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
GB v. SEA = (GB wins 27-17). I think there is a chance GB is overrated coming into this season, but if the change to Hafley at DC works he could unlock some decent potential. The Seahawks feel a tick below average to me and the win total supports that (7.5). GB was 10.5 at DK which is wild, FD more reasonable at 9.5 but both lines clearly better than SEA.
RC
GB v. SEA = (SEA wins 24-23) There are pieces to work with in Seattle...pieces that ex-Ravens D-C Mike Macdonald, now SEA H-C) has to work with. I would argue that Seattle has better defensive personnel with a better defensive mind at HC. And I would also argue Seattle has near as good an offense, top-to-bottom, as the Packers do.
I know we all wanna fall in love with GB getting hot in the playoffs, but the Pack stumbled into those playoffs just ahead of Seattle on a tiebreaker. The GB playoff story of last season almost never was had Seattle got the wildcard #7 seed nod instead.
Seattle with a decent offseason and better talent on the 53-man roster with a new coach...they pull an upset here (upset to the public and Vegas). I guess it’s an upset, we’ll see what the others went with...
Ross Jacobs
GB v. SEA = (GB wins 24-23) Two early MVP candidates battle it out. Sam Howell beat out Geno in camp to the utter disbelief of everyone and has started the season on fire. Skip Bayless assures everyone this short fat little Seattle QB will come back down to earth, and he feels justified after the Seahawks lose the game after Howell throws a pick from the 2-yard line instead of handing the ball to Zach Charbonnet. Jordan Love is the front-runner for the MVP but is under some fire for his pre-season comments about believing the earth is flat.
ChatFFM (forgive any typos...it’s still learning language and I’m not correcting them 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)
GB v. SEA = (SEA wins 52% of the simulations) Defense? Advantage Seattle with their coaching/personnel changes over Green Bay with their defensive coaching/personnel changes.
Offense? A push.
It’s close...give the edge to Seattle’s special teams and new coach.
AndrewDFS
GB v. SEA = (GB by 2) The Seahawks made a surprising move by parting ways with HC Pete Carroll and hiring Mike Macdonald, formerly of Baltimore's DC. Despite a shaky start in the AFC championship game, Macdonald's defense shutout Kansas City in the second half. It remains to be seen if Macdonald can successfully transition from talented coordinator to head coach.
Green Bay, led by QB Jordan Love, had a remarkable season last year, narrowly missing the NFC championship game. The decision to release RB Aaron Jones and sign RB Josh Jacobs in free agency was a little odd as Jones was crucial to the Packers' playoff push. Nevertheless, the Packers hold a slight advantage on both offense and defense.
Green Bay squeaks by 3-2 vote count.
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