Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2017 22:49:14 GMT
Week 6 is over.
As usual, I edited this OP and inserted the status of each team as the games happened. Feel free to comment, agree, or disagree. If you want to look at the state of affairs as of week 5, here is the link to the previous post:
IMDB2.freeforums.net/post/949142
As the weeks advance, hopefully the "more evidence is needed" will shrink more and more until the ultimate season winners are known and make the playoffs. Meanwhile, some of these teams are up and down and jump between the lists, with some inconsistency that makes it hard to classify them. Others are clearly losers, and others still are clearly winners (although it's harder to stop being a loser, than to stop being a winner).
Byes this week include Buffalo, Cincinnati, Seattle, and Dallas - the latter already started their bye week with bad news: Ezekiel Elliott's suspension has been reinstated by the court.
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Winners:
Eagles - At 5-1 and after dropping the 4-1 Panthers in Charlotte, the Eagles are absolutely legit. They are the hottest commodity now in the NFC, especially with Atlanta declining.
Patriots - By now we need to acknowledge that even though they continue to look vulnerable, and only won the game today at the Jets thanks to the refs, they actually are back in control of their weak division so they should be a play-off team anyway, which places them as winners. Besides, they have the GOAT and we can never count them out.
Vikings - With Rodgers out, the Vikings will likely be in control of their division. At 4-2, they are now definitely on the driver's seat.
Chiefs - the last to lose, still 5-1, made a game of it in the end. They remain winners, of course.
Steelers - Regardless of some sputtering earlier, you can't be called anything other than winner when you travel to the remaining undefeated team in the league and shut them down for 3 quarters, then survive a late surge.
Rams - Now leading their division, with a good win on the road over the Raiders even though Carr is back. They dropped one to Seattle and the latter have a game in hand so it's not all rosy for the Rams, but at least if they continue to do what they are doing, they should compete for a wild card so for now I have them as winners. This team has been oscillating between winners and more evidence, though. Call it provisional.
Losers:
Packers - What a week does. Solidly placed as winners... until their star QB got a potentially season-ending injury. Without Rodgers there is no way this team will do well, so, they get moved to Losers.
49ers - Yes, they keep coming close, but still, it doesn't change the fact that they are 0-6. Impossible to classify them as anything other than Losers.
Bears - At 2-4 they remain losers even though they got an upset OT victory today.
Ravens - Appear to be sliding down in a division that has the Steelers. Losing to the lowly Bears at home is a pretty good indication that they are not going anywhere. Therefore they get moved from More Evidence to Losers.
Browns - At 0-6 the Browns should be expelled from the NFL and shipped to Canada. The Canadians gave us Justin Bieber, we're entitled to giving them the Browns. They are a disgrace and an embarrassment to the league and to the city of Cleveland.
Texans - They are 3-3 and maybe should be listed as More Evidence. But beating the Browns to achieve the 3-3 shouldn't give them any advancement, especially considering that they still allowed the Browns to score 17 points on them. Who can't beat the Browns? Besides, their division at the end of week 6 will have at least two other teams with 3 or more wins. Getting to be the division winners is becoming unlikely and JJ Watt being out for the season (not to forget other injured players) seems to indicate that they'll be the team left behind in the fight against the Titans and Jaguars, not to forget that the Colts might also improve if Luck comes back and is not too rusty.
Bucs - Already irregular, and now after losing to the not-so-good Cardinals, falling behind in a division that has the Panthers, the Falcons, and the Saints, all three ahead of the Bucs. This is not looking good for Tampa Bay.
Cardinals - They won today, but the Rams also did. Seattle remains ahead of them. They have improved but not enough yet to get out of the Losers list, with a 3-3 record that is still insufficient in the NFC West. If they do it again, though, we'll have to move them to More Evidence.
Chargers - They did win the second one in a row but remain 2-4 in a division that has the Chiefs at 5-1 and the Broncos at 3-2 with a game in hand. So the Chargers' improvement is not enough to get them out of the Losers list. Besides, they beat the Raiders with Carr being rusty after his injury. I doubt that the Raiders will remain a .333 team for long, also at 2-4 for now but with their star QB most likely improving rapidly as he shakes off the rust. So, the Chargers' season continues to look bleak, for now.
Giants - Sorry, G-men, but winning one out of six doesn't take you out of the losers list. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
Colts - No Luck yet, Brissett looked a bit anemic against the Titans, the Colts fell behind 2-4, with all three other teams in their division ahead of them, so overall the season is not looking good for them. It's not impossible that they recover and make a run for it once Luck is back, but it is not excluded either that it will be too little, too late, especially if Luck comes back very out of shape and rusty.
More evidence needed:
Panthers - I'm very tempted to list them as losers after the incredible blunders (interceptions, not kicking a FG at the end of first half) of their loss to the Eagles, and the injury of Kuechly (very, very essential player - the defense was wonderful right before he got injured, and crumbled after he left the field). I still hesitate because they played very well against the Patriots and Lions, and lost to the excellent Eagles, while keeping the possibility of coming back until the very end, until the last (and disastrous) drive. So, it appears a bit much to push them all the way to losers. It's been said that Olsen will return, and maybe Kuechly's concussion is mild and he returns, and maybe they'll still be a wild card team. But I frankly doubt. Thursday was a disaster for them and I don't know if they'll recover. But let's give them another week to see how they handle this debacle. Another bad one like Thursday and they go to losers. Update: it looks like Kuechly's situation is not bad; he should return, and the Panthers were favored by the fact that Atlanta lost to the Dolphins so the division is wide open. So they do belong here. To be continued... Update #2 - Now it's said that Kuechly actually continues to be in the Concussion Protocol. I don't know what to think any longer... so, More Evidence Needed.
Falcons - For the first time they get moved from Winners to More Evidence, after a bad loss to the Dolphins (which had been toothless up to then) at home in spite of being well rested after the bye. The Falcons are starting to appear inconsistent, with close wins and bad losses. And then, the Panthers and the Saints are making this division interesting, so, it's now uncertain where the Falcons will go next.
Saints - Their offense has been exploding after being anemic in weeks 1 and 2. Of course their defense hasn't... as shown by the score today, 52-38 over the Lions. So, it's hard to place this up-and-down team, but the sheer fact that all three NFC South teams not called Buccaneers are now tied in number of losses (2 for each) almost by definition place all three here as More Evidence Needed, because at this point we don't know where this division will go.
Dolphins - As promised last week, I took them out of the Losers list, with their win on the road against Atlanta. But they've been up and down and inconsistent so this is not enough to go all the way to Winners. They certainly no longer look as big time losers so I think they do belong here where they now are.
Jets - 3-3 now but should have won the game against the Patriots if not for the incredible refereeing blunder that robbed them of a TD, not to forget that the offensive pass interference called on them which lead to one of the Pats' TDs was anything but, and should actually have been a penalty on the offense, with Gronk putting his hand on the face mask of the Jets' player. So they were supposed to be 4-2. While now with 3-3 their situation is much worse, it's time to give them some credit. They've been fighting hard and going above and beyond expectations. Maybe they'll manage to be a wild card team. Kind of unlikely but I'm placing them here as More Evidence, maybe as a reward for the injustice committed against them today.
Redskins - Almost losing to the 49ers at home doesn't bode well. They post a winning record but have been unconvincing. Besides, they won't win a division that has the Chiefs so they'll need to fight for a wild card spot, but there are more impressive teams vying for the same thing in the NFC. Therefore, the Redskins will only be members of the Winners list if they can react and show more poise. For now, obviously they need to be listed as More Evidence.
Jaguars - At 3-3 and with nobody better than that in the AFC South, the Jaguars continue to be the ultimate More Evidence Needed team given that they win one, lose one, win one, lose one, and win one, and lose another one. The division remains wide open and nobody knows what to make of their chances, so they remain here.
Broncos - After a tremendous game against the Cowboys they looked unimpressive against the Bills, but then they followed through with a good win against the Raiders, just to go and lay an egg against the lowly Giants. Another up-and-down team.
Titans - They looked horrible without Mariota but now he is back, and after a first half shaking off the rust and an early pick 6 at the beginning of second half, he played very well in the remainder of the second half, secure, poised, and lead the team to a solid performance, beating the Colts for the first time in, like, forever, between these two teams. The Titans are now tied 3-3 with the Texans and the Jaguars so by definition we need to see what happens next before placing them more definitively.
As usual, I edited this OP and inserted the status of each team as the games happened. Feel free to comment, agree, or disagree. If you want to look at the state of affairs as of week 5, here is the link to the previous post:
IMDB2.freeforums.net/post/949142
As the weeks advance, hopefully the "more evidence is needed" will shrink more and more until the ultimate season winners are known and make the playoffs. Meanwhile, some of these teams are up and down and jump between the lists, with some inconsistency that makes it hard to classify them. Others are clearly losers, and others still are clearly winners (although it's harder to stop being a loser, than to stop being a winner).
Byes this week include Buffalo, Cincinnati, Seattle, and Dallas - the latter already started their bye week with bad news: Ezekiel Elliott's suspension has been reinstated by the court.
---------
Winners:
Eagles - At 5-1 and after dropping the 4-1 Panthers in Charlotte, the Eagles are absolutely legit. They are the hottest commodity now in the NFC, especially with Atlanta declining.
Patriots - By now we need to acknowledge that even though they continue to look vulnerable, and only won the game today at the Jets thanks to the refs, they actually are back in control of their weak division so they should be a play-off team anyway, which places them as winners. Besides, they have the GOAT and we can never count them out.
Vikings - With Rodgers out, the Vikings will likely be in control of their division. At 4-2, they are now definitely on the driver's seat.
Chiefs - the last to lose, still 5-1, made a game of it in the end. They remain winners, of course.
Steelers - Regardless of some sputtering earlier, you can't be called anything other than winner when you travel to the remaining undefeated team in the league and shut them down for 3 quarters, then survive a late surge.
Rams - Now leading their division, with a good win on the road over the Raiders even though Carr is back. They dropped one to Seattle and the latter have a game in hand so it's not all rosy for the Rams, but at least if they continue to do what they are doing, they should compete for a wild card so for now I have them as winners. This team has been oscillating between winners and more evidence, though. Call it provisional.
Losers:
Packers - What a week does. Solidly placed as winners... until their star QB got a potentially season-ending injury. Without Rodgers there is no way this team will do well, so, they get moved to Losers.
49ers - Yes, they keep coming close, but still, it doesn't change the fact that they are 0-6. Impossible to classify them as anything other than Losers.
Bears - At 2-4 they remain losers even though they got an upset OT victory today.
Ravens - Appear to be sliding down in a division that has the Steelers. Losing to the lowly Bears at home is a pretty good indication that they are not going anywhere. Therefore they get moved from More Evidence to Losers.
Browns - At 0-6 the Browns should be expelled from the NFL and shipped to Canada. The Canadians gave us Justin Bieber, we're entitled to giving them the Browns. They are a disgrace and an embarrassment to the league and to the city of Cleveland.
Texans - They are 3-3 and maybe should be listed as More Evidence. But beating the Browns to achieve the 3-3 shouldn't give them any advancement, especially considering that they still allowed the Browns to score 17 points on them. Who can't beat the Browns? Besides, their division at the end of week 6 will have at least two other teams with 3 or more wins. Getting to be the division winners is becoming unlikely and JJ Watt being out for the season (not to forget other injured players) seems to indicate that they'll be the team left behind in the fight against the Titans and Jaguars, not to forget that the Colts might also improve if Luck comes back and is not too rusty.
Bucs - Already irregular, and now after losing to the not-so-good Cardinals, falling behind in a division that has the Panthers, the Falcons, and the Saints, all three ahead of the Bucs. This is not looking good for Tampa Bay.
Cardinals - They won today, but the Rams also did. Seattle remains ahead of them. They have improved but not enough yet to get out of the Losers list, with a 3-3 record that is still insufficient in the NFC West. If they do it again, though, we'll have to move them to More Evidence.
Chargers - They did win the second one in a row but remain 2-4 in a division that has the Chiefs at 5-1 and the Broncos at 3-2 with a game in hand. So the Chargers' improvement is not enough to get them out of the Losers list. Besides, they beat the Raiders with Carr being rusty after his injury. I doubt that the Raiders will remain a .333 team for long, also at 2-4 for now but with their star QB most likely improving rapidly as he shakes off the rust. So, the Chargers' season continues to look bleak, for now.
Giants - Sorry, G-men, but winning one out of six doesn't take you out of the losers list. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
Colts - No Luck yet, Brissett looked a bit anemic against the Titans, the Colts fell behind 2-4, with all three other teams in their division ahead of them, so overall the season is not looking good for them. It's not impossible that they recover and make a run for it once Luck is back, but it is not excluded either that it will be too little, too late, especially if Luck comes back very out of shape and rusty.
More evidence needed:
Panthers - I'm very tempted to list them as losers after the incredible blunders (interceptions, not kicking a FG at the end of first half) of their loss to the Eagles, and the injury of Kuechly (very, very essential player - the defense was wonderful right before he got injured, and crumbled after he left the field). I still hesitate because they played very well against the Patriots and Lions, and lost to the excellent Eagles, while keeping the possibility of coming back until the very end, until the last (and disastrous) drive. So, it appears a bit much to push them all the way to losers. It's been said that Olsen will return, and maybe Kuechly's concussion is mild and he returns, and maybe they'll still be a wild card team. But I frankly doubt. Thursday was a disaster for them and I don't know if they'll recover. But let's give them another week to see how they handle this debacle. Another bad one like Thursday and they go to losers. Update: it looks like Kuechly's situation is not bad; he should return, and the Panthers were favored by the fact that Atlanta lost to the Dolphins so the division is wide open. So they do belong here. To be continued... Update #2 - Now it's said that Kuechly actually continues to be in the Concussion Protocol. I don't know what to think any longer... so, More Evidence Needed.
Falcons - For the first time they get moved from Winners to More Evidence, after a bad loss to the Dolphins (which had been toothless up to then) at home in spite of being well rested after the bye. The Falcons are starting to appear inconsistent, with close wins and bad losses. And then, the Panthers and the Saints are making this division interesting, so, it's now uncertain where the Falcons will go next.
Saints - Their offense has been exploding after being anemic in weeks 1 and 2. Of course their defense hasn't... as shown by the score today, 52-38 over the Lions. So, it's hard to place this up-and-down team, but the sheer fact that all three NFC South teams not called Buccaneers are now tied in number of losses (2 for each) almost by definition place all three here as More Evidence Needed, because at this point we don't know where this division will go.
Dolphins - As promised last week, I took them out of the Losers list, with their win on the road against Atlanta. But they've been up and down and inconsistent so this is not enough to go all the way to Winners. They certainly no longer look as big time losers so I think they do belong here where they now are.
Jets - 3-3 now but should have won the game against the Patriots if not for the incredible refereeing blunder that robbed them of a TD, not to forget that the offensive pass interference called on them which lead to one of the Pats' TDs was anything but, and should actually have been a penalty on the offense, with Gronk putting his hand on the face mask of the Jets' player. So they were supposed to be 4-2. While now with 3-3 their situation is much worse, it's time to give them some credit. They've been fighting hard and going above and beyond expectations. Maybe they'll manage to be a wild card team. Kind of unlikely but I'm placing them here as More Evidence, maybe as a reward for the injustice committed against them today.
Redskins - Almost losing to the 49ers at home doesn't bode well. They post a winning record but have been unconvincing. Besides, they won't win a division that has the Chiefs so they'll need to fight for a wild card spot, but there are more impressive teams vying for the same thing in the NFC. Therefore, the Redskins will only be members of the Winners list if they can react and show more poise. For now, obviously they need to be listed as More Evidence.
Jaguars - At 3-3 and with nobody better than that in the AFC South, the Jaguars continue to be the ultimate More Evidence Needed team given that they win one, lose one, win one, lose one, and win one, and lose another one. The division remains wide open and nobody knows what to make of their chances, so they remain here.
Broncos - After a tremendous game against the Cowboys they looked unimpressive against the Bills, but then they followed through with a good win against the Raiders, just to go and lay an egg against the lowly Giants. Another up-and-down team.
Titans - They looked horrible without Mariota but now he is back, and after a first half shaking off the rust and an early pick 6 at the beginning of second half, he played very well in the remainder of the second half, secure, poised, and lead the team to a solid performance, beating the Colts for the first time in, like, forever, between these two teams. The Titans are now tied 3-3 with the Texans and the Jaguars so by definition we need to see what happens next before placing them more definitively.
