Week 16: Diggs ignites Brawlers to title

LOCKPORT, Ill.  -- Twenty-three Finks points for WR Diggs BUF on Monday Night Football, turned a probable defeat into an amazing comeback for the Dublin Brawlers in Finger Bowl 27.

The Brawlers entered the MNF contest trailing the Lockport Distillers by 13 points, but Diggs won the game for the Brawlers, 58-48, with his three touchdowns and five-point bonus yardage. For being the top scorer on the championship team, Diggs was named Finger Bowl MVP. 

The Brawlers (9-7), in a matchup of division runners-up, claimed their second Finger Bowl title in league history after last winning in 2008's Finger Bowl 15 with a 29-22 win over Creighton Barrels. 

Brawlers owner Kristin Herigodt joins four other owners as the only Finks League owners with multiple Finger Bowl titles. She joins Goff (4), Mike Wilcox (3), Simo (3) and Dah Commish (2). Herigodt also has one more title than her husband, Mike Miazga, the longime owner of the Eggers. Miazga won his only Finger Bowl in 2015. 

The Distillers (10-6) lost their second Finger Bowl in three years after suffering a 51-47 defeat to the Jays in 2018. 

BRAWLERS (58)

Brady TB 19

A. Jones GB 3

Carson SEA zero

Diggs BUF 23

Godwin TB 9

Crosby GB 4

DISTILLERS (48)

Brees NO 7

Cook MIN 6

Montgomery CHI 9

Thielen MIN 9

Hill KC zero

McManus DEN 17

Week 16: Fantasy takes third behind Kamara

GURNEE, Ill -- Led by RB Kamara NO's record-tying day in the NFL, Just a Fantasy claimed third place with a 79-49 victory over Chicago Heights Mafia. Kamara's 43 points alone nearly beat the Mafia.

Fantasy 79, Mafia 49

FANTASY (79)

Herbert LAC 8

Kamara NO 43

Swift DET zero

Adams GB 23

Jefferson MIN 3

Gould SF 2

MAFIA (49)

Rodgers GB 15

Henry TEN 3

E. Elliott DAL 5

Kupp LAR zero

Lamb DAL 12

Zuerlein DAL 14 

Week 16: Finger Bowl 27 preview

Dublin Brawlers (8-7) vs. Lockport Distillers (10-5)

at East Campus Field, Lockport, Ill.

Playoff records: Brawlers owner Herigodt (6-3); Distillers owner Cassidy (5-5-1)

Head to head: Distillers 64, Brawlers 32, week 8

The skinny: The last time division runners-up met in a Finger Bowl was 2015 when the Eggers defeated Quags. ... The Distillers advanced to the Finger Bowl for the second time in three years. The Distillers lost Finger Bowl 25 with a 51-47 defeat to the Jays in 2018. ... The Brawlers make their first return to a Finger Bowl since winning FB15, 29-22, over the Creighton Barrels in 2008. That championship was the only Finks League title for the Brawlers. ... The Distillers' only title was FB18, a 66-61 win over the Eggers in 2011. 

Projected starters: Brawlers -- Brady, A. Jones, Carson, Diggs, Metcalf, Crosby. Distillers -- Goff, Cook, Montgomery, Thielen, Hill, Bailey.

The pick: Distillers 45, Brawlers 40.

Week 15: semifinal boxscores

Brawlers hold off Fantasy for upset

GURNEE, Ill. -- QB Brady TB scored 15 points and RB A. Jones GB added 11 points as the division runner-up Dublin Brawlers stunned Bednarik Division champion Just a Fantasy 40-39 in the Finks League semifinals. 

Veteran Finks owner Mike Miazga said the match came down to a possible last drive for RB Kamara NO, but Kamara finished with 54 yards against KC.

The Brawlers will make their first Finger Bowl appearance since 2010 in Week 16. 

BRAWLERS (40)

Brady NE 15

A. Jones GB 11

Carson SEA zero

Diggs BUF 5

Metcalf SEA zero

Crosby GB 9

FANTASY (39)

Herbert LAC 19

Kamara NO 6

Drake AZ zero

Adams GB zero

Jefferson MIN 5

Carlson LV 9

Total effort pushes Distillers

CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. -- In a key decision, Distillers owner Cassidy chose RB Montgomery CHI over RB Jacobs LV as a starter and it paid off as Montgomery scored a season-high 17 points to fuel the Distillers' 58-44 semifinal win over the host Mafia. 

Every starter scored for the Distillers, who return to the Finger Bowl for the second time in three years. The Distillers became the second division runner-up to beat a division champion in this year's Finks semifinals. 

DISTILLERS (58)

Goff LAR 9

Cook MIN 11

Montgomery CHI 17

Thielen MIN 6

Hill KC 6

Bailey MIN 9

MAFIA (44)

Rodgers GB 9

Henry TEN 11

Mostert SF zero

Kupp LAR zero

Lamb DAL 9

Zuerlein DAL 15

Week 15: semifinal previews

 Dublin Brawlers (7-7) vs. Just a Fantasy (10-4) 

at Warren High School Field, Gurnee, Ill.

Playoff records: Brawlers owner Herigodt (5-3); Fantasy owner Newton (8-8)

Head to head: Fantasy 50, Brawlers 43, week 12

The skinny: Newton earned his fourth division title in Finks history by winning the Bednarik Division, but it was his first since 2009. ... Both the Brawlers and Fantasy have won only one Finger Bowl title. Fantasy won in 2016 and the Brawlers in 2008. ... Brawlers reached the semifinals as the runner-up in the Gifford Division, winning the third tiebreaker over the Spotters to advance. ... What a difference a year makes. Fantasy lost seven consecutive games in 2019, but won seven consecutive matches in 2020. Fantasy's streak ended with a loss in Week 14. 

Projected starters: Brawlers -- Roethlisberger, A. Jones, Carson, Diggs, Metcalf, Crosby. Fantasy -- Herbert, Kamara, Drake, Adams, Jefferson, Carlson.

The pick: Fantasy 45, Brawlers 33

Lockport Distillers (9-5) vs. Chicago Heights Mafia (8-6)

at Sarff Field, Chicago Heights, Ill.

Playoff records: Distillers owner Cassidy (4-5-1); Mafia owner Goff (11-9)

Head to head: Distillers 33, Mafia 31, week 2

The skinny: The Finks League makes its playoff debut on the blue turf at the home of Bloom's Blazin Trojans. Mafia is in its first year as a franchise in the Finks League after dropping its longtime moniker of Serkus Act. ... Mafia owner Goff won the Gifford Division to claim his sixth division title in league history. ... The Distillers won the Finger Bowl in 2011, but Goff won four Finger Bowls in 2009-10, 2014 and 2017 as Serkus Act. With a win, Goff would add to his league record for playoff victories. He is the winningest owner in the playoffs and the only owner with double-digit playoff wins. ... The Distillers kept winning this season despite losing starting QB Brees NO to an injury. Meanwhile, the turning point to the season for Mafia was a Week-7, five-player trade for acquiring QB Rodgers GB from the Triangles. ... The Distillers had four different players this season to earn P.O.W. honors. Mafia star RB Henry TEN was one of two players this season to earn Finks P.O.W. honors at least two times. 

Projected starters: Distillers -- Goff, Cook, Montgomery, Hill, Thielen, McManus. Mafia -- Rodgers, E. Elliott, Henry, Thomas, Kupp, Zuerlein. 

The pick: Distillers 38, Mafia 35

Brawlers win tiebreaker

Hard to imagine a closer race for Gifford Division runner-up than the battle between the Brawlers and the Spotters for the last spot in the Finks League semifinals. 

With help from stats analyst Mike Miazga, the Brawlers advanced on the third tiebreaker -- best division record. The Brawlers went 6-2 while the Spotters went 5-3. 

The two 7-7 teams split their season series. If it got down to the fourth tiebreakers, the division rivals would have tied there too. Both the Brawlers and Spotters scored 558 points this season. Amazing. 

The fifth tiebreaker is Points Allowed. There, the Brawlers gave up 564 points on the season while the Spotters allowed 563.

The Brawlers advanced to play Bednarik Division champion Just a Fantasy (10-4) in the semifinals. 

 

Carson Wentz

What do you do when a marginal QB like Wentz PHI pretty much ruins your Finks League season? 

This is not an obituary (yet), but merely a report that Dah Commish has placed a "Do Not Resuscitate" order on the 2020 Triangles. Through 12 games of a roller-coaster COVID season, the Triangles are .500 after a devasting loss in their last Finks League matchup.

I was working Monday night and didn't get to watch the SEA-PHI game, but read about it the next day about QB Wentz PHI's Hail Mary pass near the end of the game. CBS Sports reported that the desperation pass ruined the day for many sports bettors. What about fantasy fans?

If Wentz PHI put some of his fantasy owners over the top in a close fantasy contest, that means someone has to be on the receiving end of a loss. That person was me. Wentz's pass to his TE I've never heard of was worth six Finks points in a 49-45 victory for the Jays over the Triangles. The Monday Night game had both QBs in action from each team. The Triangles' Wilson SEA scored six Finks points while Wentz scored nine. 

Yes, Wentz outscored Wilson, which seemed unheard of entering the game. My trust in Wilson by trading away Triangles backup QB Rodgers GB in Week 7, has not been returned. Wilson was the NFL MVP favorite when he averaged 18.5 Finks points per game in his first eight games. Now he has averaged five Finks points in his last three games. The Triangles are 1-2 in those weeks featuring a struggling Wilson. 

Just when it seemed Dah Commish has put together enough solid starters in positions beside QB, now our Triangles QB starter is underachieving. 

And so it goes in another .500 Finks League season. Only two more games left in the regular season.