It has been a while since I have written, mainly because of the summer, so first off, sorry that I haven't been posting. But, I am here to announce our newest edition, our Biweekly "newspaper/blog" called, "From Section 129", where I will give summaries and recaps of the previous two weeks' highlights and news. I will also be coming out with short, but jam-packed updates called, "Dog bombs" which will talk about the newest updates in sports.
Anyways, the CFB season has started, and as a Maryland fan, I'm very happy that we started off with a win. Sadly, Oregon, Miami, BYU and Florida St. fans can't share that feeling, as they all started the season off with a loss. In terms of the NFL, the season is about to start, so I will give 5 bold predictions for the season.
1. The Tennessee Titans will win the AFC South: The Colts lost Luck, the Texans lost key defensive players, and the Jaguars have an unproven offense. So who's to say that the Titans can't win the division?
2. No team in the NFC East finishes with a worse record than 6-10: The Cowboys and Eagles are already presumably safe from this, but not the Giants, and my team, the Redskins. However, what if Daniel Jones goes beyond expectations like he did in the preseason, and Saquon keeps his numbers up? And what happens if Adrian Peterson goes for another 1000 yard season like last year, while the Skins defense continues its effectiveness? These two teams could likely finish with a 6-10, or even a 7-9 record.
3. The Rams won't win the NFC West: There are three reasons why I see this happening. First, if Todd Gurley can't produce his normal stats because of his injury, it suddenly becomes much easier to beat the Rams. Secondly, you can never count out the Seahawks, They have a good offense, centering around Russell Wilson and Chris Carson, and they have an average defense, that still has some star power. You never know with Jimmy G. Although I would bet against it, you never know what could happen with the 49ers.
4. The Jets make the playoffs: For this one, I refer to one statistic, SOS. The Jets are tied for the second easiest strength of schedule in the NFL. Plus, they have a great new addition in Le'Veon Bell. In addition, when a quarter of your schedule is against the Bills and the Dolphins, you should make the playoffs.
5. Your Super Bowl 54 champion is the Los Angeles Chargers: I know, I know. I have a lot of explaining to do on this one. Think about it like this, there is no real contender from the AFC South, the Patriots will most likely not get the bye without Gronk this year, and will get eliminated either in the wildcard or divisional round. Also, I really don't see a contender in the AFC North. This leaves us with the Chargers, and their rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs. The news reads the next day, "Chargers stellar defense leaves Mahomes with just 100 yards, and another devastating defeat." All of a sudden, the Chargers are in the Super Bowl playing the Saints or the Rams or whatever team has the best offense. For this example, let's say the Rams lack of run game loses them the game, and the Saints advance. Who will I take? Both teams have great QBs and RBs and have good receivers. But, the way I see it, one team has a tough front 7 that destroys the opposing QB, while the other is a bunch of average DTs that will sack Phillip Rivers once (maybe twice). In the end, Rivers kisses his 9 kids while taking the Lombardi from Roger Goodell.
Last on my agenda for this post is the MLB. This season has been great, with record amounts of home runs, and one of the tightest playoff races in ages. While normally I would say, "my predictions for the playoff spots" and blah blah blah, we just did that for the NFL, so I thought I would spice it up. In the NL, the Cardinals and Braves are safe, along with the Dodgers, due to their divisional leads. The NL wildcard race is intense right now, with 6 teams competing for 2 spots. In order to make the playoffs, these players for the potential wildcard teams must step.
Nationals: Roenis Elias- Elias was one of the Nationals pickups at the trade deadline, and looked good in one performance, before he proceeded to hurt his hamstring. The Nationals don't get into many close games but when they do, they will need his 100% in order to keep their spot in the playoffs.
Cubs: Anthony Rizzo- While I could've picked a pitcher, I chose to pick Rizzo because he isn't hitting like he did just a few years back. His .294 average is nothing to complain about, but when guys like Michael Conforto and Franmil Reyes are hitting more homers than you are, there is a problem. If the Cubs want to make it to October, Rizzo needs to step it up.
Mets: The lineup excusing Alonso and Conforto- I lied. I will pick more than one player in terms of the Mets, whose hitting is pretty much carried by Pete Alonso and Michael Conforto. Their starters are great, and their bullpen isn't the worst, but the Mets need more than two guys to hit if they want to find themselves playing next month.
Phillies: Jake Arrieta- The Phillies have somehow not been talked about a lot recently, despite having the loudest player in the game. So, what's going on with this Krew? (Do you get it?) Well, it seems that besides Aaron Nola, the Phillies lack talent in their starters. Now, I'm no genius, but if you are being payed 25 million dollars a year to do something, you better be good at it. Arrieta is not living up to that standard.
Brewers: Josh Hader- I was debating putting Yelich on here, but he truly has stepped up as much as he can for this team. So, instead, the finger points at Josh Hader, who has struggled recently, which is rare for the 9th inning menace. He has to get his stuff together if they want to win games.
Diamondbacks: Nick Ahmed- Not many people know Ahmed, who is the starting shortstop for the D-backs. Although, when you look at his previous numbers, you would be shocked to find out that he is a former Gold Glove winner who gets passed on all the time. This year however, the man is barely hitting more home runs than Adam Jones. 34 year old Adam freakin Jones. He needs to dig deep and dominate if he wants to see another month.