2017-18 NFL (Week 17)

Games I watched (some of):
Browns 24-28 Steelers
The Browns sorta outplayed the Steelers in the sense that you could tell the Browns actually wanted to win whereas the Steelers didn't really seem to care. The Browns to their credit never felt out of the game. Until they were. The Browns are just a mess, they'll still be a mess next year. I think its weird to keep the coach that just does not get W's but I guess there's a benefit to waiting one more year to find a coach, especially now that they've got a new GM. One more year, another top five pick and then pump in free agent dollars in 2019...yeah, sure that's a plan. Steelers are the Steelers, they'll always be the Steelers: somewhere but first and tenth year after year.

Bengals 31-27 Ravens
Like their spirit animal, the Arizona Cardinals, the Bengals knew coming in that they had a shot to drop an embarrassing home loss on a dreaded division foe. Bengals jumped out to an early lead, held a good lead at halftime. Joe Flacco was his usual soft shelled self early on. But in the 4th quarter the Ravens got just hot enough to take back the lead. And Andy Dalton came back and won it! Shook loose over the middle, evaded tacklers, went all the way in on 4th and 200. Unbelievable. Didn't see that coming in a million years! Great score! Great drama! Great for the Buffalo Bills fans!...
.Meanwhile in Cincinnati, they'll be searching for a coach, a QB (AJ McCarron, anyone?), OL, maybe WR, maybe GM, not feeling like they're well-positioned right now. And the Ravens just needed a W to go the playoffs even though they've been sloppy and sorry all year long. And they blew it. And Buffalo's going instead. Don't know where the Ravens go from here, like the Arizona Cardinals they've been trying to trot out the same team year after year and it feels like that has finally caught up with them.


Other results:
Redskins 10-18 Giants
Yeah, Giants winning the last game for no reason at all and the Skins losing for no reason at all somehow makes perfect sense. Both teams will probably be drastically different next year. I thought the Giants would suck, thought they (and the Cowboys) overachieved last year and would probably suck this year. I'd suggest going for a defensive minded coach, bring back Eli for one more year and try to win with the D, they could be good again next year. But I thought the Skins (and the Eagles) would leap frog them this year and that didn't quite happen; the Skins have moments of looking pretty good but not often enough to ever think they were actually good. I'm sure they'll have a new QB, probably new skill guys, maybe a new Coach. Seems like the Skins are headed for perennial 8-8 life.

Jets 6-26 Pats
The Pats were gonna win this game 99 times out of 100 no matter what, so the fact that the Pats actually needed the game for the top seed and the Jets are a flaming mess didn't really even matter that much. I thought the Jets would be monumentally bad this year so actually I was pretty impressed with the Jets, much scrappier team than I would've thought possible. And the Pats seem kinda rickety, kinda just better than everyone else by inertia rather than actual play on the field, still totally possible to win it all. As long as Belichik and Brady come back you know they'll be good.

Bears 10-23 Vikings
This game was a microcosm of the whole season in the AFC North: Vikings have been steadily building for years, finally felt like they'd have a QB (didn't think it'd be Case Keenum, but okay), dominant on both lines, ready to be an in the trenches squad for the next few years, and with no Aaron Rodgers around, it feels like their year to steal one. The Bears still need a coach, an identity, depth, and a system to bring out the best in their QB of the future, still need all that stuff which is why they sucked; but I kinda like Trubisky and Tarik Cohen, the pass rush was pretty good, they got stuff to work with, they can build into something good again, but it wasn't gonna happen this year.

Packers 11-35 Lions
Man, when the wind goes out of a team's sails it hits mf'ing hard. The Packers were my pick to come out of the NFC and beat the Pats...once Rodgers went down that became clearly not gonna happen. Can't remember the last time a single star raised (or lowered) a team this much. (*) Lions had moments of good offense and good defense but not enough to win many games. So laying a beatdown on a division foe just fucking feels good when you know you're not going to the playoffs, had a Longest Yard kinda to feel to it. I'm not an NFL roster guru, but I can imagine the Lions being totally different next year. The Packers will have a healthy Aaron Rodgers which makes them likely to make the conference finals at least.

Texans 13-22 Colts
Texans are so ready to get this year finished and move on to next year. They lost their two defensive standouts and their all world rookie QB, they already have enough in house to be really good soon. There's talk of moving on from Coach O'Brien, but I'm not sure that's necessary, I think continuity may be better than trying to hit a home run in the coaching market. I thought the Colts were going to be hideous this year and while they were, I thought they'd be worse, so I was reasonably impressed by them, kinda liked Brissett (wonder where he'll be backing up next year). Sometimes guys like Pagano got too much credit when frankly they really just rode the QB into the playoffs, then they take the blame even though they kept things from really going off the track. I'm not surprised Pagano is out but I'm not sure any of this is his fault, sometimes circumstances overwhelm the best of them. I'm not saying Pagano is the best but I think he probably endured too much blame.

Cowboys 6-0 Eagles
Hmmm, looks like the Eagles couldn't get anything going against an out-of-it floundering Cowboys D. I was kinda impressed with Foles when he came off the bench but two games in a row with no upfield push is troubling heading into the playoffs. They'll get a week to work it out. Man, I thought the Cowboys (like the Giants) overachieved last year and would get usurped by the Eagles (and Redskins). Ehhh, I was half right. But the friggin' Cowboys just needed a win at home against a Seahawks team that is losing steam to get a good shot at 10-6 and a playoff spot...and they couldn't do it...all they had to do was handoff to Zeke, why didn't they just hand off to Zeke? *head scratch* And so now they're out of it and have nothing to play for, even beating Philly doesn't mean anything at all...and they get it done. wtf, man?  I kinda have no idea what the Cowboys will be next year: Dak and Zeke, Coach Clapper, what else? I dunno. They'll think of something, they got lotsa money. The Eagles are on the rise but losing a big opportunity when Wentz went down (a la the Raiders last year with Carr's broken leg). But they should still be good next year (of course, that's what we thought of the Raiders this year...). They've got a good D and a home playoff game, they might be able to shut somebody down (I think they can beat the Panthers or the Falcons, tough but not impossible). But they're certainly a shell of themselves going forward.

Niners 34-13 Rams
Dude, if I was a Niner fan I would be plenty tired of Jimmy G love by now. There's no need to win these games, no need to risk losing the G, I have seen enough to know that he should've been packed in bubble wrap 3 weeks ago and not unpacked til July. As for the late season wins, they're impressive but who's excited by that anyway? When a fan base knows it has to tank, it swallows hard and endures. And when a fanbase knows its got its QB of the future (the Rodgers Avenger), they know better than to take the toy out of its box too early. He wasn't hurt so I guess my words are all for naught but as good as Jimmy G was the last few weeks, I would've sacrificed a little of that to try and get a better draft pick and more Jimmy G next year. But it all worked out. Oh well, all in good fun. The Rams were just taking the week off anyway, they're on course for the Vikings, no? They should be good next year, Niners will be much improved (Seahawks and Cards taking a step back?).

Raiders 10-30 Chargers
How the Chargers missed the post-season I'll never know. Seems to me like they were better than the Bills in pretty much every way but somehow Bills win the tiebreak. All right, I'll take it. But as a football fan, Chargers would've been a better match for Jacksonville, man I've been kinda wanting that match. Instead of an explosive offense we get Buffalo instead. Okay. No idea what the Chargers or Raiders will be like next year. Both teams were so wildly inconsistent all year, alternately looking good and hideous. The Raiders are getting a new coach (not sure I thought the coach was the problem there), perhaps the new boss (same as the old boss, it just so happens) can bring a fine family feeling with him, maybe all the Raiders need is an attitude adjustment. The Chargers need a K, keep QB upright and depth on both sides. I have no idea if they'll have any of that next year. But they're both done this year.

Chiefs 27-24 Broncos
Division games. This could've gone any number of ways. It went like this: visiting Chiefs, instead of gacking up the playoffs suddenly look resurgent, while the home team Broncos have a good D, plenty of vets, no QB or offensive identity but nothing to lose. Chiefs get up big early, then once home team has nothing to play for, they rally, make it look close. I think the Chiefs are better than the worst they've been this year but they're not as good as the best they've been this year. So are they back on the rise or have they just played their way back to slightly above average? I think they'll beat lesser opponents, we'll see if they get any in the post-season (oh yeah, the Titans, there you go). The Broncos are keeping the coach and the GM, I believe. Gotta have a QB, they gotta sign 2 QBs and draft one this off-season, keep the D together, get a QB, that's their mission for new. No idea what the Chiefs will be next year. Might be great, might be the worst of all time, either way.

Jags 10-15 Titans
Ugh! The Titans trying their hardest is already hard enough watch but watching the Jags not trying at all is just about impossible. The Jags should have a scary defense for years to come, good running game, good OL, I don't dislike Bortles, I think he can be good enough, Jax has been rebuilding for a long time but that D is good enough to keep them around for a while. The Titans are just young and sloppily managed (hmmm, Josh McDaniels, anyone?). I think they can be good they just probably won't be. Mariota will have games where he looks like Pete Maravich in his prime and days where he can't make a play to save his life. That's just what the Titans are (I give them no shot against the Chiefs).

Saints 24-31 Bucs
Saints play kinda fast and loose, when the defense makes plays they can be super dangerous and when the offense is rolling they can bury teams quickly. But when their offense sputters, they can still suck pretty bad out there. And their propensity to wait til the end of the game to come back in the 2-minute offense is foolhardy come post-season. Foolhardy! So while the Saints are capable of beating anyone, they're capable of losing to anyone too. If Drew Brees is back then the Saints will still be the same next year. As for the Bucs, who knows? Think they're keeping the coach and QB, I dunno, maybe that's the right thing to do. Everybody just keeps waiting year after year for the Bucs to be awesome, maybe next year's the year.

Bills 22-16 Dolphins
I just kept waiting for the Bills to give up the game, I wasn't expecting a good performance at all, so even though they were up late I still expected them to lose. But the Dolphins never really got going this year, this team was weird. It feels like they have everything they need to be really really good and somehow they're not even sniffing the playoffs. I don't get this team, they'll be getting QB Tannehill back next year, maybe that will rejuvenate them. And the Bills are the same every year. This year they were just a little more 8-8 than in other years which is why they were 9-7. (Andy Dalton as their QB next year? He's already more of a Buffalo hero than anyone since Thurman Thomas left town). I like the vibe the coach has going, he's made them a swift smart defense, a breath of fresh air after Rex's odor. As for next year: well...8-8, right?

Cards 26-24 Seahawks
Good win for the Cards. Winning a road division game against a team that's been kicking your ass for a decade must feel pretty damn good. Too bad Coach Arians got the axe, that's a perfect example of the kind of game Arians can win (too bad they played more of the other kind of games this year). But the Cards were just not as good as they thought they'd be this year and it basically screwed their whole season. They played hard and had moments this year but they just didn't have the sustain to last with good teams. End of an era there, QB Palmer is officially gone now too. They need a coach and 2 QBs. Feels like the Seahawk D is only gonna get worse next year, Russell Wilson will have to do even more all by himself. Might be a good strategy for them. (Niners and Rams are coming for these two)

Panthers 10-22 Falcons
Falcons needed it more I guess. Still don't understand how awful the Panther offense can be sometimes, just awful. I thought the Falcons this year would be murder at home (nope), and cruise into the playoffs. They kinda mostly sputtered through each game this year, I can't imagine how that offense from last year can look like that offense from this year. But even bad as they been, they're still in the hunt, this victory gets them the #6 seed in the NFC. And the Panthers are #5, though they could've jumped up to #4 and taken the Saints match at home instead of on the road. Weird, man, the Panthers are just weird. Falcons too. Both have good talent and in such a screwy year can still win the Super Bowl. I doubt it but each of them could get hot. Seems like both these teams will be the same next year, maybe a little better?


(*) The difference between Packers with/without Rodger is similar to the difference between seeing 2001: A Space Odyssey in 70mm print on a giant screen with an amazing sound system and seeing it on a beat up VHS tape on an old 20-inch tv. it's kinda the same but not at all the same.