Let's chat about the National Football League. This thread will be dedicated to all post-season games, including the Super Bowl. This post will be updated with results and schedules going into February (All times Eastern):
Wildcard matchups:
2025-01-11:
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04:30PM: Los Angeles Chargers vs. Houston Texans
08:00PM: Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Baltimore Ravens
2025-01-12:
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01:00PM: Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills,
04:30PM: Green Bay Packers vs. Philadelphia Eagles
08:00PM: Washington Commanders vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2025-01-13
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08:00PM: Minnesota Vikings vs. Los Angeles Rams
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Notes -
Motte NFL Playoff Preview
Sports fans IT IS TIME. The last few weeks of the season are often doldrums, the Eagles didn’t have much to play for since losing the second Redskins matchup. But now it is revving up. This weekend will see six matchups, and for the most part I’m pretty happy with the field. Few teams I hate made it, and within the teams I do hate (Redskins, Bucs) I actually kind of begrudgingly like some of their players. So I’ll start things off this week with a guide to every matchup for the weekend and a quick blurb on each team to help start arguments among the regulars, and to give a reference for anyone just tuning in to go to watch parties.
Number One Seeds: Off this week, the best teams in the league.
Kansas City Chiefs: A study in media and public exhaustion, the 2024 Chiefs just won. Over and over. Despite an offense that was stripped of all playmaking talent beyond Patty Mahomes and an aging Travis Kelce, they just win. Well coached, experienced, disciplined. A stifling defense makes up for offensive deficiencies. They’re not getting a lot of press compared to other, more exciting contenders, but no one is going to be surprised to see them in the Super Bowl. I’ll always be a fan of Andy Reid, who I grew up on in Philly, and it’s tough to dislike the Chiefs the way I used to dislike the Brady-Belichek Patriots, but they’re probably my last choice of team to win.
Detroit Lions: The best Detroit Lions team, by far, of my entire life. A high-octane offense behind two (healthy for the playoffs!) running backs in Gibbs and Montgomery, with a high end game manager in Jared Goff passing to excellent pass catchers, and an OC in Ben Johnson who always has a trick up his sleeve. Don’t be surprised to see them give the ball to a big ol’ offensive tackle for a touchdown, or a triple flea flicker for an 80 yard gain. Their defense has been devastated by injuries, but "you can't bury what comes from the dirt" and they're biting kneecaps behind clear COTY Dan Campbell, playing hard physical disciplined football. If my Eagles don’t win, I’ll be rooting for the Lions. I want Detroit to get this one.
Wildcard Games:
Los Angeles Chargers (-150) at Houston Texans: One of the two away favorites, the LA Fighting’ Justin Herberts are hoping to overcome decades of Chargering to win a game they should win. The Texans had big expectations coming into the year, behind standout sophomore QB CJ Stroud. Injuries and underperformance hit the team pretty hard, and though they won a weak division to get a home playoff berth, I don’t have a lot of faith in them here. The Chargers meanwhile have looked well coached behind Harbaugh (who claims he can remember his own birth), and combine a tough defense with a workable offense lead by the hyper-talented Herbert. MOTTE ROOTING INTEREST: @Hoffmeister25 is a Chargers fan, so root for LA.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens (-550): The Steelers spent much of the year looking like a tough, well disciplined team with coach Mike Tomline able to squeeze wins out of the rind of Russell Wilson and TJ Watt’s game-breaking ability on defense. After their devastating loss to the Eagles, they’ve looked weak, and fumbled the division to the rival Ravens, who they’ll face in the playoffs. The Ravens have also been fairly disappointing this season, with all-universe MVP talent Lamar Jackson and big boy Derrick Henry leading an offense that should be unstoppable, and an always tough defense. But they fumbled shoulda-been wins to the Browns and Eagles. The Ravens are clear logical favorites, I just don’t have faith in the Steelers offensive talent, but Tomlin doesn’t let any game get away from him easy, and boy would it be fun to see the Discourse about the Ravens after a loss. MOTTE ROOTING INTEREST: We have a ton of Pittsburgh boys here, so let’s all root for Pennsylvania’s second best team to get the devastating upset.
Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills (-550): The Bills are thinking THIS IS OUR YEAR. The Bills have been great since Josh Allen came into his own, but have fallen short on the biggest stages. Following last year’s overtime loss to the Eagles, a Bills fan on the train told me “Just once, I’d like us to win the Game of the Year instead of losing it.” A deeply lovable team, they play exciting football, they have a ton of cute players like rookie WR Coleman who has fantastic interviews and DB Hamlin who literally died and came back to life. The Broncos, meanwhile, are mostly just happy to be here. Head Coach Sean Payton has turned the team around impressively after jettisoning Russell Wilson and drafting rookie QB Bo Nix. The Broncos have impressed by making it this far, and Bo Nix is going to be good, but the dead cap hit from Wilson hamstrung talent levels on this team. Look out for the Broncos in a year or two, but this year, Buffalo is gonna boot them out in the first round. MOTTE ROOTING INTEREST: @Walterodim is a Bills fan, root for Josh Allen to rout the Broncos on his way to a rivalry game next week against another great QB.
Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles (-240): The main event of the day for me. I’m attending this game, the first playoff game I’ve been to at the Linc since I was in middle school. Look for me in the end zone with a cardboard sign talking about probabilities and Berkson’s paradox. Comparing the squads, the Eagles have the advantage in talent at every position except QB and maybe edge rusher. The Eagles offensive attack relies on simply having so many threats that it is impossible to handle them all. You have to rush extra men to beat the best offensive line in the league, but you also have to watch out for local-boy-made-good Saquon Barkley on an all time rushing season, and you have to keep a QB spy to keep Jalen Hurts from taking off, and you have to double team AJ Brown or he’s #AlwaysOpen, and if you double team AJ you risk leaving DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert open. There just aren’t enough defenders to do it all, if the scheme works and they can play how they want. Plus, the Eagles have their special ability, the Brotherly Shove, think of it as like Tim, trade one down for one yard, which makes a huge difference in every game. The Packers are one of those teams that always has talent, they’ve managed their QB transition better than any team, with Jordan Love seamlessly taking over for Aaron Rodgers. In general a mediocre team by playoff standards, and weaker than the Eagles in talent and playmakers, but they are well coached and Love is poised beyond his years. If the Eagles lose this one, it is because LaFleur out-coached Nick, and Love outplayed Hurts. MOTTE ROOTING INTEREST: If you enjoyed any of my posts, root for the Eagles.ETA: If you like @SubstantialFrivolity better, root for the Packers
Washington Redskins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-175): A clash of two surprise teams, the Redskins have over performed with surefire OROY Jayden Daniels leading the best Washington team in years. Washington is thin all over, but they’re scrappy and they’re excited to be here. The Bucs, meanwhile, were supposed to be in their post-Brady wilderness years right now, but Charlie Day Look Alike Baker Mayfield’s renaissance and Todd Bowles defensive coaching has won this team the division. Neither team is expected to make a deep playoff run, and whoever wins this one will likely lose in the next round. I personally despise both these franchises, though not their current incarnations or players. MOTTE ROOTING INTEREST: I don’t think we have anyone for this one, so I’m going to personally plead, root for Washington, if my Eagles make the next round I’d be terrified to watch them face the Bucs.
Minnesota Vikings (-130) at Los Angeles Rams: The Vikings are probably the second best team in the NFC, but rules are rules and they have to play away to the still-hanging-on Rams. The Vikings have way over performed expectations, especially after losing their planned starting QB in the pre-season, but GEQBUS Sam Darnold has had a tremendous year and should win CBPOY. The talent on offense, especially the pass catchers, is tremendous. Brian Flores has the best coached defense in the league, getting a ton out of his players and throwing confusing looks at offenses to get sacks and turnovers. The only concern for the Vikes going into this game is losing spirit after dropping the biggest regular season game of the year against Detroit last week. The Rams have been milking the last years of Matthew Stafford, getting a few playoff seasons out of what was figured to be the denouement of their Super Bowl win. WR Puka Nakua and Cooper Kupp provide offensive firepower, while DROY Jared Verse is in the backfield every play. They lack the juice to be expected to win a playoff game or make much of a run, but they have the ability to make any team sweat going against them, and beat Buffalo in a thriller earlier. MOTTE ROOTING INTEREST: I don’t think we have one for this game.
It will be a cold day in hell before I root against my beloved green and gold. For one thing, I'm pretty sure there would be a warrant out for my arrest the next time I visited home. ;)
Honestly I am rooting for the Lions just because their fans deserve it. I respect anyone who sticks with a team that sucks as badly as the Lions have, for as long as they have. Unless they wind up playing the Packers, in which case see previous statement.
I'm actually taking a buddy who is a huge Packers fan. I'm a little nervous because I've never taken a friend to the Linc in enemy colors. But I managed to get two tickets, and he might never get another chance to see his team in the playoffs.
Are Philly fans as bad as their rep suggests? I've heard stories but it's hard to know whether the reputation is earned or if it's exaggerated.
I'm not sure what you've heard, but in general yes they're pretty bad. At least in the section where my family member's season tickets land. If he showed up in a cheesehead and a jersey, he would get cursed at, mocked, trash talked, and probably during the game some small detritus thrown at him. I don't think he's gonna get, like, beaten up, and woe betide the man who should try! my buddy deadlifts 530 and is a judo competitor, but he will get hassled, even just for the Packers beanie he plans on wearing. I wouldn't recommend going to the Linc in opposing team gear for a major game and expecting a perfectly peaceful child friendly experience.
Yeah, that basically lines up with what I've heard. If anything the reputation suggests that one should be prepared for actual violence. Trash talk I expect, friendly trash talk between rival fans is part of the fun! But throwing stuff at people, cursing, etc is a shame.
Back a couple decades now, my family connection had an employee who was a huge Cowboys fan. He'd show up to the annual Cowboys game at the Vet in a big silver Cowboys jacket. Not only would he get trash talk, the next week whoever came to the game would get trash talk about "your Cowboys," because the fans around the seats would remember the seat but not the person in it.
People, including Eagles fans, exaggerate, but the worst I expect on Sunday is an empty beer can or a hot dog wrapper or something like that if the iggles get punked by Green Bay.
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