Unbeaten Goliaths face off
- Vern Ahrendes
- Sep 17
- 5 min read
We get our first taste of conference rivalries in Week 3, two in fact, and what whoppers they might end up being.

Heading into our third week of hell, there are only three unbeaten teams remaining and two of them – the Spread Beaters and WTNE – face each other in the marquee match while the third unbeaten team, the Recliners, take on the Gerbils.
The second conference rivalry game features the Tirades and Packers with the winner of that game likely laying claim to sole possession of the lead in the other division.
The grudge match between Pringle and Jordan could have lasting impacts for weeks. The winner remains undefeated and the other faces the possibility of scrambling for a playoff spot two months from now. A bit melodramatic? Probably. We have to sell advertising here, so, if it don’t bleed, it don’t lead.
It shapes up to be a battle royale, just like each meeting between those two teams did last season. The game opens with a slight edge leaning Jordan’s way and it might grow slightly as Pringle likely will have to swap out the injured Jayden Daniels (expected back Week 4) for the Cardinals’ QB Kyler Murray.
It seems safe to think there are three powerhouses in the Silent Division – those aforementioned three undefeated teams. But, someone in the other division has to rise off the mat to raise some concerns for one of the three sledgehammers in the Silent ranks. At least one member of that other division will win it outright, and the team with the first pick each round – the Packers – is our guess to claim that right eventually.
But who else will rise off the mat to challenge that terrible threesome in the other division? Could it be the lowly Gerbils who have struggled to score points? If Chuck can’t amass at least 80 points this week against the Recliners then his season could be on the ropes. Could it be the Tirades, who have the potential pieces to put a scare in Jeff’s Packers?
Bye Weeks Loom
The NFL schedule kicks off tomorrow night (Thursday) with the Miami Dolphins visiting the Buffalo Bills. The schedule wraps with the Sunday Night game featuring the Kansas City Chiefs at the New York Giants and the Detroit Lions at the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night.
Luckily, we still have a full slate of NFL games on the docket for two more weeks. The first byes hit in Week 5 when the Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers all are idle. Start preparing for the worst and look ahead to your Week 5 lineups. The bye schedule runs through Week 14 (our next-to-last regular season week before the playoffs start in Week 16).
Game of the Week
WTNE (2-0) vs. Spread Beaters (2-0), WTNE favored by 5: Make sure you have plenty of popcorn ready for this beachside brawl. Pringle still has QB Daniels in the starting slot (as of this writing Wednesday as the Swami is on his way north back home after peeing in public in Santa Monica and spitting at Westchester) and he is currently a 2-point dog. Daniels is projected to score 20.8 points, while Murray (who takes on the 49ers) is projected at 17.4 points. There is a chance Pringle goes shopping on the free agent market for a short-term replacement but Kyler has plenty of weapons and has posted some big numbers against my 9ers (boo). Most of the positional advantages go Jordan’s way, and who are we to argue with Papa ESPN? The Swami says take WTNE in a nail-biter.
Best of the Rest
Marietta Tirades (1-1) vs. Del Mar Packers (1-1), Pack favored by 14: If it was not for the Recliners’ game with the Gerbils, ESPN thinks this is a candidate for “blowout of the week.” The Tirades come into this one as 14-point dogs and are outgunned at nearly every position. And, then, there is the added twist of Ron having to watch “his” Christian McCaffrey on the other sidelines doing for Jeff what Ron dreamt would happen for him last season – score oodles of points. As we have all found out the hard way, there is a far cry between what the ESPN pinheads project and what players actually do on Thursday, Sunday and Monday. Ron can hope the Packers come down to earth enough to make this one interesting but it appears, on paper, that Jeff has too many weapons for the Tirades to deal with. Swami says take the Packers by 6.
Band Aids (0-2) vs. Chandler Rangers (0-2), coin flip: The most exciting game on paper is this one. Go figure when you have two winless teams facing each other. But, the pinheads at ESPN have both teams projected to score 88 points. There are relatively few positional advantages to tout in this one. John gets an edge at QB, assuming he goes with Josh Allen this week. And, Bob Dog has a slight advantaged at RB2 with Javonte Williams. Every other matchup is nearly a toss-up. Unfortunately, John is saddled with Rhamondre Stevenson as a starter and because of that the Swami takes the Band Aids and 1.
Sequim Invaiders (1-1) vs. Who Dey (0-2): The early line on this one looks like a double-digit advantage for the Invaiders, but Matty still has not replaced Jayden Reed (out until November) in the flex position. Swap that zero with the 8 points projected for Jameson Williams or the 7 points projected for Travis Hunter, and this this line should shrink down to about 3 or 4 points by the time games kick off Sunday morning. The Invaiders, like the Gerbils, have notoriously underperformed projections (because the idiot manager keeps playing the wrong QB and RB combination) by almost 20 points. Factor that in, and Matty should be in line for his first win of the season because we all know Vern will play the wrong guy every fucking time. Swami says take Who Dey by 3.
Blowout of the Week?
Hermosa Recliners (2-0) vs. Westchester Gerbils (1-1), Recliners favored by 6: On paper, this one looks like a tight contest to call. But, the Gerbils have come up far short of projected expectations (and in staggering proportions) the first two weeks of the season. If Chuck gets what is projected out of Patrick Mahomes, Jahmyr Gibbs, Davante Adams and Rome Odunze (it is about time he played that stud WR), this could be an interesting game to watch. But, like the Packers, Chris just has too many consistent weapons across the field and it appears to the Swami that it will be too much for Chuck to overcome. Swami says take the Recliners and 3.
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