kirk Page 6 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Every team in the NFL playoffs, ranked
Aaron Rodgers couldn’t beat the Detroit Lions. Who’d have thought I’d be uttering that statement at the beginning of the season? And with that loss, the NFL playoffs are set. Throughout the regular season, we laughed, cried, held our heads in shock, and Tom Brady endured his first losing season as a...

Someone save Davante Adams from himself
Davante Adams has always been the anti-diva receiver. His contract dispute with the Green Bay Packers was relatively low-key, and he’s rarely spoken negatively of his ex-franchise. Adams’ reunion with his college quarterback Derek Carr ended in a powder keg. While speculation about Carr’s future and...

For Sale: Lightly-used NFL quarterback
The Las Vegas Raiders’ 2022 offseason had fans filled with optimism for the team’s future. After acquiring All-Pro receiver Davante Adams from the Green Bay Packers in March, the Raiders signed their franchise quarterback Derek Carr to a three-year extension. The two of them played together in colle...

What were the best and worst sports trends in 2022?
As 2023 approaches, it gives media outlets opportunities to do wrap-ups, year-end lists, and rank anything else in the timeframe of the past 12 months. It’s really the only upside of time being arbitrary and a construct of people in power to make sure the plebeians arrive at the salt mines at 9 a.m....

Draft bust Josh Rosen's career not over just yet
The Minnesota Vikings signed quarterback Josh Rosen to their practice squad....

HBO's <em>Hard Knocks</em> was more than simply Detroit Lions propaganda apparently
Grit is all well and good, but it takes far more than turning a cliche sports term into an acronym on national television to get the most out of professional athletes....

Draymond Green eclipsing Michael Jordan illustrates how much offenses have evolved
In the opening minute of regulation against the Houston Rockets on Saturday night, Jordan Poole picked up his between-the-legs dribble and whipped a pass to Draymond Green in the short corner. Green caught the pass and rose to drain his only points of the night. It had no effect on the final score, ...

Kirk Cousins is the ultimate measuring stick for Super Bowl viability
The term “measuring stick” game is seldom used in professional football. The term indicates a game that will determine whether or not a team is the real deal or not and is used more in a college football setting since those teams can change drastically from year to year. ...

The Eagles look good, but here’s who they should be wary of in the playoffs
The Philadelphia Eagles have dominated the NFC over the first three months of the season en route to a league-best 10-1 start. Besides the game against Washington a couple of weeks ago, Philly has found a way to slither out with a win every time. They’ve already beaten two of the top three teams cha...

Can’t get no respect
If the playoffs were starting right now, the New England Patriots would be the AFC’s sixth seed. They’d get an opening-round matchup with the Tennessee Titans, followed by a likely road gig against the Kansas City Chiefs. It’s a tough path in the already daunting American Football Conference. That s...

Week 11 NFL Takeaways: A handful of good teams showed that they’re not Super Bowl contenders
Turkey/genocide day is upon us. On Thursday, those of us who are able to partake will gorge on food and drink, and before sundown forget any reason we thought of to be thankful for on the most American of all the holidays....

A ninth win in 10 games would mean it’s time to start taking the Vikings seriously
The Minnesota Vikings have been the most disrespected winning team in the NFL this season. Despite an 8-1 record, very few outside the state of Minnesota believe the Vikings are a “real” contender in the NFC. Even after surprisingly pulling out an overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills last week, m...

It’s too early for the Blue Jays to be panicking
It’s hard to not see the Toronto Blue Jays sitting in the catbird seat. It doesn’t feel like the Yankees are exactly poised to hold onto their seat atop the AL East, even if Aaron Judge returns. They don’t have the potential for growth that the Jays do, given the youth of their roster. Bo Bichette, ...

Does TJ Hockenson to the Vikings actually make a difference?
Prior to this morning, the NFL trade deadline had been a very quiet affair. Aside from Christian McCaffrey and Roquan Smith, there wasn’t much for NFL fans to get excited about. There were dozens of rumors, revolving mainly around running backs like Kareem Hunt, Cam Akers, and Nyheim Hines, but no a...

I still don't believe these Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings need to gather as an organization and purchase binders full of Powerball tickets, because their luck has turned for the better (the Powerball is at a $1B, in case you didn’t know)....

Gus Johnson, not Ian Eagle, should succeed Jim Nantz as the voice of March Madness
Ian Eagle is really good at his job. Gus Johnson’s just better....

ESPN’s <i>College GameDay</i> has its new resident jackass — and he’s not the worst
In its heyday, College GameDay was the de facto No. 2 studio show behind Inside the NBA. Pregame shows are notorious for filling the air time with a panel of experts struggling to find opportunities to make points or move the conversation into a meaningful discussion. I challenge you to watch the Su...

Carson Wentz, the best a man (Ron Rivera) can get
As the now-Commanders acquired Carson Wentz to be its next quarterback after three decades of unsuccessful options — none lasting more than three seasons as Washington’s primary starter — the fan base just sighed. Wentz was never going to be the guy. He looks like Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf on bac...

Lamar Jackson being graded so harshly is a testament to his greatness
The criticisms against Lamar Jackson are exhausting at this point. The Ravens defeated the Bengals on Sunday Night Football, and like clockwork, Matt Hasselback was on SportsCenter afterward talking about how Jackson has to improve as a pocket passer. ...

Justin Fields and a tale of two halves
The first half of last night’s primetime game between the Washington Commanders and Chicago Bears was horrendously boring. The snooze fest that was Thursday Night Football Week 5 crept over into the first half of Week 6. Three points, seven punts, and ugly play from Bears quarterback Justin Fields....