2018 Wild-Card Discussion Thread

My hopes for the weekend.....

The Falcons win 15-14, when the Rams longsnapper tosses the ball over the punter's head 5 times. I don't want the Vikings to play the Rams, nor do I want the Falcons to begin playing consistently well.

The Chiefs beat the Titans 70-3, with Pat Mahomes starting. I'm tired of all Alex Smith conversations.

I want the Jags to beat the Bills 8-0, with 4 safeties, as the Bills bring back Rob Johnson to start at qb. Just because.

I want the Saints to win 24-21, when they get a winning field goal drive in the closing seconds, aided by a 15 yard unsportsmanlike penalty incurred by the Panthers, when their owner wanders out on the field, and tells the ref that he wants to shave the ref's legs.

Rooting for titans, ranns, jaguats, andnpamters

Titans are in trouble already. Dropping passes, fumbling...

These days I would think a QB would prefer targeting Revis over Marcus Peters.

If Chiefs pull out to a 3-TD lead I'm switching to Netflix.

How many replays of the Derrick Johnson sack of Mariota, and no mention of the helmet to helmet? I thought it was a textbook example.

What a nonsensical call: "forward progress was stopped." Mariota was still dropping back when hit!

It seemed like a textbook fumble and recovery by the Chiefs as well, no idea what was going on that play

And Kelce no more fumbled than Mariota did according to the rules we've just established, wherein getting hit hard and dropping the ball in the process of crumpling to the ground constitutes having one's forward progress stopped.

Chiefs really fortunate botched clock management didn't cost them. Could've called a timeout with like 22 seconds and taken three shots at the end zone, but instead got one play that could've just as easily ended with a tackle at the two and a field goal.

So has Gruden's commentary today made everyone more or less excited about his return to the sidelines?

I was especially impressed by his astute observation about how valuable Charcandrik West is to KC, because he gives Kareem Hunt breathers. Hunt has 272 carries this year and West has 18. Just think about how worn down hunt would be today if he had to handle all 290 of those runs!

Mariota throws TD pass to himself, doubling the fantasy point value! (For nobody, I'm presuming.)

(Ten-17 KC-21)(ATL-21 LAR-28)(BUF-10 JAC-24)(CAR-21 NO-27)

Time for another season of FO slack gameday chat! For people who are already in, just go to https://kotakuites.slack.com/messages/fo/details/. For anyone that wants to join a star-studded cast of their favorite FO posters for gameday chat, we're getting lazy at this point in the season so just follow https://tinyurl.com/ydyqh626 for an invite

O.K. fuck you play-by-play announcer whatever your name is, Kelce was not "wobbly," he was fucking unconscious on his feet! Don't whitewash that out you fucking psychopath

Karma for the head shot on Kelce.

What’s worse. Blowing a 28 point lead on the road to a colts team that could put up the points...or blowing a 18 point lead at home to the TITANS..?

Gruden: "I call it the quadruple option, you can hand it to Hunt, or Smith can keep it!"

Is Gruden always this dumb?

Is this "QB in pocket down by forward progress" a new rule or new interpretation this season?

"In the grasp" I can understand, maybe, but Mariota was still actively attempting Not To Get Sacked.

Of course he was down. It's Kansas City. It's January.

If you look up "choking dog franchise" in the dictionary, they're should be a picture of the Chiefs' logo. I never want to hear again "NOBODY wants to go to Arrowhead in January!" unless they're talking about Chiefs' fans.

Well, that Kelce injury was bad luck for the Chiefs. Not to mention the bizarre Mariota touchdown. Unfortunately this will make one of the games next week much less compelling, since the Titans are still not a good team. I can't see them making things very interesting against either NE or the Steelers, which KC had a shot to do.

Dayum.

How do you lose a game with an 18-point lead at home?

Andy Reid: by giving up the last 19 points of the game.

For all the talk about Mularkey coaching for his job today, shouldn't Reid's seat be pretty warm now?

Oh and Revis should've stayed retired. Dude wasn't even trying on that last drive.

Why does it always break the Patriots’ way with matchups?

So the Falcons face a huge task right off the bat in the playoffs, one I doubt they can surmount. But if they can it would arguably be easier the whole rest of the way. Without Wentz, the Eagles aren't great. The NFC Championship game would be difficult, but DVOA believes any of the Falcons' potential opponents are worse than the Rams (ignoring LA's Week 17 result). Same in the Super Bowl, which would be on a neutral site to boot.

Kareem Hunt has a lot of of production but for whatever reason he never gave me the feeling that you can put a game on him or he would be the difference maker when the game is close.
I think had Spencer Ware not been injured Chiefs would have a lot better results this year. I don’t know why but Chiefs front office made a dump decision to not improve over West even though Ware got injured before the season started. The could have Ajai or some other player. There are probably twenty unemployed runnnjnh backs better than West.

I don’t know if it’s just me but the quality of play of this NFC matchup seems levels beyond the earlier AFC game (besides from pharaoh cooper)

They just showed Snoop Dog. Are the Rams games becoming like the Showtime Lakers with celebrity sightings?

So the No. 2 DVOA special teams unit for the season turns it over twice in the very first quarter. That's nuts.

Alex Mack is awesome. That is all.

"Their best player and it's not even close is Todd Gurley ... and it's not even close." It's that type of commentary why Cris Collinsworth is the best NFL color commentator.

Mahomes 2018?

Leading by 12 with 5:48 left, and you're not going for two? Football coaches are just...

I can't believe the Falcons didn't go for two. Another posted mentioned earlier in the thread about how Andy Reid should have a gameday manager to help him with clock management and the like. Apparently Dan Quinn need that too.

These two-yard passes in the middle of the field with the clock winding down are killing them.

I just can't get over that decision to kick the XP. Still a long way from it mattering, but 5 minutes is plenty of time for two TDs. Any coach should see the advantage of being up 14 rather than 13 there.

Clearly the Rams stars were rusty from sitting out last week. It's probably Fisher's fault somehow. L.A. air pollution?

Dammit Rams. I guess it's down to the Jags, Vikings, and Saints to keep the Pats or Steelers from winning again

I thought the Chiefs were the lock of the weekend and I felt pretty sure that the Rams would at least score a ton of points even if they lost 38-35 or something.

Folks, I’m going with the Jaguars and Saints tomorrow, if anyone wants to make some money betting against what I think...

Surprising result. With no Wentz, are the Falcons actually the favorites next week? I like their chances.

I, personally, will be glad to avoid playing the Rams again until next season's NFC Championship game. Their defense was absolutely scary for the first twenty minutes, but it looked like they wore down some in the second half.

I thought Quinn's decision to call a timeout late in the first half in hopes of getting the ball back was even worse than the decision not to go for 2, especially given the historic skill of the Falcons defense to give up first downs on third and long. Other than that, I thought the defense played well (and took advantage of the ref's tendency to let the DBs harass receivers).

Didn't hurt that the Falcons got the turnover breaks as well, especially since that was the opposite of the season-long trend to give the ball to the defense in the most embarrassing ways possible (buttception, anyone?).

As for next week and the Eagles, their defense absolutely killed us last year in late October, and my concern is that playing them in January will be at least as bad.

I was surprised at how poorly the Rams secondary tackled in the 2nd half. When you don't get guys on the ground in the 2nd half, and you give away two possessions on special teams, deep in your own territory, early in the 1st, you'll likely get beat.

Honestly, I think that the Bills can win this game. The Jags are way over-rated. Great defense, sure, but a low-scoring game plays into the under-dog's chance where fewer lucky breaks can win them the game.

On that first Jags punt - Did the ref stop the play because of a fair catch signal, even though the ball bounced? I don't recall that happening ever. I can't think of another reason to blow the whistle.

Bortles will have to throw the ball up field more than 10yds if Jac wants to win!

It's just going to come down to who wants it less...

This goal-line sequence has featured Romo discussing time-out usage (twice), play selection, and an analysis of WR push-off technique. It feels so weird watching a game and having the color commentator provide actual insight into the game of football instead of "That guy was a MAN! on that play!!" or "The coach is smart for doing the statistically stupid thing that's conventional wisdom!" or "Because of the last play, MOMENTUM! has shifted."

Has anyone ever done an analysis about whether passing with a 1st down inside the 2 is actually a good idea?

Let me put that differently. You are against the #26 rush D, and #1 pass D, first down at the 1.5. Do you run or pass?

The read-option offense with Bortles-Fournette at the end of 1st half was effective. They should stick with that and avoid BB5 to throw at all.

see what happens when he throws behind the Los?

Hahaha Romo has such a great sense of humor. In contrast try imagining what Troy Aikman's laugh sounds like. I bet you can't do it without your brain exploding

how many air yards was the bortles td?

Koyack apparently had only five catches all year. Quite a call to go to him on fourth and goal.

I decided early this week that I'd be rooting for Jax in the AFC, but as soon as I started watching today I've been cheering for Buffalo, and I finally figured out why. Those Jaguars uniforms are the ugliest I think I've ever seen. It starts with the helmets halfway dipped in vomit, but it doesn't end there. How can the players have any confidence or self respect in those pants? Yeeeuugh, that is ug-lee

Nice run by Bortles for the first down, but he should've tried to stay in bounds.

it appears since Romo has been in the booth, more and more color analysis are following his style , at least not many have caught mt attention like the great one, Madden

How was that not a penalty on the Jags defender who jumped on Taylor after Fowler had already tackled him?

If Peterman works hard at improving his game, one day he could be the next Bortles!

I was told weeks ago that if you're going to the ground and the ball touches the ground and moves it's incomplete. Jalen Ramsey went to the ground, the ball touched the ground and moved and it was upheld. /shrug