We're almost there, America.
We beat Dave Dameshek's team last week to go 9-3, which clinches us both a bye and at least the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. So we get a well-deserved rest one week from now, but this week still matters.
We're sporting a 9-3 record, and so is Adam Rank, who is currently sitting in the No. 1 spot. The problem is we lost to Rank's team earlier this season (I contest he cheated somehow, because that's the only logical explanation for a loss), so he holds the tiebreaker over us. We finish the regular season against Marcas Grant's 5-7 Championship Fring team who isn't completely dead yet -- more on this in a second -- while Rankster plays against Akbar Gbaja-Biamila's Coup d'etat team this week. So, here are the nuts and bolts of it ...
Marcas is 5-7, and there are two 6-6 teams above him. Two of those three teams will fill out the playoff field while one of them goes home. Akbar's Coup d'etat is 6-6 and he'd secure his playoff spot with a win, so he has plenty of motivation not to tank against Rank's team in the finale. If we take care of business against Marcas and Akbar topples Team Rank, guess who would enter the playoffs as the top seed?
That's right -- us. Overcoming potentially crippling obstacles like losing Julio Jones and Aaron Rodgers is one thing, but doing so while still possibly finishing first in the league? Just ... wow. Talk about passing an exam with flying colors. Take a bow, all of you. You deserve it.
Want some more good news? Aaron Rodgers isn't playing on Turkey Day, but he then gets 10 more days of rest before Green Bay's next game. My guess is he'll get one start before we hit fantasy playoff time, thereby giving him some real game action to get back into the groove as we start our playoff push. So, give thanks for that at the dinner table this Thursday. And if anyone asks what you're talking about, drag them to the nearest laptop and show them this column.
Let's find a QB, finish strong and take this thing. As for the guys who will have extra motivation over the holiday weekend ...
John Juhasz is a fantasy editor at NFL.com. Follow him on Twitter: @JohnJuhasz
