Extending Brandon Nimmo

By Mark Halpern and Mike Rifkin

The New York Mets currently sit in first place in the National League East. One of the things the Mets had going for them going into the offseason was that they had figured out part of their core going forward However there is a player who has the greatest smile and not matter what the situation is he is busting it out of the box after a hit, charging hard from center field or after being walked doesn’t, walk, does not trot but, he runs to the bag. We are talking about Brandon NImmo. The burning question on the minds of Mets fans is when are they going to extend Nimmo? Nimmo didn’t want it to cause a distraction after the lockout and is committed to sitting with the Mets hierarchy and trying to work out a deal before the end of the season.

      Brandon Nimmo, who was the Mets first round pick in 2011 (13th overall). Nimmo will be a free agent after the season. In 38 games so far this year Nimmo has a slash line of .293/.390/.450. In his career Nimmo’s slash line is .269/.392/.446. Nimmo isn’t a power hitter, but he gets on base and in today’s game that is what’s important because small ball is still a big part of Showalter’s knowledge. Nimmo runs everything out which helped the Mets in their 2-0 win on Sunday in Colorado. On a base hit to right field the ball wasn’t handled by the right fielder and Nimmo wound up on third base and scored the go ahead run on a base hit by Francisco Lindor. Now if Nimmo wasn’t hustling he doesn’t get to third base and who knows what the outcome of the game would be.

Nimmo also has turned himself into an average to above average Center Fielder. Last season Nimmo had four defensive runs saved, and when the Mets signed Starling Marte to a four year 78 million dollar contract during the offseason everyone thought Marte would play Center and Nimmo would be bumped to a corner and that has not been the case. Starling Marte has had experience in right field and has had a good season and this has made it easy to leave Nimmo where he feels most comfortable.

. The question becomes what is he worth? As one of the best lead off hitters in the game and getting to be even better in the field I am thinking a 7 year 75mil (10.75 mil a year) could get it done but the number could be higher. Just because he isn’t a 30 Home Run, 100 RBI, or 30 stolen bases doesn’t mean he doesn’t make it up in other ways. Two elite center fielders signed massive contracts the last two offseasons. George Springer signed a six year 150 million dollar deal with the Blue Jays last offseason. Springer had been a big reason for the success of the Houston Astros over the past few seasons before signing with Toronto. Byron Buxton signed a seven year 100 million dollar deal with the Twins this offseason. Buxton, a former number one overall pick has had a hard time staying healthy throughout his career, but when healthy he is a very dynamic player. If the Mets want to re-sign Nimmo these are two contracts to look at because they could give him the Springer six years and Buxton’s 100 million. Brandon’s power numbers are not even close to what these two superstars are. Nimmo is loved not just by his teammate,  but by all the fans as well. Fans love Nimmo’s enthusiasm on the field and his hard work. 

    The Mets have a great thing going here and this team is committed to a “Never Quit” attitude. Nimmo is one of these players who can get a team hyped. His love of the game should make him a prominent Met for years to come.

Justin Thomas Is the PGA Championship Winner

By Ross Mazin

Justin Thomas is you’re 2022 PGA Championship winner. He was not even considered to be in the running to win the championship. Over the past year, Thomas has come into his own on the PGA tour. Thomas is starting to impress me with his improvements from years past, and he has cemented his legacy in the PGA.

This year’s championship was held at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma. You don’t usually associate golf with the Midwest because of the scorching summers, horrible weather, and the upkeep on the course. This PGA course is one of the most challenging and exciting courses on the PGA Tour. It has a short-yardage front nine but a challenging long yardage back nine with three long par four and two very hard to reach the green in two par fives.

The weather was the other player in this year’s tournament. It was a mix of wind and heat. There were reports that was severe storms producing large hail were forecasted earlier in the week, but the rest of the week was looking good, so they figured they could start the tournament on time without any significant delays.

The field mainly was thinned out by the end of the second round on Friday evening. I was amazed that Tiger Woods was even in the middle of the pack. I honestly didn’t think Thomas even had a chance to win the tournament; however, he made me a true believer in winning this tournament.

The next tournament is the Charles Schwabb challenge down in Fort Worth. My projected winner is Scotty Scheffler.

Reach For The Stars

By : Mike Rifkin

On Friday Dallas Stars head coach Rick Bowness has stepped down. It has also been announced that assistants Todd Nelson, Derek Laxdal, and John Stevens have been fired. In three seasons as the Stars coach Bowness had a record of 89-62-25. Bowness led the Stars to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2020 and this year lost to the Calgary Flames in seven games in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

In 2021 the Stars averaged 2.84 goals per game, which is up from last season where they averaged 2.79 goals per game. They were led by Jason Robertson who had 41 goals and was second on the team with 79 points is a restricted free agent. Robertson played on the Stars top line with Joe Pavelski and Roope Hintz, those three were the top three scorers for the Stars. Tyler Seguin who was limited to three games in 2020-21 scored 24 goals this season in 81 games played. Captain Jamie Benn played in all 82 games and registered 18 goals. Benn and Seguin were a combined -34, that top line of Hintz, Robertson and Pavelski were a +42. Now a lot of people don’t love the plus/minus stat but you need your best players to be better than a -34 combined. Young forwards Joel Kiviranta, Jacob Peterson, Denis Gurianov have a lot of upside to help offensively. 

Defenseman John Klingberg is a unrestricted free agent and is expected to sign elsewhere this offseason but the Stars Blue line should be in good shape. The defense led by Miro Heiskanen who had five goals and 36 points in 70 games is one of the best young defensemen in the NHL. Ryan Suter one of the best defensive defensemen of this era is signed through 2025-26 had seven goals in 82 games. Esa Lindell and Jani Hakanpaa both had four goals last season.

Goalie Jake Oettinger went 30-15-1 with 2.53 Goals Against Average, .914 save percentage and a shutout. In the Stars series against the Flames put on a show with a 1.81 GAA and a .954 save percentage. In game seven Oettinger was sensational with 64 saves on 67 shots. The 23 year old goalie is a restricted free agent and should get a very nice deal from Dallas. 

Now I am intrigued on what General Manager Jim Nill will do when it comes to changes on the roster, but when it comes to coaches I think there are two choices. Pete Deboer who was fired by the Golden Knights has been successful wherever he has been makes sense as does Alain Vigneault who was fired by the Flyers during the season. Both have had success in other places but Vigneault can help this team score consistently. Whoever Dallas hires they will be getting a very good job.

A Blow To The Max

By : Mike Rifkin

Mets pitcher Max Scherzer pulled himself out of his start on Wednesday. On Thursday the club announced that Scherzer has a strained oblique and will be sidelined for six to eight weeks. On top of the fact that ace Jacob DeGrom has yet to throw a pitch this season, although the team has provided news on DeGrom but fans are still waiting for his return. The plan when the Mets signed Scherzer was to pair him with DeGrom at the top of the rotation. Thus far this season Scherzer is 5-1 with a 2.54 ERA. Obviously you are losing one of the top pitchers in baseball, but what Scherzer gives you on days he isn’t starting is just as important. He is always seen talking to the starting pitcher about what they are doing or showing them on an IPad. His leadership is irreplaceable.

Now the Mets rotation which has been tremendous to start the season has been dealt another big blow. Tylor Megill is supposed to play catch soon and see what happens after. Megill was dealing with Biceps Tendonitis. David Peterson has been called up and has been really good when called upon. Chris Bassitt has been sensational since coming over from the Athletics. Bassitt is 4-2 with a 2.77 ERA.  Carlos Carrasco who had a rough first season with the Mets after coming over in the Francisco Lindor trade. Carrasco has been solid so far is 3-1 with a 3.73 ERA.  Carrasco along with Taijuan Walker who is 1-1 with a 3.52 ERA are going to step up big time for the Mets. The Mets also have Trevor Williams who threw four shutout innings against the Cardinals in game one of their doubleheader on Tuesday. They also signed veteran Trevor Cahill to a minor league contract last week. The organization can’t replace Scherzer who is one of the best pitchers in baseball, but the Mets should explore a trade for a guy who could fill out the backend of the rotation and give them some rotation depth.  One benefit for the Mets is that they currently hold a seven game lead in the National League East. But the Mets schedule is going to be more difficult including in the beginning of June going on a 10 game road trip playing four games at the Dodgers and three against the Padres and Angels. The Mets have gotten off to a great start, but with DeGrom and now Scherzer out until July the team will need everyone to keep contributing. 

Leafs of Change

By: Mike Rifkin

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result. On Saturday night the Toronto Maple Leafs were defeated by the two time defending Stanley Cup Champion Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Maple Leafs have not won a playoff series since 2004, the longest current streak in the NHL. Every year when the Leafs lose there is a different excuse last year when they blew a 3-1 series lead to the Montreal Canadiens it was all about Carey Price, this year was they played the Lightning. If the Leafs don’t want to make changes in the front office or on the coaching staff that is fine, but then there has to be a change on the roster. 

Forwards Auston Matthews (14.3%), John Taveras (13.5%), Mitch Marner (13.4%), and William Nylander (8.5%) account for 49.7% of the Maple Leafs salary cap situation. Defensemen Jake Muzzin (6.9%), Morgan Reilly ( 6.1%) and TJ Brodie (6.1%) account for 19.1%. That is 68.8 % of their salary cap is tied up in seven players, it is very hard to create a deep roster this way. So here is the thing Taveras and the three defensemen all have no trade clauses so they are not going anywhere. Auston Matthews just scored 60 goals and will probably win the Hart Trophy as league MVP so there is no way you can trade him. But if the Leafs don’t get there act together and actually win a round in the playoffs could Matthews request a trade like Jack Eichel did for the Sabres? That leaves Marner and Nylander I go back and forth on these two and I think I would move Nylander. Now Marner and Matthews have a great chemistry together and if the Leafs consider moving Taveras to wing they could include Nylander in a trade that could bring them in a number two center behind Matthews. The other reason for trading Nylander is his 6.9 million dollars is easier for a team to take on rather than Marner’s 10.9 million dollars. This could help the Maple Leafs bring back goaltender Jack Campbell who had a very good season for them and is an unrestricted free agent. 

If I was Kyle Dubas this offseason I would trade Nylander and Alexander Kerfoot not because they are bad players but you have to change something with this team, they cannot keep getting eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

DALLAS COWBOYS 2022 SECHEDULE REACTION

By Mark Halpern

The NFL released its team’s schedules this past week, and Dallas has a nice schedule by the looks of it. I won’t say easy because we all know that when we say our teams have an easy game or schedule, our teams miraculously lose. Here is my breakdown of the Dallas schedule and what I expect. I won’t be posting stats because we are a long way from opening day.

Week 1: Dallas vs. Bucs. This is a rematch from last year’s opening night game, and Dallas lost that game due to some bad special teams. I expect Dallas to come at Brady as much as possible and make him regret coming back for another year. Prediction Win

Week 2: Dallas vs. Bengals. This is a game that has me worried a little. We all saw what the Bengals did last year and how close they came to winning it. The Dallas secondary will be tested in this game. Prediction Loss

Week 3: Dallas vs. Giants. The first NFC East team to face Big D and the Giants will be playing with a slightly upgraded team. I think the Giants did well in the draft and are building here. However, I think Dallas will be too much for Little Blues’ offense and defense. Prediction Win

Week 4: Dallas vs. Commanders. Joke and say all we want about this horribly run organization, but I feel bad for Wentz to have to go up against a Dallas team that Owns him over his career. The Commanders won’t even command a score as this is a blowout. Prediction Win

Week 5: Dallas vs. Rams. This is going to be another battle for the secondary here. We all know what Stafford did and accomplished through the air for the Rams. We all know what the defense did for the Rams. This, to me, is the most challenging game on the calendar as the Cowboy’s Offense and Defense hands will be full. Prediction Loss

Week 6: Dallas vs. Eagles. The Eagles are no longer a Joke in the league with their additions during the draft. The Eagles acquired A.J Brown, and if Jalen Hurts figures out how to pass to him, the Eagles will be tough. In this case, Dallas will overmatch the Eagle’s defense and have good clock control. Prediction Win

Week 7: Dallas vs. Lions. The Lions have improved the team and might be able to manage some points, but Dallas will run both parts of the ball here. Huge Dallas win and the easiest game on the schedule. Prediction Win

Week 8: Dallas vs. Bears. I like Justin Fields, and if the Bears ever put a team on the field for him to give them a chance, I will be pulling for him. Again this isn’t the bear’s defense of years past, and the offense is far worse than last year. Prediction Win

Week 10: Dallas vs. Green Bay. I never count Rodgers out in any game as long as he is still slinging the ball. However, he only has Sammy Watkins to throw to right now. Greenbay’s defense will be on the field too long, and Dallas takes this game in Lambeau. Prediction Win.

Week 11. Dallas vs. Vikings. Another year of Kurt Cousins throwing to the Dallas secondary. I like it, I love it, and you know I want some more of it. Dallas offense puts up a big game but so does the Dallas defense. Prediction Win

Week 12: Dallas vs. Giants ThanksGiving. Dallas fans around the world will be thankful for this matchup. Not much to say here. Dallas puts the Giants out of their misery early. Prediction Win

Week 13: Dallas vs. Colts. This will be a game that I would like to call the trap game of the year on the schedule. The Colts have an excellent team, and it’s hard to contain the best running back in football and cover the passing game. I see Dallas underestimating, and this becomes a loss that should be a win. Prediction Loss

Week 14: Dallas vs. Texans. Like many teams out there, the Texans are in a significant rebuilding stage. Dallas comes in hungry after the Colt’s battle and remains the Kings of Texas Football. Prediction Win

Week 15: Dallas vs. Jags. This will be a fun game because I want to see how this newly put-together Jags team plays as a unit. Dallas wins this game but not by a blowout. Prediction Win

Week 16: Dallas vs. Eagles Christmas Eve. Dallas gets their gifts early as they beat the Eagles and claim the NFC East title.

Week 17: Dallas vs. Titans. With the way things are now in Tennessee, we have no idea who will be throwing the ball. If things are bad, we see Willis play, and our defense then can stack the line to stop Henry. Prediction Win and Clinch Homefield

Week 18: Dallas vs. Commanders. If Dallas has clinched, we will see all second and third-tier players, and Dallas could drop this game but not by much. Prediction Loss

    I am not a Magic Genie, a Fortune Teller, or a Psychic. I am a die-hard Cowboy fan, and this is how I see this season turning out.

Top Players Come Through

By: Mike Rifkin

The New York Rangers trailed 3-2 with 5:45 left in the third period when Mika Zibanejad scored to tie the game at three and sent it to overtime. In overtime with the Rangers on the power play Artemi Panarin scored sending the Rangers to the second round for the first time since 2017. 

Panarin who led the Rangers with 96 points during the regular season had three goals and seven points in the seven game series against the Penguins Coach Gerard Gallant said postgame “If we were going to score in overtime it was going to be Panarin.” 

But maybe more important is the fact that Mika Zibanejad who was second on the team with 81 points and had 29 goals on the season was able to break through in games 6 and 7. In game 6 with their season on the line the Rangers top center had two goals and two assists and in game 7 tied the game late in the third and had two assists. Prior to game 6 Zibanejad had not scored a goal in the series and his line was being dominated by Penguins captain Sidney Crosby and his line. 

Speaking of Zibanejad’s line his linemate Chris Kreider opened the scoring in game 7 giving the Rangers a 1-0 lead. Kreider had scored two goals in game 6 including the game winner at 18:32 of the third period. Kreider had five goals in the series but like he did in the regular season Kreider led by example. 

Now the Rangers best player all season was goaltender Igor Shesterkin who was nominated for the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender and the Hart Trophy for Most Valuable player. Shesterkin was sensational in game one’s triple overtime loss making 79 saves. But in games 3 and 4 Shesterkin got pulled for Alexandar Georgiev. In game 5 he made 29 saves on 32 shots, game 6 31 saves on 34 shots and in game 7 39 saves on 42 shots including some big ones when the Penguins were dominating play. When the pressure was on Shesterkin he played very well and responded. 

For the Rangers the young players were really good throughout the series but when they needed them the most their best players played their best hockey. This should give them a lot of confidence heading into the second round and a showdown with the Carolina Hurricanes starting Wednesday night. 

Trade Deadline Acquisitions Coming Through

By: Mike Rifkin

The Tampa Bay Lightning’s quest for a third consecutive Stanley Cup continues as they defeat the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-1 in Game Seven. Nick Paul who the Lightning acquired from the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline produced both Tampa goals. In the seven game series Paul had two assists to go with the two goals he scored in the decisive game. Paul also won 42.0 percent of faceoffs he took. Now the reason the series went to a game seven was because the Lightning won game six at home. The goal was scored by Brayden Point and it was set up by trade deadline acquisition Brandon Hagel. Hagel who was acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks had a goal and three assists in the series. Both Paul and Hagel were a plus two in the series and had game winning goals in the series. Paul here in game seven and Hagel in game two.

At the 2020 trade deadline the Lightning made two trades acquiring Barclay Goodrow from the Sharks and Blake Coleman from the New Jersey Devils. Goodrow had three goals and nine points and Coleman had eight goals and 24 points for the Lightning during their back to back Cup victories. Coleman and Goodrow also gave the Lightning a great checking line with Yanni Gourde. 

Because of the salary cap the Lightning wound up losing Coleman and Goodrow during the offseason. The acquisitions of Paul and Hagel might play the same role as Coleman and Goodrow, and they will have to play a massive role in the second round as the Lightning take on their in state rival and President Trophy Winning Florida Panthers. 

TWIW – This Week In Wrestling (5/9/22 – 5/13/22)

By Jeff Knapp

In case you didn’t realize, former member of Finnjuice, Juice Robinson aka “The Booster is now a member of Bullet Club and according to an interview with Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated, he plans on being the Scottie Pippin to Jay White’s Michael Jordan.

This past weekend we had 2 PPVs; on Saturday, Impact gave us Under Siege and on Sunday, the WWE gave us Backlash. 

The biggest matches from Under Siege were The Briscoes defeating Violent by Design to become the NEW Impact World Tag Team Champions and in what could be considered a match of the year candidate, The Walking Weapon Josh Alexander retained his Impact World Championship when he defeated NJPW’s Tomohiro Ishii.

WWE’s Backlash gave us 3 follow up matches from Wrestlemania, Rhodes vs Rollins II, Styles vs Edge II and Charlotte vs Ronda II for the Smackdown Women’s Championship. These were all followed up with RK-Bro & Drew McIntyre vs. The Bloodline in the main event. 

All 4 of those matches were great from start to finish. Rhodes vs Rollins could be a match of the year contender to go along with their 1st match at Wrestlemania. Charlotte lost her Championship when she tapped out to the armbar through a chair, making Ronda the new SD Women’s Champion. 

We also found out that Rhea Ripley has joined Edge’s Judgment Day Faction when she attacked AJ Styles. 

It seems like Roman Reigns has signed a new deal with the WWE, but according to reports, he will be working a reduced schedule. I’m guessing that means less house shows, but as long as we still get the Tribal Chief on Raw or Smackdown and PPVs.

It was reported by Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer, that Ric Flair is training for one more match. Flair is 73 and hasn’t wrestled since 2011 in a losing effort to Sting.

On June 11th, the NWA will present Alwayz Ready, and the updated card looks like this:

    NWA Women’s Tag Team Championships: The Hex (c) vs. The Pretty Empowered (Ella Envy and Kenzie Paige)

    NWA World Tag Team Championships: La Rebelión (c) vs. Commonwealth Connection (Harry Smith     and Doug Williams)

    NWA World Television Championship: Tyrus (c) vs. Mims

    NWA National Heavyweight Championship: Jax Dane (c) vs. Chris Adonis

    NWA World Women’s Championship: Kamille (c) vs. KiLynn King

    NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship: Matt Cardona (c) vs. Nick Aldis

WWE – RAW

This week we got a returning Alexa Bliss, who looks like her old self, but still has Lilly the doll with her. She pinned Sonya Deville with a Twisted Bliss splash off the top. It’s always nice to see Alexa, but let’s see how creative and I use that term loosely, handles her return.

Cody Rhodes is back one month and gets a shot at the US Championship? Seth Rollins has other plans and gets involved. Rhodes vs Rollins III ?

RK-Bro is still looking to unify the Tag Titles, but will Roman allow his cousins to put their tag titles up?

It appears that after Backlash, AJ Styles has some backup in the way of Bullet Club founder, Finn Balor. These two former BC members should make this feud Too Sweet

NXT

This week on NXT we saw 2 NXT Women’s Breakout tournament Round 1 matches; Fallon Henley defeated Sloane Jacobs to advance and Nikkita Lyons pinned Arianna Grace (Santino Marella’s daughter) to advance to the next round. 

The main event saw Cora Jade pass out (very quickly) to Natalya’s Sharpshooter, and when she woke up 5 seconds later, Natalya shook her hand and gave her a hug. I’m assuming she earned her respect that quickly. 

AEW – DYNAMITE

This week we got three Owen Hart Foundation Tournament matches; the 1st one in a great wrestling match, Adam Cole defeated Dax Harwood by submission when he locked in the Sharpshooter on Dax’s bruised ribs, and the 2nd one was the main event match of the evening, when Jeff Hardy defeated Darby Allin. This match had some crazy high spots that looked great, but made my toes curl. The 3rd one was for the women’s tournament when we saw Toni Storm hit Storm Zero on Jamie Hayter for the victory.

At the Wardlow vs MJF contract signing for Double or Nothing, MJF gives Wardlow his conditions. In order to wrestle him, Wardlow must 1st survive 10 lashes, and if he does, then he will face Shawn Spears in a steel cage match, and if he wins that match, then he can wrestle MJF. If Wardlow wins, he is no longer under contract to MJF, but if he loses, then he can never sign a contract with AEW…ever.

The J.A.S. came out for a victory speech, but ended up getting a whooping when the Blackpool Combat Club came out followed by Santana, Ortiz and Eddie Kingston all surrounded the ring and started fighting the JAS. 

IMPACT

I have to say that bell to bell, Impact is just as good as many of the other matches you see on other nights on other channels and the opening match between Chris Bey and Kenny King showcased that perfectly. 

The Influence continue to hold onto their Impact Women’s World Tag Team Championships by defeating the new duo of Gisele Shaw and Alisha. 

It’s announced that on June 19th at the Slammiversary PPV there will be a Queen of the Mountain match for the Impact Women’s Championship. The wrestlers will be Champion Tasha Steelz, Deonna Purrazzo, Chelsea Green, Mia Yim and Jordynne Grace. This will be Tasha’s toughest task to date.

The main event was a Gauntlet for the Gold match to determine the #1 contender and who will face Josh Alexander at Slammiversary. The wrestlers involved were Sabin, Vincent, Steve Maclin, Shelley, Edwards, Shark Boy, Johnny Swinger, Matt Rehwoldt, Moose, the returning Sami Callihan,PCO ,W.Morrissey and the eventual winner and new #1 contender, Eric Young. 

WWE – SMACKDOWN

The big news coming out of Smackdown will be that there will be a tag team title unification match next week on Smackdown between RK-Bro and The Usos.

New Smackdown Women’s Champion, Ronda Rousey announced that she will be a fighting champion and will issue an open challenge, which brings out the newest addition to Smackdown, Raquel Rodriguez. Although Raquel lost, she put up one hell of a fight.

AEW – RAMPAGE

In a Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament match, Ruby Soho defeated Riho to advance in the Tournament. 

Speaking of the tournament, Tony Schiavone announces that Kris Statlander will be replacing the injured Hikaru Shida against Red Velvet next week on Dynamite in an Owen Hart Foundation Women’s Tournament Quarterfinal Match.

In the main event, Scorpio Sky defended his TNT Championship against Frankie Kazarian. Sky nails the TKO and gets the pinfall. 

What will happen when Sky faces Guarva again down the road?

Early Tests For Tua And The Fins

By : Mike Rifkin

The 2022 NFL schedule was released Thursday night and the first four games for the Miami Dolphins could tell us what way the season can go. The four games are at home vs the division rivals New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills, at Baltimore Ravens, and at the defending AFC Champion Cincinnati Bengals on a Thursday night. 

Last season the Dolphins ended the season the same way it started with a victory over the New England Patriots. It was the first time since 2000 that the Dolphins swept their division rivals. In the two meetings Patriots quarterback Mac Jones 71.0 completion percentage, 542 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had a 63.3 completion percentage, 311 yards two touchdowns and an interception. In the two meetings the Dolphins defense forced three turnovers. Any team coached by Bill Bellichick will be difficult to defeat.

In the two meetings last season the Bills outscored the Dolphins 61-11 including a 35-0 shutout in Miami. Bills quarterback Josh Allen in eight games against Miami 63.2 completion percentage, 1,980 yards (247.5 average per game) 21 touchdowns, five interceptions and a passer rating 106.8. Tua in three games against the Bills has a 56.4 completion percentage, 579 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. Last season the Bills had the number one defense in the NFL so it will be a difficult task to beat them. But if the Dolphins want to be taken as a serious competitor in the AFC East they have to split the series with the Bills.

The second game of the Dolphins seven game winning streak last season was a 22-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens. The Dolphins defense was sensational in that game forcing two turnovers including a fumble return for a touchdown and four sacks of Lamar Jackson. Defense also held Baltimore who averaged 145.8 rushing yards per game to 94. Tagovailoa replaced Jacoby Brissett who started and threw for 158 yards and had a rushing touchdown. 

Then there are the Bengals who were the AFC Champions. The Dolphins last played the Bengals in 2020 and won 19-7. Joe Burrow didn’t play in that game due to his torn ACL. Tagovailoa threw for 296 yards and a touchdown in the victory. The Bengals biggest need this offseason was their offensive line and they added to it bringing in Ted Karras from the Patriots, Alex Cappa from the Buccaneers, and La’el Collins from the Cowboys to protect their franchise quarterback. 

The first four games the Dolphins will play will be three quarterbacks who will definitely be in the MVP conversation and the other game they will be playing the greatest coach in NFL history. If the Dolphins want to be in the conversation for the playoffs it is important that they at least start 2-2. The pressure is on Tua Tagovailoa and new coach Mike Mcdaniel early this season.