NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Week 17 NFL playoff picture: Two spots still up for grabs in the NFC

When Week 16 began, no NFC teams had clinched spots in the postseason.

By the time it was over, five of the seven tickets had been punched and three of the divisions were decided. Only the NFC West remains in play and the Rams now have the inside track on a home playoff game in the first round of the playoffs thanks to surviving three Matthew Stafford interceptions a day after the Cardinals lost at home to the Colts.


The fight for seeding among the division leaders will continue into the final two weeks of the season and the Wild Card race isn’t over either, but the right string of results in Week 17 could leave the entire NFC dance card booked before the final weekend.

Here’s how the entire NFC playoff picture shapes up with two weeks left to play:

CLINCHED

1. Packers (12-3) They’ve had to hang on late the last two weeks, but no one will care how they win this weekend if they move closer to clinching the top seed and send the Vikings out of the playoff race.

2. Cowboys (11-4) Sunday’s rout of Washington saw the long-awaited return of the offense and more of the same against the Cardinals will put momentum on their side heading into the postseason.

3. Rams (11-4) Winning in Baltimore is one of the steps to ending the NFC West race ahead of Week 18.

4. Buccaneers (11-4) Injuries are mounting for the defending champs, but they’ll be able to heal up with the division in hand and winnable games in the final two weeks of the season.

5. Cardinals (10-5) This year’s second-half swoon won’t knock them out of the playoffs, but we’re looking for a sign that they won’t be one-and-done.

IN THE HUNT

6. 49ers (8-7) Houston is up next and that should allow them to get back in the win column, although the Chargers were probably thinking the same thing this time last week.

7. Eagles (8-7) While divisional road games are never gimmes, Washington looks like it is running on fumes and the Eagles have won six of their last eight games.

8. Vikings (7-8) They couldn’t take advantage of three Matthew Stafford interceptions, so there’s little reason to think they can win at Lambeau Field.

9. Falcons (7-8) It’s remarkable that they’ve hung around this long, but Sunday’s trip to Buffalo looks like the moment the clock will strike midnight.

10. Saints (7-8) Monday night’s loss with a depleted roster leaves them needing help even if they take down the Panthers and Falcons in the final two weeks of the year.

11. Washington (6-9) When fists are flying on your sideline, the playoffs don’t feel like the most pressing concern.

ELIMINATED

12. Panthers (5-10) Sam Darnold returned on Sunday, so the two-quarterback rotation looked different while the results remained the same.

13. Bears (5-10) Maybe Nick Foles should have been the quarterback all along.

14. Seahawks (5-10) Pete Carroll doesn’t think the Seahawks need a reboot, but one may still be coming this offseason.

15. Giants (4-11) They may have lost 34-10 to the Eagles, but it would have been 34-3 if they weren’t so inspired by news of Joe Judge’s 2022 return that they scored with four minutes to play in the game.

16. Lions (2-12-1) If the Packers are resting players in Week 17, winning two straight and finishing ahead of the Giants doesn’t feel like too much of a stretch.

PFT

 

Thanks for rubbing my nose in it Willie... When it comes to the Giants I believe nothing until Jay Glazer reports it. But this was always the most likely outcome for a franchise that thinks losing with stability is more important than changing in an effort to win.

 

NFL reduces COVID-19 quarantine time to five days, following change in CDC guidelines

The NFL is following the Centers for Disease Control recommendations and reducing the amount of time that players who test positive for COVID-19 will have to quarantine.

The NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed to adopt five days as the standard amount of time that players who test positive will quarantine. That will apply to all asymptomatic players, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated.


Players experiencing COVID-19 symptoms will still be in quarantine after five days have passed.

The NFL previously implemented a 10-day rule, as that was the CDC guidance until this week.

The change could be particularly important to the Colts this week, as quarterback Carson Wentz was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list today and was expected to be out for 10 days. But now Wentz could be back in time for Sunday’s game against the Raiders.

PFT

 

Im guessing the CDC are huge Colts fans...

 

R.I.P. John Madden.

 

John Madden was known to players for his kindness



John Madden, who died on Tuesday at the age of 85, was known to yell at players and officials during his days as the Oakland Raiders’ head coach. But he also showed, in quiet moments away from the TV cameras, a decency for the players who sacrificed their bodies for the sport Madden loved so much.

George Blanda, the Hall of Famer who played 26 seasons, longer than anyone else in NFL history, said of Madden in 1979, “Of all the coaches I ever slaved for, John Madden was the kindest and the most thoughtful.”

But it was one act of kindness in particular that many recalled about Madden after his death: The care he showed for Darryl Stingley, a New England Patriots player who suffered a life-changing spinal cord injury in a preseason game against Madden’s Raiders in 1978.


When Madden learned of the severity of Stingley’s injury after the game, he went straight to the Oakland-area hospital where Stingley had been taken. When Madden arrived he was angered to learn that Patriots head coach Chuck Fairbanks was flying home with the rest of the team, as Madden felt that Fairbanks should have stayed with Stingley until Stingley’s family could arrive. A 1979 New York Times article reported that Madden got someone at the airport on the phone and barked, “You get Chuck Fairbanks off that plane.”

A Sports Illustrated profile of Madden in 1983 reported that when Stingley’s family did arrive, Madden and his wife offered to let the family stay in their home and use their car as long as Stingley was in the hospital. Madden also took time away from the Raiders’ training camp to make regular visits to Stingley. After the Raiders played the Broncos in the regular-season opener that year, they flew home from Denver and Madden went straight from the airport to the hospital to see Stingley.

Madden retired from coaching at the end of that season, and although Madden never said so, some who knew him felt the distress he felt about Stingley’s injury contributed to his decision to step away.

Stingley would never walk again, and he died in 2007 at the age of 55. In his autobiography, Stingley wrote of Madden, “I love that man.” Stingley could have been speaking for the whole football world.

PFT

 

WOOOOOO Boy. The Giants dirty laundry is being made public all over twitter and I for one am here for this. After watching the absolute shit show this team has become it actually brings me joy to see this all being made public. The damn head of PR is firing shots at a scout that worked for the team for 30 years... Another scout is making public all the rumors he hears about the Giants front office on the road.

The only time John Mara feels like he has to "do something" is when he gets publicly embarrassed. Having NFL guys calling his most trusted football advisors clowns, high school bullies, and assholes who are in over their heads in public is exactly the sort of kick in the ass this man needs to actually forget looking at an internal hire and actually shake things up. Here is to hoping the onslaught of embarrassment continues until he has no choice but to clean out the front office of lackeys and replaces them with actual football guys...

 

I didn't know that about Madden. That he spent all that time with Stingley. Really changes my whole perception of the man.

 

The NFL released the following playoff clinching scenarios for Week 17 of the 2021 season:


AFC

CLINCHED:

Kansas City Chiefs – AFC West division title

BUFFALO BILLS (9-6) (vs. Atlanta (7-8), Sunday, 1:00 PM ET, FOX)

Buffalo clinches playoff berth with:

BUF win + BAL loss or tie OR
BUF win + LAC loss or tie + LV loss or tie OR
BUF tie + MIA loss or tie + LAC loss + LV loss OR
BUF tie + MIA loss or tie + LAC loss or tie + BAL loss + PIT loss or tie OR
BUF tie + MIA loss or tie + LV loss or tie + BAL loss + PIT loss or tie OR
BUF tie + NE loss or tie + LAC Loss + LV loss OR
BUF tie + NE loss or tie + LAC loss or tie + BAL loss + PIT loss or tie OR
BUF tie + NE loss or tie + LV loss or tie + BAL loss + PIT loss or tie OR
BUF tie + LAC loss + LV loss + BAL loss + PIT loss or tie

CINCINNATI BENGALS (9-6) (vs. Kansas City (11-4), Sunday, 1:00 PM ET, CBS)

Cincinnati clinches AFC North division title with:

CIN win OR
CIN tie + BAL loss or tie OR
BAL loss + CLE-PIT tie

Cincinnati clinches playoff berth with:

CIN tie + LAC loss + LV loss + MIA loss or tie OR
CIN tie + LAC loss + LV loss + NE loss OR
CIN tie + LAC loss + LV tie + MIA loss or tie + NE win OR
CIN tie + LAC loss + LV tie + NE tie + MIA tie + BUF win or tie OR
CIN tie + LAC loss + LV tie + NE loss + MIA win + BUF win or tie

NOTE: There are other clinching scenarios for Cincinnati that involve multiple tie games.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (9-6) (vs. Las Vegas (8-7), Sunday, 1:00 PM ET, FOX)

Indianapolis clinches playoff berth with:

IND win OR
IND tie + BAL loss + NE loss or tie OR
IND tie + BAL loss + MIA loss or tie

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (11-4) (at Cincinnati (9-6), Sunday, 1:00 PM ET, CBS)

Kansas City clinches AFC’s No. 1 seed, only first-round bye and homefield advantage with:

KC win + TEN loss or tie OR
KC tie + TEN loss

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (9-6) (vs. Jacksonville (2-13), Sunday, 1:00 PM ET, CBS)

New England clinches playoff berth with:

NE win + MIA loss or tie OR
NE win + LV loss or tie OR
NE tie + MIA loss + LV loss + LAC loss or tie OR
NE tie + MIA loss + BAL loss or tie OR
NE tie + LV loss + LAC loss + BAL loss + PIT loss or tie OR
NE tie + LV loss + LAC loss or tie + BAL loss or tie + MIA win + BUF win

NOTE: There are other clinching scenarios for New England that involve multiple tie games.

TENNESSEE TITANS (10-5) (vs. Miami (8-7), Sunday, 1:00 PM ET, CBS)

Tennessee clinches AFC South division title with:

TEN win OR
IND loss OR
TEN tie + IND tie

Tennessee clinches playoff berth with:

TEN tie OR
LAC loss or tie + BAL loss or tie OR
LAC loss or tie + NE loss or tie OR
BAL loss or tie + NE loss or tie

NFC

CLINCHED:

Dallas Cowboys – NFC East division title
Green Bay Packers – NFC North division title
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – NFC South division title
Arizona Cardinals – playoff berth
Los Angeles Rams – playoff berth

GREEN BAY PACKERS (12-3) (vs. Minnesota (7-8), Sunday night, 8:20 PM ET, NBC)

Green Bay clinches NFC’s No. 1 seed, only first-round bye and homefield advantage with:

GB win + DAL loss or tie OR
GB tie + DAL loss + LAR loss + TB loss or tie OR
GB tie + DAL loss + LAR tie + TB loss

LOS ANGELES RAMS (11-4) (at Baltimore (8-7), Sunday, 1:00 PM ET, FOX)

Los Angeles Rams clinch NFC West division title with:

LAR win + ARI loss or tie OR
LAR tie + ARI loss

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES (8-7) (at Washington (6-9), Sunday, 1:00 PM ET, FOX)

Philadelphia clinches playoff berth with:

PHI win + MIN loss or tie + NO loss or tie OR
PHI win + MIN loss or tie + SF win or tie OR
PHI tie + MIN loss + NO loss + ATL loss or tie OR
PHI tie + MIN loss + NO tie + ATL loss or tie + SF win or tie

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (8-7) (vs. Houston (4-11), Sunday, 4:05 PM ET, CBS)

San Francisco clinches playoff berth with:

SF win + NO loss or tie OR
SF tie + MIN loss or tie + NO loss + ATL loss or tie

PFT

 

Somehow I missed the Browns clinching scenarios.... Oh wait...

 

Might as well list the Browns elimination scenarios:

Browns loss
Or
Cincinnati win and Raiders or Chargers win (possibly a Dolphins win, but not sure on the tie breakers like I am from the former 2 teams)

So, this is why I am really crying over this spilled milk. If the Raiders win this week, they own the tie breaker for the final Wild Card spot over the Browns. It's a bullshit win, let's call it like we see it, but it is still possible they could take the spot away if say they win this week or week 18 and the Bengals beat the Chiefs. Regardless of whether the Browns win their final two games, the Raiders could steal that last spot.. Letting the Colts players play helps the Browns in that respect, but not allowing the asymptomatic Browns players to play in the Raiders game is really the source of my frustration over the whole deal. It could decide the fate of the Browns, while the Colts could clinch with their players being allowed to play in the same situation. Week 18 would still decide it for the Colts even if they lose this week, but if they win this week, it is already decided and removes another spot from a playoff hopeful. They most likely don't lose to the Jags week 18, but stranger things have happened this season. They only beat them by 6 in their first meeting.

After all of that, the Browns are eliminated from the wild card already the more I look at this.. Even if they win both games and the Chargers and Raiders both lose week 17, they play each other week 18, so they can't both lose and the winner of that game would own the tie breaker against the Browns if the Browns won both games.

Our ONLY chance at this point is...Browns win next two games and Bengals loss this week to Chiefs ...AND... Then either a Ravens loss this week to Rams or against the Steelers week 18.


Wait, there's more... I can't figure out the tie breaker if the Colts lose both games and the Browns win both games... This could be an even bigger debate.. I'm pulling my hair out. Theoretically, the Raiders could take the Colts spot in this scenario, opening another opportunity for the Browns to take the final spot if the Raiders win both games and the Chargers lose both games... Anyone help me out with that one?

 

I cant help you out, Irish, but I see your point and feel your pain/aingst. After Ive thought on this for a minute and as much as my pee-brain will allow, an unfair advantage has been dealt to the Colts at the expense of other teams who had to deal with similar situations, but under different rules/guidelines. You'd think the NFL and the NFLPA would have seen this and tried to straighten it out in a more fair way, because I dont buy for a second they are not aware of this 'special treatment' - my words - that has been granted to the Colts and the disadvantage to other teams.

It seems to be a done deal that wont get revearsed, but as a secondary fan of the Browns and the fairness to other teams , this is no little issue, its complete incompetence on the NFL and the PA.

Whatever the guidlines were in week 1, should be the standard throughout the entire season to maintain the eguality of the season.

 

Listen, I'd love to get a higher draft pick with the Colts losing but I think this was already in the works to get a better product on the field for the closing weeks for TV/Ticket interest. They already spoke of it during the weekend before Wentz was positive.

 

I’m not saying they did it for the Colts… the Colts are the byproduct

 

Mickey Loomis: Playing in a COVID outbreak wasn’t fair, but NFL told Saints we had to deal with it



The Saints, playing with a roster that was severely depleted by a COVID-19 outbreak, were not even competitive in Monday night’s 20-3 loss to the Dolphins. But Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis said the NFL never considered delaying the game, as it has for other teams experiencing COVID-19 outbreaks.

Loomis said on WWL Radio that he hasn’t seen a team have to scramble to put a roster together like the Saints did since NFL teams used replacement players during the 1987 NFL players’ strike, and he considered it unfair.


“If we had seven or eight or 10 COVID positives, we can handle that,” Loomis said. “When you have 18 active players and four of your practice squad players test positive for COVID, it’s just too much to overcome, frankly. It wasn’t fair to the players. It wasn’t fair to our coaching staff, and certainly not the fans.”

Loomis said the NFL made it clear to the Saints that they were playing on Monday night no matter how many players tested positive for COVID-19, and that the league office wouldn’t even consider the same kind of postponement that was granted a week earlier to the Browns, Rams and Washington Football Team.

“I don’t know what the reasoning is in New York. Those decisions aet made at the league level. But we were told pretty early on that the game wasn’t going to be postponed and just had to deal with it. That was their solution: Play the game no matter what,” Loomis said. “We don’t have to like it, but we have to live with it.”

PFT

 

I am sure the league learned that delaying the game didn't do anything to improve the product on the field. Under the new rules, it could help, but not under the old ones, which they played under I believe. A week earlier, they moved a Saturday game to Monday, then (2) Sunday games to Tuesday... Where were they going to move a scheduled Monday night game to? Give them 1 day by moving to Tuesday? That would go against the TV contract guaranties, as there were no teams to flex into the MNF slot. The Saints outbreak occurred on Friday. Who would they possibly have told, in order to accommodate the Saints game movement, we are moving your Sunday game to Monday night? Not enough time to make arrangements for two teams that are not involved in the COVID issue.

 

Falcons' Kyle Pitts chasing Mike Ditka's rookie TE record

Kyle Pitts already broke one Atlanta Falcons record. The rookie tight end is closing in on a few more milestones.

After breaking Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez's mark for most yards by a tight end in franchise history, Pitts needs just 11 yards to pass Julio Jones (2011) for most receiving yards by a rookie in Falcons' history.

Then Pitts would have his sights on even bigger marks. He could join Mike Ditka (1961) as the only rookie TEs with 1,000-plus receiving yards in NFL history. Pitts needs 128 receiving yards over the final two weeks to break Ditka's rookie TE record of 1,076 (14 games).

"I would have never thought of 1,000 yards. That's a lot of yards," Pitts said, via The Athletic. "Always striving to be the best, but I would have thought 1,000 would be a little tough."

Pitts chasing a record has flown under the radar. Matt Ryan, who has pursued records with Gonzalez and Jones in the past, said the rookie's quiet approach is similar to those stars.

"He hasn't said anything, man. He's just out there just playing," Ryan said. "He falls into that category of some of those really good players that I've played with that are great teammates, and they put in work. You answer questions about it so you kind of understand where things are going, and you always want to get it for them personally, but I've been really fortunate to be around guys that it didn't come up."

At a position notoriously challenging to master coming out of college, Pitts has shined as a pass-catching threat. He's generated three 100-plus yard games this season, including 102 yards in the Week 16 win over Detroit that kept the Falcons faint playoff hopes alive.


Predictably, Pitts' blocking has been a work in progress over the season, but he's a polished route-runner who can win down the seams or up the sideline. His ability after the catch makes him a burgeoning weapon for ATL.

Pitts' modesty when it comes to his nascent success -- which includes making a Pro Bowl as a rookie -- is matched only by his raw talent.

"I know it's an easy thing to say, 'You're a professional and get paid,' but some people can't handle the hype that comes with it," head coach Arthur Smith said. "A lot of guys in sports with that kind of hype don't handle it well. Kyle certainly has. That's not lost on us here."

Sunday could be another franchise record-setting day for Pitts, but it won't be easy against a Buffalo Bills defense that has allowed the fifth-fewest yards to tight ends this season.

NFL.com

 

Enjoy your football today, ladies and gentleman... I got snow on the ground, 26 degrees... lets rock!

 

Jordan Howard is expected to play for Eagles



The Eagles will continue their push for a playoff spot against Washington on Sunday and they’re set to have running back Jordan Howard on hand for that effort.

Howard suffered a stinger in last Sunday’s win over the Giants and sat out of practice on Wednesday to create some uncertainty about his status for this week. He returned to practice on Thursday, however, and remained a limited participant on Friday before getting a questionable tag for the game.


Multiple reports indicate Howard is good to go for Sunday. He’ll join Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell in the Eagles backfield. Miles Sanders has been ruled out after breaking a bone in his hand, but the Eagles hope he’ll be back in Week 18 or in the postseason.

The Eagles can clinch a playoff berth on Sunday with a win and the right combination of other results.

PFT

 

Patriots take another step closer to playoffs, Jaguars take another step closer to first overall pick



The Patriots are heading toward the playoffs after a one-year absence, and the Jaguars are heading toward the first overall pick in the draft for the second consecutive year.

New England obliterated Jacksonville today, 50-10, improving the Patriots’ record to 10-6 on the season. Although they haven’t officially clinched a playoff berth, they’re getting very close to the postseason.

The Jaguars, meanwhile, fall to 2-14, and they’ll have the first pick in the 2022 NFL draft if they lose next week, or if the Lions win one of their two remaining games.

Jacksonville, of course, also had the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, and one of the reasons they’re in this position is that No. 1 overall pick, quarterback Trevor Lawrence, has fallen far short of expectations. The Jaguars are a mess for lots of reasons that aren’t Lawrence’s fault, but any honest evaluation of this season has to acknowledge that Lawrence has played poorly.

The rookie quarterback who has played the best this season is New England’s Mac Jones. Jones was excellent today, completing 22 of 30 passes for 227 yards, with three touchdowns and no interceptions, before giving way to Brian Hoyer in garbage time.

Jones is going to give the Patriots a real chance to win in the playoffs. The Jaguars hope Lawrence can win for them in the playoffs some day, but that appears to be a major rebuild away.

PFT