PMT DB
PMT DB
Stanford Steve on National Championship, NFL Divisional Round Recap
We are raw dogging it in a hotel room in New Orleans, and the energy in the Big Easy is already off the charts. The divisional round just wrapped up, and it might have been one of the best weekends of football in recent memory. Between the massive upsets and a comeback in Kansas City that defied logic, the table is set for a legendary championship weekend. PFT is already planning on drinking infinity Bud Lights, and Big Cat is ready to buy stock in the Niners just to ensure they don't let him down on Sunday.
The Niners' Return to Glory and Kirk's Ceiling
The weekend kicked off with the 49ers absolutely dismantling the Vikings. While the internet was quick to jump on Kirk Cousins, Big Cat wasn't ready to let the offensive line off the hook. He saw a defense in San Francisco that didn't even need to blitz to make Kirk's life a living hell.
Big CatKirk Cousins was not the main reason the Vikings lost to the 49ers
I'm not going to sit here and do the lazy Kirk Cousins stinks, he can never win a big game. He wasn't good, but his offensive line was worse, and I'm not going to put all the blame on Kirk Cousins. To me, this game was way more about the Niners' defense than Kirk Cousins screwing up royally.
On the other side of the ball, Kyle Shanahan's hat logo seems to be shrinking in direct proportion to his confidence. He pounded the rock and didn't ask Jimmy G to do too much in his first career playoff start. For the Vikings, the loss felt like a familiar script. PFT pointed out that despite the road win in New Orleans the week prior, this version of the Vikings has a very clear shelf life.
PFT CommenterThe divisional round exit is the ceiling for the current Minnesota Vikings
This is their ceiling. And it's a pretty good ceiling. I mean, you made the divisional round of the playoffs. You won a road playoff game in New Orleans... You should be happy with this, kind of. Eventually they're going to get exactly where they are every single time with Kirk Cousins.
Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns couldn't even wait for the game to end before hiring Kevin Stefanski. It's a classic move for a franchise that operates with a perpetual sense of urgency that rarely translates to the win column.
PFT CommenterThe Cleveland Browns franchise is built around immediate success
The Browns franchise is built around immediate success. Listen, when you're the Cleveland Browns, you can't afford to give up two more weeks to wait to hire the right coach. It's a win now [mentality].
Shocker in Baltimore and the Tractor Cito Era
The Titans didn't just beat the Ravens; they bullied them. Derrick Henry is currently playing like a man handcrafted in a garage by a sweaty dad, and the Ravens looked completely rattled. Lamar Jackson put up massive yardage, but the Ravens' coaching staff seemed to forget what made them the best team in the regular season as soon as they faced a deficit.
Big CatThe Ravens panicked against the Titans and abandoned their identity
Holy shit, was that a fucking inexcusable loss at home where they just looked terrible. And I know Lamar Jackson had a million yards. But I actually don't blame it all on him because it felt like the Ravens... they panicked when they went down, and how many times are they going to run empty backfield when all season long they were fucking everyone up? That's the stupidest thing you could ever do.
Mike Vrabel is coaching like a man who truly doesn't care if he has a penis or not, as long as he has a Super Bowl ring. The Titans' refusal to kick field goals and their reliance on a 240-pound back who runs a 4.5 has Big Cat wondering if the entire league is about to change its philosophy.
PFT CommenterRunning backs are back and the NFL's offensive pendulum is swinging back to the ground game
Running backs are back. That's going to be the next take that we have. Are we seeing the pendulum swing? Because there's one really outstanding running back, Derrick Henry... you're going to see some general manager draft a running back in the top five.
While the Ravens' loss was stunning, it sparked the inevitable debate about Lamar's postseason longevity. Hank isn't sold on the regular-season MVP being a playoff performer just yet, drawing comparisons to early-career Peyton Manning.
HankLamar Jackson might simply not be able to get it done in the playoffs
He just might not be able to get it done in the playoffs. Peyton Manning, another MVP caliber quarterback, couldn't get it done in the playoffs [early on]. It might not just be like that he has weaknesses in his game. He's clearly the MVP. He just might not be able to get it done in the playoffs.
To make Ravens fans feel even worse, Big Cat pointed out a statistical anomaly that suggests being too good on offense is actually a curse. If you score too many points, history says you aren't winning the big one.
Big CatScoring a high amount of points is a curse that prevents winning championships
Scoring points is bad, and you should actually be bad on offense... The 12 highest scoring teams in NFL history have zero championships. Zero. That's good enough for me. Zero championships. Scoring points is bad. You do not want to score points.
The Mahomes Show and the Lambeau Ref Show
The Texans were up 24-0 in Kansas City, and somehow, they lost by 20. It was a "quick choke" that saw Patrick Mahomes score four touchdowns in a single quarter. Bill O'Brien's decision to kick a field goal on fourth-and-short was the exact moment the momentum shifted, proving once again that you can't play it safe against a guy like Mahomes.
Big CatYou cannot beat the Kansas City Chiefs by kicking field goals
You're not going to beat the Chiefs by kicking field goals. You're not. So I don't understand why [Bill O'Brien] doesn't go for a touchdown.
In the late game, the Packers took care of the Seahawks in a game that felt like a 90s throwback. Aaron Rodgers looked depressed even while winning, which is a scary sign for the rest of the NFC. Between the questionable spots and the usual Lambeau mystique, Big Cat couldn't help but notice the familiar advantage the home team enjoyed.
Big CatIt is hard to beat the Packers and the refs at Lambeau Field
It's hard to beat the Packers and the refs. It's hard to beat the Packers and the refs. And again, I'm not going to complain about the refs. But if I were to complain about the refs, that bullshit spot [on Jimmy Graham] was bullshit.
With the Chiefs and Packers both moving on, the conspiracy theorists are already working overtime. PFT is keeping a close eye on Roger Goodell, who would surely love nothing more than a Super Bowl I rematch for the league's 100th anniversary.
PFT CommenterRoger Goodell will try to engineer a Chiefs vs. Packers Super Bowl for the 100th anniversary
Roger Goodell is absolutely smashing the nut button on the prospect of a Kansas City Chiefs-Packers Super Bowl rematch of Super Bowl I in the 100th year of the NFL. Doing a major stay woke on that one. If Roger Goodell would be the kind of guy to pull any strings behind the scenes... [he] is absolutely going to try to engineer that.
National Championship Preview with Stanford Steve
Our good friend Stanford Steve joined us in his finest LSU tracksuit to break down the clash between Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence. While the world is in love with Burrow right now, Steve is still holding onto his evaluation of the Clemson signal-caller.
Stanford SteveI would take Trevor Lawrence over Joe Burrow right now
I'm getting killed also, too, because I would take Trevor Lawrence over Burrow. What he showed in that Fiesta Bowl, the amount of times he got hit... the Clemson has the goods.
Steve also took some time to clean up the history books, specifically taking aim at the legendary status of Michigan's Bo Schembechler. He's not buying the hype for a guy with that many Rose Bowl losses.
Stanford SteveBo Schembechler does not belong in the top 20 college football coaches of all time
Look at Bo Schembechler... go back and look at his record in bowl games. I think he coached in 10 Rose Bowls. You know how many he won? Two. Two and eight. But he's a god... Schembechler in the top 20 is not right.
Looking ahead to the next five years of college football, Steve is high on a certain program in Austin finally making that leap back into the elite tier.
Stanford SteveTexas will make the College Football Playoff within the next five years
Give me one or two teams that hasn't been there [the CFP] that you could see realistically being there in the next five years... Texas... I believe in [them].
Before letting him go, we got Steve's official prediction for Monday night. He expects a high-scoring affair where Clemson keeps it close, but the home-state Tigers ultimately pull it out.
Stanford SteveLSU will beat Clemson 36-33 in the National Championship
I think Clemson hangs around, maybe goes up early, but I see LSU winning 36-33. Clemson covers.
Just as we were wrapping up, Chris Long wandered into the room to say hello, reminding everyone that in New Orleans, you never know who's going to show up to the party.
Get ready for a zillion beers and hopefully a game that doesn't end in a bad beat.
