[Thank you all for the fine points!

That is true, the NFL can be much quicker and unpredictable, so a team always gets several opportunities for victory. It is also good for dampening the effect of wrong calls.

I would only highlight the soulless part, because from other point of view it is good that a referee is only a "tool". He only serves to enforce the rules of the game, and for me he works fine when he is invisible throughout the match. I agree the problem starts when he cannot make decisions on its own.

I am a bit glad not all of the whining people are in Europe. :) Before asking this question I only heard discussions from local guys about how amiable the fan culture is in the NFL: less violence, friendly chat and barbacue before the match, fans of opposite teams sitting next to each other. Hearing these I thought being a fan is a little bit different in the USA than in Europe.


For this week I would like to pick the Pittsburgh Steelers, maybe Big Ben will continue his fine streak. Good luck for both of our finalists, I strongly encourage them to decide this on week 17. :)

As good a week as any to pick the Broncos I guess....I wanted to continue my AFC teams until I'd used at least MOST of them

I'm not sure the Rapistburger will continue to dominate... it SEEMS like too perfect of a scenario ... I'd still expect the Steelers can win, but for some reason I'm not thinking big... and neither are the odds-makers

Can't imagine the Rams would get a divine intervention two weeks in a row, so I'll go Cardinals this week!

Let's see if the Seahawks will be able to best the Giants.

@CrowTRobo, I assume you're keeping track of my picks each week. Is it possible for you to tell me who I've chosen so far, so I don't double pick? I would have kept a list but I didn't expect to get this far (again?!?!) :S

Colts
Seahawks
Titans
Ravens
Browns
Chiefs
Cardinals

Not that I'm keeping track... ;)

RWarehall got it exactly right. :)

Also, what the hell happened to the Steelers?

Lol, thanks for that :D

Actually, it was again the Jets failing miserably. Only this time it was at getting a favourable draft seed :P

God, I don't love ANY of the AFC teams this week... As bad as the Chargers seem to be this could be the Raiders best chance... Can always rely on the Chargers to fade down the stretch. (plus they BARELY got past them last time)

But I'll go Chargers over Raiders.

(although the default this week is probably a safe bet too... Atlanta is every bit as stinky as carolina, and carolina is at home) You becoming a Falcons fan Crow?

Hahah, I was very tempted to pick the Chargers as the "loser" pick this week. I think this might be the best chance the Raiders have of winning their first game. But since the game is in San Diego and the Chargers have had such a bad streak, I second-guessed myself and thought that this week the Chargers will finally put an end to their freefall. Thus I picked the Falcons, since Carolina looked so bad on Monday night and Cam Newton is definitely not 100%.

And with that vote of confidence, I choose the Chargers to win this week! Although, it should be quite close. I mean, what's the difference, exactly, between a charger and a raider? They do pretty much the same thing ;)

Let's go Broncos. Think this is the first road team I picked...

In the second chance league I would like to pick the San Francisco 49ers.

In suicidal picks of the week, let's go Washington Raci- erm, Redskins!