Both teams are very good, but they're both lacking something...experience. So I think it will come down to who performs better in clutch situations. Who that will be is anyone's guess. Mike Vrabel is the only big name who has a fair amount of playoff experience from his Titans days (and to an extent, his days as a player, but he was in a much different role back then). So that gives NE a small advantage. But I don't know. Seattle feels like the better team by a smidge. NE ranks 3rd in offense, 8th in defense. SEA ranks 8th in offense, 6th in defense. However, Seattle had a much tougher strength of schedule. 7 of their regular season opponents finished with 10 wins or more, whereas NE only played against 3 10-game winners. Seattle undoubtedly played stronger teams, and yet they still finished 14-3, and even had a better point-differential than New England. Even in the playoffs, Seattle had to face two 12-win teams. New England scored good wins against LA and HOU, but when they faced a fellow 14-win rival, the Broncos, they lucked out by having to face them without their star QB, and still only won by 3. My point is, Seattle just feels like they've earned their path more, and looked more impressive along the way. And if they play their A game, they will win. Not to say New England is a slouch. They are undeniably very good, and it isn't their fault they played an easy schedule. I just don't know how they'll handle the best team they've faced so far. They've risen to every occasion though. I don't know. I'm rambling. It's anyone's game, really.
Repo wrote:
I will get Beach Boys and Ozzy posts up at some point.
Both teams are very good, but they're both lacking something...experience. So I think it will come down to who performs better in clutch situations. Who that will be is anyone's guess. Mike Vrabel is the only big name who has a fair amount of playoff experience from his Titans days (and to an extent, his days as a player, but he was in a much different role back then). So that gives NE a small advantage. But I don't know. Seattle feels like the better team by a smidge. NE ranks 3rd in offense, 8th in defense. SEA ranks 8th in offense, 6th in defense. However, Seattle had a much tougher strength of schedule. 7 of their regular season opponents finished with 10 wins or more, whereas NE only played against 3 10-game winners. Seattle undoubtedly played stronger teams, and yet they still finished 14-3, and even had a better point-differential than New England. Even in the playoffs, Seattle had to face two 12-win teams. New England scored good wins against LA and HOU, but when they faced a fellow 14-win rival, the Broncos, they lucked out by having to face them without their star QB, and still only won by 3. My point is, Seattle just feels like they've earned their path more, and looked more impressive along the way. And if they play their A game, they will win. Not to say New England is a slouch. They are undeniably very good, and it isn't their fault they played an easy schedule. I just don't know how they'll handle the best team they've faced so far. They've risen to every occasion though. I don't know. I'm rambling. It's anyone's game, really.
Great points and well said. I'm biased as hell, BUT even I think the Seahawks are more likely to win. Their defense just seems soooo freakin' FAST!!! And they all play as one like a coordinated chaos of destruction. And Maye just doesn't have the experience just yet as these playoffs have already shown. He's struggled a bit. This will come down to us being able to spook Darnold. Vrabel will have to pull out all his tricks and make Darnold second guess himself. He doesn't have to "see ghosts" per say, but we'll need to get him out of his comfort zone. And Drake Maye needs to make TWO special throws. Sort of what Eli Manning would do to US in those Super Bowl of yore.
Pats by 2 with Darnold throwing a key interception or a strip sack AND Maye throwing one amazing toss FOR THE AGES to either Boutte or Diggs.
Quote:
Repo wrote:
I will get Beach Boys and Ozzy posts up at some point.
🔭👀
Ha! I'm on it! The DAY AFTER the game is over I'm on it. (I STILL need to give my final thoughts on Technical Ecstasy too.🤦♂️)
Too big for Drake at this point. He's soooo young. Almost wish we didn't make it this far just for his confidence. Pretty sure he will get the support he needs.
Love the Darnold Redemption story. Avery good story!
Honestly, and this just shows the state of our country considering what a diehard Patriots fan I am, the Halftime show was ALL THAT MATTERED in this year's Super Bowl.
Who had South Park & the NFL as two key pieces of the resistance on their Bingo Card! The NFL has bigger cojones than Harvard!!! (And FAR bigger than Columbia!!! 🤣 )
Just watched the halftime—
Fantastic performance from Bad Bunny—
Great atmosphere, ace production, and he stuck a poignant landing—
Only minor gripe is that I wish he kept DtMF up for another 15-20 seconds to close, but otherwise—
(& I kinda wish they went full-on with Gasolina in the middle, would've been a great interjection)
Good on him. Awesome stuff— _________________ Doubles & Conch
Like I said, if Seattle brought their A game, they would win. And boy, they brought their A game. Offense, defense, and even special teams...they were clicking. Credit to New England's defense for holding them to field goals for 3 quarters, giving their team a sliver of hope. But man, the Pats just could not get anything going on offense. They went something like 20 minutes of game time without a single first down. The Patriots defense was good. The Seahawks defense was total domination.
I watched the game with a local friend, who's a Rams fan. Towards the end, we were talking and concluded the Rams were really the second-best team in the NFL this year. They were the only team who beat the Seahawks in the last four months, and the only the team who gave them a close game in the playoffs.
But anyway, 2025 was a weird year for the NFL. The end of Tomlin in Pittsburgh, Harbaugh in Baltimore, McDermott in Buffalo, the Chiefs stunk. It will feel like the start a new era next year. However, that new era may have already begun. Amidst the changes, the Seahawks quietly put together one the greatest seasons in NFL history. If they can follow this up, 2025 may be the start of the Seahawks Era. Or perhaps KC, Philly, SF, LA, Buffalo(?), or Cincy will bounce back. We'll find out next season.
And yeah, pretty wild that Sam Darnold became the first QB of the 2018 draft class to win a championship. Weren't Lamar Jackson, Baker Mayfield, and Josh Allen drafted that year? Spoler alert...Yes
I'm not usually one to comment about any sport during its off-season, but the news from the Chicago Bears is saddening. They're leaving Soldier Field. Whether they stay in Illinois at all remains to be seen, but their Board of Directors voted to move to Hammond, Indiana. I understand why they want out of Soldier. For one, they don't own the stadium, they pay rent on it. Second, it has the smallest seating capacity of any NFL venue. Third, there's a number of economic and political factors at hand (such as the 2003 renovations are still not paid off and nearly half a billion dollars in debt). It'd be nice if the alternative would keep the Bears within the Chicago city limits, but that seems impossible. They want to move to the suburbs 20-30 miles from the city center, which isn't fair to the city locals. Furthermore, they want a totally modernized and climate-controlled stadium under a roof. That's never gonna get installed at Soldier given the how much debt is already present there. So no matter where their next stadium will be (currently looking like Hammond, IN, though Arlington Heights, IL is also on the table), it will be modern and enclosed. Personally I like old sports venues. There's something special about the old designs, that were exclusively built for the sport, as opposed to modern venues that feel the need to accommodate 4 different sports, concerts, conventions, etc. I also like older stadiums because they preserve history. Soldier Field is where Walter Payton played his whole career. And ugh, a domed stadium? I feel like an important element of football will be lost...playing outside in the cold, the wind, better yet, in the snow. Being able to adapt to crappy weather is part of the game's strategy, not to mention it's a lot of fun for the fans. But not only are the Bears leaving their tough, weather-hardened brand of football behind, but they're also leaving so many years of history behind. Soldier Field is a cultural landmark, one of the most iconic football venues in the sport. It's really unfortunate that the team's desires, and political/economic obstacles cannot keep them there.
Personally, I think they should build the new stadium in (not-as) nearby Pontiac, Illinois and then call it the "Silverdome," just to confuse old Detroit Lions fans.
Also, I know the Roches wrote the song, but this version is just way better... 🫠
NFL 2026 is under way! Already a big surprise with the Rams, who came into the season as the early Super Bowl favorite. Already a Top 3 team last year, they got Myles Garrett in a trade, while Aaron Donald came out of retirement, both star players who can improve their defense. Ok, the Niners are also good, but nobody could have foreseen them beating the Rams in a 20-point blowout. I was thinking the Niners might regress 2 games this year, given how tough their schedule is. Nah, they look like potential contenders as well. The NFC West is gonna be wild again. Kind of makes you feel bad for the Cardinals. Some day, the red birds will have their glory, just don't know if I'll live to see it.
As for my team, the Eagles did not have any major roster changes outside if losing AJ Brown, but I don't think it's that big of a problem cause Smith is talented enough to fill in those WR1 shoes. I'm mainly hoping the coaching staff shuffle works out, and finds a solution to fix the O-line and running game, and restore Barkley as a elite RB as he was in 2024.
Repo, how are you feeling about New England? Don't take this the wrong way but I feel like they overachieved last year. Easy schedule, plus other teams weren't sure how to prepare for them. I feel like they're gonna slide back from a 14-win team to 10 or 11. They'll still make the playoffs, and they'll be a contender if AJ Brown opens up the offense for them.
I think the AFC North will be interesting. I'm skeptical about Pittsburgh with the McCarthy-Rodgers reunion. Not sure that's gonna work out. I'm also unsure what to expect from Baltimore coming off a disappointing season and now have a rookie head coach. That leaves Cincinnati (not gonna talk about Cleveland). If Burrow stays healthy and the changes on defense work out, they'll not only win the North, but they will go deep in the postseason.
I could go on, but maybe later. Just glad football's back!
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