With holiday travel, I wasn't able to get the Week 16 and 17 Recaps up, so I'll include them here.
Week 16 was a solid week, with a 3-1 mark. The Cards couldn't keep it close, so that one was a loser. The other three-- the Jets, the Under in the Indy/Dallas debacle, and the Redskins were money. Week 17 was a split decision, going 1-1. I tried to overthink the Pats game; history and trends indicated a play on the Bills, but I just thought that this would be a weird game where the Pats starters get pulled and somehow still get the cover. So I go 4-2 in the final two weeks of the season. I never play playoff games; there are just too many variables and too few strong trends in the playoffs, especially since the Wild Card was introduced.
So in all, I ended up with a half-unit loss for the year. Those two terrible weeks really killed me, but was able to rally and get mostly / almost even by year's end.
The Wild Card weekend featured some good games-- let's hope that trend continues. There are some interesting story lines at play-- I have to think New England was really rooting for Pittsburgh, as the Ravens have twice before booted the Pats out of the playoffs, and have dominated Indianapolis in Foxboro for 15 years or so. The Manning vs. Indy slant is also compelling, especially since these two teams match up surprisingly well. That's a winnable game for the Colts, and the Broncos know it. How crazy would it be to see the AFC Championship game in Indy, with the Colts hosting the team with the most historically-based vitriol for them?
On the NFC side, the Carolina Panthers were in the same spot the Seahawks were-- unheralded division winners that "unfairly" get a home game, then beat down the heavily favored Wild Card team (that year, the Saints). I don't expect Carolina to win, but as low scoring as that game could be given both defenses, it could only take one big play to flip that game. Crazier things have happened. The marquee match up is, of course, the Cowboys and the Packers. After the emotionally-fraught and controversial game against Detroit, Dallas has to go to Green Bay and face a team that has played lights out the entire year at home. Yet, Dallas is 8-0 on the road this year-- including that signature win in Seattle earlier this year.
The way this all shakes out will be fun to watch, and this week, at least, we can imagine the ludicrous scenarios that could be. Vegas favorites indicate a Packers-Seahawks and Broncos-Pats Championship weekend, but I'd be shocked if there wasn't at least one team that played on the Divisional weekend to be there. Carolina - Indianpolis Superbowl anyone?
NFL 2014 Week 16: 3-1
NFL 2014 Week 17: 1-1
NFL 2014 Season Total: 27-25-1 (-0.5 units)
NFL 2013 Season Total: 27-18 (+7.2 units)
