2020 Playoffs

List of

Buddy Bowls

VS

83.13

66.75

Back-to-Back: 1227s Win!

December 29, 2020 - More firsts for the 1227s. They were the first undefeated team, and now are the first to repeat as champions and claim 4 rings, after beating the JmBs, 83.13-67.75, in BB XIX. They also won the regular season title and can decisively be considered the best team in league history, to this point.

The game was the lowest scoring since BB XIII, when the Cougs beat the NBTUs, and the second lowest since the league started playing the Buddy Bowl in Week 16. All eyes were on the QBs and RBs, but the difference came down to the defenses. The 1227s got 12 from TB, while the JmBs were humiliated with -4 points from the Texans. Without the 16 point difference between the defenses, the 1227s would only be winning by less than half a point.

Negative four points is pretty rare, so should the JmBs have played their other defense, New England? They also got -4! The JmBs came in with the momentum, but things couldn't come together for one final week. They are still in search of their first championship. It is rumored that Tatum Bell will be brought in to coach.

1227s vs JmBs Collide for BB

December 23, 2020 - Back to back rings seemed like a fait accompli for the dominating 1227s, but the JmBs have come out of nowhere to wreck their way from bubble team to Yahoo favorite to win Buddy Bowl XIX. It would be their first ring.

Buddy Bowl XIX Preview

The Final Four was more of the same for both of these teams. The 1227s took care of business against a team that had trouble getting to 70 points, while the JmBs had yet another triple-digit thriller to stay alive. The 1227s are on the verge of becoming the first ever team to repeat as champions. The Bums came within 5 points of the feat, but lost in the 2007 Buddy Bowl to the undefeated 1227s (which was a first and only accomplishment). The JmBs entered the league in 2005 and, despite shocking the world dozens of times, have been to one Buddy Bowl (XIV, which they lost to the teen stars). For those of you keeping score at home, the season previews had predicted these two teams would finish 3rd and 4th. That's probably as close as I'm ever going to get so, you're welcome.

(7) JoeMorrisBavaros (7-6) vs. (1) 1227 (10-3)

Both teams have QBs that regularly put up 20+ points, but this game is likely going to come down to the RBs. Derrick Henry is detroying December as he does and the 1227s have Dalvin Cook, who has the most points of any RB in the league.

The 1227s won in week 6, 115-103. Over the last four weeks, the JmBs have beaten the equivalent of the 2 (twice), 3 and 4 seeds, and they are averaging 115 points per game. Only one team has scored over 90 points vs the 1227s since Halloween.

The JmBs come into the game with the momentum and the swagger (even the Yahoo Skynet has them favored), but they have tried to keep a low profile during Buddy Bowl week. That went out the window though when JuJu filmed a Tik Tok of himself eating a danish with a 1227s logo designed in lemon filling. The 1227s have dominated the league this season and are on the verge of accomplishing the previously impossible challenge of repeating. They have won more of everything over the last two years and will come in and follow their gameplan. The wild card is if the JmBs can once again come out and surge to 115 points. Already looking ahead to Monday night, since that is when this will inevitably be decided, the 1227s have two players scheduled play. The world will probably be shocked either way on Monday night. 1227s by 3.

Final Four Previews

What's up crew?! We didn't know if we'd have ball this year. Now we're at the Final Four. Three of the teams belong. They're charter teams, they've won Buddy Bowls and they're the top three seeds. Then there are the JmBs. Is this the team that wrecked the buffet at the Harrow Club? If ever there was going to be a year for the JmBs to come in and shock the world, 2020 is it.

(1) 1227 (10-3) vs. (4) teen stars (8-5)

History: Where have we seen this before? Ahh, yes, Buddy Bowl XVIII. Last year the 1227s won their third ring and are on track to become the first team to repeat as champions. They looked like a tremendous slouch -- maybe an emotional letdown after winning the regular season title. But the 8th seeded Cougs couldn't capitalize on the performance. The teen stars won the only Buddy Bowl they've appeared in, back in 2015. They blew up the Bums last week with 123 points and have a real shot to upset the 1227s in this version of the Homestead War.

Keys to victory: Last year, the 1227s relied on multiple Tanne-hill Mira-cles. Now they have a QB controversy, which seems to have already reared its ugly head in this round as a benched Herbert went for 26 pts on Thursday night (who could have thought it would be a good idea to start a Cards QB in Dec? That's like starting a land war in Asia.) Murray has to come through big. In that same game, what are the odds of Miles Sanders scoring 20 points like last week? Zero. Yahoo projects him for 10 points. He's done it three times this year. The teen stars are the stewards of league history in trying to prevent a repeat champion for the first time, but it won't be easy. 1227s by 4.

(3) Ladybirds (8-5) vs. (7) JoeMorrisBavaros (7-6)

History: If only Chet Johnson were still alive to cover this. He had that horrible steak tartar-eaten-with-fingers and tequila overdose years ago. So tragic. The Birds, of course, have won three rings (although sometimes you'd think it's closer to 8). They missed the playoffs last year, but are back in the mix this year after winning four straight and stolling past the sleepwalking Valyrians last week. The JmBs may, in fact, be a team of destiny. They've won three must-win games in a row, including last week's amazing shootout with the Metros. They have been to the Buddy Bowl before. Nobody remembers this, but they lost to the teen stars in Buddy Bowl XIV. True story.

Keys to victory: The Birds have the matchups working against them this week and are dealing with injuries (about the same as every other team, but the MSM just covers them constantly). For them it comes down to A-Rod -- who has some past allegiance to the JmBs for drafting him too high. Repeatedly. Similarly, the JmBs have tied their hopes to Lamar Jackson. Last week he came out of the locker room like Roy Hobbs holding his side with the game on the line. He threw one bomb and the lights blew up and the JmBs advance! And then there's the secret weapon, who actually carried the Birds to their last ring. This is a fully armed and operationally Derrick Henry! JmBs by 2.

Round 1 Previews

Star Wars is our official Round 1 sponsor. There is no new movie this year, but Disney has been launching a plethora of Star Wars content in an effort to make us forget The Rise of Skywalker exists. So gird your loins for plenty of poorly orchestrated Star Wars references. The frenetic ending of the Coronavirus Special Tuesday Night game was one of the most exciting nights in the league history as three playoff spots were finalized and one team did not make it. The FBRs had the best record of the bubble teams going into the weekend, but were the odd team out and are missing from the playoffs for the first time since 2007 (Daisy Ridley was 15 years old). The FBRs were like Jek Porkins going into the second half of that Tuesday night game, "I've got a problem here.. I can hold it... I'm all right... Argghh!" That's the trouble with facing turbo lasers and Michael Gallup.

(1) 1227 (10-3) vs. (8) Cougars (7-6) -- Do you hear the Imperial March playing? That's Lord 1227 and his fully operational battlestation. They are trying to become the first team to repeat as champions and probably already have the highest likelihood since the 2007 Bums who missed repeating by 5 points (coincidentally losing to the 1227s in Buddy Bowl Episode VI). If there's a team of rogue misfits that can figure out how to blow up the Death Star, it might be the Cougs. They had a miracle finish to the season as they got into the playoffs with just minutes left in the final game of the week. It may be their destiny to win -- if they can pick the right QB to play. There is an element of revenge here as well, since the 1227s beat the Cougs in the first round last year when the Cougs were the higher seed (4 vs 5). The power of the force got the Cougs 21 points for their defense on Thursday night. But the odds of sucessfully navigating past the reigning champs is approximately 3,720 to 1. Never tell the Cougs the odds. 1227s by 4.

(2) Metrosexuals (8-5) vs. (7) JoeMorrisBavaros (7-6) -- Metros were the top seed last year and were upset in the first round by the LOTs. Then, this year didn't get off to a good start as the team was in more disarray than the plot of The Palpatine Family Reunion -- I mean The Rise of Skywalker. They got on track after sending their Pats players down to the trash compactor. The JmBs have essentially already been in the playoffs for two weeks, and have shocked the world by surviving the Tuesday Night Miracle. Winning this game would be like shocking the galaxy, but they do have Derrick Henry is to defenses in the playoffs as Kylo Ren is to electronic consoles and his helmet -- smashy smashy. The Metros have been struggling a bit recently, but that just means they are probably due for a full-on force outburst like The Child. Devante Adams may score 4 TDs vs the Lions. This is the way. Metros by 2.

(3) Ladybirds (8-5) vs. (6) Valyrian Steelers (7-6) -- Birds are back after missing last year. The Valyrians have made it out of the first round before -- in 2017, which was the same year as the greatest slow-motion spaceship chase in history. The fact that the Birds have gotten this far with their 1st overall pick (Christian McCaffrey) in the bacta tank for almost the whole season. They had been in danger of missing the playoffs three weeks ago, and then suddenly realized "hey, all our Patriots players are like the love children of Jar-Jar Binks and Hayden Christensen" and started benching Pats players. Now they have won three straight. The Valyrians got into the playoffs thanks to their effort in the Tuesday Night Miracle. The Birds have A-Rod going against the Lions, which has the feel of that time the Death Star faced off with the planet of Alderaan. Birds by 4.

(4) teen stars (8-5) vs. (5) Wisey's Bums (7-6) -- The teen stars made it to the Buddy Bowl last year. But they didn't have to face the Bums during their playoff drive. Nobody has since 2016 -- the last time the Bums made the playoffs. They haven't won a playoff game since the year The Force Awakens came out (2015). The teen stars have won three of their last four games, and have been scoring over 100 points every-other game -- they didn't score 100 last week. Their fate has been largely tied to Tom Brady and his week-to-week performance is more mysterious than the presence/purpose of Supreme Leader Snoke. The Bums meanwhile have gone through more QBs and RBs than there are Star Wars spin-offs lined up for Disney+. It's got to be in the hundreds. The Bums were cruising for most of the season but now have lost three in a row. Derek Carr is just about to fail the Bums for the last time. teen stars by 1.

8 Teams, One Ring Remain

December 11, 2020 - After a wild and shocking Tuesday night, we got an improbable outcome to finalize the playoff field. Everything that had to go right for the 6-6 teams did, while everything went wrong for the FBRs, arguably the best team of the last decade. Now the road to BB XIX.