Unfortunately, dp's defining premise for backing the 49ers was the belief that RB Frank Gore, listed as questionable on the injury report, would actually play, and play well, against the Falcons. Gore suffered an ankle injury two weeks ago against the Giants, but he played last week against the Saints, so dp figured he would be fine on Sunday. Therein lies the danger in making picks on Friday (or even Saturday). dp was dismayed to learn about an hour before kickoff that Gore was in fact inactive for the game. Unfortunately, while dp immediately wanted to flip his pick and back the Falcons, this last-minute switch was impossible because dp was stuck in traffic on his way back to New Haven from Boston, where he had traveled to catch the Celtics home opener against the Wizards on Friday. (Note to self: obtain I-phone to ensure full internet access during future road trips.)
Oh well. Detroit blew out Denver 44-7, Cleveland roared back from a 21-6 deficit to eke past Seattle 33-30 in overtime, and both Buffalo (33-21 over Cincy) and Green Bay (33-22 over Kansas City) made exciting fourth-quarter comebacks to pull out victories, which dp enjoyed watching simultaneously with the Bills backers at dp's neighborhood pub, Anna Liffey's. With friends like Gary the bartender, dp could be mistaken for that other Dude....
Week 9: 4-1 (11-3 overall)
Season: 23-14 (88-42 overall)
