A lot to digest here
But one thing I noticed is you account for teams losing vs SF because turnovers. Well can some credit not be given that SF was the cause of the turnovers?
Sf lost to Denver because of 3 turnovers. Im not choosing here.
It seems you consciously favor certain teams to then support what you like you gravitate towards reasons that support your cause.
The playoff game was far more impacted than any regular season game when its two winners playing each other.
Take the eagles they played two games without Hurts. Well Dallas dropped 40 on them yet no Hurts they drop 34 on Dallas. But SF plays a 3rd string QB and is 8-0 with him. So SF overcoming a huge obstacle 8 straight games is irrelevant but Phi can’t in two games but we side step that.
Yes the Eagles had 4 turnovers against Dallas. Major reason PHI lost.
Cin is best team yet mentioned they had no Run game of late. Is a run game not important much like good defense this stage of season? Is that not a concern?
Right. Its actually more important because the team losing the run game is now one-dimensional and much harder to get first downs, hold tine of possession and play defense much longer by giving up the ball. Yet they still won.
Cin held all 5 teams to lowest points regardless of who was in or out. Like Baltimore on 2nd n 3rd QB it doesn’t matter. Yet on another team you will say but it’s because xyz
If Dallas doesn’t this or that SF doesn’t win. Yeah well they did win. But you mention SF handled everyone else all. So that includes 4 of the last 5. They just did handle Dallas.
the advantage that SF had that no other playoff team had in the last 5 games, was that SF played 4 of the 5 at home.
I almost think you’re better off just saying you think team xyz is best etc just because that’s what you think. And nothing wrong with that. It’s the justification and reasoning which makes it hard to grasp imo. As it focuses on one thing as positive or excuses for one team yet the other it’s a reason of concern and issues.
Go ahead and flip the outcome. It would show that the game would have gone the other way by the turnovers that were committed. Thats why.
The narrow win by SF would have never happened.
Cincy and Philly rolled up yards with points.
KC nor SF did that. Their wins were not dominating.
Now they are BOTH facing far better opponents this week and SF is on the road which is a huge factor for Philly.
So where do we draw the measurements line? 5 game or 6 or 3 or the last game to determine who is playing the best football? The Niners have won 12 in a row. 12! Doesn’t guarantee they win vs eagles but that’s a pretty consistent streak going back 4 months since last loss. Impressive honestly and rare
I agree that the streak is impressive.
I bet on the Super Bowl two years ago against the team with the best record who had a 10 game win streak and went 15-2 on the season and it already beat the opponent in the same season in the same place the SB was played, which was the Home stadium for the under dog. with the worse record. The team was KC. The Dog was Tampa.
While the streak was impressive when I capped that game it was not really any part of the SB and its outcome.
What was important is that the Public was all over KC with the impressive record and win streak. But earlier in the season KC stopped in Tampa for a regular season win -3 and beat Tamya by 3 points.
Now you can talk about SF win streak - but its pulling weight that doesn't matter at all. Its the same reason I bring up the last 5 games.
In the KC-Tampa Super Bowl game for all the marbles, I wrote a long detailed reason why Tampa was going to win SU and Im on the same path for this game with SF and why i don't think they are the best defense right now..
KC had not been the same team later in the season that they were during the 10 game win streak.
Down the stretch - the KC team was not really as good as the record was. Also Tampa had little respect with 8 losses on the season and also losing SU to KC in Tampa earlier in the season.
KC was favored in every game that year, except 2 games.
SF now is that same team. favored in every game except 2 again.
But as the under dog. KC went 1-1 SU.
SF this year is 0-2 as a dog.
Sunday they are the dog again.
Philly has 8 ats losses this year.
But seeing the SF defensive numbers and who they played and the points allowed they appear to be in the same spot that KC was. Meaning that late games played were not as good as earlier games in regards to points allowed on the season.
Many stats are available and others here use all kinds to justify their points, but its the "changes" I look for or the level of opponents or if they re home games or ways games that reveal it late i the season..
And seeing what Im seeing for this weekend is why I believe that the four teams listed are in the correct order for defense now.
I posted this thread to see how many others would have other factors other than the very obvious, like Season rankings and all the other mentioned here etc.
I see the advantages in those - but those advantages have to be se to the recent play of each team. Not season long numbers.
The Hottest teams defensively are Cincy right now. Philly is #2. IMO
When Winners play winners - At the end of every game, its the points allowed that matter, not the overall season rating of a team before that game.
GL Sunday on who ever you play.