Let's Rumble

The road to Wrestlemania starts right now! The kickoff of the Pay Per View year for World Wrestling Entertainment is here, with the first of the big four events tonight!. The Royal Rumble is here! Winners of tonight's Rumble matches will get a title shot at any title of their choosing at Wrestlemania. There are other matches on the card, but the Rumble are the big ones.

Here's the full card:

Sasha Banks (C) vs Carmella for the Smackdown Women's Title

Asuka & Charlotte (C) vs Shayna Baszler & Nia Jax for the Women's Tag Team Titles

Drew McIntyre (C) vs Goldberg for the WWE Championship

Roman Regins (C) vs Kevin Owens Last Man Standing Match for the Universal Championship

Women's Royal Rumble (Nia Jax, Charlotte Flair, Bianca Belair, Bayley, Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke, Peyton Royce, Alexa Bliss, Shayna Baszler, Liv Morgan, Ruby Riott, Tamina, Natalya and 17 more)

Men's Royal Rumble (Daniel Bryan, Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Otis, The Miz, Jey Uso, Cesaro, Jeff Hardy, Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, Shinsuke Nakamura, Big E, John Morrison, Sheamus, Mustafa Ali, Edge, King Corbin, Rey Mysterio, Dominik Mysterio, Braun Strowman and 9 more).

Rumble matches are always the best part of the big event. There's a lot of history behind it too. Some of the numbers and records for the big even are pretty eye opening.

For the men's Rumble, if you come in at number 27, you got the best odds. That number has produced the most winners at four (Big John Studd 1989, Yokozuna 1993, Bret Hart co-winner 1994, and Stone Cold Steve Austin 2001). If you draw 26, 21, 20, 15, 12, 11, 9 7, 6, or 4, you haven't had any luck as none of those numbers have never won. The coveted final number, 30, has produced three winners (Undertaker 2007, John Cena 2008 and Triple H 2016). Two men ever have started at number 1 and gone the distance (Shawn Michaels 1995 and Chris Benoit 2004).

Ever since 1993, the winner of the Royal Rumble has been granted a shot at the title at Wrestlemania. Since 2005, the winner of the Rumble got to choose which title he would challenge for at the show of shows. The last two Rumble winners, Drew McIntyre and Seth Rollins, have gone on to win the title at Mania, giving the Rumble winners a 16-10 all time record in the Mania main event. The only two times ever that the Rumble winner didn't challenge for the title were Stone Cold in 1997 (due to re entering the rumble after elimination which wasn't seen by the refs) and Mr McMahon in 1999 (he gave up the title shot which ended up going to Stone Cold a month later).

Only five men in history have ever lasted an hour or more in the Rumble match (Greatest Royal Rumble isn't being counted here). They are Rey Mysterio in 2006 (1:02:12 winner), Chris Benoit in 2004 (01:01:13 winner), Bob Backlund in 1993 (01:01:10), Triple H in 2006 (01:00:16) and Chris Jericho in 2017 (01:00:10). Brock Lesnar set the record last year with 13 eliminations in a single Rumble, and four other men have eliminated ten or more opponents in a single match. The others were  Hulk Hogan in 1989 (10), Steve Austin in 1997 (10), Kane in 2001 (11), and Roman Regins in 2017 (12).

The Women's Rumble is only three years old, with Asuka, Becky Lynch and Charlotte being the only winners. Natalya has the record for longevity in the match at 56:01, which was set in 2019. Shayna Baszler and Bianca Belair set the record last year with 8 eliminations each.

This years Rumble should be an enjoyable show, it usually is!

No Call To The Hall

It's an right of passage. Being called a Hall of Famer. Hearing those words has a very special meaning to them. It means that, whatever you did, you were better then the rest. You had something special about you and you achieved greater then others in the same spot. To be considered a hall of famer in baseball means you were truly great at what you did on the baseball diamond. For the 2021 class, it will be a little bit different this year, Nobody was able to get the 75% of votes needed for induction, the first time this has happened since 1960.

This is what the final vote totals looked like for this year, with Curt Schilling coming the closest to getting induction into Cooperstown. We will get into more detail in a bit. In an interesting twist, Schilling wrote a letter asking to be left off the ballot next year, his last year on it.

"I will not participate in the final year of voting. I am requesting to be removed from the ballot. I'll defer to the veterans committee and men whose opinions actually matter and who are in a position to actually judge a player," Schilling wrote. "I don't think I'm a hall of famer as I've often stated but if former players think I am then I'll accept that with honor." (ESPN)

Schilling has the right to feel how he does about this. A large part of what could be keeping Schilling out of the hall is some of the political statements he has made over the years. His remarks that were made back in 2016 got him suspended, and subsequently fired from ESPN may have also played a factor into keeping him out of the hall, at least that's the viewpoint of some. The way it is widely viewed among outsiders is that anybody who does or says anything that stains the image of baseball is going to be kept out of induction. I'm not saying its right, I'm just saying that the viewpoint so far as I can see it. And it doesn't just stop at Curt Schilling, it goes much deeper then that.

Here's what makes this such a hot button debate. We're now getting into the era when some of the players associated with steroids, whether they took them or not, are going to start really popping up for induction. This is where the writers start using the morality judgement and standard, in my view, as to getting in or not in that regards. I don't think its just steroids that play a factor. It's also other off the field issues, as mentioned above. Now there's no actual proof, when it comes to either Bonds or Clemens, that either guy took anything. With Clemens I can buy that, but with Bonds, give me a break. The eye test with Barry Bonds tells you everything. Skinny with the Pirates, bigger with the Giants, back to skinny again as a hitting coach with the Marlins. We'll get into more details and debates over this in time.

With this happening, that has is now looking forward to the 2022 hall of fame class. The first timers to hit the ballot next year include: Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, Mark Teixeira, Jimmy Rollins, Carl Crawford, Jake Peavy, Coco Crisp, Justin Morneau, Prince Fielder, Joe Nathan, Scott Kazmir, Tim Lincecum, Jonathan Papelbon, A.J. Pierzynski, and Ryan Howard, just to name a few.

Lets hear from you. What are your thoughts on not only this year/s but next year too!

Sorokin Left Hanging

We are five games into the 2020-21 NHL Season and the New York Islanders sit at 3-2-0 to begin the season. One of the major storylines going into this season was rookie netminder Ilya Sorokin. He had a lot of questions coming into the year, like how well would he adjust to North America? How well would he adjust to the new style of play over here on a smaller ice surface? He's put up good numbers to begin his career, but after his first two starts in the big leagues, he's still in search of his first win. Why is that? The guys in front of him aren't getting him support.

Both of the Islanders losses this season have come with Sorokin in net.Not sure if that's considence or not, but its worth pointing out. He was better in his last outing on Sunday against the Devils, compared to his first start against the Rangers in the second game of the year. This isn't a shot at Sorokin by any means, his numbers have been OK. He's given up seven goals in the two starts, which I attribute to getting used to the new angles and what not playing on the smaller ice surfaces here in North America. He's got a 3.57 goals against average and an .857 Save percentage. Again decent numbers given the adjustment.

But in the two games Sorokin has started, the Islanders were shut out in both games, 5-0 by the Rangers and 2-0 by New Jersey. That's a problem. Yes I do realize that its five games into what is going to be a very strange 2020-21 hockey season, but that's already setting off a little alarm in my head. You scored a total of nine goals with Varlamov in net, but Sorokin gets no support. I really can't explain why the Islanders offense seems to disappear when Varly isn't in the nets. Maybe I'm reading into something way too early in the season, which is possible a lot of fans will do that.

Sorokin seemed to find his game a little more against the Devils compared to his first start on boardway. But not getting any offensive support has got to be a little bit frustrating. Maybe by his next start, which could possibly be this weekend against the Flyers in the back to back, the offense can actually show up and give him some goal support?

Another Legend Passes

At a certain point in life, things start getting taken away. We know its going to happen eventually. Sometimes we're ready for it. Sometimes we're not. There's times where an athletes can leave an incredible mark on this world, and Hank Aaron was one of them. For everything he did on, and off the field after his career ended, he will live on forever. The news came out this morning that Hammering Hank Aaron has passed away this morning at the age of 86.

People always talk about Hank Aaron, for his contributions to the game of baseball and for the numbers he put up on the field. He started his career in 1954 and played his final game in 1976. During that time, he played with the Braves, first in Milwaukee, staying with the team to the move to Atlanta. His final two years were with the Brewers in the AL in 1975 and 1976. He finished his career with a .305 lifetime average, 755 home runs (broken by Barry Bonds), 2,297 RBI's (most in history), 3,771 hits (3rd behind Ty Cobb and Pete Rose) and 2,171 runs scored. If you take away his career home run totals, he still would have finished with 3,016 career hits. Aaron won a World Series title with the Braves in 1957, the same year he won his only NL MVP award. He won three gold gloves, two batting titles, four time NL home run leader and was a twenty five time all star.

He was such a good ball player. Aaron was a very well rounded baseball player. He could do it all. May not have excelled at one thing, he was just a good all around player. And he was more then that, he was an all around good person. He looked out for other people and would give back as often as he could. A lot of people around the game commented today on how nice and down to earth and genuine a person Aaron was. He was also known for his business acumen as well, paving the way for a lot of people to get into the business world after his playing career ended.

Aaron left behind a legacy as being one of the great players and people to ever walk on to a diamond. And all of this is just the tip of the iceberg for who Hank Aaron was. He will be badly missed.

Championship Weekend Preview

Championship weekend in the NFL has arrived. Plenty of storylines to go around. Can the champs get back on top? Can Buffalo finally snap a super bowl drought? Can Brady get back to the big game again? Is there another run in this for Rogers? We will find all that out by Sunday afternoon. Lets get into it right now. Championship games are here and here's how it goes down.

First up,, but  with a 3:05 kickoff, its the wild card winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers taking on the NFC North Champion Green Bay Packers in the NFC title game. Tampa Bay reached the title game after beating Washington wild card weekend and New Orleans in the divisional round. This marks the first NFC Title game appearance for the Bucs since 2002 and the 4th time ever they've played in this game. Their only win in the NFC title game came back in 2002. Green Bay got here by beating the Rams in the divisional round. This marks the 2nd year in a row for the Packers in the NFC title game and the 9th time overall, going 3-5 in previous 8 games. This is the 2nd ever meeting between teams in the playoffs, with the Packers winning the only other meeting in the 1997 divisional round.

This is the battle of the old guard of sorts between the quarterbacks. Tom Brady taking on Aaron Rogers is going to be one of those kind of knock down drag out fights. Green Bay can throw the ball, there's no argument there. They have the better shot at the deep game then what the Bucs saw against the Saints last week. Green Bay has the talent to hang with anybody, which is why they finished with the best record in the NFC this year. But the Packers can be shut down and the Bucs have a pretty good defense. Look what they did against New Orleans last week. The Bucs have a balanced attack at both running and throwing the ball. Fournette and Jones make a pretty good one, two punch at being able to run the ball. Evans and Goodwin are pretty good at catching the ball as well, so Tampa has the ability, at least on paper better then Green Bay, to be able to move the ball around. You also have to factor weather into this game too. Brady maybe used to the cold, but some of his backs and receivers might not be as used to it, which could end up helping the Packers a little as far as staying in this game goes. At the end of the day I think that the Bucs might be a slightly hotter team.

Pick: Tampa Bay 30, Green Bay 27

Then, the AFC title game, which kicks off at 5:40, will see the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills taking on the AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas CIty got here after dispatching Cleveland in the divisional round to make it to the AFC title game for the 3rd year in a row. Its also the 3rd time ever that the Chiefs are in the title game. They are 1-1, beating the Titans last year and losing to New England the year before. Buffalo got here by beating Indianapolis in the wild card round and Baltimore in the divisional round. Its the first AFC title game appearance for the Bills since 1993. Buffalo is 8-1 lifetime in the AFC title game, this being the 10th game. This is the 4th ever meeting between teams in the playoffs, with the Bills winning two of the previous three.

The complexity of this game changed greatly last week when Patrick Mahomes left the game with a concussion. There's no way of knowing whether, as of this writing, he's going to be good to go. even if Mahomes does go, there's no way of knowing how effective of a passer he's going to be. Chad Henne is a decent QB at this level, but its a major downgrade from Mahomes if he can't go. And with the way that Hill and Kelce have played in the passing game, its going to make things tough for a good Buffalo defense to deal with. Kansas City already beat the Bills 26-17 back in week six. But this could be a much different situation between then and now and a lot of it is going to depend on QB play and Mahomes health. At the other side of things, Josh Allen outplayed a quarterback with a similar style in Lamar Jackson last weekend. Buffalo has had a pretty balanced attack and their defense has been stiflingly good this year. They got by on the skin of their teeth against the Colts and did a little better against Baltimore last weekend. This one is a little closer to call but I think, with the way last week played out, edge has to go to the team in Blue.

Pick: Buffalo 30, Kansas City 27

Divisional Round Preview

Divisional weekend in the NFL has finally arrived. We got eight teams left standing on a journey that started with 32. We got quite a few storylines heading into this weekend. We got two teams that are here that just ended long playoff droughts. We got another divisional matchup this weekend. We got the defending champs looking to take another step closer to a repeat performance. And we have four of the very best QB's in the game squaring off this weekend. Leading up to one very exciting weekend of football. So lets get right into it. Here's how divisional weekend is going down.

First up, with the 3:40 kickoff Saturday is the Los Angeles Rams taking on the Green Bay Packers. Los Angeles is coming off the win in Seattle last week to get to the divisional round. it marks the second time in three years that the Rams got out of wild card weekend. Rams are looking to get back to the NFC title game for the second time in three years. They go up against a Packers team that's coming off its second straight 13-3 season and NFC North title. Green Bay has won a round in each of the last four trips to the playoffs. Green Bay is trying to get to the NFC title game for the second year in a row. This marks the 3rd ever meeting between the clubs in the playoffs, with the teams splitting the first two meetings.

Los Angeles did a pretty good job with the run game against Seattle last week, which is a hard thing to do against that Seahawks front line, but they did it. Akers 131 rush yards says a lot against that kind of a D. It also served well to open up play action for Geoff to work with Kupp and Woods on the outside and Geoff didn't have to do as much with his injured throwing hand as you might have expected. But they aren't used to playing in the kind of cold they're going to have to deal with playing at Lambeau. And for as good as Geoff has been with Kupp and Woods in the passing game, Rogers has been even better with Davante Adams. And knowing Sean McVay, he's going to throw something at Aaron Rogers to try and get him off his game. It might not totally work. Lets face it the Rams defense will put up the fight, no doubt about it. But lets be real the Packers have a little more offensive firepower going for it then Los Angeles does. The NFC title game is going through Lambeau.

Pick: Packers 30, Rams 21

Second game on Saturday, with an 8:15 kickoff, is the Baltimore Ravens taking on the Buffalo Bills. Baltimore is back in the divisional round for the second year in a row, following a win over the Titans last weekend. Its the first Ravens playoff win since 2014. As for Buffalo, the win last week over the Colts was Buffalo's first playoff victory since 1995. This game marks the first ever meeting between the Bills and Ravens in the playoffs.

This is going to be a fun QB battle between Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. Both guys are pretty good dual threat QB's so its the most evenly balanced matchup of the entire weekend. Whats going to be the difference in this game is can the receivers make the big plays? With the way that both Beasley and Diggs have been playing for Buffalo, they have the edge. This isn't a slight against Marquise Brown or Mark Andrews in Baltimore, as both are fine pass catchers and play makers. The key in this game is going to be slowing down the other quarterback. Not to take anything away from what Baltimore's defense can do. They managed to shut down Derrick Henry last week. But Buffalo's defense is playing at a different level then the Ravens and they have for most of the year. That's going to be the key. its going to be a close ball game, but at the end of the day Allen is going to make more plays then Jackson.

Pick: Bills 30, Ravens 27

First up on Sunday, with a 2:05 kickoff, is the Cleveland Browns taking on the Kansas City Chiefs. Thanks to the Browns win over the Steelers last week, its the first time they've advanced in a playoff game since 1994. That was also the last time the Browns saw the divisional round and are looking to make the championship game for the first time since 1989. As for Kansas City, the defending champs won the West for the 5th straight year with a 14-2 record. They're looking to get to the AFC title game for the 3rd year in a row. This is the first ever meeting between the teams in the playoffs.

Cleveland is coming off a huge upset win over the Steelers, a game which they dominated and forced Pittsburgh into turnovers. That's been a staple for the Browns this year is getting pressure on the other team. They also had a pretty good power running game from Chubb and Hunt, and are going to try and go with them again this week. They can also throw the ball and Mayfield can go with the group of his wide outs. But your going up against a better built passing game in Kansas City. Mahomes should be  able to have plenty of work for Kelce and Hill. Kansas City has a pretty good defense that is going to put pressure on Mayfield and take full advantage of whatever mistakes Cleveland makes. The Browns secondary hasn't been great and with the way the Chiefs throw the ball, it going to be rough for Cleveland.

Pick: Chiefs 34, Browns 17

Final game of the weekend is a 6:40 kickoff Sunday night between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints. After beating Washington Wild Card Weekend, this marks the first Bucs playoff win since 2002. Tampa is looking to get to the NFC title game for the first time since that 2002 season. After beating the Bears last weekend in the Wild Card Game, New Orleans won for the first time since 2018. The Saints are looking to reach the NFC title game for the first time since that 2018 season. New Orleans won both meetings between the teams during the regular season. This marks the first ever playoff meeting between the two clubs.

We finally get the dream playoff matchup that everybody wants. Tom Brady vs Drew Brees. The Saints have blasted the Bucs in both meetings between the two teams this season. Both teams have weapons in both the passing and running games. Rushing edge has to go to the Saints. Kamar is better then Fornette. Passing game is a slight edge to the Bucs with Evans, Goodwin and Gronk. For as good as Brady is, Brees and Co. seem to have had his number this year and the Saints D have caused Brady into situations he isn't comfortable with. It's going to be a battle of wills between the two quarterbacks and offenses. Brady has never lost to a team three times in one season. That is until now. Brees has the advantage in his final year and seems to be finding his groove. He's find the edge over Tom and is going to be able to get it here.

Pick: Saints 34, Bucs 31

2020-21 NHL Season Preview

The time has finally arrived. We kick off the next chapter in the history of the National Hockey League with the start of a brand new season. It took a little while, but the 2020-21 NHL Season is getting under way and we're here to break it all down. This season is going to look a little different then in years past, as we got the divisions re aligned for the year, due to COVID concerns. All the Canadian clubs will play in the North Division. Teams in the States are broken up into the West, Central and East divisions.

Before we start breaking down who's going to finish where during this 56 game shortened season, we got some new faces in new places we have to dive into. We got new coaches in Dallas (Rick Bowness), Calgary (Geoff Ward), Minnesota (Dean Evanson), New Jersey (Lindy Ruff), San Jose (Bob Boughner), and Washington (Peter Laviolette). There was also a lot of player movement between the end of last season and now. Taylor Hall (Buffalo), Alex Pietrangelo (Vegas), Jacob Markstrom (Calgary), Kevin Shattenkirk (Anaheim), Bryaden Holtby (Vancouver), Wayne Simmons (Toronto), Torey Krug (St Louis), Thomas Greiss (Detroit), Joe Thornton (Toronto), and Zedeno Chara (Washington) were some of the bigger names that have moved on to new teams during the offseason.

Now lets get into it, here's how we see the 2020-21 Season going down.

West Division

1. Colorado Avalanche (81 Points)*
This is a loaded team that came within a game of winning the Western Conference last season. And there's still a lot of talent on this Colorado roster. Just look at the core on this team. Nathan MacKinnon, Gabriel Landeskog, Mikko Rantanen, Nazem Kadri, and Cale Maker makes for a hell of a core to build around. They can score and they can play defense. What scares me in Denver, is the goaltending. Philipp Grubauer is a solid netminder, but look around the rest of this division. The goaltending in some spots blows the doors off Colorado. Look the Avalanche have the talent to be able to go on a deep run, but goaltending is what's going to be the deciding factor.

2. Vegas Golden Knights (80 Points)*
What's to really stop the Golden Knights from going on a deep run this year? They have a different style of offense attack, they are all over the puck. Stone, Tuch, Pacioretty, Marchessault, Karlsson lead a pretty balanced offensive attack out in Vegas. Pietrangelo was brought on board to help anchor a blue line that's also got plenty of talent in Theodore, Holden and Martinez. Oh and they have a pretty good one-two punch in Fleury and Lenher. Lehner is the biggest key in net for the Golden Knights who are primed for another deep run. With the way they are shaping up, they are going to give the Avs a strong run for their money this year.

3. St Louis Blues (78 Points)*
Vladimir Tarasenko missing most of last season due to injury hurt the Blues, more so evident when they were beaten by the Canucks in the playoffs. He's back this season and looks to be healthy, but he's coming back to a different team. Pietrangelo is in Vegas, Steen retired. Adding Torey Krug is a huge plus for St Louis to replace some of what they lost since last season ended. There's no doubt the Blues will be able to put the puck towards the net, but its at the other end I'm questioning. Can Jordan Binnington find his form again close to what you saw from him during the Cup run? If he can come close to that, then the Blues should have no problem making a lot of noise in this division and even maybe upset the two teams ahead of them. The talent is there, they just need to be able to pull it all together.

4. Minnesota Wild (70 Points)*
After getting bounced by the Canucks last year in the qualifying round, the Wild are looking to try and make a little more noise in this division this season. They got a boost in net by adding Cam Talbot, who will be a vast improvement over Alex Stalock and his 20 wins last year. In front of him Jonas Brodin and Matt Dumba are anchoring that defense corps which still has Ryan Suter and Jared Spurgon. Those four are going to be leading the way for the Wild on the line. When it comes to scoring, Minnesota should still be able to find the back of the net. Zach Parise still has a little left in the tank, while Kevin Fiala is going to look to build off leading the team in scoring last season. Nick Bjugstad and Nick Bonino are leading things up the middle and expect some support from Marcus Johansson and, when he returns, Mats Zuccarello. They aren't as top heavy and talented as the teams above them, but they will be good enough to get into the playoffs.

5. Arizona Coyotes (65 Points)
Last year, Arizona surprised quite a few people by making the playoffs. They beat Nashville in the qualifying round before losing to Colorado in the opening round. But they've lost a few key pieces from the playoff team to now. The biggest one is Taylor Hall no longer here, since he signed in Buffalo. They're going to have to rely on the young guns in the Desert if they want a chance to make any kind of noise. Nick Schmaltz going to have to be on his game like he was last season. Clayton Keller and Conor Garland are also going to have to step it up. So is Phil Kessel, who may not have much left in the tank but he's got enough to show some people he can still produce. Oliver Ekman-Larsson going to be leading things from the blueline, and he has some help in the form of Alex Goligoski and Niklas Hjalmarsson. That's also a slight problem. Age is a factor in the Desert. In net, Antti Raanta and Darcy Kuemper are OK, but not great. Going to be a bit of a slow going in Arizona.

6. Anaheim Ducks (60 Points)
Was a rough go of it for California hockey last year, with all three clubs missing the playoffs. Doesn't look like it going to get any better this year. They brought in a good piece to add to the mix bringing in a guy like Kevin Shattenkirk. He still got plenty in the tank and can be somebody that the Ducks back end could build around. Along with Cam Fowler, the Ducks have hope for their blueline for a long time. Ryan Miller and John Gibson again make up the one two punch in the Ducks net, and while Miller isn't as good as he once was, Gibson might still be able to steal a game or two. Anaheim hasn't really done much to replace what they got up front. Ryan Getzlaf isn't getting any younger, but Jakob Silfverberg and Adam Henrique might be able to pick up some of the slack for the Ducks.

7. Los Angeles Kings (50 Points)
There's a fairly good mix of youth and experience in this Kings locker room. Starting in net, Jonathan Quick is going to be relied on a lot by LA. If he can stay healthy and on his game, the Kings can climb out of the California basement. But if things don't go right for Quick, there's nothing really behind him. Drew Doughty and Olli Maatta are anchoring a very young defense corp. Up front, LA is still lead by Carter, Kopitar and Brown. They brought in some new legs with Andreas Athanasiou. It's a decent team, but there isn't enough to get LA out of the bottom.

8. San Jose Shark s(49 Points)
There might be some flipping throughout the year at the bottom of the West between them and the Kings. San Jose is one of the older teams in the league this year. Patrick Marleau is back at 41 and has a chance to break Gordie Howe's games played record. Him and Brent Burns are the elder statesman on this team and are expected to to provide some veteran leadership for this team. There is some young talent here. Martin Jones is going to hold things down in net, Erik Karlsson is doing so on the blue line and Evander Kane, Tomas Hertl and Matt Nieto are going to be doing that up front. Not sure yet if this team has the talent in the right place to take that next step.

North Division

1. Toronto Maple Leafs (84 Points)*
For whatever reason, Toronto can't seem to get it done when it matters most come spring time. With the the talent that on this team, you'd like to think that the Leafs would be able to go farther. There's plenty of offensive talent that can lead the way in Toronto. With a core that consists of Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, John Tavares, and William Nylander, who's to say that the Leafs can't really make a lot of noise. They added veteran presence with the likes of Jason Spezza (who's back for another year) and Joe Thornton who's looking for another shot. They've got a good mix on defense with the likes of  Jake Muzzin, Morgan Riley, T.J. Brodie and Zach Bogosian leading the charge. What has me worried is in net. Can Fredrick Andersen finally solve the Leafs problems between the pipes?

2. Edmonton Oilers (82 Points)*
 There still a sour taste in the Oilers mouth after losing to the Hawks in the qualifying round last year. But there's plenty of talent here in Edmonton to really keep the Oilers down. With Leon Draisaitl, Conor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins leading the offensive charge, there's nothing to stop this team. They have offensive depth down the middle and can lead a rush with almost any team in the league. The only thing that can even remotely hold back this Oilers club is the back end. They let up 14 goals in just four games against Chicago in the playoffs last year. Larsson, Nurse and Barrie had better start to tighten things up back there, or they're going to leave either Mike Smith or whoever out to dry in net. 

3. Calgary Flames (80 Points)*
Lots of good things to be getting excited about in Calgary this year. They still have that good young core in tact, with guys like Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Sean Monahan, and Johnny Gaudreau. Mark Giordano, the elder statesman on this club, leads a decent defense crop that has Chris Tanev and Noah Hanifin to work with. What sticks out for me with Calgary is in net. This is now the time for David Rittich to really step up and take hold of the position, which was slowly being groomed to be his anyway. Now's his shot to really take hold of it. Jacob Markstrom is more of a support system, but lets be real here, this is Rittich's time in the nets and how far the Flames go will depend on how well he plays.

4. Winnipeg Jets (75 Points )*
Connor Hellebuyck won 31 games in the Jets nets last year and was a big reason why the Jets were able to hang around in the playoff race a season ago. That's not to take anything away from the Winnipeg offense, but it was really the goaltending that kept them in the hunt most of the year. It will be the strong point again this year. In front of Hellebuyck is what leaves a little to be desired. Josh Morrissey, Luca Sbisa and Nathan Beaulieu lead a defensive group that leaves something to be desired. Luckly, the forward group is kinda good. Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers, Mark Scheifele can all go and find ways to be able to put the puck in the back of the net. What's really going to be a deciding factor for this team getting into the playoffs will be if the defense can step its game up to a new level and if the goaltending can have a repeat of what it did last year.

5. Montreal Canadiens (73 Points)
What is going to keep the hope for the Habs alive for possibly reaching the playoffs and that's their goaltending. The combination of Jake Allen and Carey Price gives fans in Montreal real hope for a long haul between the pipes. They have a blue line that isn't getting any younger, with Weber and Petry leading the charge. They brought in Corey Perry for some offensive depth, and they have a few weapons that can provide a little punch. Brendan Gallagher, Paul Byron and Tomas Tatar could provide something to build around for the Montreal offense. There's not as much that can really compete up in the top of this division, but it will be enough to stick around for a bit.

6. Vancouver Canucks (72 Points)
This is a team that has a similar problem to Montreal. Thatcher Demko has some potential to make a name in this league. Vancouver then upped the anty by signing Braden Holtby, giving him a fresh start north of the boarder. Vancouver lost a lot of talent from last year's playoff run, but they still have a pretty solid core to work with too. Brock Besser and Bo Horvat are going to be very good for a long time in this division. There is a good mix of young and veteran talent on this team, but they are still a few years away from really contending in this division, or even in the West when we are back under regular settings. Still there's a lot to look forward in Western Canada.

7. Ottawa Seantors (60 Points)
Maybe giving the Sens that many points this year could be generous. They're making little steps in the right direction though. Adding Matt Murray between the pipes was a good move and he's in the Ottawa nets for a while. Another guy they can build around in Ottawa is Brady Tkachuk. Outside of him, this is a team that's pretty much cast off's from teams around the rest of the league. There's really not much to work with for the Sens outside of the couple of guys mentioned. Murry can provide some stability in net and Tkachuk is turning into a star. Otherwise its going to be a long 56 games for Ottawa.

Central Division

1. Tampa Bay Lightning (88 Points)*
Nothing has really changed for the core of the defending Stanley Cup Champions down in Tampa. They brought almost everybody back from last season when the Bolts won their second title in franchise history. The only thing that really changed for the Bolts from last season to this year is Nikita Kucherov, as he is going to be out for all of this season with a hip injury. The thing that really helps the Bolts is that they are so deep on offense that losing Kucherov, while a big blow for any other team, isn't really going to hurt Tampa. They still have Point, Killorn, Cirelli, and some guy name Stamkos, who last I checked is still kinda good.Not having Kevin Shattenkirk on the back end changes things a bit for the Bolts, but they have more then enough talent there to cover for him signing elsewhere. Victor Hedman still leads a group on defense that has Ryan McDonagh Jan Rutta, Luke Schenn, and Mikhail Sergachev. In Net Curtis McElhinney and Andrei Vasilevskiy shouldn't have a problem building off the successs they had as a tandom last year. This team is good, they're deep, and they look to keep the success going from last year.

2. Dallas Stars (84 Points)*
With the new division breakdown for this season being different, due to COVID, the team that just lost to the Bolts in the finals will now square off with them in the same division. They still have a pretty solid one two punch in their lineup with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin. Can the rest of the support show up and stay consistent with them? Denis Gurianov is coming off a 20 goal season last year, so that's something they can build off of. And he's going to have to step it up cause Seguin going to be out with a hip injury till April. Roope Hintz and Joel Kiviranta are going to take on a bigger role, with Kiviranta having the big playoffs last year as a rookie. The defensive unit is solid, with John Klingberg and Miro Heiskanen leading the way, but the absence of Ben Bishop, due to injuries, could very well be interesting. They have a solid netminder in Anton Khudobin, who got Dallas deep into the playoffs. They'll be good enough for another good run in them this year.

3. Carolina Hurricanes (79 Points)*
Carolina seems like one of those teams that are always going to be hanging around in the thick of the playoff picture. Looking at the teams ahead of them, Carolina might be able to match the offense and defense of the other two clubs. What could hold the Canes back is the goaltending. Petr Mrazek and James Reimer are solid goalies, but neither of them are really going to set the world on fire. That's the only thing that stopping Carolina from really hanging in the mix with Dallas and Tampa this year. The defense core, lead by Slavin and Hamilton, will be solid again this year. So will the offense being led by Aho, Jordan Staal, McGinn, and a young up and comer in Svechnikov. Should Carolina get its netminding figured out, they could be a dangerous hockey club.

4. Nashville Predators (75 Points)*
Just like the quarterback in football, goaltending in hockey is going to be key and Nashville has some solid ones. Yes Pekka Rinne isn't getting any younger, so its making it tougher for him to really be as reliable as he has in years past. But Juuse Saros is good enough to pick up some of the slack. In front of them, Roman Josi, Ryan Ellis and Mattias Ekholm are going to be counted on to lead the charge. There is some scoring depth here, with the likes of Duchene, Forsberg, Haula and Johansen. What has me puzzled with the Preds is do they have the firepower to really be able to hang in with the upper class teams? I'm not totally sold on paper. Still its going to be good enough to be able to get them in.

5. Columbus Blue Jackets (70 Points)
Columbus has a good mix that might possibly surprise people and keep it interesting in this division. Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins make a pretty good tandum in the Jackets nets. And they have two solid young anchors on the blue line with Seth Jones and Zach Werenski. Up front Boon Jenner, Cam Atkinson and Nick Foligno are the guys lading the charge. That's the difference between them and Nashville. The back end in Nashville isn't as young or as quick, but the forwards might be able to match up a little bit. At the end of the day it just feels like the Jackets are going to take a slight step back this season.

6. Florida Panthers (68 Points)
There are still some big expectations in the nets from Sergei Bobrovsky. After all the Panthers did sign the man known as Bob to a big contract and he hasn't been able to quite live up to the hype just yet. Out in front of him, Aaron Ekblad is still going to be counted on for pulling some big minutes down for Florida because he still doesn't have quite enough help from a depth point of view to really make the Panthers better. Up front its the Huberdeau and Barkov show in Sunrise. Those two guys are going to carry the offense for Florida once again. There isn't enough real scoring depth to advance them this season.

7. Chicago Blackhawks (66 Points)
The glory years have passed by this core in Chicago. Keith, Seabrook, Kane and Toews are still impact players but they aren't getting any younger and they haven't had the pieces in the Windy City in order to be able to replace them. They had changes in net with Malcom Subban and Colin Delia taking over between the pipes, which is a huge change for the Hawks in their nets. Calvin de Haan is going to be counted on to take on a bigger role on the blue line. Up front, Dylan Strome, Alex DeBrincat and Dominik Kubalik are going to be counted on to step up their game. Chicago did manage to upset Edmonton in the restart last year to get into the playoffs, But they made too many changes and aren't going to be close to challenging this year.

8 Detroit Red Wings (64 points)
Detroit has been in a rebuilding phase for quite some time now and its looking like its still going to take a little while longer. Looking at the lineup, Detroit didn't really do much of anything. Robby Fabbri is here to help out with the offense, joining Luke Glendening and Dylan Larkin at the head of the charge. Marc Staal and Danny DeKeyser are taking the charge on the blueline. And Thomas Greiss was signed to a neat deal in net to make a good pair with Jonathan Bernier. Still, even with that bunch there isn't enough here to get the Wings out of the basement.

East Division

1. Philadelphia Flyers (88 Points)*
This was the toughest of the four divisions to try and make the picks for. I'm just giving the edge to the Flyers over the rest. From the back out the Flyers look pretty good. Carter Hart expected to carry the loads in the net again in Philadelphia this year, and he's got a decent running buddy in Brian Elliott. The rest of the core for this Flyers team is still in tact. Shayne Gostisbehere, Erik Gustafsson, and Ivan Provorov will be leading a mostly young defensive group. Up front its the deadly tandom of Claude Giroux and Jacob Voracek leading a pretty good scoring unit. They aren't the only weapons. The Flyers have Couturier, Patrick, Hayes, JVR. They're loaded. Philadelphia is going to be a very tough team to go against this year.

2. Boston Bruins (86 Points)*
They aren't going to be as good as the team that won the Presidents Trophy last year, but the Bruins still have a very good hockey team. They still have one of the very best goalie tandoms in all of the league in Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak. Rask is coming off leaving the bubble early last year, so who knows what kind of performance we are going to see out of him yet. But if he's on his game look out. The blue line in Boston took a major blow losing both Zedeno Chara and Torey Krug over the off season. They still have Charlie McAvoy and Matt Grzelcyk, who can try and fill those big shoes, and they're pretty big shoes to fill. Up front, the Bruins still have a pretty impressive offense being lead by Bergeron (the new team captain) and Krejci. They have help with David Pastranak, when he comes back from injury, Jake DeBrusk, Charlie Coyle and Sean Kuraly. Having two key pieces leave on defense are going to knock the Bruins down a peg or two this season, but they are still good enough to be one of the favorites in this division.

3. New York Islanders (85 Points)*
Last season was a tremendous year for the Islanders, reaching the conference finals for the first time since 1993. There's been a few changes made to the team since the last time they were on the ice. Johnny Boychuk retired, Thomas Greiss is now in Detroit and they traded Devon Toews to Colorado for draft picks. Still there's plenty to get excited about this season on Long Island. Semyon Varalmov is back and will be the mentor for Ilya Sorokin. Nick Leddy, Scott Mayfield, Adam Pelech and Ryan Pulock are going to be key players for the blueline. The offense will once again be revolving around star Matt Barzal. Him, Lee, Nelson, Beauviller, Pageau and Eberle are going to be the driving force for this team. And it allows for young guys like Wahlstrom and Bellows to step up and make an impact with the big club. The core on this team is in tact for quite a while and they have more room to build with the cap in the next few years so there's plenty of time and room for this hockey club to build off what has been a pretty good last few seasons.

4. Washington Capitals (85 Points)*
This is a Caps team that took the Metro division last year and had the 3rd best record in the East, but was quickly shown the door in the first round last year by the Isles. This is going to be a step back year for Washington. Holtby is gone, he's now in Vancouver. Peter Laviolette now has a new starter in net in the form of Ilya Samsonov. He got a little more support on his blue line with the addition of Zedeno Chara to the line that already has talent on it. John Carlson and Dimitri Orlov. Oh and you still have plenty of offensive weapons in the likes of Ovechkin, Kuznetsov, Backstrom, Oshie, Vrana and even a surprise in a guy like Tom Wilson, who had an impact in DC last year. There still plenty of fierpower in Washington and haven't lost too many pieces, but what's going to really be a measuring stick for the Capitals is how well they are going to hold up in net without Holtby there.

5. Pittsburgh Penguins (82 Points)
Same thing that I mentioned about Washington can also be made for Pittsburgh. When you still have two of the very best players in the game in Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, it's going to be really hard to count the Penguins out. Matt Murray is gone to Ottawa, so its all on Tristen Jarry in the Pens net, which really isn't leaving much hope. Look Jarry is a solid goalie but when you go from Flurry to Murray to then him, it leaves something to be desired in the nets in the Steel City. Also the D looks like it could take a slight step back. Kris Latang is the leader on the back end but hasn't been able to maintain a level of health and doesn't have much help. The Pens can roll a little on offense but might not have enough of the horses to get into the playoffs.

6. New York Rangers (81 Points)
The rebuild has come on Broadway faster then expected and they are getting even better. Its also the end of an era in New York as Lundqvist is no longer there. Instead the guard as switched to Igor Shestyorkin and Alexandar Georgiev. With both of those guys in net, its a very bright future for the Rangers. In front of them on the blue line, Jack Johsnon is getting a shot to find his legs again in the NHL. Putting him with Adam Fox and Tony DeAngelo, you got something to possibly build around on Broadway. What's key for the Rangers is, no question here, there offense. With Panarin coming off what some consider an MVP season last year, Mika Zibanejad really hitting his stride with 40 gaoals, and adding a young star in drafting Alexis Lafreniere, there's a very bright future on Broadway.

7. Buffalo Sabres (75 Points)
I had held some slightly higher hopes for the Sabres with the way last season started, but Buffalo faded at the wrong time. I give Buffalo credit for trying to build around franchise star Jack Eichel, who really is the face of the team. They bring in both Eric Staal, via trade, and Taylor Hall on a one year deal. They drafted Jack Quinn 8th overall, you still got Kyle Okposo. They're nice pieces up front, a pretty decent squad that might be able to generate some good offense. The back end has Dahlin and McCabe leading it, which is alright at best. In net, there's still something to be desired. Hutton and Ulmark are decent, but that's really about it. 

8. New Jersey Devils (74 Points)
A small part of me feels bad for the Devils. It looked like Corey Crawford was going to come in and provide a little stability in net, then he up and retires before the start of the season> Mackenzie Blackwood is an alright goalie, but isn't quite ready to be a show stealing number one man just yet. PK Subban and Will Butcher are the best defenders on this team, and they need help on the line. up front, they got something to go with in the form of Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier to go around. There's the veteran presence of Travis Zajac and Kyle Palmieri, but lets face the facts here. The Devils are in the toughest division of the bunch and simply don't have the weapons to really be able to hang with the other talent here.

Wild Card Weekend Preview

Wild Card weekend has arrived. We talked about it last night on the show, but here it is in written form. The chase for the Lombardi Trophy is underway. Green Bay and Kansas City have the bye and will be getting this week off. The rest of the bunch square off to see who makes it to the divisional round. Can Kansas City repeat? Can Baltimore erase the sting from last years defeat? Can Chicago or Washington actually win a round? All these questions will be answered in due time. Right now its Wild Card time and here's how we see it going down.

First up, we have the wild card winning Indianapolis Colts taking on the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills. Indy made the playoffs at 11-5 and is the 2nd time in the last three years that the Colts are a playoff team. Buffalo has made the playoffs for the 2nd year in a row and third time in the last four years. They finished 13-3, winning the AFC East for the first time since 1995. This is the first every playoff meeting between the two teams.

Buffalo hasn't won the division since 1995, which also happened to be the last time they actually won a playoff game. Buffalo has had a solid mix the last few games of running and passing the ball. Indy has gone over the 100 rush yard each of the final five games and rush for over two hundred yards twice. The Colts have a decent mix as well but as good as Philip Rivers has been, Josh Allen has been even better. Buffalo was a top four team in every offensive area. Buffalo also finished in the top five in every defensive area. To be fair, Indy isn't a pushover. But this is the best team that the Bills have had in over twenty years. Indy might give them a scare, but smart pick is to take Buffalo

Pick: Buffalo 30, Indianapolis 10

Next up, we have the wild card winning Los Angeles Rams taking on the NFC West Champion Seattle Seahawks. This marks the 3rd time in the five years since moving to LA that the Rams are a playoff team. LA finished with a 10-6 record, second best in the West. The only team that had a better one, the team they're playing in the Seahawks. Seattle finished the year 12-4, winning the West for the first time since 2016. This is the 3rd year in a row and nine times in the last eleven season that they are a playoff team. This is the 2nd ever playoff meeting between the teams, with the Seahawks getting the win in the 1984 wild card game.

How this game turns will depend on the play of Jared Geoff. Not sure he can even go with the thumb injury. If he can't go, the John Wolford is going to make his first career playoff start, which is something that no Rams fan wants to hear. If Geoff can go, Los Angeles fans hope they get what they saw in the week ten matchup between these two teams, with the way that the Rams D sacked Wilson six times and Geoff was almost perfect in his throwing that day. He looked off at times and was a little inconstant down the stretch. Seattle has had the better team most of the year and managed to win four straight after that shocking loss to the Giants in week 13. Seattle's seems to have found their stride on the defensive side of things in the second half of the year. Wilson hasn't been as on as he was at the start of the year, but I think there's enough there for the Seahwaks to get it done.

Pick: Seahawks 27, Rams 17

Final game on Saturday will have the wild card winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers taking on the NFC East Champion Washington Football Team. This marks the first division title for Washington since 2015, which was also the last time the Football Team made the playoffs. This is the 3rd time in the last four years that Washington has finished with a 7-9 record and its the third time since the turn of the century that a team has made the playoffs with a losing record. Tampa made the playoffs with an 11-5 record, the first time they had a winning record since 2010 and the first time they've made the playoffs since 2007. Tampa hasn't won a playoff game since its Super Bowl Victory in 2002. This is the third ever meeting between the two teams in the playoffs, each having won win a piece.

There's no doubt in anybody's mind that Alex Smith is the feel good story around the NFL this season. But that's not going that's not going to get you a whole hell of a lot come playoff time. The defense has been good in Washington, allowing around 20 points per game and have done a good job controlling the run. That's going to force Brady to make way more throws then he wants to. Having said that, Tom Brady and co still prove that they can get it done through the air. Tampa had the 4th best passing attack in yards this season, so there's no real stopping Tampa when it comes to going to the air. Tampa has a varied attack that can get the job done

Pick: Tampa Bay 30, Washington 14

First up on Sunday, we have the wild card winning Baltimore Ravens taking on the AFC South Champion Tennessee Titans. This marks the 2nd year in a row and third time in the last four years that the Titans have made the playoffs. Their 11-5 record is the best the Titans have finished since 2008, which was also the last time they won the AFC South. Baltimore finished with an 11-5 record, making the playoffs for the 3rd year in a row. Baltimore is looking for its first playoff win since 2014. These two teams are meeting for the 2nd year in a row and for the 5th time overall, with the teams splitting the first four meetings.

What happened last year was Derrick Henry running wild against Baltimore. He ran for 195 yards and the Titans barely threw the ball. They were able to keep the Ravens in check. They did it again in week 11 this year, with Derrick Henry running for another 133 in the OT win this year. Lets face facts, Baltimore has been rolling the last five games and may have finally found their groove. So has Derrick Henry. Baltimore hasn't had an answer for him either last year in the playoffs or in week eleven this year. As good as Henry is, and he's going to have a good game, the Ravens are just the hotter team right now. Lamar finally gets a playoff win.

Pick: Ravens 33, Titans 30

Next up is the wild card winning Chicago Bears taking on the NFC South Champion New Orleans Saints. This marks the second year in a row the Bears finished with a .500 record of 8-8. Its the 2nd time in three years they've made the playoffs, and are looking for their first playoff win since 2010. New Orleans has made the playoffs, and won the NFC South, for the fourth year in a row, finishing at 12-4. They look to rebound after getting upset by Minnesota in overtime of last year's wild card game. this marks the 3rd ever meeting between the teams in the playoffs, with Chicago winning the previous two.

Chicago limped into the playoffs, getting in on the last day of the season, after Arizona lost its final game of the year. Chicago's defense is good enough to keep this game close. Mitch Trubisky is making his second ever career playoff start, so it's not looking good for the boys from the Windy City. They're going up against a tough Saints team that just saw Drew Brees throw for three touchdowns last week and has been returned to form since his injury. And speaking of that, it looks like the Saints may get back another of their prized weapons in Alvin Kamara. Chicago had been going good until falling to the Packers last week, so who knows how much they're really going to be able to keep pace.

Pick: Saints 31, Bears 20

Final game of the weekend will see the wild card winning Cleveland Browns take on the AFC North Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Cleveland finished 11-5, first time they've hit double digits in wins since 2007 and the most wins they've had in a season since before they were deactivated. This is Cleveland's first playoff appearance since 2002 and they haven't won a playoff game since 1994. This is the first playoff appearance for the Steelers since their last division title win in 2017. Pittsburgh hasn't won a playoff game since 2016. This is the 3rd ever meeting in the playoffs between the franchises, with the Steelers having won both of the previous two meetings.

yes I know Cleveland beat them last week to get here, but they are facing a Steelers team that is going to be a bit angry over that loss. It was only a two point win for the Browns and Pittsburgh rested a lot of their regular starters. The Steelers will be back at full strength this week. I'll give credit where its due to the Browns who have played great all year, but the clock is going to run out on them. They're getting close to really being a contending team in this division but they aren't quite there yet. The defense can keep it close but at the end of the day the experience will win out.

Pick: Steelers 30, Browns 20

Playoff Clinching Scenarios Week Seventeen

We've made it. The final day of the regular season has arrived in the NFL. It all comes down to this, with quite a few spots up for grabs around the league on the final day of the regular season. By the time we wrap up Sunday night, everybody will be in place and we know where we are going to be come Wild Card weekend. So let's not waste any more time. Here's the clinching scenarios for week seventeen in the NFL.

AFC
Clinched: Bills (East), Chiefs (West & First Round Bye), Steelers (North)

BALTIMORE RAVENS
-Baltimore clinches with a win OR a loss by the Browns or Colts

CLEVELAND BROWNS
-Cleveland clinches a playoffs spot with a win, OR a Colts loss, OR a Titans loss and a Ravens and Dolphin wins

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
-Indianapolis can win the AFC South with a win AND a Titans loss
Indianapolis can clinch a playoff spot with a win AND losses by the Ravens Browns and Dolphins

TENNESSEE TITANS
-Tennessee can clinch the AFC South title with a win OR a Colts loss
-Tennessee can clinch a playoff spot with a loss by the Ravens OR Dolphins

MIAMI DOLPHINS
-Miami can clinch a playoff spot with a win OR a loss by either the Ravens, Browns, or Colts

NFC:
CLINCHED: Packers (North), Saints (South), Seahawks (West), Bucs (Playoff Spot)

ARIZONA CARDINALS
-Arizona clinches a playoff spot with a win

CHICAGO BEARS
-Chicago clinches a playoff spot with a win OR a Cardinals loss

DALLAS COWBOYS
-Dallas can win the NFC East with a win AND a Washington Loss

NEW YORK GIANTS
-New York can clinch the NFC East with a win AND a Washington Loss

WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM
-Washington can clinch the NFC East with a win

LOS ANGELES RAMS
-Los Angeles can clinch a playoff spot with a win OR a Bears loss

GREEN BAY PACKERS
-Green Bay clinches a first round bye with a win OR a Seahawks loss

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
-New Orleans can clinch a first round bye with a win AND losses by the Packers and Seahawks

SEATTLE SEAHWAKS
-Seattle can clinch a first round bye with a win AND losses by the Packers and Saints