NFL Playoffs Thread 2017-2018 Season or Who is going to Minneapolis?!?!?

[stevew]

Not a catch

[stevew]

The fuck

[Suicane75]

Phew

[Edward64]

Congrats Philly.

[Suicane75]

Why aren't you just kneeling? I mean, I know I'm just being a paranoid fan. But just kneel.

[AlexB]

Yeah, no need to run a play after the penalty

[EagleFan]

Because it just sealed it.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Insane to me that Atlanta didn't run it one time on 1st and goal.

[bhlloy]

That was a pretty bad fourth down call. Also, Atlanta players have slipped on multiple key plays tonight.

[thesloppy]

I guess congrats Philly? That game kinda felt like a deflating balloon at the end, with all the challenge slowdowns and sketchy play.

[RainMaker]

That was some performance by the Atlanta OC.

[stevew]

Matt Ryan and Matthew Stafford being best friends is so fitting. Both are totally overrated garbage.

[bob]

Bad play call to take away half the field if things break down

[Suicane75]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Insane to me that Atlanta didn't run it one time on 1st and goal.

I was thinking the same thing. A pitch, screen, quick screen, something to try and get a few yards and force a timeout. I wasn't feeling great after the incomplete, but I was feeling a lot better than before it.

[stevew]

I know it's not the rule, but those underhanded shovel passes should be treated like a fumble

[Carman Bulldog]

Nick Foles started to look to very good again in the second half and seems like he may be starting to get his confidence back. Next week could be interesting if we get good Foles.

[NobodyHere]

Nice TD Catch

[Suicane75]

I like to think the Titans are finding their identity.

[Suicane75]

They really need to make NY the basis of all reviews. No need for the damn refs on the field to look into little monitors.

[EagleFan]

The refs are doing their best to give this one to the Patriots. First the bogus OPI call and now this penalty to give the Patriots a 1st down on 4th down.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Originally Posted by Suicane75

They really need to make NY the basis of all reviews. No need for the damn refs on the field to look into little monitors.

Yeah, don't know why this wasn't the case from the beginning. Such a huge interruption too. It would seem to easily be both more accurate and quicker from anywhere but the field.

[jbergey22]

Nice clockwork. It was on that last second for a good 3 seconds before we heard a whistle.

[Jas_lov]

Titans also killing themselves with poor clock management. The end of the 1st half was laughable. Their coach should be fired after the game but will probably get an extension.

[dubb93]

It’s over. The refs gave the Pats exactly what they needed. They gave them a two score lead to limit the Titans run game and allow the Pats D to hunt the QB. This is over.

[Suicane75]

I'd like to have seen what things would look like if Conklin hadn't gotten hurt, but Tennessee is just getting beat over and over on the same plays on defense. So prolly wouldn't be that different.

[Galaril]

Titans got some nice pieces. However the coaches are not any of them.

[SirFozzie]

35-7 at one point, and all folks can do is cry about the refs. Sheesh.

The titans had 95 yards on their first drive, and 72 yards on their next 34 plays. If you're pointing a finger at the refs for this result, stop drinking the Pats Hateorade.

[Galaril]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

35-7 at one point, and all folks can do is cry about the refs. Sheesh.

The titans had 95 yards on their first drive, and 72 yards on their next 34 plays. If you're pointing a finger at the refs for this result, stop drinking the Pats Hateorade.

What you care your Pats one . Don't think it matters how. There were a pair if questionable calls early that probably slowed the Titans momentum but no one for a second thought they would stroll into Foxborough as long as Belichick and Brady are still there for sure.

[Danny]

Eddie George and Frank Wychek could have been the referees and NE still would have won

[SirFozzie]

Originally Posted by Galaril

What you care your Pats one . Don't think it matters how. There were a pair if questionable calls early that probably slowed the Titans momentum but no one for a second thought they would stroll into Foxborough as long as Belichick and Brady are still there for sure.

I think some of it is natural defensiveness after a week where it seemed like everyone was saying "The Pats are blowing up! Kraft/Belichick/Brady all hate each other's guts.. Brady has finally hit the wall". so on and so forth.

There's a lot of people who hate the patriots irrationally (some with very good reason to hate the patriots), but, like Trump supporters (and I'm very aware of the irony of comparing Patriot haters to Trump Supporters), they fit everything to their false reality narrative.

I saw a post elsewhere that someone noticed the Titans players putting their hands on the ball while the Pats were in their huddle and "HYUK THEY MUST HAVE DEFLATED THE FOOTBALL AGAIN! CHEATRIOTS!!ONEOMGWTFBBQ"

Or the wide spread "The NFL has instructed the referees to cheat teams playing the Patriots". Really? A league that ignored basic science to defend a claim that not even the original person making the claim could verify to strip the team of a first round draft pick and suspend a league-MVP caliber QB for four games. Again this was something that an 8th grader could easily disprove (and did)

And this is the league that you think has instructed refs to make split second decisions that favor one team to others?" Folks, that's some STRONG conspiracy shit going on.

I think the thing is with most teams, these things not only average out, but a team that benefits from a questionable first down penalty usually ends up kicking the benefits away. The Pats have a way that if you give them a second chance, most of the time, they are going to make you regret it.

So, I think some of it is defensiveness, and instead of people saying "Man, they had a good game plan and after a fairly rough start, executed well" it's "The refs gave this game to the Pats".

[molson]

Obviously the Patriots would be 0-16 every year if not for the refs, but I do find these Brady stats pretty amazing:

Brady is 6-2 in the postseason, and 19-9 overall, when he throws 50+ passes in a game. That's insanity. Here's the W/L of other good-to-great QBs when they throw 50+ passes in a game:

Brees: 4-15
Manning: 4-12
Flacco: 3-10
Stafford: 1-11
Eli Manning: 3-8
Carson Palmer: 1-8
Big Ben: 3-5

In fact, only twice in NFL history has a QB thrown 50+ passes in the postseason and had a QB rating over 100. Both times it was Tom Brady.

Brady is now 26-9 in the postseason. For perspective, the Browns are 26-94 in their last 120 regular-season games.

Brady is 17 games above .500 in the playoffs. No other quarterback has 17 playoff wins total.

And for me, the most impressive is 17 Brady seasons, 12 AFC Championship games.

And I'm as weirded out by TB12 and Alex Guerrero as everyone else, but...on the other hand, Brady is clearly the most effective 40+ years old QB in NFL history. And it's not close. So maybe they're on to something.

Even though the Patriots and Patriots fans are kind of used to championships at this point, I lived through enough lean years as a fan that the the big games still matter, so I think it's always worth going all out for just a chance at one more championship. So I'm cool with the team choosing to ride the Brady train, even if they lose next week, or in the Super Bowl, rather than casting him aside and running with Jimmy G.

Brady will fall to earth next week, or next year, or the year after that, or the year after that, and the haters will celebrate, but they'll never be able to take away all the accomplishments or all the ridiculous sports fandom joy he has given to Patriots fans.

And I loved Magic, and Jeter, even though they always beat my teams, so I'm glad I wasn't cursed by the saltiness so many people around me have always had, trolling and trying to take Pats fans down a little, every time they won a big game.

[Abe Sargent]

Yeah JAGS!

[EagleFan]

Good start for the Jags, hope they can pull off the upset.

Of course as I type this Bortles almost pulls a Bortles.

[Abe Sargent]

Are my Jaguars Steelers Kryptonite? I HOPE SO SOSOSOSSOSOSO!!!!!!!!


EDIT - FOURTEEN-ZIP BABY!!!

Myles Jack is a freak at LB, so glad we got him in the 2nd. Telvin Smith too, those two are just lightning fast.

[Abe Sargent]

Oh, and today I decided to go throwback and am wearing my Donovin Darius jersey

[EagleFan]

That has to be a touchdown, shame they had to waste a challenge.

[Suicane75]

This could get uglier than my butt.

[EagleFan]

Not charged with a challenge? Confused but it's the right thing.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Why would you go outside against the lateral speed of the Jaguars' D? Jeez.

[bhlloy]

That’s a Sark level fourth down call there. How does a sweep make any sense on 4th and inches? Bizarre.

[PilotMan]

oh for the love of god. what a waste of a start. No execution. No defense. Poor play calling. Jags are playing with nothing to lose and Pit looks like playoff Pit.

[NobodyHere]

So who here had the Jags up 21-0 in the 2nd quarter?

[Abe Sargent]

TWENTY-ONE ZIP!!!!!! Fucktastic job.

[Julio Riddols]

Jags are gaining the confidence they'll need if they win this one. If anything is going to beat Brady, it is going to be an elite defensive performance.

[PilotMan]

And the Pats laugh and laugh and laugh. This team, and the team of the last few seasons has a massive plateau that they cannot get past. There's something mental that's holding them back. Not necessarily coaching, but I think it's more toward mental prep and how the locker room is managed. That IS coaching, but not the on the field kind, really.

[Carman Bulldog]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

So who here had the Jags up 21-0 in the 2nd quarter?

To be fair, Pittsburgh's pythagorean expectation puts them around 10-6 while Jacksonville's has them at 11-5. Couple that with the Week 5 result means the 21-0 lead is not a shocking result.

[Abe Sargent]

28-7. 28-7 28-7. 28-7. 28-7. 28.7 28-7. 28.7

[Abe Sargent]

I'm flummoxed as to why teh Steelers go for 4-5 yards on 3 and 15 to get into FG range and then go for it on 4 and 11. Wel l it worked for them, so more power to them!

[Vince, Pt. II]

Oof, how do you let a guy get behind you on that play?!?

[EagleFan]

A push and a soccer flop...