The NFL is a quarterback-driven league but three of the four teams left standing this season don’t have superstars under centerEach April at the top of the NFL draft, teams grab at quarterbacks they envision leading them to glory. But none of the four quarterbacks remaining in the NFL playoffs took that textbook path to the conference title game. The Eagles, Vikings, Patriots and Jaguars each made it to the championship round without an early pick, “franchise QB” leading the way, not the way in which it’s supposed to be done. Jacksonville’s Blake Bortles was a first-round pick, sure. But in the four seasons from the time he was taken with the No3 overall pick in the 2014 draft to...
This has been a season of improbable storylines for Minnesota, and now they are one victory away from a Super Bowl in their own backyardIn 51 years of Super Bowls no team has ever played for football’s championship on their home field. The closest were the Los Angeles Rams, who in their previous run as tenants of the LA Coliseum, lost the 1980 Super Bowl in Pasadena’s Rose Bowl, 26 miles away.But throughout this improbable Minnesota Vikings season, the one that fell their way after rival quarterback Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone, the Vikings have quietly eyed the Super Bowl that will be played on home turf. And in a season that has made no sense, where they had the...
It’s probably unfair to say this but Minnesota and Philadelphia simply don’t have the quarterbacks to make a convincing playoff runOver the last 42 years the regular season’s top teams have gone to the playoffs with an expectation of winning their first postseason game. They often don’t, of course, but the people who set sports betting lines have named the No1 seed as favorites every time in their playoff opener. Never have they wavered on this. Their faith in the higher seed has been automatic. But faith never met Nick Foles, the unfortunate replacement for Carson Wentz as the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback in these playoffs. For the first time since the NFL began using team records to set seeding the...
The Vikings and Chiefs signal callers are usually more conservative than Fox News hosts. But this season things could change dramatically - and permanentlyA year after Jared Goff and Carson Wentz were selected one and two overall in the NFL Draft, five months after the Bears traded up to take Mitchell Trubisky and days after DeShaun Watson made his NFL debut, it’s looking like the league may have a new batch of quarterback superstars. But it’s not any of those young quarterbacks who are taking the leap, at least not yet. No, the NFL’s new superstar QBs are ... Sam Bradford and Alex Smith? Really? OK. Sure. Continue reading...
A blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs has officially ended the Super Bowl title returning to Denver – and there’s more to blame than just the quarterbackThe Denver Broncos season unofficially ended shortly before half-time during Sunday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Down 21-10 with time running out in the second quarter, they lined up as if they were going to attempt a 53 yard field goal. Instead, kicker Brandon McManus took the ball, ran ... and failed to pick up the first down. The Broncos wouldn’t score again as the Chiefs would go on to win 33-10, securing a return to the playoffs while eliminating the reigning Super Bowl champions from postseason contention. Related: 350lb lineman...