This is the first year of the 14-team, one-team sits, 6-game wild card, wacky, wooly, weird and wild football weekend. We even get a Monday night tilt.
Saturday:
- Raiders (10-7) @ Cincinnati (10-7) 1:30 PM NBC – Cincy -5
- Patriots (10-7) @ Bills (11-6) 5:15 PM CBS/NFL Network – Bills -4
Sunday:
- Eagles (9-8) @ Bucs (13-4) 10:00 AM Fox – Bucs -8.5
- Niners (10-7) @ Cowsluts (12-5) 1:30 CBS – Sluts -3
- Steelers (9-7-1) @ Chiefs (12-5) 5:15 NBC – Chiefs -12.5
Monday:
- Cards (11-6) @ Rams (12-5) 5:15 ESPN/NFL Network – Rams -4
Strange days indeed. For all the angst around letting shitty teams (Pittsburgh, Philly) into the playoffs, only 2 of the teams were under 10 wins. Pittsburgh and Philly.
Really a shame that Brandon Staley was stupid enough to call a timeout while the Raiders were happy to simply let the clock run out. Can’t believe they didn’t fire him as he went for in on his own 18 yard line on 4th and 1 in the 3rd quarter with a 3 point lead that quickly vanished.
If Eddie D was the boss, Staley would have been frog-marched off the field 2 minutes later. Justin Herbert is fun to watch and the Chargers are an old fave of mine. Pittsburgh? Fuck them. I’ll gladly watch the Chiefs annihilate them. Not that I like the Chiefs, but they win big, 38-17.
Raiders / Bengals? This one is a great one to kick off the WC weekend. This one can go in 150 different directions. Both teams look unbeatable one minute, and unwatchable the next. Carr has been Studly at times, and wild at times. Cincy and Burrow are all over the place as well. We should be thanking the Bengals for running in OT and kicking that FG. We were NOT stopping the pass that day, and we lucked out wildly. A toast to Zac Taylor. Raiders cover and win 34-30.
Pats Bills? Jac Mones looks to be overwhelmed as a rook in the playoffs. Belichick notwithstanding. The Bills can control the clock and the game and win going away 27-20.
Eagles Bucs looks to be another wipeout. Eagles shouldn’t be here. Seattle is better than them.
Bucs 31 – Eagles 13.
Us? Sunday is the day the Niners play a complete game and smash the Cowboys 28-17.
Rams Cards looks to be a close one, but I think the McVay hold over the Cards continues, but they don’t cover. Rams win 28-27.
I guess the Niners and Raiders qualify as the only upsets that I think happen this wild wooly weekend.
San Francisco 49ers Forever 
We can figure Deebo, Kittle, Aiyuk, and Mitchell will play pretty good and hope our defense shows up. To me this game is pretty much on Jimmy’s shoulders we will sink or swim depending on what he does. I honestly don’t give a fuck about any other team this week.
Jimmy G needs to, and is overdue to, play as clean a game as he’s capable of playing. Re-watching the extended highlights from the Rams’ game, always beneficial to me because the emotion is removed and I can be more objective, he made a lot of really nice plays and throws in that game, some of them brilliant. The 43-yarder to Deebo on the game-tying drive at the end of regulation was as clutch a throw as any Niner QB has made in recent memory. Huge play. And Deebo’s open field cutting and running ability is really spectacular. He makes some of the best athletes in the world lose their jockstraps. What an athlete. More than that, what a football player.
The interceptions are literally not explainable they were so bad (I still can’t figure out what he was trying to do or what he saw on the first one and the one to Kittle was just a bad decision compounded by a really poor throw; if he puts it right on him it’s probably a catch, but throwing into triple coverage?! WTF), which is what’s most confounding about the the guy. but when he’s on he’s pretty damn good and he was on enough times Sunday, and at the right times, to pull off the huge win.
The Niners can beat the Cowboys, but they need to what they haven’t really done all year and that’s come out fast, for once, and not flat, which seems to be their M.O., and JG has to play a clean game. And, of course, they’ll have to run the ball effectively. Keeping Stafford on the sidelines was huge and keeping Prescott on the sidelines will be huge too. It’s an age-old formula in football. Great QB’s can’t beat you when they’re not on the field. The great 49ers teams of the past were masters of the sustained, clock-chewing drives that culminated in TD’s and sucked the life right out of their opponents.
I hate predicting 49ers wins because it seems like every time I do they lose, so I’ll just say GO 49ERS!
This guy, Alex Rollins, does some really interesting and thorough football analysis videos on YouTube and this one of Deebo is very good. I can highly recommend this guy’s channel. And this video was done during the earlier part of the season, meaning I think Deebo has developed even further as the season has progressed:
Jennings could be the wild card once again. With so much focus on Deebo, Kittle, Aiyuk and stopping the run, he figures to be open a lot and he could wreak havoc on the Cowboys. The Niners have a lot of weapons and it’s pretty hard to guard all of them. That was a hallmark of the championship teams as well.
Totally agree. Jennings has been gold. He has stepped into the shoes Bourne had for us. Plus he’s a lot more physical. Gonna be a keeper for awhile.
Yeah, this Jimmy’s (likely) last chance to change his legacy with the team. The team came out f the gate starting fast and then coasting. Now they are staggering out of the gate and closing fast.
A complete game should result in a win. Just to see Jerry Jerk Off pouting his way out of the building will be epic.
That is what is so infuriating, John. The picks are so inexplicable. I think it was the Titans game where he threw to Kittle who was fronted by a linebacker who had an easy pick. On 1st and goal from the 7 Throw it high or OB to avoid the pick.
Yep, that one in the end zone. Horrible throw. Again, what did he see there? I’m sure Shanahan was asking the same thing, albeit with a lot more anger. That TN game still chaps my ass. They had what turned out to be the #1 seed in the AFC on the ropes and should’ve won the game. They should’ve won it GOING AWAY.
But that also gives me hope for tomorrow. As you’ve said in the recent past, when this team is on there’s no team they can’t beat. Any given Sunday and all that. Hopefully being almost fully healthy and coming off an epic win, they’ll come out and beat the damn Cowboys.
I read an article yesterday on Yahoo Sports about Niner fans who live in TX. Based on what was said, I’d expect another solid contingent of red and gold to be at this game. May not help that much, but it sure can’t hurt.
Niner fans do travel well and there should be quite a few in Texas due to tax and business laws. I think lots of Silicon Valley business moved out there.
I think you’re exactly right, Winder.
FWIW, Bill Walsh hated Dallas. I read one of his books years ago called “Building a Champion” and he talks quite a bit about that. He despised their arrogance and the whole “America’s Team” BS. Of all the things I loved about that guy, and that was pretty much everything, that was one of my favorites. Beating them in ’81 (twice) helped Niners fans shed so much misery and angst. That one game changed everything. The 45-14 game didn’t hurt either. Dallas had run up the score on SF the previous year, which was one reason Walsh really wanted to beat their asses. He also cites that epic comeback against the Saints in 1980 as another turning point for the franchise.
Good book too, if you can locate a copy. I don’t seem to have mine anymore. Anyway, I’m really blathering on today. lol
Yeah, Winder, he’s a big body and he may not be a true burner but he runs well for his size. I don’t know if you guys have seen this play from his days at Tennessee, but it’s pretty cool. Clutch player:
Never saw it but that’s just what we need in a WR.
Yeah LJ I forgot to mention how big Jennings came up against the Rams.Monster game 2TD’s 6 catches 94 yards and every play he made was a difference maker moving the chains are scoring, Rams didn’t expect that, and had no clue how to stop him.He could easily be another huge weapon that The Cowboys can’t ignore especially with his size and ability to break tackles like Deebo..
Yeah I watched a 2 part 49er/Cowboys special hosted by Jeremy Renner&Sam Elliott ( Guess it makes sense Elliot is a huge Cowboys fan And knocking the 49ers every chance he could over petty shit) but yeah Bill Walsh was pissed being a doormat to the Cowboys in his early years when they totally run up the score against a then Deberg led debacle.
Bill would be in the player meetings with his team spewing bleep words about this Fucking America Team as he’s grinding hard on a chalkboard on how he’s going to beat this bleeping team and earn the respect his team deserves.Oh btw I was at that 45-14 Niners game blowout and they wanted even more points if they could, they hated the Cowboys and still do, this rivalry will be bitter forever!!Fuck the Cowboys and hope the 49ers stomp cowshit in there faces tomorrow..
I was at that one too Kat. One of my very top games had a great time that day. No one saw that one coming. All I heard was that Dorsett was gonna run over us. Then we got Fred Dean, great 49er memory.
That was his forst game as a Niner iirc. He harassed the fuck out of Danny White that day.
yep Danny White looked like a fish out of water.
Went to that one and the Saints game Joe coming out party. Epic game. Getting to the car and listening to the highlights was awesome.
Yeah Winder that first Cowboy was so huge and then going into Pittsburgh later and knocking off the Steelers,we’re the statement wins for me,leading to that 1st SB championship,highlighted by knocking off the Cowboys with the winning drive and the ultimate “Catch” of alltime for the ages,had to have been one of Bill Walsh’s favorite moment of satisfaction along of course winning ALL his SB championships!!
yep, that Pittsburgh game was huge. IIRC we were the first NFC team to win in Pittsburg in something like 10 years. I do remember after the game Bradshaw said that we made them look like the rookies.
The Niners were some hard hitting dudes that year. They also went to DC and knocked off the Redskins, and that Steelers game was a slugfest. Those three games really set the tone for the rest of the year. Blowing the Cowboys out was a real eye opener.
That game, I was like, we can lose all the rest of the games, and I’ll still be happy because we stomped the shit out of the fucking Cowsluts. I mean I was thrilled we won th Super Bowl but at the time, I was cool with anything,
Can’t find the fucking shirt..
Been a long time probably buried some where.
It’ll turn up. Got s pic from a super bowl party ai was at from the 89 Bengals game wearing it,
Finding that will be even harder. I did see that within the last month as I’ve been trying to get my pictures together.I have like 50,000 of them.
I really like to take pics.
That’s a pic I’d like to see. I’ve been taking photos my whole life and I still regret not taking more over the years.
-7 degrees in Buffalo!!! When I see that, I know why I live in California
Yep. Funny, my mom and dad are from Chicago, and my uncle as well. My dad moved to Cali in 1957, and raised us 5 kids here. All of us stayed in Cali. My dad’s brother (Uncle Chuck) raised his 9 kids in Chicago. None of them stayed there.
I was born in Chicago, but only was there till I was 2 years old, came out to CA
Yeah, I can remember kids coming out here from back east to go to college, they never went back
Mac Jones getting schooled
Well, that was a little uglier than I thought. Didn’t think NE would win but I didn’t think they’d lose this bad.
I did Josh Allen is the best QB in football, even schooled the 49ers last year at Levi…
Well now it’s the 49ers time to school the Cowmanure tomorrow! Once the 49ers stuff Elliott and Pollard and there running game it will be time to tee off on Prescott with are stout front 7!!
Shit, man. Can’t wait for this game!!! No idea what will happen, but if we play clean we should win..
Big fucking IF
Exactly. You just don’t know which Niners team will show up. It feels like they’re long overdue to put together a complete game. They’re going to have to do that to have a chance to win. Dallas is going to come out swinging and the Niners always seem to start slow. They can’t do that today.
GO 49ERS!
That’s why I liked this guy
Kendrick Bourne caught 7-of-8 targets for 77 yards and two touchdowns in the Patriots’ Wild Card loss to the Bills.
Part of the Patriots’ skill position spending spree in free agency, Bourne easily out-produced each of Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith and Nelson Agholor on his way to a 55/800/5 regular season statline as he appeared in all 17 games. As was the case in San Francisco, Bourne displayed tough hands and made some big catches in the red zone. He was a dangerous YAC man, checking in 20th amongst receivers in yards after the catch. Bourne is already at his NFL ceiling, but he should remain a useful real-life player for 2022, one who will operate as a mid-range WR4 in fantasy.
Allen is a bad ass. Not only great throwing the ball but the way he runs for his size is impressive. Great pick by the Bills. Let’s hope Lance comes near that level of performance. Mac Jones looked to be out of his depth, but it just goes to show that playing QB as a rookie in the NFL is a hell of a hard thing to do.
The Bills look like a serious contender for a championship. If the 49ers don’t do it, I wouldn’t mind seeing Buffalo finally get their first trophy.
And yes, that first Buffalo TD immediately had me thinking of The Catch. Nowhere near the moment, but the way the play developed looked similar.
We really, really, really need good Jimmy to show up today. I think they could survive one pick, but this ugly, multi-interception crap needs to disappear in this game. The Cowboys can really get after the QB and Jimmy doesn’t usually do well under a lot of pressure. No QB does, really, which is why the 49ers have to get in Prescott’s face all game too.
yeah, it’s a toss-up on which 49er team will show up today. I would love to see us hammer stinkin Dallas but I don’t expect a game like that. Go Niners
Almost time!!!
New thread is up.