I think I have finally resigned myself to the fact that we will not score more than the 20 points from the first week. This NFL season has been such an interesting one, and so unpredictable, that our prognosticators have just not been able to figure it out on a regular basis. I have accepted that we will score in the low-to-mid teens each week, and that’s okay! This week we scored another 13 points, and I think for the first time ever, we did not have a correctly predicted winning team’s score. That just goes to show how unpredictable this year has been.
However, there was one great thing that happened this week. There was yet another correct final score prediction! That brings the total so far this season to five, which is outstanding through eight weeks. As always, the Pantheon is gladdened to add another name to its vaunted halls, and it continues to hope for more. I say we continue to give more names to it!
Anyway, enough of my rambling, bring on the games!
The Games
As always, here is the slate for next week’s games. Simply copy and paste it to the comments, and add your predicted scores after the team names. (Substitute scores for the XX and YY.)
- Green Bay Packers XX @ Carolina Panthers YY
- St. Louis Rams XX @ Minnesota Vikings YY
- Tennessee Titans XX @ New Orleans Saints YY
- New York Giants XX @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers YY
- Atlanta Falcons XX @ San Francisco 49ers YY
- Chicago Bears XX @ San Diego Chargers YY
Once you have called your shots down below, please update the spreadsheet. Here is the link. (Only update the cells in your own column.)
With all of that out of the way, read on to find exactly who Nailed It!
Final score
These are the people who have (somehow) correctly predicted the final outcome of a game. The only shot that was called that could be considered more famous than these belongs to Babe Ruth. Bow down before their wisdom! (And make sure you ask them for next week’s lotto numbers.)
- Minnesota @ Chicago – BP correctly predicted that the Vikings would defeat the Bears with a score of 23-20!
Scoring differential
These are the ones who correctly predicted the margin by which the victors would best their competition. These are also the ones to consult if you want to bet the spread.
- Minnesota @ Chicago – FF0125 correctly predicted that the Vikings would win by three points.
- New York Giants @ New Olreans – Jmac34, Natesweet, Reggie, and SDL all correctly predicted that the Saints would win by three points.
- Indianapolis @ Carolina – ALLSAINTSROW, FF0125, and LaCW all correctly predicted that the Panthers would win by three points.
Total combined score
These are those who somehow managed to pick the correct total score but did not have any clue in how the teams would actually get there. Still, if you want to bet an over/under, you could do worse than consulting with them.
- Minnesota @ Chicago – BearsSaveLives and Gabes222 both correctly predicted that the teams would combine to score 43 points.
Winning team’s score
- None this week.
Against the grain
Oftentimes, our picks will be unanimous. However, there are those who will sometimes walk their own path.
- None this week.
Week 8 Leaderboard
Now on to the leaderboard!
The logjam in the second place position sorted itself out a bit this week. However, all that did was create another logjam in the fourth place position on the leaderboard. Above all that, though, still sits Gabes222 in first place with another point scored point this week. Behind him now sit ALLSAINTSROW AND Jmac34 who each scored one point this week to move into that second place tie.
Fourth place is where it’s really interesting. With the three points from his correct final score, BP moved into that five-way tie for his first appearance on the leaderboard. Joining him as a new name on the leaderboard this week is Natesweet who also scored one point this week. This will still be a battle to see who emerges in the top five going forward. Adding to that battle will also be the two people with five points sitting just off the leaderboard, and the four people with four points. One good week from any of them, and we could see their names up here.
With that said, here is the leaderboard after Week 8 (in the case of a tie, the names are arranged alphabetically):
- Gabes222 – 10 points
- ALLSAINTSROW – 7 points
- Jmac34 – 7 points
- Big Deal – 6 points
- BP – 6 points
- MKE – 6 points
- Natesweet – 6 points
- Nichels – 6 points
Again, I just wanted to give one last big shoutout to BP for his correct final score prediction! That is already the fifth this season in only eight weeks! And this is the second time we have had back-to-back weeks with a correct final score! Amazing! I sure hope that we can get more throughout the year.
Now let’s give a little congratulatory clap to all the people who are listed in this article. Or not. Your choice.
If you would like to have your name forever enshrined in the vast expanse that is the internet, simply call your shot in the comment section below for the games of the NFC North and NFC South. Once you have done that, please update the spreadsheet using the link provided. I will be reviewing the spreadsheet and keeping track as the season goes on. And who knows? Maybe you’ll even see your name in the leaderboard!
If you cannot call your shots on Thursday, as is custom, it is still possible to participate. As long as your called shots are posted to the spreadsheet before it gets locked at the start of the games, I will include them.