2025 NFL Season Thread

[Cobra Mgr]

Doug Martin, former Pro Bowler & Bucs RB, dies @ 36

Doug Martin died in police custody. Reports are someone suffered a medical emergency during a break-in & was unresponsive after struggling w/police.

[Déjà Bru]

If this doesn't make you scream "Fire the coach!", I don't know what will. The Giants were up 19-0 after three quarters, and 26-8 with 10:14 to play in the fourth. The over-confident defense went to sleep, the Broncos made them pay, and that's on the coaching. It's also on management and ownership for putting out the perpetually sorry production that is the New York Giants.

The Broncos scored three touchdowns in less than three and a half minutes. Then, when Dart, now losing 30-26, rallied the offense to score one last touchdown but their kicker MISSED THE POINT AFTER — you knew, you just knew because it followed the same script as so many times before — that the Broncos with 33 seconds left would march down the field and kick the winning field goal.

For years, the Giants have found all sorts of bizarre ways to lose games, including those that they should have won but bungled away. To me, that is an indication of an ongoing problem with team management. And I am SO glad that I did not watch this game. If I was not a New Yorker, it might have been exciting. Since I remain a New Yorker, the game would have been a disgrace in my eyes.

One other thought: Jaxson Dart deserves better. Maybe he will go the Saquon Barkley route.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

For years, the Giants have found all sorts of bizarre ways to lose games, including those that they should have won but bungled away. To me, that is an indication of an ongoing problem with team management.

For example,

The Broncos' improbable comeback snapped a streak in which NFL teams had won 1,602 consecutive games when leading by 18 points in the final 6 minutes of a game.

Like I said, over the years, one comes to expect the worst with this team and there is only one plausible reason why.

[low]

So, we buying into Indianapolis yet?

[low]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Attachment 1085205

If this doesn't make you scream "Fire the coach!", I don't know what will. The Giants were up 19-0 after three quarters, and 26-8 with 10:14 to play in the fourth. The over-confident defense went to sleep, the Broncos made them pay, and that's on the coaching. It's also on management and ownership for putting out the perpetually sorry production that is the New York Giants.

The Broncos scored three touchdowns in less than three and a half minutes. Then, when Dart, now losing 30-26, rallied the offense to score one last touchdown but their kicker MISSED THE POINT AFTER — you knew, you just knew because it followed the same script as so many times before — that the Broncos with 33 seconds left would march down the field and kick the winning field goal.

For years, the Giants have found all sorts of bizarre ways to lose games, including those that they should have won but bungled away. To me, that is an indication of an ongoing problem with team management. And I am SO glad that I did not watch this game. If I was not a New Yorker, it might have been exciting. Since I remain a New Yorker, the game would have been a disgrace in my eyes.

One other thought: Jaxson Dart deserves better. Maybe he will go the Saquon Barkley route.

"It ain't over until it's over," comes to mind.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by low

So, we buying into Indianapolis yet?

It is so hard to do so. You kinda want to. But then you look at who they are beating and it makes you hold back. Chargers have lost 3 of their last 4. They squeezed by Arizona despite Murray being out. Titans. Dolphins.

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Attachment 1085205



One other thought: Jaxson Dart deserves better.

Jaxson Dart's INT was part of the comeback.

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Attachment 1085205

If this doesn't make you scream "Fire the coach!", I don't know what will. The Giants were up 19-0 after three quarters, and 26-8 with 10:14 to play in the fourth. The over-confident defense went to sleep, the Broncos made them pay, and that's on the coaching. It's also on management and ownership for putting out the perpetually sorry production that is the New York Giants.

The Broncos scored three touchdowns in less than three and a half minutes. Then, when Dart, now losing 30-26, rallied the offense to score one last touchdown but their kicker MISSED THE POINT AFTER — you knew, you just knew because it followed the same script as so many times before — that the Broncos with 33 seconds left would march down the field and kick the winning field goal.

For years, the Giants have found all sorts of bizarre ways to lose games, including those that they should have won but bungled away. To me, that is an indication of an ongoing problem with team management. And I am SO glad that I did not watch this game. If I was not a New Yorker, it might have been exciting. Since I remain a New Yorker, the game would have been a disgrace in my eyes.

One other thought: Jaxson Dart deserves better. Maybe he will go the Saquon Barkley route.

The 33 points the Broncs scored in the 4th quarter is a record for teams who had 0 points before that. I believe the record they broke is from Week 13, 1985, when the Eagles led Minnesota by 23-0 with under 9:00 left in the game before…stuff happened. (Apologies for the sound quality.)

This pretty much settled Marion Campbell's hash, although the Eagles let him finish out the season and the Birds got their revenge three weeks later in the Metrodome. (This was back when the teams that had finished 5th in a 5-team division played a home-and-home the next season; the easy "5th place schedule" that helped some teams bounce back from one bad season.) Still, when Buddy Ryan decided to seek greener pastures after the Bears won the Super Bowl, the Eagles welcomed him with open wings.

Who's kicking for the Giants these days? Or is the better question, who is kicking for the Giants next week?

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by low

So, we buying into Indianapolis yet?

Still not "buying" buying…but I did think the Chargers would be more trouble than they turned out to be, so credit for that.

Meanwhile, is Mike McDaniel fired yet? Getting blown out by Cleveland ought to do that, but who knows. Maybe management is just keeping him in the job to torment Annie Agar?

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by Cobra Mgr

Doug Martin, former Pro Bowler & Bucs RB, dies @ 36

Thirty-six?? There has to be a sad story there.

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by Amazin69

Who's kicking for the Giants these days? Or is the better question, who is kicking for the Giants next week?

The kicker for the Giants (due to Graham Gano's continuing injury woes) was one Jude McAtamney. The missed PAT was actually his second of the game, his having missed one in the 2nd quarter as well.

It's fairly safe to say that the G-Men will not be telling Jude to "take a sad song and make it better" after this performance. At least he'll never be known as "Jude the Obscure" after this, his name probably destined to live forever in the minds of Giants fans. Right up there with the much-remembered punter, Matt Dodge…

[monkeyman576]

MVP Rankings
NFL MVP Top 10:
1. Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay
2. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City
3. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis
4. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle
5. Byron Young, LB, LA Rams
6. Jared Goff, QB, Detroit
7. Bo Nix, QB, Denver
8. Drake Maye, QB, New England
9. Jordan Love, QB Green Bay
10. Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas
Honorable Mentions: QB Aaron Rodgers, PIT, QB Justin Herbert, SD, QB Josh Allen, BUF, LB Bobby Wagner, WAS, LB Brian Burns, NYG

[Amazin69]

It had been 1602 games since an NFL team blew an 18-point lead in the final 6:00 until the Giants did it. (And then the Giants scored to re-take the lead, before McAtamney missed the second PAT and the defense let Bo Nix gain 59 yards in 2 plays with seconds left on the clock to set up the winning FG.)

This game now takes its place in Big Blue infamy, alongside the Miracle at the Meadowlands (Joe Pisarcik fumbles the game away because the OC doesn't call for a kneel-down), the "Dennis Green is who we thought he was" game (1997 playoffs; Vikings coach Green makes the controversial decision to punt trailing by 22-13 with only 3:51 remaining, but the Vikings force a punt, score a TD, recover the onside kick and drive for the winning FG), the "Scoreboard" game (2002 playoffs, the Giants blow a 38-14 lead at San Francisco), and the Miracle at the New Meadowlands (2010; Eagles rally from down 3 TDs in final 8 minutes, then Matt Dodge punts directly to DeSean Jackson).

I leave it to some actual Giants fan to rank the pain involved in each of these.

("Fun" fact: the 2002 game was the first "Matt Bryant gets ****ed" game, as Bryant was the kicker waiting seal the victory before the final FG attempt fell apart. 14 years later, Bryant was waiting for Dan Quinn to just run the ball in the middle so he could kick the easy FG and put the Falcons up by 31-20 at the end of Super Bowl LI)

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Attachment 1085205

If this doesn't make you scream "Fire the coach!", I don't know what will. The Giants were up 19-0 after three quarters, and 26-8 with 10:14 to play in the fourth. The over-confident defense went to sleep, the Broncos made them pay, and that's on the coaching. It's also on management and ownership for putting out the perpetually sorry production that is the New York Giants.

The Broncos scored three touchdowns in less than three and a half minutes. Then, when Dart, now losing 30-26, rallied the offense to score one last touchdown but their kicker MISSED THE POINT AFTER — you knew, you just knew because it followed the same script as so many times before — that the Broncos with 33 seconds left would march down the field and kick the winning field goal.

For years, the Giants have found all sorts of bizarre ways to lose games, including those that they should have won but bungled away. To me, that is an indication of an ongoing problem with team management. And I am SO glad that I did not watch this game. If I was not a New Yorker, it might have been exciting. Since I remain a New Yorker, the game would have been a disgrace in my eyes.

One other thought: Jaxson Dart deserves better. Maybe he will go the Saquon Barkley route.

This was a failure on both the head coach and the DC. Daboll, dude, what are you thinking? I understand he wants to put the game away right now, but winning by one score and winning by 2 scores is the same.

With around 4:50 left in the game, Giants up 26-16, 3rd and 5, you don't have to throw the ball here. Run it, punt, let Denver waste 2-3 minutes driving the field, they'll have no timeouts. Force them to recover an onsides kick. That's a winning formula almost every time.

But it gets worse. Giants up by 2 with 32 seconds left and Denver has no timeouts. What is the Giants defensive coordinator doing? What kind of defense was that? How do you let them catch two 30 yard passes and have enough time to kick a game winning FG without timeouts!!!!

[Ragnar]

What can we say about the Jets? I know Fields was never a great QB, but I've never seen him look this bad. I don't know what it is about the Jets and their QBs just looking awful. I don't think any passes from Fields was over 10 yards. With him in the game it's not an NFL offense.

Fields looked good in week 1, and had moderate success against the Cowboys. But both Pitt and Dallas uses that crap zone defense. Not every team does.

[Ragnar]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

I was forced to sit through that, although you probably enjoyed the game from a Carolina perspective. As usual, Fox assumes that I want to see the Jets instead of other, more interesting games. I officially nominate the Jets as the worst team in the NFL.

But now, now! Commanders vs. Cowboys on Fox! I salivate for a chance to see the 'Boys pounded, hopefully.

You think I'm switching over CBS to watch the Giants? Think again.

Wishful thinking. The Cowboys consistently put up 40 at home. Washington's D isn't any good either. They needed to put up big numbers, and that's hard to do without your two best WRs. In Washington next time, Dallas will probably lose. Also, Dallas switched back to mostly M2M this game. Has anyone seen Trevon Diggs?

[Amazin69]

Originally Posted by Ragnar

This was a failure on both the head coach and the DC. Daboll, dude, what are you thinking? I understand he wants to put the game away right now, but winning by one score and winning by 2 scores is the same.

With around 4:50 left in the game, Giants up 26-16, 3rd and 5, you don't have to throw the ball here. Run it, punt, let Denver waste 2-3 minutes driving the field, they'll have no timeouts. Force them to recover an onsides kick. That's a winning formula almost every time.

But it gets worse. Giants up by 2 with 32 seconds left and Denver has no timeouts. What is the Giants defensive coordinator doing? What kind of defense was that? How do you let them catch two 30 yard passes and have enough time to kick a game winning FG without timeouts!!!!

Remember, the Giants were missing their best CB and S; it was the pass rush that made it tough for Nix.

As Brian Burns was apparently saying as he came off of the field, "We're dropping eight?"

[Déjà Bru]

That's what I have been talking about. That team consistently makes bad in-game decisions, goofs up their draft choices, fails to develop the talent that they have, tolerates stupid penalties, cannot stop game winning drives, and seem to consistently be on the wrong end of history:

33 fourth-quarter points were the most in NFL history by any team that was shut out for the first three quarters and quarterback Bo Nix became the first player ever to run for two scores and throw for two touchdowns in a fourth quarter.

I will come right out and say it: The Mara family is at fault for all of this, over the decades. Consistently hiring ignoramus general managers and coaches. What else is there to say?

Well, there is one more thing to say, and it's this. I am disappointed in myself for caring even this much. No, I did not watch the game, but I did tune into ESPN's Gamecast for the final minute and was transfixed by what I was witnessing. (I had learned that they were up 19-0 after three quarters from Fox's score crawl.) And now this indignity and outrage, as you see.

Dammit, I am doubling down on my resolution to shed local sports parochialism. Let this be yet another lesson to me.

[Cobra Mgr]

Bryce Young out next week vs Bills

[Cobra Mgr]

Originally Posted by Ragnar

What can we say about the Jets? I know Fields was never a great QB, but I've never seen him look this bad. I don't know what it is about the Jets and their QBs just looking awful. I don't think any passes from Fields was over 10 yards. With him in the game it's not an NFL offense.

Fields looked good in week 1, and had moderate success against the Cowboys. But both Pitt and Dallas uses that crap zone defense. Not every team does.

Everyone is jumping on Fields. But was Taylor any better?

Fields 6/12 46 yds 0 td's 0int's
Taylor 10/22 126 yds 0 td's 2 INT's

And Taylor's misses include a couple of sure scores lost because he threw the ball short.

Jets are just awful as a whole. And this also, IMO, goes back to what I said about colleges not preparing the next generation of QB's for the NFL.