Month: August 2024

The NFC came agonizingly close to winning two championships the last two years. Philadelphia was minutes away from a possible conference three-peat until an obvious pass interference call sealed Kansas City’s victory in 2023. San Francisco followed up with a heartbreaking overtime defeat (also to Kansas City), admitting they didn’t know the postseason overtime rules. Fortunately the conference has a lot of rising franchises that will be hard for future AFC opponents to shake off. Atlanta, Green Bay and Los Angeles have to play more consistent despite retooling their rosters. San Francisco, Detroit and Tampa Bay came close to reaching and winning the championship, but believe there’s still time for at least one more title run before a roster teardown. Then there are teams doing what they can to make the playoffs and nothing else.

It’s time to break down which seven teams in the conference have the best chance to reach the playoffs this season. There are as many quality teams this year, so expect a thrilling finish to the end of the season and some surprises based off this years draft and last years film.

NFC South: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The NFC South is a two team race. The awful Carolina Panthers and mediocre New Orleans Saints won’t go far due to a combination of shoddy rosters, mediocre offenses or regressive head coaching. This leaves Atlanta and Tampa Bay as the two contenders.

Atlanta tempts with new offensive additions tight end Jordan Thomas, quarterbacks Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. and wide receivers Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud. Despite adding defensive All-Pros Justin Simmons and Matthew Judon, Tampa Bay has a better all-around defense that plays their best when it matters most. The Falcons do have better runningback depth, but the Buccaneers also have deeper offensive talent at wide receiver, tight end and offensive line.

NFC West: San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Rams

Unless injuries take a toll on the NFC West, there’s no doubt which team runs this division. The deep, veteran 49ers want to get back to the championship after a second excruciating Super Bowl loss to Kansas City.

Two names to keep an eye on the next few weeks are offensive captain and starting left tackle Trent Williams and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. Both players are holding out due to contract disputes. Williams and Aiyuk are dissatisfied with how much money general manager John Lynch is offering, refusing to show up to preseason games and any form of practice. The latter’s dissatisfaction has led him to seek a trade with a (potential) AFC playoff team. If Aiyuk gets his wish, the 49ers will have to rely more on receivers Deebo Samuels, Jauan Jennings and team captain George Kittle against defensive double coverage schemes. If Williams decides he wants out of San Francisco, then it could get ugly for both the coaches and executives. Head coach Kyle Shanahan is in a tough position to keep the players motivated and repeat last season’s accomplishments while satisfying his bosses.

San Francisco’s defense will do more than enough to choke the three NFC West offenses, so winning the division shouldn’t be a problem barring serious injuries. The best team behind the 49ers is Los Angeles. The Rams have the best head coach of the three despite Arizona and Seattle upgrading their rosters. However, significant injuries to starting quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Cooper Kupp would be a golden opportunity for Seattle to jump into a wildcard spot should the Seahawks defense perform as well as it has this preseason. For now, the advantage goes to head coach Sean McVay. McVay showed last year he can lead a crumbling team into the playoffs and put up a fight against a division champion on wildcard weekend.

NFC North: Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers

Detroit was one half away from making their first ever Super Bowl last season. Four second half mistakes (on every side of the ball) were enough to send San Francisco to the title game. In previous years and decades, that would be enough to send the Lions into a spiral and never recover.

These aren’t the old Lions many of us have known. Almost everyone from the coaching staff to most of the 53 man roster chose to stay after that playoff loss. Detroit’s determined to get back to the conference championship and represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. The secondary should improve and the pass rush is close to hitting their prime.

The north is harder to predict than the west because Green Bay will challenge the Lions for the division title. The Packers had back-to-back wins against Detroit and Kansas City in extremely loud, road environments last year. The then-youngest roster in the league fizzled out at the end due to inexperience and offensive inconsistencies when it mattered most. The Packers growth should continue and coach Matt LaFleur has a better team this season.

Not only will starting quarterback Jordan Love play with more poise and a sharper understanding of LaFleur’s offense, the receiving core of Romeo Dobbs, Christian Watson and Luke Musgrave will give opposing secondaries problems. Green Bay’s defense still has a shutdown secondary and a deep front seven. The Packers will be fun to watch this season.

NFC East: Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys

There’s a new sense of optimism in the nation’s capital. The new ownership group in Washington has done their best to destroy every bit of former owner Dan Snyder’s legacy. The latest hire of former defensive coordinator and head coach Dan Quinn sent shockwaves through the NFC east and the conference.

Quinn’s known for success on every NFL team he’s coached. His defenses are around, if not the best in the league. When he was last head coach, Atlanta became one of the most complete teams of the mid-2010s. Second overall pick Jayden Daniels will quarterback an offense featuring a dual runningback threat in Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson Jr., one of the best receiving cores in the league, a rising tight end group and an improving offensive line.

The defense will tighten with both Quinn coaching the younger talent and future Hall of Fame veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner leading every defensive possession. The growing pessimism of the other three east teams makes the Commanders an easy pick for the division title.

It wouldn’t be the NFC east without drama. The Giants are abysmal on every side of the ball (even in practice) and the Eagles will try to erase a debacle of a 2023-24 season where they started 10-1 and lost all but one game the remaining two months. This leaves the Cowboys as the best pick to make a wildcard spot.

The loss of defensive coordinator Dan Quinn will linger the rest of 2024. The 2023-24 Dallas defense was one of the best the franchise ever had, but getting whacked by inexperienced Green Bay on wildcard weekend dampers this season’s mood. Then, team owner Jerry Jones has repeatedly told media outlets star receiver CeeDee Lamb isn’t worth the amount of money he’s asking for. Lamb could be traded before the mid-season deadline.

Regardless of CeeDee Lamb’s status, quarterback Dak Prescott will do enough to get the Cowboys into the postseason. There’s still a lot of talent on the defense to keep Dallas’ offense in games and squeak out enough wins.

Total 2023-2024 regular and postseason picks: 8-5

Sifan Hassan

What a fun first half of the season. Ratings are higher than they’ve been in decades. A’ja Wilson is setting franchise and league records. The eight team playoff race will have an exciting finish. Then there’s the number of comeback wins we’ve lost count over. As the second half of the regular season begins tomorrow, let’s take a look at what stood out most before the All-Star break.

The kids are more than all right…they’re the real deal.

The 2024 WNBA draft was hyped as one of the biggest events for the league since 2008. Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, Stanford’s Cameron Brink, South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso and LSU’s Angel Reese were the big names. Not only did most teams exceed expectations with their picks, but a good number give veteran players fits.

Many thought Caitlin Clark would be good before the All-Star break. The first overall pick looks more comfortable in coach Christie Sides’ system alongside franchise anchor Aaliyah Boston. Angel Reese is the most impressive player as she’s second in the league in rebounds per game. Her play is a big reason the Chicago Sky have the last playoff spot. Reese also broke Candace Parker’s double-double streak less than two months into the season and held her own against the league’s best player A’ja Wilson (more on her soon). Cardoso and Brink both lead their teams in blocked shots (despite the latter out for the rest of the season with a torn ACL) and are the hardest rookies to defend against when they attack the basket.

Other pleasant surprises include Rickea Jackson and Aaliyah Edwards. Jackson is Los Angeles’ second leading scorer and rebounder after starting the season on the bench. Edwards continues improving on both offense and defense the more she plays for Washington. There hasn’t been a better WNBA rookie class ready to carry the league into a brighter future than this one.

It’s an A’ja Wilson world and we’re all living in it.

There also hasn’t been a more dominant all-around WNBA player since Sylvia Fowles in her 2017 season. Interestingly, Fowles was the hardest player Wilson played against her first few years in the league. Those one-on-one matchups turned Vegas’ superstar into the world’s best women’s basketball player and the face of the WNBA.

Wilson and the Aces started the season coming off two straight championships with a lot of questions on a possible three-peat. The Aces are a playoff contender because their superstar center carries them each game. Vegas might not have a deep playoff run, but with A’ja Wilson in the peak of her career and a 100% lock to win league MVP, it’ll take everything to knock the two time reigning champions out of the postseason.

The only thing holding the league back is the commissioner.

If you’re a first time reader, viewer or fan of anything WNBA related, the name Cathy Engelbert is one to remember. Engelbert has been the current commissioner of the league since 2019. Most of the well educated fans and a good number of players don’t like Engelbert because of how she’s held the league back despite massive pushes for salary raises, charter flights and increased advertisement revenues.

So far, the league’s massive growth (despite some miscalculated blunders) are mostly due to a surge in new fans and more exciting games. The one thing holding back future success after this season are mishaps and terrible decision making from the WNBA’s commissioner. Owners from New York to Las Vegas have been pushing for higher player salaries going back to pre-pandemic days, but Cathy Engelbert nixed a lot of these decisions opting instead to pay more money to executives and finalize puzzling t.v. deals. The WNBA needs to keep increasing team salaries as money keeps pouring in. If Engelbert can’t find the balance between satisfying the players, advertisers and fans, she must step down.

Expansion came at the perfect time.

One thing commissioner Cathy Engelbert moved fast on was adding expansion teams due to the leagues continual growth after the COVID-19 pandemic. There are a lot of talented basketball players not in the WNBA because there aren’t enough teams or enough roster space. The league finally approved two new franchises in May. Both can start business activities soon and play the 2025 regular season.

The approval’s significant because a lot of talented players are set to join the league next year. Teams will scramble for UConn’s Paige Bueckers, USC’s JuJu Watkins and LSU’s Aneesah Morrow as franchise stars to build around. New teams could lead to extra players on each roster, guaranteeing foreign stars Emma Meesseman and Gabby Williams can come back and compete for a permanent depth spot.

The Diamond Dozen: Time for one view for each team. The view can range from improvement to an easier transition during the second half of the season.

Atlanta Dream: Franchise star center Tina Charles becoming the third highest scoring WNBA player all-time might be the only bright spot in the Dream’s season. Despite having Aerial Powers, Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray on the roster, Atlanta’s won seven of their 24 games. There’s still time for a turn-around but if the Dream miss the playoffs they have to hire a new coach. Charles deserves at least one more chance to get close to the WNBA Finals and it can’t be with a team that lost all but three games in June and July.

Chicago Sky: What a perfect trade before the All-Star game. Marina Mabrey was a hefty trade then-coach and general manager James Wade made before the 2023 season. Shipping Mabrey off to Connecticut for two future first round picks was excellent. Chicago getting Rachel Banham and Moriah Jefferson in the trade is a big win for the franchise. The Sky now have four solid guards and won’t have to press the Most Improved Player of the Year Chennedy Carter every night to average a double-double. This could be the breakout team if coach Teresa Witherspoon figures out how to use center Kamilla Cardoso as a bully on both sides of the ball.

Connecticut Sun: The trade for Marina Mabrey shows viewers it’s title or bust for a franchise that’s been to the finals multiple times but can’t win when it matters most. Thankfully Mabrey is expected to be a three-point shooter and not lead the offense. It’ll be interesting how her style fits with DeWanna Bonner at guard and who she defends when DiJonai Carrington and Alyssa Thomas lock up the best opposing players.

Dallas Wings: We can debate who the Wings should’ve drafted before the 2024 season began and the season-ending injuries at forward all we want, but it doesn’t change Dallas’ position. While the second half returns of forwards Satou Sabally, Maddy Siegrist and Jaelyn Brown are a plus, cutting the team’s second leading scorer Odyssey Sims and Monique Billings damage roster depth. They’re tied for the league’s worst record with a stubborn coach in Latricia Trammell and an abhorrent general manager in Travis Charles. Franchise cornerstone Arike Ogunbowale wowed everyone in the All-Star game and leads the league in scoring with little to show in the win column. There has to be pressure put on the organization to hire new, competent management and retain quality scoring depth.

Indiana Fever: Indiana has more wins than many serious analysts thought they would at the All-Star break. There was also a lot of pressure for coach Christie Sides to do something with this roster. The additional storylines, rumors and body language of the players weren’t helping Sides’ decisions. The Fever must start the second half by showing viewers the run before All-Star weekend wasn’t a fluke. If Indiana wants to end the season on a high note and make the playoffs, they have to improve or fix some of the team defense. It’s atrocious each game.

Las Vegas Aces: If not for MVP front-runner and league’s best player A’ja Wilson, the Aces would be in serious trouble. There’s little roster depth and the team struggles to find consistency at either forward position. Now the lawsuit from former Ace and current Los Angeles Spark Dearica Hamby could jeopardize many jobs at the coaching and managerial positions. There couldn’t be more pressure to play better once the second half of the season starts. I’m sure all four of Vegas’ Olympic champions weren’t thrilled to be counted on this early after hearing this news.

Los Angeles Sparks: There’s no team in a worse position than Los Angeles. Second overall pick Cameron Brink’s ACL injury exposes a major defensive hole with little depth at center. The Sparks have to play up-tempo offense against veteran defenses, and their best scorer is rookie Rickea Jackson. On the positive, Los Angeles should lock up a high draft pick and probably land another franchise cornerstone player. The trio of whoever’s picked with Jackson and a returning Brink for 2025 makes the Sparks an attractive option for veterans wanting to win.

Minnesota Lynx: What a polar season for coach Cheryl Reeves. Reeves has been excellent leading the Lynx to a first place tie in the west. Despite the Olympic gold medal, Team U.S.A. won despite Reeves coaching on the bench. Maybe it’s due to other countries catching up, but it’s something to watch the second half of the season.

New York Liberty: New York’s nagging issue is how hard they want to consistently play. When the Liberty are locked in and focused, they’re the best team in the W. New York lost last year’s finals because they had mental lapses, just like they’ve had against younger, inexperienced teams like Indiana and Chicago this season. They can’t do that in a series against a more physical opponent like Connecticut.

Phoenix Mercury: Despite a 13-12 record entering the second half of the season, Phoenix is one of the more dangerous teams. Center Brittney Griner looks great on both sides of ball and the Mercury have the best clutch performer in Kahleah Copper. Like several teams mentioned, roster depth could hold Phoenix back from a chance at the finals but they’ll make it hard for whichever team knocks them out.

Seattle Storm: Seattle’s starting five plays well against most of the 11 teams. The glaring hole is roster depth, especially at guard. The drop off is pivotal for how far the Storm go in the playoffs. Current coach and three time champion Noelle Quinn should press for roster moves before the start of September.

Washington Mystics: Thankfully the Mystics were more competitive and won all of their seven games the last two months. It won’t be enough for a playoff run, but Washington should continue working the Ariel Atkins-Aaliyah Edwards duo and try finding a center close to Stefanie Dolson’s caliber (if she doesn’t return) in the offseason.

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