1/3 last week brings our record to 12/22... and we're close to being negative on the season now dear god I gotta hit some bangers. Looking at teams that have some real motivation to win this week-- Boston, Alaska, and Seattle are all hurting for some DUBs.

Denver (-1) at Boston - The newly re-branded Blizzard aren't looking the hottest, but they will be playing to keep their wildcard hopes alive this week. There are a lot of talented players on the squad but, as usual, they haven't been able to convert that into wins. There's some sloppiness throughout and late game choking issues, but I think they've looked fine the last four weeks. One thing I've noticed is how much sharper WR Torres looks lately-- he seems to be doing everything at a higher level than QB Klingbiel's favorite target WR Daly. Some depth chart adjustments are in order.

Denver's last loss to MIA knocked them out of contention for this postseason and it's time to look to the future. QB Woodard's going on 13 years in the league and is still a serviceable player, but QB Dole is a promising young rookie. He should start getting snaps. The rest of the team is also getting older and I wonder how much longer they can keep this core group of players together given the lack of results.

Boston's CB Hannam is questionable for the game but I don't think it will matter with how poor the Dynomite have been. I'll take the home dog to keep their postseason hopes alive: 27-21.

Durham (-1) at Alaska - The West is as tough a conference as any we've seen and ALA's injuries aren't helping. C Lefebvre, WR Jennings, S Montano, and LB Chapman are all starters that are or have missed time but they need to buckle down and win some games. DUR is the latest potential champion they'll face down the stretch with OMA, BCI, and BAL to follow.

The Bulldogs put themselves back in the driving seat after four wins in a row, but they haven't been dominating as in seasons past. The defense has been middling and RB Ellingsen hasn't been quite as effective as older veterans that suited up for the red and blue. Still, they find a way to win late even if they fall behind early-- thanks to QB Ortiz.

The aging and short-handed Kodiaks need to win to keep pace with the division and despite every fiber in my being telling me to back Durham, I'm going to trust QB Marischen and the veterans around him. The Bulldogs have all-stars up and down the roster and it won't be easy but this line has got me spooked. ALA wins this one in tight fashion, 33-31.

Seattle at Omaha (-2) - Can a 7-3 team have less hype and fanfare than the Spartans? I feel like I saw their week 1 loss to BCI and wrote them off but here they are.

I like what we're seeing from rookie RB Jefferson and the backfield as they've been able to take some of the pressure off QB Emmons, but this will always be a pass first offense. WR Wojdylo is hitting the prime of his career but he's still struggling with efficiency... on film it looks like his size is holding him back and you can't coach that. SEA aren't nearly as explosive as they were in 2059, but a tougher ball hawking defense is making up for it. 9 fumbles and 8 interceptions through 11 weeks is a step up from the 6 fumbles and 9 interceptions for all of 2060.

The OMA defense has been the real MVP of this Arrowheads season in my eyes. This team shot up the ranks and sits near the top of almost every passing defense metric. The unit that GM JJsmitty invested in is finally paying off-- LB Garibay and FS Borders command the back end of this stingy defense and opponents just can't break past the eerily prescient adjustments.

This is a tough one to call-- but I think there's something to be said for how strong the West is relative to the East. I'm leaning towards the Spartans to prove that this week: 24-20.

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GL Division Champions: 2057, 2059, 2065
EFC Champions: 2057

I'm looking forward to the Seattle v Omaha game.