NFL Playoff collector thread

[JasonEvans]

Here is where you can discuss --

• How the Pats are cheating cheaters who must lose for there to be justice in the world
• How the Pats are pretty certain to continue to win win win so long as Tom Brady is at QB, which will probably be for another 37 years
• How the Jags somehow became a playoff team after 59 seasons of being a basement dweller
• How the Bills somehow became a playoff team after 59 seasons of being a basement dweller
• How the Chiefs looked like world beaters early in the season, but then sucked, but then still make the playoffs and might still be world beaters
• How the Steelers live only to avenge their ref-aided loss to the Pats
• How the Titans will fare with Derrick Henry at RB

And you can also discuss --

• How the Saints suddenly found a good defense and a great running game, but Drew Brees is still da man!
• How the Panthers are either poised to turn it on and dominate, or perhaps are poised to die quickly with an offense that seems to consist of Cam Newton's creativity and nothing else
• How the Rams somehow became a playoff team after 59 seasons of being a basement dweller
• How the Eagles went from Super Bowl lock to major underdog all in the span of one fractured ACL
• How the Vikings flew under the radar to be the favorites in the NFC
• How the Falcons are still looking to exercise the demons of last season's Super Bowl meltdown by refusing to throw to Julio Jones in the red zone

Or you can also discuss something else...

-Jason "the NFC seems utterly wide open... I can make a strong case for any of these teams making it all the way" Evans

[mattman91]

Hey Jason,

The Falcons blew a 25 point lead in the Superbowl

[Olympic Fan]

Here is where you can discuss --
How the Pats are cheating cheaters who must lose for there to be justice in the world

Maybe somebody can explain something to me.

In 2014, the Patriots lose their best running backs late in the season and need help at tailback.

Now, there is a back in Pittsburgh who used to play for the Patriots -- LeGarrette Blount (in the first year of a two year contract). He suddenly gets himself kicked off the team (for actions such as leaving the field before the end of the game). He's released by the Steelers, then immediately signs with the Patriots, where he becomes their starting tailback in postseason (the year they beat the Seahawks when Pete Carroll called a pass at the goal line).

This was the postseason of deflategate ... but I always thought the strange case of Blount was more suspicious. Did the Pats tamper with Blount and get him to get himself released by the Steelers, to solve their problem at running back? Bount had a quote at the time that made it sound like the Pats reached out to him BEFORE he was released by the Steelers.

Now we're seeing history repeated. James Harrison asked for (according to several teammates) and gets his release from the Steelers ... then immediately signs with the Pats, where he bolsters a weak pass rush (two sacks in his first game).

It may be that the Patriots are just lucky that the player they need happens to be released by his old team, just in time to solidify their roster going into the playoffs. But interesting that it's happened twice in three years with a player going from the Steelers to the Patriots.

Maybe nothing going on, but when you cheat as much as the Patriots, it raises suspicions.

Kind of like a certain school eight miles down the road, who just hired a new assistant football coach ... one who has been citing by the NCAA for cheating in recruiting ... and was charged with assaulting a female when he was a player at UNC. Could be just giving a former player a second chance, but when you have as dirty a history as the Cheats, it's not unfair to assume the worst (and their football recruiting has dropped off since John "Black Santa" Blake was around).

[Wander]

[*]How the Jags somehow became a playoff team after 59 seasons of being a basement dweller[*]How the Bills somehow became a playoff team after 59 seasons of being a basement dweller

Wanted to root for these teams with my own out of the playoffs... bummer that they have to play each other with the winner getting crushed by the (probably) Pats the following week.

[BD80]

I was going to talk about the Lions, but this is a playoff thread ...

[moonpie23]

panthers will lose again to the saints...


and yes, it's cam newton's fault...

[OldPhiKap]

Hey Jason,

The Falcons blew a 25 point lead in the Superbowl

I have not watched any pro football this year, and it has nothing to do with a boycott. It has to do with this.

Literally, “too soon.”

[Highlander]

panthers will lose again to the saints...


and yes, it's cam newton's fault...

I'm still scratching my head a bit at how the Panthers managed to win 11 games with this offense. They have one receiver who's in the top 50, and a rather pedestrian RB who's past his prime in Stewart. They seemed set at WR when they traded Benjamin, but have now lost two rookie WR's to IR and are down to their practice squad guy at #2 (Bersin). Most of the season they were without their all pro TE. Cam's passing numbers have been off, but he has returned to form running the ball. Their only other bright spot has been McCaffrey whose versatility has caused matchup problems, but has not been a dominant playmaker.

The defense has been very good, although not nearly as good as it was 2 years ago. They haven't produced a ton of turnovers or sacks.

Special Teams? Gano has been near perfect and the Panthers finally had a viable punt returner, only to lose him to IR 2 weeks after he broke out.

I don't see a plausible scenario where the Panthers play well enough to beat the Saints, unless the Saints beat themselves with turnovers. Panthers are a good team who have won 2-3 games they probably should have lost and only lost 1 they should have won (Chicago). Their success or failure depends almost exclusively on Cam's ability to make tough, accurate passes when it counts. And that has never been a particular strength of his. Throw into the mix that NO has a high octane offense that will put up at least 24 points, and I think it's unlikely Carolina keeps up.

I expect NO to crowd the line, slide safety help towards Fuchess's side, and jam Olsen off the line to throw off the timing. They will essentially dare Carolina to beat them with Bersin and McCaffrey.

[elvis14]

I was going to talk about the Lions, but this is a playoff thread ...

I was going to talk about the Redskins, but this is a playoff thread...

[DUKIECB]

I'm still scratching my head a bit at how the Panthers managed to win 11 games with this offense. They have one receiver who's in the top 50, and a rather pedestrian RB who's past his prime in Stewart. They seemed set at WR when they traded Benjamin, but have now lost two rookie WR's to IR and are down to their practice squad guy at #2 (Bersin). Most of the season they were without their all pro TE. Cam's passing numbers have been off, but he has returned to form running the ball. Their only other bright spot has been McCaffrey whose versatility has caused matchup problems, but has not been a dominant playmaker.

The defense has been very good, although not nearly as good as it was 2 years ago. They haven't produced a ton of turnovers or sacks.

Special Teams? Gano has been near perfect and the Panthers finally had a viable punt returner, only to lose him to IR 2 weeks after he broke out.

I don't see a plausible scenario where the Panthers play well enough to beat the Saints, unless the Saints beat themselves with turnovers. Panthers are a good team who have won 2-3 games they probably should have lost and only lost 1 they should have won (Chicago). Their success or failure depends almost exclusively on Cam's ability to make tough, accurate passes when it counts. And that has never been a particular strength of his. Throw into the mix that NO has a high octane offense that will put up at least 24 points, and I think it's unlikely Carolina keeps up.

I expect NO to crowd the line, slide safety help towards Fuchess's side, and jam Olsen off the line to throw off the timing. They will essentially dare Carolina to beat them with Bersin and McCaffrey.

This is a good analysis and echoes my thoughts about Carolina's chances as well. Essentially there's almost no one left for Cam to throw the ball to. In my opinion Byrd's injury was huge because he was starting to emerge as another threat and a speedy one at that. It's not like you need 3 or 4 receivers to be effective, since we have a good TE in Olsen and a back who can catch passes in McCaffrey we just need Funchess to step up and be that #1 receiver. He's shown flashes but has been inconsistent.

Shula has got to come up with some effective ways to get some high percentage throws for Cam and then hope the combination of Stewart/McCaffrey/Newton produce a good overall rushing attack to eat up the clock and keep the NO offense off the field.

I think we will play better and the game will come down to who wins the turnover battle and special teams. If the defense can create a couple takeaways or we get a kick or punt return that leads to some easy points I think we can win. Of course you could say the same thing about most any matchup in the NFL so what do I know?

[Mal]

I will never, ever be an optimist when it comes to the Vikings, but I have noticed that they won 13 games and Carson Wentz is out, so despite not having home field advantage, they're probably the favorite on paper in the NFC, in a season in which the Super Bowl is in Minneapolis. That's a fairly remarkable alignment of stars just 18 months after the catastrophic injury to Bridgewater. Which means it won't happen, of course, because Minnesota Vikings. Still.

They've beaten New Orleans and Atlanta already this season and gave up their highest point total of the season in a loss to Carolina, so despite people's downgrading of the Panthers above, I'd still rather see the Saints. There's still some residual grudge, at least among Vikings fans, for the dirty play of New Orleans 9 or 10 years ago or whenever when they were targeting in the NFC championship game, in Gregg Williams's first season there but a couple years before the bounty scandal surfaced.

Also pulling for the Falcons, because the Rams look pretty scary. It would be interesting to see the top scoring team in the NFL go up against the team that's given up the fewest points in the NFL, I guess.

[JasonEvans]

I will never, ever be an optimist when it comes to the Vikings, but I have noticed that they won 13 games and Carson Wentz is out, so despite not having home field advantage, they're probably the favorite on paper in the NFC, in a season in which the Super Bowl is in Minneapolis.

Yup, they are a pretty strong favorite in the NFC.



-Jason "NFC is much more wide open than the AFC, where 2 teams are seen as not really having a chance" Evans

[Mal]

Yup, they are a pretty strong favorite in the NFC.

9/2 to win it all? Those odds are way too low.

This is the Minnesota Vikings. The team that lost 4 SB's in 8 years. That's lost 5 other NFC title games. The franchise that's seen 29, that's twenty-nine, playoff appearances without a Super Bowl trophy. 9 times in the final four teams without pulling it off. The team that suffered the Drew Pearson Hail Mary. The team that sold its soul to bring in the face of its greatest rival only to see him all-too-predictably throw an ill-advised pick in the last minute of an NFC Championship Game. The team that lost another NFC Championship Game when its kicker, who had not missed a single field goal all season, missed a chip shot to win it after the team had set an NFL record for points scored in a season.

You want to know the absolute perfect symbol of the Minnesota Vikings' quest to win a Super Bowl? Watch this from the 38-second mark until the 52-second mark: disaster before it even got started...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOrY23eZQ38

The Vikings are the pre-2004 Red Sox and the pre-2016 Cubs of the NFL. 9/2 odds to win it all, my patootie.

The only thing working in Vikings fans' favor, karmically speaking, is that Prince is now playing halftime shows for the angels every day up in the eternal rafters. Perhaps the power(s) that be up there will look kindly upon us in pity for having selfishly taken him too soon.

But I definitely wouldn't bet on it.

[elvis14]

Looking at the list of playoff teams, I'm hoping for an entertaining playoff run. Hopefully someone other than the Pats and Steelers can win (they have both won recently and I prefer underdogs...except Duke Hoops).

The Vikings with Keenum make a great story.
Same for the Eagles with Foles, but losing Wentz really hurt them.
The Saints running the ball? What?
Jags, Rams, Titans, Bills in the playoffs? Don't talk to me about playoffs? Playoffs? Would be so cool for those teams to win a few games.
Atlanta's time was last year. Losing their OC to SF did them in before the season even started
The Chiefs peaked around week 5
And lets face it, the Panthers could beat anyone...and they could lose to the Browns

Wow, after looking at that list of teams, Pats fans have to be geeked

[DUKIECB]

And lets face it, the Panthers could beat anyone...and they could lose to the Browns

Wow, after looking at that list of teams, Pats fans have to be geeked

As a Panthers fan and a Patriots hater, unfortunately both of these statements are true.

[DukieInKansas]

The chefs showed up for the second half. Bad sports day in my house.

[OldPhiKap]

Falcons won, enlarging the soufflé for future collapse.

[JasonEvans]

Falcons won, enlarging the soufflé for future collapse.

Winning a playoff game is a fine season for any NFL team. It is all gravy from here.

That said, I really like our chances against the Carson-less Eagles. This Falcons D is set up to be among the best in the league for many years to come. We just utterly flummoxed the best offense in football yesterday and we have a kicker who is automatic from anything inside of 55. Oh, and we actually threw the ball to Julio in the red zone!!

-Jason "I think the Falcons have a chance to not rip our hearts out this season " Evans

[OldPhiKap]

Winning a playoff game is a fine season for any NFL team. It is all gravy from here.

That said, I really like our chances against the Carson-less Eagles. This Falcons D is set up to be among the best in the league for many years to come. We just utterly flummoxed the best offense in football yesterday and we have a kicker who is automatic from anything inside of 55. Oh, and we actually threw the ball to Julio in the red zone!!

-Jason "I think the Falcons have a chance to not rip our hearts out this season " Evans

Hope is a dangerous thing, my friend . . . .

I have watched little NFL football this year,cand it has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with the second half of last year’s Super Bowl. Still hurts.

I won’t say that I am off the bandwagon, mind you. Just riding with my eyes mostly shut until the last few weeks.

[DUKIECB]

Typical Panthers. Dropped pass in the end zone, then miss a chip shot field goal and 30 seconds later give up an 80 yard touchdown. Ugh