The four games this weekend look like home bankers, but history suggests at least one visiting team will win – and the Steelers perhaps have the best chanceWelcome to what the NFL calls the divisional round of the playoffs, where four teams that won a wildcard playoff game hit the road to tangle with a team that posted a better record during the regular season and thereby got a weekend off. Decks appear stacked. Related: Odell Beckham Jr's real mistake was not making himself invisible Continue reading...
The regular season’s Pick Six contest is done and dusted, and now Pick the Playoffs can begin. This week, go for Houston, Seattle, Pittsburgh and Green BayFor NFL teams, the playoffs represent the culmination of months of hard graft. But here on the Guardian sport blog, they simply represent a fresh start. Our regular season Pick Six contest is at an end, but now it is time for the Pick the Playoffs to begin. First, though, we must crown our regular season champion. In past years, this has often been a close-run thing, but this time it was not at all; castigers has led the way for weeks and held off one final late push from the chasing pack to...
A blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs has officially ended the Super Bowl title returning to Denver – and there’s more to blame than just the quarterbackThe Denver Broncos season unofficially ended shortly before half-time during Sunday night’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Down 21-10 with time running out in the second quarter, they lined up as if they were going to attempt a 53 yard field goal. Instead, kicker Brandon McManus took the ball, ran ... and failed to pick up the first down. The Broncos wouldn’t score again as the Chiefs would go on to win 33-10, securing a return to the playoffs while eliminating the reigning Super Bowl champions from postseason contention. Related: 350lb lineman...
The Lions are riding a five-game winning run, but Matthew Stafford’s finger injury could spell trouble. Plus, go for the Vikings, Steelers and CardinalsThe finish line is in sight. Only three weeks remain in the NFL’s regular season, and that means you only have three more shots at a clean sweep in our Pick Six contest. Nobody managed it in week 14, although castigers did make a big move up to the top of our overall leaderboard with a solid five out of six. Related: How the Seattle Seahawks became the NFL's most outspoken team Continue reading...
Dak Prescott will need to be at his sharpest to keep pace with Ben Roethlisberger, whose offense should be too much for DallasAfter the drought, the deluge. For consecutive weeks we had no clean sweeps to celebrate in our Pick Six contest, but this time I bring you seven … and a half. Let’s have rapturous applause for alpenvo, Barkotron, CosmicTrigger, GlennyTheElder, ITLaw23, waterhoose and zoomster - who called every game correctly in week nine. And also a commiserating clap for aalipour - who did the same, but won’t get the full six points because he submitted his predictions after the early games had already begun. I’ll have those overall standings up shortly in the comments section below. Until then,...