If you have the NFL figured out this season, please share your magic formula.
Have you ever had one of those years, where you are confident with so-called logical picks, only to be dumfounded week after week?
I am totally lost and have never had such an awful season when it comes to picking who will win the games.
It is so bad in 2021, I even have trouble picking the losers in a survivor pool.
There is nothing we can do about the first half of the season which officially concluded on Monday when the 9th of 18 weeks wrapped up in a bizarre Pittsburgh 29-27 victory over Chicago.
Going back to week nine (why put us through the punishment), can anyone explain how Buffalo, a 14 ½ point favorite, does not score a touchdown and loses to lowly Jacksonville 9-6?
Five takeaways from the stunning upset win over a Super Bowl contender. https://t.co/5G0SI8U6pJ
— Florida Times-Union (@jaxdotcom) November 7, 2021
Wasn’t Dallas the hottest team in the league yet they gave up the first 30 points at home and lost to Denver 30-16?
The Tennessee Titans were without their top player, Derrick Henry, yet trounced the highly-regarded Rams 28-16 in LA.
The Arizona Cardinals were without their top two offensive weapons (QB Kyler Murray and WR DeAndre Hopkins) yet they crush the 49’ers 31-17 in San Francisco.
Let me give you some numbers to digest.
In week 9, favored teams were just 7-7 and are only 83-54 on the season.
Home teams also went 7-7 and are just 67-70 or 65-70 on the year depending on how you want to look at it.
(This includes the shocking Miami Dolphins 22-10 victory over the visiting Baltimore Ravens to start week 10).
Both Jacksonville and Atlanta won so-called home games but they were played on a neutral field in England, so that is not a traditional home win.
Either way, you look at it, home teams are not even winning half of the games.
With fans returning to the stadium this year, wasn’t that supposed to make a difference?
Obviously not, as the home-field advantage, at least in the regular season, is over-rated and for whatever reason does not have the same benefit as 20, or 30 years ago.
Remember, last year Tampa Bay won three road games on its way to capturing the Super Bowl.
I am not really sure the NFL has the best team this season but Arizona does get that nod for now because not only do they have the best record at 8-1, they have impressive victories this season over winning teams like Tennessee, Cleveland, and the LA Rams and those three have all been on the road.
Look, one can not discount the Cardinals, but based on recent history (8-8 record last year, 5-10-1 in 2019, and 3-13 in 2018), not even the Vegas oddsmakers are believing in them.
The LA Rams (who now have WR Odell Beckham Jr.), Green Bay, and Tennessee are tied for the second-best record at 7-2 with Tampa Bay and Dallas 6-2.
The latest odds to win the Super Bowl (and this changes weekly) has Tampa with the best chance followed by Buffalo, LA Rams, and Arizona.
Coming off a bye, the Buccaneers are now once again the betting favourite to win the Super Bowl after the Bills lost to the Jaguars in Week 9. Here is a look at the updated odds entering Week 10. pic.twitter.com/Ff2DTSSXpc
— TSN EDGE (@TSN_Edge) November 9, 2021
The AFC is wide-open with 11 of the 16 teams having a better than .500 record including all four in both the AFC North and West.
All four teams in the AFC West have five wins (Chargers and Raiders have three losses while the Chiefs and Broncos have four losses)
The NFC has better teams at the top end but overall only six of 16 have winning records and Atlanta is sitting right at .500 at 4-4.
Thank goodness for the 0-8 Detroit Lions or nothing would seem normal.
The way this season has gone, the Lions, a nine-point underdog, will win Sunday in Pittsburgh against a Steelers team that has won four in a row.
Yes, that is far-fetched, especially for the Lions but I would be afraid to take the Lions in a losers pool.
Even Detroit is going to knock someone off.
My best-guaranteed winner in Week 10 is Indy over Jacksonville and my best-guaranteed loser is the New York Jets against Buffalo.
If that happens maybe the second half of the NFL season will return to some sense of normalcy, but let’s not count on it especially after Thursday’s victory by the Dolphins over the Ravens even though Baltimore was a 7 1/2 point favourite.
The 2021 Dolphins we expected finally showed up in a strange game Thursday night. Here’s 5 takeaways from the big win over Lamar Jackson and the Ravens. https://t.co/T9SInqrX3T
— The Palm Beach Post (@pbpost) November 12, 2021
The NFL standings are right here.
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Cariboo Cougars general manager Trevor Sprague is this week’s guest on the Cat Scan podcast.
During the episode, Sprague discussed a number of topics including:
- Evolution of Cariboo Hockey from one team to six
- Adding more flexibility for prospective players with more roster spots available among the six teams
- Three Northern Capitals capturing Gold with Team BC
- The process for a young player moving to PG to play
- The transition between teams and age groups
- Cost to participate in the program
The @cariboocougars GM @Boston771 oversees six teams. He talks about the growth of the program, young players advancing, the cost to participate, and more in this week’s Cat Scan podcast. https://t.co/kNYyTdse5o
— Hartley Miller (@Hartley_Miller) November 10, 2021
Taking Note:
COVID-19 finds the Chiefs; three games postponed . . . Howdy, Neighbours . . . Ice’s new rink on hold indefinitely https://t.co/xq7owFIgd8
— Gregg Drinnan (@gdrinnan) November 12, 2021
FROM THE QUOTE RACK
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn’t get the‘ Jeopardy’ gig, but I hear he’s been offered the lead in a remake of’ Liar, Liar.’
*Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California
Aaron Rodgers was fined $14,650 over his lies about being vaccinated for COVID. Well, all Aaron did was put his teammates, Green Bay staff, and their families at risk: It’s a good thing Rodgers didn’t do something really serious, like wearing the wrong color socks.
*Comedy writer Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California www.leftcoastsportsbabe.com
A Texas study revealed the unvaccinated are 20 times more likely to die of COVID19. Apparently, Aaron Rodgers missed this in his extensive research.
*Comedy writer Alex Kaseberg
The Seahawks’ Russell Wilson (broken finger) and the Packers’ Aaron Rodgers (unvaccinated arm) will face off Nov. 14 in Green Bay — maybe. Just call it the Pins and Needles Bowl.
Dwight Perry of the Seattle Times http://www.seattletimes.com/author/dwight-perry/
In Case You Missed It:
Delivery Man is a movie about a guy who fathered 533 children. And no, he didn’t play in the NBA.
*Western Canadian comedy writer RJ Currie www.Sportsdeke.com
Hartley Miller is the news and sports director/supervisor plus morning news anchor for 94.3 the GOAT and Country 97fm. He also is the radio color commentator for P.G. Cougars’ home games. Hartley has been on the Prince George airwaves since 1979 and is the author of You Don’t Say (sports quotes)