Week 2 Panel Picks
PSA
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It’s only week two and there is already bad blood brewing within the ATA Panel. In a year where the NFL is more competitive than ever, so are the eight guys making picks.
“I’m gonna take [Rahul’s] algorithm and shove it up his ass.” —Jackson Stone
“MILBT (Man I Love Beating Theo)” —George Constable
“As long as I beat Ray and Jackson, my mission is complete.” —Rahul Babu
“Rahul is such a weasel.” —Jackson Stone
“I feel disgusted to be picking so many favorites like…(shudder)…Theo.” —Josh Sun
“I’m just throwing out ideas to spice things up. That way there’s a little more variance and that way Josh has a chance.” —Theo Randall
(In response to Theo) “Alrighty buddy, this year I’m going to be boring and stupid and pick all the favorites and have no fun.” —Josh Sun
Despite the lack of respect encompassing the panel, there was no lack of correct picks last week. We had one of our best weeks in panel history with Ray leading the way at 15-2—tied with Theo and I for the best record anyone’s ever had in a week.
Dolphins vs Bills kicks off tonight, so without further ado, let’s take a look at this week’s picks.
Primetime Games
Early Window
Late Window
Most alike picks: Ray/Jackson and George/Rahul picked alike in 15 of the 16 games.
Least alike picks: Josh and Ben—our two most ambitious pickers so far this season—picked 10 games differently.
Most underdogs picked: Ben picked 5 underdogs (ATL, CAR, NO, MIN, LAR)
+5 and/or +7 point underdog picks: Josh (Bengals +6), Webb (Bengals +6), George (Bucs +7), Rahul (Bucs +7), Theo (Bears +5), Ben (Vikings +6, Panthers +6.5).
Fewest underdogs picked: Ray and Rahul only picked two underdogs each.
Most picks with majority: George was in the majority 15 times.
Most picks against majority: George’s fellow Baltimoron, Ben, went against the grain five times.
What Stands Out?
The Steelers and the Jets being two of the three teams to sweep across the board was not on my bingo card for this week, but there is overwhelming faith in a team that didn’t score a touchdown last week and another team who lost by 13 on national TV. I guess that’s what playing the Broncos and Titans will do for you.
I’ve never seen such concentrated locks on the panel. The Ravens got three locks from myself, George, and Theo. Ray, Josh, Jackson, and Rahul seem to be catching onto the fact that the team playing the Panthers might be the best lock and chose the Chargers. Even Ben wanted to lock the Ravens, but had to settle for the Seahawks due to the new survival rules.
Arizona’s offense looked great against Buffalo, and although their defense has holes, the Rams are missing Puka Nacua and, most importantly, four starting offensive linemen. This game is being played in Glendale and the Cards are favored, yet the Rams still got the majority vote from the panel.
Ben can soar up the panel if a few games go his way, but can also sink to the bottom if he doesn’t get his results. He is the lone wolf in three games, picking the Falcons, Panthers, and Vikings contrary to the rest of the panel. Does the rook know something we don’t? We shall see.
The Colts winning their vote 7-1 against the Packers isn’t much of a surprise, but it shows the gigantic disparity between Jordan Love and Malik Willis who is the worst quarterback I have ever seen. Despite being a preseason favorite with a healthy Love, only Josh is picking Green Bay with Willis at the helm.
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) Houston Texans vs BYE | Houston has never had a first-round bye.
(2) Buffalo Bills vs (7) New England Patriots | When these teams matched up in the 2021 Wild Card round, the Bills hammered the Patriots 47-17.
(3) Los Angeles Chargers vs (6) Miami Dolphins | Miami beat Los Angeles 36-34 in week one last season.
(4) Pittsburgh Steelers vs (5) Kansas City Chiefs | When these teams matched up in the 2021 Wild Card round, the Chiefs crushed the Steelers 42-21.
NFC
(1) San Francisco 49ers vs BYE | This would be the third time in six years that San Francisco will have earned the one seed in the NFC.
(2) Detroit Lions vs (7) Tampa Bay Buccaneers | When these teams matched up in the 2023 Divisional round, the Lions beat the Bucs 31-23.
(3) Dallas Cowboys vs (6) Seattle Seahawks | Dallas beat Seattle 41-35 in week 12 last season.
(4) New Orleans Saints vs (5) Philadelphia Eagles | The Saints handed the Eagles one of their three losses in 2022, beating them 20-10.