🏈 🏈 🏈 2025 NFL Playoffs Conference Round Thread 🏈 🏈 🏈

[blackbears86]

Originally Posted by chompie99

Mike Perreira, retired NFL official said today to Rich Eisen that the people who think the refs are in the Chiefs pocket think that “because they don’t know a damn thing about officiating”. Interesting interview.

https://youtu.be/SY2IuRqvhvg?si=_7Ml6HQWtz6iG5e7

Like I said in the Chiefs thread, there's reality (the refs are not biased for the Chiefs) and there's perception. (they are)


With the exception of the KC fans, pretty much everyone else thinks the refs are in the Chiefs back pocket. (they are some outliers)


Perreira having to go on the Rich Eisen show to refute ref bias clearly shows that. What was the biggest sports headline this week after the general game discussion? The refs. All the national sports shows have discussed it this week.


Do I think the refs are in Patty's back pocket? NO, but that's not the opinion of many sports fans in this country right now, and that's the problem with the NFL.

[Bosoxfan5990]

Originally Posted by blackbears86

Like I said in the Chiefs thread, there's reality (the refs are not biased for the Chiefs) and there's perception. (they are)


With the exception of the KC fans, pretty much everyone else thinks the refs are in the Chiefs back pocket. (they are some outliers)


Perreira having to go on the Rich Eisen show to refute ref bias clearly shows that. What was the biggest sports headline this week after the general game discussion? The refs. All the national sports shows have discussed it this week.


Do I think the refs are in Patty's back pocket? NO, but that's not the opinion of many sports fans in this country right now, and that's the problem with the NFL.

Yet they'll all still watch.

[2010GBPackers]

Bills < Chiefs - It definitely feels like it's Buffalo's time, but Reid, Spags, and Mahomes have that voodoo magic. It's close, but another heartbreaker for the Bills. A loss here would be devastating for Allen and the Bills. If they lose here, the pressure will be soooo great in the following years, that it could prevent him from ever reaching his potential.

Commanders > Eagles - It'll be 40 and partly sunny: which favors WASH. If it were cold, rainy, or something like that, I'd be all over Philly, but Washington's offense will be too much for the Eagles who won't be able to keep up with their lackluster passing game. Will J. Daniels be the first rookie to win the SB??

[chompie99]

Originally Posted by blackbears86

Like I said in the Chiefs thread, there's reality (the refs are not biased for the Chiefs) and there's perception. (they are)


With the exception of the KC fans, pretty much everyone else thinks the refs are in the Chiefs back pocket. (they are some outliers)


Perreira having to go on the Rich Eisen show to refute ref bias clearly shows that. What was the biggest sports headline this week after the general game discussion? The refs. All the national sports shows have discussed it this week.


Do I think the refs are in Patty's back pocket? NO, but that's not the opinion of many sports fans in this country right now, and that's the problem with the NFL.

In the age of social media, perception may easily become a false reality. And since the currency of social media is outrage, the result is spending more time on those platforms. That’s the true gaslighting being done here.

[Fenway55]

Originally Posted by Bosoxfan5990

Yet they'll all still watch.

Not this year. So far, an awful lot of people have tuned out. None of us here in this forum are going to tune out, but the NFL has lost a lot of casuals compared to last year.

[Re2pect]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

Bills < Chiefs - It definitely feels like it's Buffalo's time, but Reid, Spags, and Mahomes have that voodoo magic. It's close, but another heartbreaker for the Bills. A loss here would be devastating for Allen and the Bills. If they lose here, the pressure will be soooo great in the following years, that it could prevent him from ever reaching his potential.

Commanders > Eagles - It'll be 40 and partly sunny: which favors WASH. If it were cold, rainy, or something like that, I'd be all over Philly, but Washington's offense will be too much for the Eagles who won't be able to keep up with their lackluster passing game. Will J. Daniels be the first rookie to win the SB??

Not with you on the Bills point. They need to get over the hump, but this was a rebuilding year in which the talking heads and peers counted them out. Just another measure of disrespect to Allen. Would be great to see him overcome!!

[JRX]

Didn't they already announce the ref that swapped jerseys with Mahomes is doing the super bowl?

[Jaysabz]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

Bills < Chiefs - It definitely feels like it's Buffalo's time, but Reid, Spags, and Mahomes have that voodoo magic. It's close, but another heartbreaker for the Bills. A loss here would be devastating for Allen and the Bills. If they lose here, the pressure will be soooo great in the following years, that it could prevent him from ever reaching his potential.

Commanders > Eagles - It'll be 40 and partly sunny: which favors WASH. If it were cold, rainy, or something like that, I'd be all over Philly, but Washington's offense will be too much for the Eagles who won't be able to keep up with their lackluster passing game. Will J. Daniels be the first rookie to win the SB??

The Eagles and Commanders played twice this year.

Each won in their own building.

In Week 11, Eagles (home) beat the Commanders (away) 26-18.

In Week 17, Jalen Hurts went down with a concussion 11 plays into the game. Kenny Pickett played the rest of the game. The Commander's won after scoring with six seconds left after a great drive by the Commanders, for a 36-33 final.

You say that the Eagles passing game is lackluster. It's true that the numbers aren't jaw-dropping, but their philosophy all year has been to grind it out, run, wear out the defensive lines, run the clock, and pounce on the defenses in the second half when they are gassed. They've been saying - just because the Eagles haven't been throwing the ball much doesn't mean they can't. Especially when they are holding leads.

Eagles also will have home-field advantage, something I'm not sure that you may have thought of but didn't cite in your game analyses.

Further, the Eagles had the #1 overall total defense this year. The two teams the Commanders beat to get to the NFC Championship game were the Bucs (18th overall total defense) and Lions (20th overall total defense).

Should be a fun watch. Even though I'm an Eagles fan, there's nothing I can do to effect the outcome of the game, so I just have to watch and hope for a win, and if that doesn't happen, give props to Washington and wish them luck in the Super Bowl!

[Bosoxfan5990]

Originally Posted by Fenway55

Not this year. So far, an awful lot of people have tuned out. None of us here in this forum are going to tune out, but the NFL has lost a lot of casuals compared to last year.

Are there numbers to back this up?

[2010GBPackers]

Originally Posted by Re2pect

Not with you on the Bills point. They need to get over the hump, but this was a rebuilding year in which the talking heads and peers counted them out. Just another measure of disrespect to Allen. Would be great to see him overcome!!

You're right, they weren't expected to do this this year, but here we are. Letting another opportunity slip away (especially after beating the Chiefs in the regular season) would be a mental mind F. I truly believe in the accumulation of missed chances having a negative effect over time. It also works the other way, and multiple positive results leads to mental freedom, which in turn produces more, positive results - i.e. the Chiefs.

Originally Posted by Jaysabz

The Eagles and Commanders played twice this year.

Each won in their own building.

In Week 11, Eagles (home) beat the Commanders (away) 26-18.

In Week 17, Jalen Hurts went down with a concussion 11 plays into the game. Kenny Pickett played the rest of the game. The Commander's won after scoring with six seconds left after a great drive by the Commanders, for a 36-33 final.

You say that the Eagles passing game is lackluster. It's true that the numbers aren't jaw-dropping, but their philosophy all year has been to grind it out, run, wear out the defensive lines, run the clock, and pounce on the defenses in the second half when they are gassed. They've been saying - just because the Eagles haven't been throwing the ball much doesn't mean they can't. Especially when they are holding leads.

Eagles also will have home-field advantage, something I'm not sure that you may have thought of but didn't cite in your game analyses.

Further, the Eagles had the #1 overall total defense this year. The two teams the Commanders beat to get to the NFC Championship game were the Bucs (18th overall total defense) and Lions (20th overall total defense).

Should be a fun watch. Even though I'm an Eagles fan, there's nothing I can do to effect the outcome of the game, so I just have to watch and hope for a win, and if that doesn't happen, give props to Washington and wish them luck in the Super Bowl!

I understand your rationale, but there are just too many examples of teams getting hot at the end of the season, into the playoffs, and then win the SB. Without really looking too much further, you have the 2007 NY Giants, 2010 Packers, 2011 NY Giants, 2020 Buccaneers, 2021 LA Rams. The Commanders can keep pace, offensively, with anyone in the league and have an underrated defense. The recipe is there.

[Jaysabz]

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

I understand your rationale, but there are just too many examples of teams getting hot at the end of the season, into the playoffs, and then win the SB. Without really looking too much further, you have the 2007 NY Giants, 2010 Packers, 2011 NY Giants, 2020 Buccaneers, 2021 LA Rams. The Commanders can keep pace, offensively, with anyone in the league and have an underrated defense. The recipe is there.

Agreed.

Per Pro Football Reference, here were the betting odds at the beginning of this year's preseason. Bolded teams are still alive:

Kansas City Chiefs +500
San Francisco 49ers +600
Baltimore Ravens +1000
Philadelphia Eagles +1200
Detroit Lions +1200
Cincinnati Bengals +1300
Houston Texans +1600
Green Bay Packers +1600
Buffalo Bills +1600
New York Jets +2000
Dallas Cowboys +2000
Miami Dolphins +2500
Los Angeles Rams +3000
Atlanta Falcons +3000
Chicago Bears +3500
Los Angeles Chargers +4000
Cleveland Browns +4000
Pittsburgh Steelers +5000
Jacksonville Jaguars +5000
Seattle Seahawks +6600
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +8000
Indianapolis Colts +8000
New Orleans Saints +10000
Minnesota Vikings +10000
Arizona Cardinals +12500
Washington Commanders +15000
Tennessee Titans +15000
Las Vegas Raiders +15000
Denver Broncos +15000
New York Giants +20000
Carolina Panthers +25000
New England Patriots +30000

I know we have pro sports betting in most states now through apps on our phones - but back before that whenever I'd be in Vegas and if I was up a couple 100 I'd usually put a $100 futures bet on a longshot Philly team.

Wonder if there's any Commander's fans with a $100 ticket that'll pay $15,000 if the Commander's win the Super Bowl - and what do you do if you have one? Do you cash out now, be happy with the money and if the Commanders do win it all, it's a cherry on top, or do you go for it all - $15,000 + a Super Bowl win or $0 and a NFC Championship or Super Bowl loss?!?!

[BostonNut]

Is 6-5 during the Mahomes era though?

Originally Posted by Siberian13

The Chiefs are 6-5 when Cete Blakeman is officiating. It won’t be his full crew as its’s mixed crew due to playoffs.

Blakeman's crews called 252 penalties in 16 games, the highest penalty totals in the NFL this season.

Top 5 Most Penalties by Crew:
Clete Blakeman: 252 penalties/2128 yards/289 flags
Craig Wrolstad: 252/2092/302
Ron Torbert: 235/1958/285
Alex Kemp: 231/1898/265
Shawn Hochuli: 221/1811/274


Shawn Hochuli will calling the Eagles game.

[Siberian13]

Originally Posted by BostonNut

Is 6-5 during the Mahomes era though?

Edit: corrected

Since becoming an NFL referee ahead of the 2010 season, Blakeman has worked 17 Chiefs games. KC is 10-7 in those games.


But the Chiefs are 6-5 (.545) in games Blakeman has worked while Patrick Mahomes has been the Chiefs’ starting quarterback.

[Siberian13]

Rumor has it that 48% of the Commanders' offensive holding calls this season came in the two games Hochuli and Alex Kemp officiated. Kemp is working with Hochuli's crew this weekend.

Also, the Eagles are 6-0 in games Hochuli has officiated under head coach Nick Sirianni.

[slyguy]

I am excited to watch.

KC is just such a different team than Mahomes' early years throwing bombs to Tyreek and Watkins and Kelce. It's a grindy defense team now. Bills are also a different team with now just mediocre WRs yet a fairly good RB and Josh Allen a lot better at minimizing turnovers versus young years. I think Buffalo has slightly more talent in 2024, but their coaching is average at best... and that's just huge in big games. I think Chiefs win it... probably a one score game.

Jayden and Wash are out of rabbits to pull from the hat. This one won't be close; the Skins will get beat pretty bad. The line reflects this. Philly already outplayed them twice easily this year imo (a last-minute 12/22 win in a game Hurts left injured in Q1 doesn't really count to me). Philly will roll and be pulling starters out in Q4.

Three more games, guys ! !

Originally Posted by 2010GBPackers

... A loss here would be devastating for Allen and the Bills. If they lose here, the pressure will be soooo great in the following years...

They're on the road. KC is 1 seed.
They had their chances for #1 seed, and they messed them up.
I don't think losing any road game is devastating.
It's pretty clear by not that Josh Allen is the Peyton to Mahomes' Brady status for this generation.
Sad? Upsetting? Frustrating? Sure... but not devastating to lose to 2x defending SB champs on the road. Jmo.

It was probably more devastating to lose to them in Buffalo last year 2023 AFC divi round at home in NY?

[Fenway55]

Originally Posted by Bosoxfan5990

Are there numbers to back this up?

Yes..

[lionsfan20]

Originally Posted by Delta5

Brady had 3 SB too before Manning finally able to beat him. Buffalo is red hot and defense starting to show up. I like ou chances

So are you officially a Bills fan now? Thought you were a life long Saints fan? Or did you officially jump onto Bills bandwagon because the Saints suck? Gotta love bandwagon fans. Some of us just stick with our teams through good and bad. Or mostly bad in our case. Either way us Lions fans will save a spot on the beach for you and your boy Allen. After mahomie sends him on vacation again this weekend.

[2dueces]

Buffalo’s season is such a crazy story it’s almost possible this is the one.
Bills lost 6 pro bowlers , #1 and #2 receivers. They lost 3 of their 4 starting defense backfield, Poyer, Hyde and White. Milano missed 16 months with injuries and still is about 80%. They lost their starting center, line blocking assignments veteran Mitch Morse.
James Cook had 4 total rushing touchdowns in his career until this year with 16 total lead the league.
Who ever heard of Shakir until this year? Mac Hollins is with his 4th team in 4 years and was a team leader in receiving TD’s.

Vegas had them at 10 wins behind Miami and the Jets and they clinch at Thanksgiving.
If they pull it off, it’s nothing short of a Hollywood movie. GO BILLS!

[Siberian13]

Originally Posted by 2dueces

Buffalo’s season is such a crazy story it’s almost possible this is the one.
Bills lost 6 pro bowlers , #1 and #2 receivers. They lost 3 of their 4 starting defense backfield, Poyer, Hyde and White. Milano missed 16 months with injuries and still is about 80%. They lost their starting center, line blocking assignments veteran Mitch Morse.
James Cook had 4 total rushing touchdowns in his career until this year with 16 total lead the league.
Who ever heard of Shakir until this year? Mac Hollins is with his 4th team in 4 years and was a team leader in receiving TD’s.

Vegas had them at 10 wins behind Miami and the Jets and they clinch at Thanksgiving.
If they pull it off, it’s nothing short of a Hollywood movie. GO BILLS!

Addition by subtraction.

[hairysasquatch]

Originally Posted by lionsfan20

So are you officially a Bills fan now? Thought you were a life long Saints fan? Or did you officially jump onto Bills bandwagon because the Saints suck? Gotta love bandwagon fans. Some of us just stick with our teams through good and bad. Or mostly bad in our case. Either way us Lions fans will save a spot on the beach for you and your boy Allen. After mahomie sends him on vacation again this weekend.

Delta5 getting lit up - you love to see it!

[Delta5]

Originally Posted by lionsfan20

So are you officially a Bills fan now? Thought you were a life long Saints fan? Or did you officially jump onto Bills bandwagon because the Saints suck? Gotta love bandwagon fans. Some of us just stick with our teams through good and bad. Or mostly bad in our case. Either way us Lions fans will save a spot on the beach for you and your boy Allen. After mahomie sends him on vacation again this weekend.

Shouldve been more specific. I'm a great QB fan which is something lions dont and will never have. Enjoy your cancun, we're going to new orleans

[blackbears86]

Originally Posted by Delta5

Shouldve been more specific. I'm a great QB fan which is something lions dont and will never have. Enjoy your cancun, we're going to new orleans

Delta: Are you done for a year if the Bills lose Sunday? Are you going to honor the bet with Sleeper?

[blackbears86]

waiting for an answer delta.

[Chris P]

Originally Posted by blackbears86

waiting for an answer delta.

He's sidestepped this question everytime it's brought up. Expect a "I never agreed to that bet" at best

[Chris P]

Originally Posted by Delta5

Shouldve been more specific. I'm a great QB fan which is something lions dont and will never have. Enjoy your cancun, we're going to new orleans

A "Great QB fan"

What a cop out LOL.