Football this 'n' that

We referenced this over at Tri-City SportsBeat the other day, but it bears discussion here, too.

"It" being the demise of the Arena Football League, which has filed for bankruptcy under chapter 7, forcing the six teams in the league, including this year's champion, the Albany Empire, to shut down operations.

Couple this with the abrupt termination of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) earlier this year, and the prospects of Vince McMahon's XFL 2.0, to launch in February, are even less promising than had first been considered. Then again, no one's expecting that league to go beyond one season anyway.
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The Giants were officially eliminated from the playoffs Sunday after turning in another stinker at the Meadowlands vs. Green Bay, falling 31-13 to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. Predictably, second year coach Pat Shurmur is on the hot seat, and is likely gone when the season ends in four weeks. Three of the Giants' next four games are divisional games, including two with Philadelphia. The only non-division game is against Miami on December 15, but after the Dolphins won yesterday, there's no guarantee Big Blue will win that one.

Miami upset Philadelphia, and a win over the Giants would square their record vs. the NFC East at 2-2. Hard as that is to believe, the Beasts of the East are in the AFC. Consider:

New England has already run the table, going 4-0.
Buffalo & the Jets went 3-1, both losing to Philadelphia.
Miami is 1-2. Hey, there is a weak link, after all.

Conversely, the Giants are 0-3 vs. the AFC East.
Dallas is 1-3, having only beaten Miami (naturally), and both they and the Giants can argue about getting screwed in Foxborough.
Philadelphia goes 2-2.
Washington went 1-3, having only beaten Miami.

Bear in mind, Miami will be at the Meadowlands the next two weeks, as they play the Jets next week, then the Giants, before finishing with Cincinnati and New England.
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Speaking of the NFL's Evil Empire, they fell to 10-2 after dropping a 28-22 decision to Houston on the road. QB Tom Brady reportedly isn't happy with the offense, but the truth is, Father Time is catching up to the uberdiva, and he's the only one who doesn't realize it. The Patriots have Kansas City coming in next, and if they couldn't stop Deshaun Watson, how are they going to contain Patrick Mahomes? Bob Kraft will send some gremlins out, to be sure.
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For fans tired of both the Patriots and Alabama, it was a good weekend.

The Crimson Tide were officially eliminated from the College Football Playoff Saturday after losing to Auburn due to a season high 13 penalties, the last one being caught with 12 men on the field on 4th down late in the 4th quarter. Apparently, there is a price to pay for Nick Saban shilling for AFLAC this season........!
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The Jets reverted to the Jests in losing to Cincinnati, giving the Bumbles their first win of the season. Like, did you really think anyone was going without a win this year?
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I'm going to go out on a limb here. After going 0-5 vs. Ohio State, which will never sit well with the alumni in Ann Arbor, Jim Harbaugh's days are numbered at Michigan. Yes, the Wolverines have a winning record, but it's that bagel vs. the Buckeyes that will ultimately lead to Harbaugh being run out of town. A bowl game loss may hasten his departure. Stay tuned.