Pats get no rest in week 17. They need to win or risk losing the #2 seed. Pittsburg gets a gift, because the Ravens will likely rest people and don’t have any incentive to win next week.
How important is that? According to fivethirtyeight.com, the Pats currently have a 10% chance of winning the Superbowl. This improves to an 11% chance if they beat Miami, but drops to 4% if they lose (I am assuming largely based on losing the #2 seed; losing to Miami alone just shows that you aren’t that good, but not getting a bye makes it much tougher to get to the SB). 538 does give them a 91% chance of getting the #2 seed.
Whomever ends up with the #3 seed (Pats or Chiefs) will just have too hard of a hill to climb just to get to the AFC Championship, let alone win it.
Pats get no rest in week 17. They need to win or risk losing the #2 seed. Pittsburg gets a gift, because the Ravens will likely rest people and don’t have any incentive to win next week.
How important is that? According to fivethirtyeight.com, the Pats currently have a 10% chance of winning the Superbowl. This improves to an 11% chance if they beat Miami, but drops to 4% if they lose (I am assuming largely based on losing the #2 seed; losing to Miami alone just shows that you aren’t that good, but not getting a bye makes it much tougher to get to the SB). 538 does give them a 91% chance of getting the #2 seed.
Whomever ends up with the #3 seed (Pats or Chiefs) will just have too hard of a hill to climb just to get to the AFC Championship, let alone win it.
Agreed all around. I think every SB participant (or maybe just winner?) since something like 2013 or 2014 had a bye going into the playoffs.
Belichick has said they’re treating it like a playoff game and it makes sense: if they lose they have to play an extra game, no bye week. If they win they get a week off. Tons and tons of incentive to play like it’s the end of your season if you lose.
Also re: the Ravens, they’ve come out and said they’re resting starters. Huge huge advantage for Pittsburgh. We’ll see what Houston does since they’re not impacted by results this weekend either.
Pittsburg gets a gift, because the Ravens will likely rest people and don’t have any incentive to win next week.
I was wondering how this would play out. It’s the ultimate power move by Baltimore, treating your most hated (and historically dominant) rival as a nothing on your road to a championship bid,* especially* when Pittsburgh is playing for a playoff spot. Talk about disrespect.
It also happens to be the smart move, so there’s that.
I’d like to see the Steeler’s win–but not under such conditions. They are not gonna go deep into playoffs if they even get in
Same thing with the Eagles. What a dumpster fire Dallas is. Wentz and the Arena League receiver corps they are playing just out played and out coached Dallas. It will be great if the Eagles can get back into playoffs–but they won’t go far either.
Yep, it’s happening. I was very happy to hear this as a Seahawks fan. The linked article summed it up that the season appeared lost. For a team that relies heavily on the run to lose all of your running backs except the smaller rookie slot back Homer was really bad. The article says that he’s stayed in shape waiting to see if anyone called him up. And coming from that guy, I believe it.
Here’s a Marshawn Lynch career highlight reel. It’s worth the 10 minute watch if you like to watch one of the greatest running backs of all time, IMO. He won’t have HOF career stats, I don’t think, but I’ve never seen some of the stuff he did before.
It’s safe to say that the 49’ers are now trying to game plan. It will be very interesting to see. He’ll get at least a couple of games.
Staying in shape is one thing, but football shape is another. As fan, I hope Lynch can fill in competently, but I don’t expect anything near his prime years in Seattle, those were 5 years ago now!
If there is one upside to the Seahawks organization, they’re going to sell a shit load of Beast Mode paraphernalia for Christmas.
More seriously, it’s actually a done deal and Beast Mode is heading back to Seattle. The season continues being weird with the Ravens being the only team that has had no let down in the past 12 weeks or so. They are the team to beat.
Who would have though in Week 4 when the Ravens were 2-2 that they were to top team in the NFL?
NFL.com power rankings on Oct 1 had the Ravens as the 16th best team. Two spots worse than that Lions in 14th.
And the Cowboys in 4th, Bears 5th, Eagles in 6th. Oy, vey.
Pats get no rest in week 17. They need to win or risk losing the #2 seed. Pittsburg gets a gift, because the Ravens will likely rest people and don’t have any incentive to win next week.
How important is that? According to fivethirtyeight.com, the Pats currently have a 10% chance of winning the Superbowl. This improves to an 11% chance if they beat Miami, but drops to 4% if they lose (I am assuming largely based on losing the #2 seed; losing to Miami alone just shows that you aren’t that good, but not getting a bye makes it much tougher to get to the SB). 538 does give them a 91% chance of getting the #2 seed.
Whomever ends up with the #3 seed (Pats or Chiefs) will just have too hard of a hill to climb just to get to the AFC Championship, let alone win it.
Agreed all around. I think every SB participant (or maybe just winner?) since something like 2013 or 2014 had a bye going into the playoffs.
Belichick has said they’re treating it like a playoff game and it makes sense: if they lose they have to play an extra game, no bye week. If they win they get a week off. Tons and tons of incentive to play like it’s the end of your season if you lose. .
Good thing they treated it like a playoff game and didn’t shit the bed against the Dolphins.
Oh, wait, never mind.
Pats get no rest in week 17. They need to win or risk losing the #2 seed. Pittsburg gets a gift, because the Ravens will likely rest people and don’t have any incentive to win next week.
How important is that? According to fivethirtyeight.com, the Pats currently have a 10% chance of winning the Superbowl. This improves to an 11% chance if they beat Miami, but drops to 4% if they lose (I am assuming largely based on losing the #2 seed; losing to Miami alone just shows that you aren’t that good, but not getting a bye makes it much tougher to get to the SB). 538 does give them a 91% chance of getting the #2 seed.
Whomever ends up with the #3 seed (Pats or Chiefs) will just have too hard of a hill to climb just to get to the AFC Championship, let alone win it.
Agreed all around. I think every SB participant (or maybe just winner?) since something like 2013 or 2014 had a bye going into the playoffs.
Belichick has said they’re treating it like a playoff game and it makes sense: if they lose they have to play an extra game, no bye week. If they win they get a week off. Tons and tons of incentive to play like it’s the end of your season if you lose. .
Good thing they treated it like a playoff game and didn’t shit the bed against the Dolphins.
Oh, wait, never mind.
It’s a lot harder to win when you don’t have illegal film on your opponent
Good thing they treated it like a playoff game and didn’t shit the bed against the Dolphins.
Oh, wait, never mind.
Losing an NFL game doesn’t mean it wasn’t treated like a playoff game. They played like shit, Miami played well.
Brady was awful. Way closer to the end than the beginning for him.
Pats get no rest in week 17. They need to win or risk losing the #2 seed. Pittsburg gets a gift, because the Ravens will likely rest people and don’t have any incentive to win next week.
How important is that? According to fivethirtyeight.com, the Pats currently have a 10% chance of winning the Superbowl. This improves to an 11% chance if they beat Miami, but drops to 4% if they lose (I am assuming largely based on losing the #2 seed; losing to Miami alone just shows that you aren’t that good, but not getting a bye makes it much tougher to get to the SB). 538 does give them a 91% chance of getting the #2 seed.
Whomever ends up with the #3 seed (Pats or Chiefs) will just have too hard of a hill to climb just to get to the AFC Championship, let alone win it.
Agreed all around. I think every SB participant (or maybe just winner?) since something like 2013 or 2014 had a bye going into the playoffs.
Belichick has said they’re treating it like a playoff game and it makes sense: if they lose they have to play an extra game, no bye week. If they win they get a week off. Tons and tons of incentive to play like it’s the end of your season if you lose. .
Good thing they treated it like a playoff game and didn’t shit the bed against the Dolphins.
Oh, wait, never mind.
It’s a lot harder to win when you don’t have illegal film on your opponent
No it’s just harder when you play like shit. 12-4 season and a playoff berth, and that’s their worst year in a decade. It’ll get worse with Brady on the decline but it was the best twenty years for any franchise of modern US sports, I’ll take it.
It was a great run but I think we have just seen the last winning record of Brady in New England. The constant over the years has been the offense getting really good late in the season.
This offense is just average regardless of the 12-4 record. And I don’t think it’s just because there are a couple of young receivers. Brady has just been average for most of the season.
They may beat the Titans or Steelers at home next week. But it’s far from a done deal. And they sure as hell won’t go beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead. And it’s not a bad thing. It’s bound to end and there is a lot of talent pushing.
It was a great run but I think we have just seen the last winning record of Brady in New England. The constant over the years has been the offense getting really good late in the season.
This offense is just average regardless of the 12-4 record. And I don’t think it’s just because there are a couple of young receivers. Brady has just been average for most of the season.
They may beat the Titans or Steelers at home next week. But it’s far from a done deal. And they sure as hell won’t go beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead. And it’s not a bad thing. It’s bound to end and there is a lot of talent pushing.
Yeah, I’d rather Brady hang things up before things get ugly, maybe they make a run this year, maybe not but I’d love to see him retire before there’s serious decline. Nothing’s worse than watching one of your hometown greats fall apart for a few seasons before finally hanging up the cleats.
He’s had a balky elbow the second half of the year so part of me wants to chalk things up to that, but at his age the nagging injuries are more frequent.
Oh well, they gave us the most incredible run of games and championships you could ever wish for. Hopefully it’s not an ugly separation or a few bad decline years or something like that to sour everything.