KDP's 10 For 10: "Elite Eight" NFL Playoff Bracket Challenge

Game 1: New Orleans @ San Francisco, Saturday 430p Eastern
Game 2: New York @ Green Bay, Sunday 430p Eastern
Game 3: Denver @ New England, Saturday 8p Eastern
Game 4: Houston @ Baltimore, Sunday 1p Eastern
Game 5(NFC Championship): New Orleans vs GB
Game 6(AFC Championship): NE vs Baltimore
Game 7(Super Bowl): Baltimore vs. New Orleans
SUPERBOWL FINAL SCORE: WINNER: 24 LOSER: 17

Game 1: Saints over 49ers
Game 2: Packers over Giants
Game 3: Patriots over Broncos
Game 4: Ravens over Texans
Game 5: (NFC CHAMP) Packers over Saints
Game 6: (AFC CHAMP) Patriots over Ravens
Game 7: (SUPER BOWL) Packers over Patriots
SUPER BOWL FINAL SCORE: Packers 34 Patriots 26

Game 1: New Orleans @ San Francisco

Game 2: New York @ Green Bay

Game 3: Denver @ New England

Game 4: Houston @ Baltimore

Game 5(NFC Championship): New Orleans @ Green Bay

Game 6(AFC Championship): Baltimore @ New England

Game 7(Super Bowl): Baltimore vs New Orleans: I think Ray Lewis and Ed Reed will go out as champions.

SUPERBOWL FINAL SCORE: Baltimore: 58, New Orleans: 0

I also think the game will be a monster blowout. In this case, the Ravens have too many weapons for the pass happy Saints.

Game 1: New Orleans @ San Francisco, Saturday 430p Eastern

Game 2: New York @ Green Bay, Sunday 430p Eastern

Game 3: Denver @ New England, Saturday 8p Eastern

Game 4: Houston @ Baltimore, Sunday 1p Eastern

Game 5(NFC Championship): New Orleans vs Green Bay

Game 6(AFC Championship): New England vs Baltimore

Game 7(Super Bowl): New England vs Green Bay

SUPERBOWL FINAL SCORE: WINNER: 31 LOSER: 17

Game 1: New Orleans @ San Francisco, Saturday 430p Eastern
Game 2: New York @ Green Bay, Sunday 430p Eastern
Game 3: Denver @ New England, Saturday 8p Eastern
Game 4: Houston @ Baltimore, Sunday 1p Eastern
Game 5(NFC Championship): New Orleans vs New York
Game 6(AFC Championship): New England vs Baltimore
Game 7(Super Bowl): Baltimore vs New Orleans

SUPERBOWL FINAL SCORE: WINNER: 34 LOSER: 17

Game 1: “New Orleans” @ San Francisco, Saturday 430p Eastern
Game 2: New York @ Green Bay, Sunday 430p Eastern
Game 3: Denver @ New England, Saturday 8p Eastern
Game 4: Houston @ Baltimore, Sunday 1p Eastern
Game 5(NFC Championship): New Orleans vs New York
Game 6(AFC Championship): New England vs Baltimore
Game 7(Super Bowl): Baltimore vs New Orleans

SUPERBOWL FINAL SCORE: WINNER: 24 LOSER: 20

Game 1: New Orleans @ San Francisco, Saturday 430p Eastern

Game 2: New York @ Green Bay, Sunday 430p Eastern

Game 3: Denver @ New England, Saturday 8p Eastern

Game 4: Houston @ Baltimore, Sunday 1p Eastern

Game 5(NFC Championship): New Orleans vs Green Bay

Game 6(AFC Championship): New England vs Baltimore

Game 7(Super Bowl): Baltimore vs Green Bay

SUPERBOWL FINAL SCORE: WINNER: 27 LOSER: 24

After a disastrous 1-3 last week in the WC games (which, thankfully, don’t count), with a fresh slate, I offer:

Game 1: New Orleans @ San Francisco, Saturday 430p Eastern
Game 2: New York @ Green Bay, Sunday 430p Eastern
Game 3: Denver @ New England, Saturday 8p Eastern
Game 4: Houston @ Baltimore, Sunday 1p Eastern

Game 5 (NFC Championship): New Orleans at Green Bay
Game 6 (AFC Championship): Baltimore at New England

Game 7 (Super Bowl): Baltimore vs Green Bay
Super Bowl Score: 24-20

Game 1: New Orleans @ San Francisco, Saturday 430p Eastern

Game 2: New York @ Green Bay, Sunday 430p Eastern

Game 3: Denver @ New England, Saturday 8p Eastern

Game 4: Houston @ Baltimore, Sunday 1p Eastern

Game 5(NFC Championship): New Orleans vs Green Bay

Game 6(AFC Championship): New England vs Baltimore

Game 7(Super Bowl): New England vs New Orleans

SUPERBOWL FINAL SCORE: New Orleans: 38 New England: 34

After the first thirty-four entries, here is our consensus so far:

• Game 1 – New Orleans (29-5)
• Game 2 – Green Bay (25-9)
• Game 3 – New England (30-4)
• Game 4 – Baltimore (26-8)

• Game 5 – NFC Champion: NO-GB-SF-NYG – 19-11-2-2
• Game 6 – AFC Champion: NE-Bal-Hou-Den – 16-14-3-1

• Game 7 – Super Bowl Champion: NO-GB-Bal-Hou-Den-NYG-SF – 17-8-4-2-1-1-1

Half of everyone (so far) has picked the Saints to win the Super Bowl. Six other teams combine for the othe half. One team is conspicuously absent: although they have the most AFC picks (so far) to MAKE the Super Bowl, no one (yet) is picking the Patriots to WIN the Super Bowl.

Interesting.

Game 1: New Orleans @ San Francisco, Saturday 430p Eastern

Game 2: New York @ Green Bay, Sunday 430p Eastern

Game 3: Denver @ New England, Saturday 8p Eastern

Game 4: Houston @ Baltimore, Sunday 1p Eastern

Game 5(NFC Championship): New Orleans vs Green Bay

Game 6(AFC Championship): New England vs Baltimore

Game 7(Super Bowl): Baltimore vs New Orleans

SUPERBOWL FINAL SCORE: WINNER: 37 LOSER: 28

Last year, KD included Wild Card week in his Playoff Contest, but chose not to include that this year, because it made picking all eleven games a virtual impossibility.

With KD’s permission, I ran a Wild Card picks, and only one out of twenty-three (ziggy 19) got all four games right. So, here are the numbers from this “simpler, easier” contest:

Participants – 46

Division Games (Visitor / Home):
Game #1 – New Orleans 39 / San Francisco 7
Game #2 – New York Giants 12 / Green Bay 34
Game #3 – Denver 6 / New England 40
Game #4 – Houston 10 / Baltimore 36

Conference Champion (#4 / #3 / #2 / #1):
Game #5 – NYG 3 / NO 25 / SF 3 / GB 15
Game #6 – Den 3 / Hou 5 / Bal 18 / NE 20

Super Bowl Winner (most / least):
Game #7 – NO 23 / GB 10 / Bal 5 / Den 3 / Hou 2 / SF 2 / NYG 1 / NE 0

I did a preliminary tally earlier after thirty-four picks, and commented on two oddities:

• exactly half the field picked the Saints to win the Super Bowl
• no one picked the Patriots to win the Super Bowl

After all forty-six got in, the same was true:

• exactly half (twenty-three) picked the Saints to win it all
• none of the forty-six picked the Patriots to win it all

New Orleans was far and away the pick to make the Super Bowl (25 picks) and to win (23 picks). Only two picked the Saints to make the Super Bowl and lose. However, the Patriots were the most popular AFC pick to make the Super Bowl (20 picks). But, all twenty picked them to lose.

Game #1 is done, and Game #3 is in progress:

Most of us are now one-and-done, thanks to the 49ers late come-from-behind score to beat the Saints. Only nine out of forty-six got that right, and are still playing for the perfect 7-for-7.

If none of the nine make it all the way, KD may consider recognizing the best among those who got the Super Bowl winner right and picked the most winners along the way.

Here’s the best you can hope for, after game #1:

• picked 49ers, you are still alive for 7-for-7
• picked Saints to beat the 49ers and lose next week, you are still alive for 6-for-7
• picked Saints to make the Super Bowl, but lose to the AFC, you are still alive for 5-for-7
• picked Saints to win the Super Bowl (half of us), you can still go 4-for-7

Here are the seven that got game #1 right, and are still alive for 7-for-7:

• CotySaxman, lildrummerboy, Mikellie, Nord15, Rome One, thebigham, Travlr
• six of the seven picked New England to defeat Denver; only CotySaxman picked Denver
• so, after tonight’s game, there will be six (or only one) who survived day one of this contest

I will continue to track and match winner(s) and their picks in the upcoming games. I will also tabulate best scores, to see who has the best scores overall.

At this moment, New England appears in control against the Broncos, so let me project, with that assumption:

• the above six players correctly picked SF and NE to win at home
• three each are picking Baltimore and Houston in the early game on Sunday
• in each group of three, two are picking Green Bay and one is picking the Giants

So, whoever wins the Houston-Baltimore game, three will win and three will lose. Of the three winners, a Packers win knocks out the one who picked the Giants; or, a Giants win knocks out the two who picked the Packers.

After tomorrow, there will only be either two perfect scores (if GB wins) or one (if NY wins). A little over six hours ago, there were forty-six of us looking for perfection.

That’s as far as I care to project right now. After the Sunday games, I will highlight what is ahead for our one or two perfect pickers. I will also track everyone’s scores from this weekend and list how the rest of us did that aren’t perfect.

Only three of our original forty-six made it to 3-for-3, picking all home teams the way that ziggy 19 did with the Wild Card games – picking all four home teams.

With one more game remaining in the divisional round, we are down to these three:

• lildrummerboy, Mikellie, and Nord15

Who will go 4-for-4, and remain alive for 7-for-7?

• if Packers win – both lildrummerboy and Nord15
• if Giants win – only Mikellie

All have completely different picks in the conference finals and Super Bowl, so no tiebreakers will be needed. Each one has his NFC pick winning it all, and each has a different team winning. Depending on the AFC results, there could still easily be no one at 7-for-7.

I will keep you posted.

If no one goes 7-for-7, KD may wish to make some consolation recognitions. It is still possible for anyone to go 6-for-7, as long as he only lost with New Orleans, Denver, or Houston in the division round and did not project any of those teams to advance to the Super Bowl.

At current count (after three division games), there are still nine others who are alive for 6-for-7 (missed a division game, but could still get everything else right). I’ll keep monitoring that as well.

I’ll update again after the Giants and Packers finish up, and congratulate the perfect 4-for-4 score(s).

Only Mikellie completed the weekend of division games with a perfect 4-for-4. Can he go a perfect 7-for-7? His remaining picks:

• NFC Championship – New York over San Francisco
• AFC Championship – New England over Baltimore
• Super Bowl – New York over New England

Can it happen? Sure. Will it happen? We’ll see.

If not, who else is left that could go 6-or-7?

• Nord15 (missed GB; still has SF / Bal / SF)

Everyone else has missed two or more this weekend, and/or has one or both conference championships going to teams who lost this weekend.

Well, the best I can hope for is 3 for 7 seeing as my NFC picks went way wrong, and my SB favorite won’t win, since they aren’t going to be in it. So, chalk up two automatic Ls for me, and should Baltimore show up versus NE and make it, then I will have been perfect on my AFC picks only. What is the deal with the NFC this year?

There are two scenarios remaining for finishing at the top after today:

If the Giants win:

• Mikellie goes to 6-for-6 and needs a Giants win in the Super Bowl for 7-for-7
• Everyone else will be locked into their final scores with a six-way tie for second place at 4-for-7

If the 49ers win:

• and lose the Super Bowl, Mikellie finishes at 5-for-7 and finishes alone with the top score
• and win the Super Bowl, then Nord15 and Travlr will also go 5-for-7 and tie for the best overall record in KD’s contest

The only team in the division round of the playoffs that no one chose to win the Super Bowl was the Patriots. So, the three above are the only ones who can “win the Super Bowl” (Mikellie – Giants; Nord15 and Travlr – 49ers).

If the 49ers win the Super Bowl, then I guess the three-way tie would be broken by the scores that Nord15 (24-17) and Travlr (24-20) submitted.

Forty of us have NFC Championship winners that are not Giants or 49ers (three each), so forty-three of us will lose this game and only three will have the winner correct:

• Mikellie, Jebediah Flibberbrush, and Rome One have the Giants
• CotySaxman, Nord15, and Travlr have the 49ers

As mentioned above, only those three (Mikellie, Nord15, and Travlr) are still alive for a Super Bowl winner. The other forty-three picked teams that will not be playing in the Super Bowl.

I will make another update after the 49ers and Giants are done and give everyone else’s final scores. No one got shut out; everyone got at least one right.

With the Giants’ win, everyone is done and locked into their final scores with one exception.

Mikellie is a perfect 6-for-6, and will finish with a perfect 7-for-7 if the Giants win the Super Bowl. He is the only one who is picking the Giants to win the Super Bowl; no one picked the Patriots. So, the other forty-five of us will be watching with our scores complete.

Here is how the other forty-five of us finished KD’s 7-for-7 Playoff Contest:

• 4-for-7 – BigBad Joe, jstaubach, lildrummerboy, rioplayer7, Rome One, ziggy 19
• 3-for-7 – accidental innuendo, Anthony_21, Ben24626, gasman8, Hookem Up, Jebediah Flibberbrush, KD Drummond, Mikhaili, Nord15, One.Cool.Customer, Rohpuri, slowmotion80, Specific, Terry, thruthicknthin, Travlr
• 2-for-7 – 1Bullseye, Aaron Burtam, CotySaxman, Cowboys_Attack, DarkKnight88, demarcus94, hookerhome, illcowboy, Jessy S, mdlusk, pballinboxer, Portland’s Cowboy fan, scotscowboyfan, StarloverinWNC, staubachfan, TARHEEL PAUL, thebigham
• 1-for-7 – Benthere, CDMac24, Damnsammit, jazzbo251, meisternance, Silverblue

I know that my Wild Card Week wasn’t official, and I added it in as a FanPost when KD chose not to include the wild card games in his playoff contest this year. If we combine all the playoff scores from the three rounds of the playoffs (wild card, division, conference), here are those top combined scores (not everyone played both contests):

• 8-for-11 – ziggy 19 (4-for-4 on Wild Card games; 4-for-7 on this contest)
• 7-for-11 – jstaubach (3-for-4, 4-for-7)
• 6-for-6 – Mikellie (DNP, 6-for-6, NYG in Super Bowl)
• 6-for-11 – Ben24626 and Specific (each 3-for-4, 3-for-7)
• 5-for-11 – Hookem Up, One.Cool.Customer, Travlr (each 2-for-4, 3-for-7)

Mikellie, I salute you, sir. Well done. I’m never in favor of pulling for a division rival, but I will pull for the Giants in the Super Bowl and hope that you finish a perfect 7-for-7.

I wish you had played my Wild Card Contest to see how you would have matched up in all eleven games, and hope you play KD’s 10-for-10 every week next season (I know, you played this season, but only the first week).

Way to go – a perfect 7-for-7 – you got them all right; all four division winners, both conference champions, and the Super Bowl.

Incredible, and well done.