Pats/Jets doesn't really matter. We'll beat them both out. The biggest game this week is KC vs LA. We really need the Chargers to win because otherwise KC is on track to get the #1 seed. If they lose it'll get real interesting with tiebreakers, but we have a good chance to take the #1 seed by taking care of business ourselves.

 

Both of those teams have back up QB's from my alma mater, so I'll root for whichever one might play.

 

The good news is that both teams are likely to go on a losing streak after this week.

The Jets face:

Chicago
@ Minnestoa
@ Buffalo

While the Patriots face:

@ Minnesota
Buffalo
@ Arizona

While we'd like both of them to upset the Bills, the odds are that they each lose at least two, and probably three of those games. And if New England wins this week, that would probably put them both at 6-7 with a month to go, all but eliminating both of them from not only the division but the Wild Card hunt as well.

 

I'll take the Jets for no other reason than every loss keeps Belicheat from closing the gap on Shula's record. He'll probably get it eventually unless he retires within the next 2 years, but I hope it takes as long as possible.

 

Pats. I hate both with a passion but without Brady, the Pats lose that edge. Jets are my most hated team now.

 

I think we're all rooting for the Browns and even our Highly Exalted fan is rooting for Justin Herbert.. I'm rooting for the patriots ugh. There, I said it, now I feel like I need a shower.

 

Feel like we have the Pats number and the Jets could give us troubles, so would rather the team I think we have a higher probability win.

 

Watching Wilson play I have no idea how the Jets have won 6 games.

 

Jets fans are calling for his head (or at least his benching).

9/22, 77 yards

 

I was surprised when I saw that the Jets are 6 point favorites vs Chicago next week.

 

Its because Fields is hurt.

 

Oh I missed that somehow. That does change things, sadly then.

 

Well I've never been a Pats fan, but I have never despised them the way I do the New York Jets. I'm glad New England got the win as I think the Jets are a bigger threat to us. Nobody really lost yesterday that we needed to lose. Baltimore, Cincy, The Titans, Chiefs, Bills..They all took care of business.
This coming week it would be epically awesome if the Lions somehow found a way to beat the Bills. Not only do I like the Detroit Lions (because of Barry Sanders), but if they beat the Bills it helps us out big time. Obviously we want the Vikings to beat the Patriots, Jacksonville beating the Ravens would be pretty sweet as well. The Rams will not be beating the Chiefs and I guess it really doesn't matter who wins between the Bengals and the Titans. Either way, we just have to take care of business and we'll be ok. I'm hoping we are starting to look beyond the original goal of just making the playoffs though. I think this team can go pretty far IF the defense finds a way to get their act together.

 

Wait, you hate Barry? The most exciting and entertaining football player of my lifetime?

 

He likes the Lions because of Barry. I do too - they are an easy team to root for since they’re in the NFC, almost always bad, and no threat to Miami, lol

 

Ah, I misunderstood. I've always pulled for the Lions as one of my "pet" NFC teams too.

 

I think Barry Sanders might possibly be the most likeable football player from that era. I definitely did not dislike him in any way. Easily my all time favorite running back.

 

If Sanders would have been drafted by the Cowboys and gotten to run behind that offensive line, he’d be so far ahead in career rushing yards it would be considered with the 56 game hit streak as an unbreakable mark.

 

Likewise if the Lions then took Aikman, he'd likely be forgotten by now by everyone who wasn't a diehard fan in the early 90s.

 

A run first QB is injured, well I never.

 

For this season, yes, the Jets are a bigger threat than the Pats since they beat us without Tua. So we certainly want them to lose whenever possible to keep them out of the AFC East race. I do believe that we'll destroy them in our 2nd game though.

The Bills are still clearly enemy #1 and we can't count the Pats out; the division is super tight this year and it's honestly great to see. Any of the 4 teams can take the division and we'll have to earn our way in, even though we're tied for the best record in the AFC. I'm expecting it to be us....but obviously I'm biased and wearing aqua-colored glasses.

Any other year though, I root for the Jets because they're just that darn pathetic and we're hoping they beat a better AFC team down the stretch. It's no fun to hate them anymore. So I'm actually really happy that I get to hate them and root against them this season, LOL.

 

I certainly wanted the Jets to lose so there would be no tie and by tie breaker default, be ahead of us in the division. We already have the tie breaker on the Bills. As it is, our fate is 100% in our hands. In past seasons, with as weak as our offense has been, that would truly concern me. Yes, the defense in seasons past has been able to do its part, but the offense hasn’t. I’m truly confident if we needed to score against any of the AFC East teams, we could do so pretty much at will.

Weather is going to be THE determining factor going up to Buffalo and New England, but with the awakening of our running game, it does instill confidence in those cold blustery December northern games.

 

one thing you know for sure is if Buffalo has another huge snow storm they won't move the game against us to a dome

 

We have to win this week, and then beat the Jets and Patriots later. Those are the very basics to get into the playoffs as a wildcard.

Beating Green Bay at home on Christmas is likely necessary to get the 5 seed also.

Do all of that and beat the Bills in Buffalo too, and we have a shot at the division title. We'll just have to see how they do in the rest of their games.

 

The Jets finally got out of their own way and switched QB’s.

I hope the Patriots don’t figure this out also.

 

I'm not sure switching to White is going to be much of an improvement. And when Zappe came in, he looked good for one game but then fell apart.

 

The Jets don’t have a good qb on their roster

 

You made a prediction before the season even started about our offense. I believe we had a short conversation about it with me having a glass half empty type of take on it. My worry was that we would have yet another sputtering, mediocre offense despite the Hill addition and that the sky would eventually fall. Your take/prediction was way more accurate and thankfully so. I value your opinion on here more than most, and I am actually starting to see us doing this as well. In other words, I can't disagree with this at this point. I too think we can pull this off. I think this team can get to the Super Bowl IF the defense can find some consistency and the O Line can stay intact. That and of course Tua staying healthy, but that goes hand in hand with the O line staying in shape.

 

The beautiful thing is that if we can get Jones back in the next 2-4 weeks, it's possible we return to an elite defense by the playoffs and would likely be the best team in the league. That might be wishful thinking at this point, but man...I see the potential for this squad to be truly special the next 3-5 years.

I am still super high on this offense though and now that we're starting to find the run game, we're starting to be truly scary. Besides Mahommes and Allen, maybe Burrow, there's not many in this league that can pace us in a shootout. We're just that dominant.

 

Does anyone know what the issue with Jones is?
Just seems very secret squirrel, which bothers me a little.

 

The team is always hush hush about injuries, but it seems to be extra with Byron.

In late 2019, when he was still with Dallas, he hurt his ankle during practice and it ended his season. It lingered into the offseason, and was a question when Miami signed him to the big money deal. Issues with that same leg effected his practice time during the 2020 preseason and camp, several games in 2020, and then lingered during the 2021 season even though he didn't miss games. Then he had surgery several months into the 2022 offseason, and there's been no official word since then.

But long story short, he hasn't been fully healthy in nearly three years, and it seems like this same original injury is the root cause of all of it, even as he's fought though it and tried to play in 2020 and 21.

 

The secret squirrel business kind of reminds me of an incident with a rugby team I follow. One of their stars, as in GOAT at his position star, had a minor operation but he kept being put on the not ready yet list for far longer than usual. What had happened was their was s complication with the anesthetic, so the anesthetist applied the usual counter measure - a steroid on the banned PED list. So the club kept him off their active roster until the PED had passed through his system. The governing body complained that they hadn't been informed because they totally would have brought him in for a ‘random’ sample.

Anyways, no matter what Byron’s situation is it’s the secrecy is what is starting to trouble me.

 

At this point, I think he's played his final game with the Fins last season.

 

Agreed. There’s not much time at this point for him to get into game shape to be of much use to the team. Coach is probably tired of answering questions about him and his availability. Just put him on IR already.

 

Yeah, that isn't true. White is very good and the team rallies around him. Zappe also threw 2 TD's in the game you claim he fell apart in.

 

White

 

Those are 3 QB's we will play in the playoffs.

 

Worry about winning in the playoffs when we get there. Winning on the road in the post season is going to be monumentally difficult.

 

White may or may not be good, but one game against Chicago's defense isn't going to prove it.
And Zappe also threw a bunch of INTs.