2017 NFL Playoffs: Conference Championship

I can’t remember a time when I was more annoyed at the results of a game when the games didn’t involve my favorite teams.  I wasn’t just annoyed, but I was angry. Right now, I’m seriously thinking of not watching the Super Bowl. What’s different is that, in one case, I was annoyed because a team (Pats) won, more than the team (Jags) I rooted for lost, and in the other, the team I rooted for (Vikings) seemed to self-destruct. (I say “seems” because I stopped watching the game after Keenum’s INT, and I just fast-forwarded the game and saw the blowout score.)

Putting aside these bad feelings, let me say a provide, more rational comments:

  1. What can you say? Belichick is  the a great coach–maybe the best coach of all time, in any sport. I don’t think the Jaguars have a great defense, but they’re very good, and the Patriots dismantled them without Gronk for most of the game. (What the heck was with the Jaguar penalties? By the way, for a good defense, they sure seem to have trouble defending deep passes–either giving up completions or getting penalties. Also, as good as the four four is, both the Patriots and Steelers were able to stymie them and consistently give their QBs good pass protection–especially from the interior. The contrast with the Seahawks OL is quite stark for me.)
  2. I’m giving credit to Doug Pederson. Mike Lombardi mocked and ridiculed him (He recently admitted he was wrong), and I sort of bought into this. I think Pederson, for the way he’s using Foles, is unbelievable. Foles looked utterly terrible against the Raiders–I thought the Eagles had zero chance. But RPO plays and whatever else seems to have totally transformed Foles. Give credit to Foles as well.

5 thoughts on “2017 NFL Playoffs: Conference Championship

  1. I was rooting for the Patriots all the way, and have been since the Raiders made it clear they weren’t real contenders. The Patriots are the Raiders of the 2010s. I love that everyone hates them. The Patriots D did the job, man. Maybe that’s not saying much when the other side has no real passing game, but I was impressed anyway.

    I kinda wanted Minnesota to win because I think it would make a better Super Bowl, but I didn’t really care who came out of the NFC. The Eagles fans I know are irritating, while I only know like two Vikings fans, so that probably contributed as well.

    No love for Jay Ajayi and the Eagles’ run-blocking? They were great and probably deserve as much credit as Foles.

  2. I love that everyone hates them.

    So did you ever love the Cowboys?

    No love for Jay Ajayi and the Eagles’ run-blocking? They were great and probably deserve as much credit as Foles.

    Ajayi seems like a hard-nosed RB, which I like. For some reason, their running game never really impressed me. Maybe I need to pay more attention to them.

  3. No, because the Cowboys are the most loved. Yes, they’re the most hated, but since they’re the most loved, that’s totally different.

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