Santa Claus rally
| Week 16 results | ||||
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| 152-86-2 10-6 |
151-87-2 11-5 |
116-122-2 7-9 |
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| Saturday, December 22, 2018 | ||||
| Washington @ Tennessee | Tennessee | Tennessee | Washington | |
| Baltimore @ L.A. Chargers | L.A. Chargers | L.A. Chargers | Baltimore | |
| Sunday, December 23, 2018 | ||||
| N.Y. Giants @ Indianapolis | Indianapolis | Indianapolis | Indianapolis | |
| Jacksonville @ Miami | Miami | Miami | Miami | |
| Atlanta @ Carolina | Carolina | Atlanta | Carolina | |
| Cincinnati @ Cleveland | Cleveland | Cleveland | Cincinnati | |
| Tampa Bay @ Dallas | Dallas | Dallas | Dallas | |
| Minnesota @ Detroit | Minnesota | Minnesota | Minnesota | |
| Buffalo @ New England | New England | New England | New England | |
| Green Bay @ N.Y. Jets | Green Bay | Green Bay | New York Jets | |
| Houston @ Philadelphia | Philadelphia | Houston | Houston | |
| L.A. Rams @ Arizona | L.A. Rams | L.A. Rams | Arizona | |
| Chicago @ San Francisco | Chicago | San Francisco | Chicago | |
| Pittsburgh @ New Orleans | Pittsburgh | New Orleans | Pittsburgh | |
| Kansas City @ Seattle | Kansas City | Seattle | Seattle | |
| Monday, December 24, 2018 | ||||
| Denver @ Oakland | Denver | Denver | Denver | |
| © 2018 Gehlke Bros. Football | ||||
There’s an old saying that to be the best, you have to beat the best. And when it comes to Gehlke Bros. Football, the defending champ has no plans to go out quietly. Finding himself down two games with just two weeks left in the season and in the midst of a three-week slump, the Junior Bro knew he needed to make something happen in Week 16 if he wanted to keep alive any realistic hopes for another title. While he may not have scored a decisive victory on Sunday, he successfully halved the deficit going into the finale next Sunday.
There were five splits on the line Sunday, including three with major playoff implications. One of those was not the divisional clash between Atlanta and Carolina, both of which had previously been eliminated. Sean made it a split, taking the Falcons, and it proved to be the right move as the Dirty Birds played to a 24-10 win against a depleted Panthers team that has now lost seven in a row.
The second morning game pitted Houston, seeking a first-round bye, against defending Stupor Bore champion Philadelphia, who like the Junior Bro finds itself in a battle for survival. Sean took the Texans, but it was the Eagles that soared to a 32-30 victory to keep their fleeting playoff chances alive.
Glenn briefly got the upper hand in the afternoon when the Bears defeated the 49ers, 14-9. And it appeared that he might build on his advantage in the Surfy standings when the Steelers grabbed a late lead against the Saints. But a failed fake punt and a costly turnover changed the course of the game, and it was New Orleans clinching home field advantage with a 31-28 victory that sent Pittsburgh to the brink of elimination while perhaps rescuing Sean from it.
So it came down to Sunday night when the Chiefs faced the Seahawks, and if the Junior Bro had any requests for Santa this year they must have included a winning Week 16, because Seattle obliged with a 38-31 victory that clinched a wildcard berth for the team and renewed hope for the defending GBF titleist.
Sean went 11-5 to win the week and slash the Senior Bro’s lead to a single game with 16 games left to pick. Glenn was second at 10-6, while Ben wound up at 7-9, falling to his lowest point in the standings in years. Our mutual correct predictions included Indianapolis, Dallas, Minnesota and New England. We all missed the wins by Jacksonville and Oakland.
