The Sports Insanity Network

SIN BLITZERS WEEK 3 RECAP

Bengals vs Commanders : Recap – Bill Murphy

Well it was the battle of the former Heisman winning LSU quarterbacks on Monday night Joe Burrow vs Jayden Daniels. The Commanders defeated the Bengals 38-33. The Bengals start the season 0-3 and are definitely in a hole.

What Went Wrong For the Bengals?

The Defense – The Bengals Defense tonight was not good in this game. The Bengals defense gave up 21 points in the second half , this was the first time that the Commanders have scored 21 points in the second half since 2018. On top of that The Bengals defense did not force any punts or turnovers during this game .

Stars of the Games: Bengals

Joe Burrow – Despite the loss Joe Burrow had a great game this evening throwing 29 completions for 38 attempts ,324 passing yards and three touchdowns .
Ja’marr Chase – After a contract dispute and quiet two weeks , Ja’Marr Chase has had a breakout game with six receptions , 118 yards and two touchdowns. The return of Tee Higgins had a big role in Chase’s breakout.
Zach Moss- Zach Moss is really breaking out as the replacement for Joe Mixon. Moss had 12 carries 58 rushing yards and one touchdown. Moss added five catches for 39 yards.
Andrei Iosivas – Andrei Iosivas is emerging as a top receiver along with Higgins and Chase. Iosivas had five receptions 52 yards and one touchdown .

Stars of the Game : Commanders

Jayden Daniels –Well as the old saying goes when one former LSU QB loses another one wins. Rookie Jayden Daniels had a dynamite game throwing 21 completions for 23 attempts ,254 passing yards, 39 rushing yards , two passing touchdowns (including his first touchdown pass) and one rushing touchdown.
Terry Mclaurin – Jayden Daniels has found his top receiver in Terry Mclaurin . Mclaurin has four receptions ,100 yards and one touchdown.

Next Week

The Bengals will take on the Carolina Panthers .
The Commanders will take on the Arizona Cardinals

Seahawks 24 Dolphins 3 – Mike Rifkin

Well, the Dolphins quarterback situation just got murkier. Skylar Thompson got the start in Seattle, and it was not great. Thompson was 13-19 for 107 yards, and was sacked five times. Thompson was caught holding the ball too long at times, and no feel for pressure, eventually Thompson left the game with a Chest injury and was replaced by Tim Boyle, who Dolphin fans should know well ( he threw the pick six to Jevon Holland on Black Friday last season). The Dolphins offense was 1-15 combined on third and fourth down. De’von Achane had 58 total yards on 14 touches. Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill once again were non factors combining for 66 yards on seven receptions. The only three points the Dolphins scored was, when Geno Smith threw an interception at his own 10 yard line.

The Dolphins defense did what it could against a good Seahawk offense. They forced two Geno Smith interceptions and sacked him three times. The defense held their team in it although the 71 yard touchdown by DK Metcalf late in the first quarter was a back breaker, they held Seattle scoreless in the second and third quarters.

Both teams will play on Monday night as the Dolphins host the Titans and the Seahawks travel to Detroit to play the Lions.

Note : Texans, Cowboys and Lions postgames will be released as vlogs on the SIN YOUTUBE PAGE.

TIME TO TAKE A GIANT LEAP

BY MARK HALPERN

It’s hard to fathom that the Dallas Cowboys have the same record as their long-heated rival the New York Giants. There is no secret love loss these two teams have for each other. The Cowboys and Giants both sit at 1-2 on the season. If asked before the season that at any point the Cowboys and Giants would have the same record, I’d call you a liar.

The Cowboys are headed to MetLife Stadium on Thursday night. The Giants are coming off their first win of the season. An impressive game against the Cleveland Browns this past Sunday. The Cowboys were handed their second straight loss (In a game they should have won) to the now 1-2 Baltimore Ravens. The real question becomes what has to change and will it change?

The Cowboys have a chance to get their team back on the right track and not coming out and trying to make sure you have a balanced attack cause Dallas doesn’t. I still love that Zeke Elliot is back and I hope he hangs it up after the year because there will be no room for him. The Cowboys need to throw the playbook out the window and look at this as an opportunity as a get right game. The Cowboys need to come out and put up 40 points at least while not giving up 41. The Cowboys Offense has been the same old story, now they need to unleash Dak. This team has to see the fun side of football right now because the Dark Shroud is starting to show its ugly face. It’s three games into the season and the Cowboys are 1-2 and to me that is unacceptable. Especially when their two losses look eerily similar to the loss to the Packers in the wild card game. Prescott needs to put up the same type of numbers as he did last week but, with 5 touchdowns to go along with it. Rico and Deuce should be running the ball and Zeke be a receiving back more and be used on those third and short or goal line opportunity. Cee Dee Lamb has a chance to easily go over 100 yards with a TD and so does Jalen Tolbert as he has become a very good deep threat with his speed and route running. Montgomery and Cooks stats could get padded a bit as well.

In my opinion the defense has the perfect opportunity to get their footing back when playing this one-dimensional rival. Pressure Daniel Jones on all four downs and don’t let him get any view of Malik Nabers cause this kid is special. We will se Trevon Diggs matched up with Nabers all night and I am sure it will be a big feature point if Jones can even get the ball towards him.

This game is personal for the Cowboys because they were embarrassed back to back weeks at home. Now they go up against a team that they are clearly more talented than, and last year they blew the Giants out twice. If the Cowboys lose this game, the pressure cooker goes way up on Mike McCarthy.

2024 ATLANTIC DIVISION PREVIEW

BY MIKE RIFKIN

Another Hockey season is upon us. Here is how the Atlantic Division shook out last season, and how I think it will shape it out in 2024.

2023 Standings

Florida Panthers : 110 points – Won Stanley Cup
Boston Bruins : 109 points – Lost in Second Rd to Panthers in six games
Toronto Maple Leafs : 102 points – Lost in First Rd to Bruins in seven games
Tampa Bay Lightning : 98 points – Lost in First Rd to Panthers in five games
Detroit Red Wings : 91 points – Missed Playoffs
Buffalo Sabres : 84 points – Missed Playoffs
Ottawa Senators : 78 points – Missed Playoffs
Montreal Canadiens : 76 points – Missed Playoffs

X FACTORS

BRUINS : Goaltending : I know this is weird, but as of this writing Jeremy Swayman remains unsigned, if the Bruins enter the season with that being the case that means Joonas Korpisalo is in net. If Swayman isn’t signed by December first, he cannot play this season.

Sabres : Tage Thompson : By all accounts 29 goals and 56 points is a solid season. But it’s not as solid as 47 goals and 94 points. Thompson’s numbers took a hit last season, but maybe under Lindy Ruff his numbers increase again. Maybe he doesn’t hit 47, but maybe 35, the Sabres will need more production to replace Jeff Skinner.

Red Wings : Goaltending : The Red Wings brought in Cam Talbot and are pairing him with Ville Husso. One thing on the Yzerplan in Detroit is it hasn’t addressed goaltending for now.

Panthers : Stanley Cup Hangover : We’ve seen it in the past, the teams who go to the Cup Final have a slow start, if the Panthers can avoid that they should be as dangerous as they were a year ago.

Canadiens : Patrick Laine : Montreal added the former second overall pick from Columbus in a trade during the summer. Laine has scored 30 goals or more twice. He is still only 26, if healthy he adds more dynamics to Montreal.

Senators : Shane Pinto : Pinto is a part of a really good group of young forwards. Last season wasn’t kind to Pinto he was limited to 41 games and did have nine goals and 27 points. He was limited due to his contract and suspended for gambling purposes. If Pinto can give the Sens more offense, they might just make the playoffs.

Lightning : Defense : Yeah, the big story out of Tampa was the departure of Steven Stamkos, but I actually think there is a bigger one. That is the departure of Mikhail Sergachev, who was traded to Utah. The Lightning did bring back Ryan Mcdonagh from the Preds. This Blue Line isn’t deep and a major injury could set them back, but they have the right guy leading them in Victor Hedman. It also doesn’t hurt that Andrei Vasilevskiy will be there from the jump.

Maple Leafs : Goaltending : Every year it’s the same thing from the Leafs, they’re highly skilled, but don’t come up big in the playoffs. Joseph Woll played well last year when given the chance and he was great in two games in the playoffs, but between him and free agent signing Anthony Stolarz the Leafs have two guys who have never been true number ones in their career. They cannot let goaltending get in the way of their goal.

Predictions

Panthers
Lightning
Maple Leafs
Bruins – WC (IF SWAYMAN SIGNS)
Senators
Canadiens
Sabres
Red Wings

Returning To The Scene Of The Crime

By Mike Rifkin

Halloween is still a month away, but for the New York Mets they’ll be entering their haunted house a month earlier. The 2022 New York Mets led the NL East by 10 games at one point during the season. In late September the Mets played their division rival the Atlanta Braves, with one goal in mind: win a game to win the division. The Mets rolled out their top three starters in Max Scherzer, Jacob DeGrom and Chris Bassitt, and the Mets were swept by the Braves and relegated to a Wild Card spot. I’ve always felt that the 2023 Mets failed because they couldn’t get over the failures of 2022.

The 2024 versions of both the Mets and the Braves have had to overcome multiple obstacles. For the Braves it’s been injuries to important players. For the Mets it’s been 11 games under .500, injuries, guys struggling, etc… But once again it all comes down to this a massive series in Atlanta, if the Mets win two of three, they’ll clinch a wild card spot, if the Mets lose two of three then they go into the final weekend of the season with a one game lead in the Wild Card.

Atlanta has been a house of horrors for the Mets, they are 187-273 all time in Atlanta, including 25-36 at Truist Park. On a positive note the Mets did win the only other series in Atlanta earlier this season. With the season series tied five wins a piece, whoever wins this series will have the tiebreaker over the other (if needed). But for the Mets they can erase what happened in 2022 by winning this series and go to the playoffs, which most thought was not obtainable when they went 11 games under .500. The Mets have played so well since June, overcoming a lot of obstacles, but their biggest obstacle is the one that has stood in front of them before.

WHAT TO DO IN THIS SITUATION

BY MARK “KNISH” HALPERN

Over the past 30 years being a Sport Card dealer, I have had the pleasure of having some rare cards, rare to very rare autographs and even have had held the two holy grails of baseball cards in my hand and that being the Topps t209 Honus Wagner and the of course the 1952 Mickey Mantle. I used to be a very big card dealer here in New York and due to some unfortunate health issues, I haven’t been able to do it at full speed. I still buy and sell cards but, in nowhere of the numbers I was used to dealing with. It’s hard to say that every card dealer, breaker, collector ever get to hold the one card they are searching for or not searching for (getting out of a pack) and hit the treasure chest. It happens and sometimes more than you think.

Let’s take a trip back to Westchester County New York in 2002. I brought home a case of Fleer (Yes, I said Fleer) Mystique because the East Coast National (one of the biggest cards shows to come to White Pains annually) and I knew we had a great chance in nabbing a few Ichiro rookies to be able to sell at the show. He and another well-known guy by the name of Albert Pujols was also making waves so any of his rookies would have been good too. Well let’s just say all I did was open one box. I got home went to my desk and sat down to open the case. I took one of the four top boxes (don’t remember which) and preceded top open away and the cards definitely were nice. This was one of the first style cards made on a thicker scale. Well needless to say I got three Ichiro in the first three packs and said “Well what’s next?” opened the next pack and saw a reflective magenta color and if you’re a card collector you know what meant back then. Those were the real 1/1’s and not like the 1000’s produced today. To get a 1/1 you were considered royalty at a show cause that’s how rare they were to pull back then. My hands were shaking a little cause I knew what I had but, just didn’t know who. Well kill the suspense it was the Ichiro 1/1 (no autos at this time) and when I say time froze it sure felt like it. I called my associate Aaron Mackles who had been running the card business with me and he just froze. Needless to say, we were the hit of the show and the card was sold to a Japanese collector.

So, what does this story have to do with the anything well let me tell you. The market for baseball cards is more volatile than the NYSE index. Well as we all know that Sport Cards go up in value based on the player and their performance and if a player gets injured and out long-time prices drop, you go 50/50 for the first time in ever your cards are going to sky rocket. As a card dealer you have to play the short game more than the long game because you want to make money on you invest just some sooner than others.

So, I have right here a Shohei Ohtani Luminaries autograph 13/15. Has to be one of the cleanest cards I have ever seen. Here comes the conundrum I know I can make money now but, this is Ohtani could he comeback next year and win 18 games 35 home runs 100 RBI oh yes. Why would I sell now? Well, what happens if he wakes up and breaks his ankle getting out of bed well that card is going to drop. God Forbid what if he was forced to retire well that investment starts to fall so, I have to watch his play. What if he wins World Series MVP, it is just going drive the card up even more.

Now when I think of Ohtani my mind doesn’t just automatically go to Bonds even though I backed it in a recent article. I backed it because it made more sense but, to me Ohtani is the Japanese “Babe Ruth.” There isn’t a comparison you can’t make that Ohtani isn’t like Ruth. He can pitch (TJ surgery last year) and effectively, he hits for average and power, he steals bases at will and isn’t afraid of a challenge. Sound like Ruth to you? Well, it is 100% and I don’t see Ohtani slowing down. Yes, I understand Ohtani had some issues before the season ended and we will never get the full story and I don’t want to know it however, Ruth drank and could be 3x over the legal limit and still go 3 for 4 with 3 home runs. Ruth was and always will be a GOD of Baseball. Just like what he did for the New York Yankees, Ohtani did for the Angles and now is Doing it for the Dodgers. Ruth’s Autograph isn’t as rare as you may think but to own one in the condition I have makes me want to hold on to it longer as it is going to appreciate much more with every year Ohtani plays. The two pieces below are just a small part of my collection and might put this all together. If you are questioning if the Ruth is real its JSA and is considered one of the cleanest they have seen. These players might have been separated by a century but, are similar.

Congrats to Shohei on his achievement. We all await what else you can Dazzle us with. In the end I will prob sell them both after I create a piece that’s fits them properly.

Monday Night Madness : Bengals vs Commanders Preview

By Bill Murphy

For the third consecutive season the Bengals are starting the season 0-2 . The Bengals are coming off of a 26 -25 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bengals are facing off against the Washington Commanders on Monday night, The Commanders who are coming off of their first win of the Dan Quinn era. A 21-18 win against the New York Giants. The Bengals have gotten into bad habits in years past with slow starts, in 2024 can they turn it around?

Keys to victory

Bengals:

Offense : The key to victory for the Bengals offense is going to be the passing game and taking advantage of the Commanders weak secondary. Last week Joe Burrow was 23/35 for 258 yards and two touchdowns , those two touchdowns were to Andrei Iosivas and also 91 yards to tight end Mike Geisicki. So Burrow will have to spread the ball around, Tee Higgins is expected to make his season debut, after missing the first two games with a hamstring injury. Higgins’ debut should open things up for Ja’marr Chase, who has 10 catches for 97 yards through two games. Last week the Commanders pass defense struggled with Daniel Jones (of all people ) as he threw for 178 yards and two touchdowns, 110 of those yards and a touchdown went to rookie Malik Nabers .

Defense : The key to victory for the Bengals defense is going to be containing Jayden Daniels. Last week Daniels was 23-29 for 226 yards and he ran for 44 yards. Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard on the edges are going to have to be big. Hendrickson did get to Mahomes twice last week. Maybe the Bengals’ familiarity with Lamar Jackson could help in this situation.

Commanders

Offense :The key to victory for the Commanders is going to be the run game , Jayden Daniels last week ran for 44 yards . Another weapon in that is going to be Brian Robinson Jr. who last week ran for 133 yards. This would be taking advantage of the Bengals rush defense that last week gave up 149 yards to the Chiefs and through two games is giving up 159.4 yards per game rushing.

Defense : The Commanders defense needs to contain Ja’Marr Chase. Even though his last two games Chase has been getting off to a slow start , the Commanders defense needs to make sure the receiver does not have a breakout game. It might be difficult with the return of Tee Higgins, but the Commanders have to limit Chase and his explosiveness.

Prediction :

Bengals 24 Commanders 10

Sky-Lar Is The Limit

By Mike Rifkin

The Skylar Thompson era begins for the Dolphins on the road in Seattle. Thompson, replaces Tua Tagovailoa, who was placed on IR with a concussion. Thompson has played on the road before, he was the Dolphins quarterback in the 2022 AFC Wild Card game against the Bills. Thompson was 18-45 for 220 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.

The Dolphins are coming off a 31 -10 loss to the Bills. The Dolphins turned the ball over three times and committed seven penalties for 50 yards. The Dolphins’ offense will have to look to get Jaylen Waddle and Tyreek Hill involved, the two combined for seven catches for 65 yards last week. The Dolphins may be without Raheem Mostert again with a chest injury.

The Seahawks are coming off a 23-20 win over the Patriots. Geno Smith threw for 327 yards and a touchdown. Both DK Metcalf and Jaxson Smith-Njigba went over 100 yards receiving. The Seahawks defense through two games is giving up 270.5 yards per game and have three takeaways.

Keys to the game

Jalen Ramsey – Ramsey, will most likely be on DK Metcalf. Those two have a history, if Ramsey can get in Metcalf’s head he can be a nonfactor.
Pressuring Geno : The Seahawks offensive line has given up five sacks so far this season. The Dolphins defense didn’t touch Josh Allen last week, so they’ll have to get pressure on Geno.
Get Tyreek and Waddle involved early. Last week these two were non factors. They’re going up against two young corners in Riq Woolen and Devon Weatherspoon.

Prediction : Seahawks 24 Dolphins 20.

Bengals vs Chiefs : Recap

By Bill Murphy

For the third consecutive season , the Bengals are starting the season 0-2 after losing to the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs 26-25 on a last second field goal from Harrison Butker. The Bengals lost the game on a pass interference call on Bengals Secondary Daijahn Anthony which gave the Chiefs a first down and set up the winning drive . This game was an instant classic having five lead changes in the second half alone.

Stars Of The Game

Bengals

Joe Burrow – Burrow made a significant improvement from his performance last week against the Patriots . Burrow threw for 258 yards 23/36 and two touchdown passes. He was starting to look like the old Joe Burrow again as he comes off his wrist injury from last year .
Andrei Iovsis – In his second year In Cincinnati Andrei Iosvis is trying to make his presence known as a wide receiver. Iovsis caught two touchdown passes from Burrow and picked up nine reception yards. Iovsis could be an important part of the Bengals Wide receiver corps because Tee Higgins was still out today and his return is uncertain and Ja’Marr Chase had a quiet day , so Iovsis can be a stand out for the Bengals.
Cam Taylor Britt- At the end of the third quarter Cam Taylor Britt did a awesome one handed interception which reminded me of Odell Beckham Jr. This pass turned momentum for the Bengals around for one moment after picking off Pat Mahomes.
Trey Hendrickson- I said Hendrickson was going to be a key to this game in my preview and I was right. Hendrickson had four tackles ,two for loss and two sacks.

Chiefs

Rashee Rice– Rashee Rice had the breakout game that he needed , he had five receptions for 75 yards and had a 44 yards touchdown reception. This was his first downfield touchdown pass in his career and his first downfield pass since last season .
The Chiefs running game : The chiefs took advantage of the Bengals weak rush defense . The Chiefs wracked up a total of 149 yds , including 90 of them from Isiah Pacheco , 29 from Patrick Mahomes and 24 from Carson Steele and more .
Chris Jones – He only wracked up a half a sack against Joe Burrow , but he broke up a screen pass from Burrow which turned it into an incomplete pass. The next play Burrow was sandwiched by Jones , Defensive end Mike Danna and defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton which resulted in Burrow fumbling the ball on third and 10.

Next Week

The Chiefs will be playing the Falcons on Sunday Night Football
The Bengals will be playing the Commanders on Monday Night Football

External Options

By Mike Rifkin

On Tuesday the Miami Dolphins placed Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on IR. IR means Tua will miss the next four games at minimum. The Dolphins are allowing Tagovailoa to meet with neurologists after suffering another concussion last week. Skylar Thompson will get the start this week in Seattle. Thompson, does have some experience including starting the Wild Card game two years ago in Buffalo. But, this is a Dolphins team that has expectations, and if Thompson struggles the Dolphins will have to get themselves a quarterback to help this team win. They did sign Tyler Huntley from the Ravens, but if they want to upgrade the position there are some external options.

Ryan Tannehill : Tannehill, a former Dolphin is the best quarterback on the free agency market. The 36 year old had four touchdowns and seven interceptions in 10 games with the Titans last season.

Jimmy Garoppolo (Rams) – Garoppolo was suspended the first two games of the season for PEDs. Garoppolo played for Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel with the Niners and went to a Super Bowl together.

Russell Wilson – I still don’t understand what the Steelers’ plan is at quarterback, but Justin Fields is 2-0. Should he continue to play well and give them a chance to win, then he should be evaluated for the whole season which could put Wilson in play.

Bryce Young – The Panthers announced that Andy Dalton is their starter going forward. Unless he gets hurt there’s no way Bryce Young can be inserted back into the lineup. The former first overall pick has struggled, but it can be calculated as a low risk high reward deal, especially if Tua has to step away from the game.

The NFL trade deadline is November 5th and a lot can happen between now and then. But for right now these might be the four best options for the Dolphins to turn to if Skylar Thompson doesn’t pan out, while Tua gets those opinions.

A New Show In Town

By Mike Rifkin

On Saturday the Mets recalled one of their top prospects in Luis Angel Acuna. Acuna, who was acquired at the trade deadline from the Rangers in exchange for Max Scherzer. Steve Cohen ate a lot of Scherzer’s salary to acquire Acuna. Acuna, has been playing shortstop in the absence of Fransisco Lindor, who is dealing with a back issue.

Acuna, on Tuesday night had his best game of his young career going 3-4 with a double and a home run (first career), two RBI’S and three runs scored. Acuna has five hits in his first 11 at bats and has looked solid so far at the plate, but it’s just a glimpse into what the future.

So I am not thinking about the playoffs for Acuna (right now), but long term where can Acuna play? Well, Lindor is locked up at Shortstop long term, so that’s off the table. Mark Vientos has had a great season, has locked up third base, unless Pete Alonso leaves in free agency which remains a possibility (though the fans don’t want him to). So that leaves second base, Jeff McNeil. McNeil had a putrid first half of the season, but was sensational in the second half, before fracturing his wrist on a hit by pitch. McNeil is signed through 2028, although there is a club option for 2027. Jose Iglesias has had a fantastic season, and the Mets can bring him back as a part time player next season to potentially back up Acuna, Acuna also has had some outfield experience, but with Starling Marte and Brandon Nimmo signed for next season, it’s unlikely unless the Mets put Acuna in Center Field. But that’s a problem for later, right now Mets fans have to love what they’ve seen from Acuna, so early in his career. Hopefully he can become a staple in the Mets lineup for years, like his brother is for the Braves.