10-29-2019, 01:52 PM
(This post was last modified: 11-11-2019, 04:16 PM by Fordhammer.)
Welcome back to my ongoing series that compares the NSFL to the NFL. We are at the halfway point in the NFL season and also around the halfway point in the current NSFL season. As I mentioned in last weeks article, I decided that this was a perfect time to reevaluate my team comparisons and make them more accurate to what we now know about both the current state of the NSFL teams and the current state of the NFL teams. I’m going to do this different than I did in my first article where I went through each NFL team and then added the NSFL team that I chose at the end. Instead, I’m going to go through each NSFL team and then go through each NFL team that I’m comparing that team to. Since there are only 10 teams in the NSFL and there are 32 teams in the NFL that comes out to just over 3 teams per NSFL team, with a few that will be 4 teams.
Yellowknife Wraiths
I’m starting from the top of the current standings and working my way down. Note that due to writing this over a few days the info for each team will have some differences since there will be NSFL games played inbetween. The Wraiths are 7-1 at the moment with only a loss at the Hawks in week 1 that they avenged in week 6. This is the most talented team in the NSFL and it’s not even close. According to the TPE Tracker they are over 2000 TPE above the second place team. They are on a 7 game win streak while all other teams have no better than a 2 game win streak at the moment. Their defense has only given up 124 points and their offense has scored 233 points. A 109 point differential which is the best in the league. No other team is even close to 100. They have multiple 100 overall players in QB Bigsby, and CBs Hornbacher and Snuggles. The defense doesn’t have a weak starter at any spot. Other than the loss in week 1 and their week 8 win against the Otters all of their games they have won by multiple scores. They are definitely the favorite at this moment to win the Ultimus this year.
I think it is pretty obvious which teams in the NFL at the halfway point most resemble the Wraiths. The Patriots, 49ers, Saints, and Packers. The Patriots are the lone AFC team that is still undefeated. Not just that, there are no AFC teams with only 1 loss. They are a full 2 games ahead in the home field advantage race that they seem to win more often than not. They also have the most talented defense in the NFL, which matches up nicely with the Wraiths. The 49ers are the lone remaining unbeaten team in the NFC and they currently look like one of the most talented teams on both sides of the ball. All 4 of these teams are the clear tier 1 teams at this point of the season, and so it makes sense that I compare them all to the Yellowknife Wraiths.
Baltimore Hawks
The Hawks started the season with a big win at home against Yellowknife. They started 3-0, but then dropped 4 away games in a row. They are now 4-4 with 5 games remaining on the season. Luckily for them, they have 3 of those games remaining that are home games, and they haven’t lost a game at home yet. The Hawks have the third highest total TPE and have the top offensive TPE of all NSFL teams. They have a talented offensive core with Havran and Bigby in the backfield and Maddox and Sunnycursed catching passes as well as Spect as a good third receiving option. They also have some great pieces on defense like Troyski, Poopsie, Green, and Terim. The Hawks are tied with Yellowknife for 2nd in the NSFL in points with 233, but have given up 223 points which is 3rd most of all teams. The defense definitely needs to improve if this team is going to take the next step and really compete with the Wraiths in the NSFC.
The three NFL teams I’m comparing to the Hawks are the Colts, Rams, and Ravens. All three of these teams are talented, but not quite to the level of the top teams. The Colts are leading the AFC South at 5-2 and have been great all season. The Rams have a very similar stretch as the Hawks where they won some games early, then lost a few games in a row, but are now back to winning. The Ravens look like they will skate to an AFC North championship, but I think they will struggle when facing talented teams in the playoffs.
Colorado Yeti
The Yeti are currently 4-5 on the season with 169 points scored, 2nd fewest in the NSFL, while giving up 242 points. They are tied with the Butchers right now for the last playoff spot in the NSFC. They are outperforming their current Total TPE rank of 7th which is a great sign. The Yeti might be one of the hardest teams to predict in the NSFL. They have wins at NOLA and against Baltimore, but also a recent loss at Philadelphia. They seem to be in that weird gray area of having the ability to beat or lose to basically any team. As far as their roster is concerned they have a lot of young and up and coming pieces. Vincent and McDummy in the backfield will only get better as time goes on. Bishop is a stud at starting receiver and Forty-Two is improving to become a great second receiving option. The one major issue with this offense is they don’t have a third receiving option at the moment. Louisiana Purchase is one of the best corners in the season 18 class and should be a staple of the secondary for a long time with Sinclair on the other side. Berry is a beast of a linebacker and Thumper is a mainstay at Defensive Tackle. Lejune is a top notch free safety, which helps round out a very talented secondary. The Yeti have the core pieces they need, and through the draft in the next season or two should be able to add the necessary pieces to compete with any team.
The three teams that I chose to compare to the Yeti are the Chargers, Steelers, and Bears. The Chargers were a team, at the beginning of the season, I thought would compete in the AFC, but haven’t looked very good and clearly need a few pieces to take that next step. The Steelers are similarly a few pieces short of being competitive in the AFC. The Bears have the biggest hurdle to overcome of any team here and that is the fact that in order to compete in a very good NFC North they need a new quarterback. Mitchell Trubisky isn’t good, and brings the Bears down. The Bears have one of the best defenses in the NFL, but the offense holds them back.
Chicago Butchers
Also at 4-5, but with a much better point differential at -19 with 225 points scored and 244 points given up the Butchers are in a similar situation as the Yeti. According to the TPE tracker they are actually the lowest TPE team in the NSFL, which tells me they have some good game plans. They just broke out of a 4 game losing streak that included a home loss to the Liberty. The roster has some talent like quarterback Jenkins and running back Brown. They also have recently acquired receiver Jackson who is going to be a stud in a couple seasons. Parker is also a good receiver on the other side of the field. They have 3 great pieces on their offensive line with Sandburg at guard, Ford Lalatina at tackle, and 177013 at center, but the other two pieces on their offensive line are major drop offs in talent. On the defensive side they have Hondo, Castle, and Rice at corner, Nikko is a great linebacker, and Saul, Henry, and Oats are good defensive line pieces. The biggest issue I see with the Butchers is they have talent with guys that are in the 80s overall, but not really talent in the 90s other than quarterback and their 3 offensive linemen. As long as that talent that’s in the 80s can continue to develop they will be a great team in the next few seasons, but it really will depend on how their talent develops.
The Butchers are best compared to the Browns, Giants, and Titans. The Browns have a lot of young talent that still needs time to develop, but if it does they will be a team that can compete in the AFC in a couple seasons. The Giants seem to have their quarterback of the future in Daniel Jones and are also a couple seasons away from being competitive. The Titans are a little harder to figure out as they are currently starting Ryan Tannehill at quarterback and I’m not sure he is the answer. They might be a little farther away from competing in the AFC, but it’s possible.
Philadelphia Liberty
The Liberty are one of the least talented teams in the NSFL according to the TPE tracker and that lines up with their 2-7 record. The one bright spot I see when looking at the standings is the fact they their point differential is only -26, which is much better than the Yeti’s differential of -73. Looking at the roster, they have some solid pieces with Falconi and Torenson in the backfield. Varga and Hardwick are also solid receivers, but they don’t have a third receiving option at receiver. On the defensive side they have Emoji, D’Attoria, and Garnett as elite secondary pieces. They don’t really have any elite players in the front 7 though and that is where they will need to focus much of their attention in upcoming drafts in order to become competitive in the NSFC.
The Broncos, Falcons, and Bucs are the NFL teams that I’m comparing to the Liberty. All of these teams have great pieces on their roster like Von Miller, Julio Jones, and Mike Evans but they are multiples pieces away from being competitive in their divisions.
Arizona Outlaws
At 6-3 the Outlaws are tied for first in the ASFC with the Otters and have a great point differential at +49. The Outlaws have the 2nd most TPE of all NSFL teams, which definitely gives them an advantage in the ASFC over all the other teams. They were caught off guard in week 1 of this season and dropped a game against the Butchers by 22 points. Their only multi score loss this season. The Outlaws roster is built to pass the ball. They don’t have an elite running back, but they have Reese passing the ball to Irving, Oles, and Valentine who are all elite pass catchers. The defense has some solid pieces as well with Knight, Montgomery, and McKinnie in the secondary and Lee, Vans, Morris, and Spector in the front 7. They are a strong team overall and will definitely be competing in the playoffs to be ASFC champs.
I’ve chosen the Eagles, Texans, and Cowboys as the NFL teams to compare to the Outlaws. These teams all have legitimate shots at having success in the playoffs this year and into the future. The Eagles and Cowboys are competing at the top of the NFC East and either team may emerge victorious. Though the Eagles took a beating in Dallas a couple weeks ago they have a knack to bounce back. The Texans have one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL in Deshaun Watson and he can put the team on his back and win against anyone. The Cowboys have a young core of players on both sides of the ball that should allow them to stay competitive for years to come.
Orange County Otters
The Otters are tied with the Outlaws at the top of the NSFC at 6-3 with an impressive +71 point differential. The 153 points they’ve given up is 2nd only to the Wraiths. They have won 4 of their last 5 games with their lone loss being to the Wraiths. They have multiple games this year where they held the opponent to under 10 points. They are 4th in the Total TPE tracker and it seems like they are always competing for an Ultimus championship. This year is no exception. The rosters strength is mostly on the defensive side of the ball with Lattimer, Grievous, Skarsgard, Ginsberg, Mbanefo, and Schneider all elite at their position. The offense will get better as players like Banks II and Reed improve.
I’ve chosen the Vikings, Seahawks, and Chiefs as my comps for the Otters. All of these teams are elite on one side of the ball and are decent, but could get better on the other side. All of these teams are what I would consider a tier below the top teams in the NFL, which means they are right there and definitely have a shot to win it all this year. They will all make the playoffs and could upset a top team.
New Orleans Second Line
As a current member of the Second Line it is hard to not be bias when I talk about this awesome team. We have a lot of young talent, especially on the defensive side of the ball as well as some great offensive talents that will be mainstays for many seasons. Currently sitting at 5-4 in the middle of the ASFC after losing a close battle against the Outlaws last night. The Second Line is an up and coming team with a chance to make the playoffs this season, and is looking like a team on the rise to compete with the Otters and Outlaws at the top of the ASFC. Forrest Gump has gone off this season and is one of the top running backs in the league and should be for quite a while. Stan Francisco is a great quarterback who will hopefully stop throwing interceptions. Considering his intelligence is 95 and Arm is 92 I think it has more to do with the sim than anything he is actually doing. The receiving corp has some young and old pieces that are working together nicely. Bender Rodriguez should be an elite receiving option in a couple seasons. The defense has some strong established players like Andrews, Ridley, Taylor, Bode, Slothface, Faux, Rax, and Stokeley. There are also some younger pieces like myself and Ironside that will continue to improve and make this defense elite very soon. Don’t be surprised to see the Second Line holding an Ultimus trophy in the next few seasons.
The teams that I compared to the Second Line are the Panthers, Lions, and Bills. All of these teams have strong defenses with improving offenses. Christian McCaffrey is basically the NFL version of Forrest Gump. All of these teams are going to be in the playoff hunt, but they might not all make it in, and that is about the line I think the Second Line is at right now.
Austin Copperheads
The Copperheads are sitting at 4-5 in the ASFC and are only 1 game behind the Second Line for the last wild card spot. Their biggest downfall is that they are 0-5 on the road, but they are a perfect 4-0 at home. It’ll be interesting to see if that continues as their next two home opponents are the Outlaws and Wraiths. Looking at the Copperheads roster, they have possibly the best offensive line in the NSFL with two guards and a center that are 95 overalls. They have some good receiving options in Larson, Anoa’i, and Tidwell all catching passes from quarterback Easton Cole who will be leading the offense for a while. On the defense they’ve got a few standouts in Lavelle Jr, Ennis, Wizardry, Kuusela, and Jensen. They’ve also got quite a few young players that will continue to improve and make an impact like Net Gaines and Adams. This team has some solid pieces, but is a few more players away from being competitive with the top of the NSFL. If they continue to improve they will be competitive in a short amount of time.
The Cardinals, Raiders, and Jaguars all seem to fit the bill pretty well with the Copperheads. All of these teams are up and coming and seem to be a year or two away from being competitive with the top teams. It will be interesting to see if these teams can take that next step or not.
San Jose SaberCats
At 1-8 the SaberCats are currently the worst team in the NSFL. That have struggled to score points this season as they’ve scored a measily 106 points so far this season, which is worst in the NSFL by 63 points. They also have given up the second most points at 257 and have the worst point differential in the NSFL at -151. The roster has a lot of holes that will take a few seasons to fix. Quarterback is not one of them as they have the 99 overall Christ as well as the 90 overall Wright on the roster. They also have an excellent rookie running back in Toriki that will continue to improve. Olsen and Flash are the lone bright spots in the receiving game, and that is the biggest area of concern for the offense. They definitely need to develop some more receivers for their excellent quarterbacks to throw to. The defense is similar in that there are some bright spots among the many holes. Cornerback is a big concern with no standouts at the position. The front seven has a few great players like Riposte and Deringer, but a team needs more than 2 players among the front 7 that are elite in order to stop opposing NSFL offenses. This team has a few seasons to go before they have a chance to compete in the NSFL. Drafting dedicated active players that are willing to stick around is important for this team to get better.
The last of the NFL comps and it’s the uglies that no one wants to talk about. The Jets, Redskins, Bengals, and Dolphins are my comps for the SaberCats. All of these teams have major holes to fill and will take multiple seasons to accomplish that. I have one thing to say to any SaberCats fan reading this. Please don’t take this personally. Unlike the NFL seasons happen so quickly in the NSFL that by the time the real NFL season is over your team could be one of the top teams in the NSFL.
Well, hopefully my new comparisons are better than my preseason ones. I was off on quite a few teams. At the halfway point in the NFL season I am 73-48 for my weekly picks. A couple of decent weeks in a row have put me well above the 500 mark now. Hopefully that will continue. I’m going to also try and keep up with how my comps do in the win loss column. That should give a good idea about how good or bad I am at making comparisons between the NFL and NSFL.
Vikings over Redskins
Another dud of a Thursday night game, the only surprising thing in this one is that the Vikings only won by 10 points and not by more. They improve to 6-2 as their defense continues to be one of the best in the NFL and their offense continues to improve as the run game is now being complimented by the passing game rather than the run game dragging the passing game along. Cousins was an extremely efficient 23 for 26 and 285 yards passing. He had no touchdowns as it was mostly a field goal game, besides the lone Dalvin Cook rushing score. The Vikings travel to Kansas City to play the Chiefs in a game they really need to win to stay within reach of the division leading Green Bay Packers. The Chiefs may be without Patrick Mahomes again, but he also could play. Either way, the Vikings are good enough to beat the Chiefs who have shown weaknesses on both sides of the ball this season. The Redskins one bright spot from this game other than holding the Vikings to 19 points was that Adrian Peterson surpassed Ladanian Tomlinson for 6th all time in rushing yardage. He did that on the back of 14 carries for 76 yards and is now only 400 yards shy of 5th place Curtis Martin. It was a nice moment as Vikings fans cheered their beloved former running back upon reaching the milestone. The Redskins travel to Buffalo to take on a good Bills team that just lost to the Eagles in an extremely windy game. I don’t expect the Redskins to win more than 1 or 2 games the rest of the season, and even that might be a stretch. At this point I think they should give Haskins a chance to show them what he’s got considering they may be in position to take one of the top available quarterbacks if they want to.
According to the new comps this would be a matchup of the Otters and the SaberCats. The Otters dismantled the SaberCats in Week 1 of Season 18 with a 34 to 7 victory. In fact, the only score for the SaberCats ended up being a pick 6 from Kolby Deringer. The Otters defense completely shut down the passing game of the SaberCats only allowing 97 yards from Wright who ended the game with 4 interceptions and a 15 rating. Offensively, the Otters had a pretty even attack with just a few more rushes than pass attempts, and an impressive 13 for 17 on 3rd down was a big key for their success. It’s good to see that the new comps are 1-0 so far. I didn’t keep up with how the comps did before, but now that all the teams are NSFL teams I will keep up with the comps win loss record.
Rams over Bengals
Welcome to the Cooper Kupp show everyone. If you are in line waiting for a reception, just know that Mr. Kupp reserves all rights to jump your place in line anytime he determines its time for another reception. All joking aside, Cooper Kupp had a monster 7 receptions for 220 yards and a touchdown. All other Rams receivers combined had 152 yards and 10 receptions. The Rams have now won two games in a row to improve to 5-3 after a three game losing streak. It helps that they played the Falcons and Bengals, but it’s not like they have any say in the way the schedule works. They now have a bye week before a stretch of winnable games that should see them in the playoff hunt by the last quarter of the season. The Bengals are now 0-8 and everyone wants them to trade away talented, but currently injured receiver, AJ Green. I don’t think he will give the Bengals the boost they need to start winning games. Andy Dalton passed the ball 52 times in this game, which is a lot for any quarterback. He didn’t have a terrible game, but not a good one either. The Bengals had more success on the ground in this game than they have in most of their games this season. Joe Mixon had 66 yards rushing, which isn’t bad considering how terrible the Bengals offensive line is. The Bengals also have their bye week this week, and everyone has week 16 at Miami circled on the calendar as a potential 0-14 matchup, which would be the first time ever I think. I sure hope that happens as it would be fun to see. Either way, please trade away Green Bengals, he deserves to have a shot on a good team.
The Hawks and SaberCats don’t face off in season 18 until week 10, but in season 17 the Hawks won the matchup at home 31 to 17. The game was out of reach heading into the 4th quarter with a score of 31 to 3 and the SaberCats were able to score a couple of garbage time touchdowns to make the score seem more respectable. The yardage difference in this game was actually not that much, but the SaberCats struggled finding the endzone until the end of the game, while the Hawks had no issue getting into the endzone as they did so in 3 drives in the first half. So far the new comps are now 2-0!
Seahawks over Falcons
The Seahawks improve to 6-2, but they by no means looked great in this game against the reeling Falcons. It was a tale of two halves as the Seahawks took a 24-0 lead into the half, but then only managed 3 points in the second half and the Matt Schaub lead Falcons scored enough points to make it a one score game, but they failed to convert an onside kick, which ended the game. The Seahawks have an impressive record, but they haven’t beaten any teams of note other than the Rams in a 1 point home win. They host the Bucs this week, which is another below average opponent that they should easily beat. After that though their schedule is very tough for the rest of the season with no easy games left. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Seahawks struggle to win enough games in the 2nd half of the season to make the playoffs. The Falcons drop to 1-7 in what is still one of the more surprising downfalls that I’ve seen this season. It doesn’t get any easier for the Falcons as they play the Saints twice in November. They have their bye week this week, but I don’t think it will matter much as they seem to be content with losing at this point since they are basically already eliminated from the playoffs.
The Otters have faced off against the Liberty this season and won it handily in a 31-7 victory. The Otters didn’t give up any points until there was 12 seconds left in the game. Philadelphia managed to put up 245 yards passing, but most of that was wasted as they only managed 7 points. The total yardage was practically equal, but the Otters were able to finish off drives while the Liberty seem to have racked up most of their yards before crossing into field goal range. The comp streak continues to 3-0 so far.
Bills over Eagles
Here is one of the two games I was wrong on, but the only game I’m upset at for picking. The Eagles seem to continue to find a way to win when they need to. The Bills struggled more on defense than they have in any other game this season. Insane wind speeds made it difficult to throw the ball down the field in this game, which lead to a lot of rushing. The Eagles had a lot of success running the ball as they totaled 218 yards on 41 total rushes. The majority of those rushing came from Jordan Howard, but Miles Sanders produced as well, scoring on a long 65 yard rushing touchdown. The Bills couldn’t get their run game going and struggled in a game I thought for sure they would win. The Eagles host the Bears this week in another matchup against a great defense. They will need to continue to win in order to keep up with the division rival Cowboys. The Bills host the Redskins in a game that should get them back in the win column. They won’t be able to catch the Patriots in the AFC East, but they can definitely get one of the AFC wildcard spots if they get back to winning games. At 5-2 they are currently 2 games ahead of the 4-4 Jaguars and Titans for a wild card spot, so as long as they keep winning they have nothing to worry about.
The Outlaws (Eagles) and Second Line (Bills) have played once this season so far with the Second Line winning in a close 20 to 17 victory. After taking a commanding 20 to 0 lead the Second Line started to fall apart as Stan Francisco threw a pick six as well as another pick in the second half that let the Outlaws back into this game, but the Second Line defense was just too much for the Outlaws and NOLA won a big rivalry game. The Second Line defense was smothering and Forrest Gump rushed the ball incredibly well. This is the first comp that got it wrong so far, which means my comps are 3-1 so far this week. It’s worth noting that the first game I picked wrong was also the first comp that was wrong.
Bears over Chargers
The Bears had a shot to win this game as time expired, but a combination of things happened and in the end they missed the field goal and lost. In case you weren’t watching I have to point this out. With about 40 seconds remaining in the game on about the 20 yards line the Bears decided to kneel the ball instead of running to get a bit closer for the field goal. They called timeout with 3 seconds left and proceeded to miss the field goal that would have won the game. The Chargers are now 3-5 and I heard talks yesterday about possibly moving on from Philip Rivers next season. That will be sad to see. The Chargers host the Packers next week in what will be a tough matchup. With their remaining schedule I’ll be surprised if they find a way to make the playoffs. The Bears travel to the Eagles in a game that they have to win to keep their season alive. They are now 3-4 and in an extremely tough division with the Packers and Vikings. A loss to the Eagles more or less ends the Bears season as I don’t think either the Packers or Vikings will drop to 5 losses on the season.
What are the odds that I compare both of these teams to the Yeti? Well it happened. It makes sense really. The Yeti are currently .500 and are currently in position to just squeak into the playoffs, but that could always change with a tough remaining schedule. I think they have a better shot at the playoffs than either of these teams do.
Lions over Giants
This was an interesting game that ended up being pretty close after it looked like the Lions were going to run away with it early. Kenny Golladay had a great game for the Lions with 2 touchdowns as Stafford ended with 342 yards and 3 touchdowns. The other going to someone named Marvin Hall. Surprisingly, the Lions could not get the run game going against the Giants. I guess that’s what happens when you lose your best runner for the season. The Lions held Saquon Barkley’s rushing in check as he struggled to gain yards on the ground averaging barely over 3 yards per carry. He did have more success in the passing game where he got one of four passing touchdowns from Daniel Jones. Rookie receiver Darius Slayton caught two touchdowns in this game for the Giants. The Lions are now 3-3-1 in the very competitive NFC North and travel to Oakland this week in a game they must win to keep up with the Vikings and Packers. The Giants, who just traded for Jets defensive lineman Leonard Williams, host the Cowboys on Monday night, which could be a huge opportunity to upset a division rival.
The Second Line haven’t faced the Butchers yet this season. In season 17, the Butchers won in a close matchup that actually went to overtime where they kicked a field goal to win 28 to 25. Tyler Swift had two rushing touchdowns for the Second Line in that game, which is kind of funny to see now that he is on the defensive side and Forrest Gump is the bell cow back for the Second Line. The Second Line actually missed an extra point early in this game as well as failed a 2 point conversion attempt in the fourth quarter. Those two things combined could have lead to a win in regulation instead of an overtime loss. This counts as another loss for my comps for now, but I think we might see a different result when these two play at the end of the season, so the comps record is now 3-2-1.
Titans over Bucs
After taking an early lead the Titans let the Bucs come back and they almost won this game, but luckily the Titans held on to win a close game 27 to 23. I’m actually impressed the score was this close considering Jameis Winston turned the ball over 4 times in this one. Mike Evans had a monster performance with 198 yards and 11 receptions with 2 touchdowns. If you just looked at the total yardage for each team you would think the Bucs probably won this game since it was 389 to 246, but the turnovers from Winston were the big difference. Ryan Tannehill also impressively threw for 3 touchdowns. Is he the answer at quarterback for the Titans? They’ll at least give him the rest of the season to prove it one way or the other. The Bucs travel to Seattle in what should be a very tough matchup. They are 2-5 and would need to go on a win streak to have a shot at the playoffs. The Titans are now 4-4 and travel to Charlotte to play the Panthers next week. The Panthers had a lot of trouble stopping the run against the 49ers, so this might be a chance to see Derrick Henry feast.
The Butchers (Titans) and Liberty (Bucs) play each other twice every season since they are both in the NSFC. In their first matchup the Liberty won it pretty convincingly by two scores with a 38 to 24 final score. It was close early, but then the Liberty scored 17 straight points and took a demanding 31 to 10 lead into the 4th quarter. Torenson had a great game on the ground for the Liberty with 117 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, both von matt and Varga had 103 yards receiving. Varga added on 3 scores to his 103 yards. The Butchers couldn’t get anything going on the ground and had to pass the ball, which lead to 3 interceptions thrown by Jenkins. The comp record drops to 3-3-1 now after this one.
Saints over Cardinals
Drew Brees came back for the Saints and helped New Orleans dominate the Cardinals in his return. The Saints defense did an impressive job against a very capable Cardinals offense holding them to just 9 points on 3 field goals. Brees was an efficient 34 for 43 for 373 yards and 3 touchdowns. Latavius Murray had a lot of success on the ground as he took over starting duties from the injured Alvin Kamara. The Saints now have a bye week which will allow them to get even healthier before they enter the back half of the season. The Cardinals host the undefeated 49ers on Thursday night this week. That will be another tough matchup against another top NFL team. I don’t expect the outcome to be any different than this game, especially if David Johnson continues to be out with an injury.
The Wraiths and Copperheads unfortunately won’t face off until week 12 of season 18. In season 17 the Copperheads actually beat the Wraiths in their week 13 matchup in Yellowknife. Bigsby threw 3 interceptions, and the Wraiths were held scoreless in the 2nd half which allowed the Copperheads to come from behind as they scored 15 straight points to win by 7 after being down 8 near the end of the 1st half. I seriously doubt the matchup between these two teams in week 12 will end up like this, but for now the comps are 3-4-1 just like the Cardinals.
Jaguars over Jets
The Jaguars were dominant in this one in all facets of the game. They won the total yardage battle 389 to 213 as well as the turnover battle 3 to 1. They took a lead near the end of the first quarter and never gave it back. Ryan Griffin caught both touchdown passes from Sam Darnold, but it wasn’t enough. The Jets are now 1-6 with basically no shot at the playoffs, but they do get to travel to Miami to face the winless Dolphins this week. That might be the pick me up they need to feel better. The Jaguars are 4-4 in the very competitive AFC South as they travel to London to face the Texans. The Jaguars are familiar with the London experience at this point and probably have a slight advantage over the Texans because of it.
The Copperheads and SaberCats have played twice this season and actually split their games with each team winning at home. In this first matchup in Austin the Copperheads won similarly to the way the Jaguars won this game. With 400 yards of offense to the SaberCats 261 its easy to guess which team won. They also lead in time of possession, but they didn’t force any turnovers. The game in San Jose was more even. So even in fact that the Copperheads were able to score a touchdown with 27 seconds remaining to force overtime. The SaberCats were able to kick a field goal with 3:25 left on the overtime clock that allowed them to win the game. Since the Copperheads won at home and the Jaguars won this game at home I’m calling that a win so now the record is 4-4-1.
Texans over Raiders
This was a very close game with neither team ever having more than a touchdown lead on the other. The Raiders entered the 4th quarter with an 8 point lead that was soon diminished to 1 point on a Darren Fells touchdown at the beginning of the 4th quarter. Fells also caught a touchdown from Watson with just over 6 minutes remaining in the game that put the Texans up 27 to 24, which ended up being the final score. The Texans travel to London to face division rival Jaguars in the Texans first game in London. Should be a good test for a team that can’t afford to lose more ground to the division leading Colts. The Raiders host the Lions in a cross conference matchup that is very hard to predict.
The Outlaws and Copperheads are both in the ASFC and therefore play twice every season. So far in season 18 they’ve only played once and the Outlaws won 37 to 24. The Copperheads opened up the scoring with a touchdown pass from Cole to Anoa’I, but from there on out the Outlaws were in control of the game. Arizona had over 150 yards more on offense than the Copperheads. The Copperheads were held to just 2.7 yards per rush in this game, which is abysmal. This outcome matches up with my comparison so the score is now 5-4-1.
49ers over Panthers
As a Panthers game this was a tough one to watch. Kyle Allen looked pretty bad and only Christian McCaffrey did anything good on offense. Cam Newton will hopefully spark this offense back to life soon. The defense got abused by Kyle Shanahan’s system as they gave up 232 yards rushing. Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t even have to do much in the passing game as most of his passes were short and the receiver was just able to gain yards because of great play design. The Panthers host the Titans this week in what may be the last game before Cam returns. They should be able to win this game, but they have to put this game behind them and not dwell on this awful performance. The 49ers go to Arizona to play a Thursday night game in a game they should definitely win.
The Wraiths and Second Line haven’t played yet this season. That game is coming up soon and I expect the Wraiths to take it, but I’m hoping it’s close. In season 17 the Wraiths beat the Second Line in Yellowknife by one score. New Orleans actually took the lead into the 2nd half before the Wraiths scored 20 straight points to take the lead. A late touchdown on a pick six made the score closer than the game really was. The Wraiths out gained the Second Line by over 200 yards of total offense in this game. Most of that was through the air as neither team had any success rushing the ball. My new comps continue to work pretty well and are now 6-4-1 this week.
Colts over Broncos
This was a tale of two Adam Vinatieri’s as he won the game on a long field goal, but also missed an extra point and a field goal in this game that would have made it a less stressful victory. An extremely low scoring game the Colts beat the Broncos 15-13. Neither team had much success in the passing game and tried to rely on the run game to produce, which is a big reason for the low score. The Broncos actually took a 10 point lead in the early part of the third quarter with a Royce Freeman touchdown, but the Colts were able to come back and score 12 straight points to win it and maintain their division lead. The Broncos fall to 2-6 and will be missing Flacco for at least a game or two which will make them even more run dependent. They host the Browns in a game that I would stay away from betting wise as anything can happen with either of those teams. The Colts travel to Pittsburgh to face a Steelers team that hasn’t looked very good this season.
The Hawks and Liberty have faced off twice with the Hawks winning both matchups. In their first matchup the Hawks took a 28 to 7 lead into the 2nd half, but the Liberty tried to come back outscoring the Hawks 19-3 in the second half, which wasn’t quite enough. In their second matchup is was close throughout and the Liberty took a 23 to 20 lead halfway through the 4th quarter, but L’Alto caught a touchdown pass from Havran with 4 minutes left in the game to take the lead and that was it. The comps are now 7-4-1, guaranteeing at worst a tie!
Patriots over Browns
The Patriots defense continues to dominate the NFL. They are allowing only 7.6 points per game. That is on pace for only 122 points allowed, which would shatter the Ravens record they set in 2000 with 165 points allowed. The Browns continue to disappoint, and it sounds like they may be on the verge of firing head coach Freddie Kitchens. The Patriots travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens in one of their tougher matchups of the season so far. This will be a test against a pretty good offense and playmaker in Lamar Jackson that the Patriots haven’t seen yet. It will be interesting to see if their defense is able to handle the Ravens like they’ve handled every other team they’ve played. The Browns travel to Denver to play the Broncos without Joe Flacco in a game they should be able to win, but they are so chaotic that there is no telling what will happen.
The Wraiths and Butchers are both in the NSFC and therefore play twice every season. The Wraiths swept the Butchers in season 18 and both times by quite a large margin. In week 2 they beat the Butchers in Yellowknife 49 to 15 and more recently in week 7 they traveled to Chicago and beat the Butchers 40 to 16. I imagine these teams could play 100 times and the Wraiths would win every time. This puts the comps up to 8-4-1 now and guarantees a winning record for the week!
Packers over Chiefs
The Packers beat the Chiefs in a close matchup that might have gone the other way if Patrick Mahomes had been able to play. The Packers improve to 7-1 on the season, but in the loaded NFC they have to keep winning to get home field advantage. They only have a one game lead in their division and are tied with the Saints for home field. The Packers two headed rushing attack did most of the work in this game as they caught all of the touchdown passes and ran for the other touchdown. After opening up the first half with two scores the Packers fell off in the 2nd quarter and the Chiefs scored 17 straight points to make it 17 to 14 going into the half. After tying up the game near the end of the 3rd quarter the Packers took the lead at the beginning of the 4th before it was tied back up on a 5 minute drive from the Chiefs. The Packers took less than a minute to score another touchdown, which ended up being the final score of the game. The Packers travel to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers in a matchup they should be able to win. The Chiefs have a home game against the Packers rival the Vikings in a game the Chiefs need to win in order to stay in the race for a first round bye. They better hope Patrick Mahomes can play in this game or they may be looking at a 5-4 record.
The Wraiths and Otters only face off once a season, and luckily they have already played each other in season 18. In week 8 the Wraiths beat the Otters 24 to 20 in what was a very close back and forth game. The Otters took a 10 to 3 lead into the half, but the Wraiths scored twice and took a 17 to 13 lead into the fourth quarter. Adrian Pitcher of the Otters caught a pass from Franklin Armstrong with 9:40 left in the game to put the Otters up 20 to 17, but then just 3 minutes later the Wraiths scored on a one yard rush from Morgan Marshall to pull ahead and win 24 to 20. These two teams could not be more different offensively. The Wraiths passed the ball 44 times and only ran the ball 20 times. The Otters only passed the ball 19 times and ran the ball 44 times. This outcome puts the comps up to 9-4-1 on the week with just one game left.
Steelers over Dolphins
I have to confess I didn’t watch a single minute of this game. After scoring 14 points in the first quarter the Dolphins were shut out for the remainder of the game. They actually kept the lead until near the end of the 3rd quarter when Mason Rudolph found JuJu Smith-Schuster for a 26 yard passing touchdown. They added on 10 more points in the 4th to make the game a respectable 27 to 14. The Dolphins continue their losing ways as they strive for 0-16. They host the Jets this week in a game they could honestly win if they wanted to, but they probably won’t. The Steelers host the Colts whose defense has looked very good recently and won’t be giving up 27 points like the Dolphins did.
The Yeti and SaberCats don’t play this season until the final week in the season. I expect the Yeti to win that matchup. In season 17 the Yeti actually lost to the SaberCats 44 to 10. These two teams seem to be moving in opposite directions since this game. The Yeti managed just 201 yards of offense to the SaberCats 481 in this game. McDummy was a terrible 11 of 31 for 95 yards. I’ll be surprised if their matchup this season ends up similarly. Unfortunately, that puts the comp record for the week at 9-5-1, which is still pretty good, but I was hoping for double digits.
Last week was an extremely predictable week for sure. I don’t expect many weeks to be as easy as that was. I hope you enjoyed this special midway edition of my NSFL NFL weekly series. Let me know in the comments if you disagree with any of my comparisons. As always I’ll end with my picks for Week 9 of the NFL season.
49ers over Cardinals
Texans over Jaguars
Bills over Redskins
Vikings over Chiefs – It looks like Mahomes might be out, but if he plays the Chiefs will win.
Jets over Dolphins
Eagles over Bears
Colts over Steelers
Panthers over Titans
Raiders over Lions
Seahawks over Bucs
Browns over Broncos
Packers over Chargers
Patriots over Ravens
Cowboys over Giants
Yellowknife Wraiths
I’m starting from the top of the current standings and working my way down. Note that due to writing this over a few days the info for each team will have some differences since there will be NSFL games played inbetween. The Wraiths are 7-1 at the moment with only a loss at the Hawks in week 1 that they avenged in week 6. This is the most talented team in the NSFL and it’s not even close. According to the TPE Tracker they are over 2000 TPE above the second place team. They are on a 7 game win streak while all other teams have no better than a 2 game win streak at the moment. Their defense has only given up 124 points and their offense has scored 233 points. A 109 point differential which is the best in the league. No other team is even close to 100. They have multiple 100 overall players in QB Bigsby, and CBs Hornbacher and Snuggles. The defense doesn’t have a weak starter at any spot. Other than the loss in week 1 and their week 8 win against the Otters all of their games they have won by multiple scores. They are definitely the favorite at this moment to win the Ultimus this year.
I think it is pretty obvious which teams in the NFL at the halfway point most resemble the Wraiths. The Patriots, 49ers, Saints, and Packers. The Patriots are the lone AFC team that is still undefeated. Not just that, there are no AFC teams with only 1 loss. They are a full 2 games ahead in the home field advantage race that they seem to win more often than not. They also have the most talented defense in the NFL, which matches up nicely with the Wraiths. The 49ers are the lone remaining unbeaten team in the NFC and they currently look like one of the most talented teams on both sides of the ball. All 4 of these teams are the clear tier 1 teams at this point of the season, and so it makes sense that I compare them all to the Yellowknife Wraiths.
Baltimore Hawks
The Hawks started the season with a big win at home against Yellowknife. They started 3-0, but then dropped 4 away games in a row. They are now 4-4 with 5 games remaining on the season. Luckily for them, they have 3 of those games remaining that are home games, and they haven’t lost a game at home yet. The Hawks have the third highest total TPE and have the top offensive TPE of all NSFL teams. They have a talented offensive core with Havran and Bigby in the backfield and Maddox and Sunnycursed catching passes as well as Spect as a good third receiving option. They also have some great pieces on defense like Troyski, Poopsie, Green, and Terim. The Hawks are tied with Yellowknife for 2nd in the NSFL in points with 233, but have given up 223 points which is 3rd most of all teams. The defense definitely needs to improve if this team is going to take the next step and really compete with the Wraiths in the NSFC.
The three NFL teams I’m comparing to the Hawks are the Colts, Rams, and Ravens. All three of these teams are talented, but not quite to the level of the top teams. The Colts are leading the AFC South at 5-2 and have been great all season. The Rams have a very similar stretch as the Hawks where they won some games early, then lost a few games in a row, but are now back to winning. The Ravens look like they will skate to an AFC North championship, but I think they will struggle when facing talented teams in the playoffs.
Colorado Yeti
The Yeti are currently 4-5 on the season with 169 points scored, 2nd fewest in the NSFL, while giving up 242 points. They are tied with the Butchers right now for the last playoff spot in the NSFC. They are outperforming their current Total TPE rank of 7th which is a great sign. The Yeti might be one of the hardest teams to predict in the NSFL. They have wins at NOLA and against Baltimore, but also a recent loss at Philadelphia. They seem to be in that weird gray area of having the ability to beat or lose to basically any team. As far as their roster is concerned they have a lot of young and up and coming pieces. Vincent and McDummy in the backfield will only get better as time goes on. Bishop is a stud at starting receiver and Forty-Two is improving to become a great second receiving option. The one major issue with this offense is they don’t have a third receiving option at the moment. Louisiana Purchase is one of the best corners in the season 18 class and should be a staple of the secondary for a long time with Sinclair on the other side. Berry is a beast of a linebacker and Thumper is a mainstay at Defensive Tackle. Lejune is a top notch free safety, which helps round out a very talented secondary. The Yeti have the core pieces they need, and through the draft in the next season or two should be able to add the necessary pieces to compete with any team.
The three teams that I chose to compare to the Yeti are the Chargers, Steelers, and Bears. The Chargers were a team, at the beginning of the season, I thought would compete in the AFC, but haven’t looked very good and clearly need a few pieces to take that next step. The Steelers are similarly a few pieces short of being competitive in the AFC. The Bears have the biggest hurdle to overcome of any team here and that is the fact that in order to compete in a very good NFC North they need a new quarterback. Mitchell Trubisky isn’t good, and brings the Bears down. The Bears have one of the best defenses in the NFL, but the offense holds them back.
Chicago Butchers
Also at 4-5, but with a much better point differential at -19 with 225 points scored and 244 points given up the Butchers are in a similar situation as the Yeti. According to the TPE tracker they are actually the lowest TPE team in the NSFL, which tells me they have some good game plans. They just broke out of a 4 game losing streak that included a home loss to the Liberty. The roster has some talent like quarterback Jenkins and running back Brown. They also have recently acquired receiver Jackson who is going to be a stud in a couple seasons. Parker is also a good receiver on the other side of the field. They have 3 great pieces on their offensive line with Sandburg at guard, Ford Lalatina at tackle, and 177013 at center, but the other two pieces on their offensive line are major drop offs in talent. On the defensive side they have Hondo, Castle, and Rice at corner, Nikko is a great linebacker, and Saul, Henry, and Oats are good defensive line pieces. The biggest issue I see with the Butchers is they have talent with guys that are in the 80s overall, but not really talent in the 90s other than quarterback and their 3 offensive linemen. As long as that talent that’s in the 80s can continue to develop they will be a great team in the next few seasons, but it really will depend on how their talent develops.
The Butchers are best compared to the Browns, Giants, and Titans. The Browns have a lot of young talent that still needs time to develop, but if it does they will be a team that can compete in the AFC in a couple seasons. The Giants seem to have their quarterback of the future in Daniel Jones and are also a couple seasons away from being competitive. The Titans are a little harder to figure out as they are currently starting Ryan Tannehill at quarterback and I’m not sure he is the answer. They might be a little farther away from competing in the AFC, but it’s possible.
Philadelphia Liberty
The Liberty are one of the least talented teams in the NSFL according to the TPE tracker and that lines up with their 2-7 record. The one bright spot I see when looking at the standings is the fact they their point differential is only -26, which is much better than the Yeti’s differential of -73. Looking at the roster, they have some solid pieces with Falconi and Torenson in the backfield. Varga and Hardwick are also solid receivers, but they don’t have a third receiving option at receiver. On the defensive side they have Emoji, D’Attoria, and Garnett as elite secondary pieces. They don’t really have any elite players in the front 7 though and that is where they will need to focus much of their attention in upcoming drafts in order to become competitive in the NSFC.
The Broncos, Falcons, and Bucs are the NFL teams that I’m comparing to the Liberty. All of these teams have great pieces on their roster like Von Miller, Julio Jones, and Mike Evans but they are multiples pieces away from being competitive in their divisions.
Arizona Outlaws
At 6-3 the Outlaws are tied for first in the ASFC with the Otters and have a great point differential at +49. The Outlaws have the 2nd most TPE of all NSFL teams, which definitely gives them an advantage in the ASFC over all the other teams. They were caught off guard in week 1 of this season and dropped a game against the Butchers by 22 points. Their only multi score loss this season. The Outlaws roster is built to pass the ball. They don’t have an elite running back, but they have Reese passing the ball to Irving, Oles, and Valentine who are all elite pass catchers. The defense has some solid pieces as well with Knight, Montgomery, and McKinnie in the secondary and Lee, Vans, Morris, and Spector in the front 7. They are a strong team overall and will definitely be competing in the playoffs to be ASFC champs.
I’ve chosen the Eagles, Texans, and Cowboys as the NFL teams to compare to the Outlaws. These teams all have legitimate shots at having success in the playoffs this year and into the future. The Eagles and Cowboys are competing at the top of the NFC East and either team may emerge victorious. Though the Eagles took a beating in Dallas a couple weeks ago they have a knack to bounce back. The Texans have one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL in Deshaun Watson and he can put the team on his back and win against anyone. The Cowboys have a young core of players on both sides of the ball that should allow them to stay competitive for years to come.
Orange County Otters
The Otters are tied with the Outlaws at the top of the NSFC at 6-3 with an impressive +71 point differential. The 153 points they’ve given up is 2nd only to the Wraiths. They have won 4 of their last 5 games with their lone loss being to the Wraiths. They have multiple games this year where they held the opponent to under 10 points. They are 4th in the Total TPE tracker and it seems like they are always competing for an Ultimus championship. This year is no exception. The rosters strength is mostly on the defensive side of the ball with Lattimer, Grievous, Skarsgard, Ginsberg, Mbanefo, and Schneider all elite at their position. The offense will get better as players like Banks II and Reed improve.
I’ve chosen the Vikings, Seahawks, and Chiefs as my comps for the Otters. All of these teams are elite on one side of the ball and are decent, but could get better on the other side. All of these teams are what I would consider a tier below the top teams in the NFL, which means they are right there and definitely have a shot to win it all this year. They will all make the playoffs and could upset a top team.
New Orleans Second Line
As a current member of the Second Line it is hard to not be bias when I talk about this awesome team. We have a lot of young talent, especially on the defensive side of the ball as well as some great offensive talents that will be mainstays for many seasons. Currently sitting at 5-4 in the middle of the ASFC after losing a close battle against the Outlaws last night. The Second Line is an up and coming team with a chance to make the playoffs this season, and is looking like a team on the rise to compete with the Otters and Outlaws at the top of the ASFC. Forrest Gump has gone off this season and is one of the top running backs in the league and should be for quite a while. Stan Francisco is a great quarterback who will hopefully stop throwing interceptions. Considering his intelligence is 95 and Arm is 92 I think it has more to do with the sim than anything he is actually doing. The receiving corp has some young and old pieces that are working together nicely. Bender Rodriguez should be an elite receiving option in a couple seasons. The defense has some strong established players like Andrews, Ridley, Taylor, Bode, Slothface, Faux, Rax, and Stokeley. There are also some younger pieces like myself and Ironside that will continue to improve and make this defense elite very soon. Don’t be surprised to see the Second Line holding an Ultimus trophy in the next few seasons.
The teams that I compared to the Second Line are the Panthers, Lions, and Bills. All of these teams have strong defenses with improving offenses. Christian McCaffrey is basically the NFL version of Forrest Gump. All of these teams are going to be in the playoff hunt, but they might not all make it in, and that is about the line I think the Second Line is at right now.
Austin Copperheads
The Copperheads are sitting at 4-5 in the ASFC and are only 1 game behind the Second Line for the last wild card spot. Their biggest downfall is that they are 0-5 on the road, but they are a perfect 4-0 at home. It’ll be interesting to see if that continues as their next two home opponents are the Outlaws and Wraiths. Looking at the Copperheads roster, they have possibly the best offensive line in the NSFL with two guards and a center that are 95 overalls. They have some good receiving options in Larson, Anoa’i, and Tidwell all catching passes from quarterback Easton Cole who will be leading the offense for a while. On the defense they’ve got a few standouts in Lavelle Jr, Ennis, Wizardry, Kuusela, and Jensen. They’ve also got quite a few young players that will continue to improve and make an impact like Net Gaines and Adams. This team has some solid pieces, but is a few more players away from being competitive with the top of the NSFL. If they continue to improve they will be competitive in a short amount of time.
The Cardinals, Raiders, and Jaguars all seem to fit the bill pretty well with the Copperheads. All of these teams are up and coming and seem to be a year or two away from being competitive with the top teams. It will be interesting to see if these teams can take that next step or not.
San Jose SaberCats
At 1-8 the SaberCats are currently the worst team in the NSFL. That have struggled to score points this season as they’ve scored a measily 106 points so far this season, which is worst in the NSFL by 63 points. They also have given up the second most points at 257 and have the worst point differential in the NSFL at -151. The roster has a lot of holes that will take a few seasons to fix. Quarterback is not one of them as they have the 99 overall Christ as well as the 90 overall Wright on the roster. They also have an excellent rookie running back in Toriki that will continue to improve. Olsen and Flash are the lone bright spots in the receiving game, and that is the biggest area of concern for the offense. They definitely need to develop some more receivers for their excellent quarterbacks to throw to. The defense is similar in that there are some bright spots among the many holes. Cornerback is a big concern with no standouts at the position. The front seven has a few great players like Riposte and Deringer, but a team needs more than 2 players among the front 7 that are elite in order to stop opposing NSFL offenses. This team has a few seasons to go before they have a chance to compete in the NSFL. Drafting dedicated active players that are willing to stick around is important for this team to get better.
The last of the NFL comps and it’s the uglies that no one wants to talk about. The Jets, Redskins, Bengals, and Dolphins are my comps for the SaberCats. All of these teams have major holes to fill and will take multiple seasons to accomplish that. I have one thing to say to any SaberCats fan reading this. Please don’t take this personally. Unlike the NFL seasons happen so quickly in the NSFL that by the time the real NFL season is over your team could be one of the top teams in the NSFL.
Well, hopefully my new comparisons are better than my preseason ones. I was off on quite a few teams. At the halfway point in the NFL season I am 73-48 for my weekly picks. A couple of decent weeks in a row have put me well above the 500 mark now. Hopefully that will continue. I’m going to also try and keep up with how my comps do in the win loss column. That should give a good idea about how good or bad I am at making comparisons between the NFL and NSFL.
Vikings over Redskins
Another dud of a Thursday night game, the only surprising thing in this one is that the Vikings only won by 10 points and not by more. They improve to 6-2 as their defense continues to be one of the best in the NFL and their offense continues to improve as the run game is now being complimented by the passing game rather than the run game dragging the passing game along. Cousins was an extremely efficient 23 for 26 and 285 yards passing. He had no touchdowns as it was mostly a field goal game, besides the lone Dalvin Cook rushing score. The Vikings travel to Kansas City to play the Chiefs in a game they really need to win to stay within reach of the division leading Green Bay Packers. The Chiefs may be without Patrick Mahomes again, but he also could play. Either way, the Vikings are good enough to beat the Chiefs who have shown weaknesses on both sides of the ball this season. The Redskins one bright spot from this game other than holding the Vikings to 19 points was that Adrian Peterson surpassed Ladanian Tomlinson for 6th all time in rushing yardage. He did that on the back of 14 carries for 76 yards and is now only 400 yards shy of 5th place Curtis Martin. It was a nice moment as Vikings fans cheered their beloved former running back upon reaching the milestone. The Redskins travel to Buffalo to take on a good Bills team that just lost to the Eagles in an extremely windy game. I don’t expect the Redskins to win more than 1 or 2 games the rest of the season, and even that might be a stretch. At this point I think they should give Haskins a chance to show them what he’s got considering they may be in position to take one of the top available quarterbacks if they want to.
According to the new comps this would be a matchup of the Otters and the SaberCats. The Otters dismantled the SaberCats in Week 1 of Season 18 with a 34 to 7 victory. In fact, the only score for the SaberCats ended up being a pick 6 from Kolby Deringer. The Otters defense completely shut down the passing game of the SaberCats only allowing 97 yards from Wright who ended the game with 4 interceptions and a 15 rating. Offensively, the Otters had a pretty even attack with just a few more rushes than pass attempts, and an impressive 13 for 17 on 3rd down was a big key for their success. It’s good to see that the new comps are 1-0 so far. I didn’t keep up with how the comps did before, but now that all the teams are NSFL teams I will keep up with the comps win loss record.
Rams over Bengals
Welcome to the Cooper Kupp show everyone. If you are in line waiting for a reception, just know that Mr. Kupp reserves all rights to jump your place in line anytime he determines its time for another reception. All joking aside, Cooper Kupp had a monster 7 receptions for 220 yards and a touchdown. All other Rams receivers combined had 152 yards and 10 receptions. The Rams have now won two games in a row to improve to 5-3 after a three game losing streak. It helps that they played the Falcons and Bengals, but it’s not like they have any say in the way the schedule works. They now have a bye week before a stretch of winnable games that should see them in the playoff hunt by the last quarter of the season. The Bengals are now 0-8 and everyone wants them to trade away talented, but currently injured receiver, AJ Green. I don’t think he will give the Bengals the boost they need to start winning games. Andy Dalton passed the ball 52 times in this game, which is a lot for any quarterback. He didn’t have a terrible game, but not a good one either. The Bengals had more success on the ground in this game than they have in most of their games this season. Joe Mixon had 66 yards rushing, which isn’t bad considering how terrible the Bengals offensive line is. The Bengals also have their bye week this week, and everyone has week 16 at Miami circled on the calendar as a potential 0-14 matchup, which would be the first time ever I think. I sure hope that happens as it would be fun to see. Either way, please trade away Green Bengals, he deserves to have a shot on a good team.
The Hawks and SaberCats don’t face off in season 18 until week 10, but in season 17 the Hawks won the matchup at home 31 to 17. The game was out of reach heading into the 4th quarter with a score of 31 to 3 and the SaberCats were able to score a couple of garbage time touchdowns to make the score seem more respectable. The yardage difference in this game was actually not that much, but the SaberCats struggled finding the endzone until the end of the game, while the Hawks had no issue getting into the endzone as they did so in 3 drives in the first half. So far the new comps are now 2-0!
Seahawks over Falcons
The Seahawks improve to 6-2, but they by no means looked great in this game against the reeling Falcons. It was a tale of two halves as the Seahawks took a 24-0 lead into the half, but then only managed 3 points in the second half and the Matt Schaub lead Falcons scored enough points to make it a one score game, but they failed to convert an onside kick, which ended the game. The Seahawks have an impressive record, but they haven’t beaten any teams of note other than the Rams in a 1 point home win. They host the Bucs this week, which is another below average opponent that they should easily beat. After that though their schedule is very tough for the rest of the season with no easy games left. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Seahawks struggle to win enough games in the 2nd half of the season to make the playoffs. The Falcons drop to 1-7 in what is still one of the more surprising downfalls that I’ve seen this season. It doesn’t get any easier for the Falcons as they play the Saints twice in November. They have their bye week this week, but I don’t think it will matter much as they seem to be content with losing at this point since they are basically already eliminated from the playoffs.
The Otters have faced off against the Liberty this season and won it handily in a 31-7 victory. The Otters didn’t give up any points until there was 12 seconds left in the game. Philadelphia managed to put up 245 yards passing, but most of that was wasted as they only managed 7 points. The total yardage was practically equal, but the Otters were able to finish off drives while the Liberty seem to have racked up most of their yards before crossing into field goal range. The comp streak continues to 3-0 so far.
Bills over Eagles
Here is one of the two games I was wrong on, but the only game I’m upset at for picking. The Eagles seem to continue to find a way to win when they need to. The Bills struggled more on defense than they have in any other game this season. Insane wind speeds made it difficult to throw the ball down the field in this game, which lead to a lot of rushing. The Eagles had a lot of success running the ball as they totaled 218 yards on 41 total rushes. The majority of those rushing came from Jordan Howard, but Miles Sanders produced as well, scoring on a long 65 yard rushing touchdown. The Bills couldn’t get their run game going and struggled in a game I thought for sure they would win. The Eagles host the Bears this week in another matchup against a great defense. They will need to continue to win in order to keep up with the division rival Cowboys. The Bills host the Redskins in a game that should get them back in the win column. They won’t be able to catch the Patriots in the AFC East, but they can definitely get one of the AFC wildcard spots if they get back to winning games. At 5-2 they are currently 2 games ahead of the 4-4 Jaguars and Titans for a wild card spot, so as long as they keep winning they have nothing to worry about.
The Outlaws (Eagles) and Second Line (Bills) have played once this season so far with the Second Line winning in a close 20 to 17 victory. After taking a commanding 20 to 0 lead the Second Line started to fall apart as Stan Francisco threw a pick six as well as another pick in the second half that let the Outlaws back into this game, but the Second Line defense was just too much for the Outlaws and NOLA won a big rivalry game. The Second Line defense was smothering and Forrest Gump rushed the ball incredibly well. This is the first comp that got it wrong so far, which means my comps are 3-1 so far this week. It’s worth noting that the first game I picked wrong was also the first comp that was wrong.
Bears over Chargers
The Bears had a shot to win this game as time expired, but a combination of things happened and in the end they missed the field goal and lost. In case you weren’t watching I have to point this out. With about 40 seconds remaining in the game on about the 20 yards line the Bears decided to kneel the ball instead of running to get a bit closer for the field goal. They called timeout with 3 seconds left and proceeded to miss the field goal that would have won the game. The Chargers are now 3-5 and I heard talks yesterday about possibly moving on from Philip Rivers next season. That will be sad to see. The Chargers host the Packers next week in what will be a tough matchup. With their remaining schedule I’ll be surprised if they find a way to make the playoffs. The Bears travel to the Eagles in a game that they have to win to keep their season alive. They are now 3-4 and in an extremely tough division with the Packers and Vikings. A loss to the Eagles more or less ends the Bears season as I don’t think either the Packers or Vikings will drop to 5 losses on the season.
What are the odds that I compare both of these teams to the Yeti? Well it happened. It makes sense really. The Yeti are currently .500 and are currently in position to just squeak into the playoffs, but that could always change with a tough remaining schedule. I think they have a better shot at the playoffs than either of these teams do.
Lions over Giants
This was an interesting game that ended up being pretty close after it looked like the Lions were going to run away with it early. Kenny Golladay had a great game for the Lions with 2 touchdowns as Stafford ended with 342 yards and 3 touchdowns. The other going to someone named Marvin Hall. Surprisingly, the Lions could not get the run game going against the Giants. I guess that’s what happens when you lose your best runner for the season. The Lions held Saquon Barkley’s rushing in check as he struggled to gain yards on the ground averaging barely over 3 yards per carry. He did have more success in the passing game where he got one of four passing touchdowns from Daniel Jones. Rookie receiver Darius Slayton caught two touchdowns in this game for the Giants. The Lions are now 3-3-1 in the very competitive NFC North and travel to Oakland this week in a game they must win to keep up with the Vikings and Packers. The Giants, who just traded for Jets defensive lineman Leonard Williams, host the Cowboys on Monday night, which could be a huge opportunity to upset a division rival.
The Second Line haven’t faced the Butchers yet this season. In season 17, the Butchers won in a close matchup that actually went to overtime where they kicked a field goal to win 28 to 25. Tyler Swift had two rushing touchdowns for the Second Line in that game, which is kind of funny to see now that he is on the defensive side and Forrest Gump is the bell cow back for the Second Line. The Second Line actually missed an extra point early in this game as well as failed a 2 point conversion attempt in the fourth quarter. Those two things combined could have lead to a win in regulation instead of an overtime loss. This counts as another loss for my comps for now, but I think we might see a different result when these two play at the end of the season, so the comps record is now 3-2-1.
Titans over Bucs
After taking an early lead the Titans let the Bucs come back and they almost won this game, but luckily the Titans held on to win a close game 27 to 23. I’m actually impressed the score was this close considering Jameis Winston turned the ball over 4 times in this one. Mike Evans had a monster performance with 198 yards and 11 receptions with 2 touchdowns. If you just looked at the total yardage for each team you would think the Bucs probably won this game since it was 389 to 246, but the turnovers from Winston were the big difference. Ryan Tannehill also impressively threw for 3 touchdowns. Is he the answer at quarterback for the Titans? They’ll at least give him the rest of the season to prove it one way or the other. The Bucs travel to Seattle in what should be a very tough matchup. They are 2-5 and would need to go on a win streak to have a shot at the playoffs. The Titans are now 4-4 and travel to Charlotte to play the Panthers next week. The Panthers had a lot of trouble stopping the run against the 49ers, so this might be a chance to see Derrick Henry feast.
The Butchers (Titans) and Liberty (Bucs) play each other twice every season since they are both in the NSFC. In their first matchup the Liberty won it pretty convincingly by two scores with a 38 to 24 final score. It was close early, but then the Liberty scored 17 straight points and took a demanding 31 to 10 lead into the 4th quarter. Torenson had a great game on the ground for the Liberty with 117 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, both von matt and Varga had 103 yards receiving. Varga added on 3 scores to his 103 yards. The Butchers couldn’t get anything going on the ground and had to pass the ball, which lead to 3 interceptions thrown by Jenkins. The comp record drops to 3-3-1 now after this one.
Saints over Cardinals
Drew Brees came back for the Saints and helped New Orleans dominate the Cardinals in his return. The Saints defense did an impressive job against a very capable Cardinals offense holding them to just 9 points on 3 field goals. Brees was an efficient 34 for 43 for 373 yards and 3 touchdowns. Latavius Murray had a lot of success on the ground as he took over starting duties from the injured Alvin Kamara. The Saints now have a bye week which will allow them to get even healthier before they enter the back half of the season. The Cardinals host the undefeated 49ers on Thursday night this week. That will be another tough matchup against another top NFL team. I don’t expect the outcome to be any different than this game, especially if David Johnson continues to be out with an injury.
The Wraiths and Copperheads unfortunately won’t face off until week 12 of season 18. In season 17 the Copperheads actually beat the Wraiths in their week 13 matchup in Yellowknife. Bigsby threw 3 interceptions, and the Wraiths were held scoreless in the 2nd half which allowed the Copperheads to come from behind as they scored 15 straight points to win by 7 after being down 8 near the end of the 1st half. I seriously doubt the matchup between these two teams in week 12 will end up like this, but for now the comps are 3-4-1 just like the Cardinals.
Jaguars over Jets
The Jaguars were dominant in this one in all facets of the game. They won the total yardage battle 389 to 213 as well as the turnover battle 3 to 1. They took a lead near the end of the first quarter and never gave it back. Ryan Griffin caught both touchdown passes from Sam Darnold, but it wasn’t enough. The Jets are now 1-6 with basically no shot at the playoffs, but they do get to travel to Miami to face the winless Dolphins this week. That might be the pick me up they need to feel better. The Jaguars are 4-4 in the very competitive AFC South as they travel to London to face the Texans. The Jaguars are familiar with the London experience at this point and probably have a slight advantage over the Texans because of it.
The Copperheads and SaberCats have played twice this season and actually split their games with each team winning at home. In this first matchup in Austin the Copperheads won similarly to the way the Jaguars won this game. With 400 yards of offense to the SaberCats 261 its easy to guess which team won. They also lead in time of possession, but they didn’t force any turnovers. The game in San Jose was more even. So even in fact that the Copperheads were able to score a touchdown with 27 seconds remaining to force overtime. The SaberCats were able to kick a field goal with 3:25 left on the overtime clock that allowed them to win the game. Since the Copperheads won at home and the Jaguars won this game at home I’m calling that a win so now the record is 4-4-1.
Texans over Raiders
This was a very close game with neither team ever having more than a touchdown lead on the other. The Raiders entered the 4th quarter with an 8 point lead that was soon diminished to 1 point on a Darren Fells touchdown at the beginning of the 4th quarter. Fells also caught a touchdown from Watson with just over 6 minutes remaining in the game that put the Texans up 27 to 24, which ended up being the final score. The Texans travel to London to face division rival Jaguars in the Texans first game in London. Should be a good test for a team that can’t afford to lose more ground to the division leading Colts. The Raiders host the Lions in a cross conference matchup that is very hard to predict.
The Outlaws and Copperheads are both in the ASFC and therefore play twice every season. So far in season 18 they’ve only played once and the Outlaws won 37 to 24. The Copperheads opened up the scoring with a touchdown pass from Cole to Anoa’I, but from there on out the Outlaws were in control of the game. Arizona had over 150 yards more on offense than the Copperheads. The Copperheads were held to just 2.7 yards per rush in this game, which is abysmal. This outcome matches up with my comparison so the score is now 5-4-1.
49ers over Panthers
As a Panthers game this was a tough one to watch. Kyle Allen looked pretty bad and only Christian McCaffrey did anything good on offense. Cam Newton will hopefully spark this offense back to life soon. The defense got abused by Kyle Shanahan’s system as they gave up 232 yards rushing. Jimmy Garoppolo didn’t even have to do much in the passing game as most of his passes were short and the receiver was just able to gain yards because of great play design. The Panthers host the Titans this week in what may be the last game before Cam returns. They should be able to win this game, but they have to put this game behind them and not dwell on this awful performance. The 49ers go to Arizona to play a Thursday night game in a game they should definitely win.
The Wraiths and Second Line haven’t played yet this season. That game is coming up soon and I expect the Wraiths to take it, but I’m hoping it’s close. In season 17 the Wraiths beat the Second Line in Yellowknife by one score. New Orleans actually took the lead into the 2nd half before the Wraiths scored 20 straight points to take the lead. A late touchdown on a pick six made the score closer than the game really was. The Wraiths out gained the Second Line by over 200 yards of total offense in this game. Most of that was through the air as neither team had any success rushing the ball. My new comps continue to work pretty well and are now 6-4-1 this week.
Colts over Broncos
This was a tale of two Adam Vinatieri’s as he won the game on a long field goal, but also missed an extra point and a field goal in this game that would have made it a less stressful victory. An extremely low scoring game the Colts beat the Broncos 15-13. Neither team had much success in the passing game and tried to rely on the run game to produce, which is a big reason for the low score. The Broncos actually took a 10 point lead in the early part of the third quarter with a Royce Freeman touchdown, but the Colts were able to come back and score 12 straight points to win it and maintain their division lead. The Broncos fall to 2-6 and will be missing Flacco for at least a game or two which will make them even more run dependent. They host the Browns in a game that I would stay away from betting wise as anything can happen with either of those teams. The Colts travel to Pittsburgh to face a Steelers team that hasn’t looked very good this season.
The Hawks and Liberty have faced off twice with the Hawks winning both matchups. In their first matchup the Hawks took a 28 to 7 lead into the 2nd half, but the Liberty tried to come back outscoring the Hawks 19-3 in the second half, which wasn’t quite enough. In their second matchup is was close throughout and the Liberty took a 23 to 20 lead halfway through the 4th quarter, but L’Alto caught a touchdown pass from Havran with 4 minutes left in the game to take the lead and that was it. The comps are now 7-4-1, guaranteeing at worst a tie!
Patriots over Browns
The Patriots defense continues to dominate the NFL. They are allowing only 7.6 points per game. That is on pace for only 122 points allowed, which would shatter the Ravens record they set in 2000 with 165 points allowed. The Browns continue to disappoint, and it sounds like they may be on the verge of firing head coach Freddie Kitchens. The Patriots travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens in one of their tougher matchups of the season so far. This will be a test against a pretty good offense and playmaker in Lamar Jackson that the Patriots haven’t seen yet. It will be interesting to see if their defense is able to handle the Ravens like they’ve handled every other team they’ve played. The Browns travel to Denver to play the Broncos without Joe Flacco in a game they should be able to win, but they are so chaotic that there is no telling what will happen.
The Wraiths and Butchers are both in the NSFC and therefore play twice every season. The Wraiths swept the Butchers in season 18 and both times by quite a large margin. In week 2 they beat the Butchers in Yellowknife 49 to 15 and more recently in week 7 they traveled to Chicago and beat the Butchers 40 to 16. I imagine these teams could play 100 times and the Wraiths would win every time. This puts the comps up to 8-4-1 now and guarantees a winning record for the week!
Packers over Chiefs
The Packers beat the Chiefs in a close matchup that might have gone the other way if Patrick Mahomes had been able to play. The Packers improve to 7-1 on the season, but in the loaded NFC they have to keep winning to get home field advantage. They only have a one game lead in their division and are tied with the Saints for home field. The Packers two headed rushing attack did most of the work in this game as they caught all of the touchdown passes and ran for the other touchdown. After opening up the first half with two scores the Packers fell off in the 2nd quarter and the Chiefs scored 17 straight points to make it 17 to 14 going into the half. After tying up the game near the end of the 3rd quarter the Packers took the lead at the beginning of the 4th before it was tied back up on a 5 minute drive from the Chiefs. The Packers took less than a minute to score another touchdown, which ended up being the final score of the game. The Packers travel to Los Angeles to take on the Chargers in a matchup they should be able to win. The Chiefs have a home game against the Packers rival the Vikings in a game the Chiefs need to win in order to stay in the race for a first round bye. They better hope Patrick Mahomes can play in this game or they may be looking at a 5-4 record.
The Wraiths and Otters only face off once a season, and luckily they have already played each other in season 18. In week 8 the Wraiths beat the Otters 24 to 20 in what was a very close back and forth game. The Otters took a 10 to 3 lead into the half, but the Wraiths scored twice and took a 17 to 13 lead into the fourth quarter. Adrian Pitcher of the Otters caught a pass from Franklin Armstrong with 9:40 left in the game to put the Otters up 20 to 17, but then just 3 minutes later the Wraiths scored on a one yard rush from Morgan Marshall to pull ahead and win 24 to 20. These two teams could not be more different offensively. The Wraiths passed the ball 44 times and only ran the ball 20 times. The Otters only passed the ball 19 times and ran the ball 44 times. This outcome puts the comps up to 9-4-1 on the week with just one game left.
Steelers over Dolphins
I have to confess I didn’t watch a single minute of this game. After scoring 14 points in the first quarter the Dolphins were shut out for the remainder of the game. They actually kept the lead until near the end of the 3rd quarter when Mason Rudolph found JuJu Smith-Schuster for a 26 yard passing touchdown. They added on 10 more points in the 4th to make the game a respectable 27 to 14. The Dolphins continue their losing ways as they strive for 0-16. They host the Jets this week in a game they could honestly win if they wanted to, but they probably won’t. The Steelers host the Colts whose defense has looked very good recently and won’t be giving up 27 points like the Dolphins did.
The Yeti and SaberCats don’t play this season until the final week in the season. I expect the Yeti to win that matchup. In season 17 the Yeti actually lost to the SaberCats 44 to 10. These two teams seem to be moving in opposite directions since this game. The Yeti managed just 201 yards of offense to the SaberCats 481 in this game. McDummy was a terrible 11 of 31 for 95 yards. I’ll be surprised if their matchup this season ends up similarly. Unfortunately, that puts the comp record for the week at 9-5-1, which is still pretty good, but I was hoping for double digits.
Last week was an extremely predictable week for sure. I don’t expect many weeks to be as easy as that was. I hope you enjoyed this special midway edition of my NSFL NFL weekly series. Let me know in the comments if you disagree with any of my comparisons. As always I’ll end with my picks for Week 9 of the NFL season.
49ers over Cardinals
Texans over Jaguars
Bills over Redskins
Vikings over Chiefs – It looks like Mahomes might be out, but if he plays the Chiefs will win.
Jets over Dolphins
Eagles over Bears
Colts over Steelers
Panthers over Titans
Raiders over Lions
Seahawks over Bucs
Browns over Broncos
Packers over Chargers
Patriots over Ravens
Cowboys over Giants
![[Image: Untitled-1.png]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/648139102855888899/948346452843839508/Untitled-1.png)
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[OPTION]Height: 6'1"
[OPTION]Weight: 195 lbs.
[OPTION]Birthplace: Raleigh, NC
[OPTION]Number: 22
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[OPTION]Career Stats
[OPTION]G || Tck || TFL || FF/FR || Sck || Int || PD || TD
[OPTION]141 || 597 || 1 || 5/1 || 6 || 30 || 163 || 3
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION]Playoff Stats
[OPTION]===========================================
[OPTION]Awards
[OPTION]S26 Defensive Player of the Year, S26 CB of the Year,
[OPTION]S23 Defensive Breakout Player, S23 Defensive Performance
[OPTION]Pro Bowls: S22, S26
[OPTION]===========================================
![[Image: 019p.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/J7XFN96k/019p.png)
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![[Image: 6HEXEeb.png]](https://i.imgur.com/6HEXEeb.png)
