Does your league have a Week 17 title game? (1 Viewer)

[Raider Nation]

Looking at the rest of the schedule, I see ten games in which Indy will be favored, and only two games in which the Colts might or might not be favored. Those two are Week 8 @ Denver and Week 9 @ N.E.

Let's say they spilt those two games. The Colts have a DAMN good chance to go 15-1, which means that Week 17 again would almost certainly be meaningless for them. Last year, the starters played less than a quarter in the final week, and I believe that also might have been the case in 2004, but I'm not 100% sure.

This likely wouldn't effect Rhodes and Addai too much, but I can't see Manning, Harrison or Wayne getting any significant playing time in Week 17 if the game doesn't mean anything. Although, Dungy got raked over the coals for coasting in the final week after they lost to the Steelers, so who really knows.

Please save the "That's why you should have your championship game in Week 16!" speech. I've been on the soapbox for years, to no avail. These are the cards I've been dealt.

My question is.... are any of you with W17 title games concerned about this at all?

And no disrespect to the Bears, but I don't think their offense will keep up that torrid pace when the weather turns bad. I don't think they have the same chance as Indy to go 14-2 or 15-1, despite that incredible defense.

 

[jon_mx]

The Colts are struggling on Defense and barely pulling out games. They will be fighting til the final week this year. The Bears schedule is laughably easy, and they do have the best team in football. Playing in the NFC, the Bears will have home field advantage locked by week 14. I really do think the Bears have a better than average shot at 16-0. The Bears will probably lose 1 game, with 2 being the very high end.

 

[DoubleG]

And no disrespect to the Bears, but I don't think their offense will keep up that torrid pace when the weather turns bad. I don't think they have the same chance as Indy to go 14-2 or 15-1, despite that incredible defense.

No offense, but Indy's record in bad weather is not exactly stellar (just ask the Patriots). If both teams are 12-0, 11-1, 10-2 going into December, I like the Bears chances of playing in bad weather MUCH better than the Colts (please note: I haven't looked at the schedules to see/where each are playing). There is a reason that people call it "Bear weather" - because it helps a team that plays good defense and can run. The Bears are passing to set up the run - they're just doing it from the full season perspective instead of within 1 game Also, the NFC is weaker than the AFC (it won't take the same record in the NFC to lock up homefield). As such I would have to interject that Bears players have at least the same chance of seeing some bench in week 17 - they did last year.

 

[Raider Nation]

And no disrespect to the Bears, but I don't think their offense will keep up that torrid pace when the weather turns bad. I don't think they have the same chance as Indy to go 14-2 or 15-1, despite that incredible defense.

Also, the NFC is weaker than the AFC (it won't take the same record in the NFC to lock up homefield). As such I would have to interject that Bears players have at least the same chance of seeing some bench in week 17 - they did last year.

Hmmm, maybe my faith in Benson will pay off after all. Week 17 - Green Bay @ Chicago

 

[Lauryn]

after playing the title game with two lineups full of trash a few years ago, i forced a scheduling change to move the championship to week 16. everyone was pretty receptive to it too, even though we had been playing week 17 since the stone age. i just wonder what took us so long, because it makes no sense to do it any other way if the game is to have any credibility at all.

as for you question, yes, i see the colts main players being useless come week 17. they're not gonna risk anything, criticism aside.

 

[JuniorNB]

after playing the title game with two lineups full of trash a few years ago, i forced a scheduling change to move the championship to week 16. everyone was pretty receptive to it too, even though we had been playing week 17 since the stone age. i just wonder what took us so long, because it makes no sense to do it any other way if the game is to have any credibility at all.

This was a great move.My first year of fantasy featured Emmit Smith and Steve Young dominating my league, only to have both of them sit out for our championship game.

Week 17 championships can turn the best team's in the league into complete crap, therefore, renderring the entire schedule you played, meaningless.

Like the above poster said, Thomas Jones could end up with 1600 yards and 15 touchdowns and the Cedric Benson owner could win the championship in week 17 because the Bears clinched already.

 

[parrot]

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@Den

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@Ten

@Jac

Cin

Yeah, quite the cake-walk schedule they have there.

 

[Lauryn]

Was @Den @NE Buf @Dal Phi @Ten @Jac CinYeah, quite the cake-walk schedule they have there.

i took raider's word for it that they had it easy... wtf? he must think more highly of indy than i do. that looks pretty tough.

 

[Raider Nation]

Was

@Den

@NE

Buf

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@Jac

Cin

Yeah, quite the cake-walk schedule they have there.

I never said cake-walk, toolbox. I said "games in which they'd be favored." Other than N.E. and Denver, point out the game where they will be a dog. And way to conveniently forget about TENN/@ Hous/MIAMI, but that wouldn't have helped your argument.

 

[malice]

after playing the title game with two lineups full of trash a few years ago, i forced a scheduling change to move the championship to week 16. everyone was pretty receptive to it too, even though we had been playing week 17 since the stone age. i just wonder what took us so long, because it makes no sense to do it any other way if the game is to have any credibility at all.

This was a great move.My first year of fantasy featured Emmit Smith and Steve Young dominating my league, only to have both of them sit out for our championship game.

Week 17 championships can turn the best team's in the league into complete crap, therefore, renderring the entire schedule you played, meaningless.

Like the above poster said, Thomas Jones could end up with 1600 yards and 15 touchdowns and the Cedric Benson owner could win the championship in week 17 because the Bears clinched already.

I've been lobbying for this in our main $$ league for years, but the commish thinks it's more challenging this way. We also allow 8 out of 12 teams into the playoffs, so virtually anyone with 7+ wins gets in, making weeks 15/16 the only games that really matter.I've come in 2nd twice out of the last 6 years with this model. Put it all together, and there's virtually NO point to finishing in the top 1/4 of the league since the players that dominated during the season leave you high and dry when the money's on the line.

 

[pizzatyme]

No way the Colts finish better than 13-3. I love the Colts, but with their upcoming schedule, no way!

As for week 17 trash lineups, they suck! But last year it was just as bad in week 16 with the Colts players.

I really don't think there is cause for concern this year.

 

[parrot]

Was

@Den

@NE

Buf

@Dal

Phi

@Ten

@Jac

Cin

Yeah, quite the cake-walk schedule they have there.

I never said cake-walk, toolbox. I said "games in which they'd be favored." Other than N.E. and Denver, point out the game where they will be a dog. And way to conveniently forget about TENN/@ Hous/MIAMI, but that wouldn't have helped your argument.

Oh, I see. So four, five, six weeks in advance you know they're going to be favored in games against teams like Dallas, Philly, Jacksonville, Cincinnatti... That must be nice. And even if they are favored, that doesn't mean they will win, they barely got by the Jets.You implied it was something of a cake-walk when you said they have a "DAMN good" to go 15-1 or 14-2. I think they have a pretty tough row to hoe to get to that point. Yes, they have some pretty soft games, but what I posted was a pretty tough consecutive stretch of games with one or two exceptions.