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2011-12 NFL football season thread

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I've been a Packers fan my entire life and I live in NYC.

I hate to say it but the Pack saved the worst game of the season for last. Kuhn fumbled for the FIRST TIME IN HIS CAREER! Rodgers fumbled on a sack for the FIRST TIME THIS SEASON! Ryan Grant fumbled for only the SECOND TIME THIS SEASON! A series of rare mistakes and an early exit from the playoffs. Great game by the Giants, not looking forward to facing the music at work tomorrow...
 
A totally deserved loss. Hope they learn their lesson for the next season. I always thought a very good season (15-1, 16-0) is really more of a jinx than anything else.

-t
 
turtle777 said:
A totally deserved loss. Hope they learn their lesson for the next season. I always thought a very good season (15-1, 16-0) is really more of a jinx than anything else.

-t
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The Packers played their worst game of the season today just as the Patriots did in the Super Bowl during their 16-0 season.
 
Both games should be interesting next week.

The Ravens D is nasty, but to win, they're still going to have to outscore the Patriots...I know the Texans also have a great defense - but their offense was horrible today. Ray Rice is going to have to run all over the Pats - they have to keep the ball out of Brady's hands. And, if they can bother Brady enough and make him uncomfortable in the pocket they may be able to force some turnovers. I wonder how many times they'll watch film of the Steelers-Patriots game this week. As much as I would hate to see it, I don't see the Pats losing to this team at home.

Giants-Niners is a toss-up...I know they already played, but this is a different Giants team. Eli is playing out of his mind, and if they can pound with the run game, I can see Eli making some big plays with his big time receivers. The Niners can't just settle for field goals...and they showed at the end of the game they can score when they need to-although, this defense is going to be a little tougher to score against. I'm interested to see how Alex Smith comes out after his other-worldly performance in that 4th quarter.

If I had to pick a winner, I'd pick the Giants. They're coming in on a roll - they don't care whether they're at home or on the road - and Eli knows what it takes to win a game like this. I think at the end of the day, his experience will put the Giants over the top. Either way, it's going to be a heck of a game.
 
Moyank24 said:
If I had to pick a winner, I'd pick the Giants. They're coming in on a roll - they don't care whether they're at home or on the road - and Eli knows what it takes to win a game like this. I think at the end of the day, his experience will put the Giants over the top. Either way, it's going to be a heck of a game.
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Wouldn't you say that the 49ers are coming in on a roll too? After that thriller? Has got to be one of the most exciting games in recent history and the niners looked consistently calm and focused despite the score going back and forth.
 
peapody said:
Wouldn't you say that the 49ers are coming in on a roll too? After that thriller? Has got to be one of the most exciting games in recent history and the niners looked consistently calm and focused despite the score going back and forth.
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Oh definitely-I definitely didn't mean to take anything away from them - What I meant was that the Giants basically had to win out to even make it into the playoffs - and then steamrolled both teams they played - including one of the favorites to win it all. It seems like the they've been playing "playoff"-like games for weeks now.
 
Moyank24 said:
Oh definitely-I definitely didn't mean to take anything away from them - What I meant was that the Giants basically had to win out to even make it into the playoffs - and then steamrolled both teams they played - including one of the favorites to win it all. It seems like the they've been playing "playoff"-like games for weeks now.
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I'd also chalk up their victory partly to green bay nerves. It was their game to lose I think. Not to discount the giants D and what not. There were just too many drops and missteps in that game for greenbay.

I am ravens fan...and the ravens look as they usually do - weak and lucky haha. The defense did their thing, but the offense was disappointing to me. Ray has to run more, but the texans rush defense was solid. We might see something more interesting at Foxboro.
 
peapody said:
I'd also chalk up their victory partly to green bay nerves. It was their game to lose I think. Not to discount the giants D and what not. There were just too many drops and missteps in that game for greenbay.

I am ravens fan...and the ravens look as they usually do - weak and lucky haha. The defense did their thing, but the offense was disappointing to me. Ray has to run more, but the texans rush defense was solid. We might see something more interesting at Foxboro.
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Hopefully the Patriots get up a few quick scores so the Ravens have to rely on Flacco throwing the ball.
 
The Pats don't really have a defense, it didn't show because they played the Broncos. The Ravens should be a better matchup.
 
CalBoy said:
I'm not so sure. The Ravens defense is going to make Brady earn every inch. I actually think they'll pull off an upset.



They've been on a roll, but they also lost during the regular season against SF.

No matter who wins, it is going to be a great game to watch though.
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We also lost to the Packers during the regular season, just sayin'
 
MacNut said:
The Pats don't really have a defense, it didn't show because they played the Broncos. The Ravens should be a better matchup.
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That's not really true. Sure, we were ranked 31st in yards given up per game, but 15th in points given up. So scoring on the Patriots isn't quite as easy. We're also healthy for the first time in forever with Chung, McCourty, Mayo, Spikes, and others back in action.

New England is also #1 in the AFC in turnover differential (+17). Our defense has a knack for taking the ball away from the opponent, and when you do that with our offense, good things happen. Baltimore is only sitting at (+2) differential - meaning they give the ball up at times.

Those overall yardage rankings only tell part of the story.
 
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peapody said:
I'd also chalk up their victory partly to green bay nerves. It was their game to lose I think. Not to discount the giants D and what not. There were just too many drops and missteps in that game for greenbay.

I am ravens fan...and the ravens look as they usually do - weak and lucky haha. The defense did their thing, but the offense was disappointing to me. Ray has to run more, but the texans rush defense was solid. We might see something more interesting at Foxboro.
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I was disappointed by the officiating last night, but as an Englishman who grew up on lousy referees in the Premier League, European Championships and World Cups, I'm used to poor decisions (The fumble where the Packers player lost control of the ball before he was down).

The drops and missteps can have a certain amount attributed to the excellent D Line play by the Giants. If the QB can't time it perfectly, mistakes will happen.

Moyank24 said:
Oh definitely-I definitely didn't mean to take anything away from them - What I meant was that the Giants basically had to win out to even make it into the playoffs - and then steamrolled both teams they played - including one of the favorites to win it all. It seems like the they've been playing "playoff"-like games for weeks now.
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That's exactly right. Every game has been a playoff since the Jets game. Everyone is match fit and they are going to bring Alex Smith back to where he should be.

Flacco would worry me if I were a Ravens fan, I don't know what it is but he looks quite fragile.
 
steviem said:
Flacco would worry me if I were a Ravens fan, I don't know what it is but he looks quite fragile.
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Flacco won't be the reason the Ravens lose - but he also won't be why they win.
His job as far as I can tell is to manage the offensive field time in order to keep the defense well rested so they have the energy to make spectacular game changing plays.

They way major teams/quarterbacks have been falling apart though - I bet the Ravens are better than even to beat the Patriots at this point.
 
MacNut said:
The Pats don't really have a defense, it didn't show because they played the Broncos. The Ravens should be a better matchup.
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Keep preaching this crap. It's obvious you never watched any of the games and only go by the ridiculous stats spewed out by ESPN.

Three of our top four or five players on defense missed significant time over the course of the season (Mayo, Chung, Spikes). They're finally all back healthy for the first time in months. The defense did a pretty damn good job the other night against Denver.

Before the Denver game, it was all "oh the Pats defense isn't good enough to stop Tebow and Denver". Now that they did, its now "oh that was because Denver wasn't very good."

So which is it?
 
i'm hoping the Pats and 49ers make it to the super bowl. i really think the Pats can beat the Ravens, as long as Brady doesn't turn the ball over.

the 49ers/Giants game, i'm not so sure about. it's mainly to do with the 49ers Defense. if they can really shut down the Giants, then i think they have a shot.

i don't wanna see the Pats and Giants in the super bowl again. we've already seen that, i'd like to see someone else
 
AppleScruff1 said:
The Baltimore D creates a lot of turnovers. If they can do that against NE, they can win the game. Baltimore scored most of their points today off of turnovers.
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The Patriots defense actually creates more:

NE Takeaways: 23 INT/11 FUM
BALT Takeaways: 15 INT/11 FUM

And the Patriots offense gives it up less:

NE Giveaways: 12 INT/5 FUM
BALT Giveaways: 12 INT/12 FUM

Giving the Patriots a +17, while the Ravens only a +2. I think turnovers will be an important factor in this game. Something to think about, anyway.
 
zioxide said:
Keep preaching this crap. It's obvious you never watched any of the games and only go by the ridiculous stats spewed out by ESPN.

Three of our top four or five players on defense missed significant time over the course of the season (Mayo, Chung, Spikes). They're finally all back healthy for the first time in months. The defense did a pretty damn good job the other night against Denver.

Before the Denver game, it was all "oh the Pats defense isn't good enough to stop Tebow and Denver". Now that they did, its now "oh that was because Denver wasn't very good."

So which is it?
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Your defense played a lot like Green Bay's did - they give up a lot of yards, but they come up with very timely turnovers. It's not fair to judge a defense only on the yardage statistics.

And as far as the Denver offense-it's not very good. Temporary insanity should be blamed on anyone who thought that team had a chance against the Patriots. That being said, the defense came to play and absolutely embarrassed the Broncos and they should get the credit they deserve.

The key to this game will be to stop Ray Rice. If he gets going, the Ravens will be able to keep the ball out of Tom Brady's hands longer and it should open things up a bit for Flacco.

Edit: I'm not surprised by the Pats takeaway numbers - especially the interceptions. It can be a little deceiving, though - A lot of the time, the offenses playing the Patriots are playing from behind - which means they have to throw more, and take a lot more chances. The Packers had 31 interceptions this year because of it. And that's not taking anything away from the defense - they still have to make the plays.
 
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Queen of Spades said:
The Patriots defense actually creates more:

NE Takeaways: 23 INT/11 FUM
BALT Takeaways: 15 INT/11 FUM

And the Patriots offense gives it up less:

NE Giveaways: 12 INT/5 FUM
BALT Giveaways: 12 INT/12 FUM

Giving the Patriots a +17, while the Ravens only a +2. I think turnovers will be an important factor in this game. Something to think about, anyway.
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I agree. If the Pats don't turn the ball over, they will win the game. I don't see Baltimore's offense matching the Patriots scoring. Baltimore won't throw as much, their strength is their running game. If you recall the Pats playoff loss to the Ravens 2 years ago, Flacco threw for 34 yds, but Baltimore ran for 230+ and the Pats turned the ball over several times.

If NE plays like they did against Denver, no one is going to beat them. I just hope they have two more games like that this season. :D
 
the Pats had an easy schedule the last half of the year. After they lost to the Giants they blew out the Jets and Chiefs. Beat Philly, Indy, Washington, Denver, Miami, Buffalo.

Those are not high caliber teams.
 
You can argue away a lot of statistics - the fact is you have to make the plays. I think that 31st ranking is a bit misleading, is all. They're finally healthy and peaking at the right time.
 
Queen of Spades said:
You can argue away a lot of statistics - the fact is you have to make the plays. I think that 31st ranking is a bit misleading, is all. They're finally healthy and peaking at the right time.
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The poor defense ranking was mainly due to the yardage allowed. As was stated earlier, they were 15th in points given up, and that is all that matters in the end. You can give up a 40 yard pass play but if the other team doesn't score it's just a statistic and has no effect on the outcome of the game. Belichick defenses for the past several years have been bend but don't break. Come playoff time the teams that are peaking advance. The Denver game seems to indicate that the Pats are moving in the right direction for the post season. None the less, I expect a tough game against Baltimore.
 
Queen of Spades said:
That's not really true. Sure, we were ranked 31st in yards given up per game, but 15th in points given up. So scoring on the Patriots isn't quite as easy. We're also healthy for the first time in forever with Chung, McCourty, Mayo, Spikes, and others back in action.

New England is also #1 in the AFC in turnover differential (+17). Our defense has a knack for taking the ball away from the opponent, and when you do that with our offense, good things happen. Baltimore is only sitting at (+2) differential - meaning they give the ball up at times.

Those overall yardage rankings only tell part of the story.
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I have to say that the Patriot defense looked pretty impressive against the Broncos. They looked much improved from when we played in the regular season. I think they will beat the Ravens and end up playing the Giants in the SuperBowl.
 
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