NFL Week 5 thread -- SOFI or TUKKER?

[Cosmo]

Cowboys-Rams and Bengals-Ravens look to the best games of the week. Let's get to it.

Thursday night
Indianapolis at Denver (-3.5/43.5), PRIME

Oy mate!
N.Y. Giants vs. Green Bay (-8, 41.5), 9:30 a.m. at the House Sonny Built, NFL

Sunday early
Tennessee (-2.5/42.5) at Washington, CBS
Pittsburgh at Buffalo (-14/47), CBS
L.A. Chargers (-3/48) at Cleveland, CBS
Chicago at Minnesota (-7/44), FOX
Detroit at New England (-3/46.5), FOX
Seattle at New Orleans (-5.5/46), FOX
Miami (-3/44.5) at N.Y. Jets, CBS
Atlanta at Tampa Bay (-8.5/48), FOX
Houston at Jacksonville (-7/44.5), CBS

Sunday late
San Francisco (-5.5/39.5) at Carolina, CBS
Dallas at L.A. Rams (5.5/45.5), FOX
Philadelphia (-5/49.5) at Arizona, FOX

Sunday night
Cincinnati at Baltimore (-3/48.5), NBC

Monday night
Las Vegas at Kansas City (-7/51), ESPN

THOUGHTS: I don't know what happens if Washington drops to 1-4, but all I know is that Wentz is ****ing terrible and I hate having to watch him drop back, lose 15 yards scrambling around, getting called for intentional grounding, yada yada yada. Bench his sorry ass already. ... Seeing the Bills giving two TDs to the Steelers is jarring, but the correct line. ... Sounds like no Tua (good thing). Dolphins-Jets could be sneaky interesting? Hurtz vs. Murray is an interesting QB matchup.

 

[TigerVols]

Cowboys-Rams and Bengals-Ravens look to the best games of the week. Let's get to it.

Thursday night
Indianapolis at Denver (-3.5/43.5), PRIME

Oy mate!
N.Y. Giants vs. Green Bay (-8, 41.5), 9:30 a.m. at the House Sonny Built, NFL

Sunday early
Tennessee (-2.5/42.5) at Washington, CBS
Pittsburgh at Buffalo (-14/47), CBS
L.A. Chargers (-3/48) at Cleveland, CBS
Chicago at Minnesota (-7/44), FOX
Detroit at New England (-3/46.5), FOX
Seattle at New Orleans (-5.5/46), FOX
Miami (-3/44.5) at N.Y. Jets, CBS
Atlanta at Tampa Bay (-8.5/48), FOX
Houston at Jacksonville (-7/44.5), CBS

Sunday late
San Francisco (-5.5/39.5) at Carolina, CBS
Dallas at L.A. Rams (5.5/45.5), FOX
Philadelphia (-5/49.5) at Arizona, FOX

Sunday night
Cincinnati at Baltimore (-3/48.5), NBC

Monday night
Las Vegas at Kansas City (-7/51), ESPN

THOUGHTS: I don't know what happens if Washington drops to 1-4, but all I know is that Wentz is ****ing terrible and I hate having to watch him drop back, lose 15 yards scrambling around, getting called for intentional grounding, yada yada yada. Bench his sorry ass already. ... Seeing the Bills giving two TDs to the Steelers is jarring, but the correct line. ... Sounds like no Tua (good thing). Dolphins-Jets could be sneaky interesting? Hurtz vs. Murray is an interesting QB matchup.

That Titans are shaky at full-strength and they ain’t nowhere near that now so I don’t think the WFT* has much to worry about. Especially with Todd Dowling calling the plays.

 

[Gutter]

With Sunday’s game, the Packers become the final team to play a game overseas.

 

[Jake from State Farm]

Didn’t take long for all that excitement over the Hard Knocks Lions to disappear

 

[Cosmo]

Per the Steelers' depth chart, Pickett is starting in Buffalo. That has to be it for Trubisky as an NFL starter barring injury, right? Couldn't even make it five weeks.

 

[da man]

Didn’t take long for all that excitement over the Hard Knocks Lions to disappear

They're the most exciting team in football. All of their games are high-scoring and tight. I love 'em.

Edit: Amon-Ra might be my favorite player in the league right now.

 

[da man]

Dallas-Rams line seems high to me. Stafford might be carried out on a stretcher by halftime.

 

[heyabbott]

They're the most exciting team in football. All of their games are high-scoring and tight. I love 'em.

Sounds like my homecoming date in HS, high scoring and tight

 

[da man]

Sounds like my homecoming date in HS, high scoring and tight

RIMSHOT!

 

[UPChip]

When I saw that slate for the late-afternoon slot, I thought there must have been byes (there aren't). Merry Christmas America, it's a "Let's Put the Cowboys on National TV By Default" weekend.

 

[sgreenwell]

Per the Steelers' depth chart, Pickett is starting in Buffalo. That has to be it for Trubisky as an NFL starter barring injury, right? Couldn't even make it five weeks.

I mean, he was kind of "done" as a starter for a year or two before this, since IIRC he was Allen's back-up in Buffalo. That kind of seems like the perfect role for him - backup to a QB that likes to use his legs, vs. making tons of precision reads. He's 28 and there's plenty of tape on him at this point, so I'm not sure if one of those #25 to #32 ranked teams bring him in for an honest QB competition in the spring. (It's also probably a matter if he wants to keep trying to be a starter on a ****ty team, or, if he's comfortable being a backup on a good team.)

 

[poindexter]

Didn’t take long for all that excitement over the Hard Knocks Lions to disappear

They're the highest scoring team in the league, and scored an NFL season high last week with their starting rb and best wr out.

 

[Jake from State Farm]

They're the highest scoring team in the league, and scored an NFL season high last week with their starting rb and best wr out.

And found a way to lose

 

[poindexter]

The Lions aren't like a real NFL team where people expect them to actually win games and compete for championships. So when they are competitive and at least score points, NFL fans will recognize their achievement.

Like if a mentally incapacitated person were able to read, say, the book Go Dog Go, you would applaud them. It's not what you'd expect from an average adult, but for them, its a big deal.

You should be proud, and celebrate the Lions right now.

 

[goalmouth]

The Bears should have fired Eberflus before the final gun of the Giants game. Stack the box to stop Barkley and dare Jones to beat you from the pocket, without a pass rush. Sheesh.

 

[outofplace]

I mean, he was kind of "done" as a starter for a year or two before this, since IIRC he was Allen's back-up in Buffalo. That kind of seems like the perfect role for him - backup to a QB that likes to use his legs, vs. making tons of precision reads. He's 28 and there's plenty of tape on him at this point, so I'm not sure if one of those #25 to #32 ranked teams bring him in for an honest QB competition in the spring. (It's also probably a matter if he wants to keep trying to be a starter on a ****ty team, or, if he's comfortable being a backup on a good team.)

The theory was that maybe the Bills helped him work out his mechanical issues as they did with Allen, but that didn't happen. In addition to not reading defenses well and checking down when guys were coming open down the field far too often, his mechanics are still erratic.

I know Pickett threw three interceptions in a half and the second one was a poor decision, but he at least looked like a guy who could be a starter in the NFL. He showed a good feel for the pocket, the toughness to take a hit and the guts to make the aggressive throws when they are there. I'm still not certain that he is going to pan out, but he is certainly better than Trubisky right now.

Cosmo is right about the line. The Steelers haven't been that big of an underdog very often, but they are a legitimately bad team right now. T.J. Watt's greatness covered up some major flaws on defense. That unit wasn't very good when it was just him out of the lineup. Now they might be missing four of their top six defensive backs Sunday. Allen should be able to do whatever he wants and the Bills could easily put up 40-plus points.

 

[Jake from State Farm]

The Lions aren't like a real NFL team where people expect them to actually win games and compete for championships.

THAT’s why they’re the Lions
The last time they won a title I was 3
They won’t go to a Super Bowl in my lifetime

You should be proud, and celebrate the Lions right now.

They gave up 48 points to a team quarterbacked by Geno Smith

 

[Jake from State Farm]

Trouble in paradise

https://pagesix.com/2022/10/04/tom-...17.228306950.1664901927-1205320431.1647872526

 

[CD Boogie]

The theory was that maybe the Bills helped him work out his mechanical issues as they did with Allen, but that didn't happen. In addition to not reading defenses well and checking down when guys were coming open down the field far too often, his mechanics are still erratic.

I know Pickett threw three interceptions in a half and the second one was a poor decision, but he at least looked like a guy who could be a starter in the NFL. He showed a good feel for the pocket, the toughness to take a hit and the guts to make the aggressive throws when they are there. I'm still not certain that he is going to pan out, but he is certainly better than Trubisky right now.

Cosmo is right about the line. The Steelers haven't been that big of an underdog very often, but they are a legitimately bad team right now. T.J. Watt's greatness covered up some major flaws on defense. That unit wasn't very good when it was just him out of the lineup. Now they might be missing four of their top six defensive backs Sunday. Allen should be able to do whatever he wants and the Bills could easily put up 40-plus points.

The Steelers have lost 3 in a row and could easily be 1-7 entering the bye because these are their next four games:
@ Buffalo
Bucs
@Miami
@ Philly

If so, that's the time to make a coaching change. (Maybe elevate Flores? Got knows Canada ain't getting promoted.)

To justify firing Tomlin, the Steelers need to have a losing record or go on an extended losing streak. They're well on their way.

 

[heyabbott]

The Steelers have lost 3 in a row and could easily be 1-7 entering the bye because these are their next four games:
@ Buffalo
Bucs
@Miami
@ Philly

If so, that's the time to make a coaching change. (Maybe elevate Flores? Got knows Canada ain't getting promoted.)

To justify firing Tomlin, the Steelers need to have a losing record or go on an extended losing streak. They're well on their way.

Tomlin would have to do go 0-34 before it would even be contemplated. Tomlin has a job for life.