Mike Gianakos Articles - Page 14

The Detroit Lions earned the top seed in the NFC with a 15-2 record in 2024. However, the Lions’ season ended in disappointment after a divisional round loss to the Washington Commanders. Now Detroit faces an uncertain future as the team is forced to replace its offensive and defensive coordinators. The Lions’ boasted one of […]

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost in the Wild Card round, suffering a 28-14 beatdown courtesy of the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers are now 0-5 in the playoffs over the last eight years and calls for the franchise to move on from head coach Mike Tomlin are growing louder. While Tomlin appears far too entrenched in the […]

The Philadelphia Eagles survived an injury to quarterback Jalen Hurts and a fourth quarter comeback attempt by the Los Angeles Rams to win their divisional round matchup and advance to the NFC Championship Game against the Washington Commanders. While the Eagles won 28-22, running back Saquon Barkley did the heavy lifting against the Rams as […]

The Tennessee Titans turned the upcoming NFL draft on its head after announcing that the team would focus on talent and not position with the first overall pick. It had been assumed that the Titans would grab the quarterback of their choice after landing the top pick in the draft. The change in philosophy is […]

In many ways the NFL is like poker. If you’re competing against 31 other franchises and you don’t know who the sucker is… you’re the sucker. The Jacksonville Jaguars found that out the hard way when their decision to retain Trent Baalke as GM hindered the team’s ability to land one of the top head […]

The New York Jets entered the offseason facing serious questions about their future. New York answered one of those questions Wednesday, hiring Aaron Glenn as the team’s new head coach. While the Jets still need a general manager and a long-term solution at quarterback, the Glenn hire has been met with praise from fans. Now […]

After a disastrous 2024 season in which the New York Jets finished 5-12 and missed the playoffs for a 14th consecutive year. the team could be the most disappointing in the history of football. New York entered the offseason with several significant holes. The Jets faced major question marks regarding their head coach, general manager […]

Former Houston Astros reliever Billy Wagner is headed to Cooperstown. Wagner managed to make the Hall of Fame on his 10th and final ballot, garnering 82.5 percent of the vote. He joins Ichiro Suzuki and CC Sabathia in the MLB Hall of Fame class of 2025. It took a decade for the former strikeout artist […]

The New York Jets identified their top choice for the team’s head coach vacancy. Aaron Glenn quickly became the frontrunner for the Jets’ job after the Detroit Lions suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Washington Commanders in the Divisional round. While the Jets had a brazen plan to keep Glenn in the building until the […]

The Chicago Bears moved quickly to lock down the team’s next head coach. While the Detroit Lions’ season ended in heartbreak after losing to the Washington Commanders in the Divisional round on Saturday, the Bears hired former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson on Monday. Johnson was one of the most coveted coaches available in this hiring […]

The Chicago Bears made it official, hiring Ben Johnson as the team’s new head coach on Monday. Johnson spent the last six seasons on the Detroit Lions’ coaching staff. He was promoted to offensive coordinator in 2022 and the Lions finished as a top four overall offense in each of his three seasons at the […]

The Los Angeles Rams’ incredible season came to an end with a Divisional round loss to the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday. After looking like a legit contender against the Minnesota Vikings in the Wild Card round, the Rams fell 28-22 to Philly in the snow. With quarterback Matthew Stafford turning 37 in just a few weeks, […]

The Baltimore Ravens lost a heartbreaker to the Buffalo Bills in the Divisional round. While Lamar Jackson was able to lead the Ravens on a scoring drive late in the fourth quarter to pull within two points of the Bills, veteran tight end Mark Andrews was unable to secure the ensuing two-point conversion and the […]

The Houston Texans hung around in their Divisional round matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, making it a closer contest than perhaps the back-to-back Super Bowl champs anticipated. Houston was within one point of KC entering the fourth quarter. But the Chiefs ultimately pulled away and Texans’ head coach DeMeco Ryans was left feeling discouraged […]

The Jacksonville Jaguars became one of seven NFL teams looking for a new head coach after the 2024 season. Jacksonville fired veteran coach Doug Pederson after the team went just 4-13 this season and missed the playoffs for the second time in Pederson’s three years at the helm. Pederson got off to a good start […]

The Houston Texans lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Divisional round. Despite a game effort in which Houston entered the fourth quarter down 13-12, Texans’ head coach DeMeco Ryans felt discouraged after the playoff defeat. Unfortunately, Houston’s offense was unable to score in the final frame, with the only fourth quarter points coming […]

The Philadelphia Eagles eliminated the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round, cruising to an easy 22-10 victory. Now Philadelphia will take on a Los Angeles Rams team coming off an impressive win over the Minnesota Vikings. Fortunately, Philly fans have Eagles’ legend LeSean McCoy to hype up the event. McCoy is featured in […]

The Los Angeles Rams wreaked havoc on the Minnesota Vikings’s offense in the Wild Card round, tying the postseason record with nine sacks in a dominant victory. Now the Rams are preparing for their next challenge, attempting to contain a Philadelphia Eagles’ offense led by running back Saquon Barkley. LA’s GM Les Snead was asked […]

After three straight 12-win seasons the Dallas Cowboys suffered a disappointing 2024 campaign in which they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2020. After remaining noncommittal throughout the final year of Mike McCarthy’s contract, the Cowboys decided to move on from the head coach. With McCarthy out in Dallas, Jerry Jones created a […]

Las Vegas Raiders’ star defensive end Maxx Crosby never missed a game in the first five years of his career. But in 2024, Crosby was forced to sit out five games, ultimately suffering a season-ending ankle injury that required surgery. With the Raiders missing the playoffs for the third straight year – and the 20th […]

The Philadelphia Eagles will host the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional round on Sunday afternoon. The Eagles easily dispatched the Green Bay Packers on Wild Card weekend, intercepting quarterback Jordan Love three times. However, Philadelphia lost a key defender when Nakobe Dean was ruled out for the remainder of the playoffs with a knee […]

Poor Sam Darnold. The downtrodden quarterback came oh so close to completing a redemption arc for the ages before it all fell apart in the most brutal two-game span you’re ever likely to see. Darnold had his Minnesota Vikings fighting for the top seed in the NFC in the season finale before getting mauled by […]

The Buffalo Bills dominated the Denver Broncos in all facets of the game (except fake punts) in a Wild Card round blowout. Now Buffalo will host the Baltimore Ravens for a Divisional round clash showcasing two of the best quarterbacks in the league. While John Harbaugh has two-time MVP Lamar Jackson as his signal caller, […]

After playing coy all season about the future of Mike McCarthy and then delaying the inevitable for no comprehensible reason, Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys let their veteran head coach go. The Chicago Bears are in need of a new coach after firing Matt Eberflus and the team is interested in McCarthy. But is […]

After bouncing the Pittsburgh Steelers from the tournament in the opening round of the playoffs, the Baltimore Ravens have set their sights on a more challenging foe, the Buffalo Bills. Baltimore has only played the Bills once in the postseason during the Lamar Jackson era. The Ravens lost that game 17-3 on the road in […]

The Baltimore Ravens are moving onto the Divisional round after dominating the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-14 in their Wild Card matchup. While Baltimore had little difficulty in dispatching Pittsburgh, the Ravens’ next opponent presents a far greater challenge as the team prepares to face the Buffalo Bills on the road. The Ravens boast one of the […]

The Washington Commanders showed the world they’re ready for prime time with a huge win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round. Now Washington heads to Detroit to take on a 15-2 Lions team that earned the top seed in the NFC. While the Commanders are massive underdogs, Dallas Cowboys’ star defender […]

The Pittsburgh Steelers got dominated by the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round, losing 28-14. It was the sixth straight playoff loss for Pittsburgh, a fact that has some believing it’s time for the organization to move on from longtime head coach Mike Tomlin. However, such a change might not be as easy as […]

The Kansas City Chiefs enjoyed an almost effortlessly dominant season in 2024. Even after essentially conceding the season finale against the Denver Broncos by resting their starters, the Chiefs finished with a 15-2 record and the top seed in the AFC. The 15 wins are the most in franchise history and the number one seed […]

The Philadelphia Eagles dispatched the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round. Philly’s defense dominated Green Bay, intercepting quarterback Jordan Love three times and holding the Packers to 10 points. However, the Eagles suffered a significant loss as star defender Nakobe Dean will miss the remainder of the playoffs due to a knee injury. […]

The Pittsburgh Steelers were served an ice cold dose of reality by the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card round. Pittsburgh fell to Baltimore 28-14 in Saturday’s matchup, marking the fifth straight time the Steelers were one-and-done in the playoffs. The team’s lack of success has naturally led to calls for change entering the offseason. […]

The Los Angeles Rams are dominating the Minnesota Vikings 27-9 at the start of the fourth quarter of their wild card round matchup. The Rams have been in control throughout the contest despite being forced to play their home game in Arizona due to massive wildfires in Southern California. LA leaned on Tyler Higbee early […]

It’s been a nightmare first half for the Minnesota Vikings as the Los Angeles Rams are dominating their Wild Card round matchup. The Rams came out swinging despite the game moving from LA to Arizona due to wildfires in Southern California. Los Angeles built a 24-3 lead at the half with a little help from […]

The Detroit Lions earned the top seed in the NFC with a 15-2 regular season record. The Lions are considered the top Super Bowl contender. But before Detroit heads to New Orleans the team must take care of business against a hungry, young Washington Commanders squad in the Divisional round. Given the Lions’ dominant season, […]

Despite an ugly blowout loss to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round, it’s impossible to view the Denver Broncos’ season as anything but a rousing success. Rookie passer Bo Nix proved to be the franchise quarterback Denver had been searching for since Peyton Manning retired and the team reached the postseason for the […]

Despite a massively disappointing season the New Orleans Saints seem content to retain GM Mickey Loomis. The Saints finished 5-12 in 2024, their worst record since going 3-13 in the 2005 season. However the team clearly values continuity as Loomis is the NFL’s longest tenured general manager, holding the position with New Orleans since 2002. […]

Baltimore Ravens’ running back Derrick Henry loves humiliating the Pittsburgh Steelers. In Week 16, Henry set the record for the most rushing yards by a Ravens player against the Steelers when he racked up 162 yards on the ground. As it turns out, that performance was just the warm up for the main event. When […]

Washington Commanders’ quarterback Jayden Daniels has had a remarkable first season in the NFL. His efforts helped turn around a team that finished 4-13 in 2023, leading the Commanders to a 12-5 record and the sixth seed in the NFC. Daniels is a shoo-in for Offensive Rookie of the Year. But how does his debut […]

Well, that didn’t go well. The Los Angeles Chargers were 2.5 point favorites for a road matchup against the Houston Texans. Rex Ryan suggested the game was essentially a bye week for the Chargers, who would easily roll the AFC South champs. But that’s why they play the games. Houston took Los Angeles behind the […]