JD's Sportscorner

The NFL’s third week of the season and the last full week of play for September was mouth-dropping. As we head into October, we’re finding out which teams could make the playoffs, which ones could pick early in the draft, and which ones should can their coaches early. Like the last two weeks, most of the games were close, fun and physical at least for three quarters. So who stood out, positively and negatively for the last week of September in the regular season?

Winners: Russell Wilson’s case for MVP and the Seattle Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson discovered this offseason that he hasn’t had a vote for Most Valuable Player, and he’s taken that personally. The Seahawks hosted the Dallas Cowboys in America’s Game of the Week. He did everything but disappoint. Wilson went 27 of 40 for 315 yards, five touchdowns and a 130.7 quarterback rating. He would’ve had a sixth had DK Metcalf not celebrated too early, letting Dallas defender Trevon Diggs punch the ball out for a touchback past Dallas’ endzone. Wilson is the first quarterback in franchise history to throw for five touchdowns in back-to-back games, and he’s the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to do this:

NBC’s Tony Dungy has a point when he says, “If Wilson stays unstoppable, averaging 35 points a game, it won’t matter how good the defense plays”. It’s good enough to be 3-0 for the first time since 2013, ending September as one of a handful of teams to be undefeated.

When a team gets in first place, 85% of the time it’s because they earned it. The other 15% comes with luck. No one expected the Detroit Lions to beat Arizona on a last second field goal, or for Kyler Murray to throw three interceptions and lay into coach Kliff Kingsbury, but it happened. The Buffalo Bills (more on them later) aren’t the classic losers we’ve expected, thanks to Josh Allen leading a great drive on their last scoring possession to give the Los Angeles Rams their first loss of the season. Knowing their injuries to Chris Carson, Damien Lewis and Jamal Adams aren’t season ending while sitting alone in first place, in the NFL’s best division, and undefeated feels great before they head to Miami this weekend.

Josh Allen

There’s a lot to unpack with that Ram-Bills game. The one player who stands out is Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who should be in the MVP race besides Mr. Wilson. Allen was 24 of 33 for 311 yards, four touchdowns, one interception and a 128.9 quarterback rating. Allen also ran for a touchdown in Buffalo’s second score of the game. The NFL Network put a neat stat out Sunday night: Josh Allen is the second quarterback in two years to go 3-0, throw for over 1,000 yards and 10 or more passing touchdowns in the first three weeks of regular season play (he’s the second in franchise history as Jim Kelly did this in 1991).

The Bills will go as far as Josh Allen takes them, which was pivotal on their last offensive possession of the game. The Los Angeles Rams are a scary good team in the second half, and Buffalo not only squandered a 25 point lead but came close to taking their first loss of the season. While Tyler Kroft’s touchdown will be controversial for a no-call on offensive pass interference, Allen led the Bills downfield when it mattered most, not because it was an easy game. Allen hit at least 4 different receivers that last drive, spreading the ball and showing audiences he won’t hammer it to just one play-maker every down.

Teams in the past had to prepare for Buffalo’s defense and ignored the offense. That can’t happen anymore as their quarterback can lead the offense to over 30 points a game.

Matt Eberflus and the Indianapolis Colts Defense

Audiences saw last October when the Colts defense bludgeoned the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday Night Football that they don’t play around. This year, they’ve taken a few steps forward, with the last two teams Indy’s played score a combined 18 points.

Give some credit to the Jets offense for putting up a fight that first half. Quarterback Sam Darnold had a couple of good drives before the Colts put a stop to that. Former Minnesota Viking Xavier Rhodes had two interceptions, and scored on his first one to give the Colts the lead. T.J. Carrie had Indianapolis’ third interception and added a second touchdown with it to cap off one of the best performances they’ve had in a while.

It’s been important for new addition quarterback Philip Rivers to adjust to Frank Reich’s playbook and scheme. Yesterday he didn’t have to do much, taking the field late in the first quarter. Some days offenses need that rest so they can save more and get into schemes better. Indianapolis has an easier schedule with the Bears, Browns and Bengals up next before their bye week. Keep an eye on this team when November rolls around.

The Return of Nick Mullens

Strange to have three quarterbacks in the Winners section, but they’re all deserving of it. Nick Mullens hadn’t started a game in over a year, but he didn’t play like it. Mullens went 25 of 36 for 343 yards and a touchdown. Yes, he didn’t have to do much because the New York Giants are dreadful on defense, especially against the running game, but that shouldn’t matter.

The 49ers are down half their starting offense. Thankfully they have a great quarterback behind Jimmy Garappolo. Mullens knows Kyle Shanahan’s system better than Jimmy does at this point. Mullens is trusted by Shanahan on how to utilize the runningbacks to win and play great to get San Francisco in position to score. The Philadelphia Eagles are depleted like the 49ers are, but they don’t have a safe quarterback option who knows how to win with half a starting roster. Like Seattle, San Francisco got a gift with both Arizona and Los Angeles taking their first losses of the season. It’s important to get as many wins as they can before their October 18th divisional matchup against Los Angeles. If somehow Jimmy G and company have some additional time off before then, their schedule between that date and their bye week won’t look or feel as hard, and they can credit that to Nick Mullens.

Losers: Todd Gurley and Arthur Blank

Everyone will jump on the Falcons and for good reasons, but let’s spread the blame wisely. What the team has done with double digit leads the past two weeks hasn’t been done in over 15 years with any NFL team. Coach Dan Quinn tried his best to rid the team of the mindset of squandering leads but that didn’t work. So this goes to the top.

Owner Arthur Blank is here for several reasons. First and foremost is his inability to fire his general manager and head coach in one swift move, probably because he again believes they can salvage something. After he got into an exchange with Quinn over the players knowing the onside kick rules, he should’ve fired his coach. Blank’s goal remains making the Falcons improved and in a better position to win. The problem remains decades later the Falcons find incredible ways to lose regardless of the coaches or the rosters. One has to start thinking that the team is cursed and move out of Georgia.

As for the players, you have to feel a bit for Todd Gurley. Gurley had 14 carries for 80 yards averaging over five yards a carry and scored once. He should’ve closed this game out for a second straight week and lay to rest any doubts the Los Angeles Rams had about him and his health. Not to mention the Falcons should be tied with Tampa Bay for the NFC South lead. Instead, the Falcons play-calling on offense made Matt Ryan throw the ball again with double digit leads, making Gurley a second option for…I don’t know what. The Rams have found a good running game with him gone and are, you guessed it, 2-1. That hurts.

The Bill Belichick and Tom Brady Haters

This stupid debate over who’s better between Bill Belichick and Tom Brady has to end. Both are one in a million that won’t happen again or at least, a very long time. Yesterday proved it as both Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New England Patriots are 2-1 in the standings.

Tom Brady didn’t have to do much against a Denver Broncos team that won’t win a game until Drew Lock returns. Brady still has the smarts and the will to win another championship, so the Buccaneers will be competitive in almost every game they play despite Brady’s interceptions or the quality of opponent. Bill Belichick out-coached a 2-0 Las Vegas Raiders team that came off an emotional Monday night home win. Even without each other, they’re dangerous and both could be threats in the playoffs. We know the Pats have a chance with Cam Newton, but outside of the NFC West and the state of Wisconsin, who else is going to step up?

The Chicago Bears

This might be the worst 3-0 team since the 2012 Arizona Cardinals. Let’s not kid ourselves on when we talk on records. Yes, you are what your record says you are, but sometimes, you suck and your record doesn’t show it. If that’s hard to believe, then please watch film on said Cardinals.

Let’s break down the Bears’ three wins. They beat the Lions when the Lions didn’t run the ball to close out the game. They beat a Giants team because Daniel Jones ran out of time on the last drive of the game, and they beat a Falcons team that doesn’t want to run the ball to close out games. This is absolutely not a winning formula, but this is only the tip of the iceberg.

Adam Gase 2.0 decided to pull starting quarterback Mitch Trubisky after he threw his first interception, putting backup Nick Foles in to play the rest of the game. Mitch was part of the problem, not the singular focus. Bill Lazor needs to be called out on why Chicago couldn’t finish their great drives in the first half in Atlanta. The defense was horrid and gave up at least a touchdown to Atlanta because of unnecessary penalties. Trubisky, who’s supposed to be a mobile threat, had only one run: a 45 yard sprint almost leading to six points.

After the game, it was national news the Bears were going to decide when they got back to Chicago who would be the starting quarterback long-term. If Matt Nagy and company wanted Nick Foles to start, why wasn’t the move made before the season started? Do they know how to work with Trubisky or did they always want a quarterback like Foles in the system?

The problem with naming Foles as starter is that he will get hurt at some point, and it will be sooner than later because the Bears offensive line is not meant to protect a pocket passer. Foles took a good number of shots from Atlanta’s front seven yesterday when he entered late in the game. The Bears face a fantastic Indianapolis Colts defense next Sunday and a better and mentally tougher Tampa Bay squad the following week. Let’s see if Nick Foles lasts to November 1.

Houston Texans Getting a High Playoff Seed

Barring injuries to Lamar Jackson, Patrick Mahomes and Ben Roethlisberger, you can count the Houston Texans out of home-field advantage for January. It’s ok to complain about three top-tier opponents the first three weeks of the season when there was no preseason. We all know with this team though, it’s not just that. Coach Bill O’Brien wants to make winning as hard as possible for his team, and he’s winning that fight so far.

Houston had a great chance to bury the Steelers in the second half. The Steelers put up 11 points total in the third and fourth quarters combined. Houston ranks 31st in rushing yards, and used their star runningback they traded for 13 times for 23 yards. They couldn’t find a way to run the ball in the second half (where have we heard this before?), and it cost them a win as DeShaun Watson again saddled the issues and had to dig out a win. Yes, his center field interception cost them a chance to score, but he shouldn’t have been in that position in the first place.

These are Houston’s next games before their bye week: a winless Minnesota Vikings team which may have found its replacement for Stefon Diggs, the Jaguars at home, on the road at undefeated Tennessee, and home against undefeated Green Bay. They may not have two wins heading into that bye.

The NFL’s second week of the season topped the first, with more headlines, drama, news and comebacks to re-watch and evaluate. The referees were solid another week, going as far as ejecting a player for “malicious intent to injure a defenseless receiver” (yes, we’re looking at you Quandre Diggs). Like last week, most of the games were close, fun and physical at least for three quarters. So who stood out, positively and negatively for the second week of the regular season?

Winners: NFC West

The best and most formidable division in the entire NFL, where the conference has produced the last two Super Bowl runner-ups in the National Football Conference, roared out to a 7-1 record, with three of the four teams posting 2-0 records two weeks into the season. The team with the loss is ironically the team that went to last year’s Super Bowl.

Last week, the Arizona Cardinals were a feature in the Winners section, and with great reasons. Yesterday, they dominated a Washington Football Team that played well against Philadelphia a week prior, and manhandled their defense with ease. DeAndre Hopkins scored his first touchdown with the Cards and Larry Fitzgerald again looks like an ageless wonder. Kyler Murray’s progression and knowledge of Kliff Kingsbury’s offense has him looking like an early MVP candidate, as he looks to be the complete player throwing and running the ball.

The Seattle Seahawks have a top five offense in the league as Russell Wilson’s thrown nine touchdowns in two games, scorching a New England Patriot defense that was the best in the league a season ago. Sophomore receiver D.K. Metcalf highlighted the second week offensive performance, burning the reigning defensive player of the year Stephon Gilmore most of the game. Carlos Hyde is a great addition in the runningback department and the offensive line looks improved. Jamal Adams was worth every bit of the trade Seattle executed. While free safety Quandre Diggs could be suspended after his vicious hit on Sunday night, time will tell how the defense adapts with losses to Marquise Blair and Bruce Irvin.

Last but not least are the dangerous Los Angeles Rams who look rejuvenated on all three sides of the ball. Jared Goff and Tyler Higbee are a great pair, combining for three touchdowns in two weeks, with all three against the Philadelphia Eagles yesterday. The defense looks improved and they’re top three in the league running the ball. This is after Todd Gurley went to Atlanta in the offseason. You could say this is what happens when you play a trash NFC East, so the matchup against the Buffalo Bills will be a fun watch next Sunday to see if this team is a true playoff contender.

Patrick Mahomes II

Harrison Butker is great to highlight from this game, but remember he missed the extra point when the Chiefs got their first touchdown, a key reason why this game went into overtime to begin with. Nevertheless, this is why Mahomes was paid the big money, and while this is an ugly win for Kansas City, this game is a great example of why the Chiefs are blessed to have one of the best two quarterbacks in the league.

Usually a team that wins their inaugural game after winning the Super Bowl loses the second week of the season, mostly by falling on their collective face. What stands out in that critical second game is how the quarterback performs. Mahomes went 27 of 47, threw two touchdowns and was sacked once against a Chargers team he’s been stifled against before. He also ran six times for 54 yards, including a game-long 21 yards that put Butker in better field position to make one of his kicks.

The Chiefs will have to face the Chargers again, but it will be in their home on January 3rd 2021. They’ll face everyone’s best throughout the season, yet this win builds confidence early in the season, and it’ll help the team focus more on exploiting their next two opponents, who are much better than Los Angeles.

Mike McCarthy and the Dallas Cowboys Coaching Staff

How about that for your first win for America’s Team? We’ll talk more on the Atlanta Falcons later on, but give props to the Dallas Cowboys, especially their coaching staff for keeping the team in the game throughout the second half.

This isn’t a team led by Jason Garrett anymore. Adding special teams coach John Fossel pays off more than just a dinky onside kick. Fossel’s respected as one of the best coaches on that side of the ball and knows kicker Greg Zuerlein well. McCarthy put together a pretty good staff that can still come out of the NFC East as one of the best teams in football once they find consistency. Defensive coordinator Mike Nolan faces depth issues especially at linebacker, but he’s been in the league for a few decades because of how well he can fix and improve defensive rosters.

As for McCarthy, we’re gradually seeing Dak Prescott become the quarterback many expected or wanted him to become. Prescott became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for over 400 yards and run for 3 touchdowns. We’re two weeks in and Dallas has a great chance to take the division lead with four of their next seven games against sub .500 opponents before their bye week.

Tennessee Titans

Monday night football games are grueling. 9:30 p.m. Monday night games are more grueling. Flying two time zones over and then coming home to play a critical divisional game early in the season is hell. You’d be lucky to get a win out of both scenarios.

Tennessee went two of two with the help of their new kicker, who looked better this weekend than he did Monday night. This is the first time Tennessee has been 2-0 since 2008.

I’ll throw away Stephen Gostkowski’s Monday night game until he repeats it. He stepped up against a surprising Jaguars team and Mike Vrabel’s confidence in him has a lot to do with it. Ryan Tannehill looks to be the solution behind center, something that’s crucial for the Titans to make a run in late January. With A.J. Brown out yesterday, Jonnu Smith had a career day, having two touchdowns on four catches. Adam Humphries remains a reliable option just like he was in Tampa Bay, and Anthony Firkser is someone to watch as the season progresses.

The defense had an off-day against Gardner Minshew II, but did enough in the end as they had two interceptions, including the Jaguars’ last offensive possession. This team will be fun to watch after they play the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday, with the opponents being Pittsburgh, Buffalo and Houston. At least they won’t be…

Losers: The Denver Broncos

Tennessee is the best case of winning two straight in less than a week, in one case having to go on the road a few timezones over. On the opposite end, you’ll find the Denver Broncos, who’ve had one of the worst weeks of football in a while. After a horrid Monday night game where they barely lost against Tennessee, the Broncos had to play in Pittsburgh the following Sunday. That didn’t go well.

Starting quarterback Drew Lock was almost body-slammed on a sack by Bud Dupree and left early with a shoulder injury. Audiences instead were treated to Jeff Driskel, the win-less backup the Cincinnati Bengals had last year. Driskel played pretty well, guiding the Broncos to 21 points and only a five point loss.

That itself isn’t bad, it’s what else the Broncos have to deal with. Von Miller already’s on IR for the year. In yesterday’s game, phenom wide receiver Courtlund Sutton tore his ACL. Defensive linemen Dre’Mont Jones and DeMarcus Walker could miss up to four weeks, further thinning out Denver’s pass rush. Minus what we knew about Miller, all of this happened within a week. Brutal.

Tyrod Taylor

I’ll get to the Chargers in the next section, but for right now, it’s of concern that Tyrod take care of his health and body. A lot of us expected Justin Herbert to make his debut some time this season, but no one expected it the second week in, especially because Taylor had chest pains to the point he had to go to the hospital during warm-ups.

We won’t know for sure if Los Angeles could’ve beaten the Chiefs with Taylor behind center. He can run well and isn’t as aggressive as Herbert, so he may not have thrown that game changing interception, but you can say his slow start against Cincinnati last week could’ve given the Chiefs more time to control the clock and find their rhythm earlier. What we do know is that Herbert’s learning curve playing behind center will go up, and he could be a leader on offense.

What’s saddening about the situation is Tyrod Taylor’s been run out of two cities he could’ve had better or legitimate chances to start in with Buffalo and Cleveland (minus Hue Jackson). You can ask if both those teams would be better with him in their systems over who they have now. Taylor should be the starter so Herbert can learn the system more and then hit the spotlight, but that won’t happen.

Losing Franchises Trying to Turn the Page

If you’re a fan or player of a football team who’s repeatedly kicked your jewels in for decades, yesterday could have been a tipping point for you.

Sports fans will bookmark what happened to the Atlanta Falcons yesterday for multiple reasons. The Falcons, who’ve become the Van Gogh of choking with double-digit leads, found another impressive way to lose on the road, early in the season and at the expense of a Matt Ryan-led offense. The turning point in their outstanding loss occurred when Julio Jones pulled a Renaldo Nehemiah and dropped a perfect pass in the endzone, cementing what could have been a double digit win. Then there’s the onside kick where none of the Falcon players remembered to pick the football up, again what could have sealed a win. Coach Dan Quinn said the players know the onside kick rules, but if that’s the case Dan, did they not care?

The Chargers wound up having a gift performance by Justin Herbert, after Tyrod Taylor had to be taken to the hospital for chest pains. Yes, Herbert was at times too aggressive especially on his first pro-career interception deep in Chiefs territory. The Chargers still found a way to lose, even when it involved punting the ball instead of going for it on short yardage. The Chiefs played poorly most of the game, looking like they were led by Tyler Palko and Dexter McCluster instead of Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill. Last but never least, the Chargers gave up two 58 yard field goals to Harrison Butker…in the same half.

Minnesota had yet to win against the Colts in either Baltimore or Indianapolis. Led by Kirk Cousins’ 11 of 26, 113 yards and three interception game, that streak would stay alive. If it wasn’t for Dalvin Cook the first two weeks in, Minnesota’s offense would be on the same level as Adam Gase’s in New York. We knew they lost talent on the defense, but the offense hasn’t stepped up when needed. Mike Zimmer has to improve the team in some aspect if they have any chance of crawling to .500.

Then there’s the Lions.

The Idiocy and Farrago That is Head Coach Matt Patricia

Piggybacking off of the last section, there’s a lot to say about the Lions, and believe it or not, the players don’t deserve too much blame on this. The issues go to the top where somehow, general manager Bob Quinn keeps his job.

The Lions led 14-3 at one point, walloping Green Bay most of the first half. The offense looked great, Jeff Okudah and the secondary held up, the front seven did their job. This was the fourth straight game Detroit led by double digits but lost. What happened?

Bad decisions which led to Stafford getting sacked, intercepted or three plays and back to defense cost them. Not one player had ten rushing attempts or more. That’s on coaching first and foremost. Darrell Bevell is a horrid offensive coordinator, so Stafford throwing more and not handing the ball off to either Adrian Peterson or Kerryon Johnson makes some sense. On the possession where Green Bay grabbed the lead, Detroit committed at least four penalties, all of which involve simple things that shouldn’t happen if you have a good coach, especially roughing or holding receivers.

The Lions play the Cardinals and Saints before having an early bye. One has to wonder with how they’ve lost their last four games, if there’s anything for Matt Patricia to salvage by the time they hit week five. Bob Quinn wanted different and somebody who stood out when he fired Jim Caldwell. Well, he certainly got that with a head coach who’s posted a worse record than Rod Marinelli.

The NFL’s first week of the season wound up a huge success, given that both players and referees hadn’t been on the field in any type of game for over a month. Regardless, most of the games were great and had a lot of physicality. So who stood out, positively and negatively?

Winners: Aaron Rodgers

Yours truly and a good number of others had written that A-Rod was near the end of his career, and with it, the Packers would be in free-fall this season. The Minnesota Vikings looked to be the team that could take over the NFC North and cement that early on by getting a win at home against Green Bay. Not only did they fail to do that, they failed to contain Green Bay’s offense.

Rodgers finished the game 32 of 44 with four touchdowns thrown, no interceptions, 364 yards and an 8.3 yards per attempt/completion. That’s a huge improvement to even the last month and a half Green Bay played (minus their playoff game against Seattle). While Minnesota lost some defensive pieces, coach Mike Zimmer had no answer for Rodgers or wide-out Davante Adams or other noteworthy adjustments. Just as important, the Packers got a division win to take what could be first place for a month or two (more on the NFC North later).

The Arizona Cardinals

It’s too early for the, “I told you so”, but what audiences saw from Kliff Kingsbury’s squad should leave us wondering. While the Cardinals struggled a good part of their rivalry matchup in Santa Clara, it was more because they couldn’t get out of their own way. Once Kyler Murray scored on his 22 yard run, favor swung to the Cardinals.

It’s fine to jump on Jimmy Garappolo and say he should read the field or not under-throw his receivers, but credit again goes to Arizona’s defensive coordinator Vance Joseph for improving last year’s game plan on San Francisco and slamming the door on any fourth quarter runs. Add in DeAndre Hopkins’ first game was a 14 catch, 151 yard performance against what was rated as the best defense in the NFL and the NFC should be on notice. Even if the Cards don’t win the division, we’ve seen one week in how much trouble they’ll give opposing teams.

That New Football Team in Nevada

The Las Vegas Raiders picked up an exciting win over a Carolina Panthers team most have said will be in the basement this season. While we don’t know how Carolina can consistently play, the Raiders can celebrate their first win returning to Sin City.

Josh Jacobs, the first round draft pick the Chicago Bears gave in exchange for Khalil Mack, ran for 93 yards on 25 carries, and scored three times. Rookie receiver Henry Ruggs III caught three passes for 55 yards, and ran the ball twice for eleven. Free agent acquisition Nelson Agholor had one catch for 23 yards, but scored easily. The Raiders will be in a tight spot most of the season as Kansas City will be the division favorite and both Los Angeles and Denver show improvement. Winning against a team they should beat should build confidence early on.

Audiences whenever they tuned in between 12 p.m. central and 9:30 p.m. central

Five of the 13 games Sunday resulted in double digit finals. While some of the eight remaining games showed who was the better team, almost all the games were fun or exciting to watch at some point. Three of the four late games went down to the wire, with those three resulting in upsets. To have this many close games without both teams and referees having familiarity on open fields for over seven months without play is incredible. It bodes well for when all 32 teams grow more comfortable and start to show progress.

Losers: Audiences Who Were Stuck Watching the Bears-Lions Game

Let’s start outside the game first. Kenny Albert was supposed to call Chicago at Detroit, but because he’s in Edmonton calling the Stanley Cup Finals, there was no way he’d make it back to the U.S. in time. Audiences instead were stuck with Dick Stockton, who hasn’t aged well. At one point, Dick couldn’t tell that Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson was in his second season, not his rookie.

Then there’s the game. The Lions were the better team three of the four quarters. Third overall pick Jeff Okudah didn’t play as coach Matt Patricia wants him fully healthy when he debuts, and that’s fine. Detroit was again handed awful luck when both their starting cornerbacks left due to injuries. The Lions were already thin in their secondary before both CBs left, and now they’re thinner.

If both corners don’t fall, the Lions win this game, but again Matt Nagy and Mitch Trubisky together struggled until that point. The Bears coaching staff hasn’t worked well with improving Mitch’s accuracy and it showed when the Lions pass-rush boxed him in early on. Despite going 1-0 after the first week, this division is for the Packers’ taking with what this game had to offer.

Carson Wentz

As bad as Mitch Trubisky was, it doesn’t come close as to what happened to and how bad Carson Wentz was. Both QBs had under a 60% completion rate, but Trubisky was sacked just once. Wentz, who’ll be playing behind backup offensive linemen for the first month or two, was sacked EIGHT times, losing 62 yards.

This Eagles team will go as far as Carson Wentz can carry them, and yesterday’s game was proof of that. Wentz was great for the first two quarters as the Eagles sprinted to a quick 17 point lead and gave up a touchdown to Washington with less than a minute left in the second quarter. Wentz and the offense imploded in the second half, allowing the Ron Rivera-led Football Team to come back and seize a win. Blame the offensive line and with good reason, but Wentz had to step up against a division rival to seize an early division lead and failed on epic proportions.

The State of Ohio. Again.

With the Ohio State Buckeyes on a leave of absence (as is the rest of the Big10), Ohio football fans again must watch the night-terrors that are the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals. Ohio NFL football has turned into a reality show, the only difference is that while the faces keep changing, the teams keep getting worse.

Cleveland had to play the Baltimore Ravens, the first game Lamar Jackson had played in since the Tennessee Titans upset him handily in the divisional playoff round. There’s nothing wrong with Jackson and company running up the score on you. It’s happened to a lot of teams. What’s disappointing is how once promising quarterback Baker Mayfield has imploded on epic proportions. NBC’s analysts and Boomer Esiason on CBS called out Baker for acting too quickly, hurrying passes and plays when they need to progress naturally, and in some ways, tuning out Kevin Stefanski’s play-calling. This is only the first week back! With the offense Cleveland has assembled, they shouldn’t be putting up only six points either.

On the opposite end, the Cincinnati Bengals played their first home game against the Los Angeles Chargers, a team that’s thankful no team will have a full stadium packed the first two months. The Bengals may have something special in Joe Burrow, and he showed flashes of it during the game. While the Chargers started out slow, Tyrod Taylor gradually solved Cincinnati’s defense, and LA led by three when Burrow came out for the final drive. Veteran and potent offensive threat A.J. Green wound up catching Joe Burrow’s first touchdown pass…except he pushed off on a defender and the score was called back. Still, the Bengals had a chance to tie the game up with a field-goal.

Randy Bullock sliced the kick more than pie. Then he was hurt after. Ouch.

2020 may be a wild year, but some things never change.

Dallas Cowboys

That’s as bad a loss as you can take, and the whole country got to watch it.

We’re pretty much done with Week 1, but there are games you (the players, analysts and fans) know are important the first week that will come back to bite you, and a three point loss to the Rams will sting for a bit. Dallas’ schedule does get easier, but here’s what the results for them and Los Angeles are at the moment.

• Three of the four NFC West teams are 1-0
• The Washington Football team is up one game in the standings
• Mike Nolan’s defense had only one sack against a so-so offensive line
• Blake Jarwin could be out for the year
• The next best receiver on the Rams behind Robert Woods put up 40 yards (Higbee and Kupp)
• The Rams, who aren’t considered to be in the NFC West race, looked like the better team for over 45 minutes of the game.

Throw in Dak Prescott had a top five career pass to Michael Gallup nullified by offensive pass interference in the final minute of play and it’s safe to say this team has double the pressure not even two weeks into the season.

What a wild offseason! Two of the top divisions in the West and South stacked up on big money talent, with analysts agreeing those two could have improved seasons. The East and North will feature competitive races for first place, but nothing more past the first two playoff rounds. Though, with how COVID-19 has reared its head in, anything can happen when winter comes around. It’s time for the six picks for who will make the playoffs this season, why they’ll be the ones to not just get in, but why they’re better than the rest of their division. So here goes.

NFC East: Dallas Cowboys

Before I go into the predictions, it’s important to break rank to let fans know that these predictions come with the clause of the NFL staying on schedule the full 17 weeks. COVID-19 caused a break in three of the four major sports (all four if you include the NFL preseason), and if it’s likely a boon comes in winter, then expect the NFL to take a different path. When it comes to predictions though, let’s start with the weakest division like last year with the NFC East.

While many sports writers and broadcasters agree that this is the worst division in the conference, it appears that there’s been structured growth throughout the offseason. Working our way up, we can see that the Washington Football Team made the right hire in Ron Rivera. Rivera is a great judge of talent and how to fix a team right to it’s core (on-field play though. He can’t fix Dan Snyder). Dwayne Haskins can take the next step, but the team needs to show it weekly, and that could be a struggle.

The New York Giants can take the next steps forward with Daniel Jones, a young offensive line and receiving core, and a defense that is still learning. Three of the four teams in this division have a head coach with playoff experience, but the Giants do not. This means division matchups could slow their progress down another year. The Philadelphia Eagles, while last year’s division winner, will have to address roster depth during the regular season, as last year they struggled with injuries to their receivers and defense.

This leaves the Dallas Cowboys as the team that has to and does stand the best chance of winning the division and getting to the second round of the playoffs. The Jones’ made smart offseason moves with the hiring of Mike McCarthy as the next head coach, adding Andy Dalton, Everson Griffen, Aldon Smith and Dontari Poe in free agency for depth and pass rush (in that order), and drafting CeeDee Lamb in the first round to compliment Amari Cooper. McCarthy took a year off for a number of reasons, but fixing his schemes, finding where the best job would be, and developing a quarterback who can be much better makes Dallas a perfect fit for him. Plus while there will be drama, Jones won’t fire McCarthy unless the team tanks.

NFC North: Minnesota Vikings

While the NFC East shows promise and growth, the opposite can be said about this division. The Aaron Rodgers era is over, and the clinic San Francisco put on Green Bay in last year’s NFC Championship game proved it. The Packers were lucky to even win their division last year. Can Detroit and Chicago step up to exploit a fading Packers team? Hey, everyone’s 0-0 so it’s possible, but aren’t flying pigs possible thanks to DNA tampering? Of course.

Realistically, Detroit and Chicago have too many issues that hamper them from having first place secured. If Detroit shows improvement at defense, it’s possible they can be a threat. Chicago’s thick-headed coach Matt Nagy will not run the ball, and injuries to both David Montgomery and Eddie Goldman hamper offseason positives.

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That leaves us with yet again a de facto division leader in Minnesota. Unlike the Dallas Cowboys, Minnesota lost more in the offseason with Everson Griffen, Stefon Diggs and Laquon Treadwell heading to teams that could make a push or a run in the playoffs. When it comes to coaching, a healthy quarterback, and a better all-around team, the Vikings are the team to beat heading into the season. Kirk Cousins provided a playoff win in critical moments in New Orleans, getting some of the pressure that was on him before off. Cousins could play some of if not his best football this year knowing he can lead the team to the playoffs again and possibly a few more home games.

NFC South: New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The division of absolutes. Two teams will be bad (Carolina and Atlanta) and two teams will be pretty good. Tampa Bay made the bold move of letting Jameis Winston walk after a historic year, then added a plethora of skilled players, the most noted two are Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. Adding Leonard Fournette not even two weeks ago, LeSean McCoy, and drafting Antoine Winfield Jr., Tampa Bay will be a hard team to stop especially on offense. While Winston put up numbers a quarterback could never do again, it’s possible Brady can put a lot of the good numbers back on the board and avoid the mistakes his predecessor was used to making.

New Orleans for now is still the complete team in both southern divisions. Their defense suffocates even top tier teams, while runningback Alvin Kamara, Drew Brees and Michael Thomas will spearhead the offense. Additions of Emmanuel Sanders, Latavius Murray, Janoris & Malcolm Jenkins make this team scarier than last year. While Tampa Bay could be the offensive powerhouse in the NFC, the Saints will be the team to reckon with even outside the feared NFC West.

NFC West: Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks

The best saved for last, the most talent and layers you can put in four teams will slug it out this season and have audiences captivated for what happens next. The Los Angeles Rams will begin to feel the hampering of progress through their strained salary cap and the ceiling (or lack thereof) Jared Goff has. Todd Gurley to the Falcons puts a strain on their backfield and puts more pressure in the passing game. In a cutthroat conference, the Rams don’t stand a chance.

For San Francisco, it’s possible the 49ers can get back to their form and make teams respect their game, but that’s not likely to happen since most teams didn’t take them as a threat last year outside of their division. The Niners won a handful of close games that most times they wouldn’t have won, a good part because teams hadn’t seen them at their best. Kyle Shanahan can and should have progress with Jimmy Garappolo this season, but for the rest of the team, especially the health of the defense, question marks remain.

The breakout team for this year and of course in this division should be the Arizona Cardinals. General Manager Steve Keim knew he had to get the Cardinals competitive, so he built the foundation last year with Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray. What went under the radar as the hire of Vance Joseph as defensive coordinator and making free safety Budda Baker the premier defensive player. Both of these combos will be, if not more important for when Arizona has to face a better Jimmy Garappolo, a potent Seahawks offense and a lethal Rams passing attack. Keim deserves praise for retaining Kenyan Drake and Chandler Jones, picking up a key piece in defense with Dre Kirkpatrick, and on the receiving end of a lopsided trade which brought in top three wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from Houston. With Hopkins, a reliable Christian Kirk and Mr. Cardinal himself Larry Fitzgerald, Arizona’s offense will give the league headaches for a couple of years.

Want to know why Keim put this offense together? He wants Russell Wilson football 2.0. Arguably the top quarterback in the NFL right now, Russell Wilson is in the pinnacle of his career, and his receiving targets have never looked better. Phenom DK Metcalf, Will Dissly and Tyler Lockett are his go-tos, while the team added Greg Olsen, Phillip Dorsett II and made sure to re-sign Josh Gordon when he was reinstated by the league’s front office. Carlos Hyde is a great choice at backup runningback behind Chris Carson, as Carson can show a lot in one of the last year’s of his rookie contract. With Germain Ifedi finally off the team, rookie Damien Lewis will have to show there’s nowhere to go but up at right guard.

The Cardinals get the nod at the division crown because they have better quality defense than Seattle. Don’t get me wrong, Seattle re-vamped their secondary and added linebacker depth, where they have an advantage, but their pass-rush is awful. The Cardinals’ 3-4 scheme gives them fluidity with linebackers to help the front three, and they can do more with their depth. Seattle’s lost three of their top four pass-rushers and they haven’t played a game yet. Seattle will put up points, but the defense could be the team’s downfall come playoffs.

What a wild ride the eastern conference went through. All the talk, predictions, speculations and round robin play. We have two teams who go from Toronto to Edmonton to play in the conference finals, and one will go to the Stanley Cup Finals. Despite what people thought or predicted, this will be another David v. Goliath matchup, which should be exciting to watch. Time for the breakdown.

#2 Tampa Bay Lightning v. #6 New York Islanders

Struggle. That’s the one word and main thing these teams have been through, just in different ways. The Lightning, one of the premier teams with one of the deepest and talented rosters to ever grace the game, will reach its sixth conference finals in eight years. Despite this, they’ve made the championship round only once, losing in some fashion in those five runs (and lost in the championship to the Blackhawks in 2015). Their playoff matchups with the Columbus Blue Jackets will live in the minds of sports fans decades to come. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that after that five overtime win against the Jackets to open the playoffs, they would do every and anything to reach the conference finals. This is the team we’ve been waiting to watch for years, and they look to be in their peak.

Struggle has a lopsided meaning for the Islanders. The franchise’s first trip to the conference finals since 1993, they’re the hottest underdog in 2020. Struggling to score and struggling to win when the season stopped (with at least a seven game losing streak), the Islanders came ready to play and embraced the bubble life in Toronto. They’ve taken two of the top four seeded teams out in the East, costing one their head coach’s job. New York has found ways to get under every team’s collective skin they’ve played, throwing the Florida Panthers off-balance, bullying the Capitals and gradually playing better as a game goes on against Philadelphia.

Now to the series itself. Both teams look like they’re the total package in offense and defense. While Tampa gutted out four out of five games against Columbus, they smothered a loaded and dangerous Boston Bruins team, the last game without their two best players. Tampa’s learned that being the best offense in the league won’t cut it in a series, so they added tougher team defense in front of their blue line to compliment. Their third line of Barclay Goodrow, Yanni Gourde and Blake Coleman could again prove to be the difference maker on the offense, as all three are physical, have a heavy presence in front of the net and don’t mind getting gouged up. Tampa will need their MVP Nikita Kucherov back to expand scoring opportunities and open passing lanes, so it’s important he comes back early in the series rather than middle or late.

A question that is probably not asked enough would be how are the Islanders going to approach or play the Lightning differently than they have their past three opponents? It’s possible New York could rattle Tampa Bay early on, smother them with defense, or frustration through no chances what-so-ever. Barry Trotz may want to give Thomas Greiss more playing time, since he’s been the better goal-tender in every game he’s played in. Contrary to years before Trotz came in to coach, Greiss has looked like one of the premier net-minders to show up and frustrate opposing offenses that were used to tricking him easily. Outside of who’s in net, defensemen Adam Pelech, Ryan Pulock, Devon Toews and Scott Mayfield have been excellent at not just their defense but getting scoring opportunities, opening lanes for their top scorers and being difference makers on special teams.

Key matchup of this Conference Finals: Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh & Kevin Shattenkirk v. Mathew Barzal, Jordan Eberle and Anders Lee

Three of the most decorated defensemen in the NHL, including one of the best to grace the ice in Victor Hedman, will be tested more as games go on against an extremely bright and fluid trio. Barzal has gotten better in every game and period he’s played in, while Jordan Eberle and team captain Anders Lee have played smart, physical and controlling, felt and shown when the team has had to go on offense or scored on the power play. Best believe that when said power play opportunities arise for the Islanders offense, we’ll see who could and will probably win each game by which trio comes out on top.

It’s important that the defensive trio for the Lightning has heavy pressure on them to be perfect, since New York proves time and again that once they have a lead, they slam the door on opposing offenses, frustrating teams more.

Prediction and Why: Tampa Bay Lightning Win Series 4-2. What did all three teams that played the New York Islanders have in common? They weren’t ready to show up early on and took the Isles for granted. This is why getting past Columbus was crucial to Tampa to go for a championship run. You can best believe the tempo will be set early in the first four games. Plus, Tampa is the only team in the east that knows how to handle a threat like this from start to finish.

Eastern Conference First Round Prediction Record: 2-2

There hasn’t been a second round full of excitement, comebacks, scoring and Game 7’s in a while. While Nathan MacKinnon, Michael Hutchinson, Quinn Hughes and Thatcher Demko stole the show in both of the Western Conference series, they couldn’t get their teams to the next round. Colorado and Vancouver shouldn’t feel too bad though. They both will return and be better than ever in the upcoming years.

Dallas and Vegas though, their time is now. Jamie Benn is finally awarded after all these years, finally playing in a conference finals series. Robin Lehner is the undisputed starter Vegas has in net, a year after being bounced out of New York. Both Rick Bowness and Peter DeBoer will have their hands full with the other’s vast roster depth. So who will win this series? Time to break it down

#Vegas Golden Knights v. #3 Dallas Stars

Both teams got off to 3-1 starts last round, sputtered in games 5 and 6, then showed up when it mattered most in their respective seventh games. There are takeaways both teams can use against each other though. For Vegas, Anton Khudobin probably won’t have any rest, which is big considering Ben Bishop hasn’t looked right his whole time in the bubble. If they take his eyes away from the puck, start fast and play hard, physical defense, Dallas could wear down the more the series goes on. Hitting Dallas in the mouth out of the gate is something the Avalanche did half the series, and took most of their games doing it. Vegas doesn’t have two injured goaltenders either.

For Dallas, giving Khudobin a clear line of sight will keep them in their series, but they can’t take easy penalties, even if things aren’t going their way. Getting their depth scoring past the first two lines will be important. Vegas can score and hit on any and every line, so Dallas has to parry with theirs and play smarter. Vegas won’t be easy to wear out either, as their persistence got past the white hot Thatcher Demko twice. Dallas has to win this series up front, in numbers, and on the power-play.

Key Matchup of this Conference Finals: Peter DeBoer v. Rick Bowness

Despite how controversial Pierre McGuire has been in recent years, his analysis on Dallas’ lines perked ears up. Last year Stars coach Jim Montgomery broke up the Benn-Seguin-Radulov line to give the St. Louis Blues a harder time. Rick Bowness will have to pull every trick out to beat Vegas early and keep their lead. It may be best to divide that said trio and make Vegas uncomfortable by having Joe Pavelski and either Corey Perry or Blake Comeau play with Jamie Benn on the top line, while having Alexander Radulov and Tyler Seguin play with Andrew Cogliano on the second. Despite the depth the Golden Knights have, this could cause some chaos with how they’ll counter Dallas and even make a push a few games into the series. This is another reason why the power play will be critical especially for Dallas, because if those three players are on the ice only this amount of time together, they’ll have to make the most of it.

Peter DeBoer should feel confident with how his message resonated with the locker room the last game versus Vancouver. A brilliant offensive mind, DeBoer must find ways to break through the tough Dallas defense while making sure games don’t become high scoring on both ends. He has to make sure his team doesn’t fall into the problems both Calgary and Colorado did when it came to the Stars’ power play, and has to emphasize that with the possibility of line changeups happening early on, the defense has to play as good as they did in their final game with the Canucks.

Prediction and Why: Vegas Golden Knights win series 4-2. Khudobin playing with the possibility of no rest and no good backup with Bishop unavailable could be Dallas’ undoing and key once the series extends past four games. Watch for Vegas to dominate tempo in a lot of these games and to evolve faster during this conference championship.

Western Conference First Round Playoff Predictions Record: 2-2

What an exhilarating time we had the first full week of August. The qualifying matchup rounds in the NHL Bubble in the hub city of Toronto were fun, educational and worth all time spent watching and breaking down play. Besides yours truly, who had the Columbus Blue Jackets winning their series, while making the games fun to watch? Coaches John Tortorella and Claude Julien have done some of if not their best work this postseason. The Philadelphia Flyers look to be the team everyone wants to beat and get rid of early in order to take their place in the Stanley Cup race.

With the four teams of the Carolina Hurricanes, New York Islanders, Columbus Blue Jackets and Montreal Canadiens advancing, we will see who’s more consistent and threatening for a deep run versus a one-and-done when things get hard. The top four teams finally play for real now that their positions are settled. So without further delay, it’s time for the analyses and predictions heading into these matchups.

#4 Boston Bruins v. #5 Carolina Hurricanes

In a rematch of last year’s conference finals, there’s a different feel for both teams than there was spring of 2019. The Carolina Hurricanes thrashed the New York Rangers, while the Boston Bruins rolled their collective eyes through the Round Robin, placing fourth instead of first. Still, these teams know each other pretty well, and have a history outside of their divisions.

The Hurricanes made a significant move this past offseason and brought in goaltender James Reimer to back up Petr Mrazek, while saying goodbye to Curtis McElhinney. Reimer has history of keeping Boston on their heels a bit, so if the Bruins try to make a fool of Mrazek, Reimer can slow the pace down and trip up the Bruins.

It helps that star players Andrei Svechnikov, Sebastian Aho and Jordan Martinook gained valuable playoff experience against Boston last year. While they looked astonishing in the qualifying round, if they can put up numbers against the Bruins’ famed Perfection Line, then this will be the most exciting series of the first round in any conference.

In order for that to happen, Boston must pick up the pace. Coach Bruce Cassidy counts on his stalwart captain Zdeno Chara and the Perfection Line of Patrice Bergeron, David Pastrnak and Brad Marchand to show up now that these games are meaningful. Tuukka Rask must look like the Vezina finalist people see him as and show up when it matters most.

 

Overall analysis: This has the making of a potential upset if the Bruins are still in sleep-mode, but since the locker room seems to know this is for real, expect them to ease into the series much the way St. Louis might with Vancouver. Let Carolina play their game, adapt, then smother them in the following games. As good as the Hurricanes are against most teams in the NHL, Boston has as much if not more than Carolina does, especially a focused locker room.

Prediction: Boston Bruins win series 4-1

#3 Washington Capitals v. #6 New York Islanders

The Capitals played with more alarm this past Sunday against the Bruins knowing the loser would have to face the potent Carolina Hurricanes. Squeaking out a 2-1 win, the Caps can breathe knowing their opponent is a heavily defensive team and needs just enough offense to get by. However, said-team has two former big names that know the roster of the Capitals very well, as Semyon Varlamov and Islanders head coach Barry Trotz will put up as much of a fight as possible.

The Caps haven’t looked like their usual feisty selves the 2019-2020 season. They’re not as dominant, they’re not on the same page for most of 60 minutes, and Braden Holtby has been porous in net several games– so much so his backups have had to play more than usual. Holtby had a 3.11 goals against average in the regular season, was below a .900 save percentage, and Ilya Samsonov, the inactive back-up/1B starter, recorded the only shutout the Caps had all season. Todd Rierden likely obsesses over what line changes he can make against an Islanders team that split the series with the Caps this regular season, hoping that can help the defense long-term against an offense that isn’t known for scoring in bunches.

It’s important for the Islanders to score early and often. While their defensemen will have their hands full, the Capitals aren’t an impatient team like the Florida Panthers. They’re a much better playoff team and will take advantage of turnovers and penalties committed. Anthony Beauvillier was great at doing whatever it took to win, and may be a good matchup against Tom Wilson, but Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Mathew Barzal, Anders Lee and Jordan Eberle need to step up on offense and make Braden Holtby look how he did in the regular season.

Overall analysis: The most important players in this series? Of course the goaltenders, Beauvillier, Tom Wilson and the omnipresent Alex Ovechkin for sure, but John Carlson is the man to watch in any major Capital’s game. A critical player snubbed of an MVP nomination, Carlson is the lifeblood of Washington’s offense, power-play, special teams and his presence makes that roster look more dangerous than they truly are. If Carlson is targeted and snuffed out by Islander defenders, this could be a very long series for the Capitals. Their defense will give New York fits, but if anyone can frustrate Washington to their core, it’s the tandem of coach Barry Trotz and Semyon Varlamov.

Prediction: Washington Capitals win series 4-2

#2 Tampa Bay Lightning v. #7 Columbus Blue Jackets

We’ve been here before, haven’t we? The nightmare that threw Tampa’s heavenly season out of the playoffs last season, the Columbus Blue Jackets again want to crash the party and ruin the dreams and goals the Lightning have of accomplishing in the playoffs. While both teams are different from that 2019 series, both teams are the same in a lot of ways, but who will come out on top when the dust settles?

Tampa Bay was the first team out of the playoffs last year and had to take a long, hard look at how to move forward. Adding physical players Kevin Shattenkirk, Pat Maroon and Barclay Goodrow, along with the progression of players Brayden Point, Erik Cernak and Yanni Gourde, the Lightning have added the muscle and grit that they lacked last year. Unfortunately, the losses of Steven Stamkos and especially Victor Hedman may be too much if Columbus wants to test just how much better they truly are.

Speaking of tests, the Jackets have passed most of theirs with flying colors, thanks to Jack Adams (coach-of-the-year) nominee John Tortorella. The man who ironically brought Tampa Bay their only championship around two decades ago, Torts will test Tampa’s defense early on and see how much of a loss Victor Hedman is for their back-end. Pivotal players Seth Jones, Zach Werenski and Cam Atkinson took the fight hard to Tampa last year, and will throw themselves again at one of the deepest teams in the east to test their wills. While Sergei Bobrovsky isn’t the Jackets’ goaltender anymore, Joonas Korpisalo may be better, especially since he shut out the Toronto Maple Leafs in half of his starts.

Overall analysis: This will be a fun matchup, and it will have full attention from those who watched last year’s sweep. While the Lightning have more players to counter Columbus, and the Jackets lost their high scorers from last season, the make up of these teams haven’t really changed. Despite Jon Cooper’s success, Tortorella will be the superior coach of this series, again pulling out as many tricks as humanly possible.

Upset Prediction of the series: Columbus Blue Jackets win series 4-2

#1 Philadelphia Flyers v. #8 Montreal Canadiens

How many people predicted this matchup happening? A lot of analysts certainly did not. The Flyers answered questions about consistent play coming back after months of no regular season action, showing they’re better than what even loyal fans expected. They cruised through the Round Robin 3-0 in the three games they played, and weren’t forced to rely on their best players.

Montreal on the other hand has made the most of the gift given to them by the league and ground out win after win against the Pittsburgh Penguins. The team with the lowest winning percentage who got into the 24 team format, the Canadiens look like a real threat even outside of Carey Price. Coach Claude Julien has his team, which traded their star players by the All-Star break, looking similar to when he took the underdog 2011 Boston Bruins to a Stanley Cup Finals run.

The Canadiens roster has stepped up in every facet, from wingers Dale Weise to Brendan Gallagher. Rookie center Nick Suzuki has proved he can be a quality starter moving forward for the franchise, delivering in aspects showing how this team has evolved and grown. Captain Shea Weber hasn’t aged a day since he was traded to Montreal from Nashville, and Carey Price is yet to fall from his peak. As most underdog teams like Montreal can attest, it’s how good you are in the net that shows how far you’ll go, and Price is as solid as they come.

Philadelphia’s coach-of-the-year candidate Alain Vigneault has his philosophy of team first and passing-before-shooting mentality in full throttle, as teams who previously went after the Flyers’ stars must respect how Philly involves the whole team in every phase. While back up goalie Brian Elliott has been unpredictable in the postseason, Carter Hart, the undisputed starter, shone brilliantly against the top three teams in the conference, topping all of them. While the big names of captain Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier and Jakub Voracek still shine and leave their marks in every game, breakout players Scott Laughton, Joel Farabee and Nicolas Aube-Kubel have also stepped up and made every line a threat to opposing defenses.

Overall analysis: These teams can grind it out, get physical, play defense and have a lot of heart in their games. Both coaches have squared off before in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, with Julien getting the upper hand in the end. Vigneault though has the upper hand in depth, star firepower and a more flexible roster that can easily adapt to how Montreal plays or what game pace can be set. Carey Price will play as best he can, but with the way the Flyers have improved in every facet, there may not be much even he can do, as he found out in the season series with Philadelphia taking two of the three games.

Prediction: Philadelphia Flyers win series 4-1

Eastern Conference Qualifying Predictions Record: 3-1

What an exhilarating time we had the first full week of August. The qualifying round of matchups in the NHL Bubble in the hub city of Edmonton were fun, educational and worth all the time spent watching and breaking down play. Besides yours truly, who had the bottom two seeds winning their matchups, while making the games fun to watch? Cam Talbot looked like his prime self when he helped Edmonton reach the playoffs in 2017. Vancouver looks primed to be a dangerous team in the future within the Pacific, while still learning and working.

With the four teams of the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Arizona Coyotes and Chicago Blackhawks advancing, we will see who’s more consistent and threatening for a deep run versus a one-and-done when things get hard. The top four will play for real now that their positions are settled. So without further delay, it’s time for the analysis and predictions heading into these matchups.

#4 St. Louis Blues v. #5 Vancouver Canucks

What a great way to start off the predictions, beginning with the reigning Stanley Cup Champion Blues against a young and feisty Canucks squad. Yes, a lot of people had Vancouver smacking Minnesota last round and they did well, but the fact they got there and were as high a seed surprised many with the lack of depth on their roster. Goaltenders Jacob Markstrom and Thatcher Demko have been big reasons why the Canucks had competitive games, but rookie-of-the-year candidate Quinn Hughes, along with Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and captain Bo Horvat have done as much as they can with playing better defense, scoring and passing. They’re physical too, so the Blues can’t push them around as much as they could other teams.

This is definitely a team the St. Louis Blues can wake up for and return to their winning ways. Vancouver showed audiences in their series against the Wild they’re feisty, ready to bring fight and want to knock people around. Granted, this plays more to the Blues’ style of play, but St. Louis has looked lethargic and not themselves, much like how the Boston Bruins looked in the Round Robin. Coach Craig Berube wants to know his players are on the same page as he is to recreate the magic of last year’s Blues.

Overall analysis: The Blues get a boost with Vladimir Tarasenko back in the starting rotation. Their best scorer should get hot, but has to take his time since he hadn’t played in a real game since October. Last year’s playoffs MVP Ryan O’Reilly, captain Alex Pietrangelo and Marco Scandella will be needed on the defensive side, especially if the Blues want to give Pettersson and Boeser fits. Once the Blues ease into this series, they should look like themselves before the season paused.

Prediction: St. Louis Blues win series 4-1

#3 Dallas Stars v. #6 Calgary Flames

This might be the funnest matchup of the western conference playoffs, as a vigorous and ready Flames team squares up with the defensive and clutch veteran Stars. The Flames started to find their groove, confidence and depth in their matchup with Winnipeg, and now face a team they went 2-1 against in the regular season.

The Dallas Stars to their credit have shown audiences their instincts of when to go hard and when to score late in games. The additions of Joe Pavelski and Corey Perry should pay off in this series, since both were in the same division as the Flames most of their careers (Pavelski as San Jose’s captain and Perry a feisty scorer in Anaheim), and the return of second-in-command Tyler Seguin is welcomed on special teams and the offense.

There’s a lot to look close at and hype up with Calgary. Yes, the Jets were depleted and got scrappy in their elimination game, but key players stepped up who hadn’t in years prior or unexpectedly. Milan Lucic and Cam Talbot, two players from Edmonton the year prior, look like their old selves. Lucic looks like his time as a Bruin a decade ago, and Cam Talbot shows the full confidence and goalie play he had when he backed up Henrik Lundqvist on the New York Rangers. Sam Bennett, Sean Monahan and Andrew Mangiapane racked up points and showed why Geoff Ward played them in critical minutes. Then there’s the presence of Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau, who command the attention and/or irritation of many opposing teams’ superstars.

Overall analysis: There’s a lot of pressure on Ben Bishop to return to the Stanley Cup finals after his run with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and his team may start or play slow for a good amount of the first few games. The Stars are known to pick up their pace in the middle or late in series/seasons with their defense first philosophy. Captain Jamie Benn has to show up early and often in the first two games for Dallas to show they’re the better team, and their new additions should prove why the Stars paid big money for a long playoff run.

Calgary however, is a physical, fast, and proven team that can take the fight to Dallas where and when it matters most. Even though Cam Talbot is the best goalie for the Flames, he must maintain his spot and continue to show why he was coveted around the league before heading to northern city Edmonton. The bodies in front of him will help whenever possible, but his consistency will resonate and carry the team as far as possible.

It’s important to note that even though the Flames advanced, there was more interest in their rivals in Edmonton. Players on the Oilers who didn’t show up when needed stated that, “not every series or matchup will be like facing Calgary”, and that definitely should light a spark when the Flames take the ice against the Stars.

Upset Pick of the Conference: Calgary Flames win series 4-2

#2 Colorado Avalanche v. #7 Arizona Coyotes

Both of these teams are impressive, just in opposite playing styles. They’re both at full health, physical and fast. Their goal-tenders are the real deal and will present challenges, and when they both score 4 or more goals, both teams clamp down to win. The difference? The Avalanche are more offensive oriented while the Coyotes are more defensive. As predicted, the Coyotes used their physicality to knock out the Nashville Predators, and did it in four games.

The Avalanche are possibly the best team in the whole conference, and don’t look to slow down anytime soon. Nathan MacKinnon showed why he’s been nominated as a Hart finalist (league MVP nominee), as he’s everything you want in an elite player, especially in these playoffs. Broadcasters Pierre McGuire and Eddie Olczyk said rookie-of-the-year candidate Cale Makar is the defensive version of MacKinnon, showing that these two may be with the Avs for a long time. Captain Gabriel Landeskog, Matt Nieto and J.T. Compher are some of the best supporting cast members Colorado could have in the playoffs. Coach Jared Bednar, the goaltending tandem of Philipp Grubauer and Pavel Francouz, additions of Nazem Kadri, Joonas Donskoi, Vladislav Namestnikov and Andre Burakovsky should seem like overkill as both the Avalanche and Vegas Golden Knights (more on them later) have one of the deepest rosters in the league.

The Coyotes though, will go toe-to-toe as best they can. They added former league MVP Taylor Hall before the season stopped, but they have much more than meets the regular season eye. Darcy Kuemper is one of the best goalies in the league when at full health, with his captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Niklas Hjalmarsson helping and blocking shots when he can’t find the puck. Offensively, Conor Garland has returned from his leg injury and proved he hasn’t skipped a beat. Phil Kessel is their go-to guy and short-hand specialist Michael Grabner will catch the attention from even the best defensemen in the league.

Additional Notes: This series was a 1-1 tie in the regular season, with both teams grabbing a win, but sadly couldn’t play for the tie-breaker in mid-March. Both games took place last fall when the Coyotes were mostly healthy and played at the pace they wanted. Both teams staying healthy will make this series fun as they learn and adapt to each others’ games often.

Overall analysis: The Coyotes aren’t a pushover team and used the season pause to re-gather health-wise and used it well. Their biggest issue has been offensive consistency, something Colorado doesn’t shy away from. It will be hard for the Coyotes to stay in a series against an opponent that scores often. However, if this defensive oriented team can frustrate the Avalanche and force them to commit an average of three more penalties a game, Arizona can make this a longer series than anyone wants.

Prediction: Colorado Avalanche wins series 4-1

#1 Vegas Golden Knights v. #8 Chicago Blackhawks

Once again, the Blackhawks draw one of the best matchups in the Western Conference playoffs, and this should be an exciting and offensively potent series. The Blackhawks will have a lot more to handle than their last series, as the Knights have a full roster that plays great on offense, defense and special teams.

While Edmonton had a really good first and acceptable second line led by a coach who knows how to make the most out of what he has, the Oilers didn’t play good team defense and sported mediocre goaltending. The Golden Knights are a superior team in every facet compared to the Oilers. The Knights are known for the speed of their roster, physicality, taking chances, and dominating pace with all four of their lines. Peter DeBoer has helped the team get their groove back on offense, and the Knights look to finish how they started: dominating western conference play.

The Blackhawks have one of the best captains in the league in Jonathan Toews, a hot-streak goaltender in Corey Crawford, and some of the best young talent in the league in players Dominik Kubalik, Kirby Dach, Calvin de Haan and Drake Caggiula. Those four players will be critical components moving forward, but the team needs to play better team defense and not exchange open shot opportunities with a team that could set that kind of tone early on. It’s up to the key vets Toews, Patrick Kane, and Duncan Keith to make sure Vegas doesn’t rupture the defense and score.

Additional notes: Left winger and leading scorer Max Pacioretty should be ready to go when this series kicks off, and that will be needed firepower for Vegas to get after the red hot Crawford. Robin Lehner and Malcolm Subban have both played for these clubs during the season, so don’t be surprised if the original net-minder for the Knights is Marc-Andre Fleury and not Lehner, as Fleury has and can give the Blackhawks problems.

Overall analysis: Despite the heavy veteran presence for the Blackhawks, it isn’t enough to counter the complete depth the Vegas Golden Knights have. The Knights feast on exposing team defenses and then score heavily once they’ve found weaknesses. The Blackhawks aren’t good at team defense, and that could be the back-breaker early on.

Prediction: Vegas Golden Knights wins series 4-1

Western Conference Qualifying Picks: 4-0

The NHL Players association (or the NHLPA) voted two weeks ago to end the 2019-2020 regular season and go ahead to a 24 team playoff format. In this playoff format, the top four teams of each conference will have extra rest time, while the remaining eight in each have a short playoff round. the winners advance to play those top four teams.

The St. Louis Blues, Colorado Avalanche, Vegas Golden Knights and the Dallas Stars will sit out the first round since they are the best four teams in the West, as Minnesota, Phoenix, Chicago and Winnipeg have a chance to compete. These four teams have been granted gifts, as some of their draft stock will be protected and they can see where they are at in terms of building solid rosters with enough depth to make playoff runs in the future.

It’s the match-ups in the first round that will make this exciting though, so here are predictions on the series once they get started.

#5 Edmonton Oilers v. #12 Chicago Blackhawks

Two points to make: the first one being just like all the matchups in the Eastern conference, all of these teams will have rust to shake off at least two games in, so expect sloppy play. The second one is on behalf of the writer: get over this matchup. No howling or whining on why the Oilers have to play the Blackhawks. Chicago had consistency in net with Corey Crawford playing for his life before the season stopped, and the Central Division was competitive the whole season. Edmonton just isn’t as good as the four teams ahead of them (coincidentally three of those four are in the Central) despite Dave Tippett doing everything he can with this roster. Leon Draisaitl and Conor McDavid are both up for MVP consideration, but the dynamic duo must show they aren’t the Toronto Maple Leafs and flounder in the first round against veteran clubs.

The matchup strangely favors Chicago in a lot of areas despite Jeremy Colliton trying to run them into the ground. A team filled with Stanley Cup winning veterans such as the aforementioned Crawford, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, the defense solidified in the second half of the shortened season. The rest will bode well for the older vets as they will be back at full strength. Crawford, who’s a free agent at the end of the year, has much to play for if he wants to be a good 1B or number two goalie next season.

 

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Edmonton has much to prove despite having two of the top stars in the league. Depth started to show through for the Oilers as the third and fourth line took some attention from the first two. Like Corey Crawford, Mike Smith is older than a fair share of goaltenders, so the rest benefits the Oilers defense. This could help the team focus towards resurgence in offense.

Like the Pens-Canadiens series, the series could go either way depending on which team shows up. The Blackhawks have the smarter unit, a desperate net-minder trying to get onto a team next year and further playoff experience than the younger Oilers. This one could reach a full series depending on how the first two games go.

Upset prediction of the series: Blackhawks win series 3-2

#6 Nashville Predators v. #11 Phoenix Coyotes

Both teams don’t have the teeth their logos do. With the acquisitions these two teams made, they have little to show for it. Nashville made sweeping moves last offseason, and only got hot when their third coach in franchise history John Hynes brought defensive rhythm back. Like a number of teams before the league suspended play, the Predators were on a roll and looked like the team no one in the western conference wanted to play. With the elderly legend Pekka Rinne in net, Nashville can bring back what they’ve lost in the past three months: smash-mouth hockey with the remaining offensive push from former coach Peter Laviolette’s system.

If there’s any team that needed a three month break to get back their collective breath back in the western conference, it would be without a doubt the Phoenix Coyotes. Once in first place almost solely from the play of goaltender Darcy Kuemper, the team sputtered after he, then backup Antti Raanta, fell to injuries. Kuemper and Raanta not just back in the lineup, but given three months prep to get ready for the playoffs shows it’s quite possible the Coyotes look like the team to beat in this conference early on, barring anymore injuries. Phil Kessel and Taylor Hall need to improve chemistry together, since Predators coach John Hynes knows Hall’s strengths and weaknesses and the offense will be critical for the Coyotes to keep pace with whoever they play.

Conor Garland will be the big name player coming back from injury, as his knee should be fully healed. This will probably be the most physical series of the qualifying rounds in either conference since both teams lean towards defensive and smash-mouth play. Nashville has the better roster but Phoenix has the better goal-tenders, and that could be the most important factor as both Kuemper and Raanta needed time to recover.

Prediction: Coyotes win series 3-1

#7 Vancouver Canucks v. #10 Minnesota Wild

Probably the series a lot of people will want finished first, this one won’t be pretty. A team that many people expected to continue a rebuild (Vancouver) facing off against a team many considered to rebuild mid-season (Minnesota), the playoff matchup could be what either team needs moving forward in a direction which signifies growth for the decade. Vancouver’s issue is needed depth, yet showed they can stay at the top of the pack in the Pacific. At one point the Canucks lead the division twice before the Golden Knights took control and didn’t look back. Jacob Markstrom and Thatcher Demko in net will be pivotal players Vancouver trusts most, despite the top two lines powering them to 78 points in 69 games played.

Minnesota needs their key players Kevin Fiala, Mikko Koivu, Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to show up since goaltending was the main reason the Wild plummeted. While Devan Dubnyk’s replacement Alex Stalock has been somewhat of an improvement in net, both are in the top 10 worst starters in the league. Vancouver will have to pounce and overwhelm the Wild in order to stay alive for a long post-season run, as the Wild did win the season series, albeit the last game in a shootout, 4-3.

Prediction: Canucks win series 3-0

#8 Calgary Flames v. #9 Winnipeg Jets

Talk about two teams who’ve underperformed this season. Yes, a lot of people including yours truly didn’t think the Jets would make the playoffs given the lack of depth on the backend/defense, but they stayed solid in the race thanks to Connor Hellebyuck’s outstanding performances. This isn’t the intimidating, big and physical Jets team we watched the past few seasons. While a shell of their former selves, Paul Maurice has done some of his best coaching by keeping his roster a few steps ahead of their opponents.

Calgary’s been the western conference Toronto Maple Leafs this season: a nefarious coach who’s brought drama and was exposed for poor coaching and tactics, a significant decline in play, and a roster that doesn’t look like it’s been put well together. It’s fine to shoulder a lot of the early season blame on Bill Peters, who was more a racist bully than a coach, but the Flames struggled to maintain consistency, mainly with who to start in net for critical games. Players from Johnny Gaudreau to Milan Lucic looked off, while Travis Hamonic and Noah Hanifin fell to injuries right when they looked sharper.

If there’s any series that needed a mulligan from both teams, it’s definitely this one. Both rosters have a lot of star-power that when they both get going, makes for the best watch in any of the qualifying matchups. The only meeting between these two teams took place in a thrilling October out-door game where Winnipeg won 2-1 in OT. A lot has changed since then and we all should expect both teams to light up the scoreboards at least in half the games they play. Whoever plays better defense consistently between these two teams will probably advance to the next round against a much harder and determined St. Louis Blues squad.

Prediction: Flames win series 3-1

The NHL Players association (or the NHLPA) voted last week to end the 2019-2020 regular season and go ahead with a 24 team playoff format. In this playoff format, the top four teams of each conference will have extra rest time, while the remaining eight in each have a short playoff round. Those winners advance to play the top four teams.

The Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals and the Philadelphia Flyers will sit out the first round since they are the top four teams in the East, while Columbus, Montreal, Florida and the New York Rangers have a chance to compete. These four teams have been granted gifts, because some of their draft stock will be protected and they can see where they are in terms of building solid rosters with enough depth to make playoff runs in the future.

It’s the match-ups in the first round that will make this exciting though, so here are predictions on the series once they start.

#5 Pittsburgh Penguins v. #12 Montreal Canadiens

This should be said since every team will have issues in early games: these playoffs will be slow to start, especially the first two games considering play has paused for over three months. This is a series where the lesser team can have an advantage. The Canadiens only won 19 of the 71 games they played in regulation, showing yet again Claude Julien is working with a hollow roster highlighted by an aging Carey Price in net. An up and down team, Montreal will have to start fast and not let up, but this isn’t a team that has lived up to those expectations, at least, not consistently.

With Pittsburgh, the main guys who can put up points should be able to ease in a bit more. Goaltenders Tristan Jarry and Matt Murray make a great tandem, which can help both Sidney Crosby (who should be back at full health if he wasn’t already) and Evgeni Malkin. Key player Jake Guentzel who was ruled out 4-6 months after a shoulder injury against the Ottawa Senators will probably make his return to the team and add some much needed depth, as the Pens ranked third in the league this season with most games missed by injured players (298).

The series could be a clean 3-0 sweep or a full five games depending on which Montreal team shows up to play. Knowing the first two games could be full of uneven performances, it’s ok to give each team a win, but the superior team in this matchup will show up in the later games as they figure each other out. Pittsburgh does have the edge with better all-around players, and even took the regular season series 2-1-0.

Prediction: Penguins win series 3-1

#6 Carolina Hurricanes v. #11 New York Rangers

The Hurricanes desperately needed the season to stop as both goaltenders Petr Mrazek and James Reimer were seriously hurt in the infamous David Ayres Toronto Maple Leafs game. Although Mrazek returned and looked solid, he did suffer an upper body injury, and has had extra time to recover. As for James Reimer, his lower body injury has given the team time to add depth with the AHL season officially cancelled. The Canes can call up players from their affiliate Checkers, something the NHL says is ok to do. Carolina slipped down to the sixth seed because of injuries to those two players and while the offense wasn’t as problematic, the defense was porous without them.

As the season resumes, so will the speculation about who will start for the New York Rangers in net. Unlike the Hurricanes, the Rangers have three net-minders who are trying to stay on the roster. Igor Shesterkin should be back from his prior injuries in a car crash just before the pause, however, the starting job may possibly go to either Alexandar Georgiev or Henrik Lundqvist, given the magnitude of the offensively potent opponent.

Both offenses add a lot of spice since both were red hot before the break, especially the Rangers. Mika Zibanejad scored a career high 41 goals (five coming in one game), while Artemi Panarin is a finalist for League MVP. Carolina had around 300 even shots more than the Rangers in their regular season series, with the trio of Sebastian Aho, Teuvo Teravainen and Andrei Svechnikov proving too much to handle for the Rangers defense.

While the Rangers were scorching at the beginning of March, it’s quite possible they’ve cooled down considerably during the hiatus. If David Quinn is smart, he could use this to his benefit and teach the players his system more. Either way, the Rangers defensively should plan how to block 35 shots a game defensively, and go from there.

Prediction: Hurricanes win series 3-1

#7 New York Islanders v. #10 Florida Panthers

I have to hand it to the state of New York for having two competitive teams in the playoffs, as both these series should be exciting, though this one is for different reasons. When last we left the New York Islanders, they’d come out of the trade deadline revamped and a bit better offensively, as Jean Gabriel Pageau began to make his mark, but dropped seven straight before play halted in early March. The Islanders have given up the second most even strength (five-on-five) shots, indicating they were falling apart in almost every facet. This team could be the one that benefits most for the playoffs, since their defensive strengths don’t have to be taught to be fully in gear when games start.

The Florida Panthers meanwhile are at the opposite end of the spectrum. Their loaded three lines consist of Aleksander Barkov, Evgenii Dadonov, Jonathan Huberdeau, Mike Hoffman, with career years for Noel Acciari, Brett Connolly and Frank Vatrano. The offense can create problems if the Islander defense isn’t sharp for the first couple of games. Coach Joel Quenneville is still figuring out how to get more out of this roster and the unexpectedly disappointing goaltender addition of Sergei Bobrovsky. Speaking of Bob, he’s had a discouraging .900 save percentage this season, and has been pulled or benched in almost a dozen games because of his struggles. One must wonder if Florida gets in a 2-0 hole early if he’ll be pulled, since his playoff save percentage is slightly better than his regular season percentage for this year.

The Erik Haula and Lucas Wallmark additions could prove useful as Florida needs a different look against the team that swept them in the regular season. Florida should benefit in another ironic way: the empty or not-so-filled stadiums will feel almost normal, since they’ve typically had small or half-filled home crowds. Most teams, aren’t used to this, so that could work in Florida’s favor. While Bobrovsky hasn’t had a good season, one must wonder at the other end if Semyon Varlamov is ready to face pressure in the playoffs.

Prediction: Islanders win series 3-0

#8 Toronto Maple Leafs v. #9 Columbus Blue Jackets

Hilariously, the last post written on here was about the lowest point probably in Maple Leafs history. I still stand by not only what I wrote in that article, but the probable need to hit that re-start button. This roster will not win a championship, because they consistently show they can only go so far. Hilariously, if this team wins this round and so do the other three teams (which will probably happen) ahead of them, the Leafs will yet again have to face the Boston Bruins in a best of seven game series.

Similar to the Islanders-Panthers series, these two teams are on opposite spectrums. Like the Panthers, the Leafs have a potent offense, this one led by Auston Matthews, William Nylander and John Tavares. Unfortunately, two of the three have shown they seem to play their best when they…actually want to. There’s red flag number one. Much like the Panthers, this team has a troubling situation in goal with Frederick Anderson, a goal-tender who they seem to plead with to play every game because the team has to find ways to stay alive. Anderson has a .915 save percentage, one of the five worst in the league for a starter. Call that red flag number two. Then we have Sheldon Keefe, the poor sad sack who took over unexpectedly early in the season as head coach for the heinous Mike Babcock. Keefe may have lost control over his locker room by February, as players were heard and seen doing things differently and taking matters into their own hands. Strike three. Ouch.

Like the New York Islanders, the Columbus Blue Jackets are defensive oriented, scraping and clawing for whatever they get. Coach John Tortorella knew he would have a roster that was purged of talent last season, and he followed it up with probably the best season of his coaching career, leading the team to 33 wins and fifth place in the Metropolitan division. One issue, albeit a positive that Tortorella could face is who to start in net. Both Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins have .926 save percentages or above. This tandem has kept Columbus alive in most of their games, considering the Jackets have both the highest amount of games lost to injury (352) and top three in lowest scoring five-on-five matchups.

The Jackets will have nearly the same benefits as the Islanders, namely that their defensive philosophies won’t be that hard to figure out when they come back. As an added bonus they’ll have a lot of their key players returning from injuries. Cam Atkinson, Seth Jones, Alexandre Texier, Oliver Bjorkstrand and possibly Josh Anderson should be good to fill the first two lines when play resumes. For the Leafs, Jake Muzzin comes back when he’s needed most, so he’ll have to live up to the hype and show he deserves a big pay-day when the season is over. Both teams split 1-1 in the regular season, with Columbus winning the last game in OT. This could well be the longest series of this round with games going to five.

Upset Prediction of the Round: Columbus wins series 3-2