Division B: NFL Comparison Article

With the NFL pre-season ending this week, football fans everywhere including yours truly, are eagerly awaiting the start of the regular season.

There are numerous questions that will be answered this season. Here are just a few. Will the Eagles and their annoying fanbase win another Lombardi? Will the Chiefs with their fortified Offensive Line and the return of a healthy Rashee Rice and Isiah Pacheco return to the top of the mountain? Is this the year, Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen beat Kansas City in the playoffs? Can the 49ers get back on track? Are the Cowboys and their delusional fans due for more heartbreak? Can the Steelers win a playoff game? Will we see Jayden Daniels and the Commanders take the next step? Can the Detroit Lions bounce back? Who will end up with the first pick in the 2026 draft?

A few seasons ago I wrote a FlagPlus Football/NFL player comparison article, where I compared several FPF players to those in the NFL. I looked at Quarterbacks, Receivers, Running Backs, Defensive Line, Linebackers, and Defensive Backs. In total, I ended up comparing over 50 players. Some of them were spot on, while others were a little off. It was fun, but very time-consuming. To make things more interesting, I decided to compare teams this time around.

With the Division B Finals taking place this Sunday, I figured this was just a little something to tide you over until I publish my preview article.  

Here we go:

Run It Once

NFL Comp: Pittsburgh Steelers

Veteran Quarterback looking to win a championship on the backstage of his career, check. An aggressive defense that can take the ball away, and smother opponents, check. This team even has their version of D.K Metcalf in Jaylan Greaves, along with two players who resemble Tight Ends Jonnu Smith and Pat Freiermuth, in Sanders Armand and Paul Lapierre.

Most people would say that Noah Groper represents Calvin Austin lll or Scotty Miller, because they are both smaller Receivers who are explosive with the ball in their hands. I think that’s lazy. I am going with Running Back Jaylen Warren. Both players have excellent hands, can run virtually every route, are tough to tackle in the open field, and can take a hook or swing pass and break it to the house.

On defense, both Ahmed Boubacar and Bakari Barrett are the closest thing they have to Jalen Ramsay and Darius Slay, lengthy defenders who can cover receivers and breakup passes. I wanted to compare Armand to Minkah Fitzpatrick, but the Ramsey trade eliminated that idea.

All eyes will be on Aaron Rodgers, as he tries to silence the critics, and help the Steelers win a playoff game for the first time since 2017. The same can be said for Jeff Rosenblatt, who will be looking to win his first championship as a QB this weekend. Let’s see what happens.

Mangoose

NFL Comp: Minnesota Vikings

Depending on who you like more, you either view Justin Jefferson or Jamar Chase as the best Receiver in the league. Marvin Steinberg was named Receiver of the Year last week. Just like the Vikings who have weapons Jordan Addison, Aaron Jones, and T.J Hockenson, Mangoose, is also home to impact players in Simon Anctil, Samuel Emilio Pelchat, and Gabriel Drapeau-Zgoralski.

On the other side of the ball, the trio of Harrison Smith, Byron Murphy Jr., and Andrew Van Ginkel (17.5 sacks combined the last two seasons) closely resembles Steingberg, Hakim Kasbi-Filiatrault, and Thomas Coutu.

The Nic Schaefer/J.J McCarthy comp might be a stretch (I originally was going to go with the Houston Texans here) but both passers are similar in that they are athletic, have strong arms, and have their share of doubters. The former Michigan Wolverines pivot quieted the critics during a run to a National Championship victory two years ago. Can Schaefer do the same this weekend?

FINS UP

NFL Comp: Buffalo Bills

Sorry Will Power. This one is a true team comp instead of a player one. Both teams have talent up and down their respective rosters. When looking at the Quarterback position, Power, and Josh Allen are elite passers who are the key to their team’s success, and they can beat opponents with either their arms or their legs.

When looking for individual comparisons, you can pick between Joey Notaro or James Langshaw as to who you think can play the role of Wide Receiver Khalil Shakir. Whichever one you don’t pick could be the James Cook of the offense.

I have said it numerous times this season, that Snapper Maximilien Sadori plays like a Tight End. His teammate Simon Duchesne has a similar playing style. The duo is your Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox.

Except for when they play the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo has some difference-makers on defense, in Matt Milano, Christian Benford, and Ed Oliver. FINS UP can come at you with Carl Achy, Hinsley Adams, and Kareem Anthony Chilcott.

Both teams have come agonizingly close, but the Buffalo Bills can’t get over the hump, and neither can Fins Up. Perhaps that changes soon.

Poseidon’s Kiss

NFL Comp: Cincinnati Bengals

Throughout this season, there have been several occasions where Rocco Christiano looked like the best Quarterback in the division. The same can be said of Joe Burrow. Both players are accurate, can throw the ball a mile, and have a bit of cockiness to their respective games.

Defense is not the strong suit of either team, but the Bengals (at least for now) have Trey Hendrickson, who led the league in sacks last year, and has been one of the best defensive players in the NFL the last few seasons. Jahnai Lewis of Poseidon’s Kiss has been at or near the top of the list for Defensive Backs in FPF, no matter the division.

I am not saying Emerson Peterkin and Juwan Edghill and Jamar Chase and Tee Higgins, but both duos are the epitome of big play Receivers who are exciting and make big plays when their teams need it most. Tight End Mike Gesicki is a redzone threat who uses his size and speed to win jump balls and create separation. One of the tallest pass-catchers in FPF, Arnis Mehmetaj, does the exact same thing.

Shake & Bake

NFL Comp: Baltimore Ravens

I was tempted to go with the Philadelphia Eagles because of the Wide Receiver position, but the Quarterback comp was just too strong to ignore. The same thing applies for defense.

When you look at Lamar Jackson and Marc-Andre Reeves, on the surface there aren’t very many similarities between the two. When you dig a little deeper, you can find a few. Both Quarterbacks started their careers as athletes who obliterated defenses with their legs and would mainly stick to throwing low-risk, high-efficient passes. Over the last few seasons, both have developed into elite passers, who have added MVPs/QB of the Year awards to their resumes.

While Lamar and the Ravens have added greats like Derrick Henry and DeAndre Hopkins, as well as Odell Beckham Jr the last few seasons to try and win a Lombardi, Shake & Bake have done the same with the additions of Felix Boutet, Jerome Hovington, and Marvin Renaud. When looking at Boutet, he might be as fast as Baltimore Wide Receiver Zay Flowers, while Renaud provides them with a Mark Andrews/Isaiah Likely second level target. I trust Hovington a lot more than I do Rashod Bateman, but the latter did have a brake out year last season with a career-high in yards 756 and touchdowns with nine..

There might not be a Ray Lewis or Ed Reed on the Shake & Bake defense, but they have impact defenders in Renaud and Hovington, along with Emile Descoteaux and Mickael Forest. They can all disrupt opposing offenses, and create turnovers, just like current Ravens Kyle Hamilton, Marlon Humphrey, Justin Madubuike, and Roquan Smith.

Silent Ticklers

NFL Comp: Green Bay Packers

No, I did not pick this comparison because both teams have Quarterbacks named Jordan, although, there are similarities between both players. The Packers’ pivot has a strong arm, can scramble, and make all the throws required of a top-level talent. In Panetta, the Silent Ticklers have a QB that can do all those things, and at times, resembles the best the division has to offer at the position.

Both passers have the luxury of having several weapons who can take over a game and make big plays for their team in any situation. For the Packers, that includes Romeo Doubs, Jaylan Reed, Josh Jacobs, and presumably Matthew Golden. When looking at the Silent Ticklers, names like Daniel Mancini, Adam Rosen, Tysen Otis Copeland, and Ben McMahon. Need your Tight End to make a big play? Both Tanner Burrell, and Tucker Kraft can get it done.

On defense, after coming over from the New York Giants, Safety Xavier McKinney was an absolute stud in his first season with Green Bay, as he finished second in the league with eight interceptions. The Silent Ticklers don’t have a ballhawk like that, but they do have solid Defensive Backs in Copeland, Panetta, Rosen, Bailey Finkelberg, and Brandon Vickers.

Another reason why I made the comparison between the Packers and Silent Ticklers, is that they both have shown an inability to play their best football come playoff time.

Udaho Idapimps

NFL Comp: Detroit Lions

I think the defensive comp is straight-forward. Both teams have aggressive Defensive Backs. While they might give up a big play or two on occasion, they are just as likely to make a play on the ball. The Lions have those defenders in Terrion Aronld, Brian Branch, Kerby Jospeh, Amik Robertson, and D.J Reed. Udaho Idapimps can call on Sam Anastasopoulos, Jeremy Rooney, Marc-André Lapointe, Ashton Thibeault, and Dannick Coulombe to do the same. The FPF comp is missing a dominant pass rusher like Aidan Hutchinson, but the rest lines up.

On offense, Quarterbacks Jared Goff and Brady Ohanessian have some things in common. Both guys love to air out the ball early and often. They are also tough, accurate and throw with anticipation. At Receiver, the Coulombe and Jameson Williams comp is too obvious to ignore. For Tight End Sam LaPorta, I am going with Manu Allard-Roy. Both players have great hands, underrated speed, run sharp routes, and are great at getting yards after the catch.  

Stay with me on this one. For the Amon-Ra St. Brown comp, I am going with Lapointe. Neither play is the tallest Receiver, but both play with an aggression that is bordering on anger. More importantly, not only do they make plays, but they are also the epitome of clutch, as nearly half of their catches go for either touchdowns or first downs.

For Running Back Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, I am going with Thibeault and Alexis Marcotte. Both Lions RBs are crucial to the success of the team (Gibbs carried me to a fantasy title last year. Ask Moe Khan about it lol). The first part is true about the Udaho Idapimps duo.

The Lions are contenders, as is Udaho Idapimps. Both teams came up short in their last trip to the post-season, but their respective windows are far from closing.

Les Verges Folles

NFL Comp: San Francisco 49ers

Th list is long. George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Christian McCaffrey, Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, and Deommodore Lenoir. When all their pieces are together, the San Francisco 49ers are a Super Bowl contender. We they aren’t we saw the train wreck that was last season.

This season, with Guillaume Beland, Francois Rocheleau, Nassim Ouadhi, Philippe Mathiew, Nicolas Prince, and Carl Bernola together on the field, Les Verges Folles looked like a completely different team. In fact, they were able to sneak into the playoffs on the last day of the week season with an upset victory over first-place Mangoose, which followed a shocking victory over FINS UP one day earlier.

While Quarterback Thomas-Charles Paradis, hasn’t achieved the level of success that 49ers QB Brock Purdy has so far, the young QB did show some signs of being the answer at the position, just as Purdy did when he took over for Jimmy Garoppolo.

The 9ers are a lot closer to winning a championship than Les Verges Folles, but one can’t ignore the talent, and potential that the latter has when their full team takes the field. Put it all together over a full season, and the sky could be the limit.

Never Overtime

NFL Comp: Miami Dolphins

I know we’re talking about football, but this one was a layup. Two great Receivers in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, playing with a Quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa, who when healthy (and playing in warm weather) can put up some impressive offensive numbers. Never Overtime is no different, as pass-catchers Mack Dessources, and Rhami Aboud, along with QB Ryan Kharouf when not injured, can light up the scoreboard.

Just like the Miami Dolphins, Never Overtime has problems keeping teams out of their own endzone, as they finished the regular season with the most points against 389. Add that on to the fact that injuries killed both teams last year, and you can see why they each missed the playoffs.

The Fins’ have tried to remedy the situation by trading for their former first round pick Minkah Fitzpatrick, and adding players like Chop Robinson, Jaelan Phillips, and Kenneth Grant in the draft the last few seasons.

Injuries aside, both teams need to add more talent around their best players if they want to not just make the playoffs but compete for a championship.

There you have it. All nine teams. I hope you enjoyed it.

If you liked the article, hated it, or simply felt like I left something out, please feel free to contact me at [email protected], or on the FPF Facebook page.