2020 Football (American, that is)

Irwin said:
The Broncos are currently leading against KC! I have a feeling, that's not going to last much longer.
Click to expand...
The Chiefs "squeaked" past Denver, but just barely. Mahomes couldn't seem to get on track, and make his normal spectacular passes....he seemed to be in a bit of a slump. Hopefully, he will get back on track during the playoffs.
 

Vic Fangio, now HC of Denver, was a superstar DC with the Niners when Jim Harbaugh was HC. He was really stuffing the run again KC last night. Constant pressure on Mahomes took away those time-consuming outside pass plays to the WR and TE.

But you just can't keep the KC offense bottled up forever. They score fast, more often than I've seen any other team do consistently.

Speaking of time to throw, did anyone watch the Bears/Packers game in Week 12? TV did a replay of Rodgers dancing around in the pocket, just before he threw for a TD. He had a full 6.4 seconds before he threw the ball. You can't stop any QB if you're going to give him that much time to throw, LOL!
 
Your mention of v. Fangio reminded me of Ferragamo, v. the huge QB of Rams I think he was that 6' 4" 220 pounder-big for his day.
Yep, the press felt he was big enough to shake off the Steelers defensive lineman
Ha, the Steel Curtain DL ate him up.

A Rodgers-6.4 seconds, that is enough time for Rodgers to eat a sandwich.
(Lets be clear, The Evil AAron Rodgers. who spanks Dallas in playoff games)

Looks like SF is on a slide, will they recover in time to whack the Bills tonight?
Should, but i wouldn't bet money.

Ravens with their rock'um, sock'um defensive will bring more tears to the Cowboys on Tuesday night
 

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Direct TV is in a squabble with ABC, last nights game of SF and Bills was not not televised-nor any other ABC programs, thanks ABC and Direct TV:mad:

Former Cowboy coach, Jimmy Johnson says current Cowboy coach should not be fired due to injuries of QB and the total
the inability of Cowboys to field an offensive line and defensive backfield.
If anyone is to be fired, it should be the owner: Jerry Jones.

Raven's Lamar Jackson will play tonight, soooooo-if you want to see a laughed, tune in.
I have a bowl of rotten tomatoes ready.
Ravens should score in 40's, Cowboys 17.
 
I watched the Steelers-Skins game on Tuesday night. Steelers couldn't hold their lead. First loss of the season for the Steelers.
 
Excerpts from NY Times Sports:

Steelers’ Perfect Season Comes to an End With Loss to Washington
Pittsburgh was the N.F.L.’s final unbeaten team at 11-0 before losing at home to a sub-.500 team. On Monday 12/07, in a game that was pushed back as a result of the schedule changes in Week 12, the Steelers blew a 14-point lead they built in the first half and were unable to stop Washington’s offense, which scored four times in the second half before the defense intercepted Roethlisberger to seal the win.

After engineering perhaps the biggest upset of the season, Washington is now 5-7 and remains in a tie for first place in the N.F.C. East after Week 13. The Giants, who have the same record, beat the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, the first time a team from the N.F.C. East beat an opponent with a winning record this season.

Washington has now won three consecutive games, an improbable turnaround for a team that began the season 1-5. Coach Ron Rivera replaced quarterbacks Dwayne Haskins and Kyle Allen, who each made four starts, in favor of Alex Smith, who was making a comeback of his own after undergoing 17 surgeries to repair a leg injury he sustained in 2018. Smith, 36, threw for 296 yards and a touchdown, overcoming the loss of rookie running back Antonio Gibson, who left the game early with a toe injury. Tight end Logan Thomas, wide receiver Cam Sims and running back J.D. McKissic hauled in 24 of Smith’s 31 pass completions.

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Thursday’s Matchup: Rams 24, Patriots 3
While New England had been on a bit of a roll, the idea of the Patriots beating the Rams in Inglewood seemed a little outlandish. Our pick of Rams -5 paid off when New England’s offense failed to make the trip west. The Patriots (6-7) managed just 220 yards of total offense, with Cam Newton completing 9 of 16 passes for 119 yards. New England’s Cam Newton was replaced by Jarrett Stidham in the fourth quarter.

Outside of running back Cam Akers (171 yards rushing), the Rams (9-4) were not all that impressive offensively, but the team’s defense more than made up for that with six sacks, 10 quarterback hits and a 79-yard pick-6 from linebacker Kenny Young.

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This Eagles’ No-Win Quarterback Predicament Isn’t Like the Last One
Jalen Hurts, a rookie, will be the Week 14 starter over Carson Wentz, a franchise quarterback, but Philadelphia is in no way suited for a rebuild.

Wentz is suffering through a catastrophic 2020 season. He leads the N.F.L. with 15 interceptions and has endured 50 sacks, 10 more than any other quarterback. While a revolving door cast of receivers and offensive linemen deserves a share of the blame, those players have nothing to do with the fact that Wentz’s throwing mechanics, accuracy, timing and decision-making have gone haywire. He is hesitant to throw to wide-open receivers, blunders into sacks while stumbling around the pocket and appears almost morally opposed to checking down for a safe 4-yard toss when he can force a 40-yard interception instead.

Moving on from Wentz, if the Eagles choose to do so, will not be as simple as reprinting the depth charts. Wentz’s contract guarantees him huge sums in staggered stages, insulating him from any hasty organizational decisions. Wentz will cost the Eagles almost $35 million in cap space to keep in 2021, but over $59 million to cut. So even if Hurts assumes the job and plays like Patrick Mahomes for the next month, Wentz will almost certainly remain on the 2021 roster.

Furthermore, the Eagles project to be $66 million over next year’s salary cap because of the backloaded contracts of many veteran Super Bowl holdovers. Any attempt at a cap purge could leave the Eagles with Hurts leading a lineup of minimum wage earners while Wentz eats a prohibitive chunk of the payroll to clap politely from the bench. The Eagles are in no financial position to begin rebuilding around a rookie quarterback, which circles back to the question of why they drafted one.

The Eagles’ no-win quarterback predicament reflects poorly upon Pederson, who supervised Wentz’s backslide into ineptitude, and upon General Manager Howie Roseman, who negotiated Wentz’s contract, drafted Hurts and strained the limits of team economics to keep much of the Super Bowl nucleus intact. Roseman has added almost no top-tier offensive talent in the last three seasons, and Pederson’s game plans have stagnated, making Wentz as much a symptom of the Eagles’ deeper problems as the cause.
 
Sorry to be so late with this - I've been putting Xmas decorations up!

NFL Week 14 Predictions Pt 1 of 2 (all TV times EST)
The Dolphins face their biggest test yet in the Chiefs and the Steelers, after an 11-0 start, are trying to avoid a losing streak.
NY Times by Benjamin Hoffman Dec. 10, 2020 (edited by lethe200)

Sunday’s Best Games

KC Chiefs at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m., CBS
Pick: Chiefs
It is nice to be the Chiefs (11-1). KC let Denver stay uncomfortably close for much of last week’s game and then simply pushed the “win now” button, got a TD pass from Patrick Mahomes to Travis Kelce, a 48-yard field goal from Harrison Butker and a win-sealing interception from Tyrann Mathieu. That it looked so easy made the rest of the game remarkably frustrating in retrospect.

The Dolphins (8-4) are not on the Chiefs’ level, but they are also not a team to trifle with. Miami’s defense can make an opponent pay for its mistakes - CB Xavien Howard is leading the NFL in interceptions (eight) and passes defended (16) - and its offense is adept at chewing up clock and doing enough to score.

The script for this game could mirror KC’s previous game. Miami could easily stay in it for much of the game, but when the Chiefs need to score, Mahomes will make that happen. The Dolphins deserve respect, but being only 7-point underdogs to the Chiefs is its own version of respect.

Pittsburgh Steelers at Buffalo Bills, 8:20 p.m., NBC
Pick: Bills
Earlier this week, people were openly wondering if the Steelers (11-1) could go undefeated. One not entirely shocking loss to Washington later, and Pittsburgh is an underdog against the Bills (9-3). The reasons, for the loss and the betting line, are defensive injuries, weakening the team’s biggest strength, and a slumping offense.

Buffalo is coming off a big win over SF, looking like a good bet to win the AFC East and making people talk about QB Josh Allen as an emerging superstar. Unless Pittsburgh turns it around on both sides of the ball, it may go from 11 consecutive wins to two straight losses.

Minnesota Vikings at TBay Buccaneers, 1 p.m., Fox
Pick: Buccaneers
The Buccaneers (7-5) have disappointed a bit this season. The team was expected to take a leap defensively and, with Tom Brady added to the offense, even out the kinks from the Jameis Winston era. The team has been inconsistent, rather than bad, but has lost back-to-back games by 27-24. Its surprising defensive woes may continue against the Vikings (6-6), who have plenty of their own flaws, but no problems scoring.

While not a must-win game for TBay, it would take pressure off the Buccaneers in their hunt for an NFC wild card to win this one at home.

Indianapolis Colts at Las Vegas Raiders, 4:05 p.m., CBS
Pick: Colts
The Colts (8-4) got away with one last week, taking advantage of a fumbled snap to hold on for a close win over Houston. That was nothing compared with the Raiders (7-5), who had a win gifted to them by the Jets in the closing seconds of the game. But wins are wins, and with both of these teams fighting for playoff spots, they were lucky to get them.

Raiders star RB Josh Jacobs is out with an injured foot, and Indianapolis is simply farther along in its development. The Colts should win on the road.

Sunday’s Other Games

Arizona Cardinals at Giants, 1 p.m., Fox
Pick: Cardinals
The Cardinals have struggled recently, but Kyler Murray has thrown for 22 TDs and rushed for 10. Fresh off a game in which they manhandled the favored Seahawks on both sides of the ball, the Giants (5-7) are underdogs at home to the Cardinals (6-6), a team that isn’t as good as the Seahawks. The skepticism is likely a result of the uncertain status of Giants QB Daniel Jones. Coach Joe Judge has said there is a chance Jones will play, but he also said that last week. Colt McCoy deserves some credit for keeping the win streak going, but the Giants’ chances in this game come down to Jones’s availability. If he plays - and is close to 100 percent - this pick would most likely be reversed.

Washington Football Team at SF 49ers, 4:25 p.m., Fox
Pick: Washington
Both of these teams are 5-7, but they are going in different directions. The Footballers have been steadily improving on both sides of the ball, and just pulled off a shocking upset of Pittsburgh. The 49ers have mostly survived in a season destroyed by injuries, but are coming off a huge letdown loss against Buffalo in which the backup QB Nick Mullens’s flaws were on open display. With the 49ers relocated to Arizona due a lockdown in their home county, Washington has a good chance to keep winning.

GBay Packers at Detroit Lions, 4:25 p.m., Fox
Pick: Packers
The Lions (5-7) showed serious offensive improvement in the first game under their interim coach, Darrell Bevell, with the caveat that their come-from-behind victory came against the reeling Bears. Detroit may find offensive success, but probably not enough as its overmatched defense tries to slow down the electric Packers (9-3), who are led by Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones and Davante Adams. There is always the chance that a heavily favored team will take the opportunity to slow things down and accept a smaller win, but the Packers have not been taking any games off offensively, and Rodgers is having one of the best seasons of his career - which is high praise for a two-time winner of the MVP Award.

New Orleans Saints at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:25 p.m., Fox
Pick: Saints
Superstar RB Alvin Kamara has just three catches for 7 yds over his last three games, but the Saints (10-2) seem content with Taysom Hill under center until Brees gets to 100 percent. That’s understandable because last week’s win over Atlanta clinched a playoff spot for New Orleans, and this week’s game against the Eagles (3-8-1) doesn’t seem like much of a challenge. Trey Hendrickson of the Saints has 10.5 sacks this season. He could add to that total against Philadelphia’s patchwork offensive line. The Saints have a 66 percent chance of securing the NFC’s first-round bye, but they will need Brees back for a Week 15 game against KC.
 
NFL Week 14 Predictions Pt 2 of 2 (all TV times EST)
NY Times by Benjamin Hoffman Dec. 10, 2020 (edited by lethe200)

Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1 p.m., CBS
Pick: Titans
The Titans (8-4) are much better than the Jaguars (1-11). That being said, Jacksonville can hold its head up high after giving Minnesota a fight last week, and will come into this game hoping to slow RB Derrick Henry. That might just lead to them getting beaten on a few deep passes, but recent history suggests the Jaguars have a decent chance of covering the spread even if they have almost no chance of winning.

Jets at Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m., CBS
Pick: Seahawks
How many times has a prominent NFL coach been fired over one play? That’s what happened last week when Gregg Williams, the defensive coordinator for the Jets (0-12), dialed up a cover-zero play in the game’s final seconds when his team just needed to keep Las Vegas out of the end zone from 46 yds out. The Jets sent seven pass rushers, inexplicably left a spy behind the line of scrimmage in case Derek Carr decided to scramble for a 46-yard TD - pause for emphasis - and had just three defensive backs in coverage. Carr, who has one of the quickest releases and strongest arms in the NFL, didn’t get sacked – nor does he run very often, being a classic pocket passer. Henry Ruggs III had a TD before Carr even released the ball.

A conspiracy theorist might suggest that Williams or Coach Adam Gase, or both, were trying to lock in the No. 1 pick in the draft, but that falls apart when you consider it was exactly the type of galaxy brain decision the overly aggressive Williams is known for. His firing the next day seemed to confirm it was simply a brutal call, and nothing more than that.

So now the Jets have four games to eke out a win in hopes of avoiding 0-16. Their quest begins on the road in Seattle as two-TD underdogs against the Seahawks (8-4). Seattle is struggling too much to buy in on such a large point spread, but the Seahawks have plenty of playoff-related motivation to win, so there shouldn’t be any surprises.

Denver Broncos at Carolina Panthers, 1 p.m., CBS
Pick: Panthers
A lot of teams pack things in when their record goes sideways, but the Broncos (4-8) and the Panthers (4-8) have kept fighting all season, making their opponents work hard to beat them. Imagining Denver’s defense if linebacker Von Miller were healthy, or Carolina’s offense with fewer injuries, makes it easy to be enthusiastic about both teams heading into next season. For now, they are both a little too flawed to matter, but there is every reason to believe a game between them should be entertaining.

Atlanta Falcons at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:25 p.m., Fox
Pick: Falcons
This game should have a playground feel to it, as both offenses are more than capable of airing the ball out, and neither defense puts up much resistance. Justin Herbert, a rookie, has the Chargers (3-9) ranked fourth in the NFL in passing. The veteran Matt Ryan has the Falcons (4-8) ranked seventh in spite of some injuries to his receivers this season. It is a safe bet that a group of talented pass-catchers that includes LAC’s Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and Atlanta’s Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley will produce several highlight-reel-worthy plays. While LAC could end up struggling for a second consecutive week should left tackle Sam Tevi be out, this could easily come down to which team has the ball last.

Houston Texans at Chicago Bears, 1 p.m., CBS
Pick: Texans
It had seemed like WR Will Fuller V’s suspension would devastate Houston’s offense, but the Texans (4-8) were a fumbled snap away from pulling off a huge upset of the Colts last week thanks in large part to the emergence of Keke Coutee, who put up a career-best 141 yds receiving after coming into the day with only 38 yds for the season. Houston showed enough to be favored on the road against a team with a superior record, though that probably has more to do with Chicago’s six-game losing streak than it does with the Texans’ offense.

Of the 242 teams to start a season 5-1 from 1920 to 2019, only four ended up with a losing record: the 1926 Chicago Cardinals (5-6-1), the 1986 Atlanta Falcons (7-8-1), the 1995 St. Louis Rams (7-9) and the 2008 Buffalo Bills (7-9). The Bears (5-7) are well on their way to setting a new mark for futility in that group of fast-starting teams.

Dallas Cowboys at Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m., Fox
Pick: Cowboys
Cincinnati has held its opponent to 20 or fewer points in each of the last three games, which is a fairly shocking turnaround for a defense that struggled greatly earlier in the season. Whether that is improvement or indifference from opponents who know they will beat the Bengals (2-9-1), regardless, is hard to say, but with QB Joe Burrow out for the season and Cincinnati one of four teams that is already eliminated from playoff contention, there is no real incentive to win. The Cowboys (3-9), meanwhile, have only a 2 percent chance of making the playoffs, according to The Upshot, but have enough offense to give that recently improved Bengals defense a workout.

Monday’s Matchup

Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
Pick: Ravens
It should be a chilly night in Cleveland, and if a recent stretch of home games for the Browns (9-3) was any indication, the weather will lead to a far more conservative approach than the one the team employed to run up 38 first-half points against Tennessee last week. Since Lamar Jackson of the Ravens (7-5) has thrown for fewer than 200 yds in seven of his last nine games, this one should be decided on the ground. In a surprise compared with recent seasons, that would, at least on paper, favor Cleveland on both sides of the ball. But there is a nagging feeling that Baltimore is a quality team that has underperformed while the Browns have simply benefited from a light schedule. This game could help sort out which is true.
 
What We Learned From Week 14 of the NFL Season
NY Times by Benjamin Hoffman, Dec. 13, 2020 (edited by lethe200)

The NFC East is far from decided. The Giants’ four-game win streak came to a screeching halt with a 26-7 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. That result, combined with wins by Washington, Philadelphia and Dallas, kept things interesting in the NFC East, which is making up for its lack of quality by having all four teams in the division race with three games remaining. The Footballers must depend on the health of QB Alex Smith, who reinjured the leg that kept him out for nearly two years. The severity of Smith’s injury was not immediately announced.

One* Sentence About Sunday’s Games *Except when it takes more.

Colts 44, Raiders 27. The Raiders are fading, their playoff hopes vanished. QB Derek Carr and WR Darren Waller kept them close until halfway through Q3, when the Colts wore down the Raiders’ suspect defense with Philip Rivers’s passing and Jonathan Taylor’s career-high 150 yds rushing (and two TDs). The Raiders (7-6) hurt themselves with penalties that negated several excellent long-yardage gains. Turnovers once again cost LVegas valuable points, as the Colts (9-4) easily moved the ball up and down the field.

Chiefs 33, Dolphins 27. Coming in, Patrick Mahomes appeared locked in for the 2020 MVP Award, having been intercepted just twice this year. Then the Chiefs fell behind 10-0 in Q2, and it looked like it might be a long day for them. But thanks to TD drives of 75 and 74 yds, the Chiefs led at halftime and never trailed again. Miami’s opportunistic defense had Mahomes flustered for much of the day, picking him off three times in 34 attempts. On top of that, Miami made Mahomes look foolish on a rambling play in which he repeatedly retreated before being sacked for a 30-yard loss.

The Dolphins picked up a fourth takeaway on a fumble by Mecole Hardman. And Tua Tagovailoa had the first 300-yard passing game of his career. Despite all that, Miami lost. And it didn’t feel that close.

Mahomes ended up throwing for 393 yds and KC improved to 12-1. The Chiefs clinched the AFC West and may secure the AFC’s only first-round bye in the playoffs. Miami dropped to 8-5, but is still a strong contender for a wild-card spot.

Titans 31, Jaguars 10. Jacksonville has lost 12 consecutive games, one short of the franchise record. A switch at QB to Gardner Minshew in the second half led to a quick TD, but that wasn’t enough to make this game competitive. Jacksonville Coach Doug Marrone stacked the box for much of the game, but was left at a loss when asked if there was more his team could have done to slow down the Titans superstar. “I don’t think we could get any more people up there,” Marrone said.

Derrick Henry has an NFL-record four career games with 200+ rushing yds and two or more TDs. Two of those games were against Jacksonville. Sunday he rushed for 215 yds. This breaks a tie he held with Jim Brown, Barry Sanders and LaDainian Tomlinson, each of whom is in the Hall of Fame. Henry is leading the NFL with 1,532 yds rushing this season - just 8 short of the total he led the NFL with last year - and he has run for 100 or more yds in his last nine road games, one short of Sanders’s NFL record.

Buccaneers 26, Vikings 14. Minnesota had the game’s leading passer, leading rusher and leading receiver – and lost. TBay had the ball for less than 21 of the game’s 60 minutes, walking away with a fairly easy victory thanks to mistakes forced by the team’s terrific pass rush. TBay’s defense produced six sacks and 12 QB hits, giving Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins almost no time to work.

Minnesota’s kicker Dan Bailey was having a terrific season before a brutal two-game stretch in which he has now missed four FG attempts and three extra points. With Arizona and Chicago winning, Minnesota (6-7) complicated its wild-card hopes. TBay, on the other hand, improved to 8-5, and is on its way to its first playoff appearance since 2007.

Packers 31, Lions 24. Aaron Rodgers had 290 yds passing, three TDs and only seven incompletions - a typical day for him at this point - and GBay clinched the NFC North. GBay’s Davante Adams had seven catches for 115 yds and a TD on Sunday. The star WR has 14 TDs this season. The Packers will close their season with winnable games against Carolina, Tennessee (in GBay) and Chicago, and may sneak into a first-round bye.

Of great concern for Detroit was an injury sustained by QB Matthew Stafford in which he took a hard hit by GBay’s Kenny Clark at the end of a run. Xrays on his ribs were negative, but he reportedly is in “a lot of pain”.

Bills 26, Steelers 15. Only a week ago the Steelers (11-2) were imperfect but unbeaten. Now they’ve lost two straight, and have fallen behind KC in the race for the top seed in the playoffs. Defensive injuries left the Steelers looking lost in the second half trying to slow down Bills QB Josh Allen and receiver Stefon Diggs.

As the NFL has evolved, the best teams are those with dynamic passing offenses and defenses that can slow down the aerial game just enough. Sitting on Ben Roethlisberger’s short throws and blitzing him off the edge, the Bills hounded him into his worst game of the season. Pittsburgh will try to regroup against Cincinnati next Monday night,

Buffalo is soaring as the playoffs draw near. Diggs had 10 catches for 130 yds and a TD. He is the first player this season to reach 100 receptions. With a two-game lead over Miami, the Bills (10-3), who have the franchise’s best record through 13 games since 1991, could clinch their first AFC East title in 25 years next week.
 
What We Learned From Week 14 of the NFL Season Pt 2 of 2
NY Times by Benjamin Hoffman, Dec. 13, 2020 (edited by lethe200)

Seahawks 40, Jets 3. The Seahawks (9-4) rebounded from a loss to the Giants last week, while the Jets’ losing streak reached a franchise record 13 games. Russell Wilson threw for four TDs in three quarters, then took the entire Q4 off. He already has a career-high 36 TDs for the season. He has now had five games this year with at least 4 TDs. Helpfully, Jamal Adams has just set the NFL’s single-season record for sacks by a DB in only nine games since the trade brought him to the Seahawks.

The highlight of the game for the Jets was a forced throw by Wilson in the first half that the Jets’ Marcus Maye caught for a terrific juggling interception. Even when the Jets had chances to score, kicker Sergio Castillo struggled. After converting a 45-yard attempt on the Jets’ opening drive, Castillo missed attempts of 37, 41 and 43 yds in the first half. QB Sam Darnold was 14 of 26 for 132 yds.

Oddly, the Jets extended their streak of scoring on their opening drive to seven straight games, the longest active streak in the NFL and the longest in franchise history.

Eagles 24, Saints 21. The Saints’ Taysom Hill passed for a career-high 291 yds, but also threw an interception and lost a fumble. The loss broke a streak of eight consecutive wins by New Orleans backup QBs.

In five seasons under Coach Doug Pederson, the Eagles are 11-3 in games not started by Carson Wentz (including the playoffs) but only 35-33-1 with Wentz starting. Philadelphia’s rookie QB Jalen Hurts threw for 167 yds and a TD in the win while rushing for 106 yds. Hurts showed enough skill as a passer to keep the Saints’ defense honest. His 15-yard TD pass to Alshon Jeffery in Q1 was a thing of beauty. Miles Sanders also rushed for 115 yds and two TDs. Hurts carried 18 times, joining Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson as the only QBs to rush for 100 or more yds in their first NFL start.

Cardinals 26, Giants 7. The Giants entered Sunday’s game riding high on a four-game win streak. They left with a battered QB and diminished playoff chances. Arizona must love playing the Giants; in their last two games AZ has sacked NYG QBs 15 times. The Cardinals should petition the NFL to move them to the NFC East to give the hyper-competitive NFC West a break.

Arizona’s Haason Reddick became the 16th player to record five or more sacks in a game (the statistic became official in 1982), leading an all-out assault in which the Cardinals produced eight sacks, five fumbles and 11 QB hits. The ever-inventive QB Kyler Murray thwarted the Giants’ pass rush with his agility and knack for extending plays, After losing their three previous games, the Cardinals (7-6) earned a valuable win to keep alive their meager postseason chances.

The Giants (5-8) managed just 10 first downs and 159 total yds. QB Daniel Jones, returning from a hamstring injury, was sacked six times, completed only 11 passes and left the game in Q4 with a pronounced limp. The Giants host the Browns (9-4) next, while Arizona will host the Eagles.

Chargers 20, Falcons 17. It seemed the Chargers were throwing away yet another potential win when Justin Herbert was intercepted with less than a minute remaining. But LAC’s Michael Davis stole momentum right back by intercepting a Matt Ryan pass. Herbert got his team close enough for Michael Badgley to win the game with a 43-yard FG as time expired. The Chargers (4-9) will play the Raiders next in a Thursday night match-up of good offenses vs bad defenses. The Falcons dropped to 4-9, with their last 3 games a nightmare line-up of Tampa Bay twice and the KC Chiefs.

Footballers 23, 49ers 15. A lot of things went wrong for Washington (6-7) in this game, but the rookie defensive end Chase Young put on a show with six tackles, a sack, two passes defended, two QB hits and a 47-yard fumble recovery for a TD. But no matter how hard Washington tried to give the game away, the Niners kept handing it back to them. There has been plenty of criticism of injured QB Jimmy Garoppolo, but watching back-up Nick Mullens throw interceptions straight into the opposing team’s defenders game after game, will make it easy for Niner fans to welcome Jimmy G back on the field, even if his injuries don’t heal till 2021.

Bears 36, Texans 7. The Bears can still make the playoffs - yes, the Chicago Bears. After a 5-1 start, Chicago endured six consecutive losses. But the Bears dominated Houston on Sunday. Several unlikely things happened. Among them: Mitchell Trubisky outplayed Houston’s Deshaun Watson, completing 24 of 33 passes for 267 yds and three TDs. RB David Montgomery had his most productive game in nearly a year, rumbling for 113 yds (with 80 of them on one electrifying run). Then the Bears’ defense sacked Watson seven times, once for a safety. Chicago had more rushing and passing yds, and fewer turnovers, than the Texans (4-9). The win kept the Bears alive in the race for the NFC’s third wild card.

Cowboys 30, Bengals 7. In his return to Cincinnati, Dallas’ (4-9) Andy Dalton was hardly perfect, but he did enough to beat the lowly Bengals (2-10), tossing two TD passes without committing a turnover. Aldon Smith, Cowboys' DE who missed four seasons because of off-field issues, contributed to the scoring with his first career TD, returning a fumble 78 yds.

Broncos 32, Panthers 27. Denver’s Drew Lock says he wants to let the ball fly on every play, but has learned a conservative approach from John Elway, the Broncos’ president. “He has preached to me just doing your job and not trying to force anything,” Lock said. “Once you force it, those are the ones you want back.” The approach worked well Sunday, with Lock lulling Carolina into a false sense of security and then beating them with a pair of long TDs to rookie WR K.J. Hamler. Lock finished the day with a career-high four passing TDs. Diontae Spencer helped by returning a punt 83 yds for a score and the Broncos’ defense (5-8) held strong against Carolina’s (4-9) comeback attempt.

Rams 24, Patriots 3. The Thurs 12/10 game was all LAR. Ailing Cam Newton was benched in Q3 but nothing changed. LAR’s pass rush was relentless against Newton and Jarrett Stidham, totaling six sacks. LAR's RB Cam Akers rushed 29 times for a career-high 171 yards. Even QB Jared Goff’s mediocre numbers didn’t hurt the Rams as they went to 9-4 to lead Seattle by tiebreaker in the NFC West
 
NFL Week 15 Predictions Pt 1 of 2
NY Times by Benjamin Hoffman Dec. 17, 2020 (edited by lethe200)
A Thursday matchup between teams that can stretch the field. A pair of entertaining games on Saturday. A potential Super Bowl preview on Sunday.

Sunday’s Best Games
KC Chiefs at New Orleans Saints, 4:25 p.m., CBS
Pick: Chiefs
New Orleans should be extremely happy with the job Taysom Hill has done filling in for the injured Drew Brees, but last week’s loss to Philadelphia - which knocked New Orleans out of the top spot in the NFC playoff seedings - illustrated how much the team needs Brees back if it wants to compete for a championship.

The Saints (10-3) are hopeful that Brees, who hasn’t played since Week 10, can make his triumphant return this week so he can lead them in a potential Super Bowl preview against the Chiefs (12-1). The Upshot gives the Chiefs a 23 percent chance of repeating as champions, while the Saints, at 16 percent, are considered the most likely winner out of the NFC

At their best, both teams have explosive offenses and opportunistic defenses. If the Chiefs have a fatal flaw, it is their boredom, but a road game against a top competitor should keep their attention.

So where does that leave this game? It depends on Brees’s health. If he plays, and is close to 100 percent, you have to give the Saints a decent chance of an upset. Anything less than that, and a motivated Chiefs team could romp.

Seattle Seahawks at Washington Football Team, 1 p.m., Fox
Pick: Seahawks
If you were to go back to Week 6 and explain to the 5-0 Seahawks and the 1-5 Footballers that they’d be meeting in Week 15 with Washington (62 percent) having a better chance of winning its division than Seattle (39 percent), few would believe you. But the Seahawks (9-4) have leveled out, and were caught from behind by the Rams in the NFC West, while the Footballers (6-7) have improved by leaps and bounds since installing Alex Smith at QB and are alone in first atop the NFC East.

Seattle has a 99 percent chance of making the playoffs, regardless of whether it wins the division, and on the Seahawks’ best days - such as last Sunday, when they throttled the Jets - it’s easy to envision them as Super Bowl contenders. But Washington’s defense is on the way up, and if Smith is able to play through a calf injury, he could keep things close or even engineer an upset.

TBay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m., Fox
Pick: Buccaneers
TBay (8-5) showed a convincing win over Minnesota last week. The Bucs finished with six sacks and 12 quarterback hits. Kirk Cousins was under constant pressure, and although the Vikings moved the ball well, they couldn’t punch it into the end zone. A similar script could play out against the Falcons (4-9), who are a threat in any game in which Julio Jones is active but are prone to problems against TBay’s pass rush because of QB Matt Ryan’s lack of mobility.

Cleveland Browns at Giants, 8:20 p.m., NBC
Pick: Browns
Even with last week’s heartbreaking loss to Baltimore, the Browns (9-4) have matched the franchise’s best 13-game start since 1994, when then-Coach Bill Belichick led them to an 11-5 record and a trip to the divisional round of the playoffs. On the strength of its record, Cleveland has an 84 percent chance of making the playoffs for the first time since 2007. While the Giants (5-8) have made a remarkable turnaround from earlier this season, and have a 25 percent chance of winning the NFC East, they are overmatched in this one.

Thursday’s Matchup

LA Chargers at LVegas Raiders, 8:20 p.m., Fox, NFL Network and Amazon Prime Video
Pick: Raiders
The Raiders (7-6) somehow still have a 20 percent chance of getting a wild-card spot despite having lost three of their last four games. Now they face the Chargers (4-9), who have a far worse record but a similar ability to alternate between thrilling and terrible.

Both teams are loaded on offense, and while neither has had a good season defensively, they both feature defensive players who can make game-changing plays, like Joey Bosa of the Chargers and Maxx Crosby of the Raiders.

The Chargers’ offense hasn’t led them to a lot of wins so far, but Justin Herbert and Keenan Allen never seem more than a play away from scoring a TD. If the Chargers can build on last week’s solid ending, they will take a huge step in their rebuilding process.

Saturday’s Matchups
Carolina Panthers at GBay Packers, 8:15 p.m., NFL Network
Pick: Packers
Last week Carolina’s defense was shredded by Denver’s Drew Lock, so imagine the pain Aaron Rodgers and the Packers (10-3) could inflict on the Panthers (4-9) if they were to go all-out. After New Orleans’s loss last week, GBay is in the driver’s seat for a first-round bye. GBay’s Davante Adams is leading the NFL in receiving TDs and receiving yds per game. With three regular-season games remaining, he is on a pace for career highs in every major receiving category.

It’s possible the Packers are looking ahead to a tougher matchup in Week 16 against Tennessee, but Rodgers has been locked in and may trail only Patrick Mahomes in the race for league MVP.

Buffalo Bills at Denver Broncos, 4:30 p.m., NFL Network
Pick: Bills
It’s hard to know how the Broncos (5-8) will play from week to week, but a road game in Denver is tough for any opponent, even one as good as the Bills (10-3). Add that the Bills can relax a little considering their 98 percent chance of winning the AFC East (but just a 1 percent chance at a first-round bye), and this game could be closer than oddsmakers are predicting.
 
NFL Week 15 Predictions Pt 2 of 2
NY Times by Benjamin Hoffman Dec. 17, 2020 (edited by lethe200)

Sunday’s Other Games

Jacksonville Jaguars at Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m., CBS
Pick: Ravens
Lamar Jackson engineered one of the wildest wins in recent NFL history, completing a 44-yard TD to Marquise Brown on fourth-and-5 with less than two minutes left in last week's game, then watching Cleveland tie the score, and then taking the Ravens far enough for Justin Tucker to kick a game-winning, 55-yard field goal. But the win was a welcome change in from a difficult period for the Ravens (8-5). Jackson finally looked like himself, and the Ravens, with a 74 percent chance of making the playoffs, no longer seemed like a team in peril.

The Jaguars (1-12) are not even close to the Browns. They haven’t won a game since Week 1, and struggle on both sides of the ball. If the Ravens don’t lose focus again, this should be an easy game for them.

Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m., CBS
Pick: Colts
In most years, this would be a key AFC South matchup, but the Texans (4-9) have been eliminated from playoff contention and the Colts (9-4) have an 82 percent chance of making the playoffs and a 36 percent chance of winning their division. Houston’s Deshaun Watson will be the best player on the field, but the Texans have done a horrible job keeping talent around him. Indianapolis, on the other hand, made crucial personnel moves in the off-season that have taken the team from mediocre to top 10 in offense and defense.

Detroit Lions at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m., CBS
Pick: Titans
There are situations in which the Lions (5-8) could hold their own against the Titans (9-4), but most of them involve locking up Tennessee’s Derrick Henry in a well-guarded room and claiming nobody knows where he is. Barring that unlikely event, Detroit looks overmatched, especially if Matthew Stafford misses the game with the rib injury he sustained last week. Tennessee is in a tough fight with Indianapolis for the AFC South crown, and has a 64 percent chance of holding off the Colts, so the Titans certainly have motivation to keep winning.

Chicago Bears at Minnesota Vikings, 1 p.m., Fox
Pick: Vikings
Both teams are on the outside looking in, but the Bears (6-7) and the Vikings (6-7) are still alive, and both have at least a 20 percent chance of a playoff spot despite Chicago’s recent struggles and Minnesota’s rough start. Assuming the Bears’ offensive resurgence last week was more than a blip would probably be generous, but they certainly have looked their best with Mitchell Trubisky at QB. Still, Minnesota should be fine, provided the team gives QB Kirk Cousins more time to work than he had in a loss to TBay. Chicago defense has been hampered by injuries to OLB Khalil Mack, who is questionable for the game.

New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins, 1 p.m., CBS
Pick: Dolphins
The Patriots (6-7) have missed the playoffs just twice since 2001, but even with a recent hot streak they are down to a 4 percent chance at qualifying this year, and that number will drop to zero with a loss to the Dolphins (8-5), who have a 43 percent chance at a wild card. The tables have turned in this rivalry, with New England being the scrappy underdog that could spoil things for the seemingly superior team. Miami’s style of play doesn’t lead to many mistakes, so unless Coach Bill Belichick has something up his sleeve, the Patriots can start making vacation plans for early January.

Jets at LA Rams, 4:05 p.m., Fox
Pick: Rams
Sam Darnold feels like the Darkest Timeline version of Jared Goff. Instead of developing under the tutelage of an era-defining offensive genius like Coach Sean McVay, Darnold has been saddled with Coach Adam Gase, and the Jets (0-13) seem to have little chance of avoiding a winless season. The talent imbalance in this game - reflected accurately in the point spread - is extreme, and a win for LAR (9-4) should help the team increase its 60 percent chance of winning the competitive NFC West. A 17-point spread is absurd, but so are the Jets.

SF 49ers at Dallas Cowboys, 1 p.m., CBS
Pick: 49ers
When the schedule came out, this was supposed to showcase Jimmy Garoppolo leading the defending NFC champions into Dak Prescott’s house to rekindle a classic rivalry. Injuries have scuttled both QBs’ seasons. Backup SF QB Nick Mullens facing off against Andy Dalton won’t live up to that advanced billing. Technically, neither team has been eliminated from playoff contention but the chances for both are poor. With SF RB Raheem Mostert uncertain to play and WR Deebo Samuel expected to be out, the Cowboys have a decent chance at a second straight win, as both Niners players are key to HC Shanahan’s offense. The Niners have led the NFL in two categories all year long – the number of players on IR and the number of players they have used on the field. Their IR #s are down, but that just means there are only 18 names on it instead of 25.

Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 p.m., Fox
Pick: Cardinals
Both QBs are products of Oklahoma Coach Lincoln Riley, who will have trouble knowing which one to root for. AZ’s Kyler Murray (7-6) transferred to Oklahoma to play for Riley in 2017 and won the Heisman Trophy in 2018. Philly rookie Jalen Hurts (4-8-1) transferred to Oklahoma to play for Riley in 2019 and was a Heisman finalist. Hurts’ promotion to starting QB over Carson Wentz has set up this matchup between two of Riley’s star pupils. Right now Murray is a more complete player and the Cardinals are a better team. With Arizona’s chance at a wild card around 50 percent, the team should be motivated to win at home.

Monday’s Matchup

Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals, 8:15 p.m., ESPN
Pick: Steelers
Be it injuries, an offensive slump or regression to the mean, the Steelers (11-2) went from 11 straight wins to two consecutive losses. There was a sense, particularly toward the end of the win streak, that Pittsburgh was overrated. The Bengals (2-10-1), who have been eliminated from playoff contention, are likely to bear the brunt of Pittsburgh’s frustration. A blowout win over a bad, injury-riddled team would not do much for the Steelers’ fortunes, but it might help wash away the bad taste in their mouths from the last few weeks.

There should be no surprises in this one, even if the point spread is a bit large for a team that is struggling offensively.
 
Thursday Night game, 12/17/2020: Chargers 30, Raiders 27 in OT

Chargers come back to beat Raiders, Mariota in overtime
Raiders take a field goal in OT on fourth-and-goal from the 5 but Chargers, Herbert ruin Marcus Mariota's big night
(written by lethe200; stats from Wiki and various Net media articles)

I've been a fan of Marcus Mariota since he was a college senior at Oregon, winning the Heisman in 2014. He was the Titans' first round draft pick in 2015, going at #2 (first pick was Jameis Winston).

Despite his first three years of success with the Titans, injuries slowed Mariota down. Eventually Ryan Tannehill, picked up from Miami, won the starting QB job in Week 7 in 2019 and Mariota was released at the end of the season.

Mariota signed a two year contract with the LVegas Raiders as back-up for Derek Carr. He was on the IR until October 20, 2020, when he was finally activated for limited practice time.

But in a tight, if meaningless game, at 7:42 in Q2, Derek Carr pulled a groin muscle on a right-side option play and limped off the field. In came Mariota, looking better than he had in years. He completed 17 of 28 passes for 226 yards, a touchdown and an interception, plus rushed for 88 yards and another touchdown.

For the second time in his career, Mariota had a perfect 158.3 passer rating. He is also the only QB in NFL history to have had a PPR in his very first start. Achieving two PPRs puts him in elite company: only Craig Morton, Dave Krieg, Ken O'Brien, Tom Brady, and Lamar Jackson have done it twice. The only players who have more than two PPRs are Ben Roethlisberger and Peyton Manning (each have four), and Kurt Warner (three). Most QBs never reach a PPR over their entire careers.

The Raiders fired their DC last week after a horrendous loss to the Colts, and unfortunately it looked like more of the same this week against the rocket-armed Justin Herbert. The Raiders D couldn’t stop either the passing game or the running game, and the Chargers threatened constantly.

LAC’s defense bottled up speedy Raiders RB Josh Jacobs pretty well, with only a couple of exciting long gains allowed. Darren Waller presented just as much a problem for LAC as he has for every Raider opponent this year; he is on pace to do even better than his excellent 2019 stats. Waller is a genuine turn-around story: the former Ravens WR battled his way through drug addiction and an NFL suspension to be signed by the Raiders in 2019, coming back sober and more dedicated to football than ever.

But lacking a breakaway running game, Mariota got the score tied 24–24, but couldn’t get the Raiders into the endzone in OT, settling for a FG when a 4th-and-five came up. HC Gruden had gambled successfully on two earlier 4th down attempts, but didn’t want to risk trying for five yards when the running game wasn’t working well.

Gruden's strategy blew up in their faces when the Raiders D couldn't stack the goal line, and LAC pushed into the endzone for the win in OT.

Sometimes meaningless games can be fun to watch. This was one of them, especially those last 15 minutes!
 
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TV announcer made much of Cowboy's win "Their first winning streak of the season."
That's two wins in a row-Honestly, how inane can you get.

Watching Saints and KC. would like to see if Drew Brees can stay with Mahomes.
This may well be Drew's last season, he needs a last hurrah.
Poor Saints and their annual battle with obscurity.

ADDENDUM: KC won, Brees was off, but Mahomes was not as sharp as he usually is.
So who will win the Super Bowl, KC should be there, but then, 'On any Given Sunday...'
The only teams That Might beat Mahomes are the Saints (Drew Brees) and the Packers with
the evil Arron Rodgers.
The Steelers might beat KC in the playoffs,but that's doubtful.


Your opinion is____________________________________________
 
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jerry old said:
TV announcer made much of Cowboy's win "Their first winning streak of the season."
That's two wins in a row-Honestly, how inane can you get.

Watching Saints and KC. would like to see if Drew Brees can stay with Mahomes.
This may well be Drew's last season, he needs a last hurrah.
Poor Saints and their annual battle with obscurity.
Click to expand...
These 2 games where the better of a bad season...
 
1959
Tom Landry becomes head coach of the Dallas Cowboys.For 22 consecutive years the team had winning seasons.He left the team in 1988
 
As far as I know what has happened to the Texans at the hands of the Colt this year has never happened. Two weeks ago a fumbled snap by Houston going for the endzone to win than again this week a fumble near the endzone going in for the score both giving the Colts the win instead of the Texans.
 
The Chiefs managed to "squeak" past New Orleans for yet another "down to the wire" game. They seem to have a talent for keeping the games close, and pulling out a win in the final minutes. Everyone in this area is hoping they can continue to find a way to win and make it to the Super Bowl again.
 

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