Trying To Turn The Tide

By: Mike Rifkin

The Miami Dolphins are looking to avoid a third straight loss when they host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. Last week the Dolphins were down by two points to the Jets entering the fourth quarter, in the fourth quarter they were outscored 21-0 on their way to a 40-17 loss at Metlife Stadium. 

Rookie Skylar Thompson came in after Teddy Bridgewater suffered a concussion. Thompson was 19-33 for 166 yards and an interception. If Bridgewater is not cleared in time Thompson will make his first career start on Sunday. One massive positive that came out of Sunday’s loss was the play of Raheem Mostert, who ran for 113 yards and averaged 6.3 yards per carry and a touchdown. The Dolphins defense is hoping to get Xavien Howard back, after missing the Jet game with a groin injury.

The Vikings are coming off a 29-22 win over division rival Chicago Bears. The Vikings are now 4-1 and sit atop the NFC North.  Kirk Cousins went 32-41 for 296 yards, one touchdown and an interception. Dalvin Cook had 121 total yards and two rushing touchdowns. Receiver Justin Jefferson is second in the NFL in receptions, and leads with 547 yards. Jefferson, had 12 catches for 154 yards last week against Chicago. 

Minnesota is trying to establish themselves as a power in the NFC, while Miami is trying to rebound. It could be a very interesting battle. 

Week 6: New York Jets at Green Bay Packers

By Ross Mazin

The Jets and Packers meet at Lambeau Field. The Jets are  playing extremely good football right now. The same cannot be said for the Packers. 

The Jets are coming off a huge win against the Dolphins last weekend. They were really good on both sides of the ball. They lead throughout the game and put it away in the fourth quarter. Zach Wilson was 14 for 21 for 210 yards. He did not have a touchdown or any interceptions. Rookies Breece Hall and Sauce Gardener had major impacts. Hall had 197 total yards and a rushing touchdown. Gardener had five tackles, his first career interception and a safety. 

The Packers are coming off an ugly loss against the Giants last weekend. The Packers offense did not score in the second half. The defense surrendered 17 unanswered points in the second half. Aaron Rodgers was 25 for 39 for  222 yards two touchdowns and no interceptions.

I expect a relatively low scoring game. My prediction is Jets 19 – Packers 7

THE LIONS KEEPING GAMES EXCITING

By Mark Halpern

When training camps broke this season, Certain teams were named to be Super Bowl contenders, playoff hopefuls, and teams on the outside looking in. One of those teams on the outside looking in is the Detroit Lions.

     The Detroit Lions are 1-4 to begin the 2022 season. Their record reflects what they have been doing this season as a whole. Throughout the first five games, the Lions have kept themselves in games on the back of Jared Goff. The Lions always seem to start each game slowly (also while looking like a peewee team), kick it into high gear by the second quarter, and start making things interesting. However, in the end, the Lions usually take the loss because they are always fighting from behind. Except in the case of the  New England Patriots game. The Lions have kept themselves in games by losing by less than 5 points a game, except for the Patriots, in which the Patriots scored 29 points and blew the Lions out.

    The Lions have a team that can play in the NFL and put points on the board. What they need is a new Defense coordinator for starts. The Lions have been good at making games exciting and keeping it close enough (except for the Pats game) that they are covering the spread in most weeks, much to the disagreement of people trying to complete their parlays.

   The Lions have had a much better start this season offensively than how they have come out to begin this season in past years. The offense has been firing on all cylinders, with Jared Goff leading the way with 1355 yards passing with 11 TDs and just four interceptions. Goff has finally shown why they traded for him. He has been keeping them in games by having a great start to the season. Having good relationships with all team members, Goff is showing off what he looked like with the Rams, and we hope this play continues throughout the season. Deandre Swift started the season pretty hot, but yet again, the injury bug has gotten him; Jamal Williams has filled in nicely, averaging 77 yards per game to go along with a score in each game. The Wide receiver’s position was the most talked about position on the Lion’s offense. The Wide receivers have had little experience starting in the NFL. Amon-Ra St. Brown was the big talk at the end of last season, and right from the beginning of this season, he came out hot, averaging 65 yards and a score through the first few games, but since then has been slowed by injury over the last two weeks. The rest of the Lion’s Wide Receiver core is a Hodge Podge of players, but they all have contributed to keeping the Lions in games. The Lion’s defense has some bright spots, but when it stops giving up 30-plus points a game and helps the Lions win some more. Then I will give some recognition where it is earned. It looks like games will be pure shootouts this season, as the Lion’s defense can’t stop any team from scoring.

     This week the Lions are on a bye week, and I genuinely hope much of the focus will be working on their defense, so the offense doesn’t have to keep putting up 35 points a game to lose by four. The Lions need to use this bye week to focus on Goff, not only to give him time to recover. Goff also needs to take time individually with the Lion’s receivers and try and work out some kinks to help move the ball more and put the Lions in better contention each week.

      The Lions return from the bye week to face the Cowboys, Dolphins, and Packers. These three games will be a very tough test for this Lions team as two of these opponents have playoffs on their minds, and the other is the Packers. The Lions face some formidable defenses after the bye week, but with the right game plan, they should be able to move the ball. It depends on whether the defense steps up and plays to its highest level. Stay tuned for next week’s preview of the Lion’s vs. Cowboys game.

THE 4-1 COWBOYS VS THE 5-0 EAGLES

By Mark Halpern

This Sunday night primetime NFL game will be the most talked about game this Sunday. The Cowboys and the Eagles have had a bitter rivalry since the mid-1960s. It doesn’t matter if they are both undefeated or winless; when these two teams take the field against each other, you can guarantee to see a primetime duel. Over the last 50 years, the Dallas Cowboys own this rivalry with a record of 71-54 (3-1 in playoffs). This Sunday’s game will have the whole world watching as the undefeated Eagles welcome the 4-1 Cowboys.

     Lincoln Financial stadium is a massive home-field advantage for the Eagles, as their fans mainly belong in insane asylums. If you dare to show up in another team’s jersey, you might as well just put on a Boston Redsox Jersey and walk into Yankee Stadium. Fans get violent in and out of the stadium. It will be deafening no matter what’s going on. If the Cowboys are blowing out the Eagles, you will hear Eagles fans booing their home team and vice versa.

   When Dak Prescott broke, his thumb fans began to throw in the towel. I was bummed and was planning a change of season scenarios. However, Cooper Rush has come out and has played like a tier-one Quarterback. Rush has played errorless football, and each week he gives the Cowboys a chance to win by spreading the ball around and being a top-notch field general. Ezekiel Elliot and Tony Pollard have come out and given what the Cowboys needed, and that is a “Thunder and Lightning backfield.” Either of the two can run it, block, and catch a pass out of the back field, which has tired defenses as the Cowboys have been controlling the clock and keeping defenses on the field longer. The Receiving core for the Cowboys has not disappointed. Every receiver that has come into the game through these first five games has played an important role, and as long as the Offense is clicking, then points will be put on the board.

     The Dallas offense has done well, but the Dallas Defense has been the talk of the NFL. Through its first five games, the Defense has not let any team score more than 19 points in a game. Micha Parsons is just rolling. He can be seen making contributions to at least 80% of all defense plays. He has been doing it all; whether it’s getting through the defensive line for a sack (he has six on the year), stopping the run for a loss, or dropping back into coverage, he is proven that a new Lawrence Taylor has emerged. The Dallas secondary has picked up from where it was last year. Trayvon Diggs has control of the “No Fly Zone” secondary, and they have shut down some of the top wide receivers in the league (Kupp, Chase, Evans, to name a few.)

    The Eagles are 5-0 and have played very impressively. Jalen Hurts has thrown for over 1300 yards but only has four touchdowns to just two interceptions. Miles Sanders has started the season hot with over 400 yards rushing and three touchdowns, and then probably one of the best wide receiver cores in A.J Brown and Davonte Smith combined for 56 receptions and 789, and Dallas Godert also has 353 yards. The Eagle’s Offense is dangerous, but it hasn’t had a top-tier defensive challenge, and we will see what they can do against this scary Dallas defense.

You couldn’t have a better two teams face off this week. It will not only be a game of strategy but, a game of hard hits and exciting plays. I look again to the Dallas defense here. They have to stop the most dangerous wide receiver duo they have faced this year and have to stop one of the leagues hottest quarterbacks. The Cowboys offense needs to keep using the same game plan which has helped put points on the board. This wont be a blow out by far. The Dallas Cowboys will move on to 5-1 by the score of 31-24.

Western Conference Predictions

By : Mike Rifkin

The NHL season is upon us and here are my picks for the Western Conference.

Central

  1. Avalanche – Alexandar Georgiev replaces Darcy Kuemper in goal. But the reigning champs are loaded. Minus Nazem Kadri this is the same team. Cale Makar, Nathan Mackinnon, Mikko Rantanen and company will still score a ton of goals. 
  2. Blues – Love the core of of Ryan O’Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko, Colton Parayko,etc… Robert Thomas and Jordan Kyrou both signed extensions this offseason. If Jordan Binnington can go back to form from when the Blues won the Stanley Cup the Blues will be in good shape.
  3. Predators – I loved what the Preds did this offseason. Bringing back their all time leading goal scorer Filip Forsberg, to adding some size with Nino Niederreiter, and adding two time Stanley Cup Champion Ryan Mcdongah to their Blue Line. Jusse Saros is coming off a Vezina nomination. If Matt Duchene and Ryan Johansen can do what they did last year the Preds could not only win the Central, could be a Cup contender.
  4. Stars – A lot of this hinges on Joe Pavelski doing what he did last season, as well as Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn. Is there someone to replace John Klingberg on the Blue Line. If you watched their first round series against the Flames last season, Jake Oettinger has big time upside. 
  5. Wild – Kirill Kaprizov is sensational and a potential Hart nominee this season. Can they get the same production from Ryan Hartman, Marcus Foligno and Joel Eriksson Ek. Marc – Andre Fleury will be 38 in November, the last few years he has split time with Robin Lehner and Cam Talbot, how many games will he play this year and can he stay fresh?
  6. Jets – I love everything about the Jets roster. Kyle Connor is still criminally underrated, Mark Schieffle, Nikolaj Ehlers, Pierre – Luc Dubois, Blake Wheeler and Connor Hellebuyck in goal always gives you a chance to win. But I have them this low because I don’t trust them and need to see it before I elevate them
  7. Blackhawks – Total rebuild time. Just waiting to see how long Patrick Kane and Jonathon Toews will remain there.
  8. Coyotes – Clayton Keller should have a good season. Waiting on the trade of Jacob Chychrun to occur.

Pacific

  1. Kings – Love the Kevin Fiala addition. They have a lot of offensive firepower if Johnathon Quick and Cal Peterson play well the Kings could be the kings of the Pacific
  2. Oilers – Jack Campbell comes over from the Leafs to be the goalie of the Western Conference version of the Leafs. Evander Kane who was really good for them once he came over from the Sharks re-signed there. Oh yeah Connor McDavid is the best player in the world and Leon Draisaitl isn’t too shabby either. 
  3. Flames –  They turned Johnny Gaudreau and Matthew Tkachuk into Johnathan Huberdeau, Mackenzie Weegar, and Nazem Kadri. Jacob Markstrom in goal will always give the Flames a chance.
  4. Canucks – This team took off when Bruce Boudreau took over last season. Thatcher Demko is a stud in goal. If Elias Pettersson, Nils Hoglander and Vasily Podkolzin play like they did in the second half Vancouver could be a playoff team.
  5. Golden Knights – This is a weird spot seeing is they have been a contender since they came into existence. I don’t think they will have the same amount of injuries they had last season. I still would like for them to trade for a goalie to pair with Logan Thompson after Robin Lehner’s season ending injury.  If Mark Stone is healthy he needs to produce.
  6. Ducks – They had a very interesting offseason. I liked adding Ryan Strome and Frank Vatrano. But was Strome’s production based on playing with Artemi Panarin? John Klingberg could help the production from the defense. What can Trevor Zegras do for an encore.
  7. Kraken –  I love what they are building in Seattle. They added Oliver Bjorkstrand from Columbus. Matthew Beniers and Shane Wright will give Kraken fans a glimpse into the future. They need Phillip Grubaruer to bounce back.
  8. Sharks – Their contract situation really stink, but Mike Grier is willing to move some of those guys and build around Tomas Hertl and Timo Meier. Big question is what do they get in goal? What does David Quinn do in his second go around in the NHL.

Eastern Conference Predictions

By : Mike Rifkin

With the NHL season upon us here is how I view the Eastern Conference 

  1. Hurricanes – Yes I think Carolina repeats as division champions. Rod Brind’Amour is one of the best coaches in the league. They added Brent Burns and Max Pacioretty, Pacioretty will eventually come back from an injury, but Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov are superstars and Frederik Andersen should have been a Vezina nominee after posting a 35-14-3 record with a 2.17 Goals Against Average, .922 save percentage and four shutouts. 
  2. Rangers – Igor Shesterkin did win the Vezina with 36-13-4 record, a 2.07 GAA, .935 save percentage and six shutouts. I don’t think Chris Kreider scores 52 goals again. I think Vincent Trocheck is an upgrade over Ryan Strome, but how quickly will chemistry with Panarin come? With Strome, Frank Vatrano and Andrew Copp departing more will be asked of the young players. Can the kids take another step forward? If so the Rangers can challenge the Canes for the division. 
  3. Penguins –  They kept their core intact, bringing back Malkin, Letang and Rust. That being said this is an aging roster but as long as they stay healthy they are in a position to be a solid team. Jake Guentzel is becoming a premier goal scorer after posting 40 goals for the second time in his career. Tristan Jarry had the best season of his career going 34-18-6 with a 2.42 GAA and .919 save percentage with four shutouts. 
  4. Islanders –  Last year there were a lot of circumstances around the Islanders. They started the season with a 13 game road trip so their new arena could be finished. They had Covid go through their team. I don’t love firing Barry Trotz, but if it means guys like Mat Barzal, who just got a new contract, Anthony Beauvillier, and Oliver Whalstrom are going to produce more offensively it might be worth it. Ilya Sorokin was 26-18-8 with 2.40 GAA, .925 save percentage and seven shutouts. 
  5. Capitals – Yes Darcy Kuemper is an upgrade over what the Caps have had in goal recently.  Alex Ovechkin is still going to do his thing on his quest to conquer Wayne Gretzky’s goals record. But they will be without Nicklas Backstrom and Tom Wilson for a bit. Wilson is the bigger blow because of what he means to the team. They will need TJ Oshie and Anthony Mantha to have good years. 
  6. Devils – I really like their upside and loved what they did in the offseason. Ondrej Palat was a great player in Tampa and can fit anywhere up and down a lineup, John Marino gives them size on the blue line. If Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier can stay relatively healthy they will put up numbers.  Can Dawson Mercer replicate his rookie season? The biggest question is in goal. What will they get out of Vitek Vanecek and Mackenzie Blackwood? 
  7. Blue Jackets –  Yeah they won the Johnny Gaudreau sweepstakes, and kept Patrik Laine. They traded Oliver Bjorkstrand because of those signings. The biggest question is the same as the Devils, what will Joonas Korpisalo and Elvis Merzlikins give them in goal. 
  8. Flyers – There are a lot of questions here that will be answered early on. John Tortorella is in the fold as the team’s new coach. They didn’t sign Johnny Gaudreau. According to GM Chuck Fletcher, defenseman Ryan Ellis is going to miss the season, while Sean Couturier will miss some time. This is a make or break year for Carter Hart. If he doesn’t have a good season he will need a change of scenery. Kevin Hayes should have a bounce back season, there were terrible circumstances for him last year and I expect him to bounce back. 

Atlantic Division

  1. Lightning –  This is weird to say, but I feel losing the Cup Final may have put a chip on their shoulder again. Also weird was last year was the first time Steven Stamkos hit 100 points in a season. Andrei Vasilevskiy is still the best goalie in the NHL. Most of their core is still intact. I expect good years from Nick Paul and Brandon Hagel especially after the departure of Palat.
  2. Panthers – I love the addition of Matthew Tkachuk, even though they paid a big price. But I feel the loss of Mason Marchment and Mackenzie Weegar are huge for this team. The team will also be without Anthony Duclair, who had Achillies surgery and should be back by midseason. But ultimately this comes down to Sergei Bobrovsky, if he plays well the Panthers will be solid, if he doesn’t there will be questions.’
  3. Maple Leafs – Let’s be honest it doesn’t matter what the Leafs do in the regular season, it’s all about winning a playoff series for the first time since 2004. The biggest question mark is always the same for the Leafs goaltending. What will Matt Murray and Ilya Samsonov give them and more importantly can they stay healthy? But if the Leafs lose in the first round how will that affect the roster going forward, including the future of Auston Matthews who scored 60 goals last year.
  4. Senators – Yes, I am high on the Senators and who wouldn’t be after the offseason they had. Alex Debrincat comes from the Blackhawks after another 40 goal season, Claude Giroux will provide big time leadership for the team and Cam Talbot is a massive upgrade in goal. Add this to the nucleus of Brady Tkachuk, Josh Norris, Thomas Chabot, etc… I love this roster.
  5. Bruins – Every year people ask when will the Bruins drop off? Yes, I think this is the year they may slip a bit. My major reason is injuries, a lot of key players will miss the start the season including Brad Marchand and Charlie Mcavoy. Captain Patrice Bergeron is back as is David Krejci who played in the Czech Republic last year. Jeremy Swayman had a solid rookie season in goal. The biggest question in Boston is can they get David Pastrnak signed long term?
  6. Red Wings – Another team who had a tremendous offseason. Bringing in Andrew Copp, David Perron and Ville Husso will help the team. Young players like Lucas Raymond and reigning Calder winner Moritz Seider taking a step forward. But most importantly having Jakub Vrana healthy for a whole season will be huge for the Wings.Vrana had 13 goals in 26 games after shoulder surgery. Can Husso and Alex Nedeljokvic have similar success to what Husso and Jordan Binnington had in St.Louis. 
  7. Sabres  – Don Granato has done a tremendous job since taking over as Head Coach. But this is all about the young players in Buffalo taking steps forward. Can Tage Thompson replicate his season from last season? Alex Tuch should have a massive impact if healthy all season. What will they get in goal? Eric Comrie has never been considered a starter, but will have a chance in Buffalo.
  8. Canadiens – Cole Caufield was an absolute show after Marty St.Louis took over as the head coach. They  will probably be without Carey Price this season, but Jake Allen has the ability to steal a game. Loved their offseason additions of Kirby Dach, Evgenii Dadonov ( who I think gets moved at deadline), and Mike Matheson but this is a team in the midst of a rebuild.

Week 5: Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens 

By Ross Mazin

We have a Sunday night football game with a big time feel. These two teams are very much in the hunt for a Super Bowl title this year. They are relatively young and very scrappy. Last season the Bengals swept the Ravens in the season series for the first time since 2015. 

The Bengals are coming off a big win against Miami last weekend. The offense showed up as well as the defense. Joe Burrow was 20 for 31 for 287 yards,  two touchdowns and no interceptions. Burrow dominated the Ravens last season throwing for 941 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception and a passer rating of 131.1 Ja’Marr Chase had 326 yards receiving and a touchdown in the two meetings. 

The Ravens are coming off a very ugly loss against Buffalo last weekend. They struggled in the second half. Lamar Jackson was 20 for 29 for 144 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He also had 73 rushing yards. In the one game that Lamar played against the Bengals last year he was sacked five times. In seven career games against his division rival Lamar has nine touchdowns and three interceptions. 

I expect a relatively low scoring game. My prediction is Bengals 22- Ravens 10

Max Disaster

By: Mike Rifkin

The San Diego Padres defeated the New York Mets 7-1 in game one of their Wild Card series. Mets ace Max Scherzer gave up four home runs in the loss. Scherzer went 4.2 innings giving up seven runs on seven hits and four strikeouts. For the second straight start Scherzer had a bad outing. The Mets were playing from behind from the start after Josh Bell hit a two run home run in the first inning. Trent Grisham hit a solo shot in the second inning. The game got out of hand in the fifth inning where Jurickson Profar hit a three run home run and Manny Machado hit a solo home run. 

Outside of Scherzer not pitching well, the Mets offense also bears responsibility. The Mets went 1-11 with RISP and the hit didn’t drive in a run. Yu Darvish had the Mets offense in a funk as he has all season. Darvish went 7 innings giving up a run on six hits and four strikeouts. The Mets lone run came on an Eduardo Escobar home run. The Mets did get Starling Marte back off a fractured thumb. Marte had two hits and two stolen bases in his return to the lineup. 

In Game two of the series will see Blake Snell pitch for the Padres take on Jacob DeGrom for the Mets. Snell has made two prior starts against the Mets this season. On June 6th, Snell gave up four runs in four innings pitched. On July 23rd, Snell threw five scoreless innings in a Padre win. Snell went 1-1 with an ERA of 4.00. He gave up 11 hits and five walks in nine innings. Snell is 3-3 with an 2.73 ERA in six career starts against the Mets. Jacob deGrom didn’t face the Padres in 2022. In his career against San Diego deGrom is 6-3 with a 1.28 ERA and has 82 strikeouts in 70.1 innings pitched. 

If the Mets want their season to continue they will need their ace to be better than he has been his past few starts. They will also need their offense to do damage against Snell who at times will lose the plate which could work in the Mets favor. Either way Saturday night is a must win game for the Mets. 

Mets Regular Season Recap

By : Mike Rifkin

A lot of people are still down based on what happened with the Mets last weekend in Atlanta, but that has to change. The Mets are still playing in the Wild Card Round against the San Diego Padres. The Mets were 4-6 vs the Padres this season. 

Despite what transpired in Atlanta it was a sensational season for the Mets. For the fourth time in franchise history the Mets won 100 games, two of the prior three they won the World Series. There were a lot of individual accolades accomplished this season : Jeff McNeil won the Franchise’s second ever batting title, First baseman Pete Alonso set a club record with 131 RBI, Francisco Lindor set a club record for RBI in a season by a shortstop with 107. Future Hall Of Famer Max Scherzer reached 200 career wins and Closer Edwin Diaz who was sensational all season reached 200 career saves. 

I understand that people are upset with what took place in Atlanta last weekend. In my lifetime this was one of the most exciting Mets teams and the season is not over. In the Playoffs anything can happen and I expect this team to fight like they did all season.

Battle Of The Birds

By : Mike Rifkin

The Philadelphia Eagles take their undefeated record on the road this week as they play the Arizona Cardinals. The Eagles, the NFL’s last unbeaten team defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars and former Head Coach Doug Pederson 29-21. It was a wet, rainy, sloppy game. The Eagles trailed 14-0 early but scored 29 unanswered points. 

Jalen Hurts who is off to a tremendous start this year was 16-25 for 204 yards and an interception. He also had 38 yards rushing and a touchdown. This is supposed to be a make or break year for Hurts in Philly and through four games he is passing the test with flying colors. He has a 66.7 completion percentage, 1,120 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions. He has added 205 yards rushing and four rushing touchdowns. The receiving duo of AJ Brown and Devonta Smith has been great to start the season just like the Eagles envisioned when they acquired Brown. The Eagles offense is second in total yards averaging 435.5 yards per game and they average 28.8 points per game. The Eagles defense deserves praise also they are first in sacks, turnover differential (+8), and third is yards allowed. Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannon deserves an opportunity at a head coaching gig next year. 

On the other side there is the Arizona Cardinals who sit with a record of 2-2 and are coming off a 26-16 win over the Panthers. Kyler Murray had 207 yards passing and three total touchdowns (2 passing, 1 rushing). Marquise Brown who the Cardinals got from the Ravens leads the team with 30 catches, 339 yards and two touchdowns. Former Eagle Zach Ertz is also off to a good start with 22 catches 181 yards and two touchdowns. The Cardinals average 349.5 yards per game and 22.0 points per game. This is a big game for the Cardinals for many reasons. One of them is the fact that in their first two home games they looked bad against the Chiefs and Rams. But the other is this until the Cardinals win a big game against a good team the jury is going to be out on both Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury both of whom got an extension that I feel was unwarranted. 

The offenses should be hot in the desert when these two teams play. For the Eagles they want to keep their unbeaten streak alive and the Cardinals need to win a big game, so the question is which bird will soar to victory?