Saddles secure at least a tie for ST Division title; Tirades stay in the hunt (for now, anyway) after hanging on for win against Gerbils
A first-quarter interception by Colts cornerback Kenny Moore II set the tone and the Indy defense went on to post a shutout and scored 17 points for the Band Aids in an upset win.
OK, I am not easily stunned. But I did not see that one coming. When I started this post on Sunday night, my Invaiders had a slim lead over the Rangers going into the final two games of the weekend, and John Lambert still had 3 guys (including a keeper) to play. None scored more than 4 points and the Invaiders hung on for a head-shaking 114-110 win.
If you'll now excuse me, I need to go by several lottery tickets. This kind of luck can’t continue.
Another head-shaker was Bob Garcia's Band Aids defying all odds and handing the potential top seed heading into the weekend – the Spread Beaters – a humiliating loss.
And, last but not completely least, Ron Hender, the other old guy, hung in there and kept the Tirades' slim playoff hopes alive with a win over the Gerbils.
Three teams are locked in for the playoffs and four others jockey for the final playoff invitation with two games left in the regular season. The Saddles became the third team to punch a Golden Ticket by hanging on to its 2-game division lead over those aforementioned Tirades with two left by handling The Packers another loss. Hender climbed above .500 to 7-6 with a win over Chuck, and still sits alone in fourth place, one game clear of the Recliners and Band Aids – both now at 6-7. If Ron wins out, he is in. If Bob or Chris can get to 8-7, they likely advance. If it gets messy and there is a tie, the Recliners and Band Aids, respectively, have the inside track based on points scored so far over the Tirades.
Looking towards the next week of regular-season play, the Invaders and Spread Beaters tangle in what might be a wild scoring fest, a blow out or a snoozer where neither team can break 60. Either way, it likely will decide who will win the division and get the lowest seed in the first round. The loser likely takes on the Saddles for the right to move on. Other games with playoff implications include the Recliners and Rangers and the Packers and Tirades. The remaining “who cares” game will likely give the inside track to the No. 1 pick in 2021 when the Pillow Biters get thrashed by Blayze and the Gerbils try to lose another one to the Band Aids.
George Kittle scored a league-high 30 points but all his efforts went for naught as it did not get the 49ers nor the Rangers a victory in Week 13.
Invaiders 114, Rangers 110: It is a tough week when you score 110 and lose. The scoreboard was on “tilt” in this one as the Rangers and Invaiders locked horns in an old-fashioned scoring fest, and the tight ends went ape shit. George Kittle romped for 194 yards of offense and two TDs to lead the Rangers with 30. Justin Jefferson hauled in a pair of TDs and he and Justin Herbert both scored 24. Miles Sanders found paydirt for 14 and the Arizona defense handled the Bears for 10. And, going into the Sunday night game, the oddsmakers still had the Rangers winning by 11, but the trio of Tyreek Hill, Mike Boone and Tyler Bass (Buffalo’s kicker) scored a combined 8 points. Each was expected to score that much. Kyler Murray returned to action for the Invaiders and posted a team-high 29 with four TDs. Dallas Goedert hauled in two TDs for 22, Cooper Fucking Kupp added one for 18, Matt Gay kicked 15, Leonard Fournette scored once for 14 and Austin Ekeler found the end zone for 13. The win gives the Invaiders a one-game lead heading into “The Showdown” this week.
Saddles 97, Packers 65: Blayze had to wait until Sunday night to uncork the champagne and celebrate clinching a share of the division. He got the win he needed over the Pack on Sunday afternoon. Jonathan Taylor continued his march to MVP honors with two more TDs and 25 points. The sub for Jalen Hurts, Gardiner Minshew, scored 18 and Keenan Allen added 17. Chris Godwin led the Pack with 14, Mike Williams added 11 and Greg Joseph kicked 10.
Tirades 75, Gerbils 68: Sometimes, an ugly win is just as impressive as a shootout. Rob Gronkowski led the Tirades in scoring with 17, James Conner added 16 and Patrick Mahomes and Harrison Butker each added 12. Chuck extended his losing streak to 5 games and is still alive for the No. 1 pick next season. He got 23 points from Javonte Williams, 20 from Kirk Cousins and eight from the Seattle defense.
Recliners 90, Pillows 77: The Recliners' mechanism worked smoothly and quietly and increased its chances for the playoffs by handing The Consortium its fourth-straight loss. The Recliners got 28 from Tom Brady, 19 from Tee Higgins and 17 more from the Dallas defense. The Consortium got 20 from Taysom Hill, 12 from Mike Davis and 11 from Daniel Carlson.
Band Aids 90, Spread Beaters 77: Will someone just put a fork in Bob, please! It creeps me out that he is still hanging around, like a third-rate character on The Walking Dead. He did it again this week with a stunning upset of, arguably, the odds-on-favorite to win it all. This week, Garcia got a team-high 19 points from the Indy defense, 15 from Devonta Freeman and 14 from Josh Jacobs. The Spread Beaters got instant returns with a team-high 18 from free-agent snag Alexander Mattison, but a lot of good that did since he did not get a whole lot of points from anyone else, except for maybe 17 from Lamar Jackson and 9 from Mike Evans.
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