Happy Holidays! Week 16 results, comments, and picks

Happy Holidays!

Week 16 is in the books!

• It was cool that the Steelers planned to honor Franco Harris on the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception. It was not so cool that he died suddenly just days ago. It was perhaps fitting that the Steelers came from behind to beat the Raiders.
• Would the Immaculate Reception have counted today, with more camera angles and replay? It would be close.  My guess is either call stands or overturned, depending on whether there's an angle which can see the ball hit the ground. I remember watching the game, and as I've said many times before: any play that beat the Raiders back then was OK with me.
• What this means for Wallyball is that Paul picked up the narrow win needed for the $50 for 50%. But Wally was on the correct side of Washington -17 to move into a tie for that prize. If the season ends with a tie for this prize and the second to last prize, they would both be split.
• In that Niners game, Wally needed the loss- and got it.  Five others played for the win and pick up 17 points: Carter and Greg, who move a little closer to the top prize, Jay K, who has a big lead for the Holiday Bonus and is in good shape as long as he can keep winning, and Steve and Gil- for no other reason than they can stay next to each other in the standings, like usual.
• Like Steve and Gil, Scott I is playing for pride these days- still congrats on the early lead for Best Pick of the Week thanks to that second half in Chicago.  Considering how things are going for his Buckeyes these days, +22 beats the alternative.
• I don't know if Scott is a Browns fan, but I have no doubt how Scott K, Jay B, and Cheryl feel about the team or its atrocious performance. In better news, Cheryl's Steelers still have a chance at a playoff spot, and Jay's Vikings have been trying something new lately: clutch field goal kicking at the end of games.
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Updates on the races:

• Carter and Greg stay 1-2 on the leaderboard because Steve's 5SLOTW came through for once. Same with Jay K for the Holiday Bonus.
• What has happened to Tampa Bay?  The Bucs sure got old and mediocre in a hurry.  Their game vs the Cards should have been easy, with some random fan playing QB for Arizona and the rest of the team having tuned out Koach Kliff. Instead, they escape in overtime. It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't the big points win that Doug, Gregory, Andy, and Scot were hoping for, but +3 is sure better than -3 had this one gone south.
• South also describes the Packers warm-weather destination for Christmas and the direction that Miami is trending. This might actually work out well for Al, who now has an outside shot at the $50 for 50% if he can put together two blowout losses in the remaining games.
• Wally and Paul are even at 8-8, +13 with two weeks to go,  6 points ahead of Colin who is also 8-8. They'll have to figure out how to win one and lose one, and somehow manage to lose points in the process.
• Dave E is in an interesting spot, since he needs to make 4 picks over the next two weeks, somehow get to 8-9-1 or 9-8-1 (or 8-8-2!), and then hope to squeak past the others.
• Adding to the fun is that the person who doesn't finish at .500 will be one of the favorites for the $25 prize for finishing second to last.
• Last place was locked up around Halloween.  Dave Brown's only blemish came on week 9 when Zach Wilson looked like an average quarterback (which for him is remarkable) and the Jets beat the Bills.  This was also the only perfect week in the long history of Wallyball.
• Nice work by Tim and JP to take advantage of the SS (Sinking Ship) Indianapolis and pick up 17 points, to stay within reach of the Holiday Bonus if any of the leaders should falter or win better prizes.
• Thanks to the Buckeyes and Browns, Scott I hasn't had a lot to root for on the field.  But in our world, has won the even more coveted title of Best Pick of the Week for the last two weeks.
• When you're going for .500, you reach a point where a win or a loss can be helpful.  Perhaps the best way to stay on track is to stay bold.  Congrats to Paul for picking the Steelers in a game I expected Vegas to win- that's our Christmastime Bold Pick of the Week. 

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