NFL Office Pool Picks Week 8
by Trevor Whenham - 10/27/2015

All we had to do was start all over again. Last week I was so frustrated by how confusing and random this season had been and decided that I was starting from scratch - last week was the first week of my new season. It was a solid week, too - the teams that were supposed to win mostly did, and a couple of small gambles paid off (thank you, Oakland!). Now it's time for the second straight good weekend to start the new season. Here's how the straight up picks play out this week for your office pools:

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 7
by Trevor Whenham - 10/20/2015

The real NFL season starts right now. What came before doesn't really matter. That sounds like something that someone who is really sucking at making picks this year would say in an attempt to forget the horrors of the season so far and try to start over fresh and new. And that is exactly why I am saying it. Here are the straight up picks for your office pool this week:

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 6
by Trevor Whenham - 10/14/2015

It was not a good week last week with these picks, and that's all I'm going to say about that. There seems to be a pattern developing this year - good weeks followed by bad ones, and on and on. At the very least, that pattern means we should be in for a good week here. So, let's get to it. Here are the straight up picks for the 14 games of NFL action this week:

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 5
by Trevor Whenham - 10/6/2015

This season is like riding a roller coaster. Week 2 was a disaster - nothing made any sense at all. Then Week 3 was totally straightforward and it was easy to pick winners. No time to get cocky, though, because last week was another humbling one. It wasn't as bad as the one two weeks before it, but it wasn't peaches and cream, either. So, if the trend continues then things should go well again here. Let's hope so. Here are the straight up picks for your office pools for this week:

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 4
by Trevor Whenham - 9/29/2015

Nothing made sense in Week 2. I couldn't have picked a winner in a one-team game. Thankfully, though, last week went much more as expected, and a whole lot more games were picked correctly. Now we are heading into a new phase of the season - the first of the bye weeks. The two teams that get a break this week probably feel very differently about it. The Patriots are running so hot that time off the field is the last thing they want.

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 3
by Trevor Whenham - 9/22/2015

This freaking league. They just like to take every opportunity that they can to remind us that we don't know anything. Coming into the season I thought the Colts were ready to be serious contenders. Not so far. I picked the Eagles to win it all on the backs of their potent offense. I have about as many rushing yards as they do. Saints? Just awful. Seattle hasn't won. Houston sucks. So do the Lions.

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 2
by Trevor Whenham - 9/15/2015

It was a respectable start to the season on the picking front. We didn't set any land speed records with the start we got off to, but I don't have any regrets. This week shows you just how tough the NFL can be to pick. Last year the underdogs reigned on opening weekend - as they often do. This year, though, we largely saw the favorites do what they were expected to do.

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 1
by Trevor Whenham - 9/7/2015

It's time for another year of NFL action. Finally we are out of the courtroom -- for now, anyway -- and back on the field. That means that it is time for another year of focusing on winning our office pools. In the office pools world I simultaneously love and hate the first week of the season. I hate it because we don't really know anything about every team.

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 17
by Trevor Whenham - 12/23/2014

We need to end this season off on a strong note in our pursuit of office pool glory. We certainly don’t want to leave things with the taste in our mouth that last week left. That was ugly and frustrating. Two weeks ago was far more successful, though, so there is reason to believe that this up-and-down season can end on an up. Here’s how I see the final week of the regular season playing out:

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 16
by Trevor Whenham - 12/16/2014

From the office pool perspective, last week was a good week — one in which things mostly made sense, and the surprises were few and far between. Now that we are into the dying days of the NFL season, surprises should be harder to find. Motivations are easier to deduce, and the sample size is large enough that we know how good most teams are. Or at least that’s the theory we are going to go with. Here’s our weekly look at the predicted straight up winners in each NFL game to help you dominate your NFL office pool:

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 15
by Trevor Whenham - 12/9/2014

We are into the nitty-gritty of the NFL season, and therefore the homestretch of the rush to win our office pools. Or, if you are having a season like I am, you are just looking to salvage some pride and take home a weekly prize or two down the stretch because I’m certainly not taking home the big prize after a few too many rough weeks. Let the hunt for weekly prizes begin with these straight up picks:

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 14
by Trevor Whenham - 12/2/2014

At the end of last week’s slate of games I was left looking at my NFL office pool, scratching my head, and trying to figure out if I knew anything at all about half the teams in the league. That has been the case too often in what has been just a mystifying season at times this year — more so even than normal. This week will be better, though. It has to be. Here’s how this week’s straight up office pool picks set up:

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 13
by Trevor Whenham - 11/25/2014

Bye-bye, bye weeks. We are finally back to a full slate of games every week in the NFL. It’s how it should be — bye weeks just limit our action and cloud our handicapping. When bye weeks end we know we are heading into the heart of the season, and every game matters more than ever — at least for teams with something left to play for. Here’s a look at how I expect the games to break down this week for your office pools:

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 12
by Trevor Whenham - 11/18/2014

It was supposed to be a good week last week in the world of office pool selections. The games seemed fairly straightforward. Success seemed likely. But then they played the games. The Broncos. Cleveland. The Bucs. The Colts. Just a few of the teams that left me feeling frustrated and let down. It was a rough week in what has been a rougher year than would be ideal. Things will be better this week, though — I can feel it.:

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 11
by Trevor Whenham - 11/11/2014

There were a couple of very odd results in the NFL last week. It was all but impossible to expect the Steelers go from back-to-back six-touchdown games to losing to the Jets, and few people would have expected the Bengals to end their home unbeaten streak thanks to an impossibly bad game by Andy Dalton.

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 10
by Trevor Whenham - 11/4/2014

Last week was a perfect example of the mindset that can haunt you when making NFL office pool picks. By all measures it was a successful week -- correct picks came in bulk. None of those mattered -- even correctly taking the Patriots -- though, because of the stupid Chargers. I was convinced that they would be focused and angry after a longer-than-normal week of preparation and that they would take it out on the hapless Dolphins. They lost 37-0.

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 9
by Trevor Whenham - 10/27/2014

Last week’s NFL office pool picks were a bit like the Toronto Blue Jays. I started strong, and the final results weren’t totally embarrassing by any means, but there is no reason that I shouldn’t be able to do better than I did based on what I have on paper. This week I am going to instead channel Madison Bumgarner. I’ll be unstoppable, and I won’t be able to miss a pick even if I wanted to. It will be something to watch. My straight up NFL office pool picks for Week 9:

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 8
by Trevor Whenham - 10/21/2014

Luck is a huge part of office pool success. The sooner you can accept that, the less likely you are to drive yourself insane. Last week was not a great week for my picks — 10-5 is fine but far from exceptional. Three crazy games all went our way, though, to at least salvage respectability from what could have been a horrifying week.

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 7
by Trevor Whenham - 10/14/2014

I should warn you in advance that this week’s office pool picks are likely going to be lousy. I have had just two games wrong each of the last two weeks. And given how the season started off, that level of success doesn’t seem sustainable. The few weeks before the last two, my picks were so bad that I couldn’t have picked the winner in a shadow boxing match. I’ll do my best, though, to overcome fate and string together a third week of strong NFL office pool picks.

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 6
by Trevor Whenham - 10/7/2014

Finally. The last couple of weeks had me questioning whether I would ever really pick a winner again. This past week was a gem, though. Only the Lions and the Bengals let me down — it obviously wasn’t a good week to bet on cats. I would love nothing more than to keep the momentum rolling as we seek to dominate some NFL office pools. This is a tough week, though — too many close games to be particularly comfortable. Fearless and rolling with momentum, though, here is how I see the week’s action playing out: