Phoenix at 8-4 has the inside track for the #2 seed and the second bye; With 134.56 points on Savannah and 231.72 over New York, a win over hapless Toronto this week should guarantee them a week of rest. A loss would open up an opportunity for the other 8-4 teams, Savannah or New York to sneak into the bye with a win. Should all three lose, the winner of the #5 Binghamton (7-5) vs #6 HCM City (7-5) game could catapult all the way up to the two seed on points.
The loser of that matchup is likely still in line for the six seed. #7 Pawnee vs #8 South Park features two 6-6 teams, and while the victor will get to put 2017 down as a winning season, they would need to close a prolific points deficit in a single week to get into the dance. The best odds are a Pawnee win and a HCM loss, coupled with the former outscoring the latter by at least 109.65.
They are not good odds.
Freshly eliminated are the South Philly Rum Ham, who drop to 5-7 pending a stat correction reversal over Pawnee. It is their third matchup decided by less than two points; They went 1-2 in those games, the win coming upon review. If the 185.84 to 184.28 score stands, so be it. If it is reversed, Philly is fifty points back of Pawnee, making the top six seeds all the safer.
The Hill Valley McFlys finally came alive, winning two straight and guaranteeing themselves a bid for the consolation bracket. They have never finished worse than seventh overall- they'll need to win their third undercard to keep that streak of 'top half of the league' results going.
Oakwood's five game losing streak sunk their season in spectacular fashion; They'll face fellow 4-8 squad Mar-A-Lago this week, with the loser having a slight risk of falling out of the consolation bracket... but it's unlikely. On points and matchups, both 3-9 Canadian teams figure to see their seasons end mercifully this week- although Manitoba showed some pride and scraped out a win over a coasting Deputy in their penultimate showing.
SCOREBOARD:
Week 12 Matchups
- SAV 262: Monster output from a team cresting at the right time; Julio Jones reminds everyone that he is as dominant a force as there is in this game. Joe Mixon's arrival is nice, too.
- HVM 232: Well, here's the defending champs looking like defending champs! Keenan Allen has recovered from his midseason swoon in a big, big way; Bobby Wagner is boss.
- BIN 218: Surging into first in overall points, the the Snipers are not anyone's ideal playoff matchup, deep and potent at every position. Alvin freaking Kamara.
- SPC 215: The Cows' rough start will keep them from the playoffs, but won't stop them from pushing for the top spot in next year's draft- a lot of underheralded gems on this roster.
- NYF 206: Some low scoring early wins pumped up their standing, but New York's quietly been showing legitimacy this month; This was a 'good loss' the team a viable contender.
- PHX 191: The team may have peaked midseason, but still have won eight of nine. After waiting three months (and two years) for Josh Gordon, he's set to return this week.
- HCM 191: A win would have put them in nice position to claim the #2 bye, but the Lead Farmers look like a credible playoff threat with scary upside.
- PAW 186: The back half of the season was a nightmare scenario for the Pride; This was their best effort in six weeks, but the result hangs precariously and may be futile regardless.
- RUM 184: Last week it was Kenny Stills, this week they wasted Robby Anderson- The Rum Ham's 2017 will go down as one of the great 'what-if?' seasons in Larkspur Bowl history.
- MMC 179: Dropping the top seed doesn't matter to Deputy, but it's a nice feather in Manitoba's hat. Breaking 190 in their final game would be a nice goal... They did it 12 times in '16.
- OAK 172: Tom Brady can't win alone. This was one of the worst RB situations all year and Dev Freeman's injury left the cupboard totally barren. Gotta grind that carousel around, kids.
- DVH 143: Weeks 12, 13, and 14 all mean nothing to Deputy, which is good since Zeke and Crab are suspended. A loss in week fifteen would be a huge disappointment, considering.
- MAL 159: Antonio Brown is really good- like, too good. Still not good enough to compensate for eleven starters scoring single digits though.
- LTP 115: No holes in the lineup despite the woeful total. With Kelvin Benjamin and Sterling Shepard nursing injuries, the team has packed it in with a week left to endure.
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