2021 NFL Week 13 Political Rankings, Including A Snap NFC Re-do...

Oh, that one commenter is gonna love me for this one...

And here's the thing:  About 90 minutes ago or so, I was actually certain they were rigging it for Buffalo after that BAD Unnecessary Roughness/Late Hit call against New England...

Oof.

Well, let's start with the NFC then:

1) Tampa Bay

What I said last night still stands in one respect:  I think, right now, the NFL is looking for a "'least bad" result.  I don't think any of the top NFC teams really leave that good of a taste in the NFL's mouth.

• Tampa Bay has the COVID fake-card situation -- and I had a side discussion (brief) with Brian Tuohy over my posit last week that, if anything could stop Brady vs. Belichick, the Antonio Brown, et. al. fake vaccination card thing would do it.  I understand why Tuohy would dispute this, with Brown getting a ring last year after everything he did to manipulate the NFL into getting one with Brady over the course of TWO seasons, etc.  The difference here is that the NFL has no problems with thuggery (Hell, look at their halftime show for LVI!).  But, with the NFL being a cornerstone of American society, you would think that Goodell is at least still going to make a feint at fighting COVID-19.

That said, after tonight's result, it looks pretty clear that the league is still Full Speed Ahead for Brady vs. Belichick, including pushing the rookie New England quarterback and an article hypothesizing that Brady vs. Belichick in SB LVI will be a massive ratings hit!  (Yahoo! Sports did an article on this on Thursday.)

The New York Times has now all but called Brady vs. Belichick "inevitable" -- with 7-8 rounds to play to get there.

It is clear, make abjectly no mistake:  This is what the NFL wants and basically has always wanted this year.  I've had a number of questions, with rookie Mac Jones as the quarterback, as to whether the league could actually get New England there.

It is beginning to appear that answer is a resounding YES.

2) Arizona

• Though it is fairly clear that, if there is one even remotely GOOD team in the National Football League this season, it's the Arizona Cardinals, the fact is that the Arizona fanbase is too small to move that many "Super Bowl LVI Champions" pieces of memorabilia.  And we do know (Pittsburgh-Arizona) that, all else failing, that will come into a line of thinking for the NFL.

3) Dallas

• I do think there is, now, enough "doghouse" for Jerreh and the Cowboys to keep them from the Super Bowl again this year.  One media expert for the Yahoo! Sports article linked above says that only the Cowboys could really compare to Brady vs. Belichick, but it is still clear that Jerreh has not sufficiently cleaned house yet for the NFL to take any real chance on the Cowboys.

4) Washington

• The more I think of it, the more I think of, if the NFL tires of all the top contenders and decides to 10-7 a second-place in division team to the Super Bowl, a clean FUCK YOU to the woke crowd (again, which see the thug-fest for the LVI halftime show) would actually make sense.  There's no other real point to The Football Team being where they are right now.

5) Green Bay

• Not urban enough of an area, even with the massive Packer Nation, and COVID-12 and his ugly foot.

I gave Minnesota a begrudging DUD OF THE WEEK for the NFC, more because there really wasn't anything else to do in that regard than give the award for the first loser to the Lions.

Now the AFC Politicals:

1) New England

Getting a good look at ESPN's rim-job on Mac Jones and the Patriots gives me the feeling that the situation is there.  And, unlike most teams, the NFL is NOT going to derail this as a function of injury or whatever to the quarterback of the team.  This is not about the quarterback -- it's about the coach and basically an analogue to Wrestlemania XIX -- who made Hulkamania?

In this case, who made the dynasty?  If the NFL is any degree of honest, it's gonna be Tampa again, and by a significant margin.

2) Kansas City

Five in a row, but two major problems:

• Do you really want the whole Reid situation to hang over this Super Bowl?
• See above.  I'm not even sure a rematch of LV would actually resonate well with the NFL...

And from there, it gets pretty bleak with no clear #3.  Baltimore loses this week, Tennessee lost twice into their bye week,  I guess you could put them 3 and 3A, but still -- with the Chargers as a reluctant 5???

NOT SOLD ON:  Miami.  And that's not their fault -- see above.

DUD OF THE WEEK:

NOMINEES FOR THE AFC:

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS:  The only reason that lay-down job to the Rams doesn't get more consideration is another team with the same record as you also laid down, and something significant happened to them as a result.

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS:  Time for that house-cleaning -- and the NFL can enforce it any damn time now.  Because people, especially in Las Vegas, are gonna tire FAST on the Raider brand if you keep getting fucked by the league because The Davis Way is so antithetical to the NFL and has been, now, for a half freaking century!

BALTIMORE RAVENS:  You lose to Captain Fatfuck and The Men He Leads...  HOW???

AFC AND NFL WINNER FOR WEEK 13 DUD OF THE WEEK:

THE HOUSTON TEXANS.  Not only for getting dumped 31-0 by Indianapolis, but becoming the first NFL team to be completely eliminated from the playoffs.  (Detroit will join you next week and will probably get awarded the NFC award next week....)

Gee, having your sole relevant and Q-Rating player being exposed as a sexual predator/harasser/probable rapist doesn't do too well for your prospects on the field in a media and quarterback-driven NFL, now, DOES IT?