Board 8 > NFL Discussion Topic - Wildcard Weekend Part 2

(+) Yeah! (+)

Stephen Jones said he's confident that his dad will bring McCarthy back.

So yeah.

didn't stephen jones say he didn't anticipate a coaching change

good luck with that

what does he know

Burrow came in and lit up the Titans last year. But last year that game was kind of a trap game. This time the Titans should be ready to hit em in the mouth...

The scary thing, as usual with the Titans, is an early mistake or too many out of rhythm 3-and-outs for our offense that let Joey B get hot, possess the ball and build a lead. Titans typically not coming from behind and even less so against Burrow on (at that point) a 4 game heater from week 16. But if they can come out and stifle Burrow's streak and play the usual ball control with Henry, tennessee becomes the usual #1 seed favorite. so I think we'll know what we're in for early.

Bengals not really known for their run defense. And Titans, other than Byard, haven't had a lockdown secondary for years. Who can shore it up more for the playoffs?

I already have a pretty good idea of who I'm picking in all 4 games.

yeah everyone's going to point to that Bengals/Titans game from last year as the blueprint for why Cincinnati can win but we had zero pass rush last year (which was Cincy's fatal flaw last year, if you could get to Burrow, they had no shot) and that's not the case this year

our offense still basically did whatever it wanted, we just couldn't stop Cincy either

Titans were 5-1 at that point last year, had just lost the battle of 5-0 teams trying to stay undefeated against Pittsburgh, and coming off a three game home stretch to go away to the Bengals, who were 1-5-1 and had zero pressure on them.

Now, I don't think Burrow is affected by pressure like a normal human, but there's no doubt this is a much different environment and context than last year's game.

LeonhartFour posted...

the Bengals win one playoff game in 30 years and suddenly people expect them to win 2 in 7 days...!

I've had 0 faith in the Titans ever since they lost to the Jets and eliminated me from the suicide league

technically the titans come out better in the x-stats extrapolated through the jets

we needed overtime to put them away

MZero posted...

I've had 0 faith in the Titans ever since they lost to the Jets and eliminated me from the suicide league

guess who also lost to the Jets and killed a ton of people in suicide league

xp1337 posted...

technically the titans come out better in the x-stats extrapolated through the jets

we needed overtime to put them away

and a missed FG to avoid the tie to boot augh

actually I guess what this really tells us is that the Jets are a Super Bowl team in the making

go ahead and place your bets now

Bills going to the Super Bowl because they beat the Jets twice.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/23/sports/football/kyler-murray.html

I think I was blessed with the cognitive skills to just go out there and just see it before it happens, Murray said. Im not one of those guys thats going to sit there and kill myself watching film. I dont sit there for 24 hours and break down this team and that team and watch every game because, in my head, I see so much.

This comes from the mouth of a starting QB in the NFL. Who just embarrassed himself in a wildcard game.

Sounds like a guy headed to play baseball

Titans have been kind of cold and Bengals have been hot. Feel like that's the most likely upset of the weekend, given Titans have given the appearance of an overseeded team.

The most likely upset is the Bills if you consider it an upset. All the underdogs have a real chance to win though, so that's an improvement over this past weekend!

Bills are inconsistent as heck. If Chiefs avoid a bad game, they win easy.

Meanwhile, titans are a one-man offense vs a machine gun offense that picked up a better weapon into this season.

I am going to the Chiefs game this weekend

First time since we retired Andrew Luck 3 years ago

Leonhart4 posted...

The most likely upset is the Bills if you consider it an upset. All the underdogs have a real chance to win though, so that's an improvement over this past weekend!

KC being only favored by 2 is pretty telling on how KC is viewed.

Also for all you Raiders haters, the two people who advanced to the playoffs here on the back of the Raiders are now out.

You got your blood what else do you want.

And the Titans are hard to read because they don't look like a 1 seed on paper, but they've beaten like half the remaining playoff teams.

HanOfTheNekos posted...

Bills are inconsistent as heck. If Chiefs avoid a bad game, they win easy.

I'd honestly argue the opposite. The Chiefs have lost to every remaining team in the AFC playoffs. Buffalo and Tennessee rocked them and they no showed the entire second half against Cincinnati.

If the Bills avoid a bad game, they win.

Crescent-Moon posted...

I'd honestly argue the opposite. The Chiefs have lost to every remaining team in the AFC playoffs. Buffalo and Tennessee rocked them and they no showed the entire second half against Cincinnati.

If the Bills avoid a bad game, they win.

Disagree, those chiefs might as well have been an entirely different team early on. After that titans shellacking they only lost by 3 to the bengals after that. Chiefs at their best > Bills at their best imo.

Chiefs turned it over 4 times including a pick 6 last time. Two of them happened in the red zone, and the other was on a kickoff return.

it is hard to evaluate how that affects a rematch

Crescent-Moon posted...

I'd honestly argue the opposite. The Chiefs have lost to every remaining team in the AFC playoffs. Buffalo and Tennessee rocked them and they no showed the entire second half against Cincinnati.

If the Bills avoid a bad game, they win.

Chiefs at beginning of the season are not the Chiefs in the second half. Bills would not have beat them in November.

HanOfTheNekos posted...

Meanwhile, titans are a one-man offense

Didn't watch many Titans games this year huh

And the Bills at their best are capable of beating the Chiefs. You can argue you can't depend on their best from week to week, but Allen can slice up that defense if he's in the zone. Mahomes has to play well, too.

I suppose I'm not giving Brown enough credit.

But anyone at their best are capable of beating the Chiefs. Chiefs don't need Mahomes to play well. They just have to run the ball.

Chiefs aren't the juggernaut they were, but they're still the best team on paper. We're depending on Allen holding onto this surge he had in this last game. It's totally possible, maybe even probable, but Bills fans know to be tempered in expectations.

Titans have looked good in two games since November started. I'm still banking on Burrow.

The Titans also haven't been as healthy as they're going to be since October.

I've never had any particular belief in the Titans for most of the year or in the Bengals for the entire year, and I feel this game is basically just to decide who loses the AFC Championship game.

This game will be won or lost on Tannehill's arm. If good Tannehill shows up, the Titans win by 10. If bad Tannehill shows up, the game could turn ugly.

The NFC games are way easier to pick than the AFC games this week. It'll be the opposite in the Championship round.

When the playoffs started I was leaning Bills vs. Bucs in the Super Bowl and nothing has changed this so far.

Though if the Bucs keep suddenly dropping Oline it does drop their stock against Green Bay. So long as Rodgers and Brady are playing, I'll be picking their teams to win this round.

I've been a believer in Buffalo all year, even after those bizarre Jags and Pats losses. I think their best is better than everyone else's best, but you don't always get their best.

That being said, I still believe Tennessee can beat anyone left. I don't see any team and think they're a bad matchup.

I'll always have reservations about Tennessee as long as Tannehill is the QB to be honest

he's upper 50% for sure, but I don't have faith in him leading a two-score down comeback when they have to pass

Yeah ideally you don't want the game on Tannehill's shoulders but AJ Brown can take over a game like he did against the Niners

I just assume that Bills/Chiefs and Rams/Bucs winner will be their respective conference's Super Bowl rep. Those to me were the clear four best teams entering the postseason, and I've seen nothing so far to think otherwise.

I certainly didn't get that impression from the Rams! They're capable of being one of the best, like last night showed, but they're even more inconsistent than Buffalo.

Very little could get me to pick the Rams over an actual playoff team.

I have the Bucs because what I remember most about that week 3 matchup is our secondary was brutalized and SoFi was fucking LOUD and it was the first time Brady had to deal with crowd noise in like 2 years.

Also Evans looks fully healthy and that dude is just underrated as a WR1 <_<

is Evans underrated

I feel like most people know he's really good but he'll have Ramsey on him a lot too

I think the Rams have the ingredients to win here, especially considering Tampa's current injury situation, it's just a matter of whether they can actually put it all together two weeks in a row

Yeah, I have no idea who the hell underrates Evans. Super casual fans, maybe?

Well maybe it was from the people acting like the Eagles secondary was going to give Evans problems, darn random people.

But yeah I have the bucs winning easily if Wirfs is okay tbh. Rams lack of secondary depth is very problematic. Peple like Brate, who isn't a household name, can feast on bad defenders all day

All I know is I have my second straight week of other league where it's less about "who wins" and more about "how much they win by".

I survived by... 1 point on my prediction last time.

DoomTheGyarados posted...

Well maybe it was from the people acting like the Eagles secondary was going to give Evans problems, darn random people.

You mean the delusional people who thought the Eagles could actually make it a game~

DoomTheGyarados posted... But yeah I have the bucs winning easily if Wirfs is okay tbh. Rams lack of secondary depth is very problematic. Peple like Brate, who isn't a household name, can feast on bad defenders all day

Bucs win easily so long as Brady is on the field. It could hurt them against Green Bay if their O-Line injuries from last game persist.

O-line problems against a team who can get pressure with four (which is always the key to beating Brady) is the reason the Rams have a chance

ive always hated that statement

the key to beating every team ever is getting pressure with 4

Dr_Football posted...

ive always hated that statement

the key to beating every team ever is getting pressure with 4

well yeah but Brady in particular you have to get pressure with 4 because he'll kill you if you blitz

Whats fun to think about with the Cowboys last play is the helmet mics were on, so Dak was probably listening to a couple of guys on the sideline screaming clock it clock it spike it panic panic lol.

_PandaMaster_ posted...

I think I was blessed with the cognitive skills to just go out there and just see it before it happens,

is this the power of the monado?

https://twitter.com/dak/status/1483601930337271810

Oof!

Yep, knew that was coming.

https://twitter.com/officialnbarefs/status/1483557287369269256?s=21

Double Oof!

Dak will probably be fined but I wouldn't expect more than that