Thursday Night

Rams @ Saints

Saturday

Bengals @ Steelers

Bills @ Chargers

Sunday Early

Colts @ Falcons

Seahawks @ Titans

Lions @ Vikings

Commanders @ Jets

Packers @ Panthers

Browns @ Texans

Sunday Late

Jaguars @ Bucs

Cardinals @ Bears

Cowboys @ Dolphins

Sunday Night

Patriots @ Broncos

Monday

Raiders @ Chiefs

Giants @ Eagles

Ravens @ 49ers

Wacky scheduling this week because of Christmas! We start with a genuinely important TNF game, pivotal for both team's playoff chances. Rams win and they go to 69% (nice) to make the playoffs, lose and they're down to 9%. Saints win and they're at 71%, lose and they're down to 21%. 

On Saturday the Bengals look to continue their unlikely playoff push on the back of the red hot Jake Browning, but they now have to contend with the loss of their best players on each side of the ball, Jamarr Chase and DJ Reader. 

Early on Sunday the pick of the action is Cleveland vs Houston, two more teams who are surviving the loss of their starting quarterback better than most. The Browns acquisition of Joe Flacco is looking like a masterstroke, the former Super Bowl MVP has consecutive games with 300+ yards and 3 touchdowns. The Texans will hope that homestate hero Case Keenum can do enough for a second straight win while CJ Stroud remains in concussion protocol.

In the afternoon window all eyes will be on the Dallas/Miami game - two supposed championship contending teams who are still looking to prove their doubters wrong. The Cowboys were absolutely trounced by the Bills last week, while the Dolphins are still yet to notch a victory against a good team.

The week ends with the marquee matchup of the season, the respective #1 seeds clashing on MNF. Aaron Schatz has this as the second strongest game in DVOA history, only to a Colts/Patriots clash back in 2007! San Francisco have been obliterating everyone in their path for the past six weeks, registering some all time offensive numbers in the process. But they have not played a team as complete as the Ravens, who boast the defence with the linebackers and safeties potentially capable of keeping the 49ers glut of weapons in check.

I barely made the playoffs in my fantasy football league at work. But then I blew out my first round opponent. I need to decide on a wide receiver. Thought I’d bang my options off some of you:

Drake London (ATL) 12.3 avg vs. Indy
Jerry Jeudy (DEN) 8.4 avg / vs. NE
Jakobi Meyers (VEG) 13.7 avg / vs. KC

Jeudy seems like the better opponent. But his high all season is like 13. Meyers is projected the highest and has the best average. I never know what KC def is going to be though. He has scored over 15 in half of his games. But he also seems to flip flop. Good game then a low scoring. He scored 15 last week. London I’m a little cautious of. Indy defense has been great. He has the best scoring games with one 30+ but also like 5 games with less than 7 points.

I finally dropped Jeudy off my team that’s in the semi finals so I’m against him. Plus it’s supposed to snow there. Idk. I feel like it’s a coin toss with London and Myers.

I'd go for London, his arrow is up slightly with Heinicke starting over Ridder. Should have picked up Demarcus Robinson though!

Enjoyable first half, I think the Rams are the superior outfit but the Saints really handed them a huge advantage with that poor clock management. Stafford hasn't got enough credit for how well he's played this season, he makes a few absolutely incredible throws every week.

This has been the Derek Carr-yist game ever. First half a few drives that cross midfield but end in punts, one deep shot that hits but a bunch that are nowhere near the receivers, then second half starts with a silly interception and then a last chance fourth down where he throws it way short of the sticks.

Rams look good. Kyren Williams was a steal in the fifth round, he has a bit of Arian Foster about him to my eye.

Demeco Ryans= the savior

Dec 22, 2023 12:02:18 GMT Neo Zeed said:

Demeco Ryans= the savior

DeMeco Ryans drafted by the Texans, understands what it means to be a Texan honestly. Slam dunk hire after a couple of misses, you guys deserve it. On track to be the best coach in Texans franchise history.

Drafted with the 1st pick in the 2nd round of that 2006 draft so we took Mario Williams/Demeco Ryans 1-2 that year. Had a great rookie season that I honestly don’t remember much of. Had pro bowl seasons in 07 and 09, then was out for 10 games in 2010 probably was the missing piece for that Texans season that really should have been the year we broke into the playoffs(had one of the best offenses in the NFL). He played all 16 games that 2011 season but his numbers all were way down, he went to Philly the next year so that 2012 Texans team as good as they were(they were 11-1 at one point that year) imagine if they would have been able to hang onto Demeco and Mario Williams(he was gone to Buffalo that year) those top 2 picks from that 06 draft(also Cushing was out for a stretch that year too).

It makes me very happy that this is our head coach that the connection to Andre and Watt is there that he was here for the first division title/playoff win in 2011, played for Wade Phillips. I think he’s already eclipsed any single season head coaching performance here with this years Texans with all the injuries and the iconic win last week.

Keenum also I had to check out his stats to remember he came in as a rookie in 2013, came in for Schaub when we were 2-4 and he lost all 8 starts. But had 2 big games that year 300 yard 3 td games. When they put Schaub back in at the end of the year and benched him started all the problems with Andre and Kubiak.

O’Brien kept him around in 2014 but went with Fitzpatrick until the last 2 games, remember we were trying to get in the playoffs then too and Keenum won both games to get us to 9-7 we lost the spot on tiebreakers though(O’Brien ditched him in 2015 for Mallet and Hoyer, then Brock Osweiler). A lot of full circle shit going on here I love it.

I’m glad they are sitting Stroud. I watched a 1993 game recently where John Madden called out the NFL concussion culture 30 years ago, saying that when a boxer gets knocked out he can’t fight for another month meanwhile in the NFL guys were rushed back 5 minutes later.

Another interesting element to last weeks win, Keenum is a Houston Cougar in college, the same school that wore the Oilers colors for a game earlier this year and got a cease and desist from the Titans/NFL for wearing them, even though I could name 100 college teams that wear colors identical to NFL teams(the deal breaker apparently was that they had the words Houston on the jerseys).

syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/10095385-nfl-sends-houston-cougars-cease-and-desist-letter-over-oilers-themed-cfb-uniforms.amp.html

Couldn’t have scripted it any better(unless you know, Keenum actually played better), poetic justice 🖕🖕

Can I just say. I fucking love that you’re still going in on the Titans a week later.

The Lions are in position to host their first playoff home game since 1993. Their opponent as of right now?

Matthew Stafford and the Rams.


PLEASE MAKE THIS A PART OF THE SCRIPT, NFL!

Dec 22, 2023 18:26:03 GMT Neo Zeed said:

I’m glad they are sitting Stroud. I watched a 1993 game recently where John Madden called out the NFL concussion culture 30 years ago, saying that when a boxer gets knocked out he can’t fight for another month meanwhile in the NFL guys were rushed back 5 minutes later.

One of the things I remember from John Maddens book was that he thought boxing was the toughest sport, as you had one match and couldn’t box again for awhile.

Dec 23, 2023 5:30:53 GMT mikec said:

Dec 22, 2023 18:26:03 GMT Neo Zeed said:

I’m glad they are sitting Stroud. I watched a 1993 game recently where John Madden called out the NFL concussion culture 30 years ago, saying that when a boxer gets knocked out he can’t fight for another month meanwhile in the NFL guys were rushed back 5 minutes later.

One of the things I remember from John Maddens book was that he thought boxing was the toughest sport, as you had one match and couldn’t box again for awhile.

There's an NFL Films vault podcast with a 1986 interview with Madden I listened to a while back where he said something incredibly spot on about the psychology of a combat sport. He talked about how there is just a certain something, an edge that has to be turned on at game time that there's no real way to practice turning that on in practice or training, you just have to be able to channel it and flip that switch when it's time to go, sometimes you can't and it's just not there, the closer you get to game time the more anxiety comes with whether or not you're able to find it and turn it on even if you've done everything you can technically to get ready and be prepared. I don't know, he put it a certain way in the interview that was just really spot on and very true for the MMA fights I did way back, there is no way to practice or get ready to flip that switch and get that edge that you need when the lights and cameras are on and the crowd is there. 

Dec 22, 2023 22:24:13 GMT Todd said:

Can I just say. I fucking love that you’re still going in on the Titans a week later.

For years to come my bubba, that win meant the world to me.

Dec 23, 2023 7:19:56 GMT Neo Zeed said:

Dec 22, 2023 22:24:13 GMT Todd said:

Can I just say. I fucking love that you’re still going in on the Titans a week later.

For years to come my bubba, that win meant the world to me.

 Can't really even put into words how much the win meant to me, I can't explain why. I was an Oilers fan first and you would have to have grown up there in Houston back then at that time how the Oilers and those colors were embedded into the city itself that I grew up around. To remember the feeling of being a kid and opening those gifts that Christmas and getting that helmet and those Moon jerseys the absolute glee of it, you see retro video game videos on Youtube of the kids opening Nintendo 64s and Gameboys that was my Christmas memory except it was Houston Oilers helmet and a Moon jersey(also came with the white pants).

Went back home just in time to catch the launch of the Texans and I been loyal to the point of living in a Texans bubble as far as NFL goes I got a fuck the world attitude about being a Texans fan, I could really give a shit less about the rest of the league(watched little to none of the last few Super Bowls). I can barely pay attention to the TV when other teams are on.

And was seriously a big hater of the whole way the Oilers were handled with everything with them moving to Tennessee how it was all treated. It was all dark, dirty, corrupt, petty sell out your soul shit. To beat them wearing those uniforms was the biggest deal to me, the only game that mattered. 

Rudolph, the Red Nosed Steeler is starting off hot tonight.

And what a night for Pickens. He’s close to 200 yards receiving.

Thank you Steelers for having your best game of the season when we needed you to beat Cincinnati for us.

Game wasn’t as close as the score suggests, Mason had a good day, but also missed a couple wide open TD’s.

God bless us, everyone.

This is biggest event on peacock in sofi since Wrestlemania

Dec 24, 2023 1:00:36 GMT DanTheMan said:

This is biggest event on peacock in sofi since Wrestlemania

Such a terrible move to put this behind a paywall on Peacock honestly. 

ESPN did this last year with a London game, it's like people pay for Cable or TV services and they still can't watch these games? 

Dec 24, 2023 1:29:25 GMT Blindy said:

Dec 24, 2023 1:00:36 GMT DanTheMan said:

This is biggest event on peacock in sofi since Wrestlemania

Such a terrible move to put this behind a paywall on Peacock honestly. 

ESPN did this last year with a London game, it's like people pay for Cable or TV services and they still can't watch these games? 

That’s why I got a hacked firestick.

Has there ever been a football game played for in Los Angeles were the majority of the fans root for the home team.

That’s a pretty weak call. Chargers player leaned into his head. The fuck is Johnson supposed to do?

Josh Allen makes me sick.

Cook has been so good and he drops the ball now. Fuck that blows.

As a Colts fan.. these 28 seconds are going to be brutal.

Thank you Jesus

Please win today DanTheMan, give me something to be happy about. You guys are starting Sam Howell which sucks but the Jets are forced to use Siemian which makes me think we got a shot to lose today.

No Brian Robinson, just nervous about this one today.

UT you want Jets nation to get an OT for your former franchise QB and the Packers to get a high 2nd or you want a Jets dub today vs WSH?