Rona Titan

And it had to happen to an undefeated team in the NFL. 

The Tennessee Titans are the first team to have an outbreak in the league. Couple handfuls, which includes four players. Two defensive guys, a long snapper, and a backup tight end, as brought up by Titans Wire. Minnesota is not going to take it lightly either as the Vikings suspended activities along with Tennessee. The matchup between Tennessee and Pittsburgh has been postponed with the suggestion of playing on Monday night or Tuesday.

Defensively, it will hurt a little bit if injuries occur. Of course, you need to keep players fresh as a game goes on. Small things can impact a team. The tight end who tested positive I don't think would have gotten any play on the team for the time being.. Barring an injury, not a huge deal. However, that long snapper is going to bite. The Titans have won thanks to their field goal efforts in the closing minutes of games this season. You need a guy that can snap it cleanly for the punter or the field goal/extra point holder. Given how extra points have been since 2015, they are a cog that can dictate the closing seconds of halves.

I don't think it will get as severe as the MLB back in the end of July, but I think you'll see another team get some positives. A lot of concern will come around November and December when flu season hits. Half the league is in cold weather, snow driven areas, regardless of having a domed stadium or not. With how much the NFL has handled things, this should be taken cared of a lot better than baseball.

NFL Conference Recap

We got the teams. Now for quick thoughts.

Pat Mahomes is lethal and the reason Kansas City won on Sunday. Rallying twice from 10 points down to take over and get the team to the title game for the first time since the 1969 season. A defense that shut down the Tennessee Titans run game. Ryan Tannehill put up decent enough numbers, but not enough. Outside of a run game, the Chiefs look poised to make a big stand with Andy Reid in two weeks.

San Francisco ran and ran. Raheem Mostert was the hero in the 49er win against the Green Bay Packers. Over 200 yards and four scores puts them in as the favorite to win the Super Bowl. Mistakes for the cheese heads and a poor run game stalled the offense in the first half. By the time they got rolling, it was too little, too late. A questionable defense couldn't do anything against Kyle Shanahan's running back tandems and the Niner defense made the plays when they needed to.

The advantage goes to San Francisco right now because of their strengths in every facet. Passing is the weak link due to not needing to use it. But Jimmy Garoppolo will have to throw for at least 170 despite the Chiefs run defense not being too elite and a better secondary. But San Fran's defense has to close the windows on Mahomes' throwing and contain him to where he can't scramble or make those throws to get those first downs. And the run game for the Chiefs has to show up. It can't be there for the second half and that's it. When it comes down to it, it should be a match up that can be very good. At the very least, this should be a more entertaining game on paper compared to last year.

Prediction: San Francisco wins 30 to 21. It will be a tight game at points.

2020 NFL Divisional Recap

Another series of wheels in motion.

Another round of Derrick Henry and a huge win for the Tennessee Titans. Add 195 rushing yards and a stingy defense to beat the Baltimore Ravens. Every facet coming in at the right time. The Ravens not having a good running attack combined with an unprepared defense. But then you have adversity like the Kansas City Chiefs. Pat Mahomes' arm got them out of a 24 to nothing deficit to win 51 to 31 against the Houston Texans. A tighter second half on defense, better running of the ball. Bill O'Brien may have coached his last game with the Texans.

We have the not surprised results of the NFC. San Francisco played strong defense in their win against the Minnesota Vikings. Tevin Coleman has been valuable in the ground game and Jimmy Garoppolo played decent enough. The Vikes were sloppy running the ball and a couple special teams mistakes doomed them and their usually good defense. Green Bay survives a late attempted comeback against the Seattle Seahawks. Aaron Jones scoring and running keeps them in games. Otherwise, Hollywood Rodgers is not on the level of where he has been in years past and the defense almost choked. That should question how big of a test it will be when they face the 49ers on Sunday.

In three weeks, I believe we will see a San Francisco/Tennessee Super Bowl in Miami. At this point in time, the former's defense can hang with the best. The latter plays it old school on offense. Keys for the other teams: If you're Green Bay, be aware of the run and don't forget about Jones. If you're Kansas City, run the ball to provide enough balance and keep eye on formations when playing defense. Mike Vrabel is laying down the law with the Titans. These Conference Championships should provide good entertainment and tight match ups.

NFL Wild Card Recap

A crazy weekend for football.

The Tennessee Titans put up a show and defeated the New England Patriots. Strong running from Derrick Henry kept the Titans in the game and Mike Vrabel's intelligence on having penalties on fourth down in the fourth quarter helped secure a big win against his former team. The future of New England lays in question with coaching opportunities and potential loss of big players. Lack of big plays killed them. Tennessee plays huge underdog against Baltimore.

I call it The Comeback II. Just the opposite. Down 16 to nothing, the Houston Texans rebounded and beat the Buffalo Bills in overtime, 27 years and a day to the day the Bills beat the Oilers in a huge comeback for the ages. Deshaun Watson showed he can hang with the best and the defense had a great second half. Buffalo faltered with the second half. Josh Allen still has work to do and progression will help him and the team make another run next year. Houston gets a chance to eliminate Kansas City, which they did in the regular season.

Another year, another New Orleans heartbreak. Again against Minnesota, the Vikings won in overtime, eliminating the Saints. Kirk Cousins gets the coveted first postseason win, Dalvin Cook puts up good numbers and the defense held their own despite letting them tie it up. Drew Brees can only do so much with a poor running game and the cobbled up secondary was not a match for the Vikes receivers. Minnesota can play upset against San Francisco.

Same score, different week. The Seattle Seahawks beat the Philadelphia Eagles again. Russell Wilson was the main factor for the offense. Half his passing yards went to rookie D.K. Metcalf. And as always, the young defense made the Eagles night horrendous, including a head injury for the often hurt Carson Wentz. Josh McCown did okay. Miles Sanders proves he can be good, but no threats outside of tight ends hurt Philly's chances. The defense not showing up is another issue. No NFC East team was going to win a game, regardless of who they were going to face. Seattle can be the nightmare once again to Green Bay, who they haven't played in the postseason in five years.

The Divisional Round should bring a lot of excitement and dare I say maybe some big upsets. No New England makes it a lot more intriguing.

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.