2024-2025 NBA Eastern Conference Playoff Picks

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The Boston Celtics broke the eastern conference two year championship drought and won the 2023-24 title. In response, the top teams added more stars and roster depth. The conference outside of Boston has a lot of teams that can make deep playoff runs similar to last year. Indianapolis could have another breakout season. New York and Miami desperately want a championship. Cleveland, Milwaukee and Philadelphia view anything less than a conference finals appearance a failure. It’ll be a fun and competitive regular season.

Time to break down which eight teams in the east have the best chance of making the playoffs.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics are the favorites to repeat their title run and win their league high 19th championship.

The reigning champs kept most of their deep roster. Boston will make the playoffs even if injuries are a factor. No other NBA team has this luxury.

Milwaukee Bucks

There are concerns over how Milwaukee improves with coach Doc Rivers and chemistry between Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Luckily the Bucks have more than enough talent to clinch a top six seed.

New York Knicks

While the Knicks added more talent trading for Karl-Anthony Towns, New York’s strength is great coaching from Tom Thibodeau.

The Knicks made a bold trade sending Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota for Karl-Anthony Towns. The former first overall pick will have an interesting time learning coach Tom Thibodeau’s defense while giving the offense consistent scoring.

Miami Heat

Franchise star forward Jimmy Butler will lead a healthier Heat team into the postseason as long as Erik Spoelstra is the coach.

Indiana Pacers

Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacer offense were number one almost all of last season. Many will tune in to see if Indiana can do it again.

The Pacers rode the league’s best offense to the conference finals and came up short in three of their four losses to eventual champion Boston. Viewers are excited to see how coach Rick Carlisle and his roster replicate last season’s success with the franchise stars signed long-term.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Cleveland’s another year better and closer to having their franchise stars in their prime. Last year’s postseason elimination taught them how to play more physical against better defenses, rebound better and the importance of second chance scoring opportunities. The Cavaliers will be tested by veteran teams but have enough talent to make the postseason.

Orlando Magic

No one attacks the basket harder than Orlando’s Paolo Banchero (5).

Orlando’s 2023-24 season was predictable. The Magic are a rising team with a lot of young talent learning how to win. Signing Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was a good addition at shooting guard. Depth at center and power forward will help throughout the year.

Philadelphia 76ers

Although Philadelphia lost Tobias Harris in free agency, Paul George, Kelly Oubre and Reggie Jackson are the needed guard and forward depth that should take all the scoring pressure off center and former league MVP Joel Embiid.

Play-in losing teams: Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks

2023-2024 NBA Western Conference Playoff Picks

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The western conferences two year championship run snapped last season. After an interesting playoffs, Dallas lost in the finals 4-1. Most western teams made major moves once the offseason began. Viewers have interest in the stacked northwest division and how every team in the pacific could make the playoffs. Teams like Memphis could break out and have a longer playoff run. The conference champion Mavericks have a tough task to getting back to the finals.

That’s a lot to process, so let’s focus on which eight teams have the best chances of making the western conference playoffs.

Denver Nuggets

(Left to right) League MVP Nikola Jokic and teammate Aaron Gordon should have another dominant season.

League MVP Nikola Jokic wants payback after missing the conference finals. Denver’s depth makes them the top pick to clinch a playoff spot in the west.

Memphis Grizzlies

Injuries shouldn’t be a problem this season even if star point guard Ja Morant is suspended again. Memphis drafting Yuki Kawamura adds to an explosive offense and physical defense.

Phoenix Suns

This is an important year for Kevin Durant and Phoenix’s championship aspirations.

The Suns have a great trio with Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. Now they have the depth with Monte Morris and Grayson Allen at guard and forward. Phoenix needs a fast start and better chemistry after a wasted 2023-24 season.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Minnesota was great last year, but they could be better this season. Trading Karl-Anthony Towns was a great move because it brought in better players who are physical on defense and not afraid to drive to the basket on offense. Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo are upgrades at the forward positions while the Timberwolves kept their center and guard depth. Minnesota is a top contender for the first overall seed in the west.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was close in the league MVP running last year. Oklahoma City has a chance at a high playoff seed because of him running the offense.

The young Thunder were great last year. Then they traded Josh Giddey to Chicago for Alex Caruso. The veteran guard tandem of Caruso and last year’s highly praised league MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander can elevate Oklahoma City into another top playoff seed and go further in the postseason. The Thunder also added depth at forward.

Dallas Mavericks

Dallas has one of the best guard tandems in the league and should get more contributions from center Daniel Gafford this season. The Mavericks will be fun to watch.

Golden State Warriors

Golden State’s Stephen Curry will have to do more after Klay Thompson signed with Dallas.

It’s a big year for the Warriors. Klay Thompson left in free agency and coach Steve Kerr has to give the younger players more minutes. We’ll find out how Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody, Gary Payton II and Andrew Wiggins adjust to these changes the first month of the season. Brandin Podziemski should have a breakout year starting at shooting guard.

Sacramento Kings

There’s too much talent for Sacramento not to miss the playoffs. Coach Mike Brown should have an easier season now that there’s better forward depth.

Play-in losing teams: Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs

NFL Week Six Winners and Losers

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Week six was full of eye-opening play and revealed who is closer to the playoffs. On the opposite end, some teams are close to preparing for the offseason. Time to break down the weekends winners and losers.

Winners: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

It’s been a hard, emotional week for anyone affiliated with the Tampa area. While they weren’t at home yesterday, the Buccaneers played to keep the divisional tie with Atlanta and for hometown pride.

Tampa Bay started hot with a 17 point first quarter. Starting quarterback Baker Mayfield threw his first of two touchdowns to Chris Godwin for an early lead. Less than two minutes later, safety Antoine Winfield Jr. recovered a Chris Olave fumble and returned it 58 yards for another touchdown.

New Orleans took the lead after a 27 point second quarter, but the Buccaneers got the lead back in the third with Godwin’s second score of the game. Tampa’s offense had a three touchdown, 20 point fourth quarter while the defense shut out the Saints offense in the second half.

The Buccaneers had to rebound after a wild, Thursday night loss almost two weeks ago. A strong second half against another divisional rival was important to stay in their first place tie with Atlanta. Tampa Bay’s schedule gets harder and they have to win more divisional games by playing well on all sides of the ball. That’s why the road win in New Orleans was important for the Buccaneers playoff chances.

Joe Flacco

What a wild chapter in Colts backup quarterback Joe Flacco’s career. He’s led Indianapolis to two wins in their last three games after sophomore starter Anthony Richardson’s been out with an oblique injury.

The Colts played a close game to divisional rival Tennessee. Late in the third quarter, Titans runningback Tony Pollard gave Tennessee the lead after a 23 yard touchdown run. Joe Flacco led a scoring drive the next possession and Indianapolis cut the deficit by four. Halfway through the quarter, the former Super Bowl champion quarterback threw the eventual game winning touchdown to Michael Pittman Jr. The Colts struggled last month to score in the fourth quarter of close games. The veteran quarterback completed a comeback win the second Sunday of October.

It’s hard to admit, but Indianapolis is a playoff contending team when Flacco’s under center. Receivers Pittman Jr., Josh Downs and Mo Alie-Cox play harder and run better routes when he leads the offense. Joe Flacco’s performances give the Colts a hard choice in who starts at quarterback when Richardson’s fully healthy.

Detroit Lions offense

The last game Detroit played before Sunday was a shootout home win over Seattle without an incomplete pass. What the Lions offense did Sunday against the Cowboys was almost better.

Detroit didn’t punt once in a dominant road win in Dallas. Quarterback Jared Goff wasn’t perfect (unlike his last Monday night performance), but he completed 18 of 25 passes for 315 yards, three touchdowns and a 153.8 passer rating. Goff was rewarded with rest late in the game as the Lions led by 38 points.

While Detroit’s passing attack shredded the Cowboys secondary, the runningback tandem of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for 24 touches, 143 yards and two touchdowns. Montgomery and Gibbs cut through the Dallas front seven for at least five yards a carry.

Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s creativity was the highlight of the game. Goff threw a flea flicker touchdown to tight-end Sam LaPorta early in the second quarter. Starting right tackle Penei Sewell would’ve had his first career touchdown if it wasn’t for two offensive linemen drawing an illegal downfield penalty (offensive linemen can’t go past one yard of the line of scrimmage unless the ball-carrier is further ahead). Left tackle Taylor Decker almost caught a few passes. Backup tackle Dan Skipper lined up as a wide receiver against the Cowboys secondary. Detroit preferred turning the ball over on downs late in the game than punting it back to Dallas. The Lions let backups at multiple positions seal the win. No team has a hotter offense than Detroit. The NFC north might be the league’s best division, but it’ll be hard for any of the three teams to get an edge over the Lions offense.

Losers: Bo Nix

Denver’s rookie quarterback has improved since the first two weeks of the season, but there will be games where he both looks like a rookie and part of an offense needing more offensive talent.

The Broncos offense was smacked around by the Chargers defense yesterday. Midway through the third quarter, Nix completed four of 14 passes for 27 yards. Los Angeles had a 23 point shutout lead before the fourth quarter and only sacked Bo Nix twice.

Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minster had a great game plan to confuse the rookie quarterback, but Nix could’ve ran the ball more instead of throwing forced passes off his back foot. Head coach Sean Payton will emphasize that throughout the week.

Johnny Hekker’s 15 yard punt

This is the first and should be one of the few times a punt makes the losers section. If there was a play to summarize the Panthers season, it would be this one.

Late in the second quarter, former All-Pro punter Johnny Hekker punted back to Atlanta when defensive lineman Zach Harrison partially deflected it. The punt went 15 yards. Falcons cornerback Clark Phillips III returned it for 15 yards. However, Atlanta was gifted more yardage after a holding penalty was called on Carolina. The Falcons offensive possession started at the Panthers 27 yard line. As one can guess, Atlanta scored a touchdown their last possession of the first half.

The NFL’s primetime scheduling

At least a few times a year, the NFL decides not to flex their primetime games. This leads to audiences complaining about terrible teams and match-ups shown on national broadcast t.v.

Thankfully, most people weren’t subjected to the horror that is the Jacksonville Jaguars in the early morning. That was cancelled out by the Sunday night atrocity that is the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Giants. The Bengals offense and Giants defense are fun to watch, but Cincinnati’s defense and New York’s offense are awful. It’s hard to have a good game when at least one side of the ball stinks.

It didn’t matter which team won Sunday night, the league should’ve flexed for the Washington-Baltimore matchup. Unlike the teams in the night game, both the Ravens and Commanders are near the top in their divisions. The NFL pushed to flex primetime games earlier in the season and somehow doesn’t act on this change despite having the power. It would be fun if the league could somehow flex next week’s game or the week nine matchup with Jacksonville before news outlets complain.

2024-25 NHL Eastern Conference Playoff Picks

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What a fun offseason. The Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions are back after another summer of free agency. No one outside the Sunshine State has won the conference or Stanley Cup finals the last five years. While a good number of teams out west improved, Metropolitan teams like New Jersey and Washington made trades to bolster their rosters and re-signed important depth players. The Rangers and Hurricanes are more determined to finish what they started last postseason. Then there are younger teams like Detroit and Ottawa with long-term playoff aspirations.

It’s time to break down which four teams in each division can make the push back to or surprise a lot of people in making the 2024-25 playoffs.

Metropolitan

Carolina Hurricanes

True hockey fans empathize with Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen: Thank goodness hockey is back.

Starting with the easier division, Carolina’s a quick pick. From center to goaltender, the deep Hurricanes should roll through the regular season.

New York Rangers

The Rangers first line should have another stellar season.

The Rangers did their best until eventual champion Florida eliminated them in the conference finals. New York was top ten on offense, defense and the power-play. That shouldn’t change throughout the year.

New Jersey Devils

New Jersey added more defense and has a new coach who will develop the young roster.

This sites prediction about New Jersey was accurate last year. Goaltending, team defense and injuries held back a young, talented core. General manager Tom Fitzgerald addressed that by signing Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen in the offseason. The defense got upgrades with Brett Pesce, Brenden Dillon, Jakub Zboril and Colton White signing in free agency. Finally, new coach Sheldon Keefe was a perfect hire for this young, talented team. The Devils should be much better.

Washington Capitals

Washington’s captain Alex Ovechkin has the chance to break Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goal scoring record this season…and get closer to 1,000.

It was hard to pick the fourth team. The Islanders didn’t add much in the offseason and kept Patrick Roy as their coach. Pittsburgh could get in if drastic changes are made by the trade deadline. Washington was the best choice with their offseason additions and how well they played for coach Spencer Carbery last year. Defense will be the focus again this season, but the offense should improve after trading for Jakob Chychrun, Andrew Mangiapane and Pierre-Luc Dubois. The needed roster and scoring depth will make the Capitals hard to beat throughout the year.

Atlantic

Florida Panthers

The Sunshine State is the yet again the state of hockey and champions.

The reigning champs head into the regular season with most of last year’s deep, Stanley Cup winning roster. It should be fun to watch them defend their title.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Toronto may have named Auston Matthews the new captain, but no one’s more important to the Leafs than William Nylander.

The Leafs were great the last two years. Now they have Craig Berube as their new coach. For the first time in decades, Toronto should be a Stanley Cup contender.

Detroit Red Wings

This is the year Detroit breaks out and gets better the whole season.

At last the franchise is a playoff contender. General manager Steve Yzerman’s roster isn’t finished yet, but the depth, talent and hunger to make the postseason means this is a pivotal year for Detroit. There shouldn’t be a drop-off at any point, even if captain Dylan Larkin gets injured again.

Tampa Bay Lightning

As long as Andrei Vasilevskiy stays healthy, Tampa Bay is a constant championship threat.

Franchise great Steven Stamkos might’ve signed with Nashville in free agency, but general manager Julien BriseBois patched things up by signing Jake Guentzel and Cam Atkinson and trading for Ryan McDonagh. The deeper Lightning also have franchise goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy back to full health, something they didn’t have last year. Tampa Bay’s talent and coaching gets the nod over Boston (aging) and Ottawa’s (younger) roster.

2024-25 NHL Western Conference Playoff Picks

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What a year it was for the western conference. Edmonton was one win away from the conference’s third straight Stanley Cup championship. Many viewers wonder if the Oilers can make another run this year with coach Kris Knoblauch’s interim tag removed. Edmonton doesn’t have any serious injuries before the season begins, but a lot of teams built up depth and are also healthy. There will be competition and pushback from teams like Nashville, Colorado and Vegas. Los Angeles and Winnipeg have a lot to prove after last season’s playoff exits. A team like Minnesota could break out and do damage to whoever clinches a top seed, possibly throwing the playoffs into doubt. It’s time to break down which four teams in each division have the best chances to make the 2024-25 postseason.

Pacific

Vancouver Canucks

Vancouver captain Quinn Hughes (C) had a lot of success and growth his first year as team captain. Year two should be better.

Let’s start with the easier western division. Vancouver is a sure pick to reach the playoffs with head coach Rick Tocchet back behind the bench, Kevin Lankinen replacing the injured Thatcher Demko in net, Quinn Hughes returning as captain, and roster depth at every position. The Canucks were fun to watch last year and played great start to finish. Don’t be surprised if they look better this season.


Edmonton Oilers

Edmonton was one game away from winning Canada’s first Stanley Cup in 30 years. Can the Oilers replicate their second half regular and postseason success this year?

It was a tale of two seasons for Edmonton. The team played better once Knoblauch became coach. The most important adjustments he made were improving the penalty-kill and getting additional scoring from the third and fourth lines. Those changes got the Oilers one win away from the Stanley Cup.

While some are unsure how Edmonton’s scoring and defensive depth will perform the whole season, having Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl together again means a future playoff berth.

Vegas Golden Knights

After a first round elimination against Dallas, Vegas should be back to full health once the puck drops tonight.

It wasn’t a surprise Vegas struggled the last half of the season. Injuries and some fatigue kept the Golden Knights in a lower seed. Then they were eliminated in the first round to number one seeded Dallas. Vegas should rebound this season.

The Golden Knights might not have former Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Marchessault anymore, but we’ll finally see a healthy Tomas Hertl and Noah Hanifin play together. The addition of forward Victor Olofsson should help center Jack Eichel score more this season.

Los Angeles Kings

Despite a second half sputter, there’s optimism in Los Angeles.

There’s a lot to love with the Kings this year. Los Angeles let goaltender Cam Talbot leave in free agency and traded for Darcy Kuemper to replace him. The former champion will be hard to score against, and even if he misses time, David Rittich and Pheonix Copley have enough to hold the Kings defense together.

Barring another mid-season collapse, Los Angeles should have a breakout year with the offensive depth at center and forward.

Central

Colorado Avalanche

Colorado almost back to full health means more one-on-one scoring chances for reigning league MVP Nathan MacKinnon (29).

This could be the year captain Gabriel Landeskog returns from his long sustained leg injuries. For now, reigning league MVP Nathan MacKinnon, top scorer Mikko Rantanen, top defender Cale Makar and top five coach in the league Jared Bednar are more than enough to push Colorado into the playoffs.

Winnipeg Jets

Regardless of wherever Winnipeg lands in the playoffs, they have the talent and depth to return.

There was disappointment in Manitoba after last year’s playoff flop to the Avalanche. Poor season finale aside, no team in the central has better depth scoring than Winnipeg. The offense should be one of the league’s best again. The Jets also have a two time Conn Smythe winning goaltender in Connor Hellebuyck with at least six quality defensemen to help. It’s up to coach Scott Arniel to find ways to win this postseason.

Minnesota Wild

All Minnesota needs to make the playoffs is a better start to the regular season. The Wild can’t end goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury’s career with a whimper.

Minnesota missing the playoffs last year was due to a poor start that got coach Dean Evason fired. A difficult two months led to inconsistent play. While interim John Hynes did his best getting the Wild to play better defense, scoring went down. This season should be different.

It’s important Minnesota has a better start. The division is still the most competitive in the conference and most of the eight teams feel there’s something to prove. It’s also the last season for legendary goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, so the Wild have to do well if he wants to win a final championship.

Nashville Predators

(Left to right ) Nashville’s captain Roman Josi, Juuse Saros and Robby Fabbro will be playoff favorites this season.

General manager Barry Trotz is a happy and busy man. After he chose to keep the Predators core unit together after last season’s trade deadline, Nashville finished hot and almost made the second round of the playoffs.

This year it’ll be more fun in Music City. Trotz signed former champions Steven Stamkos and Jonathan Marchessault, and added defensive depth with Brady Skjei and Scott Wedgewood. The Predators want to play lockdown defense on one end and high-scoring offense the other. It would take a lot to keep Nashville out of the 2025 postseason.

NFL Week Five Winners and Losers

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Week five in the NFL had a lot of thrills, surprises and hair-pulling moments. Some of the best games of 2024 were yesterday. Audiences are finding out which teams could be contenders and which ones could be one and done if they reach the playoffs. Here are this weeks winners and losers.

Winners: Shane Waldron

Chicago entered week five lucky to be at .500. The defense kept them in close games while the offense struggled to score. Part of that is because there’s a new offensive coordinator in Shane Waldron, number one overall pick quarterback Caleb Williams and a battered receiving core trying to improve every week. Sunday’s dominant home win against Carolina could be a turning point for Waldron’s offense.

Chicago dominated a lackluster Panthers defense. At one point the Bears scored four touchdowns on five first half drives. Williams threw two touchdowns to wide receiver D.J. Moore while running backs Roschon Johnson and D’Andre Swift ran for a touchdown (each). Chicago had a 20 point second quarter, almost securing a win before Carolina scored ten points.

The Bears offense is fortunate they play a few more easier defenses the next few months (and have a bye week soon). The NFC north is the best division so far and Chicago needs consistent scoring to keep up with their three rivals. That dominant win could be the start of something special for Shane Waldron’s offense.

Houston Texans

The best game Sunday was Houston’s home win versus Buffalo. It looked and felt like a playoff game. The Texans dominated until the third quarter. Buffalo then came back with two straight touchdowns and tied it late in the fourth quarter.

Houston didn’t panic. After the defense forced Bills quarterback Josh Allen to throw three straight incompletions at his own two yard line, sophomore quarterback C.J. Stroud IV led a quick game winning drive. Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn drilled a 59 yard field goal as time expired and Houston got their fourth win of the season.

The Texans struggled at the end of September despite winning three of four games. Beating Buffalo at home after the Bills were embarrassed in Baltimore last Sunday night showed Houston’s maturity on every side of the ball. Head coach DeMeco Ryans had them prepared even if the Bills had a second half surge.

Brian Daboll and the New York Giants offense

New York went into Seattle without leading playmaker rookie wide receiver Malik Nabers and the offense gave up a 101 yard fumble return touchdown to Seahawks strong safety Rayshawn Jenkins their first drive of the game. The Giants could’ve let that affect their play and mentally given up after trailing, but the offense rebounded the next possession and tied it back at seven. New York didn’t trail the rest of the afternoon.

Head coach Brian Daboll’s had a lot of pressure to succeed after getting the Giants to the divisional round of the playoffs his first season. It hasn’t helped that New York’s front office fails to acquire and retain top roster talent. Daboll knows his team won’t be favored most Sundays and he’s used that to his advantage.

The Giants didn’t have starting runningback Devin Singletary, so Daboll decided Tyrone Tracy Jr. should start and be the main focus of the offense. Tracy Jr. ran 18 times for 127 yards, the offensive line played better and quarterback Daniel Jones played with more confidence. Jones’ two passing touchdowns gave the Giants a double digit lead until late in the fourth quarter.

New York has to scrape for every win this season, but they can feel good knowing their coach does his best each week.

Arizona Cardinals

Arizona was competitive in all but one of their September games. It was important they saw more progress under head coach Jonathan Gannon Sunday. The Cardinals always play San Francisco hard, even in blowout losses. Getting a late win in Santa Clara is big for both the team and the division.

At one point Arizona trailed by 13 after one half. They were down ten to start the fourth quarter, but a quick touchdown and two point conversion made it a two point game. After a late Chad Ryland 35 yard field goal, the Cardinals needed a defensive stand to get their second win of the season. Linebacker Kyzir White intercepted quarterback Brock Purdy and sealed Arizona’s victory.

The Cardinals win is big in the NFC west as they have the second place tiebreaker over San Francisco. Both Arizona’s wins are against division opponents. It got better as Los Angeles and Seattle lost their late afternoon games. Management has to feel optimistic after this weekend.

Losers: Cincinnati for playing conservative with a three point lead in the fourth quarter

Cincinnati’s most important game of the season might have been the overtime loss to Baltimore Sunday. The Bengals led by ten points multiple times and somehow couldn’t get the win. There were two critical possessions the Ravens offense scored while Cincinnati didn’t score on their last two. Many will blame the Bengals defense, but the offense came up short when it mattered most.

Cincinnati’s last possession of the fourth quarter was a quick, three-and-out series where franchise starting quarterback Joe Burrow was sacked and threw an incomplete pass. A nine yard run by Chase Brown got some yards back, but the Bengals had to punt the ball to Baltimore as time expired, forcing overtime. The Bengals wasted a minute and a half trying to end regulation instead of going down the field and getting a last second score.

After Cincinnati’s defense recovered a Lamar Jackson fumble in overtime, the Bengals decided to play conservative again and give kicker Evan McPherson a chance at a game winning field goal. That idea might have worked if the Bengals weren’t near mid-field. Three run plays went to Brown, who got three yards. McPherson missed a 53 yard field goal partly because his holder (the holder snaps and holds the ball in a way the kicker can attempt his best kick to score) botched the snap. Perhaps there would be no missed field goal attempt or botched snap if Cincinnati’s head coach Zac Taylor decided Burrow stay aggressive and play to win. The former number one overall pick threw five touchdowns and almost 400 yards. He could’ve gotten more than three yards on three plays.

Baltimore took advantage of the missed kick, did what the Bengals couldn’t and went down the field playing to their strengths. Ravens kicker Justin Tucker got the game winning field goal and again put Cincinnati three games under .500.

The Jerod Mayo experiment

It seemed the Patriots head coaching hire of former champion linebacker Jerod Mayo was good the first two weeks of the regular season. New England played hard those first two weeks and got an upset win over Cincinnati. After week two, the Patriots scored 26 points the last three games. All three were losses.

Sunday was a low-point for Mayo. The anemic Miami Dolphins offense couldn’t do anything right until late in the fourth quarter. After Alec Ingold’s three yard touchdown run (Miami didn’t convert their two point attempt), New England had two possessions to get a touchdown and win the game. The Patriots ran 14 plays for 99 yards in under seven minutes. They didn’t score a point.

The Dolphins are one of the league’s worst teams with or without starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. New England couldn’t beat them at home despite leading most of the game. This is going to be an ugly rest of the season for the Patriots.

Las Vegas Raiders

Anyone who’s kept up with the AFC west knew Denver would snap their almost-five year losing streak against divisional opponent Las Vegas at some point. Many believed that when the Broncos beat the Raiders, it wouldn’t be lopsided. They were wrong.

Vegas started strong and led by ten after the first quarter. The game flipped when Denver cornerback Pat Surtain II intercepted Gardner Minshew II and ran for a 100 yard touchdown. The Broncos stayed aggressive after that score and the Raiders had no answers. Head coach Antonio Pierce’s frustration with the offense led to Minshew’s fourth quarter benching for backup Aidan O’Connell.

The loss wouldn’t be as bad if it weren’t for the rising drama the last few weeks. From Pierce calling out his coaches and players in the media to Davante Adams publicly asking for a trade to a playoff contending team, the franchise is a mess top to bottom and it’s impacting on-field decisions. The Raiders getting crushed to a divisional opponent they’d swept almost five straight years is another deflating time for the franchise.

That awful interception Jordan Love threw to Jaylen McCollough

Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love had a great road win in Los Angeles, but it wasn’t perfect. Love threw an interception seconds before the two minute warning that gave the Rams optimism. At first, it appeared Love would take a safety, which is bad enough because Los Angeles quickly pressured him. However, Love threw an interception to Rams safety Jaylen McCollough. McCollough easily toe-tapped his way into the endzone. The defensive scoring play is a quarterback’s worst nightmare. Hopefully Jordan Love doesn’t recreate this moment the rest of the year.

NFL Week Four Winners and Losers

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What an exciting week four. An All-Pro linebacker scored his first NFL touchdown, Cincinnati got their first win of the season and two teams remain undefeated after four games. The last Sunday of September delivered surprising results and some exciting divisional matchups. Here’s what stood out at the end of the month.

Winners: Sean Payton

Denver had the ugliest win but it wasn’t possible without head coach Sean Payton keeping the team focused. At one point rookie quarterback Bo Nix had seven completed passes for minus seven yards in the first half. Thankfully the Broncos trailed by six points and played better the second half.

The 12th overall pick threw his first career touchdown to wide receiver Courtland Sutton in the third quarter, taking a brief one point lead. On defense, Denver’s front seven dominated and the secondary was perfect. Jets kicker Greg Zuerlein missed a 50 yard field goal to end the game after the Broncos special teams goaded New York’s long snapper into messing up the snap before the kick. It was the first loss of quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ career where he didn’t throw a touchdown.

This is where having a head coach who’s been in the league for decades became a positive. Payton had the Broncos ready to play even if the rookie quarterback and offense had few bright spots. Denver’s still building and finding what identities they want on all sides of the ball, but it’s easier to find and work with after winning two straight games against quality playoff opponents.

Fred Warner

Until he left the game with an ankle injury, San Francisco’s star middle linebacker and defensive captain Fred Warner was an early candidate for league MVP. This was one of Warner’s best months of his career, and that’s saying how great he’s been since leading head coach Kyle Shanahan’s defense to the Super Bowl five years ago.

The 49ers all but sealed a win in a dominant first half against New England. Fred Warner intercepted a tipped Jacoby Brissett pass and ran it back 45 yards for the first touchdown of the game. It was Warners first score of his professional career. He also had an important pass deflection that could’ve been intercepted and recorded seven tackles in one half.

San Francisco’s banged up on offense with a lot of injuries to star players, but the team is at .500 because Warner and the defense kept them in one score games or held double digit leads. Let’s hope he’s not out long.

The Washington Commanders offense

The 2024 Washington offense might be one of the best in the NFL. The Commanders ended September scoring at least 20 points a game. At one point they scored on 16 straight drives (excluding game ending kneeldowns) and continue to set league scoring records without giveaways.

It starts with offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. The former Cardinals coach wanted revenge for getting fired less than two years ago. He made sure Washington never let up whether by pass or run. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels completed 26 of 30 passes for 233 yards, a touchdown and a 96.3 quarterback rating. His 82.1 completion percentage is the best through four games of a season (minimum 40 attempts) and his 218 rushing yards is the second-most by a quarterback through four games of a season (via NBC’s Football Night in America). Daniels played almost two perfect football games in six days and is a big reason Washington has first place in the NFC east.

It’s not just the Kingsbury-Daniels tandem looking stellar. Brian Robinson had another 100 yard performance in Arizona and a touchdown. The receiving duo of Olamide Zaccheaus and Terry McLaurin could be one of the NFL’s best. Veteran tight-end Zach Ertz remains one of the league’s best red zone threats. Opposing defenses will struggle to stop this offense all four quarters the rest of this season.

Losers: Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia was hard to gauge this month. They either won close games, or found ways to lose at the worst times. Sunday they were beaten in the same way the Buccaneers eliminated them last postseason. Tampa Bay’s offense racked up over 400 yards and four touchdowns. At one point the Eagles were down 24-0 before a late, Parris Campbell one yard touchdown in the second quarter.

Philadelphia’s inconsistency is mostly on the coaching staff and offense. While right tackle Lane Johnson and receivers A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith have missed time due to injuries, the regression continues for quarterback Jalen Hurts since the Super Bowl loss to Kansas City. Linebacker Lavonte David forced Hurts to commit another fumble on a promising third quarter drive. It didn’t help that new starting center Landon Dickerson watched the fumble happen and didn’t do anything to recover the ball. Still, Jalen Hurts led an offense that had zero yards six minutes left into the second quarter. Tight end Dallas Goedert and receiver Jahan Dotson are great targets Hurts hasn’t built more chemistry with in Brown and Smith’s absences. Finally, head coach Nick Sirianni didn’t use his running backs as much as he should’ve after the first possession and the Eagles never had a chance.

Thankfully Philadelphia gets their bye week and has more time to get healthy and fix the offensive issues. The Eagles better fix their mistakes on every side of the ball and find ways to get back to their 2022-2023 Super Bowl form or the season will be over before Thanksgiving.

Cleveland Browns offense

There’s no worse disaster after September than the Browns offense. Not only is franchise quarterback DeShaun Watson losing the off-field reputation battle (he’s now being sued by multiple women yet again for sexual assault), he’s definitely lost the top value talent he had before his 2021 Houston hiatus. They’re third worst in yards per game and lead the league in drops. It’s been a nightmare start for a team picked by many to make the playoffs.

Cleveland went to Vegas a week after backup quarterback Andy Dalton shredded the Raider defense. Watson and the offense started fast, scoring ten points on their first two possessions. The Browns ran 21 plays for 87 yards in 12:44. The last three quarters? Nothing. Cleveland’s defense had their lone second half score after Vegas runningback Zahir White fumbled the ball and safety Rodney McLeod Jr. returned it for a touchdown. The Browns thought they had a lead on Amari Cooper’s 82 yard touchdown, but that was called back due to a holding call on center Nick Harris. Cleveland’s offense mustered 98 yards before their last possession of the game. They lost when Watson was sacked on fourth down trying to find one of his receivers double covered in the Raiders endzone.

It’s not like Watson and head coach Kevin Stefanski don’t have talented players to help out. Receivers Jerry Jeudy and Cooper are almost non-existent. Runningback Jerome Ford isn’t a starting runningback who can handle a constant workload, and Elijah Moore isn’t a deep field threat.

There’s a lot of blame to go around from the organization to the offensive coaches. Head coach Kevin Stefanski isn’t getting the most out of the available talent. Not only is the Browns offense worse than last year’s, they make opposing defenses like Vegas’ (without defensive captain and star pass rusher Maxx Crosby) look great. It might be time to start trading players before the week nine deadline.

Any team in the AFC that thinks they’ll get past Kansas City

You’d think a Chiefs team dealing with all kinds of offensive injuries would get smacked around by opposing defenses each Sunday. Somehow head coach Andy Reid finds ways for his offense to score more than expected.

Starting quarterback and face of the franchise Patrick Mahomes II accidentally injured go-to receiver Rashee Rice’s knee with his elbow (in what could be a season ending injury) and it didn’t matter. Tight end Travis Kelce and rookie receiver Xavier Worthy combined for ten catches and 162 yards. The runningback duo of Kareem Hunt and Samaje Perine had 19 touches for 83 yards. Both will get better with more playing time and running behind the interior offensive line.

The other 15 teams in their conference can’t get out of their own way. Baltimore and Los Angeles are two teams that could end Kansas City’s Super Bowl three peat run, but they’ve both lost to them a month into the season. The Chiefs are the lone undefeated team in the AFC after September.

There’s a lot of football left to be played and anything could happen the next three months. Injuries usually factor who goes up or down in the standings. Yet it must be deflating for a lot of teams to realize they can’t beat Kansas City no matter the circumstances.

2024 WNBA Semi-Finals Predictions

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What a fast first round of playoff basketball. All four teams that advanced swept their opponents and are closer to the championship. The semi-finals should be more fun and give us the best basketball we’ve seen all year. The two teams who win their series go to the championship round. It’s time to decide which two teams have the best chance of making the finals.

#1 New York Liberty v. #4 Las Vegas Aces

Vegas has to get more out of Chelsea Gray (12) in order to get past Sabrina Ionescu (20) and the Liberty.

True WNBA fans are excited for this special series. The sequel to last year’s finals matchup should be one of the most watched series of the playoffs. The unanimous MVP A’ja Wilson will battle against elite center Jonquel Jones for at least three games. Guard play will be fun and there will be a lot of points, rebounds and blocks.

New York swept the regular season series and always looked in control no matter how well Wilson played. The Liberty have better roster depth this year and it showed in each regular season win. The Aces might have the best player all-time in her prime, but it won’t be enough if their bench doesn’t step up.

Prediction: Liberty win series 3-1

#2 Minnesota Lynx v. #3 Connecticut Sun

Second best player in the WNBA Napheesa Collier will go against the league’s most physical defense for at least three games.

Liberty-Aces will gain more attention for many reasons, but this series should be the best in the semi-finals. Every game Minnesota and Connecticut played versus each other was close. The Sun are determined to win their first ever championship while it’s another stellar year for the Lynx under coach Cheryl Reeve.

Both teams have some of the league’s best players, but coaching in critical situations and championship pedigree plays a part in which team advances. Minnesota lost both of their games to the Sun before Connecticut traded for guard Marina Mabrey in August. The Lynx’s lone win was when Mabrey played more minutes. Reeve is known for adjustments late in playoff series and how to contain other team’s stars. The Sun are more determined but more likely to get into foul trouble and be easily frustrated in a longer series.

Prediction: Lynx win series 3-2

First round playoff predictions: 4-0

NFL Week Three Winners and Losers

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Week three of the NFL regular season featured many pivotal games. Most divisions are slowly showing which teams will stand out as playoff favorites before Halloween. While a lot of wins and plays stood out, some were more eye-opening than others. Here are this weeks winners and losers.

Winners: Malik Willis

Packers starting quarterback Jordan Love wasn’t ready to return Sunday, so backup Malik Willis got the start against the team that drafted him, Tennessee. Willis wasn’t utilized well with the Titans. Despite his week two win against Indianapolis, many believed if Green Bay won, it would have to be Willis creating more big plays.

He did more than expected in a 30-14 win over Tennessee. Willis completed 13 of 19 passes for 202 yards, a touchdown and a 120.9 quarterback rating. He also ran six times for 73 yards and an additional score. Green Bay’s double digit lead made the win inevitable, but Malik Willis’ 30 yard touchdown pass to runningback Emanuel Wilson in the third quarter sealed it.

There’s been many complaints about quarterback play the first month of the season, and coaching is part of the problem. The Packers are again unaffected due to how head coach Matt LaFleur has done well with a young roster and helped young passers like Malik Willis learn more of the playbook while playing to their strengths. Willis helped his team pick up two wins without their starting passer and will be a talking point this week and October.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Last week Steelers quarterback Justin Fields made the winners column because of how he’s gradually improved and made his new team trust him more to score at important times. This week the whole team deserves a spot because of how dominant they were in a home win against the undefeated Chargers.

Pittsburgh’s defense is a big reason they’re undefeated. Although they sealed a win by knocking out Los Angeles franchise star quarterback Justin Herbert midway through the third quarter, it’s possible the Steelers still would’ve won if Herbert played the whole game. Pittsburgh had five sacks on both quarterbacks and held Jim Harbaugh’s offense to under 250 yards. After two weeks of running the ball at will, J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards had 18 combined touches for 53 yards. The Steelers front seven never let Los Angeles get going on the ground.

Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith saw another week of improvement. Fields was impressive, but so was everyone else. The offensive line pushed the running game to another 100 yard week and third year receiver Calvin Austin III led receivers with four catches for 95 yards and their lone touchdown catch.

Pittsburgh’s one of two teams in the AFC who have won all three games played to start the season (Buffalo’s 2-0, but plays later tonight), the other being defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City. The Steelers have a two game lead on the AFC north. It’ll take time for the division to try and catch up.

Andy Dalton

The Panthers offense hadn’t put up more than 27 points in a game since December 2023. Carolina also hadn’t held a lead past 10 seconds in that timespan. They put all that to rest Sunday with Andy Dalton’s first start in a full calendar year.

The Panthers made a bold move to bench 2023 number one overall pick Bryce Young because of his struggles to read defenses, find open receivers, and score more than ten points a game. Head coach Dave Canales made the switch to see if Dalton could still lead an offense and score more points.

Andy Dalton completed 26 of 37 passes for 319 yards, three touchdowns and a 123.6 passer rating. All three of his scores were thrown in the first half of a dominant win in Las Vegas. The Panthers shredded the Raiders defense in every facet (more on them later) and won 36-22. Carolina had as many passing touchdowns Sunday as Bryce Young’s last ten starts, and led Vegas for 49:17.

It’s possible the Panthers offense rallied around the 14 year veteran quarterback. It’s also unlikely due to how Dalton led Carolina to a previous high scoring game last season. Dalton might not lose the starting job for the rest of 2024 due to how he can read a field better and make the most of a solid receiving core.

Detroit Lions defense

Most weeks you’ll hear how Detroit’s offense stole the show and had a combination of a dominant game-winning drive, highlight reel play, and a fourth down conversion. On Sunday it was the Lions defense that deserved accolades.

Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn struggled calling the right plays two weeks into the regular season. Yesterday his defense held the Cardinals offense to under 300 yards for the first time this month. Safety Kerby Joseph intercepted Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray once and defensive end Aidan Hutchinson had a sack. The defense swarmed runningback James Conner whenever he had the ball and made sure receivers like Michael Wilson didn’t gain many yards after their catches.

In previous years, many viewers would’ve said this would be rare due to how Detroit’s defense was inconsistent. General manager Brad Holmes keeps adding talent to the secondary and depth on the front seven. It’s possible this was the first of many games the Lions defense dominates this season.

Losers: Will Levis

As wonderful of a win former Titan quarterback Malik Willis had against his former team, it was as deflating a loss for current Tennessee quarterback Will Levis.

Each Titans regular season game this season, Willis has committed at least one major gaffe on offense that’s led to a touchdown for the opposing defense. This week, Green Bay’s ten point lead in the first quarter came from a Jaire Alexander interception that led to a 35 yard touchdown (the first touchdown scored in Alexander’s NFL career). Levis forcing passes to receivers in contested coverage led to another interception late when the game was out of reach.

Tennessee head coach Brian Callahan didn’t hold back criticism on Will Levis’ mistakes after the first two losses. This was their first double digit loss of the season. The blowout would’ve been more tolerable if it was against a playoff contender like Baltimore or division rival Houston. Losing to a former almost-franchise-now-backup quarterback by double digits means Levis could get benched by next month.

Ryan Poles

If a general manager is in the losers column the first month of the season, then the team is in trouble. General manager Ryan Poles should be on the hot seat after Chicago’s brutal loss in Indianapolis.

One might find it harsh due to how Poles used the number one pick on a new quarterback and also executed a bunch of signings and trades the last few years. The problem is the Bears look awful top to bottom despite early season injuries at wide receiver. For clarity, this was a Chicago red zone play late in the second quarter.

The offensive line wouldn’t have been a problem if the Bears traded the number one pick for other top round picks (like they have the last few seasons) or drafted more offensive linemen in previous years. To add injury to insult, starting left tackle Braxton Jones left in the first quarter due to a knee injury. Current first overall pick Caleb Williams threw his first touchdown in the fourth quarter of his third game of the season and Chicago lost after 15th overall pick Laiatu Latu strip-sacked Williams and recovered the ball. If Latu was picked by Poles, the Bears might not have given up 140 rushing yards.

It doesn’t help Ryan Poles decided to retain current head coach Matt Eberflus after last year’s horrible season. The defensive minded Eberflus staying to help the number one overall pick learn and develop his talents on offense is going as many expected: poorly. The Bears are notorious for letting previous regimes stay around after drafting a quarterback, and Poles is no different from his predecessors.

This years NFC north is one of the league’s better divisions. Three of the four teams are well coached, well balanced on all sides of the ball, and had great drafts last offseason. Chicago is once again on the outside looking in and their general manager is a big reason.

Las Vegas Raiders

Despite one win in three games, the Raiders look awful. Their win in Baltimore came on a 13 point fourth quarter rally (the Ravens are becoming known for blowing double digit leads the last few seasons). Vegas’ two losses have been by 14 or more points.

Earlier it was mentioned how Carolina struggled to even hold a lead in the fourth quarter heading into yesterday. They thrashed the Raiders after the first quarter. Dalton’s veteran experience and adjustments against a young secondary was part of it, but the Panthers also ran the ball well. Chuba Hubbard ran 21 times for 114 yards.

Kicker Eddy Pineiro added 12 points on special teams. Meanwhile, 15 of Vegas’ 22 points came in the fourth quarter when the game was out of reach. The Gardner Minshew II experiment looks more miss than hit and the Raiders are dead last in running the football. Head coach Antonio Pierce was brought back because he’s a smart yet tough leader. One could say the team’s execution week-to-week is on him and his coaching staff. While that could be true, upper management is still making the same old mistakes under owner Mark Davis.

Stephen Ross for somehow wanting Mike McDaniel as head coach

For new fans and readers wondering why Miami’s struggling, you have to go back to February 2022 when then-head coach Brian Flores was surprisingly fired after getting the Dolphins over .500 with a 9-8 record. He was then replaced by a younger, offensive “guru” coach from San Francisco named Mike McDaniel. McDaniel was ok his first season before Miami started hot last year and erupted for an infamous 70-20 home win over Denver. Since that landslide victory, the Dolphins are 9-9 (including playoffs).

What makes this situation completely hilarious is how the now-extended franchise starting quarterback (when not concussed and twitching) Tua Tagovailoa ripped the former head coach in the offseason for, “being a bully” and how Flores said many mean things to him. Well…Brian Flores is well respected on the teams he’s coached and has improved every defense since his firing. Two of the current undefeated teams this month had Flores on their staff at some point since 2022. Meanwhile Miami’s injured star quarterback who’s addicted to throwing deep-field passes to star wide receivers, doesn’t want to learn how to read different defensive coverages, and can’t play winning football by utilizing other offensive talent when opposing coordinators confuse him with mixed defensive schemes. Tagovailoa doesn’t even know how to slide safely to protect his head, a key move professional quarterbacks implement by their fourth year in the league.

Then there’s McDaniel in his nightmare third season as head coach. Miami was throttled on the road in Seattle. Rookie head coach Mike Macdonald embarrassed every quarterback McDaniel put on the field and the Seahawks offense torched a subpar Dolphins defense. The cherry on top of an absolute beatdown came when Miami failed to score a fourth and goal play at Seattle’s two yard line, then Geno Smith and the Seahawks led a 12 play, 98 yard touchdown drive that lasted five and a half minutes. It was Seattle’s first and only score of the second half. The Seahawks beat Miami so thoroughly, they didn’t need to score more than ten points.

One error many owners and general managers keep making is firing a head coach because a new, flashy coordinator (who can barely manage every bit of their side of the ball) becomes popular in the media. Mike McDaniel is not a head coach who should oversee a 53 man roster. He enjoys drawing up creative trick plays on offense and stutters to answer simple questions. His predecessor by contrast wasn’t afraid of being honest with the media and frequently called out an overhyped, 2020 seventh overall pick for consistently playing garbage football.

There aren’t any excuses or counters for this team. Keep in mind Miami now has the longest playoff win drought in the NFL. Flashy, fantasy football stats and highlight plays don’t buy you wins in the postseason.