lordstanley

Good news: a) Lions offense is still best in NFC; b) no new injuries tonight; and c) Vikings won yesterday otherwise I’d be freaking out that tonight’s game is close.

I’m pretty sure the Lions’ defense hasn’t hadd an interception since the Jacksonville game 6 weeks ago.

I think Moody’s time with the Niners is over.

Watching the Lions the past month is like watching Big 12 games a few years ago. Doesn’t feel like real two-way football.

Two TD drives in one quarter + one play is not “meaningless”.

NFC playoff teams Tampa and the LA Rams are both interesting cases, both have quality wins over contenders. Tampa beat Washington by 17, won on the road at the Lions by 4, and home vs the Eagles by 17. Those were all early in the season though. LA Rams lost to the Lions on the road in overtime, beat the Vikings by 10 and beat the Bills by 2. All to say, while I believe the NFC has a clear Tier I of Detroit-Philly-Minnesota I don't think there will be any sure things in the #2 vs #7, #3 vs #6, #4 vs #5 round. Imagine an opening round of Green Bay at Philly, Washington at LA Rams, and Minnesota (or, gulp, Detroit) at Tampa. I could also see the Lions eventually having a home game even if they start as the #5 seed.

And the Caps did well in the 2019 draft despite not picking high. Connor McMichael and Alieksai Protas both have 30 points in 36 games this season. McMichael was drafted 1st round 25th overall, Protas was drafted 3rd round 91st overall. Incidentally, another Caps' 2nd rounder from that draft, #56 overall Brett Leason has already played in 186 NHL games, albeit 3/4 of them being for the Ducks after being waived by Washington.

Commanders could still miss the playoffs. But just trimmed their deficit vs Atlanta tonight to 17-14

4-2 Wings win! First victory of the TM era.

https://www.freep.com/story/sports/mlb/tigers/2024/12/28/charlie-maxwell-death-detroit-tigers-paw-paw/76830205007/ “Sabbath Smasher” is a great nickname I hadn’t heard before.

I was born in ‘67 so yeah, he was really my first Tigers’ 2nd baseman. Liked Sutherland, but didn’t like Veryzer who I thought was greasy.

Wings win a faceoff in own zone with 7 seconds to go in 2nd period, have possession in corner with 4.5 seconds to go, somehow still find a way to give up goal before end of the period. 5-0 Leafs after 2.

4-0

But 2-0 Toronto late in the 1st.

Ok, if we pool our best plans to share with Yzerman I’ll print them out and send to his office, lol.

lol, Bears. Absolute train wreck of a final possession with 5 minutes to go down 3. Take the full 40 second between plays, illegal procedure on a 4th and 1, burn a timeout in punt formation. Then when finally a 1st down at the Seahawks’ 40 throw 3 lowish percentage incompletions instead of ensuring field goal range with a run or two. On 4th and 10 with 15 seconds to go Caleb throws up a back foot pop fly that gets intercepted. Game ends with Chicago having 2 timeouts. Seattle 6 Chicago 3.

Lalonde had to go. Fine with McLellan. Wish this had been done a month ago. Think the problem is the roster at least as much as coaching.

I thought for sure today’s 31-2 win by Baltimore would be a Scorigami (unique final score that has never been recorded before in NFL history). Nope, two other games have ended 31-2, in 1965 and 1936. The Lions’ 52-6 win over Jacksonville was a scorigami. https://nflscorigami.com

I'm just back from Christmas Eve Mass and heard any many familiar hymns, but this is one of my favourite holiday classics.

Glowing feature in The Athletic today about the turnaround on and off the ice of Utah HC. Have we reached a point as Wings fans where there's reason to be envious of the former Arizona Coyotes? https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6013288/2024/12/23/nhl-utah-hockey-club-future/ Andre Tourigny’s club has won seven games in a row on the road and is 6-0-2 in its past eight, 8-1-3 in its past 12 and pulled within a point of a playoff spot in the Western Conference Sunday with a shootout loss to Anaheim. This is no longer the Coyotes, where Armstrong’s edict was simply to meet the cap floor, acquire dead-money contracts for essentially retired players to help him do that and gobble up as many draft picks and prospects as possible. Yet because of the latter, the future in Utah is bright with a core that includes Keller, Guenther, Logan Cooley, Lawson Crouse, Nick Schmaltz and Michael Kesselring (who has soared in the wake of injuries to Sean Durzi and John Marino) and prospects on the horizon such as Maveric Lamoureux, Tij Iginla, Dmitriy Simashev and Daniil But.

Packers beat the Saints 34-0 in the NFL's shutout of the season. NFC North are 3 of the top 4 teams in terms of point differential.