NFL 2023 Season

[Phantom255x]

Lamar probably would have been tackled anyway, but when the umpire trips him, it still stings to have that be a safety.

How are the refs never accountable for this kind of stuff. He practically tripped Lamar on the ground too

But anyways, Ravens look really good. This is a test for the Niners, particularly Purdy. Purdy has not looked good at all today and that's now a 3rd Ravens turnover. You still wonder if Purdy can deliver when the pressure ramps up in the postseason. He was pretty meh in the Cowboys playoff game last season but they largely won thanks to Dak being bad + Niners defense being elite that night

for some weird reason he was a pretty heavy betting favorite to win the MVP when he isn't even the best or most important offensive player on his own team.  I put a small bet on Lamar to win MVP at like +400 odds before the game. I just had a feeling that Lamar would out play Purdy (even if the Ravens lost, I thought it would be because of McCafferty not Purdy).

Purdy is a very solid QB. He definitely benefits from the loaded Niners roster though. I mean, when Deebo and Trent Williams were gone, the guy struggled and the Niners lost 3 in a row earlier. There'll be a time when he has to actually outduel another elite QB and I'm not sure he'll be capable.

Shanahan has always seemed to stray away from the obvious QB choices. Brady could have been had after 2019. They said no. Guys like Cousins have been floating around, but nah they were fine with Garoppolo (oft-injured too) and Lance. They made the SB in 2019 but again, they choked a lead and when Jimmy G needed to make plays he couldn't. That season, the Niners up until the SB were relying a ton on their O-Line and run-game sort of like how the Titans had been relying on Derrick Henry while Tannehill was a passenger, and when the Chiefs neutralized Henry, Tannehill couldn't do a thing.

I still have SF making the Super Bowl. They'll probably win it IMO but if the Ravens can keep this up they'll be super dangerous. Wouldn't surprise me either if this is the SB matchup in February.

If one thing also benefits SF, it's that there aren't too many other elite QBs in that conference. Hurts, Dak, maybe Stafford when he's on?

[Moranis]

4th INT for Purdy.  Ravens up big, but there is just so much time left I can't get too excited yet.

[Phantom255x]

Ravens-Dolphins next week could very well be for the 1 seed in the AFC.

But it's interesting because Buffalo also still has a chance to be the 2 seed if they win out + Miami loses out. I'm predicting that happens too.

Chiefs seem like they'll stay the 3 seed, and could very well face the 2nd place AFC East team in the wild card round.

As for the AFC South, idk. Jags have really fallen off and Lawrence is hurt. Colts are meh. Obviously the Texans with Stroud are a threat but he's still out too. Hard to tell

[green_bballers13]

I hope Lamar wins his second MVP. Electric player.

[Moranis]

Ha ha. Sam Darnold.  At least this nonsense about Purdy winning the MVP can end now.

[SparzWizard]

If this was a preview to Superbowl 58, then it was disappointing for the 49ers.

Credit to John Harbaugh, who was once on the hot seat, able to turn things around.

[Moranis]

Harbaugh hasn't ever been on the hot seat.  There was some thought he might walk away and take some time off a couple seasons back, but his job has never been in jeopardy. 

[Birdman]

Broncos bench Russell Wilson…Pete Carroll knew what he was doing

[Vermont Green]

Broncos bench Russell Wilson…Pete Carroll knew what he was doing

Isn't Jarrett Stidham now the QB in Denver?

[A Future of Stevens]

Broncos bench Russell Wilson…Pete Carroll knew what he was doing

Oh I thought they were benching Wilson to guarantee two more loses? They are now eliminated from the playoffs.

[Vermont Green]

Broncos bench Russell Wilson…Pete Carroll knew what he was doing

Oh I thought they were benching Wilson to guarantee two more loses? They are now eliminated from the playoffs.

Protect his trade value?

[Phantom255x]

They benched Wilson for similar reasons as to why the Raiders benched Carr late last season

Russell Wilson already has $39 million guaranteed for 2024, but he has an additional $37M that would become guaranteed if he can’t pass a physical by early March.

Denver’s move to sit him assures that money won’t trigger. And Denver does this at a time when Wilson is the NFL’s seventh-rated passer, with 26 touchdown passes  and eight INTs

Kind of feels like Denver wants to move on from him. I know there were other factors like Hackett last season, but it was pretty obvious even most of the Broncos players didn't seem to like Wilson, or realized he's a bit of a "fake". The little winning streak in the middle of this season may have given them some hope/optimism but now they are 1-3 in their last 4 games and basically out of the playoffs. It hasn't worked out. I wonder if Payton convinces the Broncos to now rebuild a bit and search for a new QB either in the draft or FA.

[Moranis]

Apparently Wilson refused to waive his injury protection so the Broncos just benched him. What a crap move from a terrible person.  I really don't like Payton.

[celticsclay]

Apparently Wilson refused to waive his injury protection so the Broncos just benched him. What a crap move from a terrible person.  I really don't like Payton.

Do you think Harbaugh or any other coach wouldn't do the same thing if it was risking like 50 million dollars? This seems to lack a fundamental understanding of how the NFL works. I don't care one way or the other about Payton but organizations and coaches do this stuff all the time.

[Moranis]

This, if true, doesn't seem normal

https://twitter.com/Schultz_Report/status/1740121494343045508?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1740121494343045508%7Ctwgr%5Ef6422722fb0e2606fe4ae4dfd60405c7b50fec70%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.milehighreport.com%2F2023%2F12%2F27%2F24016933%2Fdenver-broncos-russell-wilson-injury-guarantees

Sources to
@BleacherReport
: The #Broncos threatened to bench Russell Wilson weeks ago if he didn’t remove his injury guarantees.

Russell Wilson’s benching by the Broncos today is solely financially related and has been in the works for weeks, per multiple sources with direct access to the situation.

The Broncos approached Wilson two days after their October 29 upset win over the Kansas City Chiefs and told him he would be made inactive for the rest of the season if he did not adjust his contract and defer the injury guarantee trigger date that he has for 2025. Wilson has $37 million in injury guarantees for 2025 that will become guaranteed no matter what on the fifth day of the 2024 league year in March.

At that time, Wilson was coming off a 3-touchdown game in the win over the Chiefs and was starting to experience the type of success he envisioned following a challenging first year in Denver. The threat however, “shocked him,” and the two sides got into a major dispute on how to proceed.

The issue remained, but the Broncos stuck with Wilson as the team strung together primetime wins over the Buffalo Bills and Minnesota Vikings, followed by another win over the Cleveland Browns, one of the league’s best defenses.

Wilson, 35, has started all 15 games this season and has completed 66.4 percent of his passes for 3,070 yards with 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

When the threat was made by the Broncos, the team, Wilson's camp, the NFLPA, and another unknown party were involved in negotiations that ended with no change in Wilson’s contract

And it all came crashing down today when Sean Payton and other top-level members of Denver’s organization decided to go ahead with the plan they’ve had for weeks.