THE... OFFICIAL 2015 NFL SEASON Thread

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Panthers could wrap up NFC South in next two weeks with Falcons struggling

39m
ESPN 


CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A month ago, it appeared the Dec. 13 and Dec. 27 games against the Atlanta Falcons could be crucial to the Carolina Panthers winning the NFC South for a third straight year.

Now, they could be meaningless, at least in terms of the division title.

Atlanta (6-4) has lost four of its past five games to fall four games behind the Panthers (10-0).

If the Falcons lose one of their next two games against Minnesota (7-3) or Tampa Bay (5-5) and the Panthers win their next two against Dallas (3-7) and New Orleans (4-6), the division race is over.

The Panthers also are in position to win home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. They have a two-game lead in the NFC over Arizona (8-2) and are three up on Green Bay (7-3) and Minnesota (7-3), with a win over the Packers.

Carolina coach Ron Rivera isn't looking past Thursday's game at Dallas, reminding the team that the one-game-at-a-time mentality has been key to this run.

"That's what really has helped us is just trying to make sure we focus in on the little details, because the big things will take care of itself if we take care enough of the little details,'' Rivera said after Sunday's 44-16 victory over Washington.

"Guys are really thinking that if we do that, if we can continue to roll and make things happen, we will validate ourselves eventually. We are fine with that.''

[MartyS (Gromit)]

Listening to sports talk radio in Philly has been quite hilarious today, it seem the end of the world had come....

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Listening to sports talk radio in Philly has been quite hilarious today, it seem the end of the world had come....

I've read a couple of articles about that, and even saw a clip of a former mayor with a bag over his face

Not holding out much hope for my Bills against the Patriots tonight but we're used to defeat

[MartyS (Gromit)]

 Now the world is really ending in Philly...

Wow, glad I only watched the first 10 minutes or so before heading out to eat some turkey...

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And the Panthers go to 11-0 over the Cowchips
You'd think the doubters would learn by now

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Dominant Panthers prove they're worthy of 16-0 talk

    Around The NFL
    Published: Nov. 26, 2015 at 08:26 p.m.
    Updated: Nov. 27, 2015 at 01:01 a.m.

Jerry Jones couldn't have dreamed up a bigger Thanksgiving nightmare. America's Team was just a supporting actor on the holiday.

Thursday's 33-14 destruction by the Panthers was the latest proof that Carolina is picking up steam in a bid to become the third team in NFL history to finish the regular season with an undefeated record. Tony Romo's collarbone injury was difficult to watch, but it sadly just confirmed that the Football Gods have not smiled upon the Cowboys this season.

Dallas gets a lot of attention because they drive ratings and page views, but the Panthers drive the ball down opposings teams' throats week after week. This is the best Panthers team since at least 1996, and they shouldn't be anyone's underdogs.

This performance showed why the Panthers have been so special this year. They play complementary football, and know how to finish games. Carolina's relentless defense finished with three takeaways and only 210 yards allowed, much of that in garbage time. Led by Luke Kuechly's two interceptions, the Panthers' defense essentially scored 17 points on their own.

Dallas' vaunted offensive line and streaking running game was held to 39 yards. The Panthers made life miserable for Romo, pressuring him into poor decisions. Romo averaged only five yards per attempt on 21 throws before leaving, with three interceptions. It was a humbling game well before Romo's unfortunate injury. Even if Romo was in midseason form, this would have been a mismatch. The Cowboys were a legitimate powerhouse a season ago, but this Panthers team is far more balanced than the 2014 Cowboys.

This was not a game the Panthers needed five touchdown throws out of Cam Newton. But his performance Thursday was a perfect example of how this team wins week after week. Newton helped extend drives by going 8-of-16 on third downs. His rushing ability and the threat of his run game led to 139 yards on the ground, the 22nd straight game they have topped 100 yards.

Newton also delivered a handful of lasers, usually up the seams, to extend drives early in the game. He avoided a turnover for the third straight game. He's controlling the offense more than ever at the line of scrimmage.

This is the team that Ron Rivera and offensive coordinator Mike Shula imagined in their dreams. They are tougher and smarter than their competition on both sides of the ball. After two games earlier in the season (Colts, Packers) where they allowed big leads to slip, they have finished off their last three opponents with a flourish.

The real NFL season starts at Thanksgiving, so it's no longer too early to seriously contemplate a 16-0 Panthers squad. They don't have a lay-up in their final five weeks. Matt Ryan, Drew Brees, Jameis Winston and Eli Manning are all good enough to get hot for a day and pull off an upset. Winning in New Orleans, New York and Atlanta would come with complications. But there are no top-10 teams left on the docket.

This is a team that has passed every test, and that includes making the Cowboys an afterthought on their biggest day. Why not chase perfection?

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Carolina Panthers Could Have a Playoff Spot Secured on Sunday

PantherInsider.com
Yesterday at 8:27 PM

The Carolina Panthers have already played their game for Week 12 and with their win over the Dallas Cowboys could secure a playoff spot on Sunday at home watching the games.

Thanks to an 11-0 record, the Carolina Panthers is one of two teams that could secure playoff spots this week along with the New England Patriots. There is actually five scenarios that could result in a playoff spot for the Panthers, according to CBS Sports:

    Seattle Seahawks loss or tie + Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss or tie
    Seattle Seahawks loss or tie + Atlanta Falcons loss or tie
    Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss or tie + Minnesota Vikings loss + Arizona Cardinals loss
    Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss or tie + Minnesota Vikings loss + Arizona Cardinals tie
    Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss or tie + Minnesota Vikings tie + Arizona Cardinals loss



The easiest scenario for the Panthers to get in, or the least complicated, would be if the Seahawks were to lose on Sunday. The Seahawks will be welcoming a Pittsburgh Steelers team that has looked rejuvenated, winning their past two games, and has their starting quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, healthy again. The Seahawks will be facing the Steelers at 4:25 on Sunday.

Before the Seahawks play, the Panthers will want to keep their eye on two divisional foes as the Bucs and Falcons are both playing at 1 PM and facing the Indianapolis Colts and Minnesota Vikings respectively.

The game that is probably more important, from the Panthers perspective, would be the Bucs game. If the Bucs are to lose, it would open up four of the five possible scenarios. It doesn't really matter which team wins between the Falcons and Vikings because the Panthers can still secure a playoff spot either way.

If Tampa Bay does lose to the Colts, the other important game to watch would be the Cardinals game against the 49ers at 4:05. However, this game will not matter if the Vikings win but that would thenl open up the second scenario for the Panthers to secure a playoff spot.

While this may be confusing, the one thing to take away is that the Panthers have a number of possibilities in securing a playoff spot and could punch their ticket to the playoffs by Sunday night.

Just Wow! 

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Well this is interesting..
All 4 teams the Panthers play in December (Saints, Falcons, Giants, & Bucs - we play the Falcons twice) Lost today
Chances for the Panthers running the table to go 16-0 just increased

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And Then There Was 1
Went to sleep in the 3rd qtr of the Patriots @ Broncos game and wake up to see the patriots Lost in Overtime 30 - 24! With backup quarterback Brock Osweiler?? Wow!

Osweiler leads Broncos to wild comeback win over Pats

NFL.com
    Published: Nov. 29, 2015 at 11:59 p.m.
    Updated: Nov. 30, 2015 at 08:29 a.m.

Brock Osweiler turned on the heat late against the New England Patriots (10-1) at a snowy Mile High, leading the Denver Broncos (9-2) to a wild 30-24 comeback win in overtime and ending New England's perfect season. Here's what we learned:

1. In retrospect, it was a lot to ask of Brock Osweiler to -- in only his second start -- loosen the stiff Patriots' secondary on a frigid snowy night in Denver. But the backup turned the heat on late, leading a feverish fourth-quarter comeback after a slow start and staked his claim for the starting job in Denver. Osweiler didn't light up the stat sheet (23/42, 270 yards, TD, INT), but he moved the ball in the second half, distributed to his key playmakers when necessary and made throws few quarterbacks, especially Peyton Manning, could make in that weather.

Of course, he was aided greatly by his skill players. Emmanuel Sanders was on the receiving end of some big Brock throws and finished with six receptions for 113 yards. C.J. Anderson woke up from his season-long slump to pound the Pats' front seven (15 rush, 113 yards, 2 TDs) and ice the game with a 48-yard burner down the left sideline.

2. Breaking: Tom Brady is not a human being, and the Patriots' offense is a flawless machine. Brady's one-minute drill at the end of the fourth quarter was a masterwork, even without considering that his weapons were as nameless as New England's shadowy ball boys. The Patriots legend took his tattered offense -- read: Scott Chandler and Chris Harper -- 51 yards down the field in 69 seconds just to set up Stephen Gostkowski's 47-yard game-tying field goal attempt on snowy footing -- not to mention that New England nearly got burned on a confusing injury timeout that stopped, and then started the clock with the Patriots unaware. Is it the least bit surprising that Brady could pull this off? No. Is it thrilling each and every time he does it? You bet. (NFL VP of Officiating Dean Blandino said the clock was administered correctly).

3. The hits keep coming for the Patriots. With Julian Edelman, Dion Lewis and Danny Amendola already sidelined, Brady's boys couldn't afford any more casualties, especially to either of their remaining skill players. One of those vital pieces, Rob Gronkowski, went down Sunday night with a right knee injury in the fourth quarter and was carted off the field. Devastated by injuries, New England came into the game with only three receivers and three tight ends, but Brady was able to move the ball thanks in large part to the space and coverage Gronk commanded. Initial tests on Gronk's knee rule out a serious injury, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per a source informed of the results. However if Gronkowski is out for a considerable amount of time, there's no telling how Brady and the Patriots will rebound.

4. The straw that nearly broke the Broncos' back was Brady's bomb to Brandon Bolden in the third quarter, a play that perfectly epitomized Belichick's game plan coming into this game shorthanded on offense. With Bolden in the backfield on a third down in a two TE-two WR set, Brady sent the running back on a wheel route out right while Denver dropped back in man coverage. Bolden drew Broncos linebacker Danny Trevathan and took him for a ride down the right sideline for a 63-yard touchdown. Who needs Pro Bowl weapons when you have perfectly run wheel routes? Right? With players falling by the wayside, look for the Pats to rely on these types of plays going forward.

5. Demaryius Thomas, Peyton Manning's favorite ballhawk, had a rough night with Osweiler throwing him the football. The receiver, who signed a new $70 million deal this offseason, had just one catch on 12 targets. He didn't come back to the football on more than one occasion, and looked far from the elite receiver he was touted to be heading into the matchup. Credit unsung Patriots defensive back Logan Ryan for the shutdown effort as well.

6. Danny Amendola's absence had evident effects on the New England offense, but it was on special teams where his injury proved the most costly. Harper, a rookie punt returner, fumbled a fourth-quarter punt in Patriots territory following another stunted Broncos drive, breathing life into Denver's offense and the slumbering Mile High crowd. The Broncos recovered the ball at the New England 36, Anderson pulled the game to within seven points on a touchdown run on the ensuing four-play drive and swung the momentum of the game fully in Denver's favor.

7. With this loss, the Patriots' perfect season is officially over. New England suffered a few scares along the way at the hands of the Colts, Jets, Giants and Bills, but it was eventually the Broncos -- Manning's team, for what it's worth -- that did them in. Maybe it will be a blessing in disguise for this wounded Patriots team, free from the burden that comes with having to extend a perfect season week-by-week and to deal with the media's incessant questions about it. But don't worry, perfectionists: the 11-0 Panthers are still hanging in there.

[RVR II]

Hey Marty, Your coach says he's staying in Philly but reports say he's going..

Titans Head Coach Search: Latest News, Rumors, Speculation Surrounding Position

Associated Press

The Tennessee Titans announced they had parted ways with head coach Ken Whisenhunt after less than two seasons on Nov. 3, and potential candidates to replace him are already starting to emerge.

Continue for updates.


Kelly Reportedly Could End Up in Tennessee
Monday, Nov. 30

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network went on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia and said "to not rule out a trade" of Chip Kelly to the Titans. Rapoport added the deal could involve a first-round pick.

Kelly's tenure as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles hasn't gone as planned thus far with a 24-19 record, one playoff appearance and no playoff wins through parts of three seasons. Because of that, there is seemingly constant talk regarding Kelly leaving Philly following the 2015 season.

While that speculation usually focuses on a potential return to the college ranks, on Nov. 3, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio said he believes Kelly could be a fit with the Titans.

On Nov. 4, Florio outlined a potential path to Nashville for Kelly:

    After the season ends for the Titans and Eagles, the Titans would be permitted to request from the Eagles permission to speak to Kelly, and to sign him to a contract. Before permission is granted, the two teams must negotiate the terms of compensation, in the event the Titans hire Kelly.

    The question becomes what the Eagles would want for Kelly, and what the Titans would be willing to surrender. Much of that hinges on how committed Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is to keeping Kelly around—and how committed the Titans would be to getting him.

    Kelly's wishes will be a major factor in this. If he wants out of Philly, Lurie likely won't put up a major fight to keep him around. Especially if the Eagles, currently 3-4, don't make it to the playoffs this season.

Kelly enjoyed tremendous success at the University of Oregon with Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota as his quarterback. Tennessee, of course, selected Mariota with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft.

Mariota has shown some flashes of brilliance thus far, but Kelly knows how to utilize him better than anyone else.

Kelly has cycled through quarterbacks at an alarming rate in Philadelphia, with Nick Foles, Mark Sanchez and Sam Bradford all failing to firmly establish themselves as franchise signal-callers.

The Titans have plenty of deficiencies on their roster, but if Kelly believes he can recreate some Oregon magic in Tennessee, it isn't inconceivable to think he could jump ship from a team that has gone 10-6 in back-to-back seasons to a team that has been one of the NFL's worst since 2012.


Jackson Reportedly Draws Titans Interest
Thursday, Nov. 19

Rapoport reported while interim head coach Mike Mularkey could still win the job, Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson has emerged as a potential candidate in Nashville. Rapoport noted Jackson is a hot candidate, and the Titans are interested in landing him.

[MartyS (Gromit)]

Hey Marty, Your coach says he's staying in Philly but reports say he's going..

The talk radio folks have been saying that for a week....

Can a coach be traded?

I don't think his ego will let him walk away from the NFL and go back to college.

The other big rumor is that the owner will take the GM power away from him and that will get him to quit.  Seems kind of pointless, just fire the guy already!  3 years with every year worse than the last, how much longer are they going to keep circling the drain?  At this point we are stuck with mediocre talent and crappy picks due to the deals made to get the crappy talent, it's going to be bad for a few years here no matter what.  The defense was the only good part of the team this year and that has now tanked.

[RVR II]

Hey Marty, Your coach says he's staying in Philly but reports say he's going..

The talk radio folks have been saying that for a week....

Can a coach be traded?

It's happened in the past..

» Herm Edwards to the Chiefs (2006): Edwards brought the Jets a fourth-round pick.

» Jon Gruden to the Bucs (2002): In return, the Raiders received two first-round picks, two second-round picks and $8 million in compensation.

» Marty Schottenheimer to the Redskins (2001): The Chiefs received two third-round picks in return.

» Bill Belichick to the Patriots (2000): The Jets received a first-round pick and some lower-round picks were exchanged. The Jets got a fourth-round selection in 2001 and a seventh-round selection in 2002, but the Patriots received a fifth-round pick in 2001 and a seventh-round pick in 2002.

» Bill Parcells to the Jets (1997): The Patriots received first, second, third and fourth-round picks plus $300,000.

Never say never

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Well I think we can lock up the NFC South for the 3rd straight year at least..

Playoff Picture: Three teams can lock up playoff spots in Week 13

CBSSports.com
December 1, 2015 1:44 pm ET

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and had a chance to take in a few NFL games in between turkey and leftovers. We had some great games this week, but neither New England nor Carolina could garner a playoff spot as the Patriots lost and weren't helped by a Jets win, while the Panthers needed a Seahawks loss to clinch and didn't get it.

No clinches along with no playoff eliminations leaves us with 32 teams still in playoff contention with five weeks to play. This is the first year since 2004 that all NFL teams remain alive with five weeks left and only the third time since 1990 that this has occurred (1995 had all 30 NFL teams alive heading into Week 13).

The main factor leading to no eliminations is that we have a large proportion of teams around the .500 level at 6-5 and 5-6, and that provides some wild-card hopes for teams at 2-9 and 3-8. In fact, in the AFC we have 10 of 16 teams within a two-game spread from 4-7 to 6-5 and nine of 16 NFC teams in that same range. These next two weeks should provide some space, and likely some eliminations.

As for Week 13, we have three teams that can clinch playoff spots. Let's start in the NFC with the Panthers. Here are their official scenarios that we sent to NFL Tuesday morning:

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Carolina clinches NFC South division:

    CAR win or tie
    ATL loss or tie

Carolina clinches a playoff berth:

    SEA loss or tie
    ARI loss or tie + GB loss or tie as long as both teams don't tie

The division clinch is fairly straightforward as only the Falcons can catch the Panthers. Carolina needs to win out on overall record for now since the two teams still have both head-to-head meetings left on Weeks 14 and 16 and Atlanta can sweep to win any tiebreaker.

If the Panthers lose to the Saints and the Falcons beat the Buccaneers, Carolina can clinch a playoff berth by getting rid of one team between ARI/SEA and MIN/GB, the teams that could catch or beat them as a wild card at 11-5. A Seattle loss or tie gets rid of one team, thus that gets the Panthers in. If Seattle doesn't lose or tie (meaning Minnesota lost), that combined with Arizona and Green Bay losses sets off a domino effect of games including ARI-MIN, ARI-GB, ARI-SEA, MIN-GB that clinches a spot in the top-six seeds for the Panthers.

On the AFC side, we have New England and Cincinnati in positions to secure playoff spots this week. Here are their official scenarios:

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

New England clinches AFC East division:

    NE win + NYJ loss or tie
    NE tie + NYJ loss

New England clinches a playoff berth:

    NE win + PIT loss or tie
    NE win + KC loss or tie
    NE tie + KC loss
    NE tie + PIT loss + HOU loss or tie

For the Patriots, Buffalo can't catch them for the division title, since New England has swept the Bills and Buffalo can't use the Jets in a three-way tie to overcome that H2H deficit. That leaves the Jets, who can still beat the Pats on overall record and can split H2H if they beat New England in Week 16. The Patriots really just need one more division win to clinch that tiebreaker at 5-1 vs. 4-2, but they don't play within the AFC East until the final two weeks of the season against the Jets and Dolphins. New England can actually lose their next four games while the Jets could win their next four (each team would be 10-5 with one week to play) and the Patriots would only need to beat the Dolphins in Miami to still win the division (or have the Jets lose at Buffalo).

Having said that, the Pats can clinch the division this week with a win and a Jets loss in a similar fashion to Carolina above, as New England needs to win on overall record for now. It should be noted that if the Patriots win this week against the Eagles (non-conference) and then lose out and both the Pats and Jets end at 11-5, the Jets would beat the Patriots on conference record 8-5 to 7-5. If New England had a division game this week, they could clinch the title with a win this week.

On the playoff clinching side, the Patriots need to get better than 10 wins (win or tie this week) and have the five-loss teams like the Steelers and Chiefs take a hit.

CINCINNATI BENGALS

Cincinnati clinches a playoff berth:

    CIN win + HOU loss or tie + IND loss or tie + NYJ loss (as long as IND and HOU both don't tie)
    CIN win + HOU loss or tie + IND loss or tie + DEN win or tie + KC loss (as long as IND and HOU both don't tie)

Cincinnati can clinch a playoff berth this week with a win at Cleveland and a number of the five-loss teams losing, which gets the AFC South down to only the division champ that can catch the Bengals and creates another domino effect, with the Steelers likely needing to win out to beat the Bengals for the division, which gives the Broncos a loss and so on and so on. More to come on this.

Tiebreaker notes:

    The Giants' loss to the Redskins this past week was key as, although they split H2H, the Giants are now fall behind the Redskins on division record (2-1 vs. 2-3) and conference record (5-3 vs. 4-5). Any tie between these teams would likely give Washington the edge.
    Cowboys fans would have to ee their team win three of its last five games (without Tony Romo) to even stand a slim chance of winning the division at 6-10, as Wild Card chances are slim to none. Can that happen?
    The Vikings have a one-game lead over the Packers but Green Bay has that H2H win in hand with a big clash between these two ahead in Week 17. As long as the Packers can stay within one game of the Vikings through Week 16, they control their own fate for the division title.
    If the Falcons lose at the Buccaneers this week, you can likely write off Atlanta despite being tied with Seattle for the sixth seed at 6-5. A loss would give TB a sweep of Atlanta and drop the Falcons to 0-3 in the division and 4-5 in the conference. No bueno.
    The Seahawks are the No. 6 seed if the season ended today (conference record over Atlanta) and have a huge game at the Vikings this week that could determine wild-card seeding and the NFC North title. It's better for Seattle if Green Bay wins their division, since the Seahawks lost to the Packers in Week 2. Seattle would try to reel in the Vikings and secure the No. 5 seed.
    The Jets are on the outside looking in of the four 6-5 wild-card combatants based on conference record, and they don't have H2H games against that group other than a loss to Houston. With two of their next three games against NFC teams, they just need to keep winning and hope others take some conference losses.
    The Steelers are the current No. 8 seed at 6-5 and a win this week against the Colts would go a long way to gaining a Wild Card berth. Pittsburgh has already lost to the Chiefs and has a tough two-game stretch following the Colts with a visit to the Bengals and hosting the Broncos.
    There is renewed hope for a wild-card team to come out of the previous laughingstock AFC South, with both the Colts and Texans at 6-5 and the Texans currently the No. 6 seed. Houston does have losses to Kansas City and Indianapolis already, so wins in the next few weeks, including at the Colts in Week 15, will be key.
    I continue to say that the Chiefs are looking more and more like the eventual No. 5 seed and could overtake the Broncos in the division, although Denver's great comeback win over New England last Sunday took some of the steam off that story. The Chiefs have remaining games against Oakland (twice), San Diego, Baltimore and Cleveland, none with a winning record, and three of their opponents have three wins or less. It's not murderers row, by any means.

As I do each week, here are seeding predictions for the end of the season based on current team strengths and momentum, remaining schedule and tiebreakers.

AFC: 1) Cincinnati 2) New England (too many injuries) 3) Denver 4) Indy 5) Kansas City 6) New York Jets

NFC: 1) Carolina 2) Arizona 3) Minnesota 4) Washington 5) Green Bay 6) Seattle

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[RVR II]

As a long time Bills fan, we can relate to our Lake Erie partners about the Browns dismay..