2022/2023 NFL Season - Playoffs Thread

[The Operator]

Please continue NFL discussion here.


Seahawks start the game with a 9 yard carry but SF still forces a 3 & out.

[The Operator]

Just an FYI - the old thread was nowhere near 1,000 posts but it seems like keeping playoff discussion here will allow for keeping offseason and/or discussion of other teams in the ongoing 2022 thread.

[klw]

The playoffs will be entirely in 2023. Are they still called the 2022 playoffs because that is when the season began?

[GAC]

Almost end of the 1Q with SF up 10-0. I don't see the 49ers having much trouble with Seattle. Beat them twice in regular season.

[The Operator]

The playoffs will be entirely in 2023. Are they still called the 2022 playoffs because that is when the season began?

Ha, fair point. I’ll make an edit.

[WVRed]

Almost end of the 1Q with SF up 10-0. I don't see the 49ers having much trouble with Seattle. Beat them twice in regular season.

Seattle is now up 14-13.

[The Operator]

San Fran took a 16-14 lead but Jimmy Ward hit Geno Smith while he was sliding to move the Seahawks into field goal range with 1 second left.

17-16 Seahawks at the half.

I believe San Fran will get the ball to start the 3rd.

[The Operator]

15 unanswered by the 49ers.

Seahawks better score a TD here or this one will be out of reach.

[The Operator]

Well, that oughta do it. Deebo breaks off a 75 yard catch and run.


38-17 9ers

[KoryMac5]

You would think being down to your 3rd string QB would spell the end of your season...Brock Purdy makes the Niners the favorites in the NFC in my opinion. How he slid that far based on how he has been playing blows my mind.

[The Operator]

You would think being down to your 3rd string QB would spell the end of your season...Brock Purdy makes the Niners the favorites in the NFC in my opinion. How he slid that far based on how he has been playing blows my mind.

It’s incredibly possible to think that both Jimmy G and Trey Lance could be available this offseason. Definitely Jimmy G. Maybe not Lance, it’s possible they could keep him as the backup but they’ll eventually have to make a decision. He’s heading toward Jordan Love purgatory otherwise.

[Ohayou]

You would think being down to your 3rd string QB would spell the end of your season...Brock Purdy makes the Niners the favorites in the NFC in my opinion. How he slid that far based on how he has been playing blows my mind.

If I remember correctly, he was considered one of the better QB prospects prior to the start of his senior season, but Iowa State ended up being a big disappointment that year. He still played well, though.

[The Operator]

Rough start for the Jags.

Deflected pass by Lawrence gets picked and a few plays later the Chargers score a TD.

[The Operator]

Chargers intercept Lawrence 3 times and we’re not done with the first quarter yet.


I feel for Jags fans. Tough to have this happen after a playoff drought. It’s still a ballgame but they better figure things out quick.

[757690]

Al Michaels said that Lawrence did not have an interception in the first quarter this season. He has 3 in the first quarter of this game.

17-0 Chargers

[Hillsdale87]

WTF Trevor. You're killing my bets! [emoji23]

Lawrence has always confused me, even at Clemson. Sometimes he looks incredible, but he mixes it in with way too much inconsistency


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[KronoRed]

Time for the big come back :eek:

...or another pick.

[Todd Gack]

Lolololololololololololololololo

[The Operator]

Interception #4 against Lawrence.


Ouch.

[Hillsdale87]

Teams might be emptying their benches before halftime. This is embarrassing


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[The Operator]

WOW

[Hillsdale87]

Herbert is awesome, but it's wild to me that many think he's better than Burrow


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[The Operator]

Punt hits a Jags player in the head, Chargers recover inside the 10 yard line. Jags force the field goal attempt but it’s still 27-0 Chargers.

- - - Updated - - -


Herbert is awesome, but it's wild to me that many think he's better than Burrow


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It’s a Cincinnati thing to crap on your own and overrate players on other teams.

Herbert is indeed awesome, but I’m with you. Give me Burrow.

[The Operator]

Jags are at least trying to make it interesting. 14 unanswered.


27-14 Chargers

[The Operator]

We now have a 30-20 ballgame.

Jaguars are definitely playing with a different energy in the second half. Would love to see a comeback.

[The Operator]

Wow!

A long Chargers drive ends in a missed field goal. This game is still very winnable by the Jags.

[The Operator]

Chargers lose a challenge and burn their 2nd time out.

Getting interesting.

[The Operator]

Ref was literally looking right at a Jags receiver being integrated with and holds his flag.

But they score a TD on the next play!!! Wow wow wow.

- - - Updated - - -

Jax is going for 2 after the Bosa penalty!

Gusty call. Miss this and you still need a touchdown.

- - - Updated - - -

Aaaaand they convert the 2-pointer.


30-28 Chargers


28-3 Jags since the 27-0 start.

[The Operator]

Jags defense works a 3 & out

They’ll need to work the clock, but a field goal wins it

[The Operator]

Didn’t love that 3rd & 1 play call there by the Jags.

I would’ve QB sneaked there. Big 4th down here coiled evide the game.

- - - Updated - - -

Never mind. Huge rushing gain on 4th down.


Wow.

[Redhook]

This is insane! What a comeback.

[The Operator]

Holy crap!!!

The third biggest playoff comeback ever!!!


31-30 Jags win!

[Stray]

What a meltdown by the Chargers. But super impressed by Lawrence bouncing back after that disastrous first half.

[KronoRed]

What an awesome game, Lawrence might be something special.

[Hillsdale87]

Wow. Gotta wonder if Staley keeps his job after that. What a meltdown. The Chargers are so much less than the sum of their parts

Awesome comeback by the Jags though. What a game!


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[Redhook]

What a great game! I’m a little bummed because I think/thought the Chargers had a better chance to beat the Chiefs than the Jags, but in the grand scheme, it doesn’t really matter. The Bengals are going to steamroll their way to the Super Bowl.

[adkindo]

https://media.tenor.com/T9me5-uIsYcAAAAM/duval-dtwd.gif

[Wonderful Monds]

Yeah there’s no way Herbert is above Burrow on the QB rankings, he’s a half step below that tier.

Now Trevor Lawrence on the other hand might be ascending up to that level….

[Sea Ray]

Josh Allen is making a lot of mistakes in this game. That's the only way Miami can possibly win. That's the only reason Miami's ahead right now

[plantmanky]

Josh Allen fumbles the ball, a lot, like a lot a lot.

[KoryMac5]

Lucky for the Bills Skylar Thompson plays for Miami…he’s no Brock Purdy.

[KoryMac5]

Buffalo’s play calling that last drive is perplexing…home run or nothing approach when they need to run clock.

[Todd Gack]

Why do they push the start times back for those games? Just freaking start those games. . . . ugh.

I know why they do it, but no one cares. You're just making everyone at the Minny game wait even more. What if this game goes to OT?

[Sea Ray]

With almost no timeouts left, this is Miami's last chance

[KoryMac5]

Why do they push the start times back for those games? Just freaking start those games. . . . ugh.

I know why they do it, but no one cares. You're just making everyone at the Minny game wait even more. What if this game goes to OT?

Cause the NFL cares more about ad dollars on my TV set than fans who are in the seats.

[Wonderful Monds]

Truly incompetent drive capped off by that 4th and 1 delay of game by Miami there

[KoryMac5]

So many delay of game penalties for Miami…

[The Operator]

Miami’s absolute inability to work with the play clock costs them.

They gave Buffalo everything they can handle, but The Bills will move forward.

[Wonderful Monds]

Phins need a miracle like another Allen fumble or something, which I guess isn’t implausible

[The Operator]

Truly incompetent drive capped off by that 4th and 1 delay of game by Miami there

It’s typically not a great idea to not even break the huddle until the play clock is down to 3-4 seconds.


And now, Buffalo basically can run the clock down since Miami burned all their timeouts trying to avoid other delay of game penalties.

[Redhook]

In my life, I’ve never seen a team struggle so much to hike the ball before the play clock expires. Almost every snap is a delay of game. Then you get 4th and a foot which is such an obvious call and you screw around.

[GAC]

Someone said they saw the ghost of Fran Tarkenton roaming around :p

[redhawkfish]

Really getting tired of the horrible roughing the passer calls. Giants just got hosed!

[adkindo]

4th and 8....Cousins throws a 3 yard pass?!?!? I will never understand this....it is repeated every Saturday and Sunday in the fall, and continues to baffle me.

- - - Updated - - -


Really getting tired of the horrible roughing the passer calls. Giants just got hosed!

yes, that was a terrible call.....one of the worst I have seen this year

[Hillsdale87]

Is Byron Leftwich the worst coordinator in the NFL? Nothing he loves more than a run or screen on first down. The Bucs miss Arians so much


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[The Operator]

So much for that streak of no turnovers in the red zone for Brady.


Oops. Lol

- - - Updated - - -


Is Byron Leftwich the worst coordinator in the NFL? Nothing he loves more than a run or screen on first down. The Bucs miss Arians so much


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It would seem that he’s not as brilliant as he was once thought to be. He isn’t awful, but Brady’s decline has definitely shown that he’s not invincible as a coordinator.

Shame he seems to have missed his chance to grab a head coaching gig.

[The Operator]

Apparently extra point woes aren’t just a Bengal thing.

12-0 Cowboys

[adkindo]

Todd Bowles is just a trash head coach....always has been. Brady blaming everyone not named Brady for his poor play.....been doing it all season.

[Hillsdale87]

So much for that streak of no turnovers in the red zone for Brady.


Oops. Lol

- - - Updated - - -


It would seem that he’s not as brilliant as he was once thought to be. He isn’t awful, but Brady’s decline has definitely shown that he’s not invincible as a coordinator.

Shame he seems to have missed his chance to grab a head coaching gig.

I see no evidence that he's not awful. Basically the only time the Bucs score is when they're down at the end and they just let Brady call the plays in hurry up. Even the year they won the Super Bowl, the Bucs didn't really get hot until they started doing more of the things Brady wanted to do.

Everything is horizontal, so much running on early downs. Everything about their offensive system is regressive.

If you peruse Twitter, basically every NFL analyst is slamming the Bucs playcalling, as they do almost every week. In contrast, Kellen Moore is dominating Bowles


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[adkindo]

Seems like Brady is out of Tampa after this season.....I just pray the Bucs do not draft Will Levis

[adkindo]

3rd missed xtra point by Dallas

[goreds2]

3rd missed xtra point by Dallas

I have never seen that in a game before.

[adkindo]

I have never seen that in a game before.

on all 3, the flags were not moving an inch.....zero wind

[SteelSD]

4

[The Operator]

Make that a 4th missed extra point.

Maybe not important in a game like this, but can’t have that in the playoffs. He may be out of a job moving forward.

[Wonderful Monds]

What in the hell

[KronoRed]

This kicker isn't making the trip back to Arlington.

[SteelSD]

This kicker isn't making the trip back to Arlington.

Well, he's missed everything else tonight, so why not the plane too?

<drum riff> I'll be here all week.

[Redhook]

Make that a 4th missed extra point.

Maybe not important in a game like this, but can’t have that in the playoffs. He may be out of a job moving forward.

This could be a career-ending game for Maher, but I hope it’s just a blip on the radar. If he has the yips*, he might not be able to recover. I don’t think he has them, but it’s obviously in his head big time and I hope he gets through it asap.

*Before I had the driver yips in golf as a professional golfer, I never understood how Chuck Knoblauch or Steve Sax couldn’t throw the ball to first or a catcher couldn’t throw the ball back to the pitcher. Until you’ve experienced it, the flinching, first hand, it’s hard to comprehend.

[SteelSD]

Just in case anyone's wondering...Yes, 4 missed extra points in a single game is an NFL record.

[SteelSD]

So I guess I booted it off the left upright
Was it too short or too long?
Was it the sun in my eyes
I thought my leg's sufficiently strong
Now my job's on the line

So I hope I'll kick it straight this time
Did I miss again?

I think I missed again
Oh-oh-oh

[Redhook]

He made his 5th attempt….woohoo!

[RedTeamGo!]

The hilarity of the kicker aside: the cowboys look great.

[The Operator]

Man we’ve got ourselves another bad injury.


Looks like his neck. Hate that.

- - - Updated - - -

Russell Gage is the injured player.


Terrible.

[The Operator]

Hey, what about that. A successful on-side kick and recovered by our old Bengal favorite Gio Bernard.

[GAC]

Make that a 4th missed extra point.

Maybe not important in a game like this, but can’t have that in the playoffs. He may be out of a job moving forward.

How'd he win the job to begin with? Has anone seen the sideline video of Dak, frustrated as hell, screaming "Just go for ***** 2 points!" LOL

[Kingspoint]

How'd he win the job to begin with? Has anone seen the sideline video of Dak, frustrated as hell, screaming "Just go for ***** 2 points!" LOL

Cowboys have had Kicker issues for a couple of decades now, ever since my nephew was kicking FG's for them and he couldn't hold onto the job because of injuries. They struggle finding a competent Kicker who can stick around for several years and give that unit continuity.

[RedTeamGo!]

I think this kicker was actually pretty good during regular season, no?

It’s just 1 game.

Also, Dan Bailey was a good kicker for them from 2011-2017

[WrongVerb]

Los Angeles Chargers
@chargers

We have parted ways with OC Joe Lombardi and Passing Game Coordinator/QBs Shane Day.
10:44am · 17 Jan 2023



Dianna Russini
@diannaESPN

The Cleveland Browns plan to hire Jim Schwartz as their defensive coordinator, per sources.
Schwartz who won a Super Bowl as the Eagles DC in 2017 beat out Sean Desai, Dennard Wilson, and Brian Flores for the job.
9:32am · 17 Jan 2023 ·



Dov Kleiman
@NFL_DovKleiman

Report: The #Bucs to fire Offensive Coordinator Byron Leftwich.

The team had plans to fire Leftwich since their Bye week mid-season but Todd Bowles decided to keep him at the time, per @PewterReport

pewterreport.com/leftwich-expec…
8:14am · 17 Jan 2023

[KoryMac5]

Schwartz is a nice get for the Browns...always had a top 5-10 defense.

[Dom Heffner]

The head coach needs to go, I think.

I have spent the last few years riding Zac Taylor pretty hard after watching some of these other teams' coaches. The Chargers and Dolphins should both move on.

Im to the point where the Bengals are talented enough that win or lose is not so important- I just dont want the head coach botching things.

Taylor can be knuckleheadedly dumb sometimes, but things have gotten better.

[Wonderful Monds]

Hey, what about that. A successful on-side kick and recovered by our old Bengal favorite Gio Bernard.

It’s weird, I don’t remember Gio playing special teams here and I don’t really recall many players ending up there later in their careers like that.

He also did a good job activating as a sleeper agent and botching that fake punt when we played the Bucs a few weeks ago lol

[Tuff Nut]

It’s weird, I don’t remember Gio playing special teams here and I don’t really recall many players ending up there later in their careers like that.

He also did a good job activating as a sleeper agent and botching that fake punt when we played the Bucs a few weeks ago lol

Most likely it was am "all hands team" on the onside kick...those type of 'teams' are not your run of the mill special teams.

[Kingspoint]

Los Angeles Chargers
@chargers

We have parted ways with OC Joe Lombardi and Passing Game Coordinator/QBs Shane Day.
10:44am · 17 Jan 2023
Dianna Russini
@diannaESPN

The Cleveland Browns plan to hire Jim Schwartz as their defensive coordinator, per sources.
Schwartz who won a Super Bowl as the Eagles DC in 2017 beat out Sean Desai, Dennard Wilson, and Brian Flores for the job.
9:32am · 17 Jan 2023 ·
Dov Kleiman
@NFL_DovKleiman

Report: The #Bucs to fire Offensive Coordinator Byron Leftwich.

The team had plans to fire Leftwich since their Bye week mid-season but Todd Bowles decided to keep him at the time, per @PewterReport

pewterreport.com/leftwich-expec…
8:14am · 17 Jan 2023





All good decisions.

[WVRed]

I could see Schwartz being the Browns interim head coach by midseason.

[BuckeyeRed27]

I could see Schwartz being the Browns interim head coach by midseason.

It’s always hard to know now, but the Browns schedule is not seemingly hard next year. Assuming they have a fairly drama free offseason, Browns are a playoff team next year.

[KoryMac5]

It’s always hard to know now, but the Browns schedule is not seemingly hard next year. Assuming they have a fairly drama free offseason, Browns are a playoff team next year.

Big question mark at QB though…was it rust or poor fit.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Big question mark at QB though…was it rust or poor fit.

Eh he was pretty good the last couple games. I’m not sure there’s much of a reason to believe he won’t be solid after a full offseason.

[WVRed]

It’s always hard to know now, but the Browns schedule is not seemingly hard next year. Assuming they have a fairly drama free offseason, Browns are a playoff team next year.

It’s all gonna be on Watson though with no real way to make improvements with draft picks going to Houston.

Everything else depends on what else happens within the division. Does Pittsburgh take a step forward under Pickett? If Baltimore does resign Lamar Jackson they are fighting with the Bengals for no 2.

If the Browns start out slow I do think Stefanskis job will be in jeopardy.

[Sea Ray]

It'll all be on Watson and he didn't look special in 2022. Granted there are reasons for that, so no final grade on him is due at this time

[BuckeyeRed27]

It’s all gonna be on Watson though with no real way to make improvements with draft picks going to Houston.

Everything else depends on what else happens within the division. Does Pittsburgh take a step forward under Pickett? If Baltimore does resign Lamar Jackson they are fighting with the Bengals for no 2.

If the Browns start out slow I do think Stefanskis job will be in jeopardy.

Obviously Watson has to play better, but it would be I think surprising if he didn’t. Browns still have a 2 and a 3 so they have space to get a couple guys. They’ll lose guys like Clowney and Greedy…but whatever.

Ravens will be interesting, but they’ll probably be around a 8-10 win team. Pittsburgh is also probably about the same unless Pickett shows a lot more, so solid but s fringe playoff team.

I just assume the AFC North teams will go 3-3 against each other. Browns have Arizona, Houston, Indy, Rams, Bears and Broncos who were all bad this year and the Jets, Rams and Titans who all have questions. So again it’s early and who knows what ultimately comes of that schedule…but on paper it’s friendly.

[Sea Ray]

Obviously Watson has to play better, but it would be I think surprising if he didn’t. Browns still have a 2 and a 3 so they have space to get a couple guys. They’ll lose guys like Clowney and Greedy…but whatever.

Ravens will be interesting, but they’ll probably be around a 8-10 win team. Pittsburgh is also probably about the same unless Pickett shows a lot more, so solid but s fringe playoff team.

I just assume the AFC North teams will go 3-3 against each other. Browns have Arizona, Houston, Indy, Rams, Bears and Broncos who were all bad this year and the Jets, Rams and Titans who all have questions. So again it’s early and who knows what ultimately comes of that schedule…but on paper it’s friendly.

It's very friendly. If they don't make the playoffs, heads should roll

[moewan]

If that happens, I believe he will be the first head coach of the Detroit Lions to get another head coaching job in the NFL.

[WVRed]

Obviously Watson has to play better, but it would be I think surprising if he didn’t. Browns still have a 2 and a 3 so they have space to get a couple guys. They’ll lose guys like Clowney and Greedy…but whatever.

Ravens will be interesting, but they’ll probably be around a 8-10 win team. Pittsburgh is also probably about the same unless Pickett shows a lot more, so solid but s fringe playoff team.

I just assume the AFC North teams will go 3-3 against each other. Browns have Arizona, Houston, Indy, Rams, Bears and Broncos who were all bad this year and the Jets, Rams and Titans who all have questions. So again it’s early and who knows what ultimately comes of that schedule…but on paper it’s friendly.

The AFC North could be the NFC East next year and place three teams in the playoffs.

The Bengals would be obvious favorites, the Ravens most likely and then whoever steps up between Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

The AFC South and NFC West is pretty much a cakewalk in terms of competition.

[KoryMac5]

Steelers confirm Matt Canada is back as OC

[Kingspoint]

The AFC North could be the NFC East next year and place three teams in the playoffs.

The Bengals would be obvious favorites, the Ravens most likely and then whoever steps up between Pittsburgh and Cleveland.

The AFC South and NFC West is pretty much a cakewalk in terms of competition.

Not going to happen. Chargers and Dolphins will both make the playoffs.

[Bob Sheed]

Steelers confirm Matt Canada is back as OC

Yes!!!

Now the Ravens just need to give Lamar that Russell Wilson type contract and the Bengals will have the AFC North locked down for many many years.

[KoryMac5]

Reports are that Payton wants 20-25 million per season to coach...yikes...

[Oxilon]

Reports are that Payton wants 20-25 million per season to coach...yikes...

One of the most overrated coaches of all time.

[oregonred]

Payton needs to send Brees an annual royalty

The Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots will each host international games during the NFL's 2023 regular season.

The Chiefs and Patriots will host games in Germany. The Bills, Titans and Jaguars will play in London. The Bills and Titans are the designated home teams for two games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, while the Jaguars will host a game at Wembley Stadium as part of their multiyear commitment to playing in the United Kingdom.

Possible the Bengals could end up with one of the London games as they are on the road at Nashville and Jacksonville this year. Assume the league and networks would want the Bengals game in Kansas City as one of the primetime marquee games of the year.

[WrongVerb]

LOL...



Dan Dakich
@dandakich

My sources inside the colts GREAT

Got this today ⬇️

“McDaniel’s wife made him pull the plug after having Irsay in their home in Massachusetts & observing his odd behavior. Behavior that included being in the McDaniel’s family bathroom for a very long & awkward period of time.”
3:45pm · 18 Jan 2023

[KoryMac5]

Greg Roman out as OC of the Ravens

[WrongVerb]

Greg Roman out as OC of the Ravens

Does that mean no more Lamar?

[KoryMac5]

Does that mean no more Lamar?

Or the opposite...could be the FO trying to make resigning more attractive. I know Steve Young always felt that Lamar was being hamstrung by the Ravens offense...Lamar could have felt the same way.

RG3 tweeted this will make FA wide receivers much more likely to come to Baltimore as the passing game will open up more.

[WVRed]

Or the opposite...could be the FO trying to make resigning more attractive. I know Steve Young always felt that Lamar was being hamstrung by the Ravens offense...Lamar could have felt the same way.

RG3 tweeted this will make FA wide receivers much more likely to come to Baltimore as the passing game will open up more.

Exactly. It’s the same reason the Bucs fired Leftwich. Whoever Jackson and Brady want as offensive coordinator they will literally be able to pick (if they stay).

[Chip R]

The Dolphins have fired most, if not all of their defensive staff. Patrick Surtain had already resigned to take a similar position at Florida State.

[Sea Ray]

John Harbaugh is saying that there's a 200% chance that Lamar is back as QB...I like that. Sounds like they're going to re-sign him for big bucks. Just what I want to see

[Rojo Rijo]

John Harbaugh is saying that there's a 200% chance that Lamar is back as QB...I like that. Sounds like they're going to re-sign him for big bucks. Just what I want to see

Or the FO has decided that they will franchise him if they can't reach an agreement.

[WVRed]

Or the FO has decided that they will franchise him if they can't reach an agreement.

I could see that getting messy if they franchise him.

He seems like a holdout waiting to happen.

[Sea Ray]

Or the FO has decided that they will franchise him if they can't reach an agreement.

Franchise tag for a QB is big bucks. I agree that it appears they'll franchise him if they can't re-sign him. It would behoove them to sign him long term rather than franchise him for cap reasons. I was kinda worried they would do the sensible thing and move on from him, worse yet, get something back in a trade. Instead it appears that they're all in on Lamar and they're blaming the OC. I think Greg Roman did a fine job maximizing Lamar's talents. He can't be blamed for the lack of weapons or the injuries

[Chip R]

Franchise tag for a QB is big bucks. I agree that it appears they'll franchise him if they can't re-sign him. It would behoove them to sign him long term rather than franchise him for cap reasons. I was kinda worried they would do the sensible thing and move on from him, worse yet, get something back in a trade. Instead it appears that they're all in on Lamar and they're blaming the OC. I think Greg Roman did a fine job maximizing Lamar's talents. He can't be blamed for the lack of weapons or the injuries

You would think that if he were going to come back, they wouldn't have fired Roman who seemed to bring out the best in him.

[Sea Ray]

It makes you wonder, with the contracts of Roquan Smith and a franchise tag on Lamar, what that's going to do to their salary cap. It'll make it harder to acquire skill position weapons for Lamar

[medford]

I think the best route for them would be to trade Lamar, sign someone like Jimmy G trade for an elite WR and draft one with one of their 1st round draft picks, plus a corner. Work around an elite defense, elite ground game and a solid enough passing game with receiving threats that can break long gains.

[Sea Ray]

I think the best route for them would be to trade Lamar, sign someone like Jimmy G trade for an elite WR and draft one with one of their 1st round draft picks, plus a corner. Work around an elite defense, elite ground game and a solid enough passing game with receiving threats that can break long gains.

Agreed...and I'm so glad they're not going that route

[Bob Sheed]

I think the best route for them would be to trade Lamar, sign someone like Jimmy G trade for an elite WR and draft one with one of their 1st round draft picks, plus a corner. Work around an elite defense, elite ground game and a solid enough passing game with receiving threats that can break long gains.

Agreed 100 percent. Please don't tell the Ravens. :lol:

[adampad]

I'm sure this has been explained, but I haven't seen it.

Why is the AFC championship game at a neutral site if the Bills win, but the the game between the Bills and Bengals is not? If the Bengals beat the Bills in the cancelled game, wouldn't the Bengals have homefield over the Bills? Seems like the Bengals getting shafted on this one.

[Danny Serafini]

I'm sure this has been explained, but I haven't seen it.

Why is the AFC championship game at a neutral site if the Bills win, but the the game between the Bills and Bengals is not? If the Bengals beat the Bills in the cancelled game, wouldn't the Bengals have homefield over the Bills? Seems like the Bengals getting shafted on this one.

The reasoning was that because the Chiefs and Bills didn't play the same number of games it wouldn't be fair to go by record, but since the Bills and Bengals did that was fine, and even though the game that got cancelled could've flipped the seeding it was OK to ignore it since both teams played 16 games. It's garbage reasoning, but it's Roger Goodell, so you can't really have expectations of doing things the intelligent way.

[Todd Gack]

The reasoning was that because the Chiefs and Bills didn't play the same number of games it wouldn't be fair to go by record, but since the Bills and Bengals did that was fine, and even though the game that got cancelled could've flipped the seeding it was OK to ignore it since both teams played 16 games. It's garbage reasoning, but it's Roger Goodell, so you can't really have expectations of doing things the intelligent way.

We could've also forced them to forfeit too.

[WVRed]

We could've also forced them to forfeit too.

Buffalo became Americas Team that night. The NFL wasn’t going to deal with the angry mob of fans unless the Bills came out and said they were on with taking a forfeit.

[Hillsdale87]

I'm not the biggest Lamar fan, but I think you all are crazy. I want the Ravens to be bad, so I'd much rather have them give up on a top 10 QB than re-sign him. It's pretty tough to win Super Bowls behind an elite run game and elite defense. That hasn't happened since the Broncos won the Super Bowl in Manning's last season. Also, a big part of why the Ravens have an elite run game is because of Lamar!

IMO the Ravens would be crazy not to re-sign him and draft 2 WRs. His line is great, but his skill position guys are a small step ahead of the Bears'. If they let him leave, great, but I think they'd be crazy to let a top 10 QB go without ever seeing what he could look like with above average receivers.

[WVRed]

I'm not the biggest Lamar fan, but I think you all are crazy. I want the Ravens to be bad, so I'd much rather have them give up on a top 10 QB than re-sign him. It's pretty tough to win Super Bowls behind an elite run game and elite defense. That hasn't happened since the Broncos won the Super Bowl in Manning's last season. Also, a big part of why the Ravens have an elite run game is because of Lamar!

IMO the Ravens would be crazy not to re-sign him and draft 2 WRs. His line is great, but his skill position guys are a small step ahead of the Bears'. If they let him leave, great, but I think they'd be crazy to let a top 10 QB go without ever seeing what he could look like with above average receivers.

He’s a running QB, undersized, and not much of a passing threat. He can beat you through the air if he has to but the Ravens likely have gotten the best years out of him at this point. Signing him to a massive contract knowing the longevity of running QBs is a recipe for disaster but it’s one I can’t see the Ravens making.

One receiver I’ll predict will sign with the Ravens if he is a cap casualty: Adam Thielen. He strikes me as a Ravens type of player.

[RiverRat13]

The last two seasons the Ravens are 14-8 with Lamar and 4-9 without him. I'm trying hard to understand why it would be a good thing for the Bengals (in the short term) for Lamar to return to Baltimore. I hope he leaves and they are stuck in QB purgatory for the next couple of decades.

[Hillsdale87]

He’s a running QB, undersized, and not much of a passing threat. He can beat you through the air if he has to but the Ravens likely have gotten the best years out of him at this point. Signing him to a massive contract knowing the longevity of running QBs is a recipe for disaster but it’s one I can’t see the Ravens making.

One receiver I’ll predict will sign with the Ravens if he is a cap casualty: Adam Thielen. He strikes me as a Ravens type of player.

He's a career 64% passer throwing to a bunch of scrubs. The year he won the MVP (with 36 TDs and 6 INTs), his #2 WR was Willie Snead...

I agree that he's not the pocket passer that Burrow, Allen, or Mahomes are. But he's also a far superior athlete. You can sacrifice some of the pocket QB traits when a guy can rip off an 80 yard run. But just because he's an elite runner doesn't mean he isn't also a pretty good passer. The Ravens were 5th in EPA before he got hurt this season. He was throwing to Mark Andrews (good), but after him Devin Duvernay and Demarcus Robinson (castoff from the Chiefs) were his best receivers. And Kenyon Drake was his best running back! It was all on him and he was dragging them along.

The Ravens signing Thielen would be so stupid, but also typical of the way they've approached WRs with Lamar. Thielen is washed. Bateman actually seems decent but can't stay healthy, and they need at least one other guy. I hope all of this blows up in the Ravens' face, but it wouldn't surprise me at all for Lamar to have some years even better than his MVP season if they surround him with real weapons. I guess he's a little more vulnerable to injury as a running QB, but I think his season has ended 2 years in a row on injuries that happened in the pocket, so who knows.

- - - Updated - - -


The last two seasons the Ravens are 14-8 with Lamar and 4-9 without him. I'm trying hard to understand why it would be a good thing for the Bengals (in the short term) for Lamar to return to Baltimore. I hope he leaves and they are stuck in QB purgatory for the next couple of decades.

Right. The odds of the Ravens hitting on another top 10 (at worst) QB are super low. I hope they go for it.

[Sea Ray]

I'm not the biggest Lamar fan, but I think you all are crazy. I want the Ravens to be bad, so I'd much rather have them give up on a top 10 QB than re-sign him. It's pretty tough to win Super Bowls behind an elite run game and elite defense. That hasn't happened since the Broncos won the Super Bowl in Manning's last season. Also, a big part of why the Ravens have an elite run game is because of Lamar!

IMO the Ravens would be crazy not to re-sign him and draft 2 WRs. His line is great, but his skill position guys are a small step ahead of the Bears'. If they let him leave, great, but I think they'd be crazy to let a top 10 QB go without ever seeing what he could look like with above average receivers.

The way I see it, players like Lamar Jackson don't age well. In the future he'll be much more injury prone and he'll be forced to throw from the pocket more. In order for him to age well, he'd have to have a transformation throwing like Jalen Hurts. I don't know that spending $45mill/yr on him allows them to keep their O line and their stellar defense and get him 2 WRs. That'd be very difficult in a capped league

IMO the worst thing that could happen from a Bengals perspective is if the Ravens trade him for a haul of draft picks, save the cap space, then go out and get some weapons and develop another QB whom they're paying next to nothing. Ravens know what to do with draft picks and cap space

[WVRed]

The way I see it, players like Lamar Jackson don't age well. In the future he'll be much more injury prone and he'll be forced to throw from the pocket more. In order for him to age well, he'd have to have a transformation throwing like Jalen Hurts. I don't know that spending $45mill/yr on him allows them to keep their O line and their stellar defense and get him 2 WRs. That'd be very difficult in a capped league

IMO the worst thing that could happen from a Bengals perspective is if the Ravens trade him for a haul of draft picks, save the cap space, then go out and get some weapons and develop another QB whom they're paying next to nothing. Ravens know what to do with draft picks and cap space

For once I agree with Sea Ray.

[goreds2]

NFL divisional round schedule

(4) Jacksonville Jaguars at (1) Kansas City Chiefs

Saturday, Jan. 21

Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
TV channel: NBC
BetMGM line: Chiefs -8.5
Previous meetings this season: Chiefs 27, Jaguars 17 (Nov. 13 at KC)



(6) New York Giants at (1) Philadelphia Eagles

Saturday, Jan. 21

Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
TV channel: Fox
BetMGM line: Eagles -7.5
Previous meetings this season: Eagles 48, Giants 22 (Dec. 11 at NYG), Eagles 22, Giants 16 (Jan. 8 at PHI)



(3) Cincinnati Bengals at (2) Buffalo Bills

Sunday, Jan. 22

Time: 3 p.m. ET
TV channel: CBS
BetMGM line: Bills -4.5
Previous meetings this season: The teams' game in Week 17 was canceled following Damar Hamlin's hospitalization.


(5) Dallas Cowboys at (2) San Francisco 49ers

Sunday, Jan. 22

Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
TV channel: Fox
BetMGM line: 49ers -3.5
Previous meetings this season: The two teams have not played this season.

[Hillsdale87]

The way I see it, players like Lamar Jackson don't age well. In the future he'll be much more injury prone and he'll be forced to throw from the pocket more. In order for him to age well, he'd have to have a transformation throwing like Jalen Hurts. I don't know that spending $45mill/yr on him allows them to keep their O line and their stellar defense and get him 2 WRs. That'd be very difficult in a capped league

IMO the worst thing that could happen from a Bengals perspective is if the Ravens trade him for a haul of draft picks, save the cap space, then go out and get some weapons and develop another QB whom they're paying next to nothing. Ravens know what to do with draft picks and cap space

The Chiefs vand Bills have figured out how to make it work with an expensive QB. The cap will keep going up. No, it won't be as easy to build a team as when Lamar was on a rookie deal, something the Bengals will be dealing with soon, but it's very possible.

And on Hurts, perhaps he got better at passing because he's throwing to AJ Brown and Devonta Smith, 2 probably top 20 receivers in the league? The Eagles are around top 5 in skill position talent. They've built around Hurts to develop him, the Ravens haven't.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Sea Ray]

The Chiefs vand Bills have figured out how to make it work with an expensive QB. The cap will keep going up. No, it won't be as easy to build a team as when Lamar was on a rookie deal, something the Bengals will be dealing with soon, but it's very possible.

And on Hurts, perhaps he got better at passing because he's throwing to AJ Brown and Devonta Smith, 2 probably top 20 receivers in the league? The Eagles are around top 5 in skill position talent. They've built around Hurts to develop him, the Ravens haven't.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I'm not saying you can't win with a highly paid QB. I sure hope so since my Bengals will be looking at this soon. I think Allen and Mahomes were worth the investment. I think Lamar will age like Randall Cunningham, Michael Vick and Cam Newton did. I'll also advance the conversation and say this: I think there are serious questions whether Lamar can read defenses and go through progressions.

[Hillsdale87]

I'm not saying you can't win with a highly paid QB. I sure hope so since my Bengals will be looking at this soon. I think Allen and Mahomes were worth the investment. I think Lamar will age like Randall Cunningham, Michael Vick and Cam Newton did. I'll also advance the conversation and say this: I think there are serious questions whether Lamar can read defenses and go through progressions.

It's very possible, although he's a better passer than Vick, and takes much less of a beating than Cam. And maybe he's not great at reading defenses, but I just think it's hard to judge with his weapons. IMO it's malpractice by the Ravens to have wasted his whole rookie contract without getting him real pass catchers to evaluate his passing acumen, malpractice which I'm thankful for as a Bengals fan.


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[The Operator]

Something is bad wrong with Patrick Mahomes. Can’t tell if it’s the knee or ankle but he can’t even put any weight on it and had to limp just hand the ball off.


Ugh. I want KC to lose but not like that. No injuries.

[kaldaniels]

Something is bad wrong with Patrick Mahomes. Can’t tell if it’s the knee or ankle but he can’t even put any weight on it and had to limp just hand the ball off.


Ugh. I want KC to lose but not like that. No injuries.

I mean no one wants injuries.

But when your game is based (and I say this respectfully as Mahomes is the best player in the league) on prancing around in the backfield slipping out of sticky situations, sometimes you have to take your medicine.

[The Operator]

I mean no one wants injuries.

But when your game is based (and I say this respectfully as Mahomes is the best player in the league) on prancing around in the backfield slipping out of sticky situations, sometimes you have to take your medicine.

I get that, I just hate seeing it, especially in the playoffs.


Gives me flashbacks to Carson Palmer in 2005 or even Burrow during the regular season his rookie year.

[The Operator]

KC’s offense still moved the ball really well even with Chad Henne at QB.


17-7 Chiefs

[RiverRat13]

Kirk has to make that catch. Beautiful throw by Lawrence.

[The Operator]

Chiefs just got away with a helmet to helmet hit on Lawrence.

[The Operator]

Stupid decision by Jax to replay 3rd down after forcing an incomplete pass like that.

They still got right back to where they started and still kicked the field goal. Take the loss of down.

[The Operator]

KC gets away with a blindside block, no flag.

[KoryMac5]

Mahomes is really hobbled out there...if Jax goes 3 and out Reid may want to ride with Henne for a bit.

[KoryMac5]

Up by 10 with 3 mins left to play 0 reason to have Mahomes out there right now...

[goreds2]

Up by 10 with 3 mins left to play 0 reason to have Mahomes out there right now...

He is a gamer for sure.

[The Operator]

“False start, all of the linemen except for the center…”


Love when goofy stuff like that happens.

[Dom Heffner]

The way I see it, players like Lamar Jackson don't age well. In the future he'll be much more injury prone and he'll be forced to throw from the pocket more. In order for him to age well, he'd have to have a transformation throwing like Jalen Hurts. I don't know that spending $45mill/yr on him allows them to keep their O line and their stellar defense and get him 2 WRs. That'd be very difficult in a capped league

IMO the worst thing that could happen from a Bengals perspective is if the Ravens trade him for a haul of draft picks, save the cap space, then go out and get some weapons and develop another QB whom they're paying next to nothing. Ravens know what to do with draft picks and cap space

He won't age well if he doesnt improve his accuracy.

[Hillsdale87]

The Eagles look really good. I'm getting a bit nervous for when the Bengals have to face them in the Super Bowl


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[oregonred]

Eagles look good but the Giants aren't even a playoff team in the AFC.

6 teams left are the 6 best going into the final third of the season. Will be a competitive SB no matter the combination.

Eagles would be the worst matchup for the Bengals. Cowboys the best one.

[Hillsdale87]

Eagles look good but the Giants aren't even a playoff team in the AFC.

6 teams left are the 6 best going into the final third of the season. Will be a competitive SB no matter the combination.

Eagles would be the worst matchup for the Bengals. Cowboys the best one.

Whoever wins today may be favored next week against the Chiefs with Mahomes hobbled/out. All of the remaining NFC teams will be a tough matchup with their ability to get after the QB. Hopefully if the Bengals can get that far Williams and Cappa can make it back.


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[kaldaniels]

Niners-Cowboys. Feels like the 1990’s.

Which was 30 years ago for those keeping score.

[Boston Red]

Dallas gave him another shot, but Maher's career is over. If they need a critical FG they might use the punter.

[The Operator]

Yea there’s no way Maher has a job after this game, win or lose.


It was blocked, but that extra point was way wide left even if it wasn’t. He’s got the yips. Feel for the guy, I’ve dealt with the yips back in the day as a pitcher, helpless feeling. But the playoffs are the playoffs. They’ll have a new kicker moving forward, whether that’s next week or next year.

[Boston Red]

Dak is killing the Cowboys more than Maher.

[Falls City Beer]

Dak is killing the Cowboys more than Maher.

The guy is just not an elite quarterback.

- - - Updated - - -

I’m not overly scared of anyone left in the NFC. The biggest challenge the Bengals have is next week.

[Hillsdale87]

Dallas looks like the much better team IMO. But Dak's mistakes are killing them.


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[Falls City Beer]

I actually think SF will beat Philly if they get past Dallas.

[Bob Sheed]

49ers Bengals Part III is a distinct possibility.

[The Operator]

Dallas recovers a muffed punt.


Big break for them.

[The Operator]

He made a field goal!

Dallas ties it at 9-9

[UKFlounder]

Not rooting for either team, but good for him making that. It has to be a great relief

[Boston Red]

I would have bet heavy against Maher making that 42 yarder.

[Boston Red]

Dak gets one last shot at this.

[The Operator]

Put up or shut up time for Dak Prescott.

A TD here and some folks in Dallas might get over that draw play that ran the clock out last year.


And then, do they go for 2? The kicker is still an issue.

[Boston Red]

That drive was a mess for Dak.

[The Operator]

Wow. Nothing doing for the Cowboys there

- - - Updated - - -


That drive was a mess for Dak.

Two pretty bad throws and then a sack.


He’s lucky that first throw wasn’t intercepted and taken to the house.

[The Operator]

That’s the ballgame in all likelihood.


Although not sure why he ran out of bounds.

[The Operator]

Cowboys will get the ball back with a little under a minute left.


Big mistake by that SF runner going out of bounds.

[Boston Red]

Ballsy (some may say stupid) to have Purdy throw on third down. Could have been a huge mistake.

[The Operator]

Cowboys have 45 seconds to go about 95 yards.


No draw plays this time, Dak.

[The Operator]

Why on earth wouldn’t you spike the ball there?

[Boston Red]

Dalton Schultz is having a disaster drive. Lol

[UKFlounder]

A terrible “hurry-up” offense by Dallas

[Boston Red]

This end of the game is so bad I'd fire McCarthy.

[The Operator]

That was the goofiest offensive alignment I think I’ve ever seen, lol.

Zeke Elliott at center, now there’s something you don’t see every day.

- - - Updated - - -


This end of the game is so bad I'd fire McCarthy.

There were people calling for his job after last year’s playoff loss, too.


Can’t imagine this will make it any better.

[The Operator]

A terrible “hurry-up” offense by Dallas

They were screwing around before their punt the series before, too. Really bad clock management.

[UKFlounder]

Elliot got pancaked pretty good after the snap. He won’t want that call again

[Sea Ray]

Jerry Jones is very loyal. He'll keep McCarthy for too long just like he did Jason Garrett

[The Operator]

Jerry Jones is very loyal. He'll keep McCarthy for too long just like he did Jason Garrett

You think so? He’s not getting any younger and I’d imagine he’s aching to shed that “Cowboys can’t win in the playoffs” narrative that has become a thing ever since their run in the 1990’s.


It will be interesting to watch in any event.

[Sea Ray]

You think so? He’s not getting any younger and I’d imagine he’s aching to shed that “Cowboys can’t win in the playoffs” narrative that has become a thing ever since their run in the 1990’s.


It will be interesting to watch in any event.

I could be wrong but I don't think it'll be interesting at all. Jerry will come out tomorrow and announce that McCarthy's job is safe

[GAC]

https://imgs.search.brave.com/Koyyh0O5qT4Q6VcMVQ0lIP2rHfzOETLV3s0aB1HStiY/rs:fit:888:573:1/g:ce/aHR0cHM6Ly9pLnBp/bmltZy5jb20vb3Jp/Z2luYWxzLzdiLzQ2/L2EyLzdiNDZhMjE2/NDE4NzYxZDgwNGM3/ODM4YWFmNWU5ZGQ5/LmpwZw

[RiverRat13]

I'm not sure of the Cowboys' path forward to get over the divisional round hump. Dak is a good but not great QB but is on a great QB contract. McCarthy has won enough to make it tough to fire him but he's not good enough to elevate the roster like a Shanahan.

[Sea Ray]

I don't think the Cowboys choked. They were the inferior team and trailed most of the game. That's not a choke

[Boston Red]

If Dak hadn't thrown those two brutal interceptions, they likely would have never trailed. Should have been 10-3 Dallas at halftime if they could kick andextra point and avoid the bad turnovers.

But, they couldn't do either of those things, so they lost.

[Sea Ray]

If Dak hadn't thrown those two brutal interceptions, they likely would have never trailed. Should have been 10-3 Dallas at halftime if they could kick andextra point and avoid the bad turnovers.

But, they couldn't do either of those things, so they lost.

I agree. Dak at QB is one of the reasons Dallas was the inferior team. Not saying Purdy is better but Dak being Andy Dalton in the playoffs isn't enough to overcome inferiority to the 49ers in other areas. Dallas was about a 4 pt dog going into that game. It would have been a mild upset if they'd won

[KoryMac5]

Greg Olsen has been growing on me as an analyst...he is the anti Romo.

[WVRed]

Greg Olsen has been growing on me as an analyst...he is the anti Romo.

Maybe CBS can take him when Tom Brady comes to Fox.

[Kingspoint]

Greg Olsen has been growing on me as an analyst...he is the anti Romo.

He's growing on me like a hangnail.

I love Romo and other analysts I respect love Romo, too.

Romo is simply the best that there is.

- - - Updated - - -


I agree. Dak at QB is one of the reasons Dallas was the inferior team. Not saying Purdy is better but Dak being Andy Dalton in the playoffs isn't enough to overcome inferiority to the 49ers in other areas. Dallas was about a 4 pt dog going into that game. It would have been a mild upset if they'd won

And, having a much inferior Head Coach was a huge difference in the game.

[KoryMac5]

He's growing on me like a hangnail.

I love Romo and other analysts I respect love Romo, too.

Romo is simply the best that there is.

- - - Updated - - -



And, having a much inferior Head Coach was a huge difference in the game.

You obviously haven't listened to Olson much he nailed several points in SF/Dallas game that I was unaware of as a fan. Especially on the play where Schultz went out of bounds but the clock didn't stop. He's been very good for Fox.

At one point I liked Romo but the incessant need to always be talking and having an agenda (pulling for one team or the other or talking about himself) drives me nuts...

[Kingspoint]

You obviously haven't listened to Olson much he nailed several points in SF/Dallas game that I was unaware of as a fan. Especially on the play where Schultz went out of bounds but the clock didn't stop. He's been very good for Fox.

At one point I liked Romo but the incessant need to always be talking and having an agenda (pulling for one team or the other or talking about himself) drives me nuts...

I always find Olsen lacking in his broadcast work. He and his broadcast partner were the worst part of the DAL/SF game and they took away from the enjoyment of the game for me. They were both pretty boring.

Tony Romo has never been biased towards one team over another during a broadcast. You're mistaking his honest appraisal of players and coaches for biased feelings, when he never fails to give credit where it's due both positively and negatively, but mostly positively. He also doesn't care about praising himself as you mention. You must really hate the Cowboys or you would never say this about him. Romo doesn't care about pimping himself. In fact, he pokes fun at himself and even shows regret that he didn't put more effort into his Quarterbacking days. He's very humble.

Olsen has never said anything I didn't already know, while Romo tells me new things all the time. He didn't provide any insight when the Defender intentionally made Schultz go out of bounds at a backwards 45-degree angle so that the clock would continue to run, immediately getting the ref's attention to make sure the clock didn't stop. I saw it happening as the Defender was setting up the hit. You could see him going for that. It's a basic play that's been going on for half a century.

[KoryMac5]

Bill O' Brien back to the Pats...that's an interesting marriage with Mac Jones

[The Operator]

Romo’s biggest weakness is he just always has to be talking. His analysis is usually pretty good, but he has no idea how to let the moment breathe a little bit.

He always reminds me of the over excited fan getting his first chance to call a game. I think it was during the Buffalo-Miami game, maybe, where toward the end when Miami had a chance to go ahead he just would not stop talking and saying things like “Ahhhhh, man… this is wild! But Buffalo’s season can’t end like this… can it? CAN IT?!?! Ahhhh…”

If he’d dial the caffeine down a bit he’d be fine. Because his analysis is usually very good in between the hyper kid bouncing off the walls moments

[Sea Ray]

The Cincinnati Bengals are suddenly favorites over the Kansas City Chiefs in the upcoming AFC title game.



Right after the divisional round ended and the spreads opened, the Bengals were underdogs by a few points on the road in Arrowhead Stadium.



But it took all of 24 hours for that status to flip.



According to the lines at Tipico Sportsbook, the Bengals are favored by 1.5 points as of this writing. It’s a line that has slowly continued to grow (over/under at 46.5 points).





https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2023/01/24/bengals-chiefs-odds-prediction-afc-championship/69835603007/

[KoryMac5]

I always find Olsen lacking in his broadcast work. He and his broadcast partner were the worst part of the DAL/SF game and they took away from the enjoyment of the game for me. They were both pretty boring.

Tony Romo has never been biased towards one team over another during a broadcast. You're mistaking his honest appraisal of players and coaches for biased feelings, when he never fails to give credit where it's due both positively and negatively, but mostly positively. He also doesn't care about praising himself as you mention. You must really hate the Cowboys or you would never say this about him. Romo doesn't care about pimping himself. In fact, he pokes fun at himself and even shows regret that he didn't put more effort into his Quarterbacking days. He's very humble.

Olsen has never said anything I didn't already know, while Romo tells me new things all the time. He didn't provide any insight when the Defender intentionally made Schultz go out of bounds at a backwards 45-degree angle so that the clock would continue to run, immediately getting the ref's attention to make sure the clock didn't stop. I saw it happening as the Defender was setting up the hit. You could see him going for that. It's a basic play that's been going on for half a century.

The only person still mystified by Romo is you KP...

He was awful in the Bills Bengals game...

https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/tony-romo-bills-bengals-awful-announcing-fan-reaction

[Tuff Nut]

https://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/nfl/bengals/2023/01/24/bengals-chiefs-odds-prediction-afc-championship/69835603007/

Not surprising, really. With a healthy Mahomes I would guess the line would be switched.

[Sea Ray]

Not surprising, really. With a healthy Mahomes I would guess the line would be switched.

The experts set the line knowing Mahomes' health. Bengals are now 2.5 pt favorites. That's a ton of movement in less than 2 days

[moewan]

The only person still mystified by Romo is you KP...

He was awful in the Bills Bengals game...

https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/tony-romo-bills-bengals-awful-announcing-fan-reaction

Tony Romo has been awful from the get go."Jeeeeeeeem, I don't know Jeeeeeem, watch the shot clock Jeeeeeem". Good lord just shut up.

[Tuff Nut]

The experts set the line knowing Mahomes' health. Bengals are now 2.5 pt favorites. That's a ton of movement in less than 2 days

Right. With him not at full strength, I can see why KC is the underdog.

[BuckeyeRed27]

High ankle sprains are miserable. He was probably able to get through it on adrenaline last weekend, but he will probably be pretty limited Sunday. Now a not very mobile Mahomes could still win, but if I’m Lou I’m throwing all the pressure I can at him early.

[Chip R]

High ankle sprains are miserable. He was probably able to get through it on adrenaline last weekend, but he will probably be pretty limited Sunday. Now a not very mobile Mahomes could still win, but if I’m Lou I’m throwing all the pressure I can at him early.

Adrenaline and Torodol.

[Kingspoint]

Tony Romo has been awful from the get go."Jeeeeeeeem, I don't know Jeeeeeem, watch the shot clock Jeeeeeem". Good lord just shut up.

Sorry, but he's the most respected commentator by other NFL analysts. They intentionally try to watch whatever game Romo gets assigned to because it's the most educational for them and the most entertaining for them.


Romo knows more about the current players and teams in the NFL just in his little pinkie than anyone who has ever graced their eyes across this website. To not appreciate Tony Romo and the work that he puts into his broadcasting craft is basically admitting that you never want to ever learn anything about things you have no knowledge about.

[Kingspoint]

The Chiefs are the underdog because the Bengals completely dismantled from start to finish the Buffalo Bills in Buffalo, making the Bills all-time home record in the playoffs now 13-2 instead of 13-1.

This proved that the Bengals are right now, the best team in the NFL. It's not close.

Chiefs have looked pedestrian for over a month.

Bengals are 3-0 over the Chiefs in the last 13 months.

Bengals have won 19 of their last 20 games where they led after the 1st Quarter, and the Bengals have been scoring more frequently in the 1st Quarter, I believe something like 37-0 over their opponents in their last five games.

The only concern the Bengals had going into the Bills' game was the Offensive Line, otherwise they would have been favored in that game. There's no longer a concern with the Offensive Line.

The Chiefs are the underdogs, as they should be.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Adrenaline and Torodol.

Just win baby

[Bob Sheed]

The only person still mystified by Romo is you KP...

He was awful in the Bills Bengals game...

https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/tony-romo-bills-bengals-awful-announcing-fan-reaction

I mean... Romo compared Burrow to Peyton Manning multiple times in the Bills game.

[Wonderful Monds]

Sorry, but he's the most respected commentator by other NFL analysts. They intentionally try to watch whatever game Romo gets assigned to because it's the most educational for them and the most entertaining for them.


Romo knows more about the current players and teams in the NFL just in his little pinkie than anyone who has ever graced their eyes across this website. To not appreciate Tony Romo and the work that he puts into his broadcasting craft is basically admitting that you never want to ever learn anything about things you have no knowledge about.

Dawg, Romo has left the analytical football brain genius schtick behind for multiple years at this point. Like none of this is true anymore, and the other commentators have reportedly started resenting him.

https://awfulannouncing.com/cbs/tony-romo-what-happened-cbs-bills-bengals.html

https://readoptional.substack.com/p/why-are-the-nfls-broadcasts-so-stale


Romo’s regular season performance has been on the wane. One individual who has worked with Romo to help him prepare for games told The Read Optional that the former QB once turned up to a marquee regular season game with no knowledge of one of the team’s defenses. Thirty minutes before the game, Romo asked for a quick cheat sheet/scouting report on the team’s starters. As soon as the game kicked off, he info dumped what he had cribbed to an unsuspecting viewership. The pretense of homework out of the way, he could kick back and just be good ‘ol Tony. I can’t believe it, Jim!

For those who track schemes and X’s & O’s, it’s become abundantly clear how much Romo is guessing/making up concepts that teams are running, knowing full well that Jim Nantz, his broadcast partner, is not equipped to pull him up on the issue. The fumbling of sentences, lack of polish and enthusiasm was what initially endeared viewers to Romo. He’s just like me and my buddy watching games. But underpinning it all was real insight and analysis, the kind that hadn’t been seen on live game broadcasts since John Madden. Yet, even early last season, it was clear that he was on cruise control. That the concepts he was talking about for particular teams were already outdated.“It's just frustrating how little he cares for the job,” a source told The Read

Optional. “It's just not serious, at all, to him. And he treats it accordingly”.

Romo, it seems, is aware that he knows so much more about football than those around him that he can bull**** his way through a game without anyone noticing - the audience included.

Romo still brings his A-plus-plus game in the postseason. And that matters. He can still reach heights that others cannot when he is fully engaged - amplifying a broadcast into something pretty special rather than being a presence that’s in the way of the game. That matters, too. But his early role as a pioneering voice has fallen away.

He’s now just another voice - albeit an excitable one - among a ton of slop.

[Boston Red]

""It's just not serious, at all, to him. And he treats it accordingly""

Given that it's sports, this is actually perfect.

[BuckeyeRed27]

I don’t mind Romo. Announcers can kind of ebb and flow. I thought Buck used to be pretty terrible and he’s been excellent for a while now and is probably the best NFL announcer.

I do get annoyed when announcers won’t call out refs and Romo is really bad at that. Herbstreit and Al Michaels are the best at just saying yeah that was a bad call they messed that up. Romo is a little too chummy with Gene Steratore though.

[GAC]

Romo’s biggest weakness is he just always has to be talking. His analysis is usually pretty good, but he has no idea how to let the moment breathe a little bit.

He always reminds me of the over excited fan getting his first chance to call a game.

Sean Casey, who should never be allowed behind a mic ever!

I don't need Romo trying to explain every jot and tittle of what's going on. I'm watching the same game he is! LOL

[Kingspoint]

Romo’s biggest weakness is he just always has to be talking. His analysis is usually pretty good, but he has no idea how to let the moment breathe a little bit.

He always reminds me of the over excited fan getting his first chance to call a game. I think it was during the Buffalo-Miami game, maybe, where toward the end when Miami had a chance to go ahead he just would not stop talking and saying things like “Ahhhhh, man… this is wild! But Buffalo’s season can’t end like this… can it? CAN IT?!?! Ahhhh…”

If he’d dial the caffeine down a bit he’d be fine. Because his analysis is usually very good in between the hyper kid bouncing off the walls moments

He's getting better at that. He's aware of it. He made a huge jump in that area from his 1st season to his 2nd.

[The Operator]

My god… the 49ers are now on QB #4.

[Redhook]

My god… the 49ers are now on QB #4.

Crazy. Hopefully, Brock comes back soon.

What a horrendous start for the 9ers, but they’re only down 7 with the ball. They’re still in it.

[The Operator]

McCaffrey keeping them in it. Wow.

[The Operator]

Absolute disaster sequence for San Fran.


Eagles score, Niners fumble the ball immediately after their first first down of the ensuing series. Philly scores again heading to halftime.

Penalties absolutely killing the Niners defense.

[WrongVerb]

Someone needs to block Reddick in 2 weeks.

[The Operator]

Someone needs to block Reddick in 2 weeks.

Yea, he’s absolutely wrecking the game for SF.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Johnson has been a disaster for the most part, but the Niners defensive penalties have been killer.

[KoryMac5]

Johnson has been a disaster for the most part, but the Niners defensive penalties have been killer.

Such a tough spot for him esp. with the Eagles teeing off every single play...

[The Operator]

And now Josh Johnson may be out with a head injury?


What on earth.

[The Operator]

Niners need a pick-6 or scoop and score at this point.

[Roy Tucker]

49’ers don’t stand a chance.

[The Operator]

Penalties absolutely killing San Fran.

[Roy Tucker]

Surprised Philly is running Hurts so much. He’s pretty dinged up.

[Falls City Beer]

Can the Bengals keep up with that Philly scoring machine?

[The Operator]

I don’t know why San Fran hasn’t tried literally anyone else at QB.


Purdy is obviously incapable of throwing the ball.

[Roy Tucker]

I don’t know why San Fran hasn’t tried literally anyone else at QB.


Purdy is obviously incapable of throwing the ball.

I thought they might give Mccaffery a shot at QB.

[KronoRed]

It's over for SF unless the D suddenly scores 3 touchdowns.

[The Operator]

I thought they might give Mccaffery a shot at QB.

They were acting like that would happen. Not sure why they didn’t give it a shot. Purdy obviously was no threat to throw the ball. Philly was able to tee off on run plays.

[TeamCasey]

19159

Now that the slaughter is over, are you ready for some football ????? :) :) :)

[KoryMac5]

Can the Bengals keep up with that Philly scoring machine?

They are probably more equipped to keep up...plus they have experience with Lamar Jackson. Philly is a juggernaut though...

[dubc47834]

Sorry in advance!

[dubc47834]

Great game...tough way to end the game if you're a Bengal player/fan. Definitely a dumb penalty. Great season, I know its tough right now, but the Bengals are gonna be right there for many years!

[Boston Red]

Begals fans are a bit salty in the other thread. As someone with no dog in the fight, the Chiefs are actually pretty easy to like.

[dubc47834]

Begals fans are a bit salty in the other thread. As someone with no dog in the fight, the Chiefs are actually pretty easy to like.

No...I get it. Thier players talked a lot of smack and didn't back it up! They had a great season, making it to the AFC title game is nothing to sneeze at. Sorry in advance!!!

Also, when you talk a lot of smack, don't be mad when the other teams calls you out on it when you lose.

[dubc47834]

And now the mayor gets called out...classic Kelce

[KoryMac5]

And now the mayor gets called out...classic Kelce

It's circular I am sure the Bengals will be remembering what Kelce and Pat Sr. had to say after the game as well...it goes back and forth and makes for an interesting rivalry.

[WVRed]

Begals fans are a bit salty in the other thread. As someone with no dog in the fight, the Chiefs are actually pretty easy to like.

As a Bengals fan who thought the Bengals players, fans, and even the mayor talked smack that they couldn’t back up, no, the Chiefs aren’t.

But you don’t give the Chiefs bulletin board material all week regardless of whether they needed extra motivation or not. The Chiefs had been hearing all week how they were 0-3 against Burrow and were trying to shed that label.

The Chiefs are this decades New England Patriots minus the cheating. Mahomes is forced down our throats like Brady was. They are the villains of the AFC now and it would be that way even if the Bengals were still in the cellar.

[Boston Red]

Mahomes is forced down our throats like Brady was.

LOL, Brady went to ten Super Bowls. TEN. What do you expect, that's he's going to be ignored? Mahomes is 27 and will be going to Super Bowl #3. Yeah, you're probably going to hear quite a bit about a guy who does that!

[dubc47834]

Awesome to see Germaine Pratt is being a good team mate and has been perfect on the field as well. This quote won't win him over much support in most locker rooms.

"No, it’s not good. This the motherf---er’s last year. Why the f--- would you touch the quarterback," he screamed as he went into the locker room.

[RiverRat13]

It's not fair because of how great he's been, but this Super Bowl is lowkey important for Mahomes' narrative. If they lose, he'll have hosted five AFC Championship Games with "only" one Super Bowl win to show for it. If he wins, the narrative becomes the number of great QBs he has in his sights to catch in regards to rings.

[RiverRat13]

Great game...tough way to end the game if you're a Bengal player/fan. Definitely a dumb penalty. Great season, I know its tough right now, but the Bengals are gonna be right there for many years!

I don't know if it was a great game. It was close, but not a particularly well played game. You had Mahomes with limited mobility and weapons and Burrow with a limited offensive line. It would have been more fun with everyone at full strength, but I guess you can say that about any game. The NFL is such a war of attrition.

[RedTeamGo!]

"Why the f--- would you touch the quarterback,"

It's a good question, though. That is something you see in college. These guys are pros, inexcusable to touch the QB in that situation.

[Chip R]

It's a good question, though. That is something you see in college. These guys are pros, inexcusable to touch the QB in that situation.

I saw someone (not a Bengals fan) say that there should be a penalty for flopping - saying Mahomes barely got pushed and fell on his own on that play. Literally no one agreed with him. That would have been called a penalty on any QB from Brady to the rawest rookie.

[Boston Red]

I saw someone (not a Bengals fan) say that there should be a penalty for flopping - saying Mahomes barely got pushed and fell on his own on that play. Literally no one agreed with him. That would have been called a penalty on any QB from Brady to the rawest rookie.

He gave Mahames a pretty solid, completely unnecessary shove right at the end. It was an obvious penalty.

[Chip R]

He gave Mahames a pretty solid, completely unnecessary shove right at the end. It was an obvious penalty.

Agreed. However, I've always wondered why players - especially QBs - don't flop on plays where they are - legally - pushed out of bounds. I would think you could draw a penalty for that every now and then.

[dubc47834]

It's a good question, though. That is something you see in college. These guys are pros, inexcusable to touch the QB in that situation.

I absolutely agree...dude was just being a horrible team mate.

[Rojo Rijo]

If I were a Bengals fan I'd be furious. Completely jobbed. Yeah they couldve made plays here and there but that shouldnt discount how awful the game was called by the zebras.

I can't believe im saying this but I hope Philadelphia wins. It's impossible to ignore the treatment Mahomes gets from the league. The whole ankle thing to me is in the same realm as Schillings bloody sock. It's a real injury but clearly nowhere near what the media has made it out to be, like he's out there throwing TDs on a knee scooter. It was so bad last week with Chris Collinsworth all but declaring his undying love for Mahomes, calling incomplete passes "incredible plays" and then turning around and calling a great 60-yard bomb from Lawrence an "overthrow".

[KoryMac5]

It's not fair because of how great he's been, but this Super Bowl is lowkey important for Mahomes' narrative. If they lose, he'll have hosted five AFC Championship Games with "only" one Super Bowl win to show for it. If he wins, the narrative becomes the number of great QBs he has in his sights to catch in regards to rings.

I was thinking this today Mahomes would end up in that Rodgers/Favre wing of elite quarterbacks that ended up with or may end up with 1 ring. Which would be disappointing for sure, and a narrative I could see the media running with.

[Boston Red]

With Burrow and Allen out there, maybe Jackson catching playoff fire some year (assuming he's still in the AFC), and Lawrence coming into his own, Mahomes needs to take full advantage of every shot he gets. It's going to be tough in the AFC for the forseeable future.

[Kingspoint]

With Burrow and Allen out there, maybe Jackson catching playoff fire some year (assuming he's still in the AFC), and Lawrence coming into his own, Mahomes needs to take full advantage of every shot he gets. It's going to be tough in the AFC for the forseeable future.

I think it was mentioned yesterday that Mahomes is younger (or the exact same age) as Peyton was when he won his first playoff game. Mahomes already has HOF credentials.

[Boston Red]

I think it was mentioned yesterday that Mahomes is younger (or the exact same age) as Peyton was when he won his first playoff game. Mahomes already has HOF credentials.

Kurt Warner tweeted the other day that he was older than Mahomes is now when Warner started his first NFL game.

[Kingspoint]

If I were a Bengals fan I'd be furious. Completely jobbed. Yeah they couldve made plays here and there but that shouldnt discount how awful the game was called by the zebras.

I can't believe im saying this but I hope Philadelphia wins. It's impossible to ignore the treatment Mahomes gets from the league. The whole ankle thing to me is in the same realm as Schillings bloody sock. It's a real injury but clearly nowhere near what the media has made it out to be, like he's out there throwing TDs on a knee scooter. It was so bad last week with Chris Collinsworth all but declaring his undying love for Mahomes, calling incomplete passes "incredible plays" and then turning around and calling a great 60-yard bomb from Lawrence an "overthrow".

Like Taylor said in his presser on Thursday when asked if reads the injury reports,..."Sure, but I take it with a grain of salt".

[Boston Red]

Mahomes was pretty clearly banged up. He wasn't particularly mobile out there. With two weeks, he should be much better in the Super Bowl. But it won't really matter unless some of his receivers heal up as well. They were scraping the bottom of the barrel of their roster at the end of the game last night. If that game had gone to OT, I really don't know how the Chiefs would have been able to score.

[KoryMac5]

With Burrow and Allen out there, maybe Jackson catching playoff fire some year (assuming he's still in the AFC), and Lawrence coming into his own, Mahomes needs to take full advantage of every shot he gets. It's going to be tough in the AFC for the forseeable future.

Hopefully the AFC West gets better with Herbert and Wilson Mahomes for his career is 25-3 vs the West which is why the AFC Championship is the Kansas City Invitational...

[Kingspoint]

Hopefully the AFC West gets better with Herbert and Wilson Mahomes for his career is 25-3 vs the West which is why the AFC Championship is the Kansas City Invitational...

Chargers had a lot of things to fix, even more than the Bengals, when they both drafted Burrow and Herbert. San Diego is almost there. Plus, the Chargers were changing cities. That's a huge shakeup.

[oregonred]

6 games a year against the Raiders and Broncos revolving door rebuilds and Brandon Staley.

Fortunately KC gets the AFC East and Philly as the NFC crossover game. They'll run the table vs. the NFC North and go 5-1 in division. So probably worst case 11-6 and more likely 13-4 or gasp 14-3 again if the AFC West continues to be practice fodder.