2020 NFL: Wk.17 Game Thread

8slim

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Is it? TB, New Orleans, Buffalo twice, Cleveland, Indy make 6 games against playoff teams and 2 with Miami who just missed out. Houston has beaten the Pats two years in a row.
It’s the NFL, doesn’t a team play 6 games against playoff teams a year at minimum?
 

E5 Yaz

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It's useless to say which teams will be easy or tough opponents next season, based on how they did this year. Outside of the extremes -- Jax, KC, etc -- you just never know
 

E5 Yaz

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And, of course, Tony Dungy will be the "analyst" for Brady's playoff game next week
 

tims4wins

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It’s the NFL, doesn’t a team play 6 games against playoff teams a year at minimum?
Not really, isn’t it just a minimum of 4? You play 2 other divisions in their entirety, plus the other teams in your conference that finished in the same spot as you. So the two full divisions each have a winner, and either you play 2 games against your own division winner if you didn’t finish in first, or if you did finish in first then the other 2 conference games are against division winners. Now chances are you’ll also face a couple wild card teams but it’s not guaranteed. Am I wrong?
 

cshea

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Saturday

Colts @ Bills
Rams @ Seahawks
Bucs @ NFC East

Sunday

Ravens @ Titans
Bears @ Saints
Browns @ Steelers
 

8slim

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Not really, isn’t it just a minimum of 4? You play 2 other divisions in their entirety, plus the other teams in your conference that finished in the same spot as you. So the two full divisions each have a winner, and either you play 2 games against your own division winner if you didn’t finish in first, or if you did finish in first then the other 2 conference games are against division winners. Now chances are you’ll also face a couple wild card teams but it’s not guaranteed. Am I wrong?
Yeah I guess technically the minimum is 5, or maybe 4. Still, it’s the NFL, I suspect it’s rare for a team to have a schedule where they’re not playing at least 6 playoff teams from the prior year.
 

Mystic Merlin

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Washington is going to be a handful for Tampa. This team is good with Smith.
WSH’s DL is a game wrecking variable against a pocket passer. That could be a competitive game.

TB’s lack of a true pass catching threat at RB - by which I mean a player who can run something other than a flat route and is effective on screens - may show. I’m sure Tampa counters with screens and motion concepts to get quick looks to Brown and Godwin, though.

To me, the key would be whether Arians sucks it up and caters the game plan to de emphasize the vertical passing game.
 

BigSoxFan

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WSH’s DL is a game wrecking variable against a pocket passer. That could be a competitive game.

TB’s lack of a true pass catching threat at RB - by which I mean a player who can run something other than a flat route and is effective on screens - may show. I’m sure Tampa counters with screens and motion concepts to get quick looks to Brown and Godwin, though.

To me, the key would be whether Arians sucks it up and caters the game plan to de emphasize the vertical passing game.
Yup. He may have to given Evans’ injury. The quick intermediate stuff to AB/Godwin/Miller with occasional Gronk seam pass may be the way to go. Tampa definitely needs a quicker back since Fournette has calcified.
 

E5 Yaz

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Is Chris Johnson or Jamal Lewis the worst 2,000-yard rusher ever? (The other six are all current or future Hall of Famers, assuming Henry gets there.)
O.J. ... he's the only one who ever killed people
 

BigSoxFan

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Is Chris Johnson or Jamal Lewis the worst 2,000-yard rusher ever? (The other six are all current or future Hall of Famers, assuming Henry gets there.)
Chris Johnson made 3 Pro Bowl’s to 1 for Lewis so I’d go with Lewis.
 

E5 Yaz

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