Survival Football Advice: Everyone's in on the Chargers over the Browns

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Resources: Yahoo survival pool pick distribution • SurvivorGrid.com
Week 12’s biggest killer: Buffalo over Kansas City (3.85 percent)
Week 12’s biggest success: Cincinnati over Cleveland (27.04 percent)
My picks so far: Buffalo – Oakland – New England — Seattle — Philadelphia — Atlanta (x) — Minnesota — New Orleans — Jacksonville — Detroit — Kansas City (x) — Cincinnati

This week might be the ultimate test of the adage “there’s safety in numbers.”

More than 8 out of every 10 players in the Yahoo Survival Football game are picking the Los Angeles Chargers over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

It’s not hard to see why. The Browns are 0-11 while the Chargers have won five of their last seven. If you’ve made it this far, you’ve probably made it a habit of picking against Cleveland. So why stop now?

Well, because the possibility of seeing 80 percent of the competition wiped out if the Browns somehow win their first game this season is pretty darned attractive. Getting almost everyone out on the same plank is a rarity in this game.

Of course, the Browns putting together two straight seasons that are historically terrible is also a rarity. How can you pass up what looks like an easy layup, particularly this late in the season?

To me, your decision on this week comes down to one factor: Do you still have the Oakland Raiders available to you?

If so, I don’t think you’re taking on an additional risk if you select them over the New York Giants. You might’ve heard that the Giants are starting Geno Smith at quarterback this weekend for some reason. Do you really think the Giants are going to go out west and pull off a win with the week they’ve just had saying goodbye to Eli Manning? Me either.

On the other hand, it’s awfully hard to say no to the free pass the Chargers are presenting here. Plus there won’t be many other good opportunities to pick the Chargers these last five weeks, unless you’re looking at that Week 17 matchup against the Raiders.

My gut feeling: Don’t get cute in trying to avoid a mass elimination that isn’t coming. Pick the Chargers and move onto Week 14.