Football season is here!!!

[bushido_man96]

Patriots' offense looked good in the first half putting up 21 points and held on to beat the Steelers 21-18. Bill Belichick collects win number 301. The Patriots had scored a total of 13 points in the three previous games combined.

This is a tough loss for Pittsburgh who is trying to make the playoffs, if they do not make it, I think they look back and this Patriots game as a big missed opportunity.

It seems like with a lot of teams so far, we are still trying to figure out who they are. The Bills are not the 7-6 team their record shows; that team could explode and make a deep playoff run. Miami loses another tight one tonight. The previous Super Bowl reps lose big games this weekend that put their playoff seeding in jeopardy. Cowboys are surging ahead with that win.

And still a month to play.

[KarateKen]

Patriots' offense looked good in the first half putting up 21 points and held on to beat the Steelers 21-18. Bill Belichick collects win number 301. The Patriots had scored a total of 13 points in the three previous games combined.

This is a tough loss for Pittsburgh who is trying to make the playoffs, if they do not make it, I think they look back and this Patriots game as a big missed opportunity.

It seems like with a lot of teams so far, we are still trying to figure out who they are. The Bills are not the 7-6 team their record shows; that team could explode and make a deep playoff run. Miami loses another tight one tonight. The previous Super Bowl reps lose big games this weekend that put their playoff seeding in jeopardy. Cowboys are surging ahead with that win.

And still a month to play.

Sounds right. After the past two weeks I don't think there is a clear favorite in either conference. Things might be as wide open this year as they have in a long time.

[sensei8]

How about them Cowboys?!?!

I must admit that I had already wrote off the Cowboys winning over the Eagles but was I ever wrong...bad Cowboy fan bad!! I'm so glad that the Cowboys proved me dead wrong.

With this latest win over the Eagles of a final score of 33-13, the Cowboys have won 5 straight games, and so has the 49ers in the NFC West.

Next for the Cowboys are the 7-6 Bills at the Highmark Stadium who are for the moment a 1.5 favorite over the Cowboys especially their stunning win over the Chiefs 20-17.

Yes, it was a real tough loss. However, what's up with Mahomes outburst by screaming at the referees and slamming his helmet, which to me is really uncharacteristic of Mahomes. He's usually quite levelheaded and cool. I believe that the Chiefs will win against the Patriots.

Back to the Bills vs Cowboys this week. The 1.5-point favorite tickles me because the Bills have lost 3 of their past 5 games, while the Cowboys, again, have won 5 straight games. Sure, the game is in Buffalo, and that does matter, and the Cowboys haven't a stellar on-the-road record this season at 3-3.

The Bills have had a 5-1 games at home, with I am quite aware of. Seems to me that the Bills only show up whenever they're playing at home. The Bills defense has been especially good this season. Cowboys have been racking up the points.

Predictions I've seen are Bills 27 and Cowboys 24. My prediction...Bills 24 and Cowboys 27.

GO COWBOYS!!

Edited December 19, 2023 by sensei8

[KarateKen]

LA Chargers head coach Brandon Staley has been fired after the embarrassing game on Thursday against the Raiders. Chargers were behind 42-0 at halftime and lost 63-21.

[sensei8]

Yeah...that firing was for cause. A very brutal game for the Charger but a fun time for the Raiders who couldn't get on the scoreboard the week before against the Vikings.

Every firing in the NFL, I shake my head as I remember what Jerry Glanville quipped on the sideline to an official once...NOT FOR LONG!!

[KarateKen]

Yeah...that firing was for cause. A very brutal game for the Charger but a fun time for the Raiders who couldn't get on the scoreboard the week before against the Vikings.

Every firing in the NFL, I shake my head as I remember what Jerry Glanville quipped on the sideline to an official once...NOT FOR LONG!!

Yep, about 16 head coaches get fired every two years, so half the people who were head coach of a team when this season started will be fired by the end of next year. It seems the firings are happening earlier and earlier, teams used to wait until the season was over but we have already seen several coaches fired this year. Three that I can think of off the top of my head. Raiders, Panthers, and now Chargers.

[sensei8]

Boy of boy of boy oh boy...

The Bills ran over the Cowboys quite handily...31-10. Everything that I feared concerning that game came true. The Cowboys struggle on the road, which they're now 3-4. The Cowboys aren't a cold weather team, it was windy and rainy.

Before that game, the Cowboys were one of the Division Leaders, with the Eagles in the Wild-Card. Then the Bills bashed the Cowboys...then the Seahawks shocked the Eagles 20-17. Now, the Eagles are one of the Division Leaders, and the Cowboys are in the Wild-Card. The Cowboys stats across the board are much better than the Eagles however, they're a Division Leader.

Here are the current NFL division leaders as of December 19, 2023:

AFC East: Miami Dolphins

AFC North: Baltimore Ravens

AFC South: Jacksonville Jaguars

AFC West: Kansas City Chiefs

NFC East: Philadelphia Eagles

NFC North: Detroit Lions

NFC South: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Only the 49ers have clinched their division, the NFC West.

Nothing went right and everything went wrong for the Cowboys. The Bills outclassed the Cowboys in every way on the gridiron. Having won 5 straight games, I suppose that the inevitable loss was bound to happen, but the happening was ugly.

What unnerves me is that history has an unpleasant way of repeating itself when it comes to the Cowboys last 3 games of the regular season when the tires start to fall off the buggy. Next for the Cowboys are the Dolphins away, the Lions at home, and the Commanders away.

The Dolphins are 10-4 on top of the AFC East. The Lions are 10-4 on top of the NFC North. The Commanders are 4-10 at the bottom of the NFC East. Out of all of these, the Commanders worry me because they've nothing to lose and can be the spoiler for the Cowboys. Both the Dolphins and the Lions won their last game while the poor Commanders dropped their 5 straight game.

In closing, I hope that the last 3 games of the regular season don't reach up and bite the Cowboys right in their backside and give the Cowboys a much bigger headache by ending 10-7.

Got my fingers crossed that the Cowboys shake off the last 3 regular season games wild willy by coming out on top and that the Eagles get their wings clipped on their last 3 games.

How's your team doing??

GO COWBOYS!!

[KarateKen]

I'm a Lions fan. They are having their best season in decades (they have not had a record this good this late since 1991) but I still find they are too inconsistent. I like coach Cambell's aggressive approach but sometimes it gets too aggressive, like the fake punt against the Packers on Thanksgiving. It's great when it works but it is a mess when it doesn't.

I do think they hang on and win the division. If they do it will be the first time since 1993. Thirty years without a division title has to be the longest current streak in the NFL, though I have not done the research. This is a franchise that has one total playoff win in the entire Super Bowl era (1991 season) and has not won a road playoff game since they won the NFL Championship in 1957! The worm has turned for the Lions but they might be one more year away from making a deep playoff run.

[bushido_man96]

Happy for you, Ken. The Lions have really gotten on track these last few years, and I think they do win that division this year. Maybe they can make some noise in the playoffs, too. It's always fun to see who jumps up and surprises everyone.

The Chiefs are poised to win their 8th straight division title, if they can just keep it together for the next 3 weeks. Pacheco should be back for week 16.

As an aside, me and the boys are going to the Christmas Day game against the Raiders in Arrowhead as a our Christmas presents this year. Really looking forward to it. It'll be the first regular season game I've ever been to.

[KarateKen]

Well the Lions got screwed by the refs against the Cowboys, but I am not bitter! After decades of dissapo......eh.......I have almost grown numb to it. It is to be expected. That ending was a bunch of.........

Alright. Final weekend of the regular season is here, let's see how the games go, we know Baltimore and San Fran have the top seed, the rest is being sorted out this weekend.