Who's for real?
With the last undefeated team in the NFL falling on Monday, I look at who's legit and who's not heading into the playoff stretch.
Some of you have been dying for Pittsburgh Steelers content (okay really just one of you) but I didn’t feel the need to write about them. Until now.
The Steelers took on the Washington Football Team on Monday afternoon in a game that was postponed because of the Steelers-Ravens game postponement the week before. Pittsburgh entered Monday’s game 11-0 while Washington entered the game 4-7 and winners of two straight games.
Despite being undefeated, the Steelers fell 23-17. There are plenty of excuses as to why Pittsburgh lost; the team had only a five day turnaround following their 19-13 win over the Ravens, they were missing running back James Connor because he was on the Covid/reserve list, etc. But the Steelers’ first loss was coming. If it wasn’t to Washington it would’ve been to Buffalo or Indianapolis or even the Browns.
I was with a few friends on Sunday evening (the Steelers were still undefeated at this point). One friend, looking to spark some conversation, asked “who’s the best team in the NFL right now?” Without hesitation I named the Kansas City Chiefs as the best team, but there was a quick discussion following the question because on paper the Steelers were the best. They were a popular choice among everyone else.
I began to explain my doubts, most notably that the Steelers hadn’t yet faced any strong opposition. Of their 11 opponents so far this season, Pittsburgh has only faced three teams with winning records (currently) and one of those opponents was the Baltimore Ravens, who they’ve faced twice. With eight opponents under .500, it’s disappointing to note that the Steelers only have four 10+ point wins, only one of which was against an above .500 team.
Compare that to the Kansas City Chiefs, who are now also 11-1. The Chiefs have played six above .500 teams, have five 10+ points wins, with two of those against above .500 teams. By that comparison the Chiefs are certainly the better team.
If I have to choose which two AFC teams will go to the conference championship game, then I’m likely going with Pittsburgh and Kansas City. I think the Tennessee Titans have a solid claim because of their brutal run game. I think the Bills have a decent chance as well, given their strong quarterback play and solid winning culture under Sean McDermott.
But the Steelers are not good enough to overcome the Chiefs and I expect them to lose another game or two before the playoffs come around.
As for the NFC, things are a little murkier. The New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers sport the two best records, although the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks head up their division at 8-4 each. There’s the New York Giants tied for first with Washington as well.
As much as I absolutely hate to say it, I think the Saints are the best team in the NFC. Despite missing quarterback Drew Brees for three straight games, the Saints won all of them anyway. With Alvin Kamara at running back and one of the best defenses in the league, I expect the Saints to find a way to the Super Bowl this year. Brees should be refreshed for the final stretch of the season, too.
The Seahawks and Packers might put up a good fight against the Saints but I’m not so sure either team has enough talent to overcome the Saints. Green Bay might have the advantage because of Aaron Rodgers and a balanced but efficient supporting cast. And their defense is an advantage over Seattle’s.
Who’s for real?
-Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers
Who’s not?
-Pittsburgh Steelers, Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It’s going to be a fun final four weeks in the NFL (if they get all of the games in, that is).
Champions League highlights
The UEFA Champions League group stage concluded this week with each team’s final matches coming on Tuesday or Wednesday. In Paris-Saint Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir’s case, their final game came across both days.
Barely 20 minutes into Tuesday night’s match up, the game was suspended after both teams walked off the field in a show of unity. The fourth referee, who stands on the sideline, uttered a racial term towards Istanbul assistant coach, Pierre Webo. The game was abandoned until a new refereeing crew could come in on Wednesday, and PSG won 5-1.
On Tuesday, American Weston McKennie made headlines after scoring a fantastic goal in a game featuring the world’s two best players. With Juventus and Barcelona playing each other, that meant another showdown between Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. However, Juventus and McKennie stole the spotlight with this difficult strike.
Wednesday provided us with another fun Champions League moment, although this one didn’t come from a game itself. No, Borussia Monchengladbach had to wait for the results of the Inter Milan-Shakhtar Donetsk following their own 2-0 loss to Real Madrid. With the Milan-Shakhtar game at 0-0, Monchengladbach needed the game to remain goalless in order to advance to the knockout round of 16. That’s exactly what happened, and we were fortunate enough to see their reaction to the result.
An update on Jamie Vardy’s corner flag
On Monday I wrote about Leicester City’s Jamie Vardy and the utter obliteration of a corner flag in Leicester’s 2-1 win on Sunday morning. For those who didn’t notice, the corner flag did not sport its usual look; instead it was rainbow, part of the Premier League’s Rainbow Laces campaign.
The campaign claims “Our clubs will also come together between 4-13 December to celebrate the latest Rainbow Laces campaign and show support for all LGBT people in football and beyond.”
Since the internet is the internet, there were jokes made about Vardy and his apparent lack of LGBT support. Some people took these jokes literally, but thankfully Vardy made a wonderful gesture to prove otherwise. You can check that out below.
The Foxes Pride supporters group is Leicester’s “group for LGBT+ supporters of Leicester City and their friends and allies.”
That’s all for today’s newsletter, see you guys on Monday and have a wonderful weekend!