Suicide Watch: Week 6
*Reminder: The 94WIP Suicide Pool homepage is CBSPhilly.com/suicidepool
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- I know we are only entering week 6, but kudos to anyone still alive in the 94WIP Suicide Pool. The pool is down almost 15,000 people since the season started. That's a whopping 72 percent of the field gone in one month of football. There have been plenty of bombs scattered across the schedule every week. Being able to walk that tightrope and avoid blowing up is impressive.
Last week had a handful of close games and fantastic finishes in the 1 o'clock block, all ending in rapid succession. I thought Scott Hanson's head was going to explode from too many double boxes and game rewinds. It could have gone very bad for some very popular picks. Bullets were dodged on Sunday.
The Saints had to overcome a 11-point fourth quarter deficit (as well as the fact that almost-magic Mike Glennon outplayed Drew Brees in the Superdome), Ryan Fitzpatrick's beard had the Texans in Dallas territory in overtime and the Eagles, well, yeah that was close. If any of those games go the other way we are talking about thousands knocked out instead of the 775 killed mostly by the Lions at the hands of Kyle Orton (and the foot of Alex Henery) (and the ankle of Calvin Johnson).
Yes, those Bills did it to me again. It was the bad beat I saw coming with a full head of steam, but I just couldn't get out of the way. So that's two weeks in a row, and two Buffalo quarterbacks to remind me I know nothing about football. I'm sitting here in all black, and it's not because of Sunday night football. Your guardian angel is gone. This is all that's left.
Grim Reaper Selection – Seahawks vs. Cowboys
Time to see if my terrible picks hold some sort of power over the league or if I simply need to leave the Bills alone. As long as both teams show up at the correct time and play football, I don't see a scenario where Dallas wins here. They would have to run the ball effectively without turning it over, convert third downs to control the clock and have their quarterback complete 75 percent of his passes like Philip Rivers did in week 2. The Cowboys won't be able to do all three in the environment they're stepping into.
Seattle reminded us on Monday night that their offense is just as scary as their defense. That's scary. This week is also their only October home game. The Seahawks haven't had a home game since September 21, and they won't have another one until November 2. CenturyLink will be loud, that's my prediction.
And if the Cowboys win, we'll know my touch of death is real.
Best Bet for Survival – Broncos at Jets
It looks like Peyton is going on a cross-country tour of destroying inexperienced quarterbacks. Drew Stanton: check. Geno Smith: on deck, ready and waiting.
The Broncos next three after this are 49ers, Chargers and Patriots. If you've been saving the squad, now is the time to cash in. You might not live to see another chance.
Cheating Death – Jaguars at Titans
The anti-Jags approach has worked out nicely, getting you this far, but it's only a matter of time until they stab you in the face. Jacksonville has beaten the Titans in each of the last five seasons. The Jaguars will eventually win a game, and this is the match-up that killed me a year ago. You've been warned.
Justin Boylan is a producer at 94WIP. Follow him on Twitter @justintboylan.
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