Countdown To Super Bowl 50

Super Bowl 50 will be taking place  in Santa Clara next Sunday, and even though my favorite NFL team won't be involved in it, I will have a rooting interest in one of the teams that will playing in this year's NFL championship game between the Denver Broncos and the Carolina Panthers..

There are also some interesting historical nuggets as we approach the kickoff time for this game. Carolina Panthers head coach Ron Rivera is now the second Latino head coach after the Oakland Raiders Tom Flores to make it to the title game. 

He also wants to be like his idol Flores, the second Latino head coach to win a Super Bowl.   Flores as the hard coach of the Oakland/LA Raiders coached them to NFL titles twice in 1981 and 1984.

For the third straight year, a team with an African-American starting quarterback will be in the Super Bowl house.   Russell Wilson of the Seahawks was that quarterback the last two years and won (2014) and lost (2015) one, and this year it will be Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers representing at the QB spot..

Newton will be bidding to make some Black history by attempting to join Doug Williams and Wilson as African-American NFL starting quarterbacks that have won a Super Bowl.   Ironically both of those wins by Black quarterbacks in 1988 and 2014 came at the expense of the Denver Broncos, this Sunday's opponent.

Newton will be trying to do so against a quarterback in Peyton Manning who may be playing in his last Super Bowl.

As to who I'm picking to walk away with the Vince Lombardi Trophy next week?    I'll let y'all know on Friday.

TransGriot 2015 NFL Picks-Conference Championship

I'm in Chicago for Creating Change, but the NFL 2015-16 playoffs are rolling toward Championship Sunday and who will play in Super Bowl 50.

In last week's Divisional Round went 3-1 (5-3 for the playoffs) on my picks thanks to that unbelievable play in OT by Larry Fitzgerald that followed a miracle Green Bay Hail Mary that tied the game at 20-20 and sent it to overtime.

It's Championship Sunday, and hope we get two games that match the drama of those Divisional round matchups.

AFC Championship

#2 New England Patriots (13-4) at #1 Denver Broncos (13-4) 

First up on Championship Sunday is the rematch, with much higher stakes between the Patriots and Broncos.  The regular season clash played at Sports Authority Field back on November 29 resulted in an unexpected 30-24 Denver overtime victory that knocked the Patriots from the unbeaten ranks and the Broncos eventually getting home field for this game.

This time, Brock Osweiler won't be the starting QB, Peyton Manning will be.  He led them to a come from behind 23-16 victory in their Divisional round game against the Steelers.  The Brady bunch ended the Kansas City Chiefs season with their 27-20 win at Gillette Stadium.

Should be another interesting and close game between future Hall of Fame QB's Manning and Brady, but only one will be walking away with the Lamar Hunt trophy at the end of the game and a punched ticket to Super Bowl 50.

While it's hard to beat a team twice in the same season,  Broncos will win this game.

NFC Championship

#2 Arizona Cardinals (14-3)  at #1 Carolina Panthers (16-1)

This game will be in Charlotte, and it's a game matching arguably the two best teams in the NFC and possibly the league.

Both of them had interesting Divisional round games to say the least.   The Cardinals had go to overtime to punch their first NFC conference title game ticket since 2008 after Aaron Rodgers Hail Mary throw on the last play of regulation time tied the game 20-20.  

The Panthers stormed out of the locker room and built a 31-0 halftime lead against the Seahawks, then had to hold on for dear life as the two time NFC champs mounted a furious second half comeback that fell just short.

This should be a fun game to watch, but as for who I think will be hoisting the George Halas trophy after the game, it will be the Panthers.

TransGriot 2015 NFL Picks - Divisional Round

As you TransGriot readers probably guessed, I was not happy with the piss poor playoff performance of my hometown NFL ballers, but picked that game correctly.

Note to Texans GM Rick Smith:  Please get the Texans an NFL quality franchise starting quarterback
Went 2-2 thanks to Blair Walsh missing a chip shot field goal and the Bengals melting down in the fourth quarter to snatch playoff defeat from the jaws of a streak snapping playoff victory.

It's now the 2016 NFL playoffs Divisional Round.  The stakes are higher in these four games this weekend, with the winners going to the conference championship games and the losers ending their season lamenting about what might have been.

And  now, my picks for this weekend's NFL playoff games.

NFL Divisional Round    Saturday, January 16, 2016

#5 Kansas City Chiefs (12-5) at #2 New England Patriots (12-4)

Interestingly enough, this is the first ever meeting of both teams in the playoffs

The Chiefs go into this game as the league's hottest team after the number 2 ranked defense in the league forced five turnovers in their 30-0 shutout of the Texans to win their eleventh straight game and snap their eight game playoff losing streak.  

Meanwhile the defending NFL champion Patriots needed that bye week off. After starting 10-0, they limped down the stretch with a 2-4 record after suffering a series of injuries that has crippled their offense and left them with an offense line that has struggled to protect Tom Brady this year..  

But you can't bet against a team that has gone 32-5 at home in the playoff, and the Chiefs are due to lose a game.  Patriots to win this game,

#5 Green Bay Packers (11-6) at #2 Arizona Cardinals (13-3)

After spotting Washington an 11-0 lead, the Packers offense finally woke up from their several week long slumber and looked like their number three NFL ranked selves by scoring on five consecutive possessions ti get control of the game and cruise to their 35-18 wild card round win

But this week they are playing a Cardinals squad that demolished them 38-8 back on December 27 in Glendale, and is itching to prove they are the best team complete team in the league,

They say it's hard to beat the same team twice in the same season. but Arizona will handle their business in the desert once again and move on to the NFC title game.

NFL Divisional Round   Sunday January 17, 2016

#6 Seattle Seahawks (11-6) at #1 Carolina Panthers (15-1)

Sunday starts off with a heavyweight matchup between the fortunate to be here Seahawks and a Panthers team that is on a mission to get to Santa Clara for Super Bowl 50.

The Seahawks are probably happy it won't be -6 degrees like it was for last week's game, but don't let that sixth seed fool you.  The Seahawks are not quite the Legion of Boom, but are still the number one ranked defense in the NFL.  The two time defending NFC champs offense also woke up down the stretch and gets Marshawn Lynch back..

Carolina has their MVP candidate QB Cam Newton rested and ready for this battle between two teams that are basically mirror images of each other.

It will be a tight game, but Seattle will pull off the upset to get to their third straight NFC title game.

#6 Pittsburgh Steelers (11-6) at #1 Denver Broncos (12-4) 

The last time these teams played during the regular season, Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown were enjoying their Heinz Field home cooking.  They stormed back from a 27-13 deficit to force two turnovers and scored 20 unanswered second half points to get a 34-27 comeback victory over a Bronco team being quarterbacked by Brock Osweiler.

But this time the game is in Denver, and Peyton Manning will be the Broncos starter.  Antonio Brown still hasn't cleared concussion protocol after suffering a concussion in the wildcard game against Cincinnati they were fortunate to win 18-16 thanks to the Bengals fourth quarter meltdown, they have a running back by committee situation due to injuries and Roethlisberger is banged up.

You'll also have a Peyton Manning determined to shake off his failed playoff performances of the past and give the fans at Sports Authority Field at Mile High some to cheer about.

Advantage and game to the Broncos.  

NFL Meeting In H-town To Decide Who Goes To LA

It has been 21 years since the NFL has had teams in Los Angeles, the second largest TV market in the United States and the largest metropolitan area without an NFL franchise.

The Rams and Raiders moved to St. Louis and Oakland in 1995, and the city's bid to get an NFL expansion franchise back in 1999 was thwarted by lack of a stadium plan and Bob McNair outworking them to secure the expansion franchise that became the Houston Texans and the league's 32nd team.

That two decade NFL drought may be about to come to an end, because three NFL franchises with a history in LA, the San Diego Chargers, the Oakland Raiders and the St. Louis Rams have put in bids to move, and two of them may be playing in Los Angeles in time for the 2016 NFL season.

The Chargers played one season in Los Angeles when the AFL kicked off in 1960 before they headed south to San Diego.  The Rams moved to LA from Cleveland in 1945 for fiscal reasons after winning the NFL title and because the Cleveland Browns were scheduled to begin play in the All-American Football Conference,  They played at the LA Coliseum and in Anaheim before bouncing to St Louis.

The Raiders moved to Los Angeles from Oakland in 1982 and headed back in 1995 after failure to get improvements made to the LA Coliseum and a proposed stadium deal in Irwindale collapsed.

And yep, out of the three teams in contention to move, the Raiders are a distant third for the affections of LA football fans and sports media pundits..

The NFL special owners meeting will be taking place here in Houston today and tomorrow, and we'll know by the end of it which two teams will be kicking off in LA this fall.

Unlike 1999, the LA area stadium proposals runneth over this time..

Rams owner Stan Kroenke has already broken ground on a new 80,000 seat transparent roofed stadium in Inglewood, near the old LA Forum arena with a construction completion date of 2019.  If it stays on that timetable and he is successful in relocating the Rams back to LA, it would make that new stadium eligible to host a Super Bowl starting in 2020.

Chargers owner Dean Spanos and Raiders Mark Davis are pushing a joint stadium project in Carson, but the city referendum hasn't happened yet, and it looks like consensus is building for a deal that would call for the Chargers and Rams to share the new Inglewood stadium that is already under construction.

The entertainment company AEG until March 2015 pitched a downtown stadium project near Staples Center, and the City of Industry has another proposed project not attached to any team.

There's support by various influential NFL owners like Bob McNair, Jim Irsay and Jerry Richardson for the Chargers to be one of the teams that moves, while Jerry Jones is part of the 'anybody move to LA' group of owners, especially in light of the fact it's almost time to renegotiate the NFL broadcasting rights contract and teams in LA would enhance the NFL's bargaining position.

Another issue that will be discussed at the meeting here in Houston is whether to move two teams to LA immediately, or stagger their entry into LA, with one team moving now and the other team moving in 2017.  As far as realignment goes, wouldn't be necessary because the Rams are already in the NFC West Division, and the Chargers and Raiders both play in the AFC West Division

The word right now is the Chargers are gone (and I feel your pain San Diego), with the Rams probably being the other team that will be allowed to move.  The Raiders look like they will be the odd team out, but if Davis does decide to move the team, their destination could be San Antonio unless Oakland or the league comes up with a plan that will keep the Raiders in northern California..

Davis held a meeting with San Antonio city officials in 2014 about moving the Raiders there and if they did so, would play in the Alamodome until a new stadium gets built.  

It will take securing 24 votes for the successful teams to get approval to move, and until the new NFL playpens are completed, the relocated NFL teams would play either in the Coliseum or the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

We'll find out how this all turns out soon.

And The 2015 NFL Prognostication Champion Is....

For the first time since 2012,  Moi!

Something else that's happened for the first time since 2012 is my Texans, after a 2-5 start and being written off for dead after the Dolphins spanked them 41-2, regrouped to go 7-2 down the stretch, win in Indianapolis for the first time in franchise history and take a surprise AFC South title.

Their reward is a playoff rematch at NRG Stadium against the same Kansas City Chiefs team that ruined their home opener 27-20.    Both teams are light years away from where they were back in September, and this time the game has higher stakes.

As or the prognosticarion contest, we started back on September 10 with Mike as the defending champ and attempting to become the first ever repeat champion.  He gave it a nice run, but 256 games and 17 weeks later it's Moni back on top.  

As for our final NFL week 17 results, we all tied at 9-7.



Week 17 Results                                        Final 2015 Season Record.
TransGriot      9-7                                        TransGriot       166-90
Mike               9-7                                        Mike               159-97
Eli                  9-7                                        Eli                   153-103

2015 TransGriot NFL Picks- Week 17

Happy New Year NFL fans!   I'm taking the extra time to analyze this last regular season weekend of NFL games because all the games will be played tomorrow either at noon or 3 PM CST.

There's a lot on the line.  Division titles, playoff seedings, and even 2016 draft position for the teams that won't be playing additional January football.

And the 2015 NFL prognostication title is mine if I don't screw this final week of the season up.

One thing we know won't be happening is the Carolina Panthers playing for an unbeaten regular season after the Atlanta Falcons handed them their first loss.

The last week of the 2015 season is upon us.   Let's get to it.  

Week 16 Results                                          2015 Season Record.
TransGriot    10-6                                        TransGriot      157-83
Mike              7-9                                        Mike               150-90
Eli                 8-8                                         Eli                 144-96


NFL Week 17   (Home team in CAPS)

Sunday Noon
TEXANS over Jaguars
Steelers over BROWNS
Jets over BILLS
PATRIOTS over Dolphins
COLTS over Titans
BENGALS over Ravens
Washington over COWBOYS
FALCONS over Saints
Lions over BEARS
GIANTS over Eagles

Sunday Afternoon
Rams over 49ERS
BRONCOS over Chargers
CARDINALS over Seahawks
CHIEFS over Raiders
PANTHERS over Buccaneers

Sunday Night 
PACKERS over Vikings

2015 TransGriot NFL Picks- Week 16

Merry Christmas!   Your present from the NFL is the last Thursday night matchup of the 2015 season and a Saturday game for the second consecutive week.

We in H-town got an early Christmas present from the Texans with the snapping of that 0 for Indianapolis streak with their 16-10 win against the Colts .  This was the first ever win as a franchise against the Colts after 13 straight losses in both the now demolished RCA Dome and Lucas Oil Stadium and ended a six game losing streak to the team we hate the most in the AFC South next to the Tennessee Traitors.

And I'm rooting for the Carolina Panthers to go perfect.  In addition to being the first NFC team with a chance to do so, Cam Newton has a chance to make some Black history as the first Black NFL quarterback to lead his team to an undefeated regular season.

Speaking of perfect, I came close to getting my perfect week, but missed on the Thursday night and Monday night games in Week 15 to end up with a still excellent 14-2 week and open up a lead on defending champ Mike with  two weeks to go.

Now I have to hold it.  So let's get busy doing just that.




Week 15 Results                                          2015 Season Record.
TransGriot    14-2                                        TransGriot      147-77
Mike             12-4                                         Mike               143-81
Eli                 11-5                                         Eli                  136-88

NFL Week 16 (Home Team In CAPS)

Thursday Night
RAIDERS over Chargers

Saturday Night 
Washington over EAGLES

Sunday Noon
Texans over TITANS
Colts over DOLPHINS
BUCCANEERS over Bears
CHIEFS over Browns
Patriots over JETS
BILLS over Cowboys
Panthers over FALCONS
LIONS over 49ers
Steelers over RAVENS

Sunday Afternoon
SAINTS over Jaguars
SEAHAWKS over Rams
CARDINALS over Packers

Sunday Night
VIKINGS over Giants

Monday Night
Bengals over BRONCOS

2015 TransGriot NFL Picks-Week 15

Ho Ho Ho!  I;m feeling merry since I finally caught Mike, and I'm in position to claim my first prognostication title since 2012

But we still have three weeks to go and from now on all of the games will have massive playoff seeding implications.  For the teams not in playoff contention, drafting positions are on the line.

Something else that is on the line for my fave NFL ballers is the AFC South title.   They are unfortunately on a two game losing streak, and go play the Colts in Indianapolis, a place where they have never won as a franchise.   Well, sooner or later they have to win a game in Indy, but will this be the year they do so?

Speaking of streaks, will the Panthers stay perfect?  After their game with the Giants, they face the fading Falcons and the  Buccaneers

And yeah, time for me to go on my late season kick to the title.



Week 14 Results                                          2015 Season Record.
TransGriot    10-6                                        TransGriot      131-77
Mike               8-8                                         Mike               131-77
Eli                   8-8                                         Eli                  125-83

NFL Week 15 (Home team in CAPS)

Thursday Night
Buccaneers over RAMS

Saturday Night 
Jets over COWBOYS

Sunday Noon
Chiefs over RAVENS
Texans over COLTS
PATRIOTS over Titans
WASHINGTON over Bills
VIKINGS over Bears
Panthers over GIANTS
Falcons over JAGUARS

Sunday Afternoon
Packers over RAIDERS
SEAHAWKS over Browns
Bengals over 49ERS
STEELERS over Broncos
CHARGERS over Dolphins

Sunday Night
Cardinals over EAGLES

Monday Night
SAINTS over Lions

2015 TransGriot NFL Picks-Week 14

The Carolina  Panthers had to work for it, but they stayed unbeaten at 12-0 with their  41-38 shootout win over the New Orleans Saints, clinched the NFC South and kept their grip on the number one seed in the NFC playoff bracket.

Meanwhile I won't be getting a free Texans slush from Sonic this week as their four game winning streak came to an end in Buffalo.with a 30-21 loss to the Bills.

It won't get any easier for my hometown NFL ballers as the  6-6 Texans face a pissed off Brady and Company on national TV Sunday night at NRG Stadium.  The Patriots were upset at home by the Philadelphia Eagles 35-28 and have suffered a string of crucial injuries that have fueled their current losing streak.  But the Patriots haven't lost three games in a row since 2002 and have won five of six against the Texans including the playoffs.

That one win however came in Houston, and the Pats are banged up while the Texans are relatively healthy.  Fortunately the Colts lost too, but the Texans missed an opportunity to take control of the AFC South lead by failing to handle their NFL business in Buffalo.

As for our 2014 prognostication contest, for the second time this season, we all tied for top honors this week with 10-6 records because of the frustrating for me and Eli result of the Dallas-Washington game.  The late game heroics for the Cowboys forced the tie between us and helped Mike maintain his lead over moi with the regular season coming to a close soon.



Another week, and another opportunity to try to catch the defending champ before the 2015 NFL regular season ends.


NFL Week 14  (Home team in CAPS)
Thursday Night
CARDINALS over Vikings

Sunday Noon
EAGLES over Bills
Seahawks over RAVENS
49ers over BROWNS
PANTHERS over Falcons
BEARS over Washington
BENGALS over Steelers
Lions over RAMS
Colts over JAGUARS
CHIEFS over Chargers
Saints over BUCCANEERS
JETS over Titans

Sunday Afternoon
BRONCOS over Raiders
PACKERS over Cowboys

Sunday Night
Patriots over TEXANS

Monday Night
Giants over DOLPHINS

2015 TransGriot NFL Picks- Week 13

Down goes New England!  Down goes New England!   The Patriots traveled to Denver and tumbled from the unbeaten ranks in this Sunday night clash thanks to the Broncos knocking them off in overtime 30-24.

That leaves the Carolina Panthers as the only unbeaten team left in the NFL, and they have a stranglehold for now as the top seed in the NFC playoff race..  

The Texans for the first time in this 2015 NFL season are now above .500 after winning their fourth straight game and playing their way back into the NFL playoff picture with their 24-6 win over the New Orleans Saints..  They are unfortunately still tied with the Colts and have a Week 15 showdown for the AFC South tittle in Indianapolis

Eli's streak of four straight weeks in which he has either won or tied for weekly top honors came to a screeching halt as this time his upset specials failed him.   It was Mike and I tying for Week 12 honors with 11-5 records as he maintained his two game lead on me.

So yeah, need to make up two games and running out of weeks to do it since he has led from wire to wire so far in this 2015 prognostication contest.   But do have 16 more games to pick and attempt to get that perfect week..

So let's get to it.

Week 12 Results                                          2015 Season Record.
TransGriot    11-5                                        TransGriot      111-65
Mike             11-5                                        Mike               113-63
Eli                   8-8                                        Eli                   107-69
.

NFL Week 13   (Home teams in CAPS)

Thursday Night
Packers over LIONS

Sunday Noon
Texans over BILLS
Ravens over DOLPHINS
Bengals over BROWNS
BEARS over 49ers
Jaguars over TITANS
Seahawks over VIKINGS
Jets over GIANTS
Cardinals over RAMS
BUCCANEERS over Falcons

Sunday Afternoon
Broncos over CHARGERS
Chiefs over RAIDERS
Panthers over SAINTS
PATRIOTS over Eagles

Sunday Night
STEELERS over Colts

Monday Night 
WASHINGTON over Cowboys

2015 TransGriot NFL Picks- Week 12

It's Thanksgiving Day and in addition to us scarfing up turkey in a few hours, we'll get to start NFL Week 12 with a Thursday NFL football feast.  

Three games are on the menu highlighted by the clash at Jerry World between the unbeaten Carolina Panthers and the Arlington Cowchips who just got Tony Romo back. The Philadelphia Eagles will take on the suddenly surging Detroit Lions in the early Turkey Day game and the nightcap game features the Green Bay Packers hosting another NFC North Division hatefest between themselves and the Chicago Bears

As for our prognostication contest, it's tight going into the last five weeks of the season with me and Eli closing fast behind defending champ Mike.

Eli and I tied for Week 11 honors thanks to me listening to my football intuition and reversing my Dolphins-Cowboys pick before I posted it as Mike halted his losing streak.  

Meanwhile, the hot streak Eli is on continued with him either winning or tying for weekly honors for now four straight weeks.  He's back in contention for the 2015 TransGriot NFL Prognostication title that Mike is trying to become the first person to win in back-to-back seasons.

With the bye weeks over, we're back to picking 16 games for the remainder of the 2015 NFL season, and those next five weeks will determine which teams are playoff bound, which ones may be Super Bowl bound, and which one will be picking first in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Time to get busy with my Week 12 picks
 


Week 11 Results                                          2015 Season Record.
TransGriot    11-3                                        TransGriot      100-60
Mike             10-4                                        Mike               102-58
Eli                 11-3                                        Eli                    99-61


NFL Week 12 (Home team in CAPS)

Thanksgiving Day
LIONS over Eagles
Panthers over COWBOYS
PACKERS over Bears

Sunday Noon
TEXANS over Saints
CHIEFS over Bills
BENGALS over Rams
Chargers over JAGUARS
JETS over Dolphins
FALCONS over Vikings
Giants over WASHINGTON
Raiders over TITANS

Sunday Afternoon
Cardinals over 49ERS
SEAHAWKS over Steelers

Sunday Night
Patriots over BRONCOS

Monday Night
Ravens over BROWNS

2015 TransGriot NFL Picks- Week 11

The 2015 NFL season keeps rolling along in addition to our prognostication contest, and Week 10 played havoc with our predictions as it was a Sunday chock full of upsets.

One of those upsets was my hometown NFL ballers knocking off in the glare of the Monday Night Football spotlights the previously unbeaten Cincinnati Bengals 10-6 in their building with T J Yates at quarterback.

Surprise surprise, as a result of improbable win, the Texans are now in a first place tie with the Colts in the putrid this year AFC South with a 4-5 record.

And because of all the NFL Week 10 upsets, we all of ended up below .500  in our Week 10 picks and yours truly tied my records for my worst ever prognostication week.   If I end up falling short in my quest to win this 2015 NFL Prognostication title, this week will probably be the reason I lost it.

But despite the putrid week for all of us, like the AFC South, somebody had to win Week 10.    Eli managed to keep his momentum going by taking his third straight week with a best of the worst 6-8 record and has gotten back in the running for the 2015 title.

This is also the final contest week we will be picking only 14 games because this is the last week of NFL teams getting their bye week,  Those teams finally getting their opportunity to watch everyone else play on Sunday are the Browns, Saints, Steelers and Giants.

 

Week 10 Results                                          2015 Season Record.
TransGriot    4-10                                        TransGriot      89-57
Mike             5-9                                          Mike               92-54
Eli                 6-8                                          Eli                   88-56

NFL Week 11  (Home Team In CAPS)

Thursday Night
Titans over JAGUARS

Sunday Noon
|RAVENS over Rams
PANTHERS over Washington
Broncos over BEARS
Cowboys over DOLPHINS
Raiders over LIONS
TEXANS over Jets
Colts over FALCONS
EAGLES over Buccaneers

Sunday Afternoon
Packers over VIKINGS
SEAHAWKS over 49ers
Chiefs over CHARGERS

Sunday Night
CARDINALS over Bengals

Monday Night
PATRIOTS over Bills

2015 TransGriot NFL Picks- Week 10

We're now in the second half of the 2015 NFL season as the race for playoff spots starts to take shape.  Believe it or not, thanks to the putrid state of the AFC South this year, the Texans are still a half game out of first place despite a 3-5 record.

If it weren't for Denver's 4th quarter meltdown versus Indianapolis to drop them from the ranks of the unbeaten teams, the Texans would be in first place going into their Monday night game against the undefeated Bengals.

While New England is not a surprise survivor in the ranks of the NFL unbeatens, the Cincinnati Bengals and Carolina Panthers are.  With the Panthers win over Green Bay Sunday in Charlotte, they are the lone NFC unbeaten squad and have seized control of the NFC South, the race for the NFC's number one seed and home field throughout the NFC playoff bracket.  

But there is still a lot of football left to play.

Speaking of races, the race for the 2015 TransGriot NFL Prognostication title just got a little tighter after defending champ Mike stumbled to a 6-7 record as 2013 champ Eli had another solid week thanks to him correctly picking both of his Week 9 upset specials to win this week..

Eli has a little momentum after winning two straight weeks, but can he keep it up?

It's now Week 10.  Only seven weeks left in the regular season.  Teams on byes this week are the Falcons, Colts, Chargers and 49ers, so that means only 14 games to pick this week.



Week 9 Results                                          2015 Season Record.
TransGriot    7-6                                         TransGriot      85-47
Mike             6-7                                         Mike               87-45
Eli                 9-4                                         Eli                   82-50

NFL Week 10  (Home Team In CAPS)

Thursday Night
JETS over Bills

Sunday Noon 
RAVENS over Jaguars
STEELERS over Browns
RAMS over Bears
Panthers over TITANS
PACKERS over Lions
Cowboys over BUCCANEERS
EAGLES over Dolphins
Saints over WASHINGTON

Sunday Afternoon
Vikings over RAIDERS
BRONCOS over Chiefs
Patriots over GIANTS

Sunday Night
SEAHAWKS over Cardinals

Monday Night 
BENGALS over Texans

2015 TransGriot NFL Picks- Week 6

I've won for the second straight week without having to share it with somebody thanks to the Steelers win over the Chargers as time expired in that game. 

The 11-3 week was the third straight week I've either shared or won outright after stumbling out of the gate this season with a 17-15 start, and I'm going to need more of those weekly wins to reclaim the TransGriot NFL Prognostication title for the first time since 2012. Even more satisfying to me was it not only was my third straight double digit winning prognostication week, it also cut into that three game lead Mr Watts seized on me when I stumbled out of the gate. 

Unfortunately the Texans aren't handling their NFL business properly, but they do have the Jaguars on the schedule this week.  Something else the Texans aren't handling properly is donating money to the anti-HERO forces.

Back to my NFL prognostication business.   I'm eager to get this Week 6 NFL prognostication party started and keep the positive forward momentum going.   Only 14 games to pick since the Cowboys, Raiders, Rams and Buccaneers are on their bye week.

.    
Week 5 Results                                               2015 Season Record.
TransGriot     11-3                                          TransGriot        51-26
Mike             10-4                                           Mike                 52-25
Eli                   9-5                                           Eli                     47-30
   
NFL Week 6  (Home team in CAPS)

Thursday Night
Falcons over SAINTS

Sunday Noon
Texans over JAGUARS
Bengals over BILLS
Broncos over BROWNS
JETS over Washington
Bears over LIONS
TITANS over Dolphins
Cardinals over STEELERS
Chiefs over VIKINGS

Sunday Afternoon
SEAHAWKS over Panthers
49ERS over Ravens
PACKERS over Chargers

Sunday Night
Patriots over COLTS

Monday Night
EAGLES over Giants
                                   

2015 TransGriot NFL Picks - Week 5

Short week for the Texans after they got spanked in the ATL on Sunday.  They now get their first AFC South game in NRG Stadium against the Indianapolis Colts.

Unlike my fave NFL team, I had another great week picking game after stumbling out of the gate once again on Thursday for the second straight week to win for the second straight week..

The folks in Detroit are probably cussing up a storm after getting screwed in their Monday night game at CenturyLink versus the Seahawks that we all were on the right side of picking thanks to that officials brain fart.

But I am now solidly in second place in this 2015 NFL prognostication contest, so let's get to NFL Week 5.  Four teams on their bye week in the Panthers, Vikings, Dolphins and Jets, so only 14 games to select winners from.

And I need to cut into Mike's three game lead.  Time to get started on that.

Week 4 Results                             2015 Season Record

TransGriot    10-5                          TransGriot     40-23
Mike              9-6                           Mike              42-21
Eli                 9-6                            Eli                 38-25

NFL Week 5 (Home Team In CAPS)

Thursday Night
Colts over TEXANS

Sunday Noon
Bills over TITANS
RAVENS over Browns
CHIEFS over Bears
Seahawks over BENGALS
PACKERS over Rams
BUCCANEERS over Jaguars
EAGLES over Saints
FALCONS over Washington

Sunday Afternoon
Cardinals over LIONS
Patriots over COWBOYS
Broncos over RAIDERS

Sunday Night
GIANTS over 49ers

Monday Night
CHARGERS over Steelers

2015 TransGriot NFL Picks-Week 4

I rebounded from stumbling out of the gate to having a fab 13-3 week picking games, but that was only good enough to share weekly honors with the defending champ.

Arrgh.   But at least the Texans won their first game of the season, the Cowboys lost and I'm no longer bringing up the rear in this 2015 NFL prognostication contest.

Let's get right to the Week 4 NFL contests.   We've turned the calendar page to October, and we have only fifteen of 256 regular season games to predict with one being played in London (Jets-Dolphins).

It's also another opportunity to get that elusive perfect week and try to solidify my hold on second place.



Week 3 Results                 2015 Season Record

TransGriot    13-3              TransGriot     30-18
Mike             13-3               Mike             33-15
Eli                 11-5               Eli                 29-19

NFL Week 4 (Home team in CAPS)

Thursday Night
STEELERS over Ravens

Sunday Noon
Jets over DOLPHINS (in London)
BILLS over Giants
Panthers over BUCCANEERS
Raiders over BEARS
BENGALS over Chiefs
FALCONS over Texans
COLTS over Jaguars
Eagles over WASHINGTON

Sunday Afternoon
CHARGERS over Browns
BRONCOS over Vikings
Packers over 49ERS
CARDINALS over Rams

Sunday Night
Cowboys over SAINTS

Monday Night
SEAHAWKS over Lions

2015 TransGriot NFL Picks - Week 3

It takes a few weeks to sort out which teams in any given season are going to be contenders and which ones will be pretenders.  

But I'm still not liking my slow start out of the NFL prognostication gate  Neither am I liking the slow starts of my fave NFL team.   The last two weeks they have put themselves in a hole, then start playing hard in the second half only to lose by a touchdown.   They came within 20 yards an a overthrown Ryan Mallet pass to DeAndre Hopkins of tying the game against the Panthers. .

But close only counts with horseshoes, hand grenades and nuclear weapons, and the Texans find themselves along with the Cols on the wrong end of the AFC South division race with an 0-2 record looking up at the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Traitors.

Like my fave NFL footballers. I'm on the wrong end of this prognostication competition, and it's time to straighten that out.     Mike and Eli tied for Week 2 honors.   Have another sixteen games to get that right and try to win a week.



Week 2 Results                      2015 Season Record        

TransGriot       8-8                   TransGriot    17-15
Mike                9-7                   Mike             20-12
Eli                    8-8                   Eli                 18-14

NFL Week 3  (Home team in CAPS)  

Thursday Night
Washington over GIANTS

Sunday Noon
Bengals over RAVENS
BROWNS over Raiders
PANTHERS over Saints
Falcons over COWBOYS
TEXANS over Buccaneers
Colts over TITANS
PATRIOTS over Jaguars
VIKINGS over Chargers
JETS over Eagles
Steelers over RAMS

Sunday Afternoon
CARDINALS over 49ers
Bills over DOLPHINS
SEAHAWKS over Bears

Sunday Night 
Broncos over LIONS

Monday Night 
PACKERS over Chiefs

2015 TransGriot NFL Picks- Week 2

The opening weekend of the 2015 NFL season is over and I had a good news-bad news start to this year's NFL prognostication contest.  

The good news was I got off to an above .500 start.   The bad news was not only did the Texans lose, I went 9-7,   Not good enough when the defending champ jumps out to an 11-5 opening week.

Mike's bid to make TransGriot prognostication history and be the first ever repeat champ has gotten off to a great start with 2013 champ Eli right on his heels at 10-6.

But I can't be too upset.  It's way early, I got past the first week, and now we move into NFL Week Two.  Another sixteen games.   Another .opportunity to take this contest one week at a time and have no sub .500 weeks.  

Week 1 Results                2015 Season Record

TransGriot    9-7               TransGriot    9-7
Mike            11-5               Mike           11-5
Eli                10-6               Eli               10-6


NFL Week 2    (Home team in CAPS)

Thursday Night
Broncos over CHIEFS

Sunday Noon
Patriots over BILLS
Titans over BROWNS
PANTHERS over Texans
Cardinals over BEARS
BENGALS over Chargers
Lions over VIKINGS
SAINTS over Buccaneers
Falcons over GIANTS
49ers over STEELERS
Rams over WASHINGTON

Sunday Afternoon
Ravens over RAIDERS
Dolphins over JAGUARS
EAGLES over Cowboys

Sunday Night
PACKERS over Seahawks

Monday Night
COLTS over Jets

Sarah Thomas' First Regular Season NFL Game Was In H-town

Didn't find this out until this disastrous Texans home opening game was nearly over, but some NFL history was made in Houston today.

The NFL officiating crew working today's Chiefs-Texans game at NRG Stadium included Sarah Thomas, the first woman hired as a full time referee by the NFL

This was her first regular season game a a rookie NFL official, and Thomas was the line judge in this Chiefs-Texans game.  The line judge is responsible for spotting the offsides calls on the line of scrimmage.

She was better than three of her male counterparts who missed two pass interference calls Kansas City committed against the Texans along with another end zone downing call that nearly went against the Texans but they sorted it out.

You're doing a good job as an official when the commentators DON'T call your name, and she's also downplaying her trailblazing role as the NFL's first female full time official

Considering her journey to get to the NFL and the trailblazing things she accomplished as a collegiate official, won't be shocked if Thomas is making history as part of a Super Bowl officiating crew.

2015 TransGriot NFL Picks-Week 1

It's my favorite time of the year TransGriot sport fans, and the 2015 NFL season will be kicking off  with the first Thursday night game of the year in hours.

And my Texans open up their what we hope will be a playoff season on Sunday at NRG Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs.

As usual, myself, Mike and Eli will be battling it out for regular season NFL prognostication glory.  Mike as defending champion is trying to do something that no one has done in the history of this TransGriot prognostication contest that started in 2011: repeat as champ

Week One is always a crapshoot.  With all the changes, vets moving to new teams via trades or free agency, season ending injuries, training camp injuries and rookies who made the final rosters, it's hard to predict until about the fourth week with certainty which NFL teams will be pretenders and which ones will be contenders.

As to which teams I'm predicting will be in the Super Bowl 50 in San Francisco, I like New England and Seattle.   Well see how accurate that prediction is in February.

Rules of the contest.  We're just picking the team we think will win, no spread.  Person with best record at end of regular season will be crowned champ.  Picks need to be up no later than 10 minutes before the kickoff of the week's scheduled Thursday game.

And yeah Mr. Watts, I want my NFL prognostication title back.   The road to 2015 glory starts today.

Final 2014 Standings
TransGriot     170-85-1
Eli                  162-93-1
*Mike            177-78-1

NFL Week One
Thursday Night 
Patriots over Steelers

Sunday Noon
Colts over Bills
Browns over Jets
Panthers over Jaguars
Packers over Bears
Texans over Chiefs
Dolphins over Washington
Seahawks over Rams

Sunday Afternoon
Saints over Cardinals
Chargers over Lions
Broncos over Ravens
Bengals over Raiders
Buccaneers over Titans

Sunday Night
Cowboys over Giants

Monday Night
Eagles over Falcons
49ers over Vikings