2018 Conference Championship Recap

What a horrible weekend of football. Both games were awful. I went 0-2 straight up and 1-1 ATS. That brings me to a total of 3-7 straight up and 5-4-1 ATS. That’s horrible! Check out my recaps below.

New England Patriots (13-3) defeat Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6), 24-20

No matter the lead, it simply never seemed like the Jaguars were going to actually win this one. Jacksonville looked great in the first half. After allowing a first possession field goal, they were able to lock down Brady and the running game, limiting the movement of the New England offense. Meanwhile, Bortles was playing surprisingly great, and the run game was effective, as expected. The great play got the Jaguars out to an early 14-3 lead. For a moment, the Patriots looked a bit stunned. However, after gathering themselves, they were able to score a crucial touchdown just before the end of the half. In the second half, there was more of the same, as Jacksonville was able to extend their lead to 10 points. However, New England continued to stay in the game, thanks mostly to a stifling defense that allowed for many second half possessions for the New England offense. Brady found Amendola twice in the 4th quarter for touchdowns, the second of which came with less than 3 minutes remaining. It ended up being the winning score, as the Jacksonville offense was unable to respond.

I’ll just say it. There were some questionable calls and non-calls in this one. As many have already noted, the Patriots were only penalized once for 10 yards throughout the entire, which is quite the anomaly. In comparison, Jacksonville was flagged 6 times for 98 penalty yards. Of course, playoff games typically see fewer penalties called, and the home team is often the beneficiary of some ref bias. So, maybe this was not much of an anomaly. But still, the most important play of the first Patriot touchdown drive was a very soft pass interference call against Bouye, bailing Brady out of a bad throw. Additionally, a very quick whistle on Myles Jack’s fumble recovery in the fourth quarter prevented a potential fumble return touchdown. Granted, that was more of a bad luck call, but the quick whistle was a huge mistake by the refs. If Jack scores there, the Jaguars would have had a commanding 17 point 4th quarter lead, which would have almost certainly led to a victory. Finally, two apparent pass interferences on Marcedes Lewis were not called on critical 4th quarter third down plays. It’s easy for refs to not want to disrupt the game during critical plays of a playoff game, but a few of these calls seemed uncharacteristically bad.

That being said, the Jaguars should never have allowed the Patriots to be in a position where bad officiating could cost them the game. Excluding their final possession (when they no longer had the lead) Jacksonville’s final 4 possessions all started with the same ineffective running back draw to Fournette, followed by a throw in a tough 2nd and long situation (these three passes resulted in 1 completion). Jacksonville’s final three drives before their final possession each lasted 1:34, 2:23, 0:55. If the Jaguars had been able to run the ball or complete a fewer more passes with more creative and effective play call, they probably would have been able to get a couple more first downs. This would have allowed them to run down more of the clock, or maybe even score a few more points. Instead, the Jaguars ran predictable first down draws, which led to tough passing downs for Bortles. This forced incompletions, causing the clock to stop. All of this was critical to New England’s success, as the Patriots still had some difficulty moving the ball in the 4th quarter. Fortunately for the New England, the feeble Jaguar offense allowed them to have many opportunities to score. New England took advantage, and for that reason, they are once again heading back to the Super Bowl.

Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) defeat Minnesota Vikings (13-3), 38-7

This game was obviously horrible for the neutral observer. Minnesota got off to an early lead, scoring the first touchdown of the game on their very first possession. Vikings fans must have felt very confident after that, as their mediocre offense looked perfect on their first possession. Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there, as the Eagles dominated the Vikings in all facets of the game after that. Still, the question remains, how the hell did that happen?

While my prediction of a Minnesota victory was quite poor, I do deserve credit for at least one part of my prediction, specifically when I said:

“With two conservative offenses on the field, this game may come down to which team doesn’t turn the ball over. Obviously you could say that about most games, but it feels as though that may prove to be even more important in this one…”

The Eagles clearly won the turnover battle, 3 to 0, as early Viking turnovers pretty much decided this game. After a perfect first possession, the absolute worst followed, as Keenum threw an unlucky interception, when his arm was hit in the middle of a throw, causing the ball to flutter. Patrick Robinson was then able to make a great play, returning the interception 50 yards for a touchdown. After an impressive Eagle touchdown drive, Philadelphia held a one score lead. The Vikings responded with another great drive, as Keenum was able to lead Minnesota into the redzone. However, another critical turnover swung the momentum in Philadelphia’s favor, when Keenum was strip sacked at the Philadelphia 16 yard line. The Eagles turned that turnover into another 7 points, giving them a 21-7 lead.

From that point, Philadelphia was in complete control. With such a mediocre offense, the Vikings were simply not built to come from so far behind. A 17 point deficit seemed insurmountable, especially since the Eagles would receive the second half kickoff. Minnesota was clearly dejected, and it showed when Philadelphia converted their first possession of the second half into a touchdown, all but sealing the game.

It’s always interesting how quickly a game can change. In a game of great defenses, every score is precious. So giving up a defensive touchdown, and failing to score a point after a successful drive into the redzone can really crush the hope and spirit of a team. That is seemingly what happened to Minnesota. It makes you wonder… had the Vikings not given up those two early turnovers, would this game have been much closer? I think so. However, none of that matter now. Philadelphia were the clear winners on Sunday, earning their spot in the Super Bowl against the New England Patriots, a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX.

Playoff Predictions: Conference Championships 2018

Does 2018 mark the end of the quarterback era? At this moment, the four remaining playoff quarterbacks are Nick Foles, Case Keenum, Blake Bortles, and Tom Brady. The only quarterback who is at least half-decent among the bunch is a 40-year-old with a bum hand. The three remaining teams that do not feature Tom Brady ranked 1st, 2nd, and 4th in the NFL in overall and scoring defense, which probably explains why they were able to succeed, even with such a void at quarterback (with the exception of Philadelphia, since Wentz was healthy for most of the season). So, will a top defense take home the Super Bowl, or will Brady prove for the 6th time that the quarterback is by far the most important position on the field?

Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6) @ New England Patriots (13-3)

Sunday, 3:05 PM ET (Current Line, Patriots -7.5)

So it sounds like this hand injury might be more serious than first thought. Brady is now officially listed as Questionable on the injury report, and he has been seen trying out a glove on his throwing hand during the last couple practices. Additionally, he hasn’t been taking snaps under center. None of this is a good sign, but I also don’t think it is useful to over-analyze. For now, I’ll assume he is going to be healthy for the game.

New England has looked great this year, and the Jaguars have been inconsistent. The Jaguar offense rarely shows up (though they just put 45 on the Steelers), and the defense is usually good (though they just gave up 42 points to the aforementioned Steelers). With that in mind, is there any reason to think that the Jaguars can win this game? The one thing that Jacksonville can look to for confidence is the fact that the teams that have historically given Brady and the New England offense trouble are those that can generate a pass rush without having to blitz. Fortunately for “Sacksonville,” that is exactly their forte, as they finished second in the league in sacks this season with 55, one behind Pittsburgh.

While a New England victory seems imminent, there are still plenty of questions heading into this game. Will Brady’s hand be healed before Sunday? Will the Patriots have to rely on their running game to move the ball on offense? Will Brady be able to take snaps from under center? Will the Jaguars be able to make Brady uncomfortable in the pocket? Will Bortles be able to take advantage of New England’s vulnerable pass defense? Can Fournette make an impact on the ground? Which offense will show up for Jacksonville, the one that scored 10 points against Buffalo, or the one that scored 45 points against Pittsburgh? Only time will tell...

Prediction: The Patriots strike on their first possession with a touchdown to Gronkowski. However, that ends up being the only touchdown of the first half for both teams, as the Patriots lead 10-3 at the break. In the second half, the Jaguars return a Burkhead fumble for a touchdown to tie the game. With 3 minutes left in the game, Jacksonville is holding onto a 4 point lead. Brady leads New England down the field; however, the drive stalls at the 5-yard line. On 4th and goal, Brady is flushed out of the pocket, where he is forced into a desperation heave that is intercepted by Jalen Ramsey. The Jaguars stun the Patriots in Foxborough, 20-16.

Minnesota Vikings (13-3) @ Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)

Sunday, 6:40 PM ET (Current Line, Vikings, -3.0)

Once again, the Eagles will be home dogs in the playoffs, as Vegas is giving little respect to Nick Foles. One fun thing about this game will be the fact that Foles and Keenum were both backups for the St. Louis Rams in 2015. Now, two seasons later, they will meet as the starting quarterbacks in the NFC Championship game. Of course, both quarterbacks have made it here partly due to injuries. Keenum has certainly earned his spot, as he started 14 games in the regular season after a mediocre start to the season by Bradford. Foles, on the other hand, only started in three regular season games, after a superb, MVP-worthy season by Wentz.

I imagine that the defenses will be the main attraction in this one. The Vikings finished 1st in both overall and scoring defense this season, while the Eagles finished 4th in both categories. Minnesota was equally good against the run and pass, finishing second in the league in both. Meanwhile, Philadelphia was much more lopsided, finishing first in the league in run defense and 17th against the pass. It will be interesting to see if the mixture of McKinnon and Murray can keep the Philadelphia run defense off-balance or if Keenum will be forced to make plays for the Minnesota offense. On the other side of the ball, Foles and Ajayi will both need to step up if they hope to crack this great Minnesota defense.

With two conservative offenses on the field, this game may come down to which team doesn’t turn the ball over. Obviously you could say that about most games, but it feels as though that may prove to be even more important in this one…

Prediction: The Vikings record their second straight first half shutout of the playoffs, as Minnesota’s defense stifles Foles and the Philadelphia offense. Murray and McKinnon do the heavy lifting in the first half, helping their team to an early 13-0 lead. On their first possession of the first half, the Eagles finally find the end zone, but they have difficulty moving the ball after that. Minnesota adds a couple more field goals, as they are able to hold on to the win at Lincoln Financial Field, 19-13.

We are a mere two weeks away from the Super Bowl. Which two teams will remain after this weekend’s action? We’ll find out soon.

2018 Divisional Round Recap

So, another pretty mediocre weekend for me. I went 2-2 straight up and 2-1-1 ATS. That brings me to a total of 3-5 straight up and 4-3-1 ATS. Only three games left in the playoffs, so I don’t have much time to make up some ground on this horrible start. At least the games were good! All but one game was decided by one score.

Philadelphia Eagles (13-3) defeat Atlanta Falcons (10-6), 15-10

Well, it looks like I overestimated the abilities of the Falcon offense. I guess I should have known better. It’s been about a year since Atlanta has looked threatening when they have the ball in their hands. I still find it hard to comprehend how such a potent offense could get so drastically worse over the course of an off-season that saw them lose basically no key players. But here we are. Atlanta was good enough to squeak into the playoffs, but they were unable to outscore Nick Foles and the tepid Philadelphia offense.

To the Eagles’ credit, they played very well defensively all game, making Ryan uncomfortable, and keeping the running game in check. Foles played the role of game manager masterfully, not turning the ball over, going an efficient 23/30 threw the air. The game ended up being an exciting defensive struggle from beginning to end. And even after struggling so much throughout the entire game, the Falcons had a chance to win it on their final drive, but they came up short on 4th and goal, when Julio Jones slipped out of his route at the critical moment.

One of the more interesting things I found about this game was the long possessions, which caused the Falcons to only possess the ball four times in the second half. They were unable to score a single point from any of those four possessions, as the Eagle defense and offense did a great job of controlling the game flow, doing just enough to grab the win.

New England Patriots (13-3) defeat Tennessee Titans (9-7), 35-14

This game was boring, just as expected. The Titans were horribly overmatched, and the Patriots did not lose focus against a clearly weaker opponent. The only exciting part for me was that I nailed this prediction. As I predicted, the Titans scored first. I also predicted that the Patriots would then score 24 unanswered points. I was close, but the Patriots actually scored 35 unanswered points. I also predicted that the Patriots would be up 24-10 at halftime, but they were actually up 21-7 at halftime. Finally, I predicted a final score of 38-17, which again, I was very close, as the final score was 35-14. Again, this was by far the most boring game of the Divisional Round, so I won’t talk about it anymore. The Patriots won easily. For the seventh straight season, they will play in the AFC Championship Game. Blah blah blah. Same old shit.

Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6) defeat Pittsburgh Steelers (13-3), 45-42

This was a great game. The Jaguar offense looked shockingly good, but the Steelers simply would not go away, making repeated spectacular plays to stay alive. Fournette and the Jaguars got Jacksonville out to an early 21-0 lead. Memories of Week 5 quickly began to creep into the minds of those at Heinz Field, as the Pittsburgh faithful were having flashbacks to that 30-9 whooping that they received earlier in the season. However, before the Steelers could dwell on the past for too long, they were able to respond with a touchdown and a defensive stop. However, the positive momentum was short lived, as the Jaguars strip sacked Roethlisberger and returned the fumble for a touchdown. Once again, Jacksonville led by 21 points.

Still, the Steelers refused to go down quietly. On 4th and 11, with about 30 seconds left in the half, Roethlisberger connected with Bryant for a touchdown, which was a huge momentum boost, as the Steelers were set to receive the ball to start the second half. Pittsburgh immediately took advantage of this, as they were able to score a touchdown on their opening possession of the second half. Just like that, we had a tight game again. Yet Jacksonville did their best to maintain their lead, as Bortles led the Jaguars down the field on a critical 4th quarter drive, to increase the lead back back to 14, 35-21. And then again, Pittsburgh came up with another huge 4th down touchdown, as Roethlisberger found Brown for a 43 yard score. The Steelers continued to find themselves in tough situations, only to weasel their way out of them with spectacular plays.

But again, Jacksonville refused to roll over, answering with their own touchdown drive. The Steelers continued to hang on, cutting the lead to 42-35 with 2 minutes remaining. However, they were unable to recover the ensuing onside kick, and the Jaguars extended their lead with a field goal. STILL, the Steelers refused to go down. Roethlisberger led Pittsburgh down the field for another touchdown, but it was too late, as there was only one second remaining when they scored. Ultimately, the Jaguars won in a shockingly high scoring game, a stunning turnaround from their horrible offensive showing against Buffalo from just last week.

Minnesota Vikings (13-3) defeat New Orleans Saints (11-5), 29-24

And finally, the game of the year. This one was absolutely bonkers. And my prediction was pretty damn accurate, too. I said the final score would be 26-20, a 6 point Minnesota victory. Instead, the Vikings won by 5 points, 29-24. I said that the Vikings would win on a walk-off 75 yard touchdown catch by Stefon Diggs. Instead, the Vikings won on a walk-off 61 yard touchdown catch by Stefon Diggs. Good job me. Good job Case Keenum. Good job Vikings fans. Bad job Marcus Williams.

If you didn’t see the final play yet, please go watch it. There is little I can say that will represent how absolutely insane the end of this game was. Even the build up was great. For many years, the Vikings have found new and innovative ways to torture their fans (well, it’s mostly been missed field goals in clutch moments, but still). Now, up 17-0 at halftime, even the most experienced and pessimistic Minnesotan must have been feeling at least a little bit comfortable. However, I’m sure that even in that comfort of a 17 point halftime lead, that inkling of doubt was there. And as we would find out, it was there for good reason.

In the second half, that inkling grew into fear, as Brees finally cracked the Minnesota defense, to cut the lead to 10 points. And then that fear grew into terror, as Keenum threw an uncharacteristic interception, which immediately led to 7 more Saint points. And then, that terror grew into misery, when Kamara scored a touchdown to give the Saints their first lead of the game, 21-20 with 3 minutes remaining. A minor glimpse of hope appeared when Forbath gave the lead back to Minnesota on a 53 yard field goal with 1:29 left in the game. However, any seasoned Vikings fan knew that this was too good to be true. There was simply too much time left for a quarterback that thrives in these exact types of situations. Every Vikings fan knew that the Saints would score. And that’s when terror turned to complete despair, when New Orleans regained the lead with 25 seconds remaining. With only one timeout left, all hope seemed lost for Minnesota. Keenum was simply not the type of quarterback who won games in situations like these. But then… absolute madness. The Miracle in Minneapolis. The Vikings walked off on an incredibly improbable 61 yard touchdown, and everyone at U.S. Bank Stadium lost their minds. You’ll see few games as thrilling as this one in your lifetime. Appreciate it when you get the chance to witness them, as this one was an all time great. So congrats to the tortured Minnesota fan base. Every fan deserves at least one of these moments.

Playoff Predictions: Divisional Round 2018

Well, better late than never I suppose. Check out my predictions for the Divisional Round below! One of these 8 remaining teams will get to taste championship glory this season. Which teams will perform in the clutch? Which teams will come away with the big upsets?

Atlanta Falcons (10-6) @ Philadelphia Eagles (13-3)

Saturday, 4:35 PM ET (Current Line, Falcons -3.0)

The Philadelphia Eagles were great this year. Unfortunately, it only took one injury for everything to fall apart. This team is simply not the same without Wentz. The defense is still good, but the offense is horrendously worse with Foles under center. The Eagles can no longer move the ball down the field with any consistency. This bodes well for the Falcons, whose defense just shut down the best offense in the league, holding the Rams to a mere 13 points last weekend. If Ryan can find even a sliver of his MVP form from last season, Atlanta will be a tough team to beat.

Prediction: The Falcon defense is relentless against the badly overmatched Eagle offense. Philadelphia fails to score in the first half, as the Falcons head into the break with a 13-0 lead. The second half is more of the same. In total, Foles throws two interceptions and loses two fumbles. The Falcons win easily, 23-7.

Tennessee Titans (9-7) @ New England Patriots (13-3)

Saturday, 8:15 PM ET (Current Line, Patriots -13.5)

Well, I guess anything can happen in a football game… but c’mon. We all know this game is going to be a blowout. The Titans are horrible. The fact that they won a playoff game is shocking. So, considering the fact that the Patriots generally don’t just roll over and lose like the Chiefs do, I assume that the Titans are not going to have much luck at Gillette Stadium this weekend. If you’re a desperate Titans fan looking for hope, you can always point to the fact that New England has the league’s 30th ranked pass defense. So maybe Mariota will have some success throwing the ball. But still, the Titan defense is going to have to slow down Brady at least a little bit if they hope to even stay in this game.

Prediction: The Titans score on their opening possession to take the early lead. However, the Patriots immediately respond with 21 unanswered points. At halftime, the Patriots lead 24-10. New England extends their lead in the second half, as Brady throws for 321 yards and four touchdowns. Patriots win, 38-17

Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6) @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Sunday, 1:05 PM ET (Current Line, Steelers -7.0)

In a rematch of Week 5, the Jaguars and Steelers will once again square off at Heinz Field. During their regular season encounter, Roethlisberger threw 5 picks, 2 of which were returned for touchdowns, and Fournette ran for 181 yards and two scores in a 30-9 blowout. Still, the Steelers are the heavy favorites, which makes sense after seeing how badly the Jaguars performed against the Bills last week. The most enjoyable part of this game should be the battle between Ramsey and Brown. However, Brown may not be 100% for this contest, as his calf is still bothering him. While I don’t expect Roethlisberger and the offense to perform as poorly as they did in Week 5, I do expect them to have some trouble against this great Jacksonville defense.

Prediction: The game starts out tentatively, as both teams are afraid to make any mistakes. Neither team scores in the first quarter. The deadlock is broken when Bell scores on a 21-yard run. The game remains close, as the Jaguar defense does just enough to stay in the game. Down by 4 with 2 minutes to play. Bortles brilliantly leads the Jaguars down the field, until Dede Westbrook fumbles the ball away on the Pittsburgh 22 yard line. Steelers hold on for the win, 17-13.

New Orleans Saints (11-5) @ Minnesota Vikings

Sunday, 4:40 PM ET (Current Line, Vikings -5.0)

I expect the last game of the weekend to be the best game. The Vikings have played incredibly well this season, as they are sporting the league’s top defense. On offense, Keenum has been doing just enough to win games for the Vikings, and McKinnon and Murray have developed into a great “thunder and lightning” tandem in the backfield. Their first playoff game will be a huge test, as arguably the hottest team in football is coming to U.S. Bank Stadium, looking for a playoff road win. Brees looked phenomenal against the Panthers last weekend, but the Vikings are a much superior foe. New Orleans has all the right weapons, but Minnesota knows how to shut down any offense. In their Week 1 matchup, the Vikings held the Saints to 58 yards on the ground. If Minnesota is able to have the same success against the run this weekend, they are going to be tough to beat.

Prediction: Both defenses step up in this one, as the game ends up being a tight from beginning to end. At halftime, the game is tied at 10. The second half sees more of the same, as neither team is able to extend their lead beyond one score. With the game tied late in the fourth quarter, Keenum leads Minnesota down the field. With 3 seconds left in the game, Forbath is set up for a 36 yard game-winning field goal. He misses. Minnesota gets the ball first to start overtime, and they score on their very first play, a 75 yard pass to Diggs. Vikings win, 26-20 in overtime.

Sorry for all the spoilers! Hopefully you can still find some enjoyment in this weekend’s games anyways. Remember, it is about the journey, not the destination (though the journey is a little more boring when you know exactly where you are going to end up).

2018 Wild Card Weekend Recap

Well, I’m not off to a great start. I only managed to predict the result of one game correctly, as I went 1-3 straight up and 2-2 ATS. Not very good. Though, as you will see below, some of the more specific portions of my predictions went pretty well, so at least there’s that.

Tennessee Titans (9-7) defeat Kansas City Chiefs (10-6), 22-21

Well, maybe I should have seen this one coming. With this loss, the Chiefs have now lost 6 home playoff games in a row. For a team that is known for having one of the best home field advantages in the league, this streak is an impressive statistical anomaly. As for my prediction, I got off to a great start, predicting Kansas City to have a halftime lead of 20-6 (they led 21-3). Then, I predicted that the Titans would come back to within 3 points of the Chiefs, before ultimately falling short (they came back to take the lead, 22-21). The Titans ended up winning by 1, instead of my prediction of a 3 point loss. Not too far off. I predicted a final score of 26-23, which was quite close to 21-22. So, at least I got my pick against the spread right, but the Chiefs couldn’t close the deal for me as far as winning the game.

This game ended up being a perfect microcosm of the Chiefs’ season. After getting off to a big lead (just like their 5-0 start to the season), they completely fell apart. Smith was brilliant in the first half, completing 19 of 23 passes for 231 yards (Smith was the leading MVP candidate after 5 weeks). However, in the second half, Smith completed only 5 passes for only 33 yards, leading the Chiefs to exactly zero points. Such a bad second half performance kept the door just a crack open for the Titans, and with the help of a little luck, they capitalized. Mariota threw a touchdown to himself, after a wacky deflection off the hands of Darrelle Revis on a busted third down. The usually reliable Butker missed a 48 yard field goal, clanking it off the left upright. Kelce never returned to the game, after a hard hit left him with a concussion; his absence was felt, as his backups dropped a few critical passes. And some poor officiating led to some questionable calls, including a sack of Mariota that appeared to lead to a fumble, before it was ruled that Mariota’s forward progress had been stopped, so the play was not reviewable.

What seemed like a potential Super Bowl season has turned into a total disaster for the Chiefs, and especially Alex Smith. After playing well most of the season and even finishing with the top passer rating in the league, Smith may be on the way out, as the Chiefs look to usher in the Patrick Mahomes era in KC. For the Titans, this win earns them one more week of football, which will undoubtedly end with a blowout loss to the Patriots in the divisional round.

Atlanta Falcons (10-6) defeat Los Angeles Rams (11-5), 26-13

Well, this was easily my worst prediction of the weekend. I predicted a two score win for LA, which is exactly the opposite of what happened. In defense of my prediction, the game was pretty even, other than a couple of unlucky special teams errors that helped Atlanta get out to an early 13-0 lead. After that, the game settled down, as both defenses played better than expected. The Falcons gave up some yards, but never enough to allow many points.

Similarly, the Rams defense also played well, as they were able to put immense pressure on Ryan all game, forcing him to take sacks and make quick decisions. Even though the defense was playing well, the vaunted Los Angeles offense was unable to put up many points, only finding the end zone once. Gurley ran for a somewhat quiet 101 yards, and he was quite limited in the passing game, reeling in 4 catches for only 10 yards. Goff seemed uncomfortable in his first playoff game, completing only 53% of his passes.

I don’t usually put much credence in experience, for a number of reasons: 1) A team’s roster changes drastically from season to season, 2) coaches and players have generally all played in big games previously, whether it be in high school, college or the NFL. And 3) A playoff game is not much different than a regular season game, as you have all week to prepare for both. That being said, experience was the main difference between these two teams, and it seemed to show. One one side, last season’s MVP was leading last season’s NFC Champions into another playoff game. On the other side, the long suffering Rams, led by a second year quarterback and the youngest head coach in the league were entering their first playoff game in 15 years. In a game between two evenly matched teams, experience was the biggest discrepancy. Maybe experience is what ultimately tipped the game in Atlanta’s favor.

Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6) defeat Buffalo Bills (9-7), 10-3

Well, I guess we got what we deserved in this one. This may have been the worst playoff game in the history of the Super Bowl era. Two of the most inept offenses went at it, in a game where the punters were the stars. The first 6 possessions ended in punts. Then, Taylor threw an interception on Buffalo’s own 35 yard line. Points were sure to be scored now! But no, the Jaguars lost 3 yards on that drive and then, yes you guessed it, they punted. THEY PUNTED FROM THE 38 YARD LINE. I guess that makes sense in a battle of field position... but still. You don’t trust Lambo from 55 yards? You don’t want to take a chance on a 4th down conversion? In the end, punting only changes the field by about 20 yards anyways, so it seemed like an odd choice at the time. However, maybe it was the right one, considering how difficult it was for Buffalo to move the ball at all.

In total, the game saw 17 punts, 9 for Jacksonville and 8 for Buffalo. Taylor was bad, but at least he gave Buffalo hope. Unfortunately, not even that hope held out for the entire game. On the final drive of the game for Buffalo, in the most crucial moment of the game, Taylor was injured with what appeared to be a concussion. Enter Nathan Peterman, the interception machine. Peterman threw one pass to the dirt, one pass to the Bills, and one pass to the Jaguars. That’s a very even distribution. Unfortunately, that last pass to the Jaguars is the one that ended the game.

As for my prediction, I was not far off. I predicted a final score of 10-9 in favor of Buffalo. Of course, it was the Jaguars who were able to score an impressive 10 points in this one, as they won 10-3. I guess 10 was the magic number in this one.  As the old Jacksonville saying goes, the first team to 10 points always wins. I think they call that Bortles’ Law.

New Orleans Saints (11-5) defeat Carolina Panthers (11-5), 31-26

In arguably the best game of the weekend (and my best prediction of the weekend), the Saints defeated the Panthers by 5 points in a thrilling contest. The final score of 31-26 was very close to my prediction of 31-24. Unfortunately, that small difference was enough for me to miss my pick against the spread, as the Saints were favored by 6.5.

Drew Brees returned to his old familiar ways, absolutely torching the Carolina defense for 376 yards and two touchdowns. After a season where Brees appeared to regress into an ancillary role in the New Orleans offense, the veteran quarterback proved that he still has what it takes to lead a team to a playoff victory. Newton did his best to match him, having an arguably statistically superior day, passing for 349 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions.

The game seemed all but over when Kamara scored from 1 yard out, to give the Saints a 31-19 lead with 5 minutes to play. However, a great catch and run by McCaffrey gave life to Carolina, as they were able to cut the lead to 31-26 with 4 minutes to play. A big stop by the Carolina defense gave Newton one more shot to win the game with less than two minutes to play. In what would have been an incredible comeback, Newton led the Panthers down field, showing signs of his once MVP self. However, a bad throwaway by Cam led to an ill-timed intentional grounding penalty, which all but sealed the game. Even after that devastating penalty, Cam still made a near perfect throw to win the game on third and long, but he just missed Funchess in the end zone. In the end, the Saints escaped with a win that easily could have gone the other way.

That’s it for the first round of the playoffs. The Divisional Round is just around the corner. Predictions will be coming in later this week. Stay tuned!

Playoff Predictions: Wild Card Weekend 2018

The playoffs are finally here. Anything can happen in the NFL’s single elimination format. The eight teams that will play this weekend are a mere 4 wins away from a Super Bowl Championship. But a difficult road lies ahead. A win this weekend would earn each of these teams a road game against one of the top 4 teams in the NFL. Still, each of these teams have hope. Anything can happen in a single game of football. String four lucky games together, and you will be a Super Bowl Champion.

Tennessee Titans (9-7) @ Kansas City Chiefs (10-6)

Saturday, 4:35 PM ET (Current Line, Chiefs -8.5)

Our Wild Card Weekend kicks off with the Chiefs hosting the Titans at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs come into this game riding a four game winning streak. Kansas City certainly have the potential to make a playoff run, but they have been terribly inconsistent all season. At the beginning of the year, Kansas City seemed like a legitimate Super Bowl contender,  winning their first five games including an absolute thumping of New England in Week 1. However, things quickly took a turn for the worse, as they struggled to stay atop a struggling AFC West.

The Titans are in a very different position than the Chiefs. Tennessee has not shown that they can be a dominant team at all this season. Outside of the AFC South, the Titans’ did not win any games by more than 6 points. You could definitely make a case that their 21-point victory in Jacksonville was impressive, but that was in Week 2. I could also point you to a game in Week 1 where they lost to the Raiders by 10. For that reason, I’m more interested in what the Titans have done recently, than their games from over 3 months ago. Either way, whether or not you believe the Titans are deserving of a playoff spot, they are here. A win would give the Titans their first playoff victory since 2003. Let’s see if Mariota and the rest of the team can perform in one of the most hostile environments in the league.

Prediction: The Chiefs get out to a big early lead, as the offense scores on their first four possessions of the game. At halftime, Kansas City leads 20-6. However, it all begins to fall apart, as Mariota leads Tennessee on the comeback trail. With 1:30 left in the game, Succop has a chance to tie the game on a 46 yard field goal, but he misses. The Chiefs escape, 26-23.

Atlanta Falcons (10-6) @ Los Angeles Rams (11-5)

Saturday, 8:15 PM ET (Current Line, Rams -6.5)

For the first time in almost 40 years, the city of Los Angeles will host a playoff game. Their first test: The reigning NFC champions. This game features the top scoring offenses from the last two seasons, so expect a lot of points. While the Falcons are not nearly as good as they were a season ago, they still have the ability to score in a hurry. Ryan has the ability to play at an elite level, and he has talented weapons around him, in the forms of Jones, Sanu, Freeman, and Coleman. However, if the Falcons hope to keep this game close, they will have to rely on their defense to contain the explosive offense of the Rams. Gurley and Goff found their stride this season, and Cupp, Woods, and Watkins have proven to be a top wide receiver trio. Both defenses will get all they can handle in this one, which unit will step up?

Prediction: Gurley and Goff put on impressive playoff debuts, as they combine for five touchdowns. The Falcons fail to reduce the deficit to single digits in the second half, as the Rams win easily, 38-24

Buffalo Bills (9-7) @ Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6)

Sunday, 1:05 PM ET (Current Line, Jaguars -8.5)

While this has the billing to be the worst game of the weekend, I also expect this game to get the most buzz. The Jaguars have not won a playoff game in 11 years, and the Bills have not won one in 23 years. One fanbase will leave this game with a satisfaction that they have not felt in over a decade. The other will continue to wallow in a state of seemingly perpetual misery.

The Jaguars are expected to lean heavily on their great defense, while the Bills will do their best to maximize the abilities of LeSean McCoy.

If the Bills can contain Bortles (not an unreasonably difficult task), they should at least be able to stay within striking distance of the Jaguars. One big play could determine the outcome of this game, as I expect this one to be a classic defensive struggle.

Prediction: As expected this game is all defense (or lack of offense), as both teams fail to find the end zone in the first half. At halftime, Jacksonville leads 6-3. With 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter, McCoy scores a touchdown on a 70 yard screen pass to give the Bills their first lead of the game. The Bills defense holds the rest of the way, as Buffalo wins a tight game, 10-9.

Carolina Panthers (11-5) @ New Orleans Saints (11-5)

Sunday, 4:40 PM ET (Current Line, Saints -6.5)

In both regular season matchups between these two teams, the Saints won easily. This is the best New Orleans has looked in years, as both their defense and offense are playing well. The running game is playing at an incredible level, and the passing game is still in the top tier. With so many ways to score, the Panthers will have their hands full trying to contain this multifaceted attack.

For Carolina, Newton may have to rediscover his MVP form if the Panthers hope to win this one. With limited talent around him, and a defense that is only above average, Newton may be forced to create offense on his own (well, maybe with a little help from McCaffrey as well). However, you never know what will happen in the playoffs. Will the big stage bring out Super Cam, or are we in for another dominant New Orleans performance?

Prediction: This game is back and forth from the beginning. Kamara rushes for over 100 yards and two scores, but Newton matches the Saints offense with three touchdowns and over 300 yards of passing for himself. With the game tied late, Brees leads the Saints down the field for a touchdown with 3 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Carolina’s ensuing possession ends in a Newton interception, sealing the game, 31-24.

2017 Regular Season Recap

For the fourth season in a row, I made all the right predictions. However, once again, the wrong teams won some games, based on unpredictable events, which would have been impossible for me to expect. In a vacuum I obviously would have been able to predict every team’s record perfectly. Unfortunately, we live in a flawed world, so I must suffer. Let’s take a look back at 17 weeks of flawed football to find out how we ended up with this hodgepodge of NFL teams in the playoffs.

As I always do, I have placed my predictions next to the actual results from the NFL season. I enjoy doing this because it allows for complete transparency. Most professional NFL analysts have the luxury of an audience with short memories, which allows them to make predictions without actually being held accountable for what they said. Most will hyperfocus on a couple of predictions that they got correct, rather than doing a proper statistical analysis of how they actually performed. I, on the other hand, am happy to provide my readers with full transparency.

This year, I added an additional analysis. I analyzed how my picks would have done, had I bet on all of them, based on the lines set by OddsShark¹ on September 6th (1 day before the season started). Fortunately, I did well in this aspect, getting 18 out of 31 picks correct (58%).

If you would like to see the full analysis of my predictions, you can follow this link:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TySuIzivPBiNBoKaM316zehCjNLsD83YiHsuj3uH17w/edit?usp=sharing

If you don’t like spreadsheets or additional clicking, you can view the summarized version of how I did below (playoff teams are in bold):

 

Quick Stats:

Average Differential Between Predicted and Actual	2.7
Correct Predictions	5
Predictions Within 1 Game	11
Predictions Off by 3 or More Games	15
Worst Prediction	Giants (Prediction: 10-6, Actual: 3-13)
Playoff Teams	6/12
Division Winners	3/8
Most Accurately Predicted Division	AFC North (Off by 7 games)
Least Accurately Predicted Division	NFC East (Off by 15 games)
Brosh vs. Vegas	18 Correct out of 31 Picks (1 Push) = 58% Correct

Now that we have the BORING statistics out of the way, let’s get to the nitty gritty, and find out what really happened in each division. How the hell did we end up where we are now?

AFC West

As I predicted, the Chiefs repeated as AFC West champs. While I couldn’t have predicted how up and down their season would be, I was able to pick them out as the best in the West. Smith went from game manager to MVP-candidate and back to game manager, all in the span of about 6 weeks. Just like the perception of Smith, the season was up and down for the Chiefs. Kansas City won their first five games, then lost 6 of 7, which included embarrassing losses to all of the pitiful New York based teams (Bills, Jets, and Giants). Fortunately for Chiefs fans, they were able to rebound with four straight wins to close the season, escaping from what would have been a historically impressive collapse.

As for the rest of the division, I was able to predict the mild success of the Chargers somewhat accurately. Their season was a mirror image of the Chiefs, as they lost their first four games, before rebounding to win 9 of their last 12. Unfortunately, the strong close to the season was not enough to propel Los Angeles into the playoffs. The Raiders were terribly disappointing this season. Oakland won a lot of close games last season, so it was expected that their record would regress. However, the Raiders did not just regress, they took a full two steps backwards, as they were blown out in most of their losses this season, consistently losing by two or more scores. Only four of Oakland’s ten losses were by a single score. Finally, at the bottom of the heap sat the Denver Broncos. Denver was clearly the worst team in the division all season. They had difficulty choosing a starting quarterback, and the defense has not been able to return to elite form since their 2016 Super Bowl Championship. Quarterback must be addressed in the offseason if the Broncos hope to return to winning ways. I wonder if John Elway can entice another great quarterback to move to Denver.

AFC North

The AFC North is generally the most predictable division of the bunch. The Steelers usually win it. The Bengals and/or Ravens sometimes challenge Pittsburgh for the top spot. And Cleveland is always horrible. Once again, this is what unfolded in the North. The Steelers earned a first round bye in the playoffs, comfortably winning the AFC North. Meanwhile, the Ravens and Bengals flirted with a wild card berth for most of the season. While Cincinnati had a fairly disappointing season thanks mostly to an unbelievably horrid offense (is Andy Dalton good at all?), the Ravens were able to stay relevant until the final week of the regular season. Of course, the Ravens inexplicably lost to the Bengals in Baltimore in Week 17, which eliminated the Ravens from playoff contention.

And then there is Cleveland. At this point, what else can you expect? The Browns became the second team in NFL history to go 0-16 in a season, joining the infamous 2008 Detroit Lions. To Cleveland’s credit, they stuck with their QB and head coach throughout the entire season. In defense of Kizer, he had nothing to work with. Not in defense of Kizer, he was unable to make anything of his first 15 NFL games. It seems as though the Browns will stick with Hue Jackson for at least one more season, which I think is the right call. A franchise needs consistency to succeed. Still, how long is the ownership team willing to wait for the Browns to start winning games? I guess we’ll have to wait until next season to find out.

AFC South

Somehow, the AFC South put two teams in the playoffs this season. Jacksonville is obviously deserving of this spot, as they had the second best defense in the league all season (along with the 5th highest scoring offense). Even with perennial mediocre quarterback Blake Bortles, this team was able to succeed. Bortles did his best to take advantage of a plethora of young talent at wide receiver, and Fournette did well to create a respectable running game for the Jaguars. Ultimately, this led to a successful, playoff-bound season for the Jaguars. One spot below Jacksonville, Tennessee put together a respectable season, finishing at 9-7. Of course, getting to play four games against the Colts and Texans certainly helped their record (admittedly, one of those Texans games was before Watson got hurt). Still, the Titans were able to finish with an above .500 record in the pitiful AFC, even though they finished the season with a negative point differential. It will be interesting to see how Mariota performs on the big stage.

Down in the cellar of the AFC, the Colts and Texans were consistently horrible this season. Both teams were perfect examples of what total incompetence at quarterback can do to a team. Tom Savage and Jacoby Brissett were both awful, and their teams suffered for it. Unfortunately for both teams, there were simply no other options in free agency. I mean, quarterbacks who have led teams to NFC championships with a career TD to INT ratio greater than 2 (or 72:30) are never just readily available on the free agent market. I mean, how many idiotic franchises with quarterback issues would there have to be to leave a perfectly viable quarterback option like that in free agency? Anyways, since no quarterback like that existed all season, both teams were forced to suffer through a horrid year. Fortunately for both of these teams, the impending return of Luck and Watson should provide a significant boost to their respective offenses (unless Indianapolis chooses to continue ignoring their glaring weaknesses at offensive line). For that reason, the future is not too bleak for any AFC South team.

AFC East

I did it! I brilliantly predicted that the Patriots would easily win the AFC East! Wow, I’m good at this. As everyone expected, New England was able to grab another AFC East crown, while the rest of the division did their best to start planning for the future. The Patriots started the season with a blowout loss to the Chiefs, which seemed ominous at the time. However, this proved to be nothing more than a minor blip on the radar, as Belichick, Brady, and the Patriots cruised to a first place finish in the AFC, securing home-field advantage throughout the playoffs

Even though all three other AFC East teams appeared to be restructuring their rosters this season, the hapless Bills found a way into the playoffs. The Bills success was more of a testament to how bad the AFC was this year than anything else. The Bills, a team that at the start of the season had no intention of trying to win games in 2017, made the playoffs. The Bills, a team that started Nathan Peterman for one half of a football game before mercifully pulling him from a 54-24 defeat against the Chargers in Week 11, made the playoffs. The Bills, a team that finished with a -57 point differential this season, made the playoffs. Yes, the Bills, for the first time since 1999, will play in a playoff game. I’m sure no one in Buffalo even cares that this is one of the worst teams to play a meaningful game in January in NFL history. The Bills are back! Now, can they end their 23 year playoff victory drought?

The Dolphins season went almost exactly as expected. An apathetic Jay Cutler was unable to lift the perennially mediocre Dolphins into relevancy. Maybe it’s time for Cutler to fade off into the sunset. The only decent things I can think to say about the Dolphins is that Kenyan Drake looked pretty good (maybe he will be a good running back in the future, and for his sake, hopefully he gets to play for a better franchise than the one in Miami), and at least they were better than the Jets. Though, in defense of the Jets, their season went much better than expected. For a team that had serious potential of losing upwards of 14 games, the Jets, led by the best backup quarterback in the game Josh McCown, were able to put together a not entirely horrible season. The offense was not very good, but the defense was respectable. Additionally, Robby Anderson proved to be an emerging young talent for New York. With some help in the draft and free agency, maybe the best team in East Rutherford will be able to win some more games in the near future.

NFC West

Obviously one of the biggest surprises of the season came out of this division. The Los Angeles Rams were unbelievably good under first year head coach, Sean McVay. With such an enormous turnaround, I’m not sure if more credit/blame should be given to Fisher or McVay. The major turnaround was on the offensive side of the ball, where the Rams went from worst to first, an absolutely mind-blowing improvement. At the beginning of the season, I said that the Rams hadn’t made any significant improvements on the offensive line (and they hadn’t!), so I wasn’t expecting an improvement from last season’s second-worst pass protection or Gurley’s horrible 3.2 YPC average. Boy, was I wrong. The Rams reduced their sacks allowed from 49 to 28, and Gurley rushed for an astonishing 4.7 YPC, making him a legitimate MVP candidate. The Rams are legit, and the best part of it is that there is finally a team to challenge the Seahawks in what was previously one of the worst divisions in the NFL. Speaking of the Seahawks... this year Seattle will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2011. The vaunted Legion of Boom has finally begun to age, as the once unstoppable defense is no longer. In the wake of the defensive struggles, Wilson and the offense have shown improvement. However, they have not been good enough to offset the faltering defense. In Week 17, with their slim playoff hopes still alive, Seattle needed a win against Drew Stanton and the lowly Cardinals. Even with their great homefield advantage, they lost, 26-24. 

Even though they finished third, the Cardinals may have been the most impressive team in this division. Even while shuffling through backup quarterbacks all season, Arizona managed to finish the season at a respectable 8-8. Without Palmer, the Cardinals went 5-4. Fitzgerald was great on a team of battered quarterbacks, and the defense was good enough to keep them in most games. If this is what they can do without a decent quarterback, imagine how good the Cardinals could be if they find one for next year? Or maybe they will be able to make something out of one of their currently rostered quarterbacks.

Finally, while a last place finish was inevitable after starting the season 0-9, the Niners were still able to impress this season. I’ll be honest, when Garoppolo won his first two games, defeating the lowly Bears and Texans, I wasn’t convinced of his abilities. But then when he defeated the Jaguars, Titans, and Rams to close out the season on a 5-game winning streak, I started becoming a believer. It is not often that a 6-win team finishes the season with an abundance of confidence. However, it is also not often that a team finishes the season on a 5 game winning streak and misses the playoffs. But here we are. I’m sure all the Niner players and fans can’t wait for the 2018 season to start. This team is on the rise. In 2018, we will find out whether or not this late season success was a fluke.

NFC North

In another one of the shocks of the season, the Vikings finished the regular season at 13-3, grabbing a first round bye. When it was known that Bridgewater would not return, the Minnesota season looked destined for mediocrity. Bradford’s decent quarterbacking led to an optimistic 2-0 start. However, after being forced into season-ending knee surgery, it seemed almost certain that the Minnesota offense was doomed. Enter Case Keenum. Keenum, known mostly for his horrendous quarterbacking for the Rams the season before, was suddenly tasked with leading the Vikings to the playoffs, and that is exactly what he did. A season that was expected to go horribly wrong, suddenly turned into one of the best regular seasons in team history, second only to their 15-1 season in 1998, when Chris Carter and Randy Moss combined for 29 touchdown receptions. Led by the top scoring and overall defense in the league (second in pass and rushing defense), the Vikings overcame their offensive limitations, emerging as a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

The rest of the NFC North did not fare as well as the Vikings. The Lions stumbled to another mediocre record, finishing just outside of a wild card spot. Stafford was good but not great, as is the norm with him. The big problem for Detroit was the regression on defense, as what appeared to be an improving unit, ended up faltering this season. In Green Bay, the only headlines will be about Rodgers. With Rodgers injured for a large chunk of the season, the Packers posted their first losing season since 2008 (Rodgers’ first year as starting quarterback). As Rodgers continues to age, the Packers are going to have to start to address their many issues. Green Bay will only be able to lean on his unbelievably talented throwing arm for so long.

At the bottom of the NFC North, the Bears reliably finished the season as one of the worst teams in the league. Mike Glennon, a quarterback that the Bears agreed to pay $45 million dollars over three years ($18.5 million guaranteed), was given an absurdly short leash. Glennon went 1-3 over his only four starts (including an incredibly close loss to the Falcons in Week 1), before being benched for rookie Mitchell Trubisky. Trubisky was not much better than Glennon, finishing the season 4-8 as the starter. As the Bears head into another offseason after a disappointing year of football, it will be interesting to see how they address their awkward issue at quarterback. Will they continue to roster the highest paid backup in the league, or will they cut ties with Glennon and just take the dead money cap hit? Either way, it seems that the BEars are a long ways away from returning to relevancy.

NFC South

I was right about one thing. The NFC South was the best division in the league this season, as they were able to put 3 teams in the postseason, just as I had predicted. The only problem is that I predicted the wrong 3 teams would make the playoffs. Switch the Buccaneers for the Saints, and I pretty much nailed this division perfectly. While the Saints’ rise to the NFC South title was not all that shocking, how they did it was. The passing game was good, but not as good as usual for New Orleans. The rise to their division title can be mostly attributed to vast improvements in the running game (see: Kamara & Ingram) and defense. Brees was still good, but he was nowhere near top form this season, and he didn’t have to be, as the rest of the team stepped up to make the Saints a legitimate championship contender. Just below the Saints in the standings, the Panthers enjoyed a very good rebound year, as Newton returned to his typical self. While he was not nearly as good as his 2015 MVP season, Newton showed a lot of improvement from last season. Carolina played a tough schedule, facing off against playoff teams in 8 of their 16 games. They were able to win half of those contests, including impressive wins against Minnesota and New England. However, two of those losses were at the hands of New Orleans, who just so happen to be Carolina’s first round playoff opponent.

The hangover from their Super Bowl disaster was short, as the Falcons were able to put together a decent season, sneaking into the playoffs as the final NFC wild card team. The offense was nowhere near the quality of the team from last year, and Ryan was never even in the MVP conversation. In fact, Atlanta’s defense was arguably better than their offense this season. So, what happened over such a short period of time? All the main players were still on the roster this season. Was Shanahan really that valuable to the Falcons? Did they make big changes to their offensive schemes when Shanahan left for San Francisco? Either way, the Falcons will have to figure out how ro right the ship in LA this weekend. At the bottom, the Buccaneers were a big disappointment this season, finishing with a measly 5 wins. Winston did not take the positive step forward that I expected, and the defense was horrible, allowing the most total yards per game of any team in the league. With such a tough division to navigate, Tampa Bay might be in for a rough couple of years if they do not see any improvement this offseason.

NFC East

It is not often that a team that finished in first place has such low expectations heading into the playoffs. Yet that is the case for the Eagles. Wentz was a strong MVP candidate until a season-ending injury forced Foles to take his place at QB. Since then, the offense has sputtered. Thankfully for Philadelphia, the defense has also been very strong, and Foles has been a formidable option at quarterback in the past, so maybe there is a chance that the Eagles can string together a couple of playoff victories.

After such a successful 2017 campaign, the Cowboys will disappointed in their inability to return to the postseason, as they finished with a mediocre record of 9-7. Prescott, Elliott, and Dez still looked good, leading the offense to some success this season. However, 2017 will mostly be remembered for Ezekiel Elliott's seemingly endless saga of whether or not his suspension would be upheld this season. Of course, he ended up serving the suspension between Weeks 10 and 15, which may have been enough to cost the Cowboys a spot in the playoffs.

The Redskins were once again adequate. Washington has a lot of talent at the skill positions, with a strong group of running backs and receivers. The big question for this team will be whether or not they hold onto Cousins during the offseason. Due to mistakes made with franchise tagging, Cousins is slated to make a lot of money next season, unless he is willing to restructure his deal with the Washington front office. In my mind, the most likely scenario is that Cousins is released, where he will get the opportunity to test the free agent market. As Cousins and his agent probably knows, there are many QB-desperate teams that would be happy to pay Cousins a lot of money to join their team. Also on the list of teams who do not know who will be their quarterback next season, the Giants finished an unexpectedly terrible season, winning only three games. For New York, it appears that the team has finally cracked, as it may be time for a total restructuring. Injuries left a roster already devoid of talent in a seemingly irreparable state. The low point of the season was when Eli Manning was benched for Geno Smith in Week 13, which ended Eli’s 210 consecutive game start streak (the second longest streak in NFL history). This meaningless benching will serve as reminder of what a horrible year 2017 was for the Giants. I expect a total tear down of the Giants this offseason. No one, not even Eli Manning, is safe.

The regular season is finally over, and the Wild Card Round of the playoffs has arrived. I’ll have my predictions for the first round of the playoffs ready before the games start on Saturday (hopefully). Stay tuned!

References:

1. Hartling, Justin. OddsShark: 2017 NFL Season Win Totals, http://www.oddsshark.com/nfl/2017-nfl-season-win-totals