AFCN At Large Thru Week 9

[ATL96Steeler]

This looks a bit different than it did in week 7.

BAL...5-4...2 weeks ago I thought they were the most consistent team in the DIV...they've lost 2 in a row now, including a pay back beat down on SNF from our own Steelers. This has dropped them to last in the DIV...with 3 DIV losses including getting swept by CIN, and only 1 remaining CLE @ hm...they will have the win the DIV outright imo...can't rely on tie breakers right now.

CIN...5-2-1...they sit in the catbird seat, but I don't think they can feel too comfortable...the early bye has them in the misdt of 13 straight games and only 3 of them at home...clearly the hardest remaning schedule with CLE x 2, PIT x 2, @NO, DEN and @ HOU ahead of them.

CLE...5-3...a resurgence of sorts for the Browns, but I wouldn't feel too comfortable as a Browns fan either. They also had the early bye, and the strain of 13 straight to close. They should be getting their #1 WR back soon, but only 3 home game remain for them also. They are winning games, but @ CIN, BAL, IND at home jump out as tough games and we'll have to see how they do on the road @ BUF, ATL, CAR. those game will make or break them. I have a feeling they will fall back closer to .500 or 9-7 as the season winds down.

PIT...6-3...I said that the Steelers had the most upside potential back in week 7 because they had not been playing up to their potential on OFC...well, we've seen the results of that the last 3 weeks and surprisingly the DEF has also picked up its play in the 3 game win streak. We now have to see if they can take this level of play on the road...if so, you have to like the Steelers chances of winning the north...on paper their toughest of the final 8 games are CIN x 2, NO, and KC so 3 of them a home games.

I'll take another look at this in a couple weeks.

 

[NorthCoastSteelersFan]

Good analysis, ATL.

Most important thing for the next couple of games, IMO, is not to become complacent against "lesser" opponents...remember the Tampa Bay game?

They need to maintain intensity...and go into those games with every intention of DESTROYING the Jets and Titans.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Great stuff per usual ATL…

BAL… I think they will pick back up again. But they definitely got a huge setback losing 3 divisional games. I can't believe that they axed 2 of their DBs after the loss to PIT. Most are saying they wanted to make a statement to the rest of the team, but to me that is a pure knee-jerk type of move that you usually only see from fans. Chykie Brown is better than both the FA they claimed off waivers & the guy they brought up from their PS. Not a good decision IMO, but hell they have axed their OC midseason and saw great results. Time will tell…

CIN… Tough tough schedule still looms. I don't see them staying on top of the division for long. It helps that Dalton has stepped up a little bit, plus the emergence of Sanu. It will be interesting to see if they can keep up with offenses like NO or DEN, because their defense fell off the grid for the most part.

CLE… I agree. Not much about the Browns spells success in the coming months. For the last few years they have always played good september/partially-october football and then disappear down the stretch. I think getting Gordon back will do wonders for this offense. Clearly every defensive secondary has keyed on Cameron which suffocates CLE's offense. Hawkins has done enough to make them more respectable. But with the loss to Mack @ C, their ground game has sputtered. They still have a solid defense though.

PIT… Clearly in the driver's seat for the division. But we know how complacent they can get after stretches of success. I hope Tomlin can keep them hungry because they have some tough games to finish out the season. Don't sleep on the Jets or the Titans either. Glad to see this defense rounding into form, but still not quite where they need to be. The arrow is pointed up though! A lot of the success of this offense is going to be decided by how well this OLine holds up during cold football. The injury bug has stayed away from that unit surprisingly but it turned its sights on the defense. Still there is a lot to like with how Munchak has this group performing… I'm still scratching my head as to how he got Adams to play as well as he did against IND. Crazy!

My prediction:
1. Steelers - 3rd seed
2. Bengals - 5th seed
3. Ravens (3rd in division… again) - Could sneak into the Wild Card round. But too early to tell.
4. Browns

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

AFC playoff picture…

DEN… Still the top dog even after losing to NE. Decent schedule going forward. OAK x2, STL, MIA, KC, BUF, SD, CIN, but only 3 home games remain. Should be able to finish 1st or 2nd seed.

NE… White hot and at a good time during a tough stretch of games… CHI (W), DEN (W), IND, DET, GB, SD, MIA. There's no reason to think that they can't take over the top spot in the AFC before all is said and done. Luckily they got a bye before their next biggest AFC showdown against IND, but also not so lucky that IND had the same bye week. Both teams having 2 weeks to prepare for one another… That's going to be a great game to watch! I'm predicting that NE falls to the 3rd or 4th seed.

IND… Pretty favorable schedule looking forward. After NE they go JAX, WAS, CLE, HOU, DAL, TEN. They could make a huge statement with a win over the Pats. But if not, they should still be a shoe in for the Wild Card Round. I predict they rise to the 2nd seed in the AFC.

KC… Playing great football right now and their defense is starting to rise again. Hard to find a tougher front 7 than one that has Houston (DPY candidate), Hali, & Poe. History knows not to ever count out Andy Reid. Tough schedule looms, but they should remain in the hunt.

SD… Tough schedule & injury bug, combined with their current poor performances are a potent mixture. Lucky for them they have home games when NE & DEN come up. Not much to be excited about, but they do get some key pieces back from injury soon (Mathews, Te'o, Verrett, Attoachu, etc). If they can get healthy again then they should get out of the funk they are in. If not, then out of the hunt they go.

MIA… Like KC, they are playing great football right now. Tannehill has stepped up big time and their defense has been very disruptive. Tough games looking forward are DET, DEN, BAL, & NE. Only BAL is a home game. Tough battle looking forward but still very likely to be in the hunt.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

What's up Face...you been traveling?

AFCN...BAL...I saw that...apparently they have been disappointed in guy that AB burnt for the long TD for several weeks and the PS guy they just wanted to give him some live reps...either way it was desperate measures. Still very much in the playoff race because they play well @ home and have 4 of those left, plus that DEF typically travels well...wouldn't be shocked if they went 6-1 to close.

CIN...their DEF needs to turn it up...I expect them to win tonight, but not certain about them @ NO, both PIT games, @ CLE or DEN at home...they need to win 3 of those imo.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

AFC playoff picture

E...NE and I don't think it'll be all that close...11-5 is what I expect from the them and no worse than the 2 seed. BUF...I like the DEF , but the OFC may not have enough consistency when it comes to playing to top shelf DEFs...this week will be a good indicator. MIA...the way Tannehill is playing I like them to hang around until the end and possibly eek out a WC spot.

N...PIT/CIN/BAL to fight it out and as we've mentioned the Steelers have a great shot to win the DIV...especially if the DEF is indeed on the level we've seen the last few weeks. Something tells me that CIN is not going to win 10 games so I'm not sure about them making the playoffs.

S...IND...HOU is starting Mallet now...nothing more to say

W...DEN to win the DIV and KC as one of the WC is starting to look like a reality.

WC...today I would say...5 KC, 6 MIA

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

What's up Face...you been traveling?

Indeed sir… Been getting around for work the last couple weeks. Got to come home for the Baltimore game though which was amazing.

Some changes may be on the horizon. Got some big job offers out west, but not sure how willing I am to uproot just yet.

How goes it down south ATL?

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Wow I can't believe that CIN got blown out at home by CLE… Reminiscent of when CLE came into the Steel City

Are the Browns turning a corner, or are the Bengals spiraling downward?

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Indeed sir… Been getting around for work the last couple weeks. Got to come home for the Baltimore game though which was amazing.

Some changes may be on the horizon. Got some big job offers out west, but not sure how willing I am to uproot just yet.

How goes it down south ATL?

Sounds promising man...if they look stable and the money is right for you...why not? I moved far 3 times and would do it again if I had it to do over...my kids weren't born for the 1st two moves and they were young when we made the last move to ATL from NJ.

ATL...just lovely...fall is a great time of year down here...great golf weather...nice bite to the air in the morning but beautiful by early AM til dark.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Wow I can't believe that CIN got blown out at home by CLE… Reminiscent of when CLE came into the Steel City

Are the Browns turning a corner, or are the Bengals spiraling downward?

Good question..look more like an implosion by CIN...4 turnovers for CIN, -3 ratio for the game...Bengals had zero sustained drives at the half when I called it night...I've debated with Bengals fans in the past that their OL wasn't all that...Bengals OL exposed last night....no Burfict in there CLE just gouged them on the ground much like the did vs Steelers.

CIN is in trouble...3 in a row on road now starting with Saints...I said CLE would fall back to around around .500...I may have to eat those words, we'll have to see how they fit Gordon into the mix. Teams will start stacking the box on them and forcing Hoyer to do more than he has been via the air I think.

 

[element1286]

Agreed, implosion by Cincy. Put the game in the hands of Dalton way too early, and went against their offensive strength, and the Browns defensive weakness ie they abandoned the run.

Steelers in a good position now, with the least talented team currently tied with them, and Cincy/Balt having some roadblocks.

Jimmy Smith it out for the year, so Balt is going to struggle big time in the secondary.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Agreed, implosion by Cincy. Put the game in the hands of Dalton way too early, and went against their offensive strength, and the Browns defensive weakness ie they abandoned the run.

Steelers in a good position now, with the least talented team currently tied with them, and Cincy/Balt having some roadblocks.

Jimmy Smith it out for the year, so Balt is going to struggle big time in the secondary.

Bengals have lost a lot of key people thru out the yr, but I have to think the new OC & DC are having problems working thru it...Dalton can't carry the team...period...he can make all the throws, has good legs, but has to have the complete pkg (i.e. run game & playaction pass).

BAL...they will still hang around...might not look pretty though.

Good shape...agreed, just win the next two, by close of biz week 12, the Steelers could be in 1st place by themselves...pressure will ramp up on the Browns imo...they should beat HOU @ home with a new QB, but if ATL beats the Bucs, they will feel good about themselves and typically play well at home.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Sounds promising man...if they look stable and the money is right for you...why not? I moved far 3 times and would do it again if I had it to do over...my kids weren't born for the 1st two moves and they were young when we made the last move to ATL from NJ.

ATL...just lovely...fall is a great time of year down here...great golf weather...nice bite to the air in the morning but beautiful by early AM til dark.

The money is definitely right. And I'm leaning on taking it… I think leaving all our family that is based in PA is the hard thing about it. Tough choice, but I think in the long run its the best decision.

I've never been to ATL, but I've been through GA on my way to Tallahassee a long time ago when I was a kid. But that sounds awesome. Gotta love those crisp mornings on the course!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Bengals have lost a lot of key people thru out the yr, but I have to think the new OC & DC are having problems working thru it...Dalton can't carry the team...period...he can make all the throws, has good legs, but has to have the complete pkg (i.e. run game & playaction pass).

BAL...they will still hang around...might not look pretty though.

Good shape...agreed, just win the next two, by close of biz week 12, the Steelers could be in 1st place by themselves...pressure will ramp up on the Browns imo...they should beat HOU @ home with a new QB, but if ATL beats the Bucs, they will feel good about themselves and typically play well at home.

I think losing their DC has made this team look entirely different. They only lost 1 or 2 key pieces on the defensive side of the ball (Michael Johnson to TB) and that unit looks deflated? Even with Atkins back, Dunlap still playing well, and Burfict (when not injured). Maybe their injuries on that side have something to do with it, but I still think that defense should be top 5 when they clearly aren't.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

The money is definitely right. And I'm leaning on taking it… I think leaving all our family that is based in PA is the hard thing about it. Tough choice, but I think in the long run its the best decision.

I've never been to ATL, but I've been through GA on my way to Tallahassee a long time ago when I was a kid. But that sounds awesome. Gotta love those crisp mornings on the course!

Family...yeah, that's tough...I'm one of one as a child so family was not very big...plus coming out of school with my 1st career gig, I never moved back "home" or even to the same town I grew up in.

The move from FL to NY was a big one...my wife is one of a bunch and parents, all of her siblings except 1 were in FL...best thing that could've happened to us...newlyweds...was to get away from "her" family...but again, there were no kids for that move.

ATL...still a southern town, you'll here some twang for sure, but a lot more progressive than most...ton of transplants here from all over...I didn't have the NFL tkt for 2 years and every Sunday went to a Steeler bar for games not on TV locally...probably a dz or so around town. Spring is kinda short compared to NJ, but we have 4 true seasons here...summer takes some getting used to, but I lived in FL for 5 years and the humidity is worse there.

I've always liked it out west...although Cali never present itself to me as home, but seemed too pricey for me, I loved the SD area though. I've played golf all over the west, NM, NV, CA, CO...I have family in CO and had a job opportunity there, but my wife was done with snow.

It would take a whole lot for me to move now, but the one thing you don't want to do later in life, is say...I wish I had...

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I think losing their DC has made this team look entirely different. They only lost 1 or 2 key pieces on the defensive side of the ball (Michael Johnson to TB) and that unit looks deflated? Even with Atkins back, Dunlap still playing well, and Burfict (when not injured). Maybe their injuries on that side have something to do with it, but I still think that defense should be top 5 when they clearly aren't.

CIN...Not that claim to know a whole lot about them...there is a Cincy guy here that I play golf with from time to time, and from the games that I've watched. Atkins is just now starting to look like the old Atkins, but he may never be that pro bowl guy again...Dunlap I've always felt was an underacheiver...he has the perfect 4-3 DE body type and he makes plays, but also can disappear for a Qtr...Playing next to Peko & Atkins & Johnson before he left...you would think he would be a dbl digit sack guy every year.

LBs...I think at one point all 3 or at least 2 of the 3 were out at the same time, plus Gilberry was out a game or 2. Eifert @ TE...they've gone thru it for sure. Maybe more than PIT, but the Steelers have played thru JJ, Shazier, and Ike all going down for long periods. and now a starting CB benching.

I've always felt CIN DEF strength was in the front 7...and the back was gettable...Maybe Zimmer would've been to work thru the injuries better just knowing what the backups can and can't do.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Family...yeah, that's tough...I'm one of one as a child so family was not very big...plus coming out of school with my 1st career gig, I never moved back "home" or even to the same town I grew up in.

The move from FL to NY was a big one...my wife is one of a bunch and parents, all of her siblings except 1 were in FL...best thing that could've happened to us...newlyweds...was to get away from "her" family...but again, there were no kids for that move.

ATL...still a southern town, you'll here some twang for sure, but a lot more progressive than most...ton of transplants here from all over...I didn't have the NFL tkt for 2 years and every Sunday went to a Steeler bar for games not on TV locally...probably a dz or so around town. Spring is kinda short compared to NJ, but we have 4 true seasons here...summer takes some getting used to, but I lived in FL for 5 years and the humidity is worse there.

I've always liked it out west...although Cali never present itself to me as home, but seemed too pricey for me, I loved the SD area though. I've played golf all over the west, NM, NV, CA, CO...I have family in CO and had a job opportunity there, but my wife was done with snow.

It would take a whole lot for me to move now, but the one thing you don't want to do later in life, is say...I wish I had...

Very refreshing to get an experienced take on this matter. Thanks ATL!

Yea we have both sides of the family very heavily rooted in PA. But I think it would be easier for me to want to move than my old lady. We are both very close with our families, but she is tied at the hip with hers.

I've been out west many times. And I have family within 5-7 hours of where the job offers are. Which is another plus for me. But I love it out there. The Pacific NW is one of my favorite places to be. In many ways it reminds me of home here in PIT, but only greener and a bit more hectic lol. There's just something about the culture too that lures me. Not to mention the beer is flat out amazing.

You aren't the only one that feels that way about Cali. I've been there many times and I can't stand it. Cost of living, horrible transits, crime, etc etc. The cons of living there go on and on, and are just too much for me. But it's a fun place to vacation, for a week or 2 at most.

I have friends that moved out to Denver a few years back. One is an extreme outdoorsman type so he is loving every second of it. The other dropped his career to invest in starting up a licensed marijuana distribution company. He has always been a stoner so it didn't surprise me lol. But I've been to Denver twice. One time I got horrible sort of altitude sickness. Sucked! Couldn't keep anything down the entire time I was there. But the second time I went I fared a lot better. Also had a grandparent that lived just outside of Denver a long time ago. He bought a fish farm and I worked there for a month as a kid during one of my summers. Colorado definitely appeals to the outdoorsman in myself!

I'm excited whenever I think about the opportunity. Still will have to do some "selling" to the wife. I do think that I would be the one to say "I wish I had" if it didn't happen. But on the same side of it, I could also say "I'm glad we stayed". Both are good situations… I'm not in any threat of losing work here and we have a great life already set up, but the opportunity is huge if we decide to take it.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Great to hear Face...get the better half out there to at least have a look see if she hasn't been out there.

I've never been the NW...The ORE area is one of those golf bucket list trips for me. Bandon Dunes...several of my buddies have been out there and they all raved about it being the holy grail of golf so at some point I'm going to make that trek...a former-coworker of mine was from SEA...we both had tranferred to NYC corporate office and he hated NY...always talked about the greenery, mountains, etc. He did move back to SEA shortly after we moved south/

Oddly...I've been to PIT 3 only times in my life and it's much smaller than I've thought that it would be...not a small town, but compared to ATL, it seemed smaller...PIT with the rivers, all the bridges, mountains, it's scenic...ATL is pretty hilly, lots of trees and about an hour and half north of town you would think you're in PIT...Steel City it's a nice town so I can imagine with all that family around it's comfortable to stay as well.

Either way, it doesn't sound like you can really go wrong...wish you the best with it.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Thanks! Couldn't agree more!

PIT is definitely smaller than the typical NW city, but it's a bit more spread out. Which is the way I like it. I've been to more crowded cities and I'm not a big fan of the transit systems. That's about the only drawback for me, but something I could get used to. Seattle is a crazy city to drive in... Very confusing layout and a lot of it doesn't really make sense to me, but I like the uniqueness of it. If that makes any sense? lol

I've been to ORE many times. Love the pacific coast (Lincoln City, Newport, etc) area. Portland is fun as well and reminds me a lot of PIT. To me, Portland seems like the place you want to be when you're younger... More laid back atmosphere... And when you get serious about your life, that's when you move north to Seattle. A little more up-tight. Just seems like that's the typical nature of those 2 areas, but love them both.

 

[Muddler]

I've been to ORE many times. Love the pacific coast (Lincoln City, Newport, etc) area. Portland is fun as well and reminds me a lot of PIT. To me, Portland seems like the place you want to be when you're younger... More laid back atmosphere... And when you get serious about your life, that's when you move north to Seattle. A little more up-tight. Just seems like that's the typical nature of those 2 areas, but love them both.

As a newbie to the forum, I've lived in Oregon for 25 years and am not planning to move anywhere else. Lived in Florence on the coast - (great fishing and the beach is wonderful on a windless day) first couple years but now reside in Bend in Central Oregon and love it here. OR (and WA) is separated by the Cascade Range into 2 distinct climates. Westside is lower and wetter, Eastside of the Cascades is higher and dryer. Eastside has mountains, rivers, lakes, sunshine, skiing and enough culture to keep things interesting. Its almost too nice here - people (especially Californicators) are moving here by the droves.

I do miss the Burgh tho. Don't have any family there anymore so I don't get back there at all anymore. Been threatening my wife we're gonna go back next summer to take in a couple games at PNC.