Longest field goal of season gives Mark and QT biggest boost since theme parks

Mark and QT Pie surged in the Picks standings on Sunday with the help of a game-winning 54-yard field goal from the Seattle Seahawks as time expired.  The improbable kick, the longest by any NFL team this year, beat the St. Louis Rams 30-28 and gave brother and sister their most thrilling power boost since their last theme park visit.

With both going 9-3 when the favorites were just 6-6, Mark tied Ali for first place at 54-25, and QT pulled even with Blaine for third place at 52-27.  Mark and QT's sudden rush upward in the standings in Week 6 is not an uncommon feeling for these thrill seekers, who have never encountered a high-speed ride they didn't love.  They're used to being launched at a breakneck speed that would frighten many others.

Whether it be the Sunday Football Picks or a roller coaster at Six Flags Great America, Mark and QT want to be positioned in front and moving at the speed of sound.  Don't put these two on the slow-moving train or in the lazy river.  Think more along the lines of Top Thrill Dragster, which is among their favorite rides that launch you like a rocket.

Top Thrill Dragster at Cedar Point in Ohio accelerates to 120 mph in four seconds because it needs that speed to climb straight up a 42-story hill.  Mark and QT are all smiles during that breathtaking experience while others are busy losing their lunch.  Is the human body really meant to be blasted like a cannon ball?

Other insanely powerful rides that make QT's top five are the Big Shot in Las Vegas, the Skyscraper in Wisconsin Dells, and Rockin' Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror at Disney MGM Studios in Florida.

The Big Shot is the world's highest thrill ride, mounted atop the 921-foot Stratosphere Tower.  Sixteen riders get catapulted up the Tower's 160-foot mast in 2.5 seconds, reaching a height of 1,081 feet above the Las Vegas strip while experiencing 4G's.  QT laughs with glee while others, who will remain nameless, fearfully clutch the shoulder harness as they anticipate a painful death.

Mark's favorite adrenaline rushes that parallel a Space Shuttle launch are Top Thrill Dragster, the Skyscraper, Power Tower at Cedar Point, and Vertical Velocity and Deja Vu at Six Flags Great America in Gurnee.

The Skyscraper at Timber Falls Adventure Park resembles a 160-foot propeller with a double seat at each end, spinning passengers end-over-end at 70 mph.  Riders feel 4G's while speeding face-first toward the ground, and then back up and around again.  Once you think the dizzying revolutions are finished, it's time to do it in reverse.  The Skyscraper is the tallest and fastest portable ride ever built.

Perhaps the only thing more exciting than Mark and QT's daredevil adventures is the incredible comeback the Bears made this week on Monday Night Football to stay undefeated.  Down 23-3 in the second half at Arizona, the Bears (6-0) scored three touchdowns and watched the Cardinals (1-5) miss a 40-yard field goal in the final minute for a 24-23 Chicago victory.