Horsemen seek playoff berth with 7th consecutive BOTCJ victory

The Nosebleeds haven’t won the Battle of TC Jester since 2012, and even in that year it was a split series with a 5 point margin – despite this, they had the pleasure of knocking the Horsemen out of playoff contentions with that narrow margin. They have never swept the series and have been victim of a sweep three times (2015, 2017, 2018). Because of these sweeps, monetary rewards were discontinued and the only thing left to play for is the coveted JW Memorial Trophy. This is the best chance they’ve had since 2012 to do it.

Based on the course of this season, it may be a tall task for the Horsemen to reclaim the trophy. They come into week 13 with a 6-6 record, the last time they were this bad was 2013. They also did it in 2012. In each of these years they would meet the Nosebleeds in the final week, needing a victory to limp into the playoffs, and they would lose. There is a lot at stake this time around.

Not only will the Horsemen maintain control of the JW Memorial Trophy with a 22 point victory, but they will also send the Nosebleeds to the 12th spot in the standings. This is particularly important, as the Horsemen own the rights to the Nosebleeds’ first round pick in 2020 – a draft which has the opportunity to reload a Horsemen squad that has struggled with their aging roster. A trip to the playoffs, a piece of hardware, and potentially the top pick in the draft. This is a big deal.

The ‘Bleeds enter this contest coming off back to back losses and in sole possession of last place with a 3-9 record. A victory, however, could shoot them up several spots in the standings with their 1213.5 total points greater than 3 of the 4 teams ahead of them at 4-8. This would obviously be a disaster for the Horsemen for many reasons. Fortunately for the Horsemen, the Nosebleeds would bench Marvin Jones for a questionable Alshon Jeffery. Fortunately for the Nosebleeds, the Horsemen may potentially be without mainstay Julio Jones and Zach Ertz.

The Horsemen are currently 27.5 point favorites with a 61% chance of victory on ESPN and 85.3% on Fantasypros. The 27.5 point line is their second largest of the season. Despite being favored in all but 2 games this season, the Horsemen have an abysmal record.

 

After four straight losses, the Berries’ dream season has become a nightmare. They haven’t scored more than 90 points in any of these losses, and they carry this momentum into a week 13 that will determine which of the three 6-6 teams will continue on to the playoffs where they will eventually lose to Lamar Jackson. The Horsemen own head to head tiebreakers on Hillbilly and the Berries, Hillbilly has the tiebreaker over the Berries, and if for some reason points came into play the Berries sit in last. The Horsemen make it to the playoffs with a win over the Nosebleeds OR a Hillbilly loss to #1 Strictly Southern OR a Bumpy’s Berries loss to #3 Straight Laced. Closet Hillbilly makes the playoffs with a win AND an Electric Horsemen loss OR a Bumpy’s Berries loss. Bumpy’s Berries must win and have one of the other two lose. Something like that.

  • 3rd and Unpredictable @ Legs With Holes – Unpredictable could potentially lose their bye week with a loss to Legs if the Angels can finish off the Shanks. The top two QBs in the game could make this one interesting, especially if Lamar Jackson gets injured for being a cocky son of a bitch and running up scores. Legs’ need a loss here to secure a better shot at the number one pick and I think they find a way to make it happen. But how super would it be if Unpredictable could lose that bye week?
  • Straight Laced @ Bumpy’s Berries – If the Berries don’t outsmart themselves by making some bad roster decisions this week, they might actually pull this off and make the playoffs. The Patriots have stifled good quarterbacks all year and the Laces need Deshaun to perform. A win here could push Straight Laced to the 3 seed if the Angels lose, which would give them the opportunity to play Closet Hillbilly in the first round of the playoffs. Dead Last, however, will reemerge this week.
  • Closet Hillbilly @ Strictly Southern – There is absolutely no chance a team starting Duke Johnson and Jaylen Samuels is going to beat a team starting Christian McCaffrey and Ezekiel Elliott. No chance.
  • Drunken Aces @ Heavy Pistols – Loser locks in a piece of the bar tab – but they also lock in a good shot at the top pick. I imagine the Heavy Pistols are more interested in the latter.
  • Dangerous Angels @ Pork Shanks – Angels look to potentially take the division in year 2, while Pork Shanks… well, see above.

 

 

 

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