NFL Power Poll
Well, that was confusing. And a week after Vegas took its worst NFL Sunday in memory, almost all the favorites struggled.
The Patriots lost outright. The Rams and Chiefs failed to cover. The Browns won by double digits.
Cats. Dogs. Playing together.
What does it mean? In terms of gambling, it reminds us that we should never feel sorry for Vegas. In terms of the NFL, it means that one bad game does not define a team (New England) but it can wreck a season (Atlanta).
Powerful
New Orleans (8-1). While the wheels were spinning all around the league, the Saints went to Cincy and crushed – KER-Rushed – the Bengals. If you had the first pick in the NFL MVP pool right now would you take Drew Brees or Patty Mahomes? Discuss.
Los Angeles (9-1). One tight loss in the Big Easy is not the end of the world, but the Rams now need help to get home-field advantage. And know this: If the NFC playoffs go through the sound chamber that was formerly known as The Superdome, well, advantage Saints.
Kansas City (9-1). The Mahomes-Brees question pertains here too. And as we get ready for the best Monday night match-up that we can remember – Chiefs-Rams, next Monday night, cue the Brent Musburger “You are looking live” – let’s put blind stats up for our MVP frontrunners. One is completing 67 percent for a leading-leading 3,150 yards with a league-best 31 TDs and seven picks. The other is completing 77.3 percent (which would be an NFL single-season record) for 2,601 yards with 21 TDs and one pick. Game on.
Pittsburgh (6-2-1).
New England (7-3). How about this stat after Sunday’s 34-10 Titans win over the Patriots: The Patriots had not lost by 24 or more points after week 4 since Tom Brady made his debut in 2000. Chew on that.
Powerless
New York Jets (3-7). Man, how bad are the Jets? They got housed by the Bills, who started Matt Barkley at quarterback Sunday. Yes, those same Buffalo Bills who despite the 41-10 win still have a negative-114 scoring differential. Side note: It was Barkley’s seventh career start – his first since 2016 with Chicago – and his second career win as a starting QB.
New York Giants (2-7). We are in some crazy stat times, and it feels like most of the hinge on the Pats. The Giants got their second win of the season Monday night at San Francisco with a game-winning TD in the final minute. The last time New York got a win when trailing in the final quarter away from home with a score in the final two minutes was Super Bowl 46 against the Patriots in 2012.
San Francisco (2-8). The 49ers even coming close to a win is a mistake for the future.
Arizona (2-7). Read the above. In fact, if the Cardinals believe that rookie Josh Rosen is the dude, that makes even more sense for Arizona to flop. Well, to flop even more than they have become accustomed to flopping.
Oakland (1-8). Speaking of flopping, the Raiders are a league-worst minus-125 in scoring margin. So not only are the Fightin’ Grudens losing, they are losing big. And now comes the point that owner Mark Davis is taking the blame for the mess. OK. Who take the blame for Mark Davis’ awful haircut?
Statement games
Time for a college football discussion in which we look at college football in the spectrum of statements, overstatements and understatements.
This will be a very ho-hum playoff committee announcement. Statement, and maybe a little bit of understatement. All of the teams in the top 10 won. Most of them won convincingly. We would expect the order to be the same as last week. In fact, the only talking point will be
If Nos. 2-through-5 win out, Michigan is in trouble. Statement. We have already had this conversation around these parts and we still feel like a one-loss Georgia – with a win over Alabama in the SEC title game – will hop the Wolverines, who will be the talk of rivalry weekend if they beat THE Ohio State. But the SEC title game is the only title game that could be a springboard rather than a speed bump.
Of the teams 6-through-10, THE Ohio State has the best chance to climb. Overstatement, but only slightly. Yes, THE Ohio State could topple Michigan and make a splash, but the Big 12 duo of Oklahoma and West Virginia will almost assuredly get two shots at each other in the next three weeks and if one of those teams sweeps, well in terms of numbers and top 10 wins, we can all agree that 2 > 1.
Louisville will be an attractive job. Overstatement, but only slightly. Lots happening in the Cardinals program over the last year or so when you consider their biggest booster is Papa John and then you had the wheels fall off for Petino and Petrino. Still, it’s a Power 5 gig that has thrown money around in the past. Still, you wonder who will be lining up for that one, you know? Could they go get a Jeff Brohm – who played for the Cards – from a Purdue? That would be a great hire.
Rookies honored
OK, we were a little surprised that Shohei Ohtani was the AL rookie of the year. His numbers were fine and we were on the Ohtani bandwagon early.
But it was at least a little surprising to see him blow away finalists Miguel Andujar and Gleyber Torres, both of the Yankees. Ohtani got 25 of the 30 first-place votes.
Yes, he’s got some crazy tag lines from his rookie season. He’s the first player to have 20 or more homers and strike out 50 players in the same season and was the first MLB player since some dude named Babe to have 10 pitching appearances and 20 homers in the same season.
As for the NL and Ronald Acuna Jr., well, there was not doubting that one. He got 27 of the 30 first-place ballots and truth be told the other three folks should have their ballots pulled.
The question now is how good can Acuna be?
Is he a Trout-like talent that can be one of the two or three game-changers in the league.
Absolutely.
Acuna’s second half was as close to must-watch TV in baseball since Barry Bonds was hitting homers at a record pace.
And in some ways Ohtani had some of that early too.
Baseball needs to find a way to market those two dudes on a national – and international – platform.
This and that
– Speaking of baseball awards, the Managers of the Year will be named today and the MVPs and the Cy Youngs will be later this week.
– Markelle Fultz has issues with his shot, and we believe that the issues are way more mental than physical. Dude is a No. 1 overall pick and he looks like he’d rather have a root canal than shoot a free throw or a 17-footer. No es bueno.
– Speaking of the 76ers, Jimmy Butler gives them a chance to compete. As long as they do not need Fultz to shoot. Here’s a report on some of the deals the T-Wolves turned down.
– Denver TV reported last night that Colorado is going to fire football coach Mike MacIntyre, effective at the end of the season. That one is a little strange and there may be more at play here. The Buffaloes were 5-0 and ranked and MacIntyre was on every ‘Coach of the Year’ list. Yes, they have lost five straight since, but man, that escalated quickly.
– Speaking of the Bills, the team announced that they have released Nathan Peterman. No comments needed here.
Today’s question
True or false? True.
True or false, Drew Brees is the front-runner for NFL MVP.
True or false, in five years, Ronald Acuna Jr. will win at least one MVP.
True or false, Shohei Ohtani should pick one – hitting or pitching.
As for today, Nov. 13, let’s discuss.
Today is World Kindness Day, which, like a few of these, shouldn’t that one be kind of everyday?
On this day in 1789, Ben Franklin wrote the phrase “Nothing is certain but death and taxes.”
“Fantasia” – the Disney animated classic was released on this day in 1940.
On this day in 1982, Ray Mancini beat Duk Koo Kim in boxing. Kim died a few days later and the sport of boxing was overhauled, and in some ways never the same.
On this day in 1974, Ronald DeFeo murdered his entire family in Amityville, N.Y. in the house that would become the focal point of the horror classic “The Amityville Horror.”
Whoppi Goldberg is 60 today. Jimmy Kimmel is 51 today, and Metta World Peace is 39.
On this day in 2002, “Lose Yourself” from Eminem was released. It was on the “8 Mile” soundtrack and became the first rap song to win an Academy Award.
Rushmore of original songs from a movie. Go.