Been saying the same. The healthiest and hottest team at the end of the season is the one that’s going to go the furthest.Originally Posted by EzraTank
Been saying the same. The healthiest and hottest team at the end of the season is the one that’s going to go the furthest.
You guys keep saying that. Like, how is that different than every year ever?
Flacco went on a heater and the Ravens defense stayed very healthy - SB win.
Chiefs offense had a rash of injuries - SB loss.
I am not making fun of anyone or trying to bust anyone's balls...but I am struggling to figure out how this is different than any other NFL season. Luck, improvement over the course of season, and staying healthy is like 40% of every winning season.
The entire nfl is weak and inconsistent this year
AFC North Recap: Steelers’ loss makes Week 12 huge within the division
The Pittsburgh Steelers loss to the Chargers in Week 11 sets up a huge Week 12 where the AFC North plays one another.
By Jeff.Hartman
Nov 22, 2021
https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.co...rowns-nfl-news
It’s more prevalent this year with the increase in parody. Off the top of my head, the 2010Packers were neither healthy nor “hot” at the end of the season and they went on to win the Super Bowl.
Basically, this season, the playing field is much more level than it, probably, has ever been.
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Agreed here, it seems each week the “hot” team gets utterly destroyed by a team that has no business winning (this week was the Texans over the Titans). Dallas was a contender until their last few games, the Rams dropped 2 in a row, the Pats are hot, the Chiefs has starting looking like the Chiefs after starting out worse than us, the Bills are second to the Pats in their division, the Pack just lost, etc etc. This is a very fun season to watch actually.
It’s “parity”, not parody. Or is it lol? Actually, that fits this season to a T. It’s almost like a parody. How else to explain how many supposedly good teams have lost games to teams they should have not simply beaten, but blown out? That every team playing on Thanksgiving lost last Sunday? It’s been a comedy of divine proportions!
It’s definitely parITy…lol.
The one thing that has been very consistent this season and the one team that is never, ever mentioned is the Cardinals. Right now they are winning games and doing it without their two best offensive players and one of their best defensive players. No one mentions them in any of these conversations…
The difference?
The most recent example would be 2019. By midseason of that year, I felt the Chiefs were winning it all barring a serious injury to Mahomes and they wound up doing just that. This year, no team stands out in such a manner. And then there were all the recent seasons where it seemed like it was the Patriots vs. everyone else.
To a somewhat lesser extent, the Chiefs were the odds-on favorite to win it all last year as well, and probably would have done so if their OL hadn't been decimated by injuries at precisely the wrong time. Last year was also kind of a throwaway year due to Covid.
Sure, staying healthy (which is also part luck) is always key. But there is no team standing above the rest of the league this year. What's more, there really are no teams who have even really distinguished themselves this year at all. That is different.
Getting absolutely shellacked at home by a decidedly mediocre Panthers team will do that.
That’s true. The Cardinals don’t seem to get much love from the pundits and posers. Certainly not what their record warrants.
They're just not a popular team outside of AZ, probably won't be until they win a championship. I'm definitely a fan of Kyler Murray though, that kid is something
I guess I figure it is the Chiefs and Cardinals and then everyone else....
Packers and someone from the AFC mix of also rans (Ravens?) might have something to say about it.
Everyone wanted to write the Chiefs off, but they are 7-4 despite playing some of the worst defense in the league and turnover-palooza on offense. They play like the did against the Cowboys...and look out. Those turnovers are going start smoothing out. You can only have so many tip drill INTs before you start getting the bounces.
Cards are taking it to teams despite key injuries and coaching disruptions. That is a sign of a well put together and stable team. They get and stay healthy....gonna be hard to beat.
Of course, now that I said all this...watch Cam Newton continue to play like it is 2015, McCaffery stay health and the Panthers defense come roaring back...
Was about to reply then realized others have already done it. In the past there was always one or two dominate teams (think KC the past 2 years) but this year just when you think a team is hot they lay an egg. It has been a weird season.
I'm not so sure about that. They needed help to get in the playoffs but I remember watching them play in week 17 and told myself they're the last team I'd want to face in the super bowl, and that they were playing better than any team right now. Unfortunately that's the team we got in 2010.
Honestly that 2010 Packers team reminded me of the 2005 Steelers. I had a feeling that once they got in the playoffs, nobody was beating them. In the NFCCG vs the bears, I knew they'd smash them and pretty convincingly, and that's what happened.
If I remember correctly they lost a couple/few games in a row at the end of the season. I wouldn't consider that a "hot team". Maybe I have my seasons mixed up.
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We're in the basement!
Well you can take the Steelers off the contender list, and probably the browns also
though I do think the bengals are the best team in the division right now
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Yep. Stick a fork in 'em, they're done. Unfortunately.
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We're in the basement!
Yup, we're the new bungholes ! No one fears us, and the laughing stock of football. Soft, cottonelle soft !!! Embarrassment to watch the history of Steeler football dismantled right in front of our eyes.We're in the basement!
So the 1985 to 1990 or so doesn't exist?
This team has been bad before. They will be again. And they will also be really good again. And likely far sooner than later.
They have had decent contributions from a rookie class that is heavily weighted towards positions that take 2-3 years to really "impact" in the NFL. Safety, OL, DL, and TE. That bodes poorly for this year's team but looks fairly optimistic for 2022+.
Weeks later and it's still not clear. Baltimore looks like their luck at endgame heroics is running out and Lamar Jackson is injured. Cincy is inconsistent and they couldn't even beat the 49ers at home. The Browns, eh who knows? Only thing that is clear is that the Steelers are the worst team in the division
I didn't watch the Steelers until 93-94. Was it a HOF QB from 1985-1990? If not how did those QBs compare to Ben?
bubby brister in 89 and 90 thats when i was a fan
How many teams had a HOF QB during that time period?
Nothing is clear lol. As soon as the Ravens lost to the Browns yesterday I “assumed” the Bengals were poised to take over the lead in the AFCN. And what do they do? Lose in OT to San Fran. Wow. Just. Wow.
It’s like a game of hot potato.
“You take it.”
“No, YOU take it.”
And those were still fun Steeler teams to watch. So many people talk crap about guys at QB not named Bradshaw and Roethlisberger, but forget that the Steelers got as far as the Divisional round of the playoffs in '83 with Cliff Stoudt at QB and the AFCCG in '84 with Mark Malone, then again in the Divisional round with Brister.bubby brister in 89 and 90 thats when i was a fan
So many fans are such whiners about their team not winning Super Bowls, but I dont think they have the perspective that every year 31 teams dont win a Super Bowl.
Oh, and a quick news flash. I dont see any team from the AFCN winning the Super Bowl this year, but they have all been competitive and interesting to watch.
Those Brister era teams were a blast to watch. Wasn't one of those playoff runs the one where Nickerson played most of the season with a broken bone in his leg or something....
Good post! And yeah, while every team in the AFCN is .500 and above, I see no SB victor coming from here.
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