Here. We. Go. For six of us at least. Jared, Jere, Probst and Ryan, you are the weakest links, goodbye.
The MNF doubleheader brought the full package. Some excitement, some anxiety, and some nerves. Probst had his win already sealed, meaning if Jared beat Justin, Probst would be heading to the dance. Should Justin win, Probst would have needed to outscore Justin by 80pts to win the tiebreaker, which seemed doable until Tyreek missed half the game with an ankle injury. It came down to the final minutes of the Tennesee/Miami game where Jared fought his way back into contention, only down 3pts with Hopkins as his only player, giving Probst a second chance at making the playoffs. Titans worked their way inside the 5-yard line with a minute remaining but ultimately decided to hand the ball off to King Henry who slashed his way into the endzone, ending any hope Probst had. It wasn't a sexy way for Justin to clinch his playoff spot, but the defending champ is back ladies and gentlemen. Nothing but pain for Probst and Jared who battled diligently down the final stretch of games. The pinewood is cold, but we kindly ask you to take a seat in the stands and find a team to root for, this is no longer your fight.
The war begins, and war does not determine who is right, only who is left.
Let's get into it.
WEEK 14 PAYOUT WINNER
Photo Finish - Team that beats its opponent by the smallest margin of victory
Jere, 4.65pts
Good karma strikes Papa Henderson in the final week of the season. After tying Jared last week and conceding the money, he outright wins the weekly payout as a final parting gift at the end of the road. The victory also spoiled Nick's chances at securing a bye week, who now has to face Commish in a wildcard matchup.
Records going into the playoff with the extra wins added.
Spencer: 18-10
Justin: 16-12
Nick: 16-12
Jared: 11-17
Jere: 9-19
Nathan: 20-8
Worzie: 17-11
Probst: 14-14
Commish:14-14
Ryan: 7-21
Final results: Spencer and Nathan would still hold the byes in their divisions. Probst would have slid in as the 6th seed, bumping Commish out of the playoffs based on tiebreaker. Justin and Probst are the two teams who would have benefitted most from the new format, Commish is the only one who would have seen a big negative difference. Overall, a great practice run and food for thought for next year.
WILDCARD MATCHUPS
Commish vs Nick
Batman and Joker, Superman vs Lex Luthor, Professor X vs Magneto. This goes back to 2018 when Nick knocked me out of the same wildcard matchup. It's been five years, but have never forgotten.
Let's just be honest here. My team is hurting, physically and emotionally. It's been two years since I've made the playoffs and while it feels good to be back, we're missing some key pieces. Having lost Herbert and JayTay over the past two weeks, I'm digging deep into the bench and waiver wires for one of those special plays.
Nick's team is battling the injury bug as well, losing Michael Thomas and Christian Kirk. He will continue to rely on Lamar, Mostert, Kelce and Dallas Def, each one who is capable of taking over a week and pushing the team to a victory alone. The battle will come to rest on Sunday evening as neither of us have any MNF players. May the best-worst team win to face Nathan next week.
Justin vs Worzie
The 2022 and 2021 champions will go head-to-head in a matchup that features players like The Sun God, King Henry and 2 Girls 1 Kupp. These rosters look solid on paper but late into the season, anything can happen.
Josh Allen has been historically great in week 15 games, throwing 11 tds to only 2 ints, although this Dallas defense will be his toughest test yet. Purdy has been lighting up the scoreboard with 5-yard slants and bubble screens, Justin is hoping those find the hands of Aiyuk. With JayTay out, Worzie plans to start Zack Moss who averaged over 22pts per game when JayTay missed the first four games of the season, a big addition for a playoff run.
All said and done, this matchup could be a high-scoring affair and both will have a chance to come back on MNF with Goedert and Swift slated to play against the Seahawks.
SEASON PREDICTIONS
I went 3-2 in the final week of regular season, bringing my season total to 38-27. Let's keep this going into the playoffs.
Commish vs Nick: Commish Justin vs Worzie: Justin
Good luck to everyone this week, except all of you who are not in the playoffs. Oh, and you Nick. I plan on sending your team to the sidelines with the rest of the scrubs. My run to the cup starts now.