Fifth Down

Last week I let you know if you could live the upcoming season stress free because your team was definitely not going to win the Super Bowl no matter how good or bad your team might look during the regular season. Today we do the reverse. Depending on how it goes, you might get your stress relief sooner than later but you start your season on the stressful side.

Honorable Mention: San Francisco 49ers

Half their team is already hurt.

10. Pittsburgh Steelers

I don’t believe the league is scripted. But if it is scripted, wouldn’t a great story be Aaron Rodgers coming back for his last dance to pair up with his old coach from Green Bay and lead this historic franchise to their 7th Super Bowl Victory?

9. Green Bay Packers

I got a good feeling about the Packers and they are due to have a deep playoff run. Plus it would make my son happy.

8. Baltimore Ravens

Lamar has won an MVP every time he gets a new offensive coordinator. They hired a great defensive mind that can help this defense get back on track. The roster is solid. Lamar just has to not suck in the playoffs.

7. Houston Texans

They are one Trent Dilfer away from winning the whole thing.

6. Dallas Cowboys

just kidding! Hahahahahahahahahahahaha!

The Real #6: Kansas City Chiefs

I’m not very confident that they even make the playoffs but if they get in, who’s betting against Pat. He is 14-2 in the AFC Playoffs and never lost in regulation and one of his 2 losses he didn’t even get to touch the ball. If Josh Allen gets credit for the 13 second game, then Pat should get credit for that one. If they get in I’ll take Pat over the field in the AFC. And if they get to the Super Bowl they got a better than 50% chance that they win it.

5. New England Patriots

The Pats played a soft schedule last year but they are still a good team. They are flawed and far from perfect but they got better on paper in the offseason. Plus Dianna Russini has the inside scoop and says their coach is really good at stuff.

4. Philadelphia Eagles

Even with AJ Brown taking his book club to New England this team is still loaded. And in odd years they act like morons. But in even years they go to the Super Bowl so….

3. Seattle Seahawks

I think the Seahawks are really good. They lost some good players but mostly replaced them with other good players. But it is just extremely hard to win back to back titles. In the last 30 years only 3 teams have done it. Can Seattle be the 4th? Sure. Will they be? Probably not.

2. Denver Broncos

The Broncos were one Bo Nix ankle from going to the Super Bowl last year. They got pretty much everyone back and added Jaylen Waddle. What’s not to like. Their fans are already used to stress after winning like 11 one score games last year. So as far as stressful yet potentially successful seasons go…Bronco Country…Let’s Ride!

1. Los Angeles Rams

The Rams have become the Dodgers of the NFL just taking everyone’s great players. Their biggest weakness was at corner and pass rush last year. They added the two starting corners from the Chiefs and the best pass rusher in the league. Oh yeah, and also freak of nature Aaron Donald is probably coming back. If Stafford stays healthy and they don’t win it, then the league might truly be rigged.

So there you go. Tune in next week for my final predictions and other shenanigans as we get ready for the start of the NFL season.

We wrap up our Divisional Breakdowns with the AFC and NFC East. There is no lack of egos from either the actual players and coaches or the fan bases. Some of it is warranted. The Patriots have won and been to the most super bowls. The Bills are the lovable losers who just can’t quite get over the hump. However, the dolphins have won anything since the 70s and haven’t really been relevant since the 80s. The Jets have been bad even longer. On the NFC side, the Eagles have the current bragging rights after being the first team in 20 years to win back to back divisional titles. They have been to 3 Super Bowls and won 2 of them in the last 10 years. The rest of the division is living on past history but they are the division with the most Super Bowl wins and appearances. I put their egos aside and predict how these teams will fair in the upcoming season.

AFC East

First Place: New England Patriots

Everyone is just penciling in the Bills here and I’m not sure why. The Patriots have the better defense, better coach, better receiver room and a quarterback who can actually make it to the Super Bowl. The schedule is definitely tougher than last year when they had the easiest schedule in the league but acting like they weren’t good last year and can’t repeat as division champs doesn’t make sense to me. There is the Mike Vrabel affair thing hanging over their heads but luckily for them, the press refuses to report on themselves so the story has all but been dropped. My favorite part was when Mike Vrabel skipped day 3 of the draft to prioritize his family. So you put your family ahead of the most useless day of the draft. You’re so great, your wife doesn’t deserve you. Anyway, this team on paper actually got better. They still have some questions on the offensive line but overall this a good roster top to bottom. I expect them to repeat as champs and they could make another deep playoff run. That is as long as AJ Brown gets the ball enough and doesn’t create a whole issue in the locker room.

Final Record: 12-5

Second Place: Buffalo Bills

Everyone’s favorite team is the offseason darlings once again. They “finally” got Josh Allen some help but training for DJ Moore and firing his coach and making his buddy the offensive coordinator the new head coach. We will see how it works out for them. They have the talent offensively to make a run. Josh Allen is very talented and a difference maker…usually in a positive way. But I have some real questions about the defense. The personnel is not impressive and they lost a great defensive coach when they fired their head coach. This defensive issue will be just the thing for all the media pundits to hang their hats on when the Bills ultimately fall short this season. I mean maybe it was the 4 turnovers by Josh Allen…nah, got to get this guy some defensive help. He can’t be Superman all the time. Anyway, the Bills have another solid season, make the playoffs and lose in the divisional round…because that’s what the Bills do.

Final Record: 11-6

Third Place: Miami Dolphins

I know they are sort of trying to lose or whatever, but I think they will actually be a fun watch. Malik Willis has been solid when he’s played the last few years which has been sparingly. Achane is a great back and they got some young receivers who I think will be pretty good. The problem is they may not be able to stop anyone. They will be behind a lot so keep the dolphin players in mind when it comes to fantasy football. I have no idea if their new coach is any good. I have no idea if Willis will be any good. I can’t name a single defensive starter. So why am I picking them 3rd? It’s not that I believe in the Dolphins, it’s just how much I don’t believe in the Jets.

Final Record: 4-13

Fourth Place: New Jersey Jets

On paper the Jets should be better this year. Geno Smith has had some good moments here and there. Their skill guys are pretty good. Their defense should be alright. Maybe they will get one of those coveted interception thingys this year. They actually have some talent. But I just don’t trust this organization. I don’t think their coach is a good head coach. Geno plays bad more than he plays good and their owner is kind of a nut and will probably fire the coach somewhere during the season anyway. I just think the Jets are a disaster and will continue to do dumb things and not win games. Playing the AFC West and the NFC North doesn’t do them any favors. I just don’t see the wins on their schedule.

Final Record: 3-14

NFC East

First Place: Philadelphia Eagles

I debated this one as I do think the Cowboys will be much improved defensively. But since the Eagles broke the 20 year streak of no repeat division winners, I’m going to keep flying with the birds. I think AJ Brown leaving will help the locker room be more united. They still have Devonte Smith who was a true #1 receiver before Brown got there. Jalen Hurts isn’t great but he should be better now that they have a more creative play caller. I don’t trust Siranni as a coach at all but he keeps winning somehow. The main reason I am picking them though is because it seems that every other year the Eagles are really good and go to the Super Bowl. Barkley is usually better every other year too. I don’t expect him to have 2000 yards but I do expect him to be more impactful than he was last year. So even though I like what the Cowboys did in the offseason, I’ll go with the Eagles since it is an even year.

Final Record: 12-5

Second Place: Dallas Cowboys

Dallas already had a great offense. They have two number one receivers, a solid running back and tight end and Dak is quite good in the regular season. Their problem was the defense which did get a little better as the season wore on. They added more defensive help in free agency and the draft and now appear to have a functional defense. If they are even in the middle of the pack, this is a playoff team because this offense can score 25-30 points most games. Like with all teams, they need to stay healthy but I think the improved defense will be enough to keep them in the division race until the end and this should be a playoff team. However, they are the Cowboys so they could easily flop and be terrible. But I think they will break that trend and instead lose in the playoffs in some depressing way as only a Schottenheimer can.

Final Record: 11-6

Third Place: Washington Commanders

Third place really comes down to whether or not Jayden can stay healthy. When he plays this team can compete with anyone. When he isn’t healthy which is often, this team is not very good. They should lean into the run game more this year and I like that they added Stefon Diggs. But I still have big concerns about their offensive line and their defense. The O-line is especially troubling due to Daniels already being fragile. He needs to eat some pizza or something and fatten up a little. The guy is so skinny and it looks like his bones could break at any moment. If he plays 17 games they could end up on the playoff hunt. However, he could also get hurt week 1 and they could win 5 games this year.

Final Record: 9-8

Fourth Place: New York Giants

Everyone is high on the Giants and they are the cool team to pick to improve and make a run at the playoffs. I’m just not seeing it. While I think the Harbaugh hire was a good one and I do think they will be better, their 3 offensive players are all kind idiots and they all get hurt all the time. The trio of Dart, Skattebo and Nabers will be fun to see for the 3 games they play together. But does anyone think these guys will even play 17 games combined much less 17 games each? If they do maybe…and I mean maybe, they could make a run at the playoffs. But I still think they have more questions than answers. So while I expect an improved and much more stable and consistently competitive team, I don’t expect a playoff team…yet.

Final Record: 8-9

Tune in tomorrow for top 10 Thursday when I give you the 10 teams most likely to win the Super Bowl. Then next week I will give my final playoff predictions including who I have winning it all. You don’t want to miss that so you can have gambling success by betting against all my picks.

Every year fans start the NFL season with hope that this is the year. And then 31 team’s fan bases hope gets crushed throughout the season. The emotional toll can be brutal as you either suffer through another painful season or have your hopes up all year long only to be crushed in the playoffs. But lucky for you, I’m here to help. These are the 10 teams that I guarantee are not going to win the Super Bowl. So if you are fan of any of these teams, you can kick back and relax and just have a fun NFL season. We will go 10 to 1 with 1 being the least likely to win the Super Bowl. And next week I will do the 10 teams most likely to win the Super Bowl.

Honorable mention: San Francisco 49ers

Half their team is already hurt.

10. Buffalo Bills

You’re probably thinking, Jeff, you got them on the wrong list. But deep down you know I am right. They will blow it in the playoffs in some heartbreaking fashion. And even if they make the Super Bowl, you know they will just lose.

9. Detroit Lions

You had perhaps the greatest running back of all time at one point. At another time you had an mvp caliber quarterback and the most unguardable receiver of all time. And you still won nothing. Your franchise is cursed. I’m sorry.

8. Los Angeles Chargers

Everyone is high on this team being a Super Bowl contender because…let me check my notes…They got their “elite” quarterback who has never won a playoff game an “elite” offensive coordinator who also has never won a playoff game. It’s like these media pundits don’t even listen to themselves. Chargers gonna charger.

7. NFC South

At least one of these teams is going to make the playoffs host a playoff game and get absolutely stomped.

6. Tennessee Titans

Do I believe in Cam Ward and Robert Saleh? I do not.

5. Las Vegas Raiders

Everyone is jumping on this team now that they are going to be good because Kirk Cousins and Mendoza looked good in one preseason game…against the Cardinals…who are #3 on this list. Raiders suck less but they still suck.

4. Miami Dolphins

I’m starting to like the Dolphins…for fantasy football purposes. They are going to be playing from behind a lot. Which means…lots of offense. But considering they haven’t won a playoff game in 25 years, I’m gonna guess this isn’t their year.

3. Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals are running it back with Jacoby Brissett who went 1-11 as a starter last year. It’s like they are trying to lose. They also play in the same division as the Rams, Seahawks and 49ers.

2. Cleveland Browns

They still don’t know who their quarterback is. And it’s probably going to be massage boy…who they have paid 500 million to play like 6 games. This is just a terrible organization.

1. New Jersey Jets

The only thing worse than not knowing who your quarterback is, is knowing it is Geno Smith. Their best player is already hurt. They are dysfunctional in every way. This team has the longest playoff drought of any franchise in the 4 major American sports leagues with 15 years. There is a better chance that their coach gets fired by week 6 than there is that they win the Super Bowl.

There you have it. So if you are fan of one of these teams, kick back, relax and enjoy the season.

Both the NFC and AFC North are tough and famous divisions. They are filled with bitter rivals and always produce great games. What they haven’t done recently is produced championship winners. The last North team to win it was the Ravens in the 2012 season. To put that in perspective I was 33 years old and my 14 year old daughter had been born just a few months earlier. But hey, maybe this is their year. But probably not. As always, we start with the AFC.

AFC North

First Place: Baltimore Ravens

I was all set to pick the Bengals to win the division but then I saw their starting offensive line play against the back up Lions. The main reason I am picking the Ravens though is their schedule. A lot of predictors just look at the team and how good they think they are. And I do think the Ravens have a good roster. But the schedule plays a big role in my predictions and of the contenders, the Ravens have one of the easier ones out there. They kick off the season against 7 teams that didn’t make the playoffs last year. Their toughest games during this stretch are the Cowboys and Bengals, both at home. They finish the year with 5 games against non playoff teams from last year besides two against the Steelers who I am not high on and really weren’t that good last year, they were just slightly better than everyone else in the division. They do have a new coach which can always be a little unpredictable but I think he will make the defense better and Lamar will do Lamar things that he always does during the regular season, put up big stats and win awards. This team is perfectly set up to end their season in some disappointing playoff fashion.

Final Record: 13-4

Second Place: Cincinnati Bengals

My hatred for the Bengals has decreased some. It’s hard to hate a team that hasn’t been in the playoffs for 3 seasons. I mean, I still hate them. I just hate them a little less. It is an even year which means there is a chance that Burrow makes it through the season without any major injuries. If he does that, then this team can be competitive. On paper they got better defensively and if their defense even has a pulse, they are a playoff contender. The offense has plenty of weaponry and Burrow is good when he is healthy. He’s just never healthy. But this could be the year it all comes together. Their coach Zach Taylor really needs it to be. You can’t keep missing the playoffs with Joe Burrow on your team and stay a head coach in this league for very long. If Burrow stays healthy which is a big if, and if they make the playoffs, which is maybe a bigger if, they would be on my list of teams I wouldn’t want to play. They are talented and they are just dumb and cocky enough to think they can beat anyone.

Final Record 11-6

Third Place: Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers brought the same old quarterback back and a different old coach back and a few players came and a few players left. They will probably be slightly better on offense and slightly worse on defense. It’s Aaron Rodgers last dance as he told his mystery wife that he would hang it up after this year. I sort of think that his wife is made up or a figment of his imagination. Maybe he went into one of those caves and came out with a “wife” but really he just did a lot of drugs. Anyway, his made up wife is the most interesting part of this team. I’m bored just thinking about the Steelers so I won’t bore you anymore by making you read about them. They will do what they always do and win 9 games and either not make the playoffs or lose in the first round.

Final Record: 9-8

Fourth Place: Cleveland Browns

We are exactly 3 weeks from the start of the season and the Browns don’t know who their starting quarterback is going to be. Their choices are massage boy or Deion’s son. Woof. The rest of the offense looks better as all the skill position guys are young and filled with hope and talent. And nowhere destroys hope and talent like Cleveland does. Cleveland is so bad they fired their 2 time coach of the year, lost their awesome defensive coordinator and traded away arguably the best defensive player in the league and it will still be hard for them to be worse than last year. I can only assume that massage boy will win the quarterback job. He’s not good but sadly he is their best option. Plus they paid him 500 million dollars so it would be nice to at least get a few starts out of him. Ultimately it doesn’t matter. This team is bad and will continue to be bad. They are a cursed organization.

Final Record: 5-12

NFC North

First Place: Detroit Lions

This division is tough to predict. I think all these teams are good. They also play the NFC South and the AFC East so that doesn’t hurt their chances to have a good record either with 6 somewhat easy games. Since I think these teams are overall pretty equal with different strengths and weaknesses, the schedule has a lot to do with my predictions. The Lions have the easiest schedule because even though they went 9-8, they finished in 4th place. They are favored in 14 of 17 games. Let’s say they split with everyone in the division, well they still have 4 games against the NFC South and play the dolphins, jets, titans and cardinals. They play the Giants late in the season so you know Dart, Skattebo and Nabers will all be hurt by then. So that’s 12 wins right there. Plus, the Lions are good. They have a great offense and what should be an improved defense. And they have the quarterback that I trust the most week in and week out. So crazy Dan Campbell gets his mojo back and the Lions win the division.

Final Record: 12-5

Second Place: Green Bay Packers

The Packers offense is quite talented and good if they can keep everyone healthy. Jordan Love, Josh Jacobs, Jayden Reed and Christian Watson have all had injury issues but when they are all there and playing together they are quite good. The Packers ran into issues on both sides of the ball last year as the defense had multiple injuries including to Micah Parsons. Parsons is sort of an idiot and should spend more time rehabbing and less time podcasting but he is still very talented and is a difference maker for their defense. But much has been overstated about how bad the Packers were without him and that they didn’t win a game after he got hurt. While technically true, the Packers lost on the road to the Broncos the game Micah got hurt. Then they lost at the Bears in overtime when Jordan Love got hurt early on by a cheap shot by a Bears player. They then lost to a desperate Ravens team without Micah or Jordan and then lost to the Vikings because they rested all their starters for the playoffs. They then lost another close game to the Bears. So yes, they didn’t win without Micah but putting all that on Micah not being there is a little disingenuous. Anyhoo, they will be without Micah for the first 6-8 weeks. But lucky for the Packers the front half of the schedule is easier. The second half is tough but I think they will do just enough to get the 7 seed in the playoffs…again.

Final Record: 10-7

Third Place: Chicago Bears

The Bears are awesome. Just ask them. Ben Johnson wants to have the highest scoring offense ever. He wants to blow people out. He wants shut outs. He wants to go undefeated. They are obviously riding high on their success from last year. And just ask all the media pundits how great Caleb is. He’s already a top 5 quarterback. I mean sure, he barely completed over 50% of his passes. And sure he has never thrown for 4,000 yards. But did you see that one throw he made off schedule and on the run? He’s obviously the best. Fun fact, the Bears have never had a quarterback throw for 4,000 yards. Maybe the Bears will be awesome. I didn’t believe in them last year and they proved me wrong. But they won a bunch of one score games coming from behind last year, and usually there is a regression year to year on that. Just ask the 2025 Chiefs. This doesn’t mean I think the Bears will be bad. They have a lot of good players and Ben Johnson is a good coach even though I find him annoying. But I still have questions about their offensive line and their defense. I think they are in the hunt and then the Lions beat them in week 17 to clinch the division and then Dan Campbell gives him a second middle finger by resting his starters in week 18 allowing the Packers to win and take the 7th spot in the playoffs.

Final Record: 10-7

Fourth Place: Minnesota Vikings

Let me start by saying, I would not be shocked if the Vikings won the division. I mean they won 9 games with some of the worst quarterback play I have ever seen in this league. So with Kyler Murray, they very well could win the division. But here is why I have them last. One, I don’t trust Murray to be awesome. Two, I don’t trust Murray to finish the season. He always gets hurt. Three, their defense is good but getting older and are already losing guys for the season. The offense should be much better but I just don’t trust the defense to stay healthy or Kyler to be good for 17 games. They are competitive and in the hunt but end up with the same record as last year.

Final Record: 9-8

Tune in next week as we head east to give our thoughts and predictions on our final divisions.

The South in general have not been great divisions. Yes in the past 8 years, the Bucs did win a Super Bowl but that was with Tom Brady and seems like a long time ago. Other than that, the most consistent team has been the Texans who lose in the divisional round the last 3 years. The good news about the NFC south is you never know who is going to win it. The Bad news about the NFC South is that you know who ever wins it, still isn’t going to be very good. In the AFC south, there have been some pretty good teams but none of them can move past the divisional round of the playoffs. Will this be the year? Maybe. Let’s dive in.

AFC South

First Place: Houston Texans

They say defense wins championships but it turns out defense and average quarterback play to win championships. The Texans D was exceptional and should be just good as last year. The quarterback was not exceptional, unless you want to say he was exceptionally bad in the playoffs. But they tried to get him help by fixing their offensive line for the 3rd time in 3 years. They also added David Montgomery to help the run game. They have two young receivers that will have that first year out of the way. And they are even getting Tank Dell back. So in theory, they should be better on offense which could be all it takes for the Texans to make a deep playoff run.

Final Record 12-5

Second Place: Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jags are a much more balanced team than the Texans. The offense is much better and their defense, although not as good as the Texans, but still very solid. Their coach is coming off a very successful first year and trying to repeat. Trevor Lawrence played well most of the season and they have a lot of good role players. While there is nothing bad about the Jags, there also isn’t necessarily great about them either. Also, every time I trust or believe in the Jags, they let me down. So I’m getting ahead of it by putting them in second. I think this is a playoff contending team and I won’t be shocked if these two teams switch places.

Final Record 11-6

Third Place: Indianapolis Colts

The Colts will be fine. Not great. Not bad. Just fine. They have a solid and but not great defense. They do have a really good running back. Daniel Jones was decent last year but is coming off an Achilles injury. They traded Michael Pittman Jr. so they could keep and sign Alec Pierce who only had 70 catches and is currently on the PUP list. And when I say PUP, I don’t mean the small cute version of dogs. I think they do have solid coaching and they are going to need it. They will be fine and competitive but I doubt will be watching them play after the regular season.

Final record: 8-9

Fourth Place: Tennessee Titans

The Titans were the worst team in the league two years ago. Last year they were one of the worst teams in the league. They fired their coach mid season and brought in a head coach and an offensive coordinator who also have been fired recently. That’s the bad news. What’s the good news? They got no where to go but up! Cam Ward might be good on a somewhat functional team. They drafted some good players and brought in some good players in free agency. I think Robert Salah could be a successful head coach outside of the mess that is the Jets. So I expect a much more competitive team than last year from the beginning of the season to the end. The future might be bright in Nashville, but I’m less confident in the immediate future. They just don’t have enough good players to realistically compete for a playoff spot.

Final Record: 6-11

NFC South

First Place: New Orleans Saints

Why am I picking the Saints? My answer…why not? No one really knows who is going to win this crap division. These teams all are pretty equal and could finish in any order possible. They could also all finish 9-8. Or they could all finish 8-9 like they almost did last year. In fact the Saints were the only team that didn’t finish 8-9. But their last place finish is also why I’m picking them this year. They have the easiest schedule. They get Arizona, Las Vegas and the Giants as opposed to the rest of the division that plays mostly tougher teams. I like Kellen Moore even though he looks younger than my 17 year old son. I think Tyler Shough will be good. They got Travis Ettiene from the Jags and drafted Jordan Tyson who is very good when healthy. The defense is pretty good most years and I think all of that will be enough to win this silly division.

Final Record: 10-7

Second Place: Tampa Bay Bucs

I in general do not like the Bucs and never really have. But I love Baker. I’m not really sure why, but I’ve always had a soft spot for the Bake show. So it’s a mixed bag of me not wanting the Bucs to be good and then my desire for Bake show and those pewter colored jerseys to have success on my screen. Apparently, the Bucs are not as a big fan of Baker. They could not work out a deal. Apparently they were very far apart. Baker feels disrespected but he’s still out there every day at practice because that’s what his job is. You know what I love even more than Baker. Disrespected Baker! I expect the Bucs have a good year and be very competitive. But I’m concerned about two things. First, Baker’s health. Because without a healthy Baker, the Bucs are not very good. The second is the schedule where they pull Dallas and both LA teams as their extra games. I think that will be the difference between first and second place.

Final Record: 9-8

Third Place: Carolina Panthers

Why am I picking the Panthers for third place when they won the division last year? Because they won 8 games last year! They could be repeat champs or finish at the bottom of the division. Either way, they will probably win 8 games again. Look this team is fine. The defense is pretty good. Their coach isn’t bad. But I’m not a believer in Bryce Young. Their running backs aren’t super exciting. The back that everyone is most excited about has torn his ACL twice. The receivers are fine but not great. I’m just not sure what this team is great at. But I’m sure they will win 8 games and that might win the division.

Final Record: 8-9

Fourth Place: Atlanta Falcons

Why am I picking the Falcons last? Well someone has to finish last. Also, although they have spent a ton of money on their weapons and TE Kyle Pitts, WR Drake London and RB B’jan Robinson all got paid. So that makes for an exciting an offense right? Right? Who’s getting them the ball? Tua? Really? We are going with Tua? Well hopefully no one turns the air conditioning below freezing. Tua is enough for me to put the Falcons last. But they will also probably win 8 games.

Final Record: 7-10

Next week we head up North…stay tuned.

As you may or may not know, we are attempting to start our first ever Fifth-Down fantasy league that will be ran by my brother and I. We have 6 total players so far but are looking for 10-12 total teams so we need at least 4 more players and would prefer to get to 12, so 6 more players. I know you’re probably thinking, why should I play in your league. Well here are 10 great reasons to join.

10. You get to interact with the Campbell boys!

If you think I am awesome, which I know you do, just think of me times 2. So it is like twice the fun!

9. It’s free!

The price is right in this league, as there is no cost to play. The only better price is if we payed you to play. But I got two teenagers and my brother works for a non-profit so that is definitely not going to happen. But free is still pretty good. But if you are worried about being motivated, don’t worry we got you covered with other rewards.

8. Become famous!

Every Wednesday, I’ll write a blog about the previous week’s games highlighting your team’s successes (and failures). Your team will become notorious as my 20-30 readers learn about your fantasy football shenanigans each week! But don’t worry Fifth-Down famous isn’t like regular famous so you will still be able to go out in public and eat at your favorite restaurants without being bothered.

7. You can win the traveling trophy!

Get your name on the trophy and hold it until the next person wins it. When was the last time you won a trophy or a plaque? The last time I got something like that was when I won the hustle award my senior year in basketball. I wasn’t the best player but I could set picks for days and loose balls weren’t called loose around me…they were just called balls. Anyway, this is your chance to hold glory in your hands! Who would want to miss out on that.

6. Care about all the games, instead of just when your team plays.

If you aren’t playing fantasy football, how are you even living? Are you just watching your team win or lose and then spending time with your family or getting yard work done or preparing for the work week ahead? Lame. Now you can watch every game and watch Sunday night intently to see if Javonte Williams can score you 12 points to give your fantasy team the lead. And then turn around the next day to see if the Chiefs D can keep Courtland Sutton from scoring a touchdown. Why be stressed during 1 game a week when you could be stressed during 16?

5. You definitely need a 5th league or your first one.

No matter how many leagues you are in, you can always use another one, right? I’m in 3 but I definitely need a 4th and so do you…or a 5th or a 6th or whatever. And if you aren’t in any leagues then you definitely need to join. If you have never played or it has been a while, this is a great time to jump in or jump back in. It’s low pressure, low cost and fun. And it will definitely enhance your weekly NFL experience. I guarantee it!

4. If you don’t join, my brother will be sad.

This league was inspired by the fact that my brother is only in our family league now as the other league he played in is no more. And so I said, let’s create a Fifth-Down fantasy league. But if we don’t get enough players then we can’t have a league. This is where you come in. But if you don’t join, my brother will be sad. Sure he has a happy marriage, a fulfilling job, lots of friends and a great house. But if we don’t get this league put together, then his life will be incomplete.

3. If your team sucks, you can still have fun on Sundays!

As a Chiefs fan, I haven’t dealt with that much lately until last year. But if I hadn’t been playing fantasy football I wouldn’t have had a reason to watch football after Thanksgiving. This must be how Jets fans feel every year. But when you play fantasy football, even when your team is bad, you can have fun on Sundays watching your players compete and score you points on your fake football team. That sure beats taking on that landscaping project you’ve been putting off.

2. You won’t have to play the “what if” game

If you don’t join, you’ll be asking yourself all season long, did I make the right choice? Would I have had fun? Would football be more fun? Would I have won the league? Let me answer those questions for you right now. No, yes, yes, maybe. But don’t waste your time regretting your decision all season long and instead just join our league.

1. Just do it!

Be like Nike and just do it. you know you want to. I’ll be your friend. Please! Come on, it’s fantasy football with the Campbell Boys! Don’t resist the pull to play in our league. Just do it!

We are 5 weeks from the first game of the NFL Season so it’s time to start my divisional breakdowns starting with the Winning West. Why am I calling it the winning west? Because just like DJ Khaled, all they do is win. Over the past 8 years, these divisions have made up 10 of the 16 Super Bowl participants and they are a Dee Ford offsides and a Bo Nix broken ankle from making it 12 of 16. They have won 5 of 8 Super Bowls. There hasn’t been a Super Bowl in the past 8 years without a West division team in it. The AFC west has made every final four during that time (mostly to the Chiefs making 7 in a row) and the NFC West has made it 6 of the 8. What does it mean? It means there is a very good chance you are going to see one of these teams in the Super Bowl and there is a better than 50% chance that the winner comes from this bunch as well if the trend continues. So lets dive into the story lines and predictions for two of the best divisions in Football.

AFC WEST

First Place: Denver Broncos

I’m not sure why everyone is sleeping on the Broncos this year. Maybe Sean Payton is just such an arrogant prick that the media doesn’t want to talk about him. But this team brings almost everyone back and added Jaylen Waddle. I’m not sure what’s not to like about this team. Well, besides Sean Payton. I mean I think he is a good coach but I don’t like him. The questions revolve around Bo Nix, I guess. Will he comeback strong after the ankle injury? Will Waddle help him develop to the next level? Will the new play caller help him out? Will he be able to play good football for 4 quarters instead of just the last one? All good questions but the kid comes through when it matters. This is a very good football team with a very good coach. The opening schedule is brutal: @Chiefs, Jags, Rams, @49ers, @ Chargers and Seahawks. But after that, the schedule gets relatively easy minus back to back games against the Bills and Pats at the end of the season. As long as they start 3-3 they should be able to navigate it the rest of the way to a division winning season.

Final Record: 12-5

Second Place: Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers have 2 new coordinators but the story is all about the offensive one because that is no other than nerdy Mike McDaniel. He had some success in Miami with Tua at quarterback so he should be able to do even better with media darling, Justin Herbert. Justin is like JV Josh Allen. Everyone loves him and thinks he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league. During the preseason, he and his team get all talked up and all the story lines are that all the problems have been solved and he is now an MVP candidate and the Chargers are a Super Bowl contender and then when they ultimately fail, all the excuses come out again. The difference is Josh Allen has actually at least won something. Herbert has been good in the regular season but just awful in the post season. But on paper they do look good. They got their offensive tackles back, added to the interior line and got more running back depth. Their defense should still be good although I do think they will miss their defensive coordinator. But if McDaniel and Herbert don’t have first round playoff loss written all over them I don’t know what does.

Final Record: 11-6

Third Place: Kansas City Chiefs

I’m sure many readers think I am a homer because since I started this blog back in 2022, I always pick the Chiefs to win. But to be fair to me, until last year all the Chiefs did was win. But I am a realist and mostly unbiased writer. The Chiefs were not a good football team last year even before Pat got hurt. But they got extra exposed for how much they relied on him when we saw what they were without him. I think they will be better this year. Part of it is just winning a few more close games. The Chiefs made a killing winning close games in 2023 and 2024 so it is no surprise that the pendulum swung the other way last year. But the chances that they go 1-9 again in one score games is highly unlikely. If they just win half of those they are probably a playoff team. The O-line was banged up last year too but is pretty solid when healthy and they added Kenneth Walker which should help a ton. But their receivers can’t stay healthy or out of jail. Kelce is another year older and there isn’t a lot of faith in what is behind him and I think the defense will be worse. I think this will be a winning season but they may get left out of the playoffs due to so many good teams being in the AFC. But if they do get in, I’m not betting against the guy who is 14-2 in the AFC Playoffs and has never lost in regulation. I think the Chiefs will be back but need another draft and free agency round to get back on top.

Final Record: 10-7

Fourth Place: Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders can’t be worse can they? They upgraded at coach. They upgraded at quarterback. They got better at offensive line. But their defense will still be bad…and ya know…they are the Raiders. We don’t know if Mendoza will be a good quarterback or not. We don’t know if Kubiak will be a good head coach or not. What we do know is that Tom Brady is heavily involved and we will hear about that every time they play on TV. Meanwhile, Brady will be covering games, interviewing players and coaches across the league and gaining all sorts of entail. Which seems totally unfair and illegal to me but what do I know. Anyhoo, the Raiders suck and will still suck but will suck a little less.

Final Record: 6-11

NFC WEST

First Place: Rams

The Rams, or as I like to call them, the Dodgers of the NFL, added some fire power on defense in the offseason. They filled their biggest need at corner with two former Chiefs. Then they traded for arguably the best pass rusher in the league in Myles Garrett. And now the rumor mill is swirling over the potential return of Aaron Donald. Meanwhile, they have last year’s MVP at quarterback, a top 5 wide receiver, a very solid running game and perhaps the best coach in the league. Does that seem fair? No. Am I mad about it? nope. I’m all about former St. Louis teams having success. I thought they were the best team last year and then they went and got even better this offseason. Only injuries and them beating themselves should be able to stop this juggernaut. I won’t make my Super Bowl Prediction until the week of the first games, but unless something bad happens between now and then, I’m leaning towards the Rams.

Final Record: 14-3

Second Place: Seattle Seahawks

The Seahawks won it all last year and no one besides the Rams could really move the ball on them. Their coach is excellent and Sam Darnold silenced the critics by playing well when it mattered most. But they lost Kenneth Walker and some defensive guys and their other running back tore his ACL. They still have offensive player of the year in JSN. And I’m sure other players will step up in the void of the departed. Mike MacDonald can coach but they will also miss their offensive coordinator. This team will be competitive and I think make the playoffs but it will to tough to repeat last year with all the departures.

Final Record: 12-5

Third Place: San Francisco 49ers

On paper, this team looks real good. Unfortunately for 49ers fans, these guys ligaments tear as easily as paper. George Kittle is still working his way back from his Achilles. Ricky Pearsal is already out for the season. They brought in Mike Evans and he is already banged up. The receiver they drafted is already hurt. One of their defensive end’s tore his ACL. It’s week 1 guys. Of practice. CMC had a massive workload last year and so I’m just assuming he will get injured. And Brock Purdy missed half the season last year. Even their head coach is currently on IR. The team is old and they lost their defensive coordinator. If any team can overcome all those things, it is the 49ers but I’m not betting on it.

Final Record: 9-8

Fourth Place: Arizona Cardinals

This is a bad football team. They signed Tyler Allegier in the offseason to help the running back room. Tyler ran for a thousand yards his rookie season but then the Falcons drafted B’jan Robinson. He lived in his shadow for 3 years and now he will finally be the guy! Or so he thought, because then the Cardinals turned around and drafted Jeremiyah Love. Tyler just can’t get a break, much like the Cardinals. Not only is this a bad football team with bad quarterback play, they also play in a division with 3 of the best teams in football. The only good news about the Cardinals is their pass catchers might be able to help you in fantasy football because they will be playing from behind all season.

Final Record: 4-13

Tune in next week when we move to the South!

It’s always crazy but this year is extra crazy from trades to the stupid “legal tampering” days to actually people signing to backing out of trades, this NFL offseason has it all. There is so much to talk about it’s hard to know what all to talk about but it isn’t hard to know where to start.

Ravens Gonna Raven

There are a lot of different stories of what happened and those that either like the Ravens or don’t like anyone to look bad in the NFL certainly have a more positive story about the Maxx Crosby fiasco. But sometimes the story is just what you actually saw happen. Here is what I saw. The Ravens thought they were so so close to winning a super bowl with their current roster. So close that they thought they should trade two first rounders for Mad Maxx. Then free agency began. Well not actual free agency…but the legal tampering period. Several key players left for other teams including defensive guys, their center, a tight end and a full back. Most of which hilariously went to the Giants except for the Center who ironically went to the Raiders. Then they realized they could get a guy a lot like Crosby for cheaper and save their draft picks. All they had to do was say they didn’t like the medicals for Crosby. Which is a perfectly legal although crappy thing to do. So at the last minute last night they said we don’t like the medicals and backed out of the trade. Shockingly they signed Trey Hendrickson first thing this morning. Now the Ravens and Hendrickson have a BS story that they were going to sign Hendrickson and keep Crosby. No one believes you. Then the GM of the Ravens rolled out today to do a press conference about it which I thought was special. He said no one was more upset about it than him and he was gutted about it. You know who is more upset about it than you? Maxx Crosby. In the end he said it was his job to do what was best for the Ravens…even if it was a total dick move. Good for you Ravens. I already didn’t like you but as Doc Holliday once wisely said in Tombstone…”Now I really hate him.” And the worst part…you made me feel bad for the raiders. I hate the Ravens so much right now for that alone.

Walker is about to run wild

Kenneth Walker to the Chiefs! Thank you very much. Very excited to have someone who can out run me playing running back for the Chiefs. The stat comparisons between Walker and the Chiefs running backs last year are too silly to even post. But lets just say, its a bit of an improvement. Walker ran for a thousand yards last year while averaging only 13 carries a game. I’m thinking based upon his pay day that he’s going to get a few more than that this year. I don’t know how well he fits into our scheme but hey our scheme sucked last year so maybe they are going to change that too. At least if nothing else teams will have to at least respect our run game. I’m very happy about this.

Bye Bye 2022 draft class

McDuffie got traded to the Rams. Then Watson turns around and signs with the Rams. As bummed as I am about losing these two great corners, I’m happy about where they went. I like the Rams. It’s easy to cheer for ex St. Louis teams. I was really hoping we would bring back Chenal but he went to the Commanders. Bryan Cook is off to the hated Bengals. Pacheco is moving to Detroit to run into the backs of new offensive linemen, this time in blue. Even Joshua Williams left us for the Titans. Only Karliftas is left. I got to say, I will cheer for all these guys when they aren’t playing the Chiefs. It will be interesting to see how they do. Last year was disappointing but the 3 years prior, they helped the Chiefs win the AFC West 3 times, won 9 post season games, 3 conference championships and back to back super bowls while making it to their 3rd in a row. When we got blown out by the Eagles, they had to be like what’s this feeling? I’ve never felt this during my professional career. Anyway, we will miss you guys, good luck.

Rams Reckoning

The Rams came oh so close to hoisting the Lombardi trophy and they are hell bent on getting it this year. They fixed their secondary which was the weakest part of their roster. Assuming Stafford stays healthy, they should be the favorite to win it all this year by a wide margin.

Bills paying some bills

The Bills continue to try to get Josh Allen the help he so desperately needs. If you didn’t know, the guy has had zero help his entire career. Come on guys, he can’t always be superman. So they traded a second round pick to the bears and took on DJ Moore and his massive contract. Good luck with that. All the sports media is ecstatic about it. “Josh finally has a #1 receiver”. Problem solved right? We can stop blaming everyone when Josh doesn’t win right? I guarantee you when Josh ultimately loses in the divisional round…again, the narrative will be “well, DJ Moore isn’t really a number 1. Josh Allen needs more help. I mean he can’t be superman all the time.” The Bills also just gave 43 million to Bradley Chubb which would have been a great deal…4 years ago! The Bills just aren’t the Bills without an overpaid old edge rusher who isn’t very good against the run and will probably get hurt.

Do you want an edge rusher? It’s gonna cost you pretty much everything

I was hoping the Chiefs would beef up the D-line and I do like Tonga the tackle we added. But we haven’t gotten an edge yet which at these prices, I am fine with. Jaelen Phillips who is injury prone and has never had more than 7 and half sacks for 120 million over 4 years? Boye Mafe who didn’t even start last year for 60 million over 3 years? Odafe Oweh for four years for 100 million? All of that is too rich for my blood for players that have been good at times but never great. And of course Hendrickson at age 31 getting whatever crazy deal he got from that sleazy organization in Baltimore. Of course, he still has to pass the physical.

Ge NOOOO!

Poor Geno Smith. He thought he was getting released by the Raiders and even thanked God about it on twitter. Then instead they traded him to the Jets with a 7th rounder for the Jets 6th round pick. The Jets were like Geno is going to be such a hot commodity that we better throw some draft capital at the Raiders in order to make sure he doesn’t hit the open market like there was going to be some bidding war for Geno. And so he goes from one bad and terribly run organization to the next. The Jets are a disaster. They also signed a couple of defensive backs that actually had interceptions last year since the Jets had zero on their whole team. When 1 team interception is an improvement you have no where to go but up.

in other news…

Mike Evans was like thanks Tampa but I’m out. He heads to San Fran to catch a lot of passes since they don’t have anyone else healthy to throw to. How many weeks into the season before Evans is hurt? I’m setting the over/under at 5. Romeo Doubs and his funny helmet head to New England. It’s hard to cheer for the Patriots but I do love an oversized helmet. My emotions are getting pulled in opposite directions! Travis Etienne who I thought the Chiefs would get heads to New Orleans where he is from. Alvin Kamara’s reward for loyalty took about as big of a beating as him and 3 of his buddies gave a random guy a few years back. Alec Pierce got an insane pay day for a guy who has never caught 50 balls in a season. The Colts also overpaid to keep Daniel Jones who I don’t think can even walk yet. Then they traded Pittman Jr to the Steelers. Rico Dowdle didn’t want to share carries so he signed with Pittsburgh…where he will share carries with Jaylen Warren. Of course the Steelers have no idea who is going to be handing off or throwing to these guys. Rodgers said they haven’t given him a time line. He also said they haven’t offered him a contract. Classic Aaron. I’d say never change…but we all want you to. Kenneth Gainwell is off to Tampa and Aaron Jones is staying in Minnesota both to piss off fantasy football owners of Bucky Irving and Jordan Mason. And of course the Cardinals decided to improve their QB room by releasing Kyler Murray and signing Gardner Minshew. Problem solved. Across the league, a bunch of players signed for way too much money with a lot of them landing in Las Vegas, Tennessee and Washington. I’d tell you all about what the Broncos did, but they didn’t do anything.

How to enjoy Social Media

I’m sure I’ll have more to say later but I’ll leave you with this. I found the way to actually enjoy the cesspool that is social media and specifically Twitter. Here is a step by step guide.

1. Only follow sports people: assuming you like sports, if you don’t, then don’t get on twitter.
2. Don’t follow any political stuff: No matter what side you are on you will get crap from both sides and feel just terrible about our world and both sides.
3. Don’t follow non sports celebrities: they all suck.
4. Don’t ever comment or tweet anything: this avoids wasting time arguing with strangers that have nothing better to do than argue with strangers.
5. Take twitter off your phone during slow times: basically when it isn’t football season or free agency week.

There you go, enjoy! And I got to say Twitter brought it’s A game this week especially thanks to the Ravens.

Some of you may remember that several weeks back I wrote an offseason wishlist for the Chiefs. I thought now would be a good time to review the wishes and see how the Chiefs are doing. I got to say as much as it sucks only winning 6 games it does make free agency and the draft much more exciting. Here were my items on the wish list that were achievable before the start of free agency on Monday. I know technically it starts on Wednesday but it really starts on Monday. Anyway here was the list:

1. Cut Jawann Taylor: Check! His free agency got an early start…get it?
2. Get new Running back and Receiver coaches: Check! Hey these guys have coached these positions before…what an idea!
3. Get a new Offensive Coordinator: Check! Welcome back EB!
4. Fix the Salary Cap issues or get better at cheating: Check! Thanks Pat!
5. Trade McDuffie if you can get a first round pick: Check! And add in another 5th and 6th this year, and a 3rd next year.
6. Travis Kelce should retire…I think: Unknown. I’ve gone back and forth on what he is going to do, and at this point I don’t care that much I just want him to decide.

Overall though, besides Kelce, I have gotten every single thing I wanted for this part of the offseason. Now the next part is crucial. Free Agency and the Draft. And now that we have an idea of who is available I can give names to the people I’d like them to obtain starting on Monday. So let’s look at the wish list items that can be achieved starting between Monday and the Draft.

Rebuild the Running Back Room:

Look I love Kareem Hunt and appreciate how good he is on short yardage plays. I’m grateful for the impact Pacheco had on our back to back championship run. I like Smith and think maybe he could become a solid gadget guy, 3rd down guy and return man. None of these guys should be the number 1 back on any team. So we have to start fresh. I assume and hope the team doesn’t think Dameon Pierce is the answer. Perhaps they can hold him hostage on the roster all year this year like they did Elijah Mitchell last year. But regardless, we need new dudes. And Veach knows that. He made it clear in his presser at the combine that they have to get better there. He also mentioned the investment they have made on the interior of the offensive line which I think was a poke at the coaching staff to run the ball once I get you a dude. The problem we face is that we are not the only ones looking for a running back. People are saying Kenneth Walker is going to get 14-16 million. I don’t know if I am in at that price point. But he is only 25 and I think he is better as a receiver than people give him credit for. Obviously, I like Walker a lot more at 10-12 million. The guy I really wanted was Breece Hall but of course he got tagged because the Jets hate Breece and fantasy football and all things good and fun in the world. So next on my wish list is Travis Etienne. He’s been a very solid player for the Jags who probably fits into our system better than Walker. If we can’t get him next up for me would be Rico Dowdle. Rico has averaged 4.6 yards a carry and had over a thousand yards the last two years for two at best average teams that didn’t really want to give him the ball a lot. I think Rico is good and I’d be happy with him as the lead back going into the new year. Tyler Alliger is another name to watch. He comes in cheaper but had a really great rookie year before B’Jan showed up. The funniest thing would to be sign him and then draft Love at 9 and basically do what the Falcons did to him. But he is a very good player that wouldn’t be ridiculously expensive. Finally, if we can’t get one of those guys, give me Kenneth Gainwell. Dude is solid at both running and catching and never had the chance to be the guy. The guy getting mentioned that I am least excited about is Raschad White. I’d be fine with him being our second guy but he is not fast or explosive. He’s like Pacecho with better hands and better vision…but that isn’t hard.

Receiver Changes:

When I wrote the wish list, I said I was fine with our receiver room. That is no longer true, mostly due to the latest Rashee Rice shenanigans. Apparently the jail time didn’t teach him much. I’m not saying the allegations are true but arguing with people on social media while promoting apps that pay you or whatever is just annoying. I’m just over Rice in general. I do hope they bring back Thornton but it seems like he wants to test the market and go somewhere they actually use him. Kind of like we did when Rice was suspended. I don’t love the free agents but the one guy I would be interested in bringing in is Romeo Doubs. Doubs catches everything, can get open against man and is a good red zone threat. As an added bonus, it’s fun to watch him run around with the guardian cap that makes his helmet look cartoonish. I like using one of our 4 picks in the top 75 picks on a receiver too. I do think Worthy will be much better next year assuming he stays healthy. Having a real receiver coach and EB will make him much better.

Sign Edge Rushers:

We need to drastically improve the D-Line. I would sign guys and draft guys and then sign and draft some more guys. Trey Hendrickson would be funny since I hate the Bengals but I think he will cost too much and is already 31. But if he wanted to come on a short affordable deal, that would be ideal. The 3 guys I am more interested in is Jaelan Phillips, Odafe Oweh, and Boye Mafe. All of them are fairly young and seem to be improving and would be upgrades over the guys we have had. If we get any 1 of those guys, I’d be happy. I’d also draft a guy or two. In fact, I love the idea of going defensive end at 9 and defensive tackle at 29.

Get more reliable swing o’line guys:

A lot of commentators on tv are saying the first thing we should invest in is offensive line. Protect Patrick Mahomes and his ACL. But they are ignoring the fact that last year’s issue wasn’t our guys, the issue was they were all hurt. That is why we don’t need to go spend a bunch of money. Go get a couple of veteran guys that won’t break the bank but can play good football for 2 or 3 games if needed. I like our current O-Line minus right tackle. I do not like our depth. Basically, I want us to do whatever it takes to avoid Wayna Morris being on the field.

Resign Leo Chenal

Look, I’m not saying we should match some big offer if he gets one. But he is so valuable not just on defense but on special teams as well. The guy just makes big plays. He’s who Dan Sorenson would have been if Dan was talented. I won’t be upset if he goes elsewhere, but I’d like to have him back.

So there you go! Brett Veach has followed my plan so far. Let’s see him sign Etienne, Doubs, Boye Mafe, and a couple of cheaper veteran offensive linemen. And hopefully bring back Chenal and Thornton. This is a realistic wish list that I think everyone can get on board with. Get ready for a crazy Monday through Wednesday. I’ll do a Free Agency post after the dust settles next week.

Well, Sunday is the big game. Even though my team isn’t in it for a change, I’m still somewhat excited. As my brother and I always say, bad football is still better than no football or any other sport. I actually think this will be a good game just between teams I don’t care about. It also will bring on what my wife calls “my sad time.” She tried to encourage me the other day as we were discussing this dark time of the year. She said but in a few weeks free agency starts. And then you have March Madness. You like the tournament. And then there is the draft. And she is right, I like all those things but after the draft until August it is rough. I might have to go for a walk or read a book or have a conversation with someone. Ugh. Nah, I’ll probably just watch old games to get ready for next year. Anyway, there is one more game left, so lets soak it in while we can! Let’s dive in.

The Farm Boy vs the Empire: Seahawks vs Patriots

My nerd abilities are not limited to just football. I also nerd out on things like Star Wars and super heroes and may or may not have a sizable vintage toy collection. So when thinking of a good comparison for this game, I thought the original trilogy was a fitting comparison for the big game. While other characters like Han Solo and Chewie and R2D2 may be more loved and even characters with limited screen time like Boba Fett, are more popular, Luke Skywalker is really the center of this story. Luke had a rough go of it. I mean the kid was abandoned at birth and his mother died. He lived with his grumpy Uncle and sweet Aunt who knows he has too much of his father in him to be a farmer, which is of course is what Uncle Owen is afraid of. He has to stay on the farm and work instead of going into town to get some power converters. Then he finds a hidden message on a new droid. Then the droid runs away and he gets beat up by a sand person. Luckily an old wizard shows up to help him out. They go back home to find his Uncle and Aunt have been fried along with the Jawas who sold them the droids. They head into town to get transport to Alderan to save some princess. On the way Alderan is blown up. Then his new teacher/wizard guy dies. He does blow up the death star which is nice but then he almost gets eaten by monster, nearly freezes to death, kisses his sister (whoops), goes to hang out with a muppet in a swamp, then goes to face the most baddest of bad guys…who spoiler alert, is his dad. He then returns to the swamp to complete his jedi training only to watch the muppet die. It’s a rough go. But then He beats up his dad, defies the evil emperor meanwhile his buddies take out the shield with the help of some teddy bears and Lando takes out the death star all the while, Luke saves his father. Well not from dying but you know from being evil and then his dad gets to be a force ghost. And then Disney takes over and makes the whole thing pointless because there are still storm troopers and evil bad guys and somehow the emperor has returned. Sam Darnold…this is your Luke Skywalker moment. Sam has had a rough go of it. He was drafted high but did terrible for a terrible team. He bounced around the league to several teams and then when he finally had success the team he succeeded with was like, nah we’re good. But now he is with Seattle. He led his team to the 1 seed. Sure there are better players on the team than Sam. But he has done great. He’s been at his best when it mattered most the last few weeks. And here he is, reading to redeem his career just like Luke redeemed Vader. But what’s that in the way? It’s Disney’s version of the Evil Empire, known as the Patriots. They wrecked havoc and dismay on the NFL for two decades. Their hooded leader would do anything to win including using the tool of evil spygate to get intel on his enemies. His young prodigy would create controversy over tuck rules and deflating balls and would later throw a beautiful woman aside to pursue more important things like finishing 8-9 and getting blown out in the first round of the playoffs. We thought this evilness had finally been defeated by retirement. But just a few years later the Disney Patriots are trying to arrive. Sure, they seem friendly enough with their leader giving hugs in the tunnel and their Quarterback seemingly like a really nice guy, who’s married to a really nice girl and seems like someone you would totally cheer for if he played for any other team. But this Disney version of the Patriots has the potential to be even worse. They are younger and cheaper and have the ability to last even longer just like the Disney version that simply won’t die. There is just one thing that can save us. Sam Skywalker Darnold stands in the way of the Empire taking over once again. Will he be the great hope we need? Or will their be darkness once again. We will find out on Sunday. My head says the Seahawks are the better team. My heart certainly wants Sam Darnold and the Seahawks to win. It’s the story we all deserve. But at the same time, this craptastic season in some ways deserves a crappy ending. And my gut says the Patriots are winning this game. And my gut is typically more accurate than my head and always more accurate than my heart.

Patriots 27 Seahawks 20

We did the Seahawks yesterday and now it is the Patriots turn.

10. Heading West equals Winning.

Most of the time if one team is heading east and one is heading west, the team heading west wins. Seattle is basically heading south but maybe ever so slightly east. Advantage Patriots.

9. It’s the AFC’s turn.

Minus the back to back championships by the Chiefs, the last time either side won back to back championships was way back in 2018/2019 seasons. The Eagles won last year, thus the Patriots will win this year.

8. Drake Maye is due a good game.

Drake hasn’t been great in the playoff run, not that it has mattered. But he will have to play good in this one for them to have a shot and he is due to play good.

7. Patriots D is better than anyone thought.

They’ve played a weak schedule and so no one paid much attention but this is a really good defense.

6. They have Christian Gonzalez to deal with JSN

JSN is always open but Gonzalez might be the guy to break that trend.

5. 1 Seeds don’t win much.

The 1 seeds that have gotten to the big game, have not had a ton of success getting to the big game and if they do they seldom win it. The Seahawks were the 1 seed. The Patriots were the 2 seed…so…we know what that means.

4. Underdogs almost always cover and often win.

Being as big as a 4.5 point dog, isn’t as bad as it sounds. Underdogs do quite well in the big game of late.

3. They are well coached.

The Pats don’t make a ton of mistakes and seem to always be in the right places at the right times. And they have experienced coaches who have been in the big game in some fashion or another. That will come up big in the big game.

2. It will kick Belichick while he is down

He has had a rough go of it lately with his college team he is coaching being terrible, not making the hall of fame and the Pats winning a championship would be the icing on the terrible cake.

1. Because this season sucks and this would be the perfect sucky ending.

Chiefs were bad, Pat got hurt, all the other teams my family members cheer for lost, and even the NFC team I was hoping would win, the Rams, lost. The perfect explanation point on this season would be the stupid Patriots winning once again.

Today we focus on 10 reasons that Seattle will be Super Bowl Champs on Sunday. Tomorrow we will cover the Patriots. Let’s dive in.

10. They played a harder schedule than 32nd.

The Patriots had a very easy schedule to get here, then played playoff Justin Herbert behind a 3rd string offensive line, CJ Stroud who threw more passes to Patriots than Texans and Jarrett Stidham who hadn’t thrown a pass in 3 years. The Seahawks are more battle tested.

9. They win every other Super Bowl.

This is their 4th Super Bowl. They lost their first. They won their second and they lost their 3rd. So they are due to win this one.

8. They are the designated road team

The “road team” has a slight edge in the big game. So that should help the Seahawks.

7. They don’t have the MVP on their team.

I’m not saying Drake May will win the MVP. But he might. But no Seahawk is winning it, that’s for sure. And the MVP seldom wins the Super Bowl. Mahomes did it a few years ago and before that the last person to do it was Kurt Warner way back in 1999.

6. JSN is always open

It’s part scheme and part him being awesome but that dude is just open all the dang time.

5. Drake Maye has looked eh

While Maye was awesome during the regular season, he has been just okay in the post season. The defense has carried the day but they haven’t exactly played the best of offenses.

4. Seattle can score

Unlike the Patriots other 3 playoff opponents, Seattle can put up some points. I’m not saying the Patriots Defense isn’t good, but they are unlikely to shut them down like they did, say, the broncos with a back up QB in the middle of a snow storm.

3. Patriot fans don’t deserve a win

These obnoxious, arrogant people will only be that much more annoying if they win this. They’ve only had 2 or 3 bad years without making the playoffs. The rest of the world can’t handle them winning again so soon.

2. They simply have the better team

The Patriots are a very good team. I think they are the best team in the AFC. But Seattle is just better pretty much everywhere. They have the advantage at pretty much every position. In theory, the better team should win but that doesn’t always happen.

1. The final chapter of the Sam Darnold redemption story!

What a great ending it would be to the saga that has been Darnold’s career to hoist that trophy on Sunday night. After “seeing ghosts”, being dumped by the Jets, being dumped by the Panthers, being 3rd string in San Fran, and then finally balling out in Minnesota only to be thrown to the side after a couple of bad games…and now in 1 year in Seattle, he is in the big game. And with one more win he can complete one of the better NFL stories of the last 20 years.