Bad For The Game?

By Mike Rifkin

The Los Angeles Dodgers won their first legitimate World Series since 1988 (sorry 2020). This offseason has shown that they are not satisfied with just this title and want to run it back. Here is a list of players the Dodgers have signed this offseason with salary. Blake Snelll ( 5//182 million), Tommy Edman (5/59.5 million), Tanner Scott (4/72), Teoscar Hernandez (3/66), Blake Treinen (2/22), Michael Conforto (1/17), Roki Sasaki (1/ 6.5) ). 

So, are the Dodgers spending this kind of money bad for the game? No, this is what big market teams should be doing, spending their resources. Now if you do want to be mad about something it is the deferred money in some of those contracts, but they found a loophole in the system. 

Now is it bad how much they’re outspending other teams? Yes, but that isn’t the Dodgers fault it’s on the owners of these other teams that refuse to spend money. Now I am unsure if baseball will implement a salary cap in the next CBA, but it is something to consider. But I really think what baseball should do ( and they won’t ) is to get owners, who operate these teams to win games. Winning goes hand and hand with attendance, so if you win games people will show up putting more money in the owner’s pocket. But the owners who refuse to spend money to make these teams watchable, that’s the real problem in Baseball. 

As fans we can complain about what the Dodgers are doing, but it’s the same thing as the Yankees under George Steinbrenner, they have spent money. The whole issue of what the Dodgers are doing is really the fault of Major League Baseball itself. But at the end of the day, the Dodgers have become the villain in Baseball, and we’ll have to wait and see in the next CBA if MLB addresses it.

2025 Coaching Carousel 

By Bill Murphy 

Another NFL season has come and gone, meaning coaching positions have opened up.  Who will be filling these positions, as interviews are underway? The  New England Patriots have already hired  Mike Vrabel, at the time I am writing this, here is where I can see the other positions being filled 

New York Jets 

Pick: Pete Carroll 

Resume: Head Coach Of The Seattle Seahawks (2010-2023 ) Head Coach at USC (2001-09), New England Patriots Head Coach (1997-99) Jets HC (1994)

The New York Jets can not afford more on-the-job training and need an experienced head coach. What says more experience than Super Bowl-winning coach Pete Carroll?  He should be picked  because he is more recently out of a head coaching position than other candidates like Ron Rivera, Matt Nagy, and Brian Flores. In 10 seasons with the Seahawks, Caroll only missed the playoffs four times and took them to the Super Bowl twice.  Carroll can bring a culture change to the organization and he can  work with Aaron Rodgers (if he stays ) ,just like he did with Geno Smith resurrecting his career.  Finally, while Carroll was in Seattle on top of being  head coach, he was also de facto General Manager. The Jets also have a GM position so the Jets can either hire him as Head Coach and GM , hire him as GM or hire him as head coach and he can be an asset to the new GM whoever it will be.  Carroll was a part of the Jets organization before as the defensive coordinator from 1990-93 and the head coach in 1994. 

Chicago Bears 

Pick: Kliff Kingsbury 

Resume: Offensive Coordinator of the Washington Commanders (2024-present ) , Head Coach of the Arizona Cardinals (2019-2022)

Everybody says that Ben Johnson would be a good choice for Chicago , but hear me out . We saw Caleb Williams this season that could use some further development.  Kingsbury has aided in the development of two young quarterbacks , Kyler Murray in Arizona , who won rookie of the year in 2019, and Jayden Daniels in Washington, who had a rookie of the year quality season In Washington. Kingsbury has a personal relationship with Williams , he was an offensive Analyst while Williams was at USC. 

  • Note this was written before Ben Johnson was hired

New Orleans Saints 

Pick: Aaron Glenn 

Resume: Defensive Coordinator of the Detroit Lions (2021-present), Defensive backs coach of the New Orleans Saints(2016-2020)

Aaron Glenn had taken a bad Detroit defense and turned it into a top 10 defense in the NFL and he did it even with all the injuries including Aidan Hutchinson.  New Orleans Defense was absolutely  abysmal this year and  hopefully bringing Glenn into New Orleans where he was defensive back coach can they turn them around .  This could be the start of the New Orleans rebuild and Glenn is the guy to do it .  He has received an endorsement from Saints legend Drew Brees saying “Everybody in the organization loves Aaron Glenn. He played for us in 2008 and then he was a coach on our staff for several years. As a defensive coordinator, highly respected, a leader of men. Everyone loves him, highly competitive and he’s  a great teacher.”

Jacksonville Jaguars 

Pick: Ben Johnson 

Resume : Offensive Coordinator of the Detroit Lions (2022-present )

Under Ben Johnson , Detroit had the top offense in the league with 33.2 points per game (the highest in franchise history) and set the record with most 40 point games without any turnovers.  The Lions had six games of 40 points or more during the season. Though it is risky picking a rookie head coach to coach a team with an already set QB , I think Johnson could be a solid one to do so. Trevor Lawerence was inconsistent this season , I think Johnson can help him , just as he did with veteran quarterback Jared Goff in Detroit. 

Las Vegas Raiders 

Pick: Liam Cohen 

Resume: Offensive Coordinator of the Tampa Bay Bucs (2024-present), Offensive Coordinator and quarterbacks coach of the University of Kentucky (2023) Offensive Coordinator of the Los Angeles Rams (2022)

The Raiders need someone who is going to wake up their offense, Liam Cohen would be the guy for that . Under Cohens reign as offensive coordinator in Tampa Bay , they have ranked third in both yards per game and passing yards, they ranked fourth in rushing yards.  This year he helped Baker Mayfield who threw 4,500 passing yards and 41 touchdowns, he can possibly do the same for Aidan O Connell ( or a QB they decide to draft) and the run game .

Dallas Cowboys 

Pick: Kellen Moore 

Resume: Offensive Coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles(2024-Present), Offensive Coordinator of the Los Angeles Chargers(2023) Quarterback coach & Offensive Coordinator of the Dallas Cowboys (2018-2022)

There could be a homecoming in Dallas and no I am not talking about Deion Sanders.  Kellen Moore has been  a player and a coach in Dallas and could be a potential successor to his former boss. During his time as Offensive Coordinator, the Cowboys offense ranked in the top 10 including number one in 2019 and 2021. In 2021, The Cowboys offense was the highest-scoring in the league. The offense that past season has been abysmal, they have no run-and-pass game, maybe Moore can wake them up, as he has a strong connection with Dak Prescott. His magic even worked with a division rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, especially with Saquon Barkley who has had a 2,005-yard season.

WILD CARD WEEKEND X FACTORS

BY : MIKE RIFKIN

Here we are Wild Card weekend, one of the best weekends of the year. This piece will show each team’s x factor this weekend to advance. 

CHARGERS AT TEXANS : BOTH: PASS RUSH : Two teams in the top 10 in sacks and two of the most sacked quarterbacks duel in Houston. Both defenses are also top 10 in turnover differential., whichever defense generates the better rush, and forces the other into a major mistake will win the game. 

STEELERS AT RAVENS : STEELERS – Russell Wilson : Yeah, I know it’s weird to say the starting quarterback is an x-factor, but at this point this is what Russ is. Russ’s best game during the Steelers four game losing streak was against the Ravens, where he threw for 217 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Russ is also going to have to get the ball out of his hands quickly, before the Ravens pass rush (second in sacks) gets to him. 

RAVENS :  Mark Andrews : Since he’s come into the league Mark Andrews has been nothing short of phenomenal for the Ravens. Andrews’ 11 touchdowns all came after week five, including one against the Steelers a few weeks ago. In his playoff career Andrews has 22 catches for 227 yards in six games. If Zay Flowers misses significant time with his knee injury, expect Lamar Jackson to look for old reliable. 

BRONCOS AT BILLS : Broncos – Nick Bonittto – The former Oklahoma Sooner was third in the NFL with 13.5 sacks on the season. He also had two forced fumbles, and an interception ( returned for a touchdown). But on Sunday the ultimate key for the Broncos will be limiting Josh Allen’s running ability, so expect maybe Bonitto to play as a spy. 

BILLS – Khalil Shakir/Keon Coleman – If Denver uses Pat Surtain to shutdown Amari Cooper, Shakir is going to have to be a big target for Allen. Shakir led the Bills with 821 yards, while Coleman had 556 yards. Both had four receiving touchdowns, and if Riley Moss isn’t 100 percent, that should be advantage Bills. 

PACKERS AT EAGLES :  BOTH THE TRENCHES – Both of these teams are top 10 in both total offense and total defense. Green Bay gives up less than 100 yards rushing per game, while the Eagles run for 179 yards per game. Whoever wins the trench battle should win this game. 

COMMANDERS AT BUCS – COMMANDERS – Zach Ertz – Ertz had a great year for the Commanders, as an outlet for Jayden Daniels. Ertz had 66 catches for 654 yards and six touchdowns. Ertz is also one of the few Commanders with playoff experience. He has 36 catches for 381 yards and two touchdowns in eight playoff games. 

BUCS – BUCKY IRVING – The rookie from Oregon established himself as the lead back in Tampa rushing for 1,122 yards and eight touchdowns, while also accounting for 392 receiving yards. If the Bucs win expect a heavy dose of Irving, mainly because the Buck doesn’t stop there. 

VIKINGS AT RAMS – VIKINGS – SAM DARNOLD : I know I said it’s rare that the starting quarterback is an x factor, but for Minnesota it definitely is. As good of a season Darnold had and he had a great one, he has never played in a playoff game before. If Darnold can lead his team to a win, he’ll regained some confidence lost from last week’s stinker. 
RAMS – Demarcus Robinson – Robinson had a solid season with 31 catches for 505 yards and seven touchdowns. Two of those touchdowns came in the earlier meeting with the Vikings. If Robinson has a good start, he can open things up for Cooper Kupp or Puka Nacua.

WEEK 18 RECAP 

SIN BLITZERS

Bengals Vs Steelers:  By Bill Murphy 

The Bengals end their regular season by winning five consecutive games, by beating the Steelers 19-17.  Even though the Bengals finished the season strong , unfortunately due to the Broncos victory over the Chiefs, the Bengals were eliminated from playoff contention. 

Stars Of The Game 

Bengals 

Joe Burrow : Burrow was 37- 46  for 277 yds and one touchdown . Burrow throws his ninth consecutive game  with 250 yards or more . Burrow unfortunately snapped the record of having three or touchdowns. 

Ja’marr Chase : Chase wound up winning the receiving triple crown. He had 10 receptions , 96 yards and one touchdown, which was a 12 yard touchdown pass from Joe Burrow.  Chase finished the season with 127 receptions for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns. Chase and his agent know those numbers and the Bengals will have to pony up.

Trey Hendrickson-  In big games your best players have to be the best players.  I said in my preview that Hendrickson was going to be a big part of the Bengals defense against the weak Steelers offensive line, well I was right. Hendrickson had three and a half sacks ,five total tackles and three solo tackles.

Steelers 

Russell Wilson: Wilson threw 17/31 , 148 yds  and one touchdown. 

Pat Freiermuth : Fremuth had eight receptions , 85 yards  and one touchdown which was a 19 yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson. 

The Defense: The Steelers defense rocked this strong Bengals offense , only holding  Burrow to 277 yards and breaking his record of having three or more touchdowns.  They sacked Burrow four times  buy Patrick Queen , Keenu Benton ,Preston Smith and Nick Herbig .  They held the rushing offense to  only  68 yards .

Next Week 

  • As stated the Bengals are eliminated from the playoffs 
  • The Steelers will be facing off against the Baltimore Ravens in AFC Wild Card game on Saturday

Dolphins at Jets : The Dolphins had an opportunity to clinch a playoff spot with a win over the Jets and a Broncos loss. The Broncos won 38-0, but the Dolphins were still playing to go over .500. Snoop Huntley was 25-41 for 227 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. De’von Achane went for over 100 yards and a touchdown. Aaron Rodgers threw for 274 yards and four touchdowns in what could be the last game of his career. 
Vikings at Lions : The number one seed was up for grabs and the story was Aaron Glenn’s defense against Sam Darnold. Jahmyr Gibbs had four total touchdowns and the NFC playoffs will run through the Motor City.

A GIANT DECISION

BY MIKE RIFKIN

Giants owner John Mara announced on Monday that both GM Joe Schoen and Head Coach Brian Daboll will be returning for the 2025 season. The biggest takeaway from Mara and Schoen is that this brass needs to find their franchise Quarterback. The Giants released Daniel Jones during the season, after he once again struggled. The Giants signed Jones after Daboll’s first season. 

So what are the options for Schoen and Daboll to find their franchise QB. If Daboll and Schoen aren’t guaranteed anything beyond 2025 then drafting a QB should not be on the forefront. Personally I would trade the third pick to accumulate more picks because this team isn’t one player away. Guys like Kirk Cousins and Russell Wilson are going to hit the free agent market, but long term they’re not the answer. Kirk also really struggled before Atlanta benched him for Michael Penix. The Giants could pair a Cousins or Wilson with a guy drafted in the mid rounds (Dillon Gabriel) but I think there’s a better answer. 

Ironically this player was drafted by the Bears in a trade with the New York Giants during the 2021 NFL Draft. Justin Fields is one of the bet dual threat quarterbacks in the NFL. When the Bears were dangling him this offseason, the Giants should’ve been all in on him, instead he went to Pittsburgh and had to keep Russel Wilson’s seat warm. 

Yes, Fields is 14-30 as a starting QB (mainly for the Bears) but he is a dual threat, which is big in today’s NFL. But the biggest thing for me is he is only going to be 26 in March. So a 26 year old Quarterback, who needs and deserves an opportunity, if I was Schoen and Daboll that’s the guy I would put my trust into. They can mold him into what they want and he isn’t going to command a massive deal at the moment. But for the Giants entering next season I would sign Justin Fields to be the quarterback of the present and hopefully the future. 

Bengals vs Steelers:Preview         

By Bill Murphy 

The Bengals have won four in a row , after winning an overtime thriller against the Denver Broncos last week by a score of 30-24. Joe Burrow threw  39/49,412 yards and three touchdowns, all to Tee Higgins , including the game winner.  The Bengals are still in the playoff hunt they need a win and both  Miami and Denver to lose.  The Bengals are facing off against AFC North rival Pittsburgh Steelers  in a week 13  rematch , in which the Bengals lost 44-38. The Steelers are coming off of  a 29-10 , Christmas day loss against the defending super bowl champion  Kansas City Chiefs. With a win and a Ravens loss the Steelers can win the AFC North.

Keys to the Game 

Bengals 

Offense 

Joe Burrow 

Joe Burrow is currently on fire for the Bengals . Burrow has consecutive eight consecutive games where he has thrown at least 250 yards and three touchdowns.  Burrow would have to hit Ja’Marr Chase because Tee Higgins is currently questionable due to an ankle/ knee injury.  He would have to utilize Khail Herbert on the run game because Chase Brown might be miss the game due to an ankle injury. Burrow would have to hold down the fort on offense .

Defense 

Trey Hendrickson 

Hendrickson currently has 30 tackles ,  14 sacks and two forced fumbles.  Hendrickson got a  half sack  and one tackle for loss against the Broncos last week.  Hendrickson would be lethal weapon against the Steelers weak offensive line which has ranked 26th sack rate at 8.8 %.

Steelers 

Offense

Najaee Harris 

In eight of his last 11 games , Harris has rushed for 50 or more  yards.  Last week Harris had 74  yards on 13 carries against the strong Kansas City Rush Defense.  Harris is  facing a struggling Bengals rush defense that is 29th in defensive rush EPA  and 31st in rush defense success rate. 

Defense 

Cornerbacks 

With a Wide receiver duo like Higgins and Chase , the cornerbacks are going to have to come through . Cory Trice Jr. and Joey Porter are going to have cover both receivers. If Higgins is out due to injury they will have double up on Chase. 

Prediction Steelers 27 Bengals 24  

WEEK 17 RECAP

BY SIN BLITZERS

Bengals VS Broncos : ByBill Murphy

The Bengals have won four in a row , after beating the Broncos in an overtime thriller by a score of 30-24, keeping their slim hopes alive for the postseason. 

Stars of the Game

Bengals 

  • Joe Burrow-Burrow with his eighth consecutive game where he threw for at least 250 yards and three touchdowns. Burrow was 39-49 for 412 yards and three touchdowns.  All three of his touchdown passes were to Tee Higgins.  On the rushing front he had four carries and scored and one yard touchdown run. 
  • Tee Higgins-  Higgins had  11 receptions 131 yards  and scored three touchdowns.   Higgins had three touchdown passes from Joe Burrow including the game winning touchdown from Joe Burrow in Overtime. Higgins’ performance shows why the front office should pay him and Chase. 
  • Ja’Marr Chase –  Chase is still on the path to Wide Receiver triple crown . He had nine receptions and 102 yards . 

Broncos 

  • Bo Nix- The Broncos rookie had a solid outing with 24/31, 219 yards and three touchdowns.  Rushing wise he had 7 carries and 31 yards.
  • Marvin Mims Jr.–  Marvin  Mims had eight receptions ,103 yards and scored two receiving touchdowns.  One touchdown pass was a 51 yard pass and the other was a 25 yard pass both from Bo Nix.
  • Courtland Sutton- Sutton had five receptions and 55 yards and scored one touchdown , which was a six yard pass from Nix.  This really shows the power of this wide receiver duo. 

Next week 

  • Bengals will play the Steelers on Saturday ( Bengals win and the Broncos and Dolphins lose Cincy makes the playoffs)
  • Broncos will play the Chiefs on Sunday (win and in)

Dolphins at Browns :   The Dolphins kept their playoff hopes alive with a 20-3 win over the Browns. Tyler Huntley had 277 total yards (225 pass, 52 rush) and two touchdowns (1 rush, 1 pass).  Tyreek Hill had nine catches for 105 yards and Jonnu Smith caught another touchdown pass.  The Dolphin defense forced two turnovers in the win. If the Dolphins beat the Jets and the Broncos lose to the Chiefs next week Miami will make the playoffs for a third straight season. 

Vikings at Packers : The Sam Darnold renaissance continued in week 17 as he threw for 377 yards and three touchdowns in the Vikings 27-25 win over their division rivals. Justin Jefferson had eight catches for 92 yards in the win.  For the Packers Jordan Love was 19-30 for 185 yards and a touchdown. Josh Jacobs had 69 yards and a touchdown rushing and a fumble early in the game that was costly. The Vikings will play the Lions on Sunday night to determine the NFC’S number one seed, while the Packers host the Bears.

SIN BLITZERS WEEK 17 PREVIEW

Bengals vs Broncos : preview By Bill Murphy 

The Bengals have  won three games in a row after their 24-6 victory against Cleveland. Joe Burrow aside from providing awesome Christmas gifts for his linemen , was 23-30 for 252 yards  and three touchdowns. This was Burrow’s seventh straight game in which threw at least three touchdowns and 250 yards. The Bengals still have a chance to make it to the playoffs, as their season is on the line.  This week they play the Broncos, who are coming off a 34-27 loss to the Chargers. It’s simple for the Bengals win and week 18 matters, lose however and your season is over. 

Keys to the Game 

Bengals 

Offense

Ja’Marr Chase-  Chase currently leads the league  with 108 receptions, 1,510 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns becoming the first Bengal to wrack up 1,500 yards. Burrow is going to have to find a way to get Chase the ball especially if Pat Surtain is covering him. 

Defense:  Trey Hendrcikson 

Hendrickson  currently leads the NFL with 13.5 sacks, he is going to have to get to Bo Nix who has been sacked 22 times this season.  Hendrickson. Nix is going to have to  face Hendrickson and the offensive line is going to have to  stop him .  Hendrickson 28 solo tackles, 26 defensive stops, 72 total pressures, 30 QB hits, three batted passes, and two forced fumbles.

Broncos : 

Offense : Bo Nix 

The rookie Bo Nix has been having a strong season  in Denver so far , wracking up 3,235 yards and  22 touchdowns . He is  shattering rookie expectations . Nix has many weapons that he can get hit such as Crotland Sutton and Marvin Mims jr. Have to wonder if the Bengals use Germaine Pratt as a spy on Nix’s ability to run the ball. 

Defense : Secondary 

The Broncos secondary is going to have to go up against the Bengals hot wide receivers Ja’ Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.  The big weapon of this secondary is Patrick Surtain who has allowed 234 yards making it the fewest yards allowed by  a cornerback and four interceptions . Riley Moss will be returning to the secondary  from  injury which will be putting it at full strength. 

Prediction :

Broncos 31 Bengals 27 

Dolphins at Browns : Like the Bengals, the Dolphins are hanging by a thread in the playoff race. They’ll take their slim chances to Cleveland and play a Browns team that was boat raced by the Bengals last week. The two players that should scare the Dolphins are Myles Garrett on defense, he is one of the elite pass rushers in the NFL and can wreck a game on his own. Offensively the Dolphins should pay a lot of attention to David Njoku, who has a superb season, with less than stellar Quarterback play. If the Dolphins use Jalen Ramsey on Jerry Jeudy, they’ll have to double Njoku. 

Packers at Vikings : Two teams that will be playing in the playoffs meet in Minnesota on Sunday. These two rivals played in week 4 a game the Vikings won 31-29. The Vikings need a win to have an opportunity for home field throughout the playoffs. As high scoring as the first meeting was, don’t be surprised if this second meeting is a defensive slugfest both teams have been awesome on that side of the ball. This should come down to turnovers. 

Lions at 49ers – A rematch of the NFC Championship game and two teams going in different directions. A Lions win along with a Vikings loss would give the Lions the one seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs. As for San Francisco they don’t want the Lions clinching on their turf. This game has big potential for a shootout.

SIN BLITZERS WEEK 16 RECAP

Bengals VS Browns 

By Bill Murphy 

The Bengals have won three in a row and kept their playoff hopes alive. The Bengals defeated the Browns 24-6 securing the season series sweep. 

Stars of the Game 

Bengals 

Joe Burrow :  Burrow was 23-30 for  252 yards and three touchdowns. The three touchdown passes were a two yard touchdown pass to Tee Higgins ,six yards to Andrei Iosivas and 32 yards to Ja’Marr Chase. This is Burrow’s seventh straight game this season  in which he has thrown at least 250 yards and  three touchdowns passes in a game, making him the first NFL QB to do so. With this  Burrow broke the record set by Tom Brady. Burrow also jumped ahead of Lamar Jackson leading the league in touchdown passes.

Ja’Marr Chase : Burrow’s favorite target does it again ,  Ja’Marr Chase wracked up 97 yards on six receptions and a 32 yard touchdown pass from Joe Burrow. Ja’marr Chase  became the first  Bengals player to eclipse 1,500 receiving yards in a season breaking his own record of 1,455 that was set in 2021.  Chase leads the league in receiving yards with 1,510 yards. 

Geno Stone / Jordan Battle: The two intercepted Browns Quarterback  Dorian Thompson Robinson on two consecutive drives .  This was stones third consecutive game with an interception .

Browns 

Jerome Ford:  Ford had 11 carries , 92 yards and one touchdown which was a four yard touchdown run, giving them their only score of the game .  Receiving  wise , Ford had five receptions for 39 yards . 

Myles Garret :  As I said in the preview , Garret was a player to  look out for . Garrett had three solo tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack . The one sack gave Garett his 100th career sack . 

Next Week : 

Bengals will play the Broncos on Saturday at 4:30pm (HUGE GAME)

Browns will play the  Dolphins on Sunday @ 4:05pm 

49ers AT DOLPHINS – The Dolphins kept their playoff hopes alive with a 29-17 win over the 49ers. Tua Tagovailoa was 22-34 for 215 yards and a touchdown. De’von Achane had 190 total yards and a touchdown on 23 touches. Jason Sanders was 5-5 on field goals. The Niners were eliminated from playoff contention prior to the game. George Kittle went over 100 yards receiving in the loss. The Niners will host the Lions in an NFC Title game rematch, while the Dolphins will play the Browns looking to keep their playoff hopes alive. 

EAGLES AT COMMANDERS – Jayden Daniels hit Jamison Crowder in the endzone with six seconds left to give the Commanders the lead. With the win the Commanders kept their playoff hopes alive. Daniels threw five touchdowns ( Crowder 2x, Zaccheaus 2x, McLaurin). The big story for Philly will be the status of Jalen Hurts, who left the game with a concussion. Daniels helped the Commanders overcome their five turnovers in the win.

SIN BLITZERS : WEEK 16 PREVIEW

 Bengals vs Browns : Preview 

By Bill Murphy 

The Bengals have won two in a row after  their 37-27  victory against The Tennessee Titans .Joe Burrow was 26/37  or 271 yards and three touchdowns. This  gave him the franchise record of six consecutive games with three or more touchdowns.The Bengals now have a difficult , but not impossible path to the playoffs with Denver losing Thursday night . The Bengals have a  AFC North rematch against the Cleveland Browns, in which they beat the Browns 21-14.  Cleveland has lost three in a row and five of their last six, after losing against the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs 21-7. The Browns are also making another Quarterback change as Jameis Winston is out and Dorian Thompson-Robinson will start.  Thompson- Robinson saw some action in the week seven meeting and was 11-24 for 82 yards and two interceptions. 

Keys to the game  

Bengals 

Offense : Ja’marr Chase-  When both Higgins and Chase play defenses have to pick their poison. This week I’m going with  Ja’marr Chase might be Joe Burrows big target .  Through the 14 games this season , Chase currently leads the league with 102 receptions for 1,413 yards and 15 touchdowns. Last week , he set a new career high record in catches .  He is 10 grabs away from matching single season record set by T.J. Houshmandzadeh. 

Defense : Geno Stone – Over the last two games Geno Stone  has been big  for the Bengals defense.  Stone has had two interceptions in the past two games  such as one in week 14 , when the Cowboys were positioned at the Bengals 12 yard line and the other one was last against the titans which was ran back for a 39 yard touchdown  .This could be a big help against Dorian Thompson Robinson who   has a 1 to 7 interception to touchdown ratio . 

Browns

Offense : Dorian Thompson Robinson 

It gets to the point that the Browns are now starting  the third string quarterback .  The Browns  benched quarterback Jameis Winston after his fourth of seven games throwing multiple interceptions.  While I just mentioned the previous stat regarding his touchdown to interception ratio , this would be his first game that he  has a week of preparation .  They also have to face off against a Bengals defense , that is in the bottom five for points against , yards allowed  , touchdowns allowed and yards allowed. 

Defense : Myles Garret

Garret has 31 solo tackles  and 11 sacks on the season thus far.  Garett should take  advantage of the hole In the Bengals offensive line with Orlando Brown JR being injured.  Joe Burrow is the  quarterback that Garret has sacked the most , sacking him  eight times  in their last seven meetings. 

Prediction : 

Bengals 31  Browns 10 

49ers at Dolphins : Both teams have their playoff hopes hanging by a thread. Both teams are looking to get back on track, as the Niners are coming off a 12-6 loss to the Rams and the Dolphins off a 20-12 loss to the Texans. This game should come down to which defense can cause more havoc on the opposing Quarterback. For the Niners this is a game they need Deebo Samuel to be himself, if he’s not it might be difficult for them to move the ball. For Miami, they’re going to need Jonnu Smith to be what he has been, especially if Jaylen Waddle is out. 

Eagles at Commanders : If Philly wins this game they win the NFC East, and if Washington wins (with help) they can reach the playoffs. In week 11 the Eagles beat the Commanders 26-18. Saquon Barkley had 198 total yards and two rushing touchdowns (both in the fourth quarter). The Eagles have been rolling, so it will be interesting to see what adjustments Dan Quinn and company have made. 

Vikings at Seahawks : Two teams that expect to be in the postseason meet in Seattle. The Vikings and Seahawks both possess great receiving corps. But the x factor is which Offensive line can protect their quarterback better. Because both teams have a lot of playmakers on offense, but both defenses have been more than solid.