#playoff-race

#playoff-race

The Washington Capitals had hoped to head into the holiday break on a high note. Rookie Ryan Leonard was set to rejoin the lineup after losing seven games to a shoulder injury, giving them back a key piece of their forward corps, and a new set of lines had shown promise despite a loss in Detroit over the weekend. Facing the rival New York Rangers at home on Tuesday, the Capitals held a 3-2 lead through forty minutes.

And especially not the way he played against the New York Jets on Sunday. Lawrence threw for 330 yards and a career-high five touchdowns and ran for another in the Jaguars' 48-20 rout at EverBank Stadium. That makes him the only player in NFL history with five or more passing TDs, one or more rushing TDs, and at least 50 rushing yards in a single game, per ESPN Research.

The Cowboys are the 19th best team by DVOA, which feels about right. With 14 teams making the playoffs, that means they're just on the outside of that threshold. It's worth noting that three of their four remaining opponents all rank below them in DVOA, as do two of the teams ahead of them in the conference standings. Let's highlight special teams real quick, because it's been bad.

During last night's broadcast, with the absence of Adam Fox, Kenny and Dave gave Vlad Gavrikov the moniker "Vlad Park" after Rangers legend Brad Park. While the entire Rangers team has brought us back from the brink over the last few games, Gavrikov in particular is showing just why the Rangers were so keen on signing him in free agency. Between last night in Ottawa and Monday's against Dallas, Gavrikov has essentially carried the team into looking this good.

MIAMI GARDENS - The AFC playoff road is paved for the Miami Dolphins (5-7) to increase their winning streak to four consecutive games and remain in the "playoff hunt," as the TV graphics say. Of course, the the Dolphins must go on the road and defeat the New York Jets (3-9) on Sunday to stay "in the hunt," and that won't be easy. Yes, the the Dolphins are 5-2 against the Jets under coach Mike McDaniel, but only 1-2 at MetLife Stadium.

The third-year quarterback missed the past three games after suffering a concussion in Week 9, but Houston (6-5) has clawed its way back and is rolling in comparison to the bleak night of Sept. 21, when it was coming off a 17-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars and sat 0-3. Stroud characterized what the Texans were able to do in his absence as "amazing."

"When I put the tape on yesterday, I was like 'Wow,'" Reich said. "This is the real deal. This looks like the best team we've played all year. ... It's an opportunity to measure our program against someone like that."

"You've got to win every game now -- and hope that's enough," Mahomes said of the Chiefs' attempt to make the postseason with just five games left in the regular season. With a 6-6 record, and outside the AFC's playoff picture, the Chiefs' chances of clinching a postseason berth dropped Thursday from 63% to 47%, according to ESPN Analytics. All five games left on the Chiefs' schedule, starting Dec. 7 against the Houston Texans, will be against AFC opponents, too.

It's always nice when the best team in the NFL shows itself early; it's even better when you can see the process go from good to great as a season progresses. The Rams have undeniably become the team to beat in the NFL with Matthew Stafford, Davonte Adams, and this incredible defensive front putting the hurt on anybody in their path.

The second half of the 2025 season starts with the Eagles soaring above their rivals in the NFC East. The next eight weeks may be little more than a formality for the presumptive division champions, but they haven't clinched anything yet. And at this point, the Cowboys seem to be the only team with a chance of thwarting them. Philly snuck out of Lambeau Field with a victory last Monday night, being the less ugly team in a game neither deserved to win.

The San Jose Sharks might have woken up Monday morning at the start of a new week, peeked at the NHL standings, and noticed something slightly different for this time of year. It's early November, and they're still within earshot of a playoff spot. The Sharks improved to 4-6-3 this season with a 3-2 shootout loss to the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday night and entered this week with 11 points,

Berhalter is close to leading the Fire to the postseason for the first time in 2017, but with four regular-season fixtures to come, he wanted full focus from his players. "It's just all about this time of the season. Berhalter said. "You've got to keep collecting points and keep trying to move forward. "We know we're in a dogfight. We know Red Bull won again, and it is what it is. So, we're going to keep going.

I mean, we have to stay humble and stay home, but we can't get ahead of ourselves, feel too good, and then go on the road to Portland and get stung, which would take away the momentum. We've got humble guys in that locker room who understand, with great veterans that have been around the game a long time and are helping our young players in the process.

Xavier Edwards drove in the winning run with an 11th-inning sacrifice fly, Heriberto Hernández and Griffin Conine homered during a late rally and the Miami Marlins kept their playoff hopes alive with a 6-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night. Hernández, who had three hits, homered with one out in the ninth inning off Philadelphia closer Jhoan Duran to force extras. Conine homered in the eighth inning off David Robertson to start the comeback.

If I had a nickel for how many times everyone in this room has said that I'd be really, really rich, Alonso, who set the franchise's all-time home run record last month, said. We'll see what happens, but I'm a firm believer that the right thing is going to happen. You can't necessarily control destiny, you can't control what-ifs. But again, this place has been really special for me Playing here at Citi is awesome. It's super fun. The fans are awesome, super passionate.

Even though he missed over 40 games this season, Abreu is still second on the Red Sox in home runs this season (22). He is batting .253 in 2025 with an OPS of .811 and 69 RBIs heading into the final seven games of the regular season.

Thanks to the bullpen blowing a potential sweep over the Phillies, this four-game series with the Giants continues to loom large on their NL West hopes, and they'll also be motivated in trying to earn that last playoff spot. Can the Dodgers back Yoshinobu Yamamoto for once? Maybe? As a treat? Tonight's #Dodgers lineup vs. Giants: pic.twitter.com/sCjcfKnIDI- Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 18, 2025