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As some of you already know, the Week #4 edition of KWTPF was based on my own brand of fan frustration. Since the idea of the column is to determine which progression of wins & losses by other teams would help clear the path for our Saints to attain the best possible playoff position, I began to struggle with the internal question, “Does it really matter now?” The answer of course is, “Yes, it does. Until our Saints are officially out, they are still in!” But still I found it difficult to be concerned about the outcome of NFC related games while my own team was doing nothing to put themselves in any imaginable contention for postseason honors. So rather than ‘pull for’ more help from the rest of the league, my suggestion was to concentrate on the one game that mattered the most: Saints at Chargers.
The thinking here is that nothing would help the Saints more than to rack up a victory. Nothing would help the loyal Who Dat Nation more than a victory. And nothing would make this weekly KWTPF write-up more interesting than a victory. In many ways it was ‘Do or Die’. Another loss would have been akin to throwing cold water on the last few embers of a dying camp fire. It would make even the most resolute diehard start looking at potential picks for the 2017 NFL draft. It would make a weekly KWTPF thread a true exercise in futility. So, for a lot of reasons a victory by the Saints was all that really mattered.
While some have found it hard to be encouraged by a one point win to a team who seemed to be acting out a script entitled, “The Greatest Choke of All Time”, I am among those group of fans who believe that a young team like ours has to start somewhere when it comes to learning how to finish and win football games. It wasn’t pretty, but finish we did. And the importance of the lessons learned are almost immeasurable. But for the sake of all of us who are still eager to see how the season may unfold once our injured starters are able to take the field, this very improbable victory not only keeps our team in the race, but it will also keep the fans emotionally involved in the weeks to come.
Thus suddenly this Week #5 has taken on new meaning. Although it is a (much needed) BYE week for our Saints, the rest of our divisional foes will be busy trying to jockey for a higher position as will the rest of the teams in our conference. The task upon our return to the gridiron can be affected greatly by what happens this week, so it’s time to light the fuse to this week's installment of KWTPF. It was indeed troubling last week to feel the lack of motivation to make a complete list of picks for the games that will/could affect the Saints’ season. But it feels really good to have the fire back after just one single point victory in San Diego.
But I guess it was all for the best. I mean… did anyone really want to read my Carolina at Atlanta pick?
Arizona (1-3) at San Francisco (1-3), Probably one of the biggest shockers this early in the season is that these two divisional rivals would have the same record going into Week #5. The Cardinals have been favored by many to take one of the two top seeds at the end of the year. The only question now is which of these two teams do you see as being able to rebound from a start as miserable as our own? I still feel like Arizona is the most dangerous of these teams and thus hanging a 4th loss on their record would make their hill much harder to climb down the stretch. Pull for the 49ers to have a good day in their fancy new stadium. Ultimately their ‘dumpster’ is still smoldering and not likely to make a serious run in 2016.
Philadelphia (3-0) at Detroit (1-3), The Eagles are one of only three remaining undefeated teams in the league and it is always a good idea at this stage of the season not to see any team dominating the rest of the conference in the standings. Nothing makes a team second guess their own ‘greatness’ like losing to Detroit. (Perhaps with the exception of losing to the Browns.) Seeing some happy fans at Ford Field should also make the rest of the NFC happy; including us. So let’s give a supportive shout out to the Lions to shoot down the high flying Eagles this week.
Chicago (1-3) at Indianapolis (1-3), Seeing so many teams at 1-3 does tend to work a bit like a soothing salve when considering how close the bottom is to the top in the NFC heap. Like us, the Bears fans probably still hold out hope that they can claw their way back to respectability with an important road victory. But why give those poor fans any false hopes? Instead, let’s pull for the Colts to stick a pin in that balloon and keep the Bears hibernating once again this year.
Houston (3-1) at Minnesota (4-0), So, it’s the South Horns against the North Horns. (Dare I say the horniest game of the week) Yes, one of the more improbable stories so far in the NFL this year has to be the undefeated Vikings. The hits to their offense due to injuries only serves to prove once again how defenses win championships, of which Minnesota has one of the best in the league. There may come a time later in the season when we may need a clear division front runner to take down another team for us. But NEVER in the case of playing against an AFC team. This should be a good game between two early season contenders in their respective conferences. But we most certainly want to keep the Vikings close to the rest of the herd as we pull for dem Wranglers!
Washington (2-2) at Baltimore (3-1), This is another early season interconference matchup that we obviously want to see prevailed by the home AFC team. One of the question marks of this game could involve the weather, which may be adversely affected by the path of powerful Hurricane Matthew. Such games are hard to predict because such poor conditions can be a great equalizer. With so much at stake for us, let’s just hope that the Ravens are the better ‘inclement weather’ team of the two and will send the Redskins down the river without a paddle. Adding a third loss to any NFC team right now makes our hope that much brighter.
Atlanta (3-1) at Denver (4-0), Another ‘no-brainer’ pick could give us all a Rocky Mountain High if that vaunted Broncos defense can spank Patty Melt and the Dirty Birds all the way back to reality. I refuse to believe that the Falcons are as good as their record indicates, but of course anytime they lose it always gives me an extra lilt in my step and everything becomes right with the world once again. Hey Broncos… bust dem Birds for us! We’ll owe you one.
Cincinnati (2-2) at Dallas (3-1), Another one of the calls that makes this entire week’s picks among the easiest I’ve ever had to make. C’mon,… Dallas fans may begin to think they really begin to start thinking they have a football team once again. How tragic it would be for them to get their hopes up at this stage of the season. Don’t they know that Romo will eventually be put back in the starting lineup? Not only do the Cowboys need a dose of reality, but they are among the Top 3 teams that Saints fans love to hate. So it’s time to pull for the Bengals to keep the Dallas fan base from becoming too delusional.
Buffalo (2-2) at Los Angeles (3-1), The second biggest surprise in the NFL so far might just be the emergence of the much-traveled Rams. I would have to admit that I did not see them leading the NFC West at this point in the season. While it never bothers me to see them rough up those other big names in their division, it would be just what the doctor ordered for the up-surging Bills to knock them down a notch. Don’t forget the Rams now reside in the land of make-believe. Perhaps they don’t even know that they’re not supposed to look this good. Hey Buffalo! We got stuck with Byrd. You owe us one!
New York (2-2) at Green Bay (2-1), Be honest now… after watching the Giants in the Monday Night game this week, of these two teams who do you really expect to be riding high at the end of the season? The Vikings proved that any team with a formidable defense can take down New York and thus we can expect that a well-rested Packers team will be putting the heat on Manning once again. But this week it sure would be nice if the Giants can find enough spark or a new wrinkle to be able to drop a big ‘L’ on Green Bay and make them struggle just like the majority of the NFC. Such parity in the records could be a big help if the Saints are able to eventually find a groove this season and ring up a few ‘W’s’ along the way. Pull for the Giants and their band of Whininess! (Yes OBJ, I’m talking about you!)
Tampa Bay (1-3) at Carolina (1-3), I received an unusually high level of inner satisfaction as I typed out the current record of these two divisional foes. I won’t pretend that our team has their act together just yet, but such a poor record seems to hurt a team so much more when the sports world was expecting such great things after Spam & Company had just come off of a Superbowl appearance. This Monday nighter may still be getting some lingering effects from Matthew that we mentioned earlier. While officially Newton is still under the NFL’s concussion protocol, there seems to be little doubt that they will give him the green light to start this Panthers’ home game. But oh how nice it would be if those swashbucklers from Florida’s Left Coast could manage to rock Newton’s world and hang loss #4 on Carolina. If that happens then the following week’s game that will be contested at the Superdome could add another nail to the loser’s coffin. I’m not really sure what Tampa Bay has in the tank, but I can dream, can’t I? Geaux Bucs!!!
Did you ever notice how every team who enters their yearly BYE week makes the statement, “It comes at the perfect time for us.” Well hopefully this year it will indeed be true in that a lot of important Saints players will be able to make their way back onto the playing field for that showdown with the Panthers on Oct 16th. So, yes… even though the Saints will be watching from the sidelines this week, there is a great deal of very important games that will still make KWTPF the best game in town.
The thinking here is that nothing would help the Saints more than to rack up a victory. Nothing would help the loyal Who Dat Nation more than a victory. And nothing would make this weekly KWTPF write-up more interesting than a victory. In many ways it was ‘Do or Die’. Another loss would have been akin to throwing cold water on the last few embers of a dying camp fire. It would make even the most resolute diehard start looking at potential picks for the 2017 NFL draft. It would make a weekly KWTPF thread a true exercise in futility. So, for a lot of reasons a victory by the Saints was all that really mattered.
While some have found it hard to be encouraged by a one point win to a team who seemed to be acting out a script entitled, “The Greatest Choke of All Time”, I am among those group of fans who believe that a young team like ours has to start somewhere when it comes to learning how to finish and win football games. It wasn’t pretty, but finish we did. And the importance of the lessons learned are almost immeasurable. But for the sake of all of us who are still eager to see how the season may unfold once our injured starters are able to take the field, this very improbable victory not only keeps our team in the race, but it will also keep the fans emotionally involved in the weeks to come.
Thus suddenly this Week #5 has taken on new meaning. Although it is a (much needed) BYE week for our Saints, the rest of our divisional foes will be busy trying to jockey for a higher position as will the rest of the teams in our conference. The task upon our return to the gridiron can be affected greatly by what happens this week, so it’s time to light the fuse to this week's installment of KWTPF. It was indeed troubling last week to feel the lack of motivation to make a complete list of picks for the games that will/could affect the Saints’ season. But it feels really good to have the fire back after just one single point victory in San Diego.
But I guess it was all for the best. I mean… did anyone really want to read my Carolina at Atlanta pick?
Arizona (1-3) at San Francisco (1-3), Probably one of the biggest shockers this early in the season is that these two divisional rivals would have the same record going into Week #5. The Cardinals have been favored by many to take one of the two top seeds at the end of the year. The only question now is which of these two teams do you see as being able to rebound from a start as miserable as our own? I still feel like Arizona is the most dangerous of these teams and thus hanging a 4th loss on their record would make their hill much harder to climb down the stretch. Pull for the 49ers to have a good day in their fancy new stadium. Ultimately their ‘dumpster’ is still smoldering and not likely to make a serious run in 2016.
Philadelphia (3-0) at Detroit (1-3), The Eagles are one of only three remaining undefeated teams in the league and it is always a good idea at this stage of the season not to see any team dominating the rest of the conference in the standings. Nothing makes a team second guess their own ‘greatness’ like losing to Detroit. (Perhaps with the exception of losing to the Browns.) Seeing some happy fans at Ford Field should also make the rest of the NFC happy; including us. So let’s give a supportive shout out to the Lions to shoot down the high flying Eagles this week.
Chicago (1-3) at Indianapolis (1-3), Seeing so many teams at 1-3 does tend to work a bit like a soothing salve when considering how close the bottom is to the top in the NFC heap. Like us, the Bears fans probably still hold out hope that they can claw their way back to respectability with an important road victory. But why give those poor fans any false hopes? Instead, let’s pull for the Colts to stick a pin in that balloon and keep the Bears hibernating once again this year.
Houston (3-1) at Minnesota (4-0), So, it’s the South Horns against the North Horns. (Dare I say the horniest game of the week) Yes, one of the more improbable stories so far in the NFL this year has to be the undefeated Vikings. The hits to their offense due to injuries only serves to prove once again how defenses win championships, of which Minnesota has one of the best in the league. There may come a time later in the season when we may need a clear division front runner to take down another team for us. But NEVER in the case of playing against an AFC team. This should be a good game between two early season contenders in their respective conferences. But we most certainly want to keep the Vikings close to the rest of the herd as we pull for dem Wranglers!
Washington (2-2) at Baltimore (3-1), This is another early season interconference matchup that we obviously want to see prevailed by the home AFC team. One of the question marks of this game could involve the weather, which may be adversely affected by the path of powerful Hurricane Matthew. Such games are hard to predict because such poor conditions can be a great equalizer. With so much at stake for us, let’s just hope that the Ravens are the better ‘inclement weather’ team of the two and will send the Redskins down the river without a paddle. Adding a third loss to any NFC team right now makes our hope that much brighter.
Atlanta (3-1) at Denver (4-0), Another ‘no-brainer’ pick could give us all a Rocky Mountain High if that vaunted Broncos defense can spank Patty Melt and the Dirty Birds all the way back to reality. I refuse to believe that the Falcons are as good as their record indicates, but of course anytime they lose it always gives me an extra lilt in my step and everything becomes right with the world once again. Hey Broncos… bust dem Birds for us! We’ll owe you one.
Cincinnati (2-2) at Dallas (3-1), Another one of the calls that makes this entire week’s picks among the easiest I’ve ever had to make. C’mon,… Dallas fans may begin to think they really begin to start thinking they have a football team once again. How tragic it would be for them to get their hopes up at this stage of the season. Don’t they know that Romo will eventually be put back in the starting lineup? Not only do the Cowboys need a dose of reality, but they are among the Top 3 teams that Saints fans love to hate. So it’s time to pull for the Bengals to keep the Dallas fan base from becoming too delusional.
Buffalo (2-2) at Los Angeles (3-1), The second biggest surprise in the NFL so far might just be the emergence of the much-traveled Rams. I would have to admit that I did not see them leading the NFC West at this point in the season. While it never bothers me to see them rough up those other big names in their division, it would be just what the doctor ordered for the up-surging Bills to knock them down a notch. Don’t forget the Rams now reside in the land of make-believe. Perhaps they don’t even know that they’re not supposed to look this good. Hey Buffalo! We got stuck with Byrd. You owe us one!
New York (2-2) at Green Bay (2-1), Be honest now… after watching the Giants in the Monday Night game this week, of these two teams who do you really expect to be riding high at the end of the season? The Vikings proved that any team with a formidable defense can take down New York and thus we can expect that a well-rested Packers team will be putting the heat on Manning once again. But this week it sure would be nice if the Giants can find enough spark or a new wrinkle to be able to drop a big ‘L’ on Green Bay and make them struggle just like the majority of the NFC. Such parity in the records could be a big help if the Saints are able to eventually find a groove this season and ring up a few ‘W’s’ along the way. Pull for the Giants and their band of Whininess! (Yes OBJ, I’m talking about you!)
Tampa Bay (1-3) at Carolina (1-3), I received an unusually high level of inner satisfaction as I typed out the current record of these two divisional foes. I won’t pretend that our team has their act together just yet, but such a poor record seems to hurt a team so much more when the sports world was expecting such great things after Spam & Company had just come off of a Superbowl appearance. This Monday nighter may still be getting some lingering effects from Matthew that we mentioned earlier. While officially Newton is still under the NFL’s concussion protocol, there seems to be little doubt that they will give him the green light to start this Panthers’ home game. But oh how nice it would be if those swashbucklers from Florida’s Left Coast could manage to rock Newton’s world and hang loss #4 on Carolina. If that happens then the following week’s game that will be contested at the Superdome could add another nail to the loser’s coffin. I’m not really sure what Tampa Bay has in the tank, but I can dream, can’t I? Geaux Bucs!!!
Did you ever notice how every team who enters their yearly BYE week makes the statement, “It comes at the perfect time for us.” Well hopefully this year it will indeed be true in that a lot of important Saints players will be able to make their way back onto the playing field for that showdown with the Panthers on Oct 16th. So, yes… even though the Saints will be watching from the sidelines this week, there is a great deal of very important games that will still make KWTPF the best game in town.