I mean goddamn this conference seems wrapped up doesn’t it? Not trying to jinx us but it really seems like injuries are our biggest opponent at this point.
The Ravens are fucking frauds. They’re a warm up for us. We literally made these guys look like the JV squad the last 2 meetings.
And sure the Bills and Titans may make us work for the win, but in all honesty we have to play pretty goddamn shitty to lose to those guys.
In order to have any shot at beating us you need 3 things:
1. Elite pass rush
2. Top 10 QB capable of making critical plays
3. Overall talented roster
Steelers are the only team in the AFC that has those 3 things, and even them it’s not like they’re some serious threat like the Patriots a couple years back, but they seem like the best of the rest.
I think at this point it would be disappointing for this team to not get to the SB 3 straight times.
We’re just that good, and we keep drafting well and get better and better. [Reply]
Originally Posted by htismaqe:
Indy better hope they don't have to rely on Rivers to win the game late.
And Cleveland needs to not be Cleveland for a change.
going into the WFT game, I thought that WFT would give the Steelers fits, but ultimately would lose the game....and I couldn't be more glad to be wrong on that aspect....
At any rate, I thought the Colts were the worst matchup for the Steelers out of the remaining games for the same reasons that WFT was....stingy D that could shut down the Steeler O (assuming fully healthy D - Buckner back in).
However, I thought Rivers v. Smith would actually be a net positive for the Colts, assuming Rivers can play a very clean game. So, while I thought Smith's overly conservative play would keep WFT in it, but not win it.....A Rivers (minus the turnovers) would be more than enough to score enough to win...so, the Colts win using the same template as WFT, but can actually put up points as well...
Now, while that's a very big "if", Rivers (for all his faults) can sling the ball....but I think the Colts present a huge matchup problem for the Steelers. [Reply]
Which AFC playoff contender is best built to beat the Chiefs? Jones’ NFL mailbag
by Lindsay Jones
Originally Posted by :
Welcome back to my NFL mailbag as we head into Week 14. I received several questions about the AFC playoff picture — which should become clearer this week — and about the contenders who could challenge the Chiefs. Thanks for all of your submissions.
The Chiefs are the favorites to win the AFC. However, there appears to be some flux in terms of the teams that define the upper echelon of the conference, some of which pose a significant threat to dethrone Kansas City. Which team in the AFC is best built to beat the Chiefs? — Leah P.
A week ago, I would have said the Tennessee Titans, and that still could be true, but right now, I’d pick two others: the Browns and the Raiders. I think the Chiefs would win eight times out of 10 against either of those teams, but in a one-game scenario, both could be very dangerous.
I say the Browns, who we will get into more below, because they could be the team best suited to play keep-away from Patrick Mahomes and could exploit a vulnerable Chiefs run defense. They also have the best individual defensive player in the AFC in Myles Garrett, and having a game-wrecking pass rusher is critical in the playoffs. (Tennessee’s pass rush — and lack of a consistent one — is a major concern for me about the Titans’ postseason chances.)
The tricky thing about talking about legitimate candidates is, as another subscriber mentioned above, that it has to be in the context of this question: Can they compete with the Chiefs?
Long term, the Browns aren’t there yet. But they do have several of the components of teams that tend to play well in the postseason: They can dominate both lines of scrimmage; they can play well in poor weather; they appear to be well-coached and disciplined in ways that we aren’t used to seeing from that franchise; and they have playmakers on defense. The big question, of course, is if Baker Mayfield is ready for that sort of leap in the postseason. I am encouraged by how he has played lately, but the sample remains small for big performances in big games.
With the Raiders, it’s just because we’ve seen them do it. The Raiders are the only team to beat the Chiefs in more than a calendar year, and for whatever reason the team that got blown out by the Falcons and should have lost to the :-) Jets somehow matches up very well against the defending champions. The Raiders wouldn’t be scared of a January game at Arrowhead Stadium after winning there earlier this year, and it would be fun to see what sort of passing game plan Jon Gruden would put together for a third game against the Chiefs.
Do you think next year’s cap will actually be $195 million as reports suggest it might, or will it likely be lower? — Michael P.
The 2021 salary cap hasn’t been determined yet, and exactly where it falls will depend on revenue losses from this season (which will be substantial) and the revenue forecast for 2021. A cap in the $195 million range would mean the league and owners are confident they’ll be able to make up for this year’s losses relatively quickly, if business will return largely to normal next season. A more conservative estimate would be in the higher $170 million range — above the salary cap floor the league and NFLPA agreed to last summer but still a significant drop from this year’s cap of $198.2 million. Earlier this week, The Athletic’s Dan Kaplan reported on the 2021 cap, writing: “The league and NFL Players Association agreed in August, given the pandemic-driven plunge in local revenues, to a minimum 2021 cap of $175 million. Sources have said, barring the unexpected, that is likely to be the 2021 figure.”
Originally Posted by htismaqe:
The Saints are a very, very good team. Of any of them, they're the most likely loss. I'm always a little wary of the Chargers, they always seem to play us tough.
We should beat the Dolphins and Falcons.
I could see us losing to the Saints and Pittsburgh losing to the Bill. Which would be fine.
Which AFC playoff contender is best built to beat the Chiefs? Jones’ NFL mailbag
by Lindsay Jones
There it is again....."best to play keep away...." like it's some tried / true formula.
give each team 7 possessions....Chiefs will win 11 out of 12 times....Heck, the Chiefs are better at playing keep away from the other team rather than vice versa
And the Browns D.....yikes....not stopping the Chiefs at anything! Same with the Tits [Reply]
Originally Posted by mililo4cpa:
There it is again....."best to play keep away...." like it's some tried / true formula.
give each team 7 possessions....Chiefs will win 11 out of 12 times....Heck, the Chiefs are better at playing keep away from the other team rather than vice versa
And the Browns D.....yikes....not stopping the Chiefs at anything! Same with the Tits
Like...what else would you recommend? Playing keep away if pretty much your only choice unless you have the kind of offense that can legitimately compete.
And who is that exactly?
It's not a blueprint so much as your only real choice if you're almost any other NFL team. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Chris Meck:
Like...what else would you recommend? Playing keep away if pretty much your only choice unless you have the kind of offense that can legitimately compete.
And who is that exactly?
It's not a blueprint so much as your only real choice if you're almost any other NFL team.
I know this will sound crazy, but I think the two teams with the best chance to beat us in the playoffs are the Cleveland Browns and the Tennessee Titans.
The Titans are capable of pounding the ball with Henry. If they can stick to the game plan, and not panic when they are down 14 right off the bat, they could potentially beat us.
The Cleveland Browns have a QB that takes risks, and they either pay off or they don't. But, they have the best running back combo in the NFL. Chubb and Hunt are capable of running for over a hundred yards individually, but together they could help the Browns possess the ball for 40 minutes of game time. And they have a good pass rush, and one of the most dominant defensive players in Garrett.
Both of those teams could become lethal in the right situation, with dominant rushing attacks, and effective play action passing.
I don't think either will beat us, but those are the two who make me nervous.
Originally Posted by ChiefsFanatic:
I know this will sound crazy, but I think the two teams with the best chance to beat us in the playoffs are the Cleveland Browns and the Tennessee Titans.
The Titans are capable of pounding the ball with Henry. If they can stick to the game plan, and not panic when they are down 14 right off the bat, they could potentially beat us.
The Cleveland Browns have a QB that takes risks, and they either pay off or they don't. But, they have the best running back combo in the NFL. Chubb and Hunt are capable of running for over a hundred yards individually, but together they could help the Browns possess the ball for 40 minutes of game time. And they have a good pass rush, and one of the most dominant defensive players in Garrett.
Both of those teams could become lethal in the right situation, with dominant rushing attacks, and effective play action passing.
I don't think either will beat us, but those are the two who make me nervous.
Sent from my GM1915 using Tapatalk
Yeah, I actually agree with you. And that's what people mean when they talk about playing keep away; you need to be able to run the football and keep it away from Mahomes.
I don't think it's a blueprint, but it's your best chance unless you've got the offensive weapons to go toe to toe. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Chris Meck:
Like...what else would you recommend? Playing keep away if pretty much your only choice unless you have the kind of offense that can legitimately compete.
And who is that exactly?
It's not a blueprint so much as your only real choice if you're almost any other NFL team.
I'll say it again: Exactly once in the Pat Mahomes era did this strategy work (Colts - and quite honestly, that was the style that the Colts played anyways, so it wasn't like they significantly altered their gameplan to do it)....
Out of Pat's 7 other losses, all but one took 30 points to do it, and the one that didn't took 29 points. So, 12.5% of the time (of the 17.3% of the games Pat has lost) has this worked....it's not a strategy, it's a fallacy, and personally, if an average NFL team gets 11 possessions a game, and a "shortened" game is going to give 7 or 8, well, give the Chiefs and their opponents 7-8 right now and let's see who wins....less possessions isn't going to help teams score the 30points they are going to need to win in the vast majority of situations
So, what's the blueprint: Carolina Panthers....they took every risk in the book: went for it on 4th down, onside kicks, fake punts, flea flickers....they played fearless, high risk / high reward football, and damn near pulled it off scoring 31 points.....but that high risk / high reward comes with a price: That team basically came in with the loser mentality....they had nothing to lose, so they played that way.
That's the formula for those teams that can't hang playing their normal game, but most teams don't have the moxie to do it.... [Reply]
Originally Posted by Chris Meck:
Yeah, I actually agree with you. And that's what people mean when they talk about playing keep away; you need to be able to run the football and keep it away from Mahomes.
I don't think it's a blueprint, but it's your best chance unless you've got the offensive weapons to go toe to toe.
Ugh. The 'blueprint' to beat KC is the same as beating anyone.
1. Win turnover battle.
2. Convert 3rd down, stop opponent on 3ed down. (Also known as 'controlling the clock')
3. Create more big plays than you allow
If you do 2/3, you have a good chance to win. Do all 3 and your odds are about 99% to win.
It's just hard to do. KC is good. Controlling the clock isnt just running the ball, it's making 3rd down stops and converting your own. Easier said than done against the best 3rd and long QB in NFL history.
One thing that helped the raiders was doing #3, but like the broncos they need help from the refs to stop the big plays from kc. [Reply]
Originally Posted by ChiefsFanatic:
I know this will sound crazy, but I think the two teams with the best chance to beat us in the playoffs are the Cleveland Browns and the Tennessee Titans.
The Titans are capable of pounding the ball with Henry. If they can stick to the game plan, and not panic when they are down 14 right off the bat, they could potentially beat us.
The Cleveland Browns have a QB that takes risks, and they either pay off or they don't. But, they have the best running back combo in the NFL. Chubb and Hunt are capable of running for over a hundred yards individually, but together they could help the Browns possess the ball for 40 minutes of game time. And they have a good pass rush, and one of the most dominant defensive players in Garrett.
Both of those teams could become lethal in the right situation, with dominant rushing attacks, and effective play action passing.
I don't think either will beat us, but those are the two who make me nervous.
Sent from my GM1915 using Tapatalk
Didn’t watch the playoffs last year? Your Titans take is the same one we heard last season. [Reply]
Originally Posted by mililo4cpa:
going into the WFT game, I thought that WFT would give the Steelers fits, but ultimately would lose the game....and I couldn't be more glad to be wrong on that aspect....
At any rate, I thought the Colts were the worst matchup for the Steelers out of the remaining games for the same reasons that WFT was....stingy D that could shut down the Steeler O (assuming fully healthy D - Buckner back in).
However, I thought Rivers v. Smith would actually be a net positive for the Colts, assuming Rivers can play a very clean game. So, while I thought Smith's overly conservative play would keep WFT in it, but not win it.....A Rivers (minus the turnovers) would be more than enough to score enough to win...so, the Colts win using the same template as WFT, but can actually put up points as well...
Now, while that's a very big "if", Rivers (for all his faults) can sling the ball....but I think the Colts present a huge matchup problem for the Steelers.
The problem is that the Colts defense hasn't been "shutdown" lately. They gave up 300 yards passing to the Packers and the got absolutely lambasted by the Titans. In addition, the best way to protect Rivers is to run the ball and they're not doing that very well either right now.
The Colts are a solid team but there's just something about them that screams "unspectacular". [Reply]
Originally Posted by htismaqe:
The problem is that the Colts defense hasn't been "shutdown" lately. They gave up 300 yards passing to the Packers and the got absolutely lambasted by the Titans. In addition, the best way to protect Rivers is to run the ball and they're not doing that very well either right now.
The Colts are a solid team but there's just something about them that screams "unspectacular".
True, but Buckner makes a huge difference....I know he was out last week, I believe maybe the week before as well.... [Reply]
