The Knicks Win The NBA Cup

 

After defeating the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Cup Finals last night in Las Vegas, the New York Knicks have been crowned their first championship since 1973. Although it isn't the Larry O'Brien Trophy, it's still something to feel accomplished about. 

The Knicks got off to a slow 2-3 start this season, but since Halloween, New York has won 17 of their last 21 games including 6 in a row. In addition, New York is doing this without Miles McBride and Landry Shamet off the bench and a couple of starters not 100% healthy.  

The Knicks got to Vegas after winning Group C in the East, defeating the Raptors to go to Vegas, and then defeating the Magic in the semifinals on Saturday Night. The NBA Cup MVP went to none other than Jalen Brunson, but the supporting cast played a huge role as well. 

Just last night we saw the bench catch fire. Tyler Kolek played his best professional game yet with 14 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, with key minutes late in the game as well. Under Tom Thibodeau, I don't think Kolek would've seen the court nearly as much as he did last night under Mike Brown. 

With Deuce McBride sidelined, Tyler Kolek is making the most of his opportunity. Jordan Clarkson lived up to his expectations when the Knicks signed him this previous summer. Clarkson had a couple of clutch threes late in the game along with the best plus/minus on the team as well. 

Who can forget about Mitchell Robinson when he grabs 15 rebounds in just 18 minutes. Robinson was huge on the boards for New York with 10 of the 15 rebounds coming as offensive boards. 

The starters balled out, but the bench sealed the deal during the Knicks first ever NBA Cup Championship. Just 25 games into the regular season, the Knicks look to be in pretty good shape as we approach 2026. 

Rodgers Masterclass on MNF

 

Last night, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football by a final score of 28-15. The Steelers offense looked great and that was mostly due to a vintage Aaron Rodgers performance. 

With this win, Pittsburgh officially eliminated the Dolphins from the playoffs after they dropped to 6-8 on the season. Additionally, Pittsburgh was able to maintain their one game division lead over the Baltimore Ravens. 

Rodgers turned back the clock last night with an 85% completion percentage, his highest in a game since 2014. The 42-year-old also threw for two touchdowns and lead the Steelers to four consecutive touchdown drives as well. 

Not only did Rodgers make history but so did the Steelers as well. Dating back to 1991, the Steelers have won 23 consecutive Monday Night home games in Pittsburgh. That's over 34 years since the last time Pittsburgh lost at home on a Monday Night. 

Like the Steelers, Miami also made history but not in a good way. With their loss last night, Miami has now dropped 14 games in a row when temperatures are under 40 degrees. A team that has some of the best home field conditions in the NFL has been unable to adapt to the cold since 2016. 

Pittsburgh has three games remaining on their schedule, but the game they have circled is the season finale when they host the Baltimore Ravens. After recently stealing a game from the Ravens in Baltimore, the Steelers firmly took over the AFC North division lead. 

Barring any big surprises, the winner of this game between the Ravens and Steelers will take the AFC North and home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Pittsburgh will head to Detroit next weekend to take on a desperate Lions team. 

Pete Alonso to Baltimore

 

Recently, a shock came over the baseball world as 31 year-old superstar Pete Alonso signed a 5 year, $155 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles. Alonso leaves the New York Mets after 7 seasons in the Big Apple with the team that drafted him back in 2016. 

Alonso will bring a ton of power to Baltimore as he has hit at least 34 home runs in each season since 2021. Alonso also leaves the Mets after recently becoming the franchise's all time home run leader with 264 home runs. 

Gunnar Henderson, the Orioles top home run hitter in 2025, had just 17 bombs to lead the team compared to Alonso's 38 dingers with the Mets a season ago. Alonso, a 2-time Home Run Derby Champ, will bring immense amounts of power to Camden Yards for the foreseeable future. 

Alonso's new contract with the Orioles is the largest contract in Orioles history since 2016, and the new record for AAV in Orioles history as well. Baltimore is hoping that Alonso turns out slightly better than how Chris Davis turned out when he received the largest contract in Orioles history almost a decade ago. 

After a last place finish in the AL East, the Orioles have been active to start this offseason. In addition to Alonso, the O's also brought in another former Met in Ryan Helsley to anchor the back of the bullpen. 

Mike Elias is finally spending the big bucks as Baltimore has not won a postseason game in October since 2014. The acquisition of Alonso gives the Orioles one of the premier infields in all of baseball featuring Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, and Jackson Holiday in addition to Alonso. 

Could 2026 finally be the year that the Orioles break the spell and have success in October? If Elias and the Orioles continue to stay active in the market after this blockbuster deal, we could be seeing some success up in Camden Yards this upcoming season. 

The Rise of JSN

 

Move over Justin Jefferson, Ja'Marr Chase, and all of the other top receivers, there is a new number 1 in town. That guy is Jaxon Smith-Njigba. JSN is off to a historical start to his 2025 campaign, and he's only getting better. 

It's crazy to think that this is the first season where JSN is the number one wide receiver on his team in both college and the NFL. During his career at Ohio State, JSN was a superb receiver, but he was always overshadowed by guys such as Garrett Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr, Chris Olave, and Emeka Egbuka to name a few. 

Even in his first two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, DK Metcalf was always regarded as the WR1. But now this is JSN's offense. Smith-Njigba currently leads all wide receivers in receiving yards with 1,313. 

JSN has already shattered his receiving yards total from last season through just 11 games. If he keeps this pace up, he will probably end up with more receiving yards than he had in his first 2 NFL seasons combined. 

The next closest receiver to this number is George Pickens with almost 300 yards less than JSN. Not to mention, JSN has already broken the single-season receiving yards record for the Seattle Seahawks in just Week 12.

Through his first 11 games, JSN has tallied at least 79 receiving yards per game. In addition, he has had at least 93 receiving yards in every game this season except one back in Week 4. 

In addition, JSN is on pace to break the single season receiving yards record throughout the NFL which is held by Calvin Johnson. If he keeps this pace up, he would just barely sneak past Johnson's mark although he would do it in one extra game. 

Putting all of these numbers aside, JSN is off to a ridiculous start. Moving on from DK Metcalf could turn out to be one of the best moves ever made by the franchise because of the gem they unlocked in Jaxon Smith-Njigba. 

Trouble in Arrowhead

 

What is going on with the Kansas City Chiefs? Through their first 10 games, they have had their worst start to a season in almost a decade. They currently sit at 5-5, looking from the outside of the AFC Playoff Picture. 

After three straight Super Bowl appearances, and three championships in the last 5 years, it is really surprising to see this Chiefs team struggle this bad. The combination of Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid we have gotten to know has been almost allergic to losing until 2025.

The Chiefs have won the AFC West nine times in a row dating back to 2016, but now this streak is in major jeopardy. Currently, the Chiefs trail the Denver Broncos by four games for first place in the AFC West. 

So what has been the problem thus far? One thing I can say for sure is that it is not Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes currently has the 4th most passing yards in the NFL and third highest QBR as well. In addition, the offense ranks in the top 10 of the NFL in terms of total offense. 

The normal thing to conclude would be that the defense is at fault. However, the Chiefs defense like their offense also ranks within the top 10 in total defense throughout the NFL. So where have the Chiefs gone wrong in 2025?

The answer is that their main struggle has been their ability to win close games against good teams. Every one of their five losses has come by one possession and only a combined 22 points. In addition, all of their losses have come against teams currently in a playoff position. 

On the other hand, the five games that they have won have all come in pretty comfortable fashion. Each game they have won has been by at least two scores. But, only one of those wins has come against a team that is currently in the playoff picture. 

Looking ahead, 3 of the Chiefs last 7 games come against teams currently in the AFC playoff picture. It is looking pretty unlikely that Kansas City will repeat as champions in the AFC West, but to keep their postseason hopes alive, they will have to win some games they aren't projected to win. 

The narrative has always been to not bet against Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. But now in 2025, has the rest of the league finally figured out how to stop Kansas City? 

Are the Broncos Legit?

As we approach Week 11, the Denver Broncos are off to their best start since their last Super Bowl victory back in 2015. Yet, sitting at 8-2, are the Broncos really that good and do they have what it takes to make a deep playoff run?

Denver narrowly escaped their previous game against the Las Vegas Raiders with a three point victory on Thursday Night Football. The offense was nowhere to be found as they racked up just 10 points against a subpar team in the Raiders. 

That has been a common theme this season for Denver. They have had multiple games where they have barely escaped with victories in part to their struggling offense. 4 of their last 5 wins have come by just a combined 9 points. 

In addition, all of these wins were against teams not currently in a playoff position. A big part of the Broncos' struggles on offense has been their inability to get Courtland Sutton involved more. Sutton, their top wide receiver, was awarded a 4 year, $92 million contract extension this past offseason, but has failed to live up to it through the first 10 weeks of the season. 

Subsequently, it has been Troy Franklin who has lead the Broncos in receptions through the midway point of the season. The plan should be simple: Nix needs to get Sutton involved more in order to elevate this subpar offense so far. 

On the other hand, it has been their superb defense that has been consistently bailing them out. The Broncos defense currently ranks third in the league in total defense, and have given up the least amount of touchdowns in the league with only 15 given up. 

Star linebacker, Nik Bonitto, currently ranks third in the NFL with 9.5 sacks this season. Similarly to Sutton, Bonitto was also awarded a big contract extension this offseason. Bonitto has fully lived up to the hype as the leader of this stout defensive corps. 

Denver currently has a one game lead atop the AFC West as they enter a heavily anticipated matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. In recent history, Kansas City has dominated this matchup, winning 12 of their last 15 games head to head. It should be a good test for Denver and a heavy indicator in what the outcome of the AFC West will be come January. 

A Sleeper for MVP

 

After a huge win at home over the New Orleans Saints, Matthew Stafford has quietly entered the NFL MVP conversation. Stafford has led the Los Angeles Rams to a 6-2 record, with their two losses coming by just one score each. 

Back in 2021, Matt Stafford was dealt to the Los Angeles Rams after spending his first 11 years in the NFL with the Detroit Lions. This trade ended up being the best possible situation for Stafford's career as he immediately brought home the Lombardi Trophy to LA in his first full season with the Rams. 

This past Sunday, Stafford threw for four touchdowns which was good enough for his fourth game this season with at least three touchdown passes. In his last two games against the Jacksonville Jaguars and New Orleans Saints, Stafford threw for a combined 9 touchdowns compared to 0 interceptions. 

He currently leads the NFL in passing touchdowns with 21 through 8 games and has only thrown 2 interceptions as well. The next closest quarterback to 21 touchdowns is Justin Herbert who has 18 and at the same time has played one more game than Stafford as well. 

In addition, Stafford is one of nine quarterbacks who has eclipsed the 2000 passing yards mark and currently ranks 5th in the NFL even with already having his bye week in Week 8. 

Since he entered the NFL back in 2009, Matt Stafford has been one of the most consistent players throughout the league. The accolades don't necessarily back it up, but each and every year Stafford always puts on a show, consistently bringing this Rams team to the playoffs. 

Somehow Stafford has never been named to an All-Pro team, has never won an MVP, and has only made the Pro Bowl twice in his 16 year career. However, what he does have is a Super Bowl under his belt which most other quarterbacks in the present day NFL cannot say. 

Stafford is slowly climbing the ranks and turning a lot of heads this season. As of now, he's only focused on bringing back another Super Bowl to Los Angeles, but an MVP wouldn't be too bad either for the veteran quarterback.