NFL Playoffs/Early Offseason

[TheLeviathan]

Early thoughts:

* As competitive as the North was....I think all of the teams kinda stink.  A fraud is going to advance between the Packers and Bears, but those teams won't last long.

* Rams are going to be looking for some serious revenge in Carolina for that earlier loss this season.  That one could get ugly

* Jags/Bills over should be set at 63.5....51.5 feels like free money

* SF/Philly is a football game where I have absolutely no idea what to expect.  None.  Both of those teams are so weird this year.

* Goodbye A-Aron....magic ends when that Houston defense rides into town.

* Chargers/Patriots is the "What Could Have Been in Minnesota" Bowl.  Imagine if we didn't win meaningless games!  Either of these studs could have been our QB!

[TheLeviathan]

Good for Aaron Glenn that he gets to stay.

Good for Stefanski that he gets to go somewhere else?

[nicksaviking]

I'm surprised Glenn is staying; that was an all time bad defense, and he's a defensive guy who inherited a relatively decent squad. I thought Glenn would get canned and Dan Campbell would swoop in and get his DC back. Glad it's not happening.

I bet Stefanski lands one of the HC jobs. I really have no idea how good he is as a HC because that organization is just a disaster when it comes to finding offensive personnel. If he DOESN'T land a HC job, I wouldn't be opposed to offering him MN's OC job. Obviously that would require KOC giving up play calling duties.

Funny that Raheem Morris was fired as soon as he walked off the field, but still no word on fellow NFC South coach Todd Bowles. Bowles seems like a great guy, but that team continues to under-achieve. 

[The Great Hambino]

Some team with a seemingly fatal flaw is going to have to win the Super Bowl.  This is as wide open as I can ever remember it being coming into the playoffs.

Or maybe the Patriots buzzsaw their way through the playoffs because Drake Maye's lack of experience is a nonfactor and we're at the dawn of another insufferable dynasty.  I'm going to hope that's not the case.

Anyway, let's embarrass ourselves by trying to prognosticate this thing.  I'll go first.

NFC:

Packers over Bears

Niners over Eagles (for my own sake, I need the Eagles to get bounced ASAP.  Jeffrey Lebowski was right about them)

Rams over Panthers (yes, that's all three wild card teams.  Like I said, I don't feel good about this)

 

Seahawks over Packers

Rams over Niners

 

Rams over Seahawks (Darnold sees dead people)

 

AFC:

Patriots over Chargers

Bills over Jaguars

Texans over Steelers (Rodgers and pass rushes with a pulse don't mix)

 

Bills over Broncos (Nix can't keep getting away with this)

Patriots over Texans

 

Bills over Patriots

 

Super Bowl: Rams over Bills (I think the Patriots beat the Rams if they get here)

 

I'm going to Vegas for the first time as an adult this week (once stopped briefly there on a youth group road trip in high school.  It was ... weird).  Hopefully my kids still have a college fund when I get back.  They should probably start working on their jump shots just in case

[TheLeviathan]

20 minutes ago, The Great Hambino said:

Some team with a seemingly fatal flaw is going to have to win the Super Bowl.  This is as wide open as I can ever remember it being coming into the playoffs.

Or maybe the Patriots buzzsaw their way through the playoffs because Drake Maye's lack of experience is a nonfactor and we're at the dawn of another insufferable dynasty.  I'm going to hope that's not the case.

Anyway, let's embarrass ourselves by trying to prognosticate this thing.  I'll go first.

NFC:

Packers over Bears

Niners over Eagles (for my own sake, I need the Eagles to get bounced ASAP.  Jeffrey Lebowski was right about them)

Rams over Panthers (yes, that's all three wild card teams.  Like I said, I don't feel good about this)

 

Seahawks over Packers

Rams over Niners

 

Rams over Seahawks (Darnold sees dead people)

 

AFC:

Patriots over Chargers

Bills over Jaguars

Texans over Steelers (Rodgers and pass rushes with a pulse don't mix)

 

Bills over Broncos (Nix can't keep getting away with this)

Patriots over Texans

 

Bills over Patriots

 

Super Bowl: Rams over Bills (I think the Patriots beat the Rams if they get here)

 

I'm going to Vegas for the first time as an adult this week (once stopped briefly there on a youth group road trip in high school.  It was ... weird).  Hopefully my kids still have a college fund when I get back.  They should probably start working on their jump shots just in case

This pretty much exactly what I think too.

Which means we're probably both idiots.

[gunnarthor]

NFC:

Bears beat the Packers - Packers are in denial about the free fall they're in. Love will have three weeks of rust on him. I think Johnson is a better coach than MLF.

Eagles beat the Niners. Sorry, Eagles are a tough out. 

Rams crush Panthers. 

Seahawks beat Rams at home, Darnold gets good storylines for a week.

Eagles crush Bears. 

Eagles win in Seattle. 

AFC:

Patriots over Chargers. Herbert has another bad game. Maye looks invincible. 

Jags upset Bills, Allen might never get to the Super Bowl.

Texans crush Pitt, Tomlin out as their coach.

Texans upset Denver, Viking fans remember how much they hate Payton and are quite happy.

Pats beat Jags.

Pats beat Texans

Super Bowl: Eagles beat Pats.

 

[gunnarthor]

Pete Carroll out at LV. I really thought he'd bring some stability to the Raiders. Disaster season. 

Gannon out in Arizona. He was hired b/c of his defensive background. Seems like defense-first coaches have failed a lot recently, although Jets didn't fire Glenn. Might be bad news for Flores if teams want to hire offensive minded coaches instead.

[Mike Sixel]

Is Josh Allen just a different kind of Marino? All time great, surrounded by a mostly bad team?

[The Great Hambino]

40 minutes ago, gunnarthor said:

NFC:

Bears beat the Packers - Packers are in denial about the free fall they're in. Love will have three weeks of rust on him. I think Johnson is a better coach than MLF.

Eagles beat the Niners. Sorry, Eagles are a tough out. 

Rams crush Panthers. 

Seahawks beat Rams at home, Darnold gets good storylines for a week.

Eagles crush Bears. 

Eagles win in Seattle. 

AFC:

Patriots over Chargers. Herbert has another bad game. Maye looks invincible. 

Jags upset Bills, Allen might never get to the Super Bowl.

Texans crush Pitt, Tomlin out as their coach.

Texans upset Denver, Viking fans remember how much they hate Payton and are quite happy.

Pats beat Jags.

Pats beat Texans

Super Bowl: Eagles beat Pats.

 

I would hate just about every step of this (other than the Texans going on a run), so this is probably what will happen

[TheLeviathan]

34 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

Is Josh Allen just a different kind of Marino? All time great, surrounded by a mostly bad team?

I don't think he had a bad team....he ran into a KC and Cincy playoff bloodbath for his peak teams.

I don't know the comp for that?  Manning with Brady?

[The Great Hambino]

53 minutes ago, gunnarthor said:

Pete Carroll out at LV. I really thought he'd bring some stability to the Raiders. Disaster season. 

Gannon out in Arizona. He was hired b/c of his defensive background. Seems like defense-first coaches have failed a lot recently, although Jets didn't fire Glenn. Might be bad news for Flores if teams want to hire offensive minded coaches instead.

If Flores does end up moving on, Gannon should be on the list of DC replacements.  Maybe even Nick Rallis, Gannon's own DC that has been a very fast riser in the coaching ranks.  Became a coordinator at the age of 29.  Spent some time with the Vikes under Zimmer.  Plus, HE'S FROM HERE!!!1!!

[TheLeviathan]

4 minutes ago, The Great Hambino said:

If Flores does end up moving on, Gannon should be on the list of DC replacements.  Maybe even Nick Rallis, Gannon's own DC that has been a very fast riser in the coaching ranks.  Became a coordinator at the age of 29.  Spent some time with the Vikes under Zimmer.  Plus, HE'S FROM HERE!!!1!!

I actually do like Gannon.  It's not his fault Murray sucks and he inherited a team that was built by the worst GM (Keim) of the last two decades.

That said, the chatter down here for weeks was that Gannon was coming back.  Phoenix is truly just a pathetic place, I feel bad for the natives who don't know any better.  The sports media is awful.  Their teams are awful.  The entertainment centers are awful.  They just glaze themselves in hopes people will like them when the only redeeming thing about this place is "not cold".

[nicksaviking]

2 hours ago, The Great Hambino said:

Some team with a seemingly fatal flaw is going to have to win the Super Bowl.  This is as wide open as I can ever remember it being coming into the playoffs.

Or maybe the Patriots buzzsaw their way through the playoffs because Drake Maye's lack of experience is a nonfactor and we're at the dawn of another insufferable dynasty.  I'm going to hope that's not the case.

Anyway, let's embarrass ourselves by trying to prognosticate this thing.  I'll go first.

NFC:

Packers over Bears

Niners over Eagles (for my own sake, I need the Eagles to get bounced ASAP.  Jeffrey Lebowski was right about them)

Rams over Panthers (yes, that's all three wild card teams.  Like I said, I don't feel good about this)

 

Seahawks over Packers

Rams over Niners

 

Rams over Seahawks (Darnold sees dead people)

 

AFC:

Patriots over Chargers

Bills over Jaguars

Texans over Steelers (Rodgers and pass rushes with a pulse don't mix)

 

Bills over Broncos (Nix can't keep getting away with this)

Patriots over Texans

 

Bills over Patriots

 

Super Bowl: Rams over Bills (I think the Patriots beat the Rams if they get here)

 

I'm going to Vegas for the first time as an adult this week (once stopped briefly there on a youth group road trip in high school.  It was ... weird).  Hopefully my kids still have a college fund when I get back.  They should probably start working on their jump shots just in case

I've been saying for a long time that you need a top end improvisational QB to have a realistic shot at winning a Super Bowl, because only about once a decade does a team with a stout defense and only a game manager win it all.

This looks to be one of those years for sure. 

Or I guess Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford make a mockery of the rest of the teams and the Bills and/or Rams cruise through the playoffs.

[nicksaviking]

Jonathan Gannon is out as expected in AZ.

If the Vikings lose Flores, I would like to take a look at him for DC. He doesn't blitz as much as Flores, but I like the heavy rotation of front seven players he (and the Eagles) use to keep everyone fresh to generate pressure.

That's assuming Gannon doesn't land a job before Flores.

[gunnarthor]

17 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

I've been saying for a long time that you need a top end improvisational QB to have a realistic shot at winning a Super Bowl, because only about once a decade does a team with a stout defense and only a game manager win it all.

This looks to be one of those years for sure. 

Or I guess Josh Allen and Matthew Stafford make a mockery of the rest of the teams and the Bills and/or Rams cruise through the playoffs.

Who are the current good improvisational QBs though? Allen for sure. Jackson missed the playoffs. 

I assume by improvisational you mean QBs that can extend plays with their legs but also throw 60 yard lasers, run RPO type offenses. Guys like Darnold, Cousins, Burrow, Maye are really good "traditional" QBs? 

[Parfigliano]

1 hour ago, TheLeviathan said:

I actually do like Gannon.  It's not his fault Murray sucks and he inherited a team that was built by the worst GM (Keim) of the last two decades.

That said, the chatter down here for weeks was that Gannon was coming back.  Phoenix is truly just a pathetic place, I feel bad for the natives who don't know any better.  The sports media is awful.  Their teams are awful.  The entertainment centers are awful.  They just glaze themselves in hopes people will like them when the only redeeming thing about this place is "not cold".

True not cold.  A brain baking hot slab of concrete for much of the year.

[TheLeviathan]

1 minute ago, Parfigliano said:

True not cold.  A brain baking hot slab of concrete for much of the year.

Like living in a blast furnace for 7 months of the year.

[gunnarthor]

5 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

True not cold.  A brain baking hot slab of concrete for much of the year.

They aren't doing a lot to lower the city temperatures? 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/seville-spain-climate-change-extreme-heat-1.7602428

https://reasonstobecheerful.world/green-corridors-medellin-colombia-urban-heat

[nicksaviking]

59 minutes ago, gunnarthor said:

Who are the current good improvisational QBs though? Allen for sure. Jackson missed the playoffs. 

I assume by improvisational you mean QBs that can extend plays with their legs but also throw 60 yard lasers, run RPO type offenses. Guys like Darnold, Cousins, Burrow, Maye are really good "traditional" QBs? 

Yeah, not traditional QBs. Guys who either have the arm talent and the utter disregard for the play call when it doesn't make sense with what the defense presents, like Mahomes, Allen, Burrow, Stafford and previously Brady and Rodgers (he's cooked now) or the leg talent to lay waste to the other team's defensive plans, so, Hurts and Jackson (also maybe cooked???) and then also Allen again. Maye, Daniels and (hopefully not) Caleb Williams may very well be on the verge of being gunslingers too.

I know the term is still fairly vague and kind of an I'll-know-it-when-I-see-it situation, but I think there is a really good test for this. Take the final play of the 2022 Wild Card game against the Giants. The 'gunslinger' QBs would have either heard the utterly terrible play call from the coach and changed it on the spot or run the play, scrambling out of the pocket directly at the LB forcing him into the no-win decision of trying to tackle the QB or defending Hockenson from getting the 1st down. 

Not trying to rip Cousins there, I'm just trying to explain how I view these other QBs differently.

[nicksaviking]

2 hours ago, TheLeviathan said:

I actually do like Gannon.  It's not his fault Murray sucks and he inherited a team that was built by the worst GM (Keim) of the last two decades.

That said, the chatter down here for weeks was that Gannon was coming back.  Phoenix is truly just a pathetic place, I feel bad for the natives who don't know any better.  The sports media is awful.  Their teams are awful.  The entertainment centers are awful.  They just glaze themselves in hopes people will like them when the only redeeming thing about this place is "not cold".

I assume half the problem is that very few people down in AZ are actually FROM AZ. It's probably hard to build a fanbase when away fans look at your arena as a vacation destination and half the people in your city are elderly and come to town with their own long-time team to root for.

Honestly baseball is the only one that makes sense from a local perspective, because the people who are in AZ during the summer, are true Arizonians, either by birth or permanent transplant. And of course you don't want to even leave your house in Phoenix between June and September.

Not to excuse the owners or anything. Everyone knows the Bidwells are amongst the worst owners in all of pro sports.

[Vanimal46]

5 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

I'm surprised Glenn is staying; that was an all time bad defense, and he's a defensive guy who inherited a relatively decent squad. I thought Glenn would get canned and Dan Campbell would swoop in and get his DC back. Glad it's not happening.

Their defense finished the season with 0 INTs. Idk how that’s even possible in this pass happy league. 

[gunnarthor]

https://vikingsterritory.com/2026/news/top_news/vikings-qb-trade-ideas-2026

Viking page suggests trading for Burrow, Jackson, or Murray and the associated costs. Of the three, I think Jackson would be the best fit but both he and Burrow have massive salary hits so there would have to be massive restructuring to make any of those trades work. Depending on the duration, it may or may not end McCarthy's tenure. Realistically, I don't think any of them are realistic - the Vikings are going to go with McCarthy and a veteran backup. But I love the idea of Jackson running the Vikings offense. 

[gunnarthor]

33 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

 

Not trying to rip Cousins there, I'm just trying to explain how I view these other QBs differently.

No, that makes sense. I do think there are scenarios where Cousins could have won a super bowl but it would require more from his teammates than, say, what Allen or Mahomes can do. I do think McCarthy has that "**** it, I'm gonna win this" attitude, and it was nice to see him win a few games on national television instead of us rolling over on national television, but he has to make big improvements. I think he will, but absolutely understand that others don't.

As to this year's playoff QBs, I'm really curious on how Lawrence plays. He's been ok for a while but not "the guy", which I think we all thought he'd be. Let's see if he can knock out Allen and make some noise. Personally, I'll be rooting for Darnold, I really appreciate what he did for us. But I watched three Seahawk games this year and his running backwards out of the pocket is horrible and I can see what it doesn't instill confidence. 

[TheLeviathan]

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

I assume half the problem is that very few people down in AZ are actually FROM AZ. It's probably hard to build a fanbase when away fans look at your arena as a vacation destination and half the people in your city are elderly and come to town with their own long-time team to root for.

Honestly baseball is the only one that makes sense from a local perspective, because the people who are in AZ during the summer, are true Arizonians, either by birth or permanent transplant. And of course you don't want to even leave your house in Phoenix between June and September.

Not to excuse the owners or anything. Everyone knows the Bidwells are amongst the worst owners in all of pro sports.

Definitely nailed the problems.  IMO - handling the residents here with kiddie gloves and infantalizing your coverage of your pro teams isn't the path to generating fans.  

Also, you sweet summer child, it's May-October.

[TheLeviathan]

6 vacancies.  4 are absolute trash jobs.  Falcons situation is riding Penix and his wobbly knees.  And the Giants and the concussion bros.

Good luck.

[Mike Sixel]

3 hours ago, gunnarthor said:

https://vikingsterritory.com/2026/news/top_news/vikings-qb-trade-ideas-2026

Viking page suggests trading for Burrow, Jackson, or Murray and the associated costs. Of the three, I think Jackson would be the best fit but both he and Burrow have massive salary hits so there would have to be massive restructuring to make any of those trades work. Depending on the duration, it may or may not end McCarthy's tenure. Realistically, I don't think any of them are realistic - the Vikings are going to go with McCarthy and a veteran backup. But I love the idea of Jackson running the Vikings offense. 

I'm not real interested in Jackson, I'm not sure how I feel about him a lot of games. 

Burrow? Sign me up. 

Murray? Nope. 

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, TheLeviathan said:

6 vacancies.  4 are absolute trash jobs.  Falcons situation is riding Penix and his wobbly knees.  And the Giants and the concussion bros.

Good luck.

This gets to my point. You want to be a head coach? You gotta take what's there. There aren't many jobs, and most great or even really good orgs aren't looking for them. 

[Mike Sixel]

When you watch only highlights, you can see why some people really like McCarthy. He has an arm, and good legs. 

[nicksaviking]

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

I'm not real interested in Jackson, I'm not sure how I feel about him a lot of games. 

Burrow? Sign me up. 

Murray? Nope. 

Agree.

But my opinion on Jackson has only recently gone this far south, so I feel a bit hypocritical saying so.

[Mike Sixel]

1 minute ago, nicksaviking said:

Agree.

But my opinion on Jackson has only recently gone this far south, so I feel a bit hypocritical saying so.

Ya. I wouldn't hate it. I'm just not sure I'd love it? Like I said, if I'm trading that much, I want to feel much more sure.