The Super Bowl is Set

 

            Super Bowl 57 is finally set as it will take place between the #1 seed in the NFC, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the #1 seed in the AFC, the Kansas City Chiefs. Both teams have been playing great football all season and look to win the biggest trophy in all of sports, the Vince Lombardi Trophy, in two Sunday's.

            The Eagles totally dominated their path to the Super Bowl, after having a wild card weekend bye, as they outscored the Giants and 49ers, 69-14 after allowing only one touchdown to both teams. The Eagles all season looked like one of the most complete teams in the league and just absolutely trounced the second-most complete team in the league.

            There is not one weak spot on this Eagles team as you look through the depth chart, they have zero weaknesses and their time to win is now. Only second year quarterback Jalen Hurts is leading this team to their destiny as he looks like one of the best quarterbacks in the league. This Eagles team consists of eight pro bowl starters, and plenty more reserves that now won't be able to compete in the game because they have made it to the super bowl, but they will gladly take not playing in it.

            If the Eagles defense can shut down Patrick Mahomes and this lethal Chiefs offense, they should have no problem with taking home their second Super Bowl victory in the past 5 years. The defense has looked great the past couple of weeks and the running game on the offensive side has been magnificent as well. As I said before, you can't attack any Eagles weaknesses because they simply don't have any.

            Enough about the Eagles, let's move onto the Chiefs. To me, if Patrick Mahomes keeps up the pace that he is on, he will be the best football player of all time. 5 straight AFC championship games for the potential MVP and already in his third super bowl at just 27 years old. If that doesn't tell you enough about Mahomes, how about having a high ankle sprain and still throwing for over 300 yards to send your team to the Super Bowl.

            This guy is from a different planet and teams across the league are still trying to figure out where and if the Eagles can't figure this out, they are gonna have a battle on their hands. Now unlike the Eagles, the Chiefs are vulnerable and have a weakness on the defensive side of the football.

            They have a very young defense which is a big positive for this Eagles offense to attack the Chiefs defense. In the playoffs, it comes down to experience and skill at the end of the day and the Chiefs defense has some of this, but it is still an area that the Eagles can easily exploit.

            This should be a great game with two great teams that we could be seeing a lot more of in the next decade in this stage. The Eagles to me look like the better team on paper, but never count out Patrick Mahomes and what he has up his sleeve. Thirteen days away, but the hype surrounding the game could not get any higher as Super Bowl 57 is finally set.             

My Predictions for Divisional Round Weekend

            Divisional round weekend is almost here as we have four games to be played on Saturday and Sunday and the four winners of those games will be one step closer to the Super Bowl.

            After a great first weekend of the playoffs in the wild card, the Chiefs and Eagles finally get the chance to show the NFL world what they have after having a bye last week. The Eagles are at home against the #6 seed New York Giants and the Chiefs, in arguably one of the best home field advantages in football, have the #4 seed Jaguars at home.

            Starting off with the Eagles taking on the Giants. The two teams, in the same division, have already met twice this season and the Eagles have taken both of those games. I'll make it simple, the Eagles are the much better overall team that are no doubt taking this game over the overachieving Giants.

            The Eagles had a full week off to prepare for their third matchup of the season with the Giants and lets not forget, they are the #1 seed for a reason. They dominated all year and they are only three wins away from that domination paying off into a super bowl title. I have the Eagles winning big at home over the Giants as their brief run will end in Philadelphia.

            Moving onto the other #1 seed, in the AFC it is the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Like the Eagles and the Giants, these teams met before in the regular season with the Chiefs pulling out a close one at home against Jacksonville. But the Jags are a totally different team now. The team we saw in Kansas City earlier in the regular season is not remotely close to the team we now are seeing.

            The Jags are a very inexperienced, young team with a great head coach taking on one of the most experienced teams in the NFL and one of the best head coaches of all time. If you were picking a David vs Goliath matchup for the weekend, this is it. At the end of the day, I give lots of praise to the Jags for how they turned things around this season, but I still have the Chiefs winning this game in a close one.

            Staying in the AFC, the game taking place on Sunday is the Bills and the Bengals. Just a few weeks ago the Bills and the Bengals matched up on Monday Night in a game which was later cancelled because of the injury to Damar Hamlin. The two teams will now finally get the chance to play a full game to see who should advance to the conference championship. 

            Both of these teams looked a little rusty just a week ago in the wild card round. They both were favored by wide margins and let their opponents stay in the game all the way until the end. I think this is the hardest game to predict this weekend but at the end of the day, going into Buffalo and winning a playoff game, matter of fact a game itself, is one of the hardest things to do in the NFL, so I have the Bills beating the Bengals in a close one. Both AFC matchups will be close games just like last weekend.

            Finally, a rematch from last year's wild card between the Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers. Two of the most storied franchises in football meet in Santa Clara this weekend with a lot on the line. The Cowboys looked like a completely different team from how they ended the regular season last week against the Bucs, but the 49ers are a totally different and better team than the Bucs.

            The 49ers are my pick to go to the super bowl in the NFC and beating the Cowboys is just another obstacle in the way for them to get to that point. The Niners are the most complete team still remaining in the playoffs and I think that plays a huge factor to how they compete with other teams down the stretch. I have the Niners winning this one over the Cowboys, breaking Cowboys fans hearts for a second year in a row. 

My Take on the Jets Current QB Situation

             As we all know, the Jets have lacked a good quarterback for years and it is a major part of the reason why they haven't made the playoffs in over a decade. To make the playoffs and succeed in them, you need a good quarterback at the helm of your offense.

            Currently, the Jets do not have that quarterback on the roster in Mike White and Zach Wilson. It is time to spend big because the Jets are a quarterback away from making the playoffs. They have some options, but the best option for the Jets is to trade for Lamar Jackson. 

            Jackson has expressed his concerns with the Ravens and did not accept their offer of an extension in the preseason, so it seems like his time in Baltimore is coming to an end. The Jets would be the perfect destination for him with a solid wide receiver and tight end core and a stacked backfield. 

            Lamar has proven himself to be a top 10 quarterback in the NFL, and doing it all without many weapons to throw the ball to. On the Jets he would have guys like Garrett Wilson, Elijah Moore, Breece Hall all at his disposal when on the Ravens, he did not really have anybody.

            The cons of trading for Lamar Jackson is the cost. What price is a good price for a former MVP and top 10 quarterback in the league. The Ravens aren't dumb and are going to list Lamar at a high price. If you look at the most recent quarterback trades in the NFL with Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson, the Browns and Seahawks got a hefty return for their former star quarterbacks. So it is going to take a lot to get Lamar Jackson.

            Now although acquiring Lamar Jackson is the best route for the Jets to take, it is not the only route. Their second best route is to sign Derek Carr in free agency. Carr is officially done with the Raiders after nine seasons and has been a solid quarterback in his nine seasons in the NFL. Comparing him with Lamar, he comes nowhere near close, but he is still a good quarterback to have. 

            I think Carr is definitely a good second option to have and I also believe the Jets should not take a shot on drafting another quarterback. We have seen what has happened in the past with quarterbacks they have drafted and it has not turned out good. 

            At the end of the day, I think if the Jets don't end up either with either Carr or Jackson, they failed the offseason. The one major thing they need and one of the only things they need to improve on is the quarterback position and without acquiring one of these guys, they aren't going to get anyone better to fill the vacant slot. The Jets need to spend big and put their money on the table for Lamar Jackson or Derek Carr. 

            

My Recap of the NFC Wild Card

 

            Super wild card weekend officially concluded last night with Monday Night Football with the Dallas Cowboys taking down the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in what seemed to be the only non-competitive game of the week.

            The NFC games were evenly dispersed over Saturday, Sunday, and Monday with one game on each day and the first matchup featured the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers, a divisional matchup.

            Now it is hard enough to sweep a season series against another team in the regular season, but to beat a team three times and this time in the playoffs is even harder. But, the 49ers were able beat the Seahawks for a third consecutive time to advance to the next round. Seattle put up a great fight in the first half and actually went into halftime leading, but things quickly turned upside down for them in the second half.

            Seattle had a great year that was very unexpected after trading their franchise cornerstone, Russell Wilson, to the Denver Broncos. Geno Smith proved all the doubters wrong and the fact that Seattle made the playoffs was pretty amazing. But, after overcoming so many things, they were unable to overcome the 49ers after three chances. The Niners now have a rematch with the Cowboys from last years playoffs, but this time at home in Santa Clara.

            The second matchup of the weekend featured the New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings. Out of these three games in the NFC, this game was by far the most intense game to watch. The Giants once again proved all of the doubters wrong and went into Minnesota and took down the NFC North champions, 31-24.

            It's pretty ironic how Minnesota went 11-0 in one-score games all season, then come playoffs they lose their only one score game to get eliminated. Out of the teams in the playoffs, these two teams have had the most critics, with the Giants that Daniel Jones is not good enough, and with the Vikings that they simply are not good enough and have gotten lucky all season. In my opinion, both of these opinions are wrong and the Vikings were a good team all season no matter how close they won games by, but they couldn't show up in the playoffs. The Giants now head to Philadelphia to face the #1 seed Eagles in the next round.

            Finally, the final game of wild card weekend featured the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. So many headlines going into this game, with Tom Brady facing off against Dak Prescott, but in the end to many people's shock, the Cowboys routed the Bucs, 31-14. Lots of people expected Brady to win this game easily as he is Tom Brady, but he looked absolutely horrible in this game. For the first time in his illustrious career, he played like a normal guy his age would play, not good.

            In recent history, the Cowboys have not been good at winning games in the playoffs and they have came in very close margins. Everyone questioned if Dak was good enough to go into a hostile environment and lead his team to a victory and he sure did. Now the Cowboys go to Santa Clara to face the 49ers and I'm sure that they have last years playoff loss against the Niners in the back of their minds.

           Now only eight teams left in the playoffs as we push into week 20. I would have to say, the AFC games were much more competitive than the NFC games. So now the Cowboys face the 49ers and the Eagles face the Giants and the winners of those two games will face each other with a Super Bowl trip on the line. 

            

My Recap of the AFC Wild Card

 

            The AFC wild card games were wrapped up Sunday night after 3 teams advanced, and 3 teams were sent home. The Jaguars, Bengals, and Bills will join the Chiefs in the AFC divisional round, while the Dolphins, Ravens, and Chargers will join the rest of the eliminated teams in the NFL at home.

            All three of these games were decided by one possession when many thought that two out of three of these games would not be close. Looking back at my predictions for the AFC, I ended up going 2 for 3 in them only failing to predict the Chargers Jaguars game correctly.

            For awhile, the Chargers Jags game looked like it would be a large rout by the Chargers as they were up 27-0 at one point. But this did not faze Trevor Lawrence and the Jags as after throwing for 4 interceptions in the first half, he threw for 4 touchdowns the rest of the game and a game winning field goal by Riley Patterson gave the Jags an amazing comeback victory over the Chargers.

            Although it is not the largest deficit that has been came back from in the playoffs, it was one of the best comebacks I have ever seen. From throwing for four interceptions in one half and being down by four scores to completely dominating the second half and winning the game is an unbelievable thing to do. The Jaguars have had a crazy season and this game just was a small sample size of the crazy season they have had. They now head to Kansas City to take on the #1 seed Chiefs next Saturday.

            The first game on Sunday of wild card weekend for the AFC was the Bills playing the Dolphins. Everyone including myself expected this to be a huge rout and the Bills would easily advance to the divisional round, but it was the exact opposite. The Bills went up 17-0 early, but the Dolphins came back and tied it and even took the lead at one point all with their third-string quarterback.

            The Bills eventually pulled out of the game with a victory, but they played nowhere near their best football. We have seen glimpses this season of games where the Bills have not played their best football and this was definitely one of them. The defense was getting carved up left and right by a third-string quarterback and the offense had some explosive plays and if not for those plays, they would not be in the divisional round. They now host the Bengals on Sunday in the AFC divisional round.

            The final game of the weekend was Sunday Night Football between the Bengals and the Ravens. This was another game where everyone thought one team would absolutely pummel the other, but again this was not the case. The Ravens without Lamar Jackson put up a valid fight, but their offense continued to be very anemic. They were two yards away from taking the lead over the Bengals in the 4th quarter until quarterback Tyler Huntley fumbled and allowed the Bengals to score a 98-yard fumble return touchdown. This touchdown would be the game-winning score as the Bengals won, 24-17.

            The Ravens are an absolutely horrible team without their star quarterback, Lamar Jackson, and would be nowhere near a playoff team if he was out all season. If he leaves in the offseason, then the Ravens will have a very steep hill to climb with the quarterback position wide open. The Bengals now head to Buffalo in arguably the toughest environment in football next Sunday.

            As a fan of the NFL, I loved watching these close intense games come down to the wire and hope that these types of games continue throughout the playoffs. It is much better when the underdog keeps the game close and the game isn't a rout. As all the division winners advance to the divisional round, we should definitely have another great weekend of games coming up next weekend. 

My Midseason Knicks Report

 

            The Knicks just completed their 42nd game of the season last night with a win over the Pacers to advance to 23-19 on the campaign so far. So far the offense has been brilliant and the defense has been solid but there is definitely a lot of stuff to improve on still.

            The Knicks currently sit in the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference. In a conference where there are 9 legit teams that could easily be in the top six, the Knicks can't get too comfortable where they are now in the standings, they have to keep pushing.

            One major flaw that the Knicks have had this season is closing games. If the Knicks were able to hold onto big leads and close out those games, their record would look a lot different and a lot better than what it is now. Just last night the Knicks were up by 25 in the second half yet let the Pacers come all the way back and fortunately the Knicks closed it out in time. The Knicks have one of the best first half point differentials, but come second half it is a whole different story. 

            A huge bright spot for the Knicks has been the emergence of Jalen Brunson. He's had more 30 point games this season than he had in his previous four seasons in the NBA. If this doesn't scream All-Star to you, it should. He is able to hit clutch baskets when needed and has been one of the more clutch players in the league this season. Without Brunson, the Knicks would be lost.

            Julius Randle also has had a bounce back season and he as well is making a strong campaign to make his 2nd all-star game as a Knick. His shooting has improved after a down year last year, and his defense has gotten sharper as well. Randle and Brunson should both be in Utah playing in the All Star Game come February.

            The thing that has surprised me the most is the Knicks next man up mentality. Even with RJ Barrett missing more than 2 weeks, the Knicks found ways to win with the next guys up. With RJ out, Quickley took over and did not look back. IQ has definitely established himself as a solid 6th man for the Knicks and provides big buckets whenever they need them.

            Also another underrated aspect of the Knicks has been Quentin Grimes. Grimes is the definition of a 3 and D type of player as not only is he a knockdown three point shooter, but he is also a lockdown defender. Grimes should always be in the game when it comes down to the final stretch because he'll bring it on both ends of the floor.

            The Knicks have looked pretty good so far, but there is still another whole half of the season yet to be played. One thing the Knicks need major improvement on is not getting too comfortable with big leads because we have seen a lot of them demise this season and turn into opponent victories in the end. 

My Predictions for Super Wild Card Weekend

 

            After eighteen weeks, the NFL playoffs are finally here. The road to play a final game in Arizona gets underway on Saturday with Super Wild Card Weekend.

            Some very good matchups for this first weekend of games, but my favorite matchup out of the six is the Chargers going to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars. These two teams met earlier in the season in Los Angeles which was a huge Jacksonville victory, so the Chargers are looking to avenge that loss.

            Both teams are coming in with something to prove, for the Jags that their magical run at the end of the season to a divisional title was not a fluke, and for the Chargers that they can compete and win games against the best of the best in the AFC. Two pretty young teams in the Jags and Chargers so we will definitely be seeing plenty more from these teams in the postseason in the near future. I think that the Chargers will take this one in Jacksonville in a very close, intense battle.

            Moving onto the Ravens and the Bengals. Both of these teams met last week in Cincinnati as well with the Bengals winning that game very easily. More quarterback concerns for the Ravens and it is looking more and more bleak that Lamar Jackson will be able to play in this game. With the absence of Lamar Jackson, the Ravens do not look like a team that should have even made the postseason with the offensive numbers they have been putting up.

            Their defense is top notch, but they need good offense to be able to put up with the Bengals high-powered offense. The Bengals are one of the hottest teams in the NFL and I believe they will carry their hot end to the regular season and once again beat the Ravens especially if Lamar Jackson is unavailable to play.

            The final matchup of the weekend in the AFC is another divisional matchup with the Dolphins heading to Buffalo to take on the Bills. Another team like the Ravens that have been having quarterback problems is the Dolphins as they will be without Tua Tagovailoa in this game. Therefore, they will have to rely on rookie Skylar Thompson who has struggled with the opportunity. 

            The betting line heavily favors the Bills to take this one over the Dolphins and I totally agree with it. Considering that not only are the Dolphins without their starting quarterback, but recently the Dolphins have not played well in cold weather. They have lost their last 10 games in which the average temperature is under forty degrees and it is almost certainly going to be under forty degrees in Buffalo come game day. I have the Bills taking this one easily over the shorthanded Dolphins.

            Moving onto the NFC side of the playoffs and starting off with the Seahawks and the 49ers. Many people thought this would be the Packers in the Seahawks spot, but somehow the Seahawks snuck in. The two teams have met twice this season and both have went in the 49ers direction. The Niners have been the hottest team in the NFL, since starting 3-4 they have won ten straight.

            I think the Seahawks are a good team, but they do not have enough to stop the firepower that the 49ers bring to the table. Geno Smith has had a career year and has certified himself as a starting quarterback in the NFL. In the end, the Niners will take this one easily over their divisional rival. 

            Every game featured on this wild card weekend features teams that have already played each other at least one time in the regular season and this matchup features the Giants and the Vikings. The Giants and Vikings played a very tight game just a couple of weeks ago that the Vikings ended out coming victorious in, but the Giants certainly did play some good football that week.

            The Giants came out of nowhere this season in coach Brian Daboll's first year running the show and have impressed many faces. The Vikings have been disrespected all year playing in many close games with teams that they were much better than. But saying this, if you get into a close game with the Vikings, the Vikings will win it and that is what this game is going to be. In a close game, the Vikings pull it out over the Giants.

            Finally, the last game of the weekend on Monday night featuring what could be Tom Brady's final game as a Buccaneer facing the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys played arguably their worst game of football last week against the Commanders and are looking to play nowhere near where they played in that game. Saying this, the Buccaneers have been an up and down team all season and at some points they looked like they were nowhere near a playoff team.

            Both of these teams have had their ups and downs but at the end of the day, this is Tom Brady playing the Cowboys in the playoffs. Brady has never lost to the Cowboys in his career and isn't looking to end that streak now. The Cowboys in recent history have mightily struggled in the playoffs and I believe they continue this streak and fall to the Buccaneers on the road in the final game of the weekend.

            It's sad to see the NFL regular season come to an end, but with the end of the regular season comes the playoffs and they are here. Six great games will get underway this weekend and hopefully they will not disappoint. 

The Jets Season is Finally Over

 

            Well after 6 straight weeks and 6 straight losses for the Jets the season is finally over. It's hard to believe that this team was once 7-4 and was just a goal line score away from being 8-4 in Minnesota. The offense was absolutely abysmal the last couple weeks and did not deserve to come anywhere near the playoffs as the season wrapped up. 

            Looking back at my predictions for the AFC East before the season began, I was correct that the Jets would wind up going 7-10. Ever since Breece Hall and Alijah Vera-Tucker went down, this team's morale completely shifted and wins were a luxury to come by all of a sudden.

            You could blame a lot of things for how the Jets downfall occurred. You can blame the quarterback room, which in my opinion was the problem, you can blame the coaching staff, you can blame the injuries, and even in some games the officiating. There were just too many negatives adding up for the Jets to have a positive outcome at the end of the season.

            All in all, the problem was the quarterback room. Consistent bad quarterback play from all three quarterbacks who had starting roles and just the rotation of not having a consistent #1 quarterback really hurt the team offensively.

            If you look at the top ten quarterbacks with the most passing yards, nine of those ten made the playoffs and one was eliminated in the last week of the regular season. It is definitely true that you have to have good quarterback play to advance and win games in the National Football League. The Jets won some, but without the stellar defense it would've been ugly.

            No consistent quarterback meant that the offense would struggle as well and boy they did. Failing to score a single touchdown in the last three games of the regular season is absolutely pathetic and two of those games, the Jets still had a shot at the playoffs. This is definitely obvious now but the Jets starting quarterback for the 2023 season is not on the roster right now.

            Some bright spots on the season was the rookie class and there is a lot to look forward to there. I believe that the Jets have both the offensive and defensive rookie of the year winners in Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson on the team. Maybe if Breece Hall stayed healthy he would've been in consideration for that award also. On the defensive end with Jermaine Johnson and Michael Clemons the rookie class looks even better.

            The defense absolutely balled out all season and really did not have a bad performance since the first couple weeks of the season. The Jets defense was the only defense in the league to not allow a quarterback to throw over 300 passing yards in a game against them. That is some lockdown defense right there and if you bring the Williams brothers back and the rest of the squad back next year, it's only going to get even better.

            Look, at the end of the day the Jets took a huge leap from last year to this year after having just 4 wins last year, to getting 7 this year and being in the midst of the playoff conversation almost all year. This is progress, but as a Jet fan obviously patience is running thin because playoffs have been out of the question for the Jets in the last 12 years. 

            The Jets need to go into the offseason on the hunt for a franchise quarterback and some offensive line help. With these two things, in my eyes the Jets are a complete team. Good quarterback play does not happen when your offensive line does not help your quarterback out. I have faith in the direction that this franchise is headed, but it was not the end I was hoping for this season as a Jets fan.