Sports Krunch w/DKROM

Sports Krunch

DKROM is a Chicago based Sportswriter & sportscaster with a near encyclopedic knowledge of all things NFL. We here at Sports Krunch with DKrom enforce our “No Spin” policy 24/7/365, and do our absolute best to help all of you football fans cut through the spin and get to the truth. Sports Krunch will cover all the important stories you may have missed in the NFL universe. Sports Krunch will regularly have very influential and knowledgeable guests. So be on the lookout for the next episode and be sure to subscribe!

  1. #555: 2025 NFL Conference Championship Preview (with Hal Bent)

    5D AGO

    #555: 2025 NFL Conference Championship Preview (with Hal Bent)

    1. Divisional Weekend Takeaways -DKrom: Turnovers are truly the great equalizer in football -Hal: Hard-hitting, takeaway-producing defenses stole the show 2. Divisional Weekend Honors -GOAT of the Week (DKrom: Bo Nix, Hal: Seahawks D) -Dunce of the Week (DKrom: Nick Caserio, Hal: Terry Pegula) 3. Coaching Carousel -Grading the Falcons hire of Kevin Stefanski as head coach (DKrom: B+, Hal: C-) -Grading the Dolphins hire of Jeff Hafley as head coach (DKrom: B, Hal: B+) -Grading the Titans hire of Robert Saleh as head coach (DKrom: A-, Hal: A) -Grading the Ravens hire of Jesse Minter as head coach (DKrom: A, Hal: A) -Is it pretty clear that: a) the Bills threw the wrong guy overboard and b) Josh Allen’s greatness has been almost single-handedly hiding organizational dysfunction in Buffalo in recent years? -Who would make most sense as the next Bills HC: Joe Brady, Brian Daboll, Davis Webb, or someone else? -Grading the Chiefs hire of Eric Bieniemy as OC (DKrom: A, Hal: A) -Grading the Chargers hire of Mike McDaniel as OC (DKrom: A+, Hal: A+) -Grading the Lions hire of Drew Petzing as OC (DKrom: B+, Hal: A) -Grading the Cowboys hire of Christian Parker as DC (DKrom: A+. Hal: A+) 4. NFC Championship Preview & Game Picks 5. AFC Championship Game Picks 6. Conference Championship Weekend Bold Predictions -DKrom: Rams have the ball just outside the Red Zone down 24-20 with 40 seconds left in the game. Matthew Stafford tries a fade to Davante Adams in the right corner of the end zone, but à la Richard Sherman in 2013, Nick Emmanwori deflects it and Devon Witherspoon comes up with the INT to send the Seahawks to the Super Bowl -Hal: Rams and Seahawks tied at 20-apiece with 5:00 left after Matthew Stafford finds Davante Adams for game-tying TD. On the ensuing drive, Kenneth Walker III carries the ball 10 straight times, culminating in a TD (with almost no time left) and the 27-20 win for Seattle 7. Challenge Flags -DKrom: Bears and Jaguars…don’t get complacent and convince yourselves you’re just one piece away from winning it all! -Hal: All franchises in the process of hiring new coaches and coordinators, DO THE COACHING SEARCH RIGHT!!!

    46 min
  2. #554: 2025 NFL Divisional Weekend Preview (with Hal Bent)

    JAN 16

    #554: 2025 NFL Divisional Weekend Preview (with Hal Bent)

    1. Wild Card Weekend Takeaways -DKrom: The NFL MUST name the Coach of the Year award after Kyle Shanahan -Hal: Finally, the NFL put the "WILD" in Wild Card Weekend 2. Wild Card Weekend Honors -GOAT of the Week (DKrom: Colston Loveland, Hal: Caleb Williams) -Dunce of the Week (DKrom: Kevin Patullo, Hal: Omar Khan & Art Rooney II) 3. 2026 NFL Draft (Top-10 Mock Draft) 4. Coaching Carousel -Grading the Giants hire of John Harbaugh as head coach (DKrom: A-, Hal: A-) -Putting aside historical precedent, how much sense does hiring Chris Shula as head coach make for the Steelers? -Do you think there's a good chance the Ravens see in Jesse Minter exactly what they lost when Mike Macdonald left? -Grading the Dolphins hire of Jon-Eric Sullivan as GM (DKrom: A, Hal: A) -Would you be willing to bet that either Jeff Hafley or Anthony Campanile will be the next head coach of the Dolphins? -If the Browns hire a Grant Udinski, Dan Pitcher, Tommy Rees or Nate Scheelhaase as their new head coach, do you think the odds of them working out in the long run may be far greater than many think? 5. NFL Divisional Weekend Game Picks -Bills at Broncos -49ers at Seahawks -Texans at Patriots -Rams at Bears 6. NFL Divisional Weekend Bold Predictions -DKrom: 49ers FB/H-back Kyle Juszczyk sets the single-game postseason receptions record with 16, including the game-winning TD pass from Brock Purdy with less than a minute remaining to give the 49ers the 19-17 upset win -Hal: Bears down 27-20 at midfield with less than 10 seconds left, and Caleb Williams throws a Hail Mary that's tipped twice...and Rome Odunze comes down with it for the TD...and they go for two and the win...and Odunze comes up with the Octopus on a fade in the corner of the end zone to send the Bears to the NFC Championship! 7. Challenge Flags -DKrom: All head coaches of the 8 remaining teams, if you go for it on 4th-and-1, DON'T GET CUTE and just RUN THE BALL!!! -Hal: Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, and Bo Nix...SEIZE YOUR OPPORTUNITY NOW because this could be it!

    46 min
  3. #553: 2025 NFL Wild Card Weekend Preview (with Hal Bent)

    JAN 8

    #553: 2025 NFL Wild Card Weekend Preview (with Hal Bent)

    1. Week 18 Takeaways -DKrom: NFL parity continues its decades-long pattern when it comes to the playoffs -Hal: Tie-breakers factor in massively with two non-playoff teams (Falcons, Raiders) determining playoff seeds 2. Week 18 Honors -GOAT of the Week (DKrom: Aaron Rodgers, Hal: Seahawks D) -Dunce of the Week (DKrom: Mike Brown, Hal: Owners of teams with fired HC's and retained GM's [except Baltimore]) 3. FINAL 2025 NFL Awards -MVP (DKrom: Drake Maye, Hal: Drake Maye) -Offensive POY (DKrom: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Hal: Puka Nacua) -Defensive POY (DKrom: Myles Garrett, Hal: Myles Garrett) -Offensive ROY (DKrom: Tetairoa McMillan, Hal: Tetairoa McMillan) -Defensive ROY (DKrom: Carson Schwesinger, Hal: James Pearce, Jr.) -Protector of the Year (DKrom: Trent Williams, Hal: Joe Thuney) -Comeback POY (DKrom: Aidan Hutchinson Hal: Chris Olave) -Coach of the Year (DKrom: Liam Coen, Hal: Kyle Shanahan) -Assistant COY (DKrom: Josh McDaniels, Hal: Anthony Campanile) 4. Coaching Carousel -Rank the seven HC openings (Browns, Cardinals, Falcons, Giants, Ravens, Raiders, Titans) from least attractive to most attractive -Putting those rankings aside, if you were John Harbaugh, which one of the other six vacancies would be most appealing to you and why? -With Mike Borgonzi now fully in control of the football operation in Tennessee, would it be quite a surprise if the new head coach of the Titans isn't Matt Nagy or Mike Kafka? -As Pro Football Talk first reported, many around the league believe that when it comes to the Raiders, Tom Brady is eyeing a Patriots reunion with Brian Flores as head coach, Brian Daboll as OC, and Patrick Graham remaining as DC. Would that be the most ideal outcome for the Raiders this hiring cycle? -Are the Falcons making a mistake by giving Matt Ryan final say over all football decisions? -This year is described as a "down year" to be in the market for a new head coach. If you were the owner or GM of a team with a HC vacancy, which current HC candidate (aside from John Harbaugh) would be your top target and why? 5. Bills/Jaguars Preview 6. Super Wild Card Weekend Game Picks -Rams at Panthers -Packers at Bears -49ers at Eagles -Chargers at Patriots -Texans at Steelers 7. Super Wild Card Weekend Bold Predictions -DKrom: Drake Maye and the Patriots are in the Red Zone with less than a minute left in the game and they're down 27-24. But on 3rd-and-4 from the 18, Drake Maye tries to hit former Charger Hunter Henry down the seam for a TD, but Derwin James swoops in at the last second to deflect the pass and the grizzled vet Tony Jefferson picks it off, sealing the win for the Chargers -Hal: Christian McCaffrey totals 250 yards of offense (150 on the ground, 100 through the air) and 3 TD leading the Niners to the upset over the Eagles 8. Challenge Flags -DKrom: Sean McDermott...coach as if your job could be on the line. It just might be -Hal: Panthers, Bears and Jaguars...EMBRACE THE DISRESPECT!!!

    1h 1m
  4. #552: 2025 Week 18 NFL Preview (with Hal Bent)

    JAN 2

    #552: 2025 Week 18 NFL Preview (with Hal Bent)

    1. Week 17 Takeaways -DKrom: Voters face an EXTREMELY difficult decision on 2025 Coach of the Year honors -Hal: Teams that had nothing to play for played HARD (e.g.: Browns, Colts, Bengals, Falcons) 2. Week 17 Honors -GOAT of the Week (DKrom: Derrick Henry, Hal: Drake Maye) -Dunce of the Week (DKrom: Mike Tomlin, Hal: Arthur Smith) 3. Rating the Playoff Teams (One-And-Done, Dancers, Championship Caliber) -Packers -Texans 4. On a scale of 1-10 (1 being not likely at all, 10 being all but guaranteed), how possible is it that Maxx Crosby has played his final down as a Raider? 5. Truth or Exaggeration -The Saints have a HC/QB combo that they can rely on for the next five seasons or more -On Sunday night, John Harbaugh and Mike Tomlin will be coaching for job security beyond 2026 -Assuming the current draft order holds (and both Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore declare), the Giants will trade the #2 overall pick to another QB-needy team -The Titans must hire another Vrabel-type program builder as head coach (Jesse Minter, Jeff Hafley) as long as they bring in a proven OC (Brian Daboll, Kevin Stefanski) -Bears DB’s coach Al Harris will be the hottest DC candidate this cycle -The Bills will not win another AFC East title with Josh Allen unless they fire both Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane -Michael Penix, Jr. will permanently lose the Falcons starting QB job at some point next season -Malik Willis will be the starting QB for either the Steelers, Cardinals or Dolphins in 2026 6. Week 18 Game Picks -Lock of the Week (DKrom: Panthers over Bucs, Hal: Broncos over Chargers) -Upset Special (DKrom: Chargers over Broncos, Hal: Steelers over Ravens) -Seahawks at 49ers -Colts at Texans -Cowboys at Giants -Browns at Bengals -Saints at Falcons -Packers at Vikings -Titans at Jaguars -Cardinals at Rams -Chiefs at Raiders -Dolphins at Patriots -Commanders at Eagles -Lions at Bears -Jets at Bills 7. Week 18 Bold Predictions -DKrom: Lions lay another 50-burger on the Bears as Jared Goff sets the single game record with 8 TD passes in a 56-35 win -Hal: Ravens score go-ahead TD on 4th down with just over a minute remaining in the game to take 20-19 lead...but on the two-point conversion, Lamar fumbles and Jalen Ramsey scoops it up and returns it 90-yards for two points and the Steelers win 21-20 8. Challenge Flags -DKrom: Bucs…win or lose this weekend, do NOT extend Baker Mayfield this offseason and make him earn it next year -Hal: All playoff teams...the field is wide open like never before...y'all have a shot, so make the most of this chance!

    49 min
  5. #551: 2025 Week 17 NFL Preview (with Hal Bent)

    12/24/2025

    #551: 2025 Week 17 NFL Preview (with Hal Bent)

    1. Week 16 Takeaways -DKrom: Week 16 delivered the extra layer of chaos to the playoff picture that the NFL wanted...and it couldn't have happened in more dramatic fashion -Hal: NFL officiating is making my head explode 2. Week 16 Honors -GOAT of the Week (DKrom: Sam Darnold/Zach Charbonnet, Hal: Young QB's and their coaches) -Dunce of the Week (DKrom: Sean Payton, Hal: John Harbaugh/Todd Monken) 3. Head Coach Hot Seat Meter (Warm, Hot, Inferno) -Pete Carroll -Kevin Stefanski -Todd Bowles -Raheem Morris -John Harbaugh 4. Rating the Playoff Teams (One-And-Done, Dancers, Championship Caliber) -Rams -Seahawks -49ers -Eagles -Bears -Jaguars -Bills -Broncos -Chargers -Patriots 5. Week 17 Game Picks -Lock of the Week (DKrom: Jaguars over Colts, Hal: Broncos over Chiefs) -Upset Special (DKrom: Chiefs over Broncos, Hal: Bears over 49ers) -Cowboys at Commanders -Lions at Vikings -Texans at Chargers -Ravens at Packers -Steelers at Browns -Patriots at Jets -Saints at Titans -Bucs at Dolphins -Seahawks at Panthers -Cardinals at Bengals -Giants at Raiders -Eagles at Bills -Rams at Falcons 6. Week 17 Bold Predictions -DKrom: Colts surrender a 40-burger for the second consecutive week and Trevor Lawrence scores 7 total TD (5 pass, 2 rush) along with 370 total yards (335 passing, 35 rushing) -Hal: Bears force the 49ers to punt late in the game down 24-20, and Devin Duvernay returns it all the way for the game-winning TD 7. Challenge Flags -DKrom: Seahawks…beware a potential let-down in Carolina and DON’T GET CAUGHT LOOKING AHEAD! -Hal: Bills, Texans, Chargers, 49ers, Rams, Bucs, Packers...strange things always happen in the NFL so take care of business this week!

    39 min
  6. #550: 2025 Week 16 NFL Preview (with Hal Bent)

    12/18/2025

    #550: 2025 Week 16 NFL Preview (with Hal Bent)

    1. Week 15 Takeaways -DKrom: The AFC truly is wide open this year -Hal: Patrick Mahomes and Micah Parsons' ACL injuries changed the trajectory for the 2025 season...and maybe the 2026 season as well 2. Week 15 Honors -GOAT of the Week (DKrom: Trevor Lawrence/Bo Nix, Hal: Chargers OL) -Dunce of the Week (DKrom: Lathan Ransom, Hal: Shane Steichen) 3. On Monday night in Pittsburgh, the Dolphins were officially eliminated from playoff contention due in large part to another atrocious performance by Tua Tagovailoa. Today, Miami benched Tua and rookie Quinn Ewers is slated to start the final three games. Is this the end of Tua Time in South Florida? It's possible, but very complicated from a financial perspective. Keep in mind, Tua already has $54M of his 2026 salary guaranteed and $3M of his 2027 salary fully vests on March 15. Releasing Tua Tagovailoa in 2026 would result in a gargantuan $99M dead money charge. And a post-June 1 release would result in $67.4M in dead money in 2026, and another $31.8 million in 2027. Many are going to naturally point to the Broncos swallowing $85M in dead money over these last two years by releasing Russell Wilson, but Dolphins ownership doesn't nearly have half the cash Denver's ownership does. So my question to you Hal is this: If you are the Dolphins next GM, would you be willing to release Tua Tagovailoa before March 15 and eat $99M over the next two seasons? 4. Panic Meter -Packers Super Bowl chances without Micah Parsons -Baker Mayfield -Seahawks offensive struggles -Rams offense minus Davante Adams on a short week against the Seahawks on the road -Patrick Mahomes not being 100% for the entirety of 2026 -Bengals fans on the chances Joe Burrow wants out of Cincinnati -Patriots run defense -Broncos defense 5. Truth or Exaggeration -If the Seahawks beat the Rams on Thursday, the 49ers will be the NFC’s eventual #1 seed -The Steelers will be one-and-done in the playoffs again regardless of who they end up hosting in the Wild Card round -Should the Bucs not make the playoffs, Todd Bowles will be fired as head coach -Unless the Jets can trade up into the top 2 to take Fernando Mendoza or Dante Moore, Kyler Murray will be their starting QB in 2026 -The Bears should trade WR D.J. Moore and release TE Cole Kmet and use the cap savings from both moves to sign Trey Hendrickson in free agency -The Chiefs will re-hire Eric Bieniemy as OC and he will bring along with him the run game scheme the Bears have run this season -Raheem Morris will get a third season as Falcons head coach -If the road to Super Bowl LX in the AFC does not run through Denver, and IF the Patriots lose to the Ravens on Sunday night, the road to Super Bowl LX in the AFC will go through…Jacksonville 6. Week 16 Game Picks -Lock of the Week (DKrom: Texans over Raiders, Hal: Bills over Browns) -Upset Special (DKrom: Titans over Chiefs, Hal: Giants over Vikings) -Rams at Seahawks -Eagles at Commanders -Packers at Bears -Jets at Saints -Chargers at Cowboys -Bucs at Panthers -Bengals at Dolphins -Jaguars at Broncos -Falcons at Cardinals -Steelers at Lions -Patriots at Ravens -49ers at Colts 7. Week 16 Bold Predictions -DKrom: Broncos are up 24-20 at the two minute warning and have 4th-and-1 at the 39 of the Jaguars. Broncos go for it and the Jags stuff them for no gain. Trevor Lawrence then leads the Jaguars on a 61 yard, 1:42 drive culminating in the game-winning TD pass on 3rd-and-Goal from the 8...to former Bronco Tim Patrick! -Hal: Ravens, Jaguars, and Bucs will all win their divisions despite losing in Week 16...and the Giants will still end up the #1 overall pick in the 2026 draft despite winning in Week 16 8. Challenge Flags -DKrom: Sam Darnold...just take care of the football and stay ahead of the sticks against the Rams! -Hal: Shane Steichen...BENCH PHILIP RIVERS!!!

    45 min
  7. #549: 2025 Week 15 NFL Preview (with Hal Bent)

    12/11/2025

    #549: 2025 Week 15 NFL Preview (with Hal Bent)

    1. Week 14 Takeaways -DKrom: Lane Johnson just might be the most valuable OL in NFL history -Hal: Is Indianapolis cursed? 2. Week 14 Honors -GOAT of the Week (DKrom: DeMeco Ryans and Texans D, Hal: Rams OL and OL coach Ryan Wendell) -Dunce of the Week (DKrom: Andy Reid, Hal: Travis Kelce) 3. 2026 NFL Draft Sweepstakes -IF the Giants get the #1 overall pick, should their top priority be trading it? Should the Giants have the top pick, and both Fernando Mendoza and Dante Moore declare for the draft, should they be inclined to trade back twice? -Is Pete Carroll the right guy to develop the Raiders QB of choice if they get the top pick? 4. Truth or Exaggeration (DKrom's Playoff Picture Analysis & Predictions) -The two most dangerous AFC playoff teams are the Texans and Jaguars -Neither the Chiefs nor Ravens will make the playoffs -The Broncos will lose AT LEAST three of their final four games and the Chargers will win the AFC West^^ -If the Patriots beat the Bills on Sunday, they are unlikely to beat them a third time in the playoffs should they meet then -Whoever wins the Rams/Seahawks game next Thursday will be the NFC's #1 seed -The Panthers will win the NFC South -Whoever wins the Lions/Bears game in Week 18 will be the NFC's #7 playoff seed -The Packers are even better-equipped to beat the Rams in the playoffs than the Seahawks are 5. Week 15 Game Picks -Lock of the Week (DKrom: 49ers over Titans, Hal: Seahawks over Colts) -Upset Special (DKrom: Chargers over Chiefs, Hal: Cardinals over Texans) -Falcons at Bucs -Bills at Patriots -Ravens at Bengals -Jets at Jaguars -Browns at Bears -Commanders at Giants -Raiders at Eagles -Packers at Broncos -Panthers at Saints -Lions at Rams -Vikings at Cowboys -Dolphins at Steelers 6. Week 15 Bold Predictions -DKrom: Matthew Stafford strengthens his case for MVP by throwing for 500-plus yards and 5 TD in a shoot-out against his former team, including the game-winner to Davante Adams from 5 yards out on 3rd-and-Goal in the final minute -Hal: Despite being sacked 9 times, Jacoby Brissett throws 3 TD passes to Michael Wilson, including the game-winner in the final minute 7. Challenge Flags -DKrom: Eagles, Panthers, Bears, Texans, and Jaguars...BEWARE THE TRAP!!! -Hal: Patriots...make me look like an idiot for picking against you and beat the Bills!

    48 min
  8. #548: 2025 Week 14 NFL Preview (with Hal Bent)

    12/04/2025

    #548: 2025 Week 14 NFL Preview (with Hal Bent)

    1. Week 13 Takeaways -DKrom: Bears and Patriots being the two #1 playoff seeds with five weeks to go perfectly symbolizes the 2025 NFL season -Hal: The Witching Hour has arrived...this is when playoff spots are won and lost 2. Week 13 Honors -GOAT of the Week (DKrom: Bears and Bills OL, Hal: Joe Burrow) -Dunce of the Week (DKrom: Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, Hal: Omar Khan) 3. Panic Meter -Eagles chances of getting leap-frogged by the Cowboys in the NFC East -Lions playoff chances -Bears passing game struggles costing them a playoff spot -Broncos defense costing them the AFC West (were they exposed by the Commanders?) -Colts playoff chances 4. Truth or Exaggeration -The Rams will NOT win the NFC West -The Bengals defensive improvements are legit -At minimum, the Cowboys will place the franchise tag on George Pickens in March -The winners of Sunday night's Texans/Chiefs game will make the playoffs...and the loser will not -The Lions best chance to win a Super Bowl with their current core has officially passed them by -The Jaguars will do everything in their power to re-sign Jakobi Meyers -Christian McCaffrey will get a lot of votes for 2025 OPOY -The Ravens offensive struggles will cost them the AFC North title 5. Week 14 Game Picks -Lock of the Week (DKrom: Bucs over Saints, Hal: Rams over Cardinals) -Upset Special (DKrom: Raiders over Broncos, Hal: Jets over Dolphins) -Cowboys at Lions -Steelers at Ravens -Colts at Jaguars -Titans at Browns -Commanders at Vikings -Seahawks at Falcons -Bengals at Bills -Bears at Packers -Texans at Chiefs -Eagles at Chargers 6. Week 14 Bold Predictions -DKrom: Eagles D will allow two 100+ yard rushers for the second consecutive week as Omarion Hampton and Kimani Vidal combine for 280 yards on the ground (170 for Hampton, 110 for Vidal) and 1 TD each -Hal: Cam Ward throws first half INT's...and responds with multiple TD drives in the second half, including the last minute game-winner plus two-point conversion to win 22-21 7. Challenge Flags -DKrom: Texans...make me look like an idiot and SLAY THE DRAGON!!!! -Hal: Bengals...make me look like an idiot and UPSET THE BILLS!!!

    44 min
4.6
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

DKROM is a Chicago based Sportswriter & sportscaster with a near encyclopedic knowledge of all things NFL. We here at Sports Krunch with DKrom enforce our “No Spin” policy 24/7/365, and do our absolute best to help all of you football fans cut through the spin and get to the truth. Sports Krunch will cover all the important stories you may have missed in the NFL universe. Sports Krunch will regularly have very influential and knowledgeable guests. So be on the lookout for the next episode and be sure to subscribe!