Weekly Takes - Monday, January 29th Edition

Weekly Takes - Monday, January 29th Edition

1. My three stars from the Leafs win over the Jets on Wednesday…

1. Ilya Samsonov 

2. Nick Robertson 

3. John Tavares

A third impressive start in a row for Samsonov, but none more impressive than this one, as he stole a win.

As for Robertson, there is simply no way Sheldon Keefe can take him out of the lineup.

2. The Leafs win over the Jets on Saturday was by far their biggest of the season.

Samsonov continued his great run of play, Tavares broke his slump, Auston Matthews scored 40 before the All-Star break, and Ryan Reaves and Simon Benoit had a couple of feel-good moments.

3. The Chiefs are officially in full “New England Patriots” mode after their win over the Ravens.

In their worst season as a group, with so many writing them off, they are back where they always seem to end up: The Super Bowl.

We have seen this movie before. 

1. Lamar Jackson deserves a lot of blame for yet another pitiful postseason performance, but the entire Ravens team should take a lot of blame for what happened on Sunday.

They looked unprepared, they were undisciplined, and they simply looked overwhelmed for the moment.

The Chiefs and Ravens were playing two completely different games on Sunday.

1. If you are Dan Campbell, you either die a hero or live long enough to become the villain.

He became the villain on Sunday with his over-the-top play-calling.

Being aggressive is not what got the Lions to the NFC Championship Game. Being smart is what got them there.

Being reckless is what lost them the game.

1. Brock Purdy may not be an elite quarterback, but he is a good enough quarterback to lead his team to back-to-back NFC Championship Games, and now a Super Bowl appearance.

The debate is over. You can win with Purdy as your quarterback. The 49ers can, anyway.