playoffs Page 26 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

NFL’s Week 3 MVP and LVP: Lamar Jackson vs. Jalen Hurts and Jimmy G vs. Justin Fields
The Washington Commanders sit atop the NFL’s porcelain throne but they are also kingmakers themselves — for other offenses. Jack del Rio’s January 6 defense fared better in front of Washington fans than his 2022 defensive unit has. Jalen Hurts and Devonta Smith both feasted on the Commanders’ carcas...

Was Miami's Butt Block the NFL’s greatest sports blooper since the Butt Fumble?
From the division that brought us the Butt Fumble came a worthwhile sequel from the Miami Dolphins in the wild, final minutes of their 21-19 win over the Buffalo Bills. Josh Allen threw 63 passes, which is an absurd amount for such a low-scoring affair. Butt his efforts were the subplot to the gridi...

How long should Nathaniel Hackett’s leash be?
Through two weeks of the NFL season, there hasn’t been a bigger disappointment than the Denver Broncos. OK, maybe the Cincinnati Bengals, but the Broncos are a close second....

NFL's 1-0 frauds: Don't let them fool you
Week 1 gave us some surprises, late-game blunders, and heroics we’ve come to expect from the NFL each week. For some teams that captured a Week 1 victory, it was business as usual. But for others, there is still plenty of doubt whether Week 1 is the start of something magical or if they’re faking th...

It pays to have a top target
Do you remember the wide receiver carousel of the offseason? Do you remember when star wideouts were being moved like they were 30-year-old NBA players with a salary-matching contract (looking at you Trevor Ariza)? Do you remember when teams elected not to pay their best pass-catchers because they d...

Week 1’s most and least valuable players
Saquon Barkley had never won a season opener in the NFL prior to Sunday. If it weren’t for his 24 touches and 194 yards from scrimmage, Barkley would be starting an NFL season in a 0-1 hole for the fifth time in his career. Instead, Barkley’s high usage day kept the New York Giants afloat in their 2...

Giannis has become the Paul Bunyan of basketball
The fake sports news on Twitter is getting a bit out of control. I’m aware that part of responsible internet usage requires users to vet sources. It’s not like people haven’t been getting burned by fake Woj and fake Schefter accounts for years, but handles like CockSources and Ballsack sports — whil...

Micah Parsons to join <i>Undisputed</i>: This has to be the ‘genius’ of Skip Bayless
Despite having won nothing on the field in 25 years, the Dallas Cowboys remain in the spotlight as “America’s Team.” They can’t get out of their own way, yet continue to dominate NFL headlines year-round. Owner Jerry Jones has a radio show in Dallas, and now another Cowboys personality will have a w...

Tom Brady is the first quarterback that can finally get Julio Jones more than 10 touchdowns in a season
John Parker Wilson, Greg McElroy, A.J. McCarron, Matt Ryan, and Ryan Tannehill. Those are the men that are responsible for why one of the best wide receivers over the last decade-plus has underwhelming touchdown numbers....

Moving to a 16-team College Football Playoff isn’t easy — but may very well happen
“Sixteen just seems to be out there,” Gene Smith, Ohio State’s athletic director, said at the Big Ten media days. “You can’t ignore it.”...

We have some issues with ESPN’s Top 10 QB list for 2022
It’s mid-July, and we’re getting ever so close to NFL training camps opening, and you can feel the anticipation. Along with that comes a whole host of pundits writing lists ranking players at various positions — most notably, quarterback. ESPN caused an uproar over the weekend when it released its T...

5 players to watch at NBA Summer League
Players who were added to NBA rosters two weeks ago take the court to play against young NBA talent, and people who are still desperately clutching their professional basketball dreams. There were a handful of teams in San Francisco and Utah earlier in the week, but the big show is in Vegas for 10 d...

Travis Kelce’s age, not Tyreek Hill’s absence, is the key to Kansas City’s season
Before I start, Travis Kelce should still be the first tight end off the board in this year’s fantasy football draft. He’s going to get an increased workload with Tyreek Hill in Miami, and Patrick Mahomes will lean on him early like you lean on that one person you know at the wedding before the alco...

Best destinations for Deandre Ayton if he exits Phoenix
Now that we’ve moved past the NBA draft, it’s time for the free agency signing period to commence. And this year, one of the most talked-about names that could be on the move is Deandre Ayton. The 23-year-old center believes he’s earned a max contract. It’s just too bad the Phoenix Suns don’t seem t...

I guess I can kiss Nazem Kadri’s ass now
The redemption narrative is the easy one. Everyone loves it, and it usually writes itself, which is why writers will flock to it at every opportunity (especially hockey writers who by the time the Stanley Cup Final is over are barely sober enough to find their hotel room key), and it feels good to a...

The Pistons won the draft and the last two days
There might be some fans at the gigantic Little Caesars arena, because the Detroit Pistons took some serious steps towards solidifying a young nucleus for the future of their franchise....

If the goal to all but clinch the Stanley Cup is scored and no one sees it, did it really happen?
There was no goal horn. No point to the net from the closest official. No audible cheer from the Avalanche faithful in attendance at Tampa’s Amalie Arena. All for the decisive shot and score from Nazem Kadri that essentially won the Colorado Avalanche the Stanley Cup....

Your 2022 NBA All-Postseason Team
In the NBA, the playoffs are truly a second season. There are no more back-to-backs, but there are also no more rest games for players. Also, there are no more sub-.400 teams on the schedule. To recover from a bad loss in the postseason, requires returning to the court 48 hours later and playing aga...