Who to root for/against, Week 11 Version

[Nails]

2 hours ago, stbugs said:

Agreed. SOS is meaningless for playoffs, it only matters for draft slots. Any AFC versus NFC is root for AFC (no reason to ever want GB to beat Baltimore) and any bad NFC team we want to beat a potential playoff NFC team. We want Chicago to beat Detroit

I appreciate the effort but that list was wrong in so many places. We want Dallas to beat Philly? Why? We are effectively 3 games behind Philly. They have their division as well. Knock Dallas out, one less possible wild card. I’d want Atlanta to beat Seattle but honestly there are too many games left to know. Don’t want Atlanta to get hot, but Seattle has 3 losses. Since we control our destiny versus Minnesota I want them to beat LA. Seattle beat LA so they could easily still win their division and we’d want LA to not be ahead of us for wildcard. It’s harder for the ones we really don’t know yet.

The Eagles have the Cowboys twice (2nd time at home but against a fresh Zeke), @ Seattle, @ the Rams, @ Giants (rival).  

Should they lose this week the #1 seed may still be in play.  Unlikely but possible.

[Nails]

13 minutes ago, UpstatePanther said:

I would expect nothing less. It’s what I’m doing. 

I care because with the NFC being top-heavy, it’s possible that SOS and SOV may be the deciding factor in seeding, even first seed. I get what everyone is saying about conference record, but there are a lot of high profile NFC games over these last 7 weeks of the season. It’s plausible that the top teams could beat each other up enough for the Panthers to capture that first seed. And so any tiebreakers we can get in our favor will help. Including conference record. That’s why I want ATL to win, for example. I’m assuming we will give the Saints a run for that NFCS crown and the seeding that will really matter is 1-4 for us. I’m not operating under the assumption that the division crown is out of reach, like some seem to be in this thread. The Panthers goal should be 13-3 and hope that the Eagles, Rams, Seahawks, and Vikings don’t win 13. Barring that outcome, we need those teams to beat up on one another so that we have a better chance of beating them in tiebreakers

It’s possible that SOS/SOV comes into play against the Rams, but more possible they lose in Nashville on Christmas Eve, leaving no NFC team without an AFC loss, and therefore no scenario where SOS/SOV comes into play.

[AggieLean]

Yea, I’m not pulling for Atlanta. Fug that. I hope Seattle wins that game, as I don’t want the falcons getting any momentum. Only worried about them and the Saints at the moment. I’ll worry about other scenarios a little later on.

[Admiral Ackbar]

The two teams we should be worried about are Green Bay and Detroit...We need both to lose a considerable amount of their remaining games to help catapult us into the playoffs. 10-6 record could easily be on the outside looking in for the NFC. Detroit's remaining schedule is rather easy and of course we dont want to play Aaron Rodgers coming back with playoff aspirations. Especially after having to battle with the Vikings and Saints.

[DamnItJake!]

8 hours ago, UpstatePanther said:

Okay then! so the playoffs are inching closer and we have a clearer picture who the contenders are gonna be. So lets discuss who, as prodigious Panthers fans, we should be throwing our weekly support behind.

Games this week:

Tennessee @ Pittsburgh

• Push. Doesn't have any bearing on tiebreakers. 

Detroit @ Chicago

• Push. Doesn't seem to have any real bearing on tiebreakers. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Washington @ New Orleans

• Obvious pick is obvious. A Saints loss really helps us in our quest to reclaim the division title. Couple that with the fact that the Redskins have played good teams tough and won (@ Seattle sticks out in my mind) and this is an upset alert for me. If this game is on in the Greenville SC or Asheville markets, ima be watching it.

Kansas City @ New York (Giants)

• Push. There may be some SOS implications here but it seems pretty convoluted and seems inconsequential at best.

Jacksonville @ Cleveland

• Push. Little brother plays the worst team in the league. I kinda want the Jags to win. I tend to root for them since we came into the league together. Then again, i hate seeing any team go winless this long. 

Tampa Bay @ Miami

• We play both teams, but we play Tampa twice and that means their wins mean more to our SOS and SOV. They are also no threat to overtake us in the division so go Bucs.

Los Angeles (Rams) @ Minnesota

• Both teams are 7-2 and a threat to the Panthers possibly achieving 1st Seed. However, the Vikings are on the Panthers' schedule, and we need the Rams to take some losses too. The Vikings seem to be the team to root for in this one. 

Baltimore @ Green Bay

• not sure who to pick here. A Baltimore win would push GB further back in the NFC playoff race and perhaps begin the demoralization necessary to convince their coaches to sit Aaron Rodgers for our game in a few weeks. Then again, a Green Bay win could have positive impact on both the Panthers' SOS and SOV.

Arizona @ Houston

• Feels like a push, but probably should root for Houston here. Im sure this lowers the SOS and SOV of our NFC competitors who play the Cardinals.

Buffalo @ Los Angeles (Chargers)

• need Buffalo to win this one. helps our SOS and SOV

Cincinnati @ Denver

• Push, i think. But fug Denver. Go Bengals.

New England @ Oakland

• We want NE to win this game (More SOS/SOV)

Philadelphia @ Dallas

• Philadelphia has the better record in this matchup, and the tiebreaker against us. We need Dallas to win this game. Especially since they dropped that game against the Falcons. 

Atlanta @ Seattle

• Going out on a limb with this one, but we need ATL to win this game. hand the Seahawks a loss while they're vulnerable. I think the coming NFC South games + Minnesota will beat up on ATL enough that we can afford to let ATL win this one. the Seahawks are another competitor for for that coveted 1st seed, so we need them to take a few more losses. Then again, they have to play Philly, Jacksonville, the Rams, and Dallas. So its likely they'll take one or two more losses outside this weekend's matchup. Pick your poison i suppose.

 

Dont agree? drag your happy ass to the comments and lemme know!  <3 u guyz

u want every opponent in your division to lose simple!! U want the strongest to lose.. F.. the AFC.. irrelevant

[RelaxImaPro]

Tennessee @ Pittsburgh

Don't care

Detroit @ Chicago

Chicago since Detroit is in the running for a wild card

Washington @ New Orleans

Like you said, obvious pick is obvious

Kansas City @ New York (Giants)

Pulling for the Giants just to hopefully have them achieve even the slightest bit of momentum to later give the Eagles a loss even however likely that may be.  A Giants loss literally has zero bearing on our season so that's about the only reasoning I can come up with.  They're already a top 5 draft pick team

Jacksonville @ Cleveland

Don't care

Tampa Bay @ Miami

It's a rival but gonna pull for TB here.  Their season is basically over already, just gimme that SOV I guess

Los Angeles (Rams) @ Minnesota

Either or but leaning towards the Rams.  Just gonna be a fun game (which I unfortunately won't be able to watch) to watch and enjoy some football.  Bonus is our boy Greg Olsen will be commentating.

Baltimore @ Green Bay

Baltimore is a no brainer here.  You want GB to lose as many games as possible so Rodgers isn't activated for our game.  Our game is the earliest he can be activated and if they are out the playoff picture by that time then there's a good chance he's iced for the rest of the season

Arizona @ Houston

Arizona for the same reasons you mentioned

Buffalo @ Los Angeles (Chargers)

Chargers.  fug SOS and SOV here... that BS rarely ever comes into play.  I'll take the higher draft slots thank you very much.

Cincinnati @ Denver

Agreed.  fug Denver.

New England @ Oakland

As much as I hate seeing NE win, I guess I'll take the minuscule SOS SOV perk seeing as we literally have no dog in the fight here otherwise.

Philadelphia @ Dallas

Kinda split here.  Dallas is in the running for a wildcard spot and the NFC is tough as hell this year... but there's a chance we could still fight for the #1 or #2 seed... idk, either outcome is favorable for us.

Atlanta @ Seattle

Seattle.  I don't see Seattle winning a whole lot more games this year after all the injuries they've sustained in the last week.  If they can at least win this one to help keep ATL off our tails then it's a nice win in my book.  I think the Seahawks are about to hit a taildive in the final stretch of the season.

 

 

Also I'm operating mostly under the assumption that the Saints win the division.  I mean, obviously we still have a shot at the division and more... but we really hurt our chances with that Eagles loss that we should've won and Chicago meltdown.  We basically have to run the table from here on out to have a shot at the top two seeds.  For the division we either have to beat the Saints and not lose any more than 1, maybe 2, other game(s) or hope for them to have a late season collapse to win the division.  We have 3 pretty tough games left:  Saints @ NO, Falcons @ ATL, and the Vikings at home.

The Saints in the Brees/Payton era are tough as hell to beat at home.  Way more so when they're playing like they have been this year.  Sorry, but I'm just expecting a loss that game.  We could still very easily finish 10-6 so we should definitely be looking at the potential upcoming wild card race.

 

[Goondal]

We need the following teams to lose in this order

Saints

Rams

Seahawks

Vikings

My though process is that we play the Vikings while we can do nothing about the other two but you could switch the bottom two due to record if you want.  Saints  is obvious

[UpstatePanther]

5 hours ago, RelaxImaPro said:

Detroit @ Chicago

Chicago since Detroit is in the running for a wild card

i didn’t think about this. Good point.

Baltimore @ Green Bay

Baltimore is a no brainer here.  You want GB to lose as many games as possible so Rodgers isn't activated for our game.  Our game is the earliest he can be activated and if they are out the playoff picture by that time then there's a good chance he's iced for the rest of the season

yeah on second thought, you (and others who have brought this up), are right about this one being a no-brainer. Ice the Packers while we can Go Balty 

Philadelphia @ Dallas

Kinda split here.  Dallas is in the running for a wildcard spot and the NFC is tough as hell this year... but there's a chance we could still fight for the #1 or #2 seed... idk, either outcome is favorable for us.

this was my thinking too. I just think Philadelphia losing is MORE favorable.

Atlanta @ Seattle

Seattle.  I don't see Seattle winning a whole lot more games this year after all the injuries they've sustained in the last week.  If they can at least win this one to help keep ATL off our tails then it's a nice win in my book.  I think the Seahawks are about to hit a taildive in the final stretch of the season.

that’s entirely possible. Then again, that team has a lot of leadership that can get them through tough injury losses (much like the Panthers). They play the Eagles, Rams, and Cowboys still, and so i see why people are starting to write them off. I just think they are too dangerous as a hardened, tough team to underestimate. This I want ATL to win this week to increase Seattle’s chances of losing 5-6 games.

 

 

Also I'm operating mostly under the assumption that the Saints win the division. You shouldn’t.  I mean, obviously we still have a shot at the division and more... but we really hurt our chances with that Eagles loss that we should've won and Chicago meltdown.  We basically have to run the table from here on out to have a shot at the top two seeds.  For the division we either have to beat the Saints and not lose any more than 1, maybe 2, other game(s) or hope for them to have a late season collapse to win the division.  We have 3 pretty tough games left:  Saints @ NO, Falcons @ ATL, and the Vikings at home.

The Saints in the Brees/Payton era are tough as hell to beat at home. Yep. And there’s one team who has has had a knack for beating Brees and Peyton at home. Wanna guess who that team is? Yep. US.  Way more so when they're playing like they have been this year.  Sorry, but I'm just expecting a loss that game.  We could still very easily finish 10-6 so we should definitely be looking at the potential upcoming wild card race.

 

I won’t give up on our division crown until we’ve been mathematically eliminated from it. 

[UpstatePanther]

It seems people are mostly taking issue with my picks of the Vikings, Cowboys, and Seahawks. Let me explain each alittle further. Those matchups were purely overall record and conference record considerations for me. Each team has a chance to win their division and compete for the first seed. They all start to play each other a lot over the last half of the season, starting with the Rams-Vikings and Eagles-Cowboys this week. My picks may seem strange but everyone needs to understand that I am taking into account that the Panthers are very much alive for the division crown AND 1st seed in the playoffs. Please also understand that I am taking a long view of things: 

- I want ATL to win this week because they have a tough schedule to play still, and probably won’t be a threat to our division crown. Them winning helps us in the SOS/SOV argument as an added bonus. But a win for them this week helps ensure that the Seahawks won’t be fighting for that 1st seed.

- I wanted the Vikings to win this week because their record is the same as the Rams. We don’t play the Rams so we don’t have any control over H2H with them. We just need them to take losses. The Vikings, on the other hand, are on our schedule. And a win this week against the Rams would still have us within a game of them. If we win against them, we’d have the same record but a H2H tiebreaker. This is coupled with the fact that the Rams only have two losses and there are limited teams on their schedule capable of handing them a loss. They still play the Eagles and Seahawks, but I still think we are looking at a 12-4 Rams team at season’s end. Need them to rack up those losses while we can.

- Eagles @ Cowboys is another ATL/SEA type matchup in my mind. Sure, Dallas is a potential wild card. But with no Zeke, I doubt they’ll go on the run necessary to get a playoff berth. Yes, yes. I know. That same logic dictates that it’ll be hard for them to win this week against the Eagles, but what’s this thread about? Not who WILL win, but who WE NEED to win. We need the Eagles to lose because more losses for them increase our chances at that 1seed. We aren’t worried about wild card implications because our team is a half game out of first place with 6 to play. Thus it doesn’t matter to us if Dallas wins.

anyway, thanks everyone for voicing your thoughts! 

[CRA]

18 hours ago, usmcpanthers said:

I always root against division teams, that won't ever change.

this

add New England to that too. 

[CRA]

6 hours ago, RelaxImaPro said:

The Saints in the Brees/Payton era are tough as hell to beat at home.  Way more so when they're playing like they have been this year.  Sorry, but I'm just expecting a loss that game.  We could still very easily finish 10-6 so we should definitely be looking at the potential upcoming wild card race.

 

Cam is 7-6 vs NO

Cam is 3-3 in the dome. 

I'm just expecting a battle and much better game than the last one.   That isn't a noteworthy record. 

 

[Davidson Deac II]

I am pulling against all our division opponents.  The rest of them don't matter. 

[Smithers]

Right now, sitting in the wild card spot, we need any and all teams that are chasing us for a wild card to lose.  That starts with Seattle, even if it means another potential wild card team in Atlanta winning.  Right now we have a 1.5 game advantage on Atlanta.  We only have a half game advantage on Seattle, and they own the tiebreaker.  Should they beat Atlanta Monday, we move down to the 6th playoff spot.  

[Nails]

35 minutes ago, Smithers said:

Right now, sitting in the wild card spot, we need any and all teams that are chasing us for a wild card to lose.  That starts with Seattle, even if it means another potential wild card team in Atlanta winning.  Right now we have a 1.5 game advantage on Atlanta.  We only have a half game advantage on Seattle, and they own the tiebreaker.  Should they beat Atlanta Monday, we move down to the 6th playoff spot.  

But Seattle has a tougher schedule and there’s the Golden Rule of never pulling for Atlanta.  A stands for Atlanta and Aids.  S stands for Seattle and Syphilis.  Both suck a$$ but gotta go with syphilis over aids if forced to choose.