ll tune it, and if not a slaughter, I’ll watch it.

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I dont think Bellichek will be fired I think he’ll resign or “retire”

and the 00’s Patriots will be never forgotten like the 60s Packers the 70s Steelers and cowboys the 80s 49ers and such

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Here is a flashback to better times.

That video just made me miss Doug Baldwin. :frowning:

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On Sunday, Bengals/Seahawks and Lions/Bucs have potential - all decent teams without a major mismatch. Except I’m hoping the Lions start to show they actually are a mismatch for teams at Tampa’s level.

I’m not sure who this “Rodgers” person you’re talking about is. He’s some former player, right? Not anyone worth discussing. “Instead of just ignoring Rodgers, the media breathlessly reports on everything he says because they love the pageviews.” Well, I don’t need page views so I get to do what everyone else should be doing.

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As a Broncos fan, I’ll have the game on but probably just as background noise. I’m not sure what the over/under is but I expect the Chiefs to get the over just with their half of the score board.

7

My Browns will be cannon fodder. Serial massage enthusiast, Watson, will be seeking a rubdown off the field. PJ Walker will be added to the QB shirt. Not much hope for the defense holding down the 49ers - offensive will be in Christmas mode.

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Is it too early in the season for flex scheduling or something? I know games typically get flexed in, but you would think they would flex the Giants out of SNF just out of mercy. Both Jets Eagles and Rams Cardinals look like better games for SNF.

You just know the schedule makers spooged all over themselves when the Giants won a playoff game last year. How many freaking national games must we suffer through? If we count Thursday Night Football, this will make four of their first six games nationally televised: SNF, TNF, MNF, SNF. Make it stop!

9

The Bears defense is historically bad. That’s consistent. The offense seems capable when playing an equally bad defense. So I fully expect Bears - Vikings to be something of a shootout. It’s also supposed to be soaking wet so it could be a wild one. With Jefferson out we should have a fighting chance.

Much like the Bears after 3 weeks, this is overreaction theater time for the Pats. Everyone was convinced the Bears were going 0-17 after that Chiefs game but all it took was a couple games against terrible teams and we suddenly look competent. The Pats have looked awful for a couple weeks in a row, but 4 of their next 6 games are against the Raiders, Commanders, Colts and Giants. I think it safe to say they’ll remain a middle of the pack team if they are able to get something from the QB spot.

Belichick probably isn’t going anywhere, but Mac Jones is going to end up covered in bus tracks. I think the Pats are the perfect candidates for a Kirk Cousins trade. Belichick will probably get 8-10 wins out of him until he’s able to finally pass Shula for the all time wins record. And since the Pats can’t seem to draft worth a shit, who cares about the future picks.

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Actually, it’s not too early. NBC can choose to flex games twice between weeks 5 and 10; I’m a little surprised that they aren’t doing so to get rid of that dog, but maybe they are saving the option for games later in the schedule.

(Games in weeks 11-17 can also be flexed, but “at the league’s discretion.”)

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I mistakenly posted this in last week’s thread, so I’ll do a double post.

Chiefs continue to win ugly. Tonight their offense moved the ball, but some really curious play calling stopped a couple of drives and they scored just one touchdown. But their defense only allowed one score, and their FG kicker hasn’t missed yet this season. It hasn’t been pretty, but they’re 5-1.

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Enjoying my poor man’s shorty technique, once again getting through the game in 70 minutes. Even shorty-ing, I got more than my share of Taylor Swift. It was a good watch for me mainly because of guys on my fantasy team. Kelce didn’t get a touchdown but his 9 catches for 124 still scored 16.9 for me, plus the kicker got me another 17 even, including a 60 yarder that would have been good from 65+. Go Chiefs!

Mahomes throws a lot of interceptible balls. He’s been doing that a lot this season.

I’m a little worried about Kelce’s ankle. He looked to me like he was gimping around all night despite catching everything that was thrown his way, and then he tweaked it late in the game when someone tackled him by that ankle. They say it’s a low ankle sprain, and he does get extra rest this week after playing Thursday night, but I’m still a touch nervous.

I feel for running backs being underappreciated, but what’s up with the running backs in Kansas City? They drafted Clyde Edwards-Helaire in the first round in 2020, yet their 7th round pick from 2022, Isaiah Pacheco, is the clear #1 back with CEH barely able to get on the field. Stuff like this is why nobody wants to pay running backs.

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And their 3rd-down back, Jerick McKinnon, was a 3rd round pick by the Vikings in 2014. CEH has been given every opportunity to be the #1 back in the KC offense, but he doesn’t find the running lanes consistently and goes down at first contact. He won’t be with the Chiefs next year, IMO.

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I’m waiting for Britney Spears to start dating Chris Collinsworth.

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Now here’s a guy who likes late 90s teen pop songs.

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This week, my Miami Dolphins play the Carolina Panthers. It should be a cakewalk. Emphasis on should. This is the NFL, so “Any Given Sunday” prevails, and there’s always a possibility of a shocking upset.

Regardless of any worry, I’m hoping to see Miami play a complete game with competent defense, good running, the expected passing fireworks, and no turnovers.

Rookie running back Devon Achane is out with an injury, so we will need to see if Raheem Mostert (who is himself quite fast) can have the same devastating impact. It’d also be nice to see their new addition, wideout Chase Claypool, get some playing time.

But actually the most interesting game I’m going to watch this weekend is the Lions versus Bucs. I live in the Tampa bay market, so that’s one of my late games.

I have a soft spot for Detroit, so I’ll be rooting for them. I’ve liked the gumption of head coach Dan Campbell since he was an interim head coach for Miami; I think it’s good for the league for somebody so colorful and earnest to succeed.

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They’re a bad team, but not an uncompetitive team, and not the worst team. If someone takes them for granted it could be a trap game. If they take it seriously, it shouldn’t be hard to beat them.

I watched the Seahawks beat them, 37-27, and Seattle dominated them more than the score suggests. But Carolina didn’t roll over either.

My prediction: Dolphins will win decisively but Panthers will put up enough of a fight that it will be fun to watch.

In the world of former Seahawks, here’s a pretty blunt article about the Broncos:

Denver paid Wilson $57 million in 2022 and $28 million in 2023, but using pro-ration and bonuses, they’ve only accounted for $39 million of that $85 million on the cap. When you move on from a player, the difference in money paid vs money accounted for is accelerated onto the current year and called “dead cap” space. For Denver and Wilson, that figure is $46 million.

By itself, that would be the largest dead cap number in NFL history.

Ouch! :woozy_face:

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On the plus side, they finally have a first round draft pick again next year, and it’s looking like a top three pick. So they could at least pick up the guy that will replace him next year, or replace him the year after if they want to sit him for a year. Meaning let Wilson start next year and then be the backup the year after and then cut him before the 2026 season.

19

Browns! I’m looking good on my 6 team parley but nooooooo. You have to play really well against a team much better than you. Bad enough last week I lost on only one leg when Joe Burrow decided to be a good quarterback.

F the Ohio NFL teams.

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The Tyler Bagent Era has begun!