I don't know about anyone else, but for me today's game against the Broncos was almost like a flashback to the disastrous Super Bowl against Tampa Bay fourteen years ago that practically turned the team into one of the NFL's biggest jokes for the better part of five to ten years.

that game was still not as much of a train wreck as the Denver vs Seattle superbowl a few years ago. I remember feeling kind of bad for my friends who requested that day off or to work a half day for that game.

That was indeed a horrendous game for the Broncos and the team's fans, but at least the Broncos quickly rebounded and won a Super Bowl two years later. As the Raiders are concerned, however, they just started becoming a real contender again all of a month or two ago for the first time since 2002, appeared to be poised for at least an AFC Championship run and now look like a team that will be lucky to get past the first round.

Yeah Oakland's truly jiggered. The Texans aren't much, so that wild card game will probably be a close one - both teams can rush, but now neither can pass.

I don't feel like any big-ass surprises will happen, which is in itself a surprise. Often there are a couple high-ranked teams that are paper tigers. Whether that's rolling over a crappy division or whatever. Not this year. I'm picking a Patriots-Falcons Super Bowl, because Dallas' near-total lack of a passing defence will bite em in the ass against Atlanta in the final.

It's kind of funny/sad that the Browns playing their asses off and RGIII having a good game were only sort of a match for the Steelers minus Ben, Brown, and Bell. And they still lost. In other words, the Browns need at least a couple of amazing, league-leading talents to become real contenders. They've got the best draft position in the league, but that hasn't really helped them out much in the past...

I can see Jimmy G going to the Jags or Chargers next season.

I'm willing to bet he won't go to the Jags if they get themselves a QB whisperer for a head coach. Chargers, if Rivers won't move to LA with the team. More likely though, I think he'll go to one of the many teams linked to Romo. Maybe Arizona or Denver.
Championship games will absolutely be Pats-Chiefs and either Cowboys-Falcons or Cowboys-Packers. The cheese heads are currently on fire and they're always contenders with Aaron Rodgers under center.

The Jags should stick with Bortles. I don't think his 4,400+ yards and 35 touchdowns last year was a fluke. The team as a whole just couldn't get anything going this year. One thing they really need is a stronger running game. They haven't had a decent running back since Maurice Jones-Drew.

You realize the Steelers absolutely destroyed the Chiefs back in week 4, right? 43 to 14.

Right, in Week 4. Alex Smith is no longer the game manager we once saw, Tyreek Hill is a top 5 special teams player in the league, they'll have damn near their full line backing corps at full strength (who absolutely fucked the Raiders up), and their secondary has been playing great lately. In my eyes, their only weakness is a soft run defense. Besides, I'm calling that Pittsburgh will be down a star player. Ndamukong Suh is a real headhunting piece of shit; he's like a much larger Vontaze Burfict.
And agreed, ObservationSlave. Better O-line and better coach for Bortles, and they're probably a Wild Card team. I love seeing that a lot of historically shitty teams are close to being good for the first time in what feels like forever.

Josh Gordon would have helped them immensely the past two seasons. That ship has probably sailed by now, though.

Yeah, against the team with arguably the best RB in the league. They better pray that Bell gets injured.

In other news, the Bungles are at it again. Adam "Pacman" Jones got arrested for felony assault - including headbutting a police officer.

http://dailysnark.com/pacman-jones-arre ... -officers/

That team is a complete fucking mess with no discipline at all. Vontaze Burfict is just a symptom of a bad team culture, not the cause. They should've fired Marvin Lewis after last season, but no. He's been their head coach since 2003 and has yet to record a single playoff win.

Talk about raining on a parade! http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/n ... /96225958/
Washington kills Columbus' winning streak at 16 games, one short of the NHL record I think everyone was rooting for the Jackets. Seeing epic records fall is one of the greatest things about sports.

Oh god, Raiders no. That was incredibly painful to watch.

I don't even care about the Raiders and I felt bad for them. The worst part is, the Texans are just going to get utterly destroyed by New England anyway. Brock Osweiler is going to look like a preschooler next to Tom Brady.

Well, the Steelers smashed the Dolphins and the Packers smashed the Giants. I have to say, I was rooting for the Giants, but I didn't have high hopes for them. Aaron Rodgers is too hot right now and the Cowboys have their work cut out for them. Adding in yesterday's games, none of the four wildcard matchups ended up being close at all.

I was rooting for the packers because the giants seem to have Dak's number. After watching this game tho I wish both had lost somehow.

Anyone else watching the college football national championship tonight? I despise Alabama more than I despise any other dynasty team in any sport since I live in an area with tons of Bama fans. I have no love for Clemson, but I'm rooting for them hard tonight. I'm a bit optimistic for their chances based off the first few minutes.

ROLLLLLL TAAAAAAAAHD

Belial's beard, that was one of the most insane football games of all time.

I don't really follow/care about college ball, but I was glad to see someone else win for a change.

Nick Saban is the truth, don't hate.

But yeah, I understand why dynasties can be boring.

Dynasties boring? Depends how you look at it. I like how it galvanizes everyone else to want to be the team who overthrows them. Also I am very much hoping that the Ottawa Redblacks become a dynasty, seeing how this city hasn't had a pro sports dynasty since the late 60s - early 70s Rough Riders. Or if you're a real stickler for defining dynasty, not since the Senators' 7 Stanley Cups between 1903-11.

I mean, let me be 100% clear, if the Steelers became a dynasty (like in the 70s) I would find it anything but boring, but dynasties hardly ever happen in NFL. I just don't like it when one team dominates as a general thing, feels unfair I guess. I always like seeing the underdog win.

Yeah everybody likes seeing the underdog win as long as your team isn't favored. The Blackhawks are arguably currently still a dynasty in the NHL or their time just finished, and it's been a blast for me because I'm a Chicago fan. It also helps that, apart from the flash of greatness in the 90s that never amounted to a championship, they had been so bad for so long, so it was a feel-good story for an Original Six team to finally make it to the top again after decades of irrelevance. Even moreso, it helps that apart from Kane, the Blackhawks are a bunch of likable guys (I'm gonna pretend Carcillo never donned the sweater), whereas it's really easy to hate the Patriots. Belichick, Gronk, and Brady are all punchable dudes. Add in spygate, the retarded ball deflation thing, Hernandez's murder trial, etc. and there are just all kinds of reasons for them to be seen as villains.

Yeah, god, I am hoping and praying the Patriots don't win another Superbowl this year. Someone has got to be able to knock them out - all I know is it certainly won't be the Texans.

Yeah I've said it in this thread a few times but I need to reiterate one more time: If the Super Bowl ever comes down to New England vs Dallas, I'm not watching for the first time since 1996.

That's actually how I felt a couple of years ago when it was Seattle and New England. Dallas I don't have strong feelings about one way or another, but I know a lot of people hate them.

Failsafeman, yeah I love an underdog too. But underdoggishness is so much more epic when there is a dynasty to overthrow. I mean, when the upstart Sens knocked off New Jersey in '98, that was great, but it wasn't equally great as whoever stopped the Canadiens' 5-Cup run. That whole "without the darkness we couldn't recognize the light" thing, ya know.

Fuck you guys, dynasties rule.





















...heh

As a Redskins fan growing up in the DMV area I have nothing but disdain for the Cowboys organization. I wish the players to have good, long, and healthy careers and that, but I will be rooting for anyone but them. Them and the Steelers cannot win the Superbowl.

Also Dynasties are only boring when it isn't your team lol Let's be honest. Also there is nothing unfair about it. They're better at winning. Plain and simple. That organization from top to bottom is the most well run for success. It's a get on their level sort of thing. That's how I always see it anyways. I know nothing is black and white and so much as to do with timing and minuet things going perfectly, but still.

I don't really hate the Cowboys, per se, just Tony Romo. He just has such a slappable face, he annoys me. I'll be pulling for any of the NFC teams if they have to play the Patriots, but I'll go extra hard for the cowboys if Romo is sitting on the bench.
Eli Manning also has a slappable face.

Gonna be a good weekend to be a Steelers fan, I reckon. My Patriots barely squeezed out that W against Houston. That unsportsmanlike penalty early in that game really seemed to take the wind out of their sails, pressure on Brady was effective, and dangerous turnovers weren't incredibly costly but they came close. That could've been a fluke game, who knows, but the Steelers will have had some great tape to study before game time on Sunday. Earlier in the season when the Pats beat the Steelers, they were without Big Ben, and they kept that game close until around the midpoint of the 3rd quarter. The Steelers seem to have all of their weapons healthy, and I think they will be able to make one or two more big, clutch plays than the Pats will. Predicting a 34-27 Steelers victory. I hope the Pats can somehow pull it off but if they do I think they lose the Super Bowl. A Steelers/Packer rematch would be highly entertaining, I think.

I like how everyone keeps saying New England barely won when they had the highest point differential of any team last weekend. The Steelers couldn't score a single touchdown against the Chiefs defense. How will they fare against the top scoring defense in the league? Aside from Brown, Pittsburgh's receiving core is very weak, and Belichick is known for taking a team's best player and forcing the less experienced players to step up. I'm not counting the Steelers out, but I think the Pats are better in all three phases of the game and will have to beat themselves to lose this one. If I were to predict a score, I guess somewhere around 34-24 Pats.

The other game should be a ton of fun. The Falcons have certainly been the better team on a consistent basis, but it's gonna be hard to stop the current run the Packers are on.

I think you're underestimating the Steelers' receiving corps. Sure, we'll double Brown all game, but Ben is a mobile quarterback that can extend plays, which puts a lot of the Pats zone coverages at risk of collapsing and letting the likes of Brown, Bryant, Coates, and Rogers to find space and get open. Not to mention LeVeon Bell coming out of the backfield and making tacklers miss. Sure, I think the Pats have the tools to win the game, I just think the Steelers are going to be able to make one or two more big plays when it counts. If the Pats can't get a running game or screen game going (either with Blount or Lewis/White), I think it's the Steelers' game to lose, barring some special teams miracles. Don't get me wrong though, I want the Pats to win, but that last game against Houston really killed my hopes.

The Packers/Falcons game should definitely be fun to watch. I think that one is gonna end up being a shootout, and as far as pure entertainment is concerned, I hope it ends with Rodgers connecting on a last second hail mary to win it. On the flip side, I live in Saints country, so seeing the Falcons go the big dance and the following taste of Who Dat tears would be delicious.

You can leave.

I have nothing against the football team, as they're the only other team where I've watched all their games since around 03-04. I've got a handful of close friends who are die-hard Saints fans and we like to shit-talk each other.

My best friend is from New Hampshire and he (and his family) is a die hard Pats fan, but he's lived down here since he was 6. We love the fact that both our teams are like exiled dark horses in the NFL. The bounty/deflate-gate scandals, both our coaches worked under Bill Parcells, we do joint-practices in the off season. It's pretty rad. We are going to be meeting each other next season in the Superdome as well, I'm going to try to score tickets to that.

I think I've mentioned to you before, but I'm a similar transplant situation as my family and I are from Taunton, MA. And yes! I was gonna mention I saw the Saints and Pats meet up for a tilt in the Superdome next year! Should be awesome, I think last time the Saints and Pats met was the year the Saints won the Super Bowl, and y'all put a whoopin' on us.