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NFL 2-year power rankings for the NFC in 2024 and 2025 nfl,year,power,rankings,for,the,nfc,in,and,sbnation,com,front-page,nfl,dot-com-grid-coverage

On: June 19, 2024 By: admin

The Kansas City Chiefs should already be considered a dynasty, as the only other teams in NFL history to win at least three Super Bowls in a five-year span or less are the 1974-1979 Steelers, the 1992-1995 Cowboys, the 2001-2004 Patriots, and the 2014-2018 Patriots.

Not only is that exclusive company; the Chiefs also reached the Super Bowl in 2020, losing to Tom Brady’s only “non-dynasty” team, and Patrick Mahomes has played in six straight AFC Championships for Andy Reid.

Now comes the crazy part: Is this only the beginning?

In part one of a two-part series ranking all 32 teams based on their chances of winning the Super Bowl in either of the next two seasons—2024 or 2025—the Chiefs come in first place by an absolute landslide. Who is the closest challenger to stop Kansas City from winning their fourth championship in a six or seven-year span?

First, you have to understand the 7 categories that all teams are being judged by:

The 7 categories

HC/Stability – Ranking not only the quality of the head coach, but also how STABLE is he in the job? Mike McCarthy could be a really good head coach, however he’s also on the hot seat.

Recent History – What have you done for me lately?

Non-QB Roster, 2024-2025: Accounting for all the non-QBs on the roster, how much talent is there and how likely is it that the good players will be good and on the team for each of the next two years?

QB/Passing Success – Ranking not only the quarterbacks, but also the passing game; so it’s not just “Geno Smith” in a bubble, it’s Geno plus DK Metcalf, plus the offensive line, plus the offensive coordinator, all culminating in answering “How good is the entire passing offense?”

DEF/Passing Un-Success – So the opposite of the QB/Passing Success question, looking at the defenses and defensive coordinators

Division Hierarchy Situation, also known as DHS – Teams were ranked on a combination of Overall Division Quality + Their place in the Hierarchy. So the Browns are a good team, but they’re fourth in the hierarchy of the toughest division in the NFL.

Dealer’s Choice – For all variables that didn’t get a category, like salary cap situation, and ownership, and probability of injury regression, etc., this is my own personal stamp on the rankings.

Every team was ranked 1-32 in each category and then we split it up into AFC and NFC. You get 1 point for being ranked 1st, 32 points for being ranked 32nd, and just like golf the lower your score, the better.

1. Kansas City Chiefs (Points: 17)

Overall ranking: 1
Best ranking: HC (1), Recent (1), QB (1), Dealer’s Choice (1)
Worst ranking: Non-QB Roster (8)

It was practically a clean sweep for the Chiefs, as they had the top ranking in recent history (obviously), coaching/stability, quarterback/passing success, and dealer’s choice. That gave the Chiefs less than half the point total of the second place team, so if you’re betting on a team to win either of the next two Super Bowls, it has to be Kansas City. Andy Reid recently signed an extension, but even if he retired after 2024, there are several experienced veteran coaches already in place to carry the torch with a solid infrastructure built for Patrick Mahomes.

As for Mahomes’ increasing salary, with a cap hit of $66 million in 2025, the Chiefs can restructure or re-negotiate the deal to bring that down and they probably will in order to keep free agents like Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith. Keeping players or surviving without them hasn’t proven to be an issue for Reid yet, and the Chiefs remain the last team anybody wants to see in a playoff situation.

2. Baltimore Ravens (Points: 38)

Overall ranking: 2
Best ranking: Def/Pass (1)
Worst ranking: DHS (16)

The biggest loss, defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald, had a rising star waiting in the wings behind him named Zach Orr, so perhaps we will find out that the Ravens aren’t much worse off on that side of the ball. The one thing holding back the Ravens on this list was their DHS (Division Hierarchy Situation). Though Baltimore sits atop the AFC North, it still appears to be the toughest division in the NFL, and look what happened to the Bengals last year, as they went from AFC Championship game losers in 2022 to out of the playoffs.

3. Buffalo Bills (Points: 39)

Overall ranking: 3
Best ranking: DHS (1)
Worst ranking: Non-QB Roster (11)

Say what you want about the receivers room: I don’t think it matters as much when you have Josh Allen, the second-to-last QB I’d want to see in the playoffs. The Bills have won four straight division titles, and parting ways with Stefon Diggs and Tre’Davious White might end up making the Bills a stronger team overall because it increases the odds that the team will spend the offseason, the season, and the 2025 season with the same players.

4. Houston Texans (Points: 71)

Overall ranking: 7
Best ranking: DHS (4)
Worst ranking: Non-QB Roster (15)

This seems early for the Texans, but look at this way: Which teams have the best odds of winning their division in EACH of the next two seasons? The Texans seem to have the all-important triumvirate of a successful NFL team: DeMeco Ryans, C.J. Stroud, and a really good defense. But they also have a top-10 offensive line, a deep group of supporting skill players, and they just put Danielle Hunter opposite of Will Anderson. The AFC South could be the best division in a couple of years depending on the development of the four quarterbacks, but right now it belongs to Houston. Look at this way: Would you rather be the second-best team in the AFC North or the best team in the AFC South? I’d rather have that guaranteed playoff home game.

5. Cincinnati Bengals (Points: 74)

Overall ranking: 8
Best ranking: HC (6), Recent (6), Dealer’s Choice (6)
Worst ranking: Def/Pass (24)

If we were only ranking quarterback/passing offense and recent success, the Bengals would be in the top 3. There are numerous obstacles to overcome in the next two years, however, including how competitive it is in the AFC North, Joe Burrow’s health, the contract situation for Tee Higgins, and a defense that couldn’t get the job done last season, ranking 32nd in yards per pass attempt and 30th in yards per carry allowed. But they do score high in those other things.

6. Cleveland Browns (Points: 88)

Overall ranking: 12
Best ranking: Def/Pass (2)
Worst ranking: DHS (25)

Have you tried ranking the quarterbacks lately? It gets very hard to do outside of the top 10, if not the top 5. Try it. I put Deshaun Watson and company 19th, which seems high given how bad he’s been the past two seasons in Cleveland, but there aren’t a lot of attractive options behind him either and there is a strong supporting cast of coaches, offensive linemen, and skill players around him. By the way, the strongest correlation of any two categories is between “recent success” and “QB/passing play” so take that as you will. I don’t think saying that better quarterbacks win more games than average or bad quarterbacks will make your head explode.

t7. Los Angeles Chargers (Points: 97)

Overall ranking: t13
Best ranking: QB (4)
Worst ranking: Recent (23), Def/Pass (23)

In his previous stint as an NFL head coach, Jim Harbaugh took over a 6-10 team from Mike Singletary and went 13-3 in his first season. These Chargers are more talented than those 49ers, but Harbaugh didn’t have to worry about Patrick Mahomes back then. Still, look at the talent around Justin Herbert after adding Joe Alt, Ladd McConkey, Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, Will Dissly, D.J. Chark, and Hayden Hurst to an offense that wasn’t lacking in talent and you can see how L.A. might be a legitimate Super Bowl contender in 2025.

t7. Jacksonville Jaguars (Points: 97)

Overall ranking: t13
Best ranking: QB/Pass (8), DHS (8)
Worst ranking: HC (19), Non-QB Roster (19)

The Jaguars are in a division they can win, with a head coach who has won a Super Bowl, and a defense that has two under-27 pass rushers who posted double-digit sacks in 2023. Can you believe the Jaguars have been to an AFC Championship game more recently than the Steelers?

9. Miami Dolphins (Points: 100)

Overall ranking: 15
Best ranking: Non-QB Roster (3)
Worst ranking: Def/Pass (26)

The Dolphins are definitely more talented than some teams ranked ahead of them here, and Mike McDaniel is one of, if not the best, offensive play callers in the NFL. But Miami has to figure out how they can pay Tua Tagovailoa while keeping everyone else happy, as well as whether they even should pay Tua, plus many of their stars are either over 30 or will be soon. Are Tyreek Hill and Jalen Ramsey going to be playing at the same high level next year, and can players like Terron Armstead, Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, and Tua stay healthy? They have as much talent as they do uncertainty.

10. Pittsburgh Steelers (Points: 111)

Overall ranking: 16
Best ranking: Non-QB Roster (7)
Worst ranking: QB (28)

Yes, they have made the playoffs in three of the last four years and went 10-7 last season. They also haven’t won a playoff game since 2016 and they haven’t had a “really good” playoff win since beating the Ravens in the Divisional Round in 2010. Unless Russell Wilson is to the Steelers what Kurt Warner was to the Cardinals, Pittsburgh could have their first losing season since 2003 and they’re a fourth place team if Deshaun Watson is halfway decent for the Browns. But they got top-10 grades in coaching, non-QB roster, and defense.

11. New York Jets (Points: 126)

Overall ranking: T17
Best ranking: Def/Pass (4)
Worst ranking: HC/Stability (32)

If Aaron Rodgers is healthy and not on vacation during the regular season, the Jets roster is as good as it’s ever going to get. The offense gets four new offensive linemen (Tyron Smith, Olu Fashanu, Morgan Moses, John Simpson), two recent early draft picks to round the line out (Alijah Vera-Tucker, Joe Tippmann at center), plus the addition of Mike Williams as the No. 2 receiver.

That’s for 2024. So are they all-in? No, because even if Rodgers is slowing down next year, the Jets are projected to be sixth in cap space in 2025 and owner Woody Johnson has proven that he’s willing to overspend whatever it takes. Keep in mind, the Jets are only tied for 17th so this isn’t like predicting they’ll make it to the Super Bowl, they’re just higher on the list than Baker Mayfield and Kirk Cousins.

12. Indianapolis Colts (Points: 140)

Overall ranking: 23
Best ranking: Non-QB Roster (13)
Worst ranking: Def/Pass (31)

Between the Colts and the Saints, two teams I’ve got ranked third in their respective weak South divisions, I prefer head coach Shane Steichen to Dennis Allen. And though I’m far from sold on Anthony Richardson, he’s got plenty of upside while Derek Carr has none. I also wouldn’t be shocked if first-round edge rusher Laiatu Latu wastes no time in having an impact.

13. Tennessee Titans (Points: 169)

Overall ranking: 25
Best ranking: Def/Pass (19)
Worst ranking: QB (30)

If firing Mike Vrabel was a bad decision, then why do I feel more optimistic about the Titans because of Brian Callahan? Probably because head coaches who call offensive plays are more in style than those who don’t. Is that fair or unfair? I’m not here to judge. The Titans might have the most room between their QB’s head and the ceiling though: Will Levis was too inconsistent as a rookie to be a starter, so Tennessee brought in Callahan to call the offense and signed Calvin Ridley, Tyler Boyd to catch passes, and also drafted a new tackle in J.C. Latham in the top 10.

14. Denver Broncos (Points: 189)

Overall ranking: 28
Best ranking: HC/Stability (17)
Worst ranking: Def/Pass (32)

The Broncos had the second-highest ranked head coach situation of any team in the bottom half of the list (I have Kevin O’Connell one spot ahead of Sean Payton), which tells you just how bad Denver looks on paper. I’m not going to criticize drafting Bo Nix, because it’s not that uncommon for a quarterback picked outside of the top 5 at the position to have success, but it would seem that a lot does hinge on that decision. However, the Broncos’ ranking isn’t really low because of Nix. They have a lot of projected starters “with something to prove” because they failed to gain or retain starting jobs on their previous teams, and it’s hard to imagine Denver finishing higher than third in either of the next two seasons.

t15. Las Vegas Raiders (Points: 190)

Overall ranking: T29
Best ranking: Def/Pass (14)
Worst ranking: QB (32)

After the Broncos fired Josh McDaniels in 2010, they reached five straight Divisional Round playoff games and two Super Bowls. Could Antonio Pierce provide a similar rebound in Las Vegas? Maybe only if Peyton Manning comes out of retirement and brings a time machine. (Those Broncos did win a playoff game with Tim Tebow, but this isn’t the 2011 AFC West.) It seems like the Raiders want to do as well as they can this season, then wait to see if Dak Prescott or Tua Tagovailoa becomes available next year. Teams won’t be going the draft route this time, tanking has no endgame, and I think the Raiders anticipate being the most aggressive team on the market in 2025 and that it’s highly probable that a big-name quarterback will change teams.

t15. New England Patriots (Points: 190)

Overall ranking: t29
Best ranking: Def/Pass (12)
Worst ranking: Non-QB Roster (32), Dealer’s Choice (32)

Left tackle Chukwuma Okorafor will be protecting quarterback Jacoby Brissett (pre-Drake Maye), throwing to Kendrick Bourne and Ja’Lynn Polk, with plays called by Alex Van Pelt, who was fired by the Browns in January. Even giving Maye a chance to prove he’s good in 2025, New England could be the worst offense in the NFL right now. Even if the Jets and Dolphins both collapse, will the Patriots beat the Bills or win an AFC Wild Card? Not likely before 2026.

Baseball legend Willie Mays passes away at 93 baseball,legend,willie,mays,passes,away,at,sbnation,com,front-page,mlb

On: June 19, 2024 By: admin

Hall of Famer Willie Mays, one of the greatest players in Major League Baseball history, passed away on Tuesday.

Mays made his MLB debut with the then New York Giants in 1951, and was named the MLB Rookie of the Year after hitting 20 home runs that season, helping the Giants to their first pennant in 14 years. Mays won his first MVP Award in 1954 — after missing the 1953 season due to military service after he was drafted by the U.S. Army during the Korean War — and was a part of the Giants team that won the 1954 World Series.

In Game 1 of that World Series against the Cleveland Indians, Mays delivered a play known as “The Catch,” an over-the-shoulder grab of a long drive off the bat of Vic Wertz in the eighth inning.

The play, considered one of the greatest in baseball history, kept the game tied at 2-2:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vrsg_-dV7Q

The Giants would win in extra innings on their way to a sweep of Cleveland.

The “Say Hey Kid” won his second MVP Award over a decade later, when he slashed .317/.398/.645 for the Giants in the 1965 season, hitting a career-best 52 home runs.

Mays played over 20 seasons in the major leagues, retiring from the game following the 1973 season. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on his first try in 1979, at the time becoming just the ninth player in baseball history to earn a spot on Cooperstown in their first year of eligibility.

Mays began his baseball career playing for the Birmingham Black Barons of the Negro Leagues before he made the move to the Giants, and his passing comes just days before he was to be honored, along with the rest of the Negro League, in the MLB Game at Rickwood Field Thursday between the Giants and the St. Louis Cardinals. The game will be played at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, which was the home field for the Black Barons.

Earlier this week, Mays released a statement saying that while he would not be traveling to Birmingham for the game, his “heart” would be with everyone in attendance.

“I’m not able to get to Birmingham this year but will follow the game back here in the Bay Area,” Mays said told the San Francisco Chronicle. “My heart will be with all of you who are honoring the Negro League ballplayers, who should always be remembered, including all my teammates on the Black Barons. I wanted to thank Major League Baseball, the Giants, the Cardinals and all the fans who’ll be at Rickwood or watching the game. It’ll be a special day, and I hope the kids will enjoy it and be inspired by it.”

Mays was 93 years old.

And a true legend of the game.

Travelers Championship: SB Nation staff predicts winners travelers,championship,sb,nation,staff,predicts,winners,sbnation,com,front-page,golf,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 18, 2024 By: admin

The final Signature Event of the 2024 season has arrived, as 71 golfers will tee it up at this week’s Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut.

Rory McIlroy will not be there, as he opted to take some time off following his heartbreaking finish at the U.S. Open. But Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, and Ludvig Åberg will be. So, too, will defending champion Keegan Bradley, who blistered a soft course last year en route to shooting 23-under-par, setting a new tournament record in the process.

But this year’s course will play much firmer and faster with temperatures hovering in the 90s throughout the week. Luckily, this limited-size field will not have to endure the speed and difficulty of Pinehurst No. 2, but the weather will feel more or less the same as it did in North Carolina. The Northeast is experiencing a heatwave this week, with heat advisories extending from the Great Lakes through the Mid-Atlantic and all the way through New England. That means everyone at TPC River Highlands will need to hydrate, including the putting surfaces, which will turn crisp quite easily in these conditions.

This golf course is also the shortest one played on the PGA Tour all season, requiring precision into the greens and an exquisite short game. Get ready for a birdie barrage, too; although, with this week’s weather, scores likely will not go as low as they did a year ago.

So let’s get to our Staff Picks, with Jeanna Kelly from SB Nation’s NFL site stepping in as our guest picker this week:

Jack Milko — Staff Writer, Golf

For the third time this season, a Canadian will emerge victorious on the PGA Tour.

I am going with Corey Conners, fresh off a strong tie for 9th at the U.S. Open, to break through at the Travelers Championship and win for the third time on tour. Funny enough, Conners won a pair of Valero Texas Opens, in 2019 and 2023, but this time, he finally wins an event outside of the Lone Star State.

Last year, Conners finished in a tie for 9th at TPC River Highlands, shooting four impressive rounds in the mid-60s to finish at 17-under. His best score came on Saturday, when he posted a 5-under 65. But what I love about Conners is that he is one of the best iron players on the PGA Tour. He ranks second in strokes gained approach, sixth in greens in regulation percentage, and seventh in total birdies made, as Conners has poured in 253 par-breakers to date.

The one knock on him is his putting and short game, but both facets showed up at Pinehurst No. 2, relatively speaking. Conners ranked 28th in strokes gained around the greens and 30th with his putter at last week’s U.S. Open, which featured some of the most diabolical greens seen anywhere in the world. But best of all, his tie for ninth helped him clinch a spot in the 2024 Olympics, giving him plenty of confidence and momentum going into the summer.

With all of this in mind, I believe the stars have aligned for Conners to win, especially on a week when plenty of other top players mail it in after a grueling major.

DraftKings Odds: +3500

Corey Conners, U.S. Open — Corey Conners at the 2024 U.S. Open.

Jeanna Kelley — Associate Director, SB Nation NFL

When I make NFL picks, I consider many factors: recent performance, injuries, weather forecasts, and so on. Since this is my first time making golf picks, I tried to follow a similar strategy.

Obviously, the easy pick here would be Scottie Scheffler, who’s once again the odds-on favorite to win. Prior to the U.S. Open, and depending on that outcome, I thought I’d pick Rory McIlroy, but he’s withdrawn from the Travelers after last week’s fiasco. So I’m actually going with Collin Morikawa this week. He’s been playing really solid golf the past several weeks. His putting hasn’t been a liability, and eventually, these factors are going to lead him to a win. It might as well be this weekend.

DraftKings Odds: +1200

Collin Morikawa, U.S. Open — Collin Morikawa during the 2024 U.S. Open.

Savannah Richardson — Staff Writer, Golf

I am going with Ludvig Åberg this week. He tied for 24th last year, but now he returns to TPC River Highlands with some familiarity with the course.

His game is in good form, but he just had a weird weekend at the U.S. Open, where two triple bogies stymied him.

But this golf course suits him, given his exquisite iron play. He ranks 11th on the PGA Tour in strokes gained approach and ranked 15th in that metric last week at Pinehurst No. 2. Luckily for him, TPC River Highlands does not have any greens like the 13th at Pinehurst or as difficult as the par-4 2nd, so he should not make any more triples this time around.

I think he runs away with it.

DraftKings Odds: +1400

Ludvig Åberg, U.S. Open — Ludvig Åberg on the 6th hole at Pinehurst No. 2.

For all other sports betting content, check out SB Nation’s DraftKings site.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.

Charles Leclerc joins Olympic torch relay ahead of Paris Summer Games charles,leclerc,joins,olympic,torch,relay,ahead,of,paris,summer,games,sbnation,com,front-page,formula-one,2024-formula-one

On: June 18, 2024 By: admin

The 2024 Paris Summer Olympics are just over a month away, the the Olympic flame has begun its journey to the Opening Ceremonies.

And on Tuesday, the Olympic torch relay had a Formula 1 feel.

As the relay made its way through Monaco, Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc was one of the individuals tapped to carry the torch through the Principality. Other Monaco figures involved in the relay with Leclerc — who finally broke through with a victory in his home race, the Monaco Grand Prix — included Princess Charlene, Prince Albert II, and bobsledder Rudy Rinaldi.

Leclerc shared some footage of his time with the Olympic torch on social media:

While the Olympic flame will continue its journey to Paris, Leclerc will soon head to Barcelona for the F1 Spanish Grand Prix. The driver is hoping to be part of a big bounce-back for Ferrari, as both Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. finished outside of the points the last time out, at the Canadian Grand Prix.

That result saw Red Bull pull 25 points further ahead of Ferrari in the F1 Constructors’ Championship. And with McLaren scoring 28 points — thanks to a P2 from Lando Norris and a P5 from Oscar Piastri — Ferrari absolutely needs a bounce-back performance in Barcelona.

Perhaps carrying the Olympic flame will provide Leclerc with some inspiration this weekend.

Men’s College World Series: Kentucky-Florida moved to Wednesday due to severe weather men,s,college,world,series,kentucky,florida,moved,to,wednesday,due,to,severe,weather,sbnation,com,front-page,college-baseball,college-world-series,ncaa-baseball-tournament

On: June 18, 2024 By: admin

Florida and Kentucky are set to square off at the Men’s College World Series, in a do-or-die game for both teams.

Now they will have another night to think about what needs to be done.

With the threat of severe weather looming over Omaha — forecasters are calling for thunderstorms and heavy rain — Tuesday night’s elimination game between the two teams has been moved to Wednesday morning.

That sets up a baseball triple-header in Omaha Wednesday, and a double-header for the team that wins the rescheduled game between Kentucky and Florida. Wednesday’s new schedule for the Men’s College World Series is as follows, with all times Eastern:

Game 10 Kentucky vs. Florida | 11 a.m.
Game 11 Tennessee vs. the winner of North Carolina/Florida State | 3 p.m.
Game 12 between Texas A&M vs. the winner of Kentucky/Florida | 7 p.m.

Both Florida and Kentucky are 1-1 in Omaha. The Gators are coming off a 5-4 win over NC State that kept their season alive, while the Wildcats just dropped their first game in Omaha to Texas A&M, losing by a final score of 5-1.

The SEC rivals played one series this year in early May, and the Wildcats won two of those three games in Gainesville.

Daniel Ricciardo anticipating ‘competitive’ F1 Spanish Grand Prix daniel,ricciardo,anticipating,competitive,f,spanish,grand,prix,sbnation,com,front-page,formula-one,2024-formula-one

On: June 18, 2024 By: admin

Through nine race weekends this Formula 1 season, the team at Visa Cash App RB F1 Team have placed themselves near the front of the midfield. VCARB currently sits sixth in the F1 Constructors’ Championship standings with 28 points, 21 points ahead of seventh-place Haas. As the grid heads to Barcelona, there are thoughts that VCARB could perhaps throw a scare into Aston Martin, and make a play for fifth in the standings by the time the season is over.

However, VCARB is certainly expecting a tough fight at the Spanish Grand Prix, thanks to the track in Barcelona. For years the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya was used for pre-season testing, thanks to its long straights and mix of corners.

As such, many teams are bringing upgrades to the Spanish Grand Prix, which could make for a “competitive” weekend.

“Barcelona is always a track where everyone brings updates, so I think it’s going to be a really competitive weekend. Let’s see what everyone brings. I’m excited to drive it with the faster last sector that they changed for last year,” said Daniel Ricciardo in the team’s media preview. “I’m looking forward to getting back on that track. Normally, it’s quite familiar but we didn’t do any testing there this year, so should be fun.

“I’m looking forward to keeping this run going, trying to get some more Q3 appearances and points finishes. I’ve been waiting a while, but I like to think it’s the start of where my season continues to progress and show performances like I did in Montreal,” added Ricciardo. “Really looking forward to it and excited to get the European leg started!”

Yuki Tsunoda, who has scored 19 of VCARB’s points this season, is hoping to rebound after a disappointing Canadian Grand Prix. VCARB was in the running for a double-points finish, but a spin by Tsunoda in the late stages dropped him out of contention.

“Even though the race in Montreal didn’t go the way I wanted, and the weekend as a whole was a bit up and down, it was positive that we managed to turn things around from Free Practice to qualifying, from one extreme to another. It showed that, as a team, we know how to adapt, and we came back well to get to Q3 once again,” said Tsunoda. “This definitely gives me lots of confidence that we know how to turn things around and make them work!”

Tsunoda believes that getting a good feel for the team’s challenger early in the week will bre critical for success at the Spanish Grand Prix.

“Now it’s time for Barcelona, which is a tough test for the car, but so far this season the VCARB 01 seems to perform well at all tracks, so I have no concerns on the performance side. As for the track itself, Sector 1 and Sector 3 are different animals and you can’t really have a car that is well-balanced in both of them, so you need to compromise, but we are not worried about that,” described Tsunoda. “The key will be to get a good understanding of how our package is working at this track as soon as possible during Free Practice and then get the most out of it. It’s another track where overtaking is difficult so qualifying will again be very important.

“I seem to be performing quite well in quali in recent races, maybe it’s the way I build up to it over Free Practice and it’s also linked to controlling my emotions, managing myself better and doing it consistently,” continued Tsunoda. “That makes your driving and feedback better and gives me extra confidence, so I’m looking forward to it.”

As noted, many teams are bringing upgrades to Barcelona.

And VCARB is one of those teams.

“With regards to our approach to the race, recent results have been reasonable and we have been scoring points, began Jody Egginton, the team’s Technical Director. “However, the midfield battle is incredibly tight and we are under no illusion that we must deliver well-executed events to be towards the front of this group with a chance of scoring points. So, like for any other Grand Prix, there have been intensive preparations in the simulator and offline tools to prepare for this event.

“A significant amount of work was put in by Faenza and Bicester to prepare and deliver an aerodynamic update consisting of a floor, bodywork and rear wing for both cars, to provide a measurable performance benefit,” continued Egginton. “As a result of having this update, the Friday sessions will be especially busy, in order to gather and process as much data as possible and get ready for Saturday onwards.”

Travelers Championship: How to watch, preview, tee times, more travelers,championship,how,to,watch,preview,tee,times,more,sbnation,com,golf,fantasy-football-draft-guide,golf-pga-tour,golf-news

On: June 18, 2024 By: admin

The PGA Tour is in Cromwell, Connecticut, for the eighth and final Signature Event of the season: the Travelers Championship.

TPC River Highlands, a Robert J. Moss and Maurice Kearney course, will play as host. This tournament will not feature a cut as 71 players battle for a piece of the $20 million purse.

Here is the one-stop information shop for the Travelers Championship.

Travelers Championship:

Where: TPC River Highlands, Cromwell, Connecticut (Par-70, 6,852-yards)

When: Jun. 20-23rd

Purse: $20,000,000/$4,000,000 (First Place)

FedEx Cup Points: 700

Defending Champion: Keegan Bradley

How to Watch The Travelers Championship

Golf Channel and CBS will share the television coverage. Check out the full schedule below:

Thursday, June 20: 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)

Friday, June 21: 3-6 p.m. ET (Golf Channel)

Saturday, June 22: 1:00-3:00 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); 3:00-6 p.m. ET (CBS)

Sunday, June 23: 1:00-3:00 p.m. ET (Golf Channel); 3:00-6 p.m. ET (CBS)

How to Stream The Travelers Championship

ESPN+ will exclusively air early round and featured group coverage all four days of the Travelers Championship. Peacock will have simulcasts of the Golf Channel’s broadcast.

Coverage on Peacock can be streamed here.

In addition, fans can tune into CBS Sports streaming service Paramount+ while CBS airs its third and final round broadcasts.

The Travelers Championship Preview:

Coming off a dramatic U.S. Open week, the best of the PGA Tour is in Connecticut for the final Signature Event of the year.

Defending champion Keegan Bradley won his sixth PGA Tour event here in 2023. He also broke the tournament record by one stroke.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is coming off one of his weakest performances at Pinehurst No. 2, but he remains one of the many heavy hitters who headline this event.

Xander Schauffele is also in the field as the PGA Championship winner finished strong at Pinehurst.

Ludvig Åberg struggled at Pinehurst throughout the weekend, but this TPC River Highlands track fits his game well. Last year, he was one of four sponsor exemptions in the field, and now, heading into this event, the Swedish phenom is a PGA Tour winner.

He tied for 24th in 2023, going 67-65-65-70 through four days of play. Åberg’s game is in a good spot coming off the U.S. Open, so watch out for him to make moves this week.

Collin Morikawa, Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Viktor Hovland, and many other top players will tee it up this week in New England as they all fight to take home that hefty $4 million first-place price.

This week will be interesting as most of the field is coming off a major championship. Will fatigue affect some of the biggest names in golf?

The Travelers Championship Round 1 Tee Times (ET):

(All go off the first tee)

8:05 a.m. — Chris Gotterup

8:15 a.m. — Robert MacIntyre, Jake Knapp

8:25 a.m. — Akshay Bhatia, Thomas Detry

8:35 a.m. — Taylor Pendrith, Victor Perez

8:45 a.m. — Davis Riley, Rickie Fowler

8:55 a.m. — Lee Hodges, Eric Cole

9:05 a.m. — Brian Harman, Tom Hoge

9:15 a.m. — Nick Taylor, Harris English

9:25 a.m. — Taylor Moore, Seamus Power

9:40 a.m. — Kurt Kitayama, Mackenzie Hughes

9:50 a.m. — Sahith Theegala, Sepp Sraka

10:00 a.m. — Jason Day, J.T. Poston

10:10 a.m. — Cameron Young, Patrick Rodgers

10:20 a.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Keegan Bradley

10:30 a.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa

10:40 a.m. — Wyndham Clark, Jordan Spieth

10:50 a.m. — Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas

11:00 a.m. — Nick Dunlap, Adam Scott

11:15 a.m. — Will Zalatoris, Ben Griffin

11:25 a.m. — Austin Eckroat, Webb Simpson

11:35 a.m. — Peter Malnati, Christian Bezuidenhout

11:45 a.m. — Emiliano Grillo, Andrew Putnam

11:55 a.m. — Sam Burns, Byeong Hun An

12:05 p.m. — Si Woo Kim, Adam Svensson

12:15 p.m. — Matt Fitzpatrick, Adam Hadwin

12:25 p.m. — Tom Kim, Corey Conners

12:35 p.m. — Justin Rose, Adam Schenk

12:50 p.m. — Chris Kirk, Sungjae Im

1:00 p.m. — Russell Henley, Denny McCarthy

1:10 p.m. — Cam Davis, Brendon Todd

1:20 p.m. — Lucas glover, Tommy Fleetwood

1:30 p.m. — Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland

1:40 p.m. — Tony Finau, Patrick Cantlay

1:50 p.m. — Xander Schauffele, Matthieu Pavon

2:00 p.m. — Ludvig Åberg, Michael Thorbjornsen

2:10 p.m. — Billy Horschel, Stephan Jaeger

The Travelers Championship Round 2 Tee Times (ET):

(All go off the first tee)

8:05 a.m. — Will Zalatoris, Ben Griffin

8:15 a.m. — Austin Eckroat, Webb Simpson

8:25 a.m. — Peter Malnati, Christian Bezuidenhout

8:35 a.m. — Emiliano Grillo, Andrew Putnam

8:45 a.m. — Sam Burns, Byeong Hun An

8:55 a.m. — Si Woo Kim, Adam Svensson

9:05 a.m. — Matt Fitzpatrick, Adam Hadwin

9:15 a.m. — Tom Kim, Corey Conners

9:25 a.m. — Justin Rose, Adam Schenk

9:40 a.m. — Chris Kirk, Sungjae Im

9:50 a.m. — Russell Henley, Denny McCarthy

10:00 a.m. — Cam Davis, Brendon Todd

10:10 a.m. — Lucas glover, Tommy Fleetwood

10:20 a.m. — Collin Morikawa, Viktor Hovland

10:30 a.m. — Tony Finau, Patrick Cantlay

10:40 a.m. — Xander Schauffele, Matthieu Pavon

10:50 a.m. — Ludvig Åberg, Michael Thorbjornsen

11:00 a.m. — Billy Horschel, Stephan Jaeger

11:15 a.m. — Chris Gotterup

11:25 a.m. — Robert MacIntyre, Jake Knapp

11:35 a.m. — Akshay Bhatia, Thomas Detry

11:45 a.m. — Taylor Pendrith, Victor Perez

11:55 a.m. — Davis Riley, Rickie Fowler

12:05 p.m. — Lee Hodges, Eric Cole

12:15 p.m. — Brian Harman, Tom Hoge

12:25 p.m. — Nick Taylor, Harris English

12:35 p.m. — Taylor Moore, Seamus Power

12:45 p.m. — Kurt Kitayama, Mackenzie Hughes

12:55 p.m. — Sahith Theegala, Sepp Sraka

1:10 p.m. — Jason Day, J.T. Poston

1:20 p.m. — Cameron Young, Patrick Rodgers

1:30 p.m. — Hideki Matsuyama, Keegan Bradley

1:40 p.m. — Scottie Scheffler, Max Homa

1:50 p.m. — Wyndham Clark, Jordan Spieth

2:00 p.m. — Shane Lowry, Justin Thomas

2:10 p.m. — Nick Dunlap, Adam Scott

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.

The Celtics’ rivals handed them a championship one bad trade at a time the,celtics,rivals,handed,them,a,championship,one,bad,trade,at,a,time,sbnation,com,front-page,nba,nba-playoffs,nba-playoffs-powerhouse-2024

On: June 18, 2024 By: admin

The West is a pecked-over, apron-strewn, parity-fest. The East has more superstar divas on first and second-round losers than it does 50-win teams. If 2023-24 turns indicative, it will be the Rest of the NBA vs. Boston for the next few years.

Not only did the 2023-24 Boston Celtics conclude a run for the ages — 80 victories in 101 tries, seven wins more than any other club, +11.4 regular season point differential, +8 postseason point differential — but it appears fit and settled to rule the NBA for as long as it takes Victor Wembanyama to find four palatable teammates to perform with.

Every Achilles has its heels: Boston owns merely traditional medicine’s answers for Unicorn Legs, 38-year old Al Horford is irreplaceable, at some future date opposing centers and forwards may learn not to attempt dunks upon the 6’4 Derrick White. Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum might turn on one another, some argument over selling shares of the publishing rights to their inspirational story of friendship, playmaking. Boston is otherwise set.

Who do we blame for putting the NBA in this mess? Sensible authors credit the executives, former C’s boss Danny Ainge and current C’s chief Brad Stevens. I’d rather yell at the teams who traded Boston all these great players.

Milwaukee, for one. Picked to upend the East, never threatened. Boston knew it had the Bucks licked by the time Terry Stotts stormed out of his brand-new office. Not because Milwaukee was a mess, but because Boston was finishing its second week of practice with former Buck Jrue Holiday, a walking championship ring, the ultimate five-tool mensch.

Did Milwaukee know Holiday would end up in Boston when it triggered the trade with the Trail Blazers for Damian Lillard? Did Milwaukee care, or were the Bucks too besotted with Lillard’s 32.2-point potential?

Can we punish Portland for lending the C’s their shine? If the Blazer rebuilding plans falter, in spite of earning Golden State’s 2024 lottery pick (and Boston’s unprotected first-rounder in 2029) in October’s Holiday exchange, will we scoff in the future at Portland’s lost opportunity to field Jrue until he’s through?

No, blame Brooklyn.

All the shenanigans which indirectly helped Boston build its Larry Bird-backed champs in the 1980s — swapping entire teams with the Buffalo Braves, drafting Bird while he still plays college basketball, lopsided deals with Detroit and Golden State, seriously, what are the Buffalo Braves — barely compare to what the Brooklyn Nets handed the Boston Celtics in 2013.

Boston won 41 games and exited after the first round in 2012-13. Brooklyn called Boston on draft night to say Hey, that rebuilding you didn’t want anything to do with? We’ll take over from here.

Danny Ainge steered an uncomfortable, seemingly inevitable slog toward oblivion into the C’s you sees today: Boston traded Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry for the first-round picks (from Brooklyn and Atlanta) which became Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Collin Sexton. And James Young.

The deal earned Boston a trade exception which it used to deal for the first-round pick it later packaged to acquire Isaiah Thomas. Thomas plus Sexton’s draft rights were dealt for Kyrie Irving.

Amongst the salary fodder gleaned from the Brooklyn deal was Keith Bogans’ ongoing contract, which Boston eventually dealt for Dwight Powell, an asset in the 2014 Rajon Rondo deal with Dallas. The $12.9 million trade exception earned from the Rondo transaction was dealt with Jeff Green to Memphis for the first-round pick which became Aaron Nesmith. Nesmith became Malcolm Brogdon, whose charms lured Portland into dealing Jrue Holiday to Boston.

Brooklyn did not flourish in the wake of its acquisitions. The ex-Celt Nets lost in the second round in 2014 and finished two games behind a 40-win Boston playoff team in 2015 before fading in the opening round to Atlanta, the Hawks thriving in 2014-15 despite the loss of James Young.

The 76ers own a percentage in our green future. Philly fans should be angry, the suits in the front office keep pulling crap like this:

Jaylen Brown, taken No. 3 overall in the 2016 draft by Boston (with Brooklyn’s pick) won Eastern finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP in 2024. Ben Simmons was Philly’s pick as the NBA’s top overall selection in 2016, the ostensible payoff after seasons of Processing, and hasn’t played important basketball in three years. Jaylen Brown won the 2024 Dunk Contest slamming with his off hand, we still don’t know if Ben Simmons uses the correct hand while shooting.

Brown made All-Rookie team as Boston cruised to the 2017 Eastern finals, while Simmons missed his entire rookie campaign with a broken foot, earning Philly the No. 3 pick in the 2017 draft. Boston owned the top pick, from Brooklyn, and Philly general manager Bryan Colangelo collared together a trade package for his division rival: Boston earns a future first-round pick and deals down to No. 3 to select Jayson Tatum. Newly slanted into the top selection, Philly selected Markelle Fultz, later dealt for Tyrese Maxey, who is not Jayson Tatum.

Boston used the pick Philly sent its way (2019’s No. 14 pick Romeo Langford) in the package for Derrick White.

That’s right, blame the Spurs.

Romeo Langford played two-and-a-half excruciating seasons in Boston. Langford lapped up 94 games of what-was-that-shot basketball before the Spurs took Romeo and Josh Richardson and a future first-rounder (from the Celtics, so, big whup) for Derrick White, who big whups opponents’ shots all over the place.

White blocked just as many shots with the Spurs, but whupping must be easier with bigs like Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis running astride Derrick. Back to blame.

In 2019 the Sixers signed Al Horford away from the Celtics, real underhanded stuff, tremendous work, the sort of thing to do (instead of trading lottery picks) to a divisional rival. Whether Al worked alongside Joel Embiid or backed him up, whatever, do what one can to hurt the Celtics.

Of course, the Celtics swept the Horford-stretched Sixers out of Al’s only postseason with Philadelphia. The 76ers lost nerve a month into the next season and dealt Horford and what will likely be Philly’s 2025 first-round pick to Oklahoma City for Danny Green.

Boston earned Horford back for the price of its own first-round pick in 2021 (Alperen Şengün), happily paid for the final $53.5 million on the back end of the deal Al signed with Philly, a tag which earned them the Bird rights to keep Horford through 2025 at under $10 million per season.

Horford could have been a Sixer the whole time, spelling Embiid, not being on the Celtics.

Also, why did Washington trade Kristaps Porziņģis to Boston as if Washington were the ones getting Marcus Smart or a first-round pick in the deal? The Wizards received neither, and let the Celtics tow their unicorn away. Boston ganked what turned into Golden State’s 2024 lottery pick out of that deal, used to sweeten the swap for Holiday.

Want to add more sugar? Blame the Lakers while they’re down and out in a Beverly Hills restaurant where they have an uncomfortably-large tab, lowballing another head coach candidate.

In the 2016 NBA draft the Lakers selected Brandon Ingram on the board with Jaylen Brown available, and in 2017 chose Lonzo Ball with Jayson Tatum in play. Each were understandable selections, each played the largest role in ensuring Anthony Davis’ move to El Lay, neither was any better than Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, a duo to rule the world with.

The Celtics gave everyone a chance, left itself prone to accurate criticism through loss after postseason loss yet mostly kept course. Boston fell to the usual batch of rough injury and bad free agent luck, whiffed on some vets, blew some playoff games at home. Even this season’s “be careful, he’s always injured” trade risk — the regular season-saving Porziņģis — was injured for the important half the playoffs.

Credit the Celtics, a dominant turn in 2023-24 after a decade’s dismantling of the Big Three’s single championship.

But blame them for what comes next, the actualization of Daryl Morey’s threes-first philosophy, 29 other NBA teams showing up to 2024-25 ready to attempt 49 three-pointers per game.

This shouldn’t be the C’s legacy, this club is far too pleasant to watch. Eight or nine different NBA teams ensured as much.

Kelly Dwyer covers the NBA at The Second Arrangement and thinks the NBA should cap three-pointers at 33 attempts per team per game, Larry Bird’s number.

Baltimore Ravens’ new alternate helmets are awesome baltimore,ravens,new,alternate,helmets,are,awesome,sbnation,com,front-page,nfl,draftkings

On: June 18, 2024 By: admin

The teams wearing purple have been cooking this offseason when it comes to new colorways and helmets. First the Minnesota Vikings revealed their icy white jerseys, now the Baltimore Ravens unveiled a new alternate helmet they’ll wear with their purple jerseys, and they look AWESOME.

These helmets are super cool. I think the logo is actually pretty fun despite the ClipArt-ish look to it, but the true star of the show is the gold on the helmet mixed with the purple. Like, that’s unbelievably cool and it works so well together. The gold stripes going down the helmet help to highlight the gold face mask is super dope, and it ties in the gold on the numbers as well.

The Ravens haven’t unveiled when these helmets will be worn, but best believe that when they do wear them for the first time I’ll be there no matter what.

Kyrie Irving fell flat in NBA Finals when Mavericks needed him the most kyrie,irving,fell,flat,in,nba,finals,when,mavericks,needed,him,the,most,sbnation,com,front-page,nba,nba-playoffs,nba-finals,draftkings

On: June 18, 2024 By: admin

It’s going to be another trip around the sun before Kyrie Irving gets a chance at his second NBA championship, and he only has himself to blame. This was his opportunity, his moment to cement a legacy that exists outside of LeBron James. Now after a horrific NBA Finals series against the Celtics, it’s difficult to argue for much beyond Kyrie being in the “Hall of Very Good.”

There was only one game in these NBA Finals where Irving played like himself at all, and that was Game 4 — which the Celtics treated like a rest day so they could close out the series in Boston. In the games that mattered Irving was such a non-factor that he was rarely the 3rd, or even 4th best option on the Mavericks. His stats outside of that Game 4 speak for themselves.

31-of-81 from the field (.382), 7-of-23 from three (.304), 4.75 assists per game, 8 turnovers.

Even if we include back in Game 4, the only contest where he was even a shadow of himself, Irving still finished the 2024 NBA Finals by scoring 99 points on 99 field goal attempts. A mediocre performance for a middling point guard, let alone someone who is often hailed as one of the best players in the NBA.

To be fair, Irving’s talent speaks for itself. He’s one of the best iso scorers not just in the modern NBA, but that the game’s ever seen. Kyrie’s blend of jaw-dropping handles paired with an ability to score anywhere on the floor is the reason that night-in-night-out he could go off for 50 at any given moment if a team doesn’t have a way to stop him. The problem is that while Irving might be one of the best improvisational ball handlers in basketball, if he’s met with so much as a stiff breeze he’s rendered unable to adjust and change his game to compensate for how opponents try to stop him.

Entering the NBA Finals here was no doubt this was going to be a tough series for Dallas on paper. They didn’t match up great against the Celtics’ defensive-focused backcourt of Jrue Holliday and Derrick White, while simultaneously not having great options to handle Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brown. Still, there was the ever-present hope that the Mavericks could actually do this, because we’d been conditioned to overlook the defensive deficiencies of Kyrie and Luka Doncic, instead focusing on their scoring prowess.

This season for the Mavericks was defined by Luka and Kyrie, and neither really rose to the occasion in the finals. There’s no question Doncic struggled at times against the Boston backcourt, but he wasn’t a liability on the court the same was Irving was.

Dallas is Irving’s fourth stop in his career, and the third where he was brought in as “the missing piece,” only to fall apart in the Finals. Only twice in his career has Irving managed to play with the same level of regular season success in the postseason, and both came with LeBron James in Cleveland when they won a ring in 2015-16, and returned to the finals in 2016-17.

It’s unclear what’s next for Kyrie Irving, because he remains one of the most mercurial players in the NBA. There is a path forward for Dallas, but it requires work. They have to find a reliable scoring option in the front court, and need to get tougher defensively — both of which are possible. However, these NBA Finals showed once more that a team can’t count on Irving to be the man to get them over the hump. There’s also a pattern of behavior here that when the work gets to be too much, Irving is just as likely to demand a trade than stick around for any retooling.

At this point that’s Kyrie Irving’s legacy: One of the best regular season players to ever step on the court.