Week 16 Recap: Darin's Hot Hand and Ed's Christmas Conundrum

The NFL season is winding down, and the stakes for the "Big Bold Predictions" segment are higher than ever. Darin Hayes and Ed Kleese met to review a highly dramatic Week 16, which featured incredible comebacks, upsets, and holiday chaos, before gearing up for Week 17.

Week 16: Darin's Strong Showing

Darin had a strong performance, netting 5 points, primarily due to correctly calling the close, high-stakes victory for the Seahawks over the Rams and, more impressively, the Bears upsetting the Packers. Darin earned high praise for predicting Caleb Williams would lead the Bears to a late-game win, which he did via an incredible overtime touchdown after a muffed onside kick.

Ed, unfortunately, only secured 2 points for the week, which came entirely from also picking the Seahawks. He missed on the Bears and the Patriots upsetting the Ravens (a one-point partial credit for Darin). Both hosts expressed disappointment over the Colts' defense failing to back up Philip Rivers' valiant "Disney story" effort to upset the 49ers.

The scoring left Darin leading with 77 total points to Ed’s 74 as they moved into the final two weeks of the regular season.

The Lions Controversy and Holiday Drama

The review concluded with a deep dive into the controversial final play of the Lions-Steelers game, where an offensive pass interference call on Amon-Ra St. Brown nullified a dramatic, potential game-winning lateral. The main focus, however, quickly shifted to the upcoming holiday schedule.

Ed expressed anxiety about his team, the Commanders, playing the Cowboys on Christmas Day. Stating that he has “matured,” Ed claimed he would ignore the noon kick-off to focus on family, a statement Darin immediately declared his first Bold Prediction for the week: "Your family’s going to call BS on this and you will be caught."

Week 17 Predictions: Pending the Picks

The hosts transitioned to making their official Week 17 game picks. However, the discussion ended immediately after Darin's non-game prediction about Ed’s impending holiday conflict. The suspense hangs in the air: who will gain ground in the final week of the fantasy regular season? We await the actual game-by-game predictions from Darin and Ed that will determine their final standings.

Chalk, Upsets, and Double-Digit Dominance: Ed and Darin's Wild Week 17 NFL Picks

The NFL playoff picture is tightening, and with high-stakes games dominating the schedule, our analysts, Ed Kleese and Darin Hayes, are stepping out with some truly aggressive predictions for Week 17. From packaged Christmas Day favorites to huge underdog victories, here is a breakdown of their boldest calls, which they are betting points on.

Ed Kleese: The Favorite's Advocate

Ed is betting heavily on the favorites to handle their business against injury-riddled teams, particularly on the holiday schedule.

1. Christmas Day Chalk:Ed packaged his first pick, wagering thatall three heavy favoriteson Christmas Day—the Cowboys, the Lions, and the Broncos—will win their respective matchups easily against opponents using backup or third-string quarterbacks.
2. Seahawks Roll the Panthers:He predicts that the Seattle Seahawks will have a comfortable road trip, beating the Carolina Panthersby 10 points or moreas they fight desperately to secure their spot in the NFC West race.
3. Browns knock off Steelers
4. Niners Dominance: On Sunday Night Football, Ed sees the 49ers, motivated by divisional title aspirations, defeating the Bearsby 7 points or more, signaling that the 49ers are heating up at the perfect time.
5. Rams win big over Falcons

Darin Hayes: The Upset Specialist

Darin is looking beyond the obvious matchups, selecting three distinct high-leverage games where specific conditions must be met for him to earn his points.

1. Texans Deliver Massive Upset:Darin’s boldest call is on Saturday: he picks the Houston Texans to defeat the Chargersby 10 points or more. This is a massive endorsement of the Texans' defense and pass rush, and a major knock on the Chargers' consistency.
2. Seahawks’ Defensive Stranglehold:While he agrees with Ed on the Seattle winner, Darin adds a caveat: the Seahawks will defeat the Panthers while holding Carolina to20 points or less.
3. Bills Win, Total Stays Low:In a potential Super Bowl preview, Darin picks the Buffalo Bills to host the Philadelphia Eagles and win. His critical caveat is on the scoring: he predicts the total points scored in the game will beunder 44, based on both defenses rising to the occasion.
4. Niners roll the Bears as the San Fran Defense accounts for 3 turnovers
5. Green Bay Grinches: Packers put the Ravens out of playoff contention

Conclusion: Betting on the Bold

With both Ed and Darin taking massive swings—Ed with his Christmas Day package and double-digit margins, and Darin with his underdog victories and defensive caveats—Week 17 is set up to be a true battleground for their prediction supremacy. Will the favorites cruise as Ed expects, or will Darin's faith in defensive upsets pay off?

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