2024 NFL Season Thread

[thesloppy]

Ended up as a helluva game

[bronconick]

Jared Goff throwing 5 picks in a win is the most Madden shit of all time.

[Honolulu_Blue]

What a weird, weird game. Even the Lions last two field goals were weird.

[Ksyrup]

I fell asleep within about 5-10 minutes of my "bench Goff" post. Woke up after the game to my daughter yelling at me in all caps texts about how she can't believe I missed a comeback for the ages.

I'm old and ran 21.5 miles this weekend. Sue me.

[albionmoonlight]

Good for the Lions. When you've been blowing teams out, it is good to remind yourself that you can win a close one.

[Passacaglia]

Wow, WTF with those field goals!

[Brian Swartz]

Not dumping any cold water on Lions fans, I am one. Having said that ...

This game is really a great example of why I detest sports media and sports fandom. Not just fanboys but pundits falling all over themselves in talking about how it demonstrates how great the Lions are. We all know they should have lost the game, and if either of those field goals are a foot wider the story is about the interceptions and how Detroit laid an egg on the road and it was a needed awakening for a team that maybe was reading too much of their own hype, etc. Bad games happen for everyone ofc, but talk about missing the point. If Houston scores once in the second half they win anyway.

If a 2-win team comes back from a bunch of turnovers like that on the road, it's 'wow how did they pull that out' or 'what a collapse'. Nobody's going nuts saying 'this is why they're the best team in the league' and 'that proved to me they are Super Bowl worthy' and all this other utter horsecrap that's going on.

[bronconick]

Tua throws a pick and tries to tackle the carrier with his head into the knee. He's not going to make it.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Brian Swartz

Not dumping any cold water on Lions fans, I am one. Having said that ...

This game is really a great example of why I detest sports media and sports fandom. Not just fanboys but pundits falling all over themselves in talking about how it demonstrates how great the Lions are. We all know they should have lost the game, and if either of those field goals are a foot wider the story is about the interceptions and how Detroit laid an egg on the road and it was a needed awakening for a team that maybe was reading too much of their own hype, etc. Bad games happen for everyone ofc, but talk about missing the point. If Houston scores once in the second half they win anyway.

If a 2-win team comes back from a bunch of turnovers like that on the road, it's 'wow how did they pull that out' or 'what a collapse'. Nobody's going nuts saying 'this is why they're the best team in the league' and 'that proved to me they are Super Bowl worthy' and all this other utter horsecrap that's going on.

Yes, it's very true that the narrative often depends on who wins the game, but is that really worthy of being detested? Sports is a results oriented business. The margin between winning and losing can be razor thin and totally change the perception of a team.

It's true that if either of those kicks is a few inches to the right or left, respectively, the narrative changes dramatically. Yes, if Houston had scored once in the second half, they would have likely have won anyway. But, that's kind of a nonsense game to play. I mean, if Goff throws three fewer interceptions, the Lions could have won. That logic cuts both ways.

The Lions aren't a two win team, they're an eight win team. They have relied on their offense for the last couple of seasons and their defense finally came up big and held Houston scoreless in the second half, which shows that they can win games in different ways.

Yes, a lot the talk is overblown. That's the nature of the 24/7 sports news cycle and the need to feed the content machine. The narrative after the Packers game was how great the Lions were because they are so well coached and never make mistakes - they don't turn the ball over, they don't take a ton of penalties, they are a clean, solid team. Obviously, after the Houston game that narrative doesn't hold up all that well.

The Lions are a really good team. I think the Chiefs, Ravens, Bills and maybe Eagles are as good or better. As a fan of this team since 1980, I totally understand how difficult it is to hear them discussed as being a "great team" and a "Super Bowl team." It simply does not compute.

[Bobble]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

As a fan of this team since 1980, I totally understand how difficult it is to hear them discussed as being a "great team" and a "Super Bowl team." It simply does not compute.

For me, the hyperbole and exaggeration of all teams and players (not just the Lions) is lazy and tiring. Your example is a perfect ... uh, example: "They never make mistakes!". Then, "They can overcome mistakes!" Do you think I don't remember what you said last week, Talking Head?

I used to enjoy the pre-game shows on, say, ESPN from 20 years ago. Maybe I just nostalgically remember it through rose-colored sports goggles, but I find those shows unwatchable now. I know I can't take what you say seriously so why listen to it?

That's probably the reason I really enjoy comments from Orlovsky or JT O'Sullivan when they spit some truth of the form, "I was a QB in the league and I cannot figure out what the Bears are trying to do on offense here. Good luck, Caleb Williams."

[Honolulu_Blue]

Down goes Shane Waldron.

Eberflus had to make that move to have any chance (slim as it may be) of keeping his job next year.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Bobble

For me, the hyperbole and exaggeration of all teams and players (not just the Lions) is lazy and tiring. Your example is a perfect ... uh, example: "They never make mistakes!". Then, "They can overcome mistakes!" Do you think I don't remember what you said last week, Talking Head?

I used to enjoy the pre-game shows on, say, ESPN from 20 years ago. Maybe I just nostalgically remember it through rose-colored sports goggles, but I find those shows unwatchable now. I know I can't take what you say seriously so why listen to it?

That's probably the reason I really enjoy comments from Orlovsky or JT O'Sullivan when they spit some truth of the form, "I was a QB in the league and I cannot figure out what the Bears are trying to do on offense here. Good luck, Caleb Williams."

Other than the games themselves, I don't watch any kind of sports television. I do listen to a fair number of NFL podcasts, but they tend to be more measured and interesting than what you on ESPN, NFL Network, FS1 or whatever.

The Lions are good team. They have as legitimate a shot at the Super Bowl this year as anyone. Odds are they don't win it or even make it, but it's super fun to be in the mix!

I am just enjoying the ride. The increase in Lions gear here in Metro Detroit over the last year has been incredible. I am always seeing kids and adults dressed in some type of Lions gear, which was pretty rare beforehand. Last Spring Break we went to Tennessee (Pigeon Forge) and I saw a ton of people wearing Lions stuff. It's super fun.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Down goes Shane Waldron.

Eberflus had to make that move to have any chance (slim as it may be) of keeping his job next year.

I missed this when it came out in February:

this Jaxon Smith-Njigba quote on new Bears OC Shane Waldron cannot be real 💀💀😂😂 pic.twitter.com/KjbQHIl3Vd

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) February 8, 2024

[Honolulu_Blue]

Wait.

Isn't the Bears new offensive coordinator, Thomas Brown, "Dat Boy"?!? The one whose running once made people's dicks hard?

[QuikSand]

for sure

[Kodos]

When I have the opportunity, I watch NFL Primetime with Chris Berman. Maybe it’s nostalgia, but I still really enjoy his delivery of the day’s highlights. Really, that is the only pre or post game show that I watch.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I used to love Primetime back in the day. My brother and I always looked forward to it. Definitely appointment viewing. Is it on ESPN+ now or something?

I will say, I do watch the occasional post-game show on a Sunday or Monday night if the Lions are on and they win to bask in the revelry, but that's it.

[Kodos]

It’s on the ESPN+ app. I wish Tom Jackson was still on it, but Booger is okay.

[albionmoonlight]

For me, it is pretty much the Athletic Podcast with Robert Mays and targeted listening to others if the guest/topic seems interesting.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

For me, it is pretty much the Athletic Podcast with Robert Mays and targeted listening to others if the guest/topic seems interesting.

The NFL podcasts I listen to in whole or in part are: The Athletic Football Show, Ringer NFL Show, Mina Kimes, Bill Barnwell, Dominique Foxworth, and some local/Lions ones.

When the Lions lose, I typically skip them and listen to various history and/or TV/Movie podcasts.

[miami_fan]

Cowboys fumble honor for their Hall of Famer in a big way - nj.com

I know it's not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things. Tom Landry died almost twenty five days ago, Jerry fired him immediately, the people who remember Landry are dying off every day. etc. Despite all of that, it's TOM F---IN' LANDRY, JERRY! No one's name should have been spelled incorrectly in the montage but Tom Landry's name being spelled wrong is inexcusable.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by Honolulu_Blue

Down goes Shane Waldron.

Eberflus had to make that move to have any chance (slim as it may be) of keeping his job next year.

When does Caleb Williams get traded for a 4th and 6th?

[Bobble]

Originally Posted by miami_fan

Cowboys fumble honor for their Hall of Famer in a big way - nj.com

I know it's not that big a deal in the grand scheme of things. Tom Landry died almost twenty five days ago, Jerry fired him immediately, the people who remember Landry are dying off every day. etc. Despite all of that, it's TOM F---IN' LANDRY, JERRY! No one's name should have been spelled incorrectly in the montage but Tom Landry's name being spelled wrong is inexcusable.

Damned autocorrect.


Humorous side note: I originally misspelled "autocorrect". You wanna guess who caught it?

[Ksyrup]

I'll be in Denver Saturday through Tuesday for a conference, so I bought myself a ticket to the Falcons/Broncos game. I've been a Broncos fan since 1980, never been to a game in Denver. I've only been to 2 NFL games that I can recall - a late-80s Broncos preseason game in Atlanta, and a 2012 (pretty sure that was the year) regular season Broncos game in Cincinnati.

My daughter's pissed, ha!

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I'll be in Denver Saturday through Tuesday for a conference, so I bought myself a ticket to the Falcons/Broncos game. I've been a Broncos fan since 1980, never been to a game in Denver. I've only been to 2 NFL games that I can recall - a late-80s Broncos preseason game in Atlanta, and a 2012 (pretty sure that was the year) regular season Broncos game in Cincinnati.

My daughter's pissed, ha!

Cool. I have only been to one Broncos game. A Monday night in Atlanta when the Falcons picked off Peyton Manning 3 times. What a fun night that was.

[RainMaker]

It's wild to me that more hay hasn't been made out of the fact the Bears can only hire coaches represented by Trace Armstrong. Is this normal for any other NFL team?

[Swaggs]

Originally Posted by Swaggs

The Steelers start out 3-0, with two road wins, and seem like they may be legit as long as their big 3 (Watt, Hayward, and Minkah) on defense stay healthy. Their record has been pretty excellent when Watt, in particular, has been in the lineup and healthy. But their schedule is Jekyll and Hyde the rest of the way.

Their next six games are @Indy, Dallas, @LV, Giants, Jets, and @Washington. So, they could conceivably be something like 7-2 before finishing with all six AFC North games, plus @Philly and KC in their last 8.

What do we think an extension for Fields is going to look like for them? Not a decision I would want to touch as a GM.

Looking back on this post, I had the 7-2 record right but, in hindsight, hard to believe the losses were to Indy and Dallas.


I'll be really happy if they can manage to go 4-4 with the Ravens twice, Chiefs, Eagles. They still play home/away with the Browns and Bengals, so I think 2-2 there is possible.

[Brian Swartz]

Originally Posted by Honolulu Blue

Sports is a results oriented business. The margin between winning and losing can be razor thin and totally change the perception of a team.

Not much to people who are evaluating it well. You can see this in the power rankings. Kansas City obviously has a better record, but going into the last week's games, Detroit was on top of almost all the power rankings over them, by the exact same outlets. Why? Because despite having lost a game, they were playing better.

My point is you can't call yourself a 'journalist' and then have it both ways and expect me to respect anything you do. You can't say 'yeah, how well you play does matter' - and it does, demonstrably, teams with higher margins of victory tend to do better than teams with the same or better record but lower margins when the competition is similar - and then say 'you played a horrible game which just proved to me how good you really are because you still won'. That just doesn't fly.

I think the Lions have been the best team in the NFC so far this year. I don't have a hangup with them being called good or likely to make the Super Bowl. What I do have an objection to is literally rewarding them for playing horribly. That makes zero sense, regardless of what the final score is, period.

/rant

[AlexB]

Don’t underestimate the ability to win. Winning in style style is great, but winning is the most important thing in sport, and if you’re not on top of your game and still prevail through grit and determination, it means you have balls.

As a Dolphins fan this is pertinent: flat track bullies, but don’t have that extra something that means you can win when plan A doesn’t work.

[miami_fan]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

It's wild to me that more hay hasn't been made out of the fact the Bears can only hire coaches represented by Trace Armstrong. Is this normal for any other NFL team?

Is Trace Armstrong the Jimmy Sexton of the NFL?

Alabama has hired only coaches represented by Sexton since 2007. Nick Saban and Kalen Deboer. Deboer hired Sexton as his agent during the 2023 season. Maybe Armstrong is the guy you hire when you are trying to be a head coach.

[albionmoonlight]

If you wanted to summarize Jameis Winston’s entire career: he just threw a 90 yard touchdown pass, followed by intentional grounding on the two point conversion attempt.

[Brian Swartz]

It appears Detroit won't need a comeback this week.

[GrantDawg]

Every once in awhile you just have to think "Man, Mike Tomlin is a good coach." He just keeps his team competitive every year.

[Solecismic]

Yeah, Tomlin is remarkable. He knows how to build a roster and get the most out of players. He'll be remembered as one of the great coaches of this era.

Not sure what he can do about the quarterback situation, though. Russell Wilson just had one of those plays that makes you wonder if Justin Fields is a contagion on a roster. That was a pure Fields-esque pick.

[JPhillips]

Anthony Richardson looks really good today.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

Yeah, Tomlin is remarkable. He knows how to build a roster and get the most out of players. He'll be remembered as one of the great coaches of this era.

Not sure what he can do about the quarterback situation, though. Russell Wilson just had one of those plays that makes you wonder if Justin Fields is a contagion on a roster. That was a pure Fields-esque pick.

Yeah, a vet shouldn't float the ball into the endzone like that. It was such a bad decision.

[Solecismic]

I get that field goal kickers have become superhuman beings, but what Chicago just did, leading to the block of a 46-yarder that would have won the game, seems inexcusable to me. Reach the 30 with a first down, 35 seconds left and time out left. What is the harm of trying to get another ten yards, safely?

[weegeebored]

It's because Eberluuz is a fking idiot, and the Bears have no lineman who can block. Isn't this their third long snapper this year? He and the LG got pushed back enough to let GB's d-line have a good chance to block the kick. (The snap looked a little high, too.)

When you continually build and accept a losing culture a team will find a way to lose, the absolute opposite of a team like KC who finds ways to win.

[Solecismic]

I hope Chicago fans realize that Williams is going to be good at some point.

LOL at the Fields slide. Probably doesn't cost them, but that's just crazy.

[henry296]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Yeah, a vet shouldn't float the ball into the endzone like that. It was such a bad decision.

The 6' 7" TE didn't react at all which is what Russ thought would happen. Still shouldn't take the risk, but I'm sure that was going through his head when he made the decision.

[albionmoonlight]

Nix looks like a real quarterback.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Nix looks like a real quarterback.

Payton has done an incredible job.

[GrantDawg]

Like Denver need the refs to help them.

[Honolulu_Blue]

If you look at the box scores of yesterday’s Alabama/Mercer and the Lions/Jags game, the Lions/Jags game was more lopsided.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

Like Denver need the refs to help them.

Happy to see Penix getting some real reps.

[Ksyrup]

I picked a great game for my first time at Mile High.

I'm a Bo-liever.

[Ksyrup]

Nix is the first rookie QB in NFL history with 300 yards 4 TD and 75% completion. Wow.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by Ksyrup

I picked a great game for my first time at Mile High.

I'm a Bo-liever.

Hah. Where are you sitting, we’ll try find you!

[Brian Swartz]

I'm happy for you! But also ...

Originally Posted by KSyrup

7th game, yadda yadda... I've seen enough. His mechanics are horrible. In theory he can be coached up but realistically, he's not a starting QB. Payton's ego is going to make him ride with Nix longer than he should.

What a difference a month makes. Maybe he'll be good, maybe he'll suck, maybe he'll be in the middle. But this is exactly why I call hogwash when people do the 'eye test' or 'when I know, I know' stuff.

Nobody knows until you give them time.

[bronconick]

Holy shit Bills, don't go right into a prevent against Mahomes.