Hooked on Sports

In today's podcast:

John discusses the ripple effects of the Carolina Panthers firing head coach Frank Reich and what it means for the team's future, the Washington Commanders firing defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, the mental fortitude of the 10-1 Philadelphia Eagles and why it bodes well for them for the 49ers showdown on Sunday, the Jets' mess, the St. Louis Cardinals free agent splurge and whether it's just a bandaid for the bigger issues, the Mets-Yankees bid on Yoshinobu Yamomoto, the New York Rangers are the best team in the NHL, the surprises in the NBA so far, and the College Football Playoff rankings and why it would have been nice to have the 12-team playoff this year.

In today's podcast:

John makes his picks for all the games this weekend that feature all the 32 teams in the NFL over the course of the next five days with the Thanksgiving holiday, with lots of key divisional tilts around the league featuring battles for first place in the NFC West and NFC South, and the very first Black Friday game in NFL history between AFC East rivals in the Dolphins and the Jets.

Today's podcast:

Why should you feel more confident about the Cincinnati Bengals than the Baltimore Ravens as the two teams collide on Thursday Night Football tonight (1:25-7:23)

The Cleveland Browns can still absolutely make the playoffs despite Deshaun Watson's season-ending injury and can absolutely beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday (7:25-12:52)

The Eagles and Chiefs face off for the first time since Super Bowl LVII on Monday Night, and why you have to trust Andy Reid and the Chiefs coming off their bye week (12:53-19:08)

NFL Picks Against the Spread Week 11 (19:08-39:01)

Today's podcast topics (with timecodes):

Bills' mess (1:36-20:51)

CJ Stroud, 49ers, Vikings (20:54-31:02)

Clippers' trade for James Harden (31:03-34:55)

Tyrese Maxey, Victor Wembanyama and LeBron James thriving (34:57-44:38)

College Football Playoff Outlook (44:38-51:23)

NHL - Rangers thriving under Peter Laviolette and Oilers fire Jay Woodcroft (51:24-55:21)

MLB - Manager Carousel (55:21-1:02:19)

In today's podcast,

John looks at key matchups in the NFL on Sunday afternoon, and says why the panic meter in San Francisco should revert back to lower levels with the expected return of Deebo Samuel and probable return of Trent Williams back from injuries in time for a showdown with Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars, why the stock is up on the Minnesota Vikings following a comeback win in which they didn't have some of their best offensive players, and why a lot is at stake from a believability standpoint for the Chargers this week as they take on a Lions team coming off their bye.

Then he picks every game in the NFL against the spread for Week 10 in the NFL.

In today's podcast:

John discusses the key matchups ahead of Week 9 of the NFL season, the things he liked and loathed from the trade deadline that just past on Tuesday, and offer his NFL picks against the spread for the week.

The Texas Rangers capped off an unbelievable 2023 season by winning its first championship in it's 63-year history by defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks 4 games to 1 in the World Series. It was a day Rangers fans thought would never see, 12 years after they were a strike away TWICE! in Game 6 against the Cardinals in the Fall Classic, so today's podcast is about the Rangers winning the World Series and everything they did to get to this point, from front office changes to free agents to draftees and trades to get the Rangers to its greatest moment.

Also, with it being a Thursday, John offers his pick for the Tennessee Titans and the Pittsburgh Steelers in tonight's game.

In today's podcast,

John discusses why the Cincinnati Bengals, a team coming off their bye week, are getting a Super Bowl favorite at the right time in the 49ers, an intriguing game in Pittsburgh between the Jaguars and Steelers, with both teams winning four of their last five games each, and why the latest edition of the Giants-Jets rivalry in New York is a must-win game for both teams and the two big advantages the Giants have over the Jets.

Then, John will pick all the games in Week 8 featuring all 32 teams in the NFL against the spread.

Seven weeks are in the books in the NFL, and John tells you why fans of the Philadelphia Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, and Kansas City Chiefs should be excited about their performances over the weekend and how it relates to the big picture in the NFL.

Then, John says the Astros' lack of clutch hitting doomed them in the ALCS against the Texas Rangers, and the Diamondbacks comeback ability got the NLCS to seven games.

Then, John locks in his 2023-24 NBA Predictions, and offers the 12-13 teams that are left in consideration of the four spots in the College Football Playoff in FBS football, and none of the spots are gimmes this year.

In today's podcast,

John discusses the five teams that have five wins, the Chiefs, 49ers, Lions, Dolphins, and Eagles, and four of them have tough matchups on Sunday, including two of them facing each other in primetime, so what should we make about the Dolphins and Eagles matchup on Sunday night. Is it time to raise the expectations for the Detroit Lions who have won 4 straight games by 14+ points for the first time since 1934, and what about the Chiefs, who don't have an easy matchup against the Chargers on Sunday.

Then, John offers his picks against the spread for the week.