#26
1 Like
#27

Wilson having a mare, but this Seahawkā€™s D is playing some incredible stuff

#28

Really hard to gauge that game - really bad o-lines, really good d-lines. Wonder if the vikes have made a mess of it by pumping their money into everything cousins and the defence - cousins can be really good, but struggles under pressure. A good FA pick up and at least one good starting option from the draft will probably help them next year, but tough sledding when you look at the d-lines in the NFC playoffs.

Seattle arenā€™t great up front, but Wilson can be fantastic off schedule (that interception at the end of the first half though, eeesh), and theyā€™ve got players like Lockett and Baldwin who can get open late in the play.

That 6th NFC wold card spot is, well, wild

#29

yeah agree with all that. Wilson clearly missed Baldwin yesterday to get the passing game going.

Wagner playing out of his skin though (all the D were great) and with two winnable games (49ers and Cardinals) and one tough but home game against the Chiefs means theyā€™re in a great position for an NFC wildcard spot.

#30

Seahawks are pretty much deffo in, and theyā€™ll be a tough match up for either dallas or chicago. Big difference for them having to go on the road though (I think thatā€™s the biggest thing with all the NFC teams - that top spot is going to be crucial).

So tough on the Chargers being the second best team in the conference, but still getting a wild card spot. Not that they have any home advantage at all anyway.

#31

Loads of analysts are saying Cousins is having a great season - I think they would have been better off with Keenum at half the price and the extra two/three depth pieces they could have spent the money on otherwise. Really donā€™t think Cousins is any better than an average starting QB - his greatest achievement in my book is how heā€™s handled all the contract negotiations!

Russell Wilson should probably be dead playing behind those Seahawks o-lines for the last few years. Both NFC wildcard teams are going to be really mediocre this year (and I donā€™t think either the Bears or the Cowboys are particularly good teams, especially for division winners).

#32

O-line was (usually is) brutal in FA, but that Cousins contract looks onerous - heā€™s fine as a starting QB, I donā€™t think itā€™s a disaster, but heā€™s also the man for the next two seasons after this. Agree about Keenum, heā€™s not as good, but heā€™s not 15M worse. I just think the vikings biggest weakness is particularly bad for cousins, whereas you can get away with that with some QBs (eg Wilson).

Think the Bears and Cowboys are fine as division winners - probably around the same level as the best wild card team. Nowhere near the rams, chiefs or saints, but those are ridiculous offences. RIDICULOUS*.

*saints bizarre last fortnight not withstanding

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#33

Decided to try and work out where Iā€™m putting Cousins in the rankings of QBs, decided I might as well do the lot. Note: This is basically a draft list, you get to keep the QB for one year and they all cost the same in salary.

Brees
Mahomes
Rodgers
Brady
Luck
Wilson
Rivers
Goff
Wentz
Ryan
Watson
Newton
Cousins
Roethlisberger (probably should be higher butā€¦ yā€™know)
Almost impossible at this stage to pick between a whole bunch of them for just a year.

#35

Broadly agree. Iā€™d drop Goff a bit - I think he and Cousins are a notch below everyone else on that list of yours.

#36

Iā€™ve been really impressed with Goff this year, although itā€™s obviously hard to separate him from the scheme. That game against the Chiefs sealed it for me. Sealed 8th place on my pointless list, that is. Iā€™m certainly keeping him a few notches above Cousins, and above Ryan (sorry @incandenza ) although I wouldnā€™t be averse to swapping Ryan and Wentz in the unlikely event that someone was threatening my loved ones if I didnā€™t.

#38

I think I just keep catching the ā€˜wrongā€™ games with Goff, apart from one game where he looked awesome, heā€™s only ever looked fine at best - hitting wide open receivers (still gotta be done tbf, but itā€™s not next level stuff) and having Todd Gurley terrifying the defence into peaking for the run every snap.

Plus heā€™s lived his whole life in california so he doesnā€™t know how to play in Real Conditionsā„¢

1 Like
#39

Rivers is too low. Id put him ahead wilson for sure, and brady on performances this season alone.

2 Likes
#40

Right then. Seeing as the divisonal winners are preeeetty much done, AFC North notwithstanding, Wild Card Spots. Whoā€™s making it?

NFC - has to be seattle, and then probably the vikings? Itā€™s pretty horrid for the teams currently in 7-10
AFC - obviously Chargers, then Colts. Think Ravens best chance is to knock off the steelers for the division title.

#41

NFC - definitely not based on performances this season, but still got a sneaky feeling that the packers might somehow squeeze in.
AFC - yeah, colts.

#42

I think the packers problem is that they need Chicago to lose to them on Sunday but also care enough about the last game to beat the vikings.

But yeah, I do not like the optics on this one. Grumpy Rodgers is one of the things Iā€™m looking forward to.

#43

Think the NFC seedings will stay exactly as they are - Seahawks to take the #5 seed at 10-6, with the Vikings sneaking #6 at 8-7-1.

In the AFC Iā€™m tempted to pick the Titans to go 9-7 and edge the #6 seed, but that probably needs the Ravens to win the North and that needs the Steelers to collapse completely. Could also see the Dolphins sneaking in, but feel pretty confident the Colts and Broncos will fall away.

#44

Nice to see the Chargers back - London must have been the most partisan home game they had this year

1 Like
#45

Unless theyā€™re the mexico game

#46

Very true. It seems like theyā€™ve rewritten the article since I read it - appeared to suggest much more heavily that the Rams would return to Mexico City (unless I just completely misread it and inferred incorrect things, which is always very possible)

#47

That would make most sense tbf (although it is the NFL weā€™re talking about here)