With Christmas delayed here, a good time to start the weekly NFL thread. I admire how the Giants have battled into a win and its playoffs scenario after seemingly being out of that. That being said, it's too herculean of a task to beat the Eagles. Philly hasn't missed a beat with the 3rd QB, and they win by a TD, forcing the Giants to need help. Oakland's at home, and they want the #1 seed, so they beat KC, Priest or no Priest. Buffalo finishes 8-8 by trouncing the Bengals at home. Why couldn't they have played Cincy last week when I needed fantasy points. Giants won't get help from Cleveland. Even if it's as cold as dry ice on the Lake, I can't see the inconsistent Brownies winning another one late. Falcons still score enough to win. Minnesota wins at Detroit, since they suprisingly are playing till the end. I was expecting them to mail it in, credit goes to Mike Tice. New Orleans can't possibly lose to a third straight dreg, can they? Even in today's NFL? No, they right themselves and roll over Carolina in the Superdome. If they do lose, their coaching staff should be fired within hours after the game. No matter who plays QB, Pittsburgh owns the Ravens, and will cruise at Heinz, looking for the 3rd seed. Redskins-Cowboys: Pass the potatoes please. I expect the Titans reception in Houston to be quite a bit tamer than Modell's Wavens in Cleveland. However, that won't stop Tennessee from pounding David Carr and the Texans. Now they are starting to look good in smashing teams. Indy gets Jacksonville at home, so they'll get the wild card with a win. The Broncos are in disarray, but Arizona at home? They'll win and hold onto slim playoff hopes. Same for San Diego, but they'll struggle before beating Seattle at the Murph. Chicago will upset Tampa Bay if the Bucs are locked into playoff seed #3 by kickoff. The cold weather + nothing to play for thing. Steve Mariucci declared Monday night an exhibition last week, so justice will be served by the Rams somehow winning a meaningless game that not even I will be watching. Now, many Patriots fans, myself included, have determined that 2002 is a lost cause. They need a win and a Jets loss to win the division, and if the Jets win, a wild card is unlikely. The Pats always beat Miami in the cold whenever they are decent. But are they decent this year? No. That being said, this is a New England team. Even if they have no chance in the playoffs, they'll win and prolong their fans' agony, but at least send the Fishies crying home. Not only that, Green Bay is better than the Jets, and will have something to play for, a first round bye. They'll beat the Jets, allowing the Patriots to undeservingly sneak into the playoffs as the AFC East champion and #4 seed. Oops, that means an Indy win sets up an Indy-NE wild card round playoff game. Guess who's the only playoff team the Pats can beat? Indy!
Pates are gonna beat the Fish, and the Jets will beat the Packers!! Jets are gonna win the division! This is one heck of a playoff spot battle!
I have a bad feeling that the NYG will beat Philly and giving GB a chance for home field. Then GB will lose to the Jets and TB will beat Chicago. GB then gets the #3 seed. That will suck.
They are playing great smash-mouth football right now. I'd love to see a match-up with the Raiders in the AFC Championship.
Hopefully, the Eagles will prevail on Saturday, making this game moot, as it scares the hell out of me as a Falcons fan. I'd love it if the Falcons could afford to sit Vick after a quarter or so, and play Johnson the rest of the game. I think this is a very winnable game for Cleveland.
The last game for the greatest man to ever put on an NFL uniform. You might not like either franchise and think that both teams are garbage this season (which they are). But, Darrell Green deserves to be praised on Sunday. I'll be there doing exactly that. I hope he gets the national attention he deserves - and an interception for the 19th straight year. Also, could be Emmitt Smith's last game as a Cowboy and definately Stephen Davis' last as a Skin. Its more than just a final week snoozer. Redskins will win, and cover - breaking the 10 game Cowgirl streak.
Re: Re: NFL Week 17 (R) Yea this Chiefs offense is possibly the best ever, and yeah Holmes probably had the best season (well... 14 games) of any running back ever. But still... as a Chiefs fan I hate this season. We've pissed it all away. Well not quite yet I guess, we still have to win at Oakland and pray for a Arizona win over Denver and I guess we're in. Yeah... like that's going to happen. I keep on wanting to say that we could be the best team in the last decade not to make the playoffs, but then I think about all the times the defenses handed the games over so I really can't because we've lost to some bad teams, but yet we've destroyed some good teams. I dunno, I'm just look forward to next season when we'll have all what... 12 of our Injured Reserve list players healthy and we'll hopefully have a decent (I don't care about good, I just want a decent defense) and we'll make a strong run at the Super Bowl if this offense is %80 of what it was this season. Whoa there.... Darrell Green is the greatest man ever to put on a NFL uniform? If we're talking greatest man... ok, well that's such an objective title that everyone has their own person for that title. But if you are saying greatest player ever..... huh?
Henry Burris starts at QB for the Bears. Rob Johnson starts at QB for the Bucs. Good children in Chicago got two tickets to this game in their stocking on Wednesday. Bad children got four tickets.
At least Henry Burris is mobile. Granted the Fish starters were out, but Burris did more in that last 2:30 than the other QBs did all game in the MNF contest. I see Byron Leftwich playing his home games in Soldier Field next year. And Rob Johnson is still arguably the worst starting QB in NFL history.
This will only be his 29th career start. There've been worse quarterbacks to get more career starts than that. But he does suck. Hard. Some guys who were probably worse than Johnson: Bob Avellini Scott Bull Scott Campbell Cody Carlson Gary Huff Ryan Leaf Kim McQuilken (can you believe 4TD passes and 29 interceptions?) Heath Shuler If you want to consider him a starter (he probably isn't, not ever again), I think Danny Wuerffel is actually worse than Johnson. But it's a horse race. Randy Hedberg might have been the worst quarterback ever to start an NFL game, but there are probably others as well you could put in there. But make no mistake: Rob Johnson is horrible.
And, apparently, not terribly bright, either. Witness this exchange reported in the Tampa Tribune: Nice.
Giants win 10-7. Lucky. Barber fumbled 4 times. The officials were terrible also. But now if GB wins tomorrow, GB has home field advantage.
As a Jet fan, I can tell you that the Pats will beat the Dolphins tomorrow in order to set up the Jets for a "win and you're in" scenario, which they will lose to Green Bay giving you a ticket to the super bowl since no one wins in GB. Got to love Tiki Barber having his best and worst day ever in the same game. Rushes for 204 yards, with 4 fumbles (3 lost). So strange. 2 TDs called back on penalties, an interception in the end zone......the Giants are just an odd team sometimes. Beat the Colts like a drum one week, then win a game you tried to lose 8 times. I can't help but suggest that if McNabb was around the Eagles would have taken advantage of their opportunities and won, but whatever. Go Jets. (ahem).
The giants should have won by 50. the eagles played like ************ and they should be ashamed of themselves. i am pissed.
So am I. If the Bucs hadn't played like sh** against Pittsburgh, they'd have a chance for home field if they could beat the Bears. Now they're screwed, and it looks like I'll be going to San Diego without them.
Yep the Giants just gobbled up the yards, but seemed to want to give this one away. Good description about Tiki Barber having the best & worst days of his life in the same game. So was it poetic justice that Akers missed that winning FG for Philly? And the Raiders won 24-0 to clinch homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. I wonder what kind of wacky rule [hint: tuck rule] the NFL will come up with this time to sabotage the Raiders' chances in two weeks.
Man o man the trials and tribulations of being a Patriots man. How they pulled this one out, down 11 wiht 5 minutes to go, I dunno. Oh wait, I do know, a quick TD drive, atrocious play calling by Miami, a kickoff in OT that goes out of bounds to help out. I thank Miami for their generosity, it was really helpful in the comeback efforts.
Jeff, looks like the Pats are going to be eliminated cause my Packers can't seem to beat the Jets. Goodbye #1 seed. Hello #3 seed.
Yup, it's all over, thanks to the Packers rolling over and playing dead, even if they could have wrapped up the #1 overall seed. They deserve to fall to #3 and play Vick in the playoffs.
The NFC road to the Super Bowl will go through Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia -- the nastiest fans, rats in the locker rooms, and the worst playing surface in professional sports outside of Naperville. People talk about Lambeau as the ultimate home field advantage, but I cannot see how a McNabb-led Eagles team will lose at home.
Thank you Jets! The Cleveland Browns are back where they belong...in the playoffs! Funny how the worst division sends two teams. Too bad Miami couldn't make it. Chicago must know about Dave's coaching abilities, but he should be ashamed how he wasted such a quality season in the much needed RB Ricky. Hey, don't lose Ricky's number! That clown outcoached himself up 11 points in the 4th!