It turns out that the Bills laid an egg against the Bengals. Thank God that the neutral site conference championship game idea is dead in the water, at least for now. But the greedy profiteers in the NFL will bring it up again.
Yeah, probably. And it would suck.
That final play by the Cowboys last week was hilariously awful. Zeke as the center? Nobody being able to lateral the ball to? Why not take a quick out route to get 5 yards closer to try a Hail Mary? We tried to warn you, Cowboys fans. But we were told that McCarthy had changed and that Packers fans had an agenda. Hope the 1990s were worth it, because you ain't winning with Jerruh running the show.
I think I know what they were trying to do, but it wasn't gonna work. And it sure didn't.
I am feeling the HYYYYYYYYYYPPEEEEE! and ready to pick some games. Should be a good weekend of football. Watch me work.
San Francisco 49ers (+2.5) vs. Philadelphia Eagles The Eagles steamrolled the Giants last week, and this will be an interesting clash between a very modern offense that the Eagles run against the very physical smashmouth style that the Niners run. Brock Purdy has had a pretty easy ride so far, and while he has been impressive, I would caution the Niners on anointing Purdy as the quarterback of the future based on one good run. While the NFL might stand for Not For Long, Trey Lance shouldn't be Wally Pipped, and Jimmy G could still do a job for a QB needy team in the offseason. The Eagles have no such concerns. Jalen Hurts is the guy, and while this game will be close, the Eagles will roll at home behind their defense shutting down the Niner ground game, and Hurts to play a balanced game. Eagles 31, Niners 24.
If there's a team built to win in the postseason, it's the 49ers. They have a tremendous defense and some incredible skill players. Purdy seems like a game manager, but a good one. Oddly enough, considering Philly is the #1 team, I really haven't seen that much of them this season. They are a really solid, all-around team. But I don't see anything particularly magical about them. Are they good enough? Maybe, but I just have a feeling about this one. 49ers 27, Eagles 24.
Cincinnati Bengals (+1.5) vs. Kansas City Chiefs At this point, Jim Nantz and Tony Romo should be paying income tax in Kansas City considering how often they go there in January. Mahomes says that he is good to go, but this is going to be a challenge. The Bengals had a point to prove last week, and showed why they might be the most complete team in football. Joe Burrow had a good game, but the Bengals defense was able to shut down the Bills, who showed that all of the media hype they got all year was undeserved, but more on then later. Now, all of the professional journalists are making the same points I made last week, without the steakhouse analogy. Don't worry, I did get some steak this week, and have a full stomach to work on. The Bengals have proven that they can win in Arrowhead, and the Chiefs are going to have to make some tough choices this offseason thanks to Mahomes having his big contract start to eat up the salary cap. I like the Bengals to win in comfortable fashion, as they try and finish their unfinished business. Bengals 26, Chiefs 3.
Hmmm. I was impressed with the Bengals. I wonder if Mahomes will be able to play up to his usual standard. I think the Bengals defense is better overall than Kansas City's defense. It really comes down to this -- does Mahomes have the physical wherewithal to play at the level required to win this game? I'm thinking, no. Bengals 31, Chiefs 23.
And now, it's time to talk about the Bills. I'll be honest, the Bills really have some tough choices to make, and they might have to move a big piece or two. That might make me a wanted man in Buffalo, but they made all of those moves and the furthest they have gotten is getting blown out by the Chiefs two years ago in the AFC title game. Despite all of the moves that the Bills front office has made, Josh Allen still hasn't taken the next step, and all the questions about him being the guy coming out of Wyoming are coming back. They aren't the plucky underdogs anymore, and need to break through. Even the 1990s Bills at least won 4 straight conference titles, and had the misfortune to run into very good teams in those Super Bowls. At this point, Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, Sean McDermott, and Brandon Beane have their seats get hotter, and if they can't reach the AFC title game next year, then you have to consider blowing up that core. The good news for the Bills, is that there is one team who could have blown it up but didn't.
In 2019, the Tampa Bay Lightning made NHL history for all the wrong reasons. Despite winning 62 games during the regular season and tying the 1996 Detroit Red Wings for the most wins in NHL history, the Lightning were swept in the first round of the playoffs by a Columbus Blue Jackets team that had never won a playoff series in their existence. There were calls to blow up the core, and fire John Cooper from his role as head coach. The Lightning ignored those calls, and won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021, and lost in the Stanley Cup Finals in 2022 to the Colorado Avalanche.
You don't blow up the Bills just yet, but the clock is starting to tick on them. This year might have been their best chance. The alarm clock is ringing, Buffalo. I suggest you answer it.
 |
| Time has come today |
Enjoy your football this weekend. Ben out.
No comments:
Post a Comment