MarylandTerrapin

1987: Trade for Dickerson sparks surge 1995: Captain Comeback made Indy overachieve 2006: Manning gets monkey off back 2009: Game fixed because of Katrina 2012: Luck and ChuckStrong defied expectations 2014: Ravens beat Pats different outcome 2020: Rivers and Taylor great combo 2023 Foundation laid for future success

Waiting for kickoff is simply gut-wrenching for me.

I guess it's too late to have Saturday ready for Saturday. Seriously though, I do feel bad for Kelly with regards to the tragedy the other year - it seems like he hasn't been the same since. Even though he has one year remaining on his contract, I'm wondering if he retires after this season to enjoy time with his family.

I think we can all agree that a big difference over Reich is that Shane brought accountability to the team. Shane made an immediate impression on me when he wasted no time in cutting Jackson after his 2 fumbles that contributed to the loss in the season opener. He's tough on his players and makes them accountable, and in turn, he gets the most out of them. That's the mark of a solid coach...and a solid leader.

Definitely - that brings back memories. If you look at the Mustache's eyes, you'd expect him to belt out Fever Dog as Stillwater's lead singer, Jeff Bebe.

"alright...alright...alright...I keep getting older...and the Colts cheerleaders stay the same age...yes they do..."

He's either channeling his inner Randy Savage or he's a lead guitarist getting psyched up for his rock band's next tour.

I hate to break it to you, but Saturday never started the season as a new HC, and for that matter, he wasn't really a HC anyway. He was paid consultant plain & simple that Irsay hired to find out who was actually worthy on the team. Saturday was no different than the "two Bobs" on Office Space. Jeff was never going to get a f/t HC gig with the Colts.

Laugh all you want, but this thread has aged well, for now.

I was actually laughing to myself about that when G-Min did the final kneel down. CBS even showed highlights of that 2021 game as a teaser in the 2nd half of today's game.

My love for the Colts is greater than my disdain for Brittany Mahomes & Taylor Swift. I equate having the Chiefs win with holding your nose while you vote.

Correct - even if the Jags also lose, they win the division tiebreaker over us and finish in second place.

I'm sure it will be Bills/Dolphins on SNF. Since the Jags won, I think there are two scenarios - 1) Jags/Titans & Texans/Colts will be in the same time slot on Sun or 2) Texans/Colts will play Sat and Jags play Sun. The NFL wants the division to be in doubt as long as possible. If Cincy beats KC and Denver wins, then they could play Sat as well. It's crazy - so many games are affected by one another. I'm just hoping for a KC win today so I can sleep a little better this week.

Imagine if the Texans/Colts and Browns/Bengals games are included in the 4:25pm games on week 18 and they are the only remaining 9-7 teams based on the 1pm results. The Colts kick a GW FG against Hou, and seconds later, the Browns line up for a GW FG, it hits the upright and bounces off, giving the Bengals the win, the tiebreaker, and the #7 seed. How many flatscreen TVs would be destroyed by Colt fans that evening? I would almost rather us lose against the Raiders & Texans altogether than to go through that anguish. If you think that's harsh, you should see YT videos of Saints fans after the Minneapolis Miracle or Seahawks fans after the Wilson goal line pick in the SB. There are some disturbed people out there.

In week 18, I want there to be a bunch of 9-7 teams heading into Sunday. I want to see a tv screen that has multiple split images of the reactions of NFL fans as several teams are eliminated within a span of 90 seconds. A playoff contender misses a GW FG, gets eliminated, and their fans cry while the other teams fans rejoice as their teams are still alive. About 30 seconds later, another team makes a GW FG and eliminates another team...and so on. The final dagger occurs when the Jags lose to Tenn and the script is flipped from last year's finale - Indy is down by 24-17, scores a TD with seconds left and decides to go for 2...winning it 25-24. A lot of Antacid would be sold that evening in Houston.

Well played my friend. I had to do a double-take myself. 🤣

The best case scenario for me would be winning the South at 10-7 and then a WC team beats KC in the 1st round of the playoffs by kicking a GW FG. I want to see the camera zoom in on the sad reactions of Mahomes wife Brittany and Taylor Swift after the FG is made. Then I won't have to see them or hear about them until next season.

If we had to lose one of our final 3, the Falcons game was the one to lose. I doubt Cincy beats KC next week. If the three AFC South contenders are 9-7 after next weekend, then I believe the Colts/Texans won't be flexed to the Sat games or Sun night. The Colts/Texans and Jags/Titans games will be in the same time slot on Sun Jan 7th - either 1pm or 4:25pm - in order to keep the drama going for the division title. SNF on 1/7 is shaping up to be Buff/Mia.

If Hou, Jax, and Indy are 9-7 by the end of the afternoon next Sun, then I don't think our game against Hou will be flexed to Sat or Sun night. The NFL will want the Hou/Indy and Jax/Tenn games to be played in the same time slot in order to keep the division title drama going. I think the week 18 Sun night game will be Buff/Mia.

If we had to lose one of the 3 remaining games, the Falcons game was the one to lose. With so many AFC hopefuls with 7 losses, we can reset the playoff picture. It looks like 10 wins will get someone in once again. A WC will most likely come from the east and the north. The third WC is up for grabs.

If Miami & Buffalo both finish at 11-6, then Buffalo wins the division due to a head to head sweep of Miami.

I'm imagining a scenario where the Dolphins and Bills are 10-6, the Dolphins trail by 1 with a few seconds left and line up for a GW FG, they miss the kick or it gets blocked, and then moments later a couple other teams win and the Dolphins get eliminated from the playoff hunt with a 10-7 record due to tiebreakers. Talk about heartbreak - you go from winning the division to being out of the playoffs in the span of 60 seconds.

Very true. In fact, when adding in the Cowboys, Miami could go from competing for HFA to finishing 10-7 and missing the playoffs altogether in just a matter of a couple weeks time . This all sets up for a wacky finish, but that's what the league wants anyway - have as many teams in the playoff mix as possible during the final weeks.

Back in 2010, the schedulemakers got it right when they started making all final games against division opponents. However, I'm still not sold on the 17 game season. If were up to me, I would've kept it at 16 games and given each team two bye weeks spread out over the course of the season. You still get to spead out games over an 18 week season for tv coverage, but maybe teams are healthier by season's end.

That was back in 2021. This season, our 2nd game was at Houston. They did do us a favor by giving us 3 of the final 4 at home. We've been a better road team this year; however, we have won our last two home games. I've noticed that in the past 10 years, the NFL has scheduled several "bracket buster" types of matchups in the penultimate games of the regular season. This is where playoff hopefuls play each other, affecting the possible seedings and creating some drama before the playoffs hit. For many years, NCAA hoops have been doing "bracket buster" Sunday matchups one weekend during the regular season, usually in February, where a bunch of top 25 ranked teams play each other.