The Gridiron Gentlemen Super Fun Prediction League: Week 9

We are now at a point where we have seen the larger part of the season and our predictions aren’t getting much better. They are however bunching up a bit, with only a 4 game difference between the Simon (at the top) and Dylan/Duncan (at the bottom).

Here’s the current score:

 

Dan: 78-41

James: 77-42

Dylan: 76-43

Simon: 80-39

Duncan: 76-43

This week we’ve got some close match-ups which mean with a variety of different predictions we will almost certainly see a massive difference in the above table next week. So let’s take a look at the week starting with a predictable Thursday night game.

Cleveland Browns @ Cincinnati Bengals

Despite one of the worst QB performances I’ve ever seen in last year’s Thursday night match up between the 2, this was always going to be a one-sided affair. The Bengals have now proven that they are legitimate Super bowl contenders.

 

 

 

 

Miami Dolphins @ Buffalo Bills

Before the start of the season this was 2 teams that were considered challengers for the AFC East. Then they both went through a rough patch. Then one of them fired their coach and got a whole lot better. Now we really don’t know who either team are. This game could go a long way to finding out exactly who they are.

 

 

 

 

Green Bay Packers @ Carolina Panthers

If I had been told that one of these teams would still be undefeated at week 9, I would have had money on it being Green Bay. As it is Green Bay lost a game against a impressive looking Denver team last week. Now they go up against the Panthers, who have also looked nothing short of impressive themselves. Can the Packers get their mojo back? Can the Panthers continue their insane ability of finding ways to win in the face of adversity? Either way, this should be a great game.

 

 

 

 

Jacksonville Jaguars @ New York Jets

Despite some questionable game-planning the Jags raw talent managed to overcome a beaten up AFC East team in London 2 weeks ago in London. Now they go up against another beaten up AFC East team, who themselves have been responsible for ‘less-than-brilliant’, game-planning. Last week made everyone question just how good this Jets team is and now I think we have a pretty close match up. Both teams need to win to stay in the play off hunt.

 

 

 

 

St Louis Rams @ Minnesota Vikings

In my opinion we have the game of the week here. The Vikings have been just good enough to beat bad teams with an excellent defence and some excellent wide receiver play. We are however still waiting for that standout Bridgewater game and I don’t think it’s coming from this one. The Rams are the envy of a variety of teams that want to play first football, with their exceptional defence keeping time of possession on their side and putting the ball in the hands of potential rookie of the year, Todd Gurley. This should be fun game with a potential handing of the baton between Peterson and Gurley.

 

 

 

 

Washington @ New England Patriots 

Washington have performed well, certainly better than being the 32nd ranked team I had them as at the start of the season, this game however probably is a bit much. The Patriots aren’t so much the ‘jack of all trades’, but more the ‘master of all trades’, seemingly with an ability to beat teams an unending variety of ways. I won’t bet against the Patriots until I see of a way they can actually be beaten.

 

 

 

 

Tennessee Titans @ New Orleans Saints

The Titans have made some big, unexpected changes this week, firing Ken Whisenhunt and promoting Mike Mularkey. Whisenhunt will feel slightly hard done by considering this is the first week his prize QB will be back to play. Mariota will face a fairly shallow secondary, but be going toe to toe with a QB that seems to be consistently breaking records in Drew Brees. It’s unrealistic to believe that he’ll have another 7 touchdown game, but I just don’t think Mariota have what it takes to stand toe to toe with Brees.

 

 

 

 

Oakland Raiders @ Pittsburgh Steelers

Another great game here. If the Raiders have proven anything, it’s that they’re unpredictable. This is not the laughing stock Oakland team we’ve got used to over the last few years. Thanks to some decent coaching and great drafting they are capable of standing up to pretty much anyone in the league. The Steelers have struggled with injuries, which took yet another hit when Bell went down last week. That being said they have a more than competent passing attack which should make for a high scoring, tight game.

 

 

 

 

New York Giants @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

I don’t feel like we really know exactly what either of these teams are. The Giants looked great on offence, but a porous defence let them down against Drew Brees in ridiculous form. The Bucs offence has slowly been gathering steam, with Martin finding the form he had a couple of years ago and Jameis Winston becoming worthy of his number 1 pick. The defence has improved immensely too, with Kwon Alexander putting his name in the hat for defensive rookie of the year. This could be a close game and I have zero doubt that we’ll know a lot more about the winner of this game.

 

 

 

 

Atlanta Falcons @ San Francisco 49ers

A disappointing run for both teams. Atlanta had a strong start, but have struggled to keep the score low with teams being able to highlight defensive issues. The Niners had a strong start to the season too, but quickly devolved into the team we suspected they might be, which includes the benching of Colin Kaepernick for Blaine Gabbert. This would be a good week for the Falcons to recover their mojo.

 

 

 

 

Denver Broncos @ Indianapolis Colts

This has always been a greatly anticipated game between Peyton Manning and his old team, with both being on a relatively even playing field. This year the Broncos are a far better prospect than the Colts, who are barely clinging on to the top spot of a poor AFC South. Last week Manning looked excellent, which leads us to an important question. Is Manning back to his best?

 

 

 

 

Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys

There is no denying that the NFC East is a mess and the 2 main players in that omni-shambles are the Eagles and Cowboys. The Eagles haven’t been able to get it going on offence which puts a ridiculous strain on the defence, this is a problem. The Cowboys also have offensive woes, with Romo still a good 3 games away from a comeback. This could be a fun match up between 2 teams that simply can’t score.

Dan	Dylan	Duncan	Simon	James	Alex
Cowboys 16-13	Eagles 21-17	Eagles 17-12	Cowboys  17-14	Cowboys  17-14	Eagles  21-17

 

 

 

 

 

Chicago Bears @ San Diego Chargers

Battle of the poor secondaries on prime time TV. Philip Rivers has racked up an insane amount of yards but a poor defence means he simply can’t single-handedly keep up with the scores the opposing teams are running up on them. The Bears seem to keep games close, but lose it at the last minute. The Bears will be without Matt Forte and the Chargers without Keenan Allen. This could be a pretty dull game.

 

 

 

 

Enjoy week 9 folks, let us know who you’ve got on twitter, here