2021 NFL Season

[elvis14]

This is mostly a misconception. There are only three games affected by a team's division finish the previous season. The other 14 are opponents in common with the remainder of a given team's division-mates: 6 home-and-homes with others in the division, plus full slates against one intraconference division and one interconference division.

For at team like Washington, who went 7-9 to make the playoffs after having been gifted the last game of the season by the Eagles, three harder games can make a big difference. WFT has a tough schedule, even if I was wrong about the why...last year we had an easier schedule and managed 6 wins (and one gifted win). Our best game was the playoff loss to the Bucs. Some fans seeing the progress we made last year really thought we would be good this year. I looked at our schedule and that that even if we were better than last year we could end up with a worse schedule. Wish I was wrong but so far...

[Blue in the Face]

Although he'd implied he'd been vaccinated, saying he had been "immunized" against COVID, he was not, and will miss a minimum of 10 days. Aside from being a bit coy with his words, did he violate protocols by not wearing a mask where unvaxxed players are required to?

A G.M. with another team tried to tell me weeks ago that Rodgers isn’t vaccinated. I looked up photos of Rodgers from the preseason, standing on the sideline in street clothes. (The photo attached to this article comes from one of those games.) He wasn’t wearing a mask. I told my source that this means that Rodgers was vaccinated. In actuality, it means that he was deliberately and flagrantly violating COVID policies to create the impression that he’s vaccinated.

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.co...-unvaccinated/

As far as I can tell, the NFL protocols require inactive players to wear masks on the sidelines for regular season games, but do not explicitly address pre-season games, so I don't really know if that would have been a a clear violation or not. He also apparently tried to get the league to accept some sort of "alternate treatment" as a substitute for vaccination, which they ultimately declined - maybe the game cited in that article came while they were deliberating and he was allowed to skip masks in the interim. At any rate, bad timing to lose a star player for a road game against a struggling, but obviously very dangerous, Chiefs team.

[rsvman]

Henry Ruggs kills a woman in an early morning automobile accident. By report he was at twice the legal alcohol limit and his car was traveling 156 mph on a residential street. He also apparently had a loaded gun in the vehicle.
Tragic for the family of the woman who perished. Likely career-ending for Ruggs, who is already off the team and will likely do serious jail time.
Just a terrible story.

[tommy]

Henry Ruggs kills a woman in an early morning automobile accident. By report he was at twice the legal alcohol limit and his car was traveling 156 mph on a residential street. He also apparently had a loaded gun in the vehicle.
Tragic for the family of the woman who perished. Likely career-ending for Ruggs, who is already off the team and will likely do serious jail time.
Just a terrible story.

I don't know what the laws are in Nevada, but if this had happened in California, he'd be looking at being prosecuted for murder. Regardless, even in Nevada, he's going to prison for awhile, as he should. What a tragedy for the woman killed.

Guess he hasn't heard of Uber.

[SouthernDukie]

Put a fork in the Bucs chances of a repeat trip to the Super Bowl. They’re done. They can still make the playoffs, but they’ll be on the road again and there’s no way they’re winning three straight on the road like they did last time.

[rsvman]

Put a fork in the Bucs chances of a repeat trip to the Super Bowl. They’re done. They can still make the playoffs, but they’ll be on the road again and there’s no way they’re winning three straight on the road like they did last time.

Are you deliberately trying to jinx it? C'mon, man! Let it play out and let's see what happens.

[SouthernDukie]

Are you deliberately trying to jinx it? C'mon, man! Let it play out and let's see what happens.

No, I’m dead serious. No attempts at a reverse jinx here. The offense isn’t as good as last year, and the defense has actually been pretty average most of the year. Really exposed today. The NFC will come down to Arizona, LA, and Green Bay. The Bucs can’t beat all three of them on the road in the playoffs. And you can throw in Dallas for good measure. No way, no how.

[bundabergdevil]

We have a sister kisser ( a tie).

[elvis14]

No, I’m dead serious. No attempts at a reverse jinx here. The offense isn’t as good as last year, and the defense has actually been pretty average most of the year. Really exposed today. The NFC will come down to Arizona, LA, and Green Bay. The Bucs can’t beat all three of them on the road in the playoffs. And you can throw in Dallas for good measure. No way, no how.

Last year didn't' the Bucs get MUCH better at the end of the season? Not to mention that Gronk hasn't been playing. Last year they really didn't play him much until it mattered. TB12 is a different QB with Gronk.

As for today, HTTR. So happy for the WFT to end that 4 game skid where they were more WTF than WFT. We still have a sliver of hope (last wildcard team in).

[SouthernDukie]

Last year didn't' the Bucs get MUCH better at the end of the season? Not to mention that Gronk hasn't been playing. Last year they really didn't play him much until it mattered. TB12 is a different QB with Gronk.

Last year, as potent as the offense was, it was the defense that carried the Bucs to a Super Bowl. This year, the offense can definitely get better when Gronk and AB return. But the defense has looked suspect a good part of the year, and on the last play of the game we lost our star nose tackle to a knee injury. And don’t even get me started on the Bucs’ secondary. It is an absolute mess.

Add to all the above that the NFC is stacked this year. There are at least four teams that are better than Tampa Bay currently. I can’t see them leapfrogging all of them.

I see no way they can duplicate that great run and return to the Super Bowl.

[cspan37421]

We have a sister kisser ( a tie).

Well, noting your location, it is always sunny in Philadelphia, McPoyle.

[bundabergdevil]

Well, noting your location, it is always sunny in Philadelphia, McPoyle.

Speaking of Philly, if anyone just caught that play by Slay…wow. Hope it stands.

[accfanfrom1970]

Nice shout out to Noah Gray for a block on the KC game tonight.

[accfanfrom1970]

Nice shout out to Noah Gray for a block on the KC game tonight.

And he gets his first touchdown in the nfl.

[Acymetric]

MNF viewers were treated to a rare illegal forward pass sighting.

[bundabergdevil]

Oh, Lions...womp womp.

[CameronDuke]

How bout dem Cowboys?!

[rsvman]

How bout dem Cowboys?!

Yeah, man. That was awesome.

[Skydog]

How bout dem Cowboys?!

I don’t know which was worse - the ticky tack over-officiating (how bad was that roughing the passer call when Carr was running the ball and barely touched by a Dallas player?) or the stupidity of several Dallas players. Both were egregious. And even with the massive penalties Dallas somehow were 1 missed extra point from winning in regulation. Not that that means anything.

[cspan37421]

Oh, Lions...womp womp.

There's a lot of competition for "the most Lions-esque loss ever". They keep finding new ways to disappoint.

[Cue "Losing is a disease" speech from The Natural]