1865

Kyler isn’t going anywhere. Kingsbury is the guy who there will now be more rumors about. Remember, Arizona hasn’t given him a contract extension and he’s only signed through next season. I don’t think its likely he will be fired after this, but can they afford to not give him an extension if the keep him for the final year? That will be an interesting offseason story.

1866

Seahawks are “parting ways” with Ken Norton Jr. The news came out just after the last wild card game ended.

The passing game coordinator is also out, but he’s a much smaller fish.

The irony is that the defense seems to have finally meshed together at the end of the season, but this is like the third or fourth year in a row where the defense was an absolute sieve at the beginning of each season, and you simply can’t afford to lose winnable games when you’re in the NFCW.

1867

You also don’t know why the defense meshed at the end of the season. It’s possible Pete took some responsibilities away from Norton towards the end of the season.

1868

Oh, I’m totally cool with KNJ leaving.

I think the defense meshed because they finally found some gems in the rough (Ryan Neal, Sidney Jones), and those gems finally figured out the scheme and how to work together as a unit.

But KNJ still needed to go. Every season his defenses start out llike they’ve never played organized football before, and it’s not until Week 10 that it starts coming together.

Now if only Pete hires Fangio…

1869

You probably don’t want this. Denver’s defensive ranking is more a reflection on their schedule than ability. The Cowboys were the only playoff team (maybe the only team with a winning record?) they beat.

You can blame the offensive offense for not doing the defense any favors, but they were pretty average against real competition, and I don’t think average is going to cut it in the NFCW

1870

The article I read said Seattle’s DL coach Clint Hurtt and now former Broncos DC Ed Donatell (who coached under Pete back during his Jets HC run) are possible replacements for Norton.

1871

Does that mean Nate is getting promoted, I wonder?

I don’t see a guy like that coming to work for Pete.

Since they are stuck with the albatross of Jamal Adams, hopefully they bring on someone that can use him effectively

1872

Saturday Games:

Bengals over Titans

I think that the Bengals are just on a roll right now. The Titans have been shaky at the end of the season. A week of will help, and having Derrick Henry back will as well, but I just don’t know. The Bengals are getting hot at the right time. I just see this as a big upset game.

Packers over 49er’s

This is going to be a tough game for the Packers. Tougher than expected, as San Fransisco has also started getting on a roll with their offense. Their run game also matches up against the Packers quite well. The Pack have one of the worst rushing yards allowed on defense, but overall have a decent ranked running defense. Why? Because teams have to give up the run to catch up with Aaron Rodgers’ offense.

The Packers are getting some key players back from injury on the defense, as well as the offensive line. I would expect their pass rush to be less deadly than it was against the Cowboys. But the biggest problem here is Garappolo. If the Parckers turn this into a high scoring game, there is no way they can depend on Jimmy G to make those deep throws.

I do expect this one to be somewhat competitive though, as Shanahan always has something up his sleeve. But with the Packers at Lambeau, healthiest they have been all season, with Jimmy G possibly playing injured. It will be a tough battle for the Niners to win, but not impossible.

Sunday
Rams over Buccaneers
While I hesitate to pick anyone over Tom Brady in the playoffs. The Rams are playing so great right now, and I don’t think the depth issues on the Buccaneer’s offense have been fixed really. Aaron Donald could have a monster game today, as the Rams have been very good at figuring out Tom Brady’s weaknesses in the last couple years. I do think this is a dangerous game for the Rams though, because Brady will pick apart any small mistake they make, and keep the game close til the end.

Bills over Chiels
This is going to be a blockbuster of a game. KC just does not have the defense to keep up with the Bills. They do have a distinct home-field advantage, and the better QB… but the Bills seemed to have hit the next level. They demolished the Patriots, a team that is supposed to have had a good enough defense to keep things close. KC is worse than the Pats on D… It is going to be a shootout.

1873

I really need to print myself a Diggs Was Right t-shirt.

1874

This is definitely the best game of the weekend (on paper).

1875

While I can certainly understand your arguments, I just don’t see the road teams going 3-1 this weekend. 2-2, maybe. Even then, I wouldn’t be surprised if all the home teams won either.

1876

Yeah, I think it is just a testament to a lot of the home teams this year cruising into the playoffs, while the road teams have been having strong ends to their seasons.

1877

The biggest issue is the Buc’s injured O-line. If Brady can’t be protected, Brady loses.

1878

Exactly. The guy can only work so many miracles. Make a good passing game out of a depleted WR core? Sure… do that and dodge LA’s pass rush? We will see.

1879

I hope Aaron Rodgers has his worse game ever and embarrasses himself so people stop looking up to him.

1880

Packers over 49’ers. San Francisco and Jimmy G. just don’t have what it takes to get past Rodgers and the Pack at Lambeau. I expect Rodgers to strike early, forcing Jimmy G. to try and keep up and negating the SF run offense somewhat, and if that happens it spells doom for the 49’ers.

Rams over Bucs. Given how well the Rams have been playing and given the problems with Tom Brady’s O-line and his seeming struggles when pressured of late, I see this being the most likely upset of the weekend.

Chiefs over Bills - I really hope I’m wrong with this pick. I like the Bills a lot, I like their fanbase even more. As a long-suffering Bengals fan, I feel a connection to kindred spirits in Bills fans. However, Mahomes, in KC, Kelce, Hill, playoffs (where Mahomes seems to always have a higher gear)…I think it all proves too much and the Bills fantastic season ends in a very close game. I have a ton of respect for Josh Allen, and I know everyone is all “OMG he threw 5 TDs against New England!”, but guess who also had 5 TDs last week? Mahomes. Yes, the KC secondary is suspect, but then again Josh Allen has a history of rollercoaster stats, putting up MVP numbers one week and clunkers the next. This is anyones game to win, but I think the Chiefs have the higher percentage chance of putting it together at home. It’ll be decided by less than a touchdown though.

Bengals over Titans. I know, I know. Trust me, I am well aware of the history of disappointment that follows the Bengals like a dark cloud. Even last week against the Raiders they nearly blew it more than once and it took one hell of a red zone last stand to seal the win. HOWEVER…that was last week. With the stigma of not winning a playoff game in 31 years now shed, and a young team that could easily have gone 14-4 instead of 11-7 (they lost FOUR regular season games by 3 points), I think the Bengals are playing with house money right now. This city went nuts last weekend when “the curse” was lifted, and right now this team knows it has already accomplished more than its fans would have dared hope this season (playoff win, AFC North champs, swept the Steelers AND the Ravens), so the pressure is off and I think Burrow and company play with a renewed sense of purpose and destiny. WHO DEY?!

1881

My niece is a hard core Packers fan, lives in Iowa and attends a couple Packers games every year. She knows Rodgers is an idiot but that doesn’t stop her from rooting for the Packers or wanting Rodgers to play well. It’s like loving Harry Potter but knowing JK Rowling is far from perfect.

1882

I can appreciate Rodgers QB play. His anti-vax stuff is ridiculous. So love the player, loathe the man?

1883

By the one metric that matters – ratings, and thus $$ – Super Wild Card Weekend was a success.

1884

I was a big Rodgers fan, once upon a time (Cal grad and all) - but please tell your niece to get stuffed :) Nothing personal, all Packers fans can get stuffed.

In a more rational human response - Nick Bosa appears by all accounts to be every bit the ass Rodgers is, and I will still be rooting hard for the '9ers, and I sure hope Bosa is able to play.