2021 NFL predictions

[Brian wolf]

There is speculation that Miami owner Ross soured on Flores back in 2019, when everyone was accusing the team of "Tanking For Tua" but rather than pulling a Jaguars move and actually tanking, the Dolphins respected their fans by playing hard and beating the Patriots to end the season. Ross may have wanted Tags but also liked Burrow but lost out on him and took Tua, despite injury concerns. This year he wanted Watson but everyone knew, including Flores, that he might get suspended so the trade wasnt made and after a terrible start to the season, the Dolphins rallied behind Tags and beat the Patriots again to end their year. Ross fired Flores I believe because they didnt make the playoffs and used a dink and dunk, high pct offense but Ross wants a HC that is willing to work in getting Watson or perhaps another veteran like Wilson. Either way, Tua's days in Miami could be numbered ...

[racepug]

WHY is there a lingering Monday Night Game instead of, simply, three playoff games per weekend day?

No idea. However, I'm guessing that it's for one or maybe two reasons: 1) the ratings for the three Saturday first round games weren't what the N.F.L. was hoping for last season, and 2) Monday is a holiday.

WHY did Flores get fired?? Oh, wait, this is the 21st Century Dolphins we're talking of! Sorry.

https://sports.yahoo.com/aborted-tank-2 ... 47062.html

[racepug]

The Steelers/Chiefs game is particularly interesting in that you've got Big Ben and Mike Tomlin who know how to win playoff games going up against the two-time defending AFC Champion. Only the Dolphins, Bills, and Patriots have won 3 straight AFC Championships, so history favors at least someone to defeat KC. Could it be the Steelers who scrapped their way into the playoffs? Are they going to be able to push that wagon up the hill to win what we could reasonably call the playoff tournament? They aren't the best team but you don't need to be the absolute best team to win the Conference. You just have to win 2-3 tough games in a row. Not debating the system but that's the way it is and I do believe the Steelers have a chance to cause trouble.

https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-betting-st ... 27301.html

[Brian wolf]

Saturday playoff predictions ... Bengals and Bills in close games

Sunday games ... Bucs win easily. Niners and Steelers in upsets. Jimmy G and Roethlisberger want to extend their last season with their teams.

Monday game ... It's crazy to have a playoff game on Monday but the Rams will win. If not, Stafford will continue to be scrutinized.

[racepug]

I truly cannot decide how I think the first round of the playoffs are going to go (especially for the two Sat. games). I guess I'd say that I think that K.C. and T.B. have the best chance of winning in the first round, followed by the Rams. Instead of picks I'll list whom I hope wins from Sat. to Mon.:

CIN vs. LVR - neutral (I've been a Raiders fan forever but CIN is the only AFC North team that I can tolerate. Plus I know that CIN is the only team in the NFL that's gone longer w/o a playoff win than the Lions have)
BUF vs. N.E. - neutral (I "fell in love" with the Bills back in the early '80s and pulled for them in all of their S.B. losses. But I also know that B.B. is itching to win a S.B. w/o T.B. as his QB)
T.B. vs. PHI - neutral (I have to admire what T.B. has accomplished in his career but I still don't think that T.B. had the best team last year so it wouldn't bother me in the least if they were to lose to the "Iggles")
DAL vs. SFO - Go 49ers!!!!!
K.C. vs. PIT - Go Chiefs!!!!!
LAR vs. ARZ - Go Cardinals!!!

[ChrisBabcock]

Predictions for this weekend's games...
Bengals 38, Raiders 24
Patriots 24, Bills 23
Buccaneers 38, eagles 20
Cowboys 41, 49ers 18
Chiefs 31, Steelers 17
Rams, 27, Cardinals 21

[74_75_78_79_]

Who thought we'd see a Forty Niners/Cowboys playoff game again, heh? They should have scheduled it on Saturday instead. Because if they would have, then it would have been on the 27th anniversary of their last playoff meeting...that very 1994 NFC Championship Game in which Big D would make a valiant rally-back in-vain from that 21-0 hole in the 1st Q!

The irony here is that am not at all a fan of the added 7th playoff team per conference (just as I don't like the extra 17th game, nor the since-2002 4x4 conf divisional format instead of 5-6-5, etc), but here my Steelers are, indeed, in the playoffs due to this. It's the rules now so I'll simply take it and hope Big Ben can further add more to his resume in this 'last stand' of his by actually leading his team to a toppling of Mahomes at Arrowhead!

I don't think it'll happen though. Just as I don't see Eagles upsetting Brady, nor SF winning at Dallas on that very day. Rams'll advance past Cards on Monday, Bengals will win their first playoff game since '90, and if I did pick the Bills to eliminate NE back in September...(wow, I'm predicting ALL HOME TEAMS winning this week)...

I'm sticking with Bucs over Bills on that very day before Valentine's! And also sticking with an Ohio team losing the AFCCG at Rich! Leaving yet another first-SB-berth-since-2010 on the table, Aaron's last game for the Pack will, indeed, be the NFCCG. I don't at all say this on 'wishful thinking' terms (although I certainly won't complain), but I really do think he's off to the 'Burgh in 2022 (but he'll have to wear a different number; hey, if Joe changed his in KC...).


Didn't post a 'real-time' regular season Power Rankings thread this year as I have the past couple of years the week leading up to the 1st-Rd. Had I thought of it earlier in the week, maybe I would have. But in either case, if one of you would like to...


EDIT - you know what? I can’t actually predict a 6-for-6 on the home teams winning this week (I mean. what are the odds?). Not 5-for-6 either. So let me pick Forty Niners and Cards instead. I have been especially getting a strong feeling on the former.

[sluggermatt15]

I'm not confident with how the Patriots are playing now. I'd take the Bills tonight.

Steelers have a chance against Chiefs if they can move the ball.

No clue on Bengals/Raiders.

I like the 49ers over Cowboys. Niners are underdogs, I don't think many giving them a shot.

[racepug]

Good thing I don't bet. I missed both calls today. I'm especially surprised at how badly N.E. (i.e. a Bill Belichick-coached team) got hammered tonight.

[GameBeforeTheMoney]

Who thought we'd see a Forty Niners/Cowboys playoff game again, heh? They should have scheduled it on Saturday instead. Because if they would have, then it would have been on the 27th anniversary of their last playoff meeting...that very 1994 NFC Championship Game in which Big D would make a valiant rally-back in-vain from that 21-0 hole in the 1st Q!

The irony here is that am not at all a fan of the added 7th playoff team per conference (just as I don't like the extra 17th game, nor the since-2002 4x4 conf divisional format instead of 5-6-5, etc), but here my Steelers are, indeed, in the playoffs due to this. It's the rules now so I'll simply take it and hope Big Ben can further add more to his resume in this 'last stand' of his by actually leading his team to a toppling of Mahomes at Arrowhead!

I don't think it'll happen though. Just as I don't see Eagles upsetting Brady, nor SF winning at Dallas on that very day. Rams'll advance past Cards on Monday, Bengals will win their first playoff game since '90, and if I did pick the Bills to eliminate NE back in September...(wow, I'm predicting ALL HOME TEAMS winning this week)...

I'm sticking with Bucs over Bills on that very day before Valentine's! And also sticking with an Ohio team losing the AFCCG at Rich! Leaving yet another first-SB-berth-since-2010 on the table, Aaron's last game for the Pack will, indeed, be the NFCCG. I don't at all say this on 'wishful thinking' terms (although I certainly won't complain), but I really do think he's off to the 'Burgh in 2022 (but he'll have to wear a different number; hey, if Joe changed his in KC...).

Didn't post a 'real-time' regular season Power Rankings thread this year as I have the past couple of years the week leading up to the 1st-Rd. Had I thought of it earlier in the week, maybe I would have. But in either case, if one of you would like to...


EDIT - you know what? I can’t actually predict a 6-for-6 on the home teams winning this week (I mean. what are the odds?). Not 5-for-6 either. So let me pick Forty Niners and Cards instead. I have been especially getting a strong feeling on the former.

This year is also the 40th Anniversary of the Catch game. Oddly, the first touchdown in the Bills Patriots game kind of looked like the Catch. The Cowboys 49ers is an extremely interesting matchup. You just never know how things will go when those two teams line up in the playoffs. And that goes all the way back to the early 1970s when Staubach had that great comeback in 72.