FMQB: Merry New Year
Final week of the season for 20 teams, and for the other 12 we could be looking at an incredibly competitive and even playing field in the playoffs. There’s not a ton of playoff drama the final week. 10 of the 12 teams are already secure. Other than seeding, the only things to watch for are whether it’s Titans/Steelers/Raiders in the final AFC WildCard slot, and whether the Eagles or Cowboys win their division.
Quick Hits:
- The Colts had 2 punt return TD’s on Sunday. There were ZERO punt return TD’s coming into the entire season
- The Chargers, playing at home, had to resort to the silent count because the visiting crowd was too loud.
- The 49ers converted two 3rd and 16’s on their game winning drive. 2!
- For trying to fight for a #1 seed, it’s pretty odd that the Seahawks lost to Cardinals at home
- The Cowboys are a weird team, but I don’t think the Eagles are the right team to represent the East either
- As much as I hate Seattle, I’m pretty pumped to see Marshawn Lynch come back to the team
For the Record:
- Entering Week 16, the Raiders needed 5 things to go right in Week 16, and 5 more in Week 17 to make the playoffs. All 5 happened on Sunday. All 5 LOOK to be doable this week too, however with the Ravens resting their starters, I think the Steelers games knocks Oakland out.
- After starting the season 2-0-1, and after 2 very competitive games against the Chiefs and Packers, the Lions are 1-11.
- The Eagles were 5-7 and now control their own destiny to win the division
Stat of the Week #1:
Michael Thomas did it! He got the record for most receptions in a season, and has another game to pad that stat
Stat of the Week #2:
Jameis Winston’s first 3 passes of the game were Interception for TD, incomplete, Interception (for TD but came back on a penalty). Within 1:41 of the game, Winston had thrown 2 picks.
Stat of the Week #3:
IF Winston throws 2 more INT’s in Week 17, he’ll be the first QB to enter the 30-30 club. 30 TD’s and 30 INT’s.
Stat of the Week #4:
Winston has 28 INT’s this season, vs. Aaron Rodgers who has 25 in his last 5 years!
Stat of the Week #5:
Winston has 10 first quarter INT’s this season, while Lamar Jackson has 9 INT’s in his entire career
Stat of the Week #6:
The Bengals scored 23 in the last 6:11 of the 4th quarter to force OT
Stat of the Week #7:
Since 2010, every team in the NFL has played in wildcard weekend in the playoffs except 2: The Patriots and the Browns
Stolen Stat of the Week #8:
This is the 30th consecutive year that at least 33% of the playoff field is new compared with the previous year (so at least 4 of the 12 teams are different the following year).
Completely Random Stat of the Week #9:
We all know that punt returns are rare, but here are recent years where only 1 player returned a punt for a TD in an entire season: 2019, 2017, 2015, 2013, 2011, 2010, 2007, 2005, 200. Interestingly enough, each player in that season had multiple returns, but no other team could pull even 1 off.
Quote of the Week:
“Merry New Year” Marshawn Lynch
Fun Fact of the Week:
The Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers both clinched their divisions in Minnesota this year…
Playoff predictions:
Not much has changed for me, but here’s what the Wild Card Round could look like:
Steelers at Chiefs
Bills at Texans
Vikings at Saints
Seahawks at Eagles
Which then could look like
Chiefs at Patriots (YES please!)
Texans at Ravens
Seahawks at 49ers (Yes again!)
Saints at Packers
Setting us up for:
Chiefs at Ravens
Saints at 49ers (Game of the year rematch)
Super Bowl: Ravens vs. Saints
Games of the Week:
Packers at Lions
Chargers at Chiefs
Eagles at Giants
Titans at Texans
49ers at Seahawks
2pt Tracker:
Texans: +1
Redskins: +1
Jaguars: -1
Dolphins: -1
To be fair, this has turned into something, albeit small. The Texans have 1 extra win due to stopping the Jaguars on a 2 point play in Week 2. Coming into the final week of the season, their game against Tennessee would have been for the division, BUT, because of that win they could technically rest their guys the final game being locked into their seed.
Memes of the Week: