Punchy and Drunky

For goodness sake, don't do anything stupid while drunk. Like speeding 30 plus miles an hour over the speed limit. Call a cab or an Uber. The Denver Broncos don't have many options now at running back following Melvin Gordon's DUI charge. A few days ago, he was pulled over. Cops noticed the signs of intoxication. Tests were done. He'll be facing suspension for sure. Denver has to have a game plan on what could happen to him next in a month when his court appearance comes up. This is courtesy of local places in Colorado such as 9News.

New Orleans barely survived with an overtime win against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football. They did this without their star receiver Michael Thomas. An altercation occurred between him and second year corner Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. Punches were thrown, Thomas was suspended. There is speculation on what might have happened. The thing is, Thomas has never had outside of some political tweets any sort of trouble. I can't think of any moment where he has made a nuisance of himself.

There might be a story on him having issues with the coaching staff. Possibly Sean Payton. Or that he wasn't suspended at all, but fined to set an example of what could happen next. Until things get calmer, the story probably won't be revealed until later on. We'll also have to see if Thomas starts having big issues similar to Antonio Brown. I think he's smarter than Brown and could handle stuff a lot better, but you never know. 

That's only scratching the surface in the South. Between the Atlanta Falcons and the coronavirus and Alabama's Nick Saban and their athletic director testing positive, football in October gets scarier and scarier.

New Orleans v. NFL

While the AFC game could change how overtime goes, the NFC game of the NFL has reached boiling points and higher. Referees being moved from their hotel to another location. A city in shellshock and quite the anger that the Louisiana governor sent a letter to Roger Goodell. And now a lawsuit.

There is a rule in the NFL handbook that allows a game to be re-done at a certain point if the circumstances are worthy of that. Goodell could have the power to do that. On the one hand, it did sort of affect the outcome. For New Orleans, they could have had a chance to burn the clock a lot and kick a field goal, leaving the LA Rams very little time. On the other side of the equation, never underestimate that a team can win with 20 seconds left on the clock and force overtime.

Obviously, that pass interference that could have been was a huge missed call for the Saints. I feel bad a little bit for them. Unfortunately, they got the ball first in overtime, something people are forgetting. The refs didn't make Drew Brees throw that costly interception that led to the Rams game winner to go to the Super Bowl.. If the Saints won, we wouldn't be hearing a tenth of the venom we're seeing now. There's probably a few other things, but ultimately, this lawsuit is not going to stick.

I'll be surprised if anything happens, but the Saints have nothing to blame but themselves outside of that penalty. Their running game didn't show up. Brees didn't exactly have a great game. They blew an early 13 point lead. They didn't come prepared to win it all and make a stance like they did against Philadelphia. Louisiana and New Orleans fans can cry all they want. This is not going to materialize and the way the fans have been about the refs have got to stop. We can be critical, but let's not get to the point where they feel threatened.

NFL Divisional Round Predictions 2018

A week in the books already and the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs begin Saturday. Let's get to the games.

Saturday's games are the Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles match late in the afternoon. The night game is between the Tennessee Titans and the New England Patriots. With Philly and Atlanta, it comes down to Atlanta beating up on Philly. If Carson Wentz was under center, I would say otherwise, but whoever is starting is going to have a bad performance. If it is Nick Foles, this is going to be different since this isn't the 2013 version that surprised everyone. The Falcons are top 10 defense this year and are very good at stopping the run, particularly refusing backs from getting touchdowns. With the experience of the postseason last year and last week's victory against the Rams, they can ride that momentum to the Championship game. Philly's keys to victory are the defense to not bend, get the receivers going and rely on running the ball. I don't see two of these going well.

Tennessee was a shocker in their victory against Kansas City. Now they have the task of stopping New England and hoping to make it back to a Championship game for the first time since 1999. It is only their seventh appearance in the postseason since the start of the 1994 season and they need perfection to even pull another upset. Marcus Mariota needs more than just luck as the Patriot defense struggled throughout the year, ranking second to last in pass defense yards given up and in the lower half for rush defense yards. Obviously, New England's passing is at the top, but the question is the defense and if the ground game will show up like it did the last two games of the year. I'm all for the upset with Tennessee, though realistically, it's a losing effort for coach Mike Mularkey.

Sunday's games are two rematches from this season. The early game is the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers, while the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings are the final game of the Divisional Round. Jacksonville gave Ben Rothelisberger one of his worst games ever, picking him off five times. Their defense is good, but their magic won't work Sunday. The offense was putrid against Buffalo, and the Steeler defense will pulverize Blake Bortles. Leonard Fournette will struggle for yards and the Jaguars will be having issues scoring points. A lot can happen between October and January. The Steelers will win. How much they will win by is a question mark.

Week one saw the Vikes and Saints in a Monday Night game with Minnesota notching a victory. These are the two best teams not only in the NFC, but the entire league. They can throw the ball well and attack on the ground with duo running backs. The defenses can create turnovers and make big plays when necessary. Minnesota has to stop the Saints rushing prowess, which has run rampant throughout the season. Shut down Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara, they will get their victory. Calm Case Keenum and he will do fine in his first playoff game. New Orleans has to put a lot of pressure on Keenum to make him throw a costly interception. Stop him and Latavius Murray, and a Championship game for the first time since 2009 (Both faced each other in the NFC Championship that year) will be theirs. I'm buying into Minnesota solely on their defense. Either way, this might be the best match up for the playoffs.

Next week, we will discuss the Championship games.

NFL Wild Card 2018

Another season, another set of NFL playoffs have started once again, beginning today. Here are some quick thoughts and predictions.

Today's games should be an easy one. The early match up between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tennessee Titans is one sided favored towards the Chiefs. Offensively, they are an explosive bunch and the defense can hold its own and play well. With questions on both sides for the Titans, Arrowhead should be happy to get a win unless there's some unforseen circumstances like blowing it against the Colts four years ago. On the other side is the LA Rams having their first home playoff game in Los Angeles since the 1989 season against the Atlanta Falcons. Both sides can play with tough running games, defenses that don't give up, and good arms to throw the ball. It all depends if Atlanta can keep up and hang in the game, but the Rams seem destined to get into the Divisional Round. That's who I think advances.

Sunday's matches could see any of these four win. The early game is the Buffalo Bills going up against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Buffalo could win, but it all depends on LeSean McCoy actually suiting up from last week's ankle injury. They can prevent passing touchdowns, but the run defense is one of the worst. Facing the number one rushing team is a huge task, as well as Tyrod Taylor needing a perfect game. It should be in the books as a Jacksonville win, but don't rule out the Bills entirely. Blake Bortles could throw interceptions and rely on Leonard Fournette to help the Jags. I think it goes to Jacksonville winning. The question is: How much with they win by?

New Orleans and Carolina are the last match of the weekend. For the Saints, a much better defense and a punishing ground game bolstered them into the playoffs. That's who I see going further into the postseason. As strong as Carolina's rushing is, it is inconsistent. The passing is far from great, but not horrible. It all depends on how the defense can perform. They can pull off an impressive win, but every facet has to be near perfect. Any mistakes, and it could be a blowout.

Next week, we will look at the Divisional Round and who should advance to the Championship game.