Official NFL 2019/2020 Thread!

[nacho]

barry petchesky was the EIC. They got a mandate to stick to sports, and the entire staff promptly thumbed their nose at the owners. The main editor took the heat, but they all quit in solidarity.

I truly can't imagine rage-quitting my job at 48 when your main skill is complaining about trump and professional sports teams. I rage-quit a job at 25 once, but I'd like to think that it wouldn't happen two decades later, you know, if I actually had a real job. That's a scary prospect.

 

[NSA]

TDS strikes again? lol

 

[nacho]

All of the greater Gawker Media has a bad case of TDS, mostly a bunch of ultra-woke, sexually ambiguous hipsters and SJWs. They hate trump with the power of a thousand suns.

But the Deadspin takes on sports were funny and without the inherent trappings of other reporting sites with big ties to sports leagues, broadcast partners, and other such monetary agendas. Sounds like that was their downfall, i.e. the corporate overlords tried to tighten the leash and they balked. I give them credit where credit is due. And I think some of them are decent people, despite their acute aversion to rational governance.

 

[NSA]

Pats no longer perfect! Though I'd somehow argue that it actually makes them more dangerous now. If any team is adept at fixing their problems.. it's the damn "On to Cincinnati" Patriots. Was fun watching them fail though. Ravens have been so hot & cold this season. Lost to the Chiefs and.. BROWNS? But beat Seattle & New England.. who knows.

Chiefs had a good win. Raiders had a good win.

Pick update!

9/9 - Broncos - MNF, opening week! Why?? I don't think the Broncos are any good either. Tepid W [CORRECT!]
9/15 - Chiefs - Big L [CORRECT!]
9/22 - @ Vikings - Another big L [CORRECT!]
9/29 - @ Colts - All depends on if Luck actually is in football form again, if he is, L [I'll give this one to myself]
10/6 - Bears - MACK RETURNS! Probably an ugly L [INCORRECT!]
10/20 - @ Packers - What a damn shitty schedule. L [CORRECT!]
10/27 - @ Texans - I feel like maybe this could be a W, but I'm predicting L [CORRECT!]
11/3 - Lions - I know nothing about the Lions this season, I'll say W since there have been so many L. [CORRECT!]
11/7 - Chargers - L
11/17 - Bengals - Hopefully, for gods sake, a W.
11/24 - @ Jets - W? Unless LeVeon Bell really is really good on the Jets.
12/1 - Chiefs - Big L
12/8 - Titans - For some reason the Raiders have had the Titans # for a few seasons, I guess maybe a W
12/15 - Jaguars - Feel like the Jag D will win this one by themselves. L
12/22 - @ Chargers - L
12/29 - @ Broncos - In Denver? I'll say L.

Nice! I am 7-1 in my picks.

Chargers this week could be a W, but they just made the Packers look like doofuses.. so who knows. It is in Oakland though, I probably could have made a better pick there.

Bengals better be a win.. they'll have a Rookie starting.. but look how that worked for the Donks.

My original projection for the 2nd half was: 3-5. I might up that to 4-4 now, for a final season total of 8-8. Not great, not terrible, all things considered. If they'd managed to pull off that win in Houston things would look a bit different.

 

[pcsguy88]

The pregame show said 90% of the Charger's tickets were bought by Packer's fans and they stil got walloped. the Chiefs were a fumble away from beating the Pack w/o Mahomes, so it's hard to say if they are elite.

November will tell us everything we want to know about the Pats, but I do feel sorry for the Eagles being subjected to the wrath of 8-1.

 

[NSA]

I looked it up..

Since 2003, New England has won 85.7% of its games following a bye, and 83.9% of its games after a loss. RIP Philly.

 

[NSA]

Pick update..

9/9 - Broncos - MNF, opening week! Why?? I don't think the Broncos are any good either. Tepid W [CORRECT!]
9/15 - Chiefs - Big L [CORRECT!]
9/22 - @ Vikings - Another big L [CORRECT!]
9/29 - @ Colts - All depends on if Luck actually is in football form again, if he is, L [I'll give this one to myself]
10/6 - Bears - MACK RETURNS! Probably an ugly L [INCORRECT!]
10/20 - @ Packers - What a damn shitty schedule. L [CORRECT!]
10/27 - @ Texans - I feel like maybe this could be a W, but I'm predicting L [CORRECT!]
11/3 - Lions - I know nothing about the Lions this season, I'll say W since there have been so many L. [CORRECT!]
11/7 - Chargers - L [INCORRECT!]
11/17 - Bengals - Hopefully, for gods sake, a W.
11/24 - @ Jets - W? Unless LeVeon Bell really is really good on the Jets.
12/1 - Chiefs - Big L
12/8 - Titans - For some reason the Raiders have had the Titans # for a few seasons, I guess maybe a W
12/15 - Jaguars - Feel like the Jag D will win this one by themselves. L
12/22 - @ Chargers - L
12/29 - @ Broncos - In Denver? I'll say L.

7-2 now. I thought for sure Phyllis would throw for 600 yards vs the Raiders, but somehow the Raiders got 3 INT (should have been more) and the W.

AFC West is pretending to be competitive!

Chiefs - 6-4
Raiders - 5-4
Chargers - 4-6
Broncos - 3-6

Next 3 weeks should provide clarity (Chiefs vs Chargers, Bye, Chiefs vs Raiders). I don't see any reason in the world where the Chiefs don't win both of those. Raiders SHOULD beat the stupid Bungles next week, then the Jets hopefully. Chargers and Chiefs get their Week 12 bye too.

So after the next 3 weeks, standings should be:

Chiefs - 8-4
Raiders - 7-5
Chargers - 5-7
Broncos - 3-9

I feel like if the Chiefs blow either of their next two games, something is seriously wrong. They're still clearly the most talented team in the AFC-West, but things are more competitive than I thought they'd be before the season.

Wish the damn Raiders had a WR1 and a defense.

 

[pcsguy88]

Injuries. They were down to 5 OL men yesterday with 2 starters before half time, so no more substitutions. The Defense is vastly improved, but still tend to be worn out at the end of the game when big backs ted to dominate. I’m starting to wonder if the Chiefs will even get a wildcard spot now.

 

[NSA]

I don't think the Raiders have the defense to win the division, and the Chargers will always self-implode, and the Donks.. lol

I feel like worst case, Chiefs win the division but maybe with a record that wouldn't get a wild card spot.

Also.. man, Jackson is looking legit. He's doing it with his legs vs Mahomes and his arm. Feel like Mahomes will last longer, but these days you never know. Sick spin move.

 

[pcsguy88]

It’s funny because everyone called Jackson a running back last year and now he’s going to snag MVP. It’s his ability to avoid most hits that might allow him to last, though I saw a stat where he has only beat a team twice on one occasion since they knew what to expect the second time around.

 

[NSA]

I feel like they need to make sure they have a good run game without him, so teams can't sell out to stop him. Adding Hollywood Brown has helped this year since there is at least a vertical threat too.

I feel like the Chiefs need a "K HUNT" type of player to really round out the team, rushing has been generally bad so far this year no matter who is in the backfield.

 

[NSA]

Pick update!

9/9 - Broncos - MNF, opening week! Why?? I don't think the Broncos are any good either. Tepid W [CORRECT!]
9/15 - Chiefs - Big L [CORRECT!]
9/22 - @ Vikings - Another big L [CORRECT!]
9/29 - @ Colts - All depends on if Luck actually is in football form again, if he is, L [I'll give this one to myself]
10/6 - Bears - MACK RETURNS! Probably an ugly L [INCORRECT!]
10/20 - @ Packers - What a damn shitty schedule. L [CORRECT!]
10/27 - @ Texans - I feel like maybe this could be a W, but I'm predicting L [CORRECT!]
11/3 - Lions - I know nothing about the Lions this season, I'll say W since there have been so many L. [CORRECT!]
11/7 - Chargers - L [INCORRECT!]
11/17 - Bengals - Hopefully, for gods sake, a W. [CORRECT]
11/24 - @ Jets - W? Unless LeVeon Bell really is really good on the Jets.
12/1 - Chiefs - Big L
12/8 - Titans - For some reason the Raiders have had the Titans # for a few seasons, I guess maybe a W
12/15 - Jaguars - Feel like the Jag D will win this one by themselves. L
12/22 - @ Chargers - L
12/29 - @ Broncos - In Denver? I'll say L.

8-2 for my picks now. Not bad!

Was actually thinking the Raiders would lose this week, 0-9 Bengals.. felt like a perfect trap game. Seemed like it would come true too for a while. Thankfully they pulled off the 17-10 win, but was kind of disappointing considering their opponent. But a win is a win and the NFL is weird, so whatever.

Raiders and Chiefs are tied! (at the moment, lol). If you'd told me this would be where we were in Week 11 before the season I'd of said you were a dirty liar. Tonight is YUGE.. if the Chiefs win (which they should, lets be honest) they go to 7-4, and on bye. Chargers would fall to 4-7, and go on a bye. Raiders could win next week and catch up again, both being 7-4.. though the Jets actually are doing decent the last couple weeks so who knows.

If the Chiefs lose though, they go to 6-5, chargers go to 5-6.. and the division is suddenly uber competitive...

 

[nacho]

The chargers are the team nobody really wants to play. They seem to play tough against good opponents and lay eggs in games they should win. They have no shot of going far in the post-season just because they are wildly inconsistent, but in any given game, they can surprise you.

All that being said, I assume KC will roll, as the Chargers seem to really lack playmakers not named Woodhead, er...Ekler.

 

[NSA]

Man, I miss the good old Woodhead days.

 

[pcsguy88]

It's mind-boggling how easy the Patriot's season has been to this point. Green Bay is the real deal.

 

[NSA]

Wow @ the bills too.. only 1 game!! And they lost it!

haha Raiders being 1-4 sounds about right. They still should have won that damn Texan game though, mad about that one.

GB is winning and doing so in different ways, still can't explain the Chargers game though.

 

[pcsguy88]

Excuse me? I take one Sunday off from following football and this happens? Against the Jettits?

 

[K-Tiger]

Ouch. That'll be us next week against the Seahawks.
Vikings were on the bye, so I watched the Grey Cup. Those Cannuck games move at quite the clip.

 

[Giga Bread]

It's mind-boggling how easy the Patriot's season has been to this point. Green Bay is the real deal.

View attachment 12823

Well, the Browns from here on out is ridiculous. They just played the Dolphins, they have Pittsburgh next week (again), then Bengals, Cardinals, Ravens (ouch), Bengals. They have a serious shot of only losing 1 more game.

 

[NSA]

Ahhh so nice having a bye week and not needing to watch football!

Spoiler

9/9 - Broncos - MNF, opening week! Why?? I don't think the Broncos are any good either. Tepid W [CORRECT!]
9/15 - Chiefs - Big L [CORRECT!]
9/22 - @ Vikings - Another big L [CORRECT!]
9/29 - @ Colts - All depends on if Luck actually is in football form again, if he is, L [I'll give this one to myself]
10/6 - Bears - MACK RETURNS! Probably an ugly L [INCORRECT!]
10/20 - @ Packers - What a damn shitty schedule. L [CORRECT!]
10/27 - @ Texans - I feel like maybe this could be a W, but I'm predicting L [CORRECT!]
11/3 - Lions - I know nothing about the Lions this season, I'll say W since there have been so many L. [CORRECT!]
11/7 - Chargers - L [INCORRECT!]
11/17 - Bengals - Hopefully, for gods sake, a W. [CORRECT]
11/24 - @ Jets - W? Unless LeVeon Bell really is really good on the Jets. [INCORRECT!]
12/1 - Chiefs - Big L
12/8 - Titans - For some reason the Raiders have had the Titans # for a few seasons, I guess maybe a W
12/15 - Jaguars - Feel like the Jag D will win this one by themselves. L
12/22 - @ Chargers - L
12/29 - @ Broncos - In Denver? I'll say L.

 

[NSA]

That went about as well as I expected.

Sigh. Patriots look weak too, now seems to be a good time to hit them.

 

[nacho]

Watching the Pats lose is my greatest joy in football these days. Watching Bilicheat get pwned by mobile QBs gives me the tingly feels.

That San Fran/Baltimore game was great. I don't see how they don't end up the top seeds in their respective conferences. Baltimore shouldn't lose another game, and even if the the seahaws win tonight and take over the top spot temporarily in the NFC, I don't see SF losing at home to Seattle. And as much as I like Kamara and NO, I don't see them surviving that niners defense next week.

 

[NSA]

Yeah, these Ravens & Niners would make a good Super Bowl I think. It did look like a fun game.

I'll be very happy to see the Pats go out in the first round of playoffs if it happens.

 

[pcsguy88]

Unfortunately the Pats almost never lose two games in a row, so the Texans just made it that much harder on the Queefs next week.

I wonder what is going on inside the Raider's locker room to get then to shit the bed so badly on back to back weeks?

 

[NSA]

They did it at the beginning of the season with the Chiefs/Vikings.. then tore it up for a few weeks, before doing this again.

I guess the defense wasn't HORRIBLE.. they held Mahomes to his lowest yardage ever.. but that could just be because he didn't need to do much. I thankfully didn't watch much of the game.

Realistically, almost all of the skill positions are rookies, and they're doing well (relative to other rookies). I'd say they're doing better as a whole than they did last year, and this is more just regressing to the mean.. this is more what I expected to start the season. They had no right to be "playoff contenders" in Week 13 when the season started.

 

[nacho]

Is it me or did Brady look a little lost at times last night? His accuracy was off, and while he could still make deep throws, they looked... forced for lack of a better word. I know people always predict the beginning of the end every time they have the occasional loss, but that one felt unusually odd. I mean, it wasn't even close until garbage time. Maybe it's just because his top receivers after Edleman are a collection of hobos, I don't know.

I would love for this to be him falling off a cliff production-wise, but I've gotten excited about that too many times in the past. Still, it's weird to see the golden boy so impotent.

 

[NSA]

He kind of looked.. I don't know.. Philip Riversian? Just kind of chucked some of those throws up there and hoped they went where they were supposed to.

I guess it's hard to tell because the WR's are such no ones.. maybe they ran the wrong routes? Maybe he is just hitting that age plateau? Hard to tell. They have no run-game to speak of, his O-line isn't doing him any favors, and there is just so little talent there on offense. They badly miss Gronk.

 

[nacho]

Yeah, it could be any of those or just a big conglomeration of them all. Gronk's absence is noticeable, but Brady has played plenty of games without him and looked like his normal self. Last night was odd in that, yeah, it just felt like he was chucking it.

Riversian is probably a good name for it. Except Philip does it with sidearm style and angry attitude while he loses. Brady just looked like someone on their first visit to a square-dance.

His body language was just screaming, "when does the plane leave?"

 

[NSA]

I do think whatever the reason, he's not used to, or comfortable with the 'losing' atmosphere.. even as a 10-2 team.. both losses were kind of embarrassing.

Remaining schedule?

Chiefs.. could be a big one.
Bengals.. lol
Bills.. ehhh they looked good on Turkey Day.. but figure they don't win in Foxboro
Dolphins.. lol

So 14-2 is definitely a possibility. 13-3 as well if they drop to the Queefs. 12-4 if the Bills are somehow actually legit.

Chiefs have Patriots, Donkeys, Bears, Chargers on tap.. could easily go 3-1, maybe even 4-0. That'd put them at maybe 12-4 to end the year, but probably 11-5.

Ravens have Bills, Jets, Browns, Steelers. I don't think they lose one of those. 14-2, 1st seed.

Texans.. Bronocs, Titans, Bucs, Titans.. with the Titans only a game back, it could go either way, but I don't see them getting a bye either way. Best case scenario for them is the same as the Chiefs, 12-4, but I don't think that'll cut it.

Wild card.. Bills probably and.. I dunno, some other random AFC team that will be wiped away first week of playoffs.

NFC.. man they look a lot better lol. Saints, Packers, Vikings, Seahawks, Niners,.. and no one from the NFC East. Tonight's Vikings/Seahawks game is gonna be huge for standings.

 

[nacho]

Apparently I'm not alone in thinking Brady doesn't look right. The numbers back it up. But as the article points out, he's probably far from done, just no longer able to carry a team the way he has done so often in the past.

Barnwell: Tom Brady is showing signs of a decline. Is it another mirage?

I think your assessment of the AFC is spot on. The Pats will probably get a bye, but I don't know that they can beat the Texans or Chiefs, and I'm confident they can't beat the Ravens.

 

[Pickelhaube]

If the Saints can get by the 49rs , I think that we will be against the Ravens in the Super Bowl.

 

[pcsguy88]

If the Saints can get by the 49rs , I think that we will be against the Ravens in the Super Bowl.

I will not place the Ravens in the big game until Jackson shows he can beat the Chiefs. 0-2 as it stands for some odd reason considering the Chief's weakness the past 2 seasons has been the run game.

 

[nacho]

It's a fair stance, however, the Jackson that lost to KC is not the superhuman he's developed into the last two months. If the Niner's D, which is statistically one of the best in our lifetime, couldn't contain him, I don't feel like anyone can. Barring injury, I think Baltimore will steamroll the AFC.

 

[pcsguy88]

Since Lamar has started in week 11 of 2018, he is 16-4 counting the playoffs. The 2018 matchup had the Ravens rushing 194yds (67 Jackson) with 147yds passing. 2019 Ravens ran for 203yds (46 Jackson) with 267yds of passing. Chiefs have taken Jackson’s best shot twice and have handed him half of his career defeats, so I just can’t pick the Ravens until they beat Andy Reid or the Chiefs are out of the playoffs. I’m actually rooting for the Ravens to keep the 1 seed away from the Pats because of this illogical dominance.

 

[nacho]

Every loss of his career came in his first 12 starts. He's won 8 in a row, most of which were in crazy dominant fashion. And both losses to KC were by 5 pts or less, and both were at arrowhead. I think if they played on a neutral field tomorrow, Baltimore would beat KC by two touchdowns. But I suppose time will tell. Until further notice, I'm a Lamar believer.

 

[pcsguy88]

I believe in Lamar too after this season, but I also believe the Chief’s victories have more to do with the coach matchup. Kinda like the Chiefs could beat NE, but were always dominated by the Steelers in recent years and the Steelers were dominated by NE. Now it’s Mahomes is dominated by Brady, Jackson crushed Brady, Mahomes beats Jackson and Watson both wins and loses to all of them. AFC sure is a lot more fun these past 2yrs than it had been.

 

[NSA]

I think adding Marcus Peters to the secondary somehow made a huge difference.

He was traded on 10/15.

Prior to that:

9/8 - 59-10 W vs Dolphins. Okay, looked good, but it's the fucking Dolphins.
9/15 - 23-17 W vs Arizona. 1 score win, AZ isn't that good.
9/22 - 33-28 L vs Chiefs. 1 score loss. I'd blame the Defense for this.
9/29 - 40-25 L vs Browns. Whoa. Their defense got roasted by the BROWNS.
10/6 - 26-23 OT W vs Steelers. OT for them to beat the Steelers AND they knocked out #2 QB so Steelers were using #3.
10/13 - 23-17 W vs Bengals. 1 score win... the BENGALS?
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- MARCUS PETERS ENTERS THE CHAT -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
10/20 - 30-16 W vs Seattle. Seattle isn't exactly bad this year.
11/3 - 37-20 W vs New England. NE first loss of the year.
11/10 - 49-13 W vs Bengals. They literally just barely beat them a month earlier.
11/17 - 41-7 W vs Texans. Texans are not usually this terrible.
11/25 - 45-6 W vs Rams. The 2019 RAMS are not the 2018 RAMS, but 6 points??
12/1 - 20-17 W vs 49ers. 45ers are arguably one of the best teams in the league, and they got a W.

In the past 6 weeks, outside of the Niners game in the rain, the offense was cooking. But the defense held all but 1 team below 20 points. I think Lamar is getting better, but the defense is finally pulling its own weight, giving them short fields/etc. Also, by scoring so fast and often, it's making the other team turn 1 dimensional.

In regards to the Chiefs, they've been 1 dimensional since Kareem the Dream left, so that's not really a big deal, as they're built to be a past first past often team. Ravens best bet would be run run run and dominate time of possession I guess. But both teams can score JUSTTHATFAST, so who knows. Marcus Peters would love to get a Pick 6 vs the Chiefs though I bet. He feasted vs the Rams.

 

[pcsguy88]

Peters gets burned once a game for a score and Mahomes constantly torched him here. I think Peters did get a pick at the end of the Chiefs Rams game last year, but he also gave up a lot of completions. Chiefs are not afraid of Peters. Watching Peters vs the Niners showed his ass still won't tackle a RB.

 

[NSA]

I don't think they need to fear him, but him being there has shored up the Ravens secondary as a whole and they all seem to be playing better. I am sure they made other changes and adjustments too, I just don't follow them closely enough to know.

 

[pcsguy88]

Chief's defense is leaps and bounds better at stopping the run the past several weeks and somehow the secondary has become extremely good. The rematch will be a good one if we get it in the post season. Hard to beat a good team 3 times in a row.