NFL 2019 and Super Bowl LIV

[Pies4shaw]

49ers have just gone to 9 and 0 with a narrow win over the Cardinals.

[Pies4shaw]

The Pack has been tragically awful today. Five possessions, 5 punts. Spudding it up against the 3 and 5 Chargers.

[Pies4shaw]

The Pats suffered a loss, finally. It’s difficult to say whether it means anything or not. They certainly struggled to get to Jackson - but it did look to me like they weren’t trying too hard to do so. Also, they probably would have steamrolled the Ravens if Edelman hadn’t fumbled the ball for the first time in 3 years - and given up 6 points from the turnover - during what should have been a drive for the Pats to go ahead 27:24.

There are certainly some questions but you can’t help but think that the Pats will work out the answers before January.

[Pies4shaw]

And in the Tuesday night game, the Seahawks came from being behind 0:10 to take a 21:10 lead, then the 49ers levelled at 24-all at the end of regulation time. In OT, the 49ers fluffed a chance to win with a field goal (Wilson”s first drive was intercepted by the 49ers) and with time expiring, the Seahawks just won with a field goal. So, after a monumental struggle, the 49ers have been knocked from their perch as the last remaining undefeated team in the NFL.

In the AFC, the Pats and the Ravens look to be the two best teams and are occupying the first and second positions at the moment. They are followed by the Texans, the Chiefs, the Bills and the Steelers, who all look a step behind (although Mahomes’ brilliance means the Chiefs are probably a chance to win it all if they can get to the playoffs in good health). In the NFC, there seems to be a cluster of better teams, led by the 49ers in first and followed by Green Bay in second (although that, to me, looks temporary - unless then can strengthen the defensive line), New Orleans snapping at their heels and followed by The Seahawks and the Vikings in the two wildcard places. Dallas sits in 4th position as the top team in the NFC South but they haven’t looked to be in the same class as some of those better teams.

[Pies4shaw]

Just watched the Steelers and Browns. I was terribly saddened by the end of the game. The Browns were going to win, the teams were playing out time and, for no apparent reason, a genuine brawl broke out. Myles Garrett, who until that point was probably the star of the Browns’ performance, decided to take Rudolph, the Steelers’ back-up QB, down late and grab onto him, then there was a bit of silliness between the 2 on the ground - but suddenly Garrett ripped of the QB’s helmet and starting beating him with it. A huge brawl erupted. I think quite a few who were involved in the brawl will get into trouble but, really, I don’t know how you’re supposed to watch a 300lb defensive linesman try to beat your QB to a pulp and not lose your cool.

Just madness and intolerable violence - and with 8 seconds to go. Garrett will probably earn the dubious honour of getting one of the NFL’s longest-ever suspensions but I’m wondering whether a player who can do that on the field when the game is all but over and the play has been blown dead should ever be allowed to play again.

[K]

Browns Player Faces Suspension for Hitting Steelers Quarterback With Helmet

Browns defensive end Myles Garrett pulled off the helmet of Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph and swung it at his head.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/15/sports/football/browns-steelers-helmet-garrett.html

[Pies4shaw]

Garrett has been suspended indefinitely by the NFL. He will not play again this year and will have to apply to be reinstated. The 6-game (plus playoffs, were the Browns to make them) suspension this year means that he has received the largest-ever punishment for a single on-field incident in NFL history.

He will probably appeal, so we’re not quite at the end of this, yet.

[Pies4shaw]

The Ravens have just taken down their nearest competition, Houston, in a complete thrashing and have just about guaranteed themselves a week off in the first round of the playoffs. Given that they beat the Pats, as well, there is a reasonable chance the Ravens could have home field advantage in the AFC Championship game (should they make it), iif the Pats slip up again. The Pats still have to play the Eagles (in a few minutes), the Texans, the Cowboys, the Chiefs and the Bills in their run home.

[Pies4shaw]

Frank Gore worked his way into 3rd on the all-time list for most career rushing yards yesterday. He went past the great Barry Sanders as the Bills took down the hapless Broncos.

In the other results, my Packers were putrid against the 49ers and have dropped the chance to get clear of the Vikings in the NFC. The 49ers are 10 and 1 atop the NFC, the Pats are 10 and 1 atop the AFC and the Ravens will look to continue on their winning way against the Rams in today’s Monday Night Football game.

Meanwhile, Washington had a win, the Jets pulverised the Raiders and the Seahawks and Saints had important wins over the Eagles and the Panthers, respectively.

Looking toward the playoffs, it looks like the AFC places will be New England, Baltimore, Houston, Kansas City and Buffalo, with the final wildcard place to be fought out between Pittsburgh, Oakland, Indianapolis, Tennessee and just possibly Cleveland (on 5 wins - the previous 4 have 6 each). In the NFC, the order is all very much still up in the air (eg, the Seahawks are presently 5th but could easily finish top if the 49ers stumble) - but it looks like San Francisco, New Orleans, Green Bay, Seattle and Minnesota will be in the playoffs - the most interesting question is who will finish 4th by taking the East: Dallas is in that seat but the Eagles are still in the hunt. I don’t think any other team is a realistic chance of making it.

For those who may find the rankings a little alien, the competition is divided into 2 halves (“Conferences”), each has 4 Divisions (of 4 teams each), the teams that finish top in their 4 Divisions take the first 4 playoff places in each Conference (with the rankings of each 4 decided by their in-season results) and the 5th and 6th places are taken in each Conference by the two best-performed teams who don’t win their Division. That last is why Seattle and San Francisco could “flip” between 1st and 5th - Seattle is just 1 game behind SF and could realistically still win their Division - if they do, the final standings will depend upon which of the teams that end on top in the NFC North, West and South finishes with the best record (presently Green Bay and Minnesota both 8:3 in the North, SF 10:1 in the West and New Orleans 9:2 in the South). Because the Division winner is guaranteed a top 4 place, the top team in the lower-standing East must finish 4th.

That playoff arrangement is, of course, why a team can “run the table” in the playoffs and win the Super Bowl from 6th - unlike in the AFL (where 6th is usually occupied by an inferior team), the team that finishes 6th is generally good enough to beat everybody else (eg, off the top of my head, Green Bay in 2010 and the Giants in 2011).

[Pies4shaw]

Following the Monday Night game (payed yesterday afternoon, our time), the Rams (who have the seventh best record in the NFC) are now stuck on 6 wins, three games behind Seattle and 4 games behind San Francisco, so it looks even less likely that a team outside the present top 6 will sneak into the NFC playoffs (subject to my previous observation that the top team in the East Division will finish 4th). After pulverising the Rams (Lamar Jackson sat out the last quarter after throwing 5 TDs), the Ravens are starting to look like a lock for one of the top two seeds in the AFC. Next week’s game between the Ravens and the 49ers will tell us a lot about Super Bowl prospects - they are the form team in each Conference. If Baltimore beats the 49ers, they’d be favourites to win the whole thing, given the way they’ve carved up their opposition (including New England) in recent weeks. On the other hand, the San Francisco defence gave Rodgers absolutely no time last week - if they can stop Jackson, as well, they’re going to be favourites.

Of course, the Patriots might get some more offensive help for Brady, in which case they will be the team to beat. Their only loss for the season was to the Ravens and they will probably have home field advantage in the AFC - anyway, it’s madness to write of a Belichick team with a 10:1 record, however disconnected they have looked with ball in hand while reaching that record.

[Pies4shaw]

Ravens just got over the 49ers with a field goal as time expired - both have 10:2 records. Packers are 9:3 with a 31:13 win over the Giants in the snow. The Bengals are going to win their first game of the year, courtesy of the Jets. The Titans will beat the Colts, the Bucs will beat the Jags and the other unfinished games are tight.

[Pies4shaw]

In the other early games, the Dolphins got over the Eagles, the Steelers beat the Browns (and there seems to have been no late fight, this time) and Washington beat the Panthers!!!

[Pies4shaw]

And with the Pats’ loss to the Texans, the Ravens have taken over the top seed in the AFC (they have the same 10 and 2 record as the Pats but won the meeting between the two).

Big game tomorrow Vikings and Seahawks -that will be huge for the playoffs generally but for the NFC North and West especially.

[Pies4shaw]

In a fantastic game today, the Seahawks came from behind, got to a 17 point lead and just hung on to take out the Vikings. As a consequence, Seattle has taken over at the top of the NFC West, so the 49ers are back into wildcard 5th place (perhaps only temporarily) and New Orleans sits in the home-field advantage number 1 spot in the NFC, ahead of Seattle, Green Bay (who are a game ahead of the Vikings, now - it will probably come down to their return match to determine who wins the North), Dallas, the 49ers and the Vikes. There could still be heaps of change with the top 2 and the 49ers all on 10 wins, Green Bay and the Vikes neck and neck and Dallas just ahead in the East.

[Pies4shaw]

Well, that was a wild ride! The final week of the regular season has ended with the 49ers making a goal-line stand and keeping out the Seahawks by inches (at most) to preserve their top rank in the NFC.

The Ravens must be favourites to win the Lombardi Trophy after their 14-2 season, including a big win over the 49ers earlier in the year.

The final standings for the playoffs are:

AFC:

Ravens
Chief
Pats
Texans
Bills
Titans

NFC:

49ers
Packers
Saints
Eagles
Seahawks
Vikings.

So, next week the Ravens, Chiefs, 49ers and Packers get a rest. The first 4 playoff games are:

Sunday (our time):

Bills at Texans - 8.35 am
Titans at Pats - 12.15 pm

Monday (our time):

Vikings at Saints - 5.05 am
Seahawks at Eagles - 8.40 am