SIN's Blogs

WEEK 10

BY SIN BLITZERS

MIA AT IND : The one win Dolphins travel to Indy to play the Colts. The Dolphins lost last week to the Lions 19-9 Malik Willis will miss this game with a Groin injury, so Kyle McCord will make his first start. The Colts lost a 27-23 heartbreaker to the Cowboys. The Colts have lost five consecutive games entering this one.

KEYS TO THE GAME

DOLPHINS

1) DON’T LET JOHNATHON TAYLOR BEAT YOU : The Colts traded Keenan Allen and Josh Downs at the trade deadline, but kept Taylor. For Jeff Hafley’s crew load up the box and make these unproven receivers beat you if they can.

2) PRESSURE DANIEL JONES : Chop Robinson and company have been doing a good job getting after the Quarterback. Using either Jacob Rodriguez or Jordyn Brooks as a spy could help the rush get to Daniel Jones.

COLTS

TYLER WARREN : If Miami loads up the box on Taylor, Warren could become vital for this Colts offense. The receiving group is unproven, Warren may be a big factor.

PATS AT LIONS : The Patriots were beaten by the Packers last week and now they get another shot at NFC North team the Lions. Drake Maye turned the ball over three times and the Pats defense couldn’t stop the Packers. Now they face a high powered Lions offense. The Lions beat the Dolphins last week and it was the first time in 30 games Jared Goff didn’t throw a touchdown, he’ll look to start a new streak in Munich.

PANTHERS AT SAINTS : First place in the NFC South is on the line in this matchup. New Orleans is coming off a nice win over the Browns last week, and every week Tyler Shough is showing he could be a franchise Quarterback. The Saints also might be getting Travis Ettiene back in their lineup, which would strengthen the offense. The Panthers are coming off a tough loss to the Broncos. Bryce Young has been playing well, the interesting matchup for this game will be the Saints receivers against the Panther secondary.

VIKINGS AT PACKERS : The Vikings got Kirk Cousins at the trade deadline, his first start at Lambeau Field, his first start when he first signed with the Vikings was also at Lambeau Field. But this should be a great divisional battle between the high powered Packer offense and the Viking defense. In Week one the Vikings were able to come back and beat the Packers, can the Packers get revenge.

49ERS AT COWBOYS : This is a tale of two teams trending in different directions. The 49ers are one of the best teams in the league, and have one of the high powered offenses in the league. The Cowboys season is hanging by a thread and their defense has been a problem all season. If the Cowboys lose this game it could be the end of their season, while the 49ers will look to hang on to the top spot in the NFC. A rivalry will be renewed in Dallas.

STEELERS AT BENGALS : First place in the AFC North is on the line in this matchup. The Steelers won the first matchup in Pittsburgh in week three 30-27. Both Aaron Rodgers and Joe Burrow threw three touchdowns. The difference was Jaylen Warren’s 127 yards. If Cincy’s defense stops the run and makes Pittsburgh one dimensional it could change the story. But this is a massive game with huge implications.

MISSING THE MARK

BY MIKE RIFKIN

Mets President Of Baseball Operations David Stearns spoke at the GM meetings on Tuesday and said a lot. One of the things he said revolved around Mark Vientos. Stearns said “ Mark didn’t have the season he wanted to. He didn’t have the season that we think he’s capable of having. He’s going into the offseason as a really motivated player. If he’s able to do that, he’s going to have an opportunity with us.”

Here’s my issue with Stearns’ statement, this isn’t a one year thing for Vientos, this was the second consecutive season he underperformed. In fact outside of 2024 Vientos is a negative WAR player. (2022 : -0.2, 2023: -1.0, 2024 : 3.1, 2025 : -0.3, 2026: -1.2). In 2026 Vientos hit 13 homers and had 41 RBI’S while having a slash line of .212/.258/.394, in 2025 the slash line was .233/.289/.413. In his breakout ‘24 campaign he slashed .266/.322/.516, so those numbers have been down.

Stearns always talks about run prevention and defense, right now Mark Vientos is a man without a position. Bo Bichette will man third base, and the Mets need a true upgrade at first base, Vientos had eight errors playing first base last season. The Mets let Pete Alonso go (wrong move) because of his “defense”, but also in part because they thought Vientos would take that next step, he hasn’t.

I know there are people who are relieved to hear about a player being “motivated”, but I really don’t care. The Mets are in a position where they need to be a playoff team in 2027 (if there’s a season) otherwise it might be a goodbye to Stearns. And if he is putting his eggs in the Mark Vientos basket, I’m not sure that’s the wisest decision. Mets fans saw the breakouts from Carson Benge and AJ Ewing, while the “baby Mets” of Alvarez, Baty, Mauricio, and Vientos are still trying to make their mark. Alvarez and Baty I think have places on the team, but Vientos has a lot to prove that 2024 wasn’t a fluke and he better hope David Stearns belief in him was the wrong decision.

SERIOUSLY?

BY MIKE RIFKIN

The New Jersey Devils are 13-5 on the young hockey season after a 4-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, but it’s what happened after the game that has people talking. The Devils will be ending a three game road trip in Winnipeg on Tuesday, if only there was a storyline for the game? That’s right it’s Connor Hellebuyck’s return to Winnipeg and nothing will get in the way of that. Except there is something that has gotten in the way.

Shortly after the win over the Leafs, Devils GM Sunny Mehta put out a statement saying Hellebuyck would not play on Tuesday night. The full quote reads as follows “ This has been an organizational decision for us that we’ve debated at length. Connor Hellebuyck was adamant that he felt a duty to play on Tuesday in Winnipeg. However, in our estimation playing in this game would potentially give us a reduction in our expected win probability. Even though Connor isn’t playing, at his request we will coordinate a media availability after Tuesday’s morning skate at Canada Life Center.” Sheldon Keefe went on to discuss the workload saying it’d be Hellebuyck’s fourth start in eight days. The same Connor Hellebuyck that played in 60 plus games from 2021-22 until 2024-25, you mean to tell me he’s tired?

This is just ridiculous, I understand the Devils have a home and home against the Washington Capitals after the game Tuesday, but to say it would give you a reduction in your expected win probability is weird, Hellebuyck didn’t play Saturday against the Islanders and Monday is an off day for the Devils, so he should be rested for Tuesday. If this was Connor’s decision it’s soft and if this was the Devils decision it’s dumb, but completely within their rights.

If this was Connor’s decision it’s not only soft, but it’s a slap in the face to Jet fans. When a player leaves a team that first game back is must watch. Hellebuyck should just face the music, instead of kicking the can down the road next season. Having him play against the Jets in New Jersey on November 28th is not the same thing. Connor Hellebuyck is a former Hart Trophy winner, three time Vezina Trophy winner, and an Olympic Gold Medalist, but he saw what happened when Brady Tkachuk returned to Ottawa, but Brady embraced it.

If the Devils wanted to hold him out just so he can play both games against the Caps that’s fine. We don’t have to like it, but it’s a respectable move, but this statement makes it look terrible and now the fans of the Jets need to wait to showcase their emotions towards Hellebuyck. If the NHL schedule maker reads this a Devils vs Jets opening night game sounds pretty good. On Sunday night the Devils may have won on the ice, but off of it this is a big loss.

WEEK 9

BY SIN BLITZERS

DET AT MIA : The Lions are coming off a huge win over the Vikings, a game where their defense was the story. Jared Goff and his plethora of weapons could have another explosive day against a young Dolphin defense. For the Dolphins, they’re coming off a tough loss to the Patriots. Malik Willis might need to make some more plays with his legs, especially avoiding Aidan Hutchinson.

KEYS TO THE GAME

LIONS

Get Sam Laporta involved.- The Lions have a great group of skilled position players. But Sam Laporta needs to be an engine starter. Two weeks ago Mason Taylor had a great game against the Dolphins, Goff should use Laporta as a security blanket.

Stop the run : The Lions are giving up less than 100 yards rushing this season. Miami wants to run the ball, if you make them one dimensional Kelvin Sheppard could have his defense provide another big day.

DOLPHINS

DON’T LET GIBBS BEAT YOU – Jahmyr Gibbs is one of the best players in football, and he beats you as a back and a receiver, the Dolphins cannot let him beat them.

Protecting Malik Willis – the Lions are third in sacks, the Dolphins have a fairly young offensive line. If they can protect Willis, the Lions secondary can be had.

GIANTS AT EAGLES : The Giants have the NFC East in their hands and a win in Philly could secure themselves a major step towards that. JJ McCarthy looked good before the bye and now it’s his job, he has the weapons. On the other side Philly is banged up and making a QB change as Joe Milton gets the start. This is another chapter in a great, physical rivalry.

PACKERS AT PATS : Jordan Love has been playing great football, and the Packers got Josh Jacobs back (who knows for how long). But the Packers are playing well entering Foxborough, and the Patriots are also playing well. One massive injury is AJ Brown will once again be out, but how will the Pats slow down Love and the Packer offense?

BILLS AT VIKINGS : This one will be fascinating. The Bills offense is awesome and their defense has struggled, on the other side the Viking defense has been awesome and the offense has sputtered. Carson Wentz makes the start for the Vikings. I am curious on what Brian Flores does to Josh Allen? Does he have a spy to keep him in the pocket? Or does he allow him to run a little bit? That chess match could decide the game.

ON THE CLOCK

BY MIKE RIFKIN

One of the greatest Queen songs is Under Pressure (with David Bowie), there’s a lyric in that song : “ Can’t we give ourselves one more chance?”. And that lyric today applies to somebody in Queens New York and that is David Stearns, President of Baseball Ops for the New York Mets. With the offseason kicking into high gear early with the impending lockout. Stearns needs to figure a way to make the Mets into a playoff team again, just two years removed from being two wins away from a World Series appearance. So how can Stearns save face with an angry fan base, here’s what I would do in his shoes

SIGN TARIK SKUBAL – Yeah, I’m going out on a limb by saying sign the best pitcher in the sport. At the age of 30 and being represented by Scott Boras you know Skubal is going to get paid. The Mets need to be the highest bidder as they were with Juan Soto.

TRADE FOR ANOTHER STARTER – Let me be honest the free agent market for Starting Pitching is filled with veterans and a lot of question marks (guys who can’t stay healthy). So utilize the trade market, teams like Seattle ( George Kirby, Logan Gilbert), Minnesota (Joe Ryan), etc… Maybe the Mets use a chip like Mark Vientos to get that starter. No offense but I have no real interest in Michael King or somebody along those lines.

BULLPEN HELP : There was some surprises out of the bullpen last season including Kodai Senga. Nate Lavender had a 1.66 ERA in 21.2 innings pitched. Some interesting names on the market, all of whom have pitched in big games are Bryan Abreu (Astros), Pete Fairbanks (Rays), Alex Vesia (Dodgers), Jose Alvarado (Phillies), Kevin Ginkel (D-Backs) and Jason Adam (Padres) are all names that are enticing to me.

Trade one of Marcus Semien or Jorge Polanco – Letting Pete Alonso walk and replacing him with Jorge Polanco should have Stearns tried for crimes against humanity. Polanco barely played during the season and when he did he was ineffective. Polanco had two homers and six RBI’S and slashed .148/.201/.230. Semien on the other hand was traded for another fan favorite in Brandon Nimmo. Semien had a better year than Polanco, but it wasn’t a great season. He had 15 homers and 49 RBI’S with a slash line of .215/.280/.340. Semien will be 37 in September and still has years left on his deal while Polanco will enter the final year of his deal, which might make him easier to deal.

ADD RIGHT HANDED THUMP : The Mets thinking on letting Alonso walk (dumb I know) was they thought Mark Vientos would revert back to 2024 and that just hasn’t happened. Maybe a guy like Taylor Ward to come in and platoon at first base with Jared Young could be beneficial. Another intriguing name for the outfield and potential DH would be Adolis Garcia, who got hurt in Philly last season.

We’re less than a month away from the CBA ending, but between now and then David Stearns needs to be aggressive and shaping the Mets into the contender most pundits thought they were a year ago. Because if he cannot fix this, he’ll no longer be considered the King Of Queens.

Nikita Kucherov Landing Spot And Where The Lightning Go From Here

By Mike Rifkin

On Friday it was reported that Lightning superstar and the reigning Hart Trophy (MVP) winner Nikita Kucherov has requested a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning. Kucherov, who is in the final season of a eight year 76 million dollar contract. Reportedly the Lightning offered Kucherov a four year contract with an AAV of 15 million dollars, which is almost six million less than the league max.

Julian Brisebois put out a statement saying “ We are aware of the media reports regarding the future of Nikita Kucherov with the Lightning. We unequivocally have no intention of trading Nikita.” Now while the Lightning are off to a good start this season (8-3-2), which is good for fourth in the Atlantic and they have games in hand, the Lightning might want to look at the bigger picture. They are the fifth oldest team in the league and haven’t won a playoff series since they lost to the Avs on their quest for a threepeat. The Lightning should consider trading Kucherov and ask is this the beginning of a partial teardown?

Let’s start with the team that should trade for Kucherov. I would throw away every team within the Atlantic Division unless the teardown is a real consideration (we’ll get there). But if the Lightning want to consider a “retool” the spot for Kucherov is simple for me… The Chicago Blackhawks. The Blackhawks make a ton of sense because they have young players and prospects and draft picks (3 in the first round in 27). Let’s be honest about something most in the hockey world expected the Blackhawks to be splashy over the summer and all they did was trade the fourth overall pick for Bo Byram and bring back fan favorite Patrick Kane. But if Kyle Davidson wants to make a big splash Kucherov is the guy. He is the guy who should be put on a line with Connor Bedard. Let’s be honest about the Lightning players there is a lot of mileage on a lot of those players because of playoff games, so trading some of these players gives you an interesting idea on how long a retool could take.

Brayden Point’s full no move clause turns into a ten team no trade over the summer, Jake Guentzel also has a full no move clause for the next two seasons, John Carlsson also has a no move clause. Victor Hedman and Ryan Mcdonagh also might lean towards retirement soon. Andrei Vasilevskiy has one year left at 9.5 million and has a 10 team no trade.

One thing about the Lightning if they want to proceed with a retool is that they have the coach in Jon Cooper, who has done a fantastic job navigating everything that has been thrown his way.

In a way trading Kucherov would put this era of Lightning hockey, which wound up with them winning two Cups to an end. But this era truly ended when they let Steven Stamkos walk away. But if you want to close the book on this chapter, I think Brisebois and company need to close it all the way.

ONE BOX CHECKED

BY MIKE RIFKIN

Now that the World Series is over, Major League Baseball teams can focus on how to make themselves contenders in 2027. (there will be a season) One of the teams under the most pressure are the New York Mets, who missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season.

The Mets did get some good news on Thursday as Third baseman Bo Bichette has opted into his contract and will be on the books for 42 million dollars. Bo wound up with 18 homers and 78 RBI’ S with a slash line of .260/.312/.390, but it was a tale of two halves for Bichette who was much better in the second half of the season.

With the news of Bichette opting in, it feels like the everyday lineup for the Mets will be similar to last season’s. Outside of 2024, where he only played 81 games Bichette’s lowest batting average was .290 (2022), the Mets are hoping that last season was an outlier for Bo and he can regain his .300 hitting form. Because if the Mets are to trot out a similar lineup to the one they had last season they need the Bo Bichette that was in Toronto.

Also with the news of Bichette opting in it allows David Stearns to focus on other needs. Pitching needs to be the top priority, but don’t count out adding a first baseman either. But the other thing Bo’s opting in does it allows Stearns to evaluate other talents such as Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio, both of whom could help the Mets land help in either the rotation or the bullpen.

Bo opting in helps the Mets in more ways than one. But the way he can be most impactful for the Mets is if his offense returns to form, and he did play a solid third base last season.

DEVILS GET A HELL-E OF A DEAL

BY MIKE RIFKIN

One of the biggest questions in hockey has finally been answered. The Winnipeg Jets have traded goaltender Connor Hellebuyck to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for forwards Dawson Mercer, Nick Bjugstad, Alexander Command (12th overall pick in 2026), Goalie Nico Daws, 2027 seventh round pick and a 2029 second round pick. Hellebuyck requested a trade shortly after last season and the Jets decided to suspend him from the team until a deal got done.

Hellebuyck, 33 is signed through 2031 making 8.5 million dollars. Hellebuyck is a three time Vezina Trophy winner (best goalie), last winning the award in 2024-25 where he posted a 47-12-3 record with a 2.00 GAA and a .925 save percentage. Those numbers were so good that Hellebuyck also won the Hart Trophy (MVP). Last season wasn’t Hellebuyck’s best posting a 23-23-11 record with a 2.86 GAA and a .895 save percentage for the Jets. But where Hellebuyck was sensational last year was during Team USA’S run to the Gold Medal. Hellebuyck was 5-0-0 with a 1.18 GAA and .956 save percentage. The issue for Hellebuyck has been the postseason, where he has a 24-34 record with a 2.90 GAA and a .903 save percentage.

For the Jets this deal is about the present and the future. Dawson Mercer, who has four assists so far this season is 24 years old, and does have 103 goals (3 20 goal seasons) and 213 points in 420 games. Nick Bjugstad (currently on IR) is 34, and in his career has 163 goals and 339 points in over 800 games played. Bjugstad could center either your third or fourth line, while helping the Penalty Kill and might get some second unit Power Play time. Command is playing as a 18 year old in the Swedish under 20 league. He was ranked as the Devils third best prospect after being selected 12th overall in June. Daws has played in 59 games and is 26-26-2 with a 2.94 GAA and .897 save percentage.

Getting Hellebuyck is a massive move for new Devils GM Sunny Mehta. But the other thing it provides is a ton of pressure on a very good team. The Devils through 10 games currently sit in the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, but now an offense led by Jack Hughes now has an elite goalie to try to get Jersey over the hump. As for the Jets they did very well in the return for Hellebuyck and now the focus can be on playing hockey in the very competitive Central Division.

GREED

BY MIKE RIFKIN

It’s been announced that starting in 2027 the College Football Playoffs will expand to 24 teams. You cannot sit there and tell college football fans everywhere there’s going to be 24 worthy teams of going to the playoffs. It’s okay though the deal is valued at 300 million dollars. So here’s my question : Why play a season? I mean if you’re just going to put in the “24 best teams”, which I believe is coded for more power four conference teams. The NCAA is turning December and January into a Winter March Madness, before actual March Madness begins.

Take the Ohio State vs Indiana game from Saturday, what a fantastic game by the way. If Ohio State had lost that game that would give them two losses on the season, in a 24 team playoff they’d still be a lock to make it, but in a 12 team playoff things could be a bit more dicey. For the NCAA to say they take the best teams is bogus, they take the teams that can get them the most money.

I get it from the NCAA perspective, they’re in the business of making money. What the problem is here is that in a 24 team playoff some of these Power four schools might schedule an extra game against a cupcake (easy opponent) to help their statistics, and that already was an issue in College Football. I was in favor of the 12 team playoff, if they wanted to go to 16 I can live with it, but 24 is too many. There are already so many bowl games, so they might have to eliminate some of them to allow for this to be more interesting. But the most important part is you cannot deny a team who is worthy of being there. Eventually the NCAA is going to make this into the football version of March Madness and that is not something the sport needs.

WEEK 6

BY SIN BLITZERS

HOU AT JAC (LONDON) : These are two teams off to very different starts to their seasons. The Texans (1-4) are coming off their first win over the Titans and they celebrated by acquiring Marvin Harrison Jr. The Jags on the other hand are 4-1 and are coming off a nice thrilling win over the Eagles. Both CJ Stroud and Trevor Lawrence are playing well. The Texans defense is the key to this game, if they can slow down this Lawrence offense, they have a good chance to win, and get within two games of the Jags with their other meeting being in Houston.

BAL AT CLE : First place is on the line in the AFC North when the Browns and Ravens meet for the first time. Snoop Huntley will start once again in place of Lamar Jackson, who is out with an ankle injury. The Browns are coming off a tough loss to the Jets, and a big reason was their offensive line was putrid, as was the weather. This is also the first game for Browns coach Todd Monken against his former team, where he was the offensive coordinator.

CHI AT ATL : This is one that’ll be hard to figure out, because both teams have been inconsistent. The good news for Bears fans is Caleb Williams returns this week, and after what transpired last week, the Bears need him to be good. As for the Falcons, Michael Penix will play after leaving last week’s game. This has the potential to be a shootout.

LAC AT KC : The Chargers are winless, but they have won their last two over the Chiefs. That being said, who knows what is going on with LA, meanwhile ho hum the Chiefs are unbeaten and coming off the bye week. If the Chiefs defense pressures Herbert, it might be a long day at Arrowhead.