Brutal Blow

By Mike Rifkin

It was announced on Thursday that Tampa Bay Lightning Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy underwent back surgery and will miss the season’s first two months. Vasilevskiy is the best goalie in the World, and the one guy the Lightning could not afford to lose. 

Over the last five seasons, Vasilevskiy has a record of 178-75-20 with a 2.48 Goals Against Average and a .919 save percentage. He’s played in 270 games, which only trails Connor Hellebuyck. But these stats don’t include the 77 playoff games he’s played since 2019, including leading the Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cups and three consecutive final appearances. 

Because the Lightning is to remain compliant with the salary cap, it seems unlikely that they could trade for a goalie. They better have their fingers crossed that it is only two months since Vasilevskiy is out. But the real kicker is the Atlantic Division is better, and you want to avoid getting buried in the standings early in the season. The Lightning are a battle-tested team, and while they’ll miss Vasilevskiy (who wouldn’t), they’ll remain in the race and ready to go upon his return.

DIVISIONAL THROWDOWN

By Mark Halpern

    So, after the first three weeks in football, we got a prime-time nuclear explosion. The Detroit Lions are preparing for a Narnia-like battle between the Lions and the Packers. This new look for both teams will face off for the first two battles, becoming much more critical as the season draws on.

      Jared Goff has had this team rolling with a record of 2-1. He has limited the number of turnovers, which has helped keep them closer in the game. The running game has its challenges, but both the top 2 running backs on the Lions, Gibbs & Montgomery, could be the Lion’s #1. Of course, Montgomery will regain his elite status, but his carries might be less with the successful start of Jahmyr Gibbs. St.Brown and the wide receiver core must keep short routes to open the running game more. Last week, Sam LaPorta had his first big game and will be put into defensive study for the Packers. The offense beats the Packers by playing small ball for as long as they can to try and control this game.

      As for the defensive side, the Lions have been bringing the pressure. Last week, Desmond Ridder took seven sacks but needed more time to set a throw. The defense needs to continue the pressure. They need to come at Love with all their hate and force him to make rookie mistakes, and hopefully, that will lead to turnovers.

     The players beside Goff who need to have a big game are Gibbs, Josh Reynolds (get some heat off of St. Brown), defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, and Jerry Jacobs, as they will be busy all afternoon. The Packers should be getting back Christian Watson and Aaron Jones tonight. It should be a great game happening tonight. Ultimately, The Lions win in a low-scoring game 24-10. If the Lions win, it would be the Lions’ fourth consecutive win over the Packers.

NOT WHAT WAS EXPECTED

BY MARK HALPERN

This past weekend, the Cowboys went to Arizona, and especially what happened between the Giants and the Cardinals the week before, all signs pointed to a Dallas win. Well, that’s not what happened. 

If you didn’t see well, the Cardinals, the team said “to be tanking,” has shown life over the last two weeks, and teams shouldn’t always think the tank is on because it indeed wasn’t. I am a loyal Dallas fan and will be, but sometimes, instead of stats and facts, you need Color Commentary, and emotions get the best of you. That performance was unacceptable. Scoring one touchdown in the Red Zone. As a team, they committed 13 penalties. The defense gave up 400 yards to the Cardinals, and there’s one word to describe this game: UNACCEPTABLE.

   That said if there were any bright spots, here they are. Kevonte Turpin’s 53-yard punt return showed why he is becoming a significant offensive threat for the Cowboys, and Tony Pollard ran for 123 yards. Gallup and Dowdle showed why they are more helpful than they were in the first two games. Micah is Micah, and he will bring the intensity every week. I called for him to have a sack in each game, and so far, at least, that is coming through.

We move on from this disaster to take on the Patriots next Sunday at 4:25 pm EST.

PRIDE MAULS FLOCK OF FALCONS

By Mark Halpern

      This past weekend, the Lions took on the young and upcoming Atlanta Falcons, a game predicted to be a rookie running back showdown between Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs. It didn’t happen, as the Lions showed why they should be feared going forward.

       Jared Goff has a team to work with, and it’s starting to come together for him, like in Los Angeles. Goff threw for 243 1td/1int and ran for a touchdown. Gibbs had a decent day with 80 yards on the ground. This was Gibbs’s first complete game day as David Montgomery was sidelined with a thigh bruise. St. Brown had another 100-yard reception game, but today was about another rookie who showed why the Lions spent a second-round pick on: Sam LaPorta. LaPorta went off for eight rec and 80 yards with his first NFL touchdown. We have heard the names of Mayer with the Raiders and Kinkaid with the Bills but only a little from Laporta. He was Goff’s second favorite target on the day, and he showed good route running and got open for a 30+ yard TD. LaPorta will make it easier for Goff to find his #1 and #2, and yes, this was just one week, but he made a name for himself.

    The Lion’s Defense was all over Desmond Ridder, sacking him seven times and hurried him more than a dozen more. The Defense didn’t record an interception because Ridder was too busy running for his life like Zach Wilson and Daniel Jones over the first few weeks of the season. This Defense I said when I did my preview was hungrier than last year and showed why they should be feared going forward.

   The Lions have a divisional matchup against the Green Bay Packers this Thursday night. Jordan Love has the Packers’ offense moving, but can the Defense stop this potent offense? We shall see. The two teams saw each other in week 18 last season when the Lions knocked the Packers out of the playoffs.   

Showtime

By Mike Rifkin

The Dolphins put up a show in their home opener on Sunday as they put up 70 points against the Broncos. This was the third time in NFL history that a team scored 70 points in a game and the first time since 1966. The Dolphins also put up 726 yards, the second most in NFL history, and they are the fourth team to score ten touchdowns in a single game.

Tua Tagovailoa continued his phenomenal start to the season by going 23-26 for 309 yards and four touchdowns. The Dolphins ran the ball for 350 yards and averaged eight yards per carry. De’Von Achane had 233 total yards and four touchdowns (2 rush, two receiving). Raheem Mostert had 142 total yards and four touchdowns (3 rush, one receiving). Tyreek Hill had nine catches for 157 yards and a touchdown. Hill had four catches for 99 yards and a touchdown against Patrick Surtain Jr. in what was supposed to be a highly anticipated matchup. The Dolphins offense did this without Jaylen Waddle, who missed the game with a concussion. 

Vic Fangio’s defense was solid, but they didn’t have to do much. The defense had a sack and forced three turnovers. They did have 12 QB hits, so the pressure was on Russell Wilson. Wilson did throw for 306 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Cortland Sutton had eight catches for 91 yards and a touchdown but did lose two fumbles. 

The Dolphins will hit the road again next week as they take on the Bills in Buffalo. Last season, the teams met three times, with the Bills winning two, including the AFC Wild Card game. Tua didn’t play in the game due to a concussion. The Broncos will go to Chicago to play the Bears in a battle of winless teams. 

On Their High Horse

By Mike Rifkin

On Sunday, the Miami Dolphins will have their home opener at Hard Rock Stadium, taking on the Denver Broncos. The Dolphins will look to go 3-0 after road wins against the Chargers and Patriots. Both games were very different; the Chargers game was a shootout, and the defense stepped up when they had to; the Patriot game was more of a conservative game, where the offense had to take what it was given. 

One of the keys to the Dolphins’ early season success has been the offensive line, which has only allowed one sack through two games. The offense has also averaged 107.5 yards per game rushing. The offensive line could be getting a boost with the impending return of Left Tackle Terron Armstead. One thing to watch is the health of receiver Jaylen Waddle. He left the Patriot game with a concussion and has been in concussion protocol throughout the week, and is questionable. 

This is a revenge game for Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, the Broncos coach from 2019-2021, going 19-30 in those three seasons. Bradley Chubb, who was traded from the Broncos to the Dolphins at the trade deadline last year, will see his former team for the first time. Chubb is coming off his best game as a Dolphin with seven tackles, one sack, and a forced fumble. The Dolphins’ defense should get a boost with the return of Jaelan Phillips, who missed Sunday’s win over the Pats with a back injury.

The Broncos have lost their first two games by a combined three points. Russell Wilson has played better under Sean Payton but has been sacked nine times in two games. The Broncos’ offense has outstanding, skilled position players with Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, and Javonte Williams. One matchup to watch is Patrick Surtain vs. Tyreek Hill. Surtain, whose father played for the Dolphins, has become one of the elite corners in the game. 

DALLAS LOOKS TO Stay Hot In The Desert

By Mark Halpern

     This Sunday in Arizona, the Cardinals will look to change the tide of their season as they get set to take on the Dallas Cowboys. The team with the best Defense in football strolls into town this weekend to take on the winless football team.

     Last week, we saw the Cowboys demolish the New York Jets 30-10 and show why this Defense is strong again. This week, they take on a weakened Arizona team but will have to do it without star cornerback Treyvon Diggs, as he tore his ACL in practice, ending his promising start of the current year. The Defense will be okay, as Daron Bland or Jordan Lewis will be asked to start at the CB2 spot. This Arizona offense will be swallowed up by this black hole of a defense that describes what the Cowboys are doing on Defense.

     On the offensive side of the ball, look for another solid 20-plus touch game for Tony Pollard, as he will have over 100 yards rushing and at least one touchdown. Dak will look to keep the balance that has been created during the game and stick with it. Again, running the ball to draw that Defense up to the line to open the play action and look for that to be done multiple times is crucial. Unless Dallas is behind, look for the game plan to stay the same and balanced. Look for the Cowboys to come out with a win Sunday, 38-7

CAN THE PRIDE STOP THE HIGH-ENERGY FALCONS

By Mark Halpern

      Over the season’s first two games, we have seen the Lions beat some high-power offenses, such as Kansas City and Seattle. This week, they will have their first real test of a real dual offensive threat, which is the Atlanta Falcons.

     The Lions’ Defense won them in game one, and in game two, it was the offense; the question is, which side will be leaned on more? The Defensive line will have its fair share of trouble trying to stop rookie Bijan Robinson, who has had a great start to the year. However, just stopping the run game is 1 task, but this high-power offense with Ridder at the helm is very dangerous, as we saw in the comeback and defeat of the Packers. So, the Defense will have to step it up again.

    The significant concerns on offense are that of David Montgomery and Amon Ra-St Brown. Montgomery left last week’s game with what appeared to be a knee issue, and he is listed as questionable, but it’s leaning to the more doubtful side, meaning Jahmyr Gibbs will get the start. The Passing game has to have a repeat performance of last week to keep pace with the Falcons. The Falcons are no longer the joke of the league anymore, but they are still finding out who they are. Lions win in a nail bitter 30-28

Going Home

By: Lawrence Lang

The Green Bay Packers head home for their home opener against the New Orleans Saints and look to head to 2-1 on the season. The Packers come home after a week two loss to the Atlanta Falcons 25-24. In that game, Jordan Love looked good again, going 14/25, 151 passing yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions, and only being sacked once. Jayden Reed had a pair of touchdowns on four receptions for 37 yards, and Dontayvion Wicks had one touchdown on two receptions and 40 yards. With Aaron Jones out for game two with a hamstring injury, AJ Dillion was running back one and was shut down by the Falcons’ defense, only having 15 carries for 55 yards in total; the Packers had 21 carries for just 84 yards rushing. 

The Packers were up 24-12 heading into the fourth quarter, and the offense and defense played lackluster football. In the final quarter, the offense put up no points, and the defense allowed 13 points, which led to the Falcons winning. Now, being no stranger to watching the Packers do this, a few key notes are to be noted. Whenever they have a lead in recent memory, the Packers like to play conservative football, which means running the ball more to kill the game clock instead of trying to pass it more and putting up more points to keep their lead. Second, the Packers also failed to stop the run game in this game. Bijan Robinson led the way with 19 carries for 124 yards, Tyler Allgeier had 16 carries for 48 yards, and quarterback Desmond Ridder had 10 carries for 39 yards and a touchdown. In total, the Falcons run game had 211 rushing yards. The Packers’ defense is like a coin when it comes to stopping the run game; either you flip it, and they can stop it, or the other outcome happens, and they struggle all game to stop it.  

As for the Saints, they come into Green Bay 2-0 after a Monday Night Football win on the road over the Carolina Panthers 20-17. Quarterback Derek Carr went 21/36, 228 passing yards, and an interception. Then, the man of many positions, quarterback Taysom Hill, had nine carries for 75 yards, one being a 19-yard run. Tony Jones Jr. had 12 carries for 34 yards and two touchdowns, and Jamaal Willimas had nine carries and 29 yards rushing. Receiving end Chris Olave had six receptions for 86 yards, and Rashid Shaheed had four catches for 63 yards. In all honesty, there is no real standout for the Saints in this game besides Jones Jr. Carr looks right with a 58% competition percentage, but in two games, he only has one passing touchdown. Two games are only outscoring their opponents 36-22; granted, that throws two games, but if you want to be in that Super Bowl conversation, and if Carr wants to be in that MVP conversation, Carr will need to start stepping up. 

All eyes will be on Love, as this will be his first home opener as the starter. A couple of game-time decisions for the Packers will be Running Back Aaron Jones, Wide Receiver Christian Watson, Left Tackle David Bakhtiari, and Left Guard Elgton Jenkins. Bakhtiari has made news recently about the controversy about how NFL stadiums are going with astroturf instead of natural grass as Canada, Mexico, and The US get ready to host the World Cup in 2016, so it looks like I might not see much of Bakhtiari this season depending was the Packers are playing and if it’s a natural grass field or astroturf. The Love era at Lambeau Field begins with a 4:25 P.m. Sunday Kickoff.

DALLAS Doesn’t Let the Jets Take Flight

By Mark Halpern

      The Dallas Cowboys squared off against the New York Jets, and the Defense showed why it’s the best in the NFL. Yes, the Jets were missing Aaron Rodgers, and you could see the downfall this offense has faced since the 4th play of the first game. 

      The Jets Defense did show up in the first half and played well on different fronts, holding the Cowboys to 18 first-half points. The Cowboys also played well on Defense except for one play where Wilson hit Garrett Wilson for a 74-yard crossing route for a touchdown, making it 18-10 at the half, but that’s all we would hear from the Jets offense.

     The Dallas offense had more time (42:15) on the field than last week, beating the Giants and the Dallas Defense to a Mear (17:45) amount that most teams surpass in an average week. Dak Prescott played well, accumulating 255 passing yards and two touchdowns. Tony Pollard ran for 75 yards, and Cee Dee Lamb caught 11 balls for 143 yards. Jake Ferguson and Luke Shoemaker caught Dak’s two passing touchdowns, and then the Dallas offense could only muster four field goals in the second half against a stingy Jets Defense.

    The Dallas Defense accumulated three sacks (2 by Parsons) and picked off Zach Wilson three times in the second half to keep them off the board. The Cowboys held star running back Dalvin Cook and Breece Hall to a meager 64 yards (36 from Wilson), which means that in the first two weeks of play, the Dallas Cowboys have put up 70 points while only giving up 10 points through the first week. Dallas takes on the Cardinals next Sunday, and this should be a simple task for this high-powered Dallas team.