Week 2 Panel Picks
In week 1, the panel was uninspiring, finishing three games under .500. Theo and Jackson put up the most impressive performances of the week, with Theo leading the way at 10-7 and Jackson being the only person to pick both the Lions and the Jets to win. So, as much as I’d discourage you from using us for betting and making actual predictions, I hope you enjoy this week 2 addition of the panel picks.
Primetime Games
Early Window Games
Late Window Games
Most alike picks: Josh and Jackson picked 14 of the 16 games alike, as well as Rahul and Theo.
Least alike picks: This one is hard to grasp. There were five duos who only picked the same result in 8 games. They are Josh and I, Josh and Rahul, George and Jackson, Jackson and I, and Jackson and Rahul.
Most upsets picked: Josh, Jackson, and I all picked 6 underdogs.
Least upsets picked: Theo weaseled right past me and didn’t pick a single upset. We’ll have to make him pick at least four (double the minimum) underdogs next week. Hopefully this comes back to haunt him.
Most picks with majority: Ray and George picked with the majority 14 times.
Least picks with the majority: Jackson only picked with the majority 9 times. He’s quickly emerging as the riskiest picker on the panel.
What Stands Out?
Week 2 is much more competitive than week 1. There were six games that came down to the wire in our picks with four votes for one team and three votes for the other. There are also three games in which the betting favorite received fewer votes than the underdog.
One week ago, the Bears might have swept the Bucs, and the Steelers would have had at least five votes over the Browns. It’s wild how easily we are swayed by one week of football.
No team has been picked all 14 times through the first two weeks which shows that this season has lots of contenders. The 49ers and Bills have been picked 13 times. The Chiefs, Ravens, Commanders, and, somehow, the Giants have been picked 11 times.
On the flip side, will anyone ever pick the Cardinals? When they do, should it be worth 5 points if Arizona somehow muscles out a victory? This team had the lowest preseason win total of any team since expansion teams were coming into the league over 20 years ago. Getting swept by a team that lost 40-0 last week doesn’t give me much optimism that the Cardinals will be picked anytime soon.
Three of the four teams that were swept this week won their week 1 games (Raiders, Rams, and Jets). This shows that Buffalo, San Francisco, and Dallas are viewed as real powerhouses.
Playoff Picture
Let’s pretend our majority pick in each matchup won this weekend. Here would be the playoff matchups on Wild Card Weekend if that were the case.
AFC
(1) Baltimore Ravens vs BYE | Last time the Ravens had a first round bye, they lost to the Titans 28-12 in the divisional round.
(2) Miami Dolphins vs (7) Kansas City Chiefs | These teams will go head to head in week 9 in Germany.
(3) Houston Texans vs (6) New York Jets | C.J. Stroud and Zach Wilson are the only starting QB’s to be drafted 2nd overall.
(4) Las Vegas Raiders vs (5) Cleveland Browns | The Raiders beat the Browns 16-14 in a 2021 meeting.
NFC
(1) Dallas Cowboys vs BYE | The last time the Cowboys had a first round bye, they lost to the Packers 31-28 in the divisional round.
(2) Green Bay Packers vs (7) Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Tampa Bay beat Green Bay 31-26 in the 2021 NFC Championship game.
(3) San Francisco 49ers vs (6) Washington Commanders | The 49ers won this matchup 37-20 in week 16 last season.
(4) New Orleans Saints vs (5) Detroit Lions | Jared Goff knocked off the Saints in the NFC Championship game in 2018—New Orleans’ best chance to win the Super Bowl in the last decade.
ATA Standings
Theo: 10-7
Ray: 9-8
George: 9-8
Webb: 8-9
Jackson: 8-9
Josh: 7-10
Rahul: 7-10
Stay tuned for my week two power rankings article coming out later today, and enjoy week 2!