Finally. This is the "most busiest time" of the year. Let me see if I can get this knocked out before KD puts out his front page story (he can't link to this if it isn't done first).

This should be short and sweet this week, since I do not have to prepare to take picks. If you are looking to make picks for upcoming games, use my Holiday Bonus #1 FanPost for this week's games (I have been taking picks on it for weeks #12-14; this is week #14). If you wish to get ahead and make picks for any/all of the final three weeks, make them on my new Holiday Bonus #2 FanPost (published earlier this week for weeks #15-17).

It was a tough week, with many of us lopsided-ly picking the same teams in the same games. When the stars align, then record numbers get into the Hall. This was not one of those weeks.

We had 113 participants this week - our lowest number of the season, but still more than the largest number last year. For the fourth week in a row, no new players have joined, and we are stuck on the same number - 259. We have added thirty-seven players since the record 222 who participated in week #1 this season. Alas, over half have fallen away.

There were seven games this week that at least 98 picked one team and no more than 2 picked the other team. We won five of those, but lost two of them. Only three of the sixteen games were relatively even as far as our preferences. We (consensus) did get ten right and six wrong this week.

We were neck-and-neck and pick-for-pick with the Front Page Writers until the final Monday night game. Their consensus favored Washington, and by our narrowest margin this week (21-19), our 10-for-10 consensus favored the Giants. So, we dropped a game to them and are now 2 1/2 behind them.

We also added another - Baltimore, again - to the list of infamy: unanimous picks for a team that loses. This is the fourth time (three last year and now this year) that we have unanimously picked Baltimore to win a game that they lost. The three last year were understandable. Each was a road loss to an inferior team (at Tennessee, at Jacksonville, and at Seattle). This one was at home where they never lose.

That game - plus the 49ers' loss to the Rams, the Bears' home loss to Seattle, and Carolina's loss to emotionally-charged Kansas City - guaranteed no 10-for-10s this week. Only two scored 9-for-10 - congratulations to Panzer84 and Trueblue122 - for being the best scores of the week. Only fourteen scored 8-for-10. The other ninety-seven of us either matched the 7-for-10 of our overall leader or lost ground this week. Of course, the biggest losers are those who didn't play and are now seven more behind the leader.

Congratulations to CowboyBaby for maintaining his two-game lead over his closest pursuers. Three matched his pace, and one fell back. However, there are forty people in the 90s - no more than seven out of the lead.

Our pacesetters this week/overall: