National Football League in London
Eesh, what a week it was in the NFL. To honour some of the odd games we experienced, we have collected and collated the best Week 16 Memes out there.
For those of you who were eliminated from your fantasy pool-we feel you.
If your team is struggling for that last playoff spot, we here you.
If you are a Jets fan complaining how you lost Trevor Lawrence, screw you.
Stop being a baby.
What a blast from the past this week, as the Buffalo Bills finally become the AFC East Champions since 1995.
After a drought of Patriots dominance, it was a seasonal performance worthy of dressing Bill Belichick in a dildo costume and body slamming him into 12 collapsible tables into a vat of wing sauce.
The city of Buffalo is on fire, and it’s not just the chemical spills.
Oh what a time it was since the Bills were able to pull off such a feat, in fact you would have to take a time machine back to 1995 when the world was a simpler place.
Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, and a feisty Bruce Smith brought us a Buffalo dynasty like no other. When Buffalo wings had yet to conquer the world, obesity was ‘okay’, and table throws were still in their infancy.
Anyone who was alive in the wondrous mid-time of the 90s’ remember a time without smartphones, influencers, emojis’ and status updates. People LIVED back then.
The 1995 Bills represented a working man’s NFL approach to the big business boar of Jimmy Jones and his deep pocketed Cowboys.
Sure, the 1995 Bills were one of many squads to be swept 4 times in the SuperBowl and the team & franchise fell apart/asleep in the Wilson era to follow…but…1995!!
Among some of the other things alive in 95 include:
That was the burning question in 1995, as we wondered if they would acquire if it didn’t fit. Why would a successful former NFL player with a mild drug habit and fiery temper murder his ex-wife and her new boyfriend? Even Russian president famously asked Bill Clinton immediately upon landing in America in 1995 ‘Do you think OJ did it’?. We all wanted to know. Luckily, his peers deemed him innocent, even if another court ordered that he pay her family everything he had. We went on to stage an unsuccessful robbery of his former memorabilia, spend some time in prison, and now the world relishes in his half-cocked-up social media rants. The Juice might still have a little squeeze left in him even if his victims don’t.
‘Member scheduled TV? ‘Member? ‘Must see TV’ was part of our weekly lexicon as Seinfeld got us saying ‘I’m out’, we all wanted to bang a ‘Friend’, and a Super Bowl ad cost a meagre $1.15 million. Now it’s all apps, crap and streaming. Meh.
Some people might know George Foreman as that loveable old man with 100 kids named after him, but before that, he sold sandwich makers to old people over the TV. He was also a boxer, but he made more money off of sandwiches. The grill became a staple at college dorms, bedrooms for bacon mornings and with poorly skilled cooks who used it to ruin a perfectly good steak.
He’s straight guys. No, really. In 1995 Gere married Cindy Crawford after they took out a full page ad the previous year to declare that they were both ‘heterosexual’. A bold move even today and was possibly the only way to dispel rampant Richard rumours about his nasty habits. Some of the more colourful theories include him shoving live gerbils up his rectum, drinking a gallon of Rod Stewart’s warm man juice, hosting an orgy inside his rectum. His rectal activities played a large part in many of these topics, hence his need to marry a supermodel and take out an ad. Of course, everyone saw through it. Gerbil sales are still motioned to this day.
If you wanted to get on the net or do some spreadsheets, you needed a PC, which was the compute at the time. The hot model of 1995 was a slick IBM with a 486ghz processor, about as fast as a cracked iPhone in a bag of rice these days. One of these bad boys wasn’t cheap, costing you a cool $1800 to power up your windows 95. If you wanted to find one of these PCs these days you could check the dump, a hipster cafe, or a school for unfortunate children.
Newsweek magazine hit everyone hard in 1995 when they declared that the internet will never be anything more than a place to send business data. It was too unsafe to ever do anything like read the news, but tickets, or God forbid do banking. You heard it world, get away from the internet, Newsweek says it’s just a fad.
Read it here
https://www.newsweek.com/clifford-stoll-why-web-wont-be-nirvana-185306
Trying to prove the haters wrong, was a little company that just wanted to show some love. Match.com launched in 1995 hoping to take a bite out of the lucrative ‘Video Dating’ market. Looking at the 1995 version of the site gives you the impression that it’s what pedophile hunters would set up to ensnare some loser, but hey, look what happened.
The 1990s had the best music bar none in 100 years. It’s a fact, ask anyone. 1995 was led by the ‘Common People’ who didn’t have to ‘Think Twice before they belted their ‘Earth Song’, singing ‘This is how we do it’. They climbed the ‘Wonderwall’ looking for ‘Cotton Eyed Joe’ chasing ‘Waterfalls’ near the ‘Country House’ trying not to ‘Scream’ at the ‘Scatman’ or the ‘Shy Guy, but with a little ‘Boom Boom Boom’ & ‘Heaven for Everyone in ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’.
In other sports, real dynasty’s were either coming to an end, or nearing their beginning.
San Franciso 49ers were the 1995 Super Bowl champs, as Steve Young and Jerry Rice pummelled the hapless San Diego Chargers.
Atlanta Braves won the World Series beating the poor Cleveland Indians. You could say their name back then.
1990s sports was a more nostalgic time for broadcasting. Digital cable was only starting to penetrate the plugs of America, so big networks and big personalities led the NFL slate.
Pat Somerall, John Madden, Jimmy the Greek and Al Michaels all brought with them a certain flair and panache to the pundit booth. Sadly with Jimmy it was racism, and it was a mighty slap of justice when the old bigot was put to roost.
Congrats to the Buffalo Bills on becoming AFC East Champions once again. They have the team to go all the way this year, let’s just see how far that way goes.
OJ did it by the way.
Has somebody thought of throwing a challenge flag for the 2020 NFL season? As the world descends into further madness, we thought we would add a little joy to your Sunday with our Week 15 Draftkings picks.
If you haven’t been playing along with us this season, there is still time to play along for FREE or in PAID contests.
For many NFL fans, your fantasy season is over, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t play along with our Draftkings daily contests.
We have loads of fun trash-talking each other, and once all this virus nonsense is behind us-we look forward to meeting up with all of you in person again.
Until then, here are some of the top tips you might want to look at for Week 15 in the NFL.
Jared Goff $6300
Remember the fantasy adage for 2020…’Who are the Jets playing’? Well, this week it is the LA Rams, who have started to push the pedal down for the playoffs. It looks like the Jets are going to throw up a donut in the win column this year, and it’s kind of fun to watch Adam Gase implode. The Rams need to continue to win BIG in the rest of the regular season games, so it’s possible that LA beats the hell out of the Jets before halftime. Regardless, Goff will be a good value for the amount of points he will put up today.
Mitchell Trubisky $5300
Mitch was riding the pines for a good chunk of the season, until Nick Foles became ‘Nick Fails’ and put the nail in his own Bears coffin. Trubisky is auditioning for next season, so it’s no wonder that he is pulling out all the stops to stay in the NFL and avoid being a Walmart greeter.
In the past 2 games Mitch has looked great, moving the ball down the field easily with a balanced running and passing game. The Vikings have a weak secondary that Allen Robinson will find plenty of holes in.
Derek Henry $9500
Bling, bling baby! If you want to blow your wad this Sunday look no further than Derek Henry. The priciest of the bunch, it’s always hard to justify spending so much on one guy, when savvy bettors know that you can find value in the mid-tier players. With Henry playing a weakened Lions squad, you can easily see the Titans just letting Henry cook.
Cam Akers $6600
He’s back, he’s healthy, he’s scoring, and he’s playing the Jets. Akers has been a light in a running darkness for the Rams, so this game should be a good one to get his confidence up. If the Rams ramp up a big lead, they will rely on Akers to get the first downs.
DJ Chark $5000
Clark is healthy and ready to disrupt this week, as the Jags take on the Ravens in a big match. A few months ago the Ravens D brought with it fear and uncertainty, but seeing what the Browns did against them last week has dispelled that notion. Baltimore can be beat, and a stealthy WR will cause problems for them when he gets behind the lines. He’s averaging 11.9 fppg, which is a good deal for $5000.
Cooper Kupp $7000
Kupp is also playing the Jets, and has been finding big holes and gains all season. Kupp plays by his own tune, which is why he is found open so often as defences just don’t factor in t contain him. Kupp looks to have another big game against a horrendous Jets team.
Russell Gage $4700
With Julio Jones out, Gage is a great value play for Matt Ryan to hit on Sunday. Averaging 10.4 fppg, Gage has the wheels and hands to find some gaps in the Bucs D. It’s always good to see what value players you can get for under 5k, and Gage certainly dings that.
Tyler Higbee $3800
Another Ram? Yep. Highbee has had an impressive year so far, and it should get even better on Sunday when he rips apart the Jets in the redzone. He’s too big and strong for the Jets to handle when they’re busy trying to cover Keenan Allen.
Bears $3200
The Bears play the Vikings on Sunday, but this game will be different than the one that was played a few weeks ago. The Bears are more invigorated from the desperate play of Mitch, and the D has responded by playing lights out football. They rattled Deshaun Watson relentlessly in week 14, and they should be ripped to take the head off of Cousins in this divisional match.
If you want to play along with us every Sunday, make sure you join our Draftkings League here.
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Good luck to everyone for Week 15, and have a Merry Christmas to all of you!
The playoff picture is starting to come into focus as we head into our Week 15 Preview.
Wade McElwain & Ryan Cull hit the mic this week as they unleash their thoughts on a whole host of NFL banter.
The boys rant & rave on Fantasy Managers who fail to respond to emails, Fantasy playoffs, and all of the week 14 scores.
There were some big beat downs and upsets on Sunday, making for some interesting implications for the long cold winter ahead.
Wade & Ryan also make their predictions for all of the games in week 15, listen to the whole podcast so that you can make your bets for a great bunch of NFL games.
Among some of the games the boys make their picks on.
Oh Carolina, what a season it’s been. Blowing out their C Mac early in the season took a toll on the Panthers as they just couldn’t put together all the pieces to salvage a winning season. They have had some great play from their wide receivers, and Davis has been a solid running replacement.
Aaron Rodgers is playing like an MVP, blowing away the opposition with countless torching touchdowns. Their D has some issues, as does their special teams, but they should bury the remainder of the regular season teams.
Ryan & Wade both like Green Bay for a win here, but the boys differ as to the spread. Ryan thinks this will get ugly, whereas Wade likes a close one.
Ryan- Packers 31 Panthers 20
Wade- Packers 30 Panthers 24
Bill Belichick loves to muffle the flow of a rookie QB, so look out Tua! Cam Newton is a garbage toss-bag, so it won’t be likely for him to deep ball this game at all. Their D is another story however, so Tua will be forced into tossing the ball into their swift handed secondary.
Miami would be wise to make this a Fitzmagic match, as they can easily rest him for the next few tough matches to sneak that wild card slot. Buffalo will take the AFC East so Miami will need to b crafty in their next few games. Flores is known for his flair, so who knows what will happen.
South Florida is always tricky for New England in December, so who knows what this game will bring.
Wade & Ryan like wise old Bill here for an upset, although this will be close.
Ryan- Patriots 20 Dolphins 17
Wade- Patriots 21 Dolphins 20
Russell Wilson cooked last week thanks to the return of some of his top linemen. Now that he has protection, they can finally give him a pocket as well as get a running game simmering as well. DK Metcalf is a beast to cover, which leaves Lockett & a slew of TEs open if he has the time.
Washington is horrible with Haskins at the helm, so they will need Alex Smith back if they have a hope. With Gibson out for the match, it will be even tougher to plan against a Seattle defence that is finding its rhythm together.
Ryan & Wade both think that this game will bring some big time excitement, but Ryan is inclined to favour the Team to keep it close. Wade sees this breaking wide open for the birds.
Ryan- Seahawks 27 Washington 24
Wade-Seahawks 34 Washington 21
Wade & Ryan have also made some other top picks to look at for Week 15. Here are some of the top lines that they like to make your Sunday more profitable.
Ryan-Eagles Win; Bears Win; Texans Cover; Steelers by 21.
Wade-Bears Win; Saints Cover; Cardinals Cover; Rams by 20.
Make sure you join our DraftKings League so that you can play along with us in daily fantasy every weekend. We have a mix of FREE & PAID contests, so do sign up-it’s totally free. We often host DraftKings live parties during the regular season, & hope to do so once this crap all ends.
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Please make sure you subscribe to our podcast. We’ve seen a huge boom in listeners lately, so thanks for that. We love to talk NFL nonsense to share it with your friends this holiday season.
We’ve finally made it!! No more bye weeks!! Hallelujah. We’re really into the home straight of the season now, as the playoff picture gets ever clearer… except in the NFC East perhaps. The Rams strengthened their hold on the NFC West last night, and in doing so may have ended the dream for the Cam Newton-led Patriots team. It looks like Bill Belichick will be missing the playoffs for the first time since 2008, and the first time they won’t have a 10 win season since 2002. You really have to feel sorry for them right? (Spoiler – No, you really really don’t)… Anyway, after the Steelers’ inexplicable defeat to Washington (I still hate them) last week, the #1 seeds in both conferences are still in play, and only really the Packers, Saints and Chiefs appear to have their divisions all wrapped up. So much could change this week, and we’ve got a couple of GREAT PrimeTime games that we’ll discuss later. Here we go!
This is my nailed on – has to happen – pick of the week.
Last week, I wrote this about the Las Vegas Raiders: “What do you want when you’ve had a horrible loss the previous week? To face the New York Jets this week. That’s the right answer.”
Now ADMITTEDLY it was a lot closer than it should have been, and were it not for Gregg Williams being either desperate to get fired or desperate to secure Trevor Lawrence for the Jets, the Raiders should have lost. However, now that the Jets have failed to successfully use their “almost win a game card,” you have to believe they’ll be fully committed to the tank.
So THIS WEEK we have to ride with Seattle. The Giants shut them down for some reason, and long gone are the “Russ for MVP” takes that everyone – myself included – were peddling in early October. However, I think they get back on the right track this week. Jamal Adams is going to be out for blood, and I think all things considered we get a pretty pissed off Seahawks team coming out here. Chris Carson running angry, DK Metcalf catching angry, Pete Carroll coaching angry… I see no chance the Seahawks don’t retaliate fiercely this week. And the Jets won’t mind a bit.
Seahawks to win.
So the Seahawks just decided to forget how to play offense against the Giants last week sadly… this week, we’ve got a double, two slight underdogs, built around one team I believe in, and one team I’m just not buying.
Browns +2.0 & Raiders +3.0
Cleveland – in my opinion – are for real. No OBJ and still putting up 38 points in the first half against the Titans. Baker looked GREAT last weekend and their defense largely held Derrick Henry in check. If you can stop the run, you can have success against the Ravens. The Cowboys couldn’t do it… but the Browns can. Myles Garrett is ready for battle. Lamar is not the same Lamar as last season. I think Cleveland wins this game outright to solidify it’s playoff status, but I’ll gladly take the +2.0 for some safety and leeway.
Equally, Indianapolis – in my opinion – are not for real. I think their defense is very very good, but Phil Rivers and the offense cannot be trusted. They should have lost to the Texans last week. I think Carr, Waller and the speed merchants on the outside for Vegas can cause them problems down the field. I like Vegas +3.0 for sure. I think the Colts fall behind the Titans in the race for the AFC South again, as the Raiders keep their playoff hopes alive with a win here.
We went 2-1 last week, with Gesicki and Carson getting their scores but sadly TJ Hockenson failing to find the EndZone… This week we’re leaning on one breakout star, and two established Vets.
CeeDee Lamb – Dallas’ star rookie had a quieter game last week, but has developed a nice connection with QB Andy Dalton. I think the Bengals will zone in on Amari Cooper, leaving CeeDee plenty of space to work. He could repeat that incredible catch he had against the Vikings a few weeks back. CeeDee is going to be a big player in this league for years and years to come.
DeAndre Hopkins – I’m backing the Cardinals to get back on track this weekend, so I have to back their star receiver to find the EndZone again too. DHop has been stifled a bit as Kyler has struggled over the past few weeks, but not this week. The Giants don’t have anyone who can cover Nuk. Hopkins to score.
Michael Thomas – Thomas’ injury ravaged season is finally starting to get going. Thomas has built a decent repertoire with Taysom Hill in his first few starts with the Saints. He’s so good at getting open, he has to have a good chance of scoring, even when he’ll likely draw shadow coverage from Darius Slay.
£10 on this treble pays about £160 depending on your bookmaker. At this price, I think this treble is well worth it.
If you don’t like the above options, I think Derrick Henry & Aaron Jones are equally good options, but with considerably shorter odds.
Over 49.5 – Falcons @ Chargers – This is THE ultimate Choke-Off. I don’t know what would be more perfect than this game ending in a tie. Who knows. All I do know is that neither of these defenses are good. Points everywhere, for everyone. The Chargers need to rediscover their mojo following the embarrassment against New England, and I expect them to do so. The Falcons won’t have Julio, but will have Gurley, who will lend some balance to their offense. They also have a kicker who can make any kick on the field. Younghoe Koo has to be the Falcons’ MVP this year. You see that video of him hitting a Field Goal whilst doing a backflip?! I like that. I also like points in this game.
Over 43.0 – Saints @ Eagles – This is a risky one, as the Saints D shut down our over bid against the Falcons last week, but Philly HAS to try and win this one to have any chance of sneaking into the playoffs. It’s Jalen Hurts’ first start in the NFL… so it could be AWFUL. BUT he looked good in relief of Wentz last week, and NEARLY brought them back into the game against the Packers. I still see the Saints winning this game, but I think Hurts is good enough to get the Eagles 20+ points… that should be enough to hit the over in this game.
Who felt like an idiot last Sunday after backing the Chargers? Yep, me. I did. Also, heartbreak for the Texans fumbling at the 1… madness. Let’s reload:
Cowboys -3.5 – No doubt in my mind about this one. Andy Dalton revenge game!!! Zeke looked a bit better against the Ravens on Monday… Cowboys NEED this (and a lot of other things to go their way… but… you never know).
Texans -1.0 – They really should have beaten the Colts last week. The Colts are MUCH better than the Bears. Therefore, the Texans are a no-brainer pick. Bears are dead.
Panthers -3.0 – Looks like no McCaffrey for another week sadly – the world is just a better place with RUN CMC doing ridiculous things in the NFL – but I still like the Panthers here. Teddy Bridge loves to cover, and Mike Davis has been a good fill in for the aforementioned McCaffrey. Robby Anderson has had a fantastic season since reconnecting with his college coach Matt Rhule, but I have no belief in the Broncos. Drew Lock just isn’t the guy. Sure they played the Chiefs close, but did you EVER seriously think Mahomes wasn’t winning that game!? Panthers please.
Titans -7.0 – Derrick Henry is going to run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run run all over the Jaguars. Tractorcito Szn.
49ers -3.0 – Washington are NOT a good team. They’re not. I do not believe in them. Don’t get me wrong – I’m DELIGHTED that Alex Smith has found his way back and found some success. But every single bounce that could go their way DID go their way against the Steelers. The Niners D just got worked by Josh Allen and will be out for vengeance.
£10 on this five-fold returns about £238 depending on your bookmaker.
9-6 last week; not the best, not the worst. Still keeping our winning record I’m getting progressively more and more proud of.
Cardinals @ Giants – Cardinals
Cowboys @ Bengals – Cowboys (It’s the Andy Dalton revenge game! If results go their way – like I think they will this weekend – then the Cowboys are somehow still alive…)
Broncos @ Panthers – Panthers
Texans @ Bears – Texans
Chiefs @ Dolphins – Chiefs (Maybe the most quietly interesting game of the weekend, as we might really learn if the Dolphins are at all for real. I think the Chiefs win, but I hope the Fins are able to keep it tight)
Vikings @ Buccaneers – Buccaneers
Titans @ Jaguars – Titans
Colts @ Raiders – Raiders (I don’t believe in the Colts. I’m sorry, I just don’t)
Jets @ Seahawks – Seahawks
Falcons @ Chargers – Chargers
Packers @ Lions – Packers (Rodgers wants that Bye. The Lions have no Golladay… think this is a straightforward Packers win)
Saints @ Eagles – Saints
Washington @ 49ers – 49ers
Steelers @ Bills – Bills (I think this is the day the Chiefs really start to sniff the #1 seed in the AFC, as Pittsburgh loses their second straight)
Ravens @ Browns – Browns
Next week, we get the lesser spotted Saturday night NFL game! Fine, it IS the Bills at the Broncos, but it’s still the NFL on Saturday!! Furthermore, the Dolphins seek to confirm the end of the Patriots AFC East dominance, and – perhaps the best game of the entire regular season slate – as the Chiefs face the Saints. It should be electric. As always, I’m @CallumJDSquires on Instagram and Twitter. Come say hey. Have a great week. Stay safe and healthy.
Callum Squires is a London based writer, Dolphins fan, and all around good guy.