Week 1 of the 2008 NFL season is in the books and we’ve already had a few upsets and surprises. Not surprising though, is the House beating the membership right out of the gate, 9 correct picks to 8. The Madden 09 Xbox 360 simulation actually finished with the best pick set for the week, earning 10 correct picks.
| * | The House | Madden Sim | Members |
| Week 1: | 9-7 | 10-6 | 8-8 |
| 2008 Overall: | 9-7 | 10-6 | 8-8 |
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The Challenge
The first week always seems to be the hardest to pick. Who knows how good or bad most teams are going to be? The House and Membership pretty much agreed on most picks. One one game was disagreed-upon and that was the Tennesse Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars. The House called a squeaker win and that’s exactly what happened.
Only two other games were close in voting, and those were the Monday Night games believe it or not. The House and the Membership picked both games incorrectly.
Since the House was not beaten, and that is the name of the game, we have no DVD prize to issue this week. We do, however have a “game ball” to award. Waruikaze was the member with the most correct games… who submitted their picks prior to the Thursday night game, and will be receiving a Nerf Pro Grip Football.
Tune back in on Thursday morning to once again agree or disagree with the House’s NFL week 2 picks and predictions.
The League
Week 1 saw some pretty crazy results, especially in the AFC. Many of the early favorites earned 1’s in the loss column, and the top favorite suffered an even bigger loss. The Colts, Jaguars and Chargers all dropped games to beatable opponents. All three were playoff teams last season, and most experts predict them to repeat that feat this year. They’re not off to a very good start.
The biggest news of the week, which I’m sure you have all heard about by now ad-nauseum, is the season-ending injury to reigning NFL MVP Tom Brady. The loss certainly changes the future of the AFC this season, and possibly the league. Will the New England Patriots now fall off the face of the earth? No way. They’re still too loaded on offense to go away. However, their defense is a shadow of what it used to be during their Superbowl years, and when the time comes when the defense will be looked upon to win a game for them, they most likely won’t be able to do it. I’m going to downgrade the Pats from a Superbowl team all the way down to a possible 1-win playoff team. Bill might have to break out that video camera again to make up for the loss.
Oddly enough, the biggest offensive outputs came from the NFC in the first week. Four of the top five quarterbacks AND running backs this week were all from the NFC. The biggest surprise had to be Michael Turner’s debut with the Falcons. We all knew he was a decent running back, but a 220-yard, 2 touchdown game? Good for him.
Take the first week of football with a grain of salt. Who knows how the remainder of the season will pan out. Remember, the reigning Superbowl champs lost their initial two games last season.
Fantasy Land
As I mentioned, the NFC saw the strongest statistical perfomances in week 1. The top fantasy point earners in the kickoff week were:
Quarterback:
Donovan McNabb – Philadelphia Eagles
In 38-3 win over the St. Louis Rams
– 21/33 for 361 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INT.
Running Back:
Michael Turner – Atlanta Falcons
In 34-21 win over the Detroit Lions
– 22 carries for 220 yards, 2 TDs.
Receiver:
Eddie Royal – Denver Broncos
In 41-14 win over the Oakland Raiders
– 9 catches for 146 yards, 1 TD.
Defense:
James Harrison – Pittsburgh Steelers
In 38-17 win over the Houston Texans
– 7 tackles, 2 assists, 3 sacks, 1 forced fumble
Clunker of the Week:
J.T. O’Sullivan – San Francisco 49ers
In 23-13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals
– 14/20 for 195 yards, 0 TDs, 1 INT, 2 Fumbles
To review the Week 1 picks, visit the Beat the House main pics page. The week 2 picks and predictions will be up early Thursday morning. Make sure you get your picks in early to move up the leaderboard and get another shot at beating the house. Check in often, the board can drastically change over the remainder of the football season.
Stay tuned to see who will be names the Visionman Players of the Week and if any members have won the gaming PC this week. We’ll update you as soon as the players of the week are announced.
For all other NFL and sports updates, check out the TMRzoo Sports Zone.
See you next week.
