Embed from Getty Images 1) The Patriots completed the greatest comeback ever on the NFL’s biggest stage. The Super Bowl was a laugher midway through the second quarter, with the New England Patriots down 21-0 following a pick-six thrown by this generation’s finest postseason quarterback. It was 28-3 Atlanta with just over three minutes remaining in the third quarter. ESPN’s Stats & Information department calculated the Patriots’ odds…
SwartzSports 2016 NFL Awards & Playoff Predictions
This was an unusual season in the National Football League. Nobody ran away with a single individual award, as virtually every single race has two, three or even four legitimate candidates. No team established themselves as the clearcut favorite to win the Super Bowl, even with New England and Dallas running away with home-field advantage in their respective conferences. Below are my picks for each of the awards across the…
Selecting 2016-2017 SwartzSports Pro Bowl Rosters
Embed from Getty Images The 2016-2017 Pro Bowl rosters are out by now, and it’s a lot of the names you’d expect to see. Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Antonio Brown are annual fixtures on the team by now. There were also some surprises – who would have thought Dak Prescott, preseason third-string quarterback behind Tony Romo and Kellen Moore – would put together as fine of a…
What Went Wrong With Philadelphia Eagles After 3-0 Start?
Embed from Getty Images Sunday’s 32-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals was the final nail in the coffin for the 2016 Philadelphia Eagles. They trailed 29-0 to a team that entered the day 4-7-1; some late garbage-time scores from the Eagles shouldn’t hide what was an all-around embarrassing effort. At two games under .500 in the NFC’s most competitive division, it would take an absolute miracle for Doug Pederson’s…
Recapping NFL Week 12: Mariota, Cousins, Cam, Goff, Tannehill and More
Embed from Getty Images 1. We’re witnessing Marcus Mariota become a legitimate MVP candidate. After a 1-3 start, the Tennessee Titans have now won five of their last eight games behind the superb play of second-year quarterback Marcus Mariota. Mariota has thrown multiple touchdowns every game since Week 5, and he’s the NFL’s highest-rated passer during that span (117.7 rating). The Titans are right in the thick of…
Power Ranking 10 Worst Contracts in National Football League
Embed from Getty Images Remember when Colin Kaepernick signed a six-year, $126 million contract extension with the San Francisco 49ers? That averages out to $21 million per season, but the reality is that the structure of NFL contracts means the heart of the contract is the guaranteed money. Kaepernick can now be released following this year at a minimal dead money hit, and such will assuredly be the case. As…
Carson Wentz Must Capitalize in Week 10 Matchup With Atlanta Falcons
Embed from Getty Images Carson Wentz has an extremely bright future with the Philadelphia Eagles. We saw what he did in his first three NFL games, when he became the first quarterback in league history to win each of his first three starts without throwing an interception. He’s built like a prototypical franchise quarterback with excellent size, a strong arm, and an uncanny ability to manage the game at…
SwartzSports 2016 NFL Midseason Awards and Updated Super Bowl Prediction
Embed from Getty Images The New England Patriots are dominating the NFL, Drew Brees is on pace for another 5,000-yard season, and the Cleveland Browns can’t win a game. Just as we expected. Then again, Tony Romo may have lost his starting job forever, J.J. Watt is out for the season, and the Oakland Raiders are actually a terrific football team. So maybe you can’t predict football, and that’s what…
25 Observations for the 2016 Philadelphia Eagles at the Season’s Halfway Point
With a 4-3 record, the Eagles are nearing the halfway point of what has been a typical rollercoaster Eagles season. It started with extreme highs, but the last month has seen the Eagles come back to earth with losses in three of their last four games. If the season ended now, the Eagles would miss the postseason for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Below are my 25…
Recapping NFL Week 6: Brees, Shady McCoy, OBJ, Dak, Brady, Rodgers, & More
Embed from Getty Images 1. Dak Prescott is going to make it really difficult for Jerry Jones to bench him. Rookie sensation Dak Prescott finally threw his first interception Sunday, but he still turned in another strong outing in a 30-16 win over the Green Bay Packers. He completed 67 percent of his passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns, posting a 117.4 passer rating while leading Dallas to their…