The Joe Quarterback Podcast

Just a regular guy talking football with people who love football

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  • The Results are In…

    Well, it was a wild first round. A shake up early on set the entire round off an interesting trajectory. Eight pick trades after the Raiders went on the clock with five trades between picks 26 and 31. To say that some things didn’t go quite as expected could be an understatement. Here at the Joe Quarterback Podcast, I posted my round one predictions a few hours before things kicked off. Here’s what I got right:

    • Fernando Mendoza goes #1 overall to the Raiders – If you didn’t get this one, I’m really not sure what to tell you…
    • Jeremiyah Love goes #3 to the Cardinals – Early week reports indicated the Cardinals were planning to take Love. I honestly thought it was posturing to get someone in the top 10 to trade up so they could target an edge rusher and get additional draft capital. I had Love going #3 in my predictions, assuming someone would trade up. I wasn’t sure who to pick, so I left the selection with Arizona. But, man oh man – talk about unexpected!
    • Mansoor DeLane goes #6 to the Chiefs – I predicted the Chiefs would draft DeLane. After jettisoning most of their defensive backfield this offseason, building back the secondary was going to need to be a priority. I thought they would get him at #9, but they obviously disagreed. So, right player, right team – wrong pick in this case.
    • Olaivavega Ioane goes #14 to the Ravens – Nailed it. Baltimore was really going to need to build some presence on the interior offensive line after Linderbaum left for Las Vegas this offseason. Ioane is a great step in that direction.
    • KC Concepcion goes #24 to the Browns – Nailed it, again. After grabbing their top tackle at #9, it was time to get another weapon for DeShaun…Shedeur…DeShaun…Shedeur…for someone to throw the ball to this season. As long as Concepcion can get his hands on the ball, there’s big YAC upside with the Texas A&M product.
    • Chris Johnson goes #27 to the Dolphins – Another case of “right guy, right place, wrong time.” I thought Johnson would make it to Miami at #30, but they wanted a little extra assurance of getting their guy.
    • Omar Cooper, Jr. goes #30 to the Jets – How many times can this happen in one round? I expected the Jets to take Cooper, but back up at #16. Gang Green decided to pick up the top tight end in the draft, Kenyon Sadiq, and give Mason Taylor a little competition. Then they decided they just couldn’t live without Cooper as well, so a late round trade up positioned them to lock him in.
    • Jadarian Price goes #32 to the Seahawks – Strong start and finish to my round 1 predictions. Given Seattle’s predilection for the running back by committee approach, they needed someone to fill the hole left by Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker, III (no pressure JP). However, with Charbonnet’s ACL tear putting his 2026 return in question, Price may be taking a larger role earlier than anticipated.

    Ultimately, it was an exciting first round. Here’s what I’m excited about coming out of it:

    • As a Bucs fan, I was excited to see Rueben Bain, Jr. fall to us at #15. I really thought he’d go higher, but the panic-buying of offensive tackles and IOL between picks 9 and 14 (and maybe the whole arm length discussion) pushed him lower than I expected. Bain is explosive with a motor. Offensive linemen better not sleep on this guy or he’s about to rule the NFC South.
    • As an Auburn fan, it pains me to say it….but I like Ty Simpson to the Rams. His session with Coach Gruden was a fun watch. He’s got a chance to do something with the Rams that many first round rookie quarterbacks don’t get – a year or two to develop under a savvy veteran and QB-minded head coach. As long as Stafford stays healthy, Simpson is going to have a chance to build a foundation for his future in the NFL. This pick would also indicate that McVay is in it for the long haul in Los Angeles, so good news for Rams Nation.

    Round 2 starts in just a few hours!

  • The pick is in…

    It’s finally here – the 2026 NFL Draft!

    Lots of agonizing research later, here are the official Joe Quarterback 1st round predictions. Feel free to rip it apart!

    Enjoy the draft!

  • Fantasy Afterlife Review

    I enjoy fantasy football. I also hate it (sometimes) – but mostly I enjoy it. When the season comes to an end, it’s always a little bit sad. We used to have a former team member at my work who would do a “post-season fantasy” competition every year on paper. He left for a new opportunity this year, so I had resigned myself to the fact that this year’s fantasy season would be over after week 17. Then, my Instagram algorithm happened, and I discovered Fantasy Afterlife. Focusing solely on post-season football, the platform provides that opportunity for us true fantasy football sickos to have one more shot at a championship (just in case four in a single season wasn’t enough).

    Based on their Instagram presence, I believe this was their first year of operation. Afterlife uses a traditional PPR scoring system in a best-ball, king-of-the-hill format where the winner is crowned by the most fantasy points scored during the course of the playoffs. You draft, and that’s your roster. No trades. No waiver wire. Who you draft is who you get. This makes your prognostication skills on who is going to go the farthest critical as you put together a team that can get you as many points as possible.

    League creation was super simple. You tell the platform how many players are in your league and it “optimizes” the positions on the roster based on the size. Our league only had two (I guess all of my usual suspects were a bit burnt out from the standard fantasy season). This created a much larger roster (2 QBs, 4 RBs, 7 WRs, 2 TEs, 2 Ks, & 2 DEFs) than I was accustomed to and required a little digging deep, even in a 2-team league. Then, you draft. After you draft, you’re set and you watch the season play out.

    Pros: 1) Simplicity of league set up; 2) Set it and forget it lineups; 3) Basic, easy to navigate interface.

    Cons: 1) The draft was glitchy and I kept having to leave the draft room and come back in; 2) The first couple of weeks, the platform wasn’t monitoring scoring correctly – a quick bug report seemed to fix that; 3) I would have liked more control over the roster size.

    Feature suggestion One thing I’d like to see (that would more closely mimic the “on paper” version my former coworker used to run for us) is a point multiplier. If you select a player who plays in the wild card round and they advance to divisionals, they get 2x on their points. Then 3x for the conference championship, and 4x if they make it to the Super Bowl.

    All in all, it was a great experience and I would definitely do again!

    The Fantasy Afterlife draft interface
    The League Interface

  • The Road to Super Bowl LX – Conference Championships

    We are coming down to it now! One more game stands between us and knowing who will be vying for the title of Super Bowl Champion on February 8. After Buffalo’s heartbreaking, overtime loss to Denver last week, my prediction for the big game is shot for the year. So, we forge ahead and look at this week’s matchups!

    New England Patriots (2) vs. Denver Broncos (1) – The Divisional Round was not just heartbreaking for Buffalo, it was heartbreaking for Denver as well. After gutting it out on a fractured ankle in overtime, Bo Nix is done for the year, and Jarrett Stidham steps in to fill the gap. Sean Payton has gone on the record to say “Stiddy” is ready. He may be ready, but after being drafted by New England, then following Josh McDaniels to the Raiders and the Broncos, it seems to me that the Patriots have an inside track on what to expect from the Auburn University product; not to mention Carlton Davis would have had a chance to watch Stidham during their days together on the Plains of south Alabama. Also, a young New England offensive unit led by MVP candidate Drake Maye looks poised to take the next step. After an incredible run, it seems unlikely that it’s going to be Denver’s year. Patriots 28, Broncos 18.

    Los Angeles Rams (5) vs. Seattle Seahawks (1) – I’m not sure I could have been more “off” about the NFC Division Round match up of San Francisco versus Seattle. Certainly, there were extenuating factors, chiefly that Kittle was out with a torn Achilles, but San Francisco certainly had enough weapons including 2026 MVP candidate Christian McCaffrey. With a strong defensive unit including a secondary that looks like echoes of the early 2010s “Legion of Boom” and Sam Darnold playing like a man on a mission to prove he was worth the #3 overall pick in 2018, the Seahawks look like the real deal. The Rams are also looking strong on both sides of the ball led by MVP candidate Matthew Stafford and that formidable 13 personnel attack. This will be the deciding game in a “best of 3” series this year with an average margin of victory of 1.5 points from the previous 2 contests. In spite of my earlier prediction on who would represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, this victory goes to the home team.  Seahawks 29, Rams 28.

  • The Road to Super Bowl LX – Divisional Round

    Let’s be real for a minute – Wild Card weekend was…well, wild. With an average margin of victory of only 8.5 points (which is only as high as it is because Houston’s defense turned into a touchdown juggernaut), there were a lot of close games. A couple of them close enough that I’m getting nervous about my Super Bowl prediction. But we press ahead with our peek at the upcoming weekend’s divisional matchups!

    Buffalo Bills (6) vs. Denver Broncos (1) – Denver makes its debut in this year’s playoffs taking on the team that dropped them in the first round last year. Thanks to a ridiculous tie breaker with New England (win percentage in common games), Denver got an extra week of rest while Josh Allen and the Bills absolutely slugged it out with third-seeded Jacksonville. Buffalo’s wide receiver room is running on fumes with the loss of Gabe Davis to a torn ACL. But even with the wizard, Sean Payton, calling the shots, the Broncos feel a bit like a team that’s missing one or two key pieces to be a major threat against the #1 overall pass defense of 2025. It will be a close one. Buffalo 22, Denver 19.

    Houston Texans (5) vs. New England Patriots (2) – This one feels a little bit like the immovable object (Houston’s defense) meets the unstoppable force (Patriot’s offense). Honestly, you could probably swap those analogies and it would be just as accurate. This matchup features what are likely the two most complete teams in the divisional round. Two strong defenses take on two high speed offenses on short weeks. And Foxborough can be a formidable place to play. New England 17, Houston 13.

    San Francisco 49ers (6) vs. Seattle Seahawks (1) – Another game that falls into the category of “don’t we get to see these guys play each other enough?” The 9ers and the ‘Hawks split their regular season contests including the week 18 match up that determined the #1 overall seed. Those games were won by an average of only 7 points, and San Francisco has already beaten Seattle on their home turf. However, Seattle’s extra week of rest should prove beneficial after the heavyweight bout San Francisco just had with Philadelphia losing their All-Pro tight end in the process. Lightning isn’t going to strike twice in the Emerald City. Seahawks 17, 49ers 10.

    Los Angeles Rams (5) vs. Chicago Bears (2) – Hollywood comes to the Windy City. There’s a lot being made about Matthew Stafford’s record in cold weather games (1-9 when it’s below freezing). So, what do you do? Pound the rock. Rely on the one-two punch you’re getting from Kyren Williams and Blake Corum in 13 personnel against the 27th ranked run defense from the regular season. And when you do have to pass, Puka will be ready. Again, it’s going to be tight. Los Angeles 20, Chicago 17.

  • The Road to Super Bowl LX – Wild Card Round

    It’s time for the playoffs… (playoffs?)

    The entire season has led up to this. It’s win or go home football. Anything can – and probably will – happen. For the NFL playoffs, we’ll do round-by-round predictions. There’s a companion post for this one with my start of playoffs Super Bowl prediction. Check that out here.

    For now – the Wild Card Round!

    Rams (5) vs. Panthers (4) – Carolina had what many would call a surprise win over the Rams a few weeks ago. Stafford turned the ball over 3 times in that game (sounds an awful lot like another recent performance versus an NFC South opponent that had me on the edge of my seat during fantasy championship weekend). Lightning isn’t going to strike twice. Rams 31, Panthers 24.

    Packers (7) vs. Bears (2) – Fun stat: the last team the Packers beat was the Bears; the last team the Bears beat was the Packers. As if we don’t get to see these two play each other enough, this rivalry now carries into the 2025 post-season. The Packers defense is likely to struggle with Micah Parson’s absence. Plus, Chicago saw Burden’s breakout late season and Odunze will be back. Bears 24, Packers 14.

    Chargers (7) vs. Patriots (2) – The big knock on the Patriots this year has been they haven’t played any tough competition. That said, their defense has kept them in the close games and Drake Maye is really starting to look like Tom Brady 2.0. With the Chargers pulling people out of the stands to play offensive line, this one feels the closest you can get to a sure thing. Patriots 30, Chargers 20.

    Bills (6) vs. Jaguars (3) – Oof. This one’s tough; and it makes me nervous for my Super Bowl prediction. The Bills really seemed to struggle in the back half of the season while the Jags were on the rise. Liam Coen seems to have found the code that finally unlocked T-Law, Etienne has earned his next contract (wherever it might be), and Meyers and Washington have really opened up the receiving game. However…I think Josh Allen is going to be a man on a mission in this year’s playoffs. His two kryptonites (Mahomes and Lamar) are not standing in his path. Watch out. Bills 28, Jaguars 25.

    49ers (6) vs. Eagles (3) – The 3v6 matchups feel like the hardest ones to pick this year. The 49ers enter the playoffs having won 6 of their last seven (lost that 7th one to the #1 Seahawks) while the Eagles went 3-4 in that stretch. However, the 9ers are dealing with some key injuries (Trent Williams, Ricky Pearsall, Rendardo Green). Plus it’s hard to pick against the defending champs with Saquon still in the backfield. Another close one. Eagles 24, 49ers 21.

    Texans (5) vs. Steelers (4) – The Steelers are in…barely. Their playoff spot came down to a rookie kicker going wide right on a 44-yard field goal. That Texans defense looks borderline unstoppable on so many fronts. It’s hard to envision a world where Pittsburgh finds a way to make this happen. Texans 28, Steelers 24.

  • Super Bowl LX Prediction

    Buffalo Bills 33, Los Angeles Rams 28

  • Loser’s Out

    If you’re keeping up, by now you are aware that I’m a fan of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I’m always happy when the Bucs win a game. And, yet, I find myself…unsettled by this past weekend’s “victory.”

    Tampa Bay’s win over the Carolina Panthers in the final regular season game ensured that the playoff representative from the NFC South would enter the postseason with a losing record at 8-9. This is not the first time this happened (actually the Bucs did it in 2022 as well).

    Playoff football should be about the best of the best, locking up in lose-and-go-home competition. If you enter the contest already a loser? Not how I would describe the best of the best.

    My proposed solution is probably not a popular one; certainly not among Panthers fans. I think if your division can’t produce a team with a winning record, one of two things should happen:

    1. Your divisional representative forfeits home field advantage throughout their time in the playoffs (assuming they make it out of the first round) and the highest ranked wild card team takes that honor.

    -OR-

    1. If you can’t produce a winner, then you shouldn’t be in the playoffs. Create an extra wild card spot and give it to a team who was able to go .500 or better. I actually lean more towards this one.

    Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that the fourth seeded Steelers are that much more competitive in their conference. The North has been the AFC doppelganger of the NFC South. However, their dumpster fire got extinguished long enough for a “winning” team to limp into the postseason. And I’m not saying to completely discard the division winner model and go to a straight overall record-based approach. What I am saying is let’s make playoff football about winning teams.

    (SIDE NOTE: Based on the last 7 weeks of play, I’m not even sure the best team in the NFC South is the one going to the playoffs this year. The Saints looked good in the home stretch…)

    Any any rate, happy playoffs to all you fans out there!

  • Happy New Year!

  • My Fantasy Football Season Recap

    Fantasy football…equal parts strategy, research, gut instinct, and dumb luck. I love it; and, I hate it. This year, I might have gone overboard. As in everyone rolls their eyes at you overboard. As in Michael Buble, eight leagues overboard (still probably my favorite interview ever on the Rich Eisen show). There were exciting weeks, there were frustrating weeks. But through it all, it connected me to the game in a fun way, and created some space for some good-natured trash talking along the way.

    So, here we are, the good, the bad, the ugly in reverse order…

    The Ugly

    • The Family League (Yahoo!) – From the jump, this was a rough one this year. It was the third year of a league I had made the playoffs in the first two years. A first round pick on Justin Jefferson was, in hindsight, a bust. I finished the year 4-12 in dead last place. You win some, you lose some…
    • The Work League (Sleeper, Commissioner) – This was a crazy league this year (more details over here). We ran two conferences and an offline championship. I wrapped the season in 6th place at 6-8, but ultimately finished last place in the consolation bracket. This was another league where J-Jettas was a late first round pick. Detecting a theme much? At least getting Puka on the turn in round 2 kept me from completely imploding.
    • The Megalabowl presented by the Fantasy Footballers (Sleeper) – This was my first exposure to median scoring (an interesting twist) and being in a 12-team league (where all teams are playing in the same pool). I’d do it again, but a 12-22 finish was nothing to write home about. My Burrow/Higgins stack got blown up early on, Bucky got injured then was never the same, and Jameson Williams just never consistently lived up to the hype.

    The Bad

    • The Gridiron Gauntlet 1 (ESPN) – My first entry to ESPN’s new national competition. Similar to the family league, I just had a hard time stringing together wins in this one. BTJ wasn’t living up to the 2024 campaign, Chase Brown struggled during Burrow’s absence, and CeeDee and Garrett Wilson both spent some time on IR. I made a little run at the end of the season to finish 7-6, but just missed the playoffs. Ended up in 6th place through the consolation bracket. 

    The Good

    • Keepin’ It Clean Dynasty League (Sleeper, Commissioner) – In the first year of this dynasty league, I got bounced in the first round of the playoffs. Year 2 saw me finish as the #1 overall seed with a 10-4 record and a first round bye. This one was wrapped by the time Sunday Night Football was done, fueled by a dominant performance by Derrick Henry (his name is going to come up again…). I’m actually handing over the reins of this league and exiting to pursue a new format (ever heard of a contract league?), so going out on top was nice. And it was a good group of dudes. Championship #1
    • The Gridiron Gauntlet 2 (ESPN) – My second entry into ESPN’s Royal Rumble of fantasy football started with the #1 overall pick in the draft. My first five picks were Bijan, Josh Allen, King Henry, M1K3, and Kittle. In a later round, I picked up Tucker Kraft who helped fill some gaps while Kittle was out until his season-ending injury. I squeaked into the playoffs as the 4th seed due to the up-and-down years Henry and Allen had. ESPN does two week rounds for the playoffs and my guys hit some hot streaks to finish the year. Championship #2.
    • The Gridiron Gauntlet 3 (ESPN) – Yes, I had three, because ESPN said I could. And, I managed to pull the ping pong ball for the #1 overall pick again. This time, I went Bijan, King Henry, Josh Allen, Kittle, and Evans (because I had to switch it up a little bit). I also drafted Jake Ferguson in a later which, again, helped keep me afloat until Kittle came back. I rolled through this league finishing 11-2, the #1 overall seed, and I amassed over 316 points in the championship round. Championship #3. (As a side note, this team was ranked 3,726th in the national competition, scoring a total of 615.38 points. At the time of this post, ESPN had not released the total number of entries, but it was at least 34,986 based on the final ranking of my second entry. For comparison, the #1 overall team in the contest scored 730.6 points.)
    • The Forge Keeper League (Sleeper, Commissioner) – If my wife came to me and said “Honey, it’s too much. You can play in one fantasy football league” – this is the one I would pick. It’s a bunch of guys I go to church with, we have a sweet traveling trophy, and it’s one more way to connect with some encouraging brothers. This one was an uphill battle the entire playoffs. Finishing the regular season at 8-6 and entering the playoffs as the fourth seed, I won the first round by a little over a point. I went into Monday Football in good shape on the round 2 projection, and then George Kittle started going off on the Colts before leaving with an injury (I’m fairly convinced that I lose that round if Kittle doesn’t go out of the game). In the finals, my opponent had tough performances from James Cook and Jahmyr Gibbs while my team was bolstered by Rhamondre Stevenson in my FLEX, and rookie RB Omarion Hampton outperforming his projection. In the end it came down to MNF: my QB, Matthew Stafford, vs. his TE, Colby Parkinson, and less than a 10-point lead. Stafford kept me on my toes the entire game (3 INTs, some borderline fumbles, TD called back), but it locked in after the late touchdown. Championship #4.

    I entered the season with four fantasy championships under my belt. So, to match my lifetime fantasy championship record in a single season? I’d say it was a good year. Next year, I will cut back (even I’m willing to admit that 8 was too many). And, if things go well with the podcast…maybe a listener league? We’ll see…