2022 NFL Thread (Chiefs win Super Bowl 57)

[gmillerdrake]

Interesting little blurb I saw, seems the powers that be in Vegas stand to lose a shit ton of money if the Niners win it all based on betting that occurred right after Jimmy G went down.

Good.

[Nick]

Going forward, I think the Eagles will be tough. That should be a great game. It's a 50/50 game with two great teams and no huge advantages at any one time. I don't see how either teams fans should be treating that as easily tilted one way.

On the AFC side I'll be rooting hard for the Bengals. If the Chiefs win, Mahomes will get two weeks to recover, and between the regular season this year and the Super Bowl with them, he's just proven that if he gets in the zone with his offense, no defense is safe. Not to say I don't think the Niners can win, but I'd like my odds 10x better against the Bengals.

[King Postwhore]

IDK Nick.  The Bengals seem to be playing better ball right now than KC.  Their offense is dynamic right now. 

[KevShmev]

I think most probably see both as games that could go either way, and the lines reflect that, with Philly favored by 2 1/2, which the home team always gets, so that is basically an even matchup, and KC favored by only 1 because of the Mahomes injury (I suspect that would have been a 4 or 5 point spread if he were healthy).

[King Postwhore]

I think KC has lost their last 3 games against the Bengals.

[Stadler]

The official account of the Cowboys tweeting out some truth bombs

The 49ers had more weapons than the Cowboys going into the game, and with the loss of Tony Pollard, definitely had way more ammunition in the second half.

Dak Prescott gave away the ball twice in the narrow loss to the 49ers, in a matchup the Cowboys had a chance to win if they didn’t again generate self-inflicted wounds.

if that's coming directly from the Cowboys, how come it's different than the message that came out of the Cowboys after the previous game?  Wasn't Jimmy pretty much saying (like he always does, fair play) that anything less than the big dance was unacceptable? And that if they play like that all the rest of the playoffs no one could touch them (not those words, but that idea)?   This is why the Cowboys are never serious contenders. 

[Stadler]

I think KC has lost their last 3 games against the Bengals.

Yes.

[lonestar]

Interesting little blurb I saw, seems the powers that be in Vegas stand to lose a shit ton of money if the Niners win it all based on betting that occurred right after Jimmy G went down.

Good.

I definitely don't have a problem with it either... It's a solid win-win for me 

[pg1067]

I assume having Elliott at center for that last play was so that they could have as many viable lateral options as possible.  That said, it was hilarious seeing the defender just push him over after he just sat there doing nothing after snapping the ball.  And WTF was that pass?

Anyway, if the 49ers team that played yesterday and the Eagles team that played Saturday both show up next week, the 49ers have ZERO chance.  The first 10 playoff games have been generally blah, so I'm hoping for a good KC/CIN rematch.

[bosk1]

Anyway, if the 49ers team that played yesterday and the Eagles team that played Saturday both show up next week, the 49ers have ZERO chance.  The first 10 playoff games have been generally blah, so I'm hoping for a good KC/CIN rematch.

  So. Cal. homers are so cute sometimes.  Not sure what game you were watching yesterday, but if you are referring to the one where the 49ers held one of the most potent scoring offenses in the NFL to 12 points, I'll take that team showing up any time.  It's going to be fun seeing the confusion and "what do we do now??" panic on the Eagles sidelines when their team suddenly can't score.

[Nick]

Anyway, if the 49ers team that played yesterday and the Eagles team that played Saturday both show up next week, the 49ers have ZERO chance.  The first 10 playoff games have been generally blah, so I'm hoping for a good KC/CIN rematch.

Couple of notes on this. On the surface, I completely get what you're saying and partially agree. That said, the Niners haven't had a half that sterile until now, and I gotta count that as a blip more than what to expect, so that Niners team is not the one I expect to show up next week. Next, the Eagles were clearly a better team than the Giants, and even in their first matchup of the year when the Giants were trying it looked like a scenario where the Eagles are just Giant kryptonite. So while I think this Eagles team is great, they aren't as magical as that playoff game against the Giants would suggest.

[lonestar]

It'll be a rough game for sure I think, but to write the Niners off after Saturday's ass whooping by Philly is just naive. The Niner D will keep them relevant in any game against any offense.

[El Barto]

Anyway, if the 49ers team that played yesterday and the Eagles team that played Saturday both show up next week, the 49ers have ZERO chance.  The first 10 playoff games have been generally blah, so I'm hoping for a good KC/CIN rematch.

Couple of notes on this. On the surface, I completely get what you're saying and partially agree. That said, the Niners haven't had a half that sterile until now, and I gotta count that as a blip more than what to expect, so that Niners team is not the one I expect to show up next week. Next, the Eagles were clearly a better team than the Giants, and even in their first matchup of the year when the Giants were trying it looked like a scenario where the Eagles are just Giant kryptonite. So while I think this Eagles team is great, they aren't as magical as that playoff game against the Giants would suggest.

Sometimes blips have origins, and in that case the origin was a fairly stout defense. Phili's pass D is better than Dallas's (everybody's in fact), so I wouldn't just write it off as an aberration. Phili's offense is also more explosive than Dallas's, particularly after the better of their two RB's broke his damn leg. SF will need to play quite a bit better.

Honestly, this whole thing sucks. Normally I'd be rooting for anybody against the Eagles. Seriously, fuck Philadelphia. The rampant fanboyism is really turning me off of SF, though. This isn't the 85 Bears or the 93 Cowboys we're talking about here. Bosk would have us believe that they're somehow transcendent. They're a good, well-balanced team. They're not unbeatable, or even exceptional, though.

[KevShmev]

Honestly, this whole thing sucks. Normally I'd be rooting for anybody against the Eagles. Seriously, fuck Philadelphia. The rampant fanboyism is really turning me off of SF, though. This isn't the 85 Bears or the 93 Cowboys we're talking about here. Bosk would have us believe that they're somehow transcendent. They're a good, well-balanced team. They're not unbeatable, or even exceptional, though.

Agreed.  I won't be surprised if any of the four teams left win it, and anyone acting like any team is by far the favorite is just being a homer or taking the piss.   The current odds are:

Philadelphia Eagles +240
Kansas City Chiefs +260
Cincinnati Bengals +270
San Francisco 49ers +320

That shows how close these four teams all are. 

[Dublagent66]

Wow, even when everything that could possibly go right for Dallas goes right for Dallas, SF is still too much for them.  I don't give Philly a chance next week.  Like the Cowboys learned today, Philly just hasn't faced a team this good that can find so many ways to beat you.

No idea what you're talking about.  What went right for Dallas?  9ers barely beat a team that played like shit with 2 turnovers, multiple penalties, and lost their star RB in the 2nd qtr.

What went right for Dallas??  Um, let's see...  Just off the top of my head:
-Holding the #1 scoring offense since week 11 to under 20 points--something that hardly any team has been able to accomplish.
-On 4 drives, holding the 49ers to field goals instead of touchdowns
-Stealing a turnover on special teams
-The 49ers dropping 2 interceptions
-Getting constant pressures and sacks against that offensive line
-The 49ers mismanaging the clock at the end of the second half
-The 49ers barely cracking 100 yards rushing

Nothing like that combination has happened to the 49ers all season.  Even with ALL of that, the Cowboys couldn't overcome the 49ers.
 As Nick said, if it doesn't play out exactly that way, the 49ers blow the Cowboys out as they have done to most teams they have played.  I don't see any of the other 3 remaining teams getting such a lucky series of events going their way as the Cowboys did.  I just can't come up with any good argument for giving any of the remaining 3 teams a legitimate chance.

Well, that's a conveniently selective list, leaving out all the offensive blunders and making it seem like the 9ers got Dallas' best game when it was anything but.  Take away the 2 turnovers alone (which were not forced errors btw) and the result is mostly like very different.  Instead of it being a slaughter, it was more like a narrow escape.  One could possibly argue that the 9ers were the lucky ones.

bosk1, your dedication over the years to the "no one has a real chance to beat the 49ers" shtick every time they make the playoffs is impressive.

I see what you did there, but it would be even more impressive if they actually went on to win it all.  Hasn't happened so far.

[bosk1]

Honestly, this whole thing sucks. Normally I'd be rooting for anybody against the Eagles. Seriously, fuck Philadelphia. The rampant fanboyism is really turning me off of SF, though. This isn't the 85 Bears or the 93 Cowboys we're talking about here. Bosk would have us believe that they're somehow transcendent. They're a good, well-balanced team. They're not unbeatable, or even exceptional, though.

Agreed.  I won't be surprised if any of the four teams left win it, and anyone acting like any team is by far the favorite is just being a homer or taking the piss.   The current odds are:

Philadelphia Eagles +240
Kansas City Chiefs +260
Cincinnati Bengals +270
San Francisco 49ers +320

That shows how close these four teams all are. 

Pretty sure you know that Vegas odds are not a reflection of a team's actual odds of winning, but are designed to maximize betting revenue.  You seem to be confused about that.

[pg1067]

Anyway, if the 49ers team that played yesterday and the Eagles team that played Saturday both show up next week, the 49ers have ZERO chance.  The first 10 playoff games have been generally blah, so I'm hoping for a good KC/CIN rematch.

  So. Cal. homers are so cute sometimes....

Sigh.  I couldn't give a rip about either of the Socal NFL teams.  I have no dog in the fight.  But we'll see in a week.

[bosk1]

Well, that's a conveniently selective list, leaving out all the offensive blunders and making it seem like the 9ers got Dallas' best game when it was anything but.  Take away the 2 turnovers alone (which were not forced errors btw) and the result is mostly like very different.  Instead of it being a slaughter, it was more like a narrow escape.  One could possibly argue that the 9ers were the lucky ones.

  It's "convenient" because everything on that list actually happened.  And I didn't say they got Dallas' "best game."  Everything you said supports what I wrote:  a lot of things that in all likelihood shouldn't have gone Dallas' way (based on past performance this season) did go their way.  And yet, even with those uncharacteristic breaks, the 49ers played a game that still made Dallas commit errors and play inefficient football.  And this is a trend that has been unfolding for this past 12-game winning streak:  Good teams are faced with a complete offense, defense, and special teams unit they are unprepared for that makes them look and play a lot worse than they played up to that point.  It's amazing how teams that are on a roll or are contenders play the 49ers and suddenly are incapable of turning in their "best game."  I don't think it's a coincidence.  It's a 12-game trend.  And there are logical, analytical reasons for why that trend is occurring that indicate it isn't likely to stop anything soon (watch some serious film studies on what they are doing and how they are doing it).  That isn't to say they'll win it all.  Stuff happens.  And there are 3 other really good teams left.  But barring something out of the ordinary happening, I don't see any reason for that trend to magically stop in the next three weeks.  There's no logical reason for it to do so.

[KevShmev]

bosk1, your dedication over the years to the "no one has a real chance to beat the 49ers" shtick every time they make the playoffs is impressive.

I see what you did there, but it would be even more impressive if they actually went on to win it all.  Hasn't happened so far.

Amazing, ain't it?  For all of the times the last few years where the 49ers were apparently THE best team, no rings since the 90s. How can this be??

[bosk1]

Well, first off, I think you're grossly misquoting me, since I don't think I've ever said they were THE best team in prior years.  But that not-so-insignificant matter aside, I think anyone who understands sports (or real life) can acknowledge that I team can be objectively "THE best" in a lot of categories, and still lose a game that keeps them from wining a ring.  Those two things are not mutually exclusive. 

[TheCountOfNYC]

Well, first off, I think you're grossly misquoting me, since I don't think I've ever said they were THE best team.  But that not-so-insignificant matter aside, I think anyone who understands sports (or real life) can acknowledge that I team can be objectively "THE best" in a lot of categories, and still lose a game that keeps them from wining a ring.  Those two things are not mutually exclusive.

I think matchups play a significant role in things, especially in the NFL where it’s single-game elimination. The Giants benefited greatly from facing the Vikings instead of the 49ers in the first round. Seeding doesn’t matter if you play a team you don’t match up well against. The 49ers biggest strength this year is how well balanced they are. They do so many things well that there’s no team I can think of that presents a challenge that the 49ers can’t overcome. Even Brock Purdy, someone who wasn’t even supposed to play a snap this season, has proven that the playoffs aren’t too big for him.

[DragonAttack]

Reading along with the previous posts, and will comment on some later.

Meanwhile, and this could probably go in the 'what p*ssed you off today' thread as it relates to Damar Hamlin and others as to Covid shots (maybe his shot kept him from dying.....hmmmm), but along comes this in the world of 'you can't fix stupid':  the Twitter (Dimwitter) verse now has the conspiracy going that his family, the NFL, and others were in cahoots because it was a body double at the stadium Sunday.

 

Jayzus, I'm just glad these numb nuts didn't have Dimwitter  around during the 'Paul Is Dead' bit. 

Spoiler alert:  he isn't

[lonestar]

I mean, anything is possible in a world where you can just make random bullshit up and have a platform where idiots will actually believe it.

[Dream Team]

I TOTALLY agree that Burrow has the makings to be an all-time great, but let's not crown him just yet. He has yet to score more than 27 points in any of the 6 playoff games he's started, he's playing a lot like Brady in those early New England years - trying to be very efficient with a complete team around him. Brady kept getting better so he was throwing for 300+ and 3 TDs in playoff games; we'll see if Burrow takes that next step. He's averaging like 250 yds and 1.5 TDs per playoff game so far. He's been pretty lucky too:

Playoff Records when team scores LESS than 28 points:

Joe Burrow: 5–1 (.833)
Tom Brady: 13-11 (.542)
Big Ben: 8-7 (.533)
Patrick Mahomes: 2-2 (.500)
Joe Montana: 6-7 (.461)
Peyton Manning: 8-12 (.400)
Drew Brees: 4-7 (.363)
Aaron Rodgers: 4-8 (.333

One thing I'm still trying to figure out is why the cockiness and mouthiness appeals to people, Brady was never like that. The only QB I can think of who was like that is Jim McMahon. I think Mahomes or Allen or Herbert would be excoriated if they acted like that. Also Brady didn't start out 0-1 in Super Bowls like Burrow has. What if he makes it and goes 0-2? People still gonna abide the cockiness?

In football, a player playing with an injury is in a no-win situation. You're not allowed to use it as an excuse, but you're severely limited in what you can so. Pat of course handled it the right away, he didn't make a big deal out of it. I have large doubts as to whether the rest of the team can step up around him. Mark Schlereth was a guest on Cowherd's show and he want into some grim detail about high ankle sprains. Yikes.

Oh boy that Eagles-Niners game . . . talk about anticipation.

[Dublagent66]

bosk1, your dedication over the years to the "no one has a real chance to beat the 49ers" shtick every time they make the playoffs is impressive.

I see what you did there, but it would be even more impressive if they actually went on to win it all.  Hasn't happened so far.

Amazing, ain't it?  For all of the times the last few years where the 49ers were apparently THE best team, no rings since the 90s. How can this be??

Yeah, utterly amazing since they got beat by THE best team last year.  I guess lessons in humility are short lived if actually learned at all. 

[Stadler]

I TOTALLY agree that Burrow has the makings to be an all-time great, but let's not crown him just yet. He has yet to score more than 27 points in any of the 6 playoff games he's started, he's playing a lot like Brady in those early New England years - trying to be very efficient with a complete team around him. Brady kept getting better so he was throwing for 300+ and 3 TDs in playoff games; we'll see if Burrow takes that next step. He's averaging like 250 yds and 1.5 TDs per playoff game so far. He's been pretty lucky too:

Playoff Records when team scores LESS than 28 points:

Joe Burrow: 5–1 (.833)
Tom Brady: 13-11 (.542)
Big Ben: 8-7 (.533)
Patrick Mahomes: 2-2 (.500)
Joe Montana: 6-7 (.461)
Peyton Manning: 8-12 (.400)
Drew Brees: 4-7 (.363)
Aaron Rodgers: 4-8 (.333

One thing I'm still trying to figure out is why the cockiness and mouthiness appeals to people, Brady was never like that. The only QB I can think of who was like that is Jim McMahon. I think Mahomes or Allen or Herbert would be excoriated if they acted like that. Also Brady didn't start out 0-1 in Super Bowls like Burrow has. What if he makes it and goes 0-2? People still gonna abide the cockiness?

In football, a player playing with an injury is in a no-win situation. You're not allowed to use it as an excuse, but you're severely limited in what you can so. Pat of course handled it the right away, he didn't make a big deal out of it. I have large doubts as to whether the rest of the team can step up around him. Mark Schlereth was a guest on Cowherd's show and he want into some grim detail about high ankle sprains. Yikes.

Oh boy that Eagles-Niners game . . . talk about anticipation.

What do you mean "of course"?  He made a huge deal out of it.  The gestures, the throwing down of the coat... everyone in the stadium knew he was hurt the minute it happened and every minute thereafter.  Compare to Ben Roethlisberger, who looked the same whether he was 100% or whether he had a broken foot.

(By the way, for someone that loves the guy so much, you ought to know his name is "Patrick" and he very much does not want to be called "Pat".  If memory serves, his mom ripped someone a new asshole for referring to him as "Pat" on social media.  Of course, memory serves.  )

[hunnus2000]

After giving it a day to kneejerk about the games this past weekend, my biggest takeaway is the losing QBs can be fixed. Specifically, Dak has regressed since his injury. He looks (at least to me) that he is checking out of certain plays and then making bad decisions as to where to throw the ball. He needs another voice in his ear.

I sense the same with Josh Allen. He had Brian Daboll to help with his bad habits early in his career and once he left Josh had evident problems this year.

Daniel Jones is in good hands.

SF is not necessarily a juggernaut, the defense kept the Cowboys in the game so I think they will have their hands full with Philly and with that high ankle sprain, the sprain usually gets worse before it gets better. Should be fun this week!

[El Barto]

ESPN is reporting that O'Brien is in at NE. Overall this is a good thing. On the one hand I don't think OC was the problem this year. Doesn't matter who's calling the plays if you can't execute, and that was the problem. That said, better playing calling is still a good thing, even if it doesn't solve the problem. What matters is giving McCorkle somebody in his ear he knows and trusts. Towards the end of the season I started thinking that he wasn't making the progress he should be, and perhaps he's not the guy going forward. Verdicts still way out on that one. Having BOB in there will go a long way to addressing that. Most importantly, I'm just tired of hearing about how Patricia was the reason why they suck. Like I said, overall a good thing.

It's also possible they bring back one or two former assistants, and that'll be a big help, too. As I've been saying, brain drain is a problem, but probably not as big as culture drain.

[lonestar]

bosk1, your dedication over the years to the "no one has a real chance to beat the 49ers" shtick every time they make the playoffs is impressive.

I see what you did there, but it would be even more impressive if they actually went on to win it all.  Hasn't happened so far.

Amazing, ain't it?  For all of the times the last few years where the 49ers were apparently THE best team, no rings since the 90s. How can this be??

Yeah, utterly amazing since they got beat by THE best team last year.  I guess lessons in humility are short lived if actually learned at all. 

While, as I said above, bosk's relentless, giddy optimism really takes the edge of my pre game anxiety, I do think this is the best Niner team they've put forward in a long time.

[Stadler]

ESPN is reporting that O'Brien is in at NE. Overall this is a good thing. On the one hand I don't think OC was the problem this year. Doesn't matter who's calling the plays if you can't execute, and that was the problem. That said, better playing calling is still a good thing, even if it doesn't solve the problem. What matters is giving McCorkle somebody in his ear he knows and trusts. Towards the end of the season I started thinking that he wasn't making the progress he should be, and perhaps he's not the guy going forward. Verdicts still way out on that one. Having BOB in there will go a long way to addressing that. Most importantly, I'm just tired of hearing about how Patricia was the reason why they suck. Like I said, overall a good thing.

It's also possible they bring back one or two former assistants, and that'll be a big help, too. As I've been saying, brain drain is a problem, but probably not as big as culture drain.

I was going to post that; I think your post is spot on, top to bottom.

[Stadler]

After giving it a day to kneejerk about the games this past weekend, my biggest takeaway is the losing QBs can be fixed. Specifically, Dak has regressed since his injury. He looks (at least to me) that he is checking out of certain plays and then making bad decisions as to where to throw the ball. He needs another voice in his ear.

I sense the same with Josh Allen. He had Brian Daboll to help with his bad habits early in his career and once he left Josh had evident problems this year.

Daniel Jones is in good hands.

SF is not necessarily a juggernaut, the defense kept the Cowboys in the game so I think they will have their hands full with Philly and with that high ankle sprain, the sprain usually gets worse before it gets better. Should be fun this week!

REALLY disappointed in Josh Allen this year.  At the start of the year, I thought it was theirs to lose, and I was high on Josh; I thought this might be his year to be the best QB in the league, all things considered.  He didn't show that, except in glimpses and not when it mattered. 

[El Barto]

ESPN is reporting that O'Brien is in at NE. Overall this is a good thing. On the one hand I don't think OC was the problem this year. Doesn't matter who's calling the plays if you can't execute, and that was the problem. That said, better playing calling is still a good thing, even if it doesn't solve the problem. What matters is giving McCorkle somebody in his ear he knows and trusts. Towards the end of the season I started thinking that he wasn't making the progress he should be, and perhaps he's not the guy going forward. Verdicts still way out on that one. Having BOB in there will go a long way to addressing that. Most importantly, I'm just tired of hearing about how Patricia was the reason why they suck. Like I said, overall a good thing.

It's also possible they bring back one or two former assistants, and that'll be a big help, too. As I've been saying, brain drain is a problem, but probably not as big as culture drain.

I was going to post that; I think your post is spot on, top to bottom.

The question for me is how long did he commit to. There's no way they sign him if he's going to bail next year to HC somewhere. That was reportedly part of the issue last year. Two years is the minimum, and that may be enough to set Mac straight. Three would be better, but I'm not sure O'Brien holds out that long. Though obviously this depends on how things go with Mac. If he sucks, and I find that unlikely, him leaving to HC probably isn't an issue.

[El Barto]

After giving it a day to kneejerk about the games this past weekend, my biggest takeaway is the losing QBs can be fixed. Specifically, Dak has regressed since his injury. He looks (at least to me) that he is checking out of certain plays and then making bad decisions as to where to throw the ball. He needs another voice in his ear.

I sense the same with Josh Allen. He had Brian Daboll to help with his bad habits early in his career and once he left Josh had evident problems this year.

Daniel Jones is in good hands.

SF is not necessarily a juggernaut, the defense kept the Cowboys in the game so I think they will have their hands full with Philly and with that high ankle sprain, the sprain usually gets worse before it gets better. Should be fun this week!

REALLY disappointed in Josh Allen this year.  At the start of the year, I thought it was theirs to lose, and I was high on Josh; I thought this might be his year to be the best QB in the league, all things considered.  He didn't show that, except in glimpses and not when it mattered.

Agreed. I had them as the undisputed top of the league. This should have been this year. Dude seems to have regressed.

[Skeever]

I would love to see the Niners beat the Eagles this Saturday.
At a morning staff meeting today, the Eagles fans were already going on a tear. One young lady I work with was talking about how she thinks Burrow is a much better QB than Mahomes, and I replied, "looking forward to seeing how they play against Niners D in the Super Bowl". And, instead of just taking the joke, like someone who has been gloating about her team all morning should, she gave me this awful look like I just said something disgusting and walked away.

Eagles fans need to be knocked down a peg. Nothing worse than Eagles fans who are feelin' themselves. Go Niners.

[Dublagent66]

The talking heads this week are more entertaining than the actual games.  "Dak Prescott is nothing but just another Kirk Cousins with a better brand."