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As the 2024-2025 NFL season comes to a close, another Super Bowl is upon us. Super Bowl LIX gives us a rematch from just two years ago, between the Chiefs and Eagles when Kansas City last came out on top in a 38-35 thriller. The Chiefs look to accomplish what we have never seen before, a Super Bowl three-peat, while the Eagles seek revenge for their agonizing loss from two years ago. With some very familiar faces from their past matchup and some very important new ones as well, this year's Championship is sure to be another classic.
Starting on the AFC side, Kansas City has done it once again. Proving their many haters wrong week in and week out. Even after a 15-2 regular season, earning the one seed, the Chiefs were seen as “frauds” and on “high alert” coming in to the playoffs. While saying this about a 15 win team may seem preposterous, the fact that Chiefs seemed to barely escape each and every weekend had many believing that their luck would run out come playoff time. On top of this, Mahomes was coming off arguably his worst statistical season to date. Come the divisional round however, Mahomes and the Chiefs started to prove their disbelievers wrong with a 23-14 win over the Texans. The Chiefs seemed to always be in control against Houston, but knew that they would face a tougher challenge in the AFC Championship game, hosting Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. Allen was having a tremendous year and the Bills had handed the Chiefs a nine point loss during the regular season. Buffalo seemed poised to reach the Super Bowl. Once again, however, the Chiefs broke America’s hearts. In another one-score nailbiter the Chiefs did what they did best, win. In a 32-29 victory Kansas City clinched their ticket to New Orleans.
Moving over to the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles have used brute force to push their way into the Super Bowl. This past offseason, the Eagles made undoubtedly the biggest move, landing Saquon Barkley. A 2-2 start to the season brought up questions about the Eagles’ disastrous close to the 2023-2024 season. As Nick Sirianni was booed by fans the season seemed already lost. But, the Eagles were able to right the ship by relying on one thing, their immense talent. On offense, Barkley was consistently unstoppable, finishing the year with 2,005 rushing yards. A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith showed off as one of the best Wide Receiver one-two punches in the entire league. The defensive side of things is where Philadelphia really shined. Highlighted by DPOY Finalist, Zack Baun, a combination of a strong run and pass defense helped the Eagles stand out as a top five unit in the league. Heading into the postseason, Philadelphia continued to roll. Following a dominant Wild Card win against the Packers, the Eagles relied on another masterclass from Barkley and the Eagles Defensive unit. The Conference Championship was more of the same story as Barkley trotted in for three scores and the defense forced four turnovers in a 55-23 victory of the Commanders.
So, you know how both teams have made their way to Super Bowl LVIII, but now it’s time for a true yearly tradition, the Annual Shot Clock Sports Super Bowl pick. This year marks my third pick of the big game and I currently sit at 0-2. With a chance of redemption, this year’s choice has required sleepless nights spent pondering which team will come out on top this year. Coming to a decision this year was without a doubt the hardest yet, but one thing finally swayed my mind. The past two years I’ve made the same mistake and I REFUSE to make it again. “What’s that mistake?” you may ask. Well it’s quite simple - picking against Kansas City. It seems that no matter who is lined up on the other sideline, Mahomes and the Chiefs will always find a way. Whether it’s the refs, their dark magic, or just straight ball, the Chiefs are going to get it done. So, be ready for history this Sunday as Kansas City raises their third consecutive Lombardi Trophy.
College Football is back, and the 2024 season is the start of a new era with the 12 team playoff. This new addition is sure to lead to more games holding high meaning throughout the regular season and will give many underdog schools their first shot at making a playoff. One thing is for sure, and it’s that this season is set to be more competitive and exciting than ever before.
Big Games-
The 12 team playoff may be more beneficial to Penn State than any other school in College Football. From the start of the Four team playoff Penn State was always on the outside looking in; however, this season allows the Nittany Lions to drop two games and still make the playoffs. With only two ranked opponents scheduled, a 10-2 season for Penn State seems feasible, but the Nittany Lions could be facing trouble as soon as week one. Milan Puskar Stadium, home of West Virginia, is one of the most underrated hostile environments in all of College Football. Penn State is entering their first year under an Andy Kotelnicki offense which I believe could lead to a slow start for the offense, especially on the road. The Nittany Lions defense could also face some troubles. Quarterback Garret Greene and Running Back Jahiem White both return for West Virginia and are very hard to stop on the ground. I think an early lead for West Virginia is a strong possibility, and with a Mountaineers offense that didn’t turn over the ball that much last year it won’t be easy for Penn State to grab momentum.
Next up are two more teams that will be positively impacted by a 12 team playoff with Notre Dame facing off against Texas A&M in College Station. Similar to Penn State, Texas A&M has always had a schedule too challenging to have a shot at the playoff, but the expansion allows the Aggies to drop two or three games and still have a good chance at making it. Notre Dame also has pressure taken off of them. In past years having one loss has been enough to bump the Irish out of the playoff picture since they are without a conference championship. This season the Irish hold a fairly easy schedule as they are only the underdog in their week one matchup against the Aggies. With new players at Quarterback, Running Back, and Wide Receiver, there are many questions on how the Notre Dame Offense will perform out of the gate. The Aggies on the other hand will have Conner Weigman returning at Quarterback who put up 900 yards and eight touchdowns in only three games last season. However, Weigman is yet to face a defense as strong as the Irish who have many returning stars. Both teams have the potential to show that they are one of the very best teams in College Football in this matchup.
Finally, Georgia and Clemson will face off in a season where both teams will look to bounce back. Last year Georgia was left out of the playoff after an SEC championship loss to Alabama. While last season was still very impressive for the Bulldogs, no shot at a national championship left a bad taste in the mouths of the Bulldogs. Led by Coach Kirby Smart and Quarterback Carson Beck many will say that Georgia still is the team to beat as they go for their third championship in four years. Clemson on the other hand is three years removed from their last playoff appearance, and after a terrible start last season finished the year ranked 20th which is well below their high expectations. Even after a five game win streak to end last season, Clemson enters their game against Georgia as big underdogs, but even a competitive game will show that Clemson will be in contention for the ACC and playoff this season.
Underdogs-
Heading into this season two unranked teams jump out at me. Both coming from the ACC, Georgia Tech and Syracuse are both teams that I believe could make some noise. First, Georgia Tech showed many exciting flashes in their Week 0 upset against Florida State. The rushing attack of the Yellow Jackets is sure to give teams problems and the explosiveness of Wide Receiver Malik Rutherford will propel Georgia Tech in the passing game. Georgia Tech’s defense also proved to be strong, especially up front, as Florida State only averaged 3.2 yards per rush on the ground. While Georgia Tech does have a rough schedule this season this team has proved that they are capable of pulling off some upsets and possibly making a run in the wide open ACC.
Secondly, there are the Syracuse Orangemen. Bringing in former Ohio State QB, Kyle McCord offers a lot of promise to the Orangemen. If it weren’t for McCords loss to Michigan last season, he would most likely still be the Quarterback for one of this year's favorites to win it all. Dropping from the Big Ten to ACC gives McCord the ability to light up the stat sheet. Paired with Running Back LeQuint Allen and star Tight End Oronde Gadsden II this year's Syracuse offense could be electric. With a schedule that features no unbeatable opponents the Orangemen also have a shot at being in contention for the ACC.
The Championship is set and one seeded Purdue will face off against one seeded UConn. Both teams have dominated in their path to the championship and both teams will look to make history. Purdue will look to complete their redemption run after last year’s crushing first round loss to FDU. A win for UConn would make them the first back to back champs since Florida (2006 and 2007) and the eighth team to accomplish the feat.
Both teams cruised through their regular season. Purdue brought back a majority of their roster from last year and finished with a 29-4 record. UConn had multiple spots to fill entering this season but this year’s team has actually been stronger than last year’s. UConn cruised to a 31 win regular season and the one seed in the AP rankings. In the Big Ten tournament Purdue lost in the semifinal to Wisconsin. This loss opened up many questions on Purdue's ability to compete on the big stage entering March Madness. UConn cruised through a competitive Big East tournament and showed that they were the team to beat during March. During the tournament both teams have absolutely dominated up to this point. Zach Edey has been the best player in the tournament and has led the Boilermakers to big wins against some of the nations hottest teams (Gonzaga, Tennessee, NC State). UConn has been completely unstoppable and has a 25 point average margin of victory up to this point.
In comparing both teams for this matchup UConn is the clear favorite. The Huskies play extremely well rounded basketball and also have absurdly strong depth. The Boilermakers on the other hand have shown to be slightly inconsistent and they often tend not be able to pull away in games against other top teams on their level. One thing in the Boilermakers favor though is that they have the best player on the court. Zach Edey has been averaging 28 points per game and 15.4 rebounds. No team so far has been able to slow the big man down and he continuously makes his way to the free throw line.
Both teams have their strengths, but in deciding a winner it’ll be the Huskies lack of even slight weaknesses that will make the difference. UConn is too strong, deep, and consistent to compete with for a full 40 minutes. Purdue will probably hang around for at least the first half, but it will only be a matter of time before UConn goes on a run to put the game away. Coach Dan Hurley and his Huskies will be hoisting up the NCAA Men’s National Championship Trophy come tomorrow night.
Final Score:
Purdue-64
UConn-74
Over the next three days four teams will look to engrave their names into NCAA basketball history. The NC State dere, Purdue Boilermakers, Alabama Crimson Tide, and UConn Huskies are the teams that still stand after an intense first four rounds. The four teams each have unique storylines and play styles that will clash with one another, and only one will leave Arizona as the March Madness champions.
NC State vs. Purdue
The Wolfpack have been crowned this year’s Cinderella story as it truly has been a magical run for them to make the Final Four. NC State wrapped up the ACC regular season as a bottom half team in the conference, and their only shot at making the tournament was to win the ACC. After beating Louisville in the first round NC State pulled off for upsets including 11th ranked Duke and 4th ranked North Carolina in the tournament championship to clinch an automatic bid. This story was already Cinderella on its own, but the Wolfpack weren’t done yet. After pulling off a first round upset over Texas Tech and then holding on to beat Okland, NC State moved onto the Sweet 16. In a matchup against number two seeded Marquette the Wolfpack were in full control and never trailed after the game’s first five minutes. In the Elite Eight NC State had a rematch against a Duke team that was absolutely on fire. After trailing by six at halftime, DJ Burns led the Wolfpack to 55 second half points and an eight point win over the Blue Devils. Now the Wolfpack face their hardest challenge yet with the one seed Purdue Boilermakers standing in their path to the championship. After a crushing first round loss as a one seed last year, Zach Edey and the Boilermakers look to pull off the complete redemption run. Purdue dominated the regular season and even though they fell short in the Big Ten tournament the team held very high expectations. Purdue dominated the first three rounds of March Madness and in the Elite Eight had a meeting with number two seed Tennessee. In a back and forth thriller Edey led the Boilermakers to victory. This final four matchup is destined to be one for the ages with two of College Basketball's best big men facing off. While the Boilermakers have been dominant and proven themselves against some top teams I still have NC State keeping their magical run alive. The Boilermakers are far too reliant on Zach Edey getting to the line. I expect that this game will be rough on both sides meaning that the refs will give slightly more leeway than usual. For that reason I have the NC State Cinderella run continuing on to the championship.
Alabama vs. UConn
The second game of the Final Four slate features the four seed Crimson Tide trying to prove that offense does in fact win championships. Alabama holds the nation's number one offense, averaging just over 90 points per game this season. After putting up 109 points in a high scoring thriller against Charleston it was Alabama's defense that allowed them to survive round two against Grand Canyon. In the Sweet 16 Alabama's offense refused to miss at the end of their game against North Carolina and they pulled off the comeback and the upset. In the Elite Eight the Tide faced another high scoring offense in the Clemson Tigers. Once again Alabama’s offense was unstoppable down the stretch and they pulled out a narrow victory. However, Alabama will now have by far their biggest challenge yet in the UConn Huskies. Last year's champions continued their dominance into this year with an unstoppable offense and ruthless defense. Every round so far in the tournament the Huskies have dominated with their closest game being decided by 25 points. While Alabama's offense may keep up for the first half with the Huskies, Uconn is far too overpowering overall and will keep their dominant run going.
March Madness is well underway and after a thrilling first two rounds the Sweet 16 is about to be underway. This March has been titled as being any teams tournament to win as all 16 teams can make the case that they’ll end as the kings of College Basketball.
Thursday opens up with four matchups including the Clemson Tigers vs. Arizona Wildcats, UConn Huskies vs. San Diego St Aztecs, Alabama Crimson Tide vs. North Carolina Tar Heels, and Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Iowa State Cyclones.
Arizona vs. Clemson
The first game between the Tigers and Wildcats is probably the least exciting of the game; however, both teams looked dominant in their week one games. The Wildcats took care of business against Long Beach St and then held off a comeback from an underrated Dayton Flyers team in game two. Clemson entered the tournament with many questions as they under performed in the ACC for having such a talented roster. While many expected and upset in round one when the Tigers went up against 11 seeded New Mexico but, Clemson dominated. In game two for Clemson, a strong first half was just enough to propel the Tigers to the Sweet 16. While the Tigers inconsistency throughout the year has worried me I do think the roster they have is built for March and they’ll grab the win over Arizona.
UConn vs. San Diego St
We have a championship rematch from last year between the Huskies and Aztecs. The Huskies have been the best team in College Hoops all season long and have shown little weaknesses. The Aztecs have also been very consistent this year but on a worse level. With how dominant the Huskies have looked not only in March but the entire season I see the Huskies running away with this one.
Alabama vs. North Carolina
Alabama’s high powered offense is what has carried them this season as they have averaged the most points per game this season. The Tar Heels are a much more balanced team that looked great to close the season. The Tar Heels have shown that they can be extremely overwhelming and go on long runs to put teams completely out of games. In the games the Tar Heels lost they kept it extremely close and last week the Tide struggled to close out their game against twelve seed Grand Canyon, and for that reason I have the Tar Heels moving on.
Illinois vs. Iowa State
Illinois made a case for themselves as the best team in the Big 10 by the end of the season by running through the conference tournament. The team’s electric offense has been the headline and a decent defense has been enough to let the Illinois outscore their opponents. The Cyclones have been a defensive juggernaut this year stopping nearly every offense in its tracks. The Cyclones showed how powerful their defense really was in their Big 12 championship by holding Houston to a stifling 41 points. The Iowa State offense isn’t high scoring but efficient and consistent. While the Illinois offense is exciting and very productive, defense is what wins big games and that’s why I have Iowa State winning the game of the day.
Moving over to Fridays slate four more games fill the schedule, NC State Wolfpack vs. Marquette Golden Eagles, Gonzaga Bulldogs vs. Purdue Boilermaker, Duke Blue Devils vs. Houston Cougars, and Creighton Blue Jays vs. Tennessee Volunteers.
NC State vs. Marquette
Coming into March the Wolfpack’s chances of making the tournament were slim but they ran the table in the ACC tournament to grab an automatic bid and kept rolling through the first week of the tournament. Marquette has been one of the most well balanced teams in the country this year and ended the regular season as the second best team in a very good Big East. Marquette played very well against a rolling Colorado in the 2nd round game last week. While Marquette has proven much more this season, the Wolfpack refuse to lose right now and I believe they’ll keep rolling past the Golden Eagles.
Gonzaga vs. Purdue
Gonzaga wasn’t quite as dominant this year as they have been in years past but they finished strong down the stretch. The Bulldogs have once again relied on a strong offense to carry a lackluster defense but in the past few weeks both sides of the ball have been playing exceptionally well. The Boilermakers look to avenge their first round loss last year and led by Zach Edey could easily do so. Purdue has flourished all season long on both sides of the ball. I love the motivation surrounding this team but Zach Edey’s possible foul trouble is what worries me, especially in what will be a dog fight against Gonzaga. Something I also really like about Gonzaga is their lack of pressure to perform this year. The Bulldogs no longer are stuck with all eyes on them which has improved their play, especially so far in March. I think this is arguably the game of the Sweet 16 and I have Gonzaga pulling off the upset and knocking off Purdue’s redemption run.
Duke vs. Houston
Duke suffered a very early loss in the ACC tournament but reassured fans that this team has very strong potential in a huge win over James Madison last week. The Cougars have had College Basketball’s best defense this year and an offense that controls the game. Similar to my decision in the Illinois vs Iowa State game I trust defense much more than offense in the tournament and for that reason I have the Cougars moving on.
Creighton vs. Tennessee
The Blue Jays battled through a very tough Big East and were upset in the quarterfinals but in last week's round two matchup Creighton showed that they pull through when the game is on the line. Tennessee lost two tough games right before the tournament but last week blew out Saint Peters before holding off a Texas Longhorn’s upset in round two. I find both these teams to be very similar but I think Creighton plays their absolute best against tough opponents and for that reason I like the Blue Jays to move on.
Twenty-two weeks ago the NFL kicked off the 2023-2024 season. In what feels like the blink of an eye we’ve arrived at the final game of the year. The Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers are facing off in this year's Super Bowl, and all fans are in for a treat. The reigning champs are going against one of the best rosters that the NFL has had in a long time. Before the game kicks off Sunday at 6:30 ET here are our takes on who will be hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
The Kansas City Chiefs enter Sunday’s game looking to hold onto their crown as champs of the NFL. This season was a rollercoaster for the Chiefs, starting with a one point loss against the Detroit Lions. But the Chiefs went on a six game winning streak and looked just like the team we saw last year. In week eight the Chiefs looked to continue their streak against a struggling Broncos team, but the Chiefs got smoked. This was followed by a rough 24-9 loss to the Broncos, and the start of a shaky stretch.
The Chiefs finished their final 10 games with a 5-5 record and didn’t look like the Chiefs team that we saw early on in the season. Inconsistent play from Patrick Mahomes and a lack of weapons on offense seemed responsible for Kansas City’s troubles, given that the defense is the best it has looked during the Mahomes era.
As the Chiefs entered the playoffs there were many questions about how they would perform against the league's best. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs showed what they do better than anyone else, perform when the most is on the line. After a home win in frigid temperatures against the Dolphins, the Chiefs went in to Buffalo and Baltimore to pull out narrow victories. In each of the three games the defense clicked on all cylinders and the offense did what they needed to do in order to win. Mahomes' play dramatically improved and wide receivers such as Rasheed Rice and Marcus Valdez-Scantling stepped up in big moments.
On the other side are the 49ers, who will look to get revenge for their crushing defeat in Super Bowl 54 at the hand of Kansas City. The 49ers have the roster to do so, with nine players selected for this year's pro bowl - the most of any team in the league. With fire power across the board, the 49ers finished the regular season as the NFC’s one seed. Deposit a three game skid early on in the season the 49ers finished with an impressive 12-5 record.
Coming off of their first round bye, the 49ers faced the Packers in the divisional round. After a poor first three quarters, the 49ers found themselves down seven but were able to come together and grab a three point win. In the NFC Championship Game, San Francisco was punched in the mouth early and the Lions jumped out to a huge 24-7 lead. Once again, the 49ers rallied with their backs against the wall and delivered an extraordinary second half comeback to win by three. While Brock Purdy was inconsistent in both of the 49ers matchups he delivered in big moments. Christian McCaffrey has also been playing arguably the best he has all year, which takes some pressure off of the rest of the 49ers offense.
After taking a look at both sides, we have our prediction for who's going to come away with this one. The official Shot Clock Sports Report prediction for this year's Super Bowl is a win for the San Francisco 49ers. It's extremely hard to bet against a guy like Mahomes, but I think that the 49ers are going to come out with a vengeance on Sunday. The 49ers have a more talented roster, with the Chiefs only having an edge at secondary and quarterback. The two weeks of preparation that Brock Purdy has had will lead to him having a strong performance, and he will cement his name in 49er and NFL history. 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan has all of the big game experience he needs to manage the game and make sure the 49ers don't lose composure. While the Chiefs won’t go down without a fight it will be the guts of Brock Purdy that lead the 49ers to prevail in the end.
Final Score
Kansas City Chiefs-27
San Francisco 49ers-30
NFL Conference Championship week is here. Four teams, two games, and a trip to the Superbowl on the line. We have some returning faces along with some new ones. One thing is for certain though, Sunday’s two game slate is sure to be entertaining. With so much on the line, we will see all four teams put everything that they have left out on the field.
NFC-San Francisco 49ers vs. Detroit Lions
The battle for the NFC crown features the top seeded 49ers and the third seeded Lions. The 49ers look to redeem themselves from last year's crushing loss to the Eagles in the Conference Championship. The Lions are looking to advance to what would be their first Super Bowl appearance in the franchise’s long history. Both teams won narrow one-score games in the Divisional Round. The 49ers narrowly avoided a Packer’s upset and the Lions survived a close one against the Buccaneers. The 49ers undoubtedly have the superior roster. Their dynamic running back, Deebo Samuel, has also cleared to play. The energy that Detroit has shown during their playoff run, however, feels completely unmatched. Detroit Quarterback Jared Goff comes in playing the best football of his career, while the Niner’s Brock Purdy is coming off a mediocre performance in the Divisional Round.
While I would love to see this run by the Lions continue I’m going to have to pick the 49ers. The talent gap is too large. If Brock Purdy pulls his act together, which I believe he will, the 49ers should be able to take care of business.
Final Score:
49ers-34
Lions-30
AFC-Baltimore Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Next up is the fight to represent the AFC, between the top seeded Ravens and the third seeded Chiefs. The Ravens are hosting the Conference Championship for the first time in franchise history and looking to advance to their first Super Bowl in 10 years. The Chiefs are looking to hit dynasty status, appearing in their 6th straight Conference Championship and hoping to win their third Super Bowl in the Mahomes era. The Ravens’ divisional game ended with a dominant win over the Texans. The Chiefs went on the road and narrowly defeated the Bills once again.
The Ravens seem to have the superior roster, as the Chiefs offense lacks wide receivers and has a damaged offensive line. The Ravens also just cleared star tight-end Mark Andrews to play in the game. Lamar Jackson vs. Patrick Mahomes is a terrific QB matchup, especially in such a big game. The Chiefs and Ravens didn’t face each other during the regular season, and both defenses will struggle to contain these dynamic QBs.
I expect this to be a Quarterback duel for the ages, but in the end Lamar Jackson will be the one to come out on top. What Lamar and the Ravens have done this year won’t be stopped by the Chiefs and they’ll be advancing on to Las Vegas.
Final Score:
Ravens-31
Chiefs-27
After what was both a shocking and exciting wild card weekend the divisional round is here. Eight teams remain with a shot at hoisting the Lombardi, and this week can either send them home packing or get them one step closer to Superbowl 58. With four highly anticipated matchups for this weekend here are our predictions for who will be advancing into the Conference Championship games.
49ers vs. Packers
First up in the NFC is the 49ers facing off against the Packers. The 49ers have the best roster in football with absolute fire power across their entire lineup. Despite a bad loss to the Ravens during Week 16 it’s hard not to have confidence in the 49ers capabilities on both sides of the ball. With a top five offense and top five defense the 49ers sure have the roster that is a team that could easily win the whole thing. The Packers on the other hand just squeaked into the playoff but already shocked many NFL fans with a win against the Cowboys. Led by first season starter Jordan Love the Packers have found ways to win which they did last week becoming the first seven seed to win their wild card game. While the divisional round is much farther than anyone saw the Packers making it and, Jordan Love has been sensational, especially the past few weeks, this game belongs to the 49ers. San Francisco’s roster is far superior to Green Bay’s which will lead to a decisive win for the 49ers.
Final Score:
49ers-35
Packers-21
Lions vs. Buccaneers
The second matchup in the NFC has the Lions facing off against the Buccaneers. The Lions have once again made their way back into the playoffs for the first time since 2016. After trading Matthew Stafford to the eventual Superbowl 56 champion Los Angeles Rams it seemed like the Lions were going to be stuck in the mud for many more years to come. However, this hasn’t been the case with the Lions having shown continuous improvement under head coach Dan Campbell and this year Jared Goff is having the best year of his career. Paired with Amonra St. Brown and rookie Tight End Sam LaPorta the Lions offense has been among the best in the league. Along with a decent defense Detroit cruised to a NFC North crown and three seed in the playoffs. After beating Mattew Stafford and the Rams in a wild card nailbiter last week, the Lions now move on to face off against the Tampa Bay Bucs. After Tom Brady’s retirement there were many questions on the next Buccaneers QB. After signing Baker Mayfield, many fans expected the Bucs to finish towards the bottom of the league and begin a rebuild. However, Baker Mayfield and Tampa Bay have been a pleasant surprise. While they were playing in an awful NFC South, the Buccaneers played good football to close out the regular season before having a dominant win over the Eagles last week. I expect this game to be a close one and a dog fight, but in the end the Lions will come out on top. Detroit's energy is unmatched and with the game at home I don’t see the Lions disappointing.
Final Score:
Lions-28
Buccaneers-24
Ravens vs. Texans
Moving over to the AFC we have the one seeded Ravens against the four seeded Texans. With a fully healthy year from Lamar Jackson the Ravens have looked unstoppable for the most part this season. Down the stretch they passed two huge tests beating the 49ers and Dolphins. With a versatile offense and strong defense the Ravens have continuously found ways to beat out their opponents. On the other sideline though will be rookie sensation C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans. First year head coach DeMeco Ryans was able to turn around the second worst team from last year and C.J. Stroud has been able to lift the Texans to many nail biting victories which propelled them to a AFC South Crown. In the first week of the playoffs C.J. showed that he belonged in an arguably career best performance against the Browns, having thrown for three touchdowns and nearly 300 yards. This matchup features two of the most electric QBs in the league and in this matchup I have Lamar outdueling the rookie. The Texans offensive play seems to be unsustainable and while I’d love to be wrong the Raven will move one
Final Score:
Ravens-31
Texans-21
Bills vs. Chiefs
And finally the most anticipated matchup of the week with the Bills facing off against the Chiefs. The Bills looked broken for the first half of the year and were in danger of missing the playoffs. However, the Bills battled through the back half of their schedule and went on a run to win the AFC East. After breezing past the Steelers in the wild card though the Bills face a familiar foe, the Patrick Mahomes led Chiefs. This year has been unlike any other for Mahomes, and not in a good way. Coming off a Superbowl win last year it seemed like the Chiefs wide receiver room would be just fine; however, this hasn’t been the case with Mahomes having one of his worst years and not getting much help from his pass catchers. Despite it being a “down year” the Chiefs still finished 11-6 and dominated the Dolphins in the cold weather last week. If this matchup is anything like the past ones we’ve seen from these two teams then it will be another back and forth classic. In what I think will be the closest game of the divisional round the Bills will finally knock off Mahomes and advance to play the Ravens next week.
Final Score:
Bills-27
Chiefs-24
After a nail-biting and electric CFP semi-final, the NCAA Football National Championship has arrived. The Washington Huskies face off against the Michigan Wolverines in what is sure to be a barn burner of a game. In a game that marks an end of the four team playoff era, here are our predictions for who will come out on top.
Michigan enters the game as a 4.5 point favorite, and is the favorite to win the championship for many fans. Michigan has been a title favorite from the very beginning of the season, having made it to the CFP last year as well. The Michigan season, however, was a total roller coaster. Head Coach Jim Harbaugh was suspended for the first three games of the season by the University of Michigan for recruiting violations. Only a few weeks following Harbaugh's return an alleged sign stealing scandal was uncovered, which led to an ongoing NCAA investigation and to Harbaugh being suspended by the Big 10 for the final three games of the Wolverines’ regular season. These three games proved to be their toughest, but they managed to beat Penn State by nine, survived a potential upset against Maryland, and did just enough to knock off rival Ohio State in the Big 10 Championship. After securing the one-seed in the playoff, Michigan faced off against Alabama in the semifinals. Michigan showed that they’re the team to beat with an electric win over the Tide. In an extremely sloppy game for the Wolverines they still pulled it together at the end and found a way to win 27-20 (1 point off my semi final prediction). Quarterback J.J. McCarthy proved that he could play in the biggest moments and was crowned Rose Bowl offensive MVP. Running Back Blake Corum showed that when his team needed him most he was ready to deliver a big play. On defense, the Wolverines got big stops and forced turnovers when they needed to late in the game.
Facing off against the Wolverines are the Washington Huskies, a team that almost no one saw making the Championship, or even the CFP, at the beginning of year. While the Huskies opened the year ranked at number ten, they were overlooked and not seen as competitors with teams from the SEC and Big 10. From the very first game Michael Penix Jr. and the Huskies showed everyone else in College Football why they are a top team in the nation. Washington’s high powered offense was too much for anyone to stop as they moved past every challenge in their way, including Arizona, USC, Oregon State, and Oregon (twice). After finishing undefeated, Washington received the two seed but still entered their semi final game against the Texas Longhorns as underdogs. After gaining a nine point lead with just under three minutes left the Huskies looked like they were set to advance to the championship. But, Texas scored with just over a minute left, and after two timeouts and an injury timeout for Washington Running Back Dillon Johnson, the Longhorns got the ball back with 50 seconds left to go down six. The Longhorns went down the field quickly and had several chances in the Washington red zone, but the Huskies narrowly survived at the last second as the Ewers’s final pass fell incomplete.
So who do we have winning it all? In what will be a back and forth thriller we have the Huskies pulling off the upset. Michael Penix Jr. played tremendous against Texas showing that he can compete on every stage. The Huskies put up 37 points against a good Texas defense and will be able to do the same against the Huskies. While the Wolverines offense will have a strong outing J.J. McCarthy just doesn’t stack up with the ability of Michael Penix Jr.. In what will be a high scoring battle the Huskies will have shocked College Football and be your 2023-2024 National Champions.
Final Score:
Michigan-34
Washington-38
The final four-team college football playoff has arrived, bringing an end to an up and down era. All of the controversy comes to a conclusion over the three remaining games which will crown this season's champion. Whether the teams in the playoff are deserving of their spot or not (see, Alabama) the two games taking place today are sure to be good ones. With no clear favorite, any championship outcome is possible, but here are my predictions for how everything will play out in today’s games.
Michigan vs. Alabama
First off, there’s the Rose Bowl featuring the top seeded Michigan Wolverines and the fourth seeded Alabama Crimson Tide. Michigan has looked dominant this season, and finished the year undefeated. While the Wolverines schedule wasn’t particularly strong, they faced a couple difficult games including Penn State and Ohio State in which they proved that they were a top, if not the top, team in the country. Alabama got off to a rocky start, and didn’t look like the ‘Bama we’ve been accustomed to since Coach Saban took over. After a two-score loss at home against the Texas Longhorns it seemed that Alabama was completely lost and that their season would end well-short of their high standards. The Tide showed resilience, however, and improved throughout the season beating everyone else in their way, including an undefeated Georgia team in the SEC championship. Quarterback Jalen Milroe showed tremendous leaps forward and proved that he wouldn’t be the player holding the team back down the stretch.
The deciding factor for me is Michigan’s rushing attack. Blake Corum is arguably the best running back in the league and has been able to help lead the Wolverine’s offense. I’m still very hesitant in trusting Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy in the spotlight, as he has looked disastrous at some points. If Michigan can’t get the run game going and are forced to start throwing it I would predict an easy win for the Tide; but I believe in Blake Corum’s ability to put together a strong performance when it matters most. He has shown incredible consistency and for that reason I like the Wolverine advancing to the Championship.
Final:
Michigan-27
Alabama-21
Washington vs. Texas
The second game of the night, the Sugar Bowl, features the Texas Longhorns and the Washington Huskies. The resurgence of both schools has been exciting all year and this matchup seems like it will definitely be a close one. Texas faced the ultimate test early in the season having to go into Tuscaloosa in a game against the Tide. As mentioned earlier, the Longhorns proved that their hype was well deserved and they would be competing with all other top teams in the country. After suffering a slight hiccup against Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry, Texas went back to dominating opponents with an unstoppable offense. After a very impressive performance in the Big 12 Championship, Texas proved that they belonged in the playoff and received the three seed in the final rankings. On the other side are the Huskies. While Washigton was ranked in the top 10 to start the season they were still underrated by many college football fans and weren’t expected to do much in a strong Pac 12. Led by Michael Penix Jr. the Huskies crushed their early season opponents, but in week six had their first big test in Oregon. This Oregon game summed up the Huskies season in just one word, and that’s resilience. Washington pulled together when it mattered most down the stretch, and they continued to do that the rest of the season whenever they were down. After beating the Ducks again in the Pac 12 championship Washington finished undefeated and as the two seed.
In this matchup I think both teams stack up very well with very good offenses and average defenses. That’s why I expect this one to be very high scoring and be back and forth. In the end though Washington’s resilience will pull them through in a close one.
Final:
Washington-45
Texas-42
Thanksgiving is about family, delicious food, and of course NFL Football. The Lions played the very first NFL Thanksgiving game in 1934. The Cowboys joined the yearly tradition, playing their first Thanksgiving game in 1966. In 2006 the NFL blessed fans by adding a third game to each Thanksgiving. This year’s three-game slate includes the Lions vs. Packers, Cowboys vs. Commanders, and Seahawks vs. 49ers.
Lions vs. Packers
The Lions are looking to strengthen their division lead. The Packers, coming off of a win, are hoping for momentum to put them into playoff contention. The Lions have been tremendous this year with a strong running game led by David Mongomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. Detroit’s passing game is led by Jared Goff, having a comeback season, top-10 wide receiver Amon-Ra St.Brown, and surprisingly good play from Tight End Sam LaPorta. The Packers have shown little consistency and have been unable to string together good performances. That’s why I’m going with the Lions. The Dan Campell energy is here to stay, and the way he gets his team fired up is unlike any other coach in the league. The Lions will win in decisive fashion.
Final Score: Lions 31-Packers 17
Cowboys vs. Commanders
The Cowboys are looking to stay in the divisional race in the NFC East, and the Commanders are hoping to rebound after an awful performance in a 12 point loss to the Giants. As they have for the past couple years, these Cowboys are led by a great defense and an offense that takes advantage of its chances. Dak Prescott has had a better year than usual and CeDee Lamb has established himself as a top-10 wide receiver. Micah Parsons is a game wrecker and the defense clicks perfectly. Meanwhile, the Commanders have been struggling, as many expected. After a mediocre start to the season, the Commanders sold at the trade deadline - giving up Montez Sweat and former second overall pick Chase Young. The Commanders had a disastrous six turnovers last week and allowed Tommy DeVito to throw for three touchdowns. This game will be an easy win for the Cowboys.
Final Score, Cowboys 35-Commanders 10
Seahawks vs. 49ers
Finally, the game of the day will be the fight for the top of the NFC West, between the first place 49ers and second place Seahawks. The 49ers had a three game losing streak in the back half of October. Since the start of November, they have returned to form - blowing out the Jaguars and grabbing a decisive win over the Buccaneers. The Sehawks have had some strong wins proving they are contenders for the division. They are coming off a rough 17-16 loss to the Rams in which a last second field goal attempt by Jason Meyers fell short. The 49ers have looked great these past two weeks, and I expect them to notch their third win in a row.,
Final Score:49ers 35-Seahawks 27
We are all knotted up after the first two games of the World Series, and the Rangers and Diamondbacks are each three games away from franchise history. The Rangers dominated during much of the Summer and looked like they were in control of the American League West. But when September hit, the Rangers began to fall apart and eventually gave up the divisional crown to the defending champion Astros. The Rangers found themselves in a Wildcard round against the dangerous Rays, but the Rangers reversed course and dominated the series, sweeping the Rays in three games. Texas proceeded to knock the last representative of the American League East out of the playoffs, sweeping the top seeded Orioles to advance to the ALCS against their in-state and division rival Astros. After the Astros took a 3-2 series lead, the Rangers put on an offensive onslaught, scoring a total of 20 runs across in games six and seven on the back of ALCS MVP Adolis Garcia.
Over in the National League, the Diamondbacks had the worst record out of any team to make the postseason. Arizona was expected to be quick work for the Brewers. But the Diamondbacks swept right through the Brewers and then beat the Dodgers in the NLDS. Coming into the NLCS the Phillies were riding the momentum coming from their big series win against the Braves. Philly grabbed games one and two against Arizona. But the D’Backs came back, taking games three and four. The momentum seemed to have shifted back to neutral, but a Phillies win in Game 5 seemed to signal the end of Arizona’s Cinderella run. The Diamondbacks went on to prove everyone wrong again, coming back to take games six and seven and punching their ticket to the World Series.
In this World Series, both teams have a lot at stake. A win for the Rangers would be the first in franchise history. A win for the Diamondbacks would be one of the greatest Cinderella stories in postseason history. Game 1 was one of the most entertaining games of these playoffs, with the Ranters winning in 11 innings on the backs of sluggers Adolis Garcia and Corey Seager. But a big 9-1 win for the Diamondbacks in game two has tied the series. While my predictions have been wrong about both these teams this postseason, I’ll still give my predictions. I definitely see this series going back and forth for the full seven games. In the end, the Rangers offense will prove to be too much, and will dominate in a big game seven win. The Diamondbacks should be proud of what they have done, taking down the giants of the National League. Their lack of talent compared to the Rangers will catch up with them in the biggest game of the season. But, I could be wrong. If we’ve learned anything during these playoffs, it’s that we should expect the unexpected.
After what has been an upset filled first two rounds of the MLB Postseason, only four teams remain. The Rangers, Astros, Diamondbacks, and Phillies all still stand and look to get four more wins to propel them to the World Series.
In the American League the Rangers knocked both AL East teams out of the playoffs, sweeping the Rays and Orioles. Late in the season the Rangers led the division but a somewhat rocky finish put them in the Wild Card which many fans saw as an early first round exit against the Rays. The Rangers went on to prove many fans wrong sweeping the Rays in very decisive fashion. Next for the Rangers was the Orioles who almost had the best record in all of baseball falling just short of the Braves. Once again though the Rangers swept the series and only had one game considered to be close. Playing the Rangers though will be the in state division rival, Houston Astros. The Astros look to repeat as champions having beat the Phillies last year. After a slight scare from the Twins in the Divisional series the Astros took games three and four to move them to the championship series. While I would love to take the Rangers in this series saying they’re averaging over six runs a game and may even be getting their Ace in Max Scherzer back, if I’ve learned one thing from the past seven years of the Postseason it’s that you don’t bet against the Astros. The Astros always find ways to win in October and also have a very talented roster, while the series should be close the Astros will represent the AL in the World Series.
In the NL we have the Cinderella story of this year's postseason and that’s the Arizona Diamondbacks. In the Wild Card, the Diamondbacks found themselves down in both of their games versus the Brewers, but both times they clawed back to give themselves a shot at their division rival Dodgers. The Dodgers won the NL West by 16 games and this series was expected to be a blowout, but from the very first inning of game one the Diamondbacks jumped on the Dodgers and in game three in front of a packed Chase Field the Diamondbacks completed the sweep. On the other side is the Phillies, the Phillies breezed through their Wild Card but had to face the mighty Braves in their division series. The Braves were the World Series pick for many fans but in game one they were held scoreless and the Phillies won 3-0. Game to the Braves fought back late and evened the series in what many thought to be a momentum changer in the series. The Phillies proved otherwise though, blowing out the Braves game three and surviving late to grab a 3-1 win in game four and end the series. Similar to the AL, I would love to see the Diamondbacks do the unthinkable and reach the World Series but just like last year the Phillies are one of if not the most scary team in the Postseason. They have a lineup of guys that are able to just flip a game on it’s head and everything seems to be clicking just right.
So there you have it, expect what should be an awesome World Series rematch from last year between the Astros and Phillies. Still though, this Postseason has been shocking and I wouldn’t count anyone out. The Diamondbacks and Rangers both have many reasons why they should be the ones believed to advance to the World Series, but in the end soon enough we’ll see who’ll be fighting to declare themselves champs.
After a long and grueling 162 game season, October Baseball is here. Divisional and Wildcard races were tight, some even coming down to the final day of the season. In the end, 12 teams are left with a shot to hoist the Commissioner's Trophy at the end of the month, but first eight of them have to focus on getting through the Wildcard Round.
Wildcard games begin on Tuesday, October 3, with four three-game series. First, in the American League the Rangers face the Rays. The Rays finished with the fourth best record in baseball, but missed out on a Division win and a bye because of this year's most surprising team, the Orioles. Challenging the Rays are the Rangers, who fell out of the AL West division lead in the AL West on the final day of the season. I like the Rays in this matchup. The Rangers' loss in game 162 cannot be good for team morale, and I think the Rays are chomping at the bit to get a series against the Orioles. The Rangers bullpen has been terrible and I don’t expect it to suddenly succeed in closing out tight payoff games.
The second AL Wildcard matchup is the 85-win Twins, who would not have qualified as a Wildcard team but play in the most lackluster division in baseball, and the Blue Jays, who survived a slight late season skid to hold on to the final Wildcard spot. While winning the series is the Twins main goal, winning a single game would end a historic 18 game losing streak in the playoffs, dating back to 2004. The Blue Jays come from the toughest division and are probably better than their record, but I still like the Twins in this matchup. The Twins played a solid second-half of the season, and I think everyone writing them off will fuel them not only to break their winless streak but grab the series as well.
Moving over to the National League the Phillies face off against the Marlins. The Phillies roster had very high hopes early on after adding Trea Turner. After a terrible start, Philadelphia recovered, earning the number one Wildcard spot. The Marlins were viewed as a team that would most likely miss out on the playoffs, due to their stacked division. Thanks to a couple of hugely disappointing seasons from the Mets and Padres, the Marlins were able to push their way into the playoffs down the stretch. But, the Marlins' surprising run will end in the first round. If MLB fans learned anything last year it’s that the Phillies are made for the playoffs and making it past the Marlins in the Wildcard shouldn’t be a huge issue.
Finally the Brewers will face the Diamondbacks. The Brewers were picked by many to finish second in the NL West behind the heavily favored Cardinals. St. Louis had an underwhelming season, and the Brewers captured the division. The Diamondbacks are the most surprising team this year, finally rising from the bottom of the league. Led by electric young star Corbin Carrol, the D’Backs started hot and managed a solid finish to the back-half of the year. Like the Marlins, however, the Diamondbacks postseason push was great but their season will end in the Wildcard round. I think their lack of playoff experience will cost them the series, but their future is still looking bright. As proven every year in the postseason it’s about getting hot at the right time. Who it is this year - we’ll find out soon enough.
Every year on the 4th of July tens of thousands of people flock to Coney Island to watch one of the most American traditions out there. The world’s strongest competitive eaters compete to see who can inhale the most hot dogs in a ten minute time period. Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating contest off as a joke, but it has slowly developed into one of the most serious sporting events of the year, and a compelling annual tradition.
The winning hot dog numbers from the earlier years of the contest are nothing compared to where this competition has gone during the past 20 years - and this is mainly due for two people. First there’s Takeru Kobayashi. In 2000, the contest was won by Kazutoyo Arai with a measly 25 hot dogs. But one year later, Kobayashi exploded onto the scene, consuming an insane 50 hot dogs en route to his first victory. What was the method behind his madness? Well, prior to Kobayashi’s monstrous 2001 performance almost all competitors ate the hot dog the same way you and I would at a baseball game. The most innovative at the time might separate the hot dog from the bun. But Kobayashi was a true innovator. During the contest, each competitor has a large cup, filled with the drink of his choice. The brilliant Kobyashi turned this beverage into the key to eating a massive number of hot dogs. Kobyashi removed the hot dog from the bun, then dunked the dry and hard to swallow bread into his water making, helping him to swallow it much quicker. This method quickly caught on, but not quick enough as Kobyashi won the next five Nathan’s contests.
After his 2006 victory, Kobyashi looked as though he would go down as the greatest hot dog eater of all time - but there was another eater on the horizon. Joey Chestnut had fallen to Kobyashi his first two years in the competition, but in 2007 Chestnut turned the tide. Eating an insane 66 hot dogs, Chestnut ripped the belt away from the seemingly immortal Kobyashi.
In 2008, the stage was set. The innovative Kobyashi versus the remorseless Chestnut. And it was the American Eating Machine who prevailed. Chestnut has held on to his title, and has continued to out-eat everyone in the competition, winning a staggering eight titles in a row. After suffering a shocking loss to Matt Stonie in 2015, Chestnut regained his title and has won the past seven contests. He holds the current Nathan’s record of 76 hotdogs, a jaw-breaking 51 more than the winner in 1999. Chestnut’s dominance over the competition is unlike anything seen in any other professional sport. Even with the growth of the sport and a slew of new competitive eaters coming on to the scene, no one has challenged Chestnut since Stoney’s stunning victory in 2015.
The 2023 contest will take place at noon today, July 4th, and Chestnut will be looking to get his second “eight-peat.” Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest remains one of the funniest and best American Traditions out there, and will always have its spot reserved for when July 4th rolls around.
This is it, four wins separate the Miami Heat or Denver Nuggets from being crowned this year's NBA Champions. This year's NBA Finals marks only the second time in NBA history that the Finals include the one seed from one conference and the eight seed from the other. It was back in the 1999 Finals, when the top seeded San Antonio Spurs took down the eighth seed New York Knicks in five games.
Recapping the Conference Finals, in the West the Nuggets dominated, bringing out the brooms and sweeping the Lakers. The Eastern Conference Final looked like it was going to be a sweep as well, after the Heat jumped out to a three-games-to zero lead over the Boston Celtics. But, somehow Boston was able to rattle-off three straight wins of its own, culminating in a dramatic buzzer beater hustle play from Derrick White that ended game six. At this point, Boston seemed to have stolen all of the momentum, and was headed home to T.D. Garden for game seven. In game seven, however, the Heat showed they weren’t going to become the first team in NBA history to lose a series after leading 3-0. They trounced the Celtics in a game that wasn’t even close.
Now both teams are here in the Finals, only four wins away from being crowned NBA Champions. The Nuggets have looked almost unstoppable during this play-off run, with no opponent being able to shut down the duo of Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets supporting cast is good enough to keep the Nuggets close, even if their stars are struggling. On the other side, the Heat are obviously led by the man himself, Jimmy Butler. After looking like the best player on the planet during the first two rounds, Butler cooled off slightly in the first couple games of the ECF. His supporting cast stepped up in big moments to help push them through to the finals, especially guard Gabe Vincent.
Encompassing everything that I’ve seen from these two teams during this year's playoffs, I have my own prediction. The run that the Heat have had has been absolutely tremendous, but in my opinion they don’t stand a chance here. The Nuggets have been playing like the best team in the NBA during their run to the finals, and on top of this are well rested. Bam is a good defender, but everyone saw how Jokic dismantled a Anthony Davis led Lakers defense. Even if the Heat find ways to limit the Joker, that will only create more opportunities for Jamal Murray who’s played tremendously. I see the Nuggets coming out and grabbing the first two games at home, the teams splitting the two games in Miami, and Denver hoisting the Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy, at home after winning game five. Jokic will do what no Nugget has ever done before, win his team a championship.
After an exciting first two rounds of the NBA Playoffs the Conference Finals are here. Each of these teams has faced its own challenges in getting to this point, but all four of them are just one series away from the NBA Finals.
The Western Conference Finals feature the Denver Nuggets against the L.A. Lakers. The Nuggets were the best team in the West during the regular season, and faced the 8th seeded Timberwolves in the first round. After decisive wins in the first three games, the Nuggets looked shaky in a game four loss and a three point game five win. Those final two games had many people thinking that the Nuggets were beatable in round two, against a much stronger opponent in the Phoenix Suns with their one-two punch of Devin Booker and Kevin Durant). But, Nikola Jokić, Jamal Murray, and the rest of the Nuggets showed why they were the one seed, taking care of the Suns in six games. Conversely, the Lakers sat towards the bottom of the Western Conference, but after a strong trade deadline, which helped to provide a very strong supporting cast, climbed up the standings. After winning a narrow play-in game over the T-Wolves gave the Lakers the seven-seed, they faced off against the two-seed Memphis Grizzlies. The Lakers proved to be too much, getting past the Grizzlies and Ja Morant. But that upset just meant that the Lakers had to face their in-state rival (and defending NBA Champ), the Golden State Warrior. Both Steph Curry and Labron James were seeking their fifth NBA Championship, but the Lakers' improvement continued, and they handled the Warriors in six.
Over in the Eastern Conference we have the Boston Celtics taking on the Miami Heat. After the Celtics finished second in the East, many are predicting a redemption run after last year's loss in the Finals. The Celtics, who may have the deepest team in the league, moved past their first round matchup with the Atlanta Hawks in six and advanced to play the Philadelphia 76ers. After going up 2-1 in the series the Celtics ran into trouble, suffering a loss in game four before a heartbreaking one-point loss in game five. Down three games to two, the Celtics gutted out a win in a low scoring game six. But, they found their top form when it mattered in game 7, which they absolutely dominated on their way to a 24 point win and the Eastern Conference Finals. The team facing the Celtics is the lowest seed left in the playoffs, the eighth-seeded Miami Heat. After beating the Toronto Raptors in the play-in to grab the last playoff spot, the Heat had a first round series against the best team in the entire NBA during the regular season, the Milwaukee Bucks. But, people didn’t account for the power of Playoff Jimmy. Jimmy Butler averaged 37.6 ppg in that series, leading the Heat to a series win in only five games. The Heat stayed hot against the New York Knicks in the second round, rolling comfortably past them in six games.
So, of course I need to predict which teams will reach this year’s NBA Finals. In the West we have seen great play from the Nuggets’ Jokić and Murray and on the other side we have the deepest Lakers team we’ve seen in many years (and led by LeBron). In the end - I think this is the year the Nuggets make it out the West. Jokić will show the NBA-world why he should have been MVP, and a strong supporting cast will lift the Nuggets past the Lakers in six. In the East, I also see the higher seed winning. I love what Jimmy Butler and the Heat have done but the Celtics showed how well they can play in game seven of the second round. The Celtics will do a good enough job of limiting Jimmy Butler to take care of the Heat in six (maybe even five) games.
Tonight, the NFL Draft will kick-off in Kansas City. The draft being in Kansas City reminds us all of the importance of each team's first-round selection, especially those teams looking to grab a future franchise QB. Six years ago, the first-round saw the Kansas City Chiefs grab two-time MVP and Super Bowl Champ Patrick Mahomes. Meanwhile, the Texans and Bears whiffed on their first round selections (Mitchell Trubisky and Deshaun Watson, respectively), and found themselves as the worst two teams this past season (with neither of the QBs they drafted still being on the roster). This shows the importance of first round selections. With one right pick, teams can take a turn in the right direction. On the other hand, a really bad pick can doom a team to failure for years to come.
Questions for this QB class will start right from the first pick. With the Panthers picking first, no one is totally sure who the first QB off the board will bw. If I have to guess, it will be Albama’s Bryce Young. The presumptive first overall pick at the beginning of last season, Young was viewed as disappointing (as was Alabama’s season). But I wouldn’t call it bad at all. Young still had a very good year, and in close games led multiple go-ahead or game winning drives with perfect execution. I think Young shows the best mix of being NFL-ready and having strong upside, and that this will make him the first name called.
The first pick is only one of many questions surrounding QBs, with the 2nd overall pick also being up for debate. Once again, I think it will be the betting favorite Ohio State’s CJ Stroud. Stroud had the best college season out of every QB in this year's draft class and an excellent NFL pro-day as well. But, I don’t see Stroud as the best QB remaining, but he’s probably a much safer option than all other remaining QBs. After Stroud, I expect that the next QB taken will be just 2 picks later to the Indianapolis Colts. Although I do like Will Levis much more, I predict that the Colts are going with Florida’s Anthony Richardson. New Colts head-coach Shane Steichen is looking for a project similar to Jalen Hurts - a dual threat QB. Richardson may have the most upside, but had lots of inconsistent play at Florida.
The big question after the first three QBs are taken is how far Kentucky QB Will Levis will fall. None of the other teams picking in the top ten need a QB. The Raiders looked like they were going to be in the market, but after they acquired Jimmy G that seems unlikely. I predict that Levis will fall to pick 11 through 23. Picking 11th are the Tennessee Titans. The Titans seem like an obvious landing spot, but I think Mike Vrabel and the Titans believe that they can still compete for the AFC South without making a change at QB. Next are the Commanders, but I see them giving Sam Howell at least one season to see if he could possibly be their franchise guy. Then there’s Tampa Bay, but like the Raiders, Titans and Commanders, the Bucs believe they can compete in a relatively weak NFC South. They signed Baker Mayfield to a decent amount of money, and probably want some time to give Kyle Trask an opportunity. Finally, picking at 23rd overall are the Vikings. The Vikings may be looking for Kirk Cousins’ replacement, after mediocre and inconsistent play. If Kevin O’Connell doesn’t view Kirk Cousins as good enough to get the Vikings to a Super Bowl, the second year coach may be looking to click the reset button at QB. All of these teams are in play for Levis, or whoever the last of the top-four QB’s is left.
The final big QB question is with Tennessee Volunteer, Hendon Hooker. After suffering a devastating injury towards the end of his amazing season at Tennessee, Hooker took a significant hit to his draft stock. It’s unlikely that Hooker will go in the first round. But, as the second and third rounds roll around, any of the teams that are considering Will Levis could be contenders for Hooker.
Tomorrow is the night that the UConn Huskies and San Diego State Aztecs will cap off one of, if not the wildest March yet. A tournament that had it all over the past three weeks– crazy first round upsets, Cinderella stories, and game winning buzzer beaters–has led to this final game between the four seeded Uconn Huskies and five seeded San Diego State Aztecs. Both teams have experienced opposite paths to the championship. UConn has shown to be dominant with their closest game coming against Miami where they still won by a staggering 13 points. Led by forward Adama Sanogo, who has looked like the best player in the tournament, UConn has dominated and has a team with absolutely no weaknesses. On the other hand, the Aztecs have had all of their games come down to the very end, with the exception of their second round game against Furman. In their past two games, the Aztecs have only won by one point. The Aztecs have, however, shown that when it matters most, someone steps up. In the final four it was Lamont Butler who hit the game winner to barely top FAU, sending the Aztecs to the title game. The main story line of this upcoming game will be UConn’s unstoppable offense and San Diego’s stifling defense. UConn hasn’t had one bad offensive game yet while the Aztecs held Alabama, the strongest offensive team in the country, to just 64.
So what do I think? Well, in the end I don’t see the Aztecs defense being enough to stop UConn from returning to glory. UConn has been incredibly dominant and the best team in just about every round of the tournament. I see the Huskies going on a strong run at some point during the game and the Aztecs not having enough in them to keep up. I’m predicting the Huskies will be crowned tournament champions of March Madness.
Final Score Prediction-
Huskies-78
Aztecs-67
4/2/23
The first and second rounds of this year's March Madness have concluded, and they sure lived up to the name. The first round opened with two wild finishes. West Virginia missed a game winning shot with a second left, in a back-and-forth thriller. Then, there was Furman’s improbable win over the Virginia Cavaliers. As a Cavaliers fan this game hurts to write about, but over the past five years I’ve become used to first round losses. The Cavaliers have always been known for their inability to close-out games, and that’s what happened here. Furman trailed by 12 with 12 minutes remaining, but crawled back to within two points with seven seconds remaining in the game. That’s when point guard Kihei Clark, known for one of - if not the - greatest pass in March Madness history (against Purdue during the Cavaliers’ championship run) had the worst turnover of his career. After becoming trapped in the corner - with a timeout left to burn - Clark chose to try a desperate lob pass to one of his teammates down court. Garret Hien of Furman had other plans. He intercepted the pass and hit JP Pegues for the deep game winning three, and UVA was sent back to Charlottesville on the first day, once again.
But, that game wasn’t even the biggest upset of the day. Two-seed Arizona led 15-seed Princeton by ten points with eight minutes left to play. Then the Wildcats fell apart, scoring only four more points the rest of the game. The Princeton Tigers stormed back to win the game by a final score of 59 to 55. But, what upset could top this you ask? The following day top seeded Purdue faced off against the Fairleigh Dickinson Knights, of Hackensack, New Jersey. The Knights hadn’t even won the Northeast Conference, but conference champion Merrimack was unable to enter the dance because they had recently come from Division II and are in the final year of a four year “probation” (wink) period. The Boilermakers found themselves behind for the entire game, and in crunch time Purdue’s giant Zach Edey couldn’t find enough help from his teammates to carry Purdue to victory. The Knights’ victory marked only the second time a 16-seed knocked off a one-seed, and will forever be remembered as the game that put FDU basketball on the map.
Sure, all of these upsets were great - but the best game of the tournament was between the nine-seed Florida Atlantic Owls and eight-seed Memphis Tigers. For the final ten minutes the game stayed within five points. With 90 seconds left Memphis took a one-point lead on a Deandre Williams “and-one” layup. The Owls answered right back with a tip-in from Alijah Martin. The Tigers then had a tip-in of their own, giving them the lead. The Owls came looking for an answer, but missed a layup and failed to grab the offensive rebound. After fouling, the Owls forced a jump ball and gained possession, down one point. With only five seconds left on the clock, the Owls’ Nicholas Boyd drove into the paint and hit a layup for the win, capturing FAU’s first ever tournament win.
In round two, we saw most of the first-round Cinderella stories come to an end. FDU and Furman both came up short in their games. But, Cinderella’s not going home just yet. Princeton dominated its matchup with Missouri, winning by 15 points and booking their ticket to the Sweet 16 (go Ivy League!) . And, an even bigger upset followed when the Kansas Jayhawks met the Arkansas Razorbacks. Returning champs Kansas were once again missing head coach, Bill Self. Arkansas, who knocked off number-one-seed Gonzaga last year, came ready to play. It seemed that Kansas was poised to pull away at the start of the second half, but the Razorbacks patiently battled back and took the lead with just under a minute left. The Razorbacks held off the Jayhawks’ final efforts, and ended Kansas’ chance to be back-to-back tourney champs.
March Madness sure lived up to its name this first weekend and I’m sure there’s much more excitement to come.
This Thursday, the Section 2 AA Basketball Semifinals will take place at Cool Insuring Arena in Glens Falls, with second seeded CBA taking on third seeded Saratoga, followed by top seeded Ballston Spa facing off against fifth seeded Green Tech. The winners of both games will then face off on Saturday in the Finals.
First off, it’s the CBA Brothers and Saratoga Blue Streaks. ‘Toga is coming off a narrow win against Shenendehowa, in which they trailed by four late in the 4th quarter, but came back to win in a game that came down to the very end. CBA had an eight point win over Mekeel Christian, which saw a tremendous game from 8th grader JJ Osinski. The Blue Streaks and Brothers did face off during the regular season, with CBA blowing out ‘Toga in a 20 point win. But, both teams have been hot down the stretch, with ‘Toga winning eight of its past nine, and CBA perfect over its last seven.
The way these teams stack up I like CBA’s chances. Saratoga lacks size to stop CBA’s Oreo Odutayo, Aiden Wine and Jayden Osinski, and I can see any of these three having a monster game. Pairing the edge inside with good shooting from Kaelen Leak, Matt Sgambati, and JT Vogel, I think the Brothers look great to win this game. CBA’s performance in the first two and a half quarters of the Mekeel Christian game raises some concerns. Mekeel looked to be in control of the game early, but I don’t blame this on poor play from the Brothers. It was strong play from Mekeel, who many people were sleeping on. CBA has gotten into trouble, allowing opponents to stick around, but when they do play in close games they always seem to find a way to pull through.
Then there’s the Ballston Spa Scotties and the Green Tech Eagles. This is a heavyweight matchup, the Scotties went 19-1 this season and proved to be the best regular season team not only in the Section, but arguably the state. The Scotties did face some serious problems in the first half of their game against Colonie on Sunday, but caught fire in the second half leading to a decisive win. BSpa has looked absolutely dominant much of the season, claiming decisive wins even over the other best teams in the league. But, Green Tech are the reigning champs of Section 2, and in Sunday's win over Bethlehem they also looked dominant. Green Tech had a shaky start to the season, but seem to have pulled things together, having won their past eight games. I expect this to be a great game, but in the end I don’t see how you can go against the Scotties. They are just too dominant.
I expect two tight, well-played games this Thursday, in part because the four best teams are the ones still playing. Each team has a chance, but in the end you should be getting ready to break out your purple for a Scotties vs. Brothers matchup on Saturday.
Final Score Predictions:
CBA over Saratoga 65-57
Ballston Spa over Green Tech 75-71
Baseball is back, after a long and exciting offseason the MLB spring training games have begun. This offseason we saw the whole league get shaken up, with several talented stars switching teams.
DeGrom (and more) to Rangers. First off, there was Jacob deGrom leaving the Big Apple and heading to the Texas Rangers. Last year we saw the Rangers spend big, committing 500 MILLION DOLLARS to their middle infield of Corey Seager and Marcus Semien. That's why it was so disappointing when they finished the season 68-94, which was 2nd worst in the AL West. So what did the Rangers do again this offseason? They spent even more! The team went out and got baseball’s most dominant pitcher in Jacob deGrom, signing him to a five-year $185 million deal. I do like this signing by the Rangers. When deGrom is healthy he is totally unstoppable, but that's where the problem lies. DeGrom has dealt with several injuries throughout his career, especially recently. In the past three seasons deGrom hasn’t played in more than 15 games. While he has posted a 2.18 ERA over that span, spending $185 million on a player who hasn’t been able to stay on the field is a little sketchy. The Rangers further bolstered their pitching rotation by adding Nathan Evaldi, who's coming off a pretty good year, and Andrew Heaney who is coming off a career season. This rotation has the pieces to be one of the best in the league, especially with Martín Pérez who's coming off a great year. But, the biggest factor on just how good this rotation can be is the health of Jacob deGrom.
The Mets vs. the Best Division in Baseball. After losing deGrom the Mets needed to fill the hole in their rotation, and that came in the form of Justin Verlander, who the Mets signed to a two-year deal. The Mets’ season came to an abrupt and disappointing end last year, losing in the Wildcard to a very solid Padres team. The Mets had a great regular season last year, but were unlucky in having to share the NL East with the Atlanta Braves, who rallied to win the division over the Mets on a tiebreaker. I think that by getting Verlander to replace deGrom the Mets have the potential to be right back to where they were last season, but the problem is that they’re playing in the best division in baseball. The Braves’ young stars are only going to continue to get better. And after the Braves, there’s the team that was 14 games behind the Mets at the end of last year's regular season but then almost shocked the world in the playoffs. I'm talking about the Phillies, who ended last year tremendously, making it all the way to the World Series. Since then, Philadelphia has bolstered its lineup by adding Trea Turner, who’s arguably the best shortstop in the league. This Phillies’ lineup is electric, and I think they can definitely show everyone that their run last year was no fluke.
Padres Overtaking Dodgers? The best team in the regular season last year was the Dodgers, who won 111 games. But, similar to the Mets, L.A. had a extremely disappointing end to last season - losing in the divisional round to a Padres team that had won 22 fewer regular seasor games. This off-season, however, the Dodgers went downhill - losing Trea Turner and not making any big additions. Their biggest offseason acquisitions are Noah Syndegard and J.D. Martinez. I still expect this Dodgers team to still be very strong, but I have questions about them winning the division because of the rising Padres. The Padres had a strong finish to last year's season and got even better, going out and snatching Xander Bogaerts from the Red Sox. With the addition of Bogaerts, and the return of Fernado Tatis, the Padres will challenge the Dodgers for the divisional crown.
The Judge Presides in New York. And finally, in what was probably the biggest signing of the offseason, Aaron Judge will return to the New York Yankees on a nine-year $360 million deal. Judge is coming off the greatest offensive season since Barry (Bobblehead) Bonds in the early 2000s. Bringing back Judge was something the Yankees simply had to do, and they did. On top of this, the Bombers brought back Rizzo and picked-up a newly clean-shaven Carlos Rodón. The Yankees definitely have the lineup necessary to make a run, especially with the emergence of young prospects, who we will probably be seeing this year. But the question remains the same - can the Yankees deliver in the playoffs. Last year the Yankees ended their season by being swept by the Astros. They played awful and looked overmatched. This year, with the reigning champion Astros losing Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, the Yankees have a real chance to return to the top.
Last Sunday we saw the NFL season come to a close, with the dramatic finish to Super Bowl LVII. Now typically this would mean the end of football until the NFL preseason starts back up in August. But, now we have the return of the XFL to tide us over until the NFL season comes back around! This weekend we will witness the return of the XFL (for the 3rd time), with new players, coaches, teams, locations and rules.
As a (re)introduction, the XFL is made up of two divisions, the North and the South. Each division has four teams and each team will play a ten week regular season. At the end of the regular season the top two teams from each division will move on to a semi-final and then - the XFL Championship Game. There will be eight teams, some of which are familiar to long-time XFL fans, but a few of which are new. The five returning franchises are the D.C. Defenders, Seattle Sea Dragons, St. Louis BattleHawks, Arlington Renegades and Houston Roughnecks. New to XFL play this season are the Las Vegas Vipers, Orlando Guardians and San Antonio Brahmas.
Recently, the XFL held a draft, and multiple notable former NFL players were selected. This list includes QBs Paxton Lynch, A.J. McCarron and Ben DiNucci, as well as WR Josh Gordon and Punter Marquette King to name just a few. The XFL also has some very familiar coaches, a few of which are former NFL players, including former Steelers Rod Woodson and Hines Ward.
The XFL continues to have certain unique rules, starting right from the opening play of the game. On the kickoff, the kicking team and receiving team will begin only five yards apart. Once the kicker kicks off, players (other than the returner) can only move after the ball has been on the ground for three seconds or when the returner first touches the ball. This rule is intended to encourage returns instead of touchbacks. Another change to kickoffs will become more important towards the end of the game. Kicking teams that want to retain the ball will have the option to either perform a normal onside kick or to attempt one play, where if they gain at least 15 yards they will hold onto possession. Similarly, teams will have three (non-kicking) extra-point options following a touchdown, including a one point attempt from the two yard line, a two point attempt from the five yard line and a three point attempt from the ten. This means that we could be seeing teams pull off an 18 point comeback with only two scores.
It’s easy to be skeptical about XFL v.3. Any start-up football league faces many challenges, and the previous versions of the XFL completely flame out. But, this time the XFL seems to have a much better plan. I hope to see the XFL succeed, and I think we could be in for an entertaining 12 weeks of football.
The new AP NCAA basketball ranking just came out, and there’s definitely been some shaking up, especially when it comes to the number one spot. After Northwestern pulled off an improbable upset against previous number one Purdue on Sunday, the Boilermakers now sit at number three.
So who are the two teams that now sit ahead of Purdue? Well, the new number two is arguably the most consistent team in the league, and has the fewest losses of any top 25 team, I’m talking about the Houston Cougars. They have the best defense in the NCAA, allowing only 55 points per game. They also have the highest point differential, plus 20.5, which is 4.3 points above the next best team.
Despite one small hiccup against Temple - where they lost by one - the Cougars have played great basketball. With only two losses, they’ve shown their dominance winning 17 games against unranked opponents by ten or more points. Houston is definitely a team that should cruise through the first 2 rounds come March, but where they seem sketchy is in the lack of strong opponents in their schedule. They had a strong and impressive win over Virginia in December, but their other loss came to Alabama. Both these games also occurred in December, meaning it has been a while since Houston has faced a really strong opponent. This may cause some worry for the likely one-seed come the Sweet Sixteen.
Speaking of Alabama, they’re the new number one ranked team in the country (and no, I’m not talking about football). Alabama sits at 22-3 and is led by a dominant offense, which ranks 4th in the country. Similar to the Cougars, the Crimson Tide also lead the NCAA in point differential, ranking 4th with a plus 14.7. The worry about the Tide is their inconsistency on defense. In their losses, the Alabama defense has been terrible, giving up 82 points to UConn, 100 to Gonzaga, and 93 to a very bad Oklahoma team. I think the Tide are a team that is very capable of making a run, due to the fact that it’s so hard to keep up with their offense. But, the Tide’s defensive inconsistency could lead to disappointment in the big dance. If Alabama’s defense can tighten up, look for the Tide to keep rolling deep into March.
2/14/23
Last night, in Glendale Arizona, the Eagles and Chiefs played an all time classic in the Super Bowl. The game was tremendous - high scoring, big plays and a great comeback by the Chiefs. There were a lot of interesting storylines throughout the game.
At the very beginning of the game I was honestly surprised that the Chiefs elected to defer after winning the toss, and let the Eagles have the ball first. I know that typically getting the ball to start the second half is better, but in every game that the Eagles played this year when they got the ball first they scored. And the Eagles proved me right, going on an 11 play 75 yard drive ending in a touchdown. But, the Chiefs were able to answer, which put everyone on alert that this game was going to be a thriller.
After a few more series of scores which included an electrifying scoop and score by Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton the Chiefs punted with 1:30 left to go in the half, this is when the Eagles saw their chance to take control. And they did. Even after a controversial 35 yard catch by DeVonta Smith was overturned, they still were able to tack on a field goal and take a commanding 24 to 14 lead going into the half.
The Chiefs’ first possession of the 2nd half was huge in determining whether or not they could pull back into the game, and they had a tremendous 75 yard drive ending in a touchdown. After a field goal by the Eagles, the Chiefs kept rolling - scoring another touchdown to gain their first lead of the game and making the score 28 to 27. The Eagles then went three and out, which brought us to one of, if not the, biggest play of the game. Kadarius Toney’s 65 yard punt return didn’t just put the Chiefs in great position to score a touchdown and extend their lead (which they did), but also seemed to put all the momentum on the Chiefs’ side.
But, the Eagles were able to rally - and scored the game tying touchdown with 5 minutes left. Mahomes was given his chance to work his magic on the biggest stage, and so he did. Mahomes executed a great drive which included a huge 26 yard scramble by the injured quarterback, which put the Chiefs in range for the game winning field goal which Harrison Butker split straight through the uprights.
So as the clock hit zero what do I think the deciding factors were in this game? Well first off the Chiefs got the run game going, unlike the Eagles. Isaiah Pacheco went 15 carries for 76 yards. Mahomes and McKinnon also combined for 78 yards. This running attack helped the Chiefs control the game, and even though Mahomes threw for only 182 yards the Chiefs still put up 38 points. On the other hand the Eagles running game wasn’t good. Sure Hurts had 70 yards, but their three-headed monster running back room didn’t perform at all, only managing 45 yards among the three backs.
This is where I think we look at coaching. Eagles’ coach Nick Sirianni, and Offensive Coordinator Shane Steichen, didn’t involve the running backs enough, only giving them 17 carries compared to Hurts’ 38 pass attempts. I think that given how good the Eagles’ offensive line was, they should’ve run the ball much more and worked on keeping Mahomes off the field - especially in the second half when the Chiefs’ offense played perfect and the Eagles showed no sign of stopping it.
Across the field though was Andy Reid, who in my opinion had one of his best coaching performances yet. He took pressure off Mahomes and involved Pacheco in the game plan. Travis Kelce also finally had the big post-season game that he’d been waiting for, recording six receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown.
My final point about why I think the Chiefs won this one was their ability to make big plays when they needed them the most. Nick Bolton’s scoop and score was huge in keeping the game close, Toney’s punt return was a momentum shifter, and then of course Patrick Mahomes’ 26 yard scramble to set up the win. It was a team effort with the defense, special teams, and offense all making their own huge impact.
So party hard Kansas City, because the 2023 season will be here before you know it!
2/13/23
On Sunday February 12th at 6:30pm ET the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs will battle it out in Super Bowl LVII (57). This matchup is the first time that both one seeds will be facing off in the Super Bowl since 2017, when the top seeded Eagles faced off against the Patriots. Both the Chiefs and Eagles have been dominant all year. They are probably the two best rosters in the NFL this year and crushed any doubt that existed during or before the season especially when it came to both teams’ star QBs.
When Tyreek Hill left for Miami there were serious questions about how Mahomes would perform. Mahomes answered these questions from the very start of the season and ended the season leading the league in passing touchdowns with 41, passing yards with 5,250, and is the favorite to win MVP.
The favorite behind him though is Eagles’ QB Jalen Hurts. On draft night Howie Roseman went out and traded for Titans stud WR AJ Brown. This actually put pressure on Hurts. He now had the pieces on offense that he needed to win, and if he had a disappointing season it would be clear that he isn’t a franchise QB. Well, Howie Roseman made the right decision going out to get AJ Brown. Hurts and Brown were arguably the most electrifying QB/WR duo in the league (after Cousins and Jefferson).
Even though these two QBs are gamechangers I don’t see them being that in this game. In fact, I see this as a game that will be won and lost in the trenches. The Eagles O-Line has been tremendous all year, which makes me think that they will try to control the game on the ground using the rushing attack of probowler Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, and Kenneth Gainwell who’s arguably looked the best out of all three of these running backs during the postseason. On top of this there is Jalen Hurts who's one of the best rushing QBs in the NFL.
But, the Eagles won’t be able to just run all over the Chiefs. The Chiefs’ rushing defense has played great all year long and allowed only 71 rushing yards last week to the Bengals, which was one of their main keys in winning that game. One main reason for their elite rushing defense has been DPOY candidate Chris Jones, who’s probably coming off the best game of his career. His elite pass rushing ability shouldn't be a big problem for the Eagles, given their excellent O-Line, but if Jones is able to clog up the middle and slow down Philly’s running attack I think he gives the Chiefs a good shot.
But, don’t count out the Eagles’ defense. Their secondary has been lockdown, with C.J Gardner-Johnson, Darius Slay, and James Bradberry. But, the thing is their secondary isn’t even the best thing about their defense. The Eagles’ pass rush is the greatest that this league has seen in a while. They led the league in sacks this year by an extremely wide margin, they’ll also be going against a Patrick Mahomes, who will be limited mobility-wise due to his ankle. If you remember anything from Super Bowl 55 between the Buccaneers and Chiefs it’s that the Bucs’ defense was able to totally shut down the Chiefs’ offense, thanks to a secondary that was able to keep receivers in check for long enough that the pass rush was able to get to Mahomes. If the Eagles can replicate the Bucs defense from two years ago then I like their chances of raising the Lombardi trophy.
The most important player in making sure the Chiefs are able to put up more than seven points, unlike the 49ers and Giants, is TE Travis Kelce. The weakest part of this Eagles defense is their linebacker corps’ pass coverage. I’m definitely not saying that it’s terrible, but I think Kelce could very well beat any linebacker guarding him or outpower any Cornerback that the Eagles will place on him. Travis Kelce isn’t exactly known for showing up in big games, but I think if Andy Reid can put him in the right positions he will be the offensive X-Factor for the Chiefs. Another key factor is the healthiness of Corner L’Jarius Sneed. The Chiefs secondary is going to need to step-up, saying they're going against the best WR combo in the league and I think L’Jaruis Sneed being healthy plays a large role in that.
Taking all of this into account I do have my very own prediction for the game. Although I’m a diehard Giants fan and would love to see the Chiefs destroy the Eagles, I think the Eagles are going to win this game. Their roster is much stronger and has more depth. I also think that they’ve been playing better than the Chiefs as of recently. I do think it will be a close game, but in the end Patrick Mahomes will fall short of his second Super Bowl ring.
2/11/23
On February 1st the NFL world was hit with two shocking pieces of news.
First off there was the Broncos hiring of future HOF coach Sean Payton. Payton retired just last year, but in the last month he had multiple interviews for head coaching jobs. In the end he decided on the Broncos who had to provide the Saints with compensation because Payton’s contract hadn’t finished with the Saints yet. They gave the Broncos a first round pick this year along with a second next year and in return they got a 3rd rounder next year.
So what's my take on this? Well, I don’t really like it.
The Broncos just came off one of the most disappointing seasons of all time, after shipping tons of assets to Seattle, they were viewed as a serious Super Bowl contender. But that is far from how the season actually went. They finished 5-12; the offense that was supposed to be so good was one of the worst in the league; and Russel Wilson played beyond horrible. Now it’s hard to know who to blame, because I don’t think Nathaniel Hacket was a good coach, but I don’t see the Broncos having a resurgence next year. I think they have some really strong pieces, but their draft picks are completely gone and Russel Wilson’s contract takes up way too much cap space. I do think Wilson will play better with Payton in as head coach but if the Raiders go out and get a QB, which it seems like they will, I see the Broncos at the bottom of the AFC West again next year.
So this makes me wonder, why would Payton choose the Broncos? My prediction when Payton first started doing interviews was that he would be the newest coach of the Arizona Cardinals. I think he could’ve brought Kyler back to and even improve on his performance in 2021. They also have great pieces in D-Hop and Marquise Brown, who I thought he could build a perfect system for. On top of this the Cardinals have a top 1st round pick. If he wanted to restart with a new QB he could’ve just traded Kyler and grabbed a top QB in the draft class. I also had seen the possibility of him teaming up with Tom Brady somewhere but with the assets that the Broncos have that clearly couldn’t happen. That’s why I’m not totally sure on why he decided on Denver. Maybe he thinks that he can “Let Russ Cook,” but even then the Broncos would struggle to get through not just a good AFC West but an absolutely loaded AFC.
The Second piece of news we got was the retirement of the All-Time greatest football player, Tom Brady. To the point I made earlier I really thought that Tom Brady was going to leave the Bucs to go and join Sean Payton. I think that there may in fact even be a correlation between Payton joining the Broncos and then Brady retiring. If Payton had chosen a team with more assets I think we definitely would’ve seen the team -up of Payton and Brady but as soon as he joined the Broncos Brady knew there was no shot of that happening.
So do I think Brady should’ve retired? My answer is yes. Tom Brady clearly regressed this year and I think that his coming back would’ve led to him falling off even more and eventually being replaced by one of this year's draft class QBs. Now though we have almost entirely entered a new era of star QBs. Mahomes, Lamar, Allen, Hurts, Herbert, and many more have now taken over the league and are either in or are yet to hit their prime. All these stars have me excited for years to come.
2/11/23
Last year everyone had similar questions about Aaron Rodgers. No one was quite sure what his future entailed and once again these same questions have arisen. The Packers' season wasn't as many imagined it to be. The Packers had dominated the league the past three years but with the loss of Davante Adams the Packers opened 2022 with an extremely slow start. They were able to pull their season together but in the end they fell just short of the playoffs. Since Rodgers has walked off Lambeau Field with longtime teammate Randall Cobb, questions have arisen on what his future entails.
Rodgers has shown uncertainty on whether or not he’ll be retiring but if he does return no ones totally sure if it will be as a Packer. Trade rumors have come up about how the Packers may be looking to push the restart button on QB, either testing the Jordan Love experiment or drafting a QB in this year's draft class. If the Packers do end up choosing to part ways with Rodgers where would he end up?
In my opinion the three most likely candidates other than the Packers are the Titans, Raiders, and Jets. The Titans regressed this year but I think if they go out and get a guy like Rodgers the championship window could reopen. Rodgers would be able to play with a great rushing attack and wouldn’t have to be the one making every play happen. Then there’s the Jets who unlike the Titans progressed this year and would’ve been a playoff team if it wasn’t for poor QB play. The Jets GM and Owner have both said that they believe they’re one piece away from being Super Bowl contenders, it's obvious that that piece is a new starting QB. The Jets have already gone out and gotten Nathaniel Hacket, who was the Packer offensive coordinator during Rodgers two latest MVP seasons, as their offensive coordinator. I think this entices Rodgers to go to the Jets on the surface but as you look deeper I think Rodgers would have easily been just as successful without him - and Davante Adams was a bigger piece to his success.
That's why I see the Raiders as another potential landing spot for Aaron Rodgers. The Raiders and Derek Carr seem like a split is almost guaranteed to happen. I do think the Raiders have the most enticing weapons for Aaron Rodgers including Josh Jacobs, Hunter Renfrow, Darren Waller, and of course Davante Adams.
2/11/23
Every sports fan’s favorite time of the year is right around the corner as March Madness is just over a month away.
From the beginning of the year a lot has changed, North Carolina started the year as number one in the rankings playing tremendous basketball in the ACC tournament and March Madness. But now North Carolina is 16-9 and sitting 7th in the ACC. So why is this? Well when you look back at the Tar Heels’s losses this year you see that they struggle in close games. All of their losses except one have been within 10 points and in 4 of their loses they had a win probability of above 80% during the second half. I find the Tar Heels to be a team that can have stretches where they look as good as any team out there and if they could’ve just held onto leads against some pretty good teams including now 13th ranked Iowa State and number four Alabama I still think were looking at this North Carolina team that could make some noise once again come March similar to how the 9 seeded Tar Heels did last year.
Another team in a similar situation to the Tar Heels is the Kentucky Wildcats. They had high aspirations heading into the year looking to redeem themselves from their first round exit against St. Peters last year. After starting the year and number 4 in the rankings they now sit 16-9 good enough for 5th place in the SEC and with tons of questions circulating on whether they’ll actually make it into the dance or not. I find the answer for the Wildcats woes to not be as clear cut though as the Tar Heels. They’ve had some bad losses such as their 16 point loss in a highly anticipated matchup they had against Gonzaga, getting blown out by a total of 26 points against Alabama, and then probably worst of all their loss to South Carolina who are the worst team in the SEC. Even when you think the Wildcats are gonna turn their season around they go through a losing streak or have a very bad outing. Sure, I think it’s possible they could also turn their season around but with how inconsistent they are and how poorly they can play at times I don’t think we’ll see the Wildcats end with an impressive finish.
On the other hand you have the Purdue Boilermakers. Unranked to start the year they’ve now risen to be one of if not the best team in the nation. The Boilermakers have had tons of impressive and decisive wins and their only losses being to Rutgers and Indiana in two extremely close games. At this point I think the Boilermakers have hit a point similar to that of the Gonzaga Bulldogs last year, are they beatable? I would say so but I still don’t think that you can really bet against them.
2/11/23
LeBron James has done it, he’s passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar point record, but the question is has he become the GOAT? I think every basketball fan can agree that Jordan and LeBron are the best two players in NBA history and the debate between the two players has been going on since LeBron completed his epic 3-1 comeback against the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in the 2015-2016 season. Since then LeBron has only added to his resume, winning another title, climbing up the record books for points and assists, and making lots more NBA all star games along with first and second teams.
So with all James has added, has he surpassed Jordan as the greatest of all time? Well I’m sorry but for me the answer is still a no.
The defense Jordan went against in his era is just so much more than LeBron has had to face. I think if you put 1989 MJ in today’s NBA he could even get up to 40 ppg. Secondly there's the fact that Jordan was 6 for 6. Jordan was literally unstoppable during his prime which I think easily makes up for his lack of longevity compared to LeBron. I think that if Jordan didn’t leave the NBA for “baseball” that the Bulls could’ve 8-peated as NBA champions. Also one extremely overlooked fact in this debate is MJ’s elite defense.
I think LeBron is a good defender but MJ was tremendous and top 3 in the league in an era filled with great, big, and strong defensive players. So what would it take for me to acknowledge LeBron as the GOAT? Well I think two more championships as the main piece of the roster would do it for me. I think the career stats for LeBron at this point are useless in determining whether he’s the GOAT or not. I see LeBron longevity not only being due to his talent but modern day knowledge about players health along with LeBron’s great physique. I think LeBron has solidified himself as the 2nd greatest player the league has ever seen but still Jordan’s greatness is far beyond everyone else's.
2/11/23
The trade deadline hit on February 9th and 3:00 EST but in the couple of days leading up to it we saw the NBA get totally shaken up. First off we had Kyrie Irving getting sent to the Mavs. When Kyrie requested a trade many expected him to be heading to the Lakers to team back up with LeBron. But instead the Mavs sent Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, and picks to get a side star to pair with Luka. Luka has had a tremendous season but by himself no one saw the Mavs as a team that could win the championship, but by adding Kyrie I think the Mavs are able to take some pressure of of Luka and could definitely be a threat in the playoffs, at least much more than before. Kyrie definitely has his issues both on and off the court but I think this is a move that the Mavs had to make if they want a shot at winning it all.
Another big trade was D’Angelo Russel heading to the Lakers. After Kyrie went off the market the Lakers had to look for a different replacement for Russel Westbrook. I think going to get Russel was a good choice for the Lakers. Initially I was wondering why they didn’t go out and get a bigger guy to pair with AD such as John Collins who was on the market, but since they got Mo Bamba I think they should be good. Now though the Lakers have no excuses, this team is good enough to win a championship not be a non-playoff team.
Finally the biggest trade was Kevin Durant to the Suns. I love this move for Phoenix, CP3 is only getting older and they definitely didn’t want to have the championship window close. By going out and getting KD although it did cost them a lot I think they’re easily a top 5 team in the league.
This trade deadline sure did shake up the league, and I think we're all in for a wild ride the rest of the season and come playoff time.
2/11/23
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