Best And Worst Of NFL Week Three

Week three is now in the books in the NFL. There was a lot of stuff going on around the game this week too. The league made a big statement during the National Anthems, in both the United States and in London, following the comments from President Trump. Those events alone, gave us more drama then we care to take for one weekend. Once all that mess was done with, the action got underway. What a weekend it was too. Crazy finishes, huge upsets and uncharacteristic performances by some of the game’s best players were on the menu. We also witnessed one of the game’s all-time greats putting on a show that we won’t soon forget. Here's some of the best and worst performances from week three in the National Football League.

Best:
Jake Elliott, Kicker Philadelphia Eagles
It was a pretty big collapse that almost was for the Eagles. They had a 14-0 lead over the Giants and kept them quite for three quarters. Then Odell struck for a pair of scores and Eli hit Sheppard for a 77 yarder to give the Giants a lead. Wentz threw a touchdown pass to tie the game. After each team traded field goals, Jake Elliott took over. Doug Pederson made a gutsy decision to let Elliott attempt a franchise record 61-yard field goal to win it with time expiring. Like a dream, the ball went through the uprights to give the Eagles a huge win over the Giants, who fell to 0-3 on the season. It was the 5th time that a kicker had hit one from 61 yards out, the 10th longest kick ever. It was still three yards shy of Matt Prater's 64 yarder in 2013. Still, for a rookie to hit one from that far in this big a game, against a division rival, still a very big moment and a huge kick. Good one ya Jake.

Worst:
Baltimore Ravens
Boy are they glad they showed up in London. In the twenty two year history of the Baltimore Ravens, they have never lost a game by 37 points. They had also never played a game in London before this week. One may have had a major effect on the other. Jacksonville kicked the crap out of the Ravens on Sunday, blowing out the Ravens 44-6. No that's not a typo, that actually happened. Baltimore didn't gain a first down until late in the 2nd quarter. Joe Flacco was pulled in the game, after having a 12.0 passer rating and finishing with just 28 yards through the air. Baltimore turned the ball over three times, gained just 12 first downs and 186 total yards. The team’s vaunted defense, which had created 10 turnovers in the first two games, was helpless to stop Blake Bortles and his boys. Baltimore had better find their game in week four or they might be in trouble this season.

Best:
Stefon Diggs, Wide Receiver Minnesota Vikings
Talk about a hot receiver, you found one in Diggs. He was Case Keenum's favorite target this week. Diggs ran rough shot over the Vikings defense. Eight catches, two for scores and 173 yards receiving. No that's not a misprint, he snagged 173 receiving yards this week, the most by any wideout in the league in week three. Its the kind of day you'd love to have has a wide out every week. It may not happen all the time, but if you get it then take it and run with it.

Worst:
Cam Newton, Quarterback Carolina Panthers
It was a rough week for Carolina this week. They lost their best Tight End in Greg Olsen. Kelvin Benjamin, one of their top wide receivers, is dealing with that recurring knee injury that got to him last season. Newton had offseason shoulder surgery and barely played in the preseason. He had some setbacks in training camp, and he still doesn’t look right. The Panthers started 2-0, but Newton didn’t look great in either game. Against the Saints, Newton had 167 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions. The first two quarterbacks who faced the Saints had 777 yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions.Bad week for Carolina's QB this week.

Best:
Kareem Hunt, Running Back Kansas City Chiefs
Another week, another dominating game by the Kansas City rookie. This week's victim was the Los Angeles Chargers. Kansas City got the 24-10 win over the Chargers, and Hunt went off again. He had 17 carries for 172 yards and a touchdown. Hunt now has 401 rushing yards on the season, and has also caught nine passes for 137 yards, meaning he’s on pace to total 2,869 yards this season. Best yet, Hunt’s touchdown on Sunday was the game-sealing score. As the Chiefs attempted to run out the clock he busted through the line of scrimmage thanks to some stellar blocking and took off like a shot, going 69 yards for the score. This guy has been playing out of his mind over the first three games, at the rate he's going, Hunt could walk away with the offensive Rookie Of The Year almost hands down this year.

Worst:
Marcus Cooper, Cornerback Chicago Bears
This play conjured up images of Leon Lett with the Cowboys years ago. This game had to go to overtime, a game which the Bears won over Pittsburgh 23-17, but it didn't have to be. Marcus Cooper, I'm dying to know what he was thinking when he decided to stop in front of the goal line on a blocked field goal return. There was nobody in front of him but thousands of loyal Chicago Bears fans right at the end of the half. He stopped dead in his tracks on what could have been a touchdown, and helped the Bears climb out to a fantastic 10 point lead. Instead Chicago had to settle for a field goal. Pittsburgh stormed all the way back and set the game into overtime. Thanks to the heroics of Tarik Cohen and Jordan Howard, Chicago came away with a victory. But Cooper's mental laps almost cost his team a game.

Best:
Brandon Cooks, Wide Receiver New England Patriots
A big acquisition makes a bigtime impact on his team.. And it couldn't have come at a better time either. Cooks was the Patriots’ biggest offseason acquisition. They sent a first-round pick for the explosive receiver, a trade that I'm sure is paying off huge dividends for them right about now. He was a huge impact player for them in their 36-33 win on Sunday over the Texans. Cooks hauled in five catches for 131 yards and a fantastic game-winning score. Somehow he managed to snag the ball and keep the points of both his toes in bounds on the catch to give the Patriots the victory with time running out in the football game and New England down a score. Her has found a level of comfort with the New England QB and this is why they brought him into the mix.

Worst:
Trevor Siemian, Quarterback Denver Broncos
Siemian had started off the year like a house of fire, throwing six touchdown passes to start off the season. Both of those games took place at home. Week three rolled around and Denver took their show on the road to Buffalo. It didn't end quite as well for the Broncos, as Buffalo walked away with a 23-16 win. Siemian came back down to earth a little bit on Sunday. The Bills forced the third-year quarterback into two bad interceptions, the second being even worse than the first and both occurring while the game was still winnable in the fourth quarter. He was awful against pressure and will have plenty to fix this upcoming week of practice as he prepares for a date with the Oakland Raiders. Here's hoping it was just a blip on the screen and things will be back on track next week in a tough divisional matchup.

Best:
Washington Redskins Defense
After getting roughed up by the Eagles in the season opener, the Redskins have responded quite nicely the last couple of weeks. Washington pulled out a 27-10 win over the Raiders on Sunday night, and the defense was a MAJOR reason for the Skins victory. Rookie Jonathan Allen was a monster in the middle against Oakland’s talented interior line. Josh Norman, D.J. Swearinger and Co. have really stepped up their level of play on the back end as well. Derek Carr was frustrated all night long. Michael Crabtree was injured in the game after taking a big hit. In total, Oakland gained just 128 yards, converted just seven first downs and turned the ball over three times. That, folks, is domination on a whole different level. If the Redskins can keep this pace up for the rest of the way, or something like it, then there is a very real possibility that Washington could be playing meaningful football late in the season, maybe even beyond.

Worst:
Carolina Panthers Defense
Its a funny game sometimes. Carolina, who is known for having one of the more imposing defenses in all of the league, sure didn't look like it against the Saints on Sunday. New Orleans came away with a 34-14 win. This was supposed to be the first big test game of the season for Carolina's defense this year, and they failed it. Drew Brees missed on just seven of his 29 attempts, passing for 220 yards and three touchdowns. The Saints averaged 5.5 yards on the ground as their offensive line pushed Carolina’s vaunted defensive front around all game long. That's called getting smacked around in a big way. This team was supposed to be one of the more dominate defenses in all of thje league. They better start playing like it if Carolina wants to have a shot at the playoffs.

Carmelo Anthony Knicks Legacy

There's been a lot of crazy things that have been going on in the sports world this past weekend. One of the big stories that came out from this past weekend was the end of an era with Knicks Basketball. Saturday afternoon, the Knicks agreed to trade Anthony, a 10-time NBA All-Star and one of the league’s great offensive players, to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a second-round draft pick, according to a league official briefed on the negotiations. It comes down before the start of training camp and gives Melo a chance to play with two pretty good players in Russell Westbrook and Paul George.

This move comes after a very interesting summer for the Knicks. First, the team fired Phil Jackson after a disastrous tenure as team president and hired Scott Perry as the new general manager. Now there's this, which is closing the book on Carmelo's seven and a half year stretch with the Knicks. February 22nd, 2011 was the date that brought Melo and Chauncey Billups to New York in a three team trade that involved the Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves. The deal was a controversial one that the Knicks’ owner, James Dolan, approved over the objections of Donnie Walsh, who was then the team president. Walsh did not want to surrender so many players to acquire Anthony when the Knicks could have simply waited a few more months and tried to sign him as a free agent. But Dolan being Dolan, he had to grab the headline and pulled the trigger on the deal.

When Melo got traded to New York, there was a lot of hype around him, and for good reason. Not only was he one of the premier players in all of the NBA, but it was kind of like the local boy coming home, as Melo is a Brooklyn boy. During his six and a half seasons in New York, Carmelo played in 412 games in the Orange and Blue. In that time, he was averaging 24.7 points, 7 rebounds and 3.2 assists while shooting 44.3 percent from the field and 36.9 percent from 3-point range. There were some big nights for Melo in a Knicks jersey. He won the NBA scoring crown in 2012-13, lead the league with 28.7 points per game, finishing third overall in MVP voting. On January 24th, 2014 against the Bobcats, Melo broke Bernard King’s franchise record and the Garden record for points in a game, going 23-for-35 from the field, while dropping 62 points. Then, on November 2nd of that year, against that same Bobcats team, Anthony joined an elite club that included just 39 other players at the time, to score 20,000 career points. Carmelo is one of the eight members who still are active. And he did help lead the Knicks to three straight playoff appearances, including a second round appearance in 2013.

While he had some good moments, there were also bad ones associated with Carmelo. There was having season ending knee surgery after playing in the 2015 All Star Game. During that time he was hurt, in his tenure with the Knicks, that Jeremy Lin got plenty of playing time. Lin took full advantage of it and was making a lot of noise in the local papers. Carmelo wasn't happy with it. Anthony reportedly wasn’t eager to play second fiddle to the guard, which may explain why Lin wasn't brought back. Some claim that Melo is the reason that Mike D’Antoni resigned as head coach. According to one story, Melo gave Knicks’ brass an ultimatum, either he goes or I go. Clearly Melo stayed. The biggest stink with Melo came three years ago. Anthony got a $124 million extension over five years in 2014. He continued to put up big numbers year after year, but the Knicks became the laughingstock of the league. Add in the no-trade clause that made dealing him much more difficult, and this turned into a total disaster for the Knicks’ front office.

For as good as Carmelo has been in his time with the Knicks, he's also had a few moments that he'd like to forget. Its been a perfect storm with him during his time here in New York. Now that storm is done with, and he can kind of try and hit restart in Oklahoma City. For the record, it won't take long for Melo to face his old team. The Knicks play the Thunder October 19th, their season opener.

Best And Worst Of NFL Week Two

We've already hit the 2nd week of the National Football League season and a few things are a starting to take shape around this league. For one, there aren't few good teams in this league this year. The AFC West and NFC South are stacked divisions and are going to be very tough teams and divisions to beat this year. There was a lot going on this week in the league. DeShaun Watson got his first win as a starter in the NFL, Jay Cutler got back into the win column with Miami as well. The Jets still suck, so do the Panthers ability to protect Cam Newton. Dallas got smocked badly by the Broncos, as did Green Bay in a return trip to Atlanta. So with that being said, here's some more of the best and worst from week two in the NFL.

Best:
Tom Brady, Quarterback New England Patriots
Yes, folks, Tom Brady still has it at 40 years old. He not only had a big day on the field, but also proved he was very convincing to the officials, in a legal way. First, lets look at his campaigning. He threw a pick late in the ball game, but it was called back for 12 men on the field for the Saints defense. He only threw the pick because he knew the Saints had too many defenders on the field, which he was proven right. He also got the refs to overturn an offensive pass interference call because of a pick that Chris Hogan threw, which was proven to be a legal play. Brady showed that he really does understand the game of football, which is why he's still playing at this high a level even at the age of forty. He put up the best numbers of any quarterback in the league this week, going 30 of 39 for 447 yards, three touchdowns and a 139.6 passer rating, all tops in the league in week two. Hate all you want, the guy still has it.

Worst:
Youngshoe Koo, Kicker Los Angeles Chargers
Weird to see a placekicker at this point on the list right? Well after what he's done the last two weeks, he deserves to be here. For the second week in a row, the Chargers had a chance to win a game, or at the very least force overtime. Last week against Denver, Koo got iced by Vance Joseph and botched his 44-yard field goal, his ow kick that was blocked. Then on Sunday he had an opportunity to redeem himself and could not do it. The Chargers drove down the field in the final minute of the fourth quarter, putting the ball on the Miami Dolphins’ 26-yard line. He pushed the 44-yard attempt wide right for the second time on Sunday. As a result, Miami walked away with a win it really did not deserve. Philip Rivers had himself a solid day and he helped Antonio Gates break an NFL record in the process. But because their kicker missed two chip shots on Sunday, the Chargers are 0-2 to start the season.

Best:
J.J Nelson, Wide Receiver Arizona Cardinals
If you watched Cardinals-Colts on Sunday, I am so sorry for you. It was an ugly football game. The one player who really stood out in this game, for either team, was Cardinals wide out JJ Nelson. Arizona walked away 16-13 win, and he had himself a big day. After being quiet in the opener, catching five passes for 120 yards. Not a bad day when you can average 24 yards a reception. He also hauled in the game’s only touchdown through the air, whichi was a 45-yard bomb from Carson Palmer. That score sparked the beginning of Arizona’s comeback, which the Cardinals completed in overtime following a Jacoby Brissett interception. Nelson showed the rest of the league, at least for one week, that he can hang with the best in the game.

Worst:
Ezekiel Elliot, Running Back Dallas Cowboys
Lets keep this strictly to the playing field shall we. When it comes right down to it, Zek Elliot is one of the top young running backs in all of professional football. He has all the talent in the world to be one of the very best in the business today. He just didn't exactly look like it in week two. In the Cowboys 42-17 blowout loss to the Broncos, Elliot was held to just 8 yards on 9 carries. That's the lowest total of his NFL career. Taking nothing away from the Broncos defense, which is one of the best in all of football, but Zek had a bad week this week. You know its a rough go of it for the Cowboys star back if Tom Brady had more rushing yards this week then he did, which is really saying something about how good a job Denver did./ Its a major drop off from his 124 yard performance in week one.

Best:
Washington Redskins Running Game
Last week, the Washington run game couldn't get a whole lot going against the Eagles, running the ball 13 times for a mere 34 yards. This week was a totally different story. Washington, thanks to Samaje Perine, Rob Kelley and Chris Thompson ran over, around and through the vaunted defensive front of the Los Angeles Rams. With those three guys taking the carries, Washington finished with 229 yards and two touchdowns, averaging nearly six yards per carry in the big road win. Yes, the Redskins do have a running attack, something you need to pull off wins in this league. Everybody likes the passing game, which is a good gameplan, but Washington used the run attack to balance it out and it worked well in the 27-20 win/

Worst:
New York Jets Defense
It was no secret going into this season that the New York Jets were going to suck this year, but I never expected something like this to happen at all. The offense, most thought, would be the biggest weak spot on this team, not the defense. But, alas, it has been the defense that has been chocking as of late. Here's some of the numbers on the Jets defense. Sunday against the Raiders: 0 sacks, 0 QB hits, 0 turnovers, 1 pass defended, 4 tackles for loss, and 6 touchdowns allowed. Oh and here's more info for you. On 28 Raiders passes, the Jets managed zero QB hurries and one pass defended. The two things you are supposed to do on defense is put pressure on the QB and guard the receivers. The Jets failed to be able to do either of that.

Best:
DeShaun Watson, Quarterback Houston Texans
Welcome to the NFL DeShaun Watson. The rookie QB had himself a big debut in his first NFL Start, leading the Texans to a 13-9 win over the Bengals. In the passing game, Watson went 15 of 24 for 125 yards. He didn't throw a touchdown and was sacked three times, which are average numbers at best. But he did have himself a memorable play, adding an electrifying 49-yard scramble for the game's only touchdown. He got himself a win in the NFL, showing that, for one week at least, he helped get the Texans back on the right track.

Worst:
Andy Dalton, Quarterback Cincinnati Bengals
I really feel bad for Andy Dalton over the start of the season. He's thrown more picks (4) then he has touchdowns (0) so far this season. And while he wasn't a total now show this week, he still isn't hitting his groove yet. He went 20 of 35 passes for 224 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in Thursday's 13-9 loss to the Texans. He also gained five yards on two rushes. While he didn't look anywhere near as ineffective as in the opener, Dalton and the entire offense came up small for the second consecutive week at home. He's showing some signs of improvement by spreading the ball around, but he needs to get it figured out and soon, otherwise this could end really badly for the Bengals this year

Hockey Returns Home

After two and a half years, the New York Islanders played a home game at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Lets not get ahead of ourselves here folks, its only a preseason game. They are not set to play regular season games at the old barn anytime soon. That being said, it gave the fans who still live out on Long Island a reason to cheer and celebrate hockey again after the team has shipped out to Brooklyn. Thanks to the heroics of John Tavares, the Islanders skated away with a 3-2 overtime win.

It was the first game at the Nassau Coliseum since April 25, 2015, in a 3-1 victory over Washington in Game 6 of the first round of the playoffs. They were eliminated in a Game 7 loss two days later, and began playing at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center the following season.The fans greeted the team with a strong ovation when the Islanders took the ice for pregame warmups about 35 minutes before the game, and roared when they came back out for introductions shortly before puck drop. The cheers continued while a video on the scoreboard showed the team’s four championship banners and highlights of Stanley Cup wins. Between the closing of the barn in 2015 and Sunday afternoon, the arena was renovated with a capacity of about 13,900 for hockey, less than both the 16,170 it had previously and the 15,795 currently at Barclays Center.

Since the Islanders have moved to Barclays Center, they have an opt out clause in the contract with the arena. Currently, the lease between the Islanders and the Barclay Center has an opt-out clause with a January deadline that either side can exercise. If the Islanders choose to leave, they can do so as early as after the upcoming season, while either side can terminate the deal effective at the end of the 2018-19 season. There is a possibility, should the Islanders leave Barclays Center, would be the possibility of building a new arena either at Belmont Park or near Citi Field in Queens. There may still be an outside chance that the Coliseum will once again host NHL regular season hockey, but that seems like a long shot.

If the preseason game against the Flyers taught us anything, it showed that there is still plenty of fan support for hockey on Long Island. The volume and the energy that the crowd was able to generate in the old building was just like the days of old at the Coliseum.  There is no doubt that the fanbase craves the Islanders to be back at the old barn, the place where so much history was created. The fans want it to happen, they showed that in full force this past Sunday. It still has magic in it folks, get the team back where it belongs at the Nassau Coliseum. The house is ready, lets open the door wide and bring them back in where they should have been playing this whole entire time.

Best And Worst NFL Week One

Ah its a wonderful time of the year, the National Football League is back in action. After four preseason games, the 32 teams hit the team for real and everything counts. The first games of the year are in the book, some showed up and played up to expectation, while still others came up short in finding their expectation level in the opener. We had a little a little bit of everything to start the season off. Upsets, big performances and big letdowns, both by teams and players. Among the good was an unexpected road win for a team that is known for losing. Among the bad was a quarterback performance that had people talking for all the wrong reasons. Lets get right into it, here's some of the best and worst from week one in the NFL.

Best:
Antonio Brown, Wide Receiver Pittsburgh Steelers
He's the highest paid wide receiver in the game for a reason. He showed it against the Browns on Sunday. Brown carved up their secondary like it was going out of style. Brown finished the day with 182 yards of receiving on 11 catches, pretty impressive numbers for a wide out, even of his talent. While he did not have a touchdown, he caught everything in his path. It wasn't even close on Sunday, Brown was far and away the best wide receiver on the field. Cleveland simply did not have an answer for him. Furthermore, the Steelers’ offense needed Brown to have a good game because the running was non-existent. But then again, he made it seem almost as business as usual for the Steelers star wide out.

Worst:
Andy Dalton, Quarterback Cincinnati Bengals
This was one opening week that Dalton sure wants to forget. Cincinnati went head to head with the Ravens and it didn't end well, Baltimore walking away with a 20-0 victory. Andy Dalton had a bad day that he'd really like to forget. Dalton was bad on this day, completing only 52 percent of his passes for 170 yards. Oh yeah, he also threw four interceptions. Ironically enough, the last time Dalton threw four interceptions in a game was back in Week 17 of the 2013 season against the Ravens. One has to wonder, what it would take for head coach Marvin Lewis to bench the veteran Dalton in the future. If things don't improve for Dalton, and soon, it might not be so bad if AJ McCarron would be the starter over Dalton.

Best:
Leonard Fournette, Running Back Jacksonville Jaguars
Welcome to the NFL Leonard Fournette. He had made a pretty bold statement after his first preseason game this year, saying that the transition to the NFL from college was easy. Some were left wondering if this kid was for real. He showed that in a big way on Sunday. Jacksonville took on one of the toughest defenses in the game in the Houston Texans, a team that only gave up 99.7 rushing yards per game last season. Fournette totally changed that dynamic, as he pounded Houston’s defense to the tune of 100 yards on 26 carries and one touchdown. Last season, the Jaguars did not have a 100-yard rushing game from a running back until Week 9 from Chris Ivory. With quarterback Blake Bortles’ less than stellar play to begin the season, the Jaguars would be wise to keep giving the ball to Fournette. So good on ya Leonard Fournette for making a solid impact into this league.

Worst:
Le'Veon Bell, Running Back Pittsburgh Steelers
We kind of started to talk about this a little bit earlier in this story, that the Steelers running attack was nowhere to be found against the Browns. Bell only had 32 yards on 10 carries, and 15 receiving yards on three receptions against Cleveland. That’s not the type of stat line you’d expect from Bell, who's considered by many to be the best, or one of the best backs in all of football. However, it doesn’t appear that there is cause for concern, as Bell missed all of preseason and training camp, which put him in a hole. He was clearly rusty from not being on the field, and was also out of sync with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. That's what happens when you miss all of training camp when you hold out for a contract dispute. But I have no doubt that Bell will be back into form before too long and will be causing havock all over a football field sooner rather then later.

Best:
Alex Smith, Quarterback Kansas City Chiefs
Talk about a statement game, this one was it. It's Thursday Night Football, your playing the defending World Champions in their home opener and your not expected to make a whole lot of noise. Somebody forgot to tell that to Alex Smith, who went off in the opener. He's known for managing the game and isn't very comfortable when he has to throw the ball deep. Yeah, that's not the guy we saw on Thursday night. He completed two passes of at least 75 yards, finishing with 368 yards and four touchdowns in Kansas City’s shocking 42-27 win over the defending Super Bowl champs. When you go 28 for 35 on the day and have the highest QB rating in the league and top the loop in yards and TD passes, you know you had yourself a good week.

Worst:
Kirk Cousins, Quarterback Washington Redskins
There was quite a few question marks going into this year with Kirk Cousins in Washington. He lost his top weapons in the pass game with DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon not there for Cousins to rely on. There wasn't very much of an outlook on the season for the Skins. Things weren't helped any in their 30-17 loss to the Eagles. You know its bad in Washington when they have no rushing game. Take away Cousins’ 30 yards and you’re looking at a team that gained 34 yards on 13 carries. As for the pass game, Cousins went 23 of 40 for 240 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was for nothing because of the three turnovers he accounted for, one of which was turned immediately into six points when Fletcher Cox took a fumble recovery to the house. The Redskins have no balance offensively. And to make matters worse, if he continues to struggle, there is no real security blanket behind him on the roster at the moment. So Cousins better figure this thing out or its going to be a long season in Washington.

Best:
Buffalo Bills Offense
For most of the summer, and offseason for that matter, there had been question marks surrounding the things taking place in Buffalo. The Buffalo front office traded away the club best receiving weapon in Sammy Watkins and Tyrod Taylor looked horrible. So it lead one to wonder just how bad Buffalo could be. Plus they were going up against the Jets, who were supposed to be one of the better defensive teams in all of the game. Well the roles were reversed on Sunday, with the Buffalo offense looking great. Taylor rebounded from a first-drive interception to post solid numbers. He threw two touchdowns while LeSean McCoy and Mike Tolbert combined to rush for 152 yards and a touchdown. It was a solid way to start the season and helped the Bills win, 21-12, to start the season on a positive note. I know it was against the Jets, who are supposed to be the worst team in that division, but still its a pretty impressive showing never the less.

Worst:
Josh McCown, Quarterback New York Jets
Its a sad day in football land when the best quarterback you have is Josh McCown. He's been bad, having just won two of his last 22 starts. Sunday against Buffalo, it didn't get any better. McCown threw two interceptions, both with the game in reach in the final seven minutes of the contest. He also managed just 187 yards on 26-of-39 passing, averaging 4.8 yards per attempt and 7.2 yards per reception, horrible numbers for any QB at this level. Maybe that's why nobody wanted the 38 year old gunslinger other then the lowley Jets. In total, the Jets managed just 3.96 yards per play, which is just awful. Buffalo’s defense isn’t all that scary, either. It’s going to be a long, long season for Gang Green.

Tribe Keep On Rolling

What are they putting in the cups in Cleveland. You want to talk about a hot baseball team, it get no hotter then the Cleveland Indians! After last nights 5-3 win over the Detroit Tigers, Cleveland has now set an American League Record by winning 21 straight baseball games. There have been streaks in the past in baseball, sure. There have been short ones and long ones. But none have captured the imagination like the one the Indians have gone on is some time.

The last time we saw a winning streak of this length in baseball came in 2002, when the Oakland A's won 20 straight games. This years Tribe just passed that team for the longest winning streak in American League history, and it has now marked only the 4th time in history that a team has won 21 or more games in a row. The Indians tied the 1935 Chicago Cubs and the 1880 Chicago White Stockings with their 21st straight win, setting them now five behind the 1918 New York Giants who won 26 straight. It should be noted that the 1880 White Stockings and the 1918 Giants streaks included unofficial ties, which is what leads one to wonder the validity of those streaks.

But still, the fact that the Indians have won 21 straight games is amazing. Nobody has been able to beat the tribe since the Boston Red Sox did so on August 23rd, a 6-1 win for Boston. There's been quite a few eye popping stats that have come abound with this streak that the Tribe are on. Cleveland has actually hit more home runs during this win streak then they've allowed runs. Yes you read that correctly. Over the last three weeks, Cleveland has hit 41 home runs, while allowing just 35 runs. Crazy, right? Oh but wait, the numbers are going to get crazier. During this streak, they have played 189 total innings, and have trailed in just four of them., during which time, Cleveland has scored 139 runs to the mentioned 35 runs they've allowed. During this run, Cleveland pitchers have thrown seven shutouts, blanking Kansas City three times, Baltimore once and Detroit four times. And when the streak started, they gave up six runs to Boston, in a 13-6 Cleveland win. Since then, nobody has scored more then four runs.

Francisco Lindor has been on a tear for the last month, hitting 11 homers and driving in 23 runs, all while hitting .314. And it's coming at the right time, because you want your best players playing like your best players at the right time of the year. Looking back a little at the 2002 A's, who this team has been compared. In 2002, Oakland finished that year with 103 wins, but bowed out to the Minnesota Twins in five games in the Divisional Round. I can't see that happening here with the Tribe. You gotta remember that this is a team who ALMOST pulled it off beating the Cubs last year in the fall classic, forcing the seventh game into extra innings before bowing to the champs. The way Cleveland is playing right now, who knows what could happen with this team

They have been playing out of their minds over the last three weeks, extending the lead over the 2nd place Minnesota Twins to 13.5 games. Cleveland has managed to shrink its magic number down to just 4 in order to wrap up the division! Savor this moment Indians fans, because its just a small sampling of things to come later this season!

2017 NFL Season Preview

Ah its that time of year once again. For the 98th time, the National Football League is now open for business and we are ready to go. We've got another exciting season of football action ready to go, with all 32 teams chasing the same dream, holding the Vince Lombardi Trophy over their heads by the time early February rolls around. Things are going to look a little different around the league this season, with some new rule changes taking place and some new faces in new places. We get into all of that and pick how each of the 32 teams is going to do this season. Sop lets break it all down right now, starting off with some of the new rule changes.

We'll start it off with a few of the rule changes for this year. Defensive players are now prohibited from running toward the line of scrimmage and leaping or hurdling over offensive linemen on field goal or PAT attempts, similar to a change made in college football for the 2017 season. Previously this action was permitted as long as the leaper/hurdler did not land on other players. Egregious hits to the head (similar to the "targeting" rule in NCAA football) will now result in an automatic ejection. Overtime has been shortened from 15 minutes to 10 minutes for preseason and regular season games. Playoff games will continue to have 15 minutes for overtime periods. The sideline replay monitor (the "hood") will be eliminated and replaced with a tablet on the field for the referee to review with the replay control center. Restrictions on celebrations have been relaxed, removing penalties for group celebrations, going to the ground to celebrate, or using the ball as a prop.

We got a few faces popping up in new places. Buffalo (Sean McDermott), Denver (Vance Joseph), Jacksonville (Doug Marrone), the Chargers (Anthony Lynn), Rams (Sean McVay) and San Francisco (Kyle Shanahan) all have new head coaches. We've had a few players change jerseys as well. Jordan Matthews is now in Buffalo, while Sammy Watkins is now a Ram. Marshawn Lynch came out of retirement and was traded to the Raiders. Brock Osweiler was traded by Houston to Cleveland. That was just trades. There was plenty of names moved in free agency. A.J. Bouye (from Texans to Jaguars), Logan Ryan (from Patriots to Titans), Micah Hyde (from Packers to Bills), Malcolm Smith (from Raiders to 49ers), Manti Te'o (from Chargers to Saints), Johnathan Hankins (from Giants to Colts), Martellus Bennett (from Patriots to Packers), Jared Cook (from Packers to Raiders), Alshon Jeffery (from Bears to Eagles), Brandon Marshall (from Jets to Giants), DeSean Jackson (from Redskins to Buccaneers), Kenny Britt (from Rams to Browns), Pierre Garçon (from Redskins to 49ers), Terrelle Pryor (from Browns to Redskins), Torrey Smith (from 49ers to Eagles), Latavius Murray (from Raiders to Vikings), Adrian Peterson (from Vikings to Saints), Eddie Lacy (from Packers to Seahawks), Jamaal Charles (from Chiefs to Broncos); fullbacks Mike Tolbert (from Panthers to Bills) and Patrick DiMarco (from Falcons to Bills), and Mike Glennon (from Buccaneers to Bears) all will be donning new uniforms this season. Phew that's a lot of names to get through.

Now lets get down to the fun part. Here's the predictions for the 2017 NFL Season and we start in the NFC.

NFC East
1. Dallas Cowboys (11-5)*
Going to be tough start to the year not having Zek Elliott in the backfield for the first six games. Fear not though Dallas fans, you still have Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris on the team, so you still have a very solid running game. Dallas still has the best offensive line in the game protecting Dak Prescott. Sure, the league now has a better read on this team and their dynamic duo of Elliott and Prescott, but they have the skills to be able to handle it. Dez Bryant and Jason Witten, while getting a bit older, still have plenty left in the tank to be able to help Dak in the air attack. They have to break in two new starters on the O-Line and the defense is a bit of a mess, but the Boys still have a good enough team to win the division for the 2nd year in a row.

2. New York Giants (11-5)(WC)
Another year another playoff run for the Giants. This team actually got better then it did a year ago, adding a guy the talent level of a Brandon Marshall. Put him, Odell Beckham Jr and Sterling Sheppard together with a healthy Eli and you got something. Only thing that has me worried about this Giants offense is the O-Line and running game. Big Blue has really had neither over the last couple of seasons and its kind of hurt them in some games. Thankfully the Giants defense is still very solid and very much in tact from a year ago. They are going to be fun to watch and keep the team in plenty of football games this year. Now lets just hope that the offense can step up and improve over what it was like from a season ago when they averaged 17.1 PPG. So this year, the offense will step up and finally get on the level of the defense.

3. Philadelphia Eagles (9-7)
This will be a bounce back year for the Eagles, who were under .500 a season ago. Now Carson Wentz has some fancy new weapons to play with. He's got Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith, Zach Ertz, and Brent Celek to throw to and he's got LeGarrette Blount and Darren Sproles running the ball out of the backfield. They have a solid offensive line, which remained in tact from a season ago. Things could be looking up for Philly, as they have a step in the right direction, but the Eagles go through one tough stretch near the end of the season. In the month of December alone, the Eagles play at Seahawks, at Rams, at Giants, then host the Raiders and Cowboys. Thirteen of their games this year are against teams with playoff asperations, so its going to be a tough go of it for the Eagles this year.

4. Washington Redskins (6-10)
There's going to be a lot of questions surrounding the Redskins this season. One of the biggest ones is going to be the future of QB Kirk Cousins. Its going to be rough not having DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon, who both have signed with different teams. Sure they still have some talent on the team by bringing in a guy like Terrelle Pryor, while Jamison Crowder and Jordan Reed are going to be counted on again to be of help to Cousins. Seeing this team finish at .500 could possibly be a best case scenario for the Skins in 2017.

NFC North
1. Green Bay Packers (12-4)*
After eight straight playoff appearances and an NFC title game last year, the Pack will be back in it again this year. Green Bay's offense took a bit of a hit losing Eddie Lacy and Jared Cook, but that may not make much of a difference. Ty Montgomery is going to have to pick up the slack in the run game, but if last year was any indication, he'll have no problem doing that. Aaron Rodgers will be throwing to Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Martellus Bennett this season, so the Packers will have no problem scoring this year. The defense is going to have to defend a little bit tighter as the year goes along, so that the offense isn't being forced to go out and score 30+ points every week. I can't see much of a hickup happening for the Pack this year, they win the North.

2. Detroit Lions (8-8)
Last season was a nail bitter for Detroit, winning quite a few games they really had no business winning a season ago. This year, I think some of Detroit's luck is going to run out. Detroit hasn't had winning seasons in back to back years since 1995-97, so this year they at least come close to hitting that mark. Matthew Stafford just got his new five year extension in his back pocket so he's all set in that regards. The run game is still solid with Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick, and Stafford has some pass catching weapons in Golden tate and Eric Ebrom. With all that being said, there still something that seems left to be desired in Detroit, so who knows if they even hit the .500 mark this season.

3. Minnesota Vikings (8-8)
This team has the potential to get going in the right direction and they have the talent here. With Sam Bradford and Case Keanum taking snaps under center, they have a foundation at Quarterback. Despite some free agent additions, the O-line could still be a weakness, though newcomers Latavius Murray and Dalvin Cook should ensure Minnesota don't again own league's worst rushing attack. Free-agent additions Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers fail to bolster what was a team weakness in 2016, which is why that running attack could be tough to get better. Playing five of their first seven at U.S. Bank Stadium should set the tone. Things are going to get on the up and up in Minnesota this year but they aren't quite there to turn the corner just quite yet.

4. Chicago Bears (4-12)
Looks like this could be a rough year in the Windy City this season for the Bears. As a matter of fact, the number of wins have gone down the last few years in Chicago, as the Bears haven't finished around .500 or better since 2013. This year its going to be bad. Try like two to three wins bad. Neither Mike Glennon nor Mitchell Trubisky will strike fear in anyone, and neither will not having much as far as weapons go in the passing game. Opponents won’t be afraid of throwing against the Bears when they have the ball. Chicago has finished in last place in the NFC North three years running, and it will probably be four in John Fox’s third year as coach. They have the misfortune of opening against Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh and Green Bay. Yeah that's a killer start for a team that's already labeled for having a long season.

NFC South
1. Atlanta Falcons (12-4)*
Atlanta is poised to do something its never done before: Win the NFC South for the 2nd year in a row. What did you expect from a team that is coming off a crushing defeat in last year's Super Bowl. Not a bad way to open up the brand spanking new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Falcons are the most loaded team in the NFL. The big questions about the NFC champs are the dreaded Super Bowl hangover, and the loss of OC Kyle Shanahan and a midseason stretch of four road games in five weeks that includes trips to New England and Seattle. I think that they still have enough talent to make up for the fact that they have Steve Sarkisian running the offense this year. Its going to be something to prove playing in a tough and much improved division.

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-6)
This will be the breakout year bigtime for the Bucs in 2017. The defense, lead by Robert Ahers, Vernon Haregraves and Brent Grimes is going to be solid. What's going to be the big story is the offense. OJ Howard has a big expectation on his shoulders at tight end. Then there's Doug Martin at running back, who a lot are expecting to have a bounce back season this year, and I kind of hope so too the guy is a talented back. Oh yeah, they have a more balanced attack in the receiving game, by adding DeSean Jackson tp play along side with rising star Mike Evans. This gives Jameis Winston plenty of weapons to work with. If he can cut down on some of the dumb throws he's been known to make in years past, then he is set up to have a monster season this year.

3. Carolina Panthers (9-7)
This team still has some room to improve, but they are going to make noise in the NFC this season. Most of the team that made it to the NFC title game back in 2015 is still in tact, so there's plenty to be optimistic about. But then again, Carolina has to deal with players coming off injuries, including their two biggest weapons on offense in Cam Newton (arm) and Kelvin Benjamin (knee). If both guys can hold up physically and return to form that fans had seen in past years, then Carolina will be right up there with the Falcons in challenging for the top spot in the South this season, or at the worst a wild card spot. Carolina has to stay healthy in order to get its mojo back again.

4. New Orleans Saints (8-8)
It has been well documented in the past that the Saints are known for the rapid fire pass attack. Adding Adrian Peterson to the backfield provides great intrigue, yet this team still looks like it will be in a shootout every week. And will it survive the first month? The Saints open with three of four on the road, including a game in London, and their only Superdome game in that stretch is a visit from former receiver Brandin Cooks and the Patriots. Cooks was replaced by Ted Ginn. Still with how stacked this division is, its going to be a rough year for the Saints.

NFC West
1. Seattle Seahawks (13-3)*
You can argue this till your blue in the face, but the Seattle Seahawks are still the class of the NFC West, having won the division three out of the last four years. They keep that little trend going this year. They already had a good defense, which just got better by adding Sheldon Richardson from the Jets. Only thing with Richardson is he had an attitude with the Jets so its something that needs to get changed before he can really take it to the next level. The offense is powered by a healthy Russell Wilson and Earl Thomas. They got Thomas Rawls and Eddie Lacy taking the ball from Wilson in the backfield. This is going to be a balanced offensive attack in Seattle and they are going to be a good football team once again this season.

2. Arizona Cardinals (10-6)(WC)
Coming off a year in which the Cardinals finished the season a game under .500, they will be right back in the mix as a playoff team once again this year. Sure there will be more attention paid to up and coming running back David Johnson this year, what with the over 2,000 total yards he had a season ago. He's in for another very productive year. Carson Palmer, if he can stay healthy, will be good again this year. As will Larry Fitzgerald, who is going to have something to prove, in that he can still go for a guy his age. Sure, they start the season on the road in consecutive games, but it’s against the Lions and Colts. They get a bye after their London trip to face the Rams and host three straight games in late November into early December. This team has the talent and skill level to be able to get back into the playoffs as a wild card team.

3. Los Angeles Rams (5-11)
That's being nice giving the Rams a 5-11 record. New head coach Sean McVay has a tall task ahead of him with this Rams team.They're a young team undergoing significant resets on both sides of the ball. Todd Gurley is looking to have a bounce back year and kind of get back on track to what made him one of the better running backs in the league. Jared Goff is going to improve and go through the learing curve of playing in the NFL, and will start to possibly progress at this level. Maybe having a new head coach could help get him on track and moving in the right direction. And with Cooper Kupp joining the likes of Tavon Austin and Sammy Watkins in the passing game, there might be something brewing out in Los Angeles.

4. San Francisco 49ers (2-14)
San Francisco will be lucky if they walk away with that many wins this season. Kyle Shanahan and new GM John Lynch have their work cut out for them not only this year, but for a few years down the line. Bryan Hoyer will be under center this year, which leaves little hope in San Fran. They do have some bright spots though, as they have Carlos Hyde running the ball and Pierre Garçon trying to haul in passes from Hoyer. NoVarro Bowman is going to be counted on quite a bit to lead this defense, which on the whole might not be very good this year. Overall, the talent base is largely deficient and so is the players' familiarity with what new coaches want them to do on either side of the ball.

AFC East
1. New England Patriots (13-3)*
Like you'd expect anything from this division. This will be the 9th straight division title for said New England team. The question isn't will they win it, but its by how much will they win it. Brady is, well Brady. The big question is how well can this receiving core perform without Julian Edleman (who's out for the year with a torn ACL) and can Rob Gronkowski actually stay healthy for a full season? Yes I know they lost Blount, Floyd and Bennett, but they still have plenty of talent on this football team. Case in point, they brought in Brandin Cooks and Dwayne Allen to help out the offense and David Harris to help out on defense. Lets face facts, there's no team in this weak excuse for a division that's going to be able to catch the Patriots, simple as that.

2. Miami Dolphins (9-7)
This maybe the only team in the division who stands a chance against the mighty Patriots this season. Miami is coming off a playoff season a year ago, and they will finish a notch below the record they finished with a year ago. They have solid talent to work with in Florida this year. Jay Cutler was brought in as a suitable backup to go along with Matt Moore. Jay Ajayi is expected to have another big year, as is new addition Julius Thomas to the pass attack. Only thing that worries me about this Dolphins team is that the secondary is horrible. They have a serviceable front seven, but its the back end of the defense that has me worried in Miami. They could be good and have room to improve and make a lot of noise in the AFC, if everybody plays up to their potential and can have things fall into place.

3. Buffalo Bills (5-11)
I'm really not sure how good the Bills are going to be this year. Tyrod Taylor is on thin ice going into this season, with how his play has gone over the last couple of years. Buffalo could be good, with LeSean McCoy possibly staying healthy and leading the league and rushing again. Jordan Matthews is going to have some big shoes to fill in replacing Sammy Watkins in this receiving game. Buffalo has a rough go of it this year as far as the schedule goes. Tough schedule against the NFC South and AFC West don't make things easy for this team. There's still a lot of holes on this team and they will take a step back this season.

4. New York Jets (3-13)
I think giving them three wins is being nice for the Jets this season. Having Josh McCown as the starting QB is leading for disaster, because McCown is 16-48 lifetime as a starter. Its sad that he has to start because Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty have shown no promise to really be ready to start at this level. Just looking at the Jets offense, there isn't really much hope. The only guys who have proven to be bigtime players at this level are running back Matt Forte and wide receiver Jermaine Kearse (who was just picked up from Seattle in the Sheldon Richardson deal). Cope that in with the fact that Quincy Enunwa is out for the year and they had to bring back Jeremy Kerrley shows how little there really is to work with among this Jets offense. This defense has the ability to be able to steal a game or two this year. But if the offense isn't going to be able to sustain any kind of drives and give the defense time off the field to rest, then it will all be for nothing. Sorry to say this Jets fans but this is going to be a long season.

AFC North
1. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)*
For the 3rd time in four years, Pittsburgh should be able to walk away as the top team in the AFC North. The offense will be lead by the trio of Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Le'Von Bell. Had Bell been healthy, Pittsburgh would have put up more of a fight in the AFC title game last year. Now he's healthy and ready to rock and roll. This team has all the balance to really make a lot of noise and even challenge New England for the top spot in the entire AFC. This season, Pittsburgh should start 5–0 before facing Kansas City with games against the Browns, Vikings, Bears, Ravens and Jaguars on the slate. The Young guys will step up and play well and give this team a big push this year.

2. Cincinnati Bengals (10-6)(WC)
The flat out stupidity of Vontaze Burfict not withstanding, the Bengals have the talent to turn this around and make the playoffs this year as a wild card team. If everyone on the Bengals' offense plays up to their personal ceiling(s), the defense won't be forced to pick up the slack left by a non-existent ground game, stalled drives and untimely turnovers. A. J. Green and Brandon LaFell will be counted on to carry the load from Andy Dalton. Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill are expected to do their fair share in carrying the ball to possibly take a little pressure off Dalton and the pass game. The offensive line does leave something to be desired. The Bengals caught some tough breaks last season by losing seven of nine by a possession, but look for some of their luck to turn around this season.

3. Baltimore Ravens (9-7)
Things could be a little different in Baltimore this year. The Ravens are in danger of missing the playoffs for the third straight year for the first time since 1997–99, which means that John Harbaugh’s seat is very much getting warm. Baltimore was active in free agency but mostly on the defensive side of the ball; Joe Flacco needs more than Danny Woodhead signing to improve from the 21st-ranked scoring offense in the league. Bringing in Jeremy Maclin to go along with Mike Wallace will make it for a competitive pass attack, but with a tough schedule ahead for the Ravens, it will be a tough go of it for this year.

4. Cleveland Browns (2-14)
If they're lucky they will win two games this season. Brock Oswiler didn't last long and is now back in Denver. The long-standing QB carousel continues. DeShone Kizer fails. Cody Kessler can't stay upright. The lack of a consistent pass rush puts the onus to stay in games on the secondary, which is no very good. The wide receiving corps doesn't live up to even the most meager of expectations. This year is gonna suck in Cleveland. look for another either #1 or #2 overall pick in the draft this year.

AFC South
1. Tennessee Titans (11-5)*
This season will mark the first time since 2007 and 2008 that the Titans will have winning records. This year will be a MAJOR jump in Tennessee and lead to the Titans first division title since 2008. Marcus Mariota is going to have a lot of fun playing with the new toys general manager Jon Robinson provided him this offseason. Rookie Corey Davis and free-agent signee Eric Decker are both going to have a big impact on this football team this year. The DeMarco Murray-Derrick Henry combo eats up 2,000 yards on the ground, with a few more Mariota scampers mixed in than in his previous two years. Brian Orakpo leads a 3-4 defense that is going to be a little tough for the opposition to deal with this year. Mix it all together and its going to be good enough to get the Titans into the playoffs for the first time in nine years.

2. Houston Texans (9-7)
The only thing that's stopping the Texans from possibly winning a division title is their Quarterbacks. Both guys have two career NFL starts under their belts, and five NFL games total, all belonging to Tom Savage. Him and Deshaun Watson are going to have to navigate the field. They have weapons to work with, guys like Alfred Blue, DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller. Plus, with a healthy JJ Watt that defense has all the talent in the world to be the best in the entire league. For my money, Watson and Savage are too much of an unknown at the sport’s most important position to predict a fourth-straight AFC South title.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars (8-8)
This looks like it could be a possible turning point for the Jaguars this season. Everything looks to be in place for Jacksonville to turn into something a little more respectable. They have a potentially dominant defense, upgraded O-line and, most exciting for Jags fans, a star, stud rookie named Leonard Fournette to make fans quite happy. Things are, on paper at least, the Jags could be relevent again. If Blake Bortles can get back on track. The team will make its annual pilgrimage for a London "home" date in Week 3, immediately followed by two more road trips. If the Jags weather that, maybe they can make a run in December, which begins with three straight at EverBank Field.

4. Indianapolis Colts (7-9)
A lot what happens this year in Indy depends on Andrew Luck. If he can actually stay healthy for a full 16 game schedule remains to be seen. He has weapons to work with in the form of TY Hilton and Frank Gore, but Gore's age has to be a bit of a concern (he's 34). Then there's that defense. They have some talent on that side of the football, but honestly I don't think its going to be enough to get them over the hump, not with how good some of the other defenses are in this division.

AFC West
1. Oakland Raiders (11-5)*
This year, the Raiders will do something that hasn't been done in Oakland since 2001, win a division title. In fact, this will be the first year that the Raiders have made the playoffs in back to back years since 2000-2002. This will also mark the 2nd year in a row that the Raiders hit double digits in wins in a season. Oakland has a few weapons they can make some noise with. They added Marshawn Lynch to the roster, getting to come out of retirement to play. Throw in Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree and Jared Cook at Tight End, so it leaves Carr with plenty of weapons to work with if he can stay healthy. They open the season with three of four on the road and play their final two games away from Oakland, including the season's final Monday night affair on the East Coast (Philadelphia). In between, they'll play three consecutive homes games on two separate occasions, but one of those will occur against the Patriots in Mexico City. Still this will be a very good year in Oakland.

2. Kansas City Chiefs (10-6)(WC)
The Chiefs’ opponents will spend all off-season trying to figure out a way to stop Tyreek Hill, and two things will happen. Either the team won’t stop him, or it will but it won’t matter. Andy Reid has a team that can score on offense, defense and special teams—even after losing Dontari Poe (and with a healthy Justin Houston, Eric Berry and Marcus Peters). They still have weapons to work with outside of Hill as well. Alex Smith has Travis Kelce and Chris Conley to throw to. If he doesn't toss the ball, C. J. Spiller and rookie Kareem Hunt won't have a problem running the ball. Kansas City can be a top-five scoring defense. Of their five non-divisional road opponents, four were playoff teams last year (Patriots, Texans, Cowboys, Giants). And playing inside their own division is going to be just as tough. But if the Chiefs can hold it together until December, playing at Arrowhead from Weeks 14-16 could give them a decisive edge. It will be enough to help launch them into the playoffs as a wild card team.

3. Los Angeles Chargers (8-8)
It could be a tough year for the Chargers. Plenty to overcome for the Bolts, most notably adaptation to a new city and the smallest venue in the league (the StubHub Center will host its first NFL games in Weeks 2-4 and holds maybe 27,000 when full). Then there are personnel changes coming to the offensive line and a major schematic overhaul defensively. If the team stays healthy, and that's a big if, the Chargers should be much better than their projected record. But they play in football’s toughest division, which is going to make this a big uphill climb. If Jason Verrett and Keenan Allen can get back on their pre-injury trajectories and Mike Williams can catch the jump balls he did at Clemson, I’d be more than glad to eat this prediction and see Philip Rivers get another postseason try.

4. Denver Broncos (8-8)
The biggest thing that has me worried about this team is how well the quarterbacks play this year. If Trevor Siemian is their guy, the Broncos better hope he’s the first-half-of-2016 Siemian and not the one from the second half. To start the season last year, Siemian threw eight touchdowns and just three interceptions en route to a 5–1 record. But he skidded to the finish, throwing ten touchdowns and seven picks with a 3–5 record. The Broncos still have their defense, but 27th in total offensive yards will have them sitting at home in January again.

AFC Championship Game: Patriots over Steelers

NFC Championship Game: Packers over Seahawks

Super Bowl LII: Packers over Patriots

Rivalry Gets Hotter

Its one of the greatest rivalry's in all of professional sports. When somebody mentions the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, you get thoughts of past games. Fights, walk off home runs, all of that. Now it has taken on a whole different level. For decades, spying on another team has been as much a part of baseball’s gamesmanship as brushback pitches and hard slides. The Boston Red Sox have apparently added a modern, and very different twist to the tactic. They used an Apple Watch to gain an advantage against the Yankees and other teams.

According to a story in the New York Times: The Yankees, who had long been suspicious of the Red Sox’ stealing catchers’ signs in Fenway Park, contended the video showed a member of the Red Sox training staff looking at his Apple Watch in the dugout. The trainer then relayed a message to other players in the dugout, who, in turn, would signal teammates on the field about the type of pitch that was about to be thrown, according to the people familiar with the case. The Red Sox responded in kind on Tuesday, filing a complaint against the Yankees claiming that the team uses a camera from its YES television network exclusively to steal signs during games, an assertion the Yankees denied (NY Times). Major League Baseball does not have a policy against sign stealing, per se, Manfred said. The issue is the use of an electronic device in the dugout, which is against league rules.

This isn't the first incident in baseball we have had of such type of incidents going on. In baseball, the most infamous incident involving sign stealing played out in 1951, when the New York Giants overcame a 13 ½-game deficit over the final two months of the season to catch the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Giants went on to beat the Dodgers in a playoff for the pennant. This hit the New York area once a again almost twenty years ago. In 1997, teams accused the Mets of planting small cameras near home plate in Shea Stadium to steal signals. The Mets denied that they had used the cameras to try to do so, and the league did not take any action. More recently, the Philadelphia Phillies faced sign-stealing accusations in 2011. Several teams logged complaints with the commissioner’s office that the team used binoculars and other unauthorized methods to steal signs. Major League Baseball never imposed sanctions on the Phillies (NY Times).

So far as I can tell, no punishment has ever been handed out by Major League Baseball, so if anything comes down, it won't be for stealing signs. That's something that's been a part of Baseball for a long time now. If anything comes down from this, it would be the use of the Apple Watch in the dugout. The only reason that the watch was used is because of the way Fenway Park is constructed. It is the oldest park in the Majors, having been constructed in 1912, so there's no video room close to the dugout. Use of an apple watch maybe the closest thing to having a video room near the dugout. What would make sense, if your stupid enough to use this method, is have somebody sitting in the hallway getting the info, then relay it into the dugout and out onto the field. Come up with a more clever way of trying to get away with stuff like this if your dumb enough to do it.

And if there wasn't enough crazy stuff happening between the Yankees and Red Sox, this only adds to the insane stories. What made this even better, was that the meeting between the two teams on Sunday night at Yankee Stadium, was the last meeting between the teams this season, at least during the regular season. Now just picture what could happen between these two teams if they meet in the playoffs. There could still be hangover from this. The ramifications could still be felt from this depending on what MLB decides to rule. I've heard anything from a major fine or getting stripped of a win. So who knows what's going to happen.

All I do know is this, its making things way more interesting between the Yankees and Red Sox!