The Five Year Bet ended in impossibly dramatic fashion, with the Philadelphia Eagles winning three straight playoff games as underdogs (including Super Bowl LII) to catapult my squad over Toph's. Heading into the Divisional round of the playoffs, I trailed Toph by three games. The Eagles were my only team left, while Toph had Atlanta and Pittsburgh. To tie Toph, I needed the Eagles to win the Super Bowl while Pittsburgh (a large favorite over Jacksonville) had to lose immediately. Philly pulled out a squeaker over Atlanta when Julio Jones fell down on the deciding 4th & goal. The Steelers were rocked by the Jaguars, and a stunning accounting discovery was made: Toph's Cardinals had been erroneously credited with an extra win years earlier. Suddenly I had a chance not just to tie, but to win. That came to fruition after the Nick Foles-led Eagles stampeded the Vikings and pinballed the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
Before losing his late lead, Toph had made quite a comeback himself. He stood in last place after year one, ten games behind me. After my dominant third year, Toph's deficit swelled to 17 games. Toph's team taught us just how long Five Years is in the NFL and just how important every game is. Flip one game (such as Super Bowl LI, with Toph's Falcons blowing a 28-3 lead, or two games that led to rule changes - the Dez Bryant Game and the Jesse James Game -) and the end result is different.
Five years is epic. Let's not forget that Eric led the pool after two seasons. Let's not forget I had Jamie/Shuster/Jack (just one game behind Eric) power-ranked 1st at that point. Let's not forget Zack & Paul chose the Bet's top team (New England, who outscored second place Seattle by twelve wins) but finished in fifth place. Let's not forget the team picked third in the draft (San Francisco) won thirteen games over the final three years of the bet. Let's not forget Eric's loss was due almost entirely to Cleveland, who won fewer games in five seasons than four different teams won in one. Let's not forget the two undrafted teams (Oakland and Minnesota) easily outscored the dregs.
I'm certainly biased by the glorious result, but this was about as much fun as I've ever had gambling. The slow boil of the Bet to its riveting climax generated so much intrigue, entertainment and analysis. I can't wait for the next Five Year Bet to begin - and I know some of you have been waiting years for it. Let's get it on.
Final Standings
Tom - 223 Wins
2. Washington - 31
3. Carolina - 54
4. Philadelphia - 50
5. New York Jets - 32
Toph - 222 Wins
2. Pittsburgh - 56
3. Dallas - 47
4. Chicago - 27
5. Arizona - 50
Jamie/Shuster/Jack - 211 Wins
2. Baltimore - 41
3. Detroit - 43
4. L.A. Rams - 35
5. Tennessee - 31
Zack/Paul - 204 Wins
2. Indianapolis - 45
3. New York Giants - 33
4. Tampa Bay - 26
5. Jacksonville - 27
Eric - 202 Wins
2. Kansas City - 54
3. New Orleans - 45
4. Cleveland - 15
5. L.A. Chargers - 37
Alex - 192 Wins
1. San Francisco - 35
2. Cincinnati - 46
3. Houston - 34
4. Miami - 38
5. Buffalo - 39
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