Tag: 2020 playoffs

Where do Dolphins’ playoff odds stand after Week 16?

Where do Dolphins’ playoff odds stand after Week 16?

For the past few weeks, the Miami Dolphins have been chasing the odds to secure a postseason berth in 2020. Miami, who is among a crowded group of AFC teams with 10+ wins this season, is hoping to avoid being the one AFC contender with 10 wins that misses the postseason action this season: that is guaranteed to happen to someone next weekend. But the odds appear to finally be in Miami’s favor after several weeks of being forecasted as the team on the outside looking in.

How good Miami’s odds are depend on where you look, but FiveThirtyEight’s NFL projections currently peg Miami with 73% odds to make the postseason with one game left to play. There are four clinching scenarios for Miami entering next weekend, offering Miami a lot more attractive alternatives to “win or go home”, which is what the forecast called for over the past several weeks. .

Those four pathways are as follows:

  • Defeat the Buffalo Bills to move to 11-5
  • A Cleveland Browns loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers
  • A Baltimore Ravens loss to the Cincinnati Bengals
  • An Indianapolis Colts loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars

Even with a loss to Buffalo, FiveThirtyEight still offers Miami a 65% chance of making the dance at 10-6. And the odds are better elsewhere, too. ESPN’s Football Power Index offers Miami an 82$ chance to make the postseason.

After the emotional highs of the win over the Raiders, the Dolphins must stay focused to finish the job. But this is what they’ve been working towards all season. And, against the odds, it is here for the taking in Week 17. And if that materializes, it will be fun to see not “if” the Dolphins can make the playoffs but rather who will they face? And what kind of fight the young Dolphins can afford any team they draw in the bracket.

The Detroit Lions have been eliminated from 2020 Playoff contention

It’s official, the Detroit Lions have been eliminated from 2020 Playoff contention.

It’s official, the Detroit Lions have been eliminated from 2020 Playoff contention.

After falling 46-25 to the Tennessee Titans in Week 15, the Lions record dropped to 5-9 overall, and the postseason is mathematically out of reach. This marks the fourth season in a row the Lions have missed the dance.

With two home games remaining on their schedule (Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Minnesota Vikings), many Lions players will be playing their final games in Detroit, while others will looking to put as much good game film on tape for the next general manager/coaching staff to evaluate.

Currently, the Lions sit 10th in the 2021 NFL draft order and a quick examination of the remaining schedule is a strong indicator the Lions will stay in the top-8 to -12 draft slots. But, if they get a lot of help, they could potentially reach as high as the top-5.

While the season is coming to a close, make sure you stay with Lions Wire during our coverage of the Lions general manager and coaching searches, our upcoming evaluation of the roster, as well as our Free Agency and NFL draft coverage.

Where do Dolphins’ playoff odds stand after Week 14?

Where do Dolphins’ playoff odds stand after Week 14?

https://embed.sendtonews.com/oembed/?SC=643Z72BhC6-1070940-7498&format=json&offsetx=0&offsety=0&floatwidth=400&floatposition=bottom-right&float=on

The Miami Dolphins are now 8-5 on the season and no matter what will enter Week 15 against the New England Patriots as the AFC’s 7th-seed in the conference standings. With the expanded playoffs in 2020, the Dolphins are right on the fringe of the postseason and will play 16 meaningful football games this season after seeing their season in 2019 never get off the ground until it was too late.

But with a three-game schedule left featuring the New England Patriots, the Las Vegas Raiders and the Buffalo Bills, the Dolphins are not afforded the same luxury as their number one threat to the postseason at this juncture, the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore’s remaining strength of schedule (they play the 9-3 Browns today on Monday Night Football to close Week 14), through Weeks 15-17 is much less imposing. Baltimore will face the New York Giants, the Cincinnati Bengals and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

How does the math favor the Dolphins?  FiveThirtyEight’s NFL projections currently favors Baltimore over Miami for the odds to secure a postseason berth. Miami is currently given a 33% chance to make the postseason whereas the Ravens are afforded 64% odds. If the Ravens win tonight against Cleveland, Miami’s odds are cut to just 27%.

Conversely, a Browns win against Baltimore and wins for the Dolphins over the next two weeks will guarantee the Dolphins a playoff berth regardless of what circumstances meet the Dolphins in Week 17 against the Buffalo Bills. Winning against New England and Las Vegas isn’t a shoo-in for the Dolphins and Miami must decipher how healthy they are after a brutal afternoon against the Kansas City Chiefs saw TE Mike Gesicki and WR DeVante Parker leave the game early due to injuries. If the Dolphins offense must operate without both of those talents over the next two games, winning becomes suddenly much more complicated and the Dolphins’ lack of depth (and recent string of poor luck with injuries) may catch up with them before the end of the season.

But for now, the rooting interest of the Dolphins is clear: the Cleveland Browns can do the Dolphins a major favor with a win tonight against the Ravens to open the door for a 10-win Miami team to make the postseason.

Where do Dolphins’ playoff odds stand after Week 13?

Where do Dolphins’ playoff odds stand after Week 13?

[jwplayer boGiTYJc-ThvAeFxT]

The Miami Dolphins are now 8-4 on the season — the first time this franchise can lay claim to such a record through 12 games since the 2003 season. And now the 2020 Miami Dolphins must look to do something that not even the 2003 team was able to do: secure a spot in the playoffs. With four games left to play, the Dolphins are currently sitting in the AFC’s No. 6 seed in the playoff field — but business is about to pick up and this team is going to have to earn their way into the postseason.

Miami’s final four opponents?

  • The 11-1 Kansas City Chiefs
  • The 6-6 New England Patriots
  • The 7-5 Las Vegas Raiders
  • The 8-3 Buffalo Bills (still to play in Week 13)

The 31-15 combined record of Miami’s final four opponents is the most difficult remaining 4-game slate in the NFL. If these Dolphins want to make the playoffs, they’re going to have to earn it.

How do the odds favor the Dolphins? FiveThirtyEight’s NFL projections do not peg the Dolphins as favorites — the team is given just a 44% chance to make the playoffs this morning based on yesterday’s NFL action, with the percentage points coming in 2% lower than they were at this time last week. So Miami’s odds fell despite winning in Week 13 against the Bengals. It’s a crowded field — but one thing that has changed is that the Tennessee Titans dropped a game to the Cleveland Browns, which puts them in contention as another team Miami can beat to the finish line if they don’t win the AFC South.

Week 14 is going to provide a lot of clarity to the playoff contenders. The Dolphins face the Kansas City Chiefs, who beat the Denver Broncos 22-16 on Sunday Night Football last night to move to 11-1. The Buffalo Bills will square off with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who care currently 11-0. If either team can steal a win, it would help their playoff and division odds immensely. The Browns play the Ravens and can all but totally eliminate Baltimore with a win, which can also be the case with the Patriots as they clash with an 8-4 Los Angeles Rams team. The 7-5 Raiders? They play the 8-4 Colts — which will keep Miami in the hunt regardless of the end result of Miami’s game against the Chiefs.

Plenty of clarity awaits. But the Dolphins will be best served keeping their eyes on the prize and trying to slay the giant that is Kansas City next Sunday.

Dolphins must close November with renewed sense of urgency

Dolphins must close November with renewed sense of urgency

Given the season the Dolphins are coming off of in 2019, six wins through the first ten games sure feels good. Seven would have felt better, but it is what it is at this point — Miami didn’t make the plays they needed to in Denver on Sunday afternoon to secure their sixth consecutive win and instead will enter Week 12 of the NFL season coming off their first loss since October 3rd.

To further put pressure on this young team, any aspirations the team had of making a postseason run in 2020 were significantly dropped by the team’s loss in Week 11 — the team’s playoff odds have been halved in Week 11 according to FiveThirtyEight’s playoff model and now currently sit at 30%. The AFC is a crowded field and Miami sits at 6-4 alongside the Baltimore Ravens and the Las Vegas Raiders in a tie for the final postseason berth. But Miami doesn’t own tiebreakers over either team — although they do have a Week 16 date with the Raiders in Las Vegas left on the schedule.

But the Dolphins need to worry about the now, a mistake they failed to account for entering Week 11 as they lost to a 3-6 Denver Broncos team. Miami has a promising two game stretch on their schedule. This upcoming week, the Dolphins travel to New Jersey to play the winless New York Jets, who are now six games away from a winless season. The following week? The football gods have claimed Miami’s fun rematch of SEC rival quarterbacks, as the Dolphins will host a Joe Burrow-less Cincinnati Bengals team after the No. 1 overall pick succumbed to a season-ending left knee injury in Week 11.

The Jets are 0-10. The Bengals are 2-7-1 and without their starting quarterback (and will also be without their best offensive weapon, RB Joe Mixon). There are no excuses for the Miami Dolphins over the next two weeks. They must take care of business and defeat both of these teams if they’re going to live up to their potential this season. This Dolphins team has limitations, but no set of limitations should prevent a young, hungry, upstart Dolphins team from moving to 8-4 and putting the pressure back on the Baltimore Ravens (who play a road game in Pittsburgh against the undefeated Steelers this Thursday) and the Las Vegas Raiders.

Miami missed a big chance to push themselves into the driver’s seat this weekend. They ought to be ticked off about it. And if they are, the Dolphins will need to channel that frustration into taking care of business over the next two weeks. Because after the Bengals game, there are no soft opponents left to play. Miami must host the Chiefs and Patriots before hitting the road to play the Raiders and Bills.

Get it while the getting is good, Miami. The Dolphins are in the pressure cooker and how they respond the next two weeks will tell us quite a bit about how close this football team is to living up to their potential in Year 2.

Who are Dolphins’ biggest threats to a postseason berth in 2020?

Who are Dolphins’ biggest threats to a postseason berth in 2020?

The Miami Dolphins will resume play in Week 8 of the 2020 NFL season after defeating the New York Jets handily by a final score of 24-0 in Week 6. Miami can use this time to lick their wounds, get healthy, game plan heavily for the Los Angeles Rams and catch their breath as the rest of the league continues to churn towards the postseason.

And, unlike last year, Miami appears to be right in the thick of the conversation. And as the schedule continues to unfold in front of the Dolphins, it is clear that Miami is going to have the chance to make some noise down the stretch and may potentially be in position to play a 17th game this season. But if Miami is going to make the playoffs, they’re going to have to out-pace some of the competition. Who are the teams that loom as the biggest threats to Miami after the first six NFL Sundays of the season? Here’s the biggest threat by division:

Sep 13, 2020; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Cam Newton (1) celebrates his touchdown against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

AFC EAST

The New England Patriots

The Patriots currently sit in third place in the AFC East, a half a game behind the Dolphins at 2-3. But with a head to head win over Miami already in their ledger, the Patriots do have some leverage and a win next week at home against the San Francisco 49ers would push the Patriots back into a .500 tie (with a tiebreaker) over the Dolphins.

The good news? Miami plays the Patriots again and this time New England must come to Hard Rock Stadium. Also good news? New England still has to play the Bills twice and the Ravens this season.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

Mountain West Alumni in the 2020 NBA Playoffs

The NBA 2020 Playoffs are almost here. Eight Mountain West alumni will be playing, another one has a chance to earn a ticket this weekend.

[jwplayer jF5wU66N-sNi3MVSU]

Eight Mountain West alumni have made it into the 2020 NBA Playoffs

Contact/Follow @cisabelg & @MWCwire

The two weeks since the NBA restart have flown by and the regular season has now ended. Here are the teams with Mountain West alumni that have officially made it into the 2020 NBA Playoffs, and a team that is still fighting for a spot.

Memphis Grizzlies – Brandon Clarke (SJSU 2015–2017)

No. 9 seed in the West
Overall Record: 34-39 Bubble: 2-6
Play-in Game 1: Saturday 2:30pm ET

The play-in, first in NBA history, has been activated and Memphis must battle it out with the Portland Blazers this weekend to secure the final playoff spot in the West. The first, and potentially only, game is on Saturday. If the Blazers win, the Grizzlies will be eliminated. If the Grizzlies win, there will be another game on Sunday.

Brandon Clarke is one of the promising young players for the Grizzlies. Clarke might be overshadowed by the Rookie of the Year finalist Ja Morant, but the former SJSU player’s efficiency and shooting percentage speak for themselves. Clarke finished the regular season at 61.8% from the field, which is slightly better than the NBA rookie shooting record by Steve Johnson at 61.34% through the 1981-81 season.

The last time the Grizzlies and the Blazers faced each other was on July 31 with Portland winning in overtime 140-135. Memphis’ leading scorer was Jaren Jackson Jr with 33 points. Unfortunately, the Grizzlies won’t count with him this time as he suffered a torn meniscus and was ruled out for the rest of the season.

Their task won’t get any easier as they have to get through Damian Lillard who has been averaging 37.6 points and 9.6 assists since the restart. He recorded a total of 154 points in the last three games.

If the Grizzlies pull off two victories, they will take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Aug. 18.

Los Angeles Lakers – JaVale McGee (Nevada 2006–08)

No. 1 seed in the West
Overall Record: 52-19 Bubble: 3-5
Game 1: Aug. 18 9pm ET vs Memphis/Portland

The Lakers clinched the No. 1 spot in the Western Conference on Aug. 4, the first time since the 2019-10 season.

The Lakers haven’t been at their best since the restart, but they’ll have to step it up if they’re serious about getting their 17th NBA championship. Anthony Davis and LeBron James lead the team with an average of 26.1 and 25.3 points per game, respectively. The superstar duo hasn’t been performing as expected, so the team has relied on other players like Kyle Kuzma to step up.

Javale McGee, a 7’0 center, is one of the Lakers who has seen the most games this season. He has made 68 appearances, all as a starter.

Head coach Frank Vogel announced that the team is bringing reinforcements. Rajon Rondo, who injured his thumb and had surgery in July, has entered the bubble and is doing the required quarantine.

Los Angeles Clippers – Paul George (Fresno State 2008-10), Kawhi Leonard (SDSU 2009-11)

No. 2 seed in the East
Overall Record: 49-23 Bubble: 5-3
Game 1: Aug. 17 9pm ET vs Mavericks

The Clippers will face the Dallas Mavericks in a playoff game for the first time in NBA history. 

The Mavericks count on the young, but talented, duo of Luka Dončić and Kristaps Porzingis. The Clippers top two players, who happen to be alumni of Mountain West schools, have a lot more experience. Kawhi Leonard is a two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP. Paul George is a six-time NBA All-Star. Meanwhile, this will be Dončić’ and Porzingis’ playoff debuts.

Leonard and George are averaging 27.1 and 21.5 points respectively. The third highest scorer on the stat sheet is Montrezl Harrell, who was not in the bubble due to family matters and hasn’t played an NBA game since March 10. Harrell, a 6th man of the year finalist, has made it into the bubble and is expected to clear quarantine in time for the first playoff game.

Miami Heat – Derrick Jones (UNLV 2015–16)

No. 5 seed in the East
Overall Record: 44-29 Bubble: 3-5
Game 1: Aug. 18 6:30pm ET vs Indiana

The Heat Clinch No. 5 Seed in Eastern Conference after a loss to the Pacers on Friday. The Pacers locked in the No. 4 seed, and the two teams will face each other again for the first round of the playoffs.

Miami is led by Jimmy Butler who is averaging 19.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game. The Heat have been have struck by injuries lately, which have given them mixed results in the bubble. Recent headlines were about Derrick Jones Jr.

Jones Jr. has been dealing with a knee injury but was cleared to play on Friday. He played against the Pacers but had to be carried off the court on a stretcher in the third quarter after a hard collision. It appeared serious but the team announced later that evening that he had suffered a neck strain and would be re-evaluated again over the weekend.

Toronto Raptors – Paul Watson (Fresno State 2013-17), Patrick McCaw UNLV (2014–16)

No. 2 seed in the East
Overall Record: 53-19 Bubble: 7-1
Game 1: Aug. 17 4pm ET vs Brooklyn

The Raptors are the defending NBA champions and this year’s No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The canadian team has talent. Six players are scoring in double digits, with Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet at the top of the stat sheet with 22.9ppg, 19.4ppg and 17.6ppg respectively. But there are also other members of the team who can contribute.

Paul Watson trained with player development coach Rico Hines, who has worked with Siakam, last offseason. Watson was a standout at Toronto’s G-League affiliate before signing a two-way deal with the Raptors in January. He showed his worth on Friday when Toronto defeated the Denver Nuggets 117-109 and he helped with 22 points. That performance earned Watson and Fresno a shoutout on ESPN. 

The team has another former Mountain West player, Patrick McCaw as a reserve forward, but he left the bubble earlier this month to receive treatment for a benign mass on the back of his left knee. 

Brooklyn Nets – Tyler Johnson (Fresno State 2010-14)

No. 7 seed in the East
Overall Record: 35-37 Bubble: 5-3
Game 1: Aug. 17 4pm ET vs Raptors

The Nets would be a more intimidating team if they weren’t missing big-name players like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, as well as shot creator Spencer Dinwiddie. However, Caris LeVert has managed to carry the team with an average of 18.7 points and 4.2 rebounds.

Tyler Johnson, previously with the Phoenix Suns, signed with the team late June. He makes a good pair with Chris Chiozza and has already shown what he can give the Nets. He scored 21 points during a 129-120 win against the Los Angeles Clippers on Aug. 9. After the game, LeVert had a lot of good things to say about his new teammate.

“Tyler’s been huge for us…His basketball IQ is very high,” LeVert said. “He’s huge for us, knocking down shots, being in the right spot defensively and just knowing what to do.”

Orlando Magic – Khem Birch (UNLV 2012-14)

No. 8 seed in the East
Overall Record: 33-40 Bubble: 3-5
Game 1: Aug. 18 1:30pm ET vs Milwaukee

Orlando’s depth has been stretched thin several times during this season, so even making it into the playoffs is an accomplishment.

Mo Bamba, who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on June 11, left the NBA bubble for a “comprehensive post-Coronavirus evaluation,” the team announced Friday. Bamba had been splitting time with Khem Birch as backup center for Nikola Vucevic throughout the season. Birch was seeing more time during the restart. He has has appeared in 48 games this season, starting in 24 of those, while averaging 19.2 minutes per game. 

The Magic finished the regular season with a win against the New Orleans Pelicans. The Pelicans had already been eliminated and were resting all of their starters during that game, but the Magic still had a good performance. 

The team shot at 73% from beyond the arc during the first half, hitting 13 out of 18 attempts. Eight different players contributed to this. By the end of the game the team had finished 15-of-28 in three pointers. This stat was a big deal for Orlando since the team had been struggling in this category.

 

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1360]

[protected-iframe id=”f7652191f99ba13728097498e8a79cd8-137729785-157392989″ info=”https://open.spotify.com/embed-podcast/show/48681pqFq0kB9dhrtPPoNd” width=”100%” height=”232″ frameborder=”0″]

Miami Dolphins playoff odds tempting amid expanded field in 2020

Miami Dolphins playoff odds tempting amid expanded field in 2020

The mentality of a young, rising team like the Miami Dolphins is clear — one day at a time. And while you aren’t likely to hear any players on Brian Flores’ squad talk about the possibility of the postseason, a playoff appearance shouldn’t be considered too far out of the realm of possibility for the Dolphins.

Why?

The Dolphins seem to have the right pieces — they appear to have the right coach, they’re a vastly improved roster from top to bottom and they possess a 4th-place schedule in 2020.

With the AFC East as open as it has ever been, it wouldn’t take much overachieving from the Dolphins to contend for a playoff spot. Add in the fact that the NFL has added an additional playoff spot for each conference this season and there’s some reason for optimism. If you’re feeling lucky and are buying the Dolphins as a playoff contender, you can find some pretty good bets to cash in on — including one from Bovada that has the Dolphins at +350 to qualify for the postseason.

What does the pathway look like? The Dolphins ought to consider 9 wins the goal for a legit shot at the postseason. The team will have winnable games against New York (twice), Cincinnati, Jacksonville in the conference. Add in a cross-country trip for the Los Angeles Chargers and the Dolphins have a clear path to claim 5 wins there if they’re able to execute and perform to their standard. If the team can claim season splits with both of the “top” contenders in the East (Buffalo and New England), Miami’s potential win total sits at 7 — with a home game against the Rams and road games in bottom half of the league teams last year in the Raiders and Cardinals still left among the remaining opponents.

There’s your path to 9 wins. If the Dolphins can pull that off this season, perhaps it’s time to get in on the action!

NFL expects to play full season, start on time

The NFL plans to start its 2020 season on time and intends to play a full season, including the postseason, without interruptions.

Despite the effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the sports landscape, the NFL hasn’t been affected to the extent of the rest of professional sports.

Free agency has been underway without any interruption, the NFL Draft will move forward from April 23-25 and the plan is that the NFL will begin its regular season on time — and intend to play a full season, including the postseason, without interruptions.

“On the season itself, our planning, our expectation is fully directed at playing a full season, starting on schedule and having a full regular season and a full set of playoffs, just as we did in 2019,” NFL executive Jeff Pash told reporters on a conference call Tuesday, via ChicagoBears.com.

Well, at least for now. That’s subject to change depending on what happens over the next couple of months. But, for all intents and purposes, the expectation is there will be NFL football come September.

“That’s our expectation,” Pash continued. “Am I certain of that? I’m not certain I’ll be here tomorrow. But I’m planning on it, and in the same way, we’re planning on having a full season.”

In addition, the NFL has pushed back its schedule release from mid-April to early May. Expect the Bears’ 2020 schedule to be released no later than May 9.

The Bears will host the Buccaneers, Colts, Giants, Saints, Texans and their NFC North rivals Lions, Packers and Vikings. Chicago will also visit the Falcons, Jaguars, Panthers, Rams and Titans, as well as their divisional opponents.

[lawrence-related id=441442,441481,441392,441457]

Bears’ chances at making the playoffs just got better

Chicago’s chances at earning a playoff berth got better with NFL owners voting to officially expand the playoff field to 14 teams in 2020.

Last season, the Chicago Bears were fighting for a Wild Card playoff spot late into the year. Despite their prolonged struggles in 2019, there was still a fighting chance. Until there wasn’t.

Well, that chance will get a little better for the Bears moving forward as the NFL’s postseason will expand from 12 to 14 teams, adding a seventh seed in both the NFC and AFC.

The NFL’s playoffs expansion has officially passed as owners voted to approve expanding the postseason starting with the 2020 season, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

Following a division title and postseason appearance in 2018, the Bears are looking to get back on track following an underwhelming 8-8 season. Chicago has a number of needs on their roster, most notably on the offensive side of the ball.

New Bears quarterback Nick Foles will battle for the starting role with former No. 2 overall pick Mitchell Trubisky while the offense also deals with concerns at tight end and offensive line.

The Bears will be returning a top-five defense from a season ago, although they’re without some key contributors from last season. Still, the expectation is for Chicago’s defense to pick up where they left off, especially when they get back defensive powerhouses Akiem Hicks and Danny Trevathan.

If the Bears can figure out a way to establish a middle-of-the-pack offense this season, there’s no reason why the Bears shouldn’t be in the hunt for the NFC North title or one of now seven playoff spots.

If the current playoff format would’ve existed over the last decade, the Bears would’ve made the playoffs twice more — in 2011 and 2012 — and the landscape of the franchise could look a lot different than it does now.

But, all we can focus on is the future. Now that there’s an extra playoff spot up for grabs — a coveted seventh seed — the Bears’ playoff chances got a little better.

[lawrence-related id=441392,441457,441440,441416]