Welcome to Outside the Numbers, a weekly publication covering the National Football League for those who are looking to gain a genuine interest in football, keep up with water cooler conversations, or just need to fill in a few missing details. By happenstance, we may occasionally stumble into the rich and rewarding history of the league, but the focus is on the current events, essential information, and conversation points.
Thanksgiving has come and gone, and the Detroit Lions have yet to win a football game. To their credit, two weeks ago they managed to not lose a game, tying the Pittsburg Steelers 16-16. If they stay on course, they will become the third winless team in the 21st century, and the only team in the Super Bowl era (1967-present) to record multiple winless seasons.
Key Figures Involved: Dan Campbell (new head coach), Jared Goff (quarterback, recently traded from sunny Los Angeles to the snowy shores of Detroit)
Thursday night marks the official beginning of the week in football’s ever-confusing calendar. Week 13 will open with the New Orleans Saints hosting the Dallas Cowboys. This normally tense rivalry game (frequent opponents, generally close competitions) is different this year, as both teams started out strong, but entered free fall in the month of November. The Saints have lost four straight games and Dallas has lost three of its last four. Dallas has been hit hard by COVID and the Saints long-time quarterback Drew Brees retired before the season.
KFI: Trevor Siemian (Saints beleaguered back-up quarterback), Demarcus Lawrence (Cowboys defensive end returning from injury for first game since week one), Mike McCarthy (Cowboys head coach, absent for Thursday’s game with COVID) Ezekiel Elliott (Cowboys running back playing through knee injury)
Playoffs:
Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the true football season, where the fraudulent teams are exposed, and the true contenders establish themselves. This week, teams will begin securing or squandering their position in the playoffs. There are 32 teams in the NFL, divided into two groups of 16, the AFC and NFC. Over the next six weeks of the regular season, teams’ win-loss totals will determine their playoff positioning. Seven teams from each conference will find themselves ranked 1-7, determining who plays who in the playoffs.
The bracket below shows how these ranked teams will play each other in the first round. Importantly, the team from each conference with the best record does not have to play the first round, essentially getting a free win. The highest seed will always play the lowest remaining seed in the following round. Hopefully the following will help more than hurt. Here are the current standings for the playoffs ahead of week 13:
AFC:
1. Baltimore Ravens (8-3)
2. New England Patriots (8-4)
3. Tennessee Titans (8-4)
4. Kansas City Chiefs (7-4)
5. Cincinnati Bengals (7-4)
6. Buffalo Bills (7-4)
7. Los Angeles Chargers (6-5)
NFC:
1. Arizona Cardinals (9-2)
2. Green Bay Packers (9-3)
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-3)
4. Dallas Cowboys (7-4)
5. Los Angeles Rams (7-4)
6. San Francisco 49ers (6-5)
7. Washington Football Team (5-6)
If the season were to end today, these are the teams that would enter the playoffs and compete for a Super Bowl.
History for the Week
Football first came about in the 1860’s as college students at Princeton and Rutgers Universities created an intramural game combining the rules of soccer and rugby. The word “scrimmage,” used in modern football to refer to the offense’s progression towards the other team’s endzone, is taken from rugby’s “scrum” or “scrummage” and the more widely used “skirmish.”
Over the following decades it gained popularity on college campuses, slowly gaining rules to smooth the gameplay and give it a distinct identity. The NFL kicked off over a half century later in 1920 when the Dayton Triangles hosted the Columbus Panhandles. The home Triangles won 14-0. The Daily Dayton News put out a front-page story on the event the following day. “But it was more than a victory which tickled the folks, Sunday. The all-around work of the Triangles was excellent.”
Uncontroversial Phrases for your Football Sunday
“I don’t know if the Panthers can pull it together without McCaffrey. He’s so good but he just
can’t stay healthy.”
“Man, Stafford looked like a real MVP candidate for a bit there. What happened?”
“Wow the Bengals really beat up on the Steelers last week! At this rate Roethlisberger’s gotta
retire.”
“I’m not saying Trevor Lawrence is a bust yet. How can you expect any quarterback to survive
in that environment?” (for context, the environment is Jacksonville, FL)
“How did the Rams get worse after signing Von Miller AND Odell Beckham Jr.?”
“Do you think the (select one: Raiders, Browns, Vikings, Colts, Football Team) really have a
shot at making the playoffs?”
“You know it’s hard to be sure, but it looks like Mahomes is back.”
“I just don’t know if Baker Mayfield can be the long-term answer for the Browns.”
