NFL '25 - '26

[imref]

Giants-Lions was a game for the ages. Tampa looks dead.

[English Natsie]

Chiefs keep season alive with a good comeback against the Colts. Thankfully, Gilead appears to be back to being 'Mr Dependable' after unexpectedly being 'Mr Excitement' for a while...Great to see CEH back on the field. It's not rocket science - the consistent failure of the O-Line is undermining Mahomes, so he runs through his progessions too quickly and flushes himself out of the pocket too easily. Every game a 'must-win' playoff type  from now on...

[Natsinpwc]

Strange thing about the Cowboys beatin' the Iggles today...the Cowboys actually looked like the better team.  Try as they might, they couldn't manage to lose this game...

Eagles sucked.  They have no chance against your Bears.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I have to admit I would have loved Butker to miss after the receiver went down to set up a field goal. Far from a KC hater, but I like irony

[imref]

Giants finally fire their defensive coordinator.

[varoadking]

Eagles sucked.  They have no chance against your Bears.

Nah...Da Bears are a mirage...would not surprise me if they lost the last 6 games and finished 8-9...

Dallas, on the other hand, is playing some pretty exciting football...be nice if they can hold on and beat the Chefs tonight...

[HalfSmokes]

Nah...Da Bears are a mirage...would not surprise me if they lost the last 6 games and finished 8-9...

Dallas, on the other hand, is playing some pretty exciting football...be nice if they can hold on and beat the Chefs tonight...

The Bears are were the commanders were last year- smoke and mirrors and an easy schedule. They’ll win 1 or 2 more and get into the playoffs

[varoadking]

Dallas, on the other hand, is playing some pretty exciting football...be nice if they can hold on and beat the Chefs tonight...

How 'bout them Cowboys?

[Natsinpwc]

The Bears are were the commanders were last year- smoke and mirrors and an easy schedule. They’ll win 1 or 2 more and get into the playoffs

The Commanders last year beat the supposedly Invinceable Lions last year in the playoffs. Easily. And in Detroit. After beating Tampa in Tampa. That’s pretty good smoke and mirrors. I think the defense just got older and Daniels and McLaurin were hurt.

[Natsinpwc]

How 'bout them Cowboys?

They will lay an unexpected egg somewhere down the line and just miss the playoffs.  And a high draft pick. Perfect season.

[HalfSmokes]

The Commanders last year beat the supposedly Invinceable Lions last year in the playoffs. Easily. And in Detroit. After beating Tampa in Tampa. That’s pretty good smoke and mirrors. I think the defense just got older and Daniels and McLaurin were hurt.

They tuned it on in the playoffs, but they beat a who’s who of terrible quarterbacks to get there

[HalfSmokes]

Nice to see Lamar already in post season form

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Nice to see Lamar already in post season form

This time, he may not make the  post season.

AFC is so weird this year. Bills might be the only one of the 3 big  favorites to make the playoffs. They play the same AFC and NFC divisions as the Pats (AFC North and NFC South), so they have kind of  a soft schedule for a division winner.  They close out at Stlrs, host Bengals, at Pats, at Browns, host Eagles, then hoist Jets. Tough break catching the Bengals with Burrow when the Pats caught them without Chase and Burrow. I think they need to run the table and have the Pats to go no better than 2-3 to win the division. They  have 2 divisional losses, and the Pats are 3-0 so far, so even if the Bills win the next head-to-head, the Bills still need the Pats to either lose to one of the Dolphins or Jets to neutralize the second tie-breaker. More likely would be the Pats dropping a game to the Giants this Monday and losing to the Ravens and Bills.

BTW - Pats have IR'd Will Campbell and will be missing Justin Wilson this Monday, so they have to go will Vederian Lowe and Ben Brown on the left side. Lowe was part of the disaster that was last year's line. Real opportunity for the Giants pass rushers.

[varoadking]

I guess we already knew this, but Philly "fans" are reinforcing the notion that they are the worst fans in sports...any sport...anywhere...

[Natsinpwc]

I guess we already knew this, but Philly "fans" are reinforcing the notion that they are the worst fans in sports...any sport...anywhere...

No.  The OC needs to be gone.  Nick was allowed to pick one of his guys again as OC.  Didn’t work in 2023 and is not working now. They have one of the worst offenses in the league despite talent.  Last year they got Kellen Moore and the offense worked much better. Fans know they are wasting this year.  Need to so something to save the season.

I feel bad for Hurts having a different OC every year of his college and pro career. 

[HalfSmokes]

AJ Brown was right the whole time.

[Count Walewski]

Bears might not be a fraud after all.

[varoadking]

Bears might not be a fraud after all.

Of the 17 teams above .500, they have the second lowest +/- points differential in the NLF with a +6, and were a -3 until yesterday.  Only the Tampa Bay Bucs have a lower spread.

6-1 against teams under .500...3-2 against teams at or over .500.  They've faced a cupcake schedule...but that's about to change with 3 of their last 5 games against the Lions and the Packers twice.

Williams passing accuracy is still their biggest issue, and at 59.2%, only the Browns are worse.  OTOH, the two-headed running game has been a nice surprise, and so has Loveland at TE. 

The biggest bright spot is the Defense has been great with 17 interceptions...the most in the league...and the next closest is the Jaguars at 13.  They've a league leading 24 take-aways...the Stillers and Texans are next with 19.

Next Sunday in Lambeau will go a long way towards telling us what they really are. 

If they make the playoffs, I see them going one and done...

[HalfSmokes]

I could see Ben Johnson getting wins on coaching for a round or two. I like the Rams, but every other NFC team has massive flaws and the Rams have a QB with a broken back

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Of the 17 teams above .500, they have the second lowest +/- points differential in the NLF with a +6, and were a -3 until yesterday.  Only the Tampa Bay Bucs have a lower spread.

6-1 against teams under .500...3-2 against teams at or over .500.  They've faced a cupcake schedule...but that's about to change with 3 of their last 5 games against the Lions and the Packers twice.

Williams passing accuracy is still their biggest issue, and at 59.2%, only the Browns are worse.  OTOH, the two-headed running game has been a nice surprise, and so has Loveland at TE. 

The biggest bright spot is the Defense has been great with 17 interceptions...the most in the league...and the next closest is the Jaguars at 13.  They've a league leading 24 take-aways...the Stillers and Texans are next with 19.

Next Sunday in Lambeau will go a long way towards telling us what they really are. 

If they make the playoffs, I see them going one and done...

A 31 point loss second week of the season is going to do some havoc to your point differential. IDK if the NFL has the equivalent of baseball's pythag formula, but isn't part of the story of the Bears a slow start and Williams over time rounding into a middle tier QB his second year? He's 18th in QBR, as close to Jared Goff (13) and Josh Allen (14) as he is to the guy behind him, Bo Nix. Hard to say he's too subpar to win.

Sure, strength of schedule impacts record, and it's probably no accident that NE, Chicago, and the 49ers are getting help that way, but the banked wins matter in terms of the quality of the WC round opponent.

But your  bottom line, talk to you after they get done with the Packers and Lions, probably is right. 

[varoadking]

A 31 point loss second week of the season is going to do some havoc to your point differential. IDK if the NFL has the equivalent of baseball's pythag formula, but isn't part of the story of the Bears a slow start and Williams over time rounding into a middle tier QB his second year? He's 18th in QBR, as close to Jared Goff (13) and Josh Allen (14) as he is to the guy behind him, Bo Nix. Hard to say he's too subpar to win.

Sure, strength of schedule impacts record, and it's probably no accident that NE, Chicago, and the 49ers are getting help that way, but the banked wins matter in terms of the quality of the WC round opponent.

But your  bottom line, talk to you after they get done with the Packers and Lions, probably is right.

Williams is a middle of the pack QB because he's good with high percentage passes to wide open receivers.  Credit goes to the receivers.  Speed the game up and he's really been pretty bad...

[HalfSmokes]

He’s got a coach who seems to be learning how to work around weaknesses

[Natsinpwc]

Williams is a middle of the pack QB because he's good with high percentage passes to wide open receivers.  Credit goes to the receivers.  Speed the game up and he's really been pretty bad...

Yea. They should have been up like three TDs first half yesterday.

[imref]

On any given Sunday today, and the Bears are the #1 seed.

[imref]

Drake Maye is pretty good.