NFL Office Pool Picks Week 14
by Trevor Whenham - 12/8/2015

Another week, another set of games for us to pick. If this season stays true to form then the one thing we can be sure of is that there will be odd results in here. Some games will make complete sense and turn out true to form. And then the Eagles will beat up on the Patriots in Foxboro - or this week's equivalent craziness. All we can do is hope for the best - it seems like we're due. Here's how the straight up picks for the week set up:

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 13
by Trevor Whenham - 12/1/2015

I haven't played darts in a long time. I used to play a lot when I was younger - always in the bar, of course. A wife and kid changes that - in good ways, mostly. I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss it a little, though. Luckily, I feel like I get to relive old times and play darts each week of this NFL season when I make these picks. Or rather, I probably wouldn't be any worse off if I did use a dartboard to choose my teams.

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 12
by Trevor Whenham - 11/24/2015

This week of the season is significant for two reasons. Thanks to Thanksgiving we get to enjoy the best Thursday of the football season - and arguably the second best of the year after the first day of the NCAA Tournament. This is also the week that finally marks the end of bye weeks. That means we are back to 16 games each week - just as it should be. Unfortunately, with the way things are going this season, more games just means more opportunities for bizarre and unpredictable things to happen.

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 11
by Trevor Whenham - 11/17/2015

This season has had no shortage of surprising and interesting results, which have made it tough for the purposes of prognostication, and last week was no exception. You could argue for a long time about whether Green Bay or Cincinnati loss was the bigger shock of the week, and you wouldn't be wrong regardless of which side you were on. This week doesn't look too tough to call for the most part, but then neither did last week. Here's how the straight up picks look for this week:

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 10
by Trevor Whenham - 11/10/2015

It was a rough week for a lot of people trying to pick winners in games. It was tough to foresee the unbeaten Broncos get handled by the Colts - with their impressive defense overrun by the seemingly helpless Indianapolis attack. It was just as tough to imagine the Niners beating anyone - never mind an Atlanta team that actually looked competent through six weeks. Or Tennessee looking like a whole new team with a new coach. You can't complain about this season being boring. Or, unfortunately, always predictable. Here's hoping things are better this week:

NFL Office Pool Picks Week 9
by Trevor Whenham - 11/4/2015

After this week every team will be at least halfway through their season. Eight games should be enough that we have a good sense of where teams are at and which ones are legitimate. At least that's the theory. What we know already is that, with a few notable exceptions, there are a whole lot of really mediocre teams this year. There are only 11 teams in the league at this point that are above .500, and three of those 11 are just barely there at 4-3. Last year there were 16 teams that finished the season above .500.

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.: