~ Not Bad for a Running Back ~ (M21)

**saintrules** · 12-17-2020, 12:45 PM

Re: ~ Not Bad for a Running Back ~ (M21)

Keeping this thing super simple. First person, no graphics or tables, just solid games and text. Good to go...going to grind out all three games once the weekly roster update drops tonight.

Settings:
All-Madden Custom Sliders
T-Dawg XP
9 Minute Q's, No Run-Off
Injuries: 18 - Fatigue: 54 - Speed: 52

**saintrules** · 12-18-2020, 12:10 PM

Re: ~ Not Bad for a Running Back ~ (M21)

Week 15 Ravens (8-5) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-12)
- Score: 24-31 Loss
- Game MVP: Gardner Minshew II (27/32, 322 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT)
- Game Thoughts: You have got to be kidding me... With the season potentially on the line, we host and get dropped by a 1-12 Jacksonville team behind a miracle performance from Minshew Mania. After losing his starting job to Mike Glennon, it looks like he's doing everything in his power to stay relevant and he did just that today. We were down from the start as Minshew hit Tyler Eifert (8 catches, 80 yards, 1 TD) for an early score and James Robinson (28 attempts, 131 yards, 2 TD) was having a field day out there. We continuously failed to get pressure on Minshew and it showed. We rallied back in the second quarter off of a drive ending in a Marquise Brown (1 catch, 26 yards, 1 TD) touchdown and a pick six from Deshon Elliot (4 tackles, 1 INT, 1 TD). That did not matter, however, as we kept failing to get ahead of the Jags who put solid drive after drive together. Lamar Jackson (9/26, 119 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 16 attempts, 124 yards) looked bad in the pocket, opting to use his legs more times than not, nearly doubling his completed passes versus rush attempts. After the wild comeback win against Cleveland, we looked more focused on the rest of the season versus what was right in front of us. The loss puts us at 8-6 heading into a matchup against the Giants (5-8), fighting to stay alive in the NFC East.

Week 16 Ravens (8-6) vs. New York Giants (5-9)
- Score 34-20 Win
- Game MVP: Baltimore Defense (20 PA, 9 Sacks, 2 INT, 2 TD)
- Game Thoughts: Someone's angry... Wow, just absolutely wow. Our defense shined, shined, and shined again today, absolutely destroying the New York offensive line. Daniel Jones (23/31, 217 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT) would be brought down NINE times in the backfield, highlighted by two, three sack performances, from Calais Campbell (7 TKL, 3 TFL, 3.0 SACKS) and Derek Wolfe (3 TKL, 3.0 SACKS). The insane pressure our defensive line was producing clearly caused an issue for Jones' passing game as he was picked twice by Marlon Humphrey (4 TKL, 2 INT, 2 TD) who brought both back to the house. We got off to an extremely early lead in the first half, up 20-3, and never really looked back. Lamar Jackson (14/26, 254 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT) looked better today, hitting Marquise Brown (4 catches, 120 yards, 1 TD) for a big score. JK Dobbins (19 attempts, 72 yards) ate up the clock late as we worked on securing the win. As far as the Wild Card race goes, we currently trail the Titans (9-6) who have the head-to-head advantage over everyone, the Raiders (9-6), and the Dolphins (9-6). I'm not entirely sure how the advantages work versus the latter two, so for now let's just get the win against Cincinnati (2-12-1) here in Week 17.

Week 17 Ravens (9-6) vs. Cincinnati Bengals (2-12-1)
- Score 17-10 Win
- Game MVP: Baltimore Defense (10 PA, 5 Sacks, 1 INT)
- Game Thoughts: Honestly, we survived a huge scare. At no point did we get things officially going on offense as Lamar Jackson (14/25, 182 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT) struggled to consistently hit his targets. I mean, the fact that Marquise Brown (2 catches, 13 yards, 1 TD) caught two balls as our WR1 was frightening. Thankfully, Willie Snead IV (6 catches, 95 yards) stepped up and had some big plays, mostly off his ability to get YAC on slant routes. Once again, we were all defense. Our big boys up front made Ryan Finley (27/37, 262 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT) scramble a few times, but Pernell McPhee (4 TKL, 1 TFL, 3.0 SACKS) chased the backup QB down and put three takedowns in the box score. Marcus Peters (7 TKL, 1 INT) snagged a pick off Finley in the fourth that secured the win, following some failed drives by our offense. JK Dobbins (19 attempts, 52 yards) would wind down the clock and we secured our 10th win on the year. As far as our standing in the AFC Wild Card race, I will take a look and detail it in the End-of-Season Standings.

**saintrules** · 12-18-2020, 01:55 PM

Re: ~ Not Bad for a Running Back ~ (M21)

Below are the final standings for the Regular Season:

AFC North
1. (#5) Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) - Division Champions
2. (#6) Cleveland Browns (12-4) - Wild Card
3. (#13) Baltimore Ravens (10-6) - Wild Card
4. (#31) Cincinnati Bengals (2-13-1)

YES SIR!!! I am blown away that we got into the playoffs, especially after losing to Jacksonville and practically giving up control of our own destiny. With the Raiders and Dolphins failing to win two games in the last three weeks, we did what we needed to and got into the big dance. I'm not going to act like we head into the postseason with momentum, albeit our defense has been looking really good. There truly could not be a bigger difference between this year's situation and last season's 14-2 performance, but we will use that to our advantage. As for Pittsburgh, the fact they were 11-0 entering Week 12 and have fallen to 12-4 just speaks volume. Yes, their defense is good, but injuries have piled up and that offense is iffy, at best. Consider Pitt to be one of the weaker teams in the playoffs. Cleveland will be a tough out if we draw them up, especially considering they had our number in Week 14 before we came back. Beating anyone three times in a season is not an easy feat, so I really don't want to face Cleveland. Cincinnati should get Joe Burrow back next season and will continue their rebuild, but the future is bright for the former LSU Tiger.

AFC South
1. (#8) Indianapolis Colts (11-5) - Division Champions
2. (#9) Tennessee Titans (10-6) - Wild Card
3. (#25) Houston Texans (5-11)
4. (#30) Jacksonville Jaguars (3-13)

You've gotta hand it to Phillip Rivers, he earned this one. After getting (basically) booted out of Los Angeles for Justin Herbert, Rivers joined a very good offensive line, backfield, and defense in Indy, finishing with more than double Los Angeles' wins by year's end. How far the Colts can go in the playoffs will be entirely dependent on how well Rivers can do in preventing INT's, one of his major issues. I wouldn't call the Colts a darkhorse, but more like a team who can spoil things for a better contender at least once. Tennessee on the other hand IS a darkhorse, getting in yet again via the Wild Card after that of a up-and-down campaign. There's no doubting Derrick Henry's ability to plow through defenses and the running game is super important in the post season. As for Deshaun Watson and the Texans, it's time for a full rebuild. With DeAndre Hopkins gone, Watson needs a new WR1, and that is not Will Fuller V or Brandin Cooks. They will also need to revamp that defense, heck, just revamp everything. Jacksonville will likely target one of the top QB's in the draft, I'd imagine, but does have some pretty good pieces offensively to work off of. The future isn't bright in Jacksonville, just partly cloudy.

AFC East
1. (#4) Buffalo Bills (12-4) - Division Champions
2. (#16) Miami Dolphins (9-7)
3. (#17) New England Patriots (8-8)
4. (#32) New York Jets (0-16)

Haha, there's a lot to digest in the AFC East, so let's go from the bottom up. In hilarious fashion, the Jets officially pull off the tank and go zero and sixteen, joining the 2008 Lions and 2017 Browns as the only teams to do so. Getting Trevor Lawrence is not going to solve the issues on this team, it's so much worse than just a QB. As for QB's, it'll be interesting to see if New England returns Cam Newton. He sputtered towards the end and really never got things going, easily outshined by Josh Allen and Tua in the AFC East. The Pats are in a weird spot moving forward, that's for sure. Speaking of moving forward, there's no doubt Tua and the 'Fins will be looking to next year as they fail to get to the playoffs, despite an 8-5 record heading into Week 15. The Dolphins won their games against New England, but back-to-back losses to Las Vegas and Buffalo would do them in. Buffalo would win the AFC East for the first time since 1995 and fans have to be feeling super confident behind Josh Allen and a good defense.

AFC West
1. (#1) Kansas City Chiefs (14-2)
2. (#15) Las Vegas Raiders (9-7)
3. (#19) Denver Broncos (7-9)
4. (#26) Los Angeles Chargers (5-11)

The top ranked Chiefs remain on cruise control through the Regular Season to take home the AFC West Championship. Behind the #1 ranked offense, Patrick Mahomes and the 'Legion of Zoom' will look to repeat as Super Bowl Champions, a feat that has been done just seven times in NFL history. The Raiders first season in Las Vegas is a forgettable one as they failed to win a Week 17 contest against Denver. Had they won, there's likelihood they could have beaten Baltimore with the tie-breaker, but we will never know. Drew Lock and the Broncos repeat their record from 2019, but Drew Lock tossed 14 INT's compared to 15 TD's, so Denver faithful have to be a little worried. As for worried, I mean, the Chargers had their injury issues, sure, but that's a playoff level talent team and it is just not good. You do not deserve Justin Herbert, at least not right now.

NFC North
1. (#2) Green Bay Packers (12-4) - Division Champions
2. (#14) Chicago Bears (9-7)
3. (#21) Minnesota Vikings (7-9)
4. (#23) Detroit Lions (6-10)

The Packers finish as Champions of the NFC North, but you know that's not good enough for potential MVP candidate, Aaron Rodgers. Discount Double Check himself threw 43 TD's to just 5 INT's, easily making his case for doing the most with the least. Devante Adams finished as a thousand yard pass catcher and Aaron Jones rushed for one thousand on the ground, but outside of that trio, that's it for the offense. Defensively, they're under the radar with a lot of good playmakers whom I think will bring it in the postseason. Chicago rallies back to 9-7 to finish the year, but that's just a joke considering they were 5-1 back in Week 7. They have a lot to think about between Nick Foles and Mitch Trubisky, or just scrapping that all together and heading towards the draft. Minnesota is in a weird spot with Kirk Cousins as he's good enough to win games, but not great enough to win Super Bowls...or make it there. Dalvin Cook is a gem who deserves to be on a better team. As for Detroit, the Lions are hovering between a rebuild and actually not believing that they need one, a very dangerous spot.

NFC South
1. (#3) New Orleans Saints (12-4) - Division Champions
2. (#12) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-6) - Wild Card
3. (#27) Atlanta Falcons (5-11)
4. (#29) Carolina Panthers (4-12)

The Saints win the NFC South yet again, despite injury issues with Drew Brees and Michael Thomas. To be honest, they strike me as how Green Bay did in 2019, good enough to get 12 wins, iffy enough to lose in the first round. I don't think this version of New Orleans is a team of destiny, but, I could be wrong. Tampa Bay makes the Wild Card behind Tom Brady and too many talented players to count. As many have said, Tampa feels more like an All-Star team, but one who isn't actually as good as a normal team since they don't have an identity. The Buccs will be a tough out in the playoffs, but I don't think they will go all the way. As for Atlanta, it's time for a full blown rebuild. I really think Matt Ryan is good, but it's time for a change. Their defense needs major help and they need draft picks. Do they trade Julio Jones? Could you imagine him on another team? Carolina has Teddy Bridgewater now and will hopefully get a healthy McCaffrey for 2021, but there's still work to do.

NFC East
1. (#18) Washington Football Team (8-8) - Division Champions
2. (#22) New York Giants (6-10)
3. (#24) Dallas Cowboys (5-11)
4. (#28) Philadelphia Eagles (4-11-1)

Let's recap the NFC East Quarterbacks from last season... Dak Prescott for Dallas, Carson Wentz for Philly, Dan Jones for New York, and Dwayne Haskins for Washington. Ending 2020, Dak Prescott is set to become a Free Agent, Carson Wentz has been benched for Jalen Hurts, Dwayne Haskins benched for Alex Smith, and Daniel Jones still has a starting spot, but that's iffy, at best. The NFC East QB situation is very, very bad, and there isn't a bright spot currently in the making. You cannot win without good QB's and that's seriously all I have to say about this division. Washington will lose in the first round, but if they don't, let's just let them go all the way to make this weird year even crazier.

NFC West
1. (#7) Seattle Seahawks (11-5) - Division Champions
2. (#10) Arizona Cardinals (10-6) - Wild Card
3. (#11) Los Angeles Rams (10-6) - Wild Card
4. (#20) San Francisco 49ers (7-9)

Starting from the bottom up, the 'Niners go from top seeded beast in 2019 to fourth in the NFC West for 2020. Yes, it's basically all due to injuries, but to each their own. I would imagine San Fran faithful to question if Jimmy G is the right guy within the next year or two, if not already. The Rams punch their ticket to the Wild Card despite a wonky finish to the season. I like the Rams this season and think that they have a very good shot at being the team to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl...seriously. As for Arizona, they snag ten wins and make a solid turn around from 2019. There's no doubting Kyler Murray's ability to lead a team, he's a gem. Kenyan Drake ran for over 1,000 yards and DeAndre Hopkins recorded over 1,200 in his first Arizona campaign. I would still put Los Angeles above Arizona when it comes to a head-to-head, but it would be a good one. As for Seattle, they are similar to New Orleans for me. Russell Wilson and DK Metcalf went off, but the two had too many MIA appearances during the Regular Season. Russ went from MVP contender to not, then back again to finish the season with an NFL leading 45 TD's. Seattle is the type of team who can lose in the first round or win it all, you have no clue.

~ Not Bad for a Running Back ~ (M21)

~ Not Bad for a Running Back ~ (M21)

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