Why the Panthers will lose to the Vikings

A team that has been pretty under the radar this season so far has been the Minnesota Vikings. A lot of people are predicting the Panthers to beat them on Sunday. Here is why the Vikings will beat the Panthers.

The loss of Adrian Peterson made everyone give up on the Vikings, but I don't see why. If you look at the past two games that Adrian Peterson has played in, he hasn't even done well at all. Against the Packers, he had 12 carries for 19 yards, only averaging 1.6 yards per carry in that game. In week one, against the Titans, Peterson had 19 carries for 31 yards, also averaging 1.6 yards per carry in that game. Concerns for Minnesota should not be with the running game. They still have Matt Asiata and Jerick Mckinnon. Mckinnon is arguably a better third down running back than Peterson.

Staying on the offensive side, a player who has stood out to me has been Stefon Diggs. Diggs has played very well over the past two games. Against the Packers good defense, he racked up 9 receptions, 182 receiving yards, and a touchdown. I think he will make a big impact on Minnesota's offense.  

One problem that Minnesota will have is guarding Kelvin Benjamin. Nobody in the Vikings secondary has the height and the strength of Benjamin. Mostly Benjamin's height is what kills other teams. The Vikings tallest cornerback is Xavier Rhodes, and he is still 4 inches shorter than Benjamin. But I do think the Vikings will limit the deep balls thrown to Benjamin because of there safeties. They have a little bit more height than the cornerbacks of Minnesota. 

In week one, Cam Newton had trouble against the Denver defense in the second half. He hasn't seemed to play very well against top ranked defenses. Minnesota is one of those. I think the front seven will provide a lot of pressure on Newton, which will force him into throwing inaccurate passes. That will lead to turnovers.

I think the Vikings will come away with this game, with a score of 17-10 over the Panthers. I also think the Vikings defense will get 4 sacks on Cam Newton. 

Who do you think will win? Comment below.  

What is holding back the Redskins offense?

It's never good to start the season off with a loss. The Redskins started off the season with an embarassing loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a score of 38-16. The game actually did start off well for the Reskins. Their defense had intercepted one pass from Ben Roethlisberger, and Dustin Hopkins[redskins kicker], punched in two fireld goals. But from the second quarter and on the Steelers offense and defense took over. The Redskins did have a mini comeback in the third quarter that made it an eight point game, but it wasn't enough to stop the Steelers offense.

Last season, the Redskins did not have a single win against a team with a record over .500 and I hope it doesn't turn out that way again this year. They are also 0-9 when Kirk Cousins throws 2 or more interceptions. With all the tools that the Skins have on offense, they should have been racking up points on the scoreboard against the Steelers. They have Desean Jackson as a deep threat, Jordan Reed as a mismatch for every safety or middle linebacker, and Pierre Garcon as a slot receiver.

The problem with the Redskins now, is that they have become too much of an obvious team. When they lost Alfred Morris, they really didn't have a single reliable running back. This is making defenses drop back into zone coverages.

Until the Redskins find a consistent, and reliable running back, the offense might have some problems thoughout the season.
 

3 Reasons why the Redskins will beat the Steelers

3. The Skins have a much improved secondary. Specifically at the cornerback position. I'm not just talking about Josh Norman. They also brought in Greg Toler from the Colts and drafted Kendall Fuller. They also still have Bashaud Breeland who is a great one-on-one coverage cornerback. I don't think that the secondary is going to absolutely shut down star wideout Antonio Brown on the Steelers. But I do think they will make it tough for him.

2. In my opinion, the Skins offense is one of the best in the league. While they lack running talent, they have so many talented pass catchers. I could go on and on naming all of the Redskins talented receivers and tight ends. The top five right now are Jordan Reed, Desean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, Josh Doctson who they drafted from TCU, and Jamison Crowder. The Steelers defense can't keep up with all of those guys. 

1. Le'veon Bell and Martavis Bryant on the Steelers are not going to be playing. Those guys are two of there biggest weapons on offense. Ben Roethilisberger only has one good option now, and that is Antonio Brown. Once the Redskins defense sees that, they will start to make it tougher for Brown.

Who do you think will win? Comment below.     

Do Rockets have a chance against the Warriors?

The past couple of games for the Rockets and Warriors have been pretty crazy.

 For the Rockets, in Game 3, they came away with a win, but then got completely blown out in Game 4. They also lost Patrick Beverly because of an injury.

On the Warriors side, they devastatingly lost Game 3 because of a last second James Harden shot.

 Then, in Game 4, the Warriors win the game, but Stephen Curry gets injured again. He will be out for at least two weeks.

That will be enough time for the Rockets to remove that cushion they gave the Warriors. But the question is, do the Rockets even have what it takes to beat a Warrior team that is already great without Stephen Curry? I do not think they can. Here why.

 Defense

The Rockets have to close out on shooters much quicker. Pretty much everybody on the Warriors                   [ except centers ] are good three point shooters. In Game 4, the Rockets were getting killed from beyond the arc. Draymond Green and Klay Thompson were on fire in the second half, after Curry left the game. When Curry was out, there were more opportunities for other guys to score, and especially Klay Thompson got to show everybody how good of a shooter he was. Guys like Leandro Barbosa and Dwight Clark really showed what they could do towards the end of Game 4. The thing is with the Warriors, if one guy gets injured, the next man can step up. That's why they're the best team in the league. And the Rockets couldn't stop them. Everybody was knocking down threes for the Warriors.
Now that the Rockets have lost Patrick Beverly, it gives them less of a boost on defense and offense, but specifically defense, because a lot of the energy on defense comes from him.

Rebounding

The Rockets big men have to work harder on getting rebounds. Too often, the Warriors have gotten second chance points and that has been hurting the Rockets. Dwight Howard and Clint Capela need to work harder.

Missed Opportunities

The Rockets need to be able to finish off plays on fast breaks. A couple of times in Game 4, the Rockets were on a fast break but couldn't convert on layups. If you want to beat a team like the Warriors, you have to do all of those little things. They end up making a big difference.

Comment below on who you think will win this series.

Keys for the Hornets in Game 4 against Miami

The Charlotte Hornets are coming off a much-needed win against the Miami Heat to make the series 2-1, still in Miami's favor. The Hornets got a lot of help from Jeremy Lin and Kemba Walker. They also played game three without Nicolas Batum and still won. And once again, they will be playing at home. Here are three keys to winning for the Hornets in Game 4.

1. Get Jeremy Lin, and other guys coming off the bench involved

In game three, Jeremy Lin had 18 points and four assists. Also, Frank Kaminsky, who replaced Nicolas Batum in game three, had 15 points and 6 rebounds. The Hornets have to get those guys involved to win the game. It can't just be Kemba Walker trying to do it all by himself, or Al Jefferson waiting for the ball to come to him in the post. The ball has to move around a lot.

2. Play well collectively on defense

The Hornets have had trouble on helping on defense. On pick and rolls with Hassan Whiteside, the Hornets have been doubling the ball handler and leaving Hassan Whiteside wide open. The next Hornet is too late to rotate and Hassan Whiteside gets an easy dunk. The Hornets need to start defending the paint better and helping each other out on defense.

3. Take high quality shots

The Heat have a great defense and the Hornets are not going to get past all of their great defenders with keeping the ball in Kemba Walker's hands until the shot clock runs down and they have to put up a bad shot. Look to get the ball in the post to Al Jefferson sometimes but not always because then the Heat will start doubling the ball. The Hornets need to have a well balanced offense. There is also more scoring opportunities for other guys on the team since Nicolas Batum won't be playing, so the Hornets should take advantage of that.

What Teams Could RG3 Go To

Until last year, it has been hard to be a Redskins fan. Particularly for one reason. Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin lll [ also known as RG3 ], now has had three consecutive disappointing years. During his first bad year, I thought it was just because he was coming back from an injury and all that. The Redskins went 2-14 and obviously did not make the playoffs. The second year, I thought RG3 would bounce back. He did not. He got injured in week two and when he returned, he wasn't all that good. I was beginning to lose hope by the time the 2015-16 season came around. And again, RG3 got injured, this time, during week two of the preseason. Kirk Cousins replaced him and the Redskins went on to win the NFC East. Now that the 2015 season is over, RG3 is a free agent. One question a lot of Redskins fans are wondering about is this: Which team will RG3 go to. We already know that Bruce Allen confirmed he won't be with the Redskins next season. Here are two very good possibilities for him.

Denver Broncos


We know that RG3 wants a starting job. There could be an opportunity for him in Denver. Think about it: Peyton Manning is getting old. That would mean that RG3 would have to win the starting job over Brock Osweiler which he has the ability to do. RG3 has the skills and the talent. Also, with C.J. Anderson in the back field, RG3 might be able to utilize the read option again. The only thing that is holding him back right now is his decision making. A lot of his injuries have come from him trying to make a play and scrambling in the pocket. Also, I do not know if Gary Kubiak's offensive style would fit RG3.

Kansas City Chiefs

Andy Reid has experience working with mobile quarterbacks. For example, Alex Smith is one of them. Alex Smith is similar to RG3. He too has running ability. Also, if you remember when Andy Reid was the head coach for the Eagles, you would know that Michael Vick played quarterback for them back then. I don't know if RG3 would be a starter there, but he could learn something, playing with a veteran quarterback like Alex Smith. And again, with a good running back in Jamaal Charles, RG3 could also utilize the read option in that situation too.

Comment below, and tell me which team you think RG3 will go to.

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What Position Do The Redskins Have The Most Struggles With

The Washington Redskins are coming off a great year. A year in which they made the playoffs. There were a lot of ups and downs to that season. But we are only going to focus on one thing. What position are the Redskins targeting this off season? Here are a couple of positions I think they might need.

The Redskins are in need of a safety. They had just acquired Dashon Goldson last year and Kyshoen Jarrett. Dashon Goldson was a good fit last year but they need someone to back him up. One possibility for the Redskins are Eric Berry, the 4 time pro-bowler. Berry is a free agent. The all-pro safety currently plays for the Kansas City Chiefs. He has been one of the best and most impactful safety's in the NFL ever since he entered the league. But chances are, Berry will stay in Kansas City. The Chiefs defense needs a leader like him. For the Chiefs, it would be safe to keep Berry, because Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson are in free agency too.

I do not know what the Redskins should do with Pierre Garcon and Desean Jackson. They are both good quality players. Pierre Garcon provides toughness and has good hands. Desean Jackson provides play making and speed. If they gave up one of those receivers, they could possibly get a really good player in return.

The Redskins secondary is looking really good. They have Bashaud Breeland and Chris Culliver who will be healthy going into the 2016-17 season. Breeland made a big impact for the Redskins. He covered multiple star receivers such as Odell Beckham Jr., and Brandon Marshall. Culliver got injured midway through the season but he was looking good. So far, I do not think the Redskins need a lot in the secondary other than maybe a safety. They should save their salary space for a different group of players like the defensive line.