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.
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.
It’s hard to have a spectacular follow-up week of games after the NFL’s regular season premiere, but week two didn’t disappoint. There were comebacks and interesting storylines to keep in mind that will play out and progress the following months. Here’s who and what stood out most after the second week of the season.
Winners: Baker Mayfield
Many viewers wondered if Buccaneers starting quarterback Baker Mayfield would follow up last year’s division winning success with progress and a new offensive coordinator. Mayfield and the offense looked great in a dominant week one win against Washington, but there was a challenge to perform just as well on the road in Detroit.
Baker Mayfield looked good in a rematch of their divisional round playoff loss against the Lions. The former 2018 number one overall pick completed 12 passes on 19 attempts for a touchdown and a 90.9 quarterback rating. Mayfield also ran five times for 34 yards and an additional score. His two, eleven yard scrambles late in the third quarter gave the Buccaneers their second lead, and his touchdown was the final score of the game.
Many believe Tampa Bay will win the NFC south due to how well they’re coached and the amount of talent on every side of the ball. Quarterback won’t be a question mark that will plague head coach Todd Bowles’ offense throughout the season. That should worry the other three teams competing in the division.
New Orleans Saints offense
One of the other three NFC south teams challenging the Buccaneers is New Orleans. Two weeks into the regular season, the Saints undoubtedly have the best offense in the NFL.
Week three hasn’t started and New Orleans scored 91 points in two games. They crushed a solid Dallas defense that played well against Cleveland week one. The Cowboys got their first stop Sunday when they intercepted quarterback Derek Carr to start the fourth quarter. The Saints scored six straight touchdowns before that giveaway and weren’t in danger of giving up the lead after three quarters. Their first punt of the season was late in the fourth quarter.
While many will point out Alvin Kamara as the star of the game with four touchdowns on 180 all-purpose (rushing and receiving) yards, New Orleans looks different on offense due to new coordinator Klint Kubiak implementing a rapid pace scheme. Former offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael was stuck in slow paced styles that were easy to defend against. A much faster version with the talented starting eleven players featuring a deep receiving core has caught opponents off-guard. It’ll take a while for opponents to figure out how to slow down Kubiak’s success.
General manager John Schneider
Many analysts had Seattle winning their first two games of the season against Denver and New England. More viewers believed the Seahawks wouldn’t be on top of the NFC west after two weeks. Seattle is the only undefeated team in their division and have fixed a lot of last year’s defensive mistakes.
Many would say the current head coach is the main reason for the early season success. Part of that is true, but the early season optimism wouldn’t happen if general manager John Schneider didn’t move on from winningest head coach in franchise history, Pete Carroll.
Carroll will always have the franchise’s respect and appreciation for many reasons, but it was clear a change needed to be made and Schneider was willing to make the hard decisions. His hiring of former Raven defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald after interviewing a lot of potential head coaching candidates has led to a team revamp and further development of a talented roster.
The Seahawks made the necessary adjustments in both games to pull out (albeit close) wins. Macdonald’s got the players buying in to his philosophy while making necessary changes. The hiring also hurt the Baltimore Ravens (more on them later) coaching staff and personnel decisions in close games. Don’t be surprised if Seattle stays in the division race most of the season because of Schneider’s offseason moves.
Justin Fields
Readers might be perplexed a quarterback making his second start on a new team and completed 13 of 20 passes for 117 yards and one touchdown would be in the winners column. The readers would have a good point, except it’s former Bears starting quarterback Justin Fields. Fields didn’t have the stable coaching and development in Chicago that he does in Pittsburgh. It’s shown after two weeks.
While the Steelers defense hasn’t given up a touchdown to start the season, Justin Fields has faced two good defenses after winning the contested starting job. He isn’t running half the time because the offensive line is much better and he’s gaining more trust with a talented receiving core. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith is more content with a more balanced running and passing game plan than favoring a lopsided passing attack. This ensures Pittsburgh will have a more interesting season and stay relevant in the AFC north race.
Losers: Doug Pederson
Jacksonville’s suffered two agonizing losses to start the season and while one might believe quarterback and face of the franchise Trevor Lawrence is a main reason why the Jaguars are winless, the biggest culprits are the coaching staff.
In week one, Jacksonville got too conservative and let a stagnant Miami offense pull out a win at the end. In week two, Pederson’s inept decisions led the Jaguars to rely on the passing game often and it was a main reason Cleveland hung on for a win. Lawrence entered the second half with 16 yards on 12 passing attempts while runningback Travis Etienne was forgotten about despite running for 29 yards on six carries.
Despite many offensive mistakes, Jacksonville trailed by six late in the fourth. The Jaguars drew up a brilliant play to start a potential game-winning drive: let your franchise quarterback get sacked in his own endzone, giving the Browns two points and increasing the deficit.
General manager Trent Baalke made sure to pay a lot of key players like Lawrence and receiver Christian Kirk good money and these are the results. It starts with coaching, game preparation and continued development blunders that were evident in the second half of last season with Pederson on the sideline. Either Doug Pederson finds solutions or it’s another early lost season for the franchise.
Brian Daboll and the bad luck New York Giants
If it wasn’t for bad luck, the Giants would have no luck at all. Despite a solid offensive performance led by quarterback Daniel Jones, kicker Graham Gano injuring his right hamstring the opening play of the game meant special teams would play a factor in which team won.
Only New York could score three touchdowns, not get an extra point or two due to Gano’s injury, and still lose by three. Per ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt, it’s the second time an NFL team has scored three or more touchdowns and lost to a team that scored zero (teams with three or more touchdowns scored and zero touchdowns allowed are 1,294-2. The last team to lose this way was in 1989). Washington couldn’t get the ball into the Giants endzone and somehow won in overtime. Seven field goals cancelled any good feelings head coach Brian Daboll had with his offense.
It’ll be hard for New York to put a winning streak together this season with their unusually harder schedule. To lose against a division rival only because a kicker got injured to start the game and not score a few more points is bitter to sit on for a week.
Baltimore Ravens
Seattle and Baltimore are on two different paths to start the season. As mentioned above, general manager John Schneider’s made the right moves top to bottom. The Ravens have not and the result are two close losses.
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’re aware there’s little sympathy for head coach John Harbaugh. He’s put Baltimore in many uphill positions with his terrible decision making and unnecessary approaches to overuse reigning league MVP Lamar Jackson in order to hide serious issues plaguing the team. While Harbaugh’s failures show against champion caliber teams like Kansas City, errors showing in home games against the Raiders is a surprise.
After Derrick Henry’s three yard touchdown run gave the Ravens a ten point lead early in the fourth quarter, things went downhill. Baltimore’s conservative offensive play-calling led Las Vegas to three scoring drives that averaged two minutes (each). Harbaugh knows his defense hasn’t and won’t lock down opposing receivers the same ways they did last season with former coordinator Mike Macdonald coaching a team in another conference. General manager Eric DeCosta knew this before Macdonald left for Seattle but decided he’d keep the gaffe prone Harbaugh around (despite how unprepared the team’s offensive game plan was in last year’s AFC championship game), and wanted to invest more at runningback and receiver.
The neglected offensive line is a weak link in the Ravens offense. The interior was beaten against two vicious defensive fronts in two weeks. The defense can’t stop second half offensive drives and already looks tired. Per Bill Barnwell to Scott Van Pelt on SportsCenter, Baltimore’s allowed eight plays of at least 25 yards after two weeks. That’s the most in the NFL. Five of those were against the Raiders yesterday.
DeCosta had a golden opportunity to keep a well coveted coach on staff and elevate him to the head position, but decided it was best to stay comfortable and play it safe. That decision could cost the Ravens a deep postseason run and grant another team a championship window.
Los Angeles Rams
It’s one thing to lose against a division rival early in the season. It’s another to get blown out by more than 30 points, especially when you’ve dominated said rival for years.
Los Angeles looked awful before receiver Cooper Kupp left due to an ankle injury in Sunday’s loss at Arizona. Defensive coordinator Chris Shula had no answer for Detroit in week one when it mattered most, but many expected that due to how the Lions have a lot of veteran offensive talent. The Cardinals have a lot of younger, inexperienced offensive talent that veteran defensive coaches like Shula can exploit and take advantage of each possession.
None of that happened. Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray finished with a perfect passer rating and runningback James Conner shredded the Rams defense while Los Angeles’ offense did almost nothing outside of a late third quarter touchdown.
It’s possible head coach Sean McVay didn’t take the Cardinals seriously due to how well the Rams played against Detroit the previous Sunday and how he’s won all but (now) three games against Arizona since becoming head coach in 2017 (including nine straight games in Glendale, where Los Angeles lost yesterday). There’s no reason to panic but the increasing number of injuries aren’t a good sign.
All the factors that will determine LeBron James’ future in the NBANOW PLAYING Will an early playoff exit to the Timberwolves tarnish Jokic’s 2024 MVP award? What’s at stake for the legacy of Luka Doncic in latest playoff run? Nikola Jokic wins third NBA MVP award, joins exclusive club Lakers need a new coach, but there’s still other areas to address Must-watch WNBA games to circle on your calendar as season kicks off Blake Corum to the Rams Series to watch in the second-round of the NBA playoffs Here is story that is a pleasant little blast from the past, of sorts.
The Seattle Seahawks focused their draft almost exclusively on building up both their offensive and defensive fronts. Their first pick was defensive tackle Byron Murphy, and essentially their second round pick was Leonard Williams. When it came time for their third round pick, they decided to beef up their interior offensive line.
Seattle managed to get one of the best guards available in Christian Haynes, but it was a bit of a process. Having such a long wait between picks can be an eternity in the NFL. It takes patience and a little bit of luck, but it also takes some consulting.
When it came to Haynes, general manager John Schneider got some key advice from an old friend in the form of Steve Hutchinson, per John Boyle at Seahawks.com:
“The Cowboys take Kansas State’s Cooper Beebe with the 73rd pick, one of the two interior linemen still high on Seattle’s board, meaning it’s going to be a long, nervous wait to see if the Seahawks are going to get Christian Haynes. In the back of the room, Hall of Fame guard Steve Hutchinson, who works for the team as a football consultant, a role that consists largely of helping evaluate offensive linemen, quietly chats with Schneider. In particular, Schneider wants Hutch’s opinion on Haynes. I think he’s going to be a really good (expletive) player,” Hutchinson tells Schneider…”
Hutchinson was originally a first round draft choice by the Seahawks all the way back in 2001, and was a stalwart along their offensive line for years. Paired with Walter Jones, Hutchinson helped create the best offensive line Seattle has ever seen, and it paved the way for Shaun Alexander’s 2005 MVP campaign.
Hutchinson would go on to play with the Minnesota Vikings and the Tennessee Titans, before retiring in 2013 and eventually being elevated to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Now, he is back in the fold with the Seahawks.
From left to right: T.J. Oshie, Max Pacioretty and John Carlson celebrating after a goal in Florida February eighth.
A new month begins and one can see which teams will clinch playoff seeds and which ones could make a championship run. NHL Network analyst Brian Laughton said three years ago most teams are usually a few plays to a few players away from being postseason contenders each year. Four out of five times, that’s the correct analysis. Anything can happen on the ice. Viewers have seen so many upsets and what-if scenarios on who even makes the playoffs (we’re looking at you 2022-2023 Pittsburgh Penguins and Florida Panthers) that an entire series can change in the blink of an eye.
The remaining one fifth is easy to predict and at times unanimous. The 2021-2022 eastern conference comes to mind. Once the all-star weekend started, everyone knew which eight teams in the conference were going to make the playoffs. There was no pushback from any of the bottom eight teams once the second half began. The 2022 regular season ended with the eighth seeded Capitals finishing ahead of the ninth ranked Islanders by 16 points. Both teams were in no shape to win a first round series, but the points margin was eye opening even to a casual viewer.
The NHL’s 2023-2024 eastern conference is starting to mirror that result. If one looks at the eastern conference standings today, it’s a given the top five teams (all have 76 points or more) will make the playoffs. All five have good coaches, at least three quality goal scorers and solid roster depth. The bottom three trio of Philadelphia, Detroit and Tampa Bay have faced multiple issues this season and despite slumps, trade talks or not enough veteran presence are still in a good position to clinch a playoff spot a week or two after the trade deadline.
This is why it’s important to watch how every team plays once the calendar year begins. The remaining five teams on the outside (Columbus, Ottawa and Montreal are pretty much eliminated from contention) will have a hard time getting one of the top eight spots. The Capitals, Devils, Penguins and Islanders are the closest teams that could upset one of the three under 76 points. Washington’s defense is surprisingly better than previous years and captain Alex Ovechkin is heating up at the best time. However they also lost T.J. Oshie and still don’t have Nicklas Backstrom. The Capitals have the third worst scoring offense in the league and not enough depth to average three goals a game against quality contenders. They have a brutal schedule this month with almost every game against a top team close to clinching a playoff spot or a western conference team trying to stay relevant and jump past other rivals in the postseason standings.
New Jersey is on the opposite end. Forward Jack Hughes is back and the offense looks great but the defense is one of the league’s worst. Many believe the Devils will trade for a star netminder by the March eighth deadline. If the plan is to get a goalie such as John Gibson, Juuse Saros, Elvis Merzlikins or Anton Forsberg, then New Jersey has to give up at least one important player on offense. The Devils aren’t the only team wanting to get into the playoffs that would like goalie help and there’s also no guarantee any of the four names would fix the nagging defensive issues many teams have exploited all season.
Pittsburgh could be the most threatening of the four on paper. They’ve played only 57 games and can add more offensive-minded pieces with tradable players such as Erik Karlsson, Brian Rust and Rickard Rakell. The Penguins will have to contend with a heavy March schedule that features eleven games against playoff hopefuls (including two against Edmonton). Their “easier” games against Ottawa and Columbus will also be hard. There’s no guarantee they’ll find a trade partner who will exchange offensive talent without wanting more in return, and Pittsburgh isn’t in a position to trade away draft picks or any of their core three players.
The Islanders might be the worst of the four. They’re historically bad on the penalty-kill, have only two twenty goal scorers and are in the bottom half of the league in both total offense and defense. Like Washington and Pittsburgh, New York has a rough schedule the last four weeks of the regular season. They didn’t even score their first empty net goal of the season until Leap Day.
Keep in mind that if any of these four wind up getting the eighth or seventh seed, it means one or two of the Tampa Bay-Detroit-Philadelphia trio has to implode their nine point lead. This presents other problems. Despite Pittsburgh having the extra games to play compared to Washington, could the general managers of both franchises decide to give up more assets at the trade deadline instead of coming up short of a playoff spot and a few extra weeks of play?
Many teams believe the trade deadline is the last chance to make necessary changes and want to head into April as postseason favorites. Florida had that mindset last year and wound up representing the conference in the Stanley Cup finals. However the Panthers had more than just luck heading into that championship appearance. Unless any of the Lightning, Red Wings or Flyers trio believes they can’t go any further, we should assume the only serious issues in the east will be seeding for the top eight teams.
The Devils have won some important games since 2024 began but are too inconsistent to make the postseason. They might be sellers at the trade deadline and not buyers.
Here are the power rankings for March.
#32 Chicago Blackhawks (last ranking: 32)
Former players Alex DeBrincat and Patrick Kane scoring the game tying and winning goals on former Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Chelios’ jersey retirement night is another stain on the franchise. Chicago didn’t retain the necessary players after winning their third championship this century and the front office blunders continue to show in meaningful games. One has to wonder how much of the rebuild around franchise star Connor Bedard gets botched after this season.
#31 San Jose Sharks (last ranking: 31)
Until he got hurt, Tomas Hertl was considered the big name San Jose could move by the trade deadline. A team last in goals for and against won’t have many attractive assets available to postseason contending teams unless it’s solidifying depth or fleecing a franchise trying to clinch a lower playoff spot. The Sharks might be stuck with this whole roster another two months.
#30 Anaheim Ducks (last ranking: 30)
The past month was a net positive for the Ducks despite having four wins to show for it. However three of the four came against the Sabres, Senators and Devils. Those eastern conference teams needed the two points for a better position in the wildcard race. Anaheim also has better trade options than San Jose while their younger core players get better.
#29 Columbus Blue Jackets (last ranking: 29)
The firing of the league’s longest tenured general manager Jarmo Kekalainen has ripple effects. February hadn’t ended and Emil Bemstrom was traded to Pittsburgh on the 22nd. This means Columbus will have multiple purges next week and the following months.
#28 Arizona Coyotes (last ranking: 25)
What a tailspin. Analysts went from watching Arizona’s potential to wondering if they’ll deal a lot of the core roster. What a disastrous February for the Coyotes and at the worst possible time.
#27 Montreal Canadiens (last ranking: 27)
It was brought up by Jamison Coyle and Bruce Boudreau on the NHL Network this past week that Martin St. Louis could be relieved as head coach at the end of the season if Montreal doesn’t feel there’s enough progress with the current young core. That’s an impulsive move. Anyone watching the NHL knows the Canadiens are re-building a roster that doesn’t have a top tier goalie or a dangerous goal scorer. St. Louis would be a coveted coaching name should he be fired.
On a positive, it’s good to see someone showed the power rankings to Juraj Slafkovsky. He had the best month of his young, professional career.
#26 Ottawa Senators (last ranking: 28)
Ottawa’s progress depends on how well they improve on total defense. Their struggle this week (starting at Washington) was due to a return of the run-and-gun offensive style of play they were used to under former coach D.J. Smith. That cost them needed points. It’s too late for the Senators to make a playoff run but new management should have a good idea of who’s worth keeping and who should be traded by the March eighth deadline.
#25 Buffalo Sabres (last ranking: 24)
Buffalo is capable of beating quality playoff teams but not two or three times a week the next month and a half. The Sabres don’t have a 20+ goal scorer on the team and have already played 60 games. There couldn’t be more pressure on general manager Kevyn Adams to determine how closer the team is in their rebuild and a new coach after this month.
#24 New York Islanders (last ranking: 20)
After one month of Patrick Roy’s return to coaching New York has:
Retained a historically bad penalty kill at 71%.
Been shutout against a mediocre Blues team that scored three goals in 32 seconds February 22nd.
The fourth worst win percentage when leading after the second period at .720 (ahead of only Chicago, San Jose and Columbus).
You know who wouldn’t have the Islanders playing some of the worst defense in franchise (and at times league) history? Barry Trotz. Someone has to pick general manager Lou Lamoriello’s brain into why firing him was a bright idea.
#23 Seattle Kraken (last ranking: 18)
What a breakout year for Jared McCann. He leads the team in goals and points while being third in assists and second on power-play points. He’s on the first line with Matty Beniers, so it’s important Seattle keeps him around not just for Beniers to keep growing into his star role, but for depth if both end up in a scoring slump.
#22 Washington Capitals (last ranking: 22)
Just as I predicted, Alex Ovechkin is back to where we thought he’d be on offense once other players either returned from personal matters, injuries or stepping into their needed roles. Yes Pittsburgh has more games to play and could sneak up on the current eighth seed, but if any of the eight teams had to pick which one on the outside they don’t want to see get hot this month, I assure you at least six teams would pick the Capitals. Washington would threaten many postseason dreams if they somehow get a top eight spot in the east.
#21 New Jersey Devils (last ranking: 21)
After their Sunday thrashing against Tampa Bay, TNT’s Paul Bissonnette dropped an interesting stat: the Devils give up the first goal in 72% of their games. That means not only is New Jersey playing rush offense hockey most of the time, they’re not improving on defense due to how they’re not used to playing from behind. The studio panel mostly agreed with me that coach Lindy Ruff and upper management should be more concerned about developing the defense the rest of this season instead of making a playoff push.
#20 Calgary Flames (last ranking: 23)
Who knew trading away players like Elias Lindholm would result in the best month of the season? Outside of one winless week, Calgary won all their games and dominated against Boston, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Los Angeles. The Flames have nothing to lose and for the first time this season, that makes them a threat to veteran teams trying to play their best.
#19 St. Louis Blues (last ranking: 19)
St. Louis is ahead of Calgary due to how much more talent they have but that could evaporate next week. Their defense gave up four goals or more in all but one of their losses in February. The Blues more than likely end the season with fire sale cap shedding from general manager Doug Armstrong.
#18 Pittsburgh Penguins (last ranking: 19)
To follow up on last month’s commentary with Pittsburgh, more rumors are saying defenseman Erik Karlsson could be traded back to Ottawa. This is a great idea for both teams. Karlsson would balance out and add needed veteran leadership back to the Senators now that Daniel Alfredsson is an assistant coach, but more importantly the Penguins need high scoring offensive players who can open up the power-play. Vladimir Tarasenko is a possibility since he’s won a championship within the last five years and was rumored to be on the trading bloc. Be on the lookout for how this develops.
#17 Minnesota Wild (last ranking: 26)
That’s more like it. Minnesota is finally playing like the team we expected to see this year. In their last eleven games, they averaged four goals on offense, had a 30% power play and a 79% penalty kill. If the defense allows fewer than three goals a game this month, they’ll definitely make the playoffs and give fits to whoever becomes the one or two seed.
#16 Los Angeles Kings (last ranking: 15)
Anything was an improvement over January. Interim coach Jim Hiller is off to a solid start after taking over. There are still serious concerns about how this team plays and how bad some of the February losses are, but there’s stability and veteran players aren’t disgruntled. Los Angeles needs all the wins it can get on and off the ice.
#15 Nashville Predators (last ranking: 16)
General manager Barry Trotz is the man of the hour in Nashville and no one would want to be in his position right now. After giving up nine goals to division rival Dallas, the Predators have surged for a seven game winning streak. Yet the Juuse Saros trade (and contract extension) talks, what direction this team wants to go in and how much roster talent will be retained brings uncertainty. Serious hockey analysts are aware that whatever happens, the team is in good hands with Trotz’s decisions.
#14 Tampa Bay Lightning (last ranking: 11)
Another general manager to keep an eye on at the trade deadline is Julien BriseBois. The Lightning’s defensive struggles were exposed every week in February, peaking in an embarrassing 6-2 loss in Philadelphia that shocked many in the hockey world. BriseBois has to find at least one quality defenseman who can take the pressure off Victor Hedman and Erik Cernak. Without a pivotal trade, Tampa Bay’s path to the playoffs gets harder.
#13 Philadelphia Flyers (last ranking: 17)
I believe Philadelphia isn’t just ahead of their roster rebuild, but they’re in a position where they could seriously threaten to, or eliminate whoever is the one or two seed in the east should they stay at their current points pace. The question then becomes how much do both coach John Tortorella and general manager Daniel Briere improve both the roster and the power-play while retaining the deadliest penalty kill in the league? The Flyers have added a good number of players the last year and a half who fit the organization’s attitude almost perfectly, so this will be interesting to watch.
#12 Edmonton Oilers (last ranking: 12)
One of the best things I did when creating these power rankings was how to evaluate a team’s overall, season performance. This is not a power rankings constantly swayed by in-the-now mindsets and hot takes due to flashy stats.
Many analysts had Edmonton as the best team in the league due to their winning streak. As many read last month, it was more important to see what team showed up once the streak snapped. The Oilers are 6-5 since their loss to Vegas and captain Connor McDavid scored his first goal after an eleven game drought. We’ll have a better idea of which Edmonton team we’ll get for the playoffs throughout the month.
#11 Vegas Golden Knights (last ranking: 6)
The championship luster has worn off for the reigning champions. After ending Edmonton’s historical winning streak, Vegas went 3-6 the rest of February. Two of those wins were against Arizona and San Jose. Not having captain Mark Stone is part of it but the defense is mediocre at best. It’s possible the Golden Knights become an active trade partner at the deadline.
#10 Detroit Red Wings (last ranking: 13)
If one was in a coma for the last 20 years and woke up this month and didn’t see the numbers nor names on the jerseys of the active players, they would think the Russian Five were still on ice. During Detroit’s impressive six game winning streak they outscored opponents 28-10. The goalies averaged a .947 save percentage, while the power-play is at 31% and the penalty kill at 80%. The scariest part of the Red Wings improvement is how general manager Steve Yzerman will probably be active at the trade deadline.
#9 Toronto Maple Leafs (last ranking: 10)
The Leafs had a great February highlighted by a seven game winning streak. All they have to show for it is a four point lead over Detroit for the third playoff spot in the atlantic. Toronto still deserves credit for playing well in close games and getting better defense and goaltending presence.
#8 Dallas Stars (last ranking: 7)
We’re in the serious part of the power rankings now and Dallas has to be kicking themselves again after another month of mediocre play. Instead of a sizable first place lead in the central division, they’re only two points ahead of Colorado, who spanked them 5-1 on Tuesday. The Stars have to play more seriously and consistently against quality playoff teams. The trade for Flames defenseman Chris Tanev could help determine how much of a division lead they retain.
#7 Carolina Hurricanes (last ranking: 8)
While the franchise should feel good Jacob Slavin is tied for first in franchise history with most points by a defenseman, it’s gone under the radar how the Hurricanes have the league’s second lowest team save percentage at .890 (ahead of only Ottawa’s .885). This is worrying when they also allow the second fewest shots per game with 25.5. Carolina’s a really good team but when they aren’t scoring three goals a game, defensive errors show. The Hurricanes could benefit with a trade or two at the deadline for an extra goaltender wanting to prove themselves.
#6 Colorado Avalanche (last ranking: 2)
Most analysts are enamored with Nathan MacKinnon’s point streak and for good reasons. What should be the main conversation is Colorado’s 5-7 February record. They desperately miss their scoring depth and captain. The Avalanche need help by the trade deadline if they want to make a deep playoff run. There’s no reason for panic yet. The Avalanche are two points out of first place in the central and Valeri Nichushkin is close to returning.
#5 New York Rangers (last ranking: 9)
Igor Shesterkin is 100% back and that’s not good for the east. He’s undefeated in his last seven starts giving up 1.72 goals a game with a .953 save percentage. He also recorded a shutout on national t.v. and allowed one goal or fewer in five of those seven starts. Shesterkin’s a big reason the Rangers won every game he started in February and why New York has one of the league’s best records.
#4 Boston Bruins (last ranking: 5)
A good number of hockey fans (especially Rangers fans) will be perplexed with Boston’s ranking especially with the analysis that will be provided. Keep in mind New York had a great month, but anything can happen in March with how they’ll play a lot more games. Fatigue could set in early, so it’s better to be consistent as I have been with other teams the past few months.
Boston has to figure some things out. They got bullied by more physical teams touting larger defensemen. It’s one thing to split games with Vancouver, but getting shutout at home to Washington and losing both games to Seattle and Calgary have to be addressed. It also doesn’t help that the Bruins have the sixth worst win percentage when leading after the second period (.758). General manager Don Sweeney might want to acquire an extra defenseman or two at the trade deadline.
#3 Winnipeg Jets (last ranking: 3)
I won’t address the surprising financial issues because that’s beyond any of us. For now, the on-ice play is what matters most.
Connor Hellebuyck tied Martin Brodeur for fifth in most consecutive games with three goals or fewer with 31. After the streak snapped he’s mostly continued like nothing happened. It would be stunning if Hellebuyck doesn’t win the Vezina this season.
#2 Vancouver Canucks (last ranking: 1)
Again, a good number of readers might be surprised by this ranking when Vancouver went under .500 for February. It also didn’t help that strong rumors of Elias Pettersson being traded at the deadline due to an impasse over contract negotiations flared up again. Despite the subpar play, the Canucks are ten points ahead of the next challenger in the pacific and they haven’t slipped out of first in the west despite the slump. While coach Rick Tocchet has to make sure the defense fixes their mistakes, Vancouver will keep the one spot in the west until Winnipeg, Dallas or Colorado go on another major winning streak.
#1 Florida Panthers (last ranking: 4)
Florida being the top team shouldn’t surprise anyone. From an eleven road game winning streak (tied for NHL second best all-time), to Matthew Tkachuk being the NHL point leader most of the calendar year, to throttling almost every opponent faced in February, there’s no doubt the Panthers are the hottest and scariest team to start March. Sam Reinhart wasn’t a goal-scoring threat and the team still averaged three goals in each of their wins while losing two games with a combined score of 3-1. Good luck to whoever draws this team in the first round.
Florida’s 9-2 beatdown of Tampa Bay is one of many reasons they’re the best team to start March.
The Super Bowl features the best team in each conference. Kansas City and San Francisco mirror each other in their running games, solid quarterback play and total defense. Both offensive and defensive lines play better each week and the secondaries know when to shut down receivers. It’s time to reveal which team has the best chance of winning the Vince Lombardi trophy and why.
#3 Kansas City Chiefs v. #1 San Francisco 49ers
This game mirrors the last Super Bowl between Kansas City and San Francisco four years ago. Both head coaches Andy Reid and Kyle Shanahan have great offensive gameplans and coordinators who will give opposing defenses headaches. However, there are differences since their last championship meeting. The Chiefs finished as the third seed in the AFC, Brock Purdy is the starting quarterback for the 49ers, Kansas City has a less talented receiving core and San Francisco has more depth on the defensive line.
The winner of this game and the champion of the 2023-2024 season will be determined by two things: Kansas City’s offensive line versus San Francisco’s defensive line, and coaching. The passrush depth of San Francisco’s Javon Kinlaw, Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave, Arik Armstead and Randy Gregory will be hard to defend against if defensive coordinator Steve Wilks decides to switch and alternate coverage schemes each possession. The Chiefs offensive line of Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Jawaan Taylor and Donovan Smith are a solid set who have negated multiple passrush threats throughout the regular and postseason. Left guard Joe Thuney is a longshot to both practice the rest of the week and play Sunday according to coach Reid. That means Nick Allegretti could start his third straight playoff game on the eleventh. He’s performed well throughout the 2023-2024 season, giving up zero sacks and committing zero penalties.
The winning teams are determined by coaches who adapt and make the necessary changes each quarter. This year’s Super Bowl coaching difference comes down to Andy Reid calling his best plays in the second half, notably in the fourth quarter versus Kyle Shanahan’s. Unfortunately for Shanahan, his terrible second half play-calling in previous Super Bowls with San Francisco and Atlanta gives Kansas City the edge to win the championship. Reid went through the same conversations before Super Bowl 54. He’s mastered what necessary changes to make and when his offenses should either run or throw the ball better in the second half (especially in one possession games). Kyle Shanahan has gone through the same scenarios and failed each time. Until he makes the needed changes, Kansas City is the favorite to bring home the Lombardi Trophy.
Super Bowl 58 winning prediction: Chiefs win Super Bowl 31-28 and take home their fourth Vince Lombardi Trophy
What a fun first half of the season. The Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks are tied for the league’s best record. Sam Reinhart, Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury have dazzled and broken franchise or league records. Then there’s the case for who will win league MVP. The tone is set for the second half of the regular season. Here are the top takes, questions and answers as All-Star weekend closes.
Who is the most deserving of the Hart trophy this season?
David Pastrnak has the third most points behind Nikita Kucherov and Nathan MacKinnon half-way into the regular season.
There are a lot of names you could pick to win the Hart trophy (the NHL’s regular season MVP award). Usually the winner is either the league leader in total points or the deciding factor for a team getting into the postseason. This year it ranges from top goal scorer to best player. Auston Matthews’ 40 goals in 47 games is incredible. Nathan MacKinnon’s home point streak of 25 to start a season ties him for second all-time with the great Bobby Orr. MacKinnon’s play has opened up better scoring opportunities for depth players such as Logan O’Connor and Ross Colton. This is all without team captain Gabriel Landeskog and twenty goal scorer Valeri Nichushkin. There’s Nikita Kucherov, back in top form leading the NHL in points with 85. Kucherov’s a reason Tampa Bay’s the fifth seed in the east after 50 games. Boston’s David Pastrnak leads Boston in points, goals and assists. Dating back to the start of last season, Pastrnak has scored the most goals in the league with 94. Connor McDavid is a distant second with 84. The Bruins are also tied for the league’s best record with 71 points. Last but not least, don’t forget Connor McDavid has led Edmonton to the second best winning streak in NHL history with 16 straight victories. Voters want to see how the Oilers captain helps the team extend this streak.
It’s possible this becomes the most contested Hart race since the 2001-2002 season. McDavid’s won the trophy a few times and Matthews will probably win the Maurice “Rocket” Richard trophy at his scoring pace. That means the vote could be narrowed to Pastrnak, MacKinnon and Kucherov. What MacKinnon’s doing right now with no team captain and personal issues sidelining the third leading goal scorer on the team could give him the edge over the latter two.
Will any other coaches get fired before February ends?
Todd McLellan’s the latest to get the pink slip after Los Angeles won three of 15 games in January.
Los Angeles’ Todd McLellan was fired this past Friday after the Kings went 3-12 last month. The organization only extended his contract through the 2024-2025 season before the regular season began. Los Angeles is a playoff contender that needs a different coach who can elevate the team back to a playoff mindset.
There are a few others who could go before the postseason begins. Greg Cronin of Anaheim hasn’t done well with the young, talented core general manager Pat Verbeek’s drafted. The regression of Trevor Zegras and having only one 20+ goal scorer on the roster doesn’t reflect well on Cronin. He was hired in the 2023 offseason so it’s possible he gets another year, but the room for error is thin. Another name to consider is Don Granato in Buffalo. The Sabres’ playoff drought will extend another year unless the powerplay and defense quickly improves. Luke Richardson in Chicago and David Quinn in San Jose are other names to keep an eye on.
This is an annual question but what’s the biggest surprise of the year, or in this case, since last power rankings?
Zach Hyman and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins celebrating after a hard-fought win in Edmonton. The duo has picked up the scoring responsibilities when both McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have been shutout.
Luckily for Minnesota, their play has improved since the first power rankings was published. They’re still near the bottom in the west but there’s hope they sneak into the postseason. Edmonton’s turnaround after an awful two month start is eye-opening. I don’t think anyone had the Oilers winning 16 straight games even if captain Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl had zeroes in the stat sheets some nights. The team defense is central to the streak and Kris Knoblauch should be commended for the 180 degree turnaround.
There’s a good case for Winnipeg also being the top team in the western conference since December and Vancouver being a great pick for conference finals host, but anything could happen the final three months. Edmonton shouldn’t slow down anytime soon with who’s on the roster.
Interim Kris Knoblauch’s made the right changes to make Edmonton a contender again.
Here’s the second ever NHL power rankings on jdsportscorner.com. These show where all 32 teams objectively stand. Some teams will have tiebreakers based off of how they’d perform on a neutral site.
#32 Chicago Blackhawks (last ranking: 31)
Chicago’s been shut out four of their last six games. It’s understandable most of the roster is on injured reserve but what an awful stat the team has to look at before play resumes.
#31 San Jose Sharks (last ranking: 32)
I don’t think Quinn will get fired for two reasons: everyone knew San Jose would be terrible in another rebuilding year. That awful streak at the beginning of the season is still heavy on everyone’s minds. The other reason is how well the team has played since Christmas. They’ve won four of their last six games, building more confidence.
#30 Anaheim Ducks (last ranking: 29)
January 21st’s home loss to the Rangers summarized their season. Mason McTavish scored a goal, giving Anaheim a 3-1 lead. When the refs pulled it back due to the puck being played offsides, New York then scored all four unanswered goals the final period. The Ducks lost 5-2. Nothing is going right for this team.
#29 Columbus Blue Jackets (last ranking: 28)
If you take out the shutout win in St. Louis, Columbus gave up an average four goals a game in January. That’s a fraction into why they have the second worst scoring defense this season. It doesn’t matter who the team’s leading scorers are if the defense can’t keep the puck out of the net.
#28 Ottawa Senators (last ranking: 30)
Imagine how good this team would have been if D.J. Smith was fired after 2022 instead of coaching on an extended contract this season. Not only are the Senators playing better defense just over three weeks into the new year, they’ve beaten at least three playoff caliber teams. Ottawa could be a litmus test for who’s worthy of making the postseason by the start of March.
#27 Montreal Canadiens (last ranking: 24)
I know he’s only been in the league less than two seasons but at what point is there draft remorse over picking Juraj Slafkovsky first overall? Seattle’s handled Shane Wright’s ease into the league well even though they’re the youngest franchise. Montreal knew they’d be at the bottom for at least a few years. He could’ve developed more in the AHL instead of just playing most of last season. The Canadiens could use a more polished Slafkovsky with the injuries and roster holes this year.
#26 Minnesota Wild (last ranking: 27)
This team showed miniscule improvement from the last power rankings and somehow are seven points behind the last wildcard spot in the west. All Minnesota needs is one good month and they can be a headache before the postseason starts. There’s no reason the Wild should continue struggling with 33 games left.
#25 Arizona Coyotes (last ranking: 22)
The contenders are starting to play more serious, so it’s not a surprise Arizona’s fading into the background. There are a lot of positives for the Coyotes young core moving forward but there’s a lot of needed growth and roster depth to address.
#24 Buffalo Sabres (last ranking: 26)
If Granato is fired, it has to be after the season ends. The Sabres still play hard for him and given the state of the metropolitan division, they could make another run for the postseason. I don’t think he’ll be fired due to the team’s overall progress, but one has to wonder when owner Terry Pegula decides to move on.
#23 Calgary Flames (last ranking: 23)
Calgary’s 2024 includes:
a high chance Dillon Dube never plays on the roster again due to the sexual assault case in London, Ontario.
Had winning streaks of two and four with losing streaks of two and four.
Traded Elias Lindholm to rival Vancouver.
finished the first half of the season with the fourth worst power-play in the league.
That was only January.
#22 Washington Capitals (last ranking: 16)
The Capitals are one of three teams tied with 51 points in the east and on the outside of the playoff race. Washington is the worst of the three. While the defense is their strength, the Capitals are alarmingly a top three worst scoring offense in the league. Recall what I said in the last power rankings; how much longer will it take until certain names return?
#21 New Jersey Devils (last ranking: 17)
I knew this team wouldn’t replicate last season’s success but wow they’ve taken hit after hit. Michael McLeod and Cal Foote probably won’t play another game for the franchise (they’re in the same sexual assault case as Dillon Dube) and Jack Hughes’ upper body injury has limited the offense. Instead of worrying about trading for Ducks goalie John Gibson, New Jersey has to continue coaching up the younger defensive players and make some smaller trades for offensive scoring depth.
#20 New York Islanders (last ranking: 14)
Unlike many, I’m not enthusiastic about Patrick Roy being the interim coach. In fact, I find it sinister not only is he the current coach, but this move was decided by Lou Lamoriello after Marc-Andre Fleury became the second winningest goalie in NHL history, surpassing Roy after shutting out the Islanders on MLK Jr. Day. For anyone who doesn’t know, Roy resigned from Colorado for not getting his own way against franchise great and general manager Joe Sakic. The resignation led to the franchise’s 48 point season with then-rookie coach Jared Bednar unable to implement anything with Roy’s former assistants. If Lamoriello believes this will make New York better, he’s in for a rude awakening.
#19 Pittsburgh Penguins (last ranking: 18)
There’s been chatter defenseman Erik Karlsson could get traded due to differences in his style of play versus the Penguins’ three franchise stars. Pittsburgh is a top three team in defense but bottom five in offense and they badly need scoring depth. A trade makes sense.
#18 Seattle Kraken (last ranking: 21)
In Seattle’s last four losses, one was against San Jose and two were 2-0 leads against playoff hopefuls. Those losses will contribute to where the Kraken land before playoffs start.
#17 Philadelphia Flyers (last ranking: 14)
The sexual assault case in London, Ontario hits Philadelphia hardest. Goalie Carter Hart might not play another game with the franchise. That could upend the Flyers season unless there’s a trade for someone like John Gibson or Mackenzie Blackwood. Without Hart, Philadelphia isn’t going to the playoffs. They’re already the eighth seed not even three weeks after he went back north.
#16 Nashville Predators (last ranking: 13)
It’s easy for sports pundits to say a playoff caliber team up 3-0 against Ottawa should 100% win the game. Nashville squeaked out wins in January they shouldn’t have, so there’s nothing to complain about. What will be interesting is what new general manager Barry Trotz decides to do with this roster by the trade deadline and what changes are made depending on the Predators making the playoffs.
#15 Los Angeles Kings (last ranking: 11)
Looking back, McLellan’s fate was sealed when franchise star Drew Doughty came back to practice and then ripped three teammates online. Management saw the defensive stats and made the right move. There’s no way the number one penalty killing unit should miss the playoffs.
#14 St. Louis Blues (last ranking: 25)
The Blues dealt Vancouver two of their three losses in January, lost to Boston in overtime and pummeled the Rangers. They’re in prime position to stay in one of the lower wildcard spots the second half of the season. I don’t know if Drew Bannister should keep the coaching job at the end of the season but I can concede the short-term changes are helping the team.
#13 Detroit Red Wings (last ranking: 20)
Detroit claims the best stat of the first half of the season: whenever Red Wings games are televised, they’re the most watched team in the U.S. Audiences want to see Detroit at the top of the league again. Viewers watched the Wings win 20 points in January, the most the franchise has won for that month in over a decade. We’re getting closer to seeing them be a serious playoff threat.
#12 Edmonton Oilers (last ranking: 19)
That’s better. I did say this team would be in a higher spot once the defense and goaltending showed true improvement. Well, they’ve won 16 straight, one short of the league’s all-time record. While I’m curious how they’ll bounce back after a loss, the Oilers haven’t given up more than three goals in a game since their December 22nd road win against the Rangers. Kris Knoblauch’s made the defense a priority and it’s why Edmonton could have a deep postseason run.
#11 Tampa Bay Lightning (last ranking: 15)
Andrei Vasilevskiy is almost back to his Vezina form. What’s helped him is Tampa’s power-play jumping to the league’s best at 30%. When the power-play starts cooling off (they all do, it’s inevitable), we’ll see how good this team is on defense.
#10 Toronto Maple Leafs (last ranking: 10)
January is a microcosm of what this team is: they’ll beat the bad teams and get some wins against some good teams, but they’ll also lose to the great ones and a few younger and hungrier teams. Yes, the Leafs are a good team, but they’re absolutely not better than the other nine on this list. That’s fine, as long as they don’t play them in the postseason.
#9 New York Rangers (last ranking: 7)
The initial power rankings list I wrote up a week before typing on here had the Rangers at number one. Thankfully that was a rough draft. New York’s been gradually slipping and one has to wonder if the Peter Laviolette all-offense-and-no-defense style of coaching is starting to take over sooner than expected. They need to take advantage of the softer February schedule as soon as the All-Star break ends.
#8 Carolina Hurricanes (last ranking: 9)
New York’s slippage is Carolina’s gain. Even if the Hurricanes didn’t win all their January games, they’re mostly back to their dangerous selves. Those first two games after the All-Star break will show audiences how good this team is.
#7 Dallas Stars (last ranking: 8)
After Los Angeles, Dallas is the one team out west that would want to re-do January. Losses to Montreal, Nashville and Philadelphia countered resounding wins against Minnesota, Los Angeles and New Jersey. They also struggled with Detroit, Anaheim and Washington. Coach Peter DeBoer better renew the focus this month.
#6 Vegas Golden Knights (last ranking: 4)
Much like Dallas, Vegas didn’t do themselves any favors looking dangerous one game and looking garbage the next. Part of the Golden Knights’ issue has been goaltending, so that can get sorted out after a one week break. This is when coach Bruce Cassidy has to drive home they’re the better team with 32 games left.
#5 Boston Bruins (last ranking: 6)
The NHL Network found an amazing statline on the 27th: Boston’s defensemen core had 97 points before the All-Star break (it’s now 100 with Charlie McAvoy, Hampus Lindholm and Brandon Carlo each adding one). The Bruins are tied for the best record in the league while their defensemen are in the bottom half of the league in points.
#4 Florida Panthers (last ranking: 5)
Florida was up and down to start 2024 but Sam Reinhart will get a big contract once the season is over. Nobody thought he’d have 37 goals after 49 games. Even if the Panthers enter a difficult part of the schedule, they can count on Reinhart to be in the score column.
#3 Winnipeg Jets (last ranking: 1)
Hilariously, that sensational point and winning streak Winnipeg put together after the last power rankings was published ended when John Tortorella’s Flyers outplayed them in a home shutout loss. The Jets also lost two close games to Toronto and got thrashed in TD Garden against Boston (most opponents have dealt with that the last two years). Those aren’t shameful results. On the contrary, it ensures Winnipeg will play more determined this month.
#2 Colorado Avalanche (last ranking: 3)
The most dangerous part of coach Jared Bednar’s Avalanche (outside that awful first year) has been how the team plays their best hockey the second half of the regular season, especially in March. Both Winnipeg and Dallas had chances to stay ahead of Colorado before the end of January. Now they’re going to find out why giving their mountain rivals any room to work around is a bad idea.
#1 Vancouver Canucks (last ranking: 2)
Vancouver did what playoff teams should do and that is dominate their schedule versus the easier teams most of January. February will show audiences how high the playoff ceiling can go. They’ll be facing most of the Cup favorites in both conferences. Trading for Elias Lindholm shows they’re ready to take the next few steps and have more than a deep playoff run.
Quinn Hughes has the third most points on the Canucks with 62. A good number of analysts also see Hughes as a Hart trophy candidate this season.
And now at the 11th hour a mean, hard-breaking curveball has been thrown into mix of the Seahawks’ search for their next head caoch.
According to a report by Tom Pelissero at NFL network, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has informed both the Seahawks and the Commanders that he’s staying in Detroit.
Johnson is still only 37 and will be a hot head coaching candidate again next year. But first, he wants to take another shot at bringing a Lombardi Trophy to Detroit. pic.twitter.com/lPg2Po33sx
Johnson did the same thing last year, bowing out of the head coach race in order to stick with the Lions as OC. Nevertheless, this time around it comes as a shock as Johnson was the hottest head coach candidate still on the market. The most-recent reporting suggested that the Commanders were going all out to get him, but the Seahawks were still in the running.
Speaking of Seattle, today the team is interviewing Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, whose chances of landing the head coach job just went up.
Three games remain. Four teams with two in each conference. The remaining two in the NFC are the north winning Detroit Lions and the west division and conference leading San Francisco 49ers. Both teams have potent offenses, underrated quarterbacks, hard-hitting defenses, and intelligent coaches. Time to determine who will advance to the Super Bowl.
#3 Detroit Lions v. #1 San Francisco 49ers
The last time the Lions played San Francisco, it was the first game Dan Campbell coached for the franchise. A lot has changed especially at quarterback for the 49ers.
Unlike the AFC matchup, both teams are dealing with injuries to important players. Detroit’s tight-end Sam LaPorta, center Frank Ragnow and middle linebacker Alex Anzalone are playing with some form of muscle injury or bone fracture. San Francisco’s most important player Deebo Samuel doesn’t have a hairline fracture in his shoulder, but he’s struggling with full movement.
Injuries aside, the winner of this conference championship must be more physical and own the time of possession each half. Detroit has to rely on their runningback tandem of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs to keep San Francisco’s front seven off-balance. Quarterback Jared Goff is winless in his last five games against the 49ers, but the Lions receiving core and offensive line are better than when these teams faced off week one in 2021.
San Francisco’s offense doesn’t have to rely as much on Samuel against the Aaron Glenn-led Lions defense. The 49ers offensive line is equipped to neutralize Detroit’s pass-rush. The Lions linebackers and whole secondary struggled to tackle receivers A.J. Brown and Mike Evans the last two games. Brandon Aiyuk, Christian McCaffrey, Jauan Jennings and George Kittle will be hard to tackle one-on-one. It’ll be a long day for Detroit’s defense.
Prediction: 49ers win the NFC championship 38-24 and advance to Super Bowl LVIII
Three games remain. Four teams with two in each conference. The remaining two in the AFC are the west winning Kansas City Chiefs and the north division winning and conference leading Baltimore Ravens. Both teams have fast offenses, star quarterbacks, elite defenses, and bright-minded veteran head coaches. Time to determine who will advance to the Super Bowl.
#3 Kansas City Chiefs v. #1 Baltimore Ravens
Kansas City’s Travis Kelce (87) will have the focus of Baltimore’s secondary. The Chiefs need the receiving core to have their best game of the season Sunday.
The last time quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes II and Lamar Jackson faced off was week two 2021. A lot has happened for both teams since that Monday night game. Baltimore has the better and more talented offense while the Chiefs have struggled most of the season to score more than 21 points a game.
The biggest matchup will be Mahomes’ play-calling at the line of scrimmage versus Ravens captain and middle linebacker Roquan Smith. Smith is easily Baltimore’s best at the position since All-Pro Hall of Famer Ray Lewis retired after the 2012-2013 season. Roquan Smith captains the best scoring defense (16.5 points per game) that also had the most sacks in the league (58). His team-leading 158 tackles sets the tone. Mahomes must deceive Smith early and often to get an edge over him and the Ravens defense. It’ll be harder for the Chiefs to replicate last week’s offensive success against a defense at full health.
Buffalo’s receivers gave Kansas City’s secondary a lot of problems last Sunday. While Stefon Diggs is the focus of most defenses, the Bills found ways to move the ball on defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s secondary without Gabe Davis. Odell Beckham Jr., Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Nelson Agholor are too much for each member of the Chiefs secondary to cover one-on-one. The linebackers and front four will also have to deal with tight-ends Charlie Kolar and Isaiah Likely added in the passing game. Last but not least, there’s the endless possibility of Lamar Jackson extending plays past three seconds with his legs.
If anyone doubts how close this could be, keep in mind Ravens star tight-end Mark Andrews will return (via USA Today and PFF; Andrews not playing versus Houston was a late Friday decision) Sunday. Kansas City played against a Buffalo defense that didn’t have their leading tacklers and star linebackers, squeaking out a three point win. Baltimore will be ready against the reigning Super Bowl champions.
Prediction: Ravens win the AFC championship 31-21 and advance to Super Bowl LVIII
JD's Sportscorner 