NFL Through 6 Weeks - The Winners & The Losers

The NFL has been back in action for 6 weeks - here's what we know so far

Winners:

Minnesota Vikings - The Vikings have been the darling of the NFL season so far, starting 5-0 despite losing starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for the season, future Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson for at least 6 weeks, and several injuries to their offensive line. They could have easily folded in and tanked the season, but instead they have rallied in the face of adversity, and are the lone undefeated team remaining in the NFL. New QB Sam Bradford has adjusted to their offence nicely, and the Vikings look like a lock to win the NFC North.

New England Patriots - Surprise, surprise. The most consistent team of the 2000's never missed a beat without Tom Brady through their first 4 games due to his Deflategate suspension, going 3-1 without the G.O.A.T. Now, with a re-charged and pissed off Tom Brady back in the offence, the Pats are 5-1 and look primed to take a run at a 5th Super Bowl ring for Brady & coach Bill Belichick.

Atlanta Falcons - Despite their crushing 26-24 loss to Seattle this past week, Atlanta still has to be amongst the winners through the first 6 weeks of the season. QB Matt Ryan is having a career year, and their defence which has been much maligned over the past few years has performed admirably thus far. With the Carolina Panthers starting 1-5 to start the year, Atlanta's biggest opposition for the division has nearly taken themselves completely out of the running. Barring a catastrophic collapse or crippling injuries, Atlanta should run away with the NFC South.

Dallas Cowboys - Well, well, well. This sure is interesting isn't it? Starting 5-1 despite losing QB Tony Romo and Pro-Bowl WR Dez Bryant sure has a lot of people buzzing about whether or not Dak Prescott or Tony Romo should be the starting QB when Romo returns to 100% health. Here's what I'll say: Yes, Dallas is 5-1 with rookie Dak Prescott at QB, but they would almost certainly be 5-1 or 4-2 if Romo was playing in those games. Their wins have come against Washington, Chicago, San Fransisco, Cincinnati and Green Bay, with the win against Green Bay being by far the biggest. Regardless of who's playing QB, the league is better when the Cowboys are relevant, and they sure are this year.

Losers:

Carolina Panthers - Wow, what a difference a year makes. After going 15-1 last year in the regular season, Carolina has taken a giant leap back so far this year, starting 1-5. They are by far the biggest disappointment in the league so far, as almost everyone who watches football had the Panthers penciled in as the NFC South champions this year, as none of the other teams seemed like much of a threat to Cam Newton and company when the season started. Now, it's going to take a 10-0 stretch for the Panthers to finish 11-5, which seems incredibly unlikely. The Panthers are going to need to start rattling off some wins and quick, or else this season will be a lost cause.

Green Bay Packers - Despite their deceiving 3-2 start, things are not all good in Packer Nation. Pro-Bowl QB Aaron Rodgers doesn't look like his old self, and the return of WR Jordy Nelson was not enough to completely fix the Packer offence. After this past week, losing 30-16 at home to Dallas, there is clearly something that's wrong with the Packers. However, if there is a team that can bounce back from a slow start, it's the Aaron Rodgers-led Packers. These next few weeks will be big for Green Bay.

Indianapolis Colts - Another disappointing start for a team that just two seasons ago made the AFC Championship game. QB Andrew Luck is the lone bright spot on a team that is poorly coached and managed. Coach Chuck Pagano, GM Ryan Grigson and owner Jim Irsay have done their franchise QB no favours in getting him surrounding talent, and in all honesty, if they didn't have Andrew Luck, the Colts would be the worst team in the league - even worse than the Browns. The Colts need a shift in culture and fast, because they are wasting a supreme talent on a below-average team.

Arizona Cardinals - A shocking loss at home in Week 1 against a Patriots team without Tom Brady set the tone for this season in Arizona. A 2-3 start is not what Cardinals fans envisioned going into the season, but there is still time left. The Cardinals can start the road to redemption tonight, when they take on a 1-4 New York Jets team on Monday Night Football, and with a win they can begin the long climb back up to the top of the standings. The Cardinals have one of the deepest and most talented rosters in the league, so anything short of a long playoff run this winter will be considered a disappointment.

- Cameron

The Lakers Saga & Why It Matters

Nick Young, Iggy Azalea & D'Angelo Russell

Let me start this post by saying that I've never been a fan of Swaggy P. His antics on and off the court make him look immature to say the least, and to me he's always been the below average player on the Lakers who's engaged to Iggy Azalea, and seems to care more about status and fame than winning.

Okay, now with that out of the way, let's get started.

By now you've probably heard the story. A video was released recently that showed Nick "Swaggy P" Young of the Lakers admit to cheating on his fiancee, Iggy Azalea, on at least one occasion. The video, which is incredibly damning to Young's reputation and potentially his engagement, was recorded by the Lakers 20 year old point guard, D'Angelo Russell, who also happens to be their top draft pick from last season.

How the video was released to the public is still unclear, although there have been a few reports that Russell sent the video to a few of his friends upon recording it, and one of his friends then sold it to a website. This has yet to be confirmed, and there are other stories that are being speculated as well. What we know for sure, is that Russell in the video can be heard egging on his teammate, almost as if to give him more information for his video. It also appeared that Young did not know he was being filmed by Russell, and would have probably not said what he did if he had known Russell was filming on his phone.

I've heard this argument a few times since this story came out: "Why is everyone making this such a huge story, it's being overblown. Russell made one little mistake, etc." Wrong. If this were some no-name players on Utah, Orlando, Milwaukee, etc. this would be a small story. But it's the Lakers, one of the most polarizing teams in all of sports, let alone the NBA, and it involves their potential franchise point guard, who's career could be ruined once this is all said and done. It's not about breaking the "bro code". It's the fact that none of his teammates trust him, and for free agents looking at the Lakers as a potential landing spot, having D'Angelo Russell as the future of their franchise could be a big turn off for top players. According to numerous sources around the Lakers, none of the Lakers players will eat with Russell, and the first game they played after the video was released, they lost by 48 points. When there's no trust in your point guard - the guy who is in charge of running the entire offence - you have no chance of winning at all.

This is also a pop culture story just as much as a sports story, given the involvement of international pop star Iggy Azalea. This could potentially ruin her engagement, given how Young essentially admitted to cheating on her on video. Given all of these variables, it is clear how this is bigger than your average teammate drama that usually goes on in locker rooms (I'm looking at you, Cavaliers).

The argument can be made that Russell is simply a young kid who made a really dumb mistake. That's fair, and if you want to believe that then I completely understand that. But there's something to be said about being a young kid and being even semi aware of your surroundings. I know that Russell probably feels awful, but at the end of the day he's gotta pay the consequences for his actions.

Look, I'm not trying to defend Nick Young. I would never defend someone who's 30 years old and still refers to themselves as "Swaggy P". He cheated on his fiancee and he's a dirtbag, there's no way around that. But at the end of the day, he said something that he trusted was in confidence, and it wasn't. D'Angelo Russell violated that trust he had, and it will be a damn long time before he gets that trust back from anyone in the NBA, not just Nick Young. Just how big of a story will this turn into? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

- Cameron

King of the East & What It Means

LeBron James made massive headlines in the summer of 2010 after announcing his "decision" to leave his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers for the sunny beaches of Miami. What ensued was 4 NBA Finals appearances, including 2 championships for The King. However, after losing in 2014 to the San Antonio Spurs, LeBron decided to make amends with Cleveland and return after 4 seasons in Miami. Cleveland immediately made the Finals with LeBron back on their roster, but eventually lost in 6 games to the Golden State Warriors. What LeBron proved, however, was that he is far and away the most important player in the Eastern Conference, and other than Steph Curry, LeBron is still the best player in the NBA. He has dominated the Eastern Conference for the last 5 years, and unless either Toronto or Boston can find a way to beat the Cavs in the playoffs, LeBron will return to the Finals for a sixth straight season.

The most important aspect about LeBron is that he has always stayed in the Eastern Conference. Think about all the stars in the West: Kobe Bryant & Tim Duncan for the past 2 decades, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson of the Warriors, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook from the Oklahoma City Thunder, Chris Paul of the Clippers, James Harden of the Rockets and Damien Lillard of the Trail Blazers, just to name a few. Now think of the best players in the East not named LeBron James: Carmelo Anthony of the Knicks, DeMar DeRozen and Kyle Lowry of the Raptors, and Paul George of the Pacers. You could also throw Jimmy Butler of the Bulls in there, as well as John Wall and Kyrie Irving, but after that it gets pretty thin. All I'm saying, is that it's no surprise that the West beat the East 196-173 in the All-Star Game this season, and it would have been even more lopsided if Paul George didn't nearly set the All-Star Game record for points scored.

One thing about having LeBron is that you're going to have to deal with controversy both internally as well as in the media (especially on ESPN). The Cavaliers are now on their 2nd coach in 2 seasons since getting LeBron back, and there have been rumors lately that LeBron isn't great friends with the other two stars on the Cavs - Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. This is one thing you get with LeBron. When things aren't great, LeBron can tend to be a bit dramatic, even sending out tweets that some people have interpreted as subtweets about his Cavaliers teammates. But make no mistake, LeBron and the Cavs will enter the NBA Playoffs most likely as the #1 seed in the East, and will likely rollover whoever they play in the first round. What this means is that if the Cavs can put aside their personal differences for the betterment of the team, there are very few teams that can match up with them from a talent perspective, even in the West. If they can figure out how to play as a team (and how to properly use Kevin Love), the Cavs will be a very tough out in the playoffs.

To sum up, I feel that we as basketball fans have sort of taken LeBron for granted this season, especially with the way the Golden State Warriors have been destroying records. But LeBron is still in his prime, and it won't last forever. He has a few more years of pure greatness left in him, and this is still one of those years. If the Cavs can figure out a way to work together and play as a team, there are very few teams in the entire league that can beat them.

- Cameron

The NBA's Biggest Problem

I'm by no means the biggest basketball fan in the world. Chances are I watch one game a week - if I'm lucky - and I'll do my daily scroll through the standings, but that's about it. But, even in my limited watching and scrolling, I've noticed a pretty serious trend over the last 5 years that I don't think is getting enough attention. The trend that LeBron James has made the NBA Finals in the past 5 seasons and will do so again this year. 

The problem is that I'm not even an average NBA fan, let alone above average, but even I can see that LeBron and the Cavaliers will make the Finals again this year, and play either the Golden State Warriors or San Antonio Spurs. It's the end of January and I'm already predicting along with almost everyone else what the Finals matchup in June will be. That's a problem.

Kawhi Leonard

It's almost as if the first round of the playoffs don't even matter. I know the Cavs, Warriors and Spurs will all sweep whoever they play, or at most lose one game. I don't even need to watch their series'. The only thing and I mean only thing stopping the Cavaliers from rolling through the Eastern Conference is a season ending injury to LeBron or both Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving. If LeBron and one of either Love or Irving can stay healthy, they will without a doubt make the Finals again this year.

So, my question is, if you're a fan of another team that isn't Cleveland, Golden State, or San Antonio, what are you expecting out of this season? Because basketball unlike any other sport very rarely ever has upsets in the playoffs. Sure, Golden State could lose to Milwaukee or Detroit on a random night in January. But once the playoffs start, the underdog will not be able to beat LeBron James, or Steph Curry 4 out of 7 times. Sorry, it's just not happening. Wouldn't you rather just have your team tank and get a good draft pick than have them get swept by either Cleveland or Golden State?

Don't get me wrong, as a casual observer, I'm excited to see LeBron play the Warriors or the Spurs, but I just think it's unsettling that myself along with almost every other basketball observer can predict pretty confidently that the only three teams with a shot to win this year are Cleveland, Golden State or San Antonio. It's a problem, and unless the other teams can figure out a way to stop the 3 powerhouses, it's not going to be going away soon.

-Cameron

The Final Four - Why We Should Have Seen This Coming

How in this crazy year in the NFL, the top 4 teams remain

Don't worry, I was fooled too. I figured that this would be the year in the NFL where the Chiefs and Redskins would play in the Super Bowl, and we would all decide to pretend it never happened. I just thought that this year was too strange, too wild, too... unpredictable. But yet, amongst the injuries, poor calls by the referees and questionable play by all 32 teams, the top 4 teams remain in the hunt for the Lombardi Trophy. 

In the AFC, it's yet another Tom Brady - Peyton Manning matchup, with Brady and the Patriots travelling to Denver to face Manning and Broncos. New England is getting healthier on the offensive side of the ball with the additions of Julian Edelman and Sebastian Vollmer, but suffered several injuries on defence last week in their playoff win over Kansas City, with linebackers Jamie Collins and Jerod Mayo going down, as well as their top pass rusher Chandler Jones, who was unable to finish the game against the Chiefs. The severity of Jones' and Collins' injuries are unknown, but Jerod Mayo was placed on the injured reserve - ending his season early for the 3rd year in a row.

The Broncos also suffered a crucial injury on defence last week, as cornerback Chris Harris Jr. suffered an arm injury and will be forced to play limited snaps this week against New England. Look for Tom Brady to target Denver's 3rd string cornerback Bradley Roby often if Harris Jr. is unable to play consistent snaps. This has all the makings of a defensive, low scoring game, which I predict the Patriots will win by 6 points. Final Score Prediction: New England 27 - Denver 21

Meanwhile, in the NFC, it's a matchup between the two highest scoring offences in league as well as two top 10 defences. Carolina and Arizona have been heads and shoulders above the rest of the NFC all year, and it's only fitting that they get to battle it out for the right to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. 

Both teams had leads in the 2nd half last week, and both had trouble finishing the game strong. Carolina went ahead of Seattle 31-0 at halftime, and ended up winning 31-24. Their offence looked disorganized and unmotivated in the 2nd half against the Seahawks, and will need to deliver a much more consistent effort if they want to make the Super Bowl.

For Arizona, they were the victims of the 2nd Aaron Rodgers Hail Mary of the season. With a 7 point lead and 2 minutes left, the Cardinals were unable to stop Rodgers and the Packers on 4th down and 20 from the Packers 5 yard line, and again with 5 seconds left with the Packers on the Cardinals 45 yard line. On both plays Rodgers was able to extend the play with his legs before finding receivers deep down field. On the Hail Mary, receiver Jeff Janis jumped in between two Cardinals defenders to make the catch and save the Packers season - for the time being.

Thankfully for Arizona, in overtime they were led by their franchise wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald who put the team on his back and scored the game winning touchdown. They played a decent game overall, but they will need to be much better next week when they travel to Carolina and face the Panthers. This will be a back and forth game from the get go, and it will be the team who's defence plays the best that will win. Final Score Prediction: Carolina 31 - Arizona 28

This year has been nothing short of insane. It's been plagued by injuries, poor officiating and bad play. But through all of that, the top 4 teams remain. It's been wild and wacky, but it's still led us here. Championship Sunday, with the 4 best teams left. Buckle up.

- Cameron

NFL Playoffs: The New Wild West

This Saturday, it begins. The best 4 weeks of the NFL season, culminated at the end by the Super Bowl on February 7th from San Francisco. Usually heading into the playoffs there are 2-3 teams that have elevated themselves over the rest of the competition, but this year doesn't have that feel. This is one of the most wide-open playoffs we've ever seen, and there are compelling arguments for about 11 of the 12 teams that are in the tournament. The only team I think doesn't have a shot out of the 12 remaining teams are the Houston Texans, but even they have a game changer on defence in JJ Watt and an All-World wide receiver in DeAndre Hopkins.

Usually the #6 seed in each conference is a pretty easy team to eliminate. They're forced to play every game on the road, and that usually results in their early dismissal from the playoffs. Not this year. This year the #6 seed from the AFC are the Pittsburgh Steelers and from the NFC, the Seattle Seahawks. Both these teams have quarterbacks and head coaches with Super Bowl rings, and both are a very unpopular matchup for every playoff team. In fact, Seattle might be the hottest team coming into the playoffs (aside from the red-hot Kansas City Chiefs), and with the play of their quarterback Russell Wilson, Seattle could be destined for a third straight Super Bowl appearance. They're also getting Marshawn Lynch back for their first playoff game against Minnesota, and that will be a massive addition to an already potent offence. As for Pittsburgh, they have the most talented offensive lineup in the league, and could very well put up 35-40 points a game in the playoffs, which will win you a lot of games. 

Marshawn Lynch

As for favourites to make the Super Bowl, the consensus right now seems to be either Arizona or Carolina from the NFC, and New England or Denver from the AFC. All 4 of these teams could very well make the Super Bowl, but this has the feel to me of a strange playoff year. Teams like the Chiefs and the Redskins could surprise a lot of people, especially with their play as of late. Coming into the playoffs playing well is extremely important, and teams like Kansas City, Seattle and Washington are doing just that.

To sum up, I'm damn excited for the playoffs to start. However, from a betting perspective, I'm taking the playoffs off. Things are just too crazy in the playoffs to risk my hard earned cash on these games, especially since it's single elimination. In the NBA, NHL and MLB with their seven game series', the better team almost always wins, especially in basketball. But in the NFL, all it takes is one really good or really bad game from one player, and that could alter the outcome of a teams entire season. One play could be the difference between hoisting a Lombardi Trophy, or feeling the despair of losing. Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the playoffs. 



Wild Card Predictions: 

Kansas City 24 - Houston 13

Pittsburgh 27 - Cincinnati 18 

Seattle 28 - Minnesota 17

Washington 24 - Green Bay 21


Divisional Round Predictions:

New England 28 - Kansas City 21

Arizona 31 - Washington 23

Seattle 24 - Carolina 21

Pittsburgh 31 - Denver 27


Conference Championship Predictions:

Seattle 24 - Arizona 23

New England 31 - Pittsburgh 27


Super Bowl 50 Prediction: 

Seattle 27 - New England 24

- Cameron

What About Gronk?

The MVP Case for New England's Larger-Than-Life Tight End

If you're a football fan, you know Rob Gronkowski. You know who he is and what he's all about. He doesn't hide anything or shy away from the spotlight, and those are some of the traits which have propelled him to superstardom (that, and being arguably the greatest tight end in NFL history at just 26 years old). But surprisingly to many, Gronk is undervalued. Yes, the Patriots 6 foot 6, 265 pound, bull of a man has been undervalued, most notably in the MVP discussion. Gronkowski is the single most influential offensive player in the NFL, and is the #1 reason why his teammate Tom Brady is a top candidate in the MVP discussion. Without Gronk, the Patriots offence is a shell of itself, while with Gronk, they are arguably the most potent offence in the league, and it's not just about him running and catching.

The biggest thing that goes unnoticed with Gronk is just how much attention he commands every time he's on the field. Because defences know that if left in single coverage there's a 99.999999999% chance that the ball will be thrown in the direction of #87, they consistently have to double and even triple team him, giving the rest of the Patriots playmakers more open field to work with. This is why Gronk is so valuable and should get more recognition. By simply stepping on the field, Gronk opens up a multitude of options for the Pats. He can run block, pass block, draw double and triple teams, and obviously make highlight reel catches in practically every game he plays. He can also break tackles, and despite being 6'6" and 265 pounds, can outrun defensive backs as well.

All you need to do is look at the Patriots season last year as opposed to recent years when Gronk has been injured, and you'll see how valuable he truly is. Starting back to 2011, Gronk has endured a number of serious and even season-ending injuries. Last year when they finally had Gronk healthy for the stretch run of the regular season and the playoffs, he thrived, and was one of the main contributors in the Patriots winning the Super Bowl.

But two weeks ago, everything seemed to change. While playing Denver, Gronk went to turn and attempt to catch a pass that was thrown behind him, and in the process took a hard hit to his right knee from Darian Stewart of Denver. Gronk rolled on the field in agony, pounding his hand on the turf several times. The season for all intents and purposes, seemed lost to Patriots fans. The main concern this entire year was whether Gronk could sustain a full season of hits and make it to the playoffs unscathed, but alas, all seemed lost. But then, early Christmas for Pats Nation, as it came out that Gronk only suffered a bruised knee, and would not be lost for the year. But even in the 1 and a quarter games he missed, his absence was felt. 

The Patriots eventually lost to the Broncos, and followed that up by losing 35-28 to the Philadelphia Eagles, and looked mediocre at best on offence without Gronkowski. The matchup's he created were now gone, and the Eagles were free to double cover Danny Amendola all game, which created woes for the entire Pats offence.

Flash forward a week, with Gronk making a surprise return to the lineup against the Houston Texans. Final stats for Gronk: 4 receptions for 87 yards plus a huge touchdown late in the 2nd quarter, and an eventual 27-6 Patriots win. He once again opened up room for Danny Amendola and Brandon LaFell to have nice bounce back games, as his usual army of defenders gave much more room and flexibility for Tom Brady & co. to operate.

Look, I know that the NFL is a quarterback-driven league, and that the MVP will almost always go to a quarterback, and while Cam Newton and Tom Brady are both having terrific seasons, I feel that Gronk deserves some love too. He doesn't even have to win, but he should at least be in the discussion. He's the straw that stirs the drink in New England, and for Pats fans everywhere, they just hope the straw doesn't break.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfiBIh9Hhlo (Gronk Highlights)

- Cameron