NFL Football Pool Game

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Marianne
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Wild Card Weekend Game Open

Post by Marianne » Mon Dec 29, 2008 7:13 am

THE GAME IS NOW OPEN
FOR PICKS FOR
Wild Card Weekend


Pick The Winner Of Each Game: (80 Points Each)

Saturday, January 3
1. Atlanta Falcons vs Arizona Cardinals
2. Indianapolis Colts vs San Diego Chargers
Sunday, January 4
3. Baltimore Ravens vs Miami Dolphins
4. Philadelphia Eagles vs Minnesota Vikings


Bonus Question 1: What will be the Point Spread of Game# 1 ( Atlanta Falcons vs Arizona Cardinals )?
(15 points, minus the variance of your guess from the actual points scored.)

Bonus Question 2: What will be the Final Total Points of Game# 2 ( Indianapolis Colts vs San Diego Chargers )?
(25 points, minus the variance of your guess from the actual points scored.)

Bonus Question 3: What will be the Point Spread of Game# 3 ( Baltimore Ravens vs Miami Dolphins )?
(15 points, minus the variance of your guess from the actual points scored.)

Bonus Question 4: What will be the Final Total Points of Game# 4 ( Philadelphia Eagles vs Minnesota Vikings )?
(25 points, minus the variance of your guess from the actual points scored.)



Deadline for picks is kickoff of the first game of the week ( Saturday, January 3 ). Approximately 4:30 PM Eastern.
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Re: NFL Football Pool Game

Post by The Aceman » Mon Dec 29, 2008 4:38 pm

Saturday, January 3
1. Atlanta Falcons vs Arizona Cardinals
Arizona's lackluster performance since clinching the division, and their inability to stop the run causes me to pick the Falcons. Not to mention 6 of Arizona's 9 wins came against some pretty poor NFC west teams. As long as rookie Matt Ryan doesn't freeze up under post-season pressure, this one should go to Atlanta.
2. Indianapolis Colts vs San Diego Chargers
With Tomlinson's health in question, and Manning playing some of the best football of his career, I have to give this one to the Colts. Oh wait, I picked the Chargers to win, call this my upset special. I'm picking this one for my girl, or else I'm in trouble.
Sunday, January 4
3. Baltimore Ravens vs Miami Dolphins
With Chad Pennigton flipping off the Jets on his way to the playoffs, his ability to protect the football will help the Dolphins cope with one of the leagues best Defenses. Plus the home-field advantage in a city inspired by a major turn-around from last season will seal the deal. Besides, it's hard for me to pick two rookie QB's to go past the first round.
4. Philadelphia Eagles vs Minnesota Vikings
While both teams have been somewhat inconsistent, the Eagles seem to be clicking at the right time, while Minnesota has had to switch QB's, I don't think Tavaris Jackson is ready for the post season, and will be under more pressure from Philly's defense, than Minnesota will be able to put on McNabb.


Bonus Question 1: 13

Bonus Question 2: 43

Bonus Question 3: 5

Bonus Question 4: 39
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Re: NFL Football Pool Game

Post by Hostrauser » Mon Dec 29, 2008 4:53 pm

Despite loud complaints by some over the NFL Playoff structure this season, only four teams finished with winning records and missed the playoffs. And, here's a shocker, not one of them DESERVED to be in the playoffs. So, before we get to the picks, I'd like to present a little section called "You Can't Complain..."

You Can't Complain...

Chicago Bears
... because you choked away three games early in the season that turned out to be pretty important. Yes, your schedule turned out to be one of the toughest in the NFL, and your first four losses (three of them to playoff teams) were by a combined 15 points, but you couldn't hold onto the lead against the NFC South (come from behind victories by the Panthers, Bucs, and Falcons, even though they were in September and October, cost you your season).

Dallas Cowboys... because you lost by 20 to the Rams, because you went 1-3 in your last four games, and because of 44 to 6. Your entire season on the line, you control your own fate, and you go out and lay the biggest egg seen since dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

New England Patriots... because even though you're 11-5, you got shredded every time you faced an AFC playoff team (losing by 25 to Miami, 20 to San Diego, and 23 to Pittsburgh). 1-4 against AFC Playoff teams this season and you're complaining you've been left out?

New York Jets... because you went 1-4 in your last five games. You also have no one to blame but yourself for losing FIVE GAMES against the AFC & NFC West divisions (with only one of those eight teams ending the season with a winning record).

And now, on to the picks...

Saturday, January 3
1. Atlanta Falcons vs Arizona Cardinals
Yeah, I know, Arizona has looked like dog doo for about a month now. They've been in cruise control. But, well... look, I know he's had a great season, but this is the playoffs and experience DOES matter. Matt Ryan has been great, but he *IS* a rookie. Kurt Warner, on the other hand, has been here many times before. Plus, Arizona has played pretty good at home this season, and Atlanta, despite finishing 4-1 in their last five, has been just squeaking by (+16). Remember, the Rams took the Falcons to the wire in Week 17.

2. Indianapolis Colts vs San Diego Chargers
Am I being a homer? Maybe. Maybe the Chargers ARE frauds. And I'm certainly worried over their lack of a pass rush going into the Indy game. But, the Chargers eight losses were by a COMBINED 34 points. They didn't lose a single game all season by double digits (no other team in the NFL can make that claim). One extra TD per game and the Chargers would have been an astonishing 14-1-1. And the 8-8 Chargers have a better point differential (+92) than the 12-4 Colts (+79). So, we'll see. A month ago, the ice-cold Chargers took the red-hot Colts to the last play of the game. Now the Chargers are red-hot, too. Peyton Manning should scorch the Chargers' defense; Philip Rivers should scorch the Colts' defense. But the bottom line, the final deciding factor for me, is that I think the Chargers, overall, are just flat-out more talented than the Colts.


Sunday, January 4
3. Baltimore Ravens vs Miami Dolphins
Miami is 9-1 in their last ten games. Baltimore is 9-2 in their last eleven. The magic ends here for one team, and that team is the Dolphins. Fact is, Miami only made the playoffs thanks to an absurdly easy schedule. They only faced six teams that ended with a winning record (going 2-4) including three playoff teams (1-2). Baltimore's five losses? All to playoff teams, four of those losses to #1 and #2 seeds. And three of those losses were by less than a touchdown. Oh, and Baltimore beat Miami in Miami by two touchdowns back in October.

4. Philadelphia Eagles vs Minnesota Vikings
Both these teams worry me a little. The Vikings haven't looked any better than simply "good" at any point in the season. The Eagles couldn't beat the Bengals. But when the Eagles have been good, they've been REAL good. Their +127 point differential is fifth in the NFL (behind the Titans, Steelers, Ravens, and Giants). And as impressive as he is, Adrian Peterson fumbles A LOT, and it's due to kill the Vikings some game (Adrian Peterson: 9 fumbles in 363 rushes; Michael Turner: 3 fumbles in 376 rushes; LaDainian Tomlinson/Darren Sproles: 2 fumbles combined in 353 combined rushes).


Bonus Question 1: What will be the Point Spread of Game# 1 (Atlanta Falcons vs Arizona Cardinals)? 10

Bonus Question 2: What will be the Final Total Points of Game# 2 (Indianapolis Colts vs San Diego Chargers)? 69

Bonus Question 3: What will be the Point Spread of Game# 3 (Baltimore Ravens vs Miami Dolphins)? 14

Bonus Question 4: What will be the Final Total Points of Game# 4 (Philadelphia Eagles vs Minnesota Vikings)? 44

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Re: NFL Football Pool Game

Post by bigmikedrivesbmw » Wed Dec 31, 2008 12:14 am

Saturday, January 3
1. Atlanta Falcons
2. Indianapolis Colts
Sunday, January 4
3. Baltimore Ravens
4. Minnesota Vikings


Bonus Question 1: 14

Bonus Question 2: 60

Bonus Question 3: 10

Bonus Question 4: 49

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Re: NFL Football Pool Game

Post by fieldshowqueen » Thu Jan 01, 2009 5:44 pm

Saturday, January 3
1. Atlanta Falcons
2. Indianapolis Colts
Sunday, January 4
3. Baltimore Ravens
4. Philadelphia Eagles

Bonus Question 1: 7
Bonus Question 2: 51
Bonus Question 3: 10
Bonus Question 4: 42
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My Wild Card Weekend Picks

Post by Marianne » Sat Jan 03, 2009 1:42 am

1. Arizona Cardinals
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. Baltimore Ravens
4. Philadelphia Eagles

BQ1: 3
BQ2: 49
BQ3: 5
BQ4: 44
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Re: NFL Football Pool Game

Post by jacjar1 » Sat Jan 03, 2009 10:08 am

Saturday, January 3
1. Atlanta Falcons
2. Indianapolis Colts
Sunday, January 4
3. Baltimore Ravens
4. Philadelphia Eagles

Bonus Question 1: 10
Bonus Question 2: 52
Bonus Question 3: 12
Bonus Question 4: 25
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Re: NFL Football Pool Game

Post by Hostrauser » Sat Jan 03, 2009 8:57 pm

Wow. The Chargers' MVP for that game is NOT Darren Sproles but Mike Scifres. That was the most insane display of punting I have ever seen. Six punts for an average of 52.7 yards and all six downed inside the 20? That's video game stuff. And the last one was the biggest, most important one of all.

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Re: NFL Football Pool Game

Post by fieldshowqueen » Sat Jan 03, 2009 9:30 pm

Well I'm 0-2 in a game I really don't like ... can you say "Hockey"? lol
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Re: NFL Football Pool Game

Post by saxplyr7 » Sat Jan 03, 2009 10:36 pm

Hostrauser wrote:Wow. The Chargers' MVP for that game is NOT Darren Sproles but Mike Scifres. That was the most insane display of punting I have ever seen. Six punts for an average of 52.7 yards and all six downed inside the 20? That's video game stuff. And the last one was the biggest, most important one of all.
I saw the last punt (forgot all about the game =\) But I tuned in for the last 4 min. When they were down by 3 pts. 14-17 and watched it from there....man it was...a good game. ^_^. Def. though that last punt did help a lot, along w/ that sack at the 1 yd line.
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Wild Card Weekend Results

Post by Marianne » Sun Jan 04, 2009 10:05 pm

Here are the results for the Wild Card Weekend:

WILD CARD WEEKEND RESULTS
1. 90.750 Hostrauser
2. 72.750 Marianne
3. 54.500 fieldshowqueen
4. 54.000 The Aceman
5. 50.750 jacjar1
6. 28.750 bigmikedrivesbmw


SEASON AVERAGE THROUGH WILD CARD WEEKEND
1. 66.454 Marianne
2. 64.822 Hostrauser
3. 64.383 fieldshowqueen
4. 61.908 The Aceman
5. 59.310 jacjar1
6. 56.027 bigmikedrivesbmw


RECAPS


Next week, we add another catagory with the Post Season Average ranking (just averaging the Post Season Games). The Season Average will become the Full Season Average ranking (adding in the Regular Season scores to the Post Season Scores).
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Re: NFL Football Pool Game

Post by Marianne » Sun Jan 04, 2009 10:06 pm

THE GAME IS NOW OPEN
FOR PICKS FOR
Divisional Playoff Weekend


Pick The Winner Of Each Game: (80 Points Each)

Saturday, January 10
1. Baltimore Ravens @ Tennessee Titans
2. Arizona Cardinals @ Carolina Panthers
Sunday, January 11
3. Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants
4. San Diego Chargers @ Pittsburgh Steelers


Bonus Question 1: What will be the Point Spread of Game# 1 ( Baltimore Ravens vs Tennessee Titans )?
(15 points, minus the variance of your guess from the actual points scored.)

Bonus Question 2: What will be the Final Total Points of Game# 2 ( Arizona Cardinals vs Carolina Panthers )?
(25 points, minus the variance of your guess from the actual points scored.)

Bonus Question 3: What will be the Point Spread of Game# 3 ( Philadelphia Eagles vs New York Giants )?
(15 points, minus the variance of your guess from the actual points scored.)

Bonus Question 4: What will be the Final Total Points of Game# 4 ( San Diego Chargers vs Pittsburgh Steelers )?
(25 points, minus the variance of your guess from the actual points scored.)



Deadline for picks is kickoff of the first game of the week ( Saturday, January 10 ). Approximately 4:30 PM Eastern.
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Re: Wild Card Weekend Results

Post by fieldshowqueen » Mon Jan 05, 2009 9:13 pm

Marianne wrote:Here are the results for the Wild Card Weekend:

WILD CARD WEEKEND RESULTS
1. 90.750 Hostrauser
2. 72.750 Marianne
3. 54.500 fieldshowqueen
4. 54.000 The Aceman
5. 50.750 jacjar1
6. 28.750 bigmikedrivesbmw


SEASON AVERAGE THROUGH WILD CARD WEEKEND
1. 66.454 Marianne
2. 64.822 Hostrauser
3. 64.383 fieldshowqueen
4. 61.908 The Aceman
5. 59.310 jacjar1
6. 56.027 bigmikedrivesbmw


RECAPS
Next week, we add another catagory with the Post Season Average ranking (just averaging the Post Season Games). The Season Average will become the Full Season Average ranking (adding in the Regular Season scores to the Post Season Scores).
Grrrrrrrr ...
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Re: NFL Football Pool Game

Post by Hostrauser » Tue Jan 06, 2009 4:37 pm

Saturday, January 10
1. Baltimore Ravens @ Tennessee Titans
Going with a rookie on the road is always a risky proposition, but I think I need to make an exception for Mr. Flacco. He had a terrible game against Miami (9 of 23 for 135 yards) and the Ravens still cruised. The idea that the Titans defense can force him into mistakes is ludicrous, because he's under absolutely no pressure to be a playmaker right now. Flacco will just roll-out and throw the ball into the stands if a play breaks down. Plus, too many name players for Tennessee either out (Mawae) or coming off injuries and haven't played in weeks (Vanden Bosch, Haynesworth). The Ravens' defense is playing better than anyone in football right now, and if they can shut down the Titans' ground game (which I think they will) it's all over.

2. Arizona Cardinals @ Carolina Panthers
12/22/07: last time the Carolina Panthers lost at home.
2-21: Arizona Cardinals' record in the Eastern time zone since divisional realignment in 2002.
1-19: Arizona Cardinals' record in the Eastern time zone, 2003-present.

Any questions?



Sunday, January 11
3. Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants
Remember last week when I talked about the Eagles' inconsistency? I think we're going to see that here. With a healthy Brandon Jacobs, the G-Men should be able to stuff the ball down Philly's throat, and the fact that Diva-man McNabb is still grousing about his (deserved) benching is not a good sign. While the Giants' inability to stretch the field might spell their downfall at some point, I just get the feeling the Eagles are about to lay a giant egg at the Meadowlands.

4. San Diego Chargers @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Made the mistake of reading a Pittsburgh columnist, and he basically said the Steelers should start practicing for the Titans or Ravens. Really? I mean, consider that the Chargers played a TERRIBLE game at Pittsburgh earlier this year, but the Steelers still couldn't score a touchdown and didn't win the game until a field goal with 11 seconds left. Pittsburgh's defense is worrisome to me as a Chargers fan, yes, but their offense isn't and this is a different Chargers team. Then, it was Ron Rivera's second game as defensive coordinator. Now, the Chargers defense is a much better unit (first 8 games under Ted Cottrell: 24.9 ppg allowed; second 8 games under Ron Rivera: 18.5 ppg allowed; first playoff game under Ron Rivera: 17 pts allowed), and I'll say it again: if a QB has to lead his team down the field for the winning score, I'd rather have Philip Rivers than Ben Roethlisberger. The columnist said Steelers fans should thank the Chargers for preventing them from having to beat the great Peyton Manning. But if the Chargers held the "great Peyton Manning" to 17 points, how many do you think a fresh-off-a-concussion Big Ben can put up? So, yeah, I'm going to homer it up for another week.


Bonus Question 1: What will be the Point Spread of Game# 1 ( Baltimore Ravens vs Tennessee Titans )? 3

Bonus Question 2: What will be the Final Total Points of Game# 2 ( Arizona Cardinals vs Carolina Panthers )? 44

Bonus Question 3: What will be the Point Spread of Game# 3 ( Philadelphia Eagles vs New York Giants )? 14

Bonus Question 4: What will be the Final Total Points of Game# 4 ( San Diego Chargers vs Pittsburgh Steelers )? 27

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Re: NFL Football Pool Game

Post by The Aceman » Wed Jan 07, 2009 5:12 pm

Saturday, January 10
1. Baltimore Ravens @ Tennessee Titans

The Titans have proved everyone wrong all season long. The analysts keep throwing Kerry Collins under the table and are giving the edge to rookie-led Baltimore and Joe Flacco. Both teams have stellar defenses and every score will count, in the end it comes down to the Ravens not having enough offensive weapons to outscore the Titans. Collins has proven to be patient with the ball and should once again silence the critics.

2. Arizona Cardinals @ Carolina Panthers

Kurt Warner's dream of making another super-bowl run will end here. Carolina has shown few weakness throughout the season, and should be able to smash this NFC West leading team. Arizona's star receiver Boldin is questionable for this game with an injury, which will hurt the Cardinals mostly-pass offensive game. Delhomme seems to react well under pressure and should be able to lead the Panthers to an easy W. If the Cardinals stand any chance, it will be by running the ball against Carolina's 20th ranked run defense.

Sunday, January 11
3. Philadelphia Eagles @ New York Giants

The Giants have played well this season, but they are not the super-bowl caliber team of last year. And if anyone has a shot at eliminating the Giants from the playoffs this year, it's the Eagles. The Eagles beat the Giants in Giant stadium in week 14 with a pretty decisive victory, and McNabb is still playing great football. This will be a close battle, but the Eagles are coming in with great momentum that will help them close this one out.

4. San Diego Chargers @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Last week I picked San Diego even though I expected Indianapolis to win. That gamble payed off and has helped alleviate my doubts about the Chargers. The Chargers have won 5-straight games and look like they are on a mission to prove everyone wrong. With both defenses playing well the key-matchup here will be Rivers vs. Roethlisberger, whoever can run their offense better will get the win here. With Rivers playing awesome football deserving of a pro-bowl appearance (even if he didn't get the votes), I give him and the Chargers the edge.


Bonus Question 1: 6

Bonus Question 2: 48

Bonus Question 3: 10

Bonus Question 4: 45
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