Week 13 NFL game thread

dcmissle

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I know it’s Flacco on the road but I wouldn’t rule out an L next week.
Yeah, but we need 2 in this context — guarding against a pats loss in pitts. Baltimore is a very plausible PITT L, but we needed tonight too.

It’s the oldest lesson in sports — you have to take care of your own business. Relying on others will break you heart.
 

Average Game James

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I'm trying to convince myself that I should not be concerned about the Pats' ability to shred a team that barely beat Cincinnati and Indy, among others...
 

streeter88

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This ending is like the scene in Saving Private Ryan where the German soldier and the American guy are fighting to the death, and the German ends up slowly plunging the knife in all the while shushing him.

The other soldier Upham who does nothing is the refs.
 

doc

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If he was going to do that he should have just clocked the kicker.
 

DeadlySplitter

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Bengals crowd knew they were going to lose for the past 30 minutes.

They need to get rid of Lewis just for a culture change.
 

soxhop411

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marvin lewis deserves a 3 year contract extension after winning this game... Get er done CIN
 

koufax32

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If I had Cincy’s penalties instead of Julio Jones I would have won fantasy football.
 

dcmissle

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This Steelers season is reminding me of 2015 Broncos. I am not amused.
Yeah, I mean some people will say they are struggling against crap teams and that implies weakness. But pulling games out of the fire breeds confidence and resilience, and that’s good too.
 

Mystic Merlin

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Yeah, I mean some people will say they are struggling against crap teams and that implies weakness. But pulling games out of the fire breeds confidence and resilience, and that’s good too.
Super.

If the Pats lose to this team, I'll be pissed, is all I'll say.

Can't wait to hear from Tomlin and/or Big Ben about how Shazier's injury serves as a fucking inspiration or something.
 

dcmissle

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"AFC North football"

This interview sucks though
Ben will get plenty of it Sunday night. And if they pull this shit against the Ravens, let’s see what kind of team they can field the following week against the Pats. That’s a two-way street.
 

Hendu for Kutch

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Maybe it's me, but Antonio Brown looks like he could give two shits about Shazier when there's some Antonio Brown to discuss. Big smiles at the podium.
 

dcmissle

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i got the same vibe from ben on the field after. when she asked him about shazier he just seemed so casual about it.
It’s that NFC North way crap; this is fun!

Sadly, Grok was two weeks too early.

 

Mystic Merlin

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Brown leads the league in disparity between the effort he devotes to self-promotion (um, the Facebook Live locker room video he struck some kind of deal to air?) and his actual charisma (virtuallu nil).
 

SeoulSoxFan

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Here's where the Bengals go three and out, the Steelers get the ball back. march down the field and kick the game winning field goal as the game clock ticks down to double zero.
Post of the week.

Not sure what gets more credit though, 54th's ability to predict future or Marvin Lewis' ability to prevent wins.
 

johnmd20

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This game is a disgrace.
Is it the game or the players who are the disgrace? It seems like everyone BUT the players want to see the head injuries stop. Last night, Pitt and Cinncy were actively trying to injure each other. Gronk actively tried to injury a prone player on Sunday.

If the players won't respect each other to not try to kill themselves, it isn't the game's fault.
 
Feels like the next step in the NFL's evolution will be to get rid of the hard helmets and move to something more like what many rugby players (and Arsenal's Petr Cech) wear. As long as players can cause damage with their helmets and *feel* like they're protected from damage in their helmets, we're going to keep seeing these kinds of hits and these kinds of injuries. Take away the hard plastic, and also probably the face masks, and you'll still get plenty of physicality in the game, but you won't have players launching their heads at opponents' bodies. (Also, removing the face masks can be sold as a way to show players' faces and improve their marketability.)
 

Average Reds

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Is it the game or the players who are the disgrace? It seems like everyone BUT the players want to see the head injuries stop. Last night, Pitt and Cinncy were actively trying to injure each other. Gronk actively tried to injury a prone player on Sunday.

If the players won't respect each other to not try to kill themselves, it isn't the game's fault.
It’s more complicated than that.

The players exist in an environment where unbridled aggression is rewarded, unacceptable violence is tolerated and players are discarded/contracts voided the moment they are disabled. In the abstract, they absolutely care for and respect each other. But between the lines, they’re trying to annhilate each other, and thats an instinct that is hard to turn off at times.

There’s also the matter of how we (collectively) react when players do ease up to avoid injury or penalty. Look at the reaction in this very game thread when the Bengals eased up and Bell tiptoed down the sidelines for a TD. We killed them for it. Their coaches no doubt killed them for it.

Whether through rules, rewards or fan reaction, the message is consistent: when in doubt, deliver the kill shot. And then, when someone goes too far, we wag fingers and declare that the players are the culprits and not the rules, the coaching, the incentives or the way fans appreciate the game.

If the NFL was serious, they would allow refs to immediately eject players for helmet-to-helmet contact. The change would be immediate.
 
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Valek123

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Feels like the next step in the NFL's evolution will be to get rid of the hard helmets and move to something more like what many rugby players (and Arsenal's Petr Cech) wear. As long as players can cause damage with their helmets and *feel* like they're protected from damage in their helmets, we're going to keep seeing these kinds of hits and these kinds of injuries. Take away the hard plastic, and also probably the face masks, and you'll still get plenty of physicality in the game, but you won't have players launching their heads at opponents' bodies. (Also, removing the face masks can be sold as a way to show players' faces and improve their marketability.)
Had the same thought last night watching the end of the game. My fear is the athletes have become so incredibly fast and strong one will be killed without them now. No idea if football survives this, but games like last night start the process of turning the tide.
 

54thMA

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Post of the week.

Not sure what gets more credit though, 54th's ability to predict future or Marvin Lewis' ability to prevent wins.
You could see it coming from a mile away.

The Bengals are who we thought they were.

How do you blow a 17 point lead at home; easy if you're the Bengals.
 

loshjott

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I'm still trying to figure out why the Bengals called 2 timeouts in the final minute plus with the Steelers already in FG range. The end game was entirely predictable since the Bengals didn't have the 3 TOs they needed to even potentially leave any time on the clock. All they did was allow Pittsburgh to save their final TO so they could calmly run the ball into a good FG spot and call TO for a calm transition to the kick, rather than rush things without that last TO.

It was all probably moot because Pitt got into safe FG range before that sequence but it was still just incredibly dumb.
 

joe dokes

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Feels like the next step in the NFL's evolution will be to get rid of the hard helmets and move to something more like what many rugby players (and Arsenal's Petr Cech) wear. As long as players can cause damage with their helmets and *feel* like they're protected from damage in their helmets, we're going to keep seeing these kinds of hits and these kinds of injuries. Take away the hard plastic, and also probably the face masks, and you'll still get plenty of physicality in the game, but you won't have players launching their heads at opponents' bodies. (Also, removing the face masks can be sold as a way to show players' faces and improve their marketability.)

I recall reading that the hard-shell helmet was a direct response to skull fractures. It *has* solved that problem.

What's the impact absorbing material that NASCAR added to the walls after Earnhardt died? Can some of that go on the outside of helmets and shoulder pads?
 

joe dokes

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I'm still trying to figure out why the Bengals called 2 timeouts in the final minute plus with the Steelers already in FG range. The end game was entirely predictable since the Bengals didn't have the 3 TOs they needed to even potentially leave any time on the clock. All they did was allow Pittsburgh to save their final TO so they could calmly run the ball into a good FG spot and call TO for a calm transition to the kick, rather than rush things without that last TO.

It was all probably moot because Pitt got into safe FG range before that sequence but it was still just incredibly dumb.

We are very spoiled; almost *never* having to start a sentence about the Patriots with "I'm still trying to figure out why the Patriots . . . ."
 

Bob Montgomerys Helmet Hat

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I recall reading that the hard-shell helmet was a direct response to skull fractures. It *has* solved that problem.
This is correct.
There is also the issue that you want head impacts to be "glancing blows." The sticking points that could be caused by soft helmets would probably lead to more neck injuries.

The next step in this isn't about the protection, but rather how the game is played. The NFL has to embrace the college Targeting rules, and the penalties need to be very severe. It's not a panacea, but it would be a very positive next step to avoid the kind of shit we saw last night.