PLAYOFFS

BY: Jeff Knapp

Going into week 17, the Giants took the field for their last home game of the season against the fledgling Colts, who were 1-8 in their last nine games. 

Heading into the 2nd quarter, the Giants started turning up the heat. Down 3-0, the Giants went 71 yards on 11 plays to have Daniel Jones hit Richie James on a 9-yard TD pass for the 1st of his two passing TDs of the day. Jones wasn’t done there, taking the Giants 64 yards on nine plays on their next possession and capping the drive off with a 6-yard TD pass to Isaiah Hodgins.

Things got worse for the Colts during their next possession when Nick Foles dropped back on 3rd and 11 from their 46-yard line and had his next pass intercepted by returning Giant Landon Collins, who took it 52 yards for a pick 6.

After that, things hit rock bottom for Indy when on 3rd and 4, Nick Foles was sacked by Kayvon Thibodeaux for a 9-yard loss. Foles was injured on that play and was knocked out of the game for the rest of the day.

Although the Giants continued to dominate the 3rd quarter with yet another TD by Daniel Jones, who rushed this one in for 18 yards, three things had me wincing. The 1st thing was the Darius Slayton fumble that the Colts recovered, and although the Colts couldn’t capitalize on that, ball security must remain at the forefront of every Giant on the field. The 2nd one was less than the Colts scored a TD in the 3rd, but they converted on two different 4th down plays. If the game weren’t so far out of hand, I’d be much more disturbed about that. The last big one for me was the 1st of two hard shots Jones took running in for his 2 TD rushes. The one in the 4th quarter was even stiffer and should allow Barkley to take those hits.

I’m still trying to understand why the Giants would go for it and not punt it away on 4th down when they are up 38-10 with 2 minutes left. I know it didn’t hurt the Giants, but there was no point in it to me.

Once again, Jones threw for 200 yards or less for the 11th time this season, but when he did pass, he was decisive and on point. He ran with authority and purpose, ending the day with 91 yards rushing (leading the team) on 11 attempts. 

I would have loved to have seen some of those holes that Jones got have gone the way of Saquon Barkley, who had 12 attempts for a total of 58 yards, with only one long run of 19 yards in the 2nd quarter during the Giants’ 1st TD drive.

Jones distributed the ball to 6 receivers, including Richie James, who led the team in receptions (7) and receiving yards (76), including 1 TD. 

On defense, the Giants and the returning Xavier McKinney ran roughshod over the Colts, ending the day with two sacks, 1 INT, and 4 QB hits. 

I hope that Nick Foles is ok, but that sack from KT was tremendous, and he attacked Foles like I attacked the couch after a long day at work.

Next week, at 4:25, the Giants play their season finale in Philly against the NFC East-leading Eagles.

Week 17: Steelers at Ravens 

By: Ross Mazin

The Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Baltimore Ravens in an AFC North matchup Sunday night. The Ravens are in the playoffs but still have a shot at the division title, while the Steelers are still alive in the wild-card race.

The Steelers are coming off a big win against Las Vegas last week. Kenny Pickett was 26 for 39 for 244 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Najee Harris had 16 carries for 53 yards. The Steelers’ defense had three interceptions and three sacks. 

The Ravens are coming off a win against Atlanta. Tyler Huntley was 9 for 17 for 115 yards and one touchdown. Gus Edwards had 11 carries for 99 yards. As a team, the Ravens rushed for 184 yards. 

The Ravens and Steelers are playing for the second time this season. The Ravens won 16-14 in early December on the strength of JK Dobbins’s 120 yards rushing, Justin Tucker’s three field goals, and the defense forced three turnovers.

 Another big game in this tremendous rivalry. Will the Ravens’ divisional hopes stand, or will the Steelers still have a shot at the playoffs? My prediction is Ravens 33- Steelers 20

Week 17: Jets at Seahawks 

By Ross Mazin

There will be an exciting matchup with two weeks left in the regular season. Two teams are vying for a playoff spot in their respective conferences. 

The Jets are coming off a disappointing 19-3 loss against the Jaguars last week. Chris Streveler was 10 -15 for 90 yards and rushed for 54 yards after replacing Zach Wilson. Wilson was 9 – 18 for 92 yards and an interception. The Jets have announced that Mike White will return as the starting quarterback after the Jets got a lot of help in the playoff race. 

The Seahawks are coming off a 24-10 loss against the Chiefs last week. Geno Smith was 24 -50  for 215 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Smith is a former second-round Jets pick in 2013 and has had a career year this season. Kenneth Walker has been great as a rookie running back. He averages 4.6 yards per carry and has a chance for his first 1,000-yard season. Fans should be excited to see the matchup of Sauce Gardener against DK Metcalf.

My prediction is Jets 15- Seahawks 3

   Judging The Captain

By: Lawrence Lang.

 At last Wednesday’s press conference, The New York Yankees named Aaron Judge Captain. After Judge signed a new nine-year deal with the Yankees worth $360 Million, thus making him earn $40 Million over the next nine seasons with the Yankees. Judge becomes the 16th captain in Yankees History. He joins a long list of Hall of farmers who were also Captain of the 27-time World Champions list, including the inaugural Captain Clark Griffith (1903- 1905), Willie Keeler (1908-1909), Frank Chance (1913), Babe Ruth (1922), Lou Gehrig (1986-1988) and the most recent Captain Derek Jeter (2003-2014). 

Judge’s Path to Captain goes as follows. He was a first-round pick of the Yankees in 2013. On August 13th, 2016, Judge made his Major League debut. Since that time, Judge has racked up many accolades; below are just a few. 

4x All-Star (2017,2018,2021,2022)

AL MVP (2022)

AL recorded for most Home Runs in a single season (62) 

3x Silver Slugger (2017,2021,2022) 

Wilson Defensive Player of the Year (2019)

To many, it’s right to name Judge the new Captain of the Yankees, which is well deserved, especially what he did this past season. Judge set the American League single-season record and Yankees’ Single Season record for home runs in a season with 62 home runs breaking the 61-year-old record that former Yankee Right Fielder Roger Marris set in 1961 with 61 Home Runs. Judge is also the locker room leader of the Yankees right now and never puts the spotlight on himself when it comes to the game of baseball. Many expected when he became a free agent that he would be dawning a new uniform once 2023 Spring Training. Other teams looking to bring a new JUDGE to town were The San Diego Padres. Who already have Fernando Tatis jr. ( still suspended for part of 2023 for PEDs), former world series winner Juan Soto ( acquired in a trade with Washington Nationals in 2022), and Manny Machado. The San Francisco Giants were also in the mix, and most people thought there made a deal for Judge to go there, but a last-minute offer from the Yankees made Judge decide to stay. 

Now that it’s all time to all rise again in the Bronx. Judge is now in some familiar territory, as when you get named Captain of the Yankees championship, success comes around. The 8th Yankee captain, shortstop Everett Scott (1922-1925), brought the Yankees the first title in 1923. Lou Gehrig, the next Captain from 1935-1939, brought the Yankees four championships. Thurman Munson (1976- 1979) became the 10th captain 37 years after Gehrig brought two championships. Finally, the latest Captain, Derk Jeter (2003-2014), who, before being named Captain, had already won four world series with the Yankees (96,98,99,00), brought the Yankees their most recent championship in 2009. Scott, Gehrig, and Munsion all won one title a year after being named Captain, and for Jeter, it was six years when he finally won a title as Captain.  

Since Judge came up in 2016, the Yankees have had a great regular season but have seen to come up short once it came to the Playoffs.

2016. Missed 

2017. 91 – 71 Lost the ALCS to Houston 

2018. 100-62 Lost ALDS to Boston 

2019. 103-59, Lost ALCS to Houston

2020. (Covid Season) 33-27 Lost ALDS to Tampa 

2021. 92-70 Lost ALWC to Boston

2022. 99-63 Lost the ALCS to Houston.

Suppose we forget that with sub-par performance in the playoffs for the Yankees, their biggest question now for the Judge and the Yankees is whether Judge can stay healthy, especially with making $40 Million a year now for the next nine years. Looking at Judge, he finds a way to be on the DL with no severe injuries and a few Serious ones. Plus, with a new deal staying healthy will be critical for Judge if he wants to keep his $40 Million salary. Judge will turn 31 next April.

2016 (call-up year). Grade 2 Oblique Strain 

2017- 18 Offseason Shoulder Surgery (arthroscopic surgery)

2018 July Chip fracture in the wrist ( nearly two months on IL)

2019 April Oblique Strain ( April returned on June 21st)

2020 Collapsed Lung ( due to a dive in Sept of 2019) was due to miss significant time when reported to spring training, but we all know what happened in 2020. 

2020 Calf Strain in early and late august

2021 Lowe Body soreness on and off. 

Keeping Judge healthy is critical because not only is he your Captain, but he is also your franchise player now. Injuries due occur at any time, and nobody ever wishes injury on anyone. But here is the thing ‘What if” Judge does get injured and does miss the significant time where he misses multiple months or a season? What do the Yankees do? The 2023 season has yet to start, and we are not a few years into the Judge contract. With that in mind, here are five things to consider in the Captain Judge era beginning. 

  1. Will Judge be Captain all nine years of his contract? 
  2. Will Judge be a Yankee for his entire nine-year contract?
  3. How healthy will Judge be in the next nine years with being 30 already?
  4. How will Judge deal with the pressure of now being the Yankees’ Captain?
  5. HOW MANY WORLD SERIES WILL THE YANKEES WIN IN THE NEXT NINE YEARS?

The last question is the most important, and the Yankees have always been associated with winning championships. They have not won a World Series since 2009, and the fans are getting restless. How much longer will it take for them to get to the promised land? If they don’t, the fans and the New York media will come after the new Captain. It might sound harsh, but Aaron is about to be Judged in a different matter.

MVP CASES

By : Mike Rifkin

As the NFL season dwindles, people will keep debating awards, specifically the MVP. The league last had a non-quarterback win the award in 2012 when Adrian Peterson won the award; only five times since 2000 has a non-quarterback won the award, and all of them were running backs. I know people are debating Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts for the award, but I will give you two other guys who should be in the conversation. 

Let’s start with Mahomes, who has a guy on his team who should be in the conversation. The Chiefs’ offense is first in yards per game and has the top-ranked passing offense, and Mahomes leads the league in passing yards and touchdowns. But how would those numbers change if Travis Kelce wasn’t a Chief? Kelce is currently fourth in receptions, seventh in receiving yards, and tied for first with 12 touchdowns. Even with Tyreek Hill gone, Kelce has played great. 

Last season Cooper Kupp won the receiving Triple Crown leading in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns; because of that and the season the Rams had, he was definitely in the MVP conversation. Justin Jefferson is leading in receptions and receiving yards this year and is tied for fifth in touchdowns. Jefferson can break Calvin Johnson’s single-season yards record and Michael Thomas’s single-season receptions record. 

Defenses know both guys will get the ball and can’t stop it. I understand there is the Offensive Player of the year award, which one of these guys will surely win, but they deserve to be mentioned in the MVP conversation. At some point, a non-quarterback will win MVP. Why not have it be this season?

Who Gets The W As A Present

By: Mike Rifkin

On Christmas day, the Dolphins and Packers will play in a battle of teams looking for a Wild Card position in their respective conferences. Miami comes into the game on a three-game losing streak, while the Packers have won back-to-back games. 

The Packers are coming off a 24-12 win over the Rams on Monday night. Aaron Rodgers was 22-30 for 229 yards with a touchdown and an interception. The Packers as a team ran for 138 yards, and AJ Dillon had two rushing touchdowns. The Packer defense gave up 156 yards of total offense to the Rams. They also sacked Baker Mayfield five times and had an interception. The Packer defense has forced four turnovers over their last two games. In his career against the Dolphins, Aaron Rodgers has a 59.2 completion percentage, averaging 258.7 yards per game with six touchdowns and one interception in three games. 

The Dolphins are coming off a hard-fought 32-29 loss at the Bills on Saturday. Tua Tagovailoa was 17-30 for 234 yards and two touchdowns. Raheem Mostert ran for 136 yards on 17 carries, and as a team, the Dolphins ran for 188 yards and averaged 7.5 yards per carry. Jaylen Waddle had three catches for 114 yards and a touchdown, and Tyreek Hill had nine catches for 69 yards and a touchdown. A couple of costly penalties cost the Dolphins the game, but overall it was a step in the right direction after two bad games on the west coast. The Dolphins should be able to establish the run again this week, as the Packers give up 148.9 rushing yards per game. 

A Christmas game with many playoff implications; it doesn’t get much better than that. Will Miami get back on track, or will Aaron Rodgers and company still hang on to their playoff lives?

Week 16: Can The Jets Catch The Jaguars 

By Ross Mazin

The Jets and Jaguars face off on Thursday night football. This game has a lot of energy to it. This game has a lot of playoff positioning at stake. 

The Jets are coming off a disappointing 20-17 loss against the Lions last week. Zach Wilson, who was playing for the injured Mike White went 18 for 35 for 317 yards. He had two touchdowns and one interception. With less than two minutes left, the Jets defense gave up a 51 yard touchdown from Jared Goff to Brock Wright on a fourth down play. The Jets got the ball back and totally botched the clock by not using their timeouts and had to settle for a 58 yard field goal attempt, which was wide left. 

The Jaguars are coming off a huge 40-34  upset win against the Cowboys. Trevor Lawrence was 27 for 42 for 318 yards. He had 4 touchdowns and one interception. Three of those touchdowns went to Zay Jones, who had six catches for 109 yards and three touchdowns. Travis Etienne Jr. had 19 carries. He rushed for 103 yards. Rayshawn Jenkins had two interceptions including the 52 yard interception returned for a touchdown in overtime. The Jags have won four of their last six games and are a game out in the AFC South. 

This is the second time that Wilson and Lawrence, the top two picks in the 2021 draft will play each other. In week 16 last season the Jets edged out the Jags 26-21. Zach Wilson had two touchdowns (1 rush and 1 pass). Trevor Lawrence threw for 280 yards. The Jets as a team had 273 rushing yards and averaged 7.6 yards per carry.

Both teams are in the playoff race and I expect a relatively high scoring game. My prediction is Jets 33- Jaguars 30

2023 Wrestling Predictions 

By : Allison Weiner

Hello and happy winter. Before you continue reading this blog, I would like to introduce myself. I am the “wonderful” Allison Taylor Weiner. I am proud to be a part of the Face Turn team for SIN. As we end 2022, I would like to start with my first post predicting the future champions in 2023 and when this will happen for AEW, ROH, WWE, and NXT. I’m not doing Impact and NJPW because I don’t know the franchise too well. Also, these are just my predictions for new champions in 2023. If you have any different suggestions, please post them below. Here is a list below as of 12/16/2022 of the current champions and who will be the next champion. 

AEW:

  • AEW World Champion: Maxwell Jacob Friedman
    • Next Champion: Wardlow (Fyter Fest 2023)
  • AEW Women’s Champion: Jamie Hayter
    • Next Champion: Thunder Rosa (Double or Nothing 2023)
  • TNT Champion: Samoa Joe
    • Next Champion: Jay Lethal (2023 Battle of the Belts)
  • TBS Champion: Jade Cargill
    • Next Champion: Paige Vanzant (Double or Nothing 2023)
  • AEW Tag Team Champion: The Acclaimed
    • Next Champions: Undisputed Elite (Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish or Adam Cole) (June/July 2023)
  • FTW Champion: Hook
    • Future Champion: Swerve Strickland (Beach Break 2023)
  • Trios Tag Team Champion: Death Triangle
    • Next Champions: The Elite (AEW Dynamite January 2023)
  • All Atlantic Champion: Orange Cassidy
    • Next Champion: Rush (AEW Dynamite March/April 2023)
  • (BONUS) I believe AEW will have a Women’s Tag Team Title in 2023
    • Inaugural Champions: Anna Jay and Tay Melo

ROH:

  • ROH World Champion: Claudio Castagnoli
    • Next Champion: Brian Cage (Supercard of Honor XVI)
  • ROH Women’s Champion: Athena
    • Next Champion: Serena Deeb (AEW Rampage May 2023)
  • ROH World TV Champion: Samoa Joe
    • Next Champion: Miro (Late Summer 2023)
  • ROH Pure Champion: Wheeler Yuta
    • Next Champion: Sammy Guevara (AEW Dynamite February 2023)
  • ROH World Tag Team Champions: Briscoe Brothers
    • Next Champions: FTR (Summer 2023)
  • ROH World Six-Man Tag Team Champions: The Empire
    • I am predicting that this title will merge with the AEW Trios Tag Team Champions, therefore I am expecting the Elite will join the titles together.

NXT:

  • NXT Champion: Bron Brekker
    • Next Champion: Grayson Waller (New Year’s Evil 2023)
  • NXT Women’s Champion: Roxanne Perez
    • Next Champion: Zoey Stark (Stand and Deliver 2023)
  • NXT Tag Team Champion: New Day
    • Next Champion: Pretty Deadly (New Year’s Evil 2023)
  • NXT Women’s Tag Team Champion: Katana Chance and Kayden Carter
    • Next Champion: Ivy Nile and Tatum Paxley (Vengeance Day 2023)
  • NXT North American Champion: Wes Lee
    • Next Champion: Dijak (In Your House 2023)

WWE:

  • WWE Champion: Roman Reigns
    • Next Champion: Cody Rhodes (Wrestlemania 39)
  • Universal Champion: Roman Reigns
    • Next Champion: Cody Rhodes (Wrestlemania 39), I expect he would vacate this title after his win in the next Smackdown. Roman Reigns will most likely get it back.
  • Raw Women’s Champion: Bianca Belair
    • Next Champion: Rhea Ripley (Royal Rumble 2023)
  • Smackdown Women’s Champion: Ronda Rousey
    • Next Champion: Becky Lynch (Wrestlemania 39)
  • Raw Tag Team Champions: Usos
    • Next Champion: Brawling Brutes (Elimination Chamber 2023), I expect that they would lose the titles to a Raw Tag team the following night. I am predicting that would be Judgement Day (Damian Priest and Dominick Mysterio)
  • Smackdown Tag Team Champions: Usos
    • Next Champion: Brawling Brutes (Elimination Chamber 2023)
  • Womens Tag Team Champions: Damage CTRL (Dakota Kai and IYO Sky)
    • Next Champions: Ronda Rousey and Shayna Baszler (Spring 2023)
  • United States Champion: Austin Theory
    • Next Champion: Finn Balor (Elimination Chamber 2023)
  • Intercontinental Champion: Gunther
    • Next Champion: Seth Rollins (Wrestlemania Backlash)

What A Difference A Year Makes

By : Mike Rifkin

On Sunday, the Jacksonville Jaguars overcame a 17-point deficit to beat the Dallas Cowboys 40-34 in Overtime. The Jags have won three out of the last four games and are one game behind the Titans in the AFC South. Last year the Jags were 3-14, and the Jaguars had won four games combined over the prior two seasons.
I can talk about all the talent that the Jags have accumulated through the draft and free agency, but the guy I am giving much credit to is new Head Coach Doug Pederson. Last year the Jags had a disastrous season under Urban Meyer. According to reports, Meyer was a bully to some players and even his assistant coaches. Under Pederson, the team looks different and has taken significant strides. Nobody has taken more significant strides than Trevor Lawrence, the number one pick in the 2021 draft, who already has thrown for double the number of touchdowns as he did as a rookie, thrown ten fewer interceptions, and has a higher completion percentage. But when you watch Lawrence, he is playing with an abundance of confidence, unlike last year, when he struggled.
Whether the Jaguars make the playoffs or not, they have taken massive strides this season, and a lot has to do with their new head coach and the confidence he has given his quarterback. If the game from Sunday were last season, the Jags would get run out of their stadium. But under Pederson, they found a way to come back and beat a good Cowboys team. Here might be the biggest compliment you can give Pederson and the Jags; nobody can say the Jags will be playing in a big game in Week 16. Over the next two weeks, the Jaguars play the Jets and Texans before a week 18 showdown with the Titans, which might be with the AFC South on the line.

Embracing The Conditions

By : Mike Rifkin

On Saturday night the Miami Dolphins will clash with the Buffalo Bills with big time AFC playoff implications on the line. The Dolphins will be looking to sweep the Bills for the first time since 2016. There is snow expected for this game.

The Dolphins lost 23-17 to the Chargers last week, giving them two consecutive losses. For the first time this season the Dolphins offense looked inept. Tua Tagovailoa played his worst game of the season going 10-28 for 145 yards and a 60 yard touchdown pass to Tyreek Hill. The Dolphins struggled on third down going 3-11.

The Bills are coming off a 20-12 win over the Jets. Josh Allen was 16-27 for 147 yards and a touchdown, he also had 10 rushes for 47 yards and a touchdown. Dawson Knox had four catches for 41 yards and a touchdown. The Bills defense had eight hits of Jets quarterback Mike White including three sacks. 

The first time these two teams played was in week three where the Dolphins prevailed 21-19. The Bills outgained the Dolphins 497-212. The Bills also possessed the ball for over 40 minutes, while the Dolphins possessed it for just under 20 minutes. The heat played a big factor in that game, will the snow play a big one in this matchup? Two teams with their eyes on the playoffs and maybe even more meet for the second time this season.