This week on the Dose, we remember two former NFL players on their birthdays.
The Los Angeles Rams advanced in the NFL Playoffs on Monday night, and we give a brief history of the Arizona Cardinals franchise.
Then, we are joined by a long time friend of the Dose to look at a number of sports subjects. We talk about college basketball, and some of the top teams in the country. We look at the NBA: Will the Golden State Warriors be able to keep up this current pace, and is there any reason to have faith in the Brooklyn Nets?
The College Football Playoff just completed, and we wonder if the current format is the best. How can other conferences catch up with the SEC? Is the current transfer rule going to be best for the game and the players?
What are the best available NFL coaching positions that are open, and who are the top candidates to fill them?
Then we turn our focus to the Wild Card round of the NFL Playoffs. The Cincinnati Bengals were able to scrape out a close win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Did the officials steal the game from the Raiders?
The Buffalo Bills pounded the New England Patriots, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers blew out the Philadelphia Eagles, and the Kansas City Chiefs cruised past the Pittsburgh Steelers. Was the playoff expansion the reason for some of the lopsided games?
The San Francisco 49ers held on to upset the Dallas Cowboys, and once again the officiating was in the news. Who was to blame for the Cowboys collapse?
Finally, we look forward to what we might expect in the Divisional round, and moving forward on the way to Super Bowl LVI!
The NFL expanded its postseason bracket to 14 teams rather than the usual 12 for the 2021-22 season, and after the dust settled on the Wild Card Weekend, fans were reminded why they enjoyed the 12-team format so much.
The new playoff bracket allowed for two wild card games. This means both the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles snuck into the playoffs. Neither of these teams should’ve been there. Instead, they played in games that involved them getting blown out, and players on both sides risking injury.
In fact, of the six wild card games that took place over the weekend, only two were close. The new playoff format was one of the many discussions that took place over wild card weekend. Another was the age gap between the oldest quarterback in the playoffs, 44-year-old Tom Brady, and the youngest, 24-year-old Kyler Murray. The age gap between them is old enough to date Leonardo DiCaprio. A few other takeaways from this last weekend include:
The Chiefs aren’t as invincible as they looked Sunday
Yes, they put up 42 points. Yes, Patrick Mahomes threw for over 400 yards and five touchdowns. But when playing against the Steelers could you expect much else? Ben Roethlisberger said it himself.
“We probably aren’t supposed to be here [the playoffs]. We’re probably not a very good football team,” said Roethlisberger to team reporter Teresa Varley a few days before the game.
For a team with as much talent offensively as the Chiefs have, they have looked incredibly beatable all season. While their record stands at 12-5 during the regular season, a large portion of the games they played in have been determined by one score or less. Their defense has been a particular weakness as they rank near the bottom in both passing and rushing yards allowed per game. On Sunday they play a team they already lost to by 18 in the Buffalo Bills. The Bills not only have one of the best defenses in the league but rank third in points per game. This could easily be a repeat of their last meeting.
The Cowboys have a personality problem, NOT a coaching one
It didn’t take long for Cowboys fans to call for the firing of head coach Mike McCarthy after their loss to the 49ers last Sunday 23-17. It was not McCarthy’s fault they lost the game. The Cowboys racked up 14 penalties throughout the game, and put themselves in a position where they were racing against the clock on their final drive, which led to their eventual loss. Ultimately, this lands on the players.
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott felt differently. In a press conference after the game a reporter informed Prescott that Cowboys fans were throwing objects at referees.
“Credit to them,” replied Prescott.
Although he apologized a few days later, the team captain condoning violence against referees is a terrible look for the team. No accountability was taken for the penalties, nor for the poor performances on both sides of the ball. Still, fans will continue to blame the coach that led them to their best season in the last five years.
The Bucs could win it all again
Brady has spent another year ageless, and the NFL has spent another year at his mercy. He’s been the best quarterback in the NFL by almost every metric and has led the Buccaneers offense to over 30 points per game, the second most in the league. On the other side of the ball the Buccaneers have sported one of the best rushing defenses in the game.
Their win over the Eagles, much like the Chiefs win against the Steelers, was basically handed to them. What makes their win more convincing than the Chiefs is simply Tom Brady. Nobody has been in a playoff situation more than he has. His opponent will be the LA Rams, a team that allowed more passing yards in the regular season than any other NFC playoff team. Here we go again.
The 49ers have a finishing problem
The 49ers nearly allowed a Cowboys team that looked all but beaten, to take the lead late into the fourth quarter last Sunday. This has been a recurring pattern all season long. Luckily for them their defense can bail them out of tight spots in late games. That will be tested Saturday when they take on the Green Bay Packers. They are going to need to figure out how to score points late, because with Aaron Rodgers leading the Packers, no lead is safe.
The two teams met in week three, where the Packers left as the winner after Rodgers led them downfield in the closing seconds of the game to line them up for a 51-yard field goal to win. Look to them to rely even harder on running back and receiver Deebo Samuel, who bullied the Cowboys defense in the Wild Card game. Samuel is a part of a solid receiving core that also includes George Kittle, and Brandon Aiyuk, both of whom will need to step it up to prevent history from repeating itself.
The Bengals fate could come down to Derrick Henry
Tennessee Running Back Derrick Henry dominated the league before injuring his foot midway through the season. However, the Titans appear to be hoping to have him back for their playoff game this Saturday against the Bengals. After a full contact practice on Tuesday, Henry is said to be feeling good, and on track to appear in Saturday’s game.
This is probably the worst possible news for the Bengals. While they have a solid run defense, trying to stop Henry is a whole different ball game. When he was healthy, he essentially ran his way to victories with the entire team on his back. When he was gone though, the Titans became a very beatable team. Unfortunately for Cincinnati fans, it’s looking like he will most likely make his return this Saturday. Fortunately for Titans fans, there is a penalty for any player thinking of playing dirty and sweeping Henry’s leg, 15 yards and an automatic first down. That’s called unnecessary roughness.
Bills Mafia is insane
Did you see what they threw on the field after a touchdown? Do they not check for these types of things when entering the stadium?
Now, the real fun begins. The fat has been cut and only the best remains. The weekend of football can’t come any faster.
This week on the Daly Dose YouTube video, we are joined by some friends of the show to get ready for the start of those NFL Playoffs!
We look at a few of the coaches that have been fired, and discuss if those moves were warranted.
We break down each team that made the postseason, and look at their chances of advancing.
We play a spirited game of “Who has played in the NFL this season” and we also rank the quarterbacks that will be playing in the postseason.
Then, we are making our picks for WildCard weekend and going forward all the way to Super Bowl LVI! We also make our picks for Most Valuable Player, Coach of the Year, and our surprises of what has been a very memorable NFL season!
This week on the Daly Dose, we wish a happy Veteran’s Day tomorrow to all of those who have served, and we discuss the difficult changes that come with the annual move to Daylight Savings time.
Then, we look at all of the shake ups that we are seeing this season in college football, and how many more surprises might be coming. We also have a very interesting story coming out of the NBA this week!
Finally, we are joined by three long time friends of the show to break down the NFL season so far.
We take a look at each team in the NFL. What were their expectations? How is their season going so far? And what can we expect from them in the second half of the season?
We also have a new sponsor for the Dose! Get 20% OFF + Free Shipping with promo code 20DOSE at MANSCAPED.com
This week on the Daly Dose YouTube video, we have been talking about NFL coaches that are on the hot seat. This week our Daly Dose Top counts down five NFL coaches that easily could have been fired, but they weren’t, and it paid off in a big way!
After padding their resume against three NFL cupcakes, the Denver Broncos hosted a legitimate playoff team, with a bona fide starting quarterback.
It did not go well.
It did not go well, like the Hindenburg flight did not go well.
It did not go well, like the Battle at Little Bighorn did not go well.
It did not go well, like the maiden voyage of the Titanic did not go well.
The Broncos were blown out 23-7 by the Baltimore Ravens, in a game that did not feel nearly as close as that score might indicate.
The Broncos were held to just 148 yards passing, and were just 3-14 on third down conversions. Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was knocked from the game with a possible concussion.
On the defensive side, the Denver defense was exploited to the tune of 406 total yards, with Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson passing for 304 yards.
I think it’s fair to say if we were handing out grades, it would be a clean sweep.
Offense: F, Defense: F, Special Teams: F, Coaching: F.
Those aren’t exactly the grades you want to hang on the refrigerator for the first true test of the season.
So now the big question in Broncos Country is the obvious:
“What went wrong?”
Everything.
But let’s try to keep it as simple as possible.
Football is a simple game.
For all of the glory that the quarterbacks get, and for all of the strutting of the wide receivers and running backs, and for all of the waving of the fingers that the defensive backs do, it always comes down to one thing .
Football is won in the trenches.
The Broncos got pushed around in the trenches, on both sides of the ball, at the point of attack.
Denver quarterbacks were hit 11 times, and sacked five times. The Broncos defense hit Lamar Jackson only eight times, while registering just three sacks.
As a result, the Broncos averaged a paltry 3.5 yards per pass, while Jackson averaged 7.6 yards per pass.
Broncos offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur gave up on the run game far too early. Although they were averaging 6.2 yards per rush, they ran the ball just 17 times, while throwing 37 passes.
Teddy Bridgewater got knocked into the concussion protocol tent, while Lamar Jackson had his best passing day of the season so far.
Yes, I realize that the Broncos were down seven starting players including both starting offensive guards Graham Glasgow and Dalton Risner.
The Baltimore Ravens might be the last team in the league that would have any pity for those injuries. They had to go sign a guy that used to be Le’Veon Bell to their roster, to shore up all of the injuries that they have sustained this year.
Brief sidenote: Anyone that watched Drew Lock on Sunday, and still thinks he should be the starter, should undergo a medical evaluation from a team of specialists.
His lack of pocket presence, passing inaccuracy, and absence of general quarterback awareness are absolutely astounding.
No the loss wasn’t on Lock by any means, but there was definitely a feeling of hopelessness, once he entered the game.
Now back to our regular scheduled programming.
The most painful part of the Broncos loss was that what we thought was the strength of the team…the defense…was nearly as inept as the offense.
Coverages were blown, tackles were missed, and once again the pass rush only exists if there is a blitz.
If head coach Vic Fangio is going to keep his job, he had better at least shore up the defense, that is supposed to be his baby.
So now what?
The Broncos are still sitting in first place in the AFC West, tied tenuously with both the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders. Next up is a trip to Pittsburgh to face the now 1-3 Steelers.
While that might sound promising, keep in mind that the Steelers have now lost three games in a row. They will be as dangerous as a cornered animal, trying to end that streak.
The problem for the Broncos is that now they are also at the mercy of the doctors and medical trainers.
We know that Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler, Bradley Chubb, and Ronald Darby won’t be back soon, but Bridgewater, Risner, and Glasgow need to be back as soon as is physically possible.
It might have to be ugly, but the Broncos need to find a way to get a win against the Steelers.
The Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns will be next on the docket.
Fangio and the Broncos must right the ship on Sunday.
Or this season, and the remainder of his career in Denver, will not go well.
This week on the Daly Dose, we are wishing NBA superstar Kevin Durant a very happy birthday, and trying not to get him mad at us!
The University of Tennessee is being soft, and an NFL player makes a really dumb move, the NFL Playoffs will be stretched to Monday night, and we have a wild story in soccer that we are hoping becomes a trend throughout the world!
Then, we are handing out some winners and losers from the week in college football and the NFL!
The USC Trojans were both a winner and a loser, the rules have changed drastically this season for college athletes, and there could be a surprising team trying to sneak into the College Football Playoff!
In the NFL, we saw some kickers making some big plays, one NFL defense is not getting it done early, and we have a surprise team on top of the AFC right now.
Finally, our Daly Dose Top 5 is taking a look at some of the cheating that goes on in the world of sports. However, instead of looking at the methods of skirting the rules, today we countdown the Top 5 dumbest excuses that athletes have given when they got caught!
This week on the Daly Dose, it is National Online Learning Day, and we discuss the best ways to bring some attention to this important day.
Major League Baseball announced last week that Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Trevor Bauer will not be returning any time soon, and we explain why.
The USC Trojans have already fired their head coach, and we couldn’t get enough of Peyton and Eli Manning on Monday Night Football. Plus, Cam Newton let everyone know last week why the New England Patriots decided to release him. We discussed his interesting theory.
Then, with College Football finishing up their second full week of the season, and the NFL completing Week 1, we take a look at some of the biggest overreactions for the young season. Is the Pac 12 back? Are the Dallas Cowboys a true contender? What should we make of the New Orleans Saints impressive Week 1 performance?
Finally, with the NFL’s opening week in the books, we countdown the Top 5 most memorable Week 1 games in history!
This week on the Daly Dose, we remember a big time performance from a small school college football player. We also remind you of the amazing college football weekend that is coming, and highlight some of the games that you won’t want to miss!
Then, we bring you our 2021 NFL preview! We are joined by three longtime friends of the show, to do a Daly Dose roundtable, and preview the upcoming NFL season!
Should we all feel safe attending games in person? Are the new NFL taunting rules just another example of this being the “No Fun League”? Has HBO’s Hard Knocks run out of content?
Then, we dive into our divisional previews and look very closely at the AFC East, the NFC East, the AFC North and the NFC North. We review each team, and discuss their chances for making it to the NFL playoffs!
This week on the Daly Dose YouTube video, we bring you our 2021 NFL preview!
We are joined by three longtime friends of the show, to do a Daly Dose roundtable, and preview the upcoming NFL season!
Should we all feel safe attending games in person? Are the new NFL taunting rules just another example of this being the “No Fun League”? Has HBO’s Hard Knocks run out of content?
Then, we dive into our divisional previews and look very closely at the AFC East, the NFC East, the AFC North and the NFC North. We review each team, and discuss their chances for making it to the NFL playoffs!
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