Every weekend in the NFL, elements attract our attention regarding the forces present, the records that are within reach or certain historical notes. Here, for the 16e week of activity, 5 elements to watch out for.
• Read also: Our predictions for Week 16: Belichick with Chargers as wish for 2024
• Read also: Steve Bolo Mboumoua at the University of Alabama: a historic moment for Quebec football
1. The Super Bowl before its time?
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Every season, we joke once or twice that a game could be the Super Bowl before its time. Sometimes we screw up and sometimes we hit the mark, but the duel between the Ravens (11-3) and the 49ers (11-3) honestly looks like a potential Super Bowl. Moreover, this will only be the third time that the two teams with the best records in the two conferences face each other in December or January. The last time was December 24, 2005, when the Colts (13-1) lost to the Seahawks (12-2). Otherwise, we have to go back to December 18, 1977, when the Cowboys (11-2) defeated the Broncos (12-1). The Cowboys finally got the better of these same Broncos a month later in the Super Bowl, while the Seahawks lost in the Super Bowl to the Steelers.
2. Big duo of recruits
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The Lions had an excellent draft and already several of their rookies are solid contributors. Tight end Sam LaPorta (9 TDs) and running back Jahmyr Gibbs (8 TDs) have a combined 17 TDs. It’s the first time since the 2006 Saints, with Reggie Bush and Marques Colston, that two offensive rookies have scored eight or more touchdowns on the same team. The 2006 Saints reached the National Conference Finals. Note that the record for the number of touchdowns scored by rookies on the same team is 22 and that it is shared by the 1983 Rams and the 2016 Cowboys.
3. The Chiefs towards another title
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By winning over the Raiders, the Chiefs would win an eighth straight division title in the West. They would thus overtake the Rams (from 1973 to 1979) for second place for the longest streaks as division champions. The brand belongs to the Patriots, with 11 seasons in a row, from 2009 to 2019. The Chiefs would thereby tie the Cowboys (from 1975 to 1983) and the Colts (from 2002 to 2010) with a ninth consecutive season in the playoffs . Again, the Patriots hold the prize with their 11 consecutive seasons.
4. The Ravens and the advance
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A loyal and dedicated reader pointed out to me earlier this week that the show NFL Live, on ESPN, broadcast a very interesting statistic. This season, the Ravens became only the fifth in history to hold the lead by an average of 43 to 45 minutes per game. The others are the 1972 Dolphins, the 1999 Rams and the Patriots of 2007 and 2016. See a common denominator? All made it to the Super Bowl in those dominant seasons and only the 2007 Patriots didn’t win it. This bodes well, Baltimore!
5. The hourly penalty
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The penalty that is currently the most talked about in the NFL is that for offensive offside. This has especially been the case since the Kadarius Toney incident late in the game against the Bills two weeks ago, but don’t think that’s the only time such offsides have been called. Last week alone, five infractions were committed in this regard, bringing the total to 18 this season. From 2000 to 2022, there has been an average of just 1.9 penalties per season for offensive offsides. The referees are clearly ordered to emphasize the offensive alignment of the players at the line of scrimmage.
2023-12-24 06:00:00
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