Lamar Jackson said watching Derrick Henry is like watching the movie “Cars” and likened Henry to Lightning McQueen.
Pixar has won 23 Academy Awards, including multiple Oscars for Best Animated Feature. Their streak began with Finding Nemo in 2003.
Matthew A. Cherry played briefly in the NFL as a wide receiver for teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers, and Baltimore Ravens before retiring.
After retiring from football, Cherry transitioned to filmmaking. He wrote, directed, and produced the animated short film Hair Love, which won the Oscar for Best Animated Short Film in 2020.
The N.F.L. decided in 2003 that hair was part of a player’s uniform and can be grabbed in an effort to make a tackle.
Green Bay Packers' Aaron Jones recounted how cornerback Josh Norman pulled strands of his hair out during a tackle and then held them up in celebration. Jones retrieved the hair, stored it in his sock during the drive, and later gave it to equipment staff for safekeeping to have it reattached.
Aaron Jones to Jordan Love postgame: “I’ve been telling you that you are him.”
Jordan Love numbers outside Toyotathon:
3,829 Yards, 29 TDs, 25 INTs
Jordan Love numbers during Toyotathon:
3,283 Yards, 26 TDs, 2 INTs
Josh Allen and Jordan Love finished the regular season averaging less than 1 sack taken per game.
Only two other QBs have accomplished this in the last 15 years (minimum 12 starts):
Peyton Manning (2009)
Ben Roethlisberger (2020).
Josh Allen has the most TDs out of an QB ever through first 8 years... He hasn't finished his 7th year yet.
With QB Sam Darnold’s selection to the 2024 Pro Bowl, 16 out the top 20 draft picks in the 2018 draft have made at least one Pro Bowl
QB Baker Mayfield, 1x (2023)
RB Saquon Barkley, 3x (2018, 2022, 2024)
QB Sam Darnold, 1x (2024)
CB Denzel Ward, 3x (2018, 2021, 2023)
DE Bradley Chubb, 2x (2020, 2022)
OG Quenton Nelson, 7x (2018-2024)
QB Josh Allen, 3x (2020, 2023, 2024)
LB Roquan Smith, 3x (2022-2024)
9. OT Mike McGlinchey, NONE
10. QB Josh Rosen, NONE
11. S Minkah Fitzpatrick, 5x (2019-2020, 2022-2024)
12. DT Vita Veta, 2x (2021, 2024)
13. DT Daron Payne, 1x (2022)
14. DE Marcus Davenport, NONE
15. OT Kolton Miller, NONE
16. LB Tremaine Edmunds, 2x (2019, 2020)
17. S Derwin James, 4x (2018, 2021, 2022, 2024)
18. CB Jaire Alexander, 2x (2020, 2022)
19. LB Leighton Vander Esch, 1x (2018)
20. C Frank Ragnow, 4x (2020, 2022-2024)
The top 20 picks alone combine for 44 Pro Bowls.
Numbers with Bet Openly
2: Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson were the only unanimous First-Team selections, per the AP. They were the only two players to get a perfect 50/50 first-place votes.
1: Chiefs are the first 15+ win team in NFL history to not have a player with 1,000+ yards from scrimmage
97: Of the 97 teams that won 13+ games in a season since the merger, Bills are 5th to have 0 first team All Pros. Also: 2019 Packers, 2007 Packers, 1995 Chiefs, 1984 Broncos
0 [TRIVIA]: Which is the only team to not receive a single first-place All-Pro vote this season?
Quotes
"You can't fool players."
Colts GM Chris Ballard says he doesn’t agree with all the criticism from Pat McAfee, but admits there’s some truth to it
"The bus was out of gas."
Michael Pierce on his interception
“It’s kind of where legacies, I guess, are made.”
Sam Darnold on playoffs
“We beat the Packers. Fuck ‘em.”
Picks
Sunday, 12/12 at 1pm
Broncos at Bills U48.5
Combined Scoring:
This game’s offenses have scored 950 points this season, exceeding the 838.7 points predicted by Expected Score, indicating potential scoring regression.
Buffalo Bills Offense:
The Bills have scored 525 points, which is 83.5 points over Expected Score, even after accounting for QB quality, offense strength, and opposing defenses.
In previous seasons, Buffalo was close to expectation:
+12 points over expected (last year)
-11 points under expected (two years ago)
Their current scoring rate is unsustainable, inflating their total.
Denver Broncos and Bo Nix:
Bo Nix had a strong rookie season but is starting his first playoff game on the road, in cold weather.
Denver’s offensive success is inflated due to playing against the eighth-easiest defensive schedule this season.
Nix struggles against zone defenses:
9 of 12 interceptions were against zone coverage.
Adjusted Net Yards Per Attempt (ANY/A):
4.96 vs. zone (Cover 2, 4, and 6, which Buffalo excels at).
6.98 vs. Cover 3 (rarely played by Buffalo).
7.48 vs. Cover 1.
Defensive Matchups and Luck Total:
Both offenses face significant defensive upgrades compared to their regular-season schedules, which were among the bottom eight in defensive difficulty.
The Luck Total for this game is -5.7, and Luck Unders in NFL playoffs are 23-8 (74.2%) since 2018.
Sunday, 12/12 at 4:30pm
Packers at Eagles
Sunday, 12/10 at 8pm
Commanders (+3) at Buccaneers U50.5
The Commanders have 66% of the bets and 77% of the money
Monday, 12/10 at 8pm
Vikings at Rams (+2.5) O47.5
The Over has 79% of the bets and 81% of the money
Record
OU: 50-42-2 (+3.5 u)
ATS: 50-60-4 (-14.5 u)
Highlights
WR George Pickens says he’s seen signs of growth from the offense.
Reporter: “Does that make you optimistic going forward?”
Pickens: “Nah.”
Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh was kidnapped by Dirty Bubble with 11:39 left in the 2nd quarter.
After that moment:
🔻 Justin Herbert threw 4 INTs
🔻 Chargers were outscored 32-6
🔻 Chargers lost the game
Joe Mixon following the Texans win: "Smoking on that Rex Ryan bye week pack". Ryan had said the Chargers had a "bye week" by facing Houston.
Lamar Jackson told the crowd to stop the MVP chants on offense
An inside look at Roquan Smith’s ELECTRIC Wild Card pregame speech before the Ravens defeated the Steelers
“They don’t belong on the field with us!”