Another week in the NFL has come and gone and given that Thanksgiving is well within our sights we know that things are starting to become very serious.
Several teams are establishing themselves as very real (Patriots) while others are slipping up (Bills). Some are keeping form that suggests January success (Colts) while others share a division and appear to be on a collision course with one another (Seahawks and Rams).
Ultimately we are being treated to theater on a weekly basis and this will never not be a ton of fun. Here at The Skinny Post we, Michael Peterson and RJ Ochoa, take it very seriously (lol) to figure out exactly which fun matters the most.
How alarmed should the Bills be given everything happening around them?
RJ:
Those poor New England fans had to endure a couple of years where their football team was down and out. It must have been miserable. I am so happy for them.
Life is indeed very good for Patriots fans right now as they are rocking and rolling. An impressive win against Tampa Bay was a nice enough treat, TreVeyon Henderson checking to see if he could score was hilarious, and as if things could not be even more great the Bills got blown out by the Dolphins of all teams.
Buffalo is playing with their food a bit too much and we are at a point where it has to be legitimately concerning in my mind. There is still about half of the season left, but Buffalo has had this entire time where New England was down as a franchise and didn’t reach the Super Bowl in it. They have struggled to get past Kansas City (hardly a crime), but if they can’t even get out of their own division anymore, then things are going to be very tough.
They should be very worried and focused in my mind.
Michael:
What happened to the Bills this week – just one week after beating the Chiefs – should certainly worry the fan base. I mean, you lost to the DOLPHINS! These guys were on the brink of a franchise collapse not too long ago. You spent the offseason building the defense to help keep up with your offense and all of a sudden lowly Miami overwhelmed you via one speedy running back.
Adding to this drama is the emergence of the Patriots as one of the best teams in the league during Mike Vrabel’s first year as head coach. From a preseason expectation that they’d be running away with the division this year to today’s reality, the Bills have got to be feeling pretty abysmal at this point in the season.
Will at least one of the Seahawks or Rams make the NFC Championship Game?
Michael:
Something in me says yes, one of them will. I actually think if the Lions manage to stay healthy, they will end up being the opponent to either one of these teams. The Eagles are all of a sudden not that scary and the train that both the Seahawks and Rams are riding offensively gives me the confidence to believe this will be a big year for whomever ends up on top of the NFC North.
If I had to choose between the two, I’m going with the Rams. I don’t WANT to as the resident fan of the other team in Los Angeles, but McVay is dealing as a playcaller this year with a healthy Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. I have to give Matthew Stafford his flowers, as well. He’s riding one heck of a wave in recent weeks.
RJ:
I’m not sure how I would rank them, but I think that the best teams in the NFC are Seattle, Los Angeles, Detroit, and Philadelphia. You can toss the Packers in there if you really want.
It bothers me greatly to say, but I think the Eagles are in the best spot here as they are the only one without a division rival on my list. This question was whether or not the Seahawks or Rams would reach the title game and a big reason that I am inclined to say no is because they have to go through one another to get there.
Let me be clear in saying that I think they are each insanely talented and well-run. We might not be making enough of a big deal about how well run the Seahawks are. But one of these two has to outlast the other and then get through one of Detroit or Philadelphia in all likelihood just for the right to face the other. It is a tall task.
How do people not know that playing the Cowboys is something you can’t take seriously?
RJ:
A week ago the Arizona Cardinals danced through AT&T Stadium and obliterated the Dallas Cowboys. It was not fun for me, our Cowboys person, personally.
The thing about the Cowboys is that I do not understand how no one else understands how bad they are. It is one thing to laugh at a team that is obviously bad, but the Cardinals made a serious and sweeping change to their organization because they beat a bad team. We can argue and debate as to whether or not Jacoby Brissett really is better than Kyler Murray, but Arizona acted like the Cowboys game proved something and then got their doors blown off in Seattle.
Consider playing the Cowboys like playing your little brother. Enjoy the win. But don’t go to your peers or superiors thinking that you are something because of it. You have been warned.
Michael:
The move to replace Kyler Murray with Jacoby Brissett was certainly puzzling just days after Jonathan Gannon said the former would be the starter when healthy, but then the Cardinals showed their hand and placed Murray on IR with a foot sprain. So while it looks like Brissett was chosen as the starter for his play, we can’t completely say that’s the case with the decision on Murray to miss the next four games.
But when those four games are up and he’s eligible to return, the Cardinals will have to decide if Brissett is their guy to finish the year or will they put Murray back in as one final audition to be their quarterback in 2026. Murray is due $19.5 million shortly after the start of the next league year and a franchise heading to a crossroads will have to decide if that money is worth paying or if they’d rather land a quarterback in the upcoming draft.
The Ravens are winning the AFC North, right?
Michael:
The return of Lamar Jackson has the Ravens looking like the betting favorites to win the AFC North yet again, especially after the Chargers mopped up the Steelers and dropped them to 5-4, just two games above the Ravens at 4-5.
In what may be a bigger deal than the return of Jackson is the resurgence of the Ravens defense that looked just horrid to begin the year. Sure, they took advantage of an inexperienced quarterback in J.J. McCarthy this week, but that’s still an improvement from the performances we saw while they were floundering without Jackson.
Baltimore will need to keep their fingers crossed, but their season is already turning around hard and fast.
RJ:
It feels like the football-watching world as a whole has assumed this. The Ravens are on fire and the Steelers are… not.
Truth be told I hope this happens. We deserve Lamar Jackson in the playoffs as many times as we can get it. Pittsburgh held a little bit of interest early in the season, but it feels like that has all worn off and we can fully see who they are which is very boring.
Go Ravens. Get it done. Keep it rocking. Love you.
