NIAGARA FALLS, NY – Happy New Year! I hope 2024 is better for you than 2023. I may win the loser’s bracket of my Fantasy Football league because my guys got hot late. Even when I sit the wrong guy, the rest of the squad goes really well. Figures this happens now that I can’t win the damn thing. The luck that I was deprived all season came a little to late. Anyway… Here are today’s topics: NFL Eye-Catchers, Jets vs Browns, Patriots vs Bills & Rams vs Giants.
NFL Eye-Catchers
1) The South Division in both the AFC and NFC have division leaders that wouldn’t qualify for the Wild Card in the other 3 divisions. It happens every now and then but since the split to 4 divisions, the South division has a poor track record. I really think we need to go back 3 divisions, but that will still leave one division with an extra team. Looks like we are stuck with this, but maybe we realign and put Miami in the South and move Indy to the North in the AFC.
2) I know I have talked 24/7 about back-up QBs, but some of them have been really good. For whatever reason, the Commanders still went with Sam Howell this weekend – instead of Jacoby Brissett – which shows they are more focused on tanking rather than winning games. Gardner Milshew has Indy competing for the AFC South title and this is a surprise since top draft pick Antony Richardson got hurt. Meanwhile 3rd choice QB for Pittsburgh Mason Rudolph, who all he has done since being drafted by Pitt, is excel when called upon on the last few years has Pittsburgh still in the hunt for a playoff spot after losing 3 straight behind Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubinsky. I mean these guys have to be considered premier number 2s if not great placeholders for teams that need new QBs but aren’t in a good draft spot or have too many holes to fill using the draft.
3) The #NFL is great for making up calls and deciding when they want to enforce it. They choose when holding matters or pass interference. This weekend in the Lions v Cowboys game after Lions players who are lineman registered as eligible receivers, a flag was thrown after the Lions scored the game winning touchdown. Apparently according to the refs, one of the linemen didn’t register as an eligible receiver. This is like the Giants vs Commanders game last year where the guy checked with the ref and yet still got a penalty.
Jets vs Browns
The Jets defense did what it could but the Browns offense was so hard to stop. Some how Joe Flacco is unstoppable and some are saying he should be made the Comeback Player of the Year. I mean he has only played half of a season. However, the Cleveland offense was on fire. The Jets Defense did have a pick 6, force a fumble and had some stops but as usual, the Jets Offense wasn’t good enough, meaning the Defense had to do more and more and it couldn’t. The Jets remain in the 10 spot for the draft, I am not sure they will get a WR or OT they need. They would have been better not beating the Texans and Commanders.
when you throw for 300+ yards in 4 straight games and it’s past your bedtime pic.twitter.com/BZEBong7JB
— NFL (@NFL) December 29, 2023
Patriots vs Bills
The Bills really made tough work of this. I was rooting for the Patriots to win to improve the Jets draft position. The Bills Defense had a fantastic game. They had like 3 interceptions including a pick 6 and recovered a fumble. Yet the Bills only got 13 points from those. The offense finally came around but the Patriots woke up and tried to make it competitive too. However, the Bills had a head start and managed to hold on. Buffalo didn’t clinch the playoff spot they hoped. They just need to beat the Dolphins and they are in. The main thing is they don’t have to worry about what any other team does.
