10/6/26
Week 4 is when the good and bad teams really begin to separate themselves and we get a good read on where teams are at in the pecking order of the NFL. The Cleveland Browns and Las Vegas Raiders showed that they are both legit while major questions surround teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions. We also start to see higher scores in Professor DW’s Football Pick ’em Challenge as all contestants start to see upset potentials and which teams might have been viewed as good or bad but ended up on the other side of the coin.
It was a strong win for Jim Spinelli this week as he missed just three games on his way to 13 points and the overall win. It didn’t start off great as Jim picked Pittsburgh over Cleveland on Thursday night as well as Houston over Dallas. However, he was the only contestant to pick New England to upset Buffalo on the road which turned out to be the difference maker this week. The only other miss Jim had was the Chargers over the Seahawks in the latest dud by LA.
Second place would be tight at 12 points and it looked to be a tie between Stephen Gruginski and Alicia Clark. However, Jennifer Kickner won the final eight games of the week to make things very interesting with a three-way tie for second for the second week in a row. Stephen and Jennifer both went low with guesses of 124 and 186 respectively while Alicia shot high with a guess of 254. It was a record high as the second most penalties in a single week since the NFL began tracking the stat occurred with 271 penalties. That kept Alicia under the total and earned her the second-place finish in historic fashion.
Jim and Alicia qualify for Professor DW’s Exclusive Postseason Tournament at the end of the season. Jim also earns the $25 cash for being the overall winner for the week. The grand prize is still a mystery for now as there are still many chances to get qualified for the postseason. All eight contestants to qualify for the postseason are still able to play to try to block out spots and maximize their chances to take home the grand prize. Despite getting just one entry into the Tournament, fewer entrants create a better chance to win. Alicia Clark will qualify for the postseason for the third consecutive year while Jim gets into the playoffs for the very first time.
Professor DW continues his historic losing streak with a grand total of 10. It wasn’t necessarily a bad showing for DW but once again can’t seem to pick the right upsets every week despite taking some chances. He also missed on all three of the toss-up games this week as he still is getting a feel for the NFL season. He is officially 1-1 in picking games played in Europe this season so he has that going for him.
Of course we already teased the upset of the week. New England got it together to shock Buffalo and hand the Bills their first loss of the season. Jim was the only one to predict this and now the question remains does that result say more about Buffalo being vulnerable or New England righting the ship?
Week 5’s contest is up. The deadline to enter is back to 4pm on Thursday so get signed up ASAP. Congratulations Jim and Alicia and best of luck to everyone this week.
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