Week 15 2016 Score Report

(Reminder to those inclined:  Bulk of the games this week are on SATURDAY.  Two games Christmas Day, and the last Monday nighter, along with Thursday.)

• 43.625 PPG this week.  Season average is now down to 44.46.
• Home teams were 7-9 this week.  126-93-1 for the year.  (.575 exactly)
• Over was also 7-9 this week, and now one game below .500 for the year.  Losing about one unit a week now if you were to bet one unit on every game going Over.  (Actually, you'd lose that either way now -- just as Vegas likes it.
• Favorites 8-8 against the number this week, 12-4 straight up.  107-99-7 against the spread for the year, 138-74-1 straight up.
• If you want an indication on how some of the sad sacks in the league have quit already:  Buffalo was -10.5 to Cleveland.  Atlanta -13.5 to San Francisco.  Seattle -15.5 to the Rams.  All covered by 5.5 points or more.
• Team with more penalties was 8-7 this week, still 80-109 for the year though.
• Three Cliffhangers, including one where a 2-point attempt with 4 seconds left to win the game went awry (technically not a true Cliffhanger, but counting it, for now, due to circumstance).
• There were no Last Chance Misses (except the one with the 2-point conversion miss, if you are so inclined.)
• 6 non-competitive games this week.
• Meaning 43 Cliffhangers for the year (19.1%).  As for games that are within one score at some point in the fourth quarter:  164/224 (73.2%).

Storyline update:

AFC:

• New England one game clear for the #1 (12-2 to Oakland's 11-3.)  Both clinched playoff spots this week.  New England has won the AFC East.
• If Oakland wins twice, so must New England to get homefield.
• Steelers #3 at 9-5.  They play Baltimore Christmas Day.  A Steelers win wins the division, a Baltimore win really makes things interesting.
• Stupid NFL Situation of the Week on a sidebar here:  Chris Boswell kicked six field goals for the Steelers in their win last week.  According to the NFL, the last time someone made 7 or more (the record is 8) was in 2007.
• So Boswell was rewarded...  with a drug test.  REALLY?????
• Houston is #4, tied with Tennessee at 8-6, Houston has the first win between the two teams -- the second game is Week 17 at Tennessee.
• Kansas City is #5 with 10-4, and needs at least one Raiders loss to win the division.
• Miami is 9-5 for the #6.  Miami at Pittsburgh.  Kansas City at Houston.
• Baltimore, Tennessee, and Denver at 8-6 and still well in it.
• Indianapolis is 7-7 and alive by the division, mostly.
• Eliminated:  Buffalo (Miami pretty much finished them off, even though Buffalo is also 7-7), Cincinnati, the Jets, Jacksonville, San Diego, and Cleveland.

How bad is it for Indianapolis?  To play on in the playoffs, they need:

• Two wins.
• Houston loses twice.
• Tennessee loses to Jacksonville.

That would win the division.

A wildcard, for starters, would require two wins and two losses by Miami, Denver, and Baltimore.

NFC:

• Dallas is 12-2 and the #1, wins homefield with one more win or a loss or tie by the Giants.
• Seattle is 9-4-1 and has the #2 and has won the NFC West.
• Atlanta and Detroit are both 9-5.  Atlanta gets the #3 on the "strength of victory" tiebreaker as of right now:  Their wins are against teams with better records than Detroit's wins.
• Giants are #5 at 10-4.
• Green Bay has snuck into the #6 over Tampa, with the tiebreaker being "strength of schedule" -- the NFC East + Detroit, basically.  Both are 8-6.
• Green Bay at Atlanta, Giants at Detroit.
• Redskins are 7-6-1, Vikings are 7-7.
• Saints are 6-8, hanging on skin of teeth.   Two wins, two losses by Tampa, Washington, and Green Bay, get the wildcard #2 to 8-8.
• The Carolina Panthers have a similar longshot path.
• Eliminated:  Arizona, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago.

So, basically, 19 teams with a couple or three more hanging on by a thread.

Not your normal year, is it, Roger???