Week 9 Panel Picks
Week eight provided us with a scintillating early window followed by what looked like a rather dull late window. All of that changed when Bears cornerback, Tyrique Stevenson, sprinted to the middle of the endzone after taunting a few Commanders fans and tipped Jayden Daniels’ Hail Mary attempt right into the arms of Noah Brown which secured a Washington win.
Brown’s game-winning touchdown shook the NFL world but it also shook up the panel. The catch dumped me down to 6th as opposed to what would have been 4th if the Bears held on. Ray had a chance to leap to 2nd but instead sits at 3rd.
Of course, numerous other close games swung the panel in their final seconds such as Browns vs Ravens, Patriots vs Jets, Dolphins vs Cardinals, and Packers and Jaguars. Here’s how the standings shakes up after all the action.
With three straight good weeks in the rearview, the panel looks to blaze full speed ahead in week nine. Here are the picks.
Primetime Games
Early Window
Late Window
Most alike picks: We almost had our first perfect week of all time but George ended up picking one result differently Ray, Jackson, Theo, AND Ben.
Least alike picks: Despite being the only panelists to pick the Jets this week, Rahul and I disagreed on eight of the 15 games.
Most upsets picked: Josh and Rahul both picked five upsets. That’s very unlike Rahul.
Fewest upsets picked: In typical Theo fashion, he only picked two upsets.
Most picks with majority: George and Ben were in the majority on every game.
Most picks against majority: Rahul was in the minority five times.
What Stands Out?
Somehow, there were only two games that weren’t decided by 6-2, 7-1, or 8-0 votes meaning there might be some unbalanced results. That led to us having a record five lone wolves (three by Rahul and one by both Jackson and me).
People (smartly) aren’t buying the Jameis Winston hype train. Last week was an aberration against an already bad and banged-up Ravens pass defense. The Chargers have a strong pass defense led by Derwin James Jr. and Winston is one of the most inconsistent quarterbacks in recent memory.
In a pivotal NFC West matchup, the Seahawks have been given a slight edge over the Rams. This would put Seattle in the sole lead of the division at 5-3 and the Rams at last place with a 3-5 record.
The Vikings vs Colts was flexed into Sunday Night Football over the Eagles vs Jaguars. Interestingly enough, the Vikings swept the vote across the panel and the Eagles received one vote against them. Especially with Joe Flacco replacing Anthony Richardson as the starting quarterback, I wonder if the NFL regrets their decision.
As I release this article seconds before kickoff, the Jets are still holding onto a sliver of hope against the Texans. Both Rahul and I believe in them in a must-win game this week at home on Halloween.
Playoff Picture
Let’s pretend our majority pick in each matchup won this weekend. Here are the projected playoff matchups on Wild Card Weekend.
AFC
(1) Kansas City Chiefs vs BYE | The 2020 Steelers were the last team to start 8-0.
(2) Buffalo Bills vs (7) Denver Broncos | Denver beat Buffalo 24-22 in week 10 of last season.
(3) Pittsburgh Steelers vs (6) Los Angeles Chargers | Pittsburgh beat Los Angeles 20-10 in week 3.
(4) Houston Texans vs (5) Baltimore Ravens | In two games last season, Baltimore outscored Houston 59-22.
NFC
(1) Detroit Lions vs BYE | The Lions have never finished the season as the one seed in their franchise’s history.
(2) Washington Commanders vs (7) Green Bay Packers | These teams currently have the 2nd and 3rd best records in the NFC.
(3) Atlanta Falcons vs (6) Philadelphia Eagles | Atlanta beat Philadelphia 22-21 in week two.
(4) Seattle Seahawks vs (5) Minnesota Vikings | Geno Smith and Sam Darnold are the only active starting quarterbacks drafted by the Jets.
Rahul is a hater for picking the titans over the pats