lordstanley

It was was a classic. The two top teams. Tons of recent history against each other. Lead changes and momentum swings. 4th down conversions and 4th down stops.

Buffalo-KC is a really good game. Buffalo up 22-21 on a 4th down conversion at the goal line, 2 pt conversion failed. 3 minutes left in 3rd quarter.

And now the Chiefs get it it to run the clock down to the 2 minute warning even though the play clock numbers seem like they would hit 0 at 2:01

The Eagles offense likely would have been rampant against the depleted Lions' defense. Maybe the Eagles would have run less and passed more than they did against the Commanders. And maybe not 55 points, but 40+ a real possibility. Lions offense would have been hard-pressed to score that many against this Eagles defense. Of course we will never know and I wish we had the chance to find out, as I'd always prefer losing one round later, but I get the feeling today might not have been a happy ending even if the Lions had got by Washington.

Encroachment.

Now 3.

If anyone on the defense sees the play clock hit zero, they should be allowed to start moving forward even if it’s prior to the snap. The split second jump could make a difference.

For those of us who assumed last week’s game would have been over if the Lions had gone up 14-3, the Commanders fell behind today 14-3 but have closed to 14-12.

From Columbus to Pittsburgh, a point apart per team/place.

Wings up 1-0 after 2 against Tampa on a Kasper goal. Imagine how great the atmosphere at LCA would be tonight if the Lions were playing tomorrow. Still bummed.

Sweet, comp picks in the ‘27 and ‘28 drafts after Kelvin leaves to take a head coaching gig after the ‘26 season!

While I would agree that Osgood was never great and never warranted any serious Hall of Fame discussion, I do think in 2008 that he was “very good enough” that he was 34 seconds away from a Conn Smythe until he left enough room at the post for Maxime Talbot to tuck it in. I think after Game 2 in 2009 he seemed to be on his way to a Conn Smythe but IIRC by the time Game 7 came along he was considered out of the running even if the Wings had won.

Wow

Offseason picking up where the regular season and playoffs left off for the Lions' cornerbacks. Hope this isn't the beginning of a bumpy offseason.

The AFC West head coaches.

But only 170 plus playoffs of those games were from 2000 onwards, which is what this selection covers. Hasek, with 176 plus playoffs, actually played more games with the Wings from 2000 onwards than Osgood. But I think they are the two no-brainers, could even argue they should be flipped. Howard has longevity with 10 seasons with the Wings but he wasn’t as good as them and didn’t have the post-season team glory.

https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/quarter-century-team/detroit-red-wings-quarter-century-teams Red Wings' "quarter-century team" (2000-2025) named.

Win! 4-2 final.

I've never been to a game at the Bell Centre, just in their lobby and merch store in the summer. Have been to a few games at the old Forum and it was always electric. Late January game in cold, snowy Montreal when the Habs have surged into playoff position? Should be a great atmosphere. My daughter goes to school there, McGill, and went to a game with her boyfriend before Christmas when he visited from Vancouver, so she can show me the ropes at the "new" place (opened 1996 I believe).

2-goal lead after 2, Wings ahead 4-2. Berggren, DeBrincat, Copp and Larkin with the goals.

Love when the Wings score in dying seconds of period. DeBrincat makes it 2-0 over red hot Habs. I will be in Montreal and expect to see Wild @ Habs on Thursday.

I'm just really bummed we don't get another game out of them this weekend. The offense was a joy to watch all season. Even on Saturday they gave us breathtaking plays like the LaPorta catch and the Jamo end around. Goff who earlier in the season was tossing perfect games completion-wise ignores a wide open LaPorta for a pick 6 and then underthrows the ball into the end zone to end the half. Where does that come from?? I said at the beginning of the game a reasonable objective would be 42 points - three first half TDs and three second half TDs. Even with all the mistakes they were well on that pace midway through the 3rd period, but who knew even that might not be enough. It just doesn't seem right that they're one and done. A loss to Philadelphia this weekend would have been tough to take, being so close to the Super Bowl, but at least then I would have felt they lost to a team that as of late January 2025 had a better active roster. It stings when you shoot yourself in the foot and lose to a team you feel you're better than. Being pushed so hard for the #1 seed and to then bow out immediately reminds me of the Tigers of 1987 finally winning out after the epic pennant race only to be eliminated by the Twins before we knew it.

Johnson signing so quickly after the loss is bad optics, but that may be all it is. It's like if a hitter gets off to a slow start after signing a big contract, fans will jump on him as coasting compared to when he was gunning for a new contract. Is there a psychological letdown after signing a new contract? Ask the player and he will deny it and probably genuinely believe there wasn't a letdown, but maybe it's human nature to have one. Similarly, I'm sure Ben genuinely believes that he wasn't distracted last week and that it didn't impact his game planning at all. But what human could be 100% laser focused if you know you're days away from landing a head coaching position you've been dreaming of and working towards for years, one that comes with a $13mm salary. But blame that on the NFL and it's coaching windows, not Ben. Besides, the more I think of It, Ben's game plan and play calls weren't the problem on Saturday. The Lions moved the ball freely and picked up tons of yardage. Virtually all drives ended either in a Lions TD or a turnover. Of the turnovers, the pick-6 and the interception into the end zone near the end of the 1st half weren't at all Ben's fault, and the interception near the end zone in the game's final minute wasn't Ben's fault and in any event was a garbage time irrelevancy by then. So that leaves two questionable play calls. I'm coming around to the view that the 3rd and 1 play call up 7-3 wasn't horrible, although I didn't like it at the time and still don't love it. The Lions were still 17 yards from the end zone. Yeah, a run on 3rd down probably would have got you a couple of yards for the 1st down, leaving you 15 yards away from the TD. But if the goal is a TD on the drive, and you think an empty set helps in freeing up St. Brown for a quick pass that will get you inside the 10 and that he might even break for a touchdown, then I can see trying that. Expected downside would be an incompletion that sets up a makeable 4th and 1, or at worse a sack that forces a FG. A strip sack isn't caused by a bad play call, it's caused by a Glasgow missed block AND a ASB stumble AND Goff not holding on to the ball better. That leaves the Jameson pass for an interception, a play call I can't defend and that snuffed out much of the remaining hope, but the game at 38-28 was practically lost by then anyways. Even a TD on that drive by the Lions would have been for naught unless the defense made a stop on the Commanders' next possession, which they showed no signs of doing.

Ohio St. beat the #2,#3, #4 and #9 teams of the final AP ranking in the playoff and beat the #5 and #10 teams in the regular season. Rarely has there been a national champion so clearly better than the rest.