Mike Gianakos Articles - Page 19

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 […]

The Houston Texans easily won the eminently winnable AFC South with a 10-7 record. Yet despite earning the right to host a playoff game in the Wild Card round, former coach turned commentator Rex Ryan equated the matchup to a bye for the visiting Los Angeles Chargers. In the first half of Saturday afternoon’s game […]

The Pittsburgh Steelers limped into the playoffs, losing four straight games to fall to 10-7 on the season. The offense struggled immensely during that four-game stretch, averaging less than 14.3 points per game. The Steelers desperately need a spark as they prepare to take on their division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, in the Wild Card […]

The Green Bay Packers finished third in the highly competitive NFC North. The team produced an 11-6 record but back-to-back losses to close out the regular season dropped the Packers to the seventh seed in the NFC, setting up a road matchup with the second seed Philadelphia Eagles. While the first round draw isn’t ideal, […]

With Southern California engulfed by wildfires, the NFL was forced to move the upcoming playoff game between the Los Angeles Rams and the Minnesota Vikings. The Rams clinched the NFC West, earning the right to host a playoff game during Wild Card weekend. However, with smoke visible from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the contest […]

The Detroit Lions dominated the Minnesota Vikings 31-9 in Week 18. The victory in the season finale clinched the NFC North for the Lions as well as the top seed in the conference. Detroit looked every bit the team sending seven players to the Pro Bowl this season. But one notable exception is standout safety […]

After murky updates about his status following a 4-13 season, the Las Vegas Raiders finally fired Antonio Pierce on Tuesday. Pierce had just finished his first season as the Raiders’ head coach after being given the job on an interim basis midway through the 2023 campaign. However, the disappointing season in Las Vegas this year […]

The Detroit Lions offense continues to impress, closing out the season with a 31-9 victory over their division rival Minnesota Vikings in Week 18. In doing so, they secured the top seed in the NFC, along with a first-round bye in the playoffs. Yet despite all the success, wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown couldn’t help himself from […]

The Denver Broncos beat up on the Kansas City Chiefs’ backups in Week 18 to clinch the final Wild Card berth. The Broncos’ efforts to reach the postseason will be rewarded with a trip to Buffalo to take on the 13-4 Bills in the first round. It’s the first time Denver has made the playoffs […]

After appearing in the Super Bowl last season the San Francisco 49ers failed to make the playoffs in 2024. The 49ers finished the disappointing year with a 6-11 record, good for last place in the NFC West, and the team was eliminated from the postseason back in Week 16. Now San Francisco is making changes […]

The Buffalo Bills earned the second seed in the AFC with a 13-4 record thanks in large part to an MVP-caliber season from quarterback Josh Allen and a balanced offensive attack that made NFL history in 2024. The Bills became the first team to ever record 30 passing touchdowns and 30 rushing touchdowns in a […]

As winners of the AFC South, the Houston Texans will host the Los Angeles Chargers in the Wild Card round this weekend. While a 31-2 Week 16 blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens has left Houston’s Super Bowl aspirations on life support, one commentator doesn’t even think the team stands a chance against Los Angeles. […]

The Cleveland Browns will miss the playoffs for the 20th time in the last 22 years. After an impressive 11-6 finish last season, the Browns regressed in 2024, dropping to a miserable 3-14. Cleveland lost six straight games to close out the season, including Week 18’s demolition at the hands of the playoff-bound Baltimore Ravens. […]

The Los Angeles Chargers won three straight games to close out the 2024 regular season, wrapping up the top Wild Card berth in head coach Jim Harbaugh’s first season in LA. Harbaugh’s effect on the franchise cannot be understated has he’s helped the team rebound from an ugly 5-12 season in 2023 to finish with […]

The Los Angeles Rams opted to rest their starters against the Seattle Seahawks in the season finale. While LA secured the NFC West title thanks to a strength of victory tiebreaker over Seattle, the team lost to the Seahawks in Week 18. The defeat dropped the Rams from the third seed to the fourth seed […]

The Baltimore Ravens locked up the AFC North with a win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 18. The team improved to 12-5 and secured the third seed in the conference with the victory on Saturday. However, Ravens’ wideout Zay Flowers injured his knee in the contest, leaving his availability for the Wild Card round […]