GFL Dynasty - Week 17 Write-Up

Brass tacks - brass knuckles

GEEEEEEETTT UP GFL FANS!!!! Marone, I can't believe we're here but an action packed week 17 is in the books, with no shortage of excitement from both the NFL and the GFL! We saw kingpins get down to brass tacks, getting their wins to keep them in their position gazing down at the rest. We also witnessed teams get scrappy, not afraid to get rough out there and dust up the knuckles getting their wins to save their respective seasons and have one last chance at securing a post season spot. Come along with ol' Ton' one more time and let's dissect things a bit, I made manicott' with Mama Pantone's special red sauce just for the occasion.
This year we decked the halls with two games on Santa's busiest day of the year, with the Chiefs taking down the Steelers along with the Ravens complete shut down of the Houston Texans. Ya hate to see it, but the top team in the NFL standings continues to act as such improving to 15-1 with their win on Christmas Day. As for Houston, what is goin on over there guys? Everything alright? I remember expecting bigger things from them going into the year, but they keep on having these games where the offense just disappears. Zero points put up on the board for the Texans in the 31-2 loss, while on the flip side of the ball King Henry gashed the Houston defense for 165 total yards and a TD. Our Thursday Night game was a real doozy between the Seahawks and Da Bears, a true barnburner with endless display of offensive prowess....sorry. In all seriousness the game did have big playoff implications even if they lasted only a few days, with the Seahawks coming out victorious with a final score of 6-3 their hopes of winning the NFC West stayed alive until the Rams beat the Cardinals on Saturday. There were more playoff implications at play on Saturday, with the Chargers' walloping of the Patriots locked the Bolts into a trip to the postseason. The Bengals were also able to keep their very slim playoff hopes alive with their 30-24 victory over the Denver Broncos, another team in the hunt looking for that last playoff spot in the AFC. Denver is the current 7 seed, however they'll be looking to win in week 18 to ensure they punch their golden ticket and not have to sweat out if the Dolphins or Bengals could take their place. Moving onto Sunday, our 1 PM slate of action saw more pieces fall into place for teams with playoff dreams. The Colts could have been in a similar situation as the Bengals or Dolphins had they not lost to the Giants in week 17, but instead their season is over. I'm sorry, I slightly misspoke. As the Giants pulled out the brass knuckles and took a beatin to this Colts team like Shane Steichen owed em money or somethin, and I believed it too. Screw the first overall pick, it was incredible seein the Giants put up 45+ for the first time since the Bush administration. Like Drew Lock actually looked good, going 17/23 for 309 yards and 4 TDs, and snuck another TD in there on the ground too for good measure. The Buffalo Bills took exception to the Jets in similar fashion, and this time it was probably Aaron Rodgers who owed someone money if I had to guess. Mitch Trubisky even connected with Tyrell Shavers late in the game for the cherry on top TD in the 40-14 victory, which locks the Bills into the #2 seed in the AFC. The Eagles got their win over the Cowboys to lock up their division win after taking a year off from winnin the thing back in 2022. The Buccaneers find themselves in a unique spot given how strong the teams particularly from the NFC North have been this season. They sit at 9-7 after their beatdown of the Panthers, and are currently the #4 seed as the NFC South leaders. A loss in week 18 with a Falcons win would vault Atlanta into the Division lead and would result in the Bucs missing the playoffs all together. As alluded to previously, the Dolphins kept their playoff hopes alive with their win over the Browns and will now need some help week 18 to make it to the promised land. Talk about a top dawg team doin top dawg things, how bout them Vikings? Their 27-25 victory over their NFC North rival Green Bay Packers elevates them to a 14-2 record, which is tied with the Lions for first in the division. Crazy stuff here folks, that division is truly a madhouse. The Commies got a win in Sunday Night Football to clinch themselves a trip to the playoffs, their first trip since 2020 which is funny because this current squad has 4 more wins than that 2020 team and will finish with a worse seed come playoff time. The Football Team won the division in 2020 with a 7-9 record. Football baby yeah!!! We wrapped things up on Monday Night with a battle between the Lions and the 49ers, of which the cats came away with the win to improve to 14-2, setting the stage beautifully for a week 18 Sunday Night Football behemoth between the 14-2 Lions and the 14-2 Vikings. Winner takes first in the NFC. I love this sport, man.
Thank you everyone, from GFL fans to GM's for taking me into the family this year, It's been incredible, truly. Another GFL season is officially in the books, Congratulations to Rich Goldstein Jr. and the Golden Rings on winning their first Championship in the Dynasty Era, AND the first in the RGJ era! I know Mr. Goldstein would be proud. Shout out to the Tuckahoe Turtles for an incredible run as well, 200+ points in each round is truly remarkable, and while it may not be the desired result they should be proud. After all our Championship game came right down to the wire! Again, thank you all for a great season! Arrivederci! GO BILLS!!!

Draft Order Update

The conclusion of Week 17 brings our season to an end and officially locks in our draft slot order. Here's what the first round looks like right now:

1. Coxsackie Calves
2. Coxsackie Calves (via STUF)
3. Rickety Stool Co.
4. Coxsackie Calves (via ORNG)
5. Hail Gary
6. Redzone
7. Rickety Stool Co. (via 4TH)
8. Coxsackie Calves (via SLOP)
9. Rickety Stool Co. (via TUCK)
10. The Golden Rings

Only five teams occupy all top 10 picks at the moment, we'll be keeping a close eye to see if anything changes over the next 5 months.

Award Show & Voting Reminders

A friendly reminder that our GFL7 Award Show will be held on Sunday, January 19th.

Again, it will be the 19th whether the Bills play that day or not. We will do our best to plan around the game should it happen to be that day so everyone can enjoy their gameday experience as well as the Award Show. Attendance is mandatory.

Award Voting Forms will be sent out later today. There are a couple new awards as well as some categories in which you will be asked to submit multiple votes, so please read each category description carefully. It is one long form separated into 3 sections; Player Awards, GM Awards, and Owner's Meeting. We strongly encourage you to take your time and put some thought into your responses. Please do not rush through the voting.

Another big thanks to GM Seanny for hosting this year. Specifics on timing and exact location details will be ironed out prior to the 19th.

Please remember to bring your $50 buy-in for this year's CHAMP.

Oh, and it would probably be a good idea to start scheming your intros and walkout songs.

GFL7 CHampionship
The Golden Rings (211.60) def. Tuckahoe Turtles (210.60)

That was, without a doubt, the most exciting CHAMPIONSHIP game in the GFL's long, storied history. One for the record books. A genuine "thank you" to both teams for one hell of a week of fantasy football to cap off another fantastic season. The GFL never disappoints. Well, except when you end up missing out on the belt by literally 1 singular point. I told you; only one team would get their fairytale ending, the other heartbreak. Let's get into it.
First things first, congratulations to The Golden Rings, GM Rich Goldstein Jr., AGM Money Mitch, and the rest of Goldstein Enterprises at large. A season that began with tragedy, progressed into controversy, was followed up by hope, and then culminated with the most dramatic grand finale you could ask for. We joke about this stuff being scripted sometimes but I'm sure even Jim would've said I'm jumping the shark if I pitched this story back in August. Where do we begin? How about with the man we highlighted in the championship preview, Xavier Worthy, who kept up his hot streak scoring 22.90 PTS on Christmas Day for his season high. He was supported by big games from Johnathan Taylor (27.60 PTS) who seemingly made it a point to make up for his dropped TD in Round 1, Jerry Jeudy (21.40 PTS) who thrived despite catching passes from DTR, Jordan Addison (18.90 PTS) who stepped up in a big game for the Vikings, JK Dobbins (15.30 PTS) playing in his first game off IR, and veteran leader Adam Thielen (29.40 PTS) who led the Rings in scoring this week. And of course we can't forget The Golden Bills; Josh Allen, James Cook and Tyler Bass, who combined for an additional 43.18 PTS. I'll be honest, after the Thursday and Saturday games it looked like the Rings would have an uphill climb to the gold on Sunday, but I guess that's just what a team forged from the fires of Mordor was bred for. It all came down to Monday Night Football where Jared Goff (27.22 PTS) was just barely able to hold off the final push from Tuckahoe faithful. In the end, it was exactly one point separating the two titans. Not for nothing but its probably worth noting that Tyler Bass was a perfect 6 for 6 on kicks this week...
For GM Seanny and the die hard fans of the Tuckahoe Turtles, I'm at a loss for words, as I know you surely are too. Nothing I can write here can ease the burn of the book closing like this, you'll just have to harness that fire to come back with a vengeance next year. In the meantime, we will give them their well deserved flowers for their accomplishments. I hope it doesn't get lost in the championship fog that the GFL7 Tuckahoe Turtles are the not only the first team in GFL history to score 200+ PTS multiple times in a single playoff run, but they did it all 3 rounds for a total of 629.68 PTS. That's two GFL records I'd be shocked to see get touched for a long time. We could sit here and bemoan the start/sits the Turtles could've made to change the result but that won't do anyone any good. GM Seanny put his best players out there and they did everything they could. This is a special team that won't be going anywhere any time soon. It was a true pleasure to watch it all unfold on Swimming With the Turtles. I trust GM Seanny will use this as motivation to bounce back stronger than ever. You thought the PRIMETIME and playoff curses were a big enough chip on their shoulder? Its only a matter of time before this team has their moment in the sun.
Once again, congrats to the NEW CHAMPION OF THE GFL GM Rich Goldstein Jr and The Golden Rings. And job well done to our runner-up GM Seanny and the Tuckahoe Turtles. Thank you all for coming to the GFL7 Casino, where the Rich get richer, and the house always wins.

Final Prediction results

The season is over, so no more Standings updates. Instead head on over to the Predictions Page to take a look at how the weekly guessing game shook out for everyone. Another congratulations to GM Rich Goldstein Jr. of The Golden Rings for taking that crown as well.

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