I seem to remember someone doing this a few years back and really enjoying it, so I thought I'd give it a shot with the condensed schedule leaving so many games on the schedule each night. I'm ranking each game in three categories: competitiveness, importance, and style points/storylines (which includes star power, the style of basketball, and any intriguing stories to watch). I'll include a survey at the end where you can predict the winners of each game!
Let me know if this is something you'd like to see again!
10) Milwaukee Bucks (1-1) vs. New York Knicks (0-2) at 7:30 pm EST
Where to Watch: League Pass
Spread: Milwaukee -11
Last Meeting: January 14th, 2020. RJ Barrett drained five threes and Bobby Portis scored 20 off the bench, but the Bucks dominated the Knicks at Fiserv Forum 128-102. The two teams combined for a whopping 79 points in the third quarter.
The Bucks have won their last five meetings with the Knicks, with the last New York win coming in an overtime thriller at the Garden in December of 2018.
Competitiveness: A championship contender that dismantled the Warriors by 40 facing the Knicks on the tail end of a back-to-back. Not much else to say here. 1.5/10
Importance: This game is essentially a scheduled win for the Bucks, and a chance for the Knicks to test their young guys and let them grow up a little. Unfortunate that Obi Toppin will be on the sidelines for this one. 2/10
Style Points: The high-flying Bucks offense has been off to another hot start, topping the 120 point mark in both of their games. The Knicks' young guns have shown promise and made so flashy plays, but they also turn the ball over a lot. Neither team tends to foul a lot or shoot a ton of free throws, which will help game flow.
Some might keep an eye on Giannis' free throw shooting, but the real story to watch is RJ Barrett's three point accuracy. He lit it up from distance against Indiana, but struggled mightily against Philly. Can he take a step forward in that department this season?
Bonus points for the MSG crew calling this game. 6/10
Overall Rating: 3/10
9) Brooklyn Nets (2-0) vs. Charlotte Hornets (0-2) at 7:00 pm EST
Where to Watch: NBA TV
Spread: Brooklyn -7.5
Last Meeting: February 22nd, 2020. The Nets used a third quarter explosion to turn a comfortable win into a rout as they won 115-86. Luwawu-Cabarrot led the team in scoring with 21, while Garrett Temple of all people snagged eleven boards.
Competitiveness: The Nets have steamrolled over their competition so far, blowing out the Warriors and Celtics by 20+ points. The Hornets have struggled with two losses to non-contenders, and come into this game on the wrong end of a back-to-back. 1.5/10
Importance: A contending Nets team cannot afford to drop games like this one, especially in the early part of the season when there are so many eyeballs on KD and Kyrie. The Hornets could really use a positive performance to get their season headed in the right direction. 4/10
Style Points: The Nets have stars all over the court and have looked like a juggernaut early this season, making them one of the most intriguing teams to watch, and a fun one too, as they've played fast and made lots of threes. Charlotte ranked last in pace of play last season but seems to be trying to pick things up. You'll get the Charlotte crew for this game on NBA TV, and they call a fun game.
Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward are two guys to pay attention to- Rozier dropped 42 on a Cavs team that sucks at defending point guards. Is he headed for a breakout season? Hayward was shut down by the Thunder last night and will look to get things going. Plus LaMelo Ball! 8/10
Overall: 4.4/10
8) Golden State Warriors (0-2) vs. Chicago Bulls (0-2) at 8:00 pm EST
Where to Watch: League Pass
Spread: Golden State -2.5
Last Meeting: December 6th, 2019. Glenn Robinson III made the go-ahead layup with a minute left and a very different looking Warriors team beat the Bulls 100-98 in Chicago. Denzel Valentine was ejected in the third quarter for yelling at the Warriors' bench.
Competitiveness: The Warriors have been blown out by two great teams so far. The Bulls have been blown out by two mediocre teams and just played a deflating contest against the Pacers last night. 4.5/10
Importance: Both teams could really use their first win of the season. The Warriors cannot afford to lose to teams like the Bulls if they're going to contend for the playoffs. This probably still figures as a matchup of two non-contenders, though. 5.5/10
Style Points: The Bulls have lots of exciting young players, but they seem turnover-prone and have struggled to score. Neither team has been able to stop literally anyone on defense so far (lol thanks Golden State for taking Wiggins), so there's a chance this turns into one of those ridiculous shootouts where both teams top 70 in the first half.
Patrick Williams looked good in his first game against the Hawks, but the Pacers were able to shut him down. Watching him adjust to the breakneck pace of games and the new level of competition will be interesting. The Warriors will need to find other sources of offense besides Curry and Wiseman, and this game is a perfect chance for them to do so. Definitely opt for the Chicago broadcast if you tune in. 4.5/10
Overall: 4.8/10
** 7)Philadelphia 76ers (2-0) vs. Cleveland Cavaliers (2-0) at 7:30 pm EST**
Where to Watch: League Pass
Spread: Philadelphia -6
Last Meeting: February 26th, 2020. The Sixers had to play most of the game without their two best players as Joel Embiid left in the first quarter with a sprained shoulder. The Cavs, then the worst team in the East, led the entire way and won 108-94.
Competitiveness: The Cavs look like a much better team this year as Sexton has another year under his belt and they have Drummond underneath. There's a long way to go to challenge the Sixers, though, and they played an exhausting two-overtime trench war with the Pistons last night while Philly coasted to an easy win over the Knicks. 5/10
Importance: Definitely a litmus test game for the Cavs- can they hang with Philly and prove that they can be that dangerous team no one wants to face in the east play-in tournament? The 76ers might be looking past this game as they have a big clash with Tampa Bay coming up on Tuesday. 4/10
Style Points: This game gives us two matchups between stars. Joel Embiid has been on a mission to start this season, following up his 29/14 against Washington with a 27/10 against the Knicks. His matchup with Andre Drummond will be one to watch. At point guard, Simmons-Sexton could be an even more exciting face-off. The Cavs have played a more fun style of basketball this season, using Sexton to ignite a high pressure defense that stole a win in Detroit. That double-overtime win might prove costly tonight, though, when they run out of gas against a deeper and more talented Sixers team. Bonus points for the Cavs having that really fun color guy, I guess. 6.75/10
Overall: 5.25/10
6) Minnesota Timberwolves (2-0) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (1-1) at 10:00 pm EST
Where to watch: NBA TV
Spread: Los Angeles -11
Last Meeting: December 8th, 2019. AD dropped half a hundred and LeBron put up 32 and thirteen assists as the Lakers won a 142-125 slugfest. The Wolves hung around and trailed by only seven after three quarters before LA pulled away.
Competitiveness: The Wolves are off to a surprising 2-0 start, including an impressive win in Utah last night. Most would write this off as a scheduled loss, though, with a back-to-back against the defending champs and KAT getting dinged up at the end of the Jazz game. Still, it will be interesting to see how this new-look Wolves team trades punches with AD and Bron in the first half. 6/10
Importance: The Lakers seem to finally be settling into the new season after a disappointing showing on opening night, and will be looking for another statement win. Some Wolves fans have speculated that they will rest KAT after his injury scare tonight. I'd expect him to play, but no one in Minnesota thinks they will win this game. 3/10
Style Points: Anthony Edwards going up against two of the best in the game? DLo back in LA? Upstarts against the defending champs? Top notch storylines for this game, where the first half will be a good litmus test for Minnesota, before fatigue probably sets in for guys like Edwards and Culver and the game gets pretty ugly.
Minnesota's defense looks much improved this season, and their explosive bench can keep this game fun. And you know what you're getting with the Lakers' stars. Unfortunately the NBA TV rights to this game mean most fans will get the LA crew and miss out on the top notch Fox Sports North announcers. 8/10
Overall: 5.6/10
5) San Antonio Spurs (2-0) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (1-1) at 7:00 pm EST
Where to Watch: League Pass
Spread: New Orleans -5
Last Meeting: August 9th, 2020. The Spurs and Pels faced off for a high-scoring showdown in the bubble that saw the two teams combined for 77 fourth quarter points. JJ Redick went off and hit eight threes and Zion chipped in 25, but the rest of their teammates shit the bed and the Spurs won 122-113.
Competitiveness: The Spurs are off to a fast start, most recently squeaking out an impressive win over the Raptors last night. The Pelicans have produced mixed results, but beat Tampa by a more impressive margin and have an extra day of rest. Expect a close one early, with New Orleans having a sizeable edge late. 6.5/10
Importance: Both teams figure to be in the hunt for the final playoff spots and will see each other plenty this season as they are both in the same division. I doubt the Spurs would sweat this B2B loss too much, though. 7/10
Style Points: Zion put up a highlight-worthy 32 and 14 on Christmas Day against the Heat, and the Pels look like a new team on defense, making them one of the most interesting squads to watch this year. Ingram, Redick, Hart, and Lonzo can combine for an offensive explosion at any time. The Spurs can play kind of a bland style sometimes, especially with 35 year old LaMarcus Aldridge playing on a back-to-back. Dejounte Murray, who just posted his first career triple double and looks much improved this season, will be an interesting to player to watch today. This one feels like it could be a snooze-fest or a barn-burner, with nothing in between. 6.75/10
Overall: 6.7/10
4) Boston Celtics (1-1) vs. Indiana Pacers (2-0) at 8:00 pm EST
Where to Watch: League Pass
Spread: Boston -2.5
Last Meeting: Tuesday March 10th, 2020. The Celtics were the last team the Pacers faced before Miss Rona stepped in and put a stop to the basketball for awhile. Marcus Smart made the go-ahead layup to rescue Boston in the final minute after they blew a 19 point lead, and they held on to win 114-111. Sabonis posted a 28-9-8 night for Indiana.
Competitiveness: The Celtics have the rest advantage, as they got the night off to lick their wounds after a Christmas Night Stomping at the hands of KD and Kyrie, while the Pacers had to take the floor last night and beat up on the Bulls. The Pacers figure to be in the middle of the playoff pack, while the Celtics would like to challenge the Bucks and Nets at the top, and this game will be a huge early measuring stick for both teams. The Pacers will have home floor, which makes this anyone's game. 8/10
Importance: It's never too early to have a big game for playoff seeding! The Celtics will be anxious to prove that their opening game win against Milwaukee was no fluke, while the Pacers need to show us that they can beat someone better than the Knicks and Bulls. 7.5/10
Style Points: This is where this game kind of falls short. Tatum, Kemba, Sabonis, Brown, and others all provide lots of star power, but aren't the big names featured elsewhere on this list, and both teams tend to play slower, more defensive-oriented basketball. The Celtics' thumping at the hands of the Nets is more of a story for Brooklyn than for Boston, and Indiana has maybe been the playoff team that jumped off the page less than anyone else so far. Add in a game that's only broadcast locally and that overlaps with every other game but two and this game takes a bump in a packed Sunday night slate.
Still, this should be a very good game between two playoff teams, and a fun one to tune in for down the stretch if the Pacers keep it close. 5.5/10
Overall: 7/10
T-2) Orlando Magic (2-0) vs. Washington Wizards (0-2) at 7:00 pm EST
Where to Watch: League Pass
Spread: Washington -1.5
Last Meeting: Last night! The Magic and Wizards squared off for their first of back-to-back games, which was an exciting back-and-forth contest. The Magic had the edge on the glass for much of the game, which only intensified late as they pulled away and the Wizards started pressing and taking bad shots. Beal went off for 39 points while Westbrook posted a triple-double, proving that they can in fact play together just fine.
Competitiveness: Last night's game was a see-sawing battle for most of the evening. Orlando looks like the better team and one of the more improved squads in the East, if their win against Miami is any indication. Still, beating a team on their home floor twice in a row is extraordinarily difficult, and the Wizards get to regroup and see if they can fix their rebounding woes against the same team. Expect another entertaining toss-up!9/10
Importance: Both teams are in roughly the same boat: improved squads who will likely find themselves sitting on the edge of the Eastern Conference playoff field. They won't see each other again in the first half of the season, and to pick up a quick two games on their competition would be an enormous boost for Orlando. 7.5/10
Style Points: The Wizards have been playing a fun new style with Russ and Bradley Beal sharing the load on offense, and early speculation about how the pair will get along on the court has been promising. The Magic get the job done with comparatively little star power, but Vucevic has always been one of the more underrated players in the league and deserves some recognition. Terrence Ross and Davis Bertans will be other players to keep an eye on- Ross has been extremely hot offensively in his first two games, while Bertans is a streaky shooter who can be the key to Washington winning or losing.
Perhaps the most interesting storyline, though, is the back-to-back baseball-style two game series. College leagues are trying this out across the country and we've seen in leagues like the MAAC, Mountain West, and others how hard it is for superior teams to beat the same team on consecutive nights. We've also gotten a glimpse of this in the NBA preseason. This time, the teams are very evenly matched. How will the Wizards adjust tonight? What effect will the wonky scheduling have? 8/10
Overall: 8.2/10
T-2) Dallas Mavericks (0-2) vs. Los Angeles Clippers (2-0) at 3:30 pm EST
Where to Watch: NBA TV
Spread: Los Angeles -5
Last Meeting: August 30th, 2020. The Clippers knocked the Mavs out of the first round of the playoffs, winning Game 6 after the game was moved back due to the player strike. Doncic dropped 38 and Dorian Finney-Smith chipped in 16, but only one other Dallas played cracked double digits. L.A. moved on to the next round where they cruised through the first four games against the Nuggets and...oh wait hahahahahahahahahaha.
Competitiveness: The Mavs need to get their shit together. They posted a close opening night loss against the Suns and then got their doors kicked in by the Lakers... neither of those are alarming results, but they're not the mark of a playoff team. The Clippers are angry at the way last season ended, ready to take it out on the league, and they've looked like a juggernaut with Nic Batum in their lineup, putting up convincing wins over the other top two teams in the West. Doncic can keep any game close, but he needs his teammates to carry some of the load, and the Clippers are still the clear favourites here. 6.5/10
Importance: Dallas needs to show that they can beat playoff teams, as their schedule for the next few weeks doesn't get any easier after tonight. They'll face the Heat, Rockets, Magic, Nuggets, and Pelicans. They'll have to figure out who their second and third best scoring options are in the process. Both teams will be looking for a statement win on a national stage- they're the only teams playing in the afternoon tomorrow and get a national broadcast on NBA TV. 8/10
Style Points: Kawhi... Luka... PG13.... could you really get any more star power? The Mavs looking for revenge on the team that knocked them out of the playoffs by beating them in a Sunday Showcase game (albeit on NBA TV) in their house provides a great story to go along with the stars. The Clippers have been red hot from three point range to start the season, and a Mavs defense that allowed 138 points to the Lakers will probably provide plenty of opportunities for more fireworks. If not for the potential of a lopsided final score, this would be the #1 game of the day. Tune into this instead of football on a relatively light NFL day. 10/10
Overall: 8.2/10
1) Phoenix Suns (1-1) vs. Sacramento Kings (2-0) at 9:00 pm EST
Where to Watch: League Pass
Spread: Phoenix -3.5
Last Meeting: Last night! Sacramento jumped out to a 15-2 lead, but the Suns almost immediately cut that in half, and tied the game early in the third quarter. The teams traded baskets for much of the second half, with DeAaron Fox and Buddy Hield carrying the offensive load for the Kings, who held on to win thanks to some timely offensive rebounding from Richaun Holmes.
Competitiveness: Aside from the early flurry from the Kings, these teams were as evenly matched as they come, trading punches for the entire second half. The Suns probably won't shoot 11-44 from three point range again tonight, and the Kings will probably take better care of the basketball. Regardless, we're in for a fascinating rematch of two Western Conference playoff hopefuls. 10/10
Importance: Both the Suns and the Kings are exciting young teams with opportunities to improve on last season, and both figure to end up in that 7-10 seed range in the Western Conference. These two teams won't see each other again in the first half of the season, and the Suns cannot afford to drop back-to-back contests against one of their competitors for the last couple of playoff spots. The Kings, meanwhile, were largely overlooked by fans and writers heading into the season and look poised to outperform expectations. Going 3-0 to start the season would do a lot to quiet the doubters. Regardless, this two game series will likely end up mattering down the road. 8/10
Style Points: The Suns were the talk of the NBA Bubble in August and have continued turning heads with their opening night win against the Mavs. Chris Paul's presence at point guard allows them to run a better offense than "just let Devin Booker chuck as many threes as he wants and hope Ayton rebounds enough to let us eke out a close win". They're still a fun, up-tempo team that shoots lots of threes, and finally play some good defense if that's your thing too. Sacramento announced themselves as a team not to be slept on with their opening night win against the Nuggets (thanks Will Barton), and the trend continued last night. They've attempted the fewest threes of any team through two games this year, and their game plan of Fox driving and everyone crashing the glass gives us an intriguing contrast of styles.
Like I mentioned for the Wizards game, the baseball-style series also presents us with interesting questions to answer in this game (how will the Suns adjust on the glass? can the Kings beat the same team twice in a row?), and a nerve-wracking two games between two teams who are very close in talent level and playoff hopes. Perhaps most importantly, Phoenix's broadcast is the only one on League Pass so far that has figured out their on-court audio and actually sounds normal. Keep that one in mind! 8/10
Overall: 8.7/10
I also made a Google Form where you can pick all the winners of today's games... I'll link that below. Thought it would be cool to see how Reddit does predicting the winners. I'll close the form at 3:30 when the Mavs and Clips tip off. I'll try to pare this down length-wise if and when I do this again. Thanks for reading!
Pick the winners here!

Philadelphia Eagles (4-9-1) vs Dallas Cowboys (5-9)

As of this writing, the Eagles still have a shot to win the division, which is fortunate or unfortunate depending on what side of that argument you are on, however for that to happen the Redskins have to lose and the Eagles will have to take care of business tomorrow vs the Cowboys to keep that hope alive. The job will not be as easy as the first win where Andy Dalton missed the game and the Eagles faced Ben Narducci. Additionally the Eagles secondary is more banged up this time around. However offensively the Eagles will also look different as they will have Sanders and Desean Jackson who missed the first contest, but perhaps the biggest change will be at QB where Jalen Hurts will be making his 3rd start for the Eagles after two impressive outings vs the Saints and the Cardinals. Hurts will face a Cowboys defense that has been playing much better of late especially at causing turnovers and getting to the QB. Hurts will need to keep what he has been doing and escaping the pocket when he feels it closing on him and getting rid of it when he needs to. I think this game will come down to protecting the football and establishing the run, whichever team can do that should take the W and keep their playoff hopes alive with a Redskins loss.

General Information
Posting Rules and Guidelines
Remember to join us on Discord during the game!
New to the Eagles? Take a look at our New Fan Page!
Score Prediction Contest

Date
Sunday, December 27th, 2020

Game Time	Game Location
4:05 PM - Eastern	AT&T Stadium
3:05 PM - Central	1 AT&T Way
2:05 PM - Mountain	Arlington, TX 76011
1:05 PM - Pacific	Wikipedia - Map

Weather Forecast
Stadium Type: Retractable Roof
Surface: Grass
Temperature: 72°F
Feels Like: 72°F
Forecast: Clear. Windy in the morning.
Chance of Precipitation: 0%
Cloud Coverage: 6%
Wind: Northwest 12 MPH

Betting Odds
Oddsshark Information
Favorite/Opening Line: Eagles -2.5
OveUnder: 49.5
Record VS. Spread: Philadelphia 5-9, Dallas 4-10

Where to Watch on TV
FOX will broadcast Sunday’s game to a regional audience. Kenny Albert will handle the play-by-play duties and Jonathan Vilma will provide analysis. Shannon Spake will report from the sidelines.
TV Map - Week 16 TV Coverage Map

Radio Streams
List of Eagles Radio network member stations with internet broadcast availability
Radio.com 94.1 Desktop Streaming

Listen to Merrill Reese and Mike Quick
Calling the game on 94WIP and the Eagles Radio Network will be Merrill Reese, the NFL’s longest-tenured play-by-play announcer (44th season). Joining Reese in the radio booth will be former Eagles All-Pro wide receiver Mike Quick, while Howard Eskin will report from the sidelines.

Location	Station	Frequency
Philadelphia, PA	WIP-FM	94.1 FM and 610 AM
Allentown, PA	WCTO-FM	96.1 FM
Atlantic City/South Jersey	WENJ-FM	97.3 FM
Levittown, PA	WBCB-AM	1490 AM
Northumberland, PA	WEGH-FM	107.3 FM
Pottsville, PA	WPPA-AM	1360 AM
Reading, PA	WEEU-AM	830 AM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WAFL-FM	97.7 FM
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA	WEJL-FM	96.1 FM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WAFL-FM	97.7 FM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WEJL-AM	630 AM
Salisbury/Ocean City, MD	WBAX-AM	1240 AM
Williamsport, PA	WBZD-FM	93.3 FM
Wilmington, DE	WDEL-FM/AM	101.7 FM
York/LancasteHarrisburg, PA	WSOX-FM	96.1 FM

Philadelphia Spanish Radio
Rickie Ricardo and Bill Kulik will handle the broadcast in Spanish on Mega 105.7 FM in Philadelphia and the Eagles Spanish Radio Network.

Location	Station	Frequency
Philadelphia, PA	LA MEGA	105.7 FM
Allentown, PA	WSAN	1470 AM
Atlantic City, NJ	WIBG	1020 AM; 101.3 FM

Dallas Radio

Dallas Cowboys Radio Network Brad Sham returns for his 42nd season in the Dallas Cowboys radio booth. Beloved by Cowboys fans, Sham's award winning play-by-play has provided the soundtrack to many of the most memorable moments in Dallas Cowboys history. Babe Laufenberg returns as the Network's full-time color analyst. A fixture on the sideline, veteran reporter Kristi Scales provides instant updates from the field.

National Radio
NA

Satellite Radio

Station	Eagles Channel	Cowboys Channel
Sirius Radio	SIRI 137 (Streaming 825)	SIRI 83 (Streaming 823)
XM Radio	XM 380 (Streaming 825)	XM 225 (Streaming 823)
Sirius XM Radio	SXM 380 (Streaming 825)	SXM 225 (Streaming 823)

Eagles Social Media	Cowboys Social Media
Website	Website
Facebook	Facebook
Twitter	Twitter
Instagram	Instagram
Snapchat: Eagles	Snapchat: cowboys

NFC East Standings

NFC EAST	Record	PCT	Home	Road	Div	Conf	PF	PA	Net Pts	Streak
Football Team	6-8	.429	3-4	3-4	3-2	4-6	302	295	+&	1L
Cowboys	5-9	.357	3-4	2-5	1-3	4-6	339	433	-94	2W
Giants	5-9	.357	2-5	3-4	3-2	4-7	122	311	-67	2L
Eagles	4-9-1	.321	3-3-1	1-6	2-2	4-6	163	361	-58	1L

Series Information
The Dallas Cowboys lead the Philadelphia Eagles (69-54)
Series History
Head to Head Box Scores
First Game Played
September 30th, 1960 at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX. Dallas Cowboys 25 - Philadelphia Eagles 27
Points Leader
The Dallas Cowboys lead the Philadelphia Eagles (2659-2424)
Coaches Record
Doug Pederson: 4-5 against the Cowboys
Mike McCarthy: 4-2 against Eagles
Coaches Head to Head
Doug Pederson vs Mike McCarthy: McCarthy leads 2-0
Quarterback Record
Jalen Hurts: Against Cowboys: 0-0
Andy Dalton: Against Eagles: 2-0
Quarterbacks Head to Head
Jalen Hurts vs Andy Dalton: First Meeting
Records per Stadium
Record @ Lincoln Financial Field: Cowboys lead the Eagles: 10-8
Record @ AT&T Stadium: Series tied: 6-6

Rankings and Last Meeting Information
AP Pro 32 Ranking
Eagles No. 22 - Cowboys No. 24
Record
Eagles: 4-9-1
Cowboys: 5-9
Last Meeting
Sunday, November 1st, 2020
Eagles 23 - Cowboys 9
Despite committing four turnovers and being held to a season-low seven first half points, Wentz and the Eagles bumbled their way to a crucial division win over an injury-ravaged Dallas Cowboys team led by rookie quarterback Ben DiNucci. The Cowboys opened the scoring on the game's opening drive with a 49-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein. After a fumble by Wentz gave the Cowboys the ball back, the Eagles regained possession on a DiNucci fumble and took a 7–3 lead on Jalen Reagor's first career touchdown reception. The Cowboys responded with another Zuerlein field goal following Wentz's second fumble, and took a 9–7 halftime lead on a 59-yard field goal (mirroring the halftime score in Dallas in 2017, also played on Sunday Night Football). On the Eagles' second-half opening drive, Wentz would be picked off by Cowboys rookie cornerback Trevon Diggs, who returned the ball to the Dallas 31, but the Cowboys failed to capitalize when Zuerlein's ensuing 52-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right. The Eagles used the momentum swing to regain the lead 15–9 on a 9-yard Travis Fulgham touchdown reception. In the fourth quarter, T.J. Edwards strip-sacked DiNucci, and the ensuing fumble was recovered and returned 53 yards for a touchdown by Rodney McLeod. With the 23–9 win, Philadelphia improved to 3–4–1 on the season heading into their Week 9 bye.
Click here to view the Video recap
Click here to view the Stats Recap

Last 10 Meetings

Date	Winner	Loser	Score
11/1/2020	Eagles	Cowboys	23-9
12/22/2019	Eagles	Cowboys	17-9
10/20/2019	Cowboys	Eagles	37-10
12/9/2018	Cowboys	Eagles	29-23
11/11/2018	Cowboys	Eagles	27-20
12/31/2017	Cowboys	Eagles	6-0
11/19/2017	Eagles	Cowboys	37-9
1/1/2017	Eagles	Cowboys	27-13
10/30/2016	Cowboys	Eagles	29-23
11/8/2015	Eagles	Cowboys	33-27

Injury Reports	Depth Charts
Eagles	Eagles
Cowboys	Cowboys

2020 “Expert” Picks
Week 16 - "Expert" Picks

2020 Team Stats
Eagles Season Stats
Cowboys Season Stats

2020 Stats (Starters/Leaders)

Passing

Name	CMP	ATT	PCT	YDS	TD	INT	RAT
Hurts	49	89	55.1%	647	5	1	92.3
Dalton	165	256	68.0%	1549	11	6	85.6

Rushing

Name	ATT	YDS	YDS/G	AVG	TD
Sanders	149	810	73.6	5.4	5
Elliott	211	832	64.0	3.9	5

Receiving

Name	REC	YDS	YDS/G	AVG	TD
Fulgham	35	497	45.2	14.2	4
Cooper	82	952	68.9	11.6	5

Sacks

Name	Sacks	Team Total
Graham	7.0	44
Lawrence	5.5	26

Tackles

Name	Total	Solo	Assist	Sacks
Singleton	98	62	36	1.0
Smith	133	74	59	1.5

Interceptions

Name	Ints	Team Total
Singleton/McLeod/Mills/Riley/Epps	1	5
Diggs2	7

Punting

Name	ATT	YDS	LONG	AVG	NET	IN 20	TB	BP
Johnston	66	2909	66	47.7	41.3	21	5	0
Niswander	16	759	58	47.4	43.6	7	1	0

Kicking

Name	ATT	MADE	%	LONG	PAT
Elliot	18	13	72.2%	54	20/22
Zuerlein	34	27	79.4%	59	28/31

Kick Returns

Name	ATT	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD
Scott	25	532	21.3	46	0
Pollard	29	705	24.3	67	0

Punt Returns

Name	RET	YDS	AVG	LONG	TD	FC
Ward	17	116	6.8	22	0	17
Lamb	21	168	8.0	27	0	7

League Rankings 2020

Offense Rankings

Category	Eagles Stat	Eagles Rank	Cowboys Stat	Cowboys Rank
Total Offense	332.9	22nd	366.4	15th
Rush Offense	125.6	10th	109.2	19th
Pass Offense	207.4	27th	257.1	11th
Points Per Game	21.6	25th	24.2	18th(t)
3rd-Down Offense	37.0%	29th	40.5%	20th
4th-Down Offense	41.6%	27th	53.3%	18th(t)
Red Zone Offense (TD%)	62.5%	14th	53.5%	26th

Defense Rankings

Category	Eagles Stat	Eagles Rank	Cowboys Stat	Cowboys Rank
Total Defense	360.9	20th	383.6	24th
Rush Defense	125.6	23rd(t)	161.8	32nd
Pass Defense	235.1	16th	221.8	8th
Points Per Game	25.8	21st	30.9	31st
3rd-Down Defense	37.2%	6th	49.2%	29th
4th-Down Defense	38.9%	4th	47.4%	12th
Red Zone Defense (TD%)	65.8%	25th	62.8%	16th(t)

Team

Category	Eagles Stat	Eagles Rank	Cowboys Stat	Cowboys Rank
Turnover Diff.	-7	27th(t)	-6	25th(t)
Penalties/Game	6.4	24th	6.1	22nd
Penalty Yards/Game	49.8	18th	51.3	21st(t)

Connections
Eagles S Jalen Mills was born in Dallas and grew up in DeSoto, TX and went to Desoto High School.
Cowboys DB Coach Al Harris played 5 seasons for the Eagles from 1998-2002.
Cowboys DT Justin Hamilton played one season for the Eagles in 2017.
Cowboys Assistant Director of Video Stephen Gagliardino began his NFL career in 1995 as a ball boy with the Philadelphia Eagles when he was 16 years old, working training camp and game days at Veterans Stadium. He did that for four seasons before moving over to the Eagles video department in 1999, where he worked full time as an intern for three seasons (1999-2001).
Many Cowboys fans were born and raised in the Greater Philadelphia Area, however have no ties to Dallas nor have ever been to the city.
Eagles DT Fletcher Cox and Cowboys QB Dak Prescott played together at Mississippi State University when Prescott was a red shirt freshman.
Eagles OT Lane Johnson is from Groveton, TX and has family who are Cowboys fans including his grandmother who was told “Shut up, if you want to see 75” while she was rooting for the Cowboys.

2020 Pro Bowlers

Eagles	Cowboys
DT Fletcher Cox (Starter)
DE Brandon Graham (Starter)
C Jason Kelce (Starter)

General
Referee: Shawn Smith
Jalen Hurts is the only QB in NFL history to amass 500+ passing yards and 150+ rushing yards in their first 2 career starts (Week 14 vs. New Orleans – 167 passing, 106 rushing; Week 15 at Ar-izona – 338 passing, 63 rushing). In Week 15 at Arizona, Hurts became the first Eagles QB to register 300+ passing yards, 3+ passing TDs and 1+ rushing TDs in a single game since Michael Vick on 11/15/10 at Washington.
Fletcher Cox (T-5th among NFL DTs with 6.5 sacks this season) has collected all of his six career Pro Bowl nods in the last six seasons, tying Pete Pihos (1951-56) for the 2nd-longest streak in franchise history, behind Reggie White (seven, 1987-93). His six Pro Bowls are also the most ever by an Eagles DT.
Jason Kelce now owns the most Pro Bowl selections (four) by a center in Eagles history as well as the 2nd-most by any offensive lineman in team history, trailing only Jason Peters (seven). Kelce has started 103 consecutive regular-season contests, which is the longest active streak among NFL centers.
Brandon Graham has earned his first career Pro Bowl honor after leading the Eagles defense in sacks (7.0), TFLs (12) and QB pres-sures and hits (36) through 14 games. He is one of only three NFL players with 7.0 sacks, 12 TFLs and 2 FFs this season (also Haason Reddick and Za’Darius Smith).

Draft Picks

Eagles	Cowboys
WR Jalen Raegor	WR CeeDee Lamb
QB Jalen Hurts	CB Trevon Diggs
LB Davion Taylor	DT Neville Gallimore
S K’Von Wallace	CB Reggie Robinson II
OT Jack Driscoll	C Tyler Biadasz
WR John Hightower	DE Bradlee Anae
LB Shaun Bradley	QB Ben DiNucci
WR Quez Watkins
OT Prince Tega Wanogho
LB/DE Casey Toohill

Notable Off-season Additions

Eagles	Cowboys
S Will Parks	QB Andy Dalton
DT Javon Hargrave	TE Blake Bell
CB Nickell Robey-Coleman	OT Cameron Erving
CB Darius Slay	DE Aldon Smith
	CB Maurice Canady
	K Greg Zuerlein

Notable Off-season Departures

Eagles	Cowboys
S Malcom Jenkins	WR Tavon Austin
CB Ronald Darby	WR Randall Cobb
RB Jordan Howard	WR Devin Smith
WR Nelson Agholor	TE Jason Witten
OL Halapoulivaati Vaitai	OL Cameron Fleming
LB Kamu Grugler-Hill	C Travis Fredrick
RB Darren Sproles	DE Michael Bennett
DT Timmy Jernigan	DE Kerry Hyder
LB Nigel Bradham	DE Robert Quinn
	DT Maliek Collins
	DT Christian Covington
	DT Daniel Ross
	CB Byron Jones
	S Jeff Heath
	K Kai Forbath

Milestones
Eagles DE Vinny Curry (29) needs 1 sacks to move up to 18th on the Eagles all-time sack list tying DT Jerome Brown

Food for Thought
Dallas' Existential Connection to Philadelphia
::Movie Trailer Guy:: "In a world where people thought having someone named *Dallas Goedert on the Eagles was awkward, the truth is infinitely more awkward yet.*" If I were to tell you the county and city of Dallas might have never come to be, were it not for a prominent political figure in Philadelphian, Pennsylvanian, and national politics named Dallas would you very justifiably lord it over Cowboys fans? Over his career, George Mifflin Dallas served as the Mayor of Philadelphia, US Attorney for the Eastern District of PA, PA Attorney General, US Senator representing PA, Ambassador to Russia and later to the UK, and Vice President under Polk. He'd had Presidential ambitions, but they were dashed when his state support base of iron and coal interests turned their backs upon his tariff support about-face. Well, that and his unfortunate support for popular sovereignty, as it pertained to slavery. The prevailing theory is that in 1841 when the settlement of Dallas, Texas was established, it was named after this gentleman. And thus, Dallas would not exist today if it weren't for Philadelphia. You're welcome.

Matchups to Watch
Jalen Hurts and the Eagles Passing Attack vs. Cowboys Pass Defense
Dallas has a terrible defense that has profited off terrible QB play in their current two game win streak. They enter this contest Sunday going up against Jalen Hurts, who is easily the best QB they've faced since they got rolled by Lamar Jackson. This isn't to go out of the way and praise Jalen Hurts, it's just acknowledging the clear truth that Jalen Hurts is already better than Brian Allen and Nick Mullens. This Cowboys defense is short on talent and coaching which makes this matchup pretty juicy for the Eagles, even if they have a below average WR room. I've long said that Hurts should be an upgrade from Wentz whenever they decided to bench him as the 2020 version of the player was one of the worst QBs in the NFL. All Hurts had to do to be an upgrade from Wentz was eliminate the crushing negative plays, which he has. Additionally, he's been pretty good as a passer, showing growth from his time at OU in this short period of time. You'll never mistake him for having a live arm, but he plays with poise and throws with anticipation. That kind of time and anticipation can create a lot of plays through the air like we saw against the Cardinals. This offensive coaching staff still has the kid gloves on for Hurts with what they are calling, but what the offense has done thus far should be able to move the ball against this mediocre defense. Dallas struggles to defend anything which gives Reagor a chance to actually do something. Desean Jackson will play Sunday and should make an impact in however many snaps he's able to play.
Eagles Rushing Offense vs Dallas Rushing Defense
The only thing Dallas does worse than pass defense is rush defense. Since Hurts has been named the starter in Philly, the Eagles rushing attack has gotten much better. The single biggest reason for this is how defenses have to account for Jalen Hurts in the running game. The Eagles offensive line has been quite banged up this year but is still pretty good at creating holes in the running game for the RBs. Hurts naturally adds a different element to this area of the offense. Miles Sanders is slowly getting better at reading rushing lanes and actually getting tough yards vice trying to bounce carries outside. Oftentimes the OL will create rushing lanes for modest gains that can keep the offense on schedule but the RB tries to do too much and costs the offense yards. The Cowboys are the worst in the NFL allowing 5 yards per carry to opposing offenses. They've allowed the most 20+ rushing plays in the NFL. They've allowed the most first downs rushing. And they've allowed the most yards rushing in the NFL. This is a bad rush defense going up against the rushing attack that has always been able to create on the ground when they commit to it enough. I wouldn't expect a different outcome here on Sunday.
Eagles Secondary vs. Dallas Wide Receivers
This is one of the biggest mismatches in the game on Sunday but has less of a significance with Andy Dalton in at QB vice Dak Prescott, though it is a bigger challenge than Ben DiNucci. The Eagles will have Darius Slay on Sunday after clearing the concussion protocol this week. He'll likely see a lot of Amari Cooper on Sunday even though Schwartz hasn't used Slay a ton as a travel corner this season. Even if he does, the Cowboys still have Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb at receiver and they should be expected to win their matchups against the Eagles secondary consistently on Sunday. Avonte Maddox will miss the game; even if he played, he’s not good enough to give Gallup or Lamb much of a fight. As always, the Eagles will need their defensive line to create pressure and force Andy Dalton into mistakes which will aid the secondary; that's a matchup I would expect the Eagles DL to win pretty easily. It's another thing to ensure the Eagles secondary has this WR room in check. This secondary needs to play disciplined throughout this contest to give the defensive line time to feast. One major feature of opposition game planning we regularly see used against our defense is the quick passing game. Part of this is due to the nature of our secondary. The other reason for this is it helps neutralize a pass rush. The difference between 2.3 and 2.5 seconds in average time to throw is massive in a DL/OL mismatch like this one. Dalton is a fine backup QB at this point in his career and he is more than capable of making a mediocre secondary like Philly pay for mistakes.

Special thanks abenyishay and MikeTysonChicken for his help in creating this Game Preview.

Just about all of you are weighing in on the Deshaun Watson controversy and the hiring of the new head coach. I expect Watson, or his people, to make an official trade demand soon, and we’ll see where it goes from there. They can trade him or let him sit out, if it comes to that. I hope it doesn’t get James Harden ugly.
If you’re venting and don’t ask for an answer, I’ll just run your comment.
The Watson controversy could drag on for a long time. Meanwhile, general manager Nick Caserio is getting closer to recommending a new coach to Cal McNair, who’ll sign off on it.
There’s a good chance the next head could be a coordinator in the AFC Championship Game — Buffalo defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier or Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. I think Indianapolis defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus is a strong candidate, too.
Q: Does anybody really know what’s going on with Watson? No doubt he is a tremendous talent and I have always gotten the impression a stand-up guy. All the news/ESPN hype aside why hasn’t he stated his position. What the news is reporting is second- or third-hand information. I don’t believe in Twitter, etc., to communicate in a situation like this. The owner, GM and Watson needs to sit down and talk. If there is a problem or issue, lay it out on the table. They all need to man up. If Watson doesn’t want to be a Texan after they gave him the contract and money, Watson needs to move on. McNair owns the club, you may not agree with how everything is done but he is the owneboss. I hope Watson decides he wants to be a Texan, but that is his call. If not he is a distraction and remember there is no I in team. — Bill B.
A: Sitting down and talking makes too much sense, Bill. So far, Watson hasn’t said what he wants. It’s all come from unnamed sources close to Watson.
Q: The rhetoric around Deshaun displeasure seems to be escalating. My personal opinion is that Deshaun shows a lot of audacity demanding that the owner of the company he works for must consult with him on who he hires to be his boss. Any other industry and he would be in the parking lot with a pink slip in his hand. But then I'm an old guy and not in tune with today’s youth. My question is in regard to his contract. If he stays mad and won't play and demands a trade are the Texans obligated to trade him, or can they not pay him for showing up for work and hold him accountable for the length of the contract? — Eric R.
A: Times have changed, Eric. Some agents and players in the NFL want it to be like the NBA, where the agents and players control so much, like who goes where. If Watson sits, he doesn’t get paid. If he sits out the season, he loses credit for the season and has to start over in 2022. He can do like James Harden and make it so ugly they have to trade him, but I can’t imagine Watson doing what Harden did. That’s not the Deshaun I’ve covered since the day he was drafted.
Q: Does McNair’s decision to keep Easterby send the message to Deshaun (and the others in the locker room that consider Jack toxic) that Easterby is more valuable to the Texans organization than Deshaun. Cal called the Easterby criticism “unjustified.” I get it — it’s unjustified, to Cal. But isn’t it totally justified to 85 to 90 of the locker room (if the Sports Illustrated article and interviews are accurate). — David M.
A: I don’t know what the other players think. Charles Omenihu said at a charity event this week he didn’t have a problem with Easterby. Brandin Cooks, who met Easterby at New England, has praised him, too. What McNair is saying is that nobody is going to tell him to hire or fire, like the owner of most businesses I know.
Q: I know you keep reassuring everyone Watson isn’t going anywhere, but the situation seems to be escalating. The Texans are finding more and interesting ways to keep the fans churned up. It is like a tempest in a teapot. One issue you touched on is will the Texans be able to attract the right candidate if they don’t get this Watson situation fixed. McNair seems to be willing to win the battle at the cost of the war. I am so disgusted with that organization for being so out of touch. One question about Easterby. Is it his ties to OB or is he doing things in the organization to create divisiveness? I can’t understand how somebody can be this polarizing to so many people within the organization and so popular with management. None of this makes sense! — Randy S.
A: You’re right about it not making sense, Randy. I think players and fans believe every bad decision OB made was also made by Easterby. I know many don’t like that Easterby has his fingerprints on so many parts of the organization rather than staying in his lane like he did with the Patriots. But McNair has given him that authority, and Easterby answers to only one person.
Q: I don’t really understand what Easterby did that was so offensive to Watson and Andre Johnson. It’s like the teacher going to the superintendent and telling him to fire the principal. But in this case, Easterby doesn’t directly work with Watson. You’ve been at the Chronicle a long time and are highly respected, but you don’t tell the publisher what to do or you wouldn't be there much longer. — Joe T.
A: You’ve got that right, Joe, but times are different today. Players and agents want control. The Texans negotiated a contract in good faith for $156 million, and they don’t want to trade Watson. They’ve done nothing but praise him to the high heavens. But if Watson is determined to get traded, it’s going to deteriorate. McNair apologized to Watson for the miscommunications on the Caserio hire. McNair and Caserio assured everyone they’d keep Watson updated on the coaching search. ESPN reported Sunday that Watson won’t return their calls. If that’s the case, how does he keep up with their coaching search?
Q: Why do people not like Easterby? Evidently McNair is one of the few who support him. Watson deserves to have some input. We wasted too many years with O’Brien. — Carole R.
A: I’m not exactly sure why they don’t like him, Carole, other than his close association with OB, being part of a total collapse in a disastrous season, having Watson and Andre Johnson taking public shots at him. Nobody has detailed what they don’t like.
Q: Watson's feud. Another employee that wants to be boss. And a rich one at that. Really never heard about Easterby until lately. Let's not forget that Cal McNair let O'Brien take over. O'Brien along with McNair, will never be forgiven here in Houston for giving Hopkins away. Hiring a coach means more to your readers/fans than anything a guy like Caserio could. You've been here. You know as much as anyone, maybe more. Can anyone point McNair in the right direction? Let's see. Caserio has been here a week! Please continue to keep us aware. — Lyn B.
A: Caserio has been in personnel for 19 of his 21 years in the NFL, Lyn. There was no personnel director more deserving of getting a chance to become personnel director than Caserio. It’s going to take a lot of work, starting with the new coach and his staff.
Q: Once again I enjoyed your Mailbag this week. Under one of the Chronicle pictures of Deshaun Watson in said he was unhappy with his lack of involvement in searches for GM and coach. How can he be unhappy when his paycheck hits the bank each week. Someone should remind him that he was hired to be the QB, not the GM or coach. And I do mean sit him down for a little owner-to-QB session and remind him who signs those paychecks since he wants to talk to McNair so badly. Sounds like another entitlement issue to me. Quite frankly, I think he gets too much credit and week after week he makes his share of mistakes that contribute to losses. Not sure why the masses are willing to look beyond that. How could the Texans give him any more than they have already? As far as his no-trade clause, the backup quarterback position might just show him a bit of humility or appreciation for where he is and what he has. Time for someone to put these prima donnas in their place. With a good GM and a good coach in place the Texans can do better without him as the starting QB. Let him watch a few Texan wins from the bench for awhile and let’s see how much input he thinks he should have in GM and head coach hires. — Will W.
A: Will, Watson won’t be sitting on the bench. If he’s here, he’s starting. If he’s not, he’s starting somewhere else.
Q: I am a Chronicle subscriber, have read your column for years. I read how the Texans re-did Andre's contract. Then he was an assistant (or similar) in recent years. I understand Andre taking up for Deshaun but I do not understand such sharpness being tweeted out. That seems completely unlike the Andre that the public knows. How was Andre so wronged? — Ed K.
A: He wasn’t wronged, Ed. I think when he suggested that Watson stand his ground and then ripped Easterby, he was telling us what he thinks.
Q: Watson not happy? Let's kiss his butt to make him happy. Last time I checked he was an employee, not a part owner. Many employees are not happy with certain things in their workplace, but they get over it. Show him the door. — Gene C.
Q: OK, it’s crunch time. My opinion, hiring Bieniemy or possibly Frazier is the only thing that keeps Watson. — Scott M.
A: I’m guessing it’s got to be more than that, Scott.
Q: I think I’ve finally reached my tipping point. That is saying a lot after a year like 2020. The Harden situation was surprisingly easier. I’m a die-hard Rockets and basketball fan. I’ve had season tickets or have been buying tickets since 1991. And yet when it comes to Harden, good riddance. Take it somewhere else. Watson is a whole different deal. While the old-school part of me laughs a little at the Gen Y and Gen X demands and attitudes, that train has left the station. When you give a “kid” $100-200 million it’s hard to expect the maturity or experience of someone in their more developed years. That said, how could McNair let this get so bad? Not sure what to believe in this world of blogger news, but where there is smoke, there is fire. I guess as long as Cal believes we will keep buying tickets and watching on TV then he too can do what he wants. I will say if Watson goes, I will be remorsefully selling my PSLs at first opportunity. Even if our new GM pulled of a Herschel Walker-like trade. I believe in loyalty. It’s important in life. But there is nothing Easterby can be providing that outweighs the damage that seems well documented in and out of the organization. It’s just unbelievable to me and frankly bums me out. I handled the Astros. I’m OK with the Rockets. I’ve accepted the mask. I’ve accepted the election. I just can’t get my head around the situation with Watson. — Keith C.
A: I imagine many of us feel like you do, Keith.
Q: By the way, I’m tired of the sophomoric name-calling in many of your e-mails. You should be able to make your point without stooping to name-calling, right? Thank you. — Mike A.
A: The e-mails have been better this week, Mike. Thank everyone for ditching the name-calling. I’ve deleted several e-mails because I don’t want to take the time to edit out the name-calling.
Q: Congratulations on the Cal McNair interview about Easterby. National media giving you credit for it as well. The news about McNair being so entrenched was nauseating at best but at least it provides certainty. Let's hope the players can convince Caserio to wall him off from them so he isn't a distraction. I sincerely hope fans are allowed in the stadium next year so they can provide direct feedback to McNair and his boss. I can think of no other situation in American business when a subordinate has withstood this much hostility and venom. Maybe in a cult, but not a business. How terribly unfortunate. Thanks for being the messenger. — Ray M.
A: Thanks very much, Ray.
Q: I read your articles and watch your videos. Cal McNair apologized for his actions or communications that created mistrust. Few hours after that Deshaun Watson puts another cryptic tweet about 2 and 10. Why does such a smart player and good person put out such tweets that hurt the reputation of the team and ownership? Is he misguided? Wish tweets could be used to spread positivity, awareness on social issues instead of riling public opinion against team ownership. Why is it hard for players to sort out differences directly as grown-up adults instead of washing dirty linen in public? I want Deshaun to stay in Houston but these cryptic tweets and media leaks (anonymous sources) are beginning to damage his reputation as well. — Jeevan R.
A: It’s a new era, Jeevan. That’s just the way a lot of people operate today. One-on-one communication seems to be a thing of the past.
Q: If Easterby was such a help to the organization here are some suggested comments McNair might have made:

1. You know we could not have pulled off the trading of Hopkins without his help, this was a really successful moment for our franchise, he advised O'Brian perfectly on this trade.
   
2. Why would people question the decision to keep Easterby, after all who would listen to Andre or Watson, they were just players and you can never get enough advice for someone who has been in New England
   
3. Our new GM needed to have friends around to support his decision making and Easterby is that guy
   
4. Why should I listen to a quarterback or a retired wideout when choosing a GM, after all I have Easterly to advise me, let Watson vacation in Cabo
   
5. Andre simply has not gotten to know "Jackie" like I have.
   
6. You will see when our team advised by my close buddy Jack Easterby chooses our head coach. No I do not think a quarterback of a losing team should have any say, why would I think of that? After all he is not Elway or Manning or even Blanda. You will see Easterby's worth when we choose the new coach.
   

Sorry David Barron is retiring, you now have to be the old wise owl. — Don H.
A: We’re all sorry Barron is retiring, Don. He leaves a huge hole in our sports coverage and will be missed by so many of us.
Q: On the coaching search by Texans, this year it seems the new slogan for teams looking for the HC is a leader of men. In a football world of Alphas, not all coaches and players are Alphas. Bill O'Brien wasn't necessarily an Alpha. Mike Vrabel was an Alpha, as evidenced by the many complimentary comments from Texan players during Vrabel's time here. It's been no surprise to me that the Titans have excelled under Vrabel's stewardship. He's supported by a good GM who has had some recently productive drafts. I won't be surprised when the Titans go Super Bowling. How does an NFL owner or GM identify that Alpha quality in a HC candidate? — Roy S.
A: It’s pretty easy to identify, Roy, if you know what you're doing, have a lot of experience in the NFL and have a lot of contacts to investigate candidates’ strengths and weaknesses.
Q: It seems like almost everybody has agreed that Watson will be traded. I don’t think Caserio will do that, but what do you think it takes for Watson and the Texans to get their relationship back on track? And do you think this has hurt the search for a new HC? Med venlig hilsen. — Kristian S.
A: I don’t think it’s hurt the search, Kristian. There are only 32 of these jobs in the world, and they’re coveted by so many. Not to mention the new coach will probably get about $5 mil a year — lots more than an assistant coach. Med venlig hilsen to you, too.
Q: If Watson does not trust Easterby, and Caserio has said that they have a long-term relationship, don't you think it's just better for them to part ways? Get someone who wants to be here and can buy in to what Caserio is building, otherwise there will always be some kind of drama. Watson seems to be a great guy, but he wants to be at a place where he feels like he's respected, clearly he feels that he has not been, right or wrong! I don't care how much money you make, nobody wants to go to work looking over their shoulder every day. Sounds like a clean break is needed. I'd hate to see him go, but hey they traded Olajuwon! — Robert T.
A: Why would Watson have to look over his shoulder every day, Robert? Perhaps they will make a clean break. Perhaps it’ll get real ugly like Harden. Or maybe they can work it out if Watson wants to work it out.
Q: With Cal "running” things, Texans deserve what they get. But the fans don’t deserve this crap. Jack Easterby is now a known problem — nationwide — but Cal can’t see it. Respected SI writers go on for pages about his crap. Cal: unjustified and we own it in the building. It's beyond reproach that the building is an abject disaster. Did Cal say why he is retaining JE? Did he say why, when it's jeopardizing the team, Deshaun, the fans, etc; was he asked to address and respond to the litany of the events outlined in the SI article? Was he asked if 20 percent of that is true, all is probably true, Why is JE being retained? Did he answer why he is being retained when, according to O’Brien, he was intimately involved in all the horrendous decisions since he arrived? If he wasn’t asked these things, then why not?? These are the questions that 90 plus percent of Texans fans deserve answers to. And last, was he asked why, in view of all of the press and backlash, locally and nationwide, he hasn’t had a press conference so that he can field questions from a variety, not just insiders? Cal is damn lucky he’s here in Houston, and not another city where the media and fans demand performance and are exacting in their review. See Philly! Firing a pretty damn good coach who Texans ought to consider, but JE won’t approve, so no chance. Not to mention not even interviewing Saleh and asking for Bieniemy 2 weeks late. The ticket holders should boycott! Once Cal’s cash train comes to a grinding halt, maybe things will change. — Steve C.
A: Steve, I guess you missed McNair answering every question the media had about Easterby on the Zoom call with the media. I guess you missed what’s been reported over and over: It’s Caserio’s search and hire. As soon as he got here for his first day on the job, he notified the league he wanted to interview five coaches, including Bieniemy. And I guess you’ve missed all those times it’s been written, broadcast and tweeted: McNair says Easterby is here because the owner thinks he does a good job. No other explanation is necessary.
Q: Shades of the Houston Oilers. Reminds me of the yesterdays when Bud Adams didn't know what he was doing. McNair standing up for a man that was totally bamboozled and steamrolled by Bill O'Brien is a joke. It just tells me that the owner doesn't have a clue about football management. Mr. McNair seems to be a good man, and a man that knows how to make money. But his personnel skills are lacking. By standing up for Easterby, he has endorsed the failures of the past 5 years under O'Brien. The man that dismantled the Texans and left them non-competitive. But Deshaun knows Easterby is zero help. Why didn't Deshaun say something before or after he signed his huge contract? Why did J.J. Watt wait so long to speak out? Easterby was there to listen to them. I predict the Texans will continue to lose for the next 5 years. New coach? Who wants this job? Texans will have to beg to get a coach. Interviews mostly with retreads Jim Caldwell, Marvin Lewis? Are you kidding me? Losers. Watt will be gone to a potential championship team like Green Bay. The Texans will not beat the Jaguars again. You will see what real coaching does. Watson will remain unhappy and frustrated fans will still buy tickets, based on a sales pitch. Easterby will get it done. Seen it all before. Thank God I don't have season tickets with a seat license. — Kelley J.
A: I disagree about failure for the last five years with OB. Winning four division titles in five years and two playoff games isn’t failure. Let’s be fair. The Texans have interviewed eight candidates, including five who’ve never been a head coach. By the way, some other retreads who’d been fired: Bill Belichick, Pete Carroll, Tony Dungy, Marty Schottenheimer, Dan Reeves, Andy Reid, Jon Gruden and Gary Kubiak, just to name a few.
Q: I'm from Boston and subscribe to Texas Sports Nation to read your stuff. We had a sportscaster named Bob Lobel who would show highlights of former players and say, "why can't we get guys like that." I hope Nick and Easterby (who reminds me of Rasputin and I'm glad he's Houston's problem) ship him (Watson) to New England. Stranger things have happened. More likely the Jets for Darnold and great picks. — Vic L.
A: Vic, what do you have to offer for Watson to go to the Patriots to work with Belichick and Josh McDaniels.
Q: I’m sure I’m not telling you anything you don’t know, but in my view, regardless of how his role evolved, a critical part of Easterby’s position was to maintain a good relationship with players. Most of all, the team leaders such as Deshaun Watson. If he has not done this, he has failed at a significant part of his job. Just like with any other job, I don’t really think it matters what the reasons are. He has obviously failed at it. Personally I try to form my opinions from the information I have available to me. There is a lot of information out there regarding Deshaun Watson, from his childhood, to college, to NFL. He does not appear to be someone to me that is unreasonable or difficult to deal with. If he was, then maybe this breakdown with Easterby would be excusable. I think where there is smoke, there is fire. And there is just too much smoke around players having problems with Easterby. So, in my opinion, McNair keeping him around may not be the easy way out, but it also may not be the right decision. I just don’t think it should have been that hard for Easterby to maintain those relationships. Sometimes in life if situations degrade then it just needs to be changed, regardless of the perspectives of those involved. — David G.
A: David, Easterby’s job has nothing to do with his relationship with players. That was at New England. He’s the executive vice president of football operations who works closely with the GM who has final say on all football decisions.
Q: McNair’s every word, action and decision show he is simply not intelligent enough to be an NFL owner. The smartest thing Cal McNair could do is find someone smart enough to operate the Texans football franchise and step out of the way. Maybe that person is Nick Caserio? Maybe that is the new real question? — Deanne N.
A: The idea, Deanne, is for Caserio to hire the coach to be the face of the franchise, and McNair and Easterby slip into the background.
Q: Texans fans badly need to understand the what and why the Texans have completely fallen apart since the playoff game last year against Kansas City. While Bill O’Brien had not won a Super Bowl, he had considerable success and seemed on the brink of winning the big one. The crazy trades, the demise of any defense, all this attention of Jack Easterby, etc. What does he do that is good or bad? It appears that with the passing of Bob McNair, things have deteriorated greatly. The Chronicle needs some in-depth reporting on the matter to the benefit of those paying the tab. No diatribe from the two columnists, please. — Charles M.
A: Charles, if I had a dollar for every time I’ve written about the demise of the Texans dating back to the second quarter of the Kansas City playoff game I could buy out Cal McNair.
Q: I take it you watched the Bills vs Baltimore playoff game. The Bills beat Lamar Jackson badly. That drops the stock of Balt's OC. They couldn't do that against Watson. That game only made Watson more priceless. There's not another QB in the NFL capable of the DW4 heroic plays. But what does Houston gain by declaring him untradeable? If the D can't improve substantially during his contract, he's going to leave Houston when it expires. Doesn't it make more sense to ask for a king’s ransom now? Hypothetically speaking, if Houston were to trade him, where does Chicago rank as a trade partner? All things considered, can Houston rebound defensively and compete for the AFC crown next year? — Juan B.
A: Watson has a no-trade clause. I doubt seriously he’d agree to be traded to the Bears. I don’t think the Texans can compete for the AFC crown next season, Juan. If they trade Watson, they’ll compete for the first pick in the draft.
Q: What would happen if J.J. Watt and Deshaun Watson both say they don’t want to play for the Texans as long as Easterby is in the building? What would happen if the Texans hire a coach that Deshaun Watson isn’t happy with? Easterby knows that he is toxic amongst the best players on the team and Cal knows that. What if Watson says I’m not coming unless Easterby is gone or if J.J. Watt says I’m not coming back to camp unless Easterby is gone? I feel bad for Caserio. — Glen K.
A: I feel bad for Caserio, too, Glen. He’s waited 20 years for a chance to become a GM and he starts with this mess.
Q: Hard to imagine the hold Easterby has on McNair. His background purportedly was as a character coach when he was brought in. Instead he has apparently done only one thing right — ingratiating himself with McNair and Caserio. It’s hard to imagine we may lose an unbelievable talent like Watson because of a character like Easterby. His skill set was supposed to be building team chemistry. He has done a tremendous job of doing the exact opposite. It sounds like players see him for what he is, a poser. Amazing! Casserio could salvage everything by calling Bieniemy and offering him the job immediately. Watching KC’s offense and the higher level creativity is just too good to pass on. Or we can take the safe route, dawdle and get stuck with whomever is left and have that as an excuse. Fortunately, it will probably be a defensive coach and we will need a great D without Deshaun here. — Mike D.
Q: I am a daily reader. I just got through reading the Sports Illustrated article online about Easterby. I'm trying to figure out other than the fact that he prays, what is the specific issue. Maybe everybody's avoiding coming right out and saying it due to a legal liability, but I have been unable to find anything other than vague references to the fact that Easterby's being here has somehow caused the Texans to play terribly. I also have not seen anything in the media that says a billionaire has to run his business according to public opinion which may not even represent the majority. I'm not a defender of either person, it just seems that there's a lot of smoke and not the whole lot of specific fire. No one wants to lose so maybe that's the biggest thing. Why Deshaun Watson at 25 thinks he should be able to dictate to the people who pay him a hundred and fifty million dollars is still a puzzle to me. According to SI online when asked why Caserio wasn't on their list, Korn Ferry said they knew that he was already on the Texans list so they did not add his name. I have not seen this detail in any local media, which seems to make the issue of Caserio not being on Korn Ferry list something that we should think about. — Charles W.
A: Charles, I don’t give a damn about Korn Ferry. Jed Hughes recommended they hire Brian Schottenheimer as their head coach, and he was fired by Seattle. A search firm is paid to compile information and make recommendations. This was the third time the Texans tried to interview Caserio dating back to 2017 when they had to replace Rick Smith. Caserio is one of the most respected personnel men in the NFL. That’s not debatable. Who gives a hoot if he was on the Korn Ferry list?
Q: I have no insight into the operation of a football organization. My Ph.D. is in management and have a very good understanding of organizations outside of football. I don't understand the upset QB and I am guessing many of his supporters. Let me frame my question. The CEO runs the company. His/her direct reports are probably VP's, then there are managers and report to them are various staff. I was once a college president. If a hot shot staff member had demanded that he/she be part of the selection of a VP or their direct boss I would tell them they have no business selecting senior members of my staff and I would guess that other CEO's would tell the staff member the same thing or would no longer have a job. Here is my question. Why does Watson think he should be in or hiring Caserio or the next head coach? — Rudy S.
A: That’s the way it is in just about every business, Rudy, but not the business of sports.
Q: I have not written to a newspaper writer in my 71 years on this earth, but I am highly disappointed in what is going on with the Texans. I have been a season ticket holder since 2003 and have stood by the team each year be it good or bad. Deshaun Watson has lost my respect as a player and a person. He has lowered himself to acting like a spoiled NBA player. He is paid to play football not manage the team. People are down on Jack Easterby but no reasons have been put forth for their dissatisfaction. So what is the story? The McNair family owns the franchise and funds it so that makes them the boss. I would like to see Deshaun play for the Texans but what he is doing right now is destructive and stirring up trouble for the team, fans and ticket holders. This kind of behavior is going to drive away ticket holders. A sad season ticket holder. — Jo Ann C.
A: Many feel as you do, Jo Ann. Unfortunately, times are different. Agents and players have a lot more power than they used to.
Q: It’s sad that a premier QB is now executive management. He should do his job and improve like not throw 1 interception ever again. So now we’ve established no one’s perfect, lets address coaching. Texans hired great GM, let him do his job. — Stephen G.
A: I agree, Stephen, to let Caserio do what he was hired to do.
Q: I'm heartened by last week's Mailbag participants whose concerns I shared about religion and hiring within the Texans organization. And thank you for your enlightening information in that regard. Should Deshaun Watson (or anyone) have been angered that Bieniemy wasn't interviewed before Caserio was hired to search for a coach? That confusion seems like an easy thing to smooth over. If not and Watson leaves, the organization would no longer be qualified to represent the great city of Houston. Especially after the excellent season Watson had. I'm not sure which he needed less, the support of a running game or Bill O'Brien calling plays. Am I wrong in thinking if Jamey Rootes resigns, as he was rumored to want to after all the reported GM hiring chaos, it means all that reported chaos is true? In which case, aside from Watson leaving, Rootes departing would also be a strong indictment of Cal McNair's management. If the Texans hire a defensive coordinator as head coach, does that mean Tim Kelly has a chance to stay on? — Tim K.
A: I should point out, Tim, that you’re not the Tim Kelly. I’ve said all along I thought it was a waste of time to interview a candidate before the GM was hired. Caserio is running the search, and McNair will sign off on his recommendation. I think Kelly has a chance to stay no matter who they hire. Watson wants him, and he helped Watson have his best season.
Q: What value does Jack Easterby bring to the Texans organization? How much value does this man hold if keeping him around could cost the team the one thing an NFL team needs to succeed - a transcendent quarterback. With the SI articles, it's clear there's something rotten in NRG. You keep saying Watson won't be traded, but every day that goes by is a day that the possibility increases. Firing Easterby would be the beginning of mending fences. I don't think McNair and Caserio are willing to do it. Houston seems to have got lucky to be able to interview Eric Bieniemy due to the bad press about the lack of Black coaches being hired this offseason. Although there's a limited number of these jobs, it seems to be less desirable with Easterby in the building. Can you just explain, what does that man do? If it's to provide comfort, it ain't working. It would be better the Texans bring in rescue puppies and kittens in to pet once a week. — Louis E.
A: His job isn’t to provide comfort, Louis. He’s the executive vice president of football operations. He does things on the football side to help the GM, who has final say. Easterby’s involved in everything on the football side and some things on the business side.
Q: Instead of being a reporter, how about being the GM of the Texans for a day. Granted you aren’t able to interview the coaching prospects or D4, but if you had the chance to pull the strings what would you do for coach, QB and other positions you feel need to be addressed. — Mike P.
A: I’d bring in the two or three finalists for in-person interviews. Then, I’d make my recommendation to McNair. After he signs off on it, the coach would be hired. The coach and I would sit down and figure out a way to get Watson to communicate with us. We’d offer to fly to where he is for some one-on-one communication. I might even bring my OC, Tim Kelly, along since Watson was adamant he wanted to keep Kelly as the play-caller.
Q: You have certainly added logs on them. Marketing fire to help Caserio maintain the less than stellar historical glow of the burdened mid market Texans! Honestly, in my 35 years living my life in Texas, which I continue to celebrate; for the life of my I still wonder how we get mid market and Houston disproved as in the same sentence! Stay strong John! — Bob B.
Q: The history of the Texans success is directly related to their players injuries each season. Recognition of this should be the team’s primary goal for its future. Miami coach Don Shula installed a program to prevent player injuries, and that likely played significantly in their success. If ever a team needed such a program, it's the Houston Texans. — Don S.

Happy Wednesday, NFL! Hope everyone is doing well today. We're coming up on the holiday season and we have another set of great games coming our way. Last week, I went on another blandly even stretch, going 7-7 and bringing me to 96-51. How did everyone else do? We have four more teams on byes. We also have only three divisional games, promising some unique interconference matchups. Let's get to it!

Winner		Loser	Comments
Seahawks	over	Cardinals	We start of with a great matchup. The Cardinals won a thriller in the first meeting and are coming off an emotional Hail Mary victory last week. Wilson needs to clean up the turnovers after throwing for seven INTs the last four weeks. Seattle gets the rematch, but it's close.
Browns	over	Eagles	The Browns had the return of Chubb last week that ignited the running game. Chubb and Hunt work against the Eagles' 26th-ranked run D, even if Wentz makes it interesting.
Saints	over	Falcons	Always a close matchup, regardless of records. Brees will be out, so Winston will probably be starting, with a dash of Taysom throughout. The Falcons rank 31st against the pass. It's another chance for Kamara and Thomas to shine, with a little bit of Cook and Callaway thrown in.
Bengals	over	Washington	Clash of No. 1 picks. Smith has back-to-back 300-yd games, but Washington lost by a FG both times. This will be a showcase for the top two picks in last year's draft with Burrow and Young. Burrow leads a last-minute victory for Cincinnati.
Lions	over	Panthers	Big cat matchup. Not sure which trend to take with the Lions Detroit is 2-4 ATS as an underdog, but they are 3-2 S/U in one-score games. Teddy's status is uncertain, and I think the Lions will to get back to .500.
Steelers	over	Jaguars	The Jaguars are double-digit underdogs for the second straight week, but the difference will be an aggressive Steelers' defense that will force Luton into turnovers. Pittsburgh improves to 10-0 behind Big Ben, who continues to spread the wealth to a his receivers.
Ravens	over	Titans	Tough pick to make. The Titans throttled the Ravens in the playoffs last season behind Henry, and the Ravens have to answer after a SNF flop last week. Jackson delivers here, but it won't be easy.
Patriots	over	Texans	The Patriots have won back-to-back games and could make a second-half push. Newton hasn't thrown an INT in three games, and if that trend continues New England will stay in the hunt.
Dolphins	over	Broncos	So yeah, this is us now picking the Dolphins every week. Miami has the second-longest winning streak in the NFL at five games, and Tua is playing efficient, mistake-free football. He gives Elway another glimpse at what a true franchise QB can do.
Chargers	over	Jets	The Chargers are struck in a three-game losing streak, and they have given up 29 points or more in six straight games. If the Jets were going to get that first victory, then this might be the spot. Rookie Herbert won't let it happen.
Packers	over	Colts	Another great matchup. The Packers opened as the favorites, but the line shifted to Indy. Rivers is 1-3 as a starter against the Packers, but he averages 372 YPG in those. Rodgers matches that in a fourth-quarter thriller.
Vikings	over	Cowboys	The Cowboys had a bye week to figure out the latest QB plan, but the bigger issue will be slowing down Cook on the road. Minnesota continues to push back into the playoff picture with yet another victory.
Chiefs	over	Raiders	The Chiefs were double-digit favorites ahead of their first matchup, and the Raiders sprung a 40-32 upset. Vegas is playing like a playoff team, but the Chiefs learned their lesson. KC won't forget about the running game this time around, but the Raiders will make them earn it.
Buccaneers	over	Rams	A close one. The Rams have been favored in their last six games, so it's rare chance to play underdog. Tampa is 5-0 when it scores 30 points or more, so L.A.'s best bet would be if this doesn't turn into a shootout.

Byes: Bills, Bears, Giants, 49ers
Those are my predictions, let's hear yours. Keep it civil and fun. Best of luck!
Playoff Picture with my picks.
Update: 6-8, pretty gruesome.

After a 10-0 night on the sports betting side of windailsports.com one of our subscribers took two $100 dollar bets and turned it into almost 80 grand last night! I asked boss man if I could share the love on reddist so that anyone who wanted could take advantage of the arrival of Mike North, one of the best minds in the sports betting industry and the recent run we have been on and he said to go for it. So here you go ladies and gentlemen.
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Cash with Flash has NBA, NCAAB & NHL Predictions for tonight!!
Glad to see you and we hope that your sports betting endeavors are going well. It’s been difficult handicapping professional sporting contests but if you’ve been tailing me, listening to my show, or read my books then you have been making money.
Cash with Flash Best Bets has 2020-2021 season-long totals of 66-53-1 for NFL football, 48-21 in NCAAF, 40-29 for NCAAB, 15-9 in NHL, 53-31-1 in the NBA, and 85-45 for tennis this season.
Had you wagered $100 dollars on each pick we offered you’d be ahead of the game by about $10,000 since September 8, 2020. That’s not too shabby.
Tuesday was a terrific bounce-back day. We went 3-0 on the day and improved our Win Daily Sports record to 4-4.
Yup, just like that we erased a tough Monday night.
I employ a fixed-unit system of bankroll management. I explain this system and its nuances (along with other systems) in my books but the gist of it goes like this; I play one unit on every contest I have an edge in. No more and no less. I’m able to do this because I have a career winning percentage of 56.6 percent and winning at a 62 percent clip this season.
It’s not the sexiest way of doing things that’s for sure but it does work for me. Let’s see what we have on tap for today!
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NBA 2020-2021 Money Line Leaders
1). New York Knicks +3.7
2). Charlotte Hornets +3.6
3). Chicago Bulls +3.1
4). Utah Jazz +2.7
5). Detroit +2.5
NBA 2020-201 ATS Leaders
1). New York Knicks (13-13) +3.7
2). Charlotte Hornets (14-11-1) +3.6
3). Chicago Bulls (14-10) +3.1
4). Utah Jazz (18-7) +3.1
5). Detroit Pistons (+3)
Wager $10 on DET📷To Beat IND:$22.25Lose by less than 3:$19.09To Lose:$16.83 (13-10-1) +2.5
NBA 2020-2021 Totals Leaders
1). Brooklyn Nets (19-8 over record) +6.0
2). Denver Nuggets (18-6 over record) +5.6
3). Milwaukee Bucks (15-9-1 over record) +4.9
4). Detroit Pistons (14-10) +3.7
5). Chicago Bulls (13-11) +3.3
We have five games on the NBA schedule but Cash with Flash is only interested in a couple of these contests.
Indiana Pacers (-3)
Wager $10 on IND📷To Beat DET:$16.83Win by 3:$19.09To Lose:$22.25 vs Detroit Pistons (+3)
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Normally I would be all over the home underdog and especially so against an Indiana Pacers side on the wrong end of a four-game losing streak. Malcolm Brogdon and Domatas Sabonis have struggled mightily during this losing streak but they play a Pistons team allowing an average of 118 points per game over their past five contests. Detroit is coming off of a huge home victory over a Kevin Durant-less Brooklyn Nets side that ended a four-game losing streak of their own. The Pacers are the better offense and will take this one by four points or more. Take the Indiana Pacers with confidence tonight.
Philadelphia 76ers (-5.5)
Wager $10 on PHI📷To Beat POR:$14.70Win by 5.5:$19.10To Lose:$27.85 vs Portland Trail Blazers (+5.5)Wager $10 on POR📷To Beat PHI:$27.85Lose by less than 5.5:$19.10To Lose:$14.70 (+5.5)
Remember when the 76ers couldn’t win on the road? Those days seem to be over as Philadelphia is 7-5 and enters this matchup riding a two-game winning streak. They also have a red-hot Joel Embiid who’s averaging 32.3 points alongside 10.5 rebounds per game and the Trail Blazers don’t have anyone either living or dead who can stop him. Damian Lillard has been carrying the injury-plagued Trail Blazers but missed the Trail Blazers away victory over Philly one week ago. Ben Simmons also missed that contest and is raring to go but its looks as though Seth Curry will miss this tilt with an ankle injury. Lay the Points and take Philadelphia to cover the spread tonight.
NCAAB 2020-2021 Money Line Leaders
1). Colgate +10.2
2). Morehead State +8.3
3). Wright State +7.9
4). UC Riverside +7.2
5). Prairie View +6.8
NCAAB 2020-2021 ATS Leaders
1). Colgate (5-3) +10.2
2). Morehead State (14-5) +8.3
3). Wright State (12-7) +7.9
4). UC Riverside (8-3-1) +7.2
5). Praire View (10-1) +6.8
NCAAB 2020-2021 Totals Leaders
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1). American University (3-1 over) +13.9
2). Long Beach State (6-2 over) +11.4
3). St Francis NY (7-4 over) +10.7
4). Cal Baptist (9-3 over) +9.6
5). Southern Utah (8-3) +8.2
There are several NCAAB games tonight and Cash with Flash likes one contest very much. You must stay out ahead of injuries plus coronavirus concerns and the best website I know for this would be Newsday.
Georgia Southern vs Georgia State (138.5 Total)
A majority of these two sides’ contests have ended under the total and I suspect that this one won’t be that much different when they meet tonight. Three of their last five meetings have ended under the total and these are two fairly good defenses. Georgia State has one of the best turnover percentages in the college game but Southern is twelfth in the nation at causing turnovers. Neither side shoots the ball well from long range and both squads have pedestrian offensive rebound percentages. Take the UNDER in this one!
NHL Top Five Winning Teams
We’re not talking about how many games a team wins but how much money you would win had you wagered $100 on each of the following teams’ total games this season.
1). Toronto Maple Leafs $470
2). Carolina Hurricanes (-1.5)
Wager $10 on CAR📷To Beat DAL:$17.90Win by 1.5:$28.48To Lose:$20.89 $264
3). Tampa Bay Lightning (-1.5)Wager $10 on TAM📷To Beat FLA:$16.25Win by 1.5:$25.54To Lose:$23.82 $247
4). Boston BruinsWager $10 on BOS📷To Beat NYR:$15.44To Lose:$25.02 $246
5). Vegas Golden Knights (-1.5)Wager $10 on LAS📷To Beat ANA:$14.40Win by 1.5:$17.74To Lose:$29.15 $189
NHL Top Five Losing Teams
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1). Ottawa Senators (+1.5)
Wager $10 on OTT📷To Beat WIN:$27.60Lose by less than 1.5:$17.51To Lose:$14.85 -$765
2). Detroit Red Wings (+1.5)Wager $10 on DET📷To Beat NAS:$25.27Lose by less than 1.5:$16.44To Lose:$15.69 -$523
3). New York RangersWager $10 on NYR📷To Beat BOS:$25.02To Lose:$15.44 -$427
4). Vancouver Canucks (+1)Wager $10 on VAN📷To Beat CAL:$21.89Lose by less than 1:$23.56To Lose:$17.19 -$453
5). Nashville Predators (-1.5)Wager $10 on NAS📷To Beat DET:$15.69Win by 1.5:$16.44To Lose:$25.27 -$419
Carolina Hurricanes vs Dallas Stars (+1.5)
Wager $10 on DAL📷To Beat CAR:$20.89Lose by less than 1.5:$28.48To Lose:$17.90 (O/U 5.5 Goals)
I can see grabbing Carolina at -121 tonight but I don’t think that would be the best bet for this contest. Carolina has a terrific offense and scores an average of 3.14 goals per game and the Stars average 3.33 goals scored per game but has lit the lamp just five times over their last three matchups. James Reimer will likely tend to the twine and he’s allowed 16 goals over his past four starts and Anton Khudobin has allowed 11 goals over the past three starts including seven goals over two consecutive losses to Carolina during that same three-game span. Take the OVER in this game!!

Without fail, there will be an NFL game that will match up two bad teams. That game is this week's Toilet Bowl. And I predict who will win.
Can it be a true Toilet Bowl if the teams are playing for something other than draft position? I’d say “No”, and since there’s no one here to argue to the contrary, I’m going to go with that. Ergo, the WFT? vs. Dallas, in their desperate fight to be the first double-digit loss team to make the NFL playoffs, is out the window. The Houston Texans against the Detroit Lions is this week’s sick, sad joke on the fans of pro football.
The combination of the Lions and Thanksgiving invariably leads to what the makers of Maalox and Pepto-Bismol call “Black Thursday”. This is day their companies are guaranteed financial healthiness and they send you Lions fans their sincerest thanks. Even when the Lions win, which a quick feat of recall has me leaning toward that being not often of late, it’s usually in a fashion so stressful and disturbing, intestinal distress is a given for those who still care about this team. What the Lions do at Ford Field is a weird analogue that reinforces the rest of America’s belief of Detroit as a crime-ridden hellhole of hopelessness. And then you have to suffer the quarterback’s wife’s attempts at powerful social commentary.
To be a Lions fans is to spend too many late Sundays wishing you were dead.
I have this image in my mind that these days the newly defrocked self-ordained genius Bill O’Brien is spending his time at home emulating a prisoner who believes the key to rehabilitating himself is to study the dictionary. I imagine a tear slowly dribbling down his chunky cheek when he comes to words like “hubris” and “schadenfreude”. Tyrannies collapse because a tyrant can always be counted on to go that one degree too far. You don’t tug on Superman’s cape; you don’t spit into the wind. You don’t fuck with J.J. Watt. Sic semper, bitch.
And what can I say about Fat Matt without going into reruns? I’m willing to go with the conventional wisdom that the short week kept him from being fired after his team’s loss against a QB whom the NFL would have never heard of had his coach not had an idea that the kid could play. Or at least could play against the Lions. People long ago stopped using the word “embarrassing” when it comes to the Lions. At this point, it’s just a given. Much is made of Patricia having been an engineer, but I’m starting to believe he was as much of an engineer as Choo-Choo Charlie of Good-N-Plenty fame.
The Matt Patricia Head Coaching Death Watch resumes in earnest after today.
The Texans are a shell of what many thought they could be. This was a team that, with some smart moves, could have been counted on to be perirenal contenders for their division, and, with a little luck and a workable Mahomes kidnapping plot, someday champions. That is now a dream deferred, and their once very scary defense continues to attrit and age out, and their draft cupboard is just a bit bare. Old Brooklyn Dodgers fans, the few of them who’ve managed so far to duck The Reaper, will forgive Walter O’Malley long before Texans fans will give penance to BOB.
Detroit comes into this game devoid of the services of Kenny Golladay, Danny Amendola, and RB DeAndre Swift. The Texans come in relatively heathy, and Deshaun Watson looking better as the season goes on. J.J. Watt’s four batted passes last week so upset Cam Newton’s mental state, he did his post-game press availability wearing a paper bag hat.
You don’t fuck with J.J. Watt.
The question remains whether the Lions can rise to the occasion. The answer is “probably not”.
This game also offers yet another opportunity to comment about the Belichick coaching tree having the talent equivalent of Dutch Elm Disease.
So who’ll win the game?
Outside of the most hopelessly lost gaming enthusiasts (formerly known as “gambling addicts”) and the fans of the two struggling franchises, who cares. All I’m expecting from today is that 345 Park Avenue will be inundated by demands that Thanksgiving Day games be opened to flexing.
The Lions are three point home dogs. I could make a stronger case for Matt Stafford beating his wife than I can for the Lions beating the spread.
Take the Texans and give the points.
My prediction: HOU 37. DET 17.
Last week’s prediction: Take the Chargers and give the 9.5 (LAC 34. NYJ 13.)
Last week’s result: Chargers 34 - Jets 28
There’s the heartbreak of failed love. There’s the heartbreak of inconsolable loss. There’s the heartbreak of psoriasis. None of these compare to the heartbreak of garbage time scoring that puts you on the losing side of the ledger. Still, to give credit where it’s due, Tom Brady, had he not done it long ago, would have sold his soul for the Jets O-line on Monday night. And let’s not be naïve. You don’t get to be that tall, that handsome, that successful, and that rich without signing on with Ol’ Scratch. Just doesn’t happen.
Season Record 4 - 6

Seahawks vs. Rams marks a third time matching up for these NFC West foes this season. This time, it's all on the line in the wild-card round of the 2021 NFL playoffs. Three-seed Seattle hosts six-seed Los Angeles at 4:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 9. The game will be broadcast on Fox, and it'll be the rubber match after the Rams won the first meeting of the season only for Seattle to bounce back and win part two. The narrative leading up to the game will surround L.A. quarterback Jared Goff's right thumb. He broke it in Week 16 against the Seahawks and missed Week 17, forcing former CFL player John Wolford to start in his place. Wolford led the Rams to a win over the Cardinals, though, ensuring a spot in the playoffs anyway. Whether Goff can make it back could determine the outcome here.SEAHAWKSvs. RAMS PICKS:Against the spread| Straight-up predictionsRussell Wilson, DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett present a strong passing attack on the Seattle side. L.A. will hope to counter that with two defensive superstars, defensive tackle Aaron Donald and cornerback Jalen Ramsey. The Ramsey vs. Metcalf matchup is especially intriguing.Wilson started the season in MVP form but hasn't been the same in the second half of the year. When Seattle lost to the Rams in November, Wilson threw two costly interceptions. It sounds obvious, but quarterback play could make all the difference here.Below is all the info you need to watch Seahawks vs. Rams on Saturday, including the TV channels and kickoff time.MORE: Watch Seahawks vs. Rams live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)What channel is Seahawks vs. Rams on today?TV channel (national): FoxTV channel (Seattle): KCPQTV channel (Los Angeles): KTTVLive stream: Fox Sports GoThe Seahawks vs. Ramsgame will be broadcast nationally on Fox. It will get the network's No. 1 NFL broadcast team, which features play-by-play man Joe Buck alongside former Cowboys quarterback and color commentator, Troy Aikman. They're joined by sideline reporters Erin Andrews and Kristina Pink.Unlike CBS, Fox only gets one game on wild-card weekend, which is why the top broadcast crew will work Seahawks vs. Rams by default.MORE: Watch every NFL game and RedZone on DAZN (Canada only) Seahawks vs. Rams start timeDate: Saturday, Jan. 9Start time: 4:40p.m. ETThis will be a relatively usual start time for both of these west coast teams, who often kick off at either 4:05 or 4:25 p.m. ET on an average Sunday. Local time in both Seattle and Los Angeles, this will be a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.Seahawks vs. Rams is the second of three Saturday wild-card games, with three more games scheduled for Sunday in the NFL's newly expanded playoffs.NFL playoff schedule: Wild-card roundBelow is the full NFL wild-card playoff schedule for 2021, complete with TV channels and live stream links.Saturday, Jan. 9Matchup Start time TV channel Colts at Bills 1:05 p.m. ET CBS Rams at Seahawks 4:40 p.m. ET Fox Buccaneers at Washington 8:15 p.m. ET NBC Sunday, Jan. 10Matchup Start time TV channel Ravens at Titans 1:05 p.m. ET ESPN/ABC Bears at Saints 4:40 p.m. ET CBS/Nickelodeon/Amazon Prime Browns at Steelers 8:15 p.m. ET NBC

Bills vs. Colts will kick off the 2021 NFL playoff action in an expanded wild-card round. Buffalo (13-3) hosts Indianapolis (11-5) in the first home playoff game for the Bills in a quarter century. It'll be broadcast on CBS at 1:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 9, but it'll also be the first game all year that Buffalo will allow fans into Bills Stadium. About 6,700 people are expected to be in attendance. The Bills enter the game as maybe the hottest team in football. Their only loss in their last 10 games came on the miraculous "Hail Murray" play against the Cardinals. Josh Allen made a late MVP charge, and while he'll likely lose out to Aaron Rodgers, he's proven to be one of the NFL's best quarterbacks in tandem with star wideout Stefon Diggs.BILLS vs. COLTSPICKS:Against the spread| Straight-up predictionsOpposing Allen will be a strong Colts defense centered around standout linebacker Darius Leonard. But if Indianapolis wants to win Saturday, it'll likely need a big day from either Philip Rivers and/or Jonathan Taylor. The veteran quarterback has played great football since joining the Colts on a one-year deal, while the rookie running back from Wisconsin, Taylor, has dominated the stretch-run of the season.It's expected to be a cold day in Buffalo on Saturday, which will put both passers to the test in classic playoff conditions in western New York. Between that and the presence of Bills Mafia, it'll certainly feel like home-field advantage for the Bills.Below is all the info you need to watch Bills vs. Coltson Saturday, including the TV channels and kickoff time.What channel is Bills vs. Colts on today?TV channel (national): CBSTV channel (Buffalo): WIVBTV channel (Indianapolis): WTTVLive stream: CBS All AccessThe Bills vs. Colts game will be broadcast nationally on CBS. It will get the network's No. 2 NFL broadcast team, which features play-by-play man Ian Eagles alongside color commentator Charles Davis.CBS is saving its "Romo Game" for Sunday when the Bears take on the Saints.MORE: Watch every NFL game and RedZone on DAZN (Canada only) Bills vs. Colts start timeDate: Saturday, Jan. 9Start time: 1:05 p.m. ETAlthough it's a Saturday, the 1:05 p.m. ET kickoff is essentially when the majority of teams start their games each weekend. Buffalo went on a prime-time kick late in the season, so it'll actually be one of the few 1:05 p.m. ET starts for the Bills since the start of December.This will be the first of six wild-card playoff games to open the NFL playoffs. Since the playoffs expanded to 14 teams for this season, 12 have to play in the first round, resulting in six wild-card games.NFL playoff schedule: Wild-card roundBelow is the full NFL wild-card playoff schedule for 2021, complete with TV channels and live stream links.Saturday, Jan. 9Matchup Start time TV channel Colts at Bills 1:05 p.m. ET CBS Rams at Seahawks 4:40 p.m. ET Fox Buccaneers at Washington 8:15 p.m. ET NBC Sunday, Jan. 10Matchup Start time TV channel Ravens at Titans 1:05 p.m. ET ESPN/ABC Bears at Saints 4:40 p.m. ET CBS/Nickelodeon/Amazon Prime Browns at Steelers 8:15 p.m. ET NBC

Bills vs. Colts will kick off the 2021 NFL playoff action in an expanded wild-card round. Buffalo (13-3) hosts Indianapolis (11-5) in the first home playoff game for the Bills in a quarter century. It'll be broadcast on CBS at 1:05 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 9, but it'll also be the first game all year that Buffalo will allow fans into Bills Stadium. About 6,700 people are expected to be in attendance. The Bills enter the game as maybe the hottest team in football. Their only loss in their last 10 games came on the miraculous "Hail Murray" play against the Cardinals. Josh Allen made a late MVP charge, and while he'll likely lose out to Aaron Rodgers, he's proven to be one of the NFL's best quarterbacks in tandem with star wideout Stefon Diggs.BILLS vs. COLTSPICKS:Against the spread| Straight-up predictionsOpposing Allen will be a strong Colts defense centered around standout linebacker Darius Leonard. But if Indianapolis wants to win Saturday, it'll likely need a big day from either Philip Rivers and/or Jonathan Taylor. The veteran quarterback has played great football since joining the Colts on a one-year deal, while the rookie running back from Wisconsin, Taylor, has dominated the stretch-run of the season.It's expected to be a cold day in Buffalo on Saturday, which will put both passers to the test in classic playoff conditions in western New York. Between that and the presence of Bills Mafia, it'll certainly feel like home-field advantage for the Bills.Below is all the info you need to watch Bills vs. Coltson Saturday, including the TV channels and kickoff time.What channel is Bills vs. Colts on today?TV channel (national): CBSTV channel (Buffalo): WIVBTV channel (Indianapolis): WTTVLive stream: CBS All AccessThe Bills vs. Colts game will be broadcast nationally on CBS. It will get the network's No. 2 NFL broadcast team, which features play-by-play man Ian Eagles alongside color commentator Charles Davis.CBS is saving its "Romo Game" for Sunday when the Bears take on the Saints.MORE: Watch every NFL game and RedZone on DAZN (Canada only) Bills vs. Colts start timeDate: Saturday, Jan. 9Start time: 1:05 p.m. ETAlthough it's a Saturday, the 1:05 p.m. ET kickoff is essentially when the majority of teams start their games each weekend. Buffalo went on a prime-time kick late in the season, so it'll actually be one of the few 1:05 p.m. ET starts for the Bills since the start of December.This will be the first of six wild-card playoff games to open the NFL playoffs. Since the playoffs expanded to 14 teams for this season, 12 have to play in the first round, resulting in six wild-card games.NFL playoff schedule: Wild-card roundBelow is the full NFL wild-card playoff schedule for 2021, complete with TV channels and live stream links.Saturday, Jan. 9Matchup Start time TV channel Colts at Bills 1:05 p.m. ET CBS Rams at Seahawks 4:40 p.m. ET Fox Buccaneers at Washington 8:15 p.m. ET NBC Sunday, Jan. 10Matchup Start time TV channel Ravens at Titans 1:05 p.m. ET ESPN/ABC Bears at Saints 4:40 p.m. ET CBS/Nickelodeon/Amazon Prime Browns at Steelers 8:15 p.m. ET NBC

Buccaneers vs. Washington brings the Tom Brady vs. Alex Smith matchup to primetime in the NFL's wild-card round on the first day of the 2021 playoffs. Tampa Bay travels to the nation's capital for an 8:15 p.m. ET start on NBC. Brady's having one of the best seasons of his NFL career, throwing four touchdowns in Week 17 to get up to 40 scores through the air on the season. Smith is an inspirational story in his own right, having returned this season from a gruesome 2018 leg injury. Brady's got all sorts of talent to throw to, starting with Mike Evans, Antonio Brown, Chris Godwin and Rob Gronkowski. Evans suffered a knee injury in Week 17, though, and could be limited at best against Washington.BUCCANEERS vs. WASHINGTON PICKS:Against the spread| Straight-up predictionsThe Washington offense feels a lot like a band of players overcome non-believers. Smith made it back from his leg injury. Starting running back Antonio Gibson was a college receiver. Secondary running back J.D. McKissic is a journeyman. Terry McLaurin slid in the draft out of Ohio State. Logan Thomas at tight end is a converted quarterback. Together, they won just enough games to win the NFC East.Of course, one of the NFL's more controversial rules comes into play here, as despite the Buccaneers' 11-5 record, they'll travel to play at Washington, who finished 7-9. That's because a division champion, in this case the Washington Football Team, always starts the playoffs with a home game.Below is all the info you need to watch Buccaneers vs. Washington on Saturday, including the TV channels and kickoff time.MORE: Watch Buccaneers vs. Washington live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)What channel is Buccaneers vs. Washington on today?TV channel (national): NBCTV channel (Tampa): WFLATV channel (Washington, D.C.): WRCLive stream: NBC Sports AppNBC has the rights to both prime-time games of wild-card weekend, which means two different broadcast teams will be in play. Buccaneers vs. Washington gets Mike Tirico on play-by-play and Tony Dungy as the color commentator. Dungy's earlier-season comments on Brady could come up during the broadcast.The "Sunday Night Football" crew of Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth will indeed work on Sunday night to call Steelers vs. Browns.MORE: Watch every NFL game and RedZone on DAZN (Canada only) Buccaneers vs. Washington start timeDate: Saturday, Jan. 9Start time: 8:15 p.m. ETThis kickoff time is the same as the usual Monday night kickoff time during the regular season. Washington is coming off a Sunday night game in Week 17, which will have its body clocks lined up to start at this time again in the first round of the playoffs.Buccaneers vs. Washington marks the third of three wild-card games on the opening Saturday of the playoffs, with three more scheduled for Sunday.NFL playoff schedule: Wild-card roundBelow is the full NFL wild-card playoff schedule for 2021, complete with TV channels and live stream links.Saturday, Jan. 9Matchup Start time TV channel Colts at Bills 1:05 p.m. ET CBS Rams at Seahawks 4:40 p.m. ET Fox Buccaneers at Washington 8:15 p.m. ET NBC Sunday, Jan. 10Matchup Start time TV channel Ravens at Titans 1:05 p.m. ET ESPN/ABC Bears at Saints 4:40 p.m. ET CBS/Nickelodeon/Amazon Prime Browns at Steelers 8:15 p.m. ET NBC

Seahawks vs. Rams marks a third time matching up for these NFC West foes this season. This time, it's all on the line in the wild-card round of the 2021 NFL playoffs. Three-seed Seattle hosts six-seed Los Angeles at 4:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 9. The game will be broadcast on Fox, and it'll be the rubber match after the Rams won the first meeting of the season only for Seattle to bounce back and win part two. The narrative leading up to the game will surround L.A. quarterback Jared Goff's right thumb. He broke it in Week 16 against the Seahawks and missed Week 17, forcing former CFL player John Wolford to start in his place. Wolford led the Rams to a win over the Cardinals, though, ensuring a spot in the playoffs anyway. Whether Goff can make it back could determine the outcome here.SEAHAWKSvs. RAMS PICKS:Against the spread| Straight-up predictionsRussell Wilson, DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett present a strong passing attack on the Seattle side. L.A. will hope to counter that with two defensive superstars, defensive tackle Aaron Donald and cornerback Jalen Ramsey. The Ramsey vs. Metcalf matchup is especially intriguing.Wilson started the season in MVP form but hasn't been the same in the second half of the year. When Seattle lost to the Rams in November, Wilson threw two costly interceptions. It sounds obvious, but quarterback play could make all the difference here.Below is all the info you need to watch Seahawks vs. Rams on Saturday, including the TV channels and kickoff time.MORE: Watch Seahawks vs. Rams live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)What channel is Seahawks vs. Rams on today?TV channel (national): FoxTV channel (Seattle): KCPQTV channel (Los Angeles): KTTVLive stream: Fox Sports GoThe Seahawks vs. Ramsgame will be broadcast nationally on Fox. It will get the network's No. 1 NFL broadcast team, which features play-by-play man Joe Buck alongside former Cowboys quarterback and color commentator, Troy Aikman. They're joined by sideline reporters Erin Andrews and Kristina Pink.Unlike CBS, Fox only gets one game on wild-card weekend, which is why the top broadcast crew will work Seahawks vs. Rams by default.MORE: Watch every NFL game and RedZone on DAZN (Canada only) Seahawks vs. Rams start timeDate: Saturday, Jan. 9Start time: 4:40p.m. ETThis will be a relatively usual start time for both of these west coast teams, who often kick off at either 4:05 or 4:25 p.m. ET on an average Sunday. Local time in both Seattle and Los Angeles, this will be a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.Seahawks vs. Rams is the second of three Saturday wild-card games, with three more games scheduled for Sunday in the NFL's newly expanded playoffs.NFL playoff schedule: Wild-card roundBelow is the full NFL wild-card playoff schedule for 2021, complete with TV channels and live stream links.Saturday, Jan. 9Matchup Start time TV channel Colts at Bills 1:05 p.m. ET CBS Rams at Seahawks 4:40 p.m. ET Fox Buccaneers at Washington 8:15 p.m. ET NBC Sunday, Jan. 10Matchup Start time TV channel Ravens at Titans 1:05 p.m. ET ESPN/ABC Bears at Saints 4:40 p.m. ET CBS/Nickelodeon/Amazon Prime Browns at Steelers 8:15 p.m. ET NBC

Seahawks vs. Rams marks a third time matching up for these NFC West foes this season. This time, it's all on the line in the wild-card round of the 2021 NFL playoffs. Three-seed Seattle hosts six-seed Los Angeles at 4:40 p.m. ET on Saturday, Jan. 9. The game will be broadcast on Fox, and it'll be the rubber match after the Rams won the first meeting of the season only for Seattle to bounce back and win part two. The narrative leading up to the game will surround L.A. quarterback Jared Goff's right thumb. He broke it in Week 16 against the Seahawks and missed Week 17, forcing former CFL player John Wolford to start in his place. Wolford led the Rams to a win over the Cardinals, though, ensuring a spot in the playoffs anyway. Whether Goff can make it back could determine the outcome here.SEAHAWKSvs. RAMS PICKS:Against the spread| Straight-up predictionsRussell Wilson, DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett present a strong passing attack on the Seattle side. L.A. will hope to counter that with two defensive superstars, defensive tackle Aaron Donald and cornerback Jalen Ramsey. The Ramsey vs. Metcalf matchup is especially intriguing.Wilson started the season in MVP form but hasn't been the same in the second half of the year. When Seattle lost to the Rams in November, Wilson threw two costly interceptions. It sounds obvious, but quarterback play could make all the difference here.Below is all the info you need to watch Seahawks vs. Rams on Saturday, including the TV channels and kickoff time.MORE: Watch Seahawks vs. Rams live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)What channel is Seahawks vs. Rams on today?TV channel (national): FoxTV channel (Seattle): KCPQTV channel (Los Angeles): KTTVLive stream: Fox Sports GoThe Seahawks vs. Ramsgame will be broadcast nationally on Fox. It will get the network's No. 1 NFL broadcast team, which features play-by-play man Joe Buck alongside former Cowboys quarterback and color commentator, Troy Aikman. They're joined by sideline reporters Erin Andrews and Kristina Pink.Unlike CBS, Fox only gets one game on wild-card weekend, which is why the top broadcast crew will work Seahawks vs. Rams by default.MORE: Watch every NFL game and RedZone on DAZN (Canada only) Seahawks vs. Rams start timeDate: Saturday, Jan. 9Start time: 4:40p.m. ETThis will be a relatively usual start time for both of these west coast teams, who often kick off at either 4:05 or 4:25 p.m. ET on an average Sunday. Local time in both Seattle and Los Angeles, this will be a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.Seahawks vs. Rams is the second of three Saturday wild-card games, with three more games scheduled for Sunday in the NFL's newly expanded playoffs.NFL playoff schedule: Wild-card roundBelow is the full NFL wild-card playoff schedule for 2021, complete with TV channels and live stream links.Saturday, Jan. 9Matchup Start time TV channel Colts at Bills 1:05 p.m. ET CBS Rams at Seahawks 4:40 p.m. ET Fox Buccaneers at Washington 8:15 p.m. ET NBC Sunday, Jan. 10Matchup Start time TV channel Ravens at Titans 1:05 p.m. ET ESPN/ABC Bears at Saints 4:40 p.m. ET CBS/Nickelodeon/Amazon Prime Browns at Steelers 8:15 p.m. ET NBC

Washington is dead, long live Washington!

Division: NFC East

2019 Record: 3-13, 4th in NFC East

Coaching Changes

As the marketing says, this is a new RivERA. Almost the entire coaching staff has been replaced, except for the running back and special teams coaches, so let's all give a hand to Randy Jordan and Nate Kaczor for being survivors of the Rivera purge. Here are the highlights:
 

Head Coach: Ron Rivera replaces interim Bill Callahan

After an 0-5 start last season, and multiple season of mediocrity, Dan Snyder finally decided to pull the plug on Jay Gruden. Interim coach Bill Callahan did a...job. The question quickly turned to who would be the newest coach of the Washington Football Franchise. Would it be current OC and potential wünderkid Kevin O'Connell? Would they somehow steal away Mike Tomlin (remember this theory?) No. Enter in: Riverboat Ron.
Ironically, the only way that Washington was able to hire him was by defeating him: in week 13 of the 2019 season, Adrian Peterson and Derrius Guice stomped through Rivera's defense to the tune of 248 yards on the ground. That was enough to seal his fate with owner David Tepper, who was vocal through the season about the panthers status of mediocrity.
While one can reflect on Rivera's tenure as mediocrity, I'd argue it is anything but. As 2-time Head Coach of the Year, Rivera lead the Panthers to 3 1st place finishes in the NFC South, including a historic 15-1 2015 season where the Panthers made it to the Super Bowl behind MVP Cam Newton. Rivera is the winningest coach in Panthers history, with an overall record of 76-63-1. However, he was not Tepper's choice, and for that as a fan I owe Tepper one.
While I would not fault Jay Gruden for all of the Redskins issues the past 5 1/2 years, he seemed destined to stay at most mediocre, never even reaching the highs Rivera has seen. Key Gruden personnel such as Kirk Cousins, Jordan Reed, Chris Thompson, Josh Norman, Josh Doctson, and more are long gone. Rivera has a brand new cast to work with, and I am excited to see it.
Rivera is a proven head coach with a long and public track record. He is known for being a big believer in a strong player-oriented team culture, and god knows this team needs some major culture help, especially in the front office. Looking at you, Mr. Snyder. GRADE: A
 

Offensive Coordinator: Scott Turner replaces Kevin O'Connell

Losing Kevin O'Connell to the Rams is disappointing, no way around it in my mind. Could the Rams get bitten in the rear and throw a green coordinator into the wind? Maybe. But out of all personnel we didn't keep, this one stung the most.
However, one must not dwell on the past too much. Enter in Scott Turner, son of Norv Turner. Turner comes over from Carolina where he was first the QB coach under his father, and then suddenly replaced his father once Rivera was fired. Some highlights of Turner include:

• Being the Brown's receiver coach during Josh Gordon's monstrous 2013 season
• Vikings QB coach during Teddy Bridgewater's best years

Yeah that's about it. He is young and hungry, and honestly, I am pretty happy with this choice as well. I have faith in him to develop Haskins, who is the future of the franchise as of now. Hopefully he does not fall out of favor as his father did with our favorite owner. GRADE: B+
 

Defensive Coordinator: Jack Del Rio replaces Greg Manusky

The Redskins defense in my opinion has been underwhelming in recent times, and in large part I blame Greg Manusky for this result. The Redskins defense last year ranked 27th overall, which any Washington fan will tell you is at best a slight shame and at worst a goddamn tragedy. Sure, our secondary was nowhere to be seen. Sure, we we're extremely injured a lot of the time.
But here's the worst part: our front 7 is actually really good. I mean come on: Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Matt Ioannidis, Ryan Kerrigan, Montez Sweat, and more should amount to one of the most potent QB rushing attacks of the year. However, the stats show that this is just not true. PFF listed us outside the top ten and in a more general sense the defense overall just seems too ooze mediocrity.
Enter in Jack Del Rio. This man has over 30 years of NFL experience, having multiple positions as both Head Coach and Defensive Coordinators in the past. While his head coaching career has not always been consistent, his defensive strengths are quite apparent. While Wade Phillips was responsible for the Super Bowl winning Broncos of 2015, we cannot forget that Del Rio groomed that defense for years prior, bringing them to the big game as well the year before. His earlier success in Baltimore and Carolina must also be mentioned, but my main point is this: Jack Del Rio is tiers above Manusky.
Del Rio and Rivera are on the same page, and switching to a 4-3 base defense with Del Rio should pay dividends to our defense, particularly our front seven. Look for a strong pass rush with Del Rio under control. GRADE: A
 

Quarterbacks Coach: Ken Zampese replaces Tim Rattay

Zampese formerly worked for the Greatest Show on Turf helping Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce, and Torry Holt achieve offensive supremacy over the league. He worked for 12 years in Cincinnati, developing both Carson Palmer and Andy Dalton. In addition, he helped to develop Baker his rookie year under literal the dumpster fire of a head coaching regime Hue Jackson had in 2018. After seeing many of Haskins sexy throws to McLaurin, Gandy-Golden and Co. on Instagram, I feel some safety in the QB department for once. GRADE: A-
 

Head Athletic Trainer: Ryan Vermillion replaces Larry Hess

If there's one thing that reminds me of a Washington Football season, its injuries. While Washington was not the only injured team, it definitely felt like one of the worst last year. At the end of the day, the blame falls on random injury luck, proper practice, and the athletic training staff. Larry Hess had been employed by Washington for 17 years, so this move may be seen as a long time coming, especially concerning some of the particularly bad injuries of recent years.
Vermillion has rep with Rivera, as he is the former head trainer for the Panthers. While the Panthers have had some injury troubles of there own as of recently, I am still hopeful that Vermillion and his staff can help the situation over here. GRADE: B
 
 

Free Agency

Players lost/cut

Player	Position	New team
Chris Thompson	RB	Jaguars
Colt McCoy	QB	Giants
Case Keenum	QB	Browns
Ereck Flowers	OG	Dolphins
Josh Norman	CB	Bills
Trent Williams	OT	49ers
Montae Nicholson	CB	UFA
Jordan Reed	TE	UFA
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie	CB	UFA
Wendell Smallwood	RB	UFA
Tony Bergstrom	OL	UFA
Donald Penn	OT	UFA
Vernon Davis	TE	Retired

Key Losses:

• Ereck Flowers: Flowers had been written off as a bust. His tenure in New York and Jacksonville were both at best mediocre, and at worst disgusting. He gave up tons of pressures, and questions about his devotion to the team were at play. However, Washington was able to reignite Flowers by transitioning him from a tackle to a guard. In this new role, he only allowed two sacks while starting all 16 games. In the end, he was able to get the best pay-day back home in Miami, and for that I cannot hold any ill-will.

 

• Josh Norman: 5 years. $51.1 million guaranteed. $75 million total. Honestly, I believed in Josh Norman when we first signed him. Coming off an All-Pro year on a stacked 2015 Panthers roster, Norman was proud to declare himself the best corner in the whole league. If you'd ask Norman today, he may still very well agree with that assessment. However, both the film and numbers point to Norman as a one year wonder. He was never able to replicate his 2015 success here, and was barely able to follow receivers like Revis or play the zone like Sherman. I would consider this the worst Redskins free agent signing of the Jay Gruden regime, hands down bar none. At least Matt Jones gave us some 100 yard games. His best games for us were against Cody Kessler and Matt Barkley. I am glad this is over with.

 

• Trent Williams: Oh Trent-y boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling. I am truly sad to see Mr. Williams suit up for another organization this fall, assuming there will be a football season. Trent has been one of, if not the best offensive lineman in the entire NFL since being drafted 4th overall in 2010. Even as poor football and asinine front office moves surrounded him, Trent remained grounded and supportive of Mr. Snyder's hope to win football games. However, this relationship quickly turned for the worse. I could write this whole page about the Trent Williams saga, so instead I shall link this.

Goodbye Silverback.
 

• Jordan Reed: If you thought the Trent Williams saga hurt me, oh boy you are not ready for this. Jordan Reed was probably my favorite Washington player up until last season. I was at his first big game in 2013, and boy was it a sight to see. A 3rd round TE from Florida, Reed was a bright spot on a more distant 3-13 Washington Squad still hoping for RG3's knees to spring back to life. When Reed was on fire, he was on. In his heyday of 2015 and 2016, Reed was a top tier Pro-Bowl talent TE possessing the quickness of a WR with the strength and build of a TE. However, we all know how this story ends. In 2013, he only played 9 games due to concussions. In 2014, he hurt his hamstring twice throughout the season yet still played in 11 games. As stated earlier, 15' and 16' were the golden years, but his hamstring came back to derail almost his entire 2017 season. By last year, he had over 9 known concussions, and one can only assume his hamstring is not in good shape. This is a classic example of injuries destroying a once promising career. If you are ever in need of watching some electrifying tight end plays, check this out, I promise you will not regret it. Thank you Jordan!

 
Players signed

Player	Position	Old team	Length	Salary
Wes Schweitzer	OG	Falcons	3 years	$13.5 mil, $4 mil guaranteed
Kendall Fuller	CB	Chiefs	4 years	$40 mil, $23.5 mil guaranteed
Logan Thomas	TE	Lions	2 years	$6.145 mil, $2.25 mil guaranteed
Sean Davis	S	Steelers	1 year	$4 mil, $2 mil guaranteed
Kyle Allen	QB	Panthers	1 year	$675k
Thomas Davis	LB	Chargers	1 year	$3.5 mil, $1.75 mil guaranteed
J.D. McKissic	RB	Seahawks	2 year	$3.27 mil, $1 mil guaranteed
Peyton Barber	RB	Buccaneers	2 year	$3 mil, $600k guaranteed
Cornelius Lucas	OT	Bears	2 year	$3.8 mil, $1 mil guaranteed
Richard Rogers	TE	Eagles	1 year	$1 mil
Cody Latimer	WR	Giants	1 year	$1 mil, $137.5k guaranteed
Kevin Pierre-Louis	LB	Bears	1 year	$3 mil, $1.5 mil guaranteed
Jeremy Vujnovich	OG	Cardinals	1 year	$825k
Ronald Darby	CB	Eagles	1 year	$3 mil, $1 mil guaranteed
Mike Liedtke	OG	Buccaneers	1 year	$750k

Key Additions:

• Kendall Fuller: We are proud to welcome our 2016 3rd rounder and new Super Bowl Champion back to DC. Fuller has proven himself as a formidable slot cornerback, and should be a day 1 starter immediately. In fact, I could see us playing him on the outside if need be, as our secondary will become stretched dry rather quickly. If we can trade for Malik Jefferson, we could finally have all pieces of the Alex Smith trade back on the roster, including Alex Smith himself (hang in there buddy :( ).

 

• Thomas Davis: A 3x Pro Bowler and bonafide former team leader of the Carolina Panthers, Thomas Davis is a welcome addition to our locker room. While at age 37 he may not start or play the most downs, his presence and familiarity with Rivera lends kindly to helping younger defensive players adjust and learn the new system.

 

• Ronald Darby: Darby has never played a full 16 game season, and the past two seasons in particular seem to be injury ridden. However, our secondary is in need of a #2 to step up behind Fuller and if Moreau cannot make a leap then Darby better be a frog. This one year, prove-it deal will show whether or not Darby is ready to play with the big boys now.

 
Players resigned

Player	Position	Length	Salary
Jon Bostic	LB	2 year	$5.1 mil, $2.25 mil guaranteed
Caleb Brantley	DT	1 year	$750k
Nate Orchard	LB/DE	1 year	$1 mil, $137.5k guaranteed
Aaron Colvin	CB	1 year	$1 mil, $137.5k guaranteed
Brandon Scherff	OG	1 year	$15.03 mil guaranteed (franchise tag)

Important Resigns:

• Jon Bostic: The former 2nd rounder has bounced around the league since 2013, but with Reuben Foster tearing his ACL in training camp last year, Bostic was thrust into the starting LB slot. While far from perfect, Bostic played surprisingly well last year, recording 105 tackles, a sack, and a pick. It is unclear whether Bostic's ceiling is much higher then this going into year 8 of his career. The signing of Thomas Davis and an even better D-Line could help Bostic shine more as there is less pressure on him. Overall, a good team friendly extension on a starte1st off the bench quality player.

 

• Brandon Scherff: Except for some penalty troubles, Scherff has been the most consistent offensive lineman this team has had in the past five years who is not upset at our current front office. While I am unsure if he was worthy of the Pro Bowl this past year, he is a stud OG and I am glad we have kept him his whole rookie deal. Hopefully a long-term can be worked out soon (though the deadline may have just past for franchise tagees), but keeping him on the franchise tag is far down the list of personnel issues.

 
 

Draft

Round	Number	Player	Position	School
1	2	Chase Young	DE	Ohio State
3	66	Antonio Gibson	WRB	Memphis
4	108	Saahdiq Charles	OT	LSU
4	142	Antonio Gandy-Golden	WR	Liberty
5	156	Keith Ismael	C	San Diego State
5	162	Khaleke Hudson	LB	Michigan
7	216	Kamren Curl	S	Arkansas
7	229	James Smith-Williams	DE	N.C. State
UDFA	N/A	Thaddeus Moss	TE	LSU
UDFA	N/A	Steven Montez	QB	Colorado
UDFA	N/A	Isaiah Wright	WR	Temple
UDFA	N/A	Johnathon Johnson	WR	Missouri

Grades and Thoughts:

• Chase Young: How much more can be said about this guy? Young was known for months to be the consensus number one talent of the draft, and that has not changed in the past months. He is a forced to be reckoned with, and putting him alongside our other D-Lineman is a scary sight. The often made comparison is that of the Bosa brothers, who both came into the league and wrecked havoc upon entry. I see Young doing the same thing, having a minimum 10+ sack season. Fear the predator y'all. GRADE: A+

 

• Antonio Gibson: Almost every analysis I have read about Gibson describes him in one of two ways: 1) A swiss-army knife 2) A football player. While I can't disagree with either, these both seem to be big buzzwords that cable football analysis loves to float around to tons and tons of players. No matter how you describe him, Gibson's highlight real speaks for itself. Most project him into a RB role in our system, and with Chris Thompson setting sail with Jay Gruden Gibson can not pick up the slack here. If he can provide support to Peterson and Guice, great! If he could improve our dismal receiving unit, even better! I like this pick, but can also see it failing if Rivera and Turner cannot utilize him correctly. GRADE: B+

 

• Saahdiq Charles: Using a picks here on the O-Line was a smart move, as our bench before the draft was extremely thin. Charles has been a part of one of the best O-line's in the nation at LSU, helping Clyde Edwards-Helaire run over the entire goddamn SEC. While there was a distraction of off-field issues, i.e. his six game suspension in his junior year. My understanding is that this stemmed from maturity issues and possible failed drug tests. Without these concerns, Charles would not have fallen to this round. Even with the character issue, his on the field product is fantastic, and if there was any coach to help Charles stay the right path it would be Ron Rivera. GRADE: B

 

• Antonio Gandy-Golden: My information on Gandy-Golden and Liberty football in general is extremely limited, but the little I have seen is fantastic. At 6'4, 223 lbs Gandy-Golden is prototypical size and his highlights at Liberty reflect that. He is able to utilize is wingspan to have a large catch radius and contend for aired out balls. In addition, while his 4.6 40 yard dash may be slightly underwhelming, his speed on tape is evident and can work. As the receiver competition is wide open, Gandy-Golden can easily become the number two receiver on this squad if he puts in the work. And according to social media, it appears he is trying. GRADE: A

 

• Keith Ismael: Another offensive linemen, but I struggle to see Ismael in any role besides backup this year. Ismael was solid player for his three year college career, and learning behind our O-line can do him well to bring him up to NFL speed. I can see him sitting behind Rouiller most of the year, but there's always the potential for something more if he is a diamond in the rough. However, I would have liked for a TE selection here. GRADE: B

 

• Kamren Curl: Curl seemed to be an intrenched starter for Arkansas, but it is hard to see what is exactly unique with his skill set. At 6'1, 206 lbs he has the body of a safety or even cornerback, which tracks as he played both positions in school. The most known information about him is that he was suspended for flirting with a cheerleader his sophomore season, but if that is his biggest character concern then I don't really care. In addition, he later cleared the confusion, noting that the cheerleader just wanted a photo with him. GRADE: C

 

• James Smith-Williams: A depth signing for our defensive front, which is all good in my book. However, this deep dive into the man shows that Smith-Williams has the potential to be more then a name in DC. His injury history is very troubling, but if he can put that Big Bang Theory Sheldon brain of his to our team then I am all for it. 7th rounders are the time for risks, and Smith-Williams case is a unique one where the injuries are not as much a concern for me. GRADE: C+

 
If the only player we keep out of this draft in the next 5 years is Chase Young, it will still have been a success. However, I have a feeling that other players will make an impact here, particularly with Gibson or Gandy-Golden breaking out in a rushing or receiving competition. For Kyle Smith and Rivera's first draft, it could have gone a lot worse. The amount of BS spewed about us drafting Tua or trading down was EVERYWHERE online before the draft, so I am jus glad we didn't mess it up as bad as we could have. Overall, I'd rate this draft a B+, with the rating going higher if any of these other players break out as well.
 
 

Name Controversy

Look, both you and I know that this subject has been beaten to death, especially on this subreddit. So let us just establish the facts:

• There has been ample push to change the name since the 1990s.
  
• Dan Snyder said in 2013 that he would never change the name. "It's that simple. NEVER — you can use caps."
  
• This month, Fedex, along with other major sponsors such as Nike and PepsiCo called on Snyder to change their name or face financial doom.
  
• July 13, 2020 Snyder issues a press release stating the name and logo are both officially retired.
  

There are many more specifics and points of contention on this issue, and I think this WaPo graphic does a good job illustrating other key times that the name has been discussed or been a point of contention.
My thought? About damn time. Look, I understand that the name is offensive and have been all for changing it, but more importantly I just want us to focus on what ideally should be more pressing for this writeup: the players and the game. The politics of the name has been a distraction and disgrace to the proud men who have worn this city on their back for decades. Do not get me wrong: the actual name itself holds little meaning to me personally. However, I am younger than many fans of the team and understand the attachment some have had for their entire lives. Yet, I do not think we need to forget about Theismann, Baugh, Jurgensen, Doug Williams, Rypien, Riggins, the Hogs, and more just by retiring the name. I say, let this begin a new era in Washington football history where we can be remembered for playing a game we enjoy and love, not hurting others if we do not need to.
My personal preference for a new name as of now is Red Wolves. Maintaining the colors and HttR (Howl to the Red Wolves!) sounds nice, and the animal is theoretically indigenous to DC and the southeast US even as we may not see it commonly. If trademarks issues can settle, I believe we will hear the new name before the next season.
 
 

Sexual Harassment/Misconduct Issues

After finishing the Washington Post article today, I was left with a feeling of disgust and sadness, but not shock. Football has always been known as a "boy's club," and seeing women in positions of power in any NFL organization is not common. This is the reason why. While I do not know the situation of every front office, I would not be shocked if this is more common then one would suspect.
Now, do not get me wrong: this is disgusting and Snyder should be ashamed of himself. Letting this persist for over 20 years and clearly not giving any shits is despicable. I do not want to defend these actions in any manner. These men have done disgusting things, and the fact that Snyder has let them slide and persist for all this time is plain gross. This is a question about human decency and respect: do you respect your fellow person enough that you control what you say around them? That you think before you act? Clearly the Washington Football team has not cared about its female employees nearly enough. This is hurtful for everyone, male, female, non-binary, whatever. Please, just consider your fellow person when you are living your life. This is not hard.
 
 

Projected Lineup and Position Groups

 
Offense:
QB1: Dwayne Haskins
QB2: Kyle Allen
This should be Dwayne Haskins year to fully realize himself as a starting quarterback in the NFL. While I love watching his sexy instagram workouts, I can only get so worked up before needing to see the real deal. Since being thrown into the fray last year, we saw Dwayne progress in his decision making, but keep improvements in accuracy, particularly throwing mechanics, should be a focus this year. Even with a...subpar supporting cast (more on that later), this should be Simba's year to break out, or at least show that he is worthy of his first round draft selection.
I don't expect Allen or even Alex Smith (if he has recovered enough, which I am doubtful of) to give Haskins a run for his money. While Rivera has never stated he is sold on Haskins, do not think any other QB will start this season (barring injury.) Washington is committed, at least for this year, to Dwayne Haskins.
 
RB1: Adrian Peterson/Derrius Guice
RB3: Antonio Gibson
It is really a toss-up here whether or not AD or Guice starts, but if history is cyclical then Peterson will get the nod soon enough. I really want Guice to do well, and when he has not been injured he has done fairly well. However, I have little hope that his knees keep holding up, especially considering how much we may need to rely on our run game this year.
Peterson is old, but has shown to be consistent enough when we have a semblance of an offensive line. Our run game is decent, definitely not the worst in the league, but could be close to it. I imagine Gibson may fulfill the role of a receiver back, catching out of the backfield or taking hand-offs. He is bigger than Chris Thompson, but elusive enough that I could see some similarity in usage, especially as a rookie.
 
TE1: Jeremy Sprinkle
TE2: Richard Rogers, Logan Thomas
TE3: Thaddeus Moss
Sprinkle gets the nod here as the number one due to his experience in DC, but as the new regime is in town this is really anyone's game. Stat-wise Rogers and Thomas are relatively consistent, and while Moss has the obvious name recognition he is not even a lock to make the current roster. Sprinkle has always been subpar as a pass catcher, decent as blocker and not much else. Hopefully someone here breaks out or a trade swings through, otherwise this is one of our worst position groups on the roster.
 
WR1: Terry McLaurin
WR2: Steven Sims Jr.
WR3: Antonio Gandy-Golden/Cody Latimer
WR4: Trey Quinn
"McLaurin and then everybody else" is the best way to sum up our receiving unit. Scary Terry is once again our biggest threat and should have just as good if not a better year than 2019 as Haskins' accuracy issues (hopefully) clear up. I Like Sims Jr. as a returner, but his results as a receiver have been inconsistent. Perhaps he could be used similarly to Antonio Gibson, as I see him getting end around hand offs having big success. Gandy-Golden looks promising, but small school talent can be hard to adapt to the NFL. Latimer is a solid depth signing, and I am very unsure if Trey Quinn is worth his roster spot. While I mentioned the Tight End group being poor, this group is equal in that regard. Hopefully our run game can carry once again.
 
LT: Geron Christian Sr.
LG: Wes Schweitzer
C: Chase Roullier
RG: Brandon Scherff
RT: Morgan Moses
Scherff is a bright spot on this mediocre group, but he has had some penalty troubles and the contract situation for him is still unclear as for the future. Geron Christian should hopefully start and have improved since last year, and Schweitzer seems to be a decent signing. I like Rouiller under center for now. Saahdiq Charles and Keith Ismael could both become starters, but I have a feeling Rivera will not want to throw them into the fire early on. Overall I'd categorize this group as "eh?" and hope that our RBs can find enough holes. Haskins has also been improving his mobile game so escapability could be a needed factor with this line.
 
4-3 Defense:
LDE1: Chase Young
LDT: Matt Ioannidis
RDT: Daron Payne
RDE: Montez Sweat
This is by far the best position group on the entire roster. Calling these four the only starters is somewhat a misnomer, as Rivera and Del Rio will be frequently subbing in and out many linemen. Kerrigan and Jon Allen should still have large roles, but these are my choices based on durability and past success. Chase Young should be a stud, and I have heard him having between 10-15 sacks this year. Ioannidis has been a 5th round gem for us, leading the team in sacks last year. Payne and Sweat are both young and have shown some success, and I am hopeful they can both remain at worst starter level linemen. If our line is not getting after QBs like crazy this year, some big questions will need to be raised.
 
WLB: Cole Holcomb, Josh Harvey-Clemons
MLB: Jon Bostic, Thomas Davis
SLB: Ryan Anderson
While not as impressive as the linemen, our LB core is still a solid group. Thomas Davis brings in some leadership to an otherwise young group. Ryan Anderson will finally be playing in his natural position as a 4-3 LB. Both Bostic and Holcomb were impressive last year, though I am hoping their coverage (particularly Holcomb's) could improve. Harvey-Clemons is good for our depth, and solid rotation player. Overall not a flashy group, but should get the job done with the pressure all being up front.
 
CB1: Kendall Fuller
CB2: Ronald Darby, Greg Stroman
CB3: Fabian Moreau, Jimmy Moreland
FS: Sean Davis
SS: Landon Collins
The only unquestionable starters here are Fuller and Collins, and even Collins has been looking down as of recent. My dark-horse candidate is Jimmy Moreland, who impressed in last years preseason before being hidden or unnoticeable during the regular season. Moreau is decent, and Sean Davis is as good as Montae Nicholson ever was (especially considering his legal issues.) The loss of Quinton Dunbar is not sad whatsoever, and while his play was above-average, his robbery skills are very poor. This is the biggest whole in the defense by far, and my guess is that our team will ride or die by this secondary. If the front 7 is doing what it can to apply pressure, there will be some slack here. However, do not be surprised if next years writeup has many different players here.
 
Special Teams:
K: Dustin Hopkins
P: Tress Way
KR: Steven Sims Jr.
PR: Steven Sims Jr.
I want Tress Way to have my children so that they will be blessed with his punting genes. After a couple years of flying under the radar, Way was finally recognized in 2019 with a Pro Bowl and Second-team All-Pro nod. I am upset that Brett Kern got the nod over him for First-team, but the recognition is still appreciated. Hopkins is decent, though he does have a tendency to miss some close kicks (cough vs. Bengals in London cough), but he has provided stability to kicking for years now. Sims emerged last year as our return man, and with him bringing us our first return touchdown since 2015, I'll let him stay. Perhaps Gibson will try returning as well, who knows.
 
 

Schedule Prediction

 
Home against the Eagles: Loss
3 out of the past 4 years Washington has lost its openers, with two of those loses being against the Eagles themselves. Be ready for growing pains with a new name, coaching staff, and supporting cast. This season is not gonna get any easier.
 
Away against the Cardinals: Loss
This game could be a close one, but the Cardinals seem to be on the up with Kyler and Kingsbury. There air raid will be too much for the DC secondary, especially playing in Arizona.
 
Away against the Browns: Win
It's the Browns for god sake. Josh Norman had a game winning pick a couple years back for us against them. Sure, their QB was Cody Kessler, but different year same stories. No more Freddie Kitchens, still the same Browns.
 
Home against the Ravens: Loss
It's the Ravens. Enough said.
 
Home against the Rams: Loss
McVay and Co. should have our number here. Even without Gurley the Rams passing attack should be enough to take us down. The real downfall of our team is the secondary, that should be a pattern to notice. I'd like to believe in a Haskins comeback win here, but who knows.
 
Away against the Giants: Loss
Going into the Meadowlands, I expect a game similar to the late OT thriller of last season, with the Daniel Jones reigning supreme again. Saquon will distract our defense enough that number one receiver... Sterling Shepard will bust us up. Clap man Garett gets us again.
 
Home against the Cowboys: Win
Come on now, it's the Cowboys. Dak is overpaid, blah blah blah. Coming back home and wanting to prove ourselves after a crippling loss last week, I think Simba can pull off a nice home win here.
 
Home against the Giants: Win
Revenge game of the 2019 QBs, and this time Haskins will stay on top. Expect a nice performance from McLaurin, and Chase Young destroying Mr. Jones.
 
Away against the Lions: Win
I'm praying that Chase Young is able to get after Stafford enough that he does not pull a come back against us here, but I expect this game to be close as well. Perhaps Okudah has a pick six, why not.
 
Home against the Bengals: Win
Haskins vs. Burrow. Burrow vs. Young. A bonafide 2019 tank-bowl matchup. I feel we have the upper hand here, but really this game should be a shit show. Should be juicy though.
 
Away against the Cowboys: Loss
Playing in Jerry World is ass, though I'll never forget Colt McCoy leading us to victory on Monday night. No way in hell we go 2-0 against the Cowboys, so mark this down as a loss.
 
Away against the Steelers: Loss
Big Ben is back and can run around in the pocket, meaning even with ample pressure his offense will do better than ours.
 
Away against the 49ers: Loss
It's the Niners, and they mean business. Last year's game was a 9-0 snoozefest for some reason, so I'm guessing this one will be 30-27 shootout. Should be fun to see a potential Trent Williams vs. Chase Young matchup.
 
Home against the Seahawks: Loss
Russell Wilson.
 
Home against the Panthers: Win
Rivera fights his old team and...wins?? Yep, even with Teddy B I feel our defense will keep us afloat. Shaq Thompson is scary, but I am not particularly afraid of Donte Jackson and Eli Apple... Haskins will now probably throw three picks.
 
Away against the Eagles: Win
Ending the season on a positive note, what?? Yes, this one may be a stretch. However, if the Eagles are in the number one spot, my guess is that they would rest their starters against ours. Then again, I have no clue who will win the East so your guess is as best as mine. At any rate, I am ready to 100 percent lockdown Wentz this game, maybe.
 
Final record: 7-9, miss the playoffs, 3rd in NFC East
In my book, this would be an OK first year for Rivera. Coming in with so many green players and an entirely new system can lend itself to mediocrity, but building off of this year is crucial in my book to finally escaping out of the limbo which Washington has played in since Snyder bought the team in 1999.
Draft wise, this should set us up for a pick between...12-15? A solid early/mid-first, probably drafting a receiver, tight end, or secondary player depending on who pans out this year.
 
 

Training Camp Battles to watch

 

• Wide Receivers:

Like previously mentioned, it is unclear who will be receivers 2 and 3 behind McLaurin. Kelvin Harmon and Steven Sims Jr. emerged as early contenders, but as noted earlier Harmon tore his ACL. Latimer was ok last year on the Giants, but can he beat out Gandy-Golden or Sims Jr. at the top of the chart. I believe players such as Trey Quinn, Cam Sims, Johnathon Johnson and Isaiah Wright are all fighting for a roster space, so seeing them as starters is extremely unlikely. Predicted Winners: Antonio Gandy-Golden and Steven Sims Jr.
 

• Tight Ends:

This whole roster spot is a toss up. I truly am hoping that Sprinkle gets a kick in the rear to elevate or somebody else steps up, as he was far from a special talent last year. His name makes sense, as he was only able to Sprinkle in a few catches from Haskins and Keenum throughout 2019. Both Richard Rogers and Logan Thomas aren't impressive, so the hope for fans is that Thad Moss or an unknown player such as Marcus Baugh is able to claim the spot. No matter who wins here, the position will be weak. Predicted Winner: Jeremy Sprinkle
 

• Cornerback:

The battle here lies between all players not named Fuller or Darby. Known Redskins names such as Fabian Moreau, Greg Stroman, Jimmy Moreland, and Danny Johnson are all fighting to be the number 3 corner or remain on the roster in a bench role. I feel at most one of these players will be cut, but overall secondary job security should remain steady for 95 percent of Washington players. Predicted Winner: Fabian Moreau
 
 

Offensive and Defensive Schemes

Offense:
One of the points I've read stressed about Scott Turner is his ability to fit the offense for the QB. As this will be his first full time OC job, it is unclear exactly what schemes he plans to run, but I assume it will be up to date with the fast and mobile trends of stat and data driven offenses today. Perhaps we shall see some similarities to his father, who utilized both Air Coryell and spread techniques in Carolina.
 
Defense: Base 4-3, 4-3 Under
As mentioned before, Del Rio and Rivera are shifting our defense from a 3-4 of the past to a 4-3. This should help our rush game significantly, with players such as Ryan Anderson and Chase Young being able to fit in the scheme quite naturally, For more in depth coverage, be sure to read this Hog's Haven post which will explain it more in depth.  
 
Thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts down below. Agree, disagree? This was my first year writing, so I hope it was bearable to read!
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