Week 17 - We Are The Champions

This week is the last week in the NFL season. This week is dedicated to all the fantasy football champions and real football champions out there... especially to my one fantasy football team that captured my first championship since I joined the league... back in 1992. No joke.
Random things that happened last time I won a fantasy football championship (courtesy of wikipedia):
-The English Premier League was formed!
-Bill Clinton defeated George H.W. Bush in the election
-Windows 3.1 was released... this is when your computer probably started up in DOS and you had to type in all of those weird commands, like: "cd dir"
-Silence of the Lambs won Best Picture
-Jay Leno became host of the Tonight Show


Manwich Matchup of the Week
Opening Round Playoff Game #10
Denver @ San Diego- I have to personally thank Philip Rivers for his 4-touchdown performance... he's my fantasy team's MVP. He's also the Chargers MVP and he will need to deliver again to complete the dramatic turn-around from 4-8, to 8-8 division champions! I will say it now... I don't think that the Chargers should be taken lightly in the playoffs.
Pick: San Diego

Upset of the Week #1
Opening Round Playoff Game #11
Miami @ Jets- Why are the Jets 3 point favorites at home? I'm snatching this up as my upset of the week. And yes... I've only hit one upset all season. However, the Dolphins are a great rags-to-riches story and Chad Pennington should play well and rub it in all of New York's faces, and yell out: "You cut me for that old bum Brett Favre... who's your daddy now!"
Pick: Miami

Upset of the Week #2
KC @ Cincy - Why are the Bungals 3 point favorites at home? I'm snatching this up as my SECOND upset of the week. KC's QB Tyler Thigpen has had a sweet 2nd-half... though the Chief hardly ever win, even though Coach Edwards keeps reminding his team that that's why they play the game. To win.
Pick: KC

Opening Round Playoff Game #12
Dallas @ Philly - Dallas somehow controls its own destiny. As MJ said earlier in the week, they are certainly the most talented team in the league. Let's just hope they stop allowing 70 and 80-yard TD runs.
Pick: Dallas

Oakland @ Tampa - Antonio Bryant was my pickup of the year. He's been a monster the last few weeks of the season... with 5 TDs and 498 yards in the last 4 games! I believe Tampa will win this game... but it probably won't matter as Tampa also needs a loss by Dallas to get in.
Pick: Tampa

Detroit @ Green Bay - Well... I really want to pick Detroit in this toilet bowl.. the Packers have lost 5 straight and the Lions have lost 16 straight dating back to last season... something tells me they will pull this out. They are desperate, right?!?
Pick: Detroit

Giants @ Minny- The Giants already have locked up homefield, so they may rest some people, which will allow Minny to clinch a division title.
Pick: Minny

Chicago @ Houston- The Bears play in the same 1PM slot as Minny, so logic would say the Bears will be playing very hard.
Pick: Houston

CAR @ New Orleans- CAR actually still needs to win to clinch a division title. However, the Panthers are shitty on the road, and the Saints are still 6-1 at home... so we mine as well predict more chaos with the Falcons getting a dramatic division title. In addition, this will continue the BIZARRE NFC South tradition of worst-to-first... as this would be the 5th time in 6 years. (2007 - Tampa, 2006 - New Orleans, 2004 - Atlanta, 2003 - CAR).
Pick: New Orleans

St. Louis @ ATL- See above... the ATL Falcons are a team of destiny (for the NFC South division title).
Pick: ATL

Jacksonville @ Baltimore- Unfortunately, even I know that the injured Jags probably stand no chance against the Ravens on the road. This will transport the Baltimore Cobras into the playoffs.
Pick: Baltimore

Tennessee @ Indy- Tennessee already has home field and should rest some players... The Colts are also locked in at #5 due to a victory over Baltimore, a victory over New England, a better conference record than Miami, and a 2-game lead over everyone else. Neither team has anything to play for, so I'll just go with the home team. I do also want to send my congratulations to Tennessee Rookie RB Chris Johnson for making the Pro Bowl and for helping my fantasy team win the championship.
Pick: Indy

Cleveland @ Pittsburgh- I think the Browns will score their first offensive TD since November 17th, simply because:
1) Pittsburgh has nothing to play for (they are locked in at #2) and
2) Ken Dorsey won't be playing.
Pick: Pittsburgh

New England @ Buffalo- The Patriots can still beat the Bills (while playing at 1PM), but then upon the Dolphins winning and the Ravens winning, the Patriots will become the first 11-5 team to NOT qualify for the playoffs!!! I don't even feel bad for them, and Bill Simmons and everyone else from Boston have no right to complain after Boston has won all of these Super Bowl titles, World Series titles, and NBA Championships in the last 7 years.
Pick: New England

Seattle @ Arizona- Arizona should play everyone because they need to at least try to find their groove again before the playoffs. Granted, I think they just can't beat any good teams.
Pick: Arizona

Washington @ San Fran- Washington became eliminated at some point. I don't know when. Meanwhile, the 49ers actually have a lot to play for, as they would become one of the hottest teams to end the season (and not make the playoffs).
Pick: San Fran

Last Week: 9-7 (there were a lot of upsets last weekend)
Season: 138-101-1
Manwich: 10-8 (I hit the Giants, but missed on the Steelers)
Upset of the Week: 1-15 (The Lions were miles away from that first win against the Saints. There's always next week.)