51 Super Bowls in 51 Days – Super Bowl XIV

The Super Bowl is just 38 days away. Let’s look at the Super Bowl from 38 years ago to honor this not that significant occasion!

Pasadena’s Rose Bowl hosted Super Bowl XIV on January 20, 1980. The game pitted the NFC champion Los Angeles Rams against the Pittsburgh Steelers of the American Football Conference. The Rams and Steelers dominated their respective divisions during the decade with one giant difference. The Steelers won the Super Bowl three times. The Rams were making their first appearance in the world title contest.

Los Angeles Rams 38 Years Ago

Ray Malavasi was in his second season as the Rams’ head man. He helped the Rams win their seventh consecutive NFC West title in 1979. Los Angeles did not exactly a great season, especially by their high standards. In fact, they were 5-6 after 11 games. But, they put together a 4-game winning streak including a week 15 rout at Atlanta to clinch the division.

The Rams were not strong on offense this particular season. Starting QB Pat Haden broke a finger in the 10th game. Vince Ferragamo replaced him and played respectably. If anything, Los Angeles possessed a solid rushing attack. Wendell Tyler rushed for 1100 yards. Cullen Bryant and Lawrence McCutcheon added depth and veteran leadership.

Unlikely Playoff Run

The Rams were tough defensively. Future Hall of Famer Jack Youngblood led the charge. However, the Rams had quality players at every level. In the divisional round playoff game against the heavily favored Cowboys, LA’s defense kept them in it till late in the fourth. Trailing 19-14, Ferragamo hit Billy Waddy over the middle. Waddy raced to the end zone to give the Rams the lead and the win, 21-19.

In the NFC championship game, the Rams traveled to Tampa Bay to play a Buccaneers’ team that beat them up during the regular season. The game was an absolute slugfest. Two terrific defenses destroying two pedestrian offenses. The Rams appeared to be in trouble when Youngblood broke a bone in his leg. But, miraculously, he kept playing through the injury and the pain. His performance surely inspired his team. The Rams outlasted the Bucs, 9-0. Finally, Los Angeles made it to the Super Bowl! And, this year it was being played in nearby Pasadena.

Pittsburgh Steelers 38 Years Ago

Their opponent was the defending-World Champion Steelers. The 1979 Steelers have the distinction of being the only Super Bowl team ever to field a squad made up of players who to that point only played for Pittsburgh. With free agency as it is in 2017, that feat will never be duplicated. It also demonstrates how well the Steelers drafted.

Pittsburgh played 14 terrific football games over the course of the regular season and two duds. In the divisional round of the playoffs, they humbled Miami, 34-14. Legends Bob Griese and Larry Csonka played in their last playoff game that day. The Steelers jumped out to a 20-0 first quarter lead and never looked back.

The championship game was much more competitive. The arch-rival Oilers went toe to toe with Pittsburgh. Houston, however, was victimized by a bad call. Mike Renfro was clearly in bounds in the back corner of the end zone. But, he was ruled out. That play served as the poster child for replay’s institution in the ’80’s. The Steelers won 27-13. They were back in the Super Bowl for the fourth time in six seasons.

See Saw Battle

Super Sunday 1980 was played on a glorious day in Southern California. It was difficult to tell who was the defending champion and who finished with a 9-7 record after three quarters. The Steelers and Rams put on a show.

The Rams opened with a three-and-out. The teams followed that with four consecutive scoring drives and a 10-10 tie late in the second. Late in the half, the Rams made two big plays to wreak tension on the Rose Bowl audience. First, Dave Elmendorf intercepted Bradshaw. Then, they went for it on fourth and eight from the 37. Ferragamo hit Waddy for the conversion. That sent Los Angeles to the break with a 13-10 lead.

The second half kicked off with more fireworks. Bradshaw hit Swann for one of their patented beauties from the forty-seven. LA struck right back. Waddy was on the receiving end of a 50-yarder. On the next play, McCutcheon swept right and tossed a duck to Ron Smith for a TD and a 19-17 Rams lead! The lead held up until the middle of the fourth.

Stallworth Saves Game

John Stallworth made an incredible catch and dashed home for a 73-yard score that put Pittsburgh up for good. The Rams threatened, but were denied by a Jack Lambert interception. After another wonderful play by Stallworth, Franco Harris powered home on third and goal from the one to put this beauty on ice.

The Steelers ended their decade of dynamite football with a courageous triumph. They would not get back to the big game with this crew again. The Rams were excellent in defeat. This would be their last Super Bowl until they played Tennessee in Super Bowl XXXIV representing St. Louis.

The Rams are now back in LA and Pittsburgh is back playing great football. The more things change, the more they stay the same from 38 years ago!

Brandon Fazzolari is a Super Bowl expert…@spot_Bills

What a Hanley Ramirez Trade Could Look Like

Leave a reply

Embed from Getty Images

Photo by Getty Images

Trading Hanley Ramirez Could Help or Ruin This Season

In what seems to be a lackluster off-season for the Boston Red Sox, teams like the New York Yankees got seemingly stronger. So far, in response they have resigned Mitch Moreland to a team-friendly 2 year contract. In addition to making Samuel Adams the official beer of the team. The clear-cut move: Trade Hanley Ramirez.

With a hefty $22 million dollar vesting option for 2019, the trade will be tough. He only needs 497 plate appearances this year. The President of Baseball Operations is no stranger from making trades. The key to pull this off is simple: leave the farm system alone!!!!

Dave Dombrowski has a reputation of making trades for win now mode. Examples of this are going for Chris Sale and Craig Kimbrel. With that being said, if you move the DH to a National League team, you could potentially receive a couple of prospects in order to make room for JD Martinez. There might even be flexible room enough to grab a bench bat to even out the salaries. One way to boost the intrigue is to eat some of his $22 million dollar contract.

It helps to have the history that Dave and Martinez have throughout the years. When he held the same position in Detroit, he traded for Martinez. After that, his stats went up. It helped to be around hitters like Miguel Cabrera, who is a lock for the Hall of Fame. In Boston, David Ortiz will be back around the clubhouse, as he has a verbal agreement with his team.

With a little over 100 days until the regular season is under way, there is plenty of time to make a contender out of a very good ball club. With players such as Benintendi, Devers, and Betts driving the young core, this team’s future looks bright.

Credit to NESN for the featured picture.

Draft Profile: Quinton Flowers, QB at USF

Leave a reply

Quinton Flowers might be the most overlooked quarterback in the 2018 Draft Class. Flowers has been regarded as one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country during his college career. That being said he still has to fight to be selected in the draft in April. Flowers recently completed his four-year career with the University of South Florida Bulls. The team struggled for the majority of his collegiate career, but he was able to lead the team to be nationally ranked this year.

Early Years

The Miami native became noticed by Division I teams while playing at Miami Jackson High School. There Flowers posted video game-like stats, passing for 6,042 yards and 32 touchdowns, along with 2,002 rushing yards. His exemplary play came through emotional hardship off the field. When Quinton was seven his father was a victim of a drive-by shooting. In 2012 he also lost his mother to cancer. Flowers was heavily affected by his mother’s death, telling Sports Illustrated, “It was a time where I felt like football wasn’t the same, because I lost the main woman in my life”.

Flowers heavily considered quitting football during his sophomore year in high school. However, the overwhelming support he received from his family and mentors after his mother passed kept him going. His high school coach, former NFL receiver Antonio Brown, urged him to continue playing.

Credit to canesinsight.com

College

Quinton was recruited by Alabama as a receiver, South Carolina as a defensive back, and Miami as a running back. He was adamant about being a quarterback, and South Florida agreed. Toward the end of his freshman year he claimed the starting job and he never looked back. At USF Flowers claimed 37 school records, and led the school to be nationally ranked twice in the The American East. In 41 games, Flowers threw for 7,819 yards and 67 touchdowns and ran for 3,566 yards along with 40 scores.

His team appeared in the 2015 Miami Beach Bowl and the past two Birmingham Bowls. He earned MVP titles in his last two bowl games, along with AAC Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-AAC in 2016. He also was named CFPA National Performer of the Year and was ranked #2 in QBR according to ESPN in 2016. His career highs came this season against UCF, where he had 605 total yards and 5 touchdowns.

Draft Stock

Quinton Flowers has the mobility and arm strength to gain the attention of NFL scouts. However, his size of 6’0 and 200 pounds does not help him. Scouts are also turned off by his inconsistent throwing motion. Early into the draft season, Flowers is projected to be ushered into the third day of the draft, and possibly go undrafted. He will need to show his pocket-passing ability to climb and avoid talk of changing positions. He will have the East-West Shrine game and the Combine to prove himself to scouts in those areas.

At his current draft position I see him as a severely underrated prospect. His collegiate career exhibited that he has talent and I could see his draft stock rising before April. He is shrouded by the big names at QB that the 2018 Draft class has to offer. In my opinion he is not a prospect to be overlooked. I would like to see him become a backup for a team to gauge how he transitions into the NFL. Drafting him late would be low risk high reward in my opinion if he were to stay as a 7th round prospect.

In my wildest dreams the team I’d like to see him on is the Redskins. Pending Kirk Cousins’s departure from Washington I would like to see the Redskins experiment with more of a West Coast offense. Quinton Flowers would flourish in a mobile scheme like that. The most realistic fit for him in my opinion might be in Buffalo. The NFL is an ever-changing machine however, so we will see where Quinton Flowers lands.

Credit to USF Athletics.

Credit to herosports.com for the featured image.

51 Super Bowls in 51 Days – Super Bowl XIII

Leave a reply

The Super Bowl is just 39 days away. Let’s look at the Super Bowl from 39 years ago to honor this not that significant occasion!

Miami’s Orange Bowl hosted Super Bowl XIII on January 21, 1979. The game pitted the NFC champion Dallas Cowboys against the Pittsburgh Steelers of the American Football Conference. The public looked forward to this match up with keen anticipation. These were not just the best teams in football, but the two most popular teams. Terry Bradshaw, Roger Staubach, Tom Landry, and “Mean” Joe Greene were as famous as President Carter in 1979.

Both teams had been there before. In fact, the winner would become the first three-time champion. It was 1978 when Dallas was first called, “America’s Team.” But, there were far more Steelers’ fans in attendance at Super Bowl XIII.

Dallas Cowboys 39 Years Ago

The Cowboys won Super Bowl XII behind the brilliance of Tony Dorsett, an innovative offense and a top-notch pass rush. During the first half of the season, the Cowboys were inconsistent. They battled with the Rams for top seed in the NFC playoffs. Dallas got hot late in the season to the tune of six straight wins.

There were five playoff teams per conference for the first time in 1978. Thus, Dallas hosted the Wild-Card winning Falcons in the divisional round. Atlanta led by defensive coordinator Jerry Glanville came to play. Their famed “Gritz Blitz” defense hounded Staubach in the first half. The clubs went to the break with Atlanta leading, 20-13. The Cowboys came back with 14 unanswered in the 2^nd half due to picking off Steve Bartkowski three times.

The Cowboys next would play at the LA Coliseum against the Rams. The game was scoreless until the closing seconds of the third quarter. Then, Doomsday took over. The Rams turned the ball over 5 times in the second half leading to 28 Cowboys’ points. The last points were scored by Hollywood Henderson on an interception return.

Pittsburgh Steelers 39 Years Ago

Pittsburgh came into Super Bowl XIII with a 14-2 regular season record. While their earlier championship teams thrived due to their running game and Steel Curtain defense, the ’78 squad was about the passing attack. Bradshaw with his rifle could hit Lynn Swann and John Stallworth from any spot on the field. This wide open aerial attack made the Steelers’ brand as exciting as the Cowboys.

In the playoffs, Pittsburgh played a dominant second half against Denver and tremendous first half against Houston. In the AFC championship game, they stifled Earl Campbell and the Oilers in the cold, wet conditions of Three Rivers Stadium. It was on to beautiful Miami and a date with Dallas.

First Half Excitement

The Cowboys received the ball first. Dorsett sprung three chunk plays on the opening possession. The drive stalled when Dallas tried an ill-fated reverse. Drew Pearson’s fumble led to a Steelers’ scoring drive on an incredible pass from Bradshaw to Stallworth.

The Steelers sacked Staubach twice in the 1^st quarter, but Dallas responded with two takeaways. On the final play of the first quarter, Staubach found a wide-open Tony Hill for the tying TD.

Just two minutes later and the Steelers turned the ball for a third straight possession. Mike Hegman robbed Bradshaw of the ball and scored. It took just three plays for Pittsburgh to respond. On a simple slant, Stallworth made the reception, made a move and a made a 75-yard score.

This first half could not have been any more exciting. Big play after big play! Mel Blount intercepted Staubach late in the first half leading to an acrobatic score by Rocky Bleier and a 7-point halftime lead for Pittsburgh.

Super Steelers

Dallas dominated the third quarter, but could not punch it in the end zone. Veteran tight end Jackie Smith dropped a pass that would have tied the score. Verne Lundquist uttered, “Bless his heart, he’s got to be the sickest man in America.” It was a cruel turning point for the Cowboys.

The Steelers took over from there. They got a controversial PI, a run up the middle by Harris when the referee wiped out a would-be tackler and a fumble by Randy White on a squib kickoff. All those shenanigans led to gorgeous catch by Lynn Swann for a touchdown and a seemingly insurmountable 35-17 lead.

Dallas was relentless in their come back efforts registering two late scores. But, their last onside kick was secured by the Steelers with 22 seconds left. Pittsburgh prevailed 35-31 in a fantastic game.

The Steelers would be back to repeat as champions in 1979. The Cowboys would knock at the door for the next four seasons, but knock get back to the Super Bowl until the 1990’s. Tom Landry’s team participated in 5 of the first thirteen Super Bowls and had nothing to be ashamed of. However, the Steelers of the ‘70’s were a cut above. They were the team of the decade.

Brandon Fazzolari is a Super Bowl expert…@spot_Bills

Young Bruins Team Poised for Deep Postseason Run

Leave a reply

The Boston Bruins are red-hot coming out of the Christmas break, and that may be overstating it. The Bruins absolutely ran over the competition throughout this week. They outscored opposing teams by a combined 15-4 score and won all four games. Two of the games came against a pair of the NHL’s best teams: the Jets and Blue Jackets. The other two were easy lay-ups against Detroit and Buffalo. All in all as a fan of this team you should be ecstatic about the direction this team is headed in. But how far can this young Bruins team really go in the playoffs?

Embed from Getty Images

Offense

Offensively the Bruins are not the most dangerous team in the league. However they still have quite a few players who can put the puck in the net. Brad Marchand has rapidly developed into one of the best players in the entire National Hockey League. His offensive ability has shined the past two seasons playing beside the best two-way center in the NHL in Patrice Bergeron. Bergeron/Marchand/Pastranak is one of the most dangerous line combos in the NHL, possessing great chemistry and skill to provide the Bruins with a consistent source of offensive production every single game.

With Krejci out, another intriguing line combo that Cassidy has begun deploying is the Debrusk/Spooner/Bjork line. All three players are young skilled offensive players who play with a ton of speed and creativity. If this line can develop any sort of chemistry on the ice then the potential for this offensive line is certainly there. This also allows Backes to play on the third line with Heinen and Nash. This makes the Bruins a hard team to play against, especially when all three lines are rolling. Along with the fact that the Bruins can use a more physical fourth line in the Schaller/Kurally/Acciari. Because of the offensive production from the top three lines.

While on the face this lineup does not seem to be that potent. It is very well-balanced and if managed correctly could be a good offensive unit in the post season.

Embed from Getty Images

Defense

Unlike the offense for the Bruins there is much less certainty on the back end. McAvoy is an all around stud in all three zones but is still only 20 years young, and has a lot of responsibility on him this time around. While Chara is still an excellent defender he is 40 years old. The games this season begin to mount the question of his durability. If you actually take a deeper look at the defense core there is no real proven reliable players. Krug and Carlo are widely inconsistent, and McQuaid and Miller cannot seem to stay on the ice for more than a handful of games. So other than McAvoy and a 40-year-old Chara the defense of the Bruins is rather lackluster.

An opposing team could take advantage of the inexperience and inconsistently of the Bruins’ back end throughout a seven game series. Ultimately that could be their downfall at end of the day against a high-octane offense such as the Tampa Bay Lighting. At the end of the day these Bruins could potentially compete for the Eastern Conference championship. Maybe even the Stanley Cup final as long as they maintain this level of play. This team has shown time and time again that they cannot be counted out of any game.

Harrison Has Landed in New England

Leave a reply

James Harrison to New England

Via Houston Chronicle

The Patriots, who lack pass rush, were in the hunt for Harrison after Pittsburgh released him. With this singing there is no reason why the Patriots don’t at least make another Super Bowl. We can guess that the AFC Championship game with be against the Steelers in Foxborough in about a month. Judging how the game ended two weeks ago and how the Patriots just picked up Harrison, that game will be a blood bath. The two-time Super Bowl champ has 82 sacks in his career and 570 tackles. In 2016 he finished with five sacks and 39 tackles.

Harrison Adds Depth to the Patriots’ Defense

Via The Big Lead

Harrison was the all time sacks leader for the Steelers when they released him to make room for Marcus Gilbert who was coming back from suspension. Not a very smart move on the Steelers part and I’m sure Ben Roethlisberger isn’t too happy either. There is no way the Steelers are coming into Foxboro and beating the Patriots. The Patriots defense has been a little weak as of late so this pick up is huge. The Patriots have used Kyle Van Noy, Trevor Reilly, and Marquis Flowers at linebacker that according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. The 39-year-old Harrison posted a selfie today with Brady saying he’s finally playing with someone older than him.

The Patriots May Not Ever Lose

Via USA Today

According to Mike Reiss the Patriots released Trevor Reilly to make room for Harrison. Wouldn’t that be cool to see him sack Roethlisberger to end the AFC Championship Game at Gillette? The Patriots weren’t the only team interested; he could’ve went back to the Steelers, Tennessee, or Baltimore. He chose the plays where he can win the most, which is New England. Harrison recorded one sack in five games this season. He wasn’t playing much because of rookie linebacker TJ Watt. I really don’t see the Patriots losing another game, and the game against Pittsburgh if that happens will be awesome.

Which NFC Team is Best Positioned to Go To the Super Bowl?

Leave a reply

Week 17 of the NFL season is upon us. While the AFC appears to be a two-team contest between the New England Patriots and the Pittsburgh Steelers, the NFC playoffs are poised to be full of surprises. At the moment five of the six NFC playoff teams have been confirmed. The last spot will be a toss up between the Falcons and the Seahawks. If Atlanta manages to beat the Panthers, or if Seattle loses, then the defending NFC champions will claim the sixth and final spot. If the Falcons lose and the Seahawks beat the Cardinals, then Seattle will get the 6th seed.

The other five teams will be the Eagles, Vikings, Saints, Panthers, and Rams. Philadelphia and Minnesota are locked into the #1 and #2 seeds, respectively. Slots 3-5 will be determined by the outcomes of Week 17. Both the Saints and Panthers are in the running for the NFC South title. If the Saints beat the Bucs, then New Orleans will claim the #3 seed. If the Saints lose and the Panthers beat the Falcons, then Carolina will be the NFC South champions. If both teams lose, then New Orleans will take the divison by default. However, in doing so, they will gift the NFC’s #3 seed to the Rams and fall to the #4 slot. Currently, the only way for the Rams to escape the #4 seed would be for both New Orleans and Carolina to lose.

So with all the logistics out of the way, which team from the NFC will make their way to Super Bowl LII in Minnesota? Many betting sites like Centrebet for example can show you the odds for each team, but here are my opinions. Let’s start by removing Atlanta and Seattle from the equation. Regardless of which team makes the post-season, neither have demonstrated that they are capable of winning three straight games on the road. I would also cross the Philadelphia Eagles off the list. Even as the #1 seed, the Eagles are in the dangerous position of having lost their quarterback. Without Carson Wentz, I have severe doubts that the Eagles will win both of the games required to win the conference title.

New Orleans is an interesting pick. If they wrap up their division, they could theoretically play all of their games in a dome. First, they would host either Atlanta or Seattle at home, then go indoors to Minnesota the following week. If the Eagles fall in their first playoff game, then the Saints would return to New Orleans for the NFC Championship before returing to Minnesota once more for the Super Bowl.

Carolina is another interesting possibility. If they can grab the #3 seed, you have to like their chances. None of the other NFC contenders has any real playoff experience. However, Carolina has been to the Super Bowl just two years ago. Cam Newton may be able to capitalize on this and win the tough games on the road that the Panthers will need to return to the big game.

Finally, we have the Vikings, who are my pick to represent the NFC. It’s possible that they may play three straight games in US Bank Stadium, hosting the divisional round game, the NFC Championship if Philadelphia stumbles, and then the Super Bowl. If the Vikings win the NFC, they will have the distinction of being the first team to play at home in the Super Bowl. Perhaps this is the boost they need to right their 0-4 record in the Super Bowl and claim their first title.

Bruins Youth Will Soon Deliver Championship to Boston

Leave a reply

Youth Movement Key to Championship

Like all of the Boston sports teams the Bruins have many young exciting players. After years of talk of what these players were doing in Providence they are finally getting a shot. The Bruins’ youth includes Charlie McAvoy, who has drawn comparisons to Bobby Orr, Jake Debrusk, who could be a thirty-goal scorer, and Danton Heinen, who is putting up the quietest breakout rookie season in the league. The Bruins have also received contributions from rookies Matt Gryelzk and Anders Bjork. After a slow start the Bruins have won thirteen of their last seventeen games. This has shown the potential this team has as these young players mature.

Photo Credit: Boston Bruins

Veterans Mixing with the Kids

The Bruins not only have many talented rookies but a core of talented veterans as well. They have two of the most talented goal scorers in the league in Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak under control for the next five years. Patrice Bergeron continues to be one of the best two-way forwards in the league and he is under control for the next five years. The mix of these veterans and rookies has made this team harder to play. They are grinding out games like they did 2011 when they won a championship. The reason why the Bruins will be good for the foreseeable future is because of this mix of players under club control for a long time.

Photo Credit: Matt West

The General Manager

The Bruins named Don Sweeney General Manager in 2015. Since then he’s shown two skills critical to sustained success for the franchise. He’s been able to sign key players to team friendly long-term deals and he’s done very well developing players. He has not made many successful trades, but he hasn’t sacrificed the future of the franchise just to make a deal. Every year Sweeney has been the General Manger he’s improved which is critical going forward.

Photo Credit: Bob DeChiara

Prediction

The Bruins may not win a championship this year but they will make a deep postseason run. That experience will be critical for the young players and will make them better going forward. It will also make these players hungrier next year and Lord Stanley will return to Boston in the next three years giving the Bruins two championships this decade.

Somber Christmas for the Celtics

Leave a reply

It was not a very merry Christmas for the Celtics. They lost the game to the Wizard 111-103, just when it looked like a comeback was in the making. Again, the Celtics fell behind early and spent most of the game playing catch-up. They were able to grab a lead with about nine minutes left in the fourth. Unfortunately, they quickly saw themselves falling behind again with about 4:30 left in the game. Late free throws by John Wall and Bradley Beal sealed the game for the Wizards.

The Celtics Were Out _________

The Celtics were outplayed, and outscored in every quarter except the second. But let’s take a look at some categories that mattered:

Free throws. They have been an ongoing struggle for Jaylen Brown especially. He was only 2-5 at the line, with Tatum also missing a pair. But in this game, my point is this: they only had 17 trips to the line compared to the Wizards 28. Big problem.
Offensive rebounds. The Celtics only had 8 of their own, while allowing 14. Giving your opponents the opportunity for second chance points will always hurt you in the end.
Turnovers. The Cs committed 17 turnovers compared to the Wizards 9. And although they only gave up 8 points off of those turnovers, they still created more shot opportunities for the Wizards.
Points in the Paint. The Wizards scored a whopping 60 points in the paint— 54% of their total points scored for the night. The Cs protected the perimeter (Wizards shot 6-26 from three), but it wasn’t nearly enough.

Constant Inconsistencies

Everyone loves Jaylen Brown. Sometimes he’ll hit a big three, or take the ball all the way to the basket. Sometimes he’ll finish off a fast break with a dunk and wow the crowd. But he’s very up and down with his scoring. I know he injured himself in the second half, but he played 32 minutes and only scored 8 points. He was 3-9 from the field, 0-5 from three and 2-5 from the line. Horford also seems to be a slightly lesser version of himself these days compared to his early season performance. Yes, he’s had some close-to-20-point nights, but the past few games haven’t been his most productive. The bench was definitely more productive than usual; the team just needed a bit more help from their starters, who were ALL (-) in the (+/-) category.

Should Celtics Fans Panic?

At 27-10, the Celtics now sit second in the eastern conference with the Cavs hot on their heels. 2017 is coming to a close, and the Cs have one more back-to back coming up. The next three opponents: @ Hornets, then home against the Rockets and Nets. Two out the three should be fairly simple, though I’m not too sure with the way they’ve played lately. In general though, I don’t think there’s a need to panic. The Cs created these unrealistic expectations with their streak, in effect spoiling Boston fans. We’re so used to winning that the feeling of losing throws us into a panic, but it’s unnecessary. There is still plenty of basketball left to play, which means there’s plenty of time to make adjustments.

The Celtics head to Charlotte to face the Hornets on Wednesday at 7:00 pm. It’s time to get back on track Boston!

Week 16 Winners and Losers

Leave a reply

‘Twas quite the holiday weekend in the NFL. The Chiefs and Rams behaved well enough to find a playoff berth under their tree this year. However, others must have been not-so-well behaved. The Raiders, Dolphins, Lions and Cowboys found nothing but a way ticket to their couch during playoff time. In other news, Jimmy G and the Niners keep rolling, and the Browns did that thing they do once again. Below are Week 16’s biggest winners and losers.

WEEK 16 WINNERS

KANSAS CITY: 29-13 W vs MIAMI

chiefswire.usatoday.com

The Chiefs earn a well deserved spot under the winners column this week. The reason is not for pulling off an impressive win over a tough opponent. The reason is because many counted them out after falling to 6-6 following a hot 5-0 start. A very underwhelming seven game stretch for Kansas City had their playoff hopes looking slim. However, thanks the regression of other AFC West teams, they remained in the race. It appears the Chiefs have learned from their rough stretch and are back to their normal selves again.

Their dominant Week 16 win over Miami extended their win streak to three games and brought their record to 9-6. During the streak they scored at least 26 points and have not allowed more than 15, outscoring opponents 85-41. The fact that the Chiefs have rebounded so strong after dropping six of seven games says a lot about the toughness of this team.

SEATTLE: 21-12 W @ DALLAS

Tough opponent + road game + win = spot earned under the winners column. Further, it was a game that had serious playoff implications on the line. Both teams entered the contest at 8-6 and needed a win to remain in the playoff race. This Sunday it was the Seahawks who prevailed. I can not give enough credit to this team. I did not expect them to pull off this win on the road, especially with Ezekiel Elliott coming back from suspension. However, the pesky Seahawks will simply not give in. They have reigned in the NFC for about half a decade now and have preserved their playoff hopes with this big win. Another impressive aspect of this team’s season is that they are doing it without two of their defensive superstars, Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman. I don’t know what others think but I would not want my team facing this experienced group in the playoffs.

SAN FRANCISCO: 44-33 W vs JACKSONVILLE

mercurynews.com

What difference one player can make; just ask Green Bay. Unlike the Packers, the Niners are benefiting from a one-player-difference scenario. San Fran was just 1-10 without Jimmy G and are 4-0 with him. This team became a lot more impressive with their most recent win. The Jaguars came into town at 10-4, riding the league’s premier defense and an improved Blake Bortles. Well, Garopollo and company put up 44 points on a defense that has allowed just over 15 points a game on the season. Thinking back, if Jimmy was quarterbacking the Niners all season they would certainly be at least in the playoff race. From Weeks two through six, SF lost five straight games by a total of just 13 points. It is reasonable to say that if they had Jimmy at that point in time then he could have been the difference and won those games. I know this is a stretch, but had they won those games their record would be 10-5, pretty interesting and says something about their potential for next year. To all other members of the NFC, keep an eye on this team.

WEEK 16 LOSERS

TENNESSEE: 27-23 L vs LA RAMS

Tennessee pretended that they were going to win this game just like they pretended to be a good team all year. I had high hopes for this team entering the year. I thought Mariota would continue to improve and possibly emerge into a top 12 quarterback, instead, he regressed. Tennessee’s third year QB has just 12 TD passes and 15 interceptions on the season, less than impressive. Also, the defense is currently ranked 20th in the league in points allowed per game at 23.1. Not necessarily terrible but with the offensive troubles, not gonna cut it.

Tennessee mostly beat up on the worst teams in the league this year in order to maintain a winning record. five of their wins have come against awful teams such as the Texans, Browns, Bengals and Colts twice. Now, with two straight losses, their playoff hopes are in serious jeopardy and Jacksonville rolls into town. They must win to advance to the playoffs.

DETROIT: 26-17 LOSS @ CINCINNATI

gnews24.world

Last week I said, “Wouldn’t that be the most Lions-y thing to do?”, referring to them potentially losing to the Bengals this week thus being eliminated from playoff contention. Well, they did in fact do the Lions-y thing, which was lose a big game to an inferior opponent. This has to hurt Detroit fans. Stafford and company fought so hard all season long. For much of the season they played playoff caliber football. Unfortunately, once again, they folded when everything was on the line. Road games are rarely easy, but they really should have had this one. The Bengals entered the day with a record of 5-9, and were playing terrible football pretty much all year. They also were playing for nothing but pride as they had already been eliminated from playoff contention. Well, rather than take advantage of their opportunity, they decided to stick to their roots and collapse. Overall, a pretty solid year for the Lions but this one bad loss did them in, onto next year.

DALLAS: 21-12 LOSS vs SEATTLE

Shoulda woulda coulda for Dallas, disappointing season. It started out rough, at 2-3 through their first five games. Then getting hot and winning three straight to improve to 5-3. Then Ezekiel Elliott was suspended and they went just 3-3 without him. So here they were, at 8-6, fighting for their playoff lives. Luckily, Ezekiel Elliott returned but he was not enough as they only managed 12 points in the loss that removed them from the playoff race. They finish at Philadelphia and it appears that this group may surprisingly be just a 8-8 team. Alike their Thanksgiving mates, its on to next year.

*Questions or Comments? find me on twitter @MLBfromNH (Kevin Civiello)*

*Featured pic credit goes to upi.com*