Week 14 NFL running thread because no one else started it

Hush your mouth. #teamunderwood

 

So if the Pats' lead holds, and the Texans have given us no reason to believe it won't, they return to first AFC seed. If they hadn't lost to the Eagles at home, one would assume that'd be a pass to the Super Bowl. But they did.

 

I'll bet you they don't give up a pick-six, kick return TD and blocked punt TD in the same game the rest of the year.

 

They got Gronkowski back, and I believe Edelman is due back for the playoffs. Even with the stinker against the Eagles, they have to be the AFC favorites.

It certainly isn't the Bengals, though part of that depends on Dalton's broken thumb. He is seeing a hand specialist Monday, so maybe we will know more later after that.

I'm not sold on the Broncos with either quarterback in the playoffs.

The Steelers are the only team with the offensive firepower to match the Patriots, but I just can't see a team with a secondary that bad beating Brady in the playoffs. That assumes Pittsburgh even gets in, which is no sure thing.

Who else? The Jets?

 

It's not an etch-a-sketch Bud. You can't just shake it to make it go away.

 

From the results and the injuries today, the big winners in the AFC are the Steelers, the Chiefs and, possibly, the Patriots.

 

I'd love to see a team like Texas grab Brees out of NO. They might be pretty good with a quarterback. Such an odd year, outside of the Panthers and the Cardinals, I don't know of any team that can feel particularly good abut their chances in the playoffs given the injuries and/or quarterback situation.

 

The Steelers just don't match up with the Pats for the reason cited by OOP. The Chiefs might. The Broncos did.

 

The Chiefs are not beating the Patriots on the road if that matchup happens. And their injuries will catch up to them in the playoffs regardless.

 

Entirely possible, granted.

 

The Steelers can match up with the Patriots. They can outscore them. The defense gives up a lot of yards and I don't see that changing. Maybe they get some turnovers? Aside from Gostowski, NE's special teams are actually worse than the Steelers. And that's saying something.
The way NE's injuries are stacking up, who knows.
Of course, they have to play at New England and The Patriots seems to have the Steelers number, where ever they play.

I think the Bengals - with a healthy Dalton and Efiert - are the only other team in AFC that can handle New England. Whatever happens I'm rooting for ANYBODY but New England. Fuck those guys.

Reading the PG this morning, Ray Fittipaldo wrote if the Steelers win out they are "guaranteed" a spot. Is that right? I thought they needed help (a lose by either the Chiefs of Jets) to get in. If they win out and are guaranteed to get in, wouldn't they already be in the Wildcard seats instead of on the outside? The Jets and Chiefs don't play each other.