The NFL is going to KILL SOMEBODY in the next eight weeks -- it's that out of control.

Has anyone really figured it out yet?

I've been leaving scraps and the like of clues and hints about it the last several weeks of the season, especially after doing the weekly Fine Blotters.

And I'll be open and blunt about it, I think the fines are under-reported, and, at least two weeks I can recall, significantly so.

That said, one thing is clear...

And this was as of November 10th.

Richard Sherman
Deshaun Watson
Andrew Luck
Aaron Rodgers
Odell Beckham Jr.
Brandon Marshall
Zach Miller
Jason Peters
Joe Thomas
Marshall Yanda
JJ Watt
Whitney Mercilus
Eric Berry
Dalvin Cook
David Johnson
Darren Sproles
Ryan Tannehill
Julian Edelman
Allen Robinson

Way too many.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 10, 2017

That is a pretty good portion of your star power in this league.  At least three players who are the full extent of the franchises involved (Watt, Rodgers, OBJ), and the fact is that cheap shots or marginal shots have played a large role in much of this.  Beckham was an aggravation of an injury suffered when he was cheap-shotted in the pre-season.  The shot that put Rodgers on the shelf most of the year was marginal at best.

But the facts are in and clear:  Injure your opponent to win.

Well, somebody's gonna die in the next several weeks, and there have been several FRIGHTENING close calls in the recent past:

• About a week before that Tweet, Bears tight end Zach Miller nearly had his left leg AMPUTATED due to a knee injury, it was that bad.
• Ryan Shazier is STILL in a Pittsburgh hospital, ten days after the Monday Night Football debacle with Cincinnati left Shazier with spinal stenosis.
• Another helmet-to-helmet last night on the Thursday game, Brandon Williams, with pre-existing spinal stenosis, adds a concussion and an overnight stay in an Indianapolis hospital...

Somebody's going to die this year, and this nation will cheer when he does. It is clear that Roger Goodell has openly allowed and encouraged dirty and injurious defensive play to rule the roost.  It's one of the reasons two things are no surprise in this year's NFL:

First, scoring is still down -- now about four-tenths of a point per game, but it was more than a field goal at one point.

Second:

• #1 fined team:  Steelers:  Over $455,000 in Club Remittance fines, including $86,000+ of dollar-for-dollar by the team.  No accident:  They're 11-2 and can clinch the favorite for the Super Bowl with a win over the Patriots Sunday night.
• #2:  Vikings.   Over $321,000, with no fines from this week by them reported yet.  10-3, current #2 in the NFC, and with the Wentz injury, perhaps it's new favorite?
• #3:  Seattle:  Now over $300,000 themselves.  8-5, and could win the NFC West, or take a large step that direction, with a win over the Rams this weekend.
• #6:  Saints (#4 is the Raiders, #5 the Jets):  NFC South leaders.

It is no accident here.  The teams that are getting fined are winning with that dirty play.

And, one more to keep an eye on this weekend:  Green Bay is at Carolina.  Carolina is at 9-4, and a win over Green Bay eliminates them, as well as probably Dallas as well.

That would've been enough to keep an eye on -- but, just in the last few hours, the prinicpal owner of the Carolina Panthers is now under investigation...  Let's not fool ourselves:  It's another sexual harassment situation.

Why am I smelling Green Bay winning, especially if it's true that Aaron Rodgers will start and play?