I feel like Mr. Jones needs to tell his staff that draft picks > record at this point.
I’m already excited about next year. If America’s Team manages to stay healthy, get the fourth pick in the draft, and get Demarco Murray back, they’ll be in a good position. It also helps that we’ll get to play the Bears and the Bucs instead of Carolina and Green Bay.
It’s amusing the only team able to rest starters this week is the frickin’ Redskins. Carolina is 14-1 and they can’t even do it.
^I checked the schedule. I thought that maybe one of the afternoon games would be a non-issue, depending on who won the early game. (EG - The Cardinals lose at noon, so the Panthers rest their players at 3:00.) But not so. Both the Broncos and Chiefs pay the late game, as do the Cardinals and Panthers. The Cots and Texans both play at noon.
So you’re right–nobody gets to rest their starters.
It will be interesting to see if the Cowboys make any attempt to beat Washington’s second string.
Yeah I believe a couple years ago the NFL started changing the start times of Week 17 games for that exact reason, so teams would have to play out the string without knowing the outcomes of other games that may decide their playoff fate as well. IIRC the Panthers game was moved to 4:25 from a 1pm start this week.
The NFL can flex scheduling anytime it likes. Being a former season ticket holder, the Chiefs would get moved to 3:30 every now and then (home games are normally always at noon). The NFL does it to appease the networks (or, rather, at their behest).
It happens more frequently later in the season for obvious reasons, but it can and does happen whenever it makes sense to the powers that be.
Slightly different but still on topic; this is why NBC got a much better deal than ESPN. NBC can flex any game into Sunday night (the Thursday and Monday games being the exception) to drive ratings. ESPN is stuck with whatever shitty Monday night game they signed up for at the beginning of the season.
Can the Cowboys really get Demarco this offseason? I think he has too much guaranteed money next year to make it work with the Cowboys current cap situation. Either way, I don’t see Tony Romo staying healthy for a full season ever again.
That’s not entirely true. CBS and FOX can protect certain games, except for Week 17. I know CBS protected Pats/Jets this past week.
^+1, the way the NFL sets up the schedule creates the parity that hasn’t allowed an NFL East team to repeat as divison winner since 2004. I’m guessing this is true of most other divisions aside from the Pats and the AFC East. Those two games (out of just 16 total) have a huge impact on deciding which team ends up on top.
Indeed. I wasn’t about to go into that level of detail today. Well played.
^^ Packers have won the NFC North 8 of last 13 seasons (since realignment in 2002), including the last four in a row. Hopefully five in a row come Sunday.
^Denver’s won it four years in a row…soon to be five.
The Pats have won 7 in a row, and 13 of the last 15. Even the two years they didn’t win they had the same record as the div winner, just lost on tiebreakers, including the infamous 11-5 Cassel 2008 season.
Oddly enough, in those two seasons they needed Brett Favre to win his week 17 game for them to make the playoffs. He lost both.
2002 with Green Bay… got smoked by the Jets.
2008 with the Jets… lost to Miami while throwing 3 picks.
F’ing Favre.
Yeah Favre… the rollercoaster ride of ups and downs with him.
Yep. Of course the one night I wanted him to lose, he didn’t. Bledsoe’s 4 picks didn’t help either I suppose.
God bless you, Mo Lewis.
the bengals imploded, poor marvin 0-7 and bengals only team to make 5 consecutive playoffs and lose their first game LOL
i think chefs have good shot in NE and pitt vs Den will be close…big ben/brown prob wont play
Texans/Chiefs was painful to watch. I think even I could have done a better job at QB for the Texans, I think he had just as many completed passes to the opposite team as his own.
go seahawks
Brian Hoyer must be pumped. Everyone quickly forgot his horrendous display after what went down in Cincy and Minnesota. Holy lord these games have been vicious for the home fans.
On that note… I will be in Foxboro next Saturday. Uh oh.
^Better hope Sweep doesn’t find you.
So I’m now rooting for a Chiefs & Cardinals Super Bowl. Based on the way both of these teams are playing, it looks like it might happen, too.