Football season is here!!!

[KarateKen]

19 hours ago, bushido_man96 said:

It's easy to be pessimistic a day or so after a big loss.  I don't imagine they will back slide as much as you think.

Well maybe.  As a Lions fan for over 30 years, I have been trained to deal with losing and conditioned to prepare for the worst.  In 2008 the Lions went 0-16, the first team in NFL history go winless in a 16 game regular season, and though I hated it at the time I decided to embrace the failure and root for it to never happen again, kind of like a reverse 72 Dolphins, but then in 2017 the Browns also went 0-16, so we don't even have that to ourselves anymore.  I don't know which was worse, going 0-16 or not being able to keep it among Lions fans. Stupid Cleveland! 

Lions DC Aaron Glenn has been hired as the new HC of the New York Jets.  Good luck, Aaron, you are going to need a lot of it with that franchise. 

[KarateKen]

Latest TV ratings show a decline for the NFL, both in the regular season and so far in the postseason, down about four million viewers from last year's playoffs.  The reasons are often cited are too many penalties, bad officiating, too many commercials, and more and more fans believing that the games are rigged. 

[sensei8]

Raiders have a new Head Coach in Pete Carroll. Carroll signed a 3-year contract with a 4-year option. Carroll was the Head Coach for the Seahawks for 13 years. Raiders also have a new GM in John Spytek. Spytek was the assistant GM with the Buccaneers. Rumors of Russell Wilson might be a Raiders QB since Carroll and Wilson have mended the fence between them. We'll see what we'll see when we see it next season.

Edited January 24 by sensei8

[KarateKen]

With how well Josh Allen has played this year it is tough for me to pick against the Bills, even though KC is at home and has an outstanding track record in the playoffs, I am taking Buffalo.  It's my opinion that the Bills are due, they have been knocking on the door the last few years and not made it.  Not only has Allen had an MVP type season, but the Bills have also been outstanding at winning the turnover battle, not losing the turnover battle in a single game all year.  We know that many of these playoff games are decided by turnovers.  Current betting line is favoring KC by one to two points depending on where you bet, I think everyone expects a close game.  KC has won several games this year because the other team shot themselves in the foot, the Bills don't beat themselves and if you look at the play instead of the record, I'd argue the Bills have been the better team this year, including beating KC in the regular season, though that game was in Buffalo.   Buffalo has never won a Super Bowl, and they have not played in once since they made the four in a row back in the 90s, so over 30 years without an appearance.  I picked the Bills to win the AFC when the playoffs started, and I am not going to change now.  Buffalo goes in KC and gets it done. 

 

[sensei8]

Solid points Ken!! Here’s my 2-cents.

The Bills ended the Chiefs perfect season in November. Nonetheless, in the playoffs against the Bills, the Chiefs chocked up a 3-0 record.

Chiefs are a 3-point favorite and at home. With being only a 3-point favorite, the Chiefs need to be hitting in all cylinders. If not, the Bills will return to the SB for the first time in more than 30 years.

My pick is Chiefs over the Bills.

[sensei8]

My Dallas Cowboys have moved their Offensive Coordinator, Brian Schottenheimer, from the booth to the field as the new Head Coach of the Cowboys.

This is why Jones needs to only be the owner and not the GM as well. The Cowboys Head Coach, imho, is just a figure head because Jones controls the players, Head Coach, the plays, and everything else.

No mater where Schottenheimer has been, the offense ends up in the bottom half of the league. No idea who’ll replace him in the booth but both the Head Coach and the Offensive Coordinator bounced ideas to one another during the game via their headsets. 

This hire won’t strengthen the Cowboys; the Cowboys will unfortunately remain in the bottom.

GO COWBOYS!!

[KarateKen]

1 hour ago, sensei8 said:

Solid points Ken!! Here’s my 2-cents.

The Bills ended the Chiefs perfect season in November. Nonetheless, in the playoffs against the Bills, the Chiefs chocked up a 3-0 record.

Chiefs are a 3-point favorite and at home. With being only a 3-point favorite, the Chiefs need to be hitting in all cylinders. If not, the Bills will return to the SB for the first time in more than 30 years.

My pick is Chiefs over the Bills.

Yep, I predict it comes down to the final minute.  I should add this, a lot of the outcome will likely be determined by how well the Bills defend Travis Kelce.  They held him to only two catches for eight yards in the November game, but can they do it again?  

Even though I picked the Bills, I would be more surprised if they won than of the Chiefs did, because of KC's track record in the playoffs.  KC has been to the AFCCG every season that Mahomes has been the starter, seven years in a row.  In that time, two losses to Tom Brady, and one loss to the Bengals, otherwise a spotless postseason record for KC under Mahomes. 

The last time a team was this close to a three peat in the NFL was your Cowboys, @sensei8, who in 1994 had won back-to-back Super Bowls, and then went to San Francisco for the NFCCG, coming up short against the 49ers who went on to win it all.  Dallas did return to the Super Bowl the following season and beat the Steelers, making them the first team to win three Super Bowl's in four years, 1992, 1993, and 1995.  The only other team to do it was the Patriots in 2001, 2003, 2004.

The 49ers also came close in the 80s, winning back-to-back then losing at home in the NFCCG to the New York Giants.  No team has ever won two consecutive Super Bowls, then made it to the Super Bowl in that third year, so if KC wins that will make NFL history. 

The most recent team to go back-to-back before KC was the Patriots who won in 2003 and 2004, then lost to Denver in the divisional round. 

Edited January 25 by KarateKen
few more

[KarateKen]

On 1/24/2025 at 8:48 AM, sensei8 said:

Raiders have a new Head Coach in Pete Carroll. Carroll signed a 3-year contract with a 4-year option. Carroll was the Head Coach for the Seahawks for 13 years. Raiders also have a new GM in John Spytek. Spytek was the assistant GM with the Buccaneers. Rumors of Russell Wilson might be a Raiders QB since Carroll and Wilson have mended the fence between them. We'll see what we'll see when we see it next season.

Not a bad choice for the Raiders, it is rare to see a head coach get a third chance in the NFL, but Carroll has gotten it.  The players will like him, but they still need to improve the roster, starting with the QB.  

For the NFC Game I am picking the Eagles.  They could be the most well-rounded team in the league this year and can beat you in many ways.  They have the QB, the offensive weapons, the offensive line, and the defense to win.  My SB 59 pick is Eagles vs Bills.  We will know in about 24 hours. 

[KarateKen]

The Eagles blowout the Commanders 55-23 and Philadelphia wins the NFC for the second time in three seasons.  They will either get a chance to revenge their loss to KC from two years ago or face another northeastern team in the Buffalo Bills.  We will know in about three and a half hours! 

[KarateKen]

Chiefs hold on to beat the Bills 32-29, the Chiefs and Eagles will meet in the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons.  This is five times in six years the Chiefs have won the AFC.  Will the Eagles get payback, or do the Chiefs win three in a row?  We have to wait two weeks to find out.  Super Bowl 59 is set.