The championship game…where greatness goes to die. Or so it seems. Oddly enough, our title games have not always turned into the battles between two great squads. More often than not, it’s been a blow out. In total, 12 of the 40 teams that have competed in the finals has broken 1,500 points in the finals and only twice did both teams hit that mark in a game. In 20 title games, the average points per team scored is 1,374. The winning team averages 1,588 points per game, while the loser has averaged only 1,164 per contest. That’s a difference of 424 points. The runner ups have scored under 1,000 five times and scored less than 1,200 a total of 12 times.
Anyhow, here is my ranking of the top-20 title games ever. When decided where to place every game, obviously, a close game matters, especially a high scoring tight contest. However, I’ll also take into account the historic stakes at the time, whether we actually got the match up we deserved and so forth. Enjoy.
#20 Jason over David, 1,273 – 920 (2001) Why last? Oh so many reasons. The 1,273 points for the winner is the second lowest for the victor. The 2,193 combined points is the lowest combined score ever. Most importantly, it’s the only championship game that features two former teams. Fuck those guys! We were also robbed of what should have been my three-peat. Jason was the best team all season, but I was second in scoring and had won 1o of 11, before being stunned by David in the semifinals.
Anyhow, the game wasn’t too awful. Low scoring, yes. But also a close affair. Thanks to the Saints getting crushed at home 38-0, Jason, the heavy favorite got a stunning -111 from Aaron Brooks and just 20 from All-Robio, Ricky Williams. Of all of Jason’s 1pm players, only Terrell Owens showed up with 348 fantasy points in that same game. While Dave also had his struggles, with three half of his four early afternoon player failing to hit 100, thanks to the Bears DST scoring 348, the underdog actually led at 4pm, was not able to take advantage of it. Of his four early afternoon players, only the Bears dominated, scoring 348 points. Heading into the late afternoon, 580-527. He also had four players remaining to Jason’s two. The upset was brewing.
Both teams had their start backs ready to roll at 4pm and both dominated. Dave got 324 from Shaun Alexander, but Jason got 462 from Marshall Faulk. He also got a stunning 284 from his Rams DST. Unfortunately for Dave, because this was during an era where we played the title game in week 17, he had to sit his top-10 quarterback, Daute Culpepper, who was not playing. Replacing him as the Bill’s Alex Van Pelt, who shit the bed, with -54. Just like that, Jason was on top, 1,273-920. Technically, Dave still had top-12 wide receiver, Keyshawn Johnson remaining, but on Monday night, we learned he wouldn’t play and at the time, Dave was unable to fill the hole. That was all she wrote, folks.
#19 Don over Robio, 1,677 – 844 (2006) We had two 10-win teams this season (Molly and Burrier), but neither escaped the quarterfinals. This left me as the top dog standing. I won my division, but I also won just seven games all season. However, I did finish second in scoring, thanks to three straight weekly high scores late in the year. Don, on the other hand, was just lucky to be in the playoffs. He needed a week 13 win to get in and earn the 7-seed. He was ninth in scoring, thanks to three weekly low scores. Yet, without having to never break 1,500, he shocked the two-seed and three-seed to advance to his first finals.
However, despite the fact I had the superior stats that year, my team had some bad matchups in week 16, while Don had a cakewalk. He also added Ron Dayne, who was running like he was Todd Gurley on ‘roids. This game was never close, proving the be arguable the most earliest decided title game. Thanks to a 652-point effort by Marc Bulger (the most ever for a quarterback in the title game), 366 from Ron Dayne and 242 from Willis McGahee, Don hit 1,357 points after the early games, with both his starting receivers left to play. Meanwhile, none of my early afternoon players hit 200. I was led by Plaxico Burriess and his 168 points. My second-team All-Robio quarterback hit just 132, while both my defense and TE failed to score 100. Worse yet, my stud running back, Willie Parker, scored just -13. By 4pm this one was over, as Don led 1,357-517. I would fail to reach 900, as another player would fail to hit 100, while Don got 260 from his receivers, becoming the lowest seed and lowest scoring team in the regular season to win a title.
#18 Matt over Rich C, 1,444 – 811 (2007) With just seven wins, one can forgive someone if they thought Matt’s 2007 squad wasn’t great. They certainly didn’t start great, as he won just one of his first five games. However, Neatock didn’t panic and the team turned it around, winning six straight, before falling in his last two. Meanwhile, Calderon started hot, winning four of his first five, but then he lost six of his last eight. Despite finishing 9th in scoring, Rich snuck into the 7-spot, when both Burrier and I lost in the season’s final week.
Matt, as expected, cruised to the finals. Calderon, stunned the world, first by beating 2-seed Don by less than 200 and then faced top seeded and 11-win Dave, who completely failed to show up, handing Rich a 1,067-965 victory. Thus, we were denied the title game we wanted. Instead, we got a dominating Neatock facing off against a lucky Calderon, who had never won anything.
The title game results lived up to the no-hype. Oddly enough, all but Matt’s defense would sit out until the 4pm Sunday games, which meant Calderon needed to jump out to an early start. Unfortunately, Torry Holt would score just 76 points on Thursday night and that would be the theme for Rich’s title game. Three more players on Sunday early afternoon would fail to hit 100, including Kevin Jones and his 24, Anthony Gonzalez, who produced 40 points and the Vikings DST that scored -28. All-Robio quarterback Drew Brees failed to show for a second straight title game, scoring a modest 209 points in a 23-point Saints win. Only Kenny Watson showed up with 294.
By the time the 1pm games ended, Rich had a 765-181 lead, with only one more player left, while Matt had everyone left to play, except the Colts D (who scored that 181). Thanks to Kurt Warner’s 515 and Randy Moss’s 210, Matt took a 1,198-765 lead, with Tomlinson left to play. Ball game. After LT’s 246, Matt would wrap up his first of four titles, with a easy 1,444-811 win. Rich’s 811 was the second lowest point total by a team in the championship game.
#17 Robio over Molly, 1,841 – 1,112 (2002) This one should’ve been a sexy matchup and not because combined, Molly and I have about 40 tattoos. It featured a #1 (Molly) vs #2 (Robio). It featured the second highest scoring team (Robio) vs the third highest scoring team (Molly). It featured the league’s original superstar (Robio), who already had two titles locked down vs the expansion team. In fact, to this day, Molly remains the only expansion team to make it to the title game in their first year.
Yet, the game proved to be a total dud. I jumped out to a quick start. Thanks to Jeremy Shockey’s 240, I led after two games on Saturday, 300-0. That would prove to only be the appetizer. Thanks to Willie Green’s 436, Micheal Vick’s 273, the Redskins DST scoring 417 and Chad Johnson’s 234, the game was over after the 1pm games. Molly did get 338 from Todd Heap, but two other 1pm players failed to hit 200 and Emmitt Smith broke a record for lowest title game output by a running back, scoring just -63 points. By 4pm, I led 1,757-573. The final result ended up being 1,841-1,113, which was the largest championship game ass-whopping, until Griff smacks Colby around in 2005.
#16 Robio over Griff, 1,448 – 1,197 (2000) The one good thing that came out of the second ever title game in Robioland, is the fact that, by having both Griff and I in the first two title games, that’s one less former league member who will not have their name in the history books. Anyhow, Griff sort of killed the dream matchup we had planned, when he knocked out 1-seed and top scorer, Rick Mullen, i.e. the general manager of Ruby Tuesday. It would have been a classic 1 vs 2, where both teams were 1st and 2nd in scoring.
Of course, that second team was me. However, I limped into the title game. After losing my final game in the regular season and three of six, I barely escaped the quarterfinals with a low scoring 85-point win (1,097-1,012). In the semifinals, it got even tighter, as I barely won by 34 points over the 6-seed.
Meanwhile, Griff escape with two low scoring affairs, including that 85-point semifinals victory over the top seed. Yet, much like in the sack, he proved to blow his load one week too early. While I don’t have much in the way of player data for the year 2000, we do know that I took care of business in the finals, 1,448 – 1,197. It’s the only time in league history where both teams in the finals failed to hit 1,500 in any playoff game.
#15 Bob over Rich B, 1,590 – 1,283 (2011) This championship game will best be remembered for what we should have got and failed to get. This was the year that Molly and Masterson dominated like a pair of bosses. They became the second and third team in league history to average 1,500 points per game in the regular season. They both won their divisions, as Molly earned the top-seed with 10 wins, while Rob took the 2-seed with nine victories. Both were even hot heading into the postseason. Rob had won three straight and six of eight, while Molly had taken five of six. Yet, in the quarterfinals, they both went tumbling down. Molly lost to 8-seed Don by just 54 points (1,399-1,344), while Masterson suffered that brutal two-point loss to Bob.
Thus, instead, we got stuck with a 6-7 Bob team that went complete miracle in the postseason. After beating Rob by just two points, he defeated 5-seed Colby by only 21 in a 1,201-1,180 escape. Meanwhile, Burrier went just 7-6 on the year and he had gone eight years without a playoff victory. He pulled off his own miracle, taking down Matt in the quarterfinals, despite Neatock scoring 1,617 points. In the semifinals, 8-seed Don fell into his lap and that proved to be an easy win.
The only real storyline was that Bob was trying to become just the second person to win a championship in back-to-back seasons. On Christmas Eve, the fireworks went off early for Bob, who got 509 fantasy points from his rookie quarterback (Cam Newton). Steven Jackson chipped in 202 and four players in, Bob had 967 points. Burrier, who rolled with five in the early afternoon games, got five average performances, led by Peyton Hillis and his 172. With one more player than Bob in the books, he already trailed by 307 points.
That afternoon, Bob only got an additional 220 from a starting back (Matthews) and tight end (Vernon Davis), but Rich made up no ground with his top receiver (Dez Bryant) only scoring 112. Still, despite being down by 415 points, there was still hope, since he had Drew Brees going Monday night. Well, Jordy Nelson ended all hope with a 338-point performance on Christmas night.By the time Brees would begin to score his 451-point week, Rich trailed Bob by 758. In the end, Bob won his second straight crown with a pretty easy, 1,590-1,283 win.
#14 Bob over Robio, 1,283 – 948 (2010) This title game was suppose to be a classic between top seeded, Robio and top scorer, Calderon. We dominated all season long, but it didn’t work out. Even Neatock was more deserving than Bob. Matt won nine games and finished second in scoring. Of course, Bob had to fuck it all up. In reality, Castrone had another solid squad, winning nine games, finishing fourth in scoring. But while he was destroying Griff in the quarterfinals, Calderon was scoring 726 in a brutal defeat to Don, while Matt fell to Colby. I, on the other hand, dominated, going back-to-back 1,700 in easy victories over Burrier and Don. Too easy, right?
Unfortunately for me, just like in 2006 and 2008, my team would fall off the earth in the finals, even if Bob tried to hand me the title. In fact, Bob’s two best skilled players combined for just 88 points. All that came from Chris Johnson, as Andre Johnson was shutout. Still, he got 306 from Tom Brady and a stunning 359 from the Packers D, along with 212 from Brandon Lloyd. Meanwhile, my team crashed and burned. Rasheed Jennings and Darren McFadden combined for 160 points and I only got 158 from my two starting receivers (DeSean and Vincent Jackson). Nobody broke 300, with Philip Rivers tapping out at 283. I failed to crack 1,000 and Bob won, 1,283-948, earning him his second career title and my third finals defeat in five years.
#13 Rich C over Jeff, 1,846 – 1,180 (2016) This championship game had the makings of a classic. It featured a 1-seed (Jeff) vs the 2-seed (Rich C), as well as the top scoring team (Calderon) and the second highest scoring team (Jeff). For Greenblatt, he got what all good teams need, a break in the playoffs. In the quarterfinals he scored just 905 points (his season low), but his opponent, Burrier, scored less (840) and Jeff advanced. A week later, he crushed it, with a 1,816-1,496 win over Robio. As for Calderon, he shook off a bad week 13 defeat to Colby (1,281-1,172) and kicked it into high gear in the postseason, scoring 1,878 and 1,588 in victories over Eric and Bob. The stage was set.
Heading into the finals, Rich was the solid favorite, but Jeff had already taken down Rich back in week 6. Unfortunately, a chance to jump out early failed when he got just 110 points from his kicker and 8 points from the Jaguars D on Saturday. On Sunday morning, only LeSean McCoy (350) and DeSean Jackson (228) came to play, while Calderon’s quarterback, Matt Ryan, delivered a solid 282, while little known Cameron Meredith hit 330.
By the time the 4pm games got started, it was proving to be a battle. Rich was ahead 1,038 – 924. Each had two players left. For Rich, it was All-Robio running back Le’Veon Bell and Doug Baldwin. Jeff had Drew Brees and Jermey Hill, who was subbing in for an injured Melvin Gordon. With the quarterback in his back pocket, Jeff still had an outside shot to rally.
Nope. While Brees scored 240, Hill was brutally bad, scoring just 16 fantasy points. Le’Veon for Rich had that on his first run. He finished with 394 points, which was still less than Baldwin’s MVP-level 414. A tight game turned into a 666-point blowout, giving Rich his second title in four years.
#12 Griff over Colby, 1,333 – 1,049 (2015) A good revenge story is always nice and that’s what this could have been, since these two faced off ten years earlier in the title game. Still, it always felt like we were robbed of the matchup we deserved, which would have been Griff vs Bob. The latter was in mid-domination in this league at this point, coming off the best season in league history. He delivered another top seed and scoring crown and looked poised to win a fifth title, even without Le’Veon Bell. Yet, 6-7 Colby, who had twice lost to Bob during the regular season, beat 3-seed Eric in the quarterfinals, before stunning Castrone by by just 81 points in the semifinals.
As for Griff, he actually entered the postseason as the favorite, as he was riding the David Johnson gravy train. You know you’re doing something right when prime-Adrian Peterson is your second fiddle in the backfield. Griff had won five straight entering the postseason and had scored over 1,500 in four of those. He took it to the next level in the playoffs, scoring 1,847 and 1,962 in two playoff blowout wins over Jeff and Matt.
To keep pace with Griff, Colby would need to jump out on him fast with stats from unlikely sources. However, his 1pm crew, other than the Texans D, struggled to show. His Bucs duo (Martin, Evans) combined for just 132, while Greg Olsen scored only 80. At least the Texans D hit 277 and after three hours of ball, Colby had 589. While Griff’s crew didn’t dominate, his numbers were better. Adrian Peterson led the way with 298, while Michael Floyd followed with 94. Cam Newton struggled with 196, while Griff’s TE-PK-DST only managed 224 points. He had a 747-589 lead, with both David Johnson and Michael Floyd left to play, while Colby had four players left, including title game pickup, Christian Michaels, Carson Palmer, Mason Crosby and A.J. Green. If Mr. Hall could get a bad game from David Johnson, Colby would be in great shape.
Yeah, that didn’t happen. Johnson strolled for 314 and Floyd delivered 222. Of course, Colby got a decent 268 from Christine and Palmer delivered 246. Unfortunately, his kicker got shutout and even with A.J. Green remaining, 514 points was too much to overcome. The Bengals wideout hit 230, but that just meant a 1,333-1,049 win for Griff, his second career title, both over Colby.
#11 Griff over Colby, 1,882 – 739 (2005) Sometimes, greatness comes from one person’s success and another’s historical failure. Anyhow, 2005 was the year of the Griff. After losing in the title game four of the league’s first six title games, including the previous two, Griff road Larry Johnson and Shaun Alexander straight to the title game. He entered the postseason as the heavy favorite, having won six of his last seven and proceeded to crush his wife in the quarterfinals, before escaping with a 93-point win over David. Colby was a 6-7 seven-seed, who had a record that didn’t best represent the third high scoring team in the league. After escaping in a low-scoring affair in the quarterfinals against two-seed fraud, Neatock, he won a classic against me in the semifinals, 1,880-1,540.
Yet, come finals time, no one was really giving Colby much of a chance. Not against the Coomer machine. Of course, I don’t think anyone could have predicted this blowout. Without no Saturday games, all but one player (Shaun Alexander for Griff) was playing in the 1pm games, compared to Colby’s seven. Things got bad quickly. Five of Colby’s seven players fail to hit 100, including Warrick Dunn’s 98, Steve Smith’s 34, the Jacksonville D’s 3, Ben Troupe’s 0 and Lawrence Tynes -20. Jake Delhomme and Tiki Barber would account for 468 of Colby’s 739 points.
Griff’s two receivers, tight end, kicker and DST beat Colby all by themselves, 769-739. Larry Johnson and Shaun Alexander combined for 832 points and Trent Green added in 281 for good measure. After so many tries, Griff finally got his championship mug. Colby’s 729 remains the lowest ever produced by a team in the title game and the 1,114 margin of victory remains the finals largest ass kicking.
#10 Robio over Griff, 1,872 – 1,243 (1999) The only reason why I’m dropping this game here is because I simply believe the first ever title game belongs somewhere in the top-10. The game itself wasn’t much of a battle, as I remember wrapping it up by the end of the 1pm games. Still, this contest featured the first ever champion and arguable one of the greatest rosters ever, but also featured the longest winning streak to end a season, as I had won 11 straight. I would turn that into a 12-game winning streak in 2000, before falling in week two.
#9 Matt over Griff, 1,608 – 1,384 (2009) After two too many seasons of Don winning titles in 2006 and 2008, we finally got a title game we deserve. Sure, Bob Castrone was probably more deserving than Griff. He won eight games, including his final six of the regular season, won his division and finished second in scoring. However, he was unable to beat Griff in the semifinals, despite scoring 1,534. Griff, of course, was no slouch. He also won eight games and a division. However, a late three-week losing streak starting in week nine, made us question his ability to run the table. Still, he scored 1,801 and 1,622 in playoff victories over Masterson and Bob.
Meanwhile, Neatock was tearing through the league. With solid keepers, he was appointed the preseason champ and unlike his title team in 2007, he didn’t disappoint. With a squad that remained healthy nearly from start to finish. He raced out to a 8-1 start, finished with a league best 10 wins, earning both the top seed and scoring crown. He easily entered the postseason as the favorite and didn’t disappoint scoring 1,832 and 1,950 in quarterfinal and semifinal wins over Eric and Calderon. It was the first time in league history, both title game opponents scored over 1,500 in both their playoff games.
On Christmas night, Griff got the action going first, with a pair of players. Matt Schaub was decent enough with 324, while the Titan’s Rob Bironas relived 70 at the kicker spot, giving Coomer the early, 394-0 lead. Griff was able to maintain that lead through early Sunday games, as he had four players rolling to Matt’s two. He got a pair of 200+ points from Jerome Harrison and Santonio Holmes and with two players remaining, Griff sat at 1,066. However, Matt, led by Wes Welker’s 250 and Aaron Rodgers 281, stayed with reach, trailing 1,066-561, with five more players to go (compared to Griff’s two).
In the 4pm games, Griff did get a decent 224 points from Thomas Jones, but the Eagles D only scored 94 to Matt’s 222 (from the Jets). The 128-point different at the DST was critical. Add in DeSean’s 110 and Matt Prater’s 120, Griff only had a 116-point lead over Matt, who still had Adrian Peterson going Monday night. Purple Jesus had no problem overcoming that. Matt passed Griff early in the second quarter and won his second career title with a 1,608-1,384 victory.
#8 Rich C over Griff, 1,496 – 1,270 (2013) The 2013 title game is known for a variety of reasons. It was Calderon’s first ever championship, allowing him to shed his “best team to never win a title” label. The game was a tight one, compared to others we’ve watched in the past. But most importantly, it involves decision making. Let’s take a walk back.
That year I was the top dog. Coming off my fourth career title, I rolled through the year, earning both the top seed and scoring crown. Calderon, who finished fourth in scoring, won ten games and finished second in the standings. Griff, sat in the middle of the pack at 7-6 (5-seed) 6th in scoring. The finals should have been me and Calderon (just like it should have been in 2010). Yet, I once again made a bad lineup decision in the semifinals and lost to Griff (who was coming off a win over Colby) by just 67 points. Meanwhile, Calderon easily dispatched both 7-seed Bob and 3-seed Masterson.
Yet, despite his teams success (having won six of their last seven), Rich decided to switch up half his roster, benching four season-long starters for four players who had never played for him. This included Jay Cutler for Tony Romo, as well as Doug Baldwin, Greg Jennings and the Lions D. In the end, all four decisions cost him points, as the players he benched all scored more in week 16. Luckily for Calderon, it didn’t cost him the game. Although, it seemed like it might at first.
Despite his backs struggling, Griff got 592 points from Peyton Manning and actually led Rich after the early Sunday afternoon games, 870-542 (having played one more player). Calderon got 292 from DeMarco Murray, but his two new receivers combined for just 60 fantasy points. By the end of the 4pm games, Griff still had a 318-point lead, with two players left, compared to Rich’s three.
However, Sunday night, Rich took over. He got a stunning 396 from LeSean McCoy and a decent 208 from Cutler. Just like that, a 318-point deficit turned into a 318-point lead. Rich still had his kicker left Monday night, while Griff had Boldin and Vernon Davis. Unfortunately for Coomer, Davis was shutout and that was all she wrote. Rich won his first career title by 226 points. And in the end, denied Tony Romo his only chance at winning a title. Thanks, Rich.
#7 Rich B over Griff, 2,011 – 1,036 (2003) 2,000. What else is there to say? Burrier’s 2003 championship squad is the only one that features a team that scored over 2,000 in the title game. I would like to rank this game higher, but the fact is, Griff barely put up a fight, getting blown out by nearly 1,000. Secondly, we were robbed of the title game we deserved. You see, it was me who was the king of the world that year. I was the one who shook off a 0-4 start to win nine of my final ten, winning my division, earning both the scoring crown and top seed. I even scored a solid 1,535 in the quarterfinals. Too bad it wasn’t enough. Calderon became the first 8-seed to defeat a 1-seed (1,953-1,535), thus opening the door for others.
Those others..Burrier was one of the best that year, led by Tomlinson and Peyton Manning. He finished second in scoring, winning 8 games and his division. However, he entered the playoffs riding a three-game losing streak, which is usually not a good thing. Griff spent the season playing second fiddle to his wife again, like the previous season, finishing second in their division. Still, he won eight games, despite scoring over 4,o00 less points than the top dude. In the quarterfinals, he knocked out 4-seed David, who came at him with just 568 points (a playoff record low). In the semifinals, Masterson also failed to arrive, scoring just 1,064 in an easy Coomer win.
This set the stage for a heavy favorite Burrier to face off with Griff, making his third trip to the finals in just five years in the league. Not saying Griff didn’t have a chance, but he would need a little bit of Lady Luck on his lap. She didn’t show. In the first and only game on Saturday at 1pm, Burrier’s D (the Patriots) shutout the Bills and gave Rich a 502-point lead out of the gate. In the late afternoon game, Griff got 278 from Shaun Alexander, but Rich got 249 form his kicker and second receiver (Koren Robinson). Heading into Sunday, Rich had a 750-278 lead with his two best players yet to play. By 4pm, this one would be over. Brad Johnson, Girff’s homer quarterback, produced -79 points. He also got just 92 points from Andre Johnson. Not even 349 points from the Chiefs D could keep this one tight. Burrier got 350 from Chris Chambers, along with 215 from Peyton. With three players left to Griff’s four, Rich led at 4pm, 1,363-640.
After that, things got worse for Griff. Rod Smith got shutout and Randy Moss managed just 80 yards and no score. Meanwhile, Burrier got a record at the time, 562 from LaDainian Tomlinson, which put him over the 2,000-point mark. This proved to be Rich’s first and only title in Robioland and it came via the second largest blowout in title game history.
#6 Matt over Bob, 1,537 – 1,119 (2017) With an overpowering backfield that featured both Le’Veon Bell and Todd Gurley, Matt was as close to as unstoppable as one can get. He finished second in the standings and earned the scoring crown, as no one came with 1,700 of him. The title was his to take. Yet, in the finals, sat a nemesis to everyone. Bob Castrone went 12-1, earning the top seed, finishing fourth in scoring. He was the one guy Matt didn’t want to face. Even after scoring back-t0-back 2,000 in his first two playoff wins, it still seemed like it was all going to come crashing down with Bob as a foe.
Yet, instead, Neatock did what no one else had ever done…beat Bob in the title game. Despite the fact most of his players wouldn’t play until Sunday night or on Monday, this one was decided early. Bob managed to score 878 in the early games with both his running backs (Ingram, Elliot), both his receivers (Julio, Crabtree), TE and kicker. However, Matt got 672 from Todd Gurley alone and despite having five players left to play, compared to Bob’s quarterback and DST, Neatock actually led 933-878.
When Cam Newton and the Jaguars D refused to explode, this one was over, even before Matt’s four Eagles took the field Monday night. For the first time in league history, Castrone walked away from a title game with a defeat.
#5 Don over Robio, 1,216 – 1,041 (2008) This bad boy gets ranked number five for one simple reason…here we find the greatest fantasy lineup blunder of all-time. If you recall, I was a struggling team, sitting at 1-3 through four. However, I managed to pickup off the wire, DeAngelo Williams, who would go on to finish as the league’s top back. I also traded for Thomas Jones, who also earned an All-Robio award, giving up a backup quarterback and a scrub. By the time I was done adding to my roster, I had built a monster. My squad would finish with six total All-Robio players (2 first, 3 seconds and 1 third). I would go on to win six of nine, scoring over 1,500 seven times, earning the weekly high score six times. In the postseason, I scored 1,641 and 1,760 in easy victories in the quarterfinals and semifinals.
Nothing was going to stop me, especially not a pesky Don, who already earned his miracle title game win over me two years earlier. Of course, the one person who was capable of stopping me was myself. With the Panthers facing the top-rated run defense in week 16, I pulled DeAgelo for Brian Westbrook, who was a top-10 back. Westbrook did fine. However, Williams produced 199 yards and four scores. He nearly hit 600 fantasy points, easily outscoring Westbrook by over 400. I lost to Don by 175. Still haunts me to this day. Worse yet, I also picked up Tavaris Jackson and inserted him into my starting lineup over Kurt Warner, who was going to New England during a snow storm. Yet, on Saturday night, I changed my mind. Warner scored less than zero, while Jackson had his best game of the year, nearly hitting 300.
#4 Bob over Griff, 1,216 – 1,169 (2004) This was our last week 17 title game and boy, it was not pretty. Bob had no skill players break 200, as Chris Johnson, his All-Robio back, scored just 34 points. Griff had four players hit 200+, but it was Daute Culpepper, a quarterback Bob received in a trade late in the season, that put Castrone over the top with 429 fantasy points. Yet, what made this low scoring affair so great was the fact that it went down to the wire. Bob would escape with a 47-point victory, but in the final seconds of the final game, this contest was undecided. The best way to break it down is to actually break it down.
The situation: With seven minutes left to go in the only game that matters (Chiefs at Chargers), Bob holds a 79-point lead over Griff, 1,090-1,011. The latter does have the Chiefs quarterback (Trent Green), who has done nothing all game, as the Chiefs trail 24-7. Bob has Eddie Kennison, KC’s wideout, who has done even less. That’s when things got excited. Down 17 with seven to play, the Chiefs took the ball. After a Larry Johnson run play…
Green completes 5-yard pass. Griff is now down just 71 (1,090-1,019) Green completes 14-yard pass, but to Kennison. Bob extends lead back up to 83 (1,116-1,033) Green throws an incompletion. That’s -2 back then. Bob’s lead is up to 85 (1,116-1,031) Green completes 5-yard pass. Chiefs in Chargers territory. Bob’s lead is cut to 80 (1,116-1,036) Green throws for 7 yards. Griff is now back within 73 points (1,116-1,043) Green completes 37-yard bomb to Kennison, who is tackled on the two. Bob is back up 108 points. (1,188-1,080) On the next play, Larry Johnson scores a touchdown with 4:15 to play. All Bob needs is for the Chargers to run the clock out. However, the Chiefs recover an onside kick. Green completes a 11-yard pass. Griff sneaks back to within 97 points (1,188-1,091) Green completes a 15-yard pass, but it’s again to Kennison. Bob goes back up 110 (1,216-1,106) Green then completes four straight short passes to either L.J. or Tony Gonzalez. Griff is down 89 (1,216-1,127). All these short passes aren’t cutting it. If Griff is to have any shot, he needs a Green touchdown and not too Kennison. In the red zone, Green throws for the end zone, but to Kennison. Incomplete. Griff is down 91 (1,216-1,125) On the next play, Green throws a 14-yard touchdown to Larry Johnson. Griff is now down just 17 points (1,216-1,119) However, with 2:20 left, it’s unlikely the Chiefs will get the ball back. They attempt an onside kick, but it fails. All Bob needs is for the Chargers to get one first down. They don’t. And with 59 seconds to go, the Chiefs get the ball back. However, Green throws back-to-back incompletions. Griff is down 21 points (1,216-1,195) With around 40 seconds to go, Green nails Gonzalez for a 21 yard completion. First down. The game is tied (1,216-1,216) Yet, with no timeouts, Green must spike that ball. That’s an incompletion and -2 points. Griff is down two (1,216-1,214) With 34 seconds on the clock, all Griff needs is one three yard completion and not to Kennison and the title is his. He takes the snap, drops back and tosses a deep one to Dante Hall. INTERCEPTION. Griff is down 47 (1,216-1,169) Ball Game.
#3 Matt over Rich C, 1,631 – 1,578 (2018) For the second time in our league’s history, both teams hit the 1,500-point mark. Heading into the contest, we were getting a matchup we didn’t really expect. Calderon was a good team that never caught a break and barely made it into the playoffs, despite finishing the season third in scoring. Neatock was easily going to miss the playoffs, but then he pulled off a stunning trade that worked out better than he ever could have imagined. The stakes? Not just a title, but greatness. For Rich, if he won, it would have been his third championship in six seasons. For Matt, it meant a fourth mug, including back-to-back titles.
In the end, it proved to be one of the best games ever, as Matt scored 1,631 and needed nearly all of them, as he escaped with a 53-point win. However, this game lacks a little sexy appeal, as all the players, but one, played earlier that week or early afternoon on Sunday. No Monday night miracles. No Sunday night comebacks. Only Rich had one player playing Sunday afternoon. Trailing by 201, George Kittle was the sole player left. He certainly had the skills, having scored over 201 four times in 2018. However, against a solid Bears D, the 49ers were held to three second quarter field goals. Three times Kittle was targeted in the red zone, but he caught only one pass for one yard. He finished with 148 points. Unfortunately for Calderon, he scored 358 the following week. As for Matt, the four players he landed in his trade produced 924 points, led by fucking Kirk Cousins (330 points).
#2 Robio over Eric, 1,973 – 1,871 (2012) This was the greatest championship game ever…for two years. A game that featured two of the preseason favorites and the scoring champ (Eric), proved to be a masterpiece. In jumped out to a 951-point lead on Thursday night with just Matt Ryan and Roddy White. However, Eric dominated the Sunday afternoon games. While I got just 166 total points from McFadden, Hartline and Bailey, Eric got 1,871 points from his entire roster. If it wasn’t for me getting 428 from the Chargers DST, it would have been over for me.
However, heading into Sunday night, I trailed Eric by 222 points, a total Lynch had crossed just a few times all season long. Well, it proved to be my night. Lynch hit 222 by halftime and I escaped with a 102-point victory. My 1,973 points was the second most ever scored in a title game. Eric’s 1,871 were the most points scored in a finals defeat. Our 3,844 combined points remains the most ever for a championship contest.
#1 Bob over Matt, 1,495 – 1,494 (2014) Without a doubt, there will never be another title game like this one. Bob in full beast mode in 2014, chugging his way to greatness with what would eventually be declared the best team in Robioland history. An unstoppable object that would steamroll the competition to a fourth career title. Yet, he needed a one-point victory in the title game to have it all. A single point, made all the more stunning by the fact that Matt trailed by one point heading into the fourth quarter with two players left playing.
Yet, this is who Bob is. The man just catches the breaks when the breaks need caught. His wife could suggest a handful of future threesome and it still wouldn’t be as fortunate as he has been in the final moments of winner-take-all games in Robioland. Anyhow, like I said, Bob had no players and a one-point led, while Matt had Demaryius Thomas and the Broncos kicker. For the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter, the Broncos had the ball twice, but Manning only threw to Thomas one time. That one was intercepted by Pacman Jones.
However, with 7:11 on the clock, Manning hits Thomas for a 27-yard game (+54 points). Ball game! No, there is a flag. Offensive face mask on Thomas. When you see the second replay, you do see him get his finger in the face mask, but that split second penalty was costly.
Still though, plenty of time and thanks to another Manning interception returned for a touchdown, the Bengals would go into prevent mode up nine points.
With 2:05 on the clock, the Bengals D drops back deep, Demaryius Thomas runs a simple short crossing route. No defender is within five yards of him. Manning throws him the ball and he fucking drops it.
Yet..despite all this, Manning still manages to drive the Broncos into the red zone. Jon Gruden, announcing the game for ESPN, is calling for a field goal now (they need both a field goal and TD). All Manning has to do is not turn it over and Matt’s kicker gets either an easy field goal or an extra point to win the game. What happens? You know what happens. Manning looks for Thomas, but instead finds a Bengal. Interception. Ball Game. Bob becomes the first one-point champion in league history.
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