What is next for the eliminated teams

[Dr LBC]

4 minutes ago, stl4life07 said:

I’m not putting it all on Staley. I’m just saying if ownership want a reason to fire him they have that reason blowing a 27-0 lead. Becoming the first team in NFL history to lose a game with a +5 turnover margin. 
 

Coming into these playoffs there was no reason to consider firing Staley bc the Chargers was playing great football and finally got into the playoffs. It’s the way the lost that ownership can be like ok we can move on particularly if they can bring in Payton. I wouldn’t fire Staley for anyone other than Payton and Harbaugh. MAYBE Riech bc I thought the Colts was dumb to fire him and if you give him Herbert that could be scary. But the Chargers shouldn’t fire Staley just to do so. 

Anyone acquiring Payton is giving up a 1st-plus.  The Chargers aren't doing that.  Tom Telesco pisses away picks, but it's typically on trades up, not on actually forfeiting his natural 1st.

[bucksavage1]

6 hours ago, stl4life07 said:

Admittedly Ive been waiting for this. Cousins shrunk AGAIN in a big time game just like most of us all knew he would. A 13 win team at home lose to a 6th seed who only has on legit offensive skill set weapon in Barkley. Jones was doing more with significantly less. The Vikings have to fix their defense but mainly they need to get rid of Cousins. He is fine when nothing is on the line. He is fine when he isnt playing against great teams. But if the Vikings want to ever go places they need a move on from Cousins. Cousins would do better in a place like Atlanta where nothing is expected of them at least not in the near future.

If Im the Vikings Id rather go after Carr, Jimmy G, Brady, heck see if Lamar is available and throw everything plus some at the Ravens to see if they are thinking hard about trading him then give Lamar everything he want in a contract. If the Vikings had Lamar with this offense the Vikings would be a very scary team. Again they have to fix their defense bc its not good. They made Jones look like Mahomes with his passing and even rushing yards. But man Cousins I just dont know what to say about him anymore. 4th and 6 with the game on the line and he throws a 3yd completion. He just simply a choke artist. And everyone brag about how many close games they won. Most of those close games wouldnt have been close if Cousins wasnt the QB. Its going to be interesting to see what the Vikings do this offseason. If they stick with Cousins for another season then its going to be the same result just different season. Vikings will get bounced early in the playoffs IF they even make it. If ARod comes back with the Packers and they go get him some help at WR like D-Hop along with the continued emergence of Watson the Packers should be way better. The Lions should be better. So technically the Vikings could finish 3rd in the NFCN and either barely get into the playoffs or miss out completely.

If you think Cousins shrinks in big moments, Carr won’t be an upgrade. Vikings better off staying with Kirk or drafting a QB

[Dr LBC]

15 minutes ago, stl4life07 said:

Every year 6 new teams make the playoffs. The Seahawks will be one of those teams that misses so a new team will make it. It’s going to be interesting to see what Seattle does in the draft but Geno and the team in general now have expectations for next season. It’s easy to play loose and free when nobody think you will do anything. Now people will expect improvement to be even better. Let’s see how Seattle does with those expectations next season. In particular Geno. 

Part of that 6 new teams trend has to do with how tumultuous a couple of divisions are.  Barring catastrophic injuries, the Chiefs aren't missing, the Bills aren't missing, the Bengals aren't missing (I feel safe enough in saying that even if they're offense doesn't sustain at the same level from this season, which isn't an unreasonable expectation, their defense will), the Niners won't (Shanahan has black magic), and more than likely the Eagles won't (at least until their defense falls substantially off - that could be if Gannon is hired away, but until that happens I'm not counting on anything; the NFCE will keep drawing the easiest 1st place schedule - outside of having to play SF - in the league because of the lack of depth in the NFC).  The Lions should take another step next season and the Bears definitely could.  That said, I could see a scenario where next season's NFCN is this season's NFCE as last season's NFCW was, with three teams making the playoffs.  And while I do like Brian Daboll as a HC, I can see distinct scenarios whereby the Giants narrowly miss out on next year's playoffs.

And I'll be perfectly honest, my dark horse for next season's Giants (team that barely anyone expect preseason to make the playoffs that actually do - mostly because of their QB) is Atlanta.  Arthur Smith overachieved relative to what he should have based upon preseason hurdles this season, and unless the Saints miraculously figure out their QB situation, it's a two-horse race in that division.  So that's one new playoff team in my book, right there.

[Nabbs4u]

20 minutes ago, Dr LBC said:

NFCE will keep drawing the easiest 1st place schedule - outside of having to play SF - in the league because of the lack of depth in the NFC)

Might want to look up the 2023 SOS. Eagles are already listed as having #1 Hardest Schedule.

Now with the Parity in the league, teams change, so what is listed as the toughest now might not end up that way.

 

[stl4life07]

The Bucs looked like hot garbage all season long and it actually was worse tonight against the Cowboys. Brady tonight looked worse than he did in his last game as a Patriot where I think his last pass was a pick 6 in a loss to the Titans.

Where the Bucs go from here is not just figuring out the QB but the HC. Brady is gone and maybe they might bring back Arians as the HC and demote Bowles back to DC. They also need to get healthy bc they were really healthy all season long in particularly on the OL. 
 

This season was all on Brady. He didn’t want to deal with Arians on the sideline and thought he can do things his way and it failed completely this season. Let’s see what the Bucs at QB. Maybe Carr would think the Bucs are an attractive destination. I don’t think this team should tear it down and rebuild. Just some tweaks if they find the right QB, again Arians could get back on the sidelines to coach them. They could give Bowles another shot seeing what he can do with a healthy team and not with a 45yr old QB who wanted control of the offense and was struggling. Plus they have to fix the running game too. And we know the Bucs are in a winnable division in the NFCS. So it’s going to be an interesting offseason for the Bucs.  

[stl4life07]

The Jags have a very bright future. Remember they will be adding Calvin Ridley next season. Lawrence will continue to get better and better. Plus I don’t think the division is going to get too much better. 
 

I saw what I wanted to see from Lawrence this season. Now can this team go from winning without expectations to winning with expectations? The last time we saw the Jags make the playoffs and win the next season they regressed badly and never recovered. Again I think this team is a lot different. So I’m excited to see what this team will do this offseason to build off this season to be even better.

[Charles]

7 minutes ago, stl4life07 said:

The Jags have a very bright future. Remember they will be adding Calvin Ridley next season. Lawrence will continue to get better and better. Plus I don’t think the division is going to get too much better. 
 

I saw what I wanted to see from Lawrence this season. Now can this team go from winning without expectations to winning with expectations? The last time we saw the Jags make the playoffs and win the next season they regressed badly and never recovered. Again I think this team is a lot different. So I’m excited to see what this team will do this offseason to build off this season to be even better.

Yeah, can't wait to see them on year 2 of Pederson's system.  Not sure about Caldwell as DC.  Not making more of an effort to take away those short completions to Kelce was just baffling to me.  Their zone coverage has more holes than Swiss cheese.  I also think Walker is better suited as a 4-3 dt or 3-4 end.  Just has struggled as a 3-4 olb.

[stl4life07]

Nobody expected the Giants to get this far but in this game it showed how far they need to be to compete with the best of the best in the NFL. I think they will give Jones and Barkley contracts and they have to get some weapons at tight end and receiver. You cant go far in this league with average to below average weapons. Jones isnt Mahomes or Allen. He cant make average to below average weapons look great. And I think if he had a D-Hop he would even be better.

Moving forward, I do put the Giants in the same category as the Seahawks. I wouldnt be shocked and even expect them to take a step back next season and miss the playoffs. Too many things worked out in their favor. They won alot of close games. They played the AFCS and NFCN divisions. We know the AFCS division was horrible and the NFCN wasnt all that good. Plus nobody expected anything from the Giants this year. Next year expectations will be higher so teams will give the Giants all they got plus some. But I do like Daboll and I like the defense. It just comes down to Barkley staying healthy. Jones need to continue to improve and get him some weapons at receiver and tight end. If that happens I think the Giants long term can be a team on the rise and be around and not be a one year wonder. If Im the Giants though Id franchise tag Jones just to see how he does next year. He is in a similar situation as Geno. Was this season an outlier? If it is you dont want to invest multiple years into him bc in 2024 Williams and Maye will be top guys in the draft and the Giants could go after them if Jones regress badly. Not saying he will bc again Daboll can do with Jones like he did with Allen in Buffalo. Not saying Jones will be Allen but he can do some similar things in terms of style that can be somewhat effective enough. So this offseason will be interesting to see what the Giants do and next season will be interesting to see if they can build off this season bc I dont think they will but they still can show growth even if they take a slight step back due to them not being able to win all the close games next season like they won this season. I do want to see some blowouts from them next season and for them to beat some good teams too for them to show me some growth next season.

[stl4life07]

This is a disappointment of a season for Buffalo. They went all in this season by giving Von a big contract this offseason knowing his age and prone injury concerns. They made an addition at the trading deadline they thought would give themselves an extra piece to help them in an area of need. Heck they were even fighting for Hamlin. That was supposed to be a rallying cry. They got a huge break being at home when that MNF against the Bengals was a no contest. The Bengals couldve made a huge deal about playing this game on a neutral site instead of going to Buffalo. So the Bills had what they needed to make a deep run to win a Superbowl and they looked like a team that didnt belong on the same field as the Bengals.

I said before the season started, will losing Daboll hurt Allen? I thought he would miss him early and then make adjustments and be better. In actuality he got worse as the season went along the further away he got from Daboll. He just isnt the same without him. His turnovers was too frequent and wreckless. That was even from game one when he turned the ball over like 4x. People wasnt making too much of it bc of how the Bills dominated the Rams in the 2nd half but Allen has to be better. They need a consistent running game. This team cant depend on Allen to be Superman every game. They also need a reliable second receiver. Davis was not good this season. Then lets see what happens when Von gets back next season. He is going to be another year older coming off another injury. I dont blame him for getting that money. The Rams was going to give him the same. The difference is, the Rams have AD so they wasnt pinning all of their hopes on Von. The Bills was pinning all their hopes on Von to get them that Superbowl like he helped the Rams. So if Von can come back and still be Von and not get hurt again and help them then it will still be worth it. If Von comes back and still be Von but gets hurt again like he did this season and isnt there in the playoffs then we have to say that was a big swing and miss by the Bills.

So again this has been a big disappointment for the Bills. And yes as long as you have Allen you have a chance every year but we have to start saying the Chiefs then Bengals or vice versa. Then after them MAYBE the Ravens with a healthy Lamar before we mention the Bills.

[Scottish_Viking]

On 1/15/2023 at 2:24 AM, stlducks said:

Was this thread made just for you to talk up the Rams chances for next year?

Obviously so

[stl4life07]

Cowboys did Cowboys things. They have a talented roster so they make people believe next season could be their year but we all know how it will end. They haven’t reached the NFCCG in now 28yrs. They have the worst playoff percentage record over that span than any team in the NFL.

If the Cowboys want to change that they need to rid of Dak and Jerry need to step down and let his soon Stephen take over. They need to make Pollard the main back. McCarthy need to get fired. His clock management still suck. We know Dak at least for the near future isn’t going anywhere. Jerry isn’t stepping down. Pollard could take over as the main guy. McCarthy isn’t getting fired any time soon bc he is Jerry yes man. And I do think Maher will get cut bc he was atrocious.

Again i just don’t see what Dallas will do as long as Jerry is the owner that will make me look at them differently the next season. It’s a new season same Cowboys. Either they will be worse or better but the end result will be the same. They will disappoint and not get back to the NFCCG at the very least. And people can talk themselves into next year will be the year if/when Dallas beat a good team in the regular season or have a nice stretch or even get the #1 seed but again it’s always going to end the same.  I know it has to be hard being a Cowboys fan. 

[Dr A W Niloc]

     The playoffs are still on and I'm already looking forward to the 2023 draft.  Two teams that rate to make the playoffs next season are of particular interest:  Detroit (3rd in draft capital) and Seattle (2nd).  Both will concentrate on defense.  My mind wonders if I should take a shot every time the Seahawks trade down but my liver says "No."

[ronjon1990]

1 hour ago, Dr A W Niloc said:

     The playoffs are still on and I'm already looking forward to the 2023 draft.  Two teams that rate to make the playoffs next season are of particular interest:  Detroit (3rd in draft capital) and Seattle (2nd).  Both will concentrate on defense.  My mind wonders if I should take a shot every time the Seahawks trade down but my liver says "No."

🍻

[stl4life07]

Another year of the almost but no cigar for the Niners. Their main issue is the QB position. Yes people will say IF Purdy didnt get hurt. They wouldnt have won if Purdy didnt get hurt. Hurts was the superior QB even less than 100% himself and it showed. The Niners need to go get themselves a real QB. They dont need to just roll with a pretty good QB that Kyle and the roster make look really good in the system. If they continue to roll with Purdy the results are going to continue to be the same. Almost but no cigar. They better hope Lance develops to what many think he could be when he came out bc if he doesnt the Niners are going to be stuck with a nice QB but not that QB that will put them over the hump.

I love the Niners roster too. They could go down as the team that had everything you want EXCEPT for the QB and thats the reason they never won a Superbowl. And the worst part is Kyle really never tried outside of trading up for Lance to truly get that QB. If I was a Niners fan thats the worst part. Thats worse than a losing franchise not doing all they can to build a team to win a championship. Like Deebo, Bosa, Kittle and these other talented players on the Niners roster arent getting any younger. And you will have to think eventually some of them will move on to another team in the future. They cant keep everyone long term. They were literally so close to losing Deebo in the offseason over a contract. So like they need to capitalize now. Go get a legit QB so the Niners can actually win a Superbowl.

The NFC isnt the strongest so next season the Niners will be back at the top of the the conference as favs to go to the Superbowl. They will be a top 5 fav in the NFL to win it all but until they truly solve their QB situation I wouldnt bet on them. In the NFC Ill bet on the Eagles and a healthy and motivated Rams team to come out of the NFC to reach the Superbowl. I wont even count out the Lions but they have to get their defense fixed. They need to go all defense in the draft and make a big defensive splash in FA too. They could be next season what the Eagles are this season if they fix their defense to go along with a great offense. Why? Bc in the end Purdy isnt going to carry the Niners over the hump. Jimmy G will be gone and we know NOTHING about Lance still.

[stl4life07]

And the streak still stands. The starting QB of the Superbowl loser don’t make it back the following season. Burrow had a great shot and just came up short. I still believe in this team moving forward. As long as Burrow stays healthy they will always have a shot. 
 

I do think they need to get healthy on the OL and might need to improve more on it. They have some work to do on defense to keep it strong. Also let’s see what happens with Mixon. Other than that they will still be Superbowl contenders in the NFL. The AFCN should be interesting next season assuming Lamar stays with the Ravens, Watson starts looking like his old self again and the continued growth of Pickett. So it’s not going to be easy for the Bengals in the division but they have a heck of a team and they proved this season that last season wasn’t a fluke. Pay Burrow and Chase and keep them a very very long time if not for their entire career.