predicate.

Our long national nightmare is finally over! The Headbangers lost their game this week, ending a remarkable 17-game win streak stretching back to Week 8 of the 2007 season. However, their quest for the Silver Streak trophy still received a major boost, as their closest rival in that contest also lost in Week 9. This takes the league's longest currently active win streak down to 4 games -- so the Great Lakes Steamers will have to win out through the end of the regular season and win a playoff game to pull ahead. A tall order!

In playoff hunt news, all four 2-6 teams from last week took a seventh loss in Week 9, thereby eliminating them from contention in all likelihood. Condolences are hereby extended to The Iron Yuppies, Army of Darkness, Los Tastiks and the Arcane Nitehawkez, who battled bravely but simply couldn't get a good bounce this season. Better luck next year!

Couplets, eh? I gotcha couplets right here!

The Show's in trouble, but no need to pout:
A berth could still be theirs if they win out.
      Final Score: Amherst The Show 86.5 -- Army of Darkness 71.

Despite some coaching flubs, Miah succeeds;
It helps when you're playing an absentee.
      Final Score: Iron Yuppies 40.4 -- The Defenestrators 56.9.

The rallying Pirates have won three straight:
Their three Johnsons and McNabb all played great.
      Final Score: The Pantywaists 69.3 -- Pacific Coast Pirates 89.5.

Seven Ls leave Nitehawkez without much cheer,
But they'll still control LDT next year.
      Final Score: Arcane Nitehawkez 51.6 -- Grim And Frostbitten 68.

Squorch's team is a shaky 4-5,
But thanks to Baystate, technically alive.
      Final Score: Ghost Of Roger Staubach 31.6 -- Baystate Wicked Cheatahs 17.7.

The Balls (and Bills) have struggled recently;
They dropped a rank this week, from 2 to 3.
      Final Score: Oak Ridge Trinities 91.9 -- Beefalo Balls 60.8.

The Steamers kicked Los Tastiks to the curb,
And so, in their division, they're now third.
      Final Score: Great Lakes Steamers 72.6 -- Los Tastiks 45.7.

The Wrong Petersons are off on a tear:
They're over .500 -- first time all year.
      Final Score: The Wrong Petersons 134.4 -- The Hooligans 63.5.

Chicago takes the lead in Caption This!
Edgewater's had two shots, and both have missed.
      Final Score: Chicago Rhyparographers 63.2 -- Edgewater Fustigators 39.5.

Since Fargo handed Ajax his first L,
It seems a shame they're still ranked only 12th.
      Final Score: The Headbangers 83.3 -- Fargo Arborists 84.9.

Quarterback carnage continues apace!
Grossman's now starting in Kyle Orton's place!

Since the NFL schedule's moving quicker than the Commish these days, we're technically already in Week 10 at press time. Thursday football is back! You can almost smell Thanksgiving on the horizon! But that also means that there's only one more month of Pigskin left until the post-season begins, and if your team is on the bubble, you'd better start grabbing those all-important divisional wins.

The league's strongest division is probably going to give us most of our remaining Games of the Week. (As we would say in #predicate, Your Mom tends to be where the action is.) Week 10's marquee matchup pits the Great Lakes Steamers against the Pacific Coast Pirates; both teams are riding respectable win streaks, and only a fifth of a point separates their projected totals.

Josh's team won the previous contest between these two teams back in Week 4, and furthermore has gotten off to a great start by getting 14 points out of their kicker on Thursday. But Colin's squad has QB Donovan McNabb as their ace in the hole -- he'll be the last player on the field for either team when he faces the Giants on Sunday Night Football. This one looks to be a barn-burner for sure.

Tune in next week for more Pigskin!