Participants,

Similar to the Divisional Round games, we had a tight one that went down to the wire and another blowout dominated by Newton’s Law of Football.  We also have a new leader in the sprint for the HSBT.  So – let’s get right to the details:

Denver Broncos 20, New England Patriots 18
Did anyone know that Blair Walsh suited up wearing Stephen Gostkowski’s Patriots uniform?  While it seemed fairly innocuous at the time, that missed extra point after the first Patriot TD altered the game dramatically at the end.  It was a classic matchup (and maybe the last) between 2 future Hall of Famers, with Bronco QB Peyton cementing his Place in SB50 displaying a highly-disciplined offensive scheme that included a 10-yard “sprint” for a 1^st down at a key moment.  While you could have gotten up and grabbed a refill of your favorite adult beverage and not missed the end of that dash, it was duplicated by Patriots QB Tom Brady’s similar 12-yard run to keep a drive alive.

In a battle of good defenses, the Bronco D reigned at the end, by denying New England the 2-point conversion on the last drive.

Comeback Kid (look out…) and 2016 Winner shared the spotlight win 105 points each (and identical picks) in a game where every participant chose the visiting Patriots to win (first time that has happened in 10 years).  JTB kept the goose-egg carnage alive and well, with his second of the playoffs.

Carolina Panthers 49 (yep, 49), Arizona Cardinals 15
In a repeat of last week’s dominant performance, the Panthers again went on an offensive rampage early and often and reduced the visiting Cardinals to red feather dust.  Arizona QB Carson Palmer continued his playoff miseries with 6 turnovers.  The Cam that drives the Panther engine is in high gear.  This is a cocky and confident bunch, reminiscent of the New York Football Jets in SB3 (or “AFL NFL World Championship Game 3”).

JTB made up for lost ground in the early game by amassing 353 points (second highest in HSBT history), while Greg the Great suffered his first goose-egg of the playoffs.

Standings
With one final and decisive game to go, the HSBT competition is heating up to near epic proportions, with just about all participants having a legitimate shot at the coveted trophy.  Adding to the intensity is the fact that Buffalo Bill, 2016 Winner and JTB have Carolina penciled in for the SB Bonus points, while Pete the Terp likes the Broncos for the extra 100 points.  So, it looks like the top 4 are going to have a good, old shootout in Santa Clara next weekend.

• Buffalo Bill – 690 points, and quietly going for his first trophy in 13 years
• Pete the Terp – 670 points, and while he relinquished the lead, this is his best position in hopes of capturing his first trophy (that 9-1 record helps)
• 2016 Winner – 613 points and closing in on #7
• JTB – 576 points after a big move last weekend; he can see the finish line and the final sprint starts now
• Comeback Kid – 541 points and holding tight, plus he’s known for big games in the SB
• HenricoFiveOh – 433 points after a relatively quiet weekend; some work needs to be done to lock in #7
• Ben the Butler – 372 points and will need a “do you believe in miracles?” pick next weekend
• Greg the Great – 282 points and in a very unusual spot requiring the aforementioned miracle to retain the trophy (the biggest comeback in HSBT history is 226 points)

My data analytics team has been crunching numbers for the last several days and will continue their fine work, culminating in The Commish’s expert analysis and prediction for SB50.  Having personally watched every SB, this one has a lot of intrigue which should generate some very interesting and exciting picks by the Participants.

Watch your email next weekend for some super picks.

Until then, I remain,

~ The Commish