P-F25 Week 19 NFL Bonus: Exit Interview - What Went Right?

[PA Chime]

This is your captain speaking. As we begin our descent toward the end of the NFL regular season, we asked one final question of the cabin: What went right?

Some answers were earnest. Some were defiant. Some were clearly written while staring at the standings in disbelief. All were honest in their own way.

A Northmen (AN), Cuernos Largos (CT), Eleven Verticals (ON) +5, and Shot Callers (RD) all arrived at the same conclusion: The Texans. Or more specifically, the Texans defense. +3

Wookie Cookies (KH) added, "DeMeco." +3

If I could call out some nuance in Eleven Verticals' (ON) response, he put "Consistency, and the Texans Defense," which subtly also called out the the Texans showed the least amount of defensive looks this year while also having on of the best defenses. I wonder if ON was also referring to his own consistent picking (i.e. 2nd lowest standard deviation across weekly scores).

Queenbspice (CC) used the exit interview as a therapy session: "My Dallas Cowboys — right to hell!" +2

Unsolicited Dicker Kics (MK) pinpointed one very specific highlight: "The first time the Eagles met the Giants." I had to look it up to remember the upset. +3

Pure Random Cubed (CN), a coin who will never apologize to probability, remained consistent to the very end: "Tails. Because tails never fails." +5

Swamp Dogs (DR) delivered the most legally airtight response of the season: "If I win, everything. If I lose, I’ll formulate a letter for the record." +5

And here is as good of a time as any to leave the following observation. We implemented the "drop the lowest week" several years ago as a way to possibly keep teams in the hunt longer. We've always had some sort of a forgiveness for not picking at all (e.g. same score as lowest picker). This is the first year in any contest that it mattered for the winners. Cuernos Largos (CT) scored a 4 in Week 6, which was dropped and allowed him a tie for first instead of a tie for 2nd with Shot Callers (RD). However, Swamp Dogs' (DR) lowest score was a 7, and if we didn't drop the lowest week, DR would have achieved 2nd place outright. Back to the bonus.

Bevo XV (DW) found success elsewhere: "At least my fantasy teams won." +3

P-F25 may not have sparked joy for Aint Nothin but an Aint either. "Not much… rough year of pick’em." +3

Far Left Handed (GN) is a big picture guy. No emergency landings. No abandoned seats. "No one quit midseason." That's a good metric. +3

Mediocrity (RH) credited fate itself: "A last-second field goal. If the wind didn’t push it a little right, we lose." It is easy to conclude that Wind favors chaos, but we never give Wind proper credit for its calculated successes. Otherwise, luck also counts as a positive. +3

And finally, Bite a Kneecap Offs (RK) went full schedule-matrix mode: "Fourth-place schedules for the Bears, Niners, and Pats." Can't argue with that. +4

[Seatbelt Ding]

So what went right? Here’s my haiku, inspired by the answers that hit closest to home. The cabin is open for submissions.

Texans shocked us all
Tails still never learned to fail
No one rage-quit here