Last year, at the close of the season, I wrote my Week #17 update with stats and comments from that closing heartbreaker and offering some statistics from the overall contest.

Then, later in the week, I offered a second FanPost after realizing what KD was offering as a Playoff Contest. In that second FanPost, and with his permission and blessing, I ran a contest to pick the Wild Card winners. Then, everyone migrated over to his Playoff Contest, and Mikellie made history.

I invite you to read all three of these posts so you can see (or be reminded) how KD and I ended last season. I'm going to be slightly different this year - again, because of time. I thought about just doing one single FanPost, but I need to get the Pick-em up sooner, and it will take me longer to compile all the stats and awards that I wish to give this year.

So, this FanPost will be like my "normal" weekly FanPosts - reports and tables from week #17, congratulations to this week's 10-for-10, and an update on the overall leaderboard.

I will do a later FanPost with all my awards and recognitions. Read last year's final FanPost and let me know if there's anything else you would like to see. Some of the recognitions came as a result of a direct request from one or more of you. I'll be happy to research something for you and report there.

There is one caveat - I do not have KD's records from 2010, the first year of 10-for-10. So, most of my 2010 info is word-of-mouth. I do have my records from 2011 and 2012, and I can easily review any/all of my previous FanPosts.

So, here goes - my final weekly report from this season and the Wild Card Contest (make picks here this week):

First, I noticed how participation dropped off during the final weeks of 2011. So, I offered Holiday Bonus FanPosts around Thanksgiving to cover weeks #12-14 and in early December to cover the final three weeks (#15-17). Many of you availed yourselves and posted picks without fear of missing out because of vacations or travels.

Two interesting things happened over the past six weeks. One, although they helped, participation still declined each week and the final week participation was less than 40% of our record week #1 participation. Secondly, some of you deliberately posted all of your picks early and challenged the rest of us to match you. This was begun by Rex Pfister, who began the 30-for-30 challenge. One who met the challenge and raised the stakes was k@s!, who challenged Rex and anyone else to pick all sixteen games, not just ten. The same two contests ran through weeks #15-17 in the second Holiday Bonus, and several participated in both 30-for-30 and 48-for-48.

Some actually did better this past week with their early December picks than others who waited until the very last moment this past Sunday.

Here's that participation table:

It was difficult to pick week #17 (especially those who made their picks three weeks ago), since we really didn't know who would play hard and who would just go through the motions. We lost three games where almost everyone picked the favorite, and each of them lost. Then, we got into a rhythm, and almost everyone picked the late games the same way, and got them right. Then came Sunday night. Here's how we did this past week in each game.

One.Cool.Customer and I have been exchanging notes and tracking the 10-for-10 weekly consensus picks on each game, and seeing how well we did against the Front Page Writers (each week, O.C.C hosts a page listing each FPW pick for each game). We've been close all year, and entered the final weekend three games down. Unfortunately, our consensus preferences were identical on all sixteen games. We got eleven right; they got the same eleven right. we missed five; they missed the same five.

So, we were not able to gain on them and lost to them by three games. Congratulations to the Front Page Writers. The "pros" beat us "rank amateurs" this year. Here's how we did against them each week:

I have noticed that we typically jump on the same teams and blindly pick them each week. Sometimes, it takes two or three losses in a row before we quit unanimously picking them to win each week. Here's how we did picking each team each week. The first letter is our pick for that team for that week - did we pick them to win or lose - and the second letter is for the actual result. Here is how I dealt with ties. There was one regular season tie this year - the first Rams-49ers game. That was counted as a "loss" for both teams, since neither won the game (I lost a 10-for-10 because of this; I was 9-for-9 and had the 49ers). We also had two 10-for-10 ties, where the same number picked each team. Since our consensus was evenly split, those two were each scored as a half-win and a half-loss for each team.

Here's our final tally for each team/each game:

Finally, here are all the scores from week #17. Note, we had two players (including KD Drummond himself) get their picks in late this week. So, they missed the first nine games and only played the final seven. They actually did better than several who sent in ten picks.

Two guys ended up at the top of both categories - ChrisMan scored 10-for-10 this week and finished the overall competition only one behind this year's champion - CowboyBaby. CowboyBaby could not be caught as his score each of the final weeks was either the top score of the week, or good enough that only a handful gained on him. Closing with a solid 9-for-10, no one could catch him this week. Congratulations to both. CowboyBaby gets added to the Wing of Champions with this overall championship. ChrisMan gets moved up in the Wing of Honor as this is his third 10-for-10 - all this season. In my next FanPost, I will track the veritable explosion of 10-for-10s this season.

I am listing all eighty-six scores from week #17, but I am listing the top 100 (and ties) in the overall. So, the table is a little skewed. If you didn't make the top 100, then KD will list you when he lists the complete scores. Also, I will have you later in the week when I put up my awards/recognitions.

Here are the results from the weeks #15-17 30-for-30 and 48-for-48 contests. Thanks again to Rex Pfister for beginning the 30-for-30 challenge, and to k@s! for raising the stakes to 48-for-48. Rex tied for first in the first 30-for-30 (weeks #12-14) and won the 48-for-48 challenge over k@s!. But, he didn't fare as well this time, finishing last in both challenges. Congratulations to all of these for their early December prognostications and intestinal fortitude.

30-for-30 final results (weeks #15-17):

• 23 - meisternance (8-7-8)
• 22 - krikaley (8-7-7)
• 21 - cowdog (7-8-6), k@s! and Switters023 (both 7-7-7), and WA_Cowboy (5-8-8)
• 20 - Tallgrass Prairie (7-5-8)
• 18 - Rex Pfister (6-7-5)

48-for-48 final results (weeks #15-17):

• 33 - k@s! (11-9-13) and Switters023 (13-10-10)
• 32 - meisternance (11-9-12)
• 28 - Rex Pfister (10-8-10)

We had eight participants in this round of 30-for-30 (six of those also participated in the earlier round) and four participants in 48-for-48 (two of those also participated in the earlier round). If I total both "sessions" and get scores for 60-for-60 (the final six weeks of the season) and 96-for-96 (same thing, but all sixteen games), these are the results:

60-for-60 (weeks #12-14 plus #15-17 30-for-30 scores):

• 45 - meisternance (7-8-7 and 8-7-8)
• 44 - k@s! (8-7-8 and 7-7-7) and Switters023 (8-8-7 and 7-7-7)
• 41 - Rex Pfister (8-7-8 and 6-7-5)
• 40 - Tallgrass Prairie (6-7-7 and 7-5-8)
• 38 - cowdog (6-6-5 and 7-8-6)

96-for-96 (weeks #12-14 plus #15-17 48-for-48 scores):

• 63 - k@s! (10-10-10 and 11-9-13)
• 60 - Rex Pfister (12-10-10 and 10-8-10)

I will have more recognitions in my next FanPost. Now, about the Wild Card Contest...

Last year, one person - ziggy19 - got all four Wild Card Weekend picks correctly (hint - he was the only one to go "all-homer", and pick the four division winners to knock off the wild cards). Will that strategy work this time?

Here are the games. The first game is a rematch of last year's first playoff game (same teams, same seeds, same playoff slot). All Houston had to do was win a game that meant nothing to the Colts (they were locked into their playoff position, win or lose). They would have had the top seed and homefield advantage. They dropped to the third seed by losing their final two games. If Gary Kubiak and Wade Phillips lead this Texans team to a first-round defeat, heads may roll.

The second game is a rematch of Sunday afternoon, except this one is on the frozen tundra and not a dome. Like the Texans, if the Packers had won that game, they would have been off this weekend. Now, they play the team that just beat them.

The third game has the Colts playing in Baltimore. Anyone remember the moving trucks relocating the Colts from Baltimore to Indianapolis in the dead of night? Baltimore residents remember. The Colts have a better record than the Ravens. Does that mean anything?

The fourth game stirs up emotions in Cowboys fans. What if Dallas had beaten the Redskins? Would the Cowboys have stood a chance against the Seahawks? What about the Redskins? Do we have a compelling/rooting interest in this game, or any of the playoff games this year?

There are four new playoff teams this year who were not part of last year's playoffs, replacing four who did not return. All are playing this weekend. The other eight participated last year. So, half of the NFL (sixteen teams) participated in the playoffs last year and/or this year. The other half (sixteen teams) did not. Note that the Cowboys were the last team eliminated in each of the past two years with control over their destiny. Maybe next season, the NFL can let the Cowboys close the regular season at home, instead of playing these elimination games on the road.

Five AFC teams returned to the playoffs, while Indianapolis replaced Pittsburgh. Half of the NFC turned over this year. Atlanta, Green Bay, and San Francisco returned, and Detroit, New Orleans, and the Giants were replaced by Minnesota, Seattle, and Washington.

Here is that breakdown:

• 2011 - Detroit, New Orleans, New York Giants, Pittsburgh
• 2012 - Minnesota, Indianapolis, Seattle, and Washington
• both - Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Denver, Green Bay, Houston, New England, San Francisco
• neither - Arizona, Buffalo, Carolina, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Miami, New York Jets, Philadelphia, Oakland, St. Louis, San Diego, Tampa Bay, and Tennessee

Are there any of these twelve teams that we would like to see holding the Lombardi in five weeks? Are there any that we don't want to see in the Super Bowl this year?

Here is the Wild Card Weekend lineup. Can you go 4-for-4?

Cincinnati at HOUSTON

Minnesota at GREEN BAY

Indianapolis at BALTIMORE

Seattle at WASHINGTON