NFL GAME DAY DISCUSSION Thanksgiving Games Thread GB @ Lions, KC @ DAL, Cin @ Balt

[mgteich]

I always felt it was a weird assumption that the Ravens would just eventually snap back to true contenders level no questions asked. I have some questions.

ditto for the chiefs

 

[mgteich]

Again, no credit given to the Patriots. It's truly incredible, you people.
The Ravens just got smoked, at home, by the team that we beat on the road 3 days ago.

Bengals are the best team in their division.

yes, they are undefeated this year with Burrow at QB.

 

[mgteich]

The playoff races will get more interesting if HOU beats IND and BUF beats PIT. CIN with truly have a chance and HOU will have good chance to make the playoffs.

And no team will want to play HOU or CIN in the first round.

 

[Guts]

I don't care how KC has played to this point. I am glad they are 6-6 and might miss the playoffs. I don't care if Patrick Mahomes has regressed. I am not afraid to say i want no part of KC, Mahomes or Reid. The Pats were not always a top team with Brady, but any team would be foolish to want to face them even in an off year.

Nah only the Billdos/Ratbirds should fear them
We dont know how we would do but I wouldnt be afraid of them

 

[BobDigital]

Wild card weekend is going to be wild this year.

as for the NFC. Imagine if the Rams and Eagles get knocked out early. Many consider them the 2 best teams in the league but neither look bullet proof in the least. I'd love if somehow some other team in the NFC gets the first seed and now we have 8 teams left no one really saw being true contenders at the beginning of the year.

Pats/Den/Indy/Jags vs Sea/Bears/Bucs/Cowboys Be sick. That's a final 8 which is now possible no one would predict.

 

[Gumby]

No one's beating KC. Super bowl bound.

This one didn't age well.

 

[Rob0729]

Yesterday was the reason why it was stupid to have wanted the Colts to beat the Chiefs last week because you were afraid of the Chiefs in the playoffs. The Chiefs are likely not getting into the playoffs (they have only a 35% chance to make the playoffs at this point and could be lower after the games this weekend) and the Pats needed the Colts to lose. The Chiefs are just not that good. Same with the Ravens.

Unless either team go on a three or four game winning streak, they shouldn't be a concern in the playoff conversation. Odds are both teams will have to win out to make the playoffs with On Christmas day, you will likely be needing to rooting for the Chiefs against the Broncos. You also want them to beat the Texans next week. I think I am more afraid of the Texans right now than I am of the Chiefs.

 

[Rob0729]

I hate it too. I know it’s to discourage teams from playing recklessly around the goal line, but it just feels so extreme

Yeah, what they should do is still put the ball on the 20, but don't change possessions. Let the team that fumbled the ball keep the ball, but basically make it a 20 yard penalty. Or make it 15 yards at the spot of the fumble. Or something like that.

Seriously if you fumble on the goal line and the ball goes out on the one inch line, you get the ball at the one inch line. You fumble at the same spot and it bounces out of bounds one inch into the end zone and the other team gets the ball at their 20. How stupid is that?

 

[Huckleberry1]

Good day for the Patriots, both KC and Baltimore lose.

 

[Rob0729]

I cannot believe this game. Ravens are looking awful

The Ravens haven't really looked all that good for weeks especially Lamar Jackson. They just beating bad teams. I think Jackson may be still injured more than they are letting on.

 

[Rob0729]

Bengals winning this game is also bad news for KC. Further muddies the playoff race.

Actually it is good news. KC holds the head to head tiebreaker with the Ravens. This helps them if both the Chiefs and Ravens are battling for the last playoff spot.

 

[Huckleberry1]

Yesterday was the reason why it was stupid to have wanted the Colts to beat the Chiefs last week because you were afraid of the Chiefs in the playoffs. The Chiefs are likely not getting into the playoffs (they have only a 35% chance to make the playoffs at this point and could be lower after the games this weekend) and the Pats needed the Colts to lose. The Chiefs are just not that good. Same with the Ravens.

Unless either team go on a three or four game winning streak, they shouldn't be a concern in the playoff conversation. Odds are both teams will have to win out to make the playoffs with On Christmas day, you will likely be needing to rooting for the Chiefs against the Broncos. You also want them to beat the Texans next week. I think I am more afraid of the Texans right now than I am of the Chiefs.

Disagree. Both Baltimore and KC have a ton of playoff experience, which imo makes them dangerous. They may not be playing that well right now but I would rather face newbies in the playoffs. I have a similar concern with Buffalo, if they beat them at home and then face them in the playoffs then they have to beat them 3x in the same season, and that's difficult to do against any team. Regardless I will be rooting for the Patriots to win every game and let the chips fall where they may when the playoffs roll around.

I went into this season hoping the Patriots would be competing for a wild card spot in December, now it looks like they will have a playoff spot in November. Great season.

 

[Rob0729]

The playoff races will get more interesting if HOU beats IND and BUF beats PIT. CIN with truly have a chance and HOU will have good chance to make the playoffs.

And no team will want to play HOU or CIN in the first round.

Houston scares me more than either the Chiefs or Ravens do.

The Chiefs are the 2019 Patriots. Everyone were afraid of the Patriots because they had Brady and Belichick and they shined in the playoffs. Then the Pats showed they were paper tigers that year.

Houston has the best defense in the NFL and an offense good enough to put up points even if it is flawed. In a year of average and mediocrity in the AFC, they might be the toughest challenge the Pats might face in the playoffs.

I think Cincy has dug a far too deep of a hole to get out of to make the playoffs. They have to win out and then still hope there are enough other teams that lose two to three more games each.

 

[Ross12]

Actually it is good news. KC holds the head to head tiebreaker with the Ravens. This helps them if both the Chiefs and Ravens are battling for the last playoff spot.

In that way yeah. I was looking at it more as being more teams who have a path to the postseason.

 

[Rob0729]

Disagree. Both Baltimore and KC have a ton of playoff experience, which imo makes them dangerous. They may not be playing that well right now but I would rather face newbies in the playoffs. I have a similar concern with Buffalo, if they beat them at home and then face them in the playoffs then they have to beat them 3x in the same season, and that's difficult to do against any team. Regardless I will be rooting for the Patriots to win every game and let the chips fall where they may when the playoffs roll around.

I went into this season hoping the Patriots would be competing for a wild card spot in December, now it looks like they will have a playoff spot in November. Great season.

The Pats had a ton of playoff experience in 2019 and got easily bounced by the Titans who had no playoff experience with that roster.

I am sorry, but the Chiefs have been inconsistent all year. The Ravens have played crappy all year. People are expecting them to magically switch it on for the playoffs. It rarely happens like that.

Personally, I would rather face the Chiefs or Ravens right now in the playoffs than a team like the Texans who appear to be clicking on all cylinders right now.

Plenty of newbies do well in the playoffs. The Commanders went from a four win team to the NFCCG in one year. The Bengals went to the Super Bowl in Burrow's second year where that team had no playoff experience. The year that the Eagles beat the Pats in the Super Bowl, that year was the first time they made the playoffs in five years. The Falcons hadn't been to the playoffs for five years prior to the year they lost to the Pats in the Super Bowl. Of course the 2001 Patriots hadn't been to the playoffs for several years before winning the Super Bowl that year.

 

[Rob0729]

In that way yeah. I was looking at it more as being more teams who have a path to the postseason.

Ok, I get you. But I still don't think Cincy has a snowball chance. They have to win out and still will need a lot of help to even sniff the playoffs. I didn't look at the Bengals last night and see a team that you have confidence that they will win their next five games.

 

[Tunescribe]

There's a big difference between expecting cakewalks (The fact the Patriots roster is objectively incomplete and now dealing with injuries means they can absolutely lose to anyone if they stars align) - and being outwardly fearful of .500 football teams, that play like .500 football teams, are bad on the road, and get blown out at home.

That's what's crazy to me. Mahomes played his best game of the season on Thanksgiving, and they still lost, to another .500 team.

I haven't expressed or even hinted at being "outwardly fearful" of ANY upcoming opponent. I simply noted we should expect to get everyone's best shot the rest of the way, which likely means more one-score outcomes.

You said you expect the Patriots to "roll" (win easily) in Baltimore and maybe they will, in which case I would be mildly surprised. Not that they should be feared but should be respected as a capable foe -- same with Giants and Bills. Otherwise you seem to somewhat agree with me re. the bolded sentence above.

 

[sb1]

I won’t be unhappy if we face the same tentative and slower Lamar in 3 weeks.

 

[Ross12]

Ok, I get you. But I still don't think Cincy has a snowball chance. They have to win out and still will need a lot of help to even sniff the playoffs. I didn't look at the Bengals last night and see a team that you have confidence that they will win their next five games.

Probably not, but if Burrow can get right, it’s possible. They play the Ravens again, and Pittsburgh is on a bit of a downside. They don’t need to take a wildcard, they just need to pass those two teams. They’re 4-8, the Ravens are 6-6, the Steelers are 6-5. There’s a path, but a slim one. I can see a scenario where they win their division at, like, 7-10.

 

[Triumph]

Lamar looks awful. Not running much for some reason. His passing was lousy. The Ravens OL looks bad and their DL is nothing special. Must have been drafting poorly.

I still think Zay Flowers could be special but he needs an accurate QB. He is not a long ball guy.

Because ET is a running QB first and he will always be that way.

Forcing ET to become a pocket passer is like hitching a wagon to a thoroughbred race horse.