The grim carnage of Monday’s game puts a fine point on the NFL’s most inconvenient truth: that violence is an essential feature of the leagueThe body count included a pair of young men carted off on stretchers and still more knocked out with serious injuries. Some were a result of routine plays that embody football’s existential risks, others were the offspring of more sinister intentions. Who can say, as the medics rush the field before a hushed stadium or from the antiseptic fluorescent buzz of a hospital room, which brand of violence is more concerning? Does it even matter?One thing’s for certain: the grim tableau of carnage that was Monday night’s divisional grudge match between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati...
The end of the season could see as many as eight well-known quarterbacks end their careers, or at least change jobsBetween 1993 and 2000, the NFL careers of Phil Simms, Joe Montana, Jim Kelly, Boomer Esiason, Dan Marino, John Elway, Steve Young, Troy Aikman and Warren Moon all came to a close. It was a mass exodus of talent at the quarterback position – all but Simms and Esiason are in the Hall of Fame – and led to Super Bowls being won by the likes of Trent Dilfer and Brad Johnson before the Tom Brady and Peyton Manning era truly kicked into high gear.So while the NFL saw nine big-name quarterbacks leave the league over eight years two decades...
Aaron Rodgers has had a great run but injuries will catch up with Green Bay, while the Patriots’ struggles against Houston do not bode well for Tom BradyJust like that, the end game is upon us. A starting field of 32 NFL teams has been whittled down to four. And of our 226 Pick The Playoffs contestants, a mere 12 are still in with a shot of a perfect score. Congratulations to bouncebounceprod, francaise, Mark Lewis, MisterHorse, mmmbop86, nbcnfl, Nick Young, ShadowWarrior, smjdublin, themagicman, waterhoose and, yes, me on calling every postseason game correctly so far. I’ll post the full standings in the comments section below shortly. But before that, here are my picks for the Conference Championship Games. Related:...
There’s only one non-kicking NFL player older than the Steelers linebacker and that’s Tom Brady. But is he a genetic freak or a canny trainer?Playing in the NFL is not the recipe for a long and healthy career. Depending on who you talk to, the average footballing lifespan is from 3.5 to six years. Make it to 10 and it is time to break out the confetti and 21-gun salutes. Anything past that deserves serious accolades. Related: Why watching the Steelers' Le'Veon Bell feels like watching the future Related: Maybe just this once it's OK to feel sorry for the Cowboys' Jerry Jones Continue reading...
Rodgers has thrown for 22 touchdowns in the past eight games, and he can spoil the Cowboys’ season on Sunday. Plus, go for the Falcons, Patriots and SteelersTime for the real fun to begin? Wildcard weekend was a damp squib, with every home team winning exactly as it was expected to do. That this was a predictable outcome is evidenced by the fact that more than one third of our Pick The Playoff contestants did, quite literally, predict it. Related: San Diego refused to be bullied by the NFL and billionaire owners | Les Carpenter Continue reading...