Community Tailgate News & Rumors

As the NFL regular season nears its home stretch, there are plenty of topics and storylines to discuss, and PFR’s Community Tailgate is designed to address those stories. What’s the Community Tailgate all about? Well, it’s pretty simple. We’ll highlight one of the top stories going on in the NFL. Then, in the comment section below, we want you to weigh in and let us know what you think.

Of course, while the debate may get spirited, we ask that it all stays respectful. If you need a reminder of our rules, please check out our commenting policy. Basically, we ask that you refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults, and attacks. Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Pro Football Rumors. You are no longer required to be a registered user – simply put in your name, email address, and comment and submit.

The Lions’ Calvin Johnson had the most prolific season ever in terms of receiving yards in 2012, setting the all-time record with 1,964. That record could be in jeopardy this year, ESPN’s Michael Rothstein noted earlier this week, as the Falcons’ Julio Jones and the Steelers’ Antonio Brown are doing their best to outdo Johnson’s 2012 total. Jones leads the league with 1,189 yards, while Brown is close behind with 1,141. Johnson averaged just under 123 yards per game during his record-setting campaign, so Jones (118.9) and Brown (114.1) will both need to pick up their respective paces.

What’s unlikely to help Jones going forward is having to face NFC South rival Carolina twice in his final six games. The Panthers presently boast Football Outsiders’ top-ranked pass defense in the NFC and are led by shutdown cornerback Josh Norman. How good is Norman? As Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson tweeted Thursday, opposing quarterbacks would be better off throwing passes directly into the ground than testing him. That certainly doesn’t bode well for Jones. On the other hand, Jones still has a pair of games left against the awful pass defenses of the Jaguars and Saints. That should help balance out having to deal with Norman two times, but it might not be enough.

Brown, like Jones, has some less-than-ideal opponents left on his team’s schedule. It starts Sunday against the Seahawks, who allow the fewest passing yards per game in the NFC. The Steelers also have a game against the Broncos, who are atop the league in pass defense by both traditional stats and Football Outsiders’. Luckily for Brown, three of the Steelers’ other four opponents – the Colts, Ravens and Browns – have bottom-feeding pass defenses. Further, for now at least, three-time Pro Bowl quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is healthy. Roethlisberger has been shelved with multiple injuries this year, which has hurt Brown’s numbers. Brown was without Roethlisberger for all of October and averaged a pedestrian (by his standards) 58.75 yards per game. In games that Roethlisberger has at least appeared in this season, Brown has racked up a ridiculous 151 yards per contest. It’s a lot to ask, of course, but 151 yards per matchup during the last six weeks would give Brown over 2,000 yards for the season – enough to unseat Johnson.

What do you think? Is Johnson’s record in jeopardy? Regardless, how many yards will Jones and Brown finish with this year?

Weigh in below in the comments section to let us know your thoughts!

As the NFL regular season nears its home stretch, there are plenty of topics and storylines to discuss, and PFR’s Community Tailgate is designed to address those stories. What’s the Community Tailgate all about? Well, it’s pretty simple. We’ll highlight one of the top stories going on in the NFL. Then, in the comment section below, we want you to weigh in and let us know what you think.

Of course, while the debate may get spirited, we ask that it all stays respectful. If you need a reminder of our rules, please check out our commenting policy. Basically, we ask that you refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults, and attacks. Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Pro Football Rumors. You are no longer required to be a registered user – simply put in your name, email address, and comment and submit.

Last week, we explored the AFC playoff picture, which appeared cloudy at the time and hasn’t exactly cleared up any further in the days since then. Things are perhaps a little less murky in the NFC, where there are at least two clear contenders for the Wild Card spots, but with six weeks still left in the season, there are plenty of questions still to be answered.

The 10-0 Panthers have all but locked up a postseason berth in some form or another, and the 8-2 Cardinals, barring a total collapse, will join them in the playoffs. In the NFC North, the Packers and Vikings are tied at 7-3, putting them in good position to earn playoff spots as the division winner and Wild Card team, in some order.

Green Bay and Minnesota aren’t 100% locks though, and neither are the 6-4 Falcons, who are currently holding the second Wild Card spot despite losing three consecutive games. The Giants, Buccaneers, and Seahawks are all lurking at 5-5, and there are several 4-6 teams that shouldn’t be ruled out of the picture quite yet.

Of course, one of those 5-5 teams – the Giants – leads the NFC East, where no teams are above .500 at the moment. That division is so bunched up that the 3-7 Cowboys, who lost seven straight contests in Tony Romo‘s absence, are a solid dark horse candidate to ultimately snatch the East crown from New York, Philadelphia, and Washington.

What do you think? Which six teams will make the postseason in the NFC? Will the defending NFC champs in Seattle end up nabbing a Wild Card spot? Will the first team to nine wins take the NFC East?

Weigh in below in the comments section to let us know your thoughts!

As the NFL regular season nears its home stretch, there are plenty of topics and storylines to discuss, and PFR’s Community Tailgate is designed to address those stories. What’s the Community Tailgate all about? Well, it’s pretty simple. We’ll highlight one of the top stories going on in the NFL. Then, in the comment section below, we want you to weigh in and let us know what you think.

Of course, while the debate may get spirited, we ask that it all stays respectful. If you need a reminder of our rules, please check out our commenting policy. Basically, we ask that you refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults, and attacks. Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Pro Football Rumors. You are no longer required to be a registered user – simply put in your name, email address, and comment and submit.

With seven weeks remaining in the NFL season, a few division races around the league are closer than others. Bills head coach Rex Ryan admitted this week that the 9-0 Patriots will almost certainly win the AFC East, considering New England holds a four-game lead over both the Jets and Ryan’s Bills. Elsewhere though, there’s a little more drama, if you can call the AFC South race “dramatic” — two teams with sub-.500 records – the 4-5 Colts and Texans – are currently tied for first place in the South.

We’ll get to the NFC next week, but today, we want to take a look at the AFC playoff picture. The Pats are locks to reach the postseason, and the 8-1 Bengals look like a pretty safe bet as well, but are there any other sure things?

The 7-2 Broncos hold a three-game division lead, and should have no problem winning the West, but they’ll be relying on Brock Osweiler at quarterback for at least the short-term future, so there are no guarantees. The 6-4 Steelers have looked solid, but they’ve also been hit hard by injuries, and they don’t have much room for error, with eight AFC teams sitting on either four or five wins. The Bills and Jets are the only five-win teams, but the four-win Dolphins, Raiders, Chiefs, Colts, Texans, and Jaguars are all lurking.

What do you think? Will the three AFC teams with big division leads hang on? Which club will win the AFC South, and which teams will snag Wild Card spots? Are you predicting a second-half surge or collapse from any postseason contenders?

Weigh in below in the comments section with your thoughts and predictions!

As the NFL season reaches its halfway point, there are plenty of topics and storylines to discuss, and PFR’s Community Tailgate is designed to address those stories. What’s the Community Tailgate all about? Well, it’s pretty simple. We’ll highlight one of the top stories going on in the NFL. Then, in the comment section below, we want you to weigh in and let us know what you think.

Of course, while the debate may get spirited, we ask that it all stays respectful. If you need a reminder of our rules, please check out our commenting policy. Basically, we ask that you refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults, and attacks. Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Pro Football Rumors. You are no longer required to be a registered user – simply put in your name, email address, and comment and submit.

The NFL’s trade deadline came and went this week without much fanfare, unless you happen to be a fan of the Broncos. General manager John Elway pulled off a trade for 49ers tight end Vernon Davis on Monday, and nearly landed Browns left tackle Joe Thomas in a last-minute deal on Tuesday. Otherwise though, things were mostly quiet around the league, with a handful of rumors and whispers not amounting to much.

That inactivity is nothing new in the NFL, where teams are typically hesitant to try to incorporate an incoming player into a new system or scheme halfway through the season, without that player having the benefit of a full training camp to get up to speed.

Still, occasionally teams are willing to roll the dice, as the Broncos did with Davis. The veteran tight end may not have the same rapport he’d have with Peyton Manning if the two players had been working together all year, but Denver is betting that the longtime Niner will still be able to make an impact down the stretch.

So what might make more teams willing to take a chance like that? Moving the trade deadline back a little is one option. The NFL moved the deadline from Week 6 to Week 8 a few years back, but many teams that might be sellers are still reluctant to write off their seasons in late October. Moving the deadline back several more weeks to late November might be one way to encourage activity.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk took the idea a step further this week, arguing that there’s no reason to limit trades at all before Week 17. As long as a team is still playing games, it should still be able to make trades, in Florio’s view. That means a playoff team couldn’t make a trade with a club whose season has ended, but up until the end of the regular season, deals should be permitted, Florio argues.

Such a format would allow teams who have been eliminated from the playoffs to move players for future assets. Meanwhile, a team that has clinched a playoff berth, or perhaps a club that is vying for a Wild Card spot, might be more likely to bring in a potential missing piece, with the finish line in sight.

What do you think? Is the NFL’s trade deadline fine as is? Should the league consider moving it back a few more weeks, or abolishing it altogether? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!