WEEK 16 PREVIEWS

BY SIN BLITZERS

CIN AT MIA : This game was originally scheduled to be the Sunday night game, but now neither team has nothing to play for other than pride. Both teams were in the headlines for their Quarterback, Joe Burrow made some comments about his playing future, which is something the Bengals should take seriously. The Dolphins on the other hand are making a change at the position, Tua Tagovailoa has been benched (and demoted to third string) for Quinn Ewers. Both teams are coming off bad losses, but the pressure is on Ewers to show something over this last three games of the season. 

TB AT CAR : High stakes game in Carolina as the Panthers and Bucs play for first place in the NFC South. Both teams are coming off of losses to the other two teams in the division, Tampa blew a 14 point lead against the Falcons, while the Panthers fell at the Saints. The Bucs have gotten healthy on offense, and they need Baker Mayfield to show us the Baker in the first half of the season. These two teams will also play in week 18, but whoever wins this one has the inside edge. 

Dallas vs LAC: The Dallas Cowboys will face off against the Chargers this Sunday in which Dallas could still be alive for the playoffs (if the Eagles Lose Out) but, will try to play the part of the Grinch by handing the Chargers a loss they can ill to afford. Watch for Dallas to pull no punches this game. The Offense doesn’t have much to prove anymore we all know how good it can be. I would like to see some more George Pickens action, feels like he has faded the past few weeks. This will be Ebberflus’s game to prove why he needs to stay (I think so) even though the Defense is one of the worse. Look for a lot of blitz packages and different moves trying to frazzle Justin Herbert with that fractured hand, and a banged up Offensive line. This won’t be a romping by any means but look for a close game with a win by either team by no more than 3 points.

JAX AT DEN : This should be a fun one, two of the best in the AFC go at it in Mile High. Trevor Lawrence is coming off of his best game as a pro, but now faces a stingy Bronco defense. The Broncos are flying on all cylinders right now and are right at the top of the conference. The Broncos offense has plenty of weapons, so the Jags defense will be the story of this game. Lawrence cannot turn the ball over and put his defense in short field situations. 

Det vs Pittsburgh: Whichever team loses can possibly be out of the playoffs. Aaron Rodgers and Jared Goff both know what this game means. The Lions offense is a Super Bowl offense but this defensive secondary better sure up or the Lions who were SB favorites could be home sipping on warm cider watching the other NFC North teams. The Steelers are NOT a playoff team by any means in my opinion. Mike Tomlin might see his time cut short here if they don’t make the playoffs and it would be a long run at being in the playoffs for Tomlin come to an end. Rodgers still can sling the ball and he knows how bad the secondary is and that’s the matchup for this battle. Rodgers has always played well against the Lions with 54 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, with a 105.1 passer rating.

NE AT BAL : The Patriots and Ravens have had some classic battles in the past, and this game is big for both. The Patriots are looking to remain atop the AFC East, while the Ravens look to remain alive for a playoff spot. The Patriots are facing adversity for the first time, they blew a 21 point lead to the Bills last week, and look to remain where they have been for a long time. The Ravens also have had battles against Mike Vrabel’s Titans, which had Derrick Henry who needs to be a big factor for the Ravens.

KNICKS WIN THE CUP

BY MARK HALPERN

 

The New York Knicks made a statement by beating the San Antonio Spurs 124-113 to win the NBA Cup. Winning the Cup doesn’t mean you’re the winners of the entire season but, more of a half way point of showing who will be contenders come playoff time. This is the first time the Knicks have won the Cup since its inception and if anyone is wondering the Organization has said “It will not raise a banner for this occasion.” I understand and we could see one raised at the end of the season. The Knicks have not raised the banner since 1973.

    The Knicks were led by the usual suspects. Brunson had 25 points and 8 assists; KAT 16 points and 11 rebounds and OG Anunoby had a game high 28 points and 9 rebounds and 3 steals. OG’s Defense has been a huge addition this season and we hope to see it get better as the season goes on.  I thought the loss of Miles McBride before the final was a huge blow to this Knicks bench and morale. But, veteran Jordan Clarkson who was a big pickup before the season and has proven to be a stellar asset and had a huge impact off the bench with 15 points in 27 minutes.

      This team has proven to be stronger and more of a unit this season. Mike Brown has got this team working on all cylinders as he involves a lot of bench players when Thibodeau was reluctant to use more than just the core. Brown is not playing the stars 40 minutes a night, and is doing a good job of keeping guys fresh. This was more than just a win, it was putting the NBA on notice that the Knicks are a contender for the Championship.

BENCHED 

BY MIKE RIFKIN

The Miami Dolphins have announced that they are benching Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and will start rookie seventh round pick Quinn Ewers Sunday against the Bengals. In his press conference on Tuesday head coach Mike McDaniel said “everything was on the table” when talking about this subject. 

It’s been a tough year in Miami for Tagovailoa. The former fifth overall pick leads the NFL with 15 interceptions. In Monday’s loss against the Steelers Tagovailoa was 22-28 for 253 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Don’t be fooled by the statline though most of those numbers came with the game out of reach. Even during Miami’s recent four game winning streak, they weren’t winning because of quarterback play.

What really makes this decision interesting is the money aspect. Now the job belongs to Ewers. Tagovailoa is guaranteed 54 million dollars in 2026. If the Dolphins cut Tagovailoa it will be costly, they’ll have to post it after June first cut and the dead cap will be a record of 99.2 million dollars. The Dolphins could spread that out as 67.4 million in 2026 and 31.8 million in 2027, it’s similar to what the Broncos did with Russell Wilson. Now if they trade Tagovailoa before June first it’d be 45.2 million in dead cap. They could also pay down the contract in order to make a trade. 

The Dolphins are already in the market for a new GM after firing Chris Grier and now with Tua being benched, we’ll have to see what the future holds for Mike McDaniel. Now is actually the perfect time for this if you’re the Dolphins, because of the state of the AFC East. The Bills are still the standard bearer and the Patriots retooled quicker than anyone thought. The Jets are still in rebuild mode, but have a lot of draft capital, so for the Dolphins we’ll have to see what’s next? But Quinn Ewers will get starts against the Bengals, Bucs, and Patriots to prove himself.

DEVASTATING

BY MIKE RIFKIN

The Kansas City Chiefs must have made Santa’s naughty list, because Sunday was an awful day for the franchise. First, the team lost to the Chargers by a score of 16-13 and with that and other results not going their way the Chiefs have been eliminated from playoff contention, the first time they have missed the playoffs in a decade. The Chiefs have represented the AFC in five of the last six Super Bowls. But to make matters worse late in the game, Patrick Mahomes got tackled and immediately grabbed his knee and had to be helped off the field. Sunday night it was confirmed that Mahomes tore his ACL and is done for the season, and we’ll have to see what happens as to what comes next season for the Chiefs?

2024 the Chiefs won every close game imaginable, they didn’t have that same luck this season. And now with Mahomes out and the Chiefs season being over, can we just take a minute to appreciate the special run this team went on. 10 consecutive trips to the Playoffs, five Super Bowl appearances, and three Super Bowl wins. This run has solidified the resumes of Andy Reid, Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, and Steve Spagnuolo as Hall Of Famers. 

So, now that the Chiefs are eliminated what will come next? Let’s be honest they really can’t run it back again, this team had a lot of flaws and Mahomes’ magic was able to disguise a lot of it. But first thing they have to do is they cannot rush Mahomes back. Allow him to take his time in recovery and make sure he is 100% when ready to return. Next would be what happens with Travis Kelce? Is he retiring or coming back? Kelce has not had the best season of his Hall Of Fame career, Kelce will be 37 during next season, would he want to go through another season? 

One thing GM Brett Veach will have to do is create cap space, as the Chiefs right now are in the negative. Sunday was a devastating day for the Chiefs franchise, but Mahomes will be back and when he returns the Chiefs will be a team in the conversation again. But this offseason might be a wakeup call and time for some things to change.

WEEK 15

BY SIN BLITZERS

Ravens @ Bengals  By Bill Murphy 

Last week , the Bengals lost to the Buffalo Bills, by a score of 39-34. Joe Burrow went 25/36 for 284 yards and four touchdowns.  Chase Brown had for 12 carries 23 yards and a touchdown. Tee Higgins had six receptions for 92 yards and  two touchdowns, Mike Gesicki had six receptions for 86 yards  and a touchdown.  The Bengals , now face off against the Baltimore Ravens in a week 13 rematch in which the Bengals won 32-14.  The Ravens are coming off of a  27-22 loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers . Lamar Jackson went 19-35  for 219 yards and a touchdown. Lamar added 43 yards on seven carries and a touchdown. Isiah Likely went for 25 yards and one touchdown (although he should’ve had two) 

Keys to the game 

Ravens 

Offense 

Lamar Jackson 

La’marr Jackson has a perfect 4-0 record against the Bengals. Jackson  has five consecutive games where he has two touchdowns . The Bengals offense has scored over 24 points in four straight games . Jackson can take advantage of this awful Bengals defense that surrenders a lot of points.

Defense 

Kyle Hamilton

Kyle Hamilton this year has 79 total tackles 43 solo, 36 asst , one sack and two forced fumbles.  Hamilton can slow down both Burrow and Chase , he can be a big help to this teams defense 

Bengals 

Offense 

Joe Burrow 

Since Burrow has recovered from his injury , he has thrown for a combined 545 yards  and six touchdowns.  Burrow needs to hit Ja’marr Chase, because Tee Higgins will be out. The Raven defense has struggled in the secondary all season.

Defense 

Pass defense 

Yes , the pass defense has been terrible for the Bengals , but two weeks ago against this ravens Team , they held them to only 14 points and three turnovers from Lamar Jackson . It was five turnovers in total . If the Bengals can do it again, they might put a dagger in the Ravens playoff hopes.

Prediction 

Ravens 27 Bengals 24 

BUF AT NE : The Bills and Patriots will meet for the second time this season. The Pats will look for a season sweep and an AFC East title in Mike Vrabel’s first season. In the first meeting the Patriots held James Cook to 49 yards rushing, if they can do that again they will win the division. For the Bills it’s all about someone on the outside stepping up, in the first meeting against New England it was Dalton Kincaid, who went for over 100 yards, Kincaid returned from injury last week and found the Endzone, He could be a big piece for Josh Allen.

IND AT SEA : Nobody in football is in a worse spot than the Colts, they’ve lost three in a row and four out of five, and now they either have to start Riley Leonard or Philip Rivers, who they signed this week after Daniel Jones tore his Achilles. Not only that but they have to go to Seattle, where the Seahawks defense has been dominant. Indy needs to win the line of scrimmage to win or the free fall will continue.

GB AT DEN : Game of the week that features two similar teams. Both possess great defenses and quarterbacks with something to prove. Jordan Love has been awesome the past few weeks, but can he do it against the best defense in the league. Can Bo Nix avoid a big Micah Parsons’ game? Whichever QB makes more plays with their legs should win the game.

MIA AT PIT : Massive Monday night game as both teams are playing for their playoff lives. The Dolphins are rolling, having won four straight games. They’ve leaned on the run game and tremendous defense. They’ll play a Steeler team that could make a big play in the AFC North. The Steelers will be without TJ Watt, who suffered a collapsed lung and had successful surgery. Who can keep their playoff hopes alive on Monday?

CHANGING OF THE GUARD

BY MIKE RIFKIN

  Saturday Night will a special night for wrestling fans everywhere. John Cena will wrestle his final match on Saturday Night’s Main Event against Gunther. When people debate who is the greatest of all time, Cena’s name will always come up and he made a massive impact on the wrestling world. And while Saturday night will be special in so many ways, while it’ll be the end of something very special, it’ll also be the beginning and dawning of a new era. 

While Gunther is an established star as a former World Champion, he can get to a higher level with a win, but he’s not the star I am talking about. The star I am talking about Oba Femi, the current NXT Champion will take on current WWE Champion Cody Rhodes on the show. If that match is booked properly with Femi going over, kind of think of Kevin Owens vs John Cena then boom another star could be born. 

So, yes Saturday Night will be special and there will be a ton of emotions this will be a changing of the guard. Yes, Cena will have the spotlight shined on him and rightfully so. But with guys like Gunther, Femi and the vision causing chaos on Raw the WWE will be in good hands. But nobody will ever have the legacy of John Cena.

ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL (No Trumpets)

BY MARK HALPERN

     This off-season the Mets have a number of needs including the outfield and pitching (both starters and bullpen). Edwin Diaz, opted out of his contract to test the market. Diaz, is arguably one of the top 3 closers in Baseball and had become a fan favorite after a rocky first season.  The Mets had made him an off season priority but, Diaz chose the Los Angeles Dodgers for the tune of three years $69 million dollars, whereas the Mets offer was the same three years for $66million “But there was room for more” and ultimately, he chose the Dodgers. 

      Two days earlier the Mets made an interesting move in signing New York Yankees closer Devin Williams to a 3 three year 51-million-dollar contract. This move made Mets fans scratch their heads but it was understood he would be the gateway to Diaz but that is no longer the situation.

    One theory that I have has nothing to do with the financial terms of the contract. I personally think this came down to the decision of chasing a World Series ring before his time is up. I think Diaz believed in going to the Dodgers and playing for a team that has won 2 straight World Series championships and riding the wave with this monster of a team and getting himself a ring. Baseball isn’t the loyalty sport it once was anymore, meaning players go where the money is. Mind you three million dollars isn’t a ton of money (especially to Steve Cohen) but, the Mets have a ton of needs (none more important than signing Pete Alonso) and even though the $$$ isn’t the question it’s about the business of it more today than in the days of yore. Loyalty has gone out the window over the years having fans and some team owners trying to make a salary cap but that will never happen in Baseball. 

     Diaz will be missed and not hearing that Trumpet call before he comes out to close a game out will be one of the major things I will miss.

THE POLAR BEAR HAS GONE EXTINCT IN NY

BY MARK HALPERN

    Over my time as a New York Mets fan, I have come to love a lot of players. Some of them leave via free agency or trade, and it hurts. The Mets are coming off an awful second half of baseball, which ultimately cost them the playoffs. The Bats stopped producing and the pitching was so unreliable that it affected the team morale.

A few of the constants over the last few seasons have been Brandon Nimmo, Edwin Diaz and Pete Alonso. Now all three will not be a part of the 2026 Mets. How do you let Alonso walk? Especially after moving  on from Nimmo and Diaz? According to Stearns the Mets didn’t even get to place a bid because they were reluctant to go more than 3 years. Pete had been saying he wanted a deal between 5-7 years and you couldn’t push it to 4 years with a team option? Pete was the fire that was in this team’s belly and now one of the best Mets position players in team history (who ranked first in so many categories) will be playing in Baltimore. I’m not only devastated but also totally disgusted with the Mets front office for not doing everything it could to keep Pete. I can get behind the Nimmo deal, I might not understand the Diaz deal but I am crushed to say none the least.

   When David Stearns was brought in to be the General Manager of this Dante’s Inferno I was really excited with a few others including people in this Network but, now feel only the burining in my stomach. Right now, the Mets have a ton of holes all over the diamond. The Mets are in a worse position than when they entered this offseason. The Direction of this team has gone lower than the seventh layer of hell. One thing we do know that was reported today is that the Mets have interest in Trevor Megill (another Brewer I’m shocked). Right now as a Met fan it’s sad, and unless Cohen and Stearns have something nobody sees coming, the fans are going to revolt

THE UN-LUCK OF THE IRISH

BY MIKE RIFKIN

On Sunday, the NCAA announced the 12 teams that will compete in the College Football Playoff. One team that didn’t hear their name called was the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Irish have made the CFP three times and as recently as 2024. Notre Dame finished the season 10-2, losing their first two games of the season. Ironically enough the two teams that defeated them Miami and Texas A&M will play each other in the first round of the playoff. Also, let’s not make it out that the Irish were blown out in either game, they lost the two games by a combined four points. The Irish do have some solid victories over USC and Pittsburgh, whom both were in the top 25 at the time of the game. 

James Madison and Tulane are the schools the “experts” will say don’t deserve to be there, but they both won their respective conferences. Tulane even has a win over ACC champion Duke. But the team that shouldn’t be in the playoff is Alabama. Alabama has three losses on the season, which is what Madison and Tulane have combined. Alabama’s three losses were to Florida St (5-7), Oklahoma (10-2), and Georgia (12-1). Now the Georgia loss occurred in the SEC Championship game, Alabama did beat Georgia in the regular season. But the SEC title game was as non competitive as it gets, so my question would be are they counting the conference title games or does it not matter and what Alabama did during the season was enough? 

Now, I am not one who wants the CFP to keep expanding, I don’t think it’s necessary. But are the Irish being penalized because they’re not in a conference, because that’s what it feels like. Where I disagree with Notre Dame is that they should want to play in a bowl game, for those seniors it’s a last chance to wear the jersey to the school they committed to, and for others it could be something to carry over into next season. Two wrongs don’t make a right, but Notre Dame has a right to be upset, and Alabama doesn’t deserve to be there. That’s not what you’ll hear, but it is true.

WHAT A SHAME!

BY MARK HALPERN

   When Daniel Jones signed with the Colts everyone laughed including yours truly. Well, Daniel Jones made a fool of everyone including myself. Jones and the Colts were one of the toasts of the season at 8-4. Today the unfortunate happened to Jones, while throwing for a completion down the field you see Jones go down but it was Non-contact and immediately grab his lower calf/heel area. According to reports it is a torn Achilles for Jones and he will miss the rest of this season and possibly the beginning of next year. Achilles injuries have had major impacts on the quarterback position. Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins among others have suffered the devastating injury. 

    Daniel Jones after being dismissed by the New York Giants had to find a new gig. Jones was offered the backup job to Anthony Richardson and jumped at the opportunity to have a fresh start. Jones beat Richardson to be the Colts starting QB. A lot of people didn’t believe this would be what it would become. Well to shut us all up before the injury Jones has passed for 3,041 yards with a 67.5% completion percentage to go along with 19 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. By far Jones’s most productive season. Jones will sorely be missed on and off the field as he is a leader in the locker room as well. After the injury Jones returned to the sideline in a walking boot and street clothes to be there for his team. Riley Leonard took over at Quarterback and the Colts ended up losing sending them to 8-5 on the year and much uncertainty for the rest of the season.

     The Colts don’t have many options right now however, Anthony Richardson could be able to return by week 16, otherwise it will be Riley Leonard at the helm and the Colts Defense is going to have to step up and keep games close. The Colts schedule is going to be difficult with division games remaining with the Texans and Jags, along with games against the Seahawks and 49ers.