In our fourth Head to Head of the season Running Back Matt Duffin took on Running Back Coach Neil Duffy. Here’s how they got on…
Colts 27 Texans 20
DUFFIN: Matt was pretty bullish about this one and said that the Colts would win by 16. He got the outcome right but there was only one score in it in the end. 1-0.
DUFFY: Coach Duffy also correctly predicted a Colts win, but thought it would be closer than it was. He’s also 1-0.
Redskins 19 Falcons 25
DUFFIN:Just like the Colts/Texans game Duffin gets the winner right but over-eggs the winning margin, although only by three points this time. He goes 2-0.
DUFFY: Neil couldn’t see the ‘Skins breaking Atlanta’s unbeaten start to the season and he was right, although they ran them very, very close. He also goes 2-0.
Browns 33 Ravens 30
DUFFIN: Steelers fan Duffin doesn’t like either of these teams, and went with the Ravens based on home advtange. His first slip up of the week. 2-1.
DUFFY: The stats said thid would be close (they were right). Duffy thought the Ravens would pull out the win (he was wrong). 2-1.
Seahawks 24 Bengals 27
DUFFIN: Everyone appears to be waiting for the Seahawks to turn the corner and show the sort of form that has taken them to back-to-back Super Bowls. Duffin did the same, and the wait continues. He’s down to 2-2.
DUFFY: Steelers fan Duffy backed the Bengals despite how much it clearly pained him, and he was rewarded for his sacrifice. 3-1.
Rams 10 Packers 24
DUFFIN: “I think the Packers will dominate the Rams in every aspect of this game. Green Bay by two scores.” How about that for a prediction? 3-2.
DUFFY: “Packers comfortably” said our resident Viking. Yep, pretty much. 4-1.
Bears 18 Chiefs 17
DUFFIN: Duffin had no idea why he fancied the Chiefs. Maybe because the Bears have been awful Matt? Still, the Chiefs haven’t been much better, and they lost this close one. 3-3.
DUFFY: He reckoned it was going to be a high-scoring game as these were the two teams with highest average points against record, and the Chiefs would win. Wrong on both counts. 4-2.
Saints 17 Eagles 39
DUFFIN: Duffin didn’t think this would be a particularly exciting game, and it probably wasn’t if you’re a Saints fan. His call of a New Orleans win by 7 though? Yeesh. 3-4.
DUFFY: Oh Neil. If you’re going to go by the stats then go by the stats my man. The numbers told him the Eagles would win, but you knew better didn’t you? No. No you didn’t. 4-3.
Jaguars 31 Buccaneers 38
DUFFIN: By complete fluke, Duffin gets himself back to 4-4 by backing the Bucs.
DUFFY: Having gone for a tie, this is the game that could have made Coach Duffy look like an absolute genius. As it was, we very nearly had overtime and a very excited Irishman but alas, you know, the Jags. 4-4.
Bills 14 Titans 13
DUFFIN: Finally Duffin admitted he was completely guessing with this one, but miraculously he got it pretty much spot on to go to 5-4.
DUFFY: “Stats suggest it will be close game, but the Titans have had one big win against poor opposition and then two losses to weak or weakened teams, which inflates their stats, so Bills by 10. It was closer than that but you can’t argue with the workings out. 5-4.
Cardinals 42 Lions 17
DUFFIN: The Lions are terrible at the moment and the Cardinals haven’t looked this strong in years. Put those two things together and it’s no wonder Matt went for a road win. 6-4.
DUFFY: “Arizona by a large margin”. Ding. 6-4.
Patriots 30 Cowboys 6
DUFFIN: Duffin couldn’t have been more accurate with this one. Fairly one-sided it was, Pats by three scores it was. 7-4.
DUFFY: Duffy says to always bet on the team most likely to cheat, but the Pats didn’t even need to. He’s also up to 7-4.
Broncos 16 Raiders 10
DUFFIN: Denver spluttered their way to another win, which Mr Duffin thought would be by a larger margin. It matters not, he’s gone to 8-4.
DUFFY: You could tell Coach Duffy thought about siding the Raiders for a brief second, but he’ll be glad he didn’t. 8-4.
49ers 27 Giants 30
DUFFIN: Another guess by Duffin, and another chalked up to the W column as he backed the Giants. 9-4.
DUFFY: He probably didn’t think this would be as close as it was (I’ve seen his sums, he didn’t) but he backed the right horse in this remarkable game. 9-4.
Steelers 24 Chargers 20
DUFFIN: Our Pittsburgh fans were only ever going to pick the Steelers in Monday Night Football, and doing so leaves Duffin with a final record of 10-4.
DUFFY: His heart said Steelers, his head said Steelers and most importantly his stats said Steelers to also leave Duffy on 10-4.
So there we have it. This week’s Head to Head finishes in a 10-4 tie and as a result the Coaches and Staff lead after four rounds 38-23 to 35-26. It’s still all to play for, so be sure to check back on Thursday for this week’s predictions.
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