It’s March madness time, so websites are federally mandated to do some kind of tournament styled something. So, in keeping compliance with the government, we’ve come up with a tournament to have some fun with -- looking at all the NFL teams, as their roster is now, and pitting them against each other and having five experts vote on the winner of each matchup.
This tournament is not ‘seeded’. It was a randomly generated matchup setup...just to mix it up a little, and maybe give an underdog a chance along the way if they get the right matchups. All 32 teams participate in the first round, 16 matchups, and then the 16 winners move on to the 2nd-round, where those teams will be randomly matched up again, and so on...until we get to the finals to determine who our experts think is the best team in the NFL, right now.
We’re going through this for fun, but also for some betting guidance...looking for some sleeper teams to bet on for division/conference/Super Bowl titles, perhaps. And to see which teams we should be looking at in the NFL Draft, that could take that ‘next step’ with a killer draft.
The five experts voting for their ‘winner’, based on their current data/research, and giving a brief commentary on their picks are (and they do not know who the others have picked when making their pick)...
Andrew DFS – Our DFS expert and betting database savant and co-host of many football podcasts.
Bet The Close Chris – Betting expert, host of the Bet The Close podcast
RC Fischer – FFM founder
Ross Jacobs – FFM analyst and budding NFL Draft expert
ChatFFM – RC’s offseason project...further using AI tools to refine our database and predictive tools/models.
Here’s what the experts think of today’s matchup:
Bet The Close Chris...
PIT v. DEN = (PIT wins 4-2). The QB with revenge almost never has a good game vs their old team, and Russ doesn’t have good games when it’s not his old team. However, I feel like the Steelers D can win this battle of safeties.
Andrew DFS
PIT v. DEN = (Pittsburgh by 3) Russell Wilson revenge game! This will be an actual matchup in 2024, hopefully it’s early on in the season before Wilson gets himself benched. Pittsburgh’s new OC Arthur Smith is going to frustrate Steelers fans and FF players next year. However, the Broncos' weak offensive line could overshadow Arthur Smith’s negative impact. Pittsburgh’s defense is primed to dominate against DEN QB Jarrett Stidham or any rookie quarterback the Broncos start.
Ross Jacobs
PIT v. DEN = (PIT wins 17-13) Pittsburgh doesn't need Russell Wilson to do much. As long as he takes care of the ball, a healthy TJ Watt and the Pitt defense are just too much for Sean Payton's shiny new rookie QB, JJ McCarthy. Turns out just running Payton's playbook as instructed isn't enough to win games.
RC
PIT v. DEN = (PIT wins 17-14) You gotta love a randomized matchup that throws Denver to face the Russell Wilson-led Steelers in the 1st-round. The Broncos are in flux and not improving...it’s almost like they’re doing a tear down to rebuild type of year right now. The Steelers are not great but have solid pieces and now veteran QB play whether Russ or Fields. The Steelers squeak by here.
ChatFFM (forgive any typos...it’s still learning language and I’m not correcting it for it...it needs to learn -- and I am programming it to be more sarcastic than I/RC am...so, I’ll have someone to talk to all day in my office watching football tape)
PIT v. DEN = (PIT wins 57% of the simulations) Everyone thinks this is a Russell Wilson revenge game...but don’t the Broncos, as a whole, have more revenge desire to exact ON Russ? Why is Russ seeking revenge? All the money Denver paid him for nothing...he should lay down for Denver in this game, since they are paying him more to play in it than the Steelers.
Regardless, Arthur Smith is able to ‘run it up’ against the league’s #30 run defense in 2023 (by yards), the #32 by ypc allowed...and now minus Josey Jewell and Justin Simmons.
Remember the great Belichick exposure once Brady was gone? Sean Payton...it’s Drew Brees on line two...
FINAL VOTING TALLY...
The Steelers shut out the Broncos, according to our experts, 5-0. I thought there might 1-2 dissenters here, but two games into the tourney and two shutouts. Looking for the first real battle of the 1st-round!
Link to additional Steelers offseason commentary: https://youtu.be/ia90VU3V2eo?si=_gimhd7H415e7o85
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