NFL 2011 Season Discussion

[Associate Justice PiT]

Dallas finally pulled it off against the Redskins.  27-24 in OT.  Dallas can't breathe for too long because they have the suddenly hot Miami Dolphins coming to town Thursday.

     27-24, OT. That brings back some bad memories.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     For reference: the 49ers have allowed 145 points so far this season. No other NFC team has allowed under 200. The AFC is much better in that regard, but the AFC team with the lowest PA still has 166.

[Associate Justice PiT]

The offensive line looked miserable today.

     I know, really. This was supposed to be a great game & then we played terribly. Rushing on 3rd-and-long didn't help, but it was probably better than trying to pass considering our critical OL failure.

[Associate Justice PiT]

It'll be disappointing when the 49ers inevitably lose at Lambeau, but then they usually lose in the NFC Championship Game. It would be nice enough to get there.

     It's also better than losing the Super Bowl. 5-0 in the big game!

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I don't really think we're ready to win another Super Bowl yet. Our defensive output has been great, but our offense needs to be more reliable. We should also have a tougher pass defense, since so many of our major competitors are using run-and-shoot offenses these days. Our pass defense is basically median in the league, which doesn't offer promise against big-passing teams like the Saints & the Packers.

[Associate Justice PiT]

A lot of that comes from the way that teams have just stopped trying to run the ball against the 49ers; naturally, if they're throwing every down, they'll get more yards that way. The 49ers are the ninth-best team in the league in yards per pass attempt. I wouldn't worry about that.

     I was looking at passing yards per game, which would naturally be driven up by the inability of teams to run against us. We've also beaten the no. 4 (NYG) & 5 (DET) passing teams in the NFL, before either of them imploded. Actually, the Raiders have a pretty strong pass defense now that I look at the stats.

     Sidenote: no team that the Packers face in their regular-season schedule has allowed an average of less than 20 points per game. Niners have allowed 13.4 points per game.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Median PF/g today is about 22.5 compared to just over 20 back then. It seems like offenses produced less back then.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Niners lost, but at least we got to buff our beastly rushing defense stats. Also the Cardinals' Cinderella story this season is pretty impressive. Imagine the reaction if the Cardinals won the Super Bowl.

[Associate Justice PiT]

John Skelton is so bad. It looks like all the 49ers are trying to do is have David Akers set the single-season field goal record (which he'll shatter, since he only needs four more to tie).

     He's also going to shatter the franchise record for points in a season. Most likely break the NFL record too.

[Associate Justice PiT]

John Skelton is so bad. It looks like all the 49ers are trying to do is have David Akers set the single-season field goal record (which he'll shatter, since he only needs four more to tie).

     He's also going to shatter the franchise record for points in a season. Most likely break the NFL record too.

He needs three more points to pass Jerry Rice, but he won't beat LaDainian Tomlinson's all-time record. He's still 50 points away from that. LaDainian Tomlinson's 2006 was unreal.

     Wow, I didn't realize the NFL record was that huge. I just assumed it was some reasonably small number bigger, especially since Jerry Rice was the one who set the franchise record. Who expects to outperform Jerry Rice?

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Awesome, four underdog victories so far today (if WAS-NYG can be counted as such).

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Awesome, four underdog victories so far today (if WAS-NYG can be counted as such).

I think it can because the Giants controlled their own destiny to the division crown (and really still do, but the margin for error is gone).  I said this before, but if the Jets can beat the Giants next week and Dallas can beat Philly, then it would make the rematch in Jersey meaningless and Dallas will likely have the privilege of hosting the Atlanta Falcons in the first round.

     Indeed, the Giants had a lot riding on this game. I just thought that counting this game equally understates the magnitude of the victory of the Colts, of the defeat of the Packers, or of the Panthers taking down the Texans.

[Associate Justice PiT]

Why are the talking heads freaking out over the Packers defense when the offense looked just as bad.  The Packers have a decent defense, but that's not what is getting them their wins.


And Patriots defense (or lack thereof)  is what is going to keep them from doing anything in the playoffs.

     Really, the Chiefs only had one touchdown. The Chiefs looked like the Broncos or the 49ers out there today; little offense & loads of defense.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Brilliant performance, particularly on the part of the defense. Another age-old rushing defense record has fallen, which leaves two left I can see. This was a win we badly needed, though I doubt even this will make the naysayers change their tune.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     The Niners offense this year is somewhat erratic & three consecutive successes seems like a bit much to ask of it. I think we're still a year out from a Super Bowl victory.

[Associate Justice PiT]

Any team losing to the Chiefs can lose any game. Period.

     Losing to clearly inferior teams is an ever-present threat in this game, or really any professional sport. Just look at the Ravens, whose four losses have all come from teams without winning records. With that said, the Packers have a very strong advantage in the NFC Championship game.

[Associate Justice PiT]

Any team losing to the Chiefs can lose any game. Period.

     Losing to clearly inferior teams is an ever-present threat in this game, or really any professional sport. Just look at the Ravens, whose four losses have all come from teams without winning records. With that said, the Packers have a very strong advantage in the NFC Championship game.

I'm making a prediction, not regurgitating what we already know: that the Green Bay Packers have a great chance of going to and winning the Super Bowl. Fortunately, the unexpected is what makes the NFL great. The Packers weren't "supposed" to make it last year but they did. The Jets weren't "supposed" to make back to back AFC Championships but what we did. I've predicted a reversal in current trends, with the season closing by successes from defensively driven teams as opposed to those who put up massive points on offense.

     That would be pretty awesome. I'm not a fan of the more offense-oriented game of today, since teams like the Packers strike me as sort of one-dimensional. A Super Bowl between two defensive powerhouses would be an interesting "take that" at the people that want to see explosive offense.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Here's asking Santa for a competent offense for next year.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Here's asking Santa for a competent offense next year.

The Chargers are probably just asking for some points right now.  They find themselves trailing 24-0 to the Detroit Lions at Halftime.  This is a perfect opportunity for the Chargers to take advantage of with the Broncos getting blown out by the Bills.  SD could move into a 3-way tie for first place in the AFC West with a win.  However, they seem to be squandering that golden opportunity.

     Well the Chargers can lose for all I care. I'd love to see both Bay Area teams return to the playoffs this year rather than just one. It's the Niners' "offense" that is bothering me.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I can't believe they actually tried to run it in. Guess Seattle really did not want that touchdown.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Damn, that was an intense finish. Our rushing defense was terrible there, but at least we got another W. Akers also broke an important record today, so that's good.

[Associate Justice PiT]

Andy Lee had a 60-yard punt to the St. Louis 5 called back because of offsetting penalties. He promptly punted the ball 64 yards to the St. Louis 1. He's pretty good.

     Yeah, our special teams is amazing. Our defense was surprisingly weak today, though. I suppose you can't ask guys to try too hard against an opponent with ten fewer wins than you when there are bigger games to prepare for ahead.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I know the conventional wisdom is Saints at Niners, but I actually wouldn't be too surprised to see the Lions win the first game instead. They gave the Packers a run for their money & the Saints are no Packers.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     I was thinking the first game was close too, but it was actually 27-15. The Lions' problem is that they are wildly inconsistent; sometimes Stafford is great, sometimes he is horrible. Their tendency to commit tons of penalties on both sides of the ball doesn't help.

[Associate Justice PiT]

     Detroit seems to be playing great except when they actually get a turnover. Then it's three plays & a punt.