Midwest Sports

The Green Bay Packers pulled off one of the biggest trades in recent history when they aquired pass rusher, Micah Parsons from the Dallas Cowboys this week.  The Packers are certainly all in this year because they may be headed for cap trouble in the next couple years. Green Bay is the first team that will have a duo (Jordan Love & Micah Parsons) making over $100 million in a season combined (annual salary cap for teams this year is $279.2 million). The Packers may have to say good bye to some young key contributors because of the Parsons trade. To put it in perspective, Micah Parsons will be making $47 million per season. The Minnesota Vikings are spending a total of $48 million on their defensive front (Jonathon Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Jonathon Allen, & Javon Hargrave) this year. Is Parsons better than those four players? Yes, but combined? I don't know.  Another fun fact I read was that there is 10 non quarterbacks making over $33 million per season. NONE of th...

The NFC North better take notice. The Green Bay Packers just trade for Micah Parsons. The Packers gave up two first round picks and Kenny Clark for Parsons.  Looks like the Packers are all in this year. That's a steal for the Packers if Parsons continues to play as well as he has.

The Detroit Lions fans should be happy. Rob Gronkowski is predicting the Lions to win this year's Superbowl. We'll see if he's right.

The Minnesota Vikings bring back fan favorite Adam Thielen. The Vikings traded to get Thielen back from the Carolina Panthers.  Thielen spent his first 10 seasons with the Vikings (2013 - 2022). After spending the last two years in Carolina, he's returning home (Thielen is from Minnesota).  Thielen will team up with Justin Jefferson and company to try and get Minnesota over the hump and the franchise's first superbowl.

The Cleveland Browns traded Kenny Pickett to the Las Vegas Raiders. It's good to get something for a player they were going to cut anyway. 

A surprise cut by the Detroit Lions. Lions are reportedly cutting offensive lineman Dan Skipper. Skipper should find another team soon. On a positive note, center, Graham Glasgow should be good to go for the start of the season. 

The Cincinnati Bengals and Trey Hendrickson worked out a new one year deal increasing Hendrickson's salary to $30 million.  Who isn't excited to see Hendrickson and rookie Shemar Stewart give the Bengals a defense to go along with their explosive offense?

The Minnesota Vikings may be in trouble if JJ McCarthy gets hurt. The backups have not looked well. If fact the backups behind McCarthy have looked so bad that the Vikings worked out Carson Wentz on Saturday.  The Vikings may be in trouble with their wide receiver depth as well. Justin Jefferson is nursing a hamstring injury, Jordan Addison is suspended the first few weeks of the season, and Jailen Nailor has a hand injury. I've read the Vikings are in the market for a veteran receiver. Adam Thielen reunion? 

The Green Bay Packers have a left tackle battle on their hands. Rasheed Walker was the starter last year and played well. 2024 first round pick, Josh Morgan has played very well in Walker's injury absence. Head coach, Matt LaFleur hasn't made a decision on the starter at left tackle for week one, but the loser could slide in at left guard. Side note, rookie wide out, Matthew Golden may have been a steal for the Packers in this year's draft.

Minnesota Vikings trade defensive tackle to the Jets for a sixth and swap seventh round picks. This move helps the Vikings save on cap space this year to possibly explore the wide receiver market as they have a number of wide outs injured or suspended. 

Are the Cincinnati Bengals going to figure out the Trey Hendrickson situation? They can't afford to have him sit out. The Bengals historically don't give guaranteed money to non quarterbacks after year one.  Maybe they'll trade Hendrickson?  Ryan Clark may have a point. Cincinnati is wasting Joe Burrow's prime years. If the Bengals have any sort of defense (and they'll need Hendrickson to have one), they can be a really good team this year.

I guess we have the answer for the Colts starting quarterback. Head coach, Shane Steichen said Daniel Jones will be the starter for Indianapolis Colts week 1.  Reminder, Daniel Jones was 2-8 with the Giants before being cut. He was then signed by the Vikings, but Sam Darnold played too well for him to get a chance to play for them. Another question is, do the Colts trade Anthony Richardson?

 Who's is going to be the starting quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts this year? It looks to be a tight race as Daniel Jones and Anthony Richardson had similar numbers in the second preseason game. One preseason game left.

Chicago Bears offense looked good with the starters, backups, and third stringers against the Bills. Have they figured out their left tackle spot though? Kiran Amegadjie, Theo Benedet, Braxton Jones, and Ozzy Trapilo are dooking it out. Benefit has looked good against 2s and 3s, but not so good against first stringers. One more preseason game to go to figure it out.

Apparently head coach, Kevin O'Connell saw everything he needed to see in the two days of scrimmages with the Patriots to sit JJ McCarthy out of the second preseason game. The backup quarterbacks did not impress though. Looks like the Vikings are riding with McCarthy this year and it doesn't look like there is another Sam Darnold on the roster like last season. Undrafted rookie quarterback, Max Brosmer was alright. Maybe he'll have a shot at the third string spot.

What is going on in Green Bay? Sloppy, undisciplined, penalties? Matt LaFleur's teams don't usually have more penalties than first downs in a half. I know many of the starters didn't play, but that's how's it's been both preseason games.  Someone needs to remind LaFleur that the Packers are in the toughest division in the NFL and his team went 1-5 last year against division opponents. 

The Milwaukee Brewers are currently on a 12 game winning streak and have the best record in baseball. In May they were at the 500 mark and mid June they were still 6.5 games out of first place in their division. This is their second 10+ game winning streak this year. Let's take a look and see how the other 9 teams that had multiple 10+ game winning streaks did in a season. 2019 Houston Astros lost the World Series. 2017 LA Dodgers lost the World Series. 2015 Toronto Blue Jays lost in the ALCS. 2013 Atlanta Braves lost in the NLCS. 2001 St. Louis Cardinals lost in the NLCS. 1978 Pittsburgh Pirates missed the playoffs.  1977 Kansas City Royals lost the ALCS. 1969 Houston Astros missed the playoffs.  1969 NY Mets won the World Series. This is the team referred as the "Miracle Mets."  Maybe there is a miracle brewing in Milwaukee this year...

Apparently the Chicago Bears have hope to surpass the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North Division.  The Packers have injuries to Jordan Love, Jayden Reed, Nate Hobbs, and Xavier Mckinney. The Vikings lost Sam Darnold in free agency.  Look the Bears fans have reason to be optimistic, but I dont see them surpassing the Lions for sure, but I don't see them passing the Packers or Vikings either. This is a loaded division and the Lions, Packers, and Vikings rosters have playmakers on both sides of the ball. 

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman, Cam Heyward is participating in a "hold in" trying to get a new deal done. His current contract will pay him about $14.5 million this year which ranks 23rd for defensive linemen.  The Steelers just gave big contracts out to TJ Watt, DK Metcalf, and traded for expensive cornerback, Jalen Ramsey.  Pittsburgh is trying to go all in this year with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. They'll need Heyward if they want to make some noise in the playoffs, but Heyward may be willing to sit out regular season games in order to get a new deal.

Green Bay Packers quarterback, Jordan Love has an injury on his non throwing hand (thumb). He'll most likely be out the rest of preseason and should be fine for the start of the regular season. Packers do have one of the better backups in Malik Willis who won a couple games for the Packers last year when Love was hurt.

Not much to saying after the Chicago Bears' preseason game against the Miami Dolphins as the Bears rested most of their starters. Chicago's defense held Tua Tagovailoa to 5 of 6 passes for 27 yards and no touchdowns.  Head Coach, Ben Johnson looks to be aggressive just like his old boss Dan Campbell. 

Quarterback, Patrick Mahomes was 1 for 1 with a touchdown pass. Wide out Jason Brownlee is playing well. Robert Tonyan looks to make a case for a roster spot. If he's their number three tight end, then their tight end depth is just fine. Backup quarterback, Gardner Minshew looks to be an upgrade as the number two quarterback. And Harrison Butker hit a 58 yarder. Look for this team to be the team to beat in the AFC. They're better than last year and they still made it to the superbowl. 

The Detroit Lions were a 15 win team last season and they bring back a majority of their starters. Areas where the depth is thin is the cornerbacks and safeties. They may want to look at signing someone else or possibly a trade.

Quarterback, JJ McCarthy only played in one series in the first preseason game against Houston. He was 4 of 7 for 30 yards. 3 of his completions went to Jordan Addison. McCarthy extended drives with his arm and legs. Backup quarterback, Sam Howell was efficient going 11/13 for 105 yards.

Unimpressive. Lacking. Dismal. Those would be words I would use to describe the Green Bay Packers offense during their preseason game against the Jets. Jordan Love was 1 of 5 for 7 yards...on 2 series! Backups Malik Willis and Sean Clifford weren't any better going 4 of 9 and 2 of 4. The lone bright spot was rookie running back,  Amari Johnson who carried the ball 7 times for 67 yards and a touchdown.  No reason to panic as it's only the first preseason game, but there was a lot of hype out of Packers training camp. Reports were saying Love looked good and more mobile now that he is healthy. We'll see how this team does when the season starts. Remember this team beat the bad teams but lost twice to the Lions, Vikings, and Eagles last year (including playoffs).

Browns rookie quarterback,  Shedeur Sanders played into the third quarter of yesterday's preseason game against the Panthers.  He was 14/23, 138 yards, and 2 touchdown passes. Solid numbers for a preseason game. He played like a rookie fifth rounder trying to make his case for a roster spot. Reminder, Sanders is fourth on the depth chart behind Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel. Apparently Flacco is having a very good camp. Last I saw the rookie of the year odds were 50-1 for Sanders. Might be worth a bet.

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver, Jordan Addison will be suspended the first three games of the season. He plead no contest to a lesser charge of a DUI citation.  Jalen Nailor will be the prime candidate to take over the number two wide receiver role behind Justin Jefferson in Addison's absence. Nailor filled in last year as the number two for a few games. He had 28 catches, 414 yards, and 6 touchdowns. Those numbers don't jump out off the page. Maybe the Vikings will sign a veteran such as Amari Cooper or possibly trade for a familiar face in Adam Thielen?

Pere Carroll returns to Seattle, but there isn't much to write about as many starters didn't play. Seattle wide out, Troy Horton had 3 catches for 31 yards and a touchdown. He might be someone to keep an eye on. Game ended in a tie when Seattle blocked a Las Vegas field goal.

The Cincinnati Bengals took on the defending superbowl champs, Philadelphia Eagles in their first preseason game.  Quarterback, Joe Burrow was on fire going 9/10 for 123 yards, 2 touchdown passes, and no interceptions. Ja'Marr Chase caught 4 for 77 yards and a touchdown.  Bengals offense looked good. Philadelphia didn't play many starters though. 

The Indianapolis Colts took on the Baltimore Ravens in week 1 of the preseason. The Colts did not play Jonathon Taylor or any of the starting wide receivers. Is it fair to play quarterback, Anthony Richardson? Probably not, but they did it anyway. And his night ended early with a dislocated finger.  Quarterback, Daniel Jones could not take advantage though as he went 10/21 for 144 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.  Baltimore sat most of their starters.

Anthony Richardson is getting the over Daniel Jones in the first preseason game. Richardson must be playing well throughout training camp. 

Sean Payton did a very good job coaching up Bo Nix who had a great rookie year in 2024. They need to improve on one score games though. They were 1-6 last year. 

Chicago Bears Head Coach, Ben Johnson calls offense sloppy. What's new in the windy city? How many starting quarterbacks have they had this century? Just saying Coach Johnson, give it a little time.

Reports are coming in stating Jordan Morgan is not playing well for injured Rasheed Walker. Apparently Morgan is not ready for a starting role along the offensive line yet. The Packers have a solid line. Trouble will come if there is an injury, but most teams that have an injury to a starting lineup go through bumps and bruises. 

Minnesota Vikings quarterback, JJ McCarthy has had ups and downs throughout training camp. A few writers were saying he looked awful. McCarthy is practicing against one if the better defenses in the league especially one of the better defensive coordinators in the league. Sounds like the latest practice he played well and has formed a connection to wide out Jordan Addison with Justin Jefferson sidelined with a minor hamstring injury. Head Coach Kevin O'Connell isn't worried, Vikings fans shouldn't be either. 

Could the Cleveland Browns trade for Micah Parsons? Imagine Myles Garrett and Parsons rushing the quarterback? That duo would be good. What would the Browns have to give up though? Plus they are already paying Garrett $40 million per year. Probably not going to happen, but fun to talk about.

The Cincinnati Bengals' offense was already good with Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Mike Gesicki, Chase Brown, and now Noah Fant joins the group. Bengals will continue to put up points. Their defense should be better with Shemar Stewart helping Trey Hendrickson get after opposing team's quarterback. Look for Cincinnati to challenge Baltimore, Buffalo, and Kansas City for a playoff run.

The Green Bay Packers offensive lineman, Elgton Jenkins returned from "injury." Everyone knows it was a mini hold out, but Jenkins says he is now focused on his position switch (from guard to center).  The Packers also have a position battle at left tackle between Rasheed Walker and Jordan Morgan. I'll be very surprised if Walker isn't the starting left tackle for Green Bay week 1. The offensive line will be something to keep an eye on during training camp in Green Bay.

1  Minnesota Vikings 2  Kansas City Chiefs  6  Sean Payton  10 Green Bay Packers  11 Detroit Lions  15 Pittsburgh Steelers  17 Cincinnati Bengals  18 Indianapolis Colts  21 Cleveland Browns  22 Chicago Bears  This is ESPN rankings. I wouldn't dispute too many of these. I think I would have Andy Reid and the Chiefs ahead of Kevin O'Connell and the Vikings since Reid has multiple Superbowl wins. Does Kevin O'Connell even have a playoff win? I get it, last year he did well with Sam Darnold. I would rank the Bears ahead of the Browns. The Browns are a mess and I expect them to have a high draft pick next year. Lions dropped in ranking since Dan Campbell lost both coordinators. I'm a little surprised the Packers were down at 10.