Weekly Takes - Monday, December 1st Edition

Weekly Takes - Monday, December 1st Edition 

1. My three stars from the Leafs overtime win over the Blue Jackets on Wednesday…

1. Joseph Woll

2. Easton Cowan

3. John Tavares

No reason to think this was anything other than Woll standing on his head, but a win is a win for a team desperate for one. 

2. My three stars from the Leafs awful loss to the Capitals on Friday…

1. Woll

2. Scott Laughton

3. Tavares

Badly outplayed all game long, kept in it by elite goaltending from Woll.

Just a bad, unwatchable team. How much longer can this continue? 

3. My three stars from the Leafs blowout win over the Penguins on Saturday…

1. Bobby McMann

2. Oliver Ekman-Larrson 

3. Dakota Joshua

Brad Treliving would cite this win as the team he envisioned at the start of the season. A long way to go to believe in it.

4. Dylan Cease is a home run signing for the Jays.

Ignore ERA in 2025. Yes, he walks too many batters (as did Robbie Ray and Yusei Kikuchi before Pete Walker coached them), but he is a strikeout machine who throws the ball harder than anyone else in the rotation. He has ace upside, not only completing the rotation for 2026, but offering protection for 2027 for life after Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber.

The Jays needed two starting pitchers heading into the offseason. Between this and Bieber opting in, they are done and can now focus on adding a closer and a bat.

5. The Steelers blowout loss at the hands of the Bills on Sunday is rock bottom for the Rooney Family and Mike Tomlin.

No playoff wins since 2017, no Super Bowl aspirations since 2020, a bad defence, despite being the highest paid in the league (and the head coach being a defensive coach), and quarterback purgatory. 

It is time to clean house. 

6. On the other side, the Bills have found their DNA.

Run James Cook to a Super Bowl appearance. That is it.

7. I like updating my Super Bowl rankings every five weeks, but so much has changed since last updating it after Week 10. So here is my updated version 

1. Rams (+2 since Week 10)

2. Buffalo (-)

3. New England (+6)

4. Seattle (+3)

5. Philadelphia (-)

6. Indianapolis (+2)

7. Kansas City (-6)

8. Denver (New)

9. Green Bay (-3)

Out: Detroit 

The Rams are truly the only team I believe in. The Bills have issues stretching the field, New England is so young, the Seahawks and Colts have Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones, Philly’s offence looks broken, Kansas City may miss, the Broncos have Bo Nix, and the Packers are so inconsistent.

The most wide open season in recent memory.

8. College Football should not have coaches leaving before the playoffs. Full stop. Not allowing it would have saved so much of the drama that unfolded at Ole Miss this past weekend.

But they do, and for Lane Kiffin to leave his team for a marginally better job is an indictment on his legacy.