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A few weeks ago, I made the disclaimer that I did not watch a ton of football the previous weekend due to going to a WWE event. I have the same disclaimer this week, but for different reasons. It was Stef’s birthday on Saturday, so I was out of commission for most of the weekend doing some of her favorite activities. Sadly, watching hours upon hours of football is not one of them.
That being said, I was able to lock in just enough to form an opinion on some of the big storylines from the weekend. So, like the last time I spent a weekend away from the television, here are three storylines from the weekend that I think are worth bringing up.
HOW THE MIGHTY HAVE FALLEN
I’ve already spent enough time lambasting the AP Poll for its many thoughts throughout the early stretch of the season, but I do think it’s worth bringing up one last detail as it relates to this past weekend’s results. As of today, the preseason No. 1 and No. 2 in the country, Texas and Penn State, are now both unranked.
For the Longhorns, it’s the fastest fall from No. 1 in the preseason poll to unranked in history. For Penn State, it’s equally as embarrassing, as this is a team that came into the season with title aspirations. After losing to a previously winless UCLA team that hadn’t led for a single second before last Saturday, those hopes are all but dashed.
Both losses were incredibly embarrassing, but the worst one has to belong to the Nittany Lions. The whole knock against your program is that you can’t win the big one. You can’t start dropping the small ones too! This was pretty much the only game I watched on Saturday. This was an unprepared football team and that starts at the top.
But even before these losses, neither Texas or Penn State looked like two of the top five teams in the country at any point this season. Arch Manning has struggled against competition that isn’t a low caliber FBS school, James Franklin’s bunch struggled to get the offense going against teams like Villanova and Nevada. We know they don’t belong now, but they probably never belonged in the first place.
It’s a stark reminder that we truly don’t know anything until these teams take the field. It’s not just these programs either. Clemson is another preseason top 5 that would be lucky to be ranked again this season. In total, eight of the original top 25 teams in the country are no longer in the poll. Now that the rot has been disposed of and the actions on the field are beginning to speak for these teams, the poll is starting to take a much better shape. Amazing how that works.
There are three massive matchups this weekend that could shake things up even more, but we’ll get to that next Thursday.
THIS IS STILL HAPPENING?
Every single time I see a player drop the ball before he reaches the end zone, I am absolutely dumbfounded. It’s crazy every time. It doesn’t look cool, it’s barely a celebration, so I have no idea how it keeps happening. Just two weeks after AD Mitchell became the laughing stock of that Sunday by dropping the ball (no pun intended) after a phenomenal run and catch, it happened again!
With his team, the Arizona Cardinals, beating the hapless Tennessee Titans 21-6 in the second half, Emari Demercado broke free on a third down run and had nothing but green grass ahead of him as he appeared to run in for a 70+ yard score. Except, he didn’t. He showed zero awareness at all for the defender that was creeping up behind him and the ball came loose just inches before crossing the plane. No score, Titans ball.
Almost poetically, the Cardinals did not score a point for the rest of the game, and this fumble sparked a Titans comeback. The worst team in the league was able to rattle off 16 straight points from this moment on to pull off a miraculous upset. I think it’s one of the unwritten rules of football. If one of your guys makes that mistake, your team is not allowed to win that game.
I don’t know how many NFL players read my column. I’m going to guess the number is not high. But if just one reads this next section and I can make a difference, that’s all that matters to me. Please, please. For the love of everything holy, hold. on. to. the. Ball.
PLAYOFF BASEBALL STILL ROCKS
If you’ve been reading this column for a few years now, you know how much I love baseball. I haven’t talked about it much recently because I haven’t been able to watch much. The White Sox being terrible combined with the fact that I can’t get their new network on Hulu means there wasn’t a lot of America’s pastime being viewed in my home this summer.
The playoffs though, that’s a different story.
The intensity of the MLB playoffs provides us with some of the most pure sports watching you can ask for. Edge of your seat drama. Heroic moments. Soul-crushing blunders. Questionable managerial decisions. There really is something for everybody. I’m lucky that Stef enjoys watching baseball too, and that was definitely the sport I caught the most of this weekend.
As I write this on Wednesday afternoon, there is a chance that tonight, all four divisional series come to an end. I’m not going to speculate where they will go, but I will tell you what I’ve enjoyed seeing so far.
The team I hope to see win the World Series is the Seattle Mariners. Two of my all-time favorite players when I was growing up, Ken Griffey Jr. and Ichiro, both spent a large chunk of their careers in Seattle. Now, Cal Raleigh is one of the most easy players to root for in the whole sport, AND they’re partially owned by Nintendo. That rules.
The home run that Aaron Judge hit on Tuesday night to save the Yankees’ season (perhaps temporarily) had me standing up and clapping. I will never root for New York, but big 99 is an exception. He’s one of the greatest right handed hitters I’ve ever seen and I’ve loved watching him throughout his career. It was awesome to see him come through with that massive postseason moment.
The decision to have Bryson Stott bunt with nobody out and the tying run on second base in the bottom of the ninth will haunt the Phillies forever. They had just strung together three hits in a row and were rallying. It killed all of the momentum, and very likely killed Philadelphia’s season.
I’ll keep this brief because I know my audience: I hope the Brewers are able to finish things off at Wrigley field this week.
I’m excited to see where these playoffs go. Let’s switch back to the NFL now and get into this week’s picks. I’m riding high right now and would like to keep it that way.
FAVORITE FAVORITE
Dallas Cowboys (-3) at Carolina Panthers
I’m going back with Dallas after they got me the win last week. Dak Prescott is quietly making an MVP case for himself with his recent play, winning games despite the horrible defense the Cowboys have. The Panthers picked up a nice comeback over the Dolphins last week, but this team reeks of one step forward, two steps back. I wouldn’t be surprised Dallas finds a way to run away with this one.
The Pick: Cowboys -3
BIG DAWG GOTTA EAT
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers (-5.5)
This game caught my eye because there really just weren’t too many underdogs that really moved me this week. My reasoning here is that these AFC North matchups are dogfights more times than not, and that the Steelers really haven’t impressed me too much this season. The Browns have been bad, but they have been frisky in their recent games. I like Cleveland to keep this within a field goal.
The Pick: +5.5
BEAR DOWN
Chicago Bears at Washington Commanders (-4.5)
This is one of two Monday night games this week. I prefer the standalone if I’m being honest, and the Bears playing means this pretty much will be the only one I watch. Coming off the bye, the Bears will look to avenge last year’s disastrous Hail Mary loss in Washington. The Commanders got Jayden Daniels back last week and it paid off immediately, as the team beat the Chargers in LA. Call me crazy, but I think this team still has a bad taste in its mouth after the way last season’s game ended. With a bye week to refine the offense some more and get bodies healthy. I like the Bears in this spot. A special shout out to my guy Bibbs: get ready to Bear Down, buddy.
The Pick: Bears +4.5
THIS IS OUR COLTS
Arizona Cardinals at Indianapolis Colts (-6.5)
Honestly, I think if Demercado scores that touchdown and the Cardinals win last week, this line is closer to -4.5 in favor of Indy. I think I’d take the boys in blue either way. The Colts offense has been absolutely awesome since the first game of the season and has shown no signs of slowing down. The defense has played pretty well at times. Arizona has struggled outside of last week’s epic collapse, and it’s going to be hard to get up after it. Picking the Colts every week has only steered me wrong once. I’m going to keep it rolling.
The Pick: Colts -6.5
GAME OF THE WEEK
Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs (-2.5)
It’s been a few weeks since our game of the week was actually in one of the primetime slots, but we go to Sunday Night Football for this edition. The Lions have looked great since dropping their opening game to the Packers, and while the Chiefs’ record still sits at 2-3, things are starting to look better in recent weeks for KC. I’m definitely a little surprised that they are favored in this game, but the last few times I’ve fallen for these rat lines, they’ve bitten me. Give me Kansas City to start to right the ship here.
The Pick: Chiefs -2.5
I’m already looking forward to writing next week’s column. I’ll talk to you all then!
Cheers.
Last Week’s Record: 3-1
Season Record: 15-10
