Los Lions

First off, I’m not blaming the officiating for the loss. Even though that Colby Parkinson ‘touchdown’ was not a touchdown. But it wouldn’t have mattered. We wouldn’t have been able to stop them at the goal line anyways. 

Yeah, that Rams team is tough. They’re favored for a reason. I was overall pretty impressed by how we played, especially in the first half. We hung with the best team in the league for four quarters. The run game was solid, we lit up their secondary, and the defense did in fact have a takeaway. But with the state of things right now on that side of the ball, it’s obvious to see why we lost. The injuries were costly, and it was a bad matchup. 

But, alas, the loss is in the past. Whether or not we see them in the playoffs is entirely dependent on whether or not we make the playoffs. And I will not deceive you, it doesn’t look good. A 41% chance does not make me feel particularly confident. Not to mention that one singular loss is going to take us out of the picture. We need certain teams to win and lose, but we can only control what is in front of us. As Gandalf the Grey said: “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us”. The concerning part is that right after he said this he did meet his demise to the Balrog of Morgoth on the Bridge of Khazad-Dum, but hopefully that doesn’t happen to the Lions.

This week’s matchup is a big one. The empire will try to strike back. The return of an old foe to try and put us away once and for all. Because this week, the devil does not wear prada, but rather black and yellow. I’m talking of course about the scourge of the seven seas himself, Aaron Charles Rodgers. While the Steelers do have the 13th ranked offense and 18th ranked defense, and on paper aren’t as good as their record says they are, Rodgers is still Rodgers. And that makes me just a smidge more nervous. Yes, he last lost the last three against us, but with the Steelers coming off a very impressive win, and us at our most vulnerable, I think it’s still going to be close. 

TJ Watt, the Steelers’ best player and marquee edge rusher, doesn’t look to be able to play for week 16, which is a huge advantage for us. The Steelers defense is the highest paid in the NFL, but as said above, isn’t doing great this season. I really trust in Campbell and the offense, and the game being indoors and home really helps us as well. The Steelers have a sneaky good run game and a great receiver in DK Metcalf, who loves to go off against us. However, with all of this being said, I still think we can pull it off and keep our playoff dreams alive, at least for now.

Lions by a score and a half.

The ‘Stons

Not a ton going on for the Pistons this week, just a few more trade rumors for different players as well as some key performances from players.

Cade was one assist away from a triple double last night in an overtime thriller against the Mavericks of Dallas. Ausar got thrown out of the game for absolutely nothing (no really here’s the clip) and JB Bickerstaff and Cade both got techs. JB was very vocal in the postgame about the horrible officiating during the game that probably ended up costing us the win, given the fact that it was a two point game. 

We’ve been linked to Michael Porter Jr. of the Nets of Brooklyn as of late, and this one is a little complicated. On one hand, we need shooting badly. Duncan Robinson is our go-to guy and whenever he’s not on the floor it often gets rough from beyond the arc. MPJ is a shooter, but he takes a lot of shots. He’s taking roughly 9.4 threes a game this season. That’s Steph Curry’s career average. The only thing is that Michael Porter Jr. is a significantly less talented shooter. But, acquiring him would give Cade another weapon to dish out to, I just don’t want to give up too much.

Tobias would probably be included in the deal, but if it involves Ron Holland I think we should be immediately out. Not to mention that MPJ’s contract is pretty enormous for what he brings to the table and would be an issue, even though he would be a free agent after next season.

Overall, MPJ on the trade market is better, but we’re certainly far from who I want on our team moving forward. 

Wings, Red

Elephant in the room: we did not get Quinn Hughes. We were never going to match Minnesota’s generous offer of a first rounder and three great prospects, including Marco Rossi whom I’m very fond of, but it’s still a shame to see another great trade pass right over our heads. 

The other elephant in the room is that John Gibson is on a tear lately. Two shutouts in his last four starts as well as a five game win streak gave us some much needed wins as the Wings fight for that wild card spot. The question is now will this last from Gibby? My answer is no. After watching Gibson give up at least four goals in, like, every single start, I sadly think this is not a thing that we should get used to from him. Don’t get me wrong I would love to see this from him more often, it just doesn’t look that way.

A pretty brutal performance from the gang last night against the Mammoth of Utah, there was some pretty horrific defense from the youths, especially Simon Edvinsson. I love Edvinsson. I love the way he puts his entire life in the most ridiculous way to block a shot, but man last night was rough for him. Talbot also didn’t look great (surprise, surprise), with maybe the worst rebounding defense I’ve seen from a goalie ever. 

With the Wings looking ahead to a game against the Capitals of Washington this Sunday, and with Gibson looking to continue his Linsanity run, it is a crucial matchup for Detroit. With Kane out, the offense needs a bump, and the Capitals have one of the best defenses in the NHL. This is the type of team we really struggle against, and I would love to see a win against a good team. 

Steve, buddy, pal, please bring up Cossa soon.

Motor City Kitties

The Skubal drama has been put on golf for a minute, as we can now discuss something a lot less dreadful. The Tigers just made a signing in the reliever of Kenley Jansen for a one-year 11 million stint.

So on paper, this looks to be a pretty good signing. Jansen has been amazing in the league, winning the Hoffman Rel (Best reliever award) twice and being a four-time all star. 29 saves last year for the J-man with the Angels, however he did have an instance in which he gave up six runs in the 9th inning to the Tigers. But, he’s been proven to be a consistent reliever even though he is about to turn 38 years old.

So with this signing, our bullpen is actually looking pretty good. We now have three certified closers with Jansen, Vest, and Finnegan, and got rid of Kahnle. Plus bringing back Reese Olsen to pitch a few innings in the start of the season, we look to be improving in that area.

Here’s the only thing that worries me with Jansen. He’s got one pitch that he’s been throwing his whole career, his cutter. It’s been great, don’t get me wrong, and while he has some other pitches to throw, the cutter is the primary choice. Sounds good on paper. A pitcher who throws one good pitch who’s been around the league as a good reliever. You know who else fits that bill? The man who ended our playoff dreams himself, Tommy Kahnle. Who wasn’t that great last year with the Tigers. 

While Jansen has a much better resumé, being 4th all time in saves and two away from being in the top three, I’m just worried it’s another Kahnle situation. But hopefully he won’t be that bad. 

Still boycott Little Caesar’s though.