Post by St. Louis Sting on Mar 2, 2023 22:05:43 GMT -5
The story of the NFL regular season was dominated by the Pensacola Pelicans who cruised to a 13-1 record with the league's highest scoring roster. After the Pelicans was pure chaos in the playoff picture with 7 teams with records between 8-6 and 6-8. This meant that playoff field, seeding, and second bye came down to the final week of the regular season, where the Dallas Desperados secured the free week alongside Pensacola. Despite the wild finish, it's interesting to note that each of the 6 highest scoring teams in the regular season reached the postseason, something of a rarity in the world of fantasy football where luck and variance often play a major role.
The first round of the playoffs saw an epic shootout between the St. Louis Sting and New Jersey Haze, with St. Louis emerging victorious in the 233.6 - 217.5 barn-burner. The Sting and Patriots, who advanced with an impressive win of their own over Syracuse, were rewarded with matchups against top-seeded Pensacola and Dallas, respectively. Both teams were able to pull off the upset, ending a extraordinarily impressive season by the Pelicans short of the championship. The final matchup was close throughout, with the Patriots winning the championship by a score of 181.88 - 170.9. This cemented their second consecutive sport title after winning the 2022 MLB crown, and DC remains in the playoff hunt in both winter sports as we enter the final weeks of the regular season.
There was not a ton of movement in the all-time league standings after the NFL season, but at least a few items of note. The champion DC Patriots used the performance to create a gap between themselves and some of the other franchises that have historically lived near the bottom of the standings. The Pelicans pulled to within 1 point of Syracuse for 3rd in the standings, while the Sting took advantage of a down season in Montana to create some breathing room at the top. Perhaps the most surprising thing was the 2x defending overall champion Las Vegas Strips failing to earn a single point in the standings during the NFL season. That, coupled with a bit of a retool in NBA before the deadline, could open the door for someone new to take the crown!
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the recent turnover the league has undergone. I've been fortunate in the nearly 10 years (!) of running this league that the turnover rate has been relatively low compared to many other fantasy leagues. Between the middle of the NFL season and now, however, we've seen three owners have to bow out, including two original owners, who needed to step back as a result of real-life interferences. Some good news in all of this is that one of our replacements saw the return of an original member, Chris, who moved the St. Louis Stars back to Norwich where he hopes to regain the success that he saw in the early years with the starting franchise. Our two new members have already taken to relocating their franchises to new cities, with new names and fresh branding to create a spark and excitement that hasn't been seen in years. It will be interesting to see what directions the new ownership groups take their franchises as they take up the mantle left by the others, but I for one am looking forward to finding out!
The first round of the playoffs saw an epic shootout between the St. Louis Sting and New Jersey Haze, with St. Louis emerging victorious in the 233.6 - 217.5 barn-burner. The Sting and Patriots, who advanced with an impressive win of their own over Syracuse, were rewarded with matchups against top-seeded Pensacola and Dallas, respectively. Both teams were able to pull off the upset, ending a extraordinarily impressive season by the Pelicans short of the championship. The final matchup was close throughout, with the Patriots winning the championship by a score of 181.88 - 170.9. This cemented their second consecutive sport title after winning the 2022 MLB crown, and DC remains in the playoff hunt in both winter sports as we enter the final weeks of the regular season.
There was not a ton of movement in the all-time league standings after the NFL season, but at least a few items of note. The champion DC Patriots used the performance to create a gap between themselves and some of the other franchises that have historically lived near the bottom of the standings. The Pelicans pulled to within 1 point of Syracuse for 3rd in the standings, while the Sting took advantage of a down season in Montana to create some breathing room at the top. Perhaps the most surprising thing was the 2x defending overall champion Las Vegas Strips failing to earn a single point in the standings during the NFL season. That, coupled with a bit of a retool in NBA before the deadline, could open the door for someone new to take the crown!
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the recent turnover the league has undergone. I've been fortunate in the nearly 10 years (!) of running this league that the turnover rate has been relatively low compared to many other fantasy leagues. Between the middle of the NFL season and now, however, we've seen three owners have to bow out, including two original owners, who needed to step back as a result of real-life interferences. Some good news in all of this is that one of our replacements saw the return of an original member, Chris, who moved the St. Louis Stars back to Norwich where he hopes to regain the success that he saw in the early years with the starting franchise. Our two new members have already taken to relocating their franchises to new cities, with new names and fresh branding to create a spark and excitement that hasn't been seen in years. It will be interesting to see what directions the new ownership groups take their franchises as they take up the mantle left by the others, but I for one am looking forward to finding out!