… And then there were four. Are you ready for the best Sunday of football this year? It’s time for the conference title games. As the season winds towards it’s conclusion, I think we can come to one major conclusion- this was a season of change. Kansas City, Philadelphia, and San Francisco are all not here (don’t write their permanent obituaries, but still). In fact, the only team playing in these conference title games that went past the first round in last year’s playoffs are the Los Angeles Rams. A new generation of great teams has arrived, and they will probably be around for a while.
Thoughts on both games:
- New England (-4.5) @ Denver- Obviously Stidham starting instead of Nix colors any and all thoughts about this game for everyone. The former Auburn Tigers QB has played but a hand full of snaps all season, but does have experience as a starter in the NFL. Even so, I find it hard to believe that Vrabel’s defense isn’t going to frustrate him and take advantage of his mistakes after the way they handled Herbert and Stroud the last two weeks. New England very well might have won this game with Bo Nix playing. I’m taking them to cover as is.
- Los Angeles @ Seattle (-2.5)- I’m kind of surprised by the early narrative about this game. I figured everyone would be predicting LA to walk back to the Super Bowl, but instead it’s Seattle who is the early favorite. Well, they looked like a team who should be favored in destroying San Francisco, backing up their top seed. LA didn’t look incredible in beating Chicago, but let’s consider something- they beat the #2 seed on the road in tough weather and a tough environment. That’s more impressive than we give it credit. Home field is a huge advantage usually, but this is a division game and I don’t think it matters as much. With that said, Seattle has looked like the best team for several weeks now. My head tells me they can’t beat LA twice in a row, but I watched what I watched this weekend.
As for who to cheer for- I don’t care very much. A Broncos win would be funny, but I don’t like Sean Payton. Can anyone in America wish more good for New England at this point? I do like Vrabel and Maye though. Seattle and Sam Darnold winning would silence a lot of narratives, but it could also jump start a run for them, and I don’t like that. Does anyone really want to see Los Angeles win anything right now? Let alone McVey fanboys will come out of the woodwork again. But I like Stafford a lot, and him winning a second title would cement his legacy. I’m totally ambivalent here. They’re all fine. They’re all not.
On to the updated rankings. From #9 back stays the same for now. From #5 to 8, this is the final placement. Here you go.
Past rankings- 1/13 rankings. 1/6 rankings. 12/30 rankings. 12/24 rankings. 12/16 rankings. 12/9 rankings. 12/3 rankings. 11/26 rankings. 11/18 rankings. 11/11 rankings. 11/4 rankings. 10/28 rankings. 10/21 rankings. 10/15 rankings. 10/8 rankings. 9/30 rankings. 9/24 rankings. 9/16 rankings. 9/9 rankings.
- Seattle Seahawks
- New England Patriots
- Los Angeles Rams
- Denver Broncos
- Chicago Bears
- Buffalo Bills
- Houston Texans
- San Francisco 49’ers
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Green Bay Packers
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Carolina Panthers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Minnesota Vikings
- Atlanta Falcons
- Baltimore Ravens
- Detroit Lions
- Dallas Cowboys
- Miami Dolphins
- Indianapolis Colts
- New Orleans Saints
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Cleveland Browns
- Washington Commanders
- Tennessee Titans
- New York Jets
- Arizona Cardinals
- New York Giants
- Las Vegas Raiders
A few more notes here:
- When is a receiver down by contact and when do they have to “survive the ground.” I’m not saying the refs screwed the Bills or the Bears with the way it was called this weekend, it seems to me like the rule is unclear, but isn’t that kind of a problem? Those plays could have changed seasons. How are we in 2026 and can’t have a uniform standard for when a receiver is down?
- Should the Texans call Cincinnati? Ok, I’m serious here, C.J. Stroud for Joe Burrow is probably a ridiculous reach, but after that playoff performance by Stroud, you can’t help but wonder if the Texans would be championship favorites next year if they could pull it off. Look, a lot of teams will call about Burrow, but unless he demands a trade it won’t happen.
- The Bills job is really attractive, but who is a real upgrade on McDermott? It’s fine to fire your coach because of continually coming up short, but don’t you need to have someone better to hire? I’m not sure who that coach is right now.
Apocalypse Vibes 