Hooked on Sports

John today is all over all six games from the NFL playoffs this past weekend, including the Steelers' loss to the Browns and why the Ravens' victory over the Titans was planned back in March. John also discusses the late breaking news about the Philadelphia Eagles parting ways with head coach Doug Pederson and how dissatisfied DeShaun Watson is with the Houston Texans organization, and the Mets trading for Francisco Lindor in a blockbuster trade.

In this week's NFL special podcast, John runs down all the NFL rumors regarding general manager and head coaching vacancies across the league, including why the Cincinnati Bengals had no choice but to keep head coach Zac Taylor, and who he thinks could best fit into these roles, and previews the six games of Super Wild Card Weekend across the NFL.

The NFL completed a regular season that nobody thought would be completed amidst a global pandemic, and the playoff bracket is set headed into Wild Card Weekend. The Cleveland Browns snapped the longest playoff drought in the NFL, the Dolphins got blown out by the Bills and they missed the playoffs despite winning 10 games, and the Tennessee Titans won their first AFC South crown in 12 years on a doink field goal. Whereas in the NFC, the Packers won the top seed in the NFC, while the Rams and Bears rounded out the NFC Wild Card race and Washington captured it's first NFC East crown in 5 years with their win over Philadelphia. But did Philadelphia purposely let Washington win the division? And should Giants fans blame the Eagles for why their team missed the playoffs?

Also, the Nets' struggles without Spencer Dinwiddie have been real and alarming, so who should be blamed for the Nets' failures if they don't win a championship? John lays down all of those questions on today's podcast.

The 2020 NFL regular season comes down to this: Week 17, 11 teams still competing for the final seven remaining playoff spots between both conferences. There are so many games with playoff implications, and John will pick every game against the spread as he's done the entire season.

Recap of all the playoff clinching scenarios for Week 17:

NFC East: Washington wins NFC East if they beat the Eagles. If they lose, the winner of the Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants game will win the division.

NFC Wild Card: Winner of Rams-Cardinals clinches a playoff spot. Rams will be in playoffs with a win or a Bears loss. The Bears are in with a win.

NFC No. 1 Seed: Packers clinch top seed with a win or Seahawks loss. Seahawks win the top seed with a win + losses by the Packers and Saints. Saints clinch top seed with a win + Packers loss + Seahawks win.

AFC South: If the Colts win and the Titans lose, the Colts win the division. Any other scenario means the Titans win the division.

AFC Wild Card: Titans, Dolphins, Ravens, and Browns all clinch with just a win. The Colts need a win and one of those teams to lose to make the playoffs.

At the end, John breaks down the College Football Playoff Semifinals, with the Rose Bowl between Alabama and Notre Dame and the Sugar Bowl between Clemson and Ohio State.

Follow Hooked on Sports on Twitter and Instagram @hooked_onsports

Follow John Flynn on Twitter @JohnFlynn97 and Instagram @jayflizzie

Happy New Year 2021 to All!

Topics for this podcast (with timestamps):

Nets look like real deal with Kevin Durant (1:57)

Golden State Warriors look like a bottom 5 team in the NBA after blowout national TV losses to start the season and barely got past the Bulls (6:03)

Jacksonville Jaguars cement top pick in 2021 NFL Draft (and with it the Trevor Lawrence sweepstakes) and if their general manager and head coaching vacancies become much more attractive (10:34)

The Las Vegas Raiders eliminated from postseason contention with their loss to the Miami Dolphins, and why the season was a failure (16:23)

The Washington Football Team cut former first-round QB Dwayne Haskins, and why that headline would have been different a year ago (22:35)

The Nationals acquire Pirates first baseman Josh Bell in exchange for two top-six prospects, and why the Pirates had to get trade Josh Bell (27:44)

The San Diego Padres acquire 2018 American League Cy Young Winner Blake Snell in an overnight blockbuster trade with the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for four prospects, how that shakes up the National League West and the American League outlooks for the 2021 season (30:50)

Follow Hooked on Sports on Twitter & Instagram: @hooked_onsports

John's profiles on Social Media: Twitter: @johnflynn97, Instagram @jayflizzie

After losing 27-17 to the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night, Steelers fans have to wonder if their team's offense will be any good come the playoffs. John explains why they should. With many of you in fantasy football championship bouts over the weekend, John gives some matchups that can carry you to your championship. Then, John gives his picks and predictions for Week 16 in the NFL, with games going a long way as to making the playoff picture clearer.

Vikings @ Saints (Saints favored by 7 points)

Bucs @ Lions (Bucs favored by 9 1/2)

49ers @ Cardinals (Cardinals favored by 5)

Dolphins @ Raiders (Dolphins favored by 3)

Falcons @ Chiefs (Chiefs favored by 10 1/2)

Bears @ Jaguars  (Bears favored by 7 1/2)

Bengals @ Texans (Texans favored by 8)

Browns @ Jets (Browns favored by 9 1/2)

Colts @ Steelers (Colts favored by 1 1/2)

Giants @ Ravens (Ravens favored by 10)

Panthers @ Washington (Washington favored by 2 1/2)

Broncos @ Chargers (Chargers favored by 3)

Rams @ Seahawks (Seahawks favored by 1 1/2)

Eagles @ Cowboys (Eagles favored by 2)

Titans @ Packers (Packers favored by 3 1/2)

Bills @ Patriots (Bills favored by 7)

There are a lot of headlines this week in sports. But now that the College Football Playoff bracket has been officially revealed, John tells how he thinks the matchups between Notre Dame and Alabama, along with Clemson and Ohio State will go. John tells how the Bills got to winning the AFC East as well as the culture and prerequisites needed to turn Buffalo's record of failure around. The Giants have major issues, and John believes that these issues warrant the dismissal of general manager Dave Gettleman, but that's not the biggest problem with the Giants. He also talks about the Raiders losing at home to the Chargers and the genius of Justin Herbert, the NHL season officially on and how exciting hockey will be all season, and reveals his official predictions for the 2020-2021 NBA Season. 

Week 15 NFL Guide:

Straight Up: Last Week: 9-7, Overall: 141-66-1

Against the Spread: Last Week: 8-8: Overall: 106-99-3

Games

T: Chargers @ Raiders (LV -3.5)

S: Bills @ Broncos (DEN + 6.5)

S: Panthers @ Packers (GB -8.5)

1: Bears @ Vikings (MIN -3.0)

1: Lions @ Titans (TEN -10.5)

1: Texans @ Colts (IND -7.0)

1: Jaguars @ Ravens (BAL -13.5)

1: Patriots @ Dolphins (MIA -2.5)

1: Seattle @ Washington (WSH +5.5)

1: 49ers @ Cowboys (DAL +3.0)

1: Buccaneers @ Falcons (ATL +6.0)

4: Jets @ Rams (LAR -17.0)

4: Eagles @ Cardinals (ARI -6.0)

4: Chiefs @ Saints (NO +3.0)

8: Browns @ Giants (NYG +4.5)

M: Steelers @ Bengals (CIN +12.5)

A huge week in sports yet again... Jalen Hurts took over as starting QB for the Philadelphia Eagles, and guided them to beat the New Orlenas Saints! Also, John warned his listeners the last couple of weeks that the Buffalo Bills would defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, and surely enough, they did. John dives into the Steelers' deficiencies and how the Bills exposed them last night. He also dives into Kevin Durant's return to basketball and make his Nets preseason debut, and the latest MLB free agency rumors with the Mets and Yankees.

We are down to the last four weeks of the NFL season, and there will be so many games with playoff implications across the NFL this weekend, and John will pick all of them against the spread.

But before that, John talks some of the highlights of Week 13 in the NFL, and focuses on the New York Giants' shocking win over the Seattle Seahawks on the road, dives into the issues with the Pittsburgh Steelers after they lost to the Washington Football Team, and the Chicago Bears blowing a 10-point, 4th quarter lead to the Detroit Lions.

Straight Up: Last Week: 12-3, Overall: 132-59-1

Against the Spread: Last Week: 11-4: Overall: 98-91-3

Patriots @ Rams (LAR -5.0)

Cardinals @ Giants (ARI -2.0)

Cowboys @ Bengals (DAL -3.5)

Broncos @ Panthers (CAR -3.5)

Texans @ Bears (HOU -1.5)

Chiefs @ Dolphins (KC -7.0)

Vikings @ Bucs (TB -6.5)

Titans @ Jaguars (TEN -7.5)

Colts @ Raiders (IND -3.0)

Jets @ Seahawks (SEA -13.5)

Falcons @ Chargers (ATL -2.5)

Packers @ Lions (GB -7.5)

Saints @ Eagles (NO -7.0)

WFT @ 49ers (in Arizona) (SF -3.0)

Steelers @ Bills (BUF -2.5)

Ravens @ Browns (BAL -1.0)