Monday, January 2, 2012

NFL Week 17 Pick Results

Winning team in bold.

Unanimous Picks (8-1)

Right:
49ers @ Rams
Steelers @ Browns
Ravens @ Bengals
Bills @ Patriots
Falcons @ Buccaneers
Panthers @ Saints
Redskins @ Eagles
Colts @ Jaguars

Wrong:

Chiefs @ Broncos
This was a game of (mostly) offensive futility. The Broncos only had one drive longer than 36 yards, which ended with a field goal. The Chiefs only had one drive go more than 35 yards. But it ended in a touchdown, which was good enough to win this game.

Split Picks: (APR: 4-3, SRS 3-4, Line 4-3)

Lions (Line) @ Packers (APR, SRS)
In spite of some bad calls by the referees, the Lions had an extraordinary day offensively, including a 5-touchdown performance by Matt Stafford. But their defense just couldn't stop backup Matt Flynn. In spite of missing key starters Greg Jennings, James Starks, Randal Cobb, and Brian Bulaga, the Packers offense put up a franchise record 480 yards passing and 6 touchdowns.
Jets (SRS) @ Dolphins (APR, Line)
This one's pretty simple: Mark Sanchez threw 3 interceptions, which was just more than this team could overcome. The Jets were 0-5 this season when they had 3 or more turnovers.
Chargers (APR, SRS) @ Raiders (Line)
The Raiders had 6 scoring drives in this game, but 4 of them were for field goals. That turned out to be a problem, as their defense allowed the Chargers 4 touchdown drives, and thier special teams gave up another.
Bears (APR, SRS) @ Vikings
As advertised, the "Battle of the backups" was a close game. Neither team lit things up, but the Vikings managed to be worst of a bad lot: 9 drives that ended with a punt or turnover meant that the Bears' 17 points was enough to win the game.
Titans (Line) @ Texans (APR, SRS)
The Texans are 10-1 when they hold their opponent under 20 points. Their offense (whether lead by Matt Schaub, T.J. Yates, or Jake Delhomme) mostly hasn't put up a lot of points. This leads to a pretty simple formula for the Texans: when the defense struggles, they lose.
Seahawks (APR, SRS) @ Cardinals (Line)
Another close game, as expected. Perhaps the biggest factor in this game was Larry Fitzgerald (9 catches for 149 yards) who pretty much put this team on his back and carried them to the win.
Cowboys (APR, SRS) @ Giants (Line)
Tony Romo didn't appear to be slowed down by his bruised hand, putting up 289 yards and 2 touchdowns passing, with a 78% completion rate. But 6 sacks, 7 penalties, and 2 turnovers meant that most of those yards did not culminate in scoring drives. And Eli Manning had a very good game (346 yards, 3 touchdowns passing, 73% completion rate), which allowed the Giants to build an early lead that the Cowboys never were able to overcome.

Totals

A good week all around, and (for APR and SRS) much better season season tallies than last year.

This
Week
This
Season
%
APR 12-4153-86-164.0%
SRS 11-5157-82-165.6%
Line12-4159-81-066.2%