Sports Then and Now

Change was already evident for the Dallas Cowboys as they prepare to kickoff the 2025 season this week. A new head coach, new coordinators, and many new players acquired via trades, free agency, and the NFL draft creating significant roster turnover were already in place. Then came the biggest change just last week. No more Micah Parsons. In a massive deal finalized August 28, Dallas opted to trade Parsons, a four-time pro bowl defensive end, to the Green Bay Packers. In return, the Cowboys received two first-round draft picks from the Packers as well as veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Gone is a generational talent in Parsons who had been in contract negotiations with Dallas since March. In the end, Parsons, his agent David Mulugheta, and Cowboys’ owner, president, and general manager Jerry Jones could not reach an agreement to keep Parsons and the trade was made. The trade leaves Dallas with a huge void on defense as Parsons is one of the premier pass rushers in the National Football League. Parsons recorded 12 or more sacks in each of his first four seasons with the Cowboys, the only player to do so besides defensive end Reggie White, a pro football hall of famer. White was also acquired by the Packers from Philadelphia in a massive trade back in 1993 when free agency came into the picture.

So what does Dallas do now? The simple answer is to put this move behind them and not let it be a distraction as the season is about to commence. The Cowboys play not only their season opener but the entire league opener this Thursday Sept. 4 in Philadelphia against the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles. Kickoff is set for 8:20 pm EST. Thus, a national television auience will be tuning in. The fact that this trade was done before the season-opener is likely better for the team as to avoid any distractions as to if Parsons will be with them or not.

Leading Dallas this season will be first-time head coach Brian Schottenheimer who was named to the helm as the 10th head coach in Cowboys’ history back on January 24. Shottenheimer replaces Mike McCarthy who was not retained after a five-year stint as head coach of the team. McCarthy went 50-38 during his time in Dallas and was only 1-3 in the playoffs. Schottenheimer has 26 years of NFL coaching experience and has been with the Cowboys since 2022, first as a consultant and for the last two years as the teams’ offensive coordinator.

The coaching staff also has new faces as former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus is the new defensive coordinator. Eberflus is in his second stint with Dallas after serving as the team’s linebackers coach from 2011-17. Eberflus had additional duties as passing game coordinator from 2016-17. Also named to the staff was Klayton Adams as the team’s new offensive coordinator.

The Kansas City Chiefs are on the doorstep of National Football League history. No team has ever won three straight Super Bowls and the back-to-back defending world champion Chiefs could become the first as they prepare to play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. In fact, Kansas City is the first and only team in the history of the Super Bowl to reach a third straight Super Bowl having won the prior two. Thus, the Chiefs, champions of the American Football Conference, are in unprecedented territory which has never been explored before in the 105-year history of the NFL. Kansas City’s quest for a third straight Super Bowl win will take place Sunday Feb. 9 with kickoff set for 6:30 pm EST in the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, LA. The game will be broadcast on FOX Sports and the most recent line has the Chiefs (-1.5) a slight favorite. The over/under for total points to be scored in the game is at 49 after opening at 49.5 With a victory, Kansas City would create a new standard for an NFL championship reign as well as a new mark for consistency at the highest level of football.

The Chiefs are in the Super Bowl for the fifth time in the last six seasons and are 3-1 in their prior four trips since the 2019 season. Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes has the Chiefs on the brink of history and will be the most important player on the field on Sunday. Mahomes, a two-time NFL most valuable player, is the top quarterback in the game today largely due to his ability to consistently execute plays with his arm and legs. If a play should break down in some way, Mahomes draws on his experience by using his mind, creativity, and talents to deliver, especially in the clutch moments of games. His prime target is veteran tight end Travis Kelce who has the same ability to come up big in the biggest of moments. Look for those two to connect in some big moments on Sunday. Named to the Pro Bowl six times thus far in his career, Mahomes is one of only three players in NFL history with three Super Bowl MVP awards. The other two are Joe Montana with three and Tom Brady who holds the record with five such honors.

Along with masterful coaching by Kansas City head coach Andy Reid, Mahomes has the Chiefs at the top of their game. Kansas City won their ninth straight AFC west division title this season and set a single-season franchise record for most regular season wins with a 15-2 mark. Over this nine-season span, the Chiefs have gone 46-8 in division play and had a 6-0 record in three of the seasons, two of which culminated with a Super Bowl championship following the 2019 and 2022 seasons. While they have dominated their division and been the team others are targeting in the Mahomes era, they have done so not just by winning by big margins. In fact, it has been just the opposite this year. Kansas City enters the Super Bowl having won 17 straight one-possession games dating back to the 2023 season. This includes five postseason games, one of which was the classic 32-29 win over Buffalo in the AFC Championship game on Jan. 26 that sent them to New Orleans. The Chiefs just play above their opponents in the important moments throughout the game as well as in the biggest moments in the late stages of the fourth quarter or overtime. Reid and Mahomes have a lot to do with that along with the rest of the Kansas City players who provide a proven supporting cast. The Chiefs have succeeded time and time again in either pulling out a victory or preserving a small lead. Such was the case this season back on Nov. 10 when linebacker Leo Chenal blocked a potential game-winning field goal attempt by Denver with :01 left to play, preserving a 16-14 victory that moved Kansas City to 9-0. The Chiefs have so much moxie that when a big play or must have situation arises for them, they almost always make the play that gives them the edge. This is what the Eagles will have to monitor and be ready for from Kansas City as the game progresses on Sunday. Philadelphia will need to be very alert at all times.

The Eagles and Chiefs are playing in the Super Bowl for the second time in three seasons. Kansas City rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat Philadelphia 38-35 in Super Bowl LVII in 2023 in Glendale, AZ. There, the Chiefs stormed back in the second half to take a 35-27 lead with 9:02 left to play in the fourth quarter. The Eagles responded with an eight-play 75-yard drive capped by Jalen Hurts’ two-yard touchdown run. Hurts added the two-point conversion to force a 35-35 tie with 5:15 left to play. That’s when Kansas City turned to Mahomes for his leadership and clutch ability. Hobbled by a high right ankle sprain, which he had reaggravated in the first half, Mahomes lead the Chiefs down the field, going 3-for-3 for 17 yards and adding a critical 26-yard run to get deep into Philadelphia territory. Three plays later after Mahomes’ big run, Mahomes threw a short pass to the left side looking for JuJu Smith-Schuster on third-and-eight. Officials called a defensive holding penalty on the play against Eagles’ defensive back James Bradberry nullifying the play and giving Kansas City a first-and-10 at the Eagles 11-yard line with 1:54 left to play. Philadelphia was forced to use its’ remaining timeouts and the Chiefs ran the clock down to :11. Harrison Butker’s 27-yard field goal clinched the win for Kansas City. Only :08 remained as the Eagles took the kickoff back to their own 36-yard line. Six seconds remained for the Eagles and Hurts’ pass down the middle fell incomplete to end the game.

Neither quarterback threw an interception in Super Bowl LVII and Hurts had a better statistical performance than Mahomes. Hurts went 27-for-38 for 304 yards and one touchdown while also running for 70 yards on 15 carries, three of which were touchdowns. Mahomes finished 21-for-27 for 182 yards and three touchdowns and was not sacked. Hurts was sacked twice and committed a costly fumble which was returned 36 yards for a touchdown by Chiefs’ linebacker Nick Bolton to force a 14-14 tie in the second quarter.

The Sports Then and Now Vintage Athlete of the Month is one of the most underappreciated wide receivers in NFL history, despite boasting a career that spanned 16 seasons and saw him excel as one of the league’s premier deep threats. Known for his speed, route-running, and ability to make plays downfield, Harold Jackson left an indelible mark on the game during an era that was not yet pass-heavy. Standing at 5’10” and weighing 175 pounds, he defied expectations of size to become a dominant force on the field. Over the course of his illustrious career (1968–1983), Jackson totaled 10,372 receiving yards and 76 touchdowns, placing him among the top receivers of his time.

Can Tom Brady and the Patriots make the AFC Championship Game for the 8th straight year?

The Divisional rounds are this weekend so it’s time to start looking at possible AFC & NFC Championships matchups and all of the historical data that comes with it.

Odds are out at the top betting site BetOnline as well as SuperBook and many others. At this point shortly before the Divisional Round plays out, the Kansas City Chiefs lead the pack at +160 to win the AFC. Not surprisingly, the New England Patriots are second at +200. The Los Angeles Chargers and Indianapolis Colts are +450 and +500 respectively.

A Brief History of Conference Championships

Let’s look at the last four years of NFL Conference Championships and see if we can’t find anything that will point us in the right direction as far as predicting this season’s outcomes.

2018 Jaguars vs. Patriots & Vikings vs. Eagles

Ok. we all remember the amazing Jaguars defense that miraculously got Blake Bortles and a less than stellar Jacksonville offense all the way to the AFC Championship Game. Amazingly enough, Bortles passed for 293 yards and a TD without an interception, but it still wasn’t enough. Brady threw two TDs and the Patriots won 24-20 and went on to the Super Bowl.

Then we had the Vikings and their resurgent Purple People Eater defense playing against an Eagles team that had to throw a Nick Foles who hadn’t seen much action all season into the starting role. So the Vikings were three-point favorites, but Foles came out and dropped three TDs and 352 yards on Minnesota. He embarrassed the Vikings in a 38-7 Eagles win. Read the rest of this entry →

The Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Redskins will renew their rivalry on Sunday for the 169^th time as both teams look to close out the 2018 season with a victory.

Since they first met on October 21, 1934 when the Redskins were still playing in Boston, the Eagles and Redskins have played many memorable games. As division rivals, they typically play twice a year, which has created great drama and familiarity for both the franchises and the fans. They have met one time in the playoffs, with the Redskins ending the Buddy Ryan era in Philadelphia with a 20-6 win over the Eagles during the 1990 season.

The Redskins hold the all-time series lead 85-77-6, but interestingly enough, the Eagles actually have out-scored the Redskins 3,535 points to 3,336.

I had the great pleasure of witnessing two of the most exciting games in the series, both played at the old RFK Stadium in Washington.

The first was during the 1981 season and the second was in 1989. Both games included some fantastic individual plays and exciting endings that resulted in the team that had seemingly been in control for most of the game making a fatal mistake that cost them the win.

December 6, 1981 – Week 14 – Philadelphia Eagles (9-4) at Washington Redskins (5-8)

After reaching the Super Bowl during the 1980 season, the Philadelphia Eagles started the 1981 campaign with six straight wins and seemed poised for another championship run. However, they entered the week 14 game at Washington having lost two straight games and three of their last five.

Conversely, in their first season under the leadership of Joe Gibbs, the Redskins opened the 1981 campaign with five straight losses. After climbing to 5-6 on the season with an overtime win over the New York Giants, they stumbled with consecutive losses to enter the game against the Eagles with a 5-8 record and trying to avoid a losing campaign. Read the rest of this entry →

It’s just days until the 52^nd Super Bowl and the excitement is mounting. Even those of you who aren’t avid American Football fans will be tuning into watch this epic battle which will take place in Minneapolis.

Tom Brady is, once again, leading the Patriots onto the field; he’s chasing his sixth Super Bowl win and hoping to be named MVP. That’s not even all the records he’s hoping to break.

Money certainly isn’t a motivating factor, although the winners and the losers both get a reasonable chunk of change.

If you’re a gambling person, and let’s face it who doesn’t like a flutter on the Super Bowl, then you might be considering putting some money on the Patriots.

If you are then it is essential to use a legal betting site like https://www.legalbettingonline.com/sports/football/nfl/superbowl.html; if you’re going to win you need to be sure you’ll be able to collect your winnings.

But, playing against them is the underdogs, The Eagles; they can’t be written off yet! Read the rest of this entry →