I can't tell if you're being sarcastic, because weirder things have happened this year, such as New Orleans losing to the Jets.  But I didn't say the Cowboys will beat New Orleans.  I said the Cowboys rule is looking unlikely after the Cowboys bye week.  Their bye week is Week 11.

It all comes down to injured quarterbacks. If Cutler hadn't been hurt, the Packers would have won without Rodgers.

Too bad that you picked against your own team.

It all comes down to injured quarterbacks. If Cutler hadn't been hurt, the Packers would have won without Rodgers.

Too bad that you picked against your own team.

ANNOUNCEMENT - The Quarterly Report

We are halfway through the regular season, so let's look at another few year over year comparisons and interesting stats. The 2012 edition of the prediction league can be viewed here. Some of the comparisons are not perfectly fair, because of the different setup of bye weeks year over year. In 2012 the NFL had played 132 games through nine weeks, in 2013 it's 133 games.

1. Number of playoff contenders: In 2012 the number didn't drop from week 4 through week 9, it remained at 19. This year it went down from 23 to 18 in the same timeframe. The quitters just held on a bit longer this season, that's all there is to it.

2. Number of people who reached or eclipsed the 90 wins mark bye week 9: In 2012 only one player managed it, insomniac17 sat right at 90. In 2013 nobody got there, but seven people are equal or better than last year's #2.

3. Of the 17 returning players, 14 are up or flat year over year. arcane_chaos, insomniac17 and Kenology are the only people who couldn't match or exceed last year's performance. Special mention for outlawauron who is the 18th returning player, but quit in both seasons. You suck and your Saints suck.

4. Number of different leaders: In 2012 we had three through week 9. Level1Death (1), Kenology (streak of 6), insomniac17 (streak of 2). In 2013 we had four. antfromtashkent (1), noname2200 (2), shakarak (4, streak of 3), Mendicate Bias (streak of 2). In 2012 insomniac17 went on to lead all the way through the rest of the season. Meanwhile 2013 looks a lot more competitive, see point 6.

5. Number of people who earned prediction points: In 2012 there were 17 out of 19 active players who did it, in 2013 it's 18 out of 18, even if the new methods to earn PP are ignored.

6. Lastly, the gap between #1 and #16 was 17 wins through week 9 in 2012. That's more than a full week worth of games. Additionally, #17-19 weren't even within striking distance of earning a playoff spot anymore, trailing by 8 or more wins. In 2013 the gap between #1 and #16 is only 11 wins and #17-18 are tied with #16.