The Yanks have clinched the division!

 

            The Yanks are in the playoffs again and this time they have a bye straight to the ALDS thanks to winning the AL East. Arguably the most competitive division in the league, many people did not have the Yanks coming out on top at the start of the season in this division, but they certainly proved the doubters wrong in the end.

            Still lots of work left to be done, but it is incredible how the Yanks won this division. With the amount of adversity they had to carry with them to the finish line, many including myself did not think the Yanks could maintain 1st in the division, but somehow they did. Competing all season long with 3 other teams in the division that are going to end the season with 80 plus wins is a hard thing to be successful at.

            The AL East by far is the toughest division in baseball and there is not much to argue against it. Every team, except the Orioles, could've won the division coming into the season, and then somehow the Orioles shocked the baseball world and had a successful year. When the Red Sox are last in the division, you know that division is pretty darn good.

            The adversity that the Yanks faced was unlike no other team in the league as well. At one point in the season I thought I was watching their Triple-A affiliate, the RailRiders, because almost the entire lineup was just called up from Scranton because of injuries. Like always the Yanks battled injuries from batters to pitchers to relievers.

            It didn't just start in the July-August period, but at the start of the season when they lost Chad Green and Michael King for the season, injuries have been a constant all year. Almost every batter in the Yanks lineup has had a stint on the IL. The bullpen looks a lot different from the start of the season because of injuries, but they have somewhat managed to remain consistent.

            As a Yankee fan even I was not confident in this team's chances in winning the division, but they did it and with ample time left in the season as well. As we all know, the job is not finished as the great late Kobe Bryant said, but this is a crucial and pivotal step in the right direction of possible championship number twenty-eight. 

My Team of the Week (Week 3)

 

            For the second week in a row, my team of the week is another Floridian team and this time it is the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars stormed into LA and crushed the Chargers by a score of 38-10 to improve to 2-1.

            The Jags have been overlooked by simply everybody in the NFL, I mean no one has given them a chance including myself and they have certainly proved some doubters wrong. They are a couple plays away in Week 1 from being 3-0, but they'll certainly take 2-1.

            Coming off a 24-0 victory against the Colts, the Jags pick up their second straight blowout win against a high-level Chargers team on the road. Trevor Lawrence has certainly improved his game after a somewhat disappointing rookie season.

            No one could've predicted the upset the Jags made and the length they made it at. If you told me before the game the Jags would go into SoFi and beat the Chargers by four scores, I would've said you are crazy, but somehow they pulled it off as they are crowned my team of the week for the 3rd week of the NFL season. 

Aaron Judge on the verge of history

 

            It's simple. Aaron Judge is the best baseball player of my generation so far. Never have we seen this type of talent from a man who comes in at 6'8. He's a 5 tool player and succeeds at every single one of the things he is asked to do, except negotiating a new contract.

            As I write this, Judge is currently sitting at 60 homers tied with Babe Ruth for the second-most all time in the AL and two shy of breaking Maris's record. Oh and the by the way, he's the front runner for triple crown and learned a whole new position midseason. Yeah, he can do it all.

            It baffles me that pitchers still pitch to Judge and do not pitch around the man. Obviously he's not going to hit a home run every time, but he still has one of the highest average's in the league and can get on base whenever you need him to. 

            There's not many guys who come up to bat which you can say to yourself, he's getting on base. That guy is Aaron Judge. Whether it's a homer, base hit, or walk, whatever it is he's getting on. He steals bases, hits bombs, makes web gems, and does everything else to his fullest extent you ask him to do. 

            The chase for 62 is the biggest event that baseball has had in the regular season for a very long time. When people who do not watch baseball and are now paying attention to this chase, you know it is a big deal. The fact that Judge has the chance to tie Maris and break his record against the Red Sox is a situation that was meant to be. Maris hit 61 against the Red Sox as well. 

            He came into the season telling the entire baseball world he is going to bet on himself and boy did he ever set the perfect example of someone betting on themselves and succeeding. For a guy who's injury prone and has never completed a full season without getting hurt in his brief couple of years in the big leagues, this was the first year we saw a full Aaron Judge and what a show it has been.

My Team of the Week (Week 2)

        This was a hard decision to make and even though I hate to say it, the Dolphins are my team of the week in week 2 of the NFL season. Their comeback was unbelievable and unheard of as they advanced to a rare 2-0 start.

        It was a 35-14 game late in the second half and I turned to my friends who are dolphins fans and said turn the game off its over no need to keep watching. Boy was I wrong! The Ravens defense collapsed so badly that it was almost as if it was unethical for them to not give up a touchdown to the dolphins every drive.

        Lamar Jackson did everything he could and had easily one of the best games of his career, but his defense could not bail him out. Led by Tua, Jaylen Waddle, and Tyreek Hill the dolphins turned a 21 point deficit to a 4 point victory.

        Tua turned a lot of heads this week after throwing for a good chunk of yardage along with 6 touchdowns. Not to mention waddle and hill both had over 170 receiving yards which is almost unheard of for a single game for 2 receivers on the same team! 

        Their defense looked awful throughout the entire game, but that didn't affect how their offense performed in that 4th quarter whatsoever. It was definitely one of the most unbelievable comebacks that I have ever seen happen in that short period of time. Along with the dolphins the rest of the AFC East dominated this week as each and every team in the division pulled off convincing W's and the New York Jets were runners-up for team of the week this week as well. 

        The Dolphins broke records, pulled off an unbelievable win, and might have pulled off the best victory they have ever had in the history of their historic franchise. In recent history, this and the Miami Miracle certainly show how clutch the Dolphins can be and that is why they got team of the week in week 2. 

                

Jets beat the Browns somehow!!!

 

        That was probably the craziest comeback that I have ever seen in the NFL. As a Jets fan I could not be more excited and this should send a message to the rest of the league that the Jets are here!

        When Chubb went into the end zone with 1:55 left I thought to myself, great another 0-2 start for the Jets. Well how ironic is it that Nick Chubb, fantasy football hater, did not slide down before the end zone and ended up ironically costing his team the game.

        Just a couple seasons ago he slid down before the end zone on a play where he was going to score because the Browns were going to win and he tweeted after the game that he didn't care about fantasy football. Well what changed from then to now?

        Garrett Wilson really impressed me with his game today, he has definitely been the best rookie receiver, maybe even best rookie so far this season. There were many highs and lows from that game but to see the young guys, Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson, both score was definitely very nice to see. 

        Joe Flacco proved the haters wrong and Robert Saleh is keeping his receipts as he should after this crazy victory. This momentum has to carry over to next week against the Bengals and MetLife Stadium better be rocking next Sunday. J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS. 

My Team of the Week in the NFL (Week 1)

            My team of the week by a wide margin is the Kansas City Chiefs. Starting the season on an outstanding notes after beating the Cardinals 44-21 is the exact tone to send to the rest of the league to start off the season.

            The Chiefs for the previous couple of years have dominated their division, but this year many have questioned if they can keep this domination up. All the teams in their division got significantly better while they had a subpar offseason. Losing one of the best receivers in the league in Tyreek Hill certainly did not affect Patrick Mahomes and this Chiefs offense in week 1.

            The Chiefs absolutely beat up on the Cardinals and in my opinion the Cardinals are a pretty good team and a legitimate threat in the NFC when healthy. But, when Patrick Mahomes catches fire it is tough to stop that offense. Mahomes threw for almost 400 yards and 5 touchdowns showing that he doesn't need Tyreek Hill to succeed as a quarterback in this league.

            The Chiefs defense was able to put a halt and slow down Kyler Murray's fast paced offense and Mahomes spread the ball to literally almost every receiver, running back, or tight end that was on the field. When you do that, you have an easy victory sitting in your back pocket. 

            With the Chargers, Raiders, and Broncos all getting significantly better, it is going to be an uphill battle for the Chiefs to maintain their dominance in the AFC West. Not only has the AFC West gotten better, but so has the rest of the AFC as a whole as well. So, winning week 1 by a wide margin and against a good team is great, but the Chiefs still have a long way to go until they could potentially reach success yet again. 
 

My opinion on the Jets Week 1

 

            I know it's one week, but wow the Jets once again did not meet my expectations. The defense looked sharp, but the offense is just terrible with Flacco at the helm. The Jets need a spark and they need it fast because in the NFL, no one waits for you.

            First things first, the whole quarterback situation is a disaster obviously with Zach's injury and now an old and washed Joe Flacco starting. People forget that Flacco isn't the same player he was ten years ago, now he throws the ball 60 times in a game and yet his team scores less than 10 points. 

            This puts the Jets in another sticky situation again dealing with injuries because of Zach being out for a couple of weeks. Flacco is not the answer and if the Jets want to turn things around and get a bit of a momentum boost, you turn to one of the young guys either that being Mike White or Chris Streveler. Try that out for a game and if that works stick with it.

            It's difficult to be mad at this team so far because this entire offense was built around Zach and was built perfectly by the front office. It wasn't built for a guy who primed 10 years ago and has went 3-17 in his last 20 starts as a quarterback. So clearly Joe Flacco is not the answer for the Jets.

            I thought an overlooked part of the game last Sunday was the defense. In my opinion, aside from a couple of deep throws and miracle catches, the Jets defense played spectacular. Lamar was barely able to run the ball, and when he did he got minimal yardage and he barely cracked over 200 yards passing. 

            The secondary which was a huge problem last year absolutely dominated. The duo of Sauce and DJ Reed looks like it's going to really pay off this season, they both look like they are on the top of their games. Although it was the Ravens and they don't have the best receiving corps, it's a very good sign to see this position thrive.

            The offensive line despite the additions made struggled a little. Of course when you don't have Duane Brown and Mekhi Becton because of injuries, one can expect this to happen. So far injuries has been the kryptonite for the Jets and this line is going to get a nowhere easier job next week with having to deal with All-Pro Myles Garrett and the Browns. 

            It sucks with these injuries, but any good NFL team can maneuver around these obstacles and Robert Saleh and the Jets certainly believe they are a team that can finally compete in the NFL today. I sure hope they turn things around and if not this season will be yet another failure for the New York Jets. 

My AFC east predictions

 

           With the NFL season on its way, starting tomorrow, it is time to make some predictions and lets start with the very improved AFC East. 

            Buffalo Bills

            The Bills are once again super bowl contenders, but this year it is much more attainable than previous years. Their biggest addition was former super bowl MVP Von Miller who was added to an already stacked defense that the Bills possess. Not much movement on the offensive side, but when you have Josh Allen at the helm and Stefon Diggs in your back pocket, you don't need much more.

            I believe the Bills will once again come out on top in this heavily competitive division in which was once ran by the Patriots, in recent years and the near future, this looks like it will solely be the Bills division. I have them going 13-4 finishing 1st in the AFC East once again. 

            Miami Dolphins

            The Dolphins had a spectacular offseason as they did everything possible to help their 3rd-year, struggling quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa. They acquired arguably one of the best receivers in the NFL in Tyreek Hill, one of the best offensive linemen in the league in Terron Armstead, and picked up 2 running backs in Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert who could both start on most NFL teams. On defense they added some veteran presence to a defense that was already stacked as well.

        But in the end it all comes down to the quarterback play of Tua. If he succeeds, the team succeeds, but if he does not perform well, the new additions on this team won't really affect how much winning this team does. Personally, I am not a very high believer in Tua, so I have the dolphins going 10-7, maybe just sneaking into the playoffs as the bottom seed in the AFC, but the second spot in the division. 

            New York Jets

            The Jets like the Dolphins had a terrific offseason and upgraded almost every weakness they had. Picked up two stellar tight ends addressing a major need at that position. Having an amazing draft with 3 first rounders that will make immediate impacts in the league. Lots of upgrades on defense and on the offensive line as well really impressed me and as a Jets fan made me excited for the future of this team.

            But, the Jets similar to the Dolphins have to have good quarterback play with Joe Flacco for the first 3 weeks and then Zach Wilson for the rest of the season. Although they are put in a tough spot with the Wilson injury, Flacco is more than capable of stepping up and guiding this team throughout however long they need him. If the team stays healthy I can see the Jets going 7-10 making a huge leap from last season and a huge leap into the future as well.

        New England Patriots

            The Patriots unlike the rest of the AFC East teams did not improve in my opinion, they actually got worse. Losing star cornerback in JC Jackson, not addressing offensive needs in the wide receiver position, and drafting a projected 5th rounder in the 1st round of the NFL draft certainly did not help the Patriots case. Although Mac Jones had a stellar rookie season, I believe that we will see the real Mac Jones this season with tougher competition he has to face now.

            New England is making it hard to look like an improved team as they really went in the opposite direction. I have this team finishing the season at an uncharacteristically 6-11, not looking like the normal Patriots we have seen in the previous 2 decades. 

Final Standings Prediction:

          1. Buffalo Bills 13-4

          2. Miami Dolphins 10-7

          3. New York Jets 7-10

          4. New England Patriots 6-11