The AFC is a completely jumbled mess. I view it as a cluttered marketplace where everything everyone is selling is somewhat tainted. Perhaps the most solid buy in the emporium is the Kansas City Chiefs.
It seems Patrick Mahomes has awoken from his slumber and finally realized that if he just takes what the defense takes him, which at this point is yawning swaths of field underneath, he can roll the Chiefs to 35 plus points per week.
Still, though, the Chiefs are flawed, without their top weapon in Travis Kelce backup Byron Pringle still struggles with drops it seems. Especially on throws where he is running in one of these immense swathes of green grass. So the Chiefs still have things that are holding them back, but they seem the safest bet to be in this thing late in January.
The Bills are the main threat to the dream of a third straight Super Bowl for Kansas City. Josh Allen is beginning to orchestrate the symphony of weapons around him in a way we haven’t seen him do since late 2020 when this offense was humming.
Isaiah McKenzie has become something of a folk legend in Buffalo and emerged a real weapon for a team already chalked full of them. Not to mention the Bill’s defense flies off the screen when you watch them. They have the speed and closing ability to take away those swathes of green grass referenced earlier in this column.
We head now to Cincinnati where young Joe Burrow is in the process of becoming a local god. 525 passing yards to his name Sunday and a cadre of weapons around him you suddenly see the potential of Cincy. However, the playoff hurdle still looms large, Burrow is one playoff win away though from securing a home for himself in Cincinnati for at least the next ten years.
Quick Hitters
Utah State
Begins there in conference season tomorrow against the Air Force academy. Headlined by the tremendous scorer and rebounder Justin Bean the Aggies have a unique group of weapons. UMBC transfer Brandon Horvath has come on and provided an important 13 points per game. Pair that with the streaky scorers the likes of Steven Ashworth and Rylan Jones and the Aggies may just have a chance to contend in the Mountain West. A stellar conference record and good performance in the March tournament will be crucial to getting to the dance. The Aggies have three major blemishes on their record in losses to the likes of tournament team Saint Mary’s, BYU, and Iowa. Perhaps the most fascinating player to watch on the Aggies though is Zee Hamoda, who will look to turn a few promising pre-conference starts into a contributing role off the bench for the Aggies.
NBA
It is just now beginning to occur to me that the western conference of the NBA will again run through the bay as they call it. The Warriors look like a juggernaut and are just days away from regaining Klay Thompson.
Meanwhile in the East with the return of Kyrie, and a re-awakening of James Harden the Nets and Bucks seem to be on a collision course again. All the while Chicago looms between them begging to be taken seriously. That question can be answered by simply asking yourself how much you believe in Demar DeRozan’s playstyle come March.
NHL
A COVID pause, backing out of the Olympics, and taxi squads, all these things were necessary to keep the hockey season going. All these things are also sowing seeds for a major labor dispute next time around for the league when the CBA comes up again.
Other thoughts
What do you do once you graduate? I think with all my free time come the summer I am going to read more. Hopefully write more as well. Reading pushes writing, the two coexist in harmony. One needs the other to survive.
I just purchased a Mac, I will say it makes me a bit nervous, this machine has done me well for years. The most tedious part of set up will be getting office and the adobe suite on board but I hope the rest goes relatively smoothly.
I am the proud owner of 180 dollars after Christmas and am a man who is looking for a way to spend that. Though new habits are telling me to save it. The next purchase might be an iPad in the spring, why not just sell my soul to the dearly departed Steve Jobs. However, we will see if this cheap Amazon approximation does the job. I just need to be able to run ESPN and my sports websites on it, those are my only demands, three screens are better than 1.
A shout out to my Mom, perhaps the last year for funding this humble side project. I vow to use it more this year.
To the future employer potentially reading all this, I possess solid family values. No needs to worry about that.