Clinching Scenarios NFL Week Sixteen

Week Sixteen is here in the NFL and here's how teams can clinch playoff spots this weekend.

AFC:
Clinched: Denver Broncos (Playoff Birth)

Denver Broncos (4:05PM vs Jacksonville Jaguars)
-Denver can clinch the AFC West with a win AND a Chargers Loss
-Denver can clinch the #1 Seed and home field throughout with a win AND losses by the Chargers, Patriots and Bills

Buffalo Bills (1PM vs Cleveland Browns)
-Buffalo can clinch a playoff spot with a win AND a loss by either Indianapolis or Houston

New England Patriots (8:20PM vs Baltimore Ravens)
-New England can clinch a playoff spot with a win OR loss by either Indianapolis or Houston

Jacksonville Jaguars (4:05PM @ Denver Broncos)
-Jacksonville can clinch a playoff spot with a win AND loss by either Indianapolis or Houston

Los Angeles Chargers (1PM @ Dallas Cowboys)
-Chargers can clinch a playoff spot with a win AND loss by either Indianapolis or Houston

NFC:
Clinched: Los Angeles Rams (Playoff Birth), Seattle Seahawks (Playoff Birth)

Philadelphia Eagles (5PM @ Washington Commanders)
-Philadelphia can clinch the NFC East with a win OR Dallas loss

Chicago Bears (8:20PM vs Green Bay)
-Chicago can clinch a playoff spot with a win AND a Detroit loss

Green Bay Packers (8:20PM @ Chicago)
-Green Bay can clinch a playoff spot with a win AND a Detroit loss

San Francisco 49ers (MNF @ Indianapolis)
-San Francisco can clinch a playoff spot with a win OR a Detroit loss

Clinching Scenarios Week Fifteen

Week fifteen has arrived in the NFL. Which means that, for some at least, teams are one step closer to making the playoffs. That being said, here's how teams can clinch a playoff spot this week.

AFC:
Clinched: None

Denver Broncos (4:25 vs Green Bay Packers)
-Denver can clinch a playoff spot with a win
-Denver can also clinch with a tie and Losses by either Jacksonville, Indy or Houston

New England Patriots (1PM vs Buffalo Bills)
-New England can clinch the AFC East with a win
-New England can also clinch a playoff spot with a win OR if they lose, Indy and Houston both lose, New England gets in

NFC:
Clinched: None

Los Angeles Rams (4:25PM vs Detroit Lions)
-Los Angeles can clinch a playoff spot with a win

Best & Worst NFL Week Fourteen

Week fourteen has come and gone in the NFL. We now hit the final full month of the season and we getting ready for the playoff push. Key injuries have started to come into play, like the Colts now down their quarterback. We saw some great games on the week, including a fun rivalry renewal between the Bears and Packers. We got teams stepping closer and closer to playoff spots, while others are losing their grip on said spots. With all that being said, here's some of the best, and worst, from week fourteen.

Best: Shedeur Sanders, Quarterback Cleveland Browns
A little weird to see this in the winners column with the way the game actually ended, but there is a reason that this is here on this side of this list. IT was the best performance of Sanders early career. Sure it came in a losing effort, but that was only because the Browns couldn't convert on a game tying two pointer late. Sanders was really good on the day. Three carries for 29 yards and a touchdown to complement his 24 of 42 performance for 364 yards and oh year three touchdowns through the air. Look sure the Browns are 3-10 on the year. But there are two things that are giving the Cleveland fans a little bit of hope. Myles Garrett going after the single season sack record, and performances like this from Sanders that give you hope you may (key word there) finally have something under center.

Worst: Chiefs Playoff Hopes
When this season started, there had been a large sense of hope in Kansas City. But that hope hasn't panned out this season as the Chiefs are now a game under .500 following a 20-10 loss at home to the Texans. And it's nothing really special that Houston's defense does. They just play a tight coverage defense, something that KC had no answer for. It also doesn't help that the Kansas City offensive line looks like a MASH unit, leaving Mahomes out to dry. With the way things have looked over the last month or so, the hopes of them making the post season are starting to slip and fast.

Best: Buffalo Bills Late Game Heroics
Buffalo was one of the heavy favorites to be a serious threat in the AFC this season. They've stumbled at times early this year and trail New England in the standings. but what happened on Sunday against Cincinnati reminded a lot of people that the Buffalo Bills are still, in fact, a threat. The Bills walked away with a 39-34 win over Cincy and that was mostly done thanks to that little 21 point 4th quarter. A lot of those 21 points coming in the final five minutes of the ballgame. A chunk of those points came thanks to the Bills picking off Joe Burrow not once but twice. Only time will tell if this is the real Bills or just a sort of flash in the pan. If this actually the Bills then watch out, they are going to be very dangerous.

Worst: Ravens Playoff Hopes
There was some level of hope in Baltimore going into this year that they would not only be a playoff team, but go on another solid run. Those hopes are starting to slip a little. Baltimore has now lost two in a row to fall to 6-7 on the year, following a 27-22 loss to the Steelers at home. The defense made Aaron Rogers feel a little more like he found his game again, while the Ravens offense for whatever reason can't get in sync with itself and get back on its game again. If Baltimore wants to have any hope at either a division title or even a playoff spot, then the offense needs to find itself again. Heck if Lamar can even start to show flashes of his old self and come close to playing at something resembling an MVP level, that would be massive for the Ravens and trying to get back to the promise land.

Best: Titans Running Game
A big day for the Titans to pick up their second win of the season. It was a solid effort in a 31-29 win over the Browns. We touched on it earlier with what Cleveland did with Sanders under center. But the big key in this game is and was going to be the running game for the Titans, which really carried things on the day. 35 carries for 185 total yards on the ground and a good job of the Titans controlling the clock. A lot of that had to do with the outstanding play of Tony Pollard. HE alone had 25 carries for 161 yards and a pair of touchdowns. This was a great day in what has otherwise been a lowly season in the music city.

Worst: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
There was a lot of hope going into this season for the Bucs coming out of the NFC South. They started the season off right, going 5-1 early on. Since then, they've only won two games since then, and now sit at 7-6. This is coming off au upset 24-20 loss to the New Orleans Saints. That loss now put them in a tie with the Carolina Panthers on the top of the South. Play on Sunday can't just be placed on the weather conditions in Tampa. Baker Mayfield just wasn't very good and their defense couldn't really stop the Saints. Now the schedule over the final five games, which looked at one point thought to be a cake walk, is very different. Those two games over the final three weeks of the season with the Panthers now looms even larger.

Polar Bear Leaving Queens

The end of an era has come in Queens. One of the more beloved players in New York Mets franchise history, Pete Alonso, has moved on. Alonso opted out of his contract at the end of the season, hitting the free agent market. There was some hope around the team that Pete would come back to Queens on a long term deal, becoming a Met for life. That didn't happen, as Alonso has signed a five year deal worth $155 Million to go play for the Baltimore Orioles.

There's a lot to take in from all of this.

From a Baltimore point of view, adding a guy of Alonso's talent to that lineup makes the O's an even bigger threat in an already tough and very competitive AL East. Think about it, last year they finished 5th in the AL East. Now they add a guy who can drive in a ton of runs and is a master at the long ball. So keep an eye out for the O's this season as being a big threat in this division.

Pete is a .253 lifetime hitter. He drove in over 100 runs four times in his six full seasons in the majors, and smacked over 30 home runs in his six full seasons (not counting the 2020 covid year). For the Mets franchise in his seven years, he entered the top ten in several offensive categories. He's the all time leader in home runs (264), 3rd in RBI's (718), 14th in hits (951), 12th in Doubles (183), 14th in walks (419). We could keep going on and on over this.

And it stings what has happened to the Mets over the last couple days, or even weeks. First the trade of Nimmo to Texas for Marcus Semien. Then Edwin Diaz signs a big deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and now this with Alonso. So now the two big stars in the Mets lineup are Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor. Nothing wrong with either guy, if they can both keep producing. But that's not going to be anywhere near enough. The New York Mets have, to this point, taken a major step backwards. Instead of building off the NLCS appearance two seasons ago, they got one good year pout of Pete, chocked away the playoffs last summer (after signing Soto), and now this.

I, for one, am not totally surprised by any of it. Alonso could feel like he was slighted by the Mets not getting a big contract two years ago, so he signed the deal he did, had the big year, and left. Yes, there is a lot more work to be done in this offseason. But let's be totally honest here. Steve Cohen said World Series within five years after buying the team. He had his five years and the deep run two years ago was as close as the team got. Last year was a disaster, None of the issues from last season have been addressed and three of the Mets top players are gone to different teams.

Things had better start turning around and fast, because if they don't.......it's not going to end well for Mets management.

It's Bowl Season

It's that time of the year again. The College Football Bowl season has arrived. Including the CFP, there are a total of 47, yes 47, bowl games on the docket for this season. In total 18 states will host the 41 games. The action kicks off on December 13th and ends with the National Championship game on January 19th. Don't worry we will help you keep track of all of it.

Below are the list of every bowl game scheduled for this season from start to finish. First up is the non playoff bowl games:

December 13th:
Cricket Celebration Bowl South Carolina State vs. Prairie View A&M Mercedes-Benz Stadium Noon, ABC
Bucked Up LA Bowl Boise State vs. Washington SoFi Stadium 8 p.m., ABC

December 16th 
IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl Troy vs. Jacksonville State Cramton Bowl 9 p.m., ESPN

December 17th
StaffDNA Cure Bowl Old Dominion vs. South Florida Camping World Stadium 5 p.m., ESPN
68 Ventures Bowl Louisiana vs. Delaware Hancock Whitney Stadium 8:30 p.m., ESPN

December 18th
Xbox Bowl Missouri State vs. Arkansas State Ford Center at The Star (Frisco, Texas) 9 p.m., ESPN2

December 19th
Myrtle Beach Bowl Presented by Engine Kennesaw State vs. Western Michigan Brooks Stadium 11 a.m., ESPN
Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl Memphis vs. NC State Raymond James Stadium 2:30 p.m., ESPN

December 22nd 
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Washington State vs. Utah State Albertsons Stadium 2 p.m., ESPN

December 23rd
Bush's Boca Raton Bowl Toledo vs. Louisville Flagler Credit Union Stadium 2 p.m., ESPN
New Orleans Bowl Western Kentucky vs. Southern Miss Caesars Superdome 5:30 p.m., ESPN
Scooter's Coffee Frisco Bowl UNLV vs. Ohio Ford Center at The Star 9 p.m., ESPN

December 24th
Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl California vs. Hawaii Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex 8 p.m., ESPN

December 26th
GameAbove Sports Bowl Central Michigan vs. Northwestern Ford Field 1 p.m., ESPN
Rate Bowl New Mexico vs. Minnesota Chase Field 4:30 p.m., ESPN
SERVPRO First Responder Bowl Florida International vs. UTSA Gerald J. Ford Stadium 8 p.m., ESPN

December 27th
Go Bowling Military Bowl Pittsburgh vs. East Carolina Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium 11 a.m., ESPN
Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl Penn State vs. Clemson Yankee Stadium Noon, ABC
Wasabi Fenway Bowl UConn vs. Army Fenway Park 2:15 p.m., ESPN
Pop-Tarts Bowl Georgia Tech vs. BYU Camping World Stadium 3:30 p.m., ABC
Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Miami (OH) vs. Fresno State Arizona Stadium 4:30 p.m., CW Network
Isleta New Mexico Bowl North Texas vs. San Diego State University Stadium 5:45 p.m., ESPN
TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Virginia vs. Missouri EverBank Stadium 7:30 p.m. ABC
Kinder's Texas Bowl LSU vs. Houston NRG Stadium 9:15 p.m., ESPN

December 29th
JLAB Birmingham Bowl Georgia Southern vs. App State Protective Stadium 2 p.m., ESPN

December 30th
Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl Coastal Carolina vs. Louisiana Tech Independence Stadium 2 p.m., ESPN
Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl Tennessee vs. Illinois Nissan Stadium 5:30 p.m., ESPN
Valero Alamo Bowl USC vs. TCU Alamodome 9 p.m., ESPN

December 31st
ReliaQuest Bowl Iowa vs. Vanderbilt Raymond James Stadium Noon, ESPN
Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl Arizona State vs. Duke Sun Bowl Stadium 2 p.m., CBS
Cheez-It Citrus Bowl Michigan vs. Texas Camping World Stadium 3 p.m., ABC
SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl Nebraska vs. Utah Allegiant Stadium 3:30 p.m., ESPN

January 2nd
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Rice vs. Texas State Amon G. Carter Stadium 1 p.m., ESPN 
AytoZone Liberty Bowl Navy vs. Cincinnati Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium 4:30 p.m., ESPN
Duke's Mayo Bowl Wake Forest vs. Mississippi State Bank of America Stadium 8 p.m., ESPN
Trust & Will Holiday Bowl Arizona vs. SMU Snapdragon Stadium 8 p.m., Fox

Oh but wait there's more. Now for the College Football Playoff games:

First-round games (at campus sites):

December 19th
No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Alabama Oklahoma Memorial Stadium 8 p.m., ABC, ESPN

December 20th
No. 10 Miami vs. No. 7 Texas A&M Kyle Field Noon, ABC, ESPN
No. 11 Tulane vs. No. 6 Ole Miss Vaught-Hemingway Stadium 3:30 p.m., TNT
No. 12 James Madison vs. No. 5 Oregon Autzen Stadium (Eugene, Oregon) 7:30 p.m., TNT

CFP quarterfinals:

December 31st:
CFP Quarterfinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic Miami-Texas A&M winner vs. No. 2 Ohio State AT&T Stadium 7:30 p.m., ESPN

January 1st:
CFP Quarterfinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl James Madison-Oregon winner vs. No. 4 Texas Tech Hard Rock Stadium Noon, ESPN
CFP Quarterfinal at the Rose Bowl Game Presented by Prudential Alabama-Oklahoma winner vs. No. 1 Indiana Rose Bowl 4 p.m., ESPN
CFP Quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Tulane-Ole Miss winner vs. No. 3 Georgia Caesars Superdome 8 p.m., ESPN

CFP Semifinals, National Championship Game

January 8th:
CFP Semifinal at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl State Farm Stadium 7:30 p.m., ESPN

January 9th:
CFP Semifinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Mercedes-Benz Stadium 7:30 p.m., ESPN

January 19th:
CFP National Championship Presented by AT&T Hard Rock Stadium 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Best & Worst NFL Week Thirteen

Week thirteen has come and gone around the National Football League, and what a week it was. The Thanksgiving slate lead to upsets galore. The windy city saw two of its back go off (even if it was in a losing effort). We had one team prove that being an underdog again doesn't really mean a thing. Big game comebacks from injury was on display as well. So lets dive right into it. Here's the best, and worst, from the NFL in week thirteen.

Best: Chicago Bears Running Game
This was a big day for the Bears running attack. I mean a BIG day. Chicago won in Philly 24-15 and a lot of it was thanks to the 255 yards gained on the ground. That was from two guys. D'Andre Swift had 125 yards and Kyle Monangai ran for 130 yards. Each guy scored a touchdown a piece. That's a major day if I ever saw one.

Best: Adonai Mitchell, Wide Receiver New York Jets

When the Jets picked him up, he was seen as mostly a throw in with the Jets sending Sauce Gardner to the Colts. There wasn't much in the way of expectations. The Jets are looking to find a secondary target behind Garrett Wilson when he does come back. Mitchell took a step in that direction with his performance on Sunday in the Jets surprising 27-24 win over the Falcons. Mitchell hauled in eight catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. Those 102 yards are a new career high for the second year receiver, and almost half of his total from his rookie year with the Colts.

Best; Joe Burrow, Quarterback Cincinnati Bengals
Welcome back Joe Burrow. In his first game back from injury, he'd been out with a bad case of Turf Toe. His first game back, Burrow lead the Bengals to a healthy 32-14 win over the Ravens. Him throwing 46 times was a bit much for his first game back, but he did complete 24 of his passes for 261 yards. Oh and he also throw for two touchdowns. The numbers weren't the most eye popping but it was more from an emotional standpoint having Burrow back under center that was the booster for the team. If BUrrow can keep putting up better numbers then this could be what is needed to get the Bengals back on track.

Worst: Max Brosmer, Quarterback Minnesota Vikings
It's tough enough coming into a start on the road. It's even worse when its against one of the hottest teams in football in the form of the Seattle Seahawks. It was Brosmer's first NFL start and it did not go well. Not only did Seattle come away with a 26-0 win, but Max had a day, to say the least. The thought process was that maybe sitting down JJ McCarty would help the Vikings try and get back on track. Yeah that notion went sideways when Brosmer threw four interceptions. It's not all on the kid for coming under pressure with JJ out, but this kind of start didn't instill much confidence.

Worst: Eagles One Two Punch
When you think of the Eagles offense, you think of Hurts and Barkley. The Eagles rolled into their Black Friday game with the Bears on an 8-3 run. Chicago came in and beat up the Champs, walking away with a 24-15 win. Barkley and Hurts were both quiet. Hurts threw for 230 yards sure, but he went 19 of 34, leading for a 19.4 QBR. And then Barkley, who's one of the leading backs in football, was held to just 56 yards on the ground. This also marks the 11th time in 12 games this season he's failed to reach a 100 yard game on the year. IF the Eagles want to go back on a deep playoff run, they need these two guys to start playing better.

Worst: Aaron Rogers, Quarterback Pittsburgh Steelers
There was some hope when the Steelers brought Aaron Rogers on board that they would be able to turn back the hands of time. They took the field at home against Buffalo and laid a total egg. The Bills won 26-7, but then again the Bills are a really good team. Rogers went 10 for 21 for just 117 yards. The Steelers as a team gained a total of 166 yards on the day. Pittsburgh had kept it close till Joey Bosa got to Rogers and caused a fumble that was returned to the score. It was a bad day for the former MVP

Big Trade In Queens

The offseason has started off with a bang for the New York Mets. A very big bang. The New York Mets sent outfielder Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers in exchange for second baseman Marcus Semien.

There's so much to take in from this trade on Monday night.

Brandon Nimmo is going to be a huge addition to the Rangers outfield. He joins Wyatt Langford  and Evan Carter as the potential starting outfield for Texas. It's adding a good glove in the outfield and a solid bat to a team that finished at .500 last year and ended the year as a third place team in the AL West. Nimmo is coming off a career year last year with 25 homers and 92 RBI to add to what could possibly be a decent team next season that will improve in Texas.

Going back to New York is Marcus Semien, who is coming off a down year at the plate last year. HE had a very off year in Texas last season a few years after signing a massive deal with the Rangers back in 2021. The offensive numbers might not be there, at least they weren't at the end of last season. What makes up for it is his play in the field/ He's still a very good defensive second baseman, a spot in which the Mets have been trying to address for a couple seasons now.

There's still a few other issues the Mets need to address this offseason. Closer, and first base are the primary holes that now need to be looked at. But the one at second base, at least in theory, is taken care of by adding Semien to the mix. There's still work to be done by the Mets to improve on last years club, but this could be a start.

Nimmo did so much and gave so much of himself to this Mets franchise. Both on and off the field. He as a big presence in the community, doing quite a bit of charity work for the team and his community. You could tell he loved what he did away from the field. And on the field he had as much of an infectious personality that rubbed off on a lot of his teammates.

Does it sting to lose Nimmo? Sure it does. But as the old saying goes, you have to give something to get something/

Best & Worst NFL Week Eleven

Another week down around the National Football League, and what a week it was. We not even two thirds of the way through the season and what we saw last week looked almost like a playoff preview. Buffalo pulled it off in a wild one at home against Tampa. How about Chicago, by some late game heroics, walking away with its seventh win in eight weeks. There was so much to dive into from last weekend, lets not waste any more time. Here's some of the best, and worst, from the week that was in the NFL.

Best: Josh Allen, Quarterback Buffalo Bills
There was some that were looking at this game between the Bills and Bucs as a possible big game preview. And it turned out that was as Buffalo walked away with a 44-32 win at home, thanks in large part to the MVP level play of Josh Allen. This isn't going to be a typo, this actually went down. Josh Allen finished the day with a total of six touchdowns. He ran for three of them (on six total carries for 40 yards), and of course threw for three of them (going 19 of 30 for 317 and a couple of picks). He spread the ball around to ten different receivers on the day, keeping the Tampa defense on its heels all day long. Josh is starting to find a rhythm, if he can keep it up it will be a big boost for the BIlls going on a deep playoff run. 

Worst: Sam Darnold, Quarterback Seattle Seahawks
It is a fair statement to say that, for the most part, 2025 has been a good year in Seattle for Sam Darnold. This went out to prove that what we saw last year out of Sam in Minnesota was no fluke. However, in the Seattle 21-19 loss to the rival Rams, it kind of went a little backwards for Darnold. Sure, he threw for 279 yards, which is a pretty impressive number. But he only went 29 of 44 to reach those yard totals. Oh yeah, he threw four picks on the day too, and wasn't able to toss a touchdown pass. The turnover problem plagued Sam early on in his career, and it picked a bad time to rear its head again this week. Hopefully for him, and the Seahawks, it was just a one off bad week.

Best: Bryce Young, Quarterback Carolina Panthers
To be fair, when you think of the Panthers offense this season, it is the running game that gets talked about. And that's with fair reason. But on Sunday, in a 30-27 win over division rival Atlanta, it was Young and the passing about that was the talk of the day. He was sacked five times, which was the only downside to his game. But the upside was the rest of it. Going 31 of 45 for 448 yards and three touchdowns. Those 448 yards became a franchise record and lead them to a big win. It kept Carolina within striking distance of the Bucs, just one game back of Tampa for the division.

Worst: Kansas City Chiefs Magic
Usually when you think of the Kansas City Chiefs, you can generally hold out some hope that they are going to have some late game magic in them at any given week. Look at what they managed to do last year, going 15-2 and win a lot of their one score games. IN fact, they had gone on a 17 game winning streak in one score games. This year, they sit at 5-5, following a 22-19 loss to the Broncos in Denver. This year, they are 0-5 in those one score games.  I only make this note as we are a month and a half or so out from the start of the post season. With that, Kansas City doesn't seem to have quite the same mojo they once did. If they want to have any chance of a deep playoff run, they need to get it back.

Best: Sean Tucker, Running Back Tampa Bay Buccaneers
We touched on it earlier with the matchup between the Bucs and the Bills in Buffalo. Yes, it turned out to be a crappy afternoon for the Bucs and their fanbase, but it wasn't for lack of effort on the part of running back Sean Tucker. With Bucky Irving still being out, this was Tucker's chance to take advantage of more opportunities, and he took every bit of it. Tucker finished the afternoon with 20 total touches on the day, 140 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns. Two of the three came on the ground, thanks to 19 carries for 109 yards. He added another score thanks to two catches for 34 yards. He was as much of a factor in this game, almost pulling this one out and out performing Josh Allen.

Worst: Jalin Hyatt, Wide Receiver New York Giants
There had been some potential for Hyatt in the Giants passing attack. The former third round pick was expected to be a factor for the G-Men in that pass attack. New York managed to hang around with the Packers the entire day, before Green Bay walked away with a 27-20 win. The Giants had a shot late to tie the game, but Hyatt made a critical mistake, stopping short on a corner route in the endzone that allowed for the pass to be picked off. Sure, Hyatt took the heat for it in the postgame, and he took full accountability. but the chances of him getting a shot again to really make an impact with this Giants team may have just faded with that mistake.

Best & Worst NFL Week Nine

Week nine has come and gone in the NFL. It was a strange week, to say the least. Green Bay shockingly went cold, meanwhile Joe Flacco never seems to age. Even with dealing to an injury to CJ Stroud, Houston nearly came all the way back against the Broncos. There were a lot of fireworks that went off last week. And here's a look at some of the best, and worst, of week nine in the NFL.

Best: Brian Flores, Head Coach Minnesota Vikings
It is clear to anybody with a pair of eyes that the Minnesota Vikings have taken a bit of a step back from the team we saw a season ago. Minnesota was able to get themselves back to .500 with a 27-24 win over the Lions, a very impressive win at that. The offense didn't blow you away with their performance, but it was good enough to get the job done. What really impressed here was what the Vikings defense was able to do to the Lions running attack. Detroit was held to just 65 yards on the ground the entire day. Detangling the Lions' intricate offense allowed the Vikings to tee off on Jared Goff, who took five sacks as the offense converted just five of 17 third-down attempts. Credit has to go to the coaching staff and Brian Flores for being able to dial up the defense to not only shut down Detroit, but allow his own offense to be able to do what it had to do to put points on the board. Hats off to Flores for pulling it off.

Worst: Zac Taylor, Head Coach Cincinnati Bengals
The coaches can only call the plays, they can't make the players execute what is called. But what has gone down as of late for the Bengals, the seat for coach Zac Taylor has to be getting a little bit hotter by the week. In the Bengals 47-42 loss to the Bears, the team has given up over 500 yards for the third time this season. I know its not the same without Joe Burrow under center in Cincy. But even with a guy like Joe Flacco, who is somehow turning back the hands of time, scoring over 40 points for you and you still can't win. That's a big problem. Yes its on the Defense, but it also falls on the head coach as well for not getting his players in the right place and getting them to stop the opposition, its not going to do a damn bit of good. It falls on the coach.

Best: Rico Dowdle, Running Back Carolina Panthers
There's great running performances, then there's what Dowdle ahs done for Carolina the last two weeks. He's gone for a franchise record 473 yards from scrimmage over the last two weeks. This week, in the Panthers 16-13 win over the Packers, it was a big day from Rico to help power it. He had two catches for 11 yards, but more of note, he finished with 25 carries for 130 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Look at his numbers over the last five weeks. He has more than twenty carries in a game, he gets over 130 or more yards on the ground. It means one thing for the Panthers. You want to have a chance at a win, feed Rico the ball.

Worst: Patrick Mahomes, Quarterback Kansas City Chiefs
For whatever reason, Mahomes hasn't had luck against the Bills during the regular season. During the playoffs, when it really matters most, Mahomes gets the job done. but during the regular season, it's a much different story. Mahomes has now lost five straight games during the regular season against Buffalo. The Bills won 28-21 and Yes Mahomes threw for 250 yards, which is a good day for most. But it was a rough day for Mahomes. Buffalo's defensive front hit Mahomes more than a dozen times, sacking him thrice, and the secondary did its part, too, with Maxwell Hairston snagging a game-sealing pick. He took a bit of a beating. But there's a chance they could meet again come the playoffs, where it could be a totally different story.

Best: Cam Little, Kicker Jacksonville Jaguars
Being a kicker in the National Football League can be a bit of a fickle thing. At times you can be a hero, as was the case with Cam Little of the Jaguars. 46 times in NFL history has a kicker nailed a kick from 60 yards or more. Little became the 46th name on that list. he had hit one from 70 yards out, but that was during the preseason. On Sunday, he set the NFL record with a 68 yard kick in a 30-29 overtime win by the Jags over the Raiders. Which comes as a nice surprise considering he missed a couple of kicks over the last two weeks. But hitting this kick more than made up for it.

Worst: Parker Romo, Kicker Atlanta Falcons
While we have had guys hitting big kicks, we have the other end of the spectrum and Parker Romo. Romo had a bit of a tough situation, taking over for Younghoe Koo in Atlanta. And he started off great, hitting five straight kicks to start his time in Atlanta. Then the rug was kind of pulled out from under him. He missed three field goals since then. One of them was a huge extra point that was missed that proved to be the difference in Atlanta's 24-23 loss to New England. Romo has steadied in a little in Atlanta, but with the Falcons having very little margin for error, he needs to be a little more close to perfect as he can get.

Big Day In Big Apple

Trade deadline day came and went in the National Football League. but it wasn't without its splashes. The biggest ones being made by the New York Jets, who in two separate trades, got rid of some big names on the defensive side of the football.

It started off with a bang. First, they sent cornerback Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2026 first-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick and wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. Then, just moments later, shipped defensive tackle Quinnen Williams to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick, a 2027 first-round pick and defensive tackle Mazi Smith.

With a team that sitting at 1-7 to this point, a fire sale was almost inventible. Odds of making the playoffs, or even having a winning season this year for the Jets was a long shot, and that's being nice. Both guys are big losses for Gang Green, but there is a little bit of hope for the future. At least that's what management is hoping for. The returns are massive for the Jets over the next two seasons, and could be more than that if the Jets continue the downward slide they are currently riding on. After the deals, the Jets are looking at two first and two second round picks in 2026 and three first round picks in 2027!

Does it suck to lose two really good defenders in these trades? Yes it does. At the same time, as stated before, the team was going nowhere this season. They had an opportunity to be able to get rid of pieces that could bring in more draft capital for the next season and beyond. Either they use the picks and really be able to build a contending team going forward, or they can trade the picks again for a guy who's in their prime right now. Smart move would be to use the draft picks for themselves and start building a different, and winning, culture right now.

This also goes to show what kind of faith management has in Aaron Glenn, Darren Mougey and the rest of the staff staff. His first year has been a disaster, that's a given and was kind of expected with the talent that was here. now it gives the team a chance to add more capital and try to build going forward to being a contender. At least that's the hope after making all these moves.

Back To Back In LA

It was so nice in Los Angeles, they decide to do it twice! For the first time since the turn of the century, we have a team that has won back to back World Series championships, as the Los Angeles Dodgers knocked off the Toronto Blue Jays in seven games. This marks the 2nd consecutive title for the Dodgers, third in the last six seasons, and ninth in franchise history.

And there's a lot of interesting notes to take out of this series.

We went into the series saying that good pitching will always beat good hitting, and that's what the Dodgers did as the series went along, at least when it mattered the most. The Jays out hit and out scored the Dodgers as the series moved along. Scoring over the course of the series was 34-26 in favor of Toronto, as was hits,75 to 53 in favor of the Jays. Toronto woke up in the opener of the series, and then again in games four and five. They managed to knock around Blake Snell in both of his starts as during the course of the series. Then there's the play of series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto. He went 3-0 in this series alone, with a 1.02 ERA in 17.2 innings and striking out 17 total hitters. He managed to pitch in game seven, after having pitched before in game six. That's what turned the tide in the series. Los Angeles couldn't do much in the way of hitting as the series went along, but they got it done when it mattered the most.

It's been 25 years since we had a repeat champion. The Yankees were the last team to do it, having won three in a row from 1998-2000. It's one of the hardest things in sports to do, repeating as champions. The Dodgers managed to pull it off, and win their third in six seasons. And to make this season seem a little more amazing is that the Dodgers managed to do it with the injury bug hitting the rotation early on in the season. By the time they got to the playoffs, the pitching staff was at full strength.

And not to take anything away from what the Blue Jays did in this series. They managed to have those bats come through at key moments in this series. And this Jays team has a bright future to come back on another deep run, as most of the lineup is in tact for next year. Bo Bichette is the only big name from this team that's set to hit the free agent market as of this writing. So there's plenty of hope that the Jays could get back there again next season. They were just out done by the better team in this one, when it mattered the most.

And if you're like me, this World Series had a ton of first or records that were set or broken. Toronto's pinch hitter Addison Barger hit the first pinch-hit grand slam in World Series history in Game 1. Game 3 lasted 18 innings, tying the record for longest World Series game by innings, tied with Game 3 of the 2018 World Series. It also became the second-longest World Series game in terms of time (behind the same 2018 game). Toronto's utility player Ernie Clement broke the record for most hits in a single postseason with 30. Additionally, the Dodgers were the first team ever to trail in the 9th inning of a World Series Game 7 on the road and come back to win, with Rojas and Smith setting Game 7 home run firsts in the 9th and in extra innings.

Congratulations to the Dodgers on winning the World Series!

2025 World Series Preview

It's that time of year. We started this journey at the end of March with 32 teams all with the same goal in mind. Now, we are down to two. The Fall Classic is here, it's the 2025 World Series! This years series is the Los Angeles Dodgers taking on the Toronto Blue Jays.

Toronto is in the series for the third time in team history, having won their two previous appearances in 1991 and 1992. Toronto won the AL East this year with a 94-68 record. They started off the playoffs by beating the Yankees in the ALDS. They followed that up with a seven game ALCS win over the Mariners.

Los Angeles is in the series for the 23rd time and second year in a row. They won the NL West with a 93-69 record. They had to go the long route in the playoffs, starting with a sweep in the Wild Card round of the Reds. They followed that up with an NLDS four game win over the Phillies. They closed it out with a sweep of the Brewers in the NLCS to reach the fall classic.

Here's the dates and times of every game in this series:
October 24th Los Angeles Dodgers at Toronto Blue Jays Rogers Centre 8:00 pm
October 25th Los Angeles Dodgers at Toronto Blue Jays Rogers Centre 8:00 pm
October 27th Toronto Blue Jays at Los Angeles Dodgers Dodger Stadium 8:00 pm
October 28 Toronto Blue Jays at Los Angeles Dodgers Dodger Stadium 8:00 pm
*October 29th Toronto Blue Jays at Los Angeles Dodgers Dodger Stadium 8:00 pm
*October 31st Los Angeles Dodgers at Toronto Blue Jays Rogers Centre 8:00 pm
*November 1st Los Angeles Dodgers at Toronto Blue Jays Rogers Centre 8:00 pm

There's a lot to be able to take in here heading into the series. It's going to be an even battle over the course of the series. Both teams can pitch and play defense, both teams can hit just as well. Pitching edge has to go to the Dodgers, and its non negotiable at this rate. All of the Dodgers starters have an ERA under 2.50. They have been very tough to be able to hit off of all playoffs. The LA offense, while quite good, isn't at the same level as the pitching staff. Ohtani and both Hernandez's have been smashing the ball all playoffs long.

Meanwhile on the other side of the coin, the Toronto offense is a massive reason they are here. Vlad Jr has been hitting the cover off the ball all playoffs, as is the big surprise for the Jays offense in Ernie Clement. They are going to need both of those guys to hit at the same level or better than they have all playoffs long. Pitching in Toronto has been good, but not great. Kevin Gausman and Trey Yesavage have been solid all playoffs long. But looking at the rest of the Jays pitching staff, the high ERA's across the board are a little concerning.

Now, the Jays have been hitting great, there's no denying that. As the old saying goes, good pitching always beats good hitting.

Pick: Dodgers in six!

Best & Worst NFL Week Seven

Week seven has come and gone around the National Football League. We had a very interesting week this week. A duel between two ageless wonders in Aaron Rogers and Joe Flacco. We had a comeback of seismic performances in the mile high city. And at the same time we had a few stinkers this week too, like what happened in both Miami and New York. Lots of ground we got to cover, so let's get right into it. Here's some of the best, and worst, of week seven in the NFL.

Best: Bo Nix, Quarterback Denver Broncos
It was one of the best comebacks in the history of the game on Sunday. The New York Giants had a 19-0 lead in the 4th quarter. It ended in a 33-32 win for the Denver Broncos. A lot of that had to do with a dominating 4th quarter performance by Bo Nix. It was a little alarming that Bo threw the ball 50 times on the day, completing 27 of those passes. He totaled 279 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Bo also had 5 carries for 48 yards and another two touchdowns. All four of those TD's came in the 4th quarter. The Giants had no answer whatsoever on the day for Bo. Nix has had a reputation for being a fighter in games, and we saw that in a big way on Sunday.

Worst: Tua Tagovailoa, Quarterback Miami Dolphins
Things don't seem to be getting any easier for Tua as this season has gone along. He's had a rough go of it both on and off the field. First, there was a public apology for comments he made about his teammates slacking off. This guy is supposed to be a leader on and off the field and seems to be having trouble with it. Now to add insult to injury, his play on the field is slipping quickly. Miami got it's doors blown off 31-6 by Cleveland. Tua was a huge reason for the bad play on Sunday. He went 12 of 23 for just 100 yards. Oh yeah, he also threw three picks on the day. IT bad enough to be throwing three picks in a game. It makes it look even worse to be throwing those three picks against a team as bad as the Cleveland Browns.

Best: DeVonte Smith, Wide Receiver Philadelphia Eagles
There's having a day, and there's what DeVonte did on Sunday. The Eagles pulled out a huge 28-22 win over the Vikings on Sunday, and Smith was a massive reason for it. Nine catches, one of which was for a touchdown, and a league best this week 183 yards. He was making the Minnesota defense look silly all day long hauling in the yards that he did on the day. it opened up a lot of options for the Eagles offensive game and helped them, in a big way, walk away with the victory.

Worst: Mike Evans, Wide Receiver Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This one kind of hurts to be writing out. It has nothing to do with a really bad performance for Evans, as it more a case of bad luck. Evans has been in the NFL for eleven years now, since he was taken seventh overall in 2014. Every year he has been in the league, he's had a thousand yard season. This year it looks like its going to come to an end. Not only did the Bucs fall 24-9 to the Lions in Detroit, but they will be without Evans for almost two months at least. Evans went for a pass, fell and was slow to get up. Turns out he broke his collar bone and will be out for a couple of months. With that being said, it looks like Evans string of thousand yard seasons comes to an end at eleven straight. Talk about bad luck.

Best: Micha Parsons, Defensive End Green bay Packers
WE have been waiting for Parsons to finally have his first really big game in Green Bay. In Sunday's 27-23 Packers win over the Cardinals, we got that big performance from Parsons. Five tackles on the day, including three sacks. Those three sacks equal his career high. He also had five other quarterback hits. Yes, it was perennial backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett under center for the Cardinals, a guy who isn't exactly known for his quick feet. But this was a statement game for Parsons, his first one that we've really seen this way since he got to Green Bay. It may have started to put him right back in the race for defensive player of the year this year.

Worst: Spencer Rattler, Quarterback New Orleans Saints
Going into the day, Rattler had been consistent in that he had so few interceptions thrown on the year. But the second year signal caller got lit up by the Bears defense, sort of, on Sunday. Chicago walked away with a 26-14 win over the Saints. Rattler turned the ball over four times, including throwing three picks on the day. It caused him to press more than he usually does. Chicago's defense really got him off his game. Sure, Rattler threw two touchdown passes, which is good. But his ball control on the week wasn't.

Best & Worst NFL Week Six

Week six has come and gone around the NFL. We had one of the worst offensive performances ever take place, over in London no less. At the same time, we saw one that was a dominating run performance to take place over in Dallas. There's one winless team in the league left, and no unbeatens this season. So here's what we got from the best, and worst, of week six in the NFL.

Best: Rico Dowdle, Running Back Carolina Panthers
Talk about balling out last week. There had been some concerns about the Panthers run game with Chubba Hubbard being down with injury. But I think Rico Dowdle is doing just fine picking up the slack. In the Panthers 30-27 win over the Cowboys, Rico was a huge factor. While it true that he didn't cross the goal line himself, he was a big reason the Panthers got a lot of the field position they did on the day. He finished with 30 carries for a league best 183 yards. Having that kind of day is pretty impressive on its own insane merits.

Worst: Justin Fields, Quarterback New York Jet
There's having a bad game, and then there's this God Awful performance. The Jets go over to London to take on the Denver Broncos with hopes of finally getting their first win of the season. Yeah that turned out to be a pip dream as the Broncos walked away with a 13-11 victory. The Jets passing game finished with-10 yards FOR THE ENTIRE GAME. NO, that is not a typo, it actually happened. Justin Fields actually finished with -10 passing yards. His stat line reads 9 of 17 for 45 yards. he was sacked nine times for 55 yards lost. Ta Da, there's your -10. This was an all timer for bad performances. A combination of horrible offensive line play and bad play from Fields still leaves the Jets searching for their first win.

Best: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Wide Receiver Seattle Seahawks
There's having a good year, and then there's what Jaxon Smith-Njigba is doing out in Seattle. The NFL's leading receiver was at it again on Sunday, going off in the Seahawks 20-12 win over the Jaguars. He finished with eight catches for 162 yards and a touchdown. He now leads the league 696 receiving yards through six games. He's cracked the 100 yard mark four times, going over 130 in back to back weeks. He's also had eight catches or more in four of the six games this year. This is reaching a solid level of domination so far.

Worst: Tua Tagovailoa, Quarterback Miami Dolphins
It's bad enough when you having the season that your having over in Miami. It gets even worse when some of this stuff comes out in the headlines after the game. IT's bad enough that the Charges won in Miami 29-27, a game which now drops Miami to 1-5 on the year. Tua's performances was below average, to say the least. 21 of 32 for 205 a touchdown and three picks. He's supposed to be one of the offensive leaders and this is putting in a bit of a poor performance. It's getting even worse when the following comments came out on Social Media after the game: Players have been arriving late and not showing up to players only meetings: "We have guys showing up to player online meetings late, guys not showing up to player only meetings. YIKES

Best: Baker Mayfield, Quarterback Tampa Bay Buccaneers
There was some cause for speculation and concern for the Bucs going into this week with how well they were going to play. Yes, the opponent on the day the San Francisco 49ers had injury concerns of their own to deal with, but on paper they seemed healthier than what the Bucs had. Still the Bucs came away with a 30-19 win on home turf. A lot of that had to do with the outstanding play of Baker Mayfield under center on the day. 17 of 23 for 256 yards and a pair of TD tosses. He has done a masterful job at being able to get his guys on the same page, despite not having Godwin, Evans and Irving available to him this week. The offense around him is starting to drop like flies, yet Mayfield keeps the team together and has them atop the NFC South.

Worst: Injuries
A little vague with this one we know, but take a look at what's come out of week six. A lot of guys missed time in games this week due to injuries. That list includes: Garrett Wilson (knee), Puka Nacua (ankle), Marvin Harrison Jr. (concussion), David Njoku (knee), Calvin Ridley (hamstring), Emeka Egbuka (hamstring), Trey Hendrickson (back) and, most notably, Fred Warner (ankle). And when you consider some of the big name stars around the league that have already gone down with injuries so far this season, its a wonder how many teams are going to be even remotely healthy come playoff time.

2025-26 NHL Season Preview

The time has arrived for the puck to drop. That's right, Hockey is back! The National Hockey League season is here. And we got quite a few interesting storylines going into this season.

Can the Panthers run it back for a third straight year? Can Buffalo finally end their playoff drought? Did Toronto lose too much in the offseason to really contend again? Will the youth movement take hold fast on Long Island? Will the new coaches around the league have a positive impact on their teams?

We got some big debuts set up as well for the start of this season, as well as one final swan song out in LA. All that being said, here's how we see the 2025-26 NHL season going down.

Western Conference:
Central Division:
1. Dallas Stars 115 Points*
2. Colorado Avalanche 111 Points*
3. Winnipeg Jets 109 Points*
4. Utah Mammoth 100 Points*
5. Minnesota Wild 97 Points
6. St Louis Blues 90 Points
7. Nashville Predators 90 Points
8. Chicago Blackhawks 79 points

This will once again prove to be a very tough division to play in this season, but the top spot is going to go to the Stars by the time all is said and done. Dallas had the 2nd best record in the division last year, and this year expect it to go higher. Sure, there a few pieces from last season missing. Guys like Mason Marchment, Evgenii Dadonov, and most notably, Mikael Granlund are all elsewhere. But you still got Matt Duchene and Jason Robertson leading a solid offensive charge. It also still helps that you have a stud like Jake Oettinger between the pipes. When called upon, Jake can still deliver in net and will be a big reason the Stars are going to be good this year. Right behind them are going to be the Avalanche, who retooled a little this summer. When you have a top six that looks like Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Brock Nelson, and Valeri Nichushkin, and a fully returning Gabriel Landeskog, its going to be really tough to play against this year. They even bolstered a solid blueline by adding Brent Burns and Victor Olofsson. But what might be the only thing that even remotely hold Colorado from a division title is between the pipes. Is Mackenzie Blackwood really going to be the guy to get them over the hump? We know one thing for sure, the Jets do in fact have the goaltending to be good, or at least a playoff team this year. A year ago they were the best in the league, and Connor Hellybuck proved that by winning MVP. This year will be a step back year for Winnipeg, even with new faces on the team such as Cole Koepke, Gustav Nyquist, Luke Schenn and some guy named Jonathan Toews. But all that coming at the cost of losing Nikolaj Ehlers, who's now in the East. There's still plenty of talent here, it just won't be enough to get them anywhere near the spot it was last year. A surprise team that's going to get into the playoffs this season is going to be the Mammoth. The core in Utah is hungry to make the playoffs, something they haven't done since well back in their Arizona days. Adding in a guy like JJ Peterka to the back end will be a solid help, as will bringing in Brandon Tanev and  Nate Schmit. They have a good mix of scoring talent and tough, gritty players to build on something there in Utah, and it might just be enough to make a big jump and get into the post season.

Now for a team that's going to be on the outside looking are the Wild. There wasn't much, if anything at all, during the offseason to improve this team. They did bring in Vladimir Tarasenko from Detroit so that adds a little more depth to this club. That's only if he looks anything close to what he did when he was in his prime. Look they may have enough of a punch to score to possibly hang on to a playoff race. But what really might keep them in it would be Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt in net. That tandom might keep them close to challenging for a playoff spot. Then you have a team like the Blues, who are going to be a very interesting case this season. They are a solid team that just so happens to be stuck in a very tough division this season. For one thing, the play of Jordan Binnengton could go a long way. He has to carry this team to stand a chance, at least in net. They have top end talent in the scoring department, in the form of guys like Robert Thomas, Pavel Buchnevich, and Jordan Kyrou. Defense seems to be a bit of a question mark which might be keeping them out. Now, we got a Predators team who had a season last year that was way below expectation. They brought in Stamkos, Marchessault, and Skjei. And it all went south. Now it looks like older stars who don't have it anymore. They do have two budding stars still on this team in Jusse Saros and Filip Forsberg. But if they don't have a youth movement around them to truly build around, then what good is it going to do anybody around Nashville. Finally, bringing up the rear is a rebuilding team in the Blackhawks. Sure, you got a super stud in Conor Bedard to build around. You may have something to center around in net as well in the form of Spencer Knight. Otherwise it going to have to be a waiting game in Chicago for the rest of the youth movement to come along and join in for the Hawks to really be contenders again.

Pacific Division:
1. Vegas Golden Knights 112 Points*
2. Los Angeles Kings 109 Points*
3. Edmonton Oilers 107 Points*
4. Vancouver Canucks 103 Points*
5. Calgary Flames 97 Points
6. Seattle Kraken 96 Points
7. Anaheim Ducks 87 Points
8. San Jose Sharks 79 Points

This could seem like a recurring theme for the Golden Knights. Twice in the last three years, and four times in their eight year history they have won the division. And this year will be no different. Vegas has only missed the playoffs once in their history, and have even been to the Finals twice. And they got even better. How? They added Mitch Marner in the offseason and signed him to a big deal. That's yet another high power weapon to an already solid hockey club. That's adding to the talent with Eichel, Stone, Hertl. Its the strongest group of forwards in the entire division. Adin Hill has solidified things in net. Even with Alex Pietrangelo missing most of the season, there's still Brayden McNabb and Noah Hanifin to anchor that defense. The only team that can even remotely come close to knocking Vegas off in the division is going to be the Kings. It what will be the final season of Anze Kopitar career out in Los Angeles, it going to be a good year for the team. Sure they took a bit of a hit on the back end, losing both Jordan Spence and Vladislav Gavrikov.They still solid with Ceci, Doughty and Dumoulin. They have balance on the offensive side of things. This team isn't quite a cup contender yet, but they still good enough to be a playoff team out in LA. Right behind them is going to be the team that's knocked them out in the playoffs the last two seasons, the Oilers. You still have two of the best players on planet earth in your lineup in Draisaitl and McDavid. Problem is, the window with this team is closing and fast. McDavid due to hit the market at the end of the season. With Edmonton having gone to the finals the last two years and come up empty, they had better find a way to get over that final hump quickly. The team that's here is still a very good one. Again the big question that Edmonton still has to face is, can goaltending hold up enough to finally take them all the way? Now another question to bring up is how far can a team like the Canucks go? Depends on depth at center. Behind Elias Petterson, there's not much depth down the middle, which is going to be key for Vancouver this year. IF they want to go far during the season, centers have got to step up.  Defense is solid on this team. But what is going to be another big question is how well, and healthy can Thatcher Demko play in net? He couldn't stay healthy last season. If he finally does, and can look like his old self, then Vancouver should have enough talent to get into the playoffs.

On the outside looking in are going to be the Flames. To say that Calgary was an overachiever last year would be an understatement. A large part of that was due to the play of Dustin Wolf. He played at a level that went above and beyond. In order for Calgary to even sniff that again, Wolf is going to have to repeat his performance. Why? Because Calgary did nothing else to change the product on the ice. The lineup is almost the exact same as last year. While a good team, its not good enough to really compete with the rest of the heavy hitters in the West. Then we have the Kraken, who haven't taken quite that leap to the next level in their early years in the league. There is still a solid mix of young talent and veterans. Problem is they don't have a big centerpiece that they can truly build around. As for the talent that's here in Seattle, there's not much there in the way of really being competitive. Sure they got some good young pieces, but nothing worthy really writing home about. Not much further behind them are the Ducks. Mason McTavish finally signed a long term deal, ending his holdout. Which is a good thing. but Trevor Zegras is no longer running with him, making things a bit tougher in Anaheim. They do have some good young talent here, but they are also saddled with a lot of older talent who aren't producing anywhere near what needs to be done to be a success. Going to be a long year in Anaheim. The only team that's going to be worse off is the Sharks. San Jose has it's young core working for it, the guys like Macklin Celebrini, Will Smith, and William Eklund. They added plenty of veteran presence on the blueline. But what's going to be a sticking point is all the young talent that's going to take the time to develop. Not quite where it needs to be out in San Jose, with a long way to go before this team is really ready to challenge for anything of substance in the league, other than high draft picks.

Eastern Conference:
Atlantic Division:
1. Tampa Bay Lightning 112 Points*
2. Florida Panthers 102 Points*
3. Toronto Maple Leafs 99 Points*
4. Ottawa Senators 97 Points*
5. Buffalo Sabres 94 Points
6. Montreal Canadiens 88 Points
7. Detroit Red Wings 86 Points
8. Boston Bruins 82 Points

This will be another good year for the Lightning and a division crown. With the talent that's here in Tampa, its going to be hard to stop. Vasilevski is still an elite netminder that's going to be tough to beat when he's on his game. Here's hoping its a more balanced workload this year so Vasey can be ready to go come playoff time. The forward group can attack you in waves. Kucherov, Gentzel, Point, Hagel, Cerelli, the list goes on. It going to be a tough task to beat these guys. The only thing that might hold the Bolts back is the depth on defense. If they can find a way to keep the balance on the back line, what's to stop them from going on a deep run. The state of Florida is well represented with talent, and the Panthers are no exception. The two time defending Cup champions are going to have a bit of an uphill battle in defense of their titles. Why? Matthew Tkachuk is out until at least December with a lower body injury. To make matters worse, Alexandre Barkov is out the entire season with a knee injury picked up during camp. Still a ton of talent here with Reinhart, Bennett, Verhaege, Rodrigues, Ekblad. And Sergei Bobrovski is still a stud in net that's going to carry this team again. How far it will go come the playoffs, we will see as we get closer to springtime. Then we have the Maple Leafs, who are going to take a bit of a step backwards this season. Mitch Marner is no longer a part of this group. He's in Vegas. The rest are still there, Tavares, Matthews and Nylander. Mathew Knies is also expected to have a good year. Toronto is solid on the blueline, so there isn't too much to worry about there. What is going to be a problem is going to be in net. Goaltending has been an issue for a long time, and doesn't look like it has gotten any better. Playoffs? Yes but not a deep run. A surprise team that's going to make the post season is the Senators. They getting full seasons out of Cozens and Zetterlund up front is going to be a big help to that young core in Ottawa. Defense is solid with Chabot and Sanderson. Depending on the play of Ullmark in the nets will really be a factor as to how far the Sens could possibly go as far as being a playoff team. But this year might just be enough to get them in.

On the outside looking in will be the Sabres. It's been a rough going for Buffalo, a team that hasn't made the postseason since 2011. They have plenty of talent with Tage Thompson, Alex Tuch, Rasmus Dalhin and Bowen Bryam. But there's not too much in terms of real depth around those guys. IF they can actually get some support, when UPL gets healthy, Buffalo might be able to make a push. But it won't really be enough to get them into the post season. Next is going to be the Canadiens. They surprised a lot of people last season by making the playoffs. The biggest move Montreal made was adding Noah Dobson in a huge sign and trade. Combine him with Hutson and Matheson, you really got something to build on the back end. Then you got Juraj Slafkovsky, Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki leading a pretty good young core. They might come close to making it back into the playoffs again, but it feels like they come up a little short this season. Now on to the motor city, the Red Wings are in a bit of an interesting spot. They've been waiting nine long years to get back into the playoffs, and that doesn't look like its going to change this season. Detroit has some good young talent here in the form of Moritz Seider, Ben Chiarot, Andrew Copp and Lucas Raymond, just to name a few. Problem is, there's too many deep teams ahead of them for Detroit to really make an impact. Finally, we got ourselves the Bruins, who are going to take a big fall this season. Morgan Geekie and David Pastrnak will be relied on heavily for production because the high-end talent disappears after those two. Charlie McAvoy and Mason Lohrei have the potential to really carry the blueline, but they can't do it all. Jeremy Swayman a solid goalie, but you could just tell he isn't the same when he's not paired up with Ullmark. Going to be a long season in Boston this season.

Metropolitan Division
1. Carolina Hurricanes 108 Points*
2. New Jersey Devils 107 Points*
3. New York Rangers 99 Points*
4. Washington Capitals 96 Points*
5. Columbus Blue Jackets 92 Points
6. New York Islanders 88 Points
7. Philadelphia Flyers 82 Points
8. Pittsburgh Penguins 80 Points

It seems like its becoming a regular thing now that the Hurricanes are staking claim to the division title. Carolina managed to get better with big moves, bringing in guys like Nikolaj Ehlers and K’Andre Miller to bolster an already very talented lineup. They can score, they can defend/ Oh and they got a pretty good goalie tandem in Fredrik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov. This team is so well built, it should be no surprise that they will take the division and have a shot a very deep playoff run. Behind them are going to be the Devils. What is of some level of concern in New Jersey is the fact that it took this long to get Luke Hughes signed to a deal. They are hoping to add a little more depth with the bottom six in scoring. But they should be good enough to provide some help for the big guns. if they can find their consistent touch. If everything goes according to plan, what's to stop the Devils from being a top three team this year. A team that's expecting to have a big bounce back season this year is going to be the Rangers. With all the talent that New York has, missing the playoffs las year was a disappointment. This year seems different. JT Miller is the new captain, and Mike Sullivan takes over as the new head coach. They los K'Andre Miller on the back end, and replaced him with Vladislav Gavrikov. They have plenty of talent on this team to be right in the thick of it for the top spot in this division, New York just needs to be able to put all together and make it happen to finisher higher than projected. A team that could slip a little but is going to be the Capitals. This was a team that overachieved big time a season ago, getting career years from guys like Tom Wilson. This year will be more of a slap back to reality in Washington. The team is basically running it back again this time not having Andrew Mangiapane and Lars Eller in their lineup. If somehow the players on this team can have a repeat of monster production from last year, expect a big step back this year. Washington won't fall all the way out of playoff contention, cause they will be there. Don't expect them to be fighting at the top for the division crown either.

Just on the outside looking in are going to be the Blue Jackets. They took a huge step forward last year in Columbus, just missing the playoffs by a mere two points. Goal scoring wasn't an issue last season as they had talented forwards. They got deeper by adding Charlie Coyle. What ended up costing Columbus on a playoff spot last year was poor defensive play. nothing was really done to try and improve the defensive depth and make them better. Between that and the average play of Elvis Merzlikins. IF they want to even get close to making the playoffs again this season, the play between the pipes has to get better. Same thing can be said about the Islanders as well. While having a good year in the New York nets last season, Ilya Sorokin played below the standard he had set for himself. If he returns to his true form, then the Islanders might have a chance to contend for a playoff spot. The future on this team looks bright with drafting talent like Matthew Schaefer, Victor Eklund and Kashawn Aitcheson. But what's holding New York back is, outside of Bo Horvat and Mat Barzal, the Isles are light in scoring. There's not going to be enough talent here to really get them into contention this season. Playing hockey in the state of Pennsylvania hasn't been much fun lately. Don't believe us? Ask Flyers fans. Look, Philadelphia did a little to get bette rin the offseason, bringing in Trevor Zegras and Christian Devorak. Sam Ersson needs to show real improvement in the Flyers nets if they want to go anywhere close to sniffing playoff contention again. It's going to be a long season in Philadelphia. Same exact thing can be said for the Penguins as well, who are getting long in the tooth. The winning window seems to be all but closed Pittsburgh right now. Yes Crosby, Malkin and Letang are all still there but are getting close to the end. Now would be the best time to really start to plan for a post Sidney Crosby world. They need to really focus on getting high draft picks to start rebuilding. This year is nowhere close to being the year.

Conference Finals: Lightning vs Hurricanes, Stars vs Kings

Cup Finals: Hurricanes vs Stars

MLB Divisional Round Predictions

The Division Series are here around Major League Baseball. We got some heavy hitters left standing in a season that started with thirty two teams and are now down to eight. So lets not waste anymore time, here's what we got for the divisional round.

ALDS: Detroit Tigers vs Seattle Mariners
Look, the Tigers were a good team most of the year, they were. But they ended up blowing it down the stretch and backed into the playoffs. Then dispatched the Guardians in the Wild Card round. They can hit and they can pitch. What's going to end up killing them is the fact that they stumbled badly down the stretch. Now they come up against a deeper and more balanced Seattle team who's got one of the best hitters right now in Cal Raleigh. Yes, there is more to the Seattle game than just Cal, but he's the straw that stirs that drink. It's going to be maybe a win if that for Detroit against a superior team.

Pick: Seattle in 4!

ALDS: New York Yankees vs Toronto Blue Jays
A battle of AL East teams in this round and its going to be an entertaining series. This was no fluke that the Blue Jays managed to win the division as a 94-win team. They are a balanced team, even if the pitching staff has been a bit inconsistent and Bo Baciette has missed time. But they are going up against a very tough and balanced divisional foe in the New York Yankees. With the amount of talent that's come on this year in the Bronx, they may be a very hard team to take down in this playoffs.

Pick: Yankees in 5'

NLDS: Los Angeles Dodgers vs Philadelphia Phillies
A battle of two teams that seemed to be hitting their stride at just the right time this year. This is going to be a slugfest and it fells like it could be more the way of the year for Philly. Why? Because the Dodgers feel like they've had it most of the year. Meanwhile the Phillies had to fight and claw their way back (Mets collapse aside) to overtake the division and then pull away with it late in the season. Both teams are good and balanced throughout, but it just has that feeling to it that this could be a Philly season.

Pick: Phillies in 5

NLDS: Chicago Cubs vs Milwaukee Brewers
Another interdivisional matchup to make up a series in this divisional round. This is going to be the most even matchup of the divisional round because of how well these two teams really know each other. What gives the edge to the Brewers in this one is a combination of great hitting, solid defense and just as great pitching.

Pick: Brewers in 5

Best & Worst NFL Week Four

That's the beautiful thing about the National Football League. Anything can happen week to week. That's why the old saying goes that it's Any Given Sunday! Look at what happened at Metlife Stadium: A rookie gets a start and upsets an unbeaten team. We had a couple of big days from rookie running backs, and there's only two teams left with a perfect record after the first month of the season in Buffalo and Philadelphia. Still a lot more to dive into from the week that was, so let's get right into it. Here's the best, and worst, from week four around the NFL!

Best: Puka Nacua, Wide Receiver, Los Angeles Rams
There's dominating performances and then there's what Puka did on Sunday. The Rams handed Indianapolis their first loss of the season, a 27-20 win by LA. Try going for 13 catches for 170 yards and a touchdown in the win Sunday afternoon. Puka not only should grab offensive player of the week, he making a vert early case for offensive player of the year, and we only a month into the season. He's already got 42 catches for 503 yards. If somehow he can keep this up, he's on pace to finish with over 2,300 receiving yards. The record is 1,964 yards in a single season set by Calvin Johnson in 2012. Puka has been that good for the first month. 

Worst: Bryce Young, Quarterback, Carolina Panthers
It seems to slowly be getting worse for the former top overall pick. They got blown out, at home, on Sunday, to the tune of a 42-13 blowout against the Patriots. Young only threw for 150 yards. He's had one game all season where he's thrown for over 200 yards, that was in week two when he threw for 324. He can't find much mojo to work off  of and it is not looking like its going to get much easier. He has got to be able to find some sort of confidence to let the ball fly more. If he doesn't I'm not sure how much longer a leash he's going to have.

Best: Rookie Running Backs
It's safe to say that week four was a bigtime coming out party for the first two running backs taken back in April's draft. First, there's the day Ashton Jeanty had for the Raiders. The 6th overall pick went off in the Vegas 25-24 loss to the Bears, Jeanty had 21 carries for 138 yards and a touchdown. he almost got the Raiders the win all by himself. Oh and not to be outdone, there's Omarion Hampton, the 22nd overall pick by the Chargers. In a 21-18 loss to the Giants, Hampton had 12 carries for 128 yards and a touchdown. Those two guys had the top two rushing performances in the NFL this week. Pretty good for a couple first year guys.

Worst: Adonai Mitchell, Wide Receiver Indianapolis Colts
There had been some flashes of hope that things are going to get better for the Colts this season. Indy now sits at 3-1 on the season following the loss to the Rams, which we touched on earlier. Mitchell had a decent day with three catches for 96 yards. He had a chance to make an insane 75 yard touchdown catch but instead dropped the ball through the endzone, turning it into a touchback. Oh and he cost the Colts again late in the game. With the scored tied at 20 it looked like Jonathan Taylor ripped off a 53 yard score. What happened? Play was called back cause Mitchell got flagged for holding. Colts punted and Rams scored the go ahead touchdown on the insuring drive.

Best: Jaxson Dart, Quarterback New York Giants
At least one New York metro area team managed to get a win. The Giants walked away with a 21-18 win over the Chargers, which was the first loss of the year for the Chargers. Dart wasn't the flashiest in his first game, but he was good enough to get himself a win. He went 13 of 20 for 111 yards and a touchdown. Only downside was he was sacked five ti4mes on the day, but that's more of an indication of his offensive line than it was him. Still, you get your first start in the NFL, you get a win, and you do it against a previously unbeaten team. This is a good starting point. Lets hope the kid can build off of it.

Worst: New York Jets Discipline
Things were supposed to be better for the Jets this season. That's not to say that they'd be competing for a Super Bowl or anything, but they were supposed to be a bit more competitive. That hasn't happened. The Jets are now 0-4 following a 27-21 loss to the Dolphins on Monday Night Football. Gang Green took 13 penalties for 101 yards and fumbled the football three times on the day, which killed any chances they might have had. This was supposed to be a team that was going to play a more disciplined game and limit the turnovers. Neither has happened over the first month.

Best & Worst NFL Week Three

Week three has come and gone in the National Football League. To call it a wild week around the league would be an understatement. There was last minute heroics, teams that are starting to slip fast, and others that are looking fantastic right out of the gates. Lots to dive into and a whole lot more, so lets not waste anymore time. Here's some of the best, and worst, of the week that was in the NFL!

Best: Isiah Rogers, Cornerback Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota handed the Bengals their first loss of the season, and it happened in a big way. Sunday the Vikings slapped around the Bengals to the tune of a 48-10 mauling, and doing it at home made it all the sweeter. Isiah Rogers was a huge reason for that performance. First, he stepped in front of a pass heading for Ja'Mar Chase and returned it 87 yards for a score. He wasn't done yet. He followed that up by stripping Noah Fant and taking that for 66 yards for his second defensive score on the day. He had more yards by himself then the Bengals did all day through the air. More on that coming up.

Worst: Jake Browning, Quarterback Cincinnati Bengals
Go back to the end of training camp in 2021 and Jake Browning was let go by the Minnesota Vikings, having never taken a snap for them. He joins on with the Bengals as the backup to Joe Burrow, and when he did get playing time he took advantage of it. He had a chance to do that on Sunday, against his former team no less. And he totally laid an egg. Browning was horrible on the day. 19 of 27 for 140 yards a touchdown and a pair of picks. One of those picks was a pick six early on, from which the Bengals could never recover from.

Best: Jonathan Taylor, Running Back Indianapolis Colts
A big day came around for the Colts on Sunday, to the tune of a 41-20 win on the road in Tennessee. Daniel Jones had himself a good day, throwing for 228 yards. That's good enough to help add to the lure of his redemption story that is the 2025 season, so far. But another story on the day was the play of Jonathan Taylor. Because of what Jones did through the air, it opened up the ground game for Taylor. He finished with 17 carries for 102 yards and, just as importantly, three touchdowns. Oh and I almost forgot to mention. That performance upped his season total to 338 yards on the ground, the most by any running back in the league so far this season.

Worst: New England Patriots Ball Security
The goal of the game of football is to hang onto the ball. When you have it, your not supposed to be giving it up. And you would think that a team coached by a guy the talent of Mike Vrable, would be able to hang onto the ball. But that didn't happen to New England on Sunday in a 21-14 loss at home to the Steelers. New England turned the ball over five times on the day, four of which came via the fumble. Rhamondre Stevenson had two himself while Antonio Gibson and Drake Maye had the other two. To make matters worse, two of those fumbles happened inside the Steelers five yard line. And those turnovers cost the Pats the game.

Best: Jordan Davis, Defensive Tackle Philadelphia Eagles
Things looked like they might be getting away from the Eagles on Sunday against the Rams. The Rams were up 26-7 before the Eagles found their game and fought back. But it was two major plays from Jordan Davis that we just as huge if not bigger than what the Eagles offense did. First Davis had a huge chase down and sack of Matthew Stafford late in the football game. Then, as the Eagles were attempting to kick a game winning field goal, which was from 61 yards out, was blocked by Davis. After the block, he had the ware withal to grab the ball and rumble all the way into the endzone for what was the game winning touchdown. Thanks to that play the Eagles walked away with a 33-26 win and remain unbeaten on this young season.

Worst: Michael Penix Jr, Quarterback Atlanta Falcons
There had been such high expectations on Penix when he was taken 8th overall by the Falcons in the 2024 Draft. But in six career starts, Penix has just two wins, one last year over the Giants and last week over Minnesota. Then he turns it around this week in a not so good way, as the Falcons got blanked 30-0 by the Panthers in Carolina. 18 of 36 for 172 yards and a pair of picks got him pulled for Kirk Cousins. He's looked rattled all day long, and those two picks showed the signs of that. He can't seem to get it figured out and unless he does fast, it could be a quick hook for him in Atlanta, a job he took over from a bad throwing Cousins last season.

Best & Worst NFL Week Two

What a week we had in the National Football League. By the time all was said and done, ten teams remain unbeaten, while another ten teams are still searching for their first win on the season. Last Sunday saw four games with former number one overall picks squaring off. We had some big games from offensive weapons, and other games saw some lack luster offensive outputs. So lets not waste anymore time and dive right into it. Here's some of the best, and worst, of week two in the NFL.

Best: Brandon Aubrey, Kicker Dallas Cowboys
You talk about a wild game on Sunday, look no further than this one. It wasn't pretty football but man was it fun. Dallas pulled out a 40-37 overtime win over the New York Giants. When the game went into OT, the teams tied at 37, we saw leads change hands five times in the 34th quarter alone. But the insanity of all of it was saved for the Cowboys thanks to the leg of Brandon Aubrey leg. He drilled the game winner from 64 yards out, a kick that might well have been good from 70. His heroics save the day in Dallas and sent the Giants to 0-2.

Worst: Kaleb Johnson, Running Back Pittsburgh Steelers
There had been some hope going into the season in Pittsburgh that Johnson might be a good back to run the ball with in their backfield. He was a factor in this game, just not the way the Steelers wanted. It's bad enough they got blown out, losing 31-17 to Seattle (at home no loess). Johnson had one rush for one yard on the day. That's bad enough. It was made worse when he let a kickoff bounce through his hands early in the fourth quarter and simply did not go try and recover it. The Seahawks recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown to extend their lead from three points to 10. Yikes.

Best: Detroit Lions Offense
If beating the Packers in week one was good, what they did against the Bears was even better last week. They followed that up with a big win over the Bears, a really big win. Try a 52-21 win at home over Chicago. They rang up 511 yards of offense allowing those 52 points. Amon Ra St Brown (115 yards and three TDs) and Jameson Williams (108 yards and a touchdown) each had massive days. Oh yeah, and they managed to really get something out of the run game this week, which racked up 177 yards among six different ball carriers.

Worst: New York Jets
Now which team is the real New York Jets? The team that almost pulled out a win against the Steelers in the opener, or the team that showed up against Buffalo at home on Sunday? They got the doors blown off 30-10 at home by Buffalo, a game that was never even close. The D couldn't stop the Bills run game, while the offense couldn't get anything right. Justin Fields is out for at least next week, going down with a concussion. Things have to get better for the Jets right? Right?

Best: Daniel Jones, Quarterback Indianapolis Colts
There had been some question marks for Daniel Jones going into this season, taking over in Indy. He hadn't done good when he was with the Giants. Looks like it was the Giants system that failed, because he looks like a totally different quarterback in Indy. He went into Denver, which is a tough place to play, and di a fine job. Indy beat Denver 29-28 at home, and Jones game was a big part of it. He finished 23 of 34 for 316 yards and a touchdown. That's become a sign of things that its not the quarterback, its the system. look at what happened with Sam Darnold and Geno Smith leaving New York and becoming at least serviceable to good at this level. Sure, Jones has less time in his new city so he hasn't been able to really establish it yet. But after the first couple of games, the return on investment looks really good.

Worst: Joe Burrow, Quarterback Cincinnati Bengals
I really do feel bad for Joe Burrow. He looked like he might be able to get the Bengals back on track. until injury struck. Cincinnati got a win over Jacksonville on Sunday, beating the Jags 31-27 at home. Burrow left the game with injury. Turned out to not only be turf toe but it will cost him most of the season. He had to have surgery on it to be able to correct the problem. Just when it looks like things might be going in a great direction for Cincy, they now have to rely on Jake Browning to get them through the next stretch until Burrow comes back this season.