It’s usually soccer that is referred to as a funny old game. Turns out, the BFL is just that too. The playoffs are approaching ominously in the rear view mirror and it continues to be a league that is very competitive.
The Dope is in an excellent mood after getting two weeks of perfect predictions, stay tuned to see if a third week is on the cards…
If the playoffs started today…
#4 Maryland Cookies @ #1 Cleveland Clowns
#3 Waterton Winos @ #2 Orlando Rage (on tiebreaker)
Toilet Bowl: #6 Dezzy Does Dallas @ #5 Shotgun Shenanigans
Rage (5-3) @ Dallas (2-6)
Previous Matchup: Week 5, Dallas 188.2 @ Rage 210.5
The Dope anticipated that the Rage would find it tough last week, but the manner of the defeat will dishearten their supporters the most. Drew Brees’s incredible performance counted for nothing as he was benched in favour of Cam Newton – which was a great move considering the projected score totals for that game. However, what determines the winners and losers are those who go with their gut and not the numbers. The Rage have been obliterated by the bye weeks of 10 players and despite there being talks of a trade to alleviate the problem, the Rage are anticipated to take a hit this week to keep hold of their key players for playoff time. However, a bad result here could condemn the team to a third seed.
Dallas’s late acquisition of Eli Manning helped them tremendously. What could have been a terrible result for them without him was kept respectable by his superb performance. Eli appears to have finally got the Dezzys ticking despite the loss last week, and the team will be boosted by the news that the captain, Dez Bryant, is expected to start this week and will no doubt hope to show that he has not missed a beat despite his injury.
The Dope’s Prediction: Dallas gets it’s third win and ends it’s four game losing run as the Rage are badly hit by several bye week players.
Winos (5-3) @ Shenanigans (2-6)
Previous Matchup: Week 5, Shenanigans 173.6 @ Winos 200.4
It was not a convincing performance by the newly moniker ed Shenanigans last week, but they will care not one bit as they picked up their second win of the season in the potential Plunger Bowl matchup. Demaryius Thomas was the only player to break the 20 points barrier last week, and the team will hope that the rest of it’s potentially explosive offence delivers on their promise this week, to boost a potential late surge into the playoffs.
The Winos’s top of the table clash with the Clowns ended with pie on their faces, and an additional body in the hospital ward, taking the list of players on injury report to 11. This could be the point at which their season falls apart despite their good start and an impressive roster – with so many players uncertain to play, as well as the tactic of simply not checking the team at all – if they are not careful, the Winos faithful could literally be watching their season go down the toilet.
The Dope’s Prediction: Shenanigans keep up the momentum from last week and get a second win on the bounce.
Clowns (6-2) @ Cookies (4-4)
Previous Matchup: Week 5, Cookies 231.9 @ Clowns 245
This week’s game of the week is a potential first round playoff preview and another meeting of the two hottest teams in the BFL…
It’s been a long time coming, but the Clowns stand alone at the top of the BFL mountain, for this week at least, thanks to a beat down of the Winos last week. Despite doubting him at times, Tom Brady again showed his talents and the difference between his score and that of Andy Dalton (who did out score him by 2 points last week) was such that it made very little difference to the team. The contrast between the Clowns and Winos could not be made more apparent than the number of acquisitions made by both teams. Whilst the Clowns have made the most (52 at press time), the Winos have made none. (Interestingly, the team with the second lowest total of acquisitions players? The Rage on 15)
The age old idiom of waiting for a London Bus has been proven true by the Cookies, who are suddenly threatening to go into third place in the league, a result that would have been unthinkable just three weeks ago. Of their starting seven offencive players in last week’s game, only three failed to score more than 15 points. The loss of Keenan Allen to a season-ending injury will hurt the Cookies, simply as the ineffective Stevie Johnson moves into a starting role, but this could be the week that Johnson steps up and makes himself a valuable component to the team.
The Dope is going to make a bold claim that this could be one of the closest and most exciting games of the season. And The Dope is making an even bolder claim…
The Dope’s Prediction: The Cookies will take this one in a very close encounter, largely as a result of the “Below the Fold” players of D/ST and HC.
The Dope’s Week 8 Predictions: 3-0
The Dope’s Overall Predictions: 15-9