NFL Week 13 -- Suddenly There Came A Tapping

[Della9250]

To be fair, five of the eight misses are over 50 yards. I know that's automatic for a lot of guys. He is 15-of-18 from 49 and in.

 

[dixiehack]

Nobody wrote that, but some did argue that they didn't get enough for him.

Outside of the Vikings dealing Herschel Walker, every fan base perceives that the return on trading a top star is woefully inadequate.

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Outside of the Vikings dealing Herschel Walker, every fan base perceives that the return on trading a top star is woefully inadequate.

To be fair, the fan bases are almost always right. Nothing's harder than getting fair value for a top star.

 

[Cosmo]

We have some pretty good clarity on the playoffs with six weeks still to play, which doesn't usually happen this far out from the end of the season.

AFC
Clinched playoffs -- Kansas City (11-1)
Clinched division -- Buffalo (10-2)
Safely in barring a total collapse -- Pittsburgh (9-3), Houston (8-5, two-game lead over Indy in the division with a season sweep in hand), L.A. Chargers (8-4), Baltimore (8-5)
Battling for one spot, probably -- Denver (7-5), Indianapolis (6-7), Miami (5-7)
Maybe, if they win out (but have you seen that defense?) -- Cincinnati (4-8)
Not officially eliminated, but... -- Cleveland (3-8), N.Y. Jets (3-9), Tennessee (3-9), Jacksonville (2-10)
Officially eliminated -- New England (3-10), Las Vegas (2-10)

Denver gets Cleveland at home tonight and Indy at home on 12/15 after a bye. Win those two, and the Broncos are in really good shape. Miami would have to win four of its last five to catch Denver in that scenario, and one of those is a 12/29 night game in Cleveland, and we know how much the Dolphins love playing in the cold.

NFC
Safely in barring a total collapse -- Detroit (11-1), Philadelphia (10-2), Minnesota (10-2), Green Bay (9-3)
NFC South -- Atlanta (6-6), Tampa Bay (6-6). The Bucs need to finish a game ahead of Atlanta to win the division. Schedule is super favorable, with at the Chargers being the only real tough game left. Atlanta still has trips to Minnesota and Washington on the schedule.
NFC West -- Seattle (7-5), Arizona (6-6). Seattle can take a huge step toward wrapping the division by beating Arizona next week in Glendale, which would give them a season sweep. Seahawks still have Green Bay and Minnesota at home and the Rams on the road left. Rams (6-6) are in it but the closing schedule is pretty tough. They really need Arizona to win to keep Seattle from getting too far out in front.
That last wild-card spot -- Washington (8-5) in the driver's seat, probably needs just two wins out of at NO, vs. PHI, vs. ATL, at DAL to get it done. Tampa would be a threat here at 10-7 because of the win over Washington in the season opener. I can't see a second-place team in the West getting to 10 wins.
Not officially eliminated, but... -- San Francisco (5-7, too banged up, too difficult of a closing schedule), Dallas (5-7), New Orleans (4-8), Chicago (4-8), Carolina (3-9)
Officially eliminated -- N.Y. Giants (2-10)

 

[Batman]

Did the Buccaneers plant a flag on the Panther logo or something?

 

[dixiehack]

Having multiple three-win teams still mathematically alive in December (and 2-10 Jacksonville!) makes a strong argument for going back to six divisions instead of eight. It can't be too much longer before the owners get itchy for another expansion windfall anyway, which would even out the numbers soon enough.

 

[Baron Scicluna]

We have gotten so used to athletes cheating the aging process (and bouncing back from what were once career-ending injuries) that it feels astonishing to have one of the best at their position turn sour in their 30s. It used to be routine for even the best 29-year-olds to feel Father Time's breath heavy on the neck.

True, but it is different for kickers. Jan Stenerud did it for 19 seasons. Gary Anderson went 23 seasons and Morten Andersen still made nearly 90 percent of his field goals in his 25th season.

A lot of kickers with longevity frequently will have a year when they look washed up and then they switch teams or something, the light switch clicks back on and they have another few years when they turn back the clock to their former selves.

Stenerud had a fairly poor season by his standards with the Chiefs in '79, got cut for Nick Lowery, joined the Packers near the end of 1980 and suddenly turned back the clock.

Anderson left the Steelers, became a reliable journeyman, and had that infamous perfect season with the Vikings until he missed that last kick.

Andersen had a so-so year in '94 for the Saints, then went to the Falcons the next year and made the Pro Bowl.

Sometimes all it takes is some mechanical adjustments or a change in scenery.

 

[Gutter]

A lot of kickers with longevity frequently will have a year when they look washed up and then they switch teams or something, the light switch clicks back on and they have another few years when they turn back the clock to their former selves.

Stenerud had a fairly poor season by his standards with the Chiefs in '79, got cut for Nick Lowery, joined the Packers near the end of 1980 and suddenly turned back the clock.

Anderson left the Steelers, became a reliable journeyman, and had that infamous perfect season with the Vikings until he missed that last kick.

Andersen had a so-so year in '94 for the Saints, then went to the Falcons the next year and made the Pro Bowl.

Sometimes all it takes is some mechanical adjustments or a change in scenery.

Also see Mason Crosby and his 2012 season. Followed it up with his best seasons.

Then he missed 4 FGs (and an XP) in an early season loss to the Lions in 2018. Only missed 3 FGs in the other games and was reliable for the rest of his career (a bit of a hiccup in 2021).

Even the great kickers get the yips.

 

[kickoff-time]

We have some pretty good clarity on the playoffs with six weeks still to play, which doesn't usually happen this far out from the end of the season.

AFC
Clinched playoffs -- Kansas City (11-1)
Clinched division -- Buffalo (10-2)
Safely in barring a total collapse -- Pittsburgh (9-3), Houston (8-5, two-game lead over Indy in the division with a season sweep in hand), L.A. Chargers (8-4), Baltimore (8-5)
Battling for one spot, probably -- Denver (7-5), Indianapolis (6-7), Miami (5-7)
Maybe, if they win out (but have you seen that defense?) -- Cincinnati (4-8)
Not officially eliminated, but... -- Cleveland (3-8), N.Y. Jets (3-9), Tennessee (3-9), Jacksonville (2-10)
Officially eliminated -- New England (3-10), Las Vegas (2-10)

Denver gets Cleveland at home tonight and Indy at home on 12/15 after a bye. Win those two, and the Broncos are in really good shape. Miami would have to win four of its last five to catch Denver in that scenario, and one of those is a 12/29 night game in Cleveland, and we know how much the Dolphins love playing in the cold.

NFC
Safely in barring a total collapse -- Detroit (11-1), Philadelphia (10-2), Minnesota (10-2), Green Bay (9-3)
NFC South -- Atlanta (6-6), Tampa Bay (6-6). The Bucs need to finish a game ahead of Atlanta to win the division. Schedule is super favorable, with at the Chargers being the only real tough game left. Atlanta still has trips to Minnesota and Washington on the schedule.
NFC West -- Seattle (7-5), Arizona (6-6). Seattle can take a huge step toward wrapping the division by beating Arizona next week in Glendale, which would give them a season sweep. Seahawks still have Green Bay and Minnesota at home and the Rams on the road left. Rams (6-6) are in it but the closing schedule is pretty tough. They really need Arizona to win to keep Seattle from getting too far out in front.
That last wild-card spot -- Washington (8-5) in the driver's seat, probably needs just two wins out of at NO, vs. PHI, vs. ATL, at DAL to get it done. Tampa would be a threat here at 10-7 because of the win over Washington in the season opener. I can't see a second-place team in the West getting to 10 wins.
Not officially eliminated, but... -- San Francisco (5-7, too banged up, too difficult of a closing schedule), Dallas (5-7), New Orleans (4-8), Chicago (4-8), Carolina (3-9)
Officially eliminated -- N.Y. Giants (2-10)

Could have eliminated the Jets in August. Franchise has done nothing since the Obama administration - the first one.

 

[outofplace]

A lot of kickers with longevity frequently will have a year when they look washed up and then they switch teams or something, the light switch clicks back on and they have another few years when they turn back the clock to their former selves.

Stenerud had a fairly poor season by his standards with the Chiefs in '79, got cut for Nick Lowery, joined the Packers near the end of 1980 and suddenly turned back the clock.

Anderson left the Steelers, became a reliable journeyman, and had that infamous perfect season with the Vikings until he missed that last kick.

Andersen had a so-so year in '94 for the Saints, then went to the Falcons the next year and made the Pro Bowl.

Sometimes all it takes is some mechanical adjustments or a change in scenery.

Good point. Chris Boswell has done it twice, with bad seasons in 2017 and 2022, bouncing back to be one of the better kickers in the league both times. He leads the league with 34 field goals made and 37 attempts this season. The three misses are a 62-yarder, a 58-yarder in the wind and rain early on against the Browns, and one that was blocked Sunday. He already has a career-high 10 made field goals over 50 yards this season, but yeah, there were some fans ready to give up on him two years ago.

 

[HanSenSE]

49ers season gets worse off the field.

 

[qtlaw]

49ers season gets worse off the field.

Damn…bummer