We’ve now completed 9 of 14 match-ups, and the playoff teams seem to be separating themselves from the pack, with 3 VP now between the 6th and 7th positions, although the 6th place team has games left against both teams within striking distance of them in their division, so it should be an interesting finish. The Chalupas continue to dominate and are currently 6 points clear of the 2nd best team in the league (who will get hosed with the 4 seed). A couple players pushed themselves into serious consideration for their respective player of the year awards with big games, and Zeke Elliott continues to roll to his ROTY award. Hell, if he stays healthy, he could be the first rookie to find himself in the Offensive Player of the Year award voting.
People ask me on a regular basis, why VP? Take a look at the Yobagoya division, where all 4 teams are within one win of each other, yet the teams are far from equal. In this arena, I would much prefer to reward the teams that are consistently good all year over the teams that lucked into a sweet schedule.
Matchups
7-2 Loose Bandits (198.02) – 3-6 Deadly Nagintas (170.67)
The Bandits pick another division win, but not enough points to keep pace with the Chalupas as they fell into the 1VP bucket this week. The Bandits were garbage time kings this week, as things were looking bleak into the 4th quarter of the 1pm games when they racked up about 60 points in 10 real-time minutes. They ended up with solid performances all over the field, but the Quarterback position still appears to be a concern, as they’re 8th in QB scoring, only .18 points ahead of WDJFS. Will they address this need prior to the deadline, or will it be their eventual downfall in the playoffs? The Nagintas were awful on offence outside of Evans and Brees, and the defence wasn’t good enough to make up for it. The Nagintas now find themselves 4 points back of the playoffs, and have some decisions to make regarding the direction of the team this year.
8-1 Chalupa Batman (213.86) – 5-4 Fear Boners (151.21)
The Chalupas remain the top dog, and the winningest team in EBFL history, with another divisional win, this time over the upstart Boners. Frank Gore and Jimmy Graham turned back the clock, and Rishard Matthews took advantage of Andre Johnson’s retirement to have his best game of the year. There were also 3 big performances on the defensive side of the ball with Barron, Collins, and Ryan putting up over 18 each. When you can get 60+ points from 3 defenders, you aren’t going to lose often. The Boners got another solid game from Michael Thomas, who is probably the only player that can give Zeke a run for ROTY. The Boners need to get their ship righted in a hurry, as several teams could be breathing down their neck after another poor performance.
5-4 Rex in the City (220.38) – 1-8 What Does John Fox Say (121.40)
The Rexes cruised to an almost 100 point victory on their turn for the unofficial Bye week, as WDJFS didn’t even put up a fight. The Rexes remain firmly in the driver’s seat and look to be headed to their 2nd division crown in 3 seasons. Jason Witten’s best game in about 4 years paced the Rexes to the win. The Rexes are a dangerous team when the match-ups work out, but I’m not sure they can make a full 3-week stand to take home the trophy again. If they can work their way past the Stache and get that bye, maybe they can become the first two-time champ. There isn’t much to say about WDJFS. They stink. You want the plate covers now or later, Scotty?
5-4 Greg Schiano is an Idiot (201.24) – 5-4 Tom Selleck’s Moustache (185.57)
The Idiots pull off the upset on Monday night and are now alone in the 6th seed, with the Boners next on their list of teams to jump. After a slow start, this team has really come on and could be dangerous to all the squads with championship aspirations. It was a team effort for the win, with everyone contributing except Jerick McKinnon. The Seahawks duo of Avril and Wright sealed the deal on Monday night. The Stache had a number of noteworthy performances, but as has often been the case, they were let down by their defence. This one could be costly for the Stache as they are now only 2 points up on the Rexes for the #2 seed.
4-5 Long Snappers (209.86) – 4-5 San Juan Bananas (146.30)
The Snappers have worked their way out of the Frittata Bowl (via tiebreak at this point), with the win over their division rival, and are now within striking distance of a playoff position. The Snappers pulled out the win despite Derrick Henry going down prior to his game and Devin Taylor not finding the stat sheet either. Outside of Taylor, the defence was solid and there was a rare ARob sighting as well. There isn’t really anything good to say about the Bananas this week. San Juan is now in a tough spot with 4 of their 5 remaining games against current playoff teams, and their 5th is against a team only one VP behind them.
3-6 Knuckle Ballers (203.20) – 4-5 Endzone Dancers (168.07)
In the game of who gets to finish 2nd in the Taco Corp but still be in the Frittata Bowl, the Ballers came out on top, and are now tied with the Dancers at 13 VP. The Dancers hold the tiebreak with their extra win. Both teams in this one took multiple zeroes, one of which was inexcusable. How can you defend leaving Josh McCown in when you have an actual starting QB on the bench? It was announced more than 24 hours before the game it would be the case. The Ballers took the W on the backs of their RB, two of which combined for over 60 points. Both of these squads have the division leading Rexes left, and a division match up against WDJFS. To have any shot at the playoffs, one of them will have to knock off Rexes, and probably win at least 2 of 3 non-divisional games. The more likely outcome is both teams are Frittata Bowl bound, pending mass sell-offs from other squads.
Week 9 Awards
Offensive Player of the Week
Melvin Gordon (Tom Selleck’s Moustache) – Gordon probably ran his way into OPOTY consideration with his 2nd 30 point game in 3 weeks. He put up over 250 scrimmage yards and a score against the Titans.
Defensive Player of the Week
Thomas Davis (Endzone Dancers) – Davis had his best game of the year with 10 tackles, an assist, a fumble recovery, a sack and a pick.
Rookie of the Week
Ezekial Elliott (Greg Schiano is an Idiot) – Zeke has been what Todd Gurley was supposed to be. He matched his 2nd best output of the season with 22.2 points in the Idiots victory.
Goat of the Week
Zach Brown (Tom Selleck’s Moustache) – Came into the week as the favourite for DPOTY, but a pair of assists after a 7-week string of double-digit games turns out to be costly for the Stache.
Pickup of the Week
DuJuan Harris (San Juan Bananas) – Harris had a big game filling in for the Niners at RB. Unfortunately, San Juan left him on the bench, but he could be a decent trade chip or depth player down the stretch.
Bench Player of the Week
Marcus Mariota (Tom Selleck’s Moustache) – The Stache look set at the QB position for a while. Mariota manages to take this one despite 3 turnovers, one which was returned for a TD. He really only gets it because I didn’t want to put DuJuan Harris in twice.
Bonehead Coaching Move of the Week
Scott McKay (Endzone Dancers) – This award will likely be named after Scott in the near future. Leaving McCown in when he wasn’t starting with a starter on the bench was an interesting strategy.
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