NFL 2017-18 Playoffs: circling the wagons

[sperry]

The Jags defense was kind of just awful today. Brady isn't going to gift them 2 TDs, and otherwise, they gave up about 6,000 yards and 42 points. That performance did not inspire confidence in me, I think Pats win this one going away.

[DanteGabriel]

1 hour ago, Pony Queen Jace said:

I'm just going to say something.

The Titans physically overpowered the Patriots until their awful coaching came back to cripple what I think is a talented team.

If the Jags can run for 180 yards on the Steelers, they can do it to the Patriots. I know the Pats rebounded in a big way on defense down the stretch, and the Steelers suffer from no Shazier, but you can't tell me the Patriots are a more powerful team than the Jags.

And the Jags have the personnel to hold NE under 40 points, make no mistake.

I'm just saying.

I thought, "If they can put that many points on the Steelers, they can put that many on the Pats." But in the balance I'm still glad Pittsburgh is out.

[Jace, Extat]

4 minutes ago, DanteGabriel said:

I thought, "If they can put that many points on the Steelers, they can put that many on the Pats." But in the balance I'm still glad Pittsburgh is out.

Which is fair.

I'm linking a deadspin article because it has the spanish telecast of the final play.

https://deadspin.com/vikings-miraculously-dont-blow-it-thanks-to-incredible-1822076237

[Altherion]

44 minutes ago, GAROVORKIN said:

The Stealers could have beaten the Jags because the Jags defense  surrender 42 points . Unfortunately , the Steeler defense gave up 45 pints to the Jags. If the Jags play sloppy defense against the Patriots ,  They'll lose.

Technically, the Steeler defense only gave up 38 points (one of the Jaguar touchdowns was a fumble return) and 10 of those 38 were on a short field (7 due to an interception and 3 due to a botched onside kick). But yes, the Steeler defense was pretty awful.

It'll be interesting to see which Jaguars offense and defense show up against the Patriots. Will it be the offense that only managed 10 points against the Bills or the one that put up 38 on the Steelers? And will it be the defense that allowed 42 points by the Steelers or the one that limited the Bills to 3? FiveThirtyEight gives the Jaguars a 19% chance of beating the Patriots which sounds pretty reasonable: it's certainly possible that they'll win, but it's not very likely.

[Nictarion]

Didn’t get to see the late game, but congrats to coach Zimmer on his first playoff win! I’ll never forgive Mike Brown for letting him get away. 

[Rockroi]

Here is how the Jags win: Their Front 4 puts pressure on Brady; in doing so they allow their LBs to clog up the middle of the field to neutralize the slot receivers and the RBs out of the backfield; this allows the safeties to assist the CBs in doubling Gronk.  On Offense, Bortles controls the clock and the tempo of the game the way Marioto couldn't; Fournette - who seems recovered - is able to keep that O on the field.  Finally, no turnovers keeps the Pats from suddenly getting control of the game. 

But ... 

Look, the Jags had an amazing game against the Steelers, but they did so by taking advantage of a thin Defensive mid-field since Shazier went down.  The Steeelrs also had magnificent fuck ups- Big Ben turned the ball over twice that lead directly to 14 points; Tomlin seemed utterly hapless in the final minutes with horrid clock management; Haley seemed to forget that his QB is about as heavy as a decaying Uranium isotope and a QB sneak may have worked.  And it also seems like the Steelers were looking passed the Jags, a poor reflection on Tomlin.

And even with all that- especially the 14 points off of turnovers - the Jags won by three whole points.  The Jags made mistakes, their D gave up 42 points; Fournette seems beat up already.  

The Pats had tremendous success against Henry and the Pats D is built to stop runners like Fournett; Bortles can be figured out and Belichick et all can do that.  Further, the Pats D can usually take one thing away and that thing will be the run.  If that happens, then its up to Bortles to beat the Pats.  On O, the Pats can move the ball and if they do so in any manner similar to the Steelers, they will score lots of points.  Further, if the Pats avoid turnovers - the way the Steeelrs couldn't - they won't give the Jags the points they need to beat top-tier opponents.  Also, like the Titans, the Jags are a terrible team to play from behind; if the Pats go up by more than 10 I don't see the Jags getting back into it.

The Jags can win; this is not QUITE a "March-of-the-Tomato-Cans" as described by Dan Shaunnessy.  But they are also a team with glaring weaknesses that the Pats can exploit. 

 

Okay, brief data collection: since 2000 here are the teams that have played in the AFC Title game.

Pats: 12

Steelers: 6

Ravens 4

Colts 4

Broncos 3

Raiders: 2

Jets: 2

Titans, Chargers, & Jags: 1 each.

 

 

 

[aceluby]

Holy shit!  What a game to be at!  If that Vikings D plays like it did in the first half for the next 8 quarters of football, they will walk away champions.  If they play like the 2nd half, they are going to need a lot more of those miracles.  Still reeling from last night and nursing a pretty bad hangover, but wow!  was that fun

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

13 hours ago, Pony Queen Jace said:

There goes that comeback tour.

@Tywin et al. where you is baby? We need to talk

 

[Rockroi]

What. The. Actual. Fuck?

Mularky and the Titans have mutually agreed to part ways.  Last week a story broke that the fucking morons in Tenn gave Mularky an ultimatum that if he lost to KC he would be fired.  Mularky made a statement after Tenn's victory over KC that he did not feel protected or supported by the front office and that he believed them./

After the loss to NE, a story broke that the Titans were offering Mularky an extension.

My hunch is that Mularky is a proud guy; that he felt like the team was fucking with him; that he no longer felt supported by them; that he could not trust the front office.  So he told them that he could no longer work for them so they agreed to "mutually part ways."

The Titans are fucking morons.  

[DanteGabriel]

27 minutes ago, Rockroi said:

What. The. Actual. Fuck?

Mularky and the Titans have mutually agreed to part ways.  Last week a story broke that the fucking morons in Tenn gave Mularky an ultimatum that if he lost to KC he would be fired.  Mularky made a statement after Tenn's victory over KC that he did not feel protected or supported by the front office and that he believed them./

After the loss to NE, a story broke that the Titans were offering Mularky an extension.

My hunch is that Mularky is a proud guy; that he felt like the team was fucking with him; that he no longer felt supported by them; that he could not trust the front office.  So he told them that he could no longer work for them so they agreed to "mutually part ways."

The Titans are fucking morons.  

I agree with your assessment of Mularkey's head space. I thought it was pretty remarkable that he out and out said he didn't feel supported by management before that Chiefs game.

But I don't think the team is wrong to want to find a better coach for Mariota. "Exotic smashmouth" will only go so far. I wonder if the Titans are going to make a play for McDaniels? Or has some other team already got him locked up?

You know what's the second-best part of watching the Steelers embarrass the shit out of themselves against a team they'd overlooked? All the hand-wringing coming out of Pittsburgh today after weeks of chest-beating about a rematch with the Pats. Was Mike Mitchell really taunting the Jags outside their locker room before the game? The stupid motherfucker. Dirty player and a fucking dipshit to boot. May he never recover from this self-ownage. And that goes for all the big-talking pants-shitting Steelers, coaches and players, from Sideline Patrol Tomlin to Todd Chuck and Duck Haley to Joey Chickenshit Porter on down.

[sperry]

Yeah, the Titans wizened up. Mularkey is hot garbage, and they were smart enough to realize that making the playoffs in the AFC South is not an accomplishment. How hilarious would it be if Chip Kelly ditched UCLA to go be Mariota's coach.

[Week]

27 minutes ago, sperry said:

Yeah, the Titans wizened up. Mularkey is hot garbage, and they were smart enough to realize that making the playoffs in the AFC South is not an accomplishment. How hilarious would it be if Chip Kelly ditched UCLA to go be Mariota's coach.

It would make a lot of sense to hire a defensive head coach and bring Kelly in as OC. I don't see him getting another HC gig anytime soon.

[Rockroi]

2 hours ago, DanteGabriel said:

I agree with your assessment of Mularkey's head space. I thought it was pretty remarkable that he out and out said he didn't feel supported by management before that Chiefs game.

But I don't think the team is wrong to want to find a better coach for Mariota. "Exotic smashmouth" will only go so far. I wonder if the Titans are going to make a play for McDaniels? Or has some other team already got him locked up?

I think I may be on an island here, but I think Mularchy is a solid coach and owners, by-in-large, change coaches way way wayyyyyy too quickly.  Tennessee was not at all that talented and while I agree winning the AFC South is no hot shakes, winning a road playoff game is by no means a gimmie.  I think Mularchy did a pretty good job with what he had and was able to keep his team playing.  

And the Titans are likely NOT making a play for McDaniels.  While its possible (I guess), all information is that McDaniels is the front-runner for the Colts job; so much so that Rappaport (IIRC) has reported that McDaniels has told his coaching staff to hold off on interviews etc until he had a chance top speak to them (read: you will all have a job in Indy once its announced).  

 

2 hours ago, DanteGabriel said:

You know what's the second-best part of watching the Steelers embarrass the shit out of themselves against a team they'd overlooked? All the hand-wringing coming out of Pittsburgh today after weeks of chest-beating about a rematch with the Pats. Was Mike Mitchell really taunting the Jags outside their locker room before the game? The stupid motherfucker. Dirty player and a fucking dipshit to boot. May he never recover from this self-ownage. And that goes for all the big-talking pants-shitting Steelers, coaches and players, from Sideline Patrol Tomlin to Todd Chuck and Duck Haley to Joey Chickenshit Porter on down.

Holy shit, talk about a dumpster fire.  

First, they lose.  And that would be bad enough but for the fact that they played the first quarter-and-a-half with all the enthusiasm of a tour-guide at the "Trench Foot Museum." They were absolutely shocked that the Jags got off the bus.  Next, you had all the chest-humping of Mitchell and Brown and even Tomlin from earlier in the year.  Next, you have Bell's distraction right in the middle of the week.  And THEN you have Big Ben come out and say "You know, maybe on that 4th-and-1 we fucked up I SHOULD have QB sneaked... but, you know, my asshole O-Coordinator is a stooge."  And now the finger-pointing begins and will continue until Big Ben hibernates for 3 months on his stored body fat.  

Mike Tomlin may, in fact, be a bad head coach.  

The biggest beneficiary of the Stephon Diggs catch were the Vikings; a respectable second would be the Steelers so that the National Media does not harp too much on the obvious story: "Just How Badly Did the Steelers Choke Away the AFC Championship Game?"  

I mean, if you were to pick a team that would suffer from distractions here in the Divisional Week, who would you pick: the team that had a major story released about how much their head coach, AB and owner hate each other and their alliance is falling apart?  Or the team that was facing Blake Bortles?  

I still can't believe the Saints lost.

A close second is not believing the Steeles collapsed.  

 

[briantw]

Given that Mularkey wasn't a good coach, I have to think that, even if they tripped over their own dicks doing it, the Titans will be in a better place going forward.  

[Jace, Extat]

6 hours ago, Tywin et al. said:

 

I think I need to rethink some things in my life bud. I want you to baptize me officially in the ways of the Vikings. Not as an official fan of the team, but at least as a fan of what the team has accomplished.

My Colts love will always be paramount, but with the Broncos being run by a trump donor and having an HC accused of sexual misconduct (things that have weighed on me the last year), I don't particularly care for them and I need a 'second' team.

And since I've been a public supporter of the Vikes for years, and actually watched Vikes games primarily with the Colts in the background this year, I would like to submit myself to your judgement in this matter. Am I worthy to be an auxiliary fan to your beautiful team?

6 hours ago, Rockroi said:

What. The. Actual. Fuck?

Mularky and the Titans have mutually agreed to part ways.  Last week a story broke that the fucking morons in Tenn gave Mularky an ultimatum that if he lost to KC he would be fired.  Mularky made a statement after Tenn's victory over KC that he did not feel protected or supported by the front office and that he believed them./

After the loss to NE, a story broke that the Titans were offering Mularky an extension.

My hunch is that Mularky is a proud guy; that he felt like the team was fucking with him; that he no longer felt supported by them; that he could not trust the front office.  So he told them that he could no longer work for them so they agreed to "mutually part ways."

The Titans are fucking morons.  

I saw that mentioned in the PFT article I was reading about McDaniels and figured I must be seeing a typo because I'd read at 4 AM local that he was given an extension...

That being said, I've got to agree with Sperry below. It looks like the Titans fell ass backwards into actually making the right decision.

Despite what you Pats fans feel, he's a terrible coach and I actually think there's talent on the Titans roster that just needs to be unleashed.

How many weeks, for instance, did we sit through DeMarco Murray running for -3 yards per attempt while Derick Henry rode the pine.

How about punting from the 45 on 4th and 1 when you have a 'smashmouth' team and you're facing the Patriots? How about the simplistic scheme that Brady casually dropped dimes on literally all night and never changed? How about the fact that Mariota, someone who's talent is evident every time the coaches get out of the way and he's allowed to play a modern game throwing more picks than TD's this year?

The whole situation is a fucking clown show, but Mularkey is far from some crucified victim.

4 hours ago, sperry said:

Yeah, the Titans wizened up. Mularkey is hot garbage, and they were smart enough to realize that making the playoffs in the AFC South is not an accomplishment. How hilarious would it be if Chip Kelly ditched UCLA to go be Mariota's coach.

 

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

46 minutes ago, Pony Queen Jace said:

I think I need to rethink some things in my life bud. I want you to baptize me officially in the ways of the Vikings. Not as an official fan of the team, but at least as a fan of what the team has accomplished.

My Colts love will always be paramount, but with the Broncos being run by a trump donor and having an HC accused of sexual misconduct (things that have weighed on me the last year), I don't particularly care for them and I need a 'second' team.

And since I've been a public supporter of the Vikes for years, and actually watched Vikes games primarily with the Colts in the background this year, I would like to submit myself to your judgement in this matter. Am I worthy to be an auxiliary fan to your beautiful team?

 

Yes you are, but be warned, the only type of baptism Vikings fans experience is endless, soul crushing disappointment and heart break. This will be my fourth NFC Championship game. Two of the previous three were blown 4^th quarter leads, and they happened in shocking fashion. The other was the single most embarissing game I’ve ever seen. The Vikings were the better team in all three of them.
 

[Jace, Extat]

13 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

Yes you are, but be warned, the only type of baptism Vikings fans experience is endless, soul crushing disappointment and heart break. This will be my fourth NFC Championship game. Two of the previous three were blown 4^th quarter leads, and they happened in shocking fashion. The other was the single most embarissing game I’ve ever seen. The Vikings were the better team in all three of them.
 

I want this burden.

I want it.

[Red Tiger]

15 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

Yes you are, but be warned, the only type of baptism Vikings fans experience is endless, soul crushing disappointment and heart break. This will be my fourth NFC Championship game. Two of the previous three were blown 4^th quarter leads, and they happened in shocking fashion. The other was the single most embarissing game I’ve ever seen. The Vikings were the better team in all three of them.
 

Im rooting for them. It's time Minnesota got to the top.

[Jace, Extat]

Oh and something I want to say about the Minnesota Mindblower, Case Keenum and Stephon Diggs completed a legendary connection to give themselves a shot at winning the game before Diggs took it to the house, I think that's being forgotten.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

38 minutes ago, Pony Queen Jace said:

I want this burden.

I want it.

Welcome to the club then. 

Oh and FYI, our owners are every bit as scummy as the Broncos' owner.

35 minutes ago, Red Tiger said:

Im rooting for them. It's time Minnesota got to the top.

I'll take, but I don't know if this mindset is needed in sports.

And hey, we got a WNBA dynasty going on here.