OT 2026 NFL playoffs

[HuskyHawk]

Again, they haven't played anyone. The regular season schedule was an absolute joke, historically weak. The AFC stinks and they've been playing against second stringers at key positions throughout the playoffs.

That's just nonsense. These are NFL teams. The Broncos had a schedule almost as bad and played much worse against it. Where were the 2nd stringers on the Chargers or Texans? The Patriots blew out that Carolina team the Rams struggled against. Blew out the Giants team that Denver beat by 1.

The NFC is all about offense. Seattle is the only truly good defense in the whole conference, the Eagles were decent.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Their defense has given up 26 pts in the playoffs, and no one can run the ball on them. That's the lowest number since the 2000 Ravens. They have an elite CB. Their offense averaged 30 pts a game during the regular season. The schedule helped, but you can't deny the results and general balance of the team.

They're 4.5pt dogs to the best team in the NFL, and I think they matchup well. Key will be Maye finding his old self, which I think he will in the good weather.

It's a completely different team with both Milton Williams and Gonzalez playing. Those two are both among our 3 best players. Only had both for a few games all season. The run defense has forced teams to abandon the run and become one dimensional. I think Maye will put up points in warm weather. Seattle D is very good but the pass rush isn't as good as Houston or Denver.

 

[RuffRuff]

It's a completely different team with both Milton Williams and Gonzalez playing. Those two are both among our 3 best players. Only had both for a few games all season. The run defense has forced teams to abandon the run and become one dimensional. I think Maye will put up points in warm weather. Seattle D is very good but the pass rush isn't as good as Houston or Denver.

100%. Williams and Barmore are a force of a DL vs the run. Let's not forget Marcus Jones is a very, very good CB too. If Gonzo can shut down JSN, this will be a very good game. This Pats team is underrated on talent. They aren't deep, but the are talented.

Maye will spread the ball around - he's got plus targets in Boutte, Henry, Diggs and Hollins. Have to have confidence that McD can scheme something to keep this one close.

 

[superjohn]

That's just nonsense. These are NFL teams. The Broncos had a schedule almost as bad and played much worse against it. Where were the 2nd stringers on the Chargers or Texans? The Patriots blew out that Carolina team the Rams struggled against. Blew out the Giants team that Denver beat by 1.

The NFC is all about offense. Seattle is the only truly good defense in the whole conference, the Eagles were decent.

You couldn't really dispute anything I said so you go with, "That's just nonsense. These are NFL teams."

I'll grant you the NFC didn't win the AFC head to head matchup by much, I'm going by more the eye test. There's no disputing the Patriots have been incredibly fortunate playing these teams who are injured at their key positions. There also is no disputing the Patriots had the easiest schedule in the league this season and a historically weak/easy schedule in the NFL.

 

[Deepster]

In many cases analytics support, but situationally that was a clear case where taking the FG was the right move. All time poor decision there by Peyton. Very strong likelihood if they got that 3, they would have won. They could have literally run & punted for the rest of the game and had a chance to win it.

The entire game was predicated by 2-3 plays as there was a lot of nothing going on for much of it given the conditions.

1) That Peyton call to go for it
2) Stidham fumble
3) Blocked FG

There is a reasonable chance that if Stidham just throws it away normally, Pats would never have gotten a TD.

And that's kinda it. Very weird game. I guess you can add in the early Denver bomb on 3rd and 10 as the other meaningful play as a wild mistake by the Pats secondary.

2) I still don't know that was a fumble. And I am not sure why they made the call on the field, then reversed it without any review.

Toss in the spot they gave Maye a first down on. The over the top camera showed that was questionable. Again, no review.

 

[Scoe]

I said before I like the Pats chances better against the Seahawks than the Rams and I will stand by that. I feel that the Seahawks haven’t faced any adversity and they will get too loud and too high. Already the Seahawks are running their mouths, McDonald already talking smack saying Sam Darnold shut a lot of people up, true but you have to win the Super Bowl now to truly shut people up. The way McDonald spoke in a robotic macho man WWE style voice at the podium rubbed me the wrong way.

The Super Bowl pre game and half time are long I feel the Seahawks will get too high and lose their energy. I feel the Pats keep it close and feel it out and conserve their energy for the 2nd half.

 

[RuffRuff]

2) I still don't know that was a fumble. And I am not sure why they made the call on the field, then reversed it without any review.

Toss in the spot they gave Maye a first down on. The over the top camera showed that was questionable. Again, no review.

The spot was really hard to overturn given the bodies piled. Maye has not been good at the sneak all year, that I will say. Henry got a poor spot on the play before that which I'm surprised Vrabel didn't review as it looked like he got the FD.

The fumble - I don't think it was a backwards pass as much as it was a fumble. I'm not sure how you qualify a push pass in terms of arm action but a Patriots players got his hand on the ball as it was still in Stidham's hands. It should have been a fumble and a defensive TD if called right.

 

[Deepster]

The spot was really hard to overturn given the bodies piled. Maye has not been good at the sneak all year, that I will say. Henry got a poor spot on the play before that which I'm surprised Vrabel didn't review as it looked like he got the FD.

The fumble - I don't think it was a backwards pass as much as it was a fumble. I'm not sure how you qualify a push pass in terms of arm action but a Patriots players got his hand on the ball as it was still in Stidham's hands. It should have been a fumble and a defensive TD if called right.

I think it, very easily, could have been an incomplete forward pass. At least reviewable as such. He clearly pushed the ball forward in an attempt to advance the ball the the player nearest him.

Eh, just another bamboo splint under my toenails.

 

[HuskyHawk]

You couldn't really dispute anything I said so you go with, "That's just nonsense. These are NFL teams."

I'll grant you the NFC didn't win the AFC head to head matchup by much, I'm going by more the eye test. There's no disputing the Patriots have been incredibly fortunate playing these teams who are injured at their key positions. There also is no disputing the Patriots had the easiest schedule in the league this season and a historically weak/easy schedule in the NFL.

I'm simply saying it doesn't matter. If you play bad teams and blow them out, what does that mean? Denver's schedule was almost as easy, and they were much worse against it (+90 vs +170). It tells you nothing. What injuries at key positions aside from Nix? Houston wasn't injured, Chargers missing OL, but they were for several weeks, it wasn't a new injury. Denver actually faced multiple backups all year. Chiefs 3rd stringer, Colts after Jones went down. I think they faced 7-8 backup QBs. Where's the narrative there?

The "eye test" is simply "who has the more attractive offense". That's it. It discounts defense and even the running game. Patriots scored the 3rd most points in the league, and while some of those teams were "bad" they didn't necessarily have bad defenses. The Browns defense is better than San Francisco's. So is the Saints.

So who exactly is good? Seattle, sure. The Rams, yes. Aside from those two is there a team better than Houston or Denver? No.

 

[RuffRuff]

I'm simply saying it doesn't matter. If you play bad teams and blow them out, what does that mean? Denver's schedule was almost as easy, and they were much worse against it (+90 vs +170). It tells you nothing. What injuries at key positions aside from Nix? Houston wasn't injured, Chargers missing OL, but they were for several weeks, it wasn't a new injury. Denver actually faced multiple backups all year. Chiefs 3rd stringer, Colts after Jones went down. I think they faced 7-8 backup QBs. Where's the narrative there?

The "eye test" is simply "who has the more attractive offense". That's it. It discounts defense and even the running game. Patriots scored the 3rd most points in the league, and while some of those teams were "bad" they didn't necessarily have bad defenses. The Browns defense is better than San Francisco's. So is the Saints.

So who exactly is good? Seattle, sure. The Rams, yes. Aside from those two is there a team better than Houston or Denver? No.

Reality is that there weren't that many great teams this year period. Seattle was the most complete, but it's their first time with this group and it's still Sam Darnold. With KC coming back to earth, parity is real.

 

[Scoe]

Shedeur Sanders just got named to the pro bowl to replace Drake Maye what a joke. I know the pro bowl has always been a joke but social media having influence on a pro bowl roster shouldn't happen.

 

[mauconnfan]

I just find it funny how "didn't play anyone" is a narrative when they faced 3 very tough defenses in bad weather. It's like defense doesn't matter, only offense. Who did Seattle play? The Niners? The Pats would put up 40 on the Niners. The Rams played Carolina, the worst team in the playoffs by far, and barely pulled it out. Carolina was tied in a division where every single team was negative on PF/PA.

Seattle is the most complete team, clearly has been since October. But the next most complete team, offense and defense, all year, was the Patriots.

Hate to say they didn’t. .33 winning % on their schedule is really bad and although their defense has been really good and all credit goes to them for sure in the playoffs, the high rated defenses they played against all had pathetic offenses. The last 2 QBs they played against had no right even being in the playoffs and handed the Pats most of their points. As far as Herbert he had no oline at all and Vrabel and the staff made it impossible for him to beat them, credit to that. I mean they won the games that were dealt to them and that’s what you’re supposed to do and all you can ask. But you have to admit the road has been pretty easy this far. Doesn’t mean they can’t beat the Seahawks though, they’ll just need a lot more from Maye than they’ve seen thus far in the playoffs.

 

[mauconnfan]

Shedeur Sanders just got named to the pro bowl to replace Drake Maye what a joke. I know the pro bowl has always been a joke but social media having influence on a pro bowl roster shouldn't happen.

That’s not true is it? That’s pitiful if it is, the NFL should be ashamed.

 

[superjohn]

I'm simply saying it doesn't matter. If you play bad teams and blow them out, what does that mean? Denver's schedule was almost as easy, and they were much worse against it (+90 vs +170). It tells you nothing. What injuries at key positions aside from Nix? Houston wasn't injured, Chargers missing OL, but they were for several weeks, it wasn't a new injury. Denver actually faced multiple backups all year.

Nico Collins, Dalton Schultz (the backup tight end too) Trent Brown and several others. Bo Nix, JK Dobbins, Troy Franklin and others.

Houston was badly injured at key positions as was Denver.

 

[HuskyHawk]

That’s not true is it? That’s pitiful if it is, the NFL should be ashamed.

Same thing happened for Mac Jones. None of these guys want to play in the game.

 

[Scoe]

That’s not true is it? That’s pitiful if it is, the NFL should be ashamed.

Not officially but realistically umm yeah I do believe social media has influence on adding Shedeur it willl generate a lot of chatter with lots of talk in media being against and fans of his and I'm sure general fans won't watch it, it will attract fans of his to watch it. It's the pro bowl games to be exact btw.

I said a long time ago do not change the pro bowl. You can't fix an all star game, when you fix something that sucks it only gets worse. The pro bowl was always a joke well ok big deal leave it alone stop making it more of a joke. The NFL product is not suffering so what guys will opt out ok give those who wanna play in Hawaii that opportunity to play.

 

[Scoe]

Same thing happened for Mac Jones. None of these guys want to play in the game.

Tyler Huntley as well

 

[superjohn]

I think the NFL kind of sucks these days and I don't gamble or play fantasy so I don't follow closely like I used to but wasn't Deion's son one of the worst QB's in the NFL?

I assumed the pro bowl thing was from The Onion.

 

[RuffRuff]

I think the NFL kind of sucks these days and I don't gamble or play fantasy so I don't follow closely like I used to but wasn't Deion's son one of the worst QB's in the NFL?

I assumed the pro bowl thing was from The Onion.

Many say QB play is at an all time high. It's the era of the mobile QB. Like most sports, style has changed but the level of athlete is far better than back in the day.

The rules have changed drastically, if that's the beef. Big hits aren't happening anymore, protecting the QB is what the sport is all about. You don't see gladiators out there like John Lynch and Tory Palomalu laying wood.

 

[Scoe]

I think the NFL kind of sucks these days and I don't gamble or play fantasy so I don't follow closely like I used to but wasn't Deion's son one of the worst QB's in the NFL?

I assumed the pro bowl thing was from The Onion.

The product was better with a 16 game season and 6 playoff teams in each conference. Taking away 2 a days in training camp softened up the game and I would argue contributed to more injuries.

The people who are for players sitting out "meaningless bowl games" and teams skipping bowl games, don't see the bigger picture it will have a negative trickle down effect at the nfl level I say it already has.

 

[Mots010]

What injuries at key positions aside from Nix?

Broncos were also missing their #1 rb Dobbins since November, their #2 and #3 receivers Pat Bryant and Troy Franklin. Franklin got injured early in the divisional round. Bryant injured his hamstring early in the 1st quarter yesterday. The Broncos offense was not in good shape.

 

[Deepster]

I think the NFL kind of sucks these days and I don't gamble or play fantasy so I don't follow closely like I used to but wasn't Deion's son one of the worst QB's in the NFL?

I assumed the pro bowl thing was from The Onion.

He was nowhere near the top 75% of the starting QBs in the league this season.

 

[RuffRuff]

He was nowhere near the top 75% of the starting QBs in the league this season.

He was a bottom 2-3 QB, maybe the worst based on his QBR.

 

[superjohn]

 

[HuskyHawk]

He was a bottom 2-3 QB, maybe the worst based on his QBR.

He certainly isn't a Pro Bowler, but he was a lot better than anybody else Cleveland played. It was amazing that they stuck with worse guys for so long out of some kind of bizarre desire to prove they were right to pick Dillon Gabriel in the 3rd round (maybe a 7th rounder). Stefanski has to be thrilled to be out there.