Do We Strategically Lose To The Eagles in December with the aim of conquest in January?

[Warhead36]

We're finishing 12-5 and beating the Eagles

 

[Riggo Reincarnated]

Is a game plan being devised this week for the wild card round?

 

[Riggo Reincarnated]

We're finishing 12-5 and beating the Eagles

Will we defeat them in January at the Linc though?

 

[Warhead36]

Will we defeat them in January at the Linc though?

If we go 12-5 its unlikely we'd get the 7 seed. Most likely get the 6 seed and face the West or South winner.

 

[Bulldog]

One thing that is going to help us is that Atlanta and Kirk Cousins appear to be cratering after a fast start to the season.

Weren't they 4-1 or 5-2? Now they are 6-6, so a game that at the beginning of the year looked like a loss on the road now seems to be winnable.

I would have said the same thing with all of the injuries New Orleans and Dallas have suffered during the year, which is why it's so important to take advantage of these teams that have nothing to play for down the stretch and may be seeing new coaches in 2025 with significant player turnover.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

Is a game plan being devised this week for the wild card round?

I sure hope not.

Given 3 important factors:

1. We haven't made the playoffs yet
2. We don't know who we would play, because most teams have 5 more games to play
3. That would be the absolute epitome of tempting fate. If you tempt fate, she will kick you straight in the nuts with a high healed shoe.

Also, to predict the question, they CAN NOT work out or practice this week because that's negotiated in the CBA. So on the strength and conditioning front, players are on their own. And the coaches should be doing a self scout, which Quinn said they are doing, and also taking a mental break. Going 7 days a week without a break from late July to December is mentally exhausting. Having a few days for brain recovery will help everybody.

I bet since training camp started, there have MAYBE been 2-3 days the coaches haven't been in "the office." (The office loosely defined, because of away games and what not, but working every day somewhere.)

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

One thing that is going to help us is that Atlanta and Kirk Cousins appear to be cratering after a fast start to the season.

Weren't they 4-1 or 5-2? Now they are 6-6, so a game that at the beginning of the year looked like a loss on the road now seems to be winnable.

I would have said the same thing with all of the injuries New Orleans and Dallas have suffered during the year, which is why it's so important to take advantage of these teams that have nothing to play for down the stretch and may be seeing new coaches in 2025 with significant player turnover.

Bram said the arm didn't look zippy. I haven't watched a snap of their games, so I don't know. Ok, maybe there was one or two snaps when I was watching Redzone. But I don't remember.

But Bram is pretty good about noticing things like that, if Kirk is floating balls, that's going to be an issue.

I hope Lattimore is healthy when we play them. They have weapons. But a little pressure and a CB who can take away the primary read could possibly render poor Kirk useless.

 

[Voice_of_Reason]

If we go 12-5 its unlikely we'd get the 7 seed. Most likely get the 6 seed and face the West or South winner.

12-5 we're a lock for the 6 seed.

We could go 11-6 and still get the 6 seed.

(I'll also allow, we could struggle and not make the playoffs at all. But let's assume we get to 11 wins.

Green Bay is 9-3.

They have:
@Lions
@Seahaws
Saints
@Vikings
Bears

Could you see them losing 3 of those games? I could. @Lions, @Seahawks, @Vikings.

And, if both GB and us end up at 11-6, with us losing to the Eagles, and them losing the games above, we win the tiebreak on best conference record.

That's a ways off, though. But 11-6 could absolutely bring the 6th seed. 5 is likely out of reach unless the Vikings fall off a cliff. And the division is out of reach because the Eagles are not going to lose 3 more games, even if one of them is to us.

 

[Bulldog]

Kirk and Aaron Rodgers can't beat Father Time and their injuries in 2023 seem to have robbed them of their mobility in the pocket.

One thing I noticed with both players is that they display the 'sundowner' effect, ie they play better early in games and then become erratic in the third and fourth quarters.

Whether that is fatigue or not being 100% back from their surgeries?