STAMFORD, CT – Just when you thought you had a handle on the NFL, we have a tsunami week like this one. The NFC at least has a few clear contenders, but the AFC is up for grabs. Let’s get to it.
AFC
Two weeks ago, the Bengals were the darlings of the conference. Now they’re in last place and have a loss to the New York Jets.
The Titans looks like the top dog now. But they also lost to the Jets. How good can they really be? Their schedule gets soft too, so they have a chance to get it rolling. But losing their best offensive player has got to hurt at some point. Adrian Peterson looked like the ghost of the ghost of his former self last night.
How is possible that the Bills scored six points vs the Jags? Josh Allen could have been the MVP last year except for a brutal three-game stretch where he did not play well. Maybe having a little dud stretch is his thing. Junoir Blaber, get him back on your bench.
The internet went haywire when Josh Allen sacked Josh Allen then intercepted him. It’s not really an uncommon name. Bit of an overreaction there. That seems more likely than the Bills scoring six points vs the Jags.
The NFL should really get rid of that stupid blocked punt rule. If a punt is blocked and is never possessed by the receiving team, even if they touch it, the punt team should at least have to pick it up and run it for a first down. Who decided it’s an automatic first down? That was the end for Dallas. I lost a lot of sleep about that.
I’d say there are only four teams that we can rule out for the playoffs in the AFC. The Jets, Dolphins, Texans, and Jags. Through 9 weeks, that’s nuts.
Don’t look now but the mother forking shirtball Patriots are only one game behind the Bills in the AFC East. What if they only end up having one post-Brady down year while they were between QBs and had a bunch of opt outs? Please pass the crazy pills.
It’s gonna be fun to see how the AFC West shakes out. All four of those teams are have about the same odds to finish first or last, in my mind.
NFC
The NFC is still much easier to figure. Barring injuries, the Cowboys, Packers, Bucs and Cardinals look like they’ll cruise to division titles. The Cardinals seem like the best team, but they have the Rams could catch them if they slip. The Rams are headed for at least a Wild Card.
The Jekyl and Hyde Saints have the inside track on the second Wild Card. Five wins in their last nine games should do it and they finish with an animal poo poo platter of the Dolphins, Panthers, and Falcons. But one of those teams just beat them and nothing is a lock with their QB situation.
After that it’s an utter shart show. Only the Falcons are at .500. The Falcons are not what a playoff team generally looks like. Below that it gets really ugly. So there’s plenty of time for someone like the Seahawks or the, er, (checks notes), er, 49ers or someone to get hot. Or dare I say it, the Giants?
Speaking of the might G-men, that was a nice win. Still, I’d love to see them once have a lead late in the game, and just take it down and drive the dagger home. But they always get super conservative and end up needing a defensive stop. They got one on Sunday, luckily. The Raiders had been cruising down the field easily to that point. Get aggressive, Jason.
Don’t worry Jets’ fans, I didn’t forget. Your team gave up 2000 yards rushing on Thursday. It doesn’t matter if the QB is Mike White or Josh Johnson, or Walter White or Jack Johnson. If you give up yards on the ground like that, you can’t win.
That Green Bay vs Chiefs game wasn’t what the NFL had in mind when they scheduled that one. The blueprint to slow down the Chiefs’ offense has been leaked and they don’t seem to have an answer. Surely they’ll get it going again, but this is getting weird.
Speaking of Rodgers, he should just get the shot already. What if he had the virus and didn’t know it, then he passed it someone whose vaccine didn’t work, and then they passed it to someone else whose vaccine that didn’t work? He needs to get protected to protect the other people who got the protection, but the protection didn’t protect them. It’s not complicated. If not, he should be out of work with the hero first responders who wouldn’t get it.
“This is a conversation to be had, not a controversy, and move this forward with love and connection, that’s what we need in this world.”
That’s it for me. Time to move forward with love and connection. Come back tomorrow for Angry Ward, whose 3-5 Vikings are still in it. Follow us on Twitter at @BenWhit8, @MeetTheMatts, @Matt_McCarthy00, Instagram @MeetTheMatts and like our Facebook page, Meet The Matts.
