Heading into the ultimate two weeks of the NFL season, the Colts, Texans, Steelers, Bengals, Raiders, Broncos, Rams, Seahawks, Vikings, Falcons, Packers, Buccaneers and Saints are nonetheless alive for a playoff spot whereas solely a sport away from .500. Of these 12 organizations, which do you suppose has the very best probability of profitable the Tremendous Bowl?
The betting reply, according to oddsmakers, is the Rams, Seahawks and Bucs at +6600. Nevertheless, the life like response is: “No one.” In some unspecified time in the future this 12 months, each a kind of potential playoff groups has wiped its ass on the carpet.
Choosing the least reliable of the demoralizing dozen is an equally troublesome job. Boff, marry, kill: Aiden O’Connell, Taylor Heineke, or Gardner Minshew? I’ll take possibility D, a jar stuffed with cyanide.
In a sport the place playoff wins can save, or protect, a coach’s job, it’s value asking: What’s the worth of a first-round playoff win? We’ve bought franchises which are barely bowl eligible making the postseason, and truthfully, the leisure issue is about the identical as Minnesota versus Bowling Inexperienced.
That’s earlier than even mentioning groups like Jacksonville, Dallas and Miami that I wouldn’t belief to skip a rock in a crunch scenario. Hell, Baltimore is prone to get the one seed within the AFC and Lamar Jackson’s lone profession playoff win got here in opposition to perennial lame duck Tennessee.
Perhaps it’s simply PTSD from the Tom Brady Patriots consistently squirting by toothless playoff foes, however I’ve extra religion in Willy Loman promoting one thing than half of those “playoff” squads assembling a princess playhouse, not to mention a postseason run.
The enlargement to seven-team fields was what it was: capitalism at its best. A typical chorus about NFL soccer is on any given Sunday, a schmuck can stand up from obscurity and beat the league’s greatest crew. Whereas that’s true to an extent, it’s not as if the underdog wins as a result of they performed nicely; it’s principally as a result of the nice crew didn’t present up.
So I suppose my level on this meandering grievance is that parity within the NFL is a synonym for mediocrity.
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Half-time New York Jets quarterback and full-time distraction Aaron Rodgers bought essentially the most out of his (hopefully) penultimate look on the Pat McAfee Present this season, telling the grand inquisitor that he requested to go on the IR to complete the 12 months. Regardless of Rodgers’ fixed allusions to coming back from a Week 1 achilles harm, however confirming he won’t return, he can’t determine why the Jets would hold him lively simply to apply when it meant cutting veteran fullback Nick Baldwin days before Christmas.
“I assumed I was going to go on IR. I asked to be put on IR, but then there was a conversation, ‘Do you want to practice?’ I said not at the expense of somebody getting cut. I know how this works.
“I didn’t feel like I needed to practice to continue my rehab. I could do on-the-field stuff on the side, but, obviously, I got overruled there. It is what it is. This was an interesting situation.”
Effectively, perhaps it’s as a result of A-A-ron has been essentially the most seen member of the Jets this 12 months. Merely having him throw footballs for the cameras is a godsend. Please, stand on the sidelines and commensurate with Zach Wilson about Nathaniel Hackett cosplaying as Stone Chilly Steve Austin.
Apparently, Rodgers phoned Baldwin to ensure he knew it wasn’t his fault that he bought minimize. Throughout the alternate/premeditated McAfee anecdote, the fullback instructed Rodgers that he’s “vested” and is “fine” as a result of he’s nonetheless getting his cash.
And, simply so ESPN is evident, cornerback Kalon Barnes is the participant who really misplaced his job, as a result of the Jets scrambled to make room for Baldwin to return to the roster for causes which are unclear.
I believe the true takeaway of this heartwarming Christmas saga is {that a} member of the New York Jets bought to spend the vacation along with his household — and never Aaron Rodgers.
