UPDATE: Another winner, but the Patriots were sweating it all the way to the end! Looks like Joe Flacco was able to move the ball as I assumed he would.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: For those of my readers who have no interest in probabilistic forecasting, this will be the last post on the subject until the play-offs unless something particularly interesting pops up in the football world.

Although I don’t pay much attention to US football, I’m a New Englander so I suppose the Patriots are “my” team, even though I never refer to the organization as “us” and not “them.” I don’t identify with professional athletes because nobody is less relevant to my own life except Hollywood actors, who can all move to Europe for all I care. Here is a prediction for the upcoming game between the New England Patriots and the Cincinnati Bengals that once again agrees with the professional betting odds as well as the anecdotal assumptions about the match-up. In this spread, the Bengals are the “home-team” and the Patriots are the “visitors.”

The Ace of Swords as the “Strategies & Tactics” card implies that both teams are in high spirits and are “up” for the game. Play-calling may be especially sharp on both sides.

Both “team” cards are court-cards of the “Earth” element, which I usually read as reflecting the “running game,” and in this case the Bengals, with the Princess of Disks, comes across as inexperienced in dealing with an adversary as potent in the same style of play as the Patriots’ Knight of Disks.

As the Patriot’s “Attack” card, the Hanged Man suggests that the Patriots will “hold back” against what is seen as a considerably weaker opponent so they don’t risk injuring key players ahead of more challenging contests. The 8 of Cups (“Indolence”) as the Bengals’ “Defense” card looks like a “sad-sack” attempt to cope that can’t fend off even a “dialed-back” offense. (I’ve seen their defense criticized as “the worst in the league.”)

The Bengals’ “Attack” card is the 4 of Wands, which is titled “Completion” and indicates what could be a surprisingly effective passing game. (With star quarterback Joe Burrow still sidelined, this may speak well for back-up QB Joe Flacco’s performance.) However, the more vigorous 3 of Wands (“Virtue”) as the Patriot’s “Defense” card shows that they will be able to stay “one step ahead” of the Bengals’ best efforts.

The “Upper Hand” card is Adjustment (aka “Justice”), which I always read as “receiving one’s just desserts.” As an “Air” card it is hostile to the “Earth” of both of the “team” cards, but the Patriots’ more mature Knight of Disks can be expected to confidently handle what this disparity means for their aerial attack. I give the nod to the Patriots in light of this superior poise even though neither team is highly favored by this indicator.