The rest of the league has known this since Week 5... these are the two most consistent teams, and it's fitting that they are in the final
Chris Zimnoch hopes QB Jared Goff can direct his team to a championship this weekend.
You wouldn't know it by the predicted scoring this week (neither team is expected to score more than 85 points, according to the brain trust at ESPN) but that's exactly the way that Chris Zimnoch and Matt Pringle have been operating all season. An example? Zimnoch's Recliners (10-5) were 14-point underdogs to the Tirades last week in the semifinals, predicted to score 75. They scored 119 and won by 50-something. The Spread Beaters (9-6) were favored by 7 over the free-falling Saddles, and were predicted to score 83. They came through with 97 and won by 50-something. Don't be shocked if that is the kind of scoring we see this weekend in the JSFL Championship Game.
Recliners (-9) vs. Spread Beaters: Zimnoch will continue to ride QB Jared Goff (who outscored Pat Mahomes in the semifinal last week) in the playoffs, since he can't take advantage of the guy who helped get him here... Lamar Jackson is still injured. Well, so is the guy who got Matt's team to the playoffs, QB Jalen Hurts. Pringle has decided to jump on the Gardner Minshew bandwagon, but it's not like he has a real choice -- his backup is Daniel Brown, who scored 17 in the semifinal win last week. The JSFL staffers agree completely with this lineup change and wouldn't trust Brown in a title game of tic-tac-toe. The Recliners have decided to swap out RB2s, going with Joe Mixon (10 last week) over Tony Pollard (7 last week). Saquon Barkley starts opposite and will likely carry this team again. Tyreek Hill and Tee Higgins start at WR again (they combined for 28 last week) and TE George Kittle has become a favorite of 49ers third-string QB Brock "Mr. Relevant" Purdy, catching two TD passes in each of the last two games. It might not even matter what the Giants defense and
kicker Robbie Gould do. On the other side, Matt is also forced to shake things up in his backfield. He had to sit his battering-ram of a RB Derrick Henry, who is doubtful with a hip injury (he scored 17 last week and has scored in double digits in 12 of his last 14 games). Matt's hopes rest on Minshew lighting it up against the Saints and that his RB tandem of Isiah Derrick Henry injured his hip last week
Pacheco and Kenneth Walker III overachieve against the Texans and is doubtful.
this week. He's got AJ Brown (questionable)
on the other end of some Minshew passes and Chris Godwin in the WR slots. TE TJ Hockenson had 22 last week, and Pringle could really use a repeat of that effort. The Patriots defense and Lions kicker Michael Badgley round out the starting lineup. This final would be much more competitive if not for the key injuries: with Henry and Hurts healthy, the Beaters might be unbeatable. Unfortunately that's not the case. Take the Recliners and 7.
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