Hooked on Sports

There was a huge buffet of sports topics to get into this week. 

AP Top 25 Poll in CFB, Notre Dame vs. Clemson, Alabama vs. Florida: (01:33-11:15)

Mormons vs. Mullets: (11:15-16:16)

Mets sign relief pitcher Trevor May to 2-year, $15.5 million contract: (17:23-21:00)

Texas Rangers hire former pitcher Chris Young to be next general manager: (21:01-23:43)

Phillies' willingness to trade Zack Wheeler and post-Klentak Phillies: (23:49-29:14)

Rockets trade Westbrook to the Wizards for Wall & 1st Round Pick: (29:14-35:43)

Can the Los Angeles Lakers repeat?: (35:43-37:53)

NBA Christmas Day Schedule: (37:53-42:02)

With five weeks remaining in the NFL season, some big storylines are on the horizon. Will the Steelers be the first team since the 2007 Patriots to complete a 16-0 regular season? With Washington tied for first place in the NFC East at 4-7, are they better than their win-loss record indicates. John will also tell you why he believes the Tennessee Titans are going to win the AFC South after their 45-26 blowout victory over the rival Indianapolis Colts last Sunday.

Then, John provides his Week 13 NFL Picks Against the Spread, with a guideline below.

Week 13 NFL Picks Straight Up & Against the Spread Guide:

Straight Up: Last Week: 12-4, Overall: 120-56-1

Against the Spread: Last Week: 9-6-1: Overall: 87-87-3

Bengals @ Dolphins (MIA -10.5)

Browns @ Titans (TEN -5.5)

Lions @ Bears (CHI -3.0)

Colts @ Texans (IND -3.5)

Jaguars @ Vikings (MIN -10.0)

Raiders @ Jets (LV -8.5)

Saints @ Falcons (NO -3.0)

Rams @ Cardinals (LAR -3.0)

Giants @ Seahawks (SEA -11.0)

Patriots @ Chargers (LAC -1.5)

Eagles @ Packers (GB -8.5)

Broncos @ Chiefs (KC -13.5)

Washington @ Steelers (PIT -8.0)

Bills @ 49ers (in Arizona) (SF -1.0)

Cowboys @ Ravens (BAL -7.5)

It was no secret the Lions had their head coach and general manager on the hot seat this season, and the Lions relieved both Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn of their respective duties. The Jaguars did the same with general manager Dave Caldwell following their 27-25 loss to the Browns on Sunday, while the Cowboys proved they are on a path to nowhere following their 41-16 loss to the Washington Football Team on Thanksgiving Day.

Week 11 of the NFL was full of big storylines, with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow suffering a season-ending ACL tear in Sunday's loss to Washington, while Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost 27-24 to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night. John answers whether or not the Bengals will be successful with Joe Burrow in light of his injury, and if the Buccaneers can right their ship before it becomes too late. Then, he discusses the state of the NFC East as it is wide open, with just 1/2 game separating the entire division. 

Plus, a special Thanksgiving slate of NFL action is on tap, with the Lions hosting the Texans, while the Cowboys host the Washington Football Team on Thursday.

The Kansas City Chiefs came from behind to defeat the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday Night Football 35-31, but John says the Raiders made a gigantic statement in front of a national audience with their performance in the loss. The New Orleans Saints defeated the Atlanta Falcons 24-9 thank to an efficient day from quarterback Taysom Hill, who got the start for New Orleans on Sunday after Drew Brees suffered multiple injuries, and John argues that had to do with the culture Sean Payton established and maintained.

John also dives in to the winners and losers of the NBA Trade Deadline, including the Lakers' adding some key players to their roster just two months removed from an NBA title, while the Hornets drafted LaMelo Ball with the No. 3 overall pick in last week's NBA Draft, and they added Gordon Hayward to a 4-year, $120 million contract. John evaluates why the Lakers and Hornets are going in completely opposite directions.

Another NFL week is on tap, and with it some new storylines to focus on. John talks about whether or not the Drew Brees' injury will be the downfall of the Saints' chances to be successful this season, how the Chicago Bears can right their ship offensively after losing to the Vikings on Monday evening, and how the Colts' statement victory over the Titans changes the picture in the AFC South.

Joining John this week on Hooked on Sports is WSJU Sports Radio and World Wide Sports Radio Network contributor George Whitbread, where we sit down and discuss the ownership change with the Mets, the improvements Daniel Jones had made the last two weeks and how that'll help the Giants in the NFC East race, the state of St. John's men's basketball with Mike Anderson entering his second season as head coach, and the future of the New York Rangers following a lengthy rebuild. 

John also talks about Dustin Johnson earning his much-awaited Masters victory and how his time of waiting and endurance finally paid off, the play now dubbed the "Hail Murray" at the end of the Arizona Cardinals' stunning 32-30 victory over the Buffalo Bills and that play may have a lot of playoff implications, and where the Philadelphia Eagles go following their 27-17 loss to the Giants on Sunday. Plus, John reacts to NBA trade rumors that have James Harden potentially joining Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving with the Brooklyn Nets, and the breaking trade news of Chris Paul going to the Phoenix Suns in a blockbuster trade that sent a package of young players back to the Oklahoma City Thunder and more.

TIME STAMPS:

Dustin Johnson wins his first Masters (2:29)

James Harden/Brooklyn Nets rumors (4:23)

Cardinals defeat Bills on "Hail Murray" (6:51)

The Philadelphia Eagles have issues (11:13)

George Whitbread Interview (18:17)

Reaction to interview (59:00)

Why Giants winning NFC East would be a big boost for the future (1:00:04)

BREAKING: Oklahoma City Thunder trade Chris Paul to the Phoenix Suns (1:04:03)

The NFL regular season is half way through the books, and now the playoff pictures are beginning to commence across the league, with each conference posing intriguing, but crowded races. In particular, there are six teams that are in the mix for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, which is key because only the top seed gets a first round bye this year. Meanwhile, there are six teams in the AFC that are competing for four playoff spots, but many of them have soft schedules the rest of the way, so who will be left out of the AFC playoffs when the season is over? 

Then, John gives his Week 10 NFL Picks, beginning with a battle for first place in the AFC South between the Tennessee Titans, favored by 2 points, and the visiting Indianapolis Colts. Other key matchups include Kyler Murray and the Cardinals (favored by 1.5 points) hosting Josh Allen and the Bills, while Sean McVay's Rams come off their bye week as 1.5 point home favorites against Russell Wilson and the Seahawks in a pivotal NFC West game.

Colts @ Titans (-2)

Texans @ Browns (-3) 

Jaguars @ Packers (-13.5)

Eagles (-3.5) @ Giants

Bucs (-5.5) @ Panthers

Washington @ Lions (-4)

Bills @ Cardinals (-1.5)

Broncos @ Raiders (-5)

Chargers @ Dolphins (-2.5)

Bengals @ Steelers (-7.5)

Seahawks @ Rams (-1.5)

49ers @ Saints (-9)

Ravens (-7) @ Patriots

Vikings (-2.5) @ Bears

A turbulent week in America wasn't enough to not highlight the past week in sports, beginning with Notre Dame's comeback and upset over top-ranked Clemson 47-40, but will it be all good at the end of the season for Brian Kelly and the Irish? The Pittsburgh Steelers took down the Dallas Cowboys 24-19 on Sunday, but the impact of Minkah Fitzpatrick is why the Steelers remain the only unbeaten team in the NFL, according to John. Tom Brady played one of the worst games of his career on Sunday evening as his Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost 38-3 to the division rival New Orleans Saints to drop out of first place in the NFC South, so was all the preseason hype just hype? John argues Joe Judge's handling of Logan Ryan's family medical emergency paid dividends when Ryan's late interception of Alex Smith sealed a victory in which the Giants defense forced five turnovers in a 23-20 win over the Washington Football Team. John then gets into the Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winners in baseball and how he thinks this week will go in awards announcements.

After a mixed bag Week 8, John tries to improve his record in games picked both straight up and against the spread. Week 9 presents some interesting lines; the Titans are favored by six points against the Chicago Bears, while the Patriots are favored by seven in their Monday Night matchup at MetLife Stadium against the Jets.