What even is Football?

Okay, so I realize that not all of you are big football fans, hell you might not even know what I'm talking about in my other posts. so let me explain the great sport of football for all those who could probably care less!

First you'll notice I reference the "AFC" and "NFC" very often. 

These are just conferences. 

Each conference has 16 total teams. 

These 16 teams are divided into 4 divisions. (North east south west) (4 teams for each)

So for example, if you see that I'm referencing the NFC south I'm talking about those 4 teams alone. 

Playoffs: okay you should all know this (I hope). The playoffs are the quest to the Super Bowl for teams good enough to get there (super bowl= champion)

Here's how the playoffs work

There are 12 spots for teams in the playoffs (6 for AFC teams,  6 for NFC  teams)

8 of those spots are for the division winners in each conference. (so the team with the best record in each division gets a playoff spot)

The other 4 spots are wild card spots.  

The wild card spots are for teams that were good, but just not good enough to win their divisions. 

Once the playoff teams are set,the top two teams (ranked #1 and #2) in each conference get a free bye week. (Meaning they were so awesome they get a week to rest up and prepare for future opponents, it's basically a free victory.)

While these teams rest, the other playoff teams compete in whats called "wildcard weekend" (it is called this because every game contains a wild card team) 

In each conference the #6 team plays the #3 team while the #5 teams plays the #4 team. (Yes I realize this sounds confusing, I'm trying to make it simple as possible)

After wild card weekend, the teams that won move on to the divisional round. At this point the top 2 teams of each conference come into play. 

#1 ranked team plays the lowest ranked team that survived the wild card round

#2 ranked team obviously would then play the 2nd lowest ranked team. 

Okay, after these matchups have happened. There is 4 total teams left (2 in AFC) (2 in NFC). 

The two in the NFC compete while the two in the AFC compete. 

After that, the winner of the AFC conference (best in AFC) plays the winner of the NFC (best in NFC). 

This is the Super Bowl. It's best vs best to determine who is the "better" best. ( if that makes sense.)

So that's how the playoffs work and basically how all the teams are structured. If I confused you just ask me to clarify something.

Other football terms and facts that might interest you:

There have been 47 Super Bowls (this year will be 48th)

The franchise (team) with the most Super Bowl victories is the Pittsburgh steelers (they have 6)

The only undefeated team in history is the 1972 Miami dolphins with a perfect record if 14-0. 

The basics 

I won't write every rule in the NFL just some simple things

Each touchdown is 6 points. After teams score a touchdown they have a choice to kick a 1 point field goal or go for the two point conversion (ball is placed on the two and they need to try to get back into the end zone)

4 quarters (15 minutes each)

A runner is down when a knee touches the ground. 

Pulling a offensive players face mask is a 15 yard penalty. 

If a team doesn't get to the end zone but are close enough they get to try a 3 point field goal. 

The above things were just some that came to mind, there's a lot more to football than what I've mentioned. 

NOTE: the goal of this post was to educate you in terms of football information. (Hopefully you learned at least one thing). If you didn't, well then you probably already knew everything about football. 

Any questions you have? Feel free to ask!

My next post (in which I update my rankings) should be up by Thursday for those of you who are interested. 

Sunday Results From Week 15!

It was a crazy, action-packed day in the NFL so without further ado lets get to it!

New Orleans Saints @ St. Louis Rams. 

If you told me prior to this game that the Rams would dominate the Saints,  I'd say you were out of your mind. But sure enough, that's what happened. Drew Brees threw some uncharacteristically bad passes that ended up being picked off. Kellen Clemens played good enough, and had the help of his trusty  RB  Zac Stacy in the running game. Rams upset the Saints here, which leads to another interesting matchup between  Cam Newton and Drew Brees this upcoming week. 

New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins. 

I called it going into this one for the Patriots. It wasn't going to be easy and, well, it wasn't. Tannehill had a solid day throwing for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns, lifting the Dolphins past the Patriots 24-20. A game which ended with Tom Brady throwing an interception in the end zone. Ouch. 

Green Bay Packers @ Dallas Cowboys. 

If any of you know me, you know I am a hardcore Dallas Cowboys fan. That being said, this game was a huge disappointment for me. The Cowboys dominated the first half, leading 23-3 going into the 3rd quarter. But Green Bay got back into it. This game came down to poor management and awful play calling. As a cowboys fan I see it every week. No matter how good Demarco Murray rushes the ball, lead or no lead, Bill Callahan (the offensive coordinator of Dallas ) and Jason Garrett ( head coach) insist on throwing the ball. For those of you who are not well versed in football, I'll explain. When a team is leading late in the fourth quarter, the idea is for that team to run the ball to ensure that the clock keeps moving, so that the opposing team does not get another chance to possibly win. Well, someone tell that to garrett, because he doesn't understand that concept. Boy, watching this game enraged me, and for those who wish to put the blame on Romo....please zip it, this loss goes so much deeper than just Romo. Anyway, all hope is not lost for the Cowboys, as they still have a chance to come away as the winners of the NFC east division. Here's hoping they don't blow it next week!

Philadelphia Eagles @ Minnesota Vikings. 

Well this game was surprising. The Vikings dominated a pretty good Eagles team and ended getting the win 48-30, without their star running back Adrian Peterson. A crushing loss for the Eagles, but hey, I'm not complaining. 

Washington Redskins @ Atlanta Falcons. 

Well, the story of this game was Mike Shanahan sitting RG3 in favor of Kirk Cousins. Cousins had a pretty solid performance, but the Redskins end up losing this game on a failed two point conversion attempt in the final moments. 

Buffalo Bills @ Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Not much was on the line for either of these teams in this contest, but nonetheless the bills ended up winning 27-20. Not a bad victory. I will say, through the past few weeks the Jaguars have proved they are not the worst team in the NFL, who knows they might actually be on the rise. Of course this season is over for them, but they could make some noise in the next couple seasons perhaps. Just have to wait and see. 

Indianapolis Colts @ Houston Texans. 

The Texans look more and more like they'll end up with the worst record this season. They haven't won a game since week 2, and at this point it doesn't look like they'll win another one this year. As for the Colts, they get a good win. Maybe they can build off it,because they've been struggling as of late. This however, is a step in the right direction for sure. 

Oakland Raiders @ Kansas City Chiefs

Oh boy, Jamaal Charles absolutely exploded in this game, putting up 5 touchdowns, himself alone. Just a purely dominant performance from the Chiefs and Charles here. Wow. Great win for Kansas City. 

Seattle Seahawks @ New York Giants. 

Was there really ever any doubt? The Giants have struggled all season long and the Seahawks have dominated all year long. The Seahawks get the shutout, beating the Giants 23-0. 

San Francisco 49ers @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

It was all 49ers in this one, though Tampa Bay did have its moments. Important win for the Niners, as this keeps them in a close race for the NFC wild card. 

Arizona Cardinals @ Tennessee Titans. 

Speaking of NFC wild card, the Cardinals needed a win just as much as the Niners needed theirs. They got it, but not before the Titans forced it into overtime. Despite Tennessee's valiant effort, the Cardinals ended up with the 37-34 victory in OT. 

New York Jets @ Carolina Panthers. 

The Panthers had a good game against a struggling Jets team, and ended up with a key win 30-20. The question remains though, will they be able to beat their division rival, Saints next week?

Chicago Bears @ Cleveland Browns. 

In Jay Cutlers  first game back from injury, he and his bears were able to top the Browns, however it was not easy. Nonetheless the Bears win 38-31 and remain atop the NFC north. 

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals. 

The Bengals struggled tonight in primetime, trailing 24-0 at one point. They did make a small comeback, but when it was all said and done the Steelers beat their divisional foes 30-20. 

Games Of The Week

The regular season is coming to a finish in the next 3 weeks of the season, and for some teams that means each game is vital if they want a playoff spot.  With that said I've highlighted three games that I think are the most crucial this week for every team involved.

Patriots @ Dolphins:  The Patriots may be in some trouble heading into Sunlife Stadium on sunday. they're facing a Dolphins team that just seems to have some sort of spark lately. Ryan Tannehill is no Tom Brady of course, but don't count him out.  Tannehill is a solid QB and he's got some talent around him as well. Brian Hartline and Mike Wallace are probably the biggest names on the receiving core for the Dolphins, but Tannehill's favorite target as of late is Charles Clay. Clay is probably the closest thing the Dolphins have to a Rob Gronkowski of the patriots, in terms of playmaking ability. Speaking of Gronkowski, Brady will be without him for the rest of the year.  So, needless to say, the Patriots will struggle without him.  In terms of importance, the Dolphins need this game to stay in a packed hunt for the AFC wildcard spots. As for the Patriots, they need it to stay in control of the second seed in the playoffs.  

Cardinals @ Titans:  If you ask me, this is one of most important games of the week, simply because of the two teams involved (More for the Cardinals though).  On one side you have the Cardinals who have had a solid season but are in a tight battle with the 49ers for the final wildcard spot in the NFC. (assuming the Panthers already have the other wildcard locked up, which they do, in my opinion.) So every game for the cardinals is a crucial one.  Which brings me to the Titans.  Well, the Titans are a great example of a team thats had an up and down season.  They're on the outside looking in, as far as the AFC wildcard race goes and pretty much every game is a must win if they have chance. Bigger game for the Cardinals, as a loss here could crush their playoff hopes.

Ravens @ Lions:  This is the game of the week. The defending Super Bowl champs are heading into Mo-town on some kind of a roll.  The Ravens are looking to grab one of the two AFC wildcard spots while the Lions are trying to win the NFC North division, and are currently tied for the lead in the division with the Bears.  The Lions are an annoying team. I think they have a solid team, they have great receivers, and great run game, a great QB, and a decent defense.  You'd expect them to be running away with the division, but it seems they just find ways to lose.  Who knows, maybe they're too young of a team to handle the pressure. Anyway this should be a great game, we'll have to see what happens!

On a side note,  I'll personally be looking forward to the Cowboys game, because they are my favorite team.  GO COWBOYS!!!!!