Thursday, November 21, 2024

NFL Week 12 Predictions 2024:

 

Steelers over Browns:

Buccaneers over Giants:

Vikings over Bears:

Lions over Colts:

Dolphins over Patriots:

Commanders over Cowboys:

Chiefs over Panthers:

Texans over Titans:

Broncos over Raiders: 

49ers over Packers: 

Seahawks over Cardinals:

Eagles over Rams:

Chargers over Ravens:

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Broadcast Fall 2024 TV Review:

NBC: 


Brilliant Minds: Dr. Oliver Wolf(played by Zachary Quinto of “Heroes” & “Star Trek”) is an eccentric but incredibly gifted neurologist who suffers from a rare condition that gives him a unique perspective on care, fueling his mission to change the way the world sees his patients. After his unusual methods result in his dismissal, he takes his unconventional approach to a new hospital: Bronx General, where he leads a team of bright young interns in tackling some of the world's most puzzling psychological cases. With their help, he must also challenge his own personal and social limitations by navigating all the expectations, politics and complicated relationships that come with the job. 

Verdict: Renewed. There is a huge void on the airwaves for medical dramas that stick out or just have an interesting plot. All three have come and gone off the air in the Good Doctor, The Resident and New Amsterdam. NBC does have Chicago Med but a show about a doctor who cares too much is what has been missing since New Amsterdam was cancelled. That show was about a doctor trying to change the medical system from within as the head of the hospital but this is also a doctor trying to change the system on how we view patients even if it breaks the rules. You need to give Quinto all the accolades on really selling this character and knowing the entire medical lingo as he studied it instead of just reciting it. The hope is the network lets the writers and creators continue building the story of him as a doctor but also the other doctors he is working with as most medical shows need more than a season to get their flow in storytelling. It is an adjustment to have a show with not just a monologue to start each episode but also full of flashbacks to help him figure out things when he has breakthroughs. It is unique to have actually shown someone with his illness of face blindness; most people think it’s not real. It is too coincidental that both his parents are doctors but sometimes that can be true in the real world but his mom runs the hospital (the only one that will give him a chance). The hope is they get more in depth with the residents he has to work with since they are all unique in different ways and one of them is very familiar to audiences from his days on All-American and AP Bio in Spence Moore. Plus one of the neurosurgeons has been on TV for awhile in Teddy Sears of Flash & American Horror Story as a frenemy.  Hopefully NBC gives them the time to grow because it has a potential hit on their hands thanks to Quinto, the ensemble cast, the guest stars and the apparent source material based on the books by Oliver Sacks. 




Fox

Universal Basic Guys: It centers on two brothers, Mark and Hank Hoagies, who lose their jobs to automation and are given $3,000 a month in a new basic income program. Now, they're using their free time and free money to find purpose in a world where they're no longer needed. 

Verdict: Cancelled: When will Fox get the message?! Stop renewing shows before it even premiers! I know executives watch the pilot episode before green lighting it but this one is worse than the rest of the ones they renewed before it started. First off the animation looks terrible and weird. The voice acting is terrible and I know it is by the two brothers who made this show but they should have hired people who can do voice acting. The theme song is terrible and it is the only thing that explains the situation the two main characters are in because the pilot sure didn’t.  There are too many bad, terrible, sophomoric humor and jokes. Most of the writing is terrible too as most episodes don’t make sense. They are trying too hard to be Family Guy with a fat idiot doing dumb things in every episode. If he does something dumb or terrible it doesn’t bother him from one episode to another with his hi-jinks just without it being as funny. Only Fred Armisen lending one voice does it give any credit to the show but his character doesn’t matter.

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

NFL Recap Week 11 2024:

 

Eagles 26-18 over the Commanders: It was all RB Saquon Barkley as he had 146 yards rushing with two rushing TDs, plus QB Jalen Hurts had a rushing TD. Rookie QB Jayden Daniels had one passing TD and RB Brian Robinson had a rushing TD.

Packers 20-19 over the Bears: The Packers came from behind in the 4th quarter to beat their divisional rival on the road. QB Jordan Love had a passing and a rushing TD, plus RB Josh Jacobs had a rushing TD. Again rookie QB Caleb Williams had no rushing TDs and his kicker missed a field goal as it was blocked as time expired.

Lions 52-6 over the Jaguars: QB Jared Goff had four passing TDs, RB David Montgomery had two rushing TD, and RB Jahmyr Gibbs had one rushing TD. Without QB Trevor Lawrence again their offense looked bad only mustering two field goals.

Vikings 23-13 over the Titans: QB Sam Darnold had two passing TD’s and one rushing TD compared to QB Will Levis who had only one TD pass but an interception.

Dolphins 34-19 over the Raiders: QB Tua Tagovailoa had three TD passes and RB De’Von Achane had one rushing TD. QB Gardner Minshew did have two passing TDs but threw an interception. Kicker Jason Sanders accounted for ten of the Dolphins points.

Rams 28-22 over the PatriotsThe Rams were up 21-10 in the second half and never looked back. QB Matthew Stafford had four passing TDs with two going to WR Cooper Kupp. Rookie QB Drake Maye did his best to comeback but it wasn’t enough with his two TD passes as he had two of his team’s three turnovers.

Saints 35-14 over the Browns: This was one of those TE Taysom Hill games where he had 138 yards rushing with three rushing TDs, and QB Derek Carr had two passing TDs. The Browns could only muster two TD passes from QB Jameis Winston and their kicker missed two field goals.

Colts 28-27 over the Jets: QB Anthony Richardson led his team to a comeback with the game winning TD with less than a minute. Richardson had two rushing TDs. QB Aaron Rodgers did have two passing TDs and RB Breece Hall had one rushing TD and caught one of those TD passes.

Steelers 18-16 over the Ravens: The Steelers actually led for almost the whole entire game but got lucky the Ravens didn’t convert the two point conversion to take it to overtime. Chris Boswell accounted for all the Steelers’ points. Ravens kicker Justin Tucker missed two field goals. QB Lamar Jackson (passing) and RB Derrick Henry(rushing) each had one TD.

Broncos 38-6 over the Falcons: Rookie QB Bo Nix outplayed QB Kirk Cousins with four TD passes compared to zero TD passes but two turnovers.

Seahawks 20-17 over the 49ers: QB Geno Smith had the game winning rushing TD with time expiring to beat their division rivals.  RB Kenneth Walker added a rushing TD of his own. QB Brock Purdy had both a rushing and a passing TD for the 49ers.

Bills 30-21 over the Chiefs: The Bills led 16-14 over the Chiefs at halftime and never looked back as they handed them their first loss of the season. Both QBs had at least one interception (two for Patrick Mahomes). Mahomes had three passing TDs and QB Josh Allen had both a passing and rushing TD. RB James Cooked added two more rushing TDs for the Bills.

Chargers 34-27 over the Bengals: This is the type of game you want to see on Sunday night football with two good QBs fighting it out. RB JK Dobbins scored the game winning TD with less than 20 seconds left, his second of the game. QB Joe Burrow had three TD passes and QB Justin Herbert had two passing TDs. Evan McPherson missed two field goals for the Bengals.

Texans 34-10 over the Cowboys: It was all RB Joe Mixon as he had 109 yards with three rushing TDs for the Texans; While Dallas had three fumbles with one being returned for a TD. Dallas also missed a field goal and had an interception.

Bye Week: Giants, Panthers, Cardinals & Buccaneers 


Thursday, November 14, 2024

NFL Week 11 Predictions 2024:


 Eagles over Commanders:

Packers over Bears:

Lions over Jaguars:

Vikings over Titans:

Dolphins over Raiders:

Rams over Patriots:

Saints over Browns:

Jets over Colts:

Ravens over Steelers:

Broncos over Falcons:

49ers over Seahawks:

Chiefs over Bills:

Chargers over Bengals:

Texans over Cowboys:

Tuesday, November 12, 2024

NFL Recap Week 10 2024:

 

Ravens 35-34 over the Bengals: Amazon got what they wanted for Thursday Night Football: A divisional matchup between two potential playoff teams with two star QBs. The Bengals were leading at halftime and almost won with seconds left but didn’t succeed on a two-point conversion. Both QBs Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow had four TD passes and both lead RBs had a rushing TD. WR JaMarr Chase was the star of the game for the Bengals with three receiving TDs for 264 yards receiving.

Panthers 20-17 over the Giants(OT): The Panthers hit the game winning field goal in overtime to win in Germany. QB Bryce Young outplayed QB Daniel Jones by having one TD pass with no turnovers while Jones had zero TD passes but two interceptions. Both teams had rushing TDs and the Giants missed a field goal.

Patriots 19-3 over the Bears: Despite no turnovers by the Bears they were out gained in both the running and passing game. Rookie QB Drake Maye had one TD pass for the Patriots and their kicker Joey Slye accounted for 13 of their points.

Bills 30-20 over the Colts: The Bills defense caused two fumbles, three interceptions with one being returned for a TD and four sacks. QB Josh Allen didn’t even throw a TD pass as he had two interceptions but both him and RB James Cook had rushing TD.

Chiefs 16-14 over the Broncos: KC held on to remain undefeated to beat their divisional rival as they had the go-ahead field goal in the 4th quarter. Rookie QB Bo Nix out played QB Patrick Mahomes with two TD passes compared to one TD pass. Denver missed two field goals as one was blocked to end the game.

Saints 20-17 over the Falcons: The Saints rallied as a team after the firing of their head coach to beat their divisional rival as they were up 17-7 at halftime and never looked back. QB Derek Carr had two TD passes both to Marquez Valdes Scantling compared to zero TD passes by QB Kirk Cousins with three turnovers. Atlanta only scored any TDs thanks to RB Bijan Robinson having two. They also missed three field goals.

49ers 23-20 over the Buccaneers: The 49ers hit the game winning field goal as time expired but surprisingly the kicker had missed three in the game. QB Brock Purdy threw two TD passes while QB Baker Mayfield only had one TD pass (with three fumbles) which was to a RB. The other TD was also by a RB but it was a rushing TD.

Steelers 28-27 over the Commanders: QB Russell Wilson threw the go-ahead TD pass with two minutes left to newly acquired WR Mike Williams to win. Wilson had three TD passes and RB Najee Harris had a rushing TD. Washington rookie QB Jayden Daniels had zero TD passes but got three rushing TDs from his stable of running backs.

Vikings 12-7 over the Jaguars: Both QBs were terrible (Sam Darnold & Mac Jones). Darnold had no TD passes with three interceptions and Jones also had no TD passes with two interceptions and a fumble. It was all about the kickers in this one as the Vikings new kicker accounted for all of their points.

Chargers 27-17 over the Titans: QB Justin Herbert had a rushing and passing TD while QB Will Levis came back to throw two TD passes both to WR Calvin Ridley. Cameron Dicker accounted for nine of the Chargers points while Nick Folk missed a field goal.

Eagles 34-6 over the Cowboys: Both backup QBs played for Dallas but contributed to the one interception and four fumbles leading to only field goals for points. It was all QB Jalen Hurts with two passing TDs and two rushing TDs.

Cardinals 31-6 over the Jets: QB Kyler Murray had one passing TD but had two passing TDs to go along with RB James Connor having a rushing TD. QB Aaron Rodgers had a fumble with no TD passes on 151 yards passing and 79 yards rushing for the team that resulted in only two field goals.

Lions 26-23 over the Texans: The Lions hit the game winning field goal as time expired which is surprising they even won. QB Jared Goff had probably his worst game ever with five interceptions but had two interceptions. QB CJ Stroud wasn’t that much better with only TD with an interception and a fumble plus their kicker missed a field goal.

Dolphins 23-15 over the Rams: The Rams offense came back down to earth with no TDs as their kicker accounted for all 15 of their points and missed a field goal. QB Tua Tagovailoa had one passing TD and the team got a rushing TD.


Thursday, November 7, 2024

NFL Week 10 Predictions 2024:

 

Ravens over Bengals:

Panthers over Giants:

Bears over Patriots:

Bills over Colts:

Chiefs over Broncos:

Falcons over Saints:

Buccaneers over 49ers:

Commanders over Steelers:

Vikings over Jaguars:

Chargers over Titans:

Eagles over Cowboys:

Cardinals over Jets:

Texans over Lions:

Rams over Dolphins: 

Wednesday, November 6, 2024

NFL Recap Week 9 2024:

 

Jets 21-13 over the Texans: The Jets outscored the Texans 14-3 in the quarter to complete the comeback. QB Aaron Rodgers had three TD passes, one to his new WR Davante Adams and two to Garrett Wilson. The only Houston TD was a rushing TD from RB Joe Mixon who had 106 yards.

Falcons 27-21 over the Cowboys: The Falcons were up 14-3 early and never looked back. QB Kirk Cousins had three TD passes and RB Tyler Allgeier had a rushing TD. QB Dak Prescott had one TD pass but left the game with a hamstring injury.

Bills 30-27 over the Dolphins: As time expired the Bills hit the game winning field goal to beat their divisional rival. QB Josh Allen had three passing TDs while QB Tua Tagovailola had two passing TDs with one going to RB De’Von Achane who also had a rushing TD.

Commanders 27-22 over the Giants: Washington was up 21-7 entering half time and never looked back as they beat their divisional rival both times this season. QB Jayden Daniels had two passing TDs with no turnovers. Even though QB Daniel Jones had two passing TDs with a rushing TD it was too much of a deficit to overcome.

Bengals 41-24 over the Raiders: QB Joe Burrow had five TD passes with two going to TE Mike Gesicki. Both QBs for the Raiders had fumbles and only passed for 157 yards total with one TD which was towards the end of the game when it didn’t matter. Now the only mistake Burrow had was an interception that was returned for a TD late.

Chargers 27-10 over the Browns: QB Jameis Winston fell back down to earth as he had three interceptions and a fumble plus his kicker missed a field goal. QB Justin Herbert had two passing TDs and RB JK Dobbins had two rushing TDs.

Titans 20-17 over the Patriots (OT): The Titans hit the game winning field goal in overtime to win. RB Rhamondre Stevenson had both a rushing and receiving TD for New England. There were five fumbles and three interceptions combined from both teams plus a missed field goal.

Panthers 23-22 over the Saints: The Panthers upset their divisional rival with a go-ahead rushing TD by Chuba Hubbard his second of the game. Even with QB Derek Carr back they only managed one TD which is what QB Bryce Young also had. Plus Taysom Hill had a rushing TD for the Saints.

Ravens 41-10 over the Broncos:  It was all Baltimore as RB Derrick Henry had 106 yards rushing with two rushing TDs, and QB Lamar Jackson had three TD passes with two to WR Zay Flowers. QB Bo Nix had zero TD passes with an interception but caught a TD pass by WR Courtland Sutton.

Cardinals 29-9 over the Bears: The Bears offense looked bad again as they had zero TDs with a fumble and they allowed a safety. Arizona had three rushing TDs with two coming from backup running backs and the other by a TE.

Lions 24-14 over the Packers: QB Jared Goff had only 1TD pass and RB Jahmyr Gibbs had a rushing TD for the Lions. QB Jordan Love had three fumbles and an interception which was returned for a TD with no TD passes. The only TD for Green Bay came towards the end of the game with a two-point conversion.

Eagles 28-23 over the Jaguars: The Eagles were up 22-0 early in the 3rd quarter and never looked back. QB Jalen Hurts had two passing TDs plus a rushing TD, and RB Saquon Barkley had a rushing TD and a receiving TD. QB Trevor Lawrence had zero TD passes with two interceptions but had two rushing TDs late.

Rams 26-20 over the Seahawks (OT):  QB Matthew Stafford threw the game winning TD in overtime to seal the victory over their divisional rival his second TD of the game. QB Geno Smith did have three TD passes for Seattle but he threw three interceptions but one was returned for a 103 yard return TD.

Vikings 21-13 over the Colts: The Colts were up 7-0 entering half time due to them recovering a fumble for a TD but then were outscored 21-6 to lose. QB Sam Darnold threw three TD passes for Minnesota. Three field goals were missed combined between both teams.

Chiefs 30-24 over the Buccaneers(OT): RB Kareem Hunt scored the game winning TD in overtime after the Buccaneers tied the game on a TD pass by QB Baker Mayfield, his second of the game. QB Patrick Mahomes had three TD passes with two to WR DeAndre Hopkins. The Chiefs are the 3rd team in NFL history with seven comeback wins in the 1st eight games of a season.  

Bye Week: Steelers & 49ers


Thursday, October 31, 2024

NFL Predictions Week 9 2024:


 Texans over Jets:

Commanders over Giants:

Falcons over Cowboys:

Bills over Dolphins:

Bengals over Raiders:

Chargers over Browns:

Patriots over Titans:

Saints over Panthers:

Ravens over Broncos:

Eagles over Jaguars:

Cardinals over Bears:

Packers over Lions:

Rams over Seahawks:

Vikings over Colts:

Chiefs over Buccaneers:


Tuesday, October 29, 2024

NFL Recap Week 8 2024:

 

Rams 30-20 over the Vikings: The Rams sealed the game up with a controversial sack of QB Sam Darnold to end it. QB Matthew Stafford had four TD passes with one going to WR Cooper Kupp who came back from injury. QB Sam Darnold had two TD passes for Minnesota.


Eagles 37-17 over the Bengals: QB Jalen Hurts had one passing TD and had three rushing TDs. The Bengals had three fumbles, a missed field goal and an interception.  RB Chase Brown did have a rushing TD for the Bengals.

Browns 29-24 over the Ravens: QB Jameis Winston threw the game winning TD for the Browns with seconds left to beat their divisional rival. Winston had three total TD passes. QB Lamar Jackson had two TD passes and RB Derrick Henry had one rushing TD.

Lions 52-14 over the Titans: The Lions were great in all aspects of the game: They had a 90 yard punt return TD, forced three fumbles and picked off QB Mason Rudolph twice. QB Jared Goff had three passing TDs. Both of his RBs had rushing TDs and RB David Montgomery who had one of the rushing TDS threw a passing TD.

Cardinals 28-27 over the Dolphins: The Cardinals ruined Tua Tagovailoa’s return by winning on a field goal as time expired. RB Raheem Mostert had two rushing TDs for Miami and Tagovailoa did have one TD pass but the team had four fumbles.  QB Kyler Murray had two passing TDs and RB James Connor had a rushing TD.

Patriots 25-22 over the Jets: RB Rhamondre Stevenson scored his second rushing TD of the game as time expired to beat their divisional rival. The Jets had two fumbles and missed a field goal plus an extra point. QB Aaron Rodgers did have two passing TDs while Rookie QB Drake Maye had no passing TDs but one rushing TD.

Falcons 31-26 over the Buccaneers: QB Kirk Cousins outplayed QB Baker Mayfield with four passing TDs compared to three TD passes but two interceptions.

Packers 30-27 over the Jaguars: Veteran kicker Brandon McManus did it again, hitting another game- winning TD as time expired for the second straight week to seal victory for the Packers. RB Josh Jacobs ran all over the Jaguars for rushing TDs and 127 yards rushing. McManus accounted for twelve of their points. QB Trevor Lawrence did have two passing TDs with a rushing TD but had a fumble plus an interception.

Texans 23-20 over the Colts: RB Jonathan Taylor was back from injury to score the go-ahead rushing TD in the 4th quarter in this divisional matchup. Both QBs had one passing TD and RB Joe Mixon also had a rushing TD for Houston. It was really about the kickers as the Colts kicker accounted for eight points and for Houston for eleven of their points.

Bills 31-10 over the Seahawks: RB James Cook had two rushing TDs and QB Josh Allen had two passing TDs for the Bills. Seattle had three fumbles and QB Geno Smith had one of them plus an interception. Their only TD was a late 4th quarter rushing TD.

Chargers 26-8 over the Saints: QB Justin Herbert had two passing TDs and RB JK Dobbins had one rushing TD. The Saints did have a lead to start on a sack but that was the only time.

Broncos 28-14 over the Panthers: Rookie Bo Nix out played his counterpart by having three passing TDs and a rushing TD compared to sophomore QB Bryce Young having two TD passes but had two interceptions.

Chiefs 27-20 over the Raiders: Both QBs had two passing TDs with one turnover but the difference was the rushing TD Kansas City got from RB Kareem Hunt in this divisional matchup.

Commanders18-15 over the Bears: This was supposed to be a showdown between the first and second overall picks in this year’s draft at QB but it was more about a kicker and running back. Austin Siebert accounted for 12 of Washington’s points despite missing a field goal. RB D’Andre Swift had over 129 yards rushing with a rushing TD for the Bears plus their backup also had a rushing TD. QB Jayden Daniels who had one TD pass, which was a Hail-Mary attempt with no time left on the clock to win the game compared to none by QB Caleb Williams.

49ers 30-24 over the Cowboys: The 49ers were down 10-6 entering halftime and woke up in the 3rd quarter with three TDs and never looked back. QB Brock Purdy had one passing and one rushing TD plus the 3rd string RB had a rushing TD. For Dallas QB Dak Prescott had two passing TDs but two interceptions and RB Ezikeil Elliott had a rushing TD. Both team’s kickers were great as the 49ers on their 3rd kicker accounted for twelve of their points.

Steelers 26-18 over the Giants: It was all about the kickers as Steelers got fourteen of their points from theirs and for the Giants twelve. It was all field goals until in the 3rd quarter the Steelers got a 73 yard punt return TD. QB Russell Wilson only had one TD pass but it held up as QB Daniel Jones had zero TD passes with two turnovers.


Thursday, October 24, 2024

2024 MLB World Series Predictions:


 Yankees VS Dodgers: Yankees in six games.

2024 NFL Week 8 Predictions:

 

Vikings over Rams:

Eagles over Bengals:

Ravens over Browns:

Lions over Titans:

Cardinals over Dolphins:

Jets over Patriots:

Falcons over Buccaneers:

Packers over Jaguars:

Texans over Colts:

Chargers over Saints:

Bills over Seahawks:

Broncos over Panthers:

Chiefs over Raiders:

Bears over Commanders:

49ers over Cowboys:

Steelers over Giants:

Wednesday, October 23, 2024

2024 NFL Recap Week 7:

 

Broncos 33-10 over the Saints: RB Javonte Williams had two rushing TDs and kicker Will Lutz accounted for 15 of their total points. Denver’s defense also recovered a fumble for a TD. The only TD for New Orleans was by their 3rd string QB late in the 4th quarter.

 Jaguars 32-16 over the Patriots: Jacksonville had a 98 yard punt return TD and RB Tank Bisby ran all over the New England defense for 118 yards with two rushing TDs. The Patriots did score first but then didn’t score again till the 4th quarter.

Eagles 28-3 over the Giants: The Eagles held the Giants to 99 yards passing and 76 yards rushing with only a field goal with three fumbles. Saquon Barkley ran all over the Giants for 176 yards with a rushing TD and QB Jalen Hurts had two rushing TDs with a passing TD.

Seahawks 34-14 over the Falcons: RB Kenneth Walker had a rushing TD and had a receiving TD. QB Kirk Cousins had two interceptions and a fumble plus their kicker missed a field goal.

Bills 34-10 over the Titans: The trade for WR Amari Cooper worked out right away when he caught one of QB Josh Allen’s two passing TDs. Buffalo also had two rushing TDs. Backup QB Mason Rudolph did his best with one TD pass but had an interception and three of his team’s four fumbles.

Bengals 21-14 over the Browns: The Bengals led the whole game and the Browns lost their QB Deshaun Watson to an Achilles injury probably ending his season. QB Joe Burrow did throw two TD passes while the two backup QBs for Cleveland combined for one TD pass with two interceptions.  RB Nick Chubb did have a rushing TD in his return from injury. The Bengals did open the game with a 100 yard kickoff return TD.

Packers 24-22 over the Texans: Newly signed kicker Brandon McManus hit the game winning field goal as time expired for Green Bay. QB Jordan Love had three passing TDs but two interceptions. RB Joe Mixon had two rushing TDs for Houston.

Colts 16-10 over the Dolphins: Miami led 10-3 at halftime but would lose that lead in the second half. The Colts kicker Matt Gay accounted for 10 of their points and their 3rd string RB had a rushing TD.

Lions 31-29 over the Vikings: The Lions hit a game winning field goal as time expired to win this divisional matchup. QB Jared Goff had two passing TDs and Jahmyr Gibbs had two rushing TDs. QB Sam Darnold had one passing TD and RB Aaron Jones had one rushing TD. The Vikings defense recovered a fumble and returned it for a TD.

Commanders 40-7 over the Panthers: Washington forced a fumble and two interceptions returning one for a TD. Rookie QB Jayden Daniels left the game with a ribs injury so backup QB Marcus Mariota had two passing TDs and RB Brian Robinson had a rushing TD. Their kicker accounted for 16 of their points.

Rams 20-15 over the RaidersThe Rams defense returned a fumble for a TD and picked off QB Gardner Minshew three times. RB Kyren Williams had two rushing TDs for the Rams. Las Vegas is lucky their kicker was there as he got all of their points.

Chiefs 28-18 over the 49ers: QB Patrick Mahomes had two passing TDs and a rushing TD, plus Kareem Hunt had two rushing TDs with WR Mecole Hardman having a rushing TD. QB Brock Purdy had zero TD passes with three interceptions but had two rushing TDs.

Steelers 37-15 over the Jets: The Jets led at halftime but never led again. QB Russell Wilson had two passing TDs and a rushing TD, while his RB Najee Harris had over 100 yards rushing with a rushing TD. The Jets had two fumbles, a missed field goal and QB Aaron Rodgers had two interceptions.

Ravens 41-31 over the BuccaneersQB Lamar Jackson had five TD passes and RB Derrick Henry had 169 yards rushing for Baltimore. QB Baker Mayfield did have three TD passes but threw two interceptions.

Cardinals 17-15 over the Chargers: The Cardinals hit the game winning field goal as time expired. QB Kyler Murray threw one TD pass and ran one in for a TD. Cameron Dicker accounted for all fifteen of their points.

Bye Week: Cowboys & Bears


Monday, October 21, 2024

2024-2025 NBA Standings, Awards & Playoffs Predictions:

 

East:

1. Celtics

2. Knicks

3. 76ers

4. Bucks

5. Magic

6. Cavaliers

7. Pacers

8. Heat 

9. Hawks

10. Bulls

11. Raptors

12. Hornets

13. Nets

14. Pistons

15. Wizards

West

1. Thunder

2. Nuggets

3. Mavericks 

4. Timberwolves 

5. Suns

6. Pelicans 

7. Lakers

8. Kings

9. Grizzlies 

10. Warriors

11. Jazz

12. Spurs

13. Clippers

14. Rockets

15. Trail Blazers

Playoffs:

East:

1st Round:

#1 Celtics VS #8 Heat: Celtics win

#2 Knicks VS #7 Pacers: Knicks win

#3 76ers VS #6 Cavaliers: 76ers win

#4 Bucks Vs #5 Magic: Magic win

Conference Semifinals:

#1 Celtics Vs #5 Magic: Celtics win

#2 Knicks Vs #3 76ers: Knicks win

Conference Finals:

#1 Celtics VS #2 Knicks: Knicks 

West

1st Round:

#1 Thunder VS #8 Kings: Thunder win

#2 Nuggets VS #7 Lakers: Nuggets win

#3 Mavericks VS #6 Pelicans: Mavericks win

#4 Timberwolves VS #5 Suns: Suns win

Conference Semifinals:

#1 Thunder VS #5 Suns: Thunder win

#2 Nuggets VS #3 Mavericks: Mavericks win

Conference Finals:

#1 Thunder VS #3 Mavericks: Thunder win

NBA Finals:

#2 Knicks VS #1 Thunder: Knicks win 

Awards:

MVP: PG Jalen Brunson Knicks; PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Thunder & C Paolo Banchero Magic 

Defensive Player of the Year: G Derrick White Celtics; C Jarrett Alen Cavaliers & G Alex Caruso Thunder 

Rookie of the Year: C Zach Edey Grizzlies; F Zaccharie Risacher Hawks & F Matas Buzelis Bulls

Sixth Man of the Year: G Donte DiVincenzo Timberwolves; G Eric Gordon 76ers & G Malik Monk Kings

Most Improved Player: C Paolo Banchero Magic; Josh Giddey Bulls & Scottie Barnes Raptors

Coach of the Year: Jamahl Mosley Magic; Tom Thibodeau Knicks & Willie Green Pelicans

Executive of the Year: Gersson Rosas Knicks; Monte McNair Kings & Sam Presti Thunder 

2024-2025 NBA Preview:

 


Central

The Bucks season did not go how anyone expected it to go due to the coaching situation, injuries and losing in the first round. They will have a full season of Doc Rivers as head coach and hopefully a healthy season of PG Damian Lillard, SF Khris Middleton and PF Giannis Antetokounmpo. They still have C Brooke Lopez, G Pat Connaughton and added the likes of guards Gary Trent Jr, Delon Wright and F Taurean Prince to complement the stars as this is their division to lose, the conference is another story. 

The Cavaliers did make it out of the first round which is an improvement for a middle tier-playoff team but it wasn’t good enough apparently so they fired their head coach JB Bickerstaff , so Kenny Atkinson is in. They also didn’t trade any of their core players like it was rumored as they re-signed G Donovan Mitchell, C Jarrett Allen, PF Evan Mobley and SF Isaac Okoro to keep them alongside PG Darius Garland and G Max Strus. They also still have G Caris LeVert off the bench, but again the question will be how far can Mitchell take this team when healthy/can he and Garland work together long term? 

The Pacers have a very talented offensive team but can they stop anyone on defense which was the issue last season and could be the same issue this season. Head coach Rick Carlisle still has All-Star PG Tyrese Hailburton leading the team and they even re-signed key trade-deadline acquisition PF Pascal Siakam to a long-term deal which will make them a deadly 1-2 punch. They also still have center Myles Turner and off the bench they re-signed G TJ McConnell, F Obi Toppin and signed C James Wisemen. Hopefully their defense improves but they still do not have starting wing players so the hope is don’t have to be a play in team but got to the Eastern Conference Finals which surprised many teams. 

The Bulls need to stop being a lower level seeded-team/play in team which is why they need to trade G Zach Lavine, Lonzo Ball, and C Nikola Vucevic due to their inability to play defense or stay healthy, since they traded away two of their best players already. Out is G Alex Caruso their best defender, and SF DeMar DeRozan their best player plus let C Andre Drummond leave in free agency. The rebuild needs to start so they can have a top 5 pick or have a better chance in the lottery so play the young kids. Let PG Josh Giddey who came in the Caruso trade and SG Chris Duarte who came in the DeRozan play as many minutes possible with their own guys Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu over Lavine/Jevon Carter/Torrey Craig. They also made two bad financial moves by resigning draft-bust Patrick Williams who can’t stay healthy/is a tweener and paid C Jalen Smith starting money when he is an ok backup, when they should play first round pick Matas Buzelis and re-signed Drummond. 

The Pistons kind of forced a good head coach to come there when he didn’t really want to and then it was a historically bad season (17 wins total) so they fired him but are still paying him for years. They hired recently fired Cavs head coach JB Bickerstaff in hopes it will turn around but this owner needs to be patient. Their best player G Cade Cunninghamhas to be healthy first, their young players need to develop and gel together in G Jaden Ivey, F Ausar Thompson and C Jalen Duren. They also added some veterans which will help in the development by getting guards Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr and F Tobias Harris. Detroit fans, your ownership/front office need to be patient because you cannot keep drafting players in the lottery and rush their development then cut them. 

Atlantic: Well it finally happened the Jayson Tatum-Jalen Brown duo finally won the NBA Championship for the Celtics. President of basketball operations Brad Stevens tuned out the outside noise to keep them together, getting Kristpas Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and bringing back Al Horford, all of those moves were made by him. All of them were key in helping their duo reach the pinnacle finally and even locked up their core like Tatum and White this offseason. It is very hard to repeat in any sport and it will be hard due to the fact their core players have always had health concerns so their depth will be an issue outside of Payton Pritchard

The Knicks lost a very close series in the semifinals and took that to heart to get much better as they made two crucial trades. They traded a bunch of draft picks to get F Mikal Bridges and then traded away PF Julius Randle/Donte DiVincenzo to Minnesota for Karl Anthony Towns. More importantly they locked up PG Jalen Brunson for less than he could have got and re-signed OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa. They also still have Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson as part of their defensive core.  They did lose Alec Burks, Isaiah Hartenstein, Shake Milton and Bojan Bogdanovic. Will head coach Tom Thibodeau stop over using his key players and how far will they get in the playoffs with new front court players in Kat and Bridges gelling with Brunson. 

The 76ers will only go as far C Joel Embiid(contract extension) takes them so step one this season is no back to back games since he never is healthy in the course of a regular season/post season run and were eliminated in the first round. They did lose key role players in Tobias Harris, Nicolas Batum, Buddy Hield, Mo Bamba and De’Anthony Melton in the offseason. To help Embiid/PG Tyrese Maxey(contract extension) they added SF Paul George who will not be asked to be the third option and not the first or second. They also added guards Caleb Martin, Reggie Jackson, C Andre Drummond, G Eric Gordon and re-signed F Kelly Oubre Jr, PG Kyle Lowry and F KJ Martin to make a good core of role players. 

The Nets are and should be in full rebuild mode now that they traded their best player Bridges for so many draft picks and should play all the young players. Those young players are guards Cam Thomas, Cameron Johnson, F Dorian Finney-Smith and C Nic Claxton who they re-signed. They also brought in Bojan Bogdanovic for another run with G Shake Milton, F Ziaire Williams and have PG Dennis Schroder still. Their biggest question mark will Ben Simmons ever be healthy enough to play any games no matter if it is as a PG or a center. 

The Raptors have a nice team of tall, athletic and long players like their best player F Scottie Barnes who they extended. They did lose two key role players in Gary Trent/Jalen McDaniels but got guards Davion Mitchell and drafted Ja’Kobe Walter. They have some nice role players in C Jakob Poltl, F Kelly Olynyk, guards Bruce Brown, Immanuel Quickley and hope last season’s trade pickup G RJ Barrett continues to grow and last year’s first round pick G Gradey Dick does the same.

Southeast: The Magic took a huge step by being the #5 seed and took Cleveland to seven games in the 1st round. That success can be tied to head coach Jamahl Mosley and Paolo Banchero being an All-Star. They have a good core of young players in the Wagner brothers(Franz and Moritz who both signed extensions), guards Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony, centers Jonathan Isaac and Wendell Carter Jr. They also brought in veterans F Kentavious Caldwell Pope, G Cory Joseph and kept G Gary Harris to have some veteran leadership. 

The Heat definitely didn’t have the season they expect to have every season losing in the first round/being a play in team. They have “Heat Culture” where they take late 1st round/2nd round/undrafted players and churn them out to be useful role players but this team will only go as far as F Jimmy Butler takes them and he missed lots of time due to injury. Their core of Butler, C Bam Adebayo, G Tyler Herro, F Nikola Jovic, guards Terry Rozier, Josh Richardson, Duncan Robinson, Alec Burks, F Jaime Jaquez, F Kevin Love and C Thomas Bryant makeup a playoff caliber team. While Butler was out with injury this conference got better but their own divisional rival got better so the culture might not help them get far.

The Hawks realized the trade for DeJounte Murray, a PG to play alongside PG Trae Young, didn’t work out so they traded him away. They also lost Saddiq Bey to the Wizards but by having the #1 pick F Zaccharie Risacher who looks like a starting 3&D player he should be their starting SF to help out De’Andre Hunter. They have a nice front court of C Clint Capela, F Jalen Johnson and got F Larry Nance in the trade plus have C Cody Zeller and C Onyeka Okongwu. You almost forget they still have guards Bogdan Bogdanovic and Dyson Daniels who also came in trade in the backcourt. This team will only go as far as Young takes them so health and leadership/ability to make others better will be key if not he could also find himself out of Atlanta. 

The Hornets will only go as far PG LaMelo Ball takes them since he has not been healthy for years now but at least he has two good players to play alongside him in forwards Brandon Miller and Miles Bridges who is back officially with a contract extension. They added some nice role players in G Seth Curry at the deadline last year(who they re-signed), G Josh Green, F Taj Gibson and still have guards Grant Williams, Cody Martin and Tre Mann. They even hired a new head coach in Charles Lee(who was an assistant with the Bucks & the Celtics) so they hope he can mold this young team going forward. 

The Wizards still have G Jordan Poole and F Kyle Kuzma who both need the ball to succeed and will again be on a bottom tier team together. They did add veterans PG Malcom Brogdon, SF Saddiq Bey and C Jonas Valanciunas to solidify those positions. They drafted a big man in Alex Sarr with the second pick, a point guard and a wing player in hopes they can be building blocks for the future. Also kept their interim head coach to be their full time head coach in Brian Keefe to lead this rebuild. Maybe they will trade F Richaun Holmes, C Marvin Bagley and the other veterans to keep the rebuild going. 

Northwest

Any team that has C Nikola Jokic a three time MVP, PG Jamal Murray, F Aaron Gordon and SF Michael Porter Jr always has a chance to be a top seed in the West and maybe even win it again. The Nuggets again lost a key role player in back to back off seasons, this time it was Kentavious Caldwell Pope, plus Reggie Jackson. They did bring in PG Russell Westbrook and F Dario Saric, but their depth will be an issue again for head coach Mike Malone

The Thunder jumped up to being the top seed with All-Star PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander leading the way. They only got better by adding G Alex Caruso and C Isaiah Hartenstein to provide more defense and veteran leadership. Their young core still has G Luguentz Dort, F Jalen Williams, C Chet Holmgren, G Aaron Wiggins and F Jaylin Williams, so expect them to compete for a championship for a while. 

The Timberwolves went to the conference finals last year which was a huge improvement from previous seasons, but they decided to change things up again. They traded their franchise player Karl Anthony Towns for F Julius Randle and G Donte DiVincenzo. They still have PG Mike Conley and big men Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid. They did add F Joe Ingles but also have G Nickeil Alexander-Walker for the bench. Head coach Chris Finch and All-Star G Anthony Edwards will have a lot of work to figure out how things will jell without Towns. 

Well the Jazz did not trade F Lauri Markkanen like many thought, so they extended him. Their core isn’t that bad since it has guards Jordan Clarkson, Colin Sexton, F John Collins and C Walker Kessler plus G Patty Mills. They also drafted three players in the draft so they have more depth. 

Things didn’t go so well last season for the Trailblazers having the worst record in the West, but what do you expect from a rebuilding team? It will be another long season for head coach Chauncy Billups and his core players like guards Scoot Henderson, Anfernee Simons, F Jerami Grant, C Deandre Ayton, guards Matisse Thybulle and Shaedon Sharpe. They biggest additions were getting F Deni Avdija, a really good defender and facilitator, and drafted a rim protecting center with the 7th pick in Donovan Clingan because they do not know when C Robert Williams will play. 

Pacific

The Suns will always be talented but will they play enough games together for their big 3 of F Kevin Durant, guards Bradley Beal and Devin Booker? This team did get better by getting PG Tyus Jones so they have a real point guard and added G Monte Morris, C Mason Plumlee and re-signed C Bol Bol, guards Royce O’Neale and Damion Lee. Their defense will be anchored by G Grayson Allen and C Jusuf Nurkic. They fired their head coach Frank Vogel in favor of Mike Budenholzer so we will see if that changes anything. 

The Kings will be better than a play- in seed by adding F DeMar DeRozan, guard Jordan McLaughlin plus re-signed G Malik Monk. Their core of PG De’Aaron Fox, F Keegan Murray, G Kevin Huerter, F Trey Lyles and C Domantas Sabonis will take them pretty far if you’re adding DeRozan at SF to alleviate the pressure in crunch time. 

The Lakers will keep being a play in team due to not helping out F LeBron James and C Anthony Davis, since they both can’t keep carrying this team to just lose in the first round. There is talent between guards Austin Reeves, D’Angelo Russell, F Rui Hachimura, G Gabe Vincent, F Jarred Vanderbilt, C Jaxson Hayes and C Christian Wood but who will show up when it is needed in the playoffs? They did draft a guard in the first round who might contribute but the headlines were they drafted Lebron’s son Bronny in the second round plus hired former guard JJ Reddick to coach with no experience. 

The Clippers are again a team full of good role players who are doing their best to keep them afloat until their two stars are healthy but guess what? Paul George has left and they have no idea when F Kawhi Leonard will be back. Head coach Tyron Lue has his work cut out for him since they also lost Russell Westbrook, Mason Plumlee and Daniel Theis too. They still have G James Harden, C Ivica Zubac both of whom were re-signed, F Nicolas Batum, F Derrick Jones, guards Kevin Porter, Kris Dunn, C Mo Bamba, guards Terrance Mann, Norman Powell, Amir Coffey, Bones Hyland and F PJ Tucker.  

The Warriors have said goodbye to a franchise stalwart in Klay Thompson leaving just G Steph Curry and F Draymond Green for head coach Steve Kerr. Chris Paul and Dario Saric are out as well but in are G Buddy Hield, F Kyle Anderson and G De’Anthony Melton. They hope to keep getting more out of F Jonathan Kuminga, G Brandin Podziemski and F Moses Moody. The rest of their team is still F Andrew Wiggins, C Kevon Looney and G Gary Payton anchoring their defense with Green. 

Southwest:  

The Mavericks got to the finals but were definitely out matched by the Celtics who played as a team. The issue with the Mavericks and something that head coach Jason Kidd has to worry about is you cannot win relying on two players to keep taking turns scoring, in guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. They also do not play any defense which puts lots of pressure on the front court in Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively PJ Washington and Maxi Kleber. They also added Klay Thompson to be their starting small forward to shoot three’s and play defense. Their bench has G Spencer Dinwiddie, forwards Dwight Powell, Markieff Morris and G Quentin Grimes

The Pelicans core of forwards Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram will always make people wonder if they will stay healthy enough to live up to the team’s potential. G CJ McCollum is a good leader on this team and they finally have a real PG in DeJounte Murray who they traded for pushing Jose Alvarado to the bench. The biggest issue is they do not have a center with Valanciunas and Larry Nance gone, they are turning to Herb Jones to be their center which is odd. They also added C Daniel Theis to help F Trey Murphy off the bench. 

Head coach Taylor Jenkins has his work cut out for him trying to get back to the playoffs and it will start for the Grizzlies if PG JA Morant is healthy and not having off the court issues. They re-signed G Luke Kennard; still have guards Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart, F Brandon Clarke and G Scottie Pippen Jr. Another big thing will be if F Jaren Jackson Jr. is healthy who was a defensive player of the year award winner, and they drafted Zach Edey with the 9th pick to shore up the frontcourt. 

Well Greg Popovich is going to keep guiding rookie of the year C Victor Wenbanyama for the Spurs and this time he will get help from PG Chris Paul and SF Harrison Barnes for veteran leadership. Their role players are improving in F Jeremy Sochan, guards Devin Vassell, Tre Jones and C Zach Collins, plus they drafted Stephon Castle a guard with the 5th pick. 

This will be year two of Ime Udoka coaching the Rockets and it is going to be hard again being in the West and being in this division as well. Their core is C Alperen Sengun, F Jabari Smith, G Jalen Green and F Amen Thompson, plus this year’s 1st round pick Reed Sheppard. They also have some veterans guards Fred Van Fleet, Dillon Brooks, Aaron Holliday, C Steven Adams and F Jeff Green they could trade.