2018 NFL Week 14 Score Report: One more week like this, and I will call a rewrite...

Another odd, low-scoring week, with a number of the big teams losing.

I think we have a new direction, and I don't think it's just the weather.  I'll show you in another post...

• 43.5625 PPG this week -- second-lowest of the year.
• Average for the year is down to 47.5625.
• Meaning the all-time average is now just within sight to 74 points.
• The all-time average for the modern schedule is now about 165 points away -- that number coming down the last two weeks.
• Home teams feasted this week -- 11-5.  125-77-2 for the year.
• The Over, not so much:  7-9, and now that makes 98-107-3 for that bet.
• 7-9 was also the against the spread number, and the favorites were only 9-7 straight up!
• The year:  93-108-2 ATS, 131-74 SU.
• Team with more penalties was 4-8 this week.
• 15.25 penalties a game this week, and it really sounds like the penalties (and fines) started picking up the last couple of weeks.
• 5 Cliffhangers for 44 total.
• 110 total games finished within eight points after 9 this week.
• 4 non-competitive games for 68 total.
• 3 Last Chance Misses for 55 total.

And the current storyline.  I don't think this is the Power Rankings (that's the "another post" I'll get on, because I think, especially in the NFC, it's about to all blow up):

NFC:

The Rams getting beaten (and maybe exposed) means New Orleans is back on top with the tiebreaker.  The Monday Night win by Seattle over Minnesota flips the wildcard slots.

1. New Orleans 11-2 and the win over the Rams  SOUTH CLINCHED
2. LA Rams 11-2  WEST CLINCHED
3. Chicago 9-4 ONE MORE TO WIN THE CENTRAL
4. Dallas 8-5 ONE MORE TO WIN THE EAST

So the divisions, three weeks out, are pretty much done (as are almost the byes), and that might have something to do with some of the screwing around the last couple weeks -- are they trying to instill doubt?

The 5 is Seattle, and they're a game and a half and the tiebreak on the 6, Minnesota -- and those are the only six teams above .500 after 13 games!

AFC:

Houston loses, New England loses, KC has another narrow escape (I think the league is biding time on those guys), Pittsburgh loses to Oakland....

Wait...

HUH???

1. Kansas City 11-2 MAGIC NUMBER FOR 1 SEED IS TWO
2. New England 9-4 (defeated Houston)
3. Houston 9-4
4. Pittsburgh 7-5-1
5. LA Chargers 10-3

And don't sleep on the Chargers being the rewrite.  For example, Brian Tuohy made the call for the Super Bowl preseason that the CHARGERS would be the LA stadium team to open the new stadium on the Thursday night...

But this 6 seed is complicated.  There are four 7-6 teams.  Baltimore, Indianapolis, Miami, and Tennessee.

So the first tiebreaker you invoke is to eliminate one of Indy and Tennessee.  Indy won the first meeting 38-10 Week 11 -- they'll meet again Week 17.  So Tennessee is out and you have Baltimore, Indy, and Miami.

Indy is then eliminated in the three-way tiebreak due to a 6-5 conference record vs. 6-4 of the other two.

The #6, right now, is Baltimore, on the common games tiebreaker.

Titans:  Both teams won.

Raiders:  Both teams won.

Bills:  Both teams won.

Bengals:  Indy lost the one game, Baltimore split.

So Baltimore is 4-1, Indy 3-1 -- the minimum is four, so it counts.