NFL 2022: The Week 14 thread

Top_Shelf wrote:

So, what's the explanation? I'm reading you to be saying that Ruhle wanted to run but his OC wouldn't follow orders?

That was one of the funniest things about the Former Era. My guess (and it's only that) is that this was all an exercise in passive-aggression from the OCs. You wanted these bums as QBs? Fine! We're going to throw the ball then!

Seriously, though, based on reporting of the Former Era and the Former HC's retconning of his Carolina experience in recent weeks, it's highly possible that he drew up pass-heavy game plans (dude was extremely hands-on about everything like he was still in college), then blamed the OC when the game plan failed. Shoulda/coulda was always doing a lot of work in those post-game pressers.

Anyway, about Sunday: Steve Wilks doesn't tolerate that kind of nonsense. That was the best game Carolina has played since mid-2019, no exaggeration. Sundays are fun again!

So, after yesterday, the Jaguars are very much in the playoff race, aren't they? It sounds perfectly feasible that they go 2-1 the next three weeks while the Titans go 1-2 and then week 18 is a rematch for the division title.

The NFC South is also on fire with every team below .500.

Pink Stripes wrote:

The NFC South is also on fire

IMAGE(https://u.cubeupload.com/MilkmanDanimal/dumpster.gif)

One thing I have been noticing over the past 4-6 weeks: offensive line play in the league seems to be almost uniformly awful this season, with a very few exceptions. I am not sure if that is actually true or just recency bias.

I expect the first 4-5 weeks of a season to be pretty bad but improving week over week for most lines because of the decrease in overall contact and lack of work in preseason games - it takes real playing time for a group to come together. But this year, I have not seen a lot of improvement for most teams. LT play specifically seems to be pretty bad but this is mainly due to LTs being the most exposed.

I don't subscribe to PFF so cannot see how they score OLs this season vs. the last few, this is just a (very) subjective observation based on watching a bunch of games.

Looking at the rest of Tampa's schedule, it looks like they might actually take the division with a winning record.

And that makes me sad.

Paleocon wrote:

Looking at the rest of Tampa's schedule, it looks like they might actually take the division with a winning record.

And that makes me sad.

They might. But they play the Bengals and two divisional opponents that are currently sitting one game behind and might end up playing for their lives. And the Bucs don't look particularly solid. Not to keep beating on a dead horse called Mark Ingram but they should be 5-8 right now.

Pink Stripes wrote:

So, after yesterday, the Jaguars are very much in the playoff race, aren't they?

Yes, they've made it onto the playoff picture graphics:

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/7t9gTKi.jpg)

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/FLo8chz.jpg)

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/0sqSftY.jpg)

The Bucs have lost to the Steelers, Panthers, Browns, and Packers, and barely beat the Rams, Saints, and Falcons; their only "real" wins are Cowboys, Seahawks, and I guess maybe the first Saints game? They're not a good team at all, and between their offensive line being in utter shambles with Donovan Smith apparently trying to set a "most consecutive weeks a holding penalty invalidated a TD" streak to somehow get into the HOF, the defense being full of injured players, and Byron Leftwich committing career suicide one pointless run up the middle after another, well, they could easily finish this season 6-11, losing every game. Or, they could actually somehow cobble together an offense, and win them all.

Losing Shaq Barrett has really gutted the pass rush, and Winfield being out a number of games has shown how important he is on the back end, as 3rd and long is basically a "here, have a free set of downs" to the other team.

I so want to see the Panthers take the division with 7 wins.

Ya I'm not reading that Bucs schedule as them strolling to the playoffs.

7-10 winner is really in play here and I'm all for it.

7-10 Bucs winning the division and winning the first game would also be hilarious. Too bad it wouldn't be vs the Vikings most likely.

I'm all for the 7-10 division winner, especially if the Niners can climb to the #2 seed and play against that team.

Please let it be Carolina. Please let Carolina creep into the playoffs and then have CMC run all over them.

jowner wrote:

7-10 Bucs winning the division and winning the first game would also be hilarious. Too bad it wouldn't be vs the Vikings most likely.

Wouldn't it be Dallas? As division winners, they'd be the #4 seed so they play the #5 seed at home and that's most likely going to be Jerruh's team.

Pink Stripes wrote:

Wouldn't it be Dallas? As division winners, they'd be the #4 seed so they play the #5 seed at home and that's most likely going to be Jerruh's team.

Yeah, you've got it right. We're mixing up lowest division winner with lowest wildcard.

Apparently the Lions still have a 0.2% chance to win the division via 538. So ya my dream of a 7-10 Brady Bucs beating the Vikings in round 1 is not really that feasible but there's.... a chance.

Speaking of the Lions. Double whammy game for Packers this week. Win and they continue the fake attempt to make the playoffs and hurt their draft position while also improving the pick the Lions will get from the Rams.

Go Baker Mayfield?

I really wanted to see Baker Mayfield clear waivers and get picked up by Baltimore who would play him in relief of an injured Lamar Jackson against the Browns and demolish them. That would have been truly must see television.

*Legion* wrote:

I'm all for the 7-10 division winner, especially if the Niners can climb to the #2 seed and play against that team.

Please let it be Carolina. Please let Carolina creep into the playoffs and then have CMC run all over them.

If Carolina (currently 5-8) wins out, Carolina will win the NFC South at 9-8. Somehow the Panthers hold a bunch of tiebreakers.

The Panthers' next four games: vs Steelers, vs Lions, at Bucs, at Saints. They'll probably beat the Lions (the best of this sorry bunch) and lose the other three.

Cowboys sign the veteran WR they so badly needed... T.Y. Hilton.

Tune in Wednesday to see how this affects their OBJ Power Ranking!

In honor of both the Niners winning, and the Panthers taking down the Seahawks, I had to make fun of this one more time:

"You can do a lot of things with Christian, but to take him out of the backfield, to me, is taking him out of what he does best. We’ll keep him at tailback."

-- Matt Rhule

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/0t0MRmZ.gif)

*Legion* wrote:

In honor of both the Niners winning, and the Panthers taking down the Seahawks, I had to make fun of this one more time:

"You can do a lot of things with Christian, but to take him out of the backfield, to me, is taking him out of what he does best. We’ll keep him at tailback."

-- Matt Rhule

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/0t0MRmZ.gif)

The former HC was (and still is) a dolt. Everything that's happening now in Carolina and SF (and Phoenix and LA) is further proof that the man has no football sense.

That was a lovely catch, btw. CMC has better hands and runs better routes than most NFL WRs.

Gotta wonder if Nebraska is rethinking hiring him, seeing what happens after he leaves a team?

Nebraska national champs in 2025?

Enix wrote:

That was a lovely catch, btw. CMC has better hands and runs better routes than most NFL WRs.

CMC could legitimately play WR. Granted, his build isn't ideal for a boundary WR, as he's shorter and has shorter arms than you want from the position (beating taller, longer-armed corners who run high 4.3s would be tough), but his skill set lacks absolutely nothing the position needs. He could transition into a full-time slot WR tomorrow. If he was built more like his dad, he would absolutely play WR.

The whole CMC in SF thing has been one surprise after another. You no longer hear anyone in 49ers land asking if this is a one-year $700k rental or if the team is going to figure out how to keep him once he starts costing $12m a year. That question died weeks ago. The idea of not keeping him is now unthinkable. He is easily leading the team in scrimmage yards per game. He joined a team stacked with skill position players and overnight became the #1 option in the offense. It's unreal.

Good-ish 49ers injury news.

Deebo Samuel suffered both an MCL sprain and an ankle sprain, but they must both be relatively mild, as the team says they expect him to return during the regular season.

That timeline suggests it wasn't a high ankle sprain, and indeed, the new reports all omit the word "high" when describing the sprain.

Brock Purdy is called day-to-day with an oblique injury he suffered on the second drive of the game, which he obviously played through (until they pulled him for Josh Johnson once the game was in hand). Shanahan had some concern that the injury might cause Purdy issues once the adrenaline of the game wore off, but it sounds like the MRI wasn't too bad, and he's expected to play Thursday.

Since SEA is imploding and about to give up 400 yards in the ground Thursday, here's some uni news:

I saw a replica "second" Seahawks helmet this weekend that is neon green instead of College Navy. Thought it looked great.

And in even better news, the old unis will be an alternate for 2023. That's right, the hallowed silver and blue ones sported by all the greats, like Tez, Chris Warren, Sam Adams, Chad Brown, Shaun Alexander, Ricky Waters, Warren Moon, Jon Kitna and Rick Mirer!

Will definitely be picking up a Joey Galloway one.

*Legion* wrote:
Enix wrote:

That was a lovely catch, btw. CMC has better hands and runs better routes than most NFL WRs.

CMC could legitimately play WR. Granted, his build isn't ideal for a boundary WR, as he's shorter and has shorter arms than you want from the position (beating taller, longer-armed corners who run high 4.3s would be tough), but his skill set lacks absolutely nothing the position needs. He could transition into a full-time slot WR tomorrow. If he was built more like his dad, he would absolutely play WR.

The whole CMC in SF thing has been one surprise after another. You no longer hear anyone in 49ers land asking if this is a one-year $700k rental or if the team is going to figure out how to keep him once he starts costing $12m a year. That question died weeks ago. The idea of not keeping him is now unthinkable. He is easily leading the team in scrimmage yards per game. He joined a team stacked with skill position players and overnight became the #1 option in the offense. It's unreal.

Wait, folks think CMC was going to be a half-season rental?! Jeezus. The Niners' championship window is open now. Pay the man!

CMC was a gift to Kyle Shanahan from the Football Gods. He's only three years removed from a 1,000-1,000 season with Norv and Scott Turner as his OCs and Kyle Allen and Will Grier as his QBs. If he gets to play a full season with SF, CMC will win MVP.

I was thrilled he ended up in SF because the Niners are one of a handful of teams who would know what to do with him.

Kyler Murray won’t be missing Double XP weekends for some time now

Enix wrote:

Wait, folks think CMC was going to be a half-season rental?! Jeezus. The Niners' championship window is open now. Pay the man!

Some people did indeed think that. Trade deadline moves often are rentals, and CMC’s low cap number in 2022 plus zero dead money if he’s released in the offseason had some people thinking it was just going to be a rental, despite the high number of picks in the trade. Enough so that Shanahan explicitly came out and said this wasn’t a rental move.

I wasn’t in that group. I thought getting someone like CMC with 3.5 years left on his deal, and all the bonus money already paid by another team, was the kind of score you almost never get. $12m/yr for those next 3 years is still a lot of money, but it’s like paying the #10 running back salary and getting the #1 paid back.

I mean, basically like you put it:

CMC was a gift to Kyle Shanahan from the Football Gods.

Shanahan has been trying to get a guy like this since he arrived in SF. They paid a bunch of money to Jerick McKinnon, who then was broken the whole time (and only now has starting playing regularly and catching a bunch of passes, for Kansas City). They made a serious push for Le’Veon Bell when he was making his way out of Pittsburgh, but lost out to the Jets’ offer.

Neither McKinnon nor Bell are CMC, of course, but they are/were both pass catching backs (Pittsburgh used to line Bell up wide more than people remember).

CMC is the idealized version of what those guys had to offer. The last time I saw a running back in a 49ers uniform do what CMC is doing, it was Roger Craig (with all due respect to Ricky Watters).

Ice cold, GG.

TheGameguru wrote:

Kyler Murray won’t be missing Double XP weekends for some time now

Next one is this upcoming weekend! Are we sure this non-contact injury is real?

I’ll be disappointed though that the Hard Knocks narrative now is going to be about Kyler getting hurt, and not about Kyler finishing out the year underperforming his new fat contract.

ManningCast is brutal tonight. Bill Simmons is a guest, and Peyton made him watch the David Tyree helmet catch.