The Sports Curmudgeon

Sgt Joe Friday sought, “Just the facts, Ma’am”.  Here on Football Friday, we seek the facts – – and some opinions too.  So, let me begin with the facts as they apply to last week’s “wagering” entries:

• Spreads & Totals:     0-3-0    Disgraceful
• Season To Date:        3-7-0    Unacceptable

And …

• Money Line Parlays: 2-1       Profit = $107
• Season to Date:         5-4       Profit = $184

            The Linfield University Wildcats evened their season record at 1-1 last week with a 28-13 home victory over the Chapman Panthers.  That concludes Linfield’s out of conference schedule for 2025; from here on out, they will be playing Northwest Conference opponents.  The Wildcats have this weekend off; they will return to action on October 4^th when they hit the road to Newberg, OR – – all of about 20 miles away – – for a game against George Fox University.

My “sleeper team” for 2025 – – the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets – – stretched their record to 4-0 for the 2025 season with a 45-24 win over out-of-conference opponent, Temple.  While I am pleased to report that season record here, I am not positively disposed to speak about yielding 24 points to Temple.  That was not a great showing; my “sleeper team” may have been ”nodding off” during that game …

 

College Football Commentary:

 

Oklahoma State fired Mike Gundy as its head football coach this week.  The 2025 season would have been his 21^st year in that job.  In announcing the decision, here is what the university President had to say:

“This is a decision about what’s best for our football program, our student-athletes and Oklahoma State University and it reflects our unwavering commitment to championship-level football and competing for national success.”

When Gundy took the job in 2005, Oklahoma State was hardly competing for national success; the Cowboys had been mired in the middle of the Big-12 standings for 10 years prior to his taking over.  By 2010, Oklahoma St. had won the Big-12 title and the Cowboys enjoyed plenty of success from 2010 through 2023.  From 2006 (Gundy’s second year on the job) through 2023, Oklahoma St. had 18 straight winning seasons and either won the Big-12 or played in the Big-12 Championship game four times.  Mike Gundy’s teams at Oklahoma St. compiled a 170-90 record (Winning percentage = .654).  No other coach in Cowboys’ history has ever won more than 70 games at the school.

Last year, the preseason polling of Big-12 coaches pegged the Cowboys as the favorites to win the conference.  The year started auspiciously with three out of conference victories – – and then came the tsunami.  Oklahoma St. lost every one of its nine conference games including a season-ending debacle losing to Colorado 52-0.  Gundy took a pay cut and a restructured contract over the offseason to remain on the job; according to reports, his buyout for this year was set at $15M.

The 2025 season had not begun well.  After beating Tennessee-Martin by 20 points in the opening game here are the next two results:

• Oregon 69       Ok. St. 3
• Tulsa 19          Ok St. 12

Those embarrassing losses are magnified by what has happened to Tennessee-Martin since losing by 20 points to Oklahoma St.:

• Lost to UTEP by 25 points
• Lost to S. Illinois by 27 points
• Lost to Montana St. by 32 points

Here are some comments about that loss to Tulsa last week:

Tulsa 19  Ok St. 12:  Tulsa ran for 205 yards in the game and amassed 424 yards of Total Offense.  Adding to that misery, 146 yards of rushing offense came from a running back who used to be at Ok. St. and who transferred out.  Tulsa was paid to come in to take a loss for the Cowboys at home; reports say Tulsa collected $300K for that visit.  The last time Tulsa beat Oklahoma St, was in 1998 and the last time Tulsa won in Stillwater, OK was in November 1951.  Oh, by the way, Tulsa already has a loss on its record to New Mexico St. – – never a positive entry on a résumé.  This was an embarrassing loss at best for Oklahoma State.

Mike Gundy did some impressive work in Stillwater OK at Oklahoma St – – and then all of a sudden, his program went into freefall.  Lots of people attribute that change of fortune to Gundy’s inability to adapt to the “NIL Era”; maybe that is the case.  However, I am not so sure that the Oklahoma St. job is a plum …

Moreover, changing coaches does not always produce positive results, Sure, Curt Cignetti has been a godsend for Indiana football fans, but when I look at how new coaches are doing this year, it’s a mixed bag at best;

• Scott Abell – Rice:  The Owls are 3-1 so far in 2025.
• Bill Belichick – UNC:  It’s not working …
• Scott Frost – UCF:  The team is 3-0 and beat UNC last week.
• Joe Harasmyiak – UMass:  Team is 0-3 and one loss was to a Division 1-AA team.
• Bronco Mendenhall – Utah St.:  Aggies are 3-1 and the loss was to Texas A&M.
• Mike Uremovich – Ball St.:  The Cardinals are winless at 0-4.

It is way too early to pretend to know the teams that deserve to be in the CFP in December/January.  Likewise, it is too early to know who the worst teams in the country might be at the end of the season but there is one interesting thing to note.  CBSSports.com ranks all 136 Division 1-A football teams.  As of this week, the bottom four according to CBSSports.com are:

• Ball St.
• Akron
• UMass
• Kent St.

Those four teams are all in the MAC.  Oh joy …!

Here are some comments on a few of last week’s games.

Texas Tech 34  Utah 10:  These teams came in ranked #16 and #17 in the country; both were undefeated.  The 24-point differential here is a bit surprising.  The Red Raiders scored three touchdowns in the final 8 minutes of action to make what had been a close game for 52 minutes look like a blowout in the end.  Tech was 9 of 17 on third down conversions and Tech won the turnover battle 4-2.

North Texas 45  Army 38 (OT):  North Texas is 4-0.  Army is 1-2 and both losses have been in OT.  Army lost the season opener to Tarleton St. in OT.

Memphis 32  Arkansas 31:  This was an upset; Memphis is now 4-0.  The first three wins were over Chattanooga, Georgia St. and Troy; Arkansas is usually a big step up from that level of competition.

UCF 34  UNC 9:  Two coaches are looking to refurbish their images here.  Scott Frost did a better job in that regard last week.

Syracuse 34  Clemson 21:  Clemson is now 1-3.  The teams combined for 936 yards of offense in the game; Clemson had 503 of those yards gained.  Clemson was only 3 of 13 on third down tries and committed two turnovers to turn the game against it.

Mississippi St. 34  N. Illinois 10:  Miss St. is 4-0 this year.  The other three wins have been over:

• So, Mississippi
• Arizona St.  (ranked in Top 25 at the time)
• Alcorn St.

Not a bad start for a team that was 2-10 last season.

Boise St. 49  Air Force 37:  Total Offense in the game was 1109 yards; both teams put up 500+ yards.  In the second half, Boise had 5 possessions – – 4 TDs and then running out the clock.  Meanwhile, AF had 5 possessions producing 3 TDs a field goal and INT.  There were no second half punts.

Indiana 63  Illinois 10:  Both teams were ranked at the kickoff and both teams were undefeated.  Then the Hoosiers administered an ass-kicking.  Indiana had 579 yards offense …  Illinois 161  yards offense and only 2 yards rushing.    Clearly, Illinois was overrated in the Top 10; but Illinois has a respectable defense and the Hoosiers simply shredded it.   Indiana punted on two of its first three drives and then finished the shellacking by scoring seven consecutive touchdowns.

Miami 26  Florida 7:  The Hurricanes blew it open in the fourth quarter with 13 points.  Florida managed to keep it close for 45 minutes…

Oklahoma 24  Auburn 17:   This was not an artistic victory for the Sooners, but ugly wins count just as much as artistic ones. The Sooners’ defense was stifling registering 10 sacks and 14 tackles-for-loss in the game.   The Sooners now have wins over both Auburn and Michigan this year and that defense just might propel them to the upper echelon of the SEC.

Iowa 38  Rutgers 28:  Iowa scored 38 points in one game?  In the past, that would have been 3 week’s worth of scoring for the Hawkeyes …

 

NCAA Games of Interest This Week:

 

There are five games on the card for this week that should be entertaining, and they could well be important for some late-season rankings and decisions:

1. Oregon at Penn State
2. Alabama at Georgia
3. LSU at Ole Miss
4. Auburn at Texas A&M
5. Ohio State at Washington

I am happy to report that I could only find one outrageous spread of 5 TDs or more this week:

• UMass at Missouri – 44.5

(Fri Nite) Florida St. – 6.5 at UVa (60):  The Seminoles have looked very good so far in 2025 but Virginia seems to have found some offensive players who can move the ball and puncture the goal line more than once in a great while.  This should be a good game.

(Fri Nite) Houston – 13 at Oregon St. (47):  Oregon St. is winless so far in 2025 …

Memphis – 13.5 at Florida Atlantic (63):  Memphis is undefeated so far in 2025 …

Notre Dame – 4 at Arkansas (64):  The Irish have already lost two games this year; they cannot afford another one here.  Arkansas lost at home last week to Memphis.  Both teams need a win here.

Indiana – 8.5 at Iowa (48):  I doubt the Hoosiers will score 60+ on the Iowa defense and I doubt that Iowa will score almost 40 points against the Indiana defense.  The Hoosiers will probably need to break a sweat for the first time this year in this game.  Iowa is at home, and they are getting more than a TD-worth of points and they have a solid defense; that is a signal to me to pick the Hawkeyes plus the points; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.

Georgia Tech – 14 at Wake Forest (52):  My “sleeper team” is looking to go 5-0 for the season …

New Mexico St. at New Mexico – 13.5 (54.5):  Usually this is a game between two miserable teams, but both have begun 2025 surprisingly well.

• New Mexico is 2-1 with a 35-0 win over UCLA and the loss was to Michigan
• New Mexico St. is also 2-1 with the loss coming against Texas A&M

Rice at Navy – 14 (45):   Rice is 3-1 with the loss coming at the hands of Houston – – not much of a surprise.  Navy is 3-0 in 2025.  This is an AAC game that could be important down the road.

Tennessee – 7.5 at Mississippi St (64):  The Vols already have a conference loss; they do not need another one here.  Mississippi St. is undefeated in 2025, but this is their first SEC contest.

Baylor – 20 at Oklahoma St (58):  Welcome to the Interim/New coaching regime in Stillwater …

LSU at Ole Miss – 2 (55):  Both teams are 4-0 in 2025.  This is a big game for both sides.

USC – 5.5 at Illinois (60:  I wonder how much of a hangover the Illini will have after the epic beatdown they took last week at the hands of Indiana (see above).  USC is not the national powerhouse it used to be, but I think they can go on the road and handle a wobbling Illinois team that was clearly overrated last week; I’ll take the Trojans on the road and lay the points; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.

Auburn at Texas A&M – 6 (52):  Auburn is 3-1, but the loss was a conference loss to Oklahoma last week (see above).  The Aggies are undefeated so far, but this is their first SEC game.  This too is a big game for both sides.

Oregon at Penn St. – 3 (52):  This is my College Game of the Week.  The Ducks are 4-0; the Nittany Lions are 3-0.  The Ducks are ranked fifth in the nation; the Lions are ranked second in the nation.

Alabama at Georgia – 3 (52):  This was my runner-up for College Game of the Week.  Neither team has had a conference loss so far in 2025 – – but one of them will come Sunday morning.  I had difficulty deciding how to pick this game, but I finally decided to take the game to go OVER 52; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.

Ohio St. – 8 at Washington (52):  Both teams are 3-0 in 2025.  Neither has played a conference game so far.

 

NFL Commentary:

 

            I know is it still September and I know there is still a whole lot of NFL football to be played.  But as I was ruminating on last week’s results, the first thing that hit me was that “The Big Apple” teams for this year may just turn out to be “The Big Rotten Apples”.  But before I decided to dump on the Giants and the Jets, I looked at the standings and recognized that there are other teams that remain winless at this point who are in similar dire straits; call them the Sad Sack Six.  Let me take them alphabetically:

• Dolphins:  The Dolphins are 0-3, and I believe that the next month will make or break the season for the team.  Here are the next four games on the schedule:
  • • Vs Jets
    • At Panthers
    • Vs Chargers
    • At Browns
• The Dolphins need to win 3 of those 4 games lest their season become a steaming hot mess by Halloween.  The defense has been bad thus far; the Dolphins have given up more points (97) in the first three games than any other team in the NFL.  The narrative here is that coach Mike McDaniel has either “lost the locker room” or “is in the process of losing the locker room”.  The best way to avoid those sorts of situations is to stop losing games on the field and to put some marks in the win column.  We shall see …
• Giants:  Yes, they marched up and down the field on the Cowboys even though they lost, but the offense has been horrid in the other two games.  The Giants’ front seven on defense is very good which is an indictment on the secondary because the DBs are getting beaten even with a solid run defense and a good pass rush.  The “problem” here is more than switching in Jaxson Dart for Russell Wilson.  The folks who construct the roster have been AWOL recently:
  • • They let Saquon Barkley walk for no compensation and all he did was to post a 2000+ yard season rushing leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl win.
    • They paid Daniel Jones “starting QB money” only to release him so he could sign on with the Colts where he has led the team to a 3-0 start.
    • They have failed to assemble an OL that can be labeled as “marginally competent”.
• The Giants are 0-3 now; their BYE Week is in the week of December 7^th; their record at that point could be as bad as 3-10.
• Jets:   The Jets’ offense is generally overmatched.  Breece Hall is a good – not great – running back and Garrett Wilson is a good – not great – wideout.  That’s about it; maybe some day Justin Fields will become a good – not great – QB but that is in the future if it is to be at all.  The Jets’ defense is the better unit, and it is no prize.  In their three losses, the Jets have given up an average of 31 points per game to the likes of the Steelers, Bills and Bucs.  What could make people think this team is better than reality is that it plays in the AFC East where even a mediocre team can finish second in the standings.
• Saints:  The roster is old and overpaid.  Other teams simply have more talent.  Can the Saints’ braintrust find a few bargain basement roster add-ons to salvage some wins this year?  I doubt it; but hope springs eternal …  Kellen Moore is in his first head coaching gig in the NFL, so he probably makes a lower tier salary and has a deal of 4 or 5 years in length (specifics of his contract have not been revealed).  Here is my advice to Kellen Moore:
  • • Through no fault of your own, you will probably be fired before the contract is up.  They will have to pay you a total of at least $20M for your trouble.  Invest it wisely…
• Texans:  Sorry, but the biggest problem here seems patently obvious to me.  The Texans OL is as bad this year as it was last year, but the excellent defensive unit has not been able to bail out the offense so far in 2025.  Look, Nick Chubb is a solid running back – – when the OL opens holes for him.  CJ Stroud is a competent QB – when he is not running for his life or staring up at the sky with two or three defenders laying on top of him.  Nico Collins is a top shelf WR – who can only catch the ball when CJ Stroud is upright and able to throw it.  Overarching all of that is the fact that the Texans OL is overwhelmed on far too high a percentage of the team’s offensive snaps.  The Texans are 0-3 and are looking around in the usually soft AFC South only to find the Colts at 3-0; this is a bad omen …
• Titans:  The good news here is that no one expected this team to be any good in 2025, so the fan disappointment is tempered to some extent.  Unfortunately, that is all the good news I can conjure up here.  The Titans are undermanned; if they don’t find ways to protect Cam Ward better, they are going to lose him to injury the same way they did with Will Levis.  Yes, the schedule has been tough for the team opening the season against the Broncos, Rams and Colts but the eyeball test says that the Titans are nowhere near those teams in competency measures.  Brian Callahan is in his second year as the head coach there and his record is 3-17 …

Here are some comments on last week’s games; there were a few shockers in the mix:

Lions 38  Ravens 30:  Fears that the Lions were faltering without their two coordinators from last year may have been overblown.  The Lions had 426 yards of Total Offense and 224 yards rushing averaging 6.2 yards per carry.  Or … is the Ravens’ defense not very good?

Panthers 30  Falcons 0:  Here is the essence of my thinking on this game:

• WTF?
• The Falcons outgained the Panthers by more than 100 yards and lost by 30 points?
• The Falcons averaged 5.0 yards per play, and the Panthers averaged only 4 yards per play and the Falcons lost by 30 points?
• Michael Penix Jr. had a bad day with 2 INTs, but did it make sense to pull him with about 10 minutes left in the game?
• He’s supposed to be the “QB of the Future” … no?

The Falcons did not cross the Panthers’ 30-yard-line in the game.  After the game, the Falcons fired receiver coach Ike Hilliard. In three games, the Falcons have failed to complete a TD pass to a wide receiver or a running back.

• WTF?

Jags 17  Texans 10:  The defending AFC South division champions are 0-3 to start the 2025 season.  The Texans have failed to score 20 points in any game so far.  Fielding a tough defense is a great asset – – but you have to score a bit too…

Vikes 48  Bengals 10:  The Vikes played their backup QB – – Carson Wentz – – in this game.  The Bengals Total Offense was 171 yards, and they too started a backup QB – – Jake Browning.  With Joe Burrow on the shelf for at least several months, Browning is probably “The Guy” in Cincy because the other QBs on the roster or on the practice squad are:

• Sean Clifford
• Brent Rypien
• Mike White

Isiah Rodgers scored two defensive TDs in the first half of the game.  One was a Pick Six and the other was a scoop-and-score.

Colts 41  Titans 20:  The Daniel Jones victory tour rolls on as Giants’ fans seethe.  His stat line was very efficient in this game:

• 18 of 25 for 228 yards with 1 TD and 0 INTs.

Jonathan Taylor had an offensive outburst here rushing for 102 yards and 3 TDs on only 17 carries.

Bucs 29  Jets 27:  At the start of the 4^th quarter, the Bucs led 23-6.  The Jets rallied for 3 TDs in the 4^th quarter to take the lead at 27-26 only to give up a field goal with 3 seconds left on the clock to lose the game.  The Jets remain winless; the Bucs remain undefeated.  Now, compare that situation with the next game.

Eagles 33  Rams 26:  The Rams had a commanding 26-7 lead early in the third quarter of this game.  The Eagles rallied for 3 TDs to take a 27-26 lead in the game.  With only seconds remaining on the clock, the Rams had a short field goal try blocked and returned for a meaningless score.  It is almost as if the football gods arranged for this juxtaposition…

Steelers 21  Pats 14:  The Pats outgained the Steelers by 165 yards – – and lost the game.  The Pats committed 5 turnovers – – they lost four fumbles and two of those fumbles came inside the Steelers’ 5-yardline.   That is how you come out on the short end of the stick despite dominating the stat sheet.

Commanders 41  Raiders 24:  The Raiders are not a good football team; their offensive line is – – offensive.  Jayden Daniels did not play in the game and the Commanders still put up 40+ on the board.

Browns 13  Packers 10:  The Browns’ defense is elite.  Nevertheless, this is a shocking outcome.  Two weeks ago, the Packers pushed the Commanders’ defense around; here the Packers amassed the puny total of 230 yards on offense for the day – – and they lost.

The Packers were called for 14 penalties in the game and that was certainly not helpful.

• The Packers had a 10-point lead with four minutes to play against one of the worst teams in football … and lost.
• Jordan Love threw a terrible interception late in the game and then the Packers had a game-winning field goal try blocked.
• The Packers are too good a team to lose a game to the Browns.  The Packers are too good a team to hold a 10-0 lead with 4 minutes left in the game only to lose the game in OT.

Chargers 23  Broncos 20:  The Chargers outgained the Broncos by over 100 yards in this game – – and needed a field goal with 3 seconds left in the game to eke out a win.  The Chargers now have a two-game lead over both the Chiefs and the Broncos.

Seahawks 44  Saints 13:  The stat sheet would have you believe this was a close game; it was not.  The score at halftime was 38-6.

Niners 16  Cards 15:  Here is another game where a field goal at the end was definitive.  Niners trailed 15-13 with 4 seconds to play and hit a 35-yard field goal to win the game.  Mac Jones was impressive stepping in for an injured Brock Purdy; here is Jones’ stat line;

• 27 of 41 for 284 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT

Bears 31  Cowboys 14:  Caleb Williams threw 4 TDs and had four completions of at least 30 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown to rookie WR, Luther Burden III, on a flea flicker.  What was the bigger surprise?

• Bears scoring 31 points or
• Bears holding the Cowboys scoreless in the second half?

The Cowboys’ defense is bad.  As noted elsewhere, the Raiders offense and offensive line are also bad.  Those two teams will meet on MNF Nov 17^th.  That game could be described as the easily moved object facing off against the gentle breeze.  Circle the date on your calendar …

Chiefs 22  Giants 9:  The Giants’ front 7 on defense is very good.  I have now said just about everything I can think of to say about the Giants that is positive.

Bills 31  Dolphins 21:  Josh Allen was not Superman in this game; he was more like an efficiency expert at the QB position:

• 22 of 28 for 213 yards with 3 TDs and 0 INTs
• Oh, and he ran 4 times for 25  yards too …

 

NFL Games This Week:

 

This week starts the “International Games” for the NFL 2025 regular season.  The Steelers and Vikes play in Dublin, Ireland on Sunday such that the game starts at 0930.  The game will be played in Croke Park which is about 5 miles from where The FOG and his parents reside.

Here is an “exclusive report” from the parents of The FOG:

“As the Steelers arrived at Terminal 2 of Dublin International Airport, they were greeted with Irish Dancers and an outrageous number of black and gold balloons.”

Back to you in Curmudgeon Central …

One observation as I looked through the odds for this week …  The Total Line on some games varies significantly from sportsbook to sportsbook.  For some reason it seems that the range of Total Lines is bigger than usual – – and I have no explanation as to what might be causing that.

(Sun Morning) Vikes – 2.5 vs Steelers (41) Game is in Dublin:  The spread for this game opened with the Steelers as a 1-point favorite.  Maybe the bettors who follow trends have latched onto this one:

• Vikes are 4-0 in International Games

I think the game boils down to something very simple.  The Vikes’ defense should be able to control the Steelers offense to the point that 25 points by the Vikes’ offense can win the game.  For the second week in a row, Carson Wentz will start for the Vikes.  Kevin O’Connell’s reputation is that he can take QBs thought to be “retreads at best” and make them productive.  Can he do that again with Carson Wentz?  Can Wentz and Company score 25 points here?

Eagles – 3.5 at Bucs (44):  This is the Game of the Week.  Both teams are undefeated; both teams were playoff teams last season.  The Eagles do not play well in Tampa; there must be something about the latitude and longitude of the stadium there that they don’t resonate with.  But the Bucs are down two starting offensive linemen, and Mike Evans will not play with a hamstring injury.  Given the propensity for both teams to pull out game late on the clock, this one should go down to the final two minutes.

Saints at Bills – 15 (48):  One sportsbook has the Total Line at 48.5 and another has it all the way down to 46 points.  Once in a while, that sort of difference appears momentarily early in the week, but not on Fridays.  As noted above, this is a weird week for Total Lines.  As far as the game is concerned, a Saints’ win would be an even bigger shock than the Packers’ loss to the Browns last week.

Panthers at Pats – 5 (42.5):  Here is another strange set of Total Line listings; the range I found this morning was from 40.5 to 43 points.  And those lines are down from an opening of 45.5 points.  Clearly, the oddsmakers do not expect another Panthers’ domination this week.  Surely, the Pats will not turn the ball over 5 times again this week…

Commanders – 1 at Falcons (44):  The Total Line can be found just about anywhere between 43 and 45.5 points this morning.  This game is a pile of QB Question Marks:

• Can Jayden Daniels play this week?
• Can Marcus Mariota string together two straight strong performances?
• Can Michael Penix, Jr. rebound from two consecutive stinkers?
• Can the Falcons really want to try to send Kirk Cousins to the rescue?

Browns at Lions – 10 (44):  The Lions looked great beating the Ravens on Monday night, but I think the Browns’ defense is too good to be pushed around for more than 400 yards and 38 points.  At the same time, I doubt the Browns’ offense can do what the Ravens did on Monday and score 30 points on the Lions’ defense.

Titans at Texans – 7.5 (38.5):  This could have been the Dog-Breath Game of the Week.  Both teams are winless; both teams are in the AFC South, meaning that one of them will suffer their second division loss already in the 2025 season.

Chargers – 6 at Giants (42):  The Total Lines here vary this morning from 41.5 points to 43.5 points – – down from 45.5 points earlier this week.  I think Jaxson Dart gets a Baptism of Fire this week from the blitzing Chargers’ defense.  Normally in what I think will be a low-scoring game, I like to take points, but I am going to take a different tack here.  I like the Chargers to win and cover even about 3,000 miles from home; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.

Jags at Niners – 3 (47):  Usually when a team is like a M*A*S*H unit, they do not enter a game undefeated as is the case with the Niners.

Colts at Rams – 3.5 (50):  I thought about this briefly as the Game of the Week but I think the main angle for this game comes down to how the Rams react/recover from the gut punch last-second loss to the Eagles last week.  Another consideration is that the Rams – – playing to their pedigree – are significantly better than two of the three teams the Colts dominated (Dolphins and Titans) to get to a 3-0 record.

Bears at Raiders – 1 (48):  This is the Dog-Breath Game of the Week.  This is an interconference game featuring two teams that hope by the end of the season to be considered “mediocre”.

Ravens – 2.5 at Chiefs (48):  This was my runner-up for the Game of the Week because both teams are playoff aspirants that opened the season with 1-2 records.  Neither team has looked much like previous iterations of those squads so far in 2025.

• The Chiefs offense is anemic; it used to be fearsome.
• The Ravens defense looks ordinary; defense used to be their calling card.

Here are some trends related to this game if that floats your boat:

• Patrick Mahomes is 12-3-1 against the spread as an underdog in his career.
• Patrick Mahomes is 5-1 straight up against Lamar Jackson

(Sun Nite) Packers – 6.5 at Cowboys (47):  It’s the Micah Parsons/Jerry Jones reunion.  Hi-ho!  Much more important is the questionable status of CeeDee Lamb who suffered a high ankle sprain in last week’s loss to the Bears.  When the Cowboys traded Parsons, they did severe damage to their ability to rush the passer.  That is not a good thing from any perspective but when the DBs on the squad also lack the ability to cover a mattress with a blanket, the result is a defense that stops no one.  If the Packers come out angry and stomp on the gas pedal all night long, this could be embarrassing on national TV.  Except, I’m not sure anything could embarrass Jerry Jones…  Give me the Packers here on a rebound game to win and cover; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.

(MNF 7:15 ET) Jets at Dolphins – 3 (45.5):  The Total Line here can be found at all stops between 44.5 and 46.5 this morning.  The reason this is not the Dog-Breath Game of the Week is that it is a division game even though both teams are winless.  The Dolphins have already lost two division games; the Jets have only lost one.

(MNF 8:15 ET) Bengals at Broncos – 7.5 (44):  The Broncos’ defense is very good; if they study last week’s Bengals’ debacle against the Vikes, this game might get out of hand early.

So let me review this week’s “Betting Bundle”:

1. USC – 5.5 over Illinois
2. Iowa +8.5 against Indiana
3. Alabama/Georgia OVER 52
4. Packers – 6.5 over Cowboys
5. Chargers – 6 over Giants

And just for fun, here are three Money Line Parlays:

• Florida St. @ minus 240
• USC @ minus-240                 $100 wager to win $100.

And …

• Bucs @ +165
• Broncos @ Minus 400          $100 wager to win $231.

And

• Pats @ minus-210
• Rams @ minus-180               $100 wager to win $130.

Finally, when Marv Levy had the Bills in the Super Bowl, he was asked if that game was a “must win”:

“This is not a must win.  World War 2 was a must win.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Sports creates icons.  Most of the icons are for on-field/on-court accomplishments or antics; some icons are in the broadcasting booth some icons are mascots or fans who perform “above and beyond the norm”.  And then, there is Sister Jean.

Sister Jean was an Internet sensation back in the Spring of 2018 when Loyola-Chicago made it to the Final Four in March Madness; Sister Jean was a 98-year-old nun who was the team’s chaplain and mentor to the players and she became as much of a personality in that year as any player on the team that made the run to the Final Four.  [Aside:  Few if any folks thought Loyola-Chicago was a Final Four threat that year; they were seeded 11^th in their bracket.]

The Ramblers have not duplicated the same on-court success since that run in 2018, but Sister Jean continued to be a recognized figure.  If Loyola was playing, she was there to root on her young favorites.  Back in the Spring, Sister Jean was not “in the house” when Loyola was in the NIT raising apprehension for her health.  Yesterday came an announcement that Sister Jean – – now 106 years old – – “retired at the age of 106, ending more than six decades of service to the university and its students.”  The university President said in a statement:

“While Sister Jean is no longer able to be physically present on campus, she remains a beloved friend, trusted adviser and loyal Rambler — cheering for our teams and praying for us all daily.”

Bonne chance, Sister Jean.

Moving on …  Fans of the NY Giants will get their wish this week; Brian Daboll announced that he has decided to start rookie QB, Jaxson Dart against the Chargers this weekend.  Here is what I had to say about Jaxson Dart in my “Pre-Draft Analysis” back on April 21, 2025:

“Jaxson Dart – Ole Miss: “Big, strong and can throw the deep ball very well”.  Frankly, he might be the best pro QB from this year’s crop.  “First round pick.”

Indeed, the Giants got him with the 25^th pick in the first round of the NFL Draft which I consider to be a great value pick for the team given its need at the position.  Moreover, he played well enough in the meaningless Exhibition Games to create what is almost a cult of the fan base around his very existence.  With the Giants record at 0-3, the coach is ready to try anything…

Go back and read what I said in April about Jaxson Dart.  I am NOT a hater; I am not on record with anything that would indicate that I wish for him to fail.  And because I have no reason to want to see him fail, that is exactly why I think that starting him this week is risky business.

• The opponent this weekend will be the undefeated LA Chargers.  The Chargers’ defense has been violent and effective.  They play a more sophisticated brand of defense than the “plain vanilla” sort of defense that Jaxson Dart saw in the Exhibition Games.  The only plus that I see is that this is a home game for the Giants where the fans will be supportive and the Chargers will be adjusting to a 3-hour jet lag situation.
• If the Giants would only wait one week, the next opponent would be the winless Saints.  Yes, that would be a road game; but the opponent is far more likely to be “beatable” and the Giants’ fans want their new hero to be a “winner” and not another “loser”.
• If the idea is to expose Jaxson Dart to a “trial by fire” then wait for two weeks and throw him into a schedule that has him facing the Eagles, the Broncos, the Eagles again and the Niners in the “month” between October 9 and November 2.

Switching gears …  I read a report that the Browns victory over the Packers last week was more lucrative for myriad sportsbooks than it was for the Browns’ roster.  According to the report I read, the Packers attracted the most money in terms of Money Line bets in the history of betting stats; the report said that just over $1.1B was riding on a Packers’ victory – – which never came to pass.  Add to that revenue falling into the laps of the sportsbooks the fact that more than 75% of the money wagered on the game involving the spread had the Packers covering  8 points – – which obviously never happened.

Packers’ fans were distraught at the result; Browns’ fans were over the moon with the result; the sportsbooks breathed a sigh of relief and went to check their bank balances with smiles on their faces.

Finally, think about this advice from Laurence Peter – – “inventor” of the “Peter Principle”:

“If two wrongs don’t make a right, try three.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

About 3,000 years ago, Heraclitus of Ephesus left us with these words:

“The only constant in life is change.”

Sports as we know them today were not around when Heraclitus was philosophizing, but somewhere in the cosmos, he may be observing the sports world and thinking, “I told them so,” back in the day.

Let me start with MLB, which is an institution that has only recently acknowledged that change might be beneficial.  It took years to overcome the entrenched thinking that had pervaded baseball and allowed for minor league “experimentation” with a pitch clock.  And what a blessing that turned out to be.  Now, MLB has announced that it will institute a challenge system for balls and strikes in the major leagues starting in 2026.  Most folks are referring to this change as the arrival of “roboumps”; there is reason to think along those lines since the challenge system will rely on technology to resolve any and all challenges that arise.

Here is the outline of how it will work – – at first.  Remember, change is constant so even the milieu of roboumps is necessarily in flux:

• There will still be home plate umpires calling balls and strikes.
• Each team will be allowed to challenge up to two calls per game by the home plate umpire.  [Aside:  Most reports say teams will get “additional challenges” in extra-inning games, but one report said that additional challenges was still “TBD”.  Stay tuned …]
• Challenges will be resolved by a sophisticated camera/tracking system and the results of the pitch that was challenged will be shown on the big-screen scoreboard – – and on TVs at home – – so there is no mystery about robotic judgment.
• Only the pitcher, catcher or batter may initiate the challenge – – but fear not, the managers will insert themselves into that decision making process posthaste.

Baseball has been testing this system in the minor leagues since 2019.  It has been used at the Triple A level for about a year and a half and seems to have reduced the number of protests and ejections that come from disputes on ball/strike calls.  From my perspective, that is a benefit in and of itself.  Baseball rhubarbs come to naught; no matter how much arguing and gesticulating the plaintiff produces, the umpire’s decision is going to stand; the plaintiff there has as much chance of winning as Wile E. Coyote has of catching the Roadrunner.

I read one stat that said even with the tech for roboumps in place even when not used or when calls are not challenged, human umpires get about 95% of the ball/strike calls right.  As a former official – – basketball mainly and not baseball – – I am comfortable with that level of human error in the adjudication processes.  If a baseball game involves 250 pitches, a 5% error rate means only 12 or 13 “mistakes” were made; I can live with that.

However, when I used to watch a game and learned that Angel Hernandez would be the home plate umpire, I immediately adjusted my thinking and expected not only for the error rate to be above 5% but that at least a couple of calls would be outrageous.  So, in that memory, I will always call the roboump, “Angel” because that is who the roboump is replacing.

But wait; there’s more …

The Canadian Football League (CFL) announced yesterday changes to its game that were described as “bold” with the intent to “increase entertainment and innovation.”  In making the announcement, the CFL Commissioner, Stewart Johnston said:

“I commend the Board of Governors for its unwavering commitment to a culture of constant improvement.”

Is Heraclitus of Ephesus on the Board of Governors?

The changes will be phased in over the next two seasons.  Here are the 2026 changes:

• Change the way a point is awarded for a rouge or a single such that a game cannot be decided by a missed field goal or a punt that goes out of the end zone.  A rouge, also known as a single, is one point awarded to a kicking team if a punt or missed field goal goes  into the defenders’ end zone and is not returned out of that end zone.
• A 35-second play clock will automatically begin as soon as the previous play ends with a whistle. Currently, a 20-second play clock does not start until it is manually started by the referee. This change removes ambiguity and inconsistency in timing decisions.

The changes for 2027 are much more significant:

• The field will be shortened from 110 yards to 100 yards.
• The end zones will be reduced from 20 yards to 15 yards
• The goal posts will be moved to the back of the end zones instead of being on the goal lines.  [Aside: That must be at least partially a tip of the hat to player safety.]

I agree that the changes are bold and innovative; the CFL game is already entertaining and exciting; these rules will open more scoring possibilities and encourage teams to “go for it” more often that trying a field goal or punting the ball out of the end zone to earn a point on a rouge.  Assuming that ESPN will continue to air some CFL games in 2026 and 2027, I will be interested to see how this changes the viewing experience.

Finally, let me close today with these thoughts about change:

“He who rejects change is the architect of decay. The only human institution which rejects progress is the cemetery.”  [Harold Wilson]

And …

“If you want to make enemies, try to change something.”  Woodrow Wilson]

And …

“A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject.”  [Winston Churchill]

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Yesterday, I mentioned the importance of plenty of American League games in this last week of the MLB regular season given the playoff slots there up for grabs.  Not wanting anyone to think that the National League playoff situation is cut and dried, let me take a parallel look at the situation there:

• Brewers           95-62   Clinched the Central Division
• Phillies            92-64   Clinched the East Division
• Dodgers          88-68   Clinched a playoff spot somewhere

That may give the impression of “Ho-hum…” to the National League situation, but the wildcard race there has multiple possibilities:

• Cubs                88-68   Clinched a playoff spot somewhere
• Padres             86-71   Clinched a playoff spot somewhere – – and here the fun begins …
• Reds                80-76
• Mets                80-76
• D-Backs          79-77
• Cards              77-80
• Giants              77-80

Only one National League playoff slot is still in doubt with five teams still “in the mix”.

Moving on …  Last Sunday was September 21, 2025, and on that day, there was a highly unusual happenstance in the Eagles/Rams game.  The Eagles won the game 33-26 rallying from a 26-7 deficit to win the game.  Twice in the fourth quarter, the Rams lined up to kick a field goal.  Jalen Carter blocked the first try in the middle of the fourth quarter; then, with only seconds left on the clock and the Eagles leading 27-26, Jordan Davis blocked the second field goal try, scooped it up and ran 60 yards for a TD to seal the win.

I have been unable to find a time when an NFL team blocked two field goals in the same quarter of a regular season game, but I will admit that my data mining skills are not exactly “world renowned”.  However, I did run across an interesting coincidence:

• The Eagles blocked two field goal attempts in Sunday’s game on 9/21/25.
• Exactly 50 years to the day before that, the Eagles blocked two field goal attempts against the Giants on 9/21/75.
• In the 1975 game, both field goal blocks were accomplished by Bill Bergey.
• Unlike Sunday’s win over the Rams, the Eagles lost the game in 1975 by a score of 23-14.

Switching gears …  Auburn head basketball coach, Bruce Pearl, “abruptly” resigned yesterday and his son Steven will take over the job there.  The idea of a successful coach “retiring” proximal to the opening of a season in order to have a specific person inherit the position is not unknown and these events could easily be explained in that milieu.  However, there may be a wrinkle here:

• Rumors say that Bruce Pearl may be contemplating a run for the US Senate seat now held by Tommy Tuberville who was once the head football coach at Auburn.
• Tuberville is not going to stand for re-election to the Senate.  He is going to run for Governor of Alabama in 2026.

For now, Bruce Pearl has debunked the rumors simply saying that he resigned simply because it was time for him to do so.  Nonetheless, the rumors persist …

Finally, after noting the coincidence of the Eagles blocking two field goals in a game exactly 50 years apart, let me close with this from Albert Einstein:

“Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Sometimes I get asked if it is difficult for me to find events about which there is a “curmudgeonly element” so that I have something to rant about here.  Indeed, there are some sparse periods; and when I find myself in the throes of such a time, I tend to venture out into sports that I normally do not follow as closely as some others.  I feel in those times like a member of a hunter-gatherer clan searching in the wilderness of sports for a morsel here and a nugget there.  Such was the case last week and I turned to the sport of golf for some reading.

And that is how I found an item from about two weeks ago.  It was on CBSSports.com which is a site that I check routinely but it was buried on the “Golf Page” that I rarely if ever check.  And that is where I learned that the PGA’s Champions Tour – – the one that used to be called the Seniors Tour – – had an event in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  That tournament was contested at the Minnehaha Country Club and the 12^th hole at that course is described as par 5 with a water hazard.  John Daly was a contestant in that Sioux Falls tournament and he managed to shoot a 19 on that hole alone.  Here is how it was described at CBSSports.com:

“The course does not have a laser system to record shots, but shot-by-shot details state Daly deposited seven balls into the hazard. He finally cleared the water and got up and down from the intermediate rough for his 19. He officially signed for an 18-over 88, nine shots worse than the next lowest standing player. For those keeping score at home, that means Daly played the other 17 holes in 4-over par … Daly’s performance broke a three-way tie for highest score on a single hole, most recently achieved by Bruce Crampton, dating back to the 1996 Grand Rapids Open.”

At the least, you have to give John Daly points for his persistence there …

Moving on … Cal Raleigh is not getting nearly as much acclaim as he deserves. The catcher for the Mariners is breaking records left and right but does not seem to be a part of the major sports narrative these days.

• Weeks ago, he broke the record for home runs by a catcher (Johnny Bench)
• Last week, he broke the record for home runs by a switch hitter (Mickey Mantle)
• Last week he broke the record for home runs in Mariner history (Ken Griffey, Jr.)

Just being on a list with those three players is impressive enough; being someone who broke records set by those three players is more than merely impressive.  So, can he break the record for most home runs in a single season in the American League?  Here is the math

• Aaron Judge – – 62 home runs in 2022 for the Yankees
• Roger Maris – – 61 home runs in 1961 for the Yankees
• Babe Ruth – – 60 home runs in 1927 for the Yankees
• Babe Ruth – – 59 home runs in 1921 for the Yankees
• Cal Raleigh – – 58 home runs in 2025 for the Mariners – – and counting …

The Mariners have 6 games left to play in this season; every added “dinger” by Raleigh will move him up a notch on that list.  Once again, Raleigh is in contact with historic MLB figures and that list of impressive players is even larger when you add in three other AL players who hit 58 home runs in a season:

• Aaron Judge – – 58 home runs in 2024 for the Yankees
• Hank Greenberg – – 58 home runs in 1938 for the Tigers
• Jimmy Foxx – – 58 home runs in 1932 for the A’s.

As of this morning, the Mariners hold a three-game lead over the Astros in the AL West thanks to a series sweep of the Astros over the weekend.  In the AL, only the Blue Jays have guaranteed themselves a playoff slot this year.  The races for the division and for the wild card slots look as if they could go down to the last day or two of the season:

The current division leaders in the AL are:

• Jays                 90-66
• Mariners          87-69
• Tigers              85-71

It is good to be in the lead this late in the season, but there are four teams vying for only three wild card slots that are close enough to the division leaders to give some pause:

• Yankees          88-68
• Red Sox          85-71
• Guardians       84-72
• Astros              84-72

There should be plenty of drama in the final week of the MLB regular season in the American League playoff chase – – and if you add in the potential record-setting potential for Cal Raleigh, there is plenty of reason to check out the Mariners’ box scores specifically.

Finally, even though Bob Knight is most associated with basketball, he did have this curmudgeonly perspective on hitting home runs:

“I watched the guy that hits a home run, and he comes across the plate and he points skyward, like thanking for the help from the Almighty to hit the home run. And as he does that, I say to myself, ‘God screwed the pitcher.’ And I don’t know how else you look at it.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Football Friday is a week overdue; so, let me get straight to it.  The “Betting Bundle” from two weeks ago was positive:

• Spreads and Totals:    2-2-0
• Season Results:         3-4-0

And …

• Money Line Parlays:   2-1       Profit = $149
• Season Results:         3-3       Profit = $77

The Linfield Wildcats had a disappointing start to their 2025 football season losing at home in a non-conference game to Wisconsin-Oshkosh by a score of 31-14.  This week, Linfield is hosting a feline showdown; it will be the Wildcats against the Panthers of Chapman University.  Chapman also lost its opening game this year 37-30 at home against Hardin-Simmons University.  Go Wildcats!

As of this morning, my “sleeper team” is looking like a “sleeping beauty”.  Georgia Tech’s record stands at 3-0; last weekend they beat Clemson 24-21.  That upset win had several positive results for Tech:

• It vaulted them into the Top 25 rankings; they sit at #18 this week.
• It was a conference win over Clemson.
• Should there be a need for a tiebreaker with Clemson down the road, Tech has the head-to-head victory in hand.

 

College Football Commentary:

 

When I was noting the results of the Georgia Tech/Clemson game last week, I used the word, “Upset”.   I think that word is overused when it comes to college football.  I consider Tech’s victory to be an upset because at the kickoff the college football pundits had Clemson solidly in the Top 20 at #12 in the country and Georgia Tech on the outside looking in.  Moreover, the oddsmakers had Clemson as a full touchdown favorite in the game.  So, whether you were considering the pundits or the oddsmakers, the result of the game was a surprise and thus should be called an “Upset”.

However, some would use that word to describe a game where the #15 ranked team beat the #12 ranked team by two points.  I prefer not to use that label in that circumstance because what the pundits would be saying for such a game is that it ought to be a close matchup – – and a two-point differential would validate that expectation.  I try to reserve the use of “Upset” to situations such as when Stanford beat USC in a game about 20 years ago when USC was ranked in the Top 5 and unranked Stanford was a 40-point underdog.  That is an extreme example of an “Upset”.

In Week 1 of this season, Texas was ranked #1 by the pundits even though no one had seen any on-field performance by the Longhorns.  Their opening game was on the road at Ohio State who was ranked #3 under similar punditry circumstances and the betting line closed with Ohio State as a 1-point favorite at home as the defending national champion.  Some folks called that win by the Buckeyes an “Upset”; I think that is a serious misuse of the word.

Two schools have already fired their head football coaches in 2025, and we have not even arrived at the autumnal equinox.

1. At UCLA, head coach DeShaun Foster was “relieved of his duties”.  In addition, the team fired defensive coordinator, Ikaika Malloe.  The Bruins have lost all three games so far this year.  An opening loss to Utah was not a huge surprise; losing at UNLV might be acceptable because the Rebels’ program is on an upward trajectory.  However, last week the Bruins lost at home to New Mexico by 25 points.  That calls for the coach to exit – – stage left.
2. At Va Tech, the school and head coach Brent Pry parted company after the Hokies opened the season at 0-3.  The first two losses were both double-digit losses but both opponents were SEC teams; perhaps that could be tolerated.  Then last week the Hokies lost at home to Old Dominion by19 points.  Sayonara …

The new interim head coach at Va Tech has an interesting situation for tomorrow.  The Hokies are at home again facing another opponent they are “supposed to beat”.  The Division 1-AA Wofford Terriers coming out of the Southern Conference will take the field at the kickoff.  Normally, Wofford squares off with the likes of The Citadel or Mercer or Furman.  Moreover, Wofford arrives at the stadium with a similar record of 0-3 in 2025.

• Memo For Interim Head Coach:  Do not lose this game by three scores…

There is another team where the coach must be feeling the heat despite his long tenure at the school.  I am referring to Mike Gundy at Oklahoma St.; Gundy has been on the sidelines there for more than 20 years and he elevated the program from “middling status” to a team that was usually taken as a serious opponent in most seasons.  Last year, lots of folks thought that the Cowboys would be the Big-12 champions – – but the team lost every single conference game.

In 2025, the Cowboys opened against a cupcake opponent, Tennessee-Martin and the Cowboys came away with a 27-7 win at home.  The second game was always going to be a tall order; the Cowboys played highly ranked Oregon in Eugene, OR.  The score of that game from two weeks ago was not just a loss; it was a humiliation; Oregon won 69-3 and the stat sheet said that was about what the scoreboard should have been.  Oklahoma St. has now lost its last 10 games in a row against Division 1-A opponents.  Tonight, Tulsa visits Stillwater, OK; the Cowboys are 10.5-point favorites …

 

NCAA Games of Interest:

 

As usual, there are a few outrageous spreads on the board for this week:

• Kent St. at Florida St. – 45.5
• UAB at Tennessee – 40
• Sam Houston St. at Texas – 39.5
• Oregon St. at Oregon – 35.5

Florida at Miami – 8 (51.5):  Miami is very good; they are 3-0 on the season with a win over Notre Dame and a blowout win over USF who were “upset darlings” coming into that game.    QB, Carson Beck, may wind up collecting Social Security when he runs out of NCAA eligibility.  The Gators lost last week the LSU; this week, they draw the Hurricanes and then next week, Texas comes to town.  Yikes! …

Illinois at Indiana – 6 (53.5):  Indiana is off to another blazing start against three middling-at-best opponents outscoring opponents 156-23.  Indiana is ranked 19^th in the country this week and Illinois is ranked 9^th.  Yet, the oddsmakers have Indiana as a solid favorite at home.

Auburn at Oklahoma – 7 (47):  Both teams are 3-0; both teams are ranked in the Top 25; both teams struggled in the SEC last season.  Auburn QB, Jackson Arnold, was the Oklahoma QB last season so this is either a homecoming for him or a revenge game depending on how you look at it.  In three games, Auburn is averaging almost 6 yards per rushing attempt; Oklahoma’s defensive strength is its defensive line.  Given all the angles and edges involved in this game, I call it the College Game of the Week.

Tulane at Ole Miss – 13.5 (62):  Tulane aspires to the CFP slot set aside for a team outside the Power 4 conferences.  A win on the road against Ole Miss would be an important element in their resume; the Green Wave has already recorded two wins over “Power 4” teams beating Duke and Northwestern…  Purely a hunch, but I like Tulane with that handful of points; put that underdog and those points in the “Betting Bundle”.

Washington – 20 at Washington St. (52):  Back before the PAC-12 implosion, this was the final game of the year for these two teams, and it was called the “Apple Cup”; this is the 117^th game between these two teams; Washington holds a commanding lead of 76-34-6 in the series.

 

NFL Commentary:

 

The NFL teams have all played two games so far and that means it is time for fans around the country to over-react both positively and negatively to small data sets.  Let me give you some examples:

• Packers’ Defense: It looked awfully good against the Lions in the opening game and then it looked even better stifling the Commanders last week.  But may I suggest that we pump the brakes on comparisons to the 1985 Bears’ defense for the moment?
• Russell Wilson’s Ability: He stunk out the joint in Week 1 against the Commanders putting only 6 points on the board.  Clearly, he is washed up and should be benched immediately – – and then he throws for 450 yards and puts 37 points up on the Cowboys.
• Jets’ Offense: They could not average 20 points a game last year; in Week 1 they scored 32 points on the Steelers.  Not bad …  Then in Week 2 the Jets scored only 10 points against the Bills and the final TD was a meaningless score.
• Commanders’ Defense: They looked like world beaters while dominating the Giants and then they were gashed by the Packers in Week 2.

Here are a few comments on games last week:

Lions 52  Bears 21:  So far, the pairing of Caleb Williams with Ben Johnson has resulted in little difference as compared to last year.

Chargers 20  Raiders 9:  The Chargers’ defense is for real after seeing them against the Chiefs and now the Raiders.  The Raiders’ OL remains a “work in progress” to be as kind as I can.

Ravens 41  Browns 17:  I don’t want to hang the Browns’ 0-2 start on Joe Flacco; that roster is deficient.  However, Flacco is not the future QB of that team so why not let one or both rookies on the roster get some game experience to find out if one or both are going to become a starting NFL QB?

Bengals 31  Jags 27:  The Bengals are 2-0; that’s the good news.  The Bengals will be without Joe Burrow and with Jake Browning until at least December – – and maybe longer; that is the bad news.  Why can’t the Bengals find five aspiring piano movers to create a functional OL to protect their QBs?

Pats 33 Dolphins 27:  With their loss last night to the Bills the Dolphins are now 0-3 and they do not look like they have any great strength to build upon.

Seahawks 31  Steelers 17:  The Steelers’ defense has now given up 30+ points two weeks in a row.  That is very “un-Steeler-like”.

Cards 27  Panthers 22:  The Cards are 2-0 but they have played two bad teams, and each game was a one-score affair.

 

Games this Week:

 

As I mentioned above, the Dolphins lost to the Bills last night and did not look to me like a team that merely needed to “work out a few wrinkles”.  I know the Bills are a good team and were favored in the game, but it never seemed to me that the Dolphins were threatening to win that contest even though the final score was only a 10-point difference.

 

Colts – 4 at Titans (43):  Here is a bit of trivia for you:

• The Indy Colts are the first team in the history of the NFL to score on all of their first ten possessions in a season.

The Titans and Cam Ward are still “figuring things out”.  But can the Colts and Daniel Jones really continue to keep up that sort of offensive efficiency?  I am tempted to take the Colts but will resist that temptation for now…

Falcons – 4.5 at Panthers (44):  I liked what I saw from the Falcons last week as they beat the Vikes in Minnesota. The Falcons’ pass rush was impressive; that is not something that I would have said about the Falcons over the past year or two.  I think the Falcons can control this game, so I’ll take the Falcons and lay the points; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.

Raiders at Commanders – 4 (44):  Jayden Daniels will not play here; Marcus Mariota will be the QB for the Commanders.  The Raiders’ defense kept last week’s game close, but the Raiders’ offense was just plain bad.  Geno Smith looked lost; Ashton Jenty looked ordinary.  And now, the Raiders get to traverse 3 time zones for an early east coast start.  This would have been a difficult game to pick even with Daniels in there; now, this is a game to watch and not wager on.

Packers – 7.5 at Browns (41.5):  It’s hard to see how the Browns might win this game, but the Browns’ defense is good enough to make me afraid of that hook on top of a full TD in the spread.

Bengals at Vikes – 3 (42):  The Bengals have won two ugly games; the Vikes have played 7 ugly quarters out of eight quarters for the season.  Both teams will start backup QBs.  Call this one the Dog-Breath Game of the Week.

Rams at Eagles – 3 (43.5):  This was my runner up as the Game of the Week; it pairs two playoff teams from last year who both started out 2-0 this season.  Both teams have yet to show much offensive power in 2025 and the Total Line for this game indicates that the oddsmakers do not think this is the week when an offensive outburst is likely.

Steelers – 2 at Pats (44.5):  The Steelers’ defense is an enigma; Aaron Rodgers played one great game and one pedestrian game.  The Pats are still figuring it all out.  Just watch this one if it is on in your viewing area…

Jets at Bucs – 6 (43.5):  Justin Fields is still in concussion protocol as of this morning; so, the starting QB for the Jets is still up in the air.  I think the Bucs will make life difficult for any and all Jets’ QBs here.  I like the way the Bucs are playing with the mix of running and passing; give me the Bucs at home to win and cover; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.

Texans at Jags – 1 (44):  The Texans are 0-2 and they arrive here on a short week after losing on Monday last week.  I know it’s early in the season, but this feels like a division game that the Texans can ill afford to lose.

Broncos at Chargers – 3.5 (45.5):  This will be the third division game in a row for the Chargers; it seems to me that is not a typical way for a team to start their season.  These are two good teams, and this game got a fleeting thought as the Game of the Week.  The Cowboys/Bears game will be the national game in the late Sunday afternoon time slot; I would prefer to watch this game.

Saints at Seahawks – 7.5 (41.5):  The Saints are not very good – – but I am not so sure the Seahawks are that much better.

Cowboys – 1 at Bears (50):  This is just me talking here, but I think this game is a referendum on Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams.  The Cowboys’ defense has been nothing better than BAD so far this year; this is a wake-up call for the “Offensive Genius” and the “Generational Talent”.  The Bears’ defense may give up 40+ points again here, but the key is the Bears’ offense.  If the Bears cannot get some business done against the Cowboys’ defense, it is going to be a LONG season in Chicago.

Cards at Niners – 3 (45.5):  This is a division game.  Both teams are 2-0.  Both teams have won close games to get their record to where it is.  So, why does this game excite me about the same way as a hard-boiled egg excites me?

(Sun Nite) Chiefs – 5.5 at Giants (45):  Both teams are 0-2; the Chiefs probably figure that a win here will set their course for playoff contention down the line; if the Giants think that way, they are delusional.

(Mon Nite) Lions at Ravens – 5 (53):  This is the Game of the Week.  The Lions’ offense erupted last week for 50+ points’ the Ravens’ offense has been on fire for both games this year.  This could well be one of those games where the team that has the ball last will win the game.

So, let me review the three-element “Betting Bundle”:

• Tulsa +13.5 versus Ole Miss
• Falcons – 4.5 over Panthers
• Bucs – 6 over Jets

And just for fun, here are three Money Line Parlays:

• Falcons @ minus-230
• Chiefs @ minus-285             $100 wager to win $91

And …

• Colts @ minus-210
• Bucs @ minus-270                $100 wager to win $102

And …

• BYU @ minus-230
• Oklahoma @ minus-235       $100 wager to win $105

Finally, this from former Vikes’ coach, Bud Grant:

“You have to remember one thing: Football is entertainment; it’s not life or death. Once the game is over, you’re already talking about next year and the draft. It’s just entertainment.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

            As Michael Wilbon says to kick off the show, “Pardon the interruption …”  When I awoke last Wednesday, I found that my computer had gone to the great byte box in the sky overnight.  It took about a day to confirm that it could not be resuscitated and that a replacement was needed.  The rest of my “unexcused absence” was spent waiting for a new one to arrive and then to schedule assistance in setting it up.  Most of the files came back from wherever they exist on the Internet in a safe and sound condition; only a few are corrupted and about half of those can be “translated” into English without much difficulty.

So, maybe I should invoke the opening line of the song that Gene Autry crooned at the start of his TV program back in the 1950s:

“I’m back in the saddle again …”

About a week ago, I mentioned the passing of Ken Dryden and noted that I had just then learned that he was doing the color commentary for Al Michaels in the famous Olympic hockey game that produced the catch phrase, “Do you believe in miracles?”  Well, I now know – since my email is working again – that there is more to the story than that.  Thanks to the “reader in Houston” and his treasure trove of sports history, here is a lot more to that event:

“Another piece of trivia that most may not remember is that the game was shown on tape delay, as the Olympic schedule was decided before the tournament and it dictated that that the game between the top team in one division was to play the second-place team in the other division at 5 PM ET. It turned out those two teams were the USSR and US. Sweden and Finland were to follow at 8 PM ET.

“When preliminary play ended and the US advanced to the Medal Round, ABC wanted to obviously switch the order of the games to air the US game in primetime to most of the country, but the Olympic Committee said ‘no dice’ or something to that effect.

“The US-USSR game started at 5 PM with no live coverage. Back then they could probably get away with it because cell phones and cable TV were rare and text messaging, the Internet, Twitter (X), etc., were not around yet.

“As the game was going on in the Olympic Center (now Herb Brooks Arena) with fans waving American flags and chanting ‘U-S-A’ almost non-stop, those in the outside world were mostly unaware of what was going on.

“When ABC went on the air that night, the only hint that something was up was the delirious fans in the background as Jim McKay was doing a live introduction. Unfortunately, Jim did not give TV viewers any explanation why everyone was in such a joyful mood, so as not to mess things up.

“And then ABC went to the tape. Michaels and Dryden stayed in their seats to comment on the Sweden-Finland game just in case there was a problem with the US-USSR tape and ABC had to cut into live action in Sweden-Finland.”

And I just thought I was watching a hockey game …

Moving on …  Since I was mentioning a “sports on TV moment” here, let me take another moment to comment on sports broadcasting and sports TV now.  FS1 has begun to air a new program in the morning originated by Barstool Sports.  I have now tried on three different mornings to settle down and watch it for several segments to “get in the flow”.  I simply cannot do that; it is unwatchable.  FS1 has a competitive array of programming for most of the day but in the four hours between 8:00 AM and Noon (ET) on weekdays, they might just as well have dead air as far as I am concerned.

Tom Brady seems to have done some serious homework on how to be a color analyst on TV over the football offseason.  I have heard him twice now and he is offering insights and critiques this year instead of pabulum.  That is good on him and good for fans who will see him do the FOX premier game of the week.

I also like the pairing of JJ Watt with Ian Eagle on CBS a lot.  This is a broadcasting team that might become top shelf one of these days.

Rich Eisen and Kurt Warner did the “Brazil Game” on You Tube.  I thought they did a fine job with the audio portion of the game; the video portion was not nearly as good as productions here in the States at venues that are familiar to the folks who have to set up and maintain the equipment for the games.

Finally, since today is a “comeback” of sorts for me, I will close with this observation by Peyton Manning about comebacks:

“You hear about how many fourth quarter comebacks that a guy has and I think it means a guy screwed up in the first three quarters.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Ken Dryden died last weekend at the age of 78; he had been battling cancer for several years.  Dryden was the goalkeeper for the Montreal Canadiens in the 1970s and helped the club win six Stanley Cup Championships in his career.  He also won the Vezina Trophy five times during his tenure with the Canadiens.  One piece of trivia that I learned while reading about his passing is that Ken Dryden was the color commentator beside Al Michaels in the US/USSR ice hockey game that gave rise to the catch phrase, “Do you believe in miracles?”

Rest in peace, Ken Dryden.

The 2025 English Premier League season is still in its infancy; each team has played 3 games (fixtures) to date.  Liverpool is first in the standings (atop the table) as the only team (side) to have won all three of its matches.  There are two teams in the EPL that call the city of  Liverpool home; the other one is Everton which is actually older than the Liverpool team having been founded in 1878.  Everton has a new stadium that just opened last month; the new facility is called Hill Dickinson Stadium, and it seats just under 53,000 fans for Everton matches.  The name derives from a naming rights agreement between the Everton club and a law firm in the city of Liverpool.

A new stadium for Everton is a slightly bigger deal than just the structure.  Since 1892, Everton had played its home games in Goodison Park in Liverpool.  Obviously, the facility underwent renovations and upgrades and facelifts over about 130 years, but after a long and protracted planning process and lots of starts and stops regarding financing, Everton will have a new home and Goodison Park will be demolished and relegated to sports history/memory.

As is often the case, new stadium facilities attract large signature events.  Hill Dickinson Stadium has only been open for a couple of months, but they have already booked the 2025 Rugby League Ashes as the Australian rugby team comes to play in England.  In addition, the UAEFA Championship in 2028 will be hosted by Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland and Hill Dickinson Stadium will be one of the venues in England for that tournament.

As you might imagine, there is a rivalry between Liverpool and Everton; the fact that the two stadiums are less than 2 miles apart – – as the crow flies – – adds to the rivalry.  The EPL was founded in 1992; both Everton and Liverpool were charter members of the league.  In fact, both sides had been major forces in English futbol prior to the existence of the EPL:

• Liverpool had been in the top-tier of English futbol ever since 1962.  The team had been relegated out of what was then the top league in 1954 and finally clawed its way back into that elite status in 1962.
• Everton was last relegated out of the top level of English futbol at the close of the season in 1951.  Their tenure in a status below the top level was brief; they earned their way back to the top in 1954 and have remained there ever since.

Everton is in fifth place in the EPL table as of this morning having won two matches and played to a draw in the other.  Liverpool and Everton will meet in the new stadium in less than two weeks.  It should be a new chapter for a longstanding rivalry.

Having mentioned Liverpool’s presence in the EPL since the creation of the EPL, let me add another noteworthy stat.

• Since the creation of the EPL more than 30  years ago, Liverpool has never finished worse than 8^th place (in a 20-team league) for a season.
• With the relegation/promotion process that exists in English – – and European – – futbol, the EPL does represent the top level of competition in the sport there.  Having never finished below 8^th place is a measure of consistency not often found in sports.

Switching gears …  I got an email from #2 son with the following history/trivia regarding the Philadelphia Eagles:

“Just read a fascinating stat, courtesy of Draft Kings…

“With the win against the Cowboys this week, the total record for the Philadelphia Eagles is now 639-639-27. This is the first time they have had an overall .500 record since …. 1933, when they were 3-3-1 (They finished that year 3-5-1 and have had an overall losing record since.)”

Finally, here is a blessing – – of sorts – – from George Carlin:

“May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………

 

 

Today marks the return to the Internet of Football Fridays in full bloom.  We have college football in progress; we saw the start of the NFL regular season last night; Linfield University kicks off its pursuit of another winning record in football tomorrow.  Order has been restored to the football world.

Let me begin with a review of last week’s “Betting Bundle” and “Money Line Parlays”

“Bundle”:       Last week:  1-2-0 (Not good but the season is early)

                        Season:  1-2-0

Parlays:          Last week:  1-1  Profit $28

                        Season:  1-2  Loss $72

            Turning now to the Linfield Wildcats’ game this weekend, the team is at home to play an out-of-conference game against the Titans of Wisconsin-Oshkosh.  These two teams met last year in Oshkosh and the Titans prevailed 28-21 in overtime.  The Wildcats should be looking to return the favor of all that traveling by the Titans squad.  Go Wildcats!

My “sleeper team” for 2025 is Georgia Tech.  The Yellowjackets got their season off on a solid footing beating Colorado 27-20.  Tech had a better presence on the stat sheet than on the scoreboard gaining 463 yards in the game while holding Colorado to 305 yards.  Tech QB, Haynes King, had an interesting game.  His passing stats were “Meh!”:

• 13 of 20 for 143  yards with 0 TDs and 1 INT

However, his legs made up for his arm’s deficiency:

• 19 carries for 156 yards and 3 TDs

Tech has a “tune-up game” this week hosting Gardner-Webb as a prelude to Game 3 of the season for Tech when they host 8^th ranked Clemson.  Go Yellowjackets!

 

College Football Commentary:

 

Let me start in classic curmudgeonly fashion by pointing out a couple of bad starts to the 2025 season from last week.  Middle Tennessee St. is hardly a college football blueblood; I doubt that too many Blue Raiders’ fans aspire to a New Year’s Day bowl bid let alone a chance to experience the CFP.  Nonetheless, Middle Tennessee St. started 2025 by getting clocked by Austin-Peay – – a Division 1-AA school from the Ohio Valey conference that went 4-8 last  year playing the likes of Alabama A&M, Southern Utah and West Georgia.  One historical note here, the last time Austin Peay beat a Division 1-A football team was in 1987 when they managed to beat K-State back at a time when K-State was awful.  Two stats from this game to give you an idea of how Middle Tennessee St. got its lunch handed to it:

• Middle Tennessee St. Total Offense = 153 yards
• Middle Tennessee State 3^rd down conversions = 0 for 12.

Another game made me wonder if it was a good omen for Tulane or a bad omen for Northwestern – – or both.  Tulane prevailed last week 23-3 holding Northwestern to only 233 yards of Total Offense while amassing 419 yards of offense on its own.  Tulane plays in the American Conference – – hold that thought.

USF hosted 25^th ranked Boise St. last week and won in a walk by the score of 34-7.  In case  you didn’t know, USF is also in the American Conference.  So, of course some folks have concluded that the American Conference champ will get the CFP bid as the best non-Power 4 conference champion.  There is no doubt those two wins are impressive and form the basis of building a résumé for the Committee to ponder.  However, let me look at how some of the other American Conference members began 2025:

• Army lost to Tarleton St. as a minus-500 Money Line favorite
• UAB beat Division 1-AA Alabama St. despite yielding 42 points
• Charlotte lost to Appalachian St. by 23 points
• Florida Atlantic lost to Maryland by 32 points

It looks to me as if the American Conference may have a real “mixed bag” of competitors and that could give the Selection Committee agita come December.

Purdue beat Ball St. 31-0.  Purdue was awful in 2024; so, is this evidence of a resurgent Boilermaker squad – – or is Ball St. that bad?  Between now and October 4^th, Purdue will face inter alia:

• USC, Notre Dame and Illinois.

Meanwhile in the same time frame, Ball St. will face:

• New Hampshire, UConn and Ohio.

By mid-October we should know the vector headings for these two schools…

The nation’s longest losing streak came to an end last weekend as Kent St. rose up and beat the mighty Warriors of Merrimack College by a score of 21-17.  Before Kent St. fans get irrationally exuberant, Merrimack outgained Kent St. in the game 340 yards to 309 yards.  Moreover, Division 1-AA Merrimack was a less-than-fearsome 5-6 in football in 2024.

There was a good news/bad news game last week for Oklahoma St.  Coming off a 3-9 season in 2024 and having lost the last 9 games in a row, the Cowboys needed something positive at the start of 2025.  They got that positive feeling after a 27-7 drubbing of Tennessee-Martin.  Now for the bad news:

• Oklahoma St. starting QB, Hauss Hejny, broke his foot in the game and will require surgery.

Temple beat UMass 42-10 last weekend.  I hate to overreact to early season results, but when a team loses to Temple by 32 points, that result screams SHOE Team!

Last year, Nick Saban went straight to the Bottom Line when speaking about the new NIL Era in college football:

“If you don’t pay the right guys, you’ll be sh*t out of luck.”

The football gods must have taken note because the following situation unfolded in Week 1 this year:

• Nico Iamaleava was the Tennessee QB last year.  He thought he deserved a raise in his NIL deal and Tennessee thought he was asking too much.  Iamaleava played “The Transfer Portal Card” and went west to UCLA.
• Tennessee won last week without Nico beating Syracuse 45-26.
• Meanwhile, Nico and UCLA were shellacked by Utah 43-10.  Let’s just say Nico was underwhelming in his Bruins’ debut.

And speaking of college QBs and early season reactions, Arch Manning was also underwhelming in his first game as “The Man” for the Texas Longhorns.  [Aside:  More on that later…]  Well, there is a betting market out there for which college player in 2025 will be the first pick in the NFL Draft in April 2026.  As a result of that below-expected performance by Manning his odds increased, and he is no longer the favorite in that betting space.  Two weeks ago, Manning was the betting favorite at +275 to be the first overall pick.  As of earlier this week, here is the betting lineup:

• Drew Allar (Penn State) +350
• Garrett Nussmeier (LSU)  +350
• LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina) +500
• Cade Klubnik (Clemson) +550
• Arch Manning (Texas)  +700

That is enough preamble for this week; let me comment on a few of the games that were more important from last week:

Florida St. 31  Alabama 17:  The pressure on these two coaches just underwent a tectonic shift.  Florida St. ran over the Alabama defense for 230 yards; Alabama fans are not used to seeing anything of the kind.  Meanwhile in Tallahassee, folks are falling back in love with Mike Norvell.  I think fans in Alabama need to take a deep breath and look rationally at recent Alabama football; these are not the Nick Saban version of Crimson Tide football teams.

• Last year Alabama finished with a 9-4  record losing to Vandy and an Oklahoma team that finished below .500 for the year.
• Couple those performances with a bowl game loss to Michigan and now this drubbing as a 2 TD favorite and you might think that the bloom is off the rose in Tuscaloosa.
• I am not writing Alabama off just yet, but they looked eminently beatable for four quarters of football last week.

Ohio St. 14  Texas 7:  This was a really good college football game to watch unless you are a Texas alum or your name is Arch Manning.  The Buckeyes just smothered the Longhorns offense holding Manning to 170 yards through the air; this victory belongs to that defensive unit.  The Ohio St. offense looked like a work in progress gaining only 203 yards in the game and recording only eleven first downs in the game – – and two of those eleven were via penalties.

LSU 17  Clemson 10:  Brian Kelly is off the schneid in Game 1 at LSU; this is his first win in that situation.  There were two highly regarded QBs in this game – – see Draft odds above – – but the game turned on the performance by the LSU defense; that unit held Clemson to 31 yards rushing and 261 yards of Total Offense for the game.  Clemson tried to run the ball for a while but just could not get it done.

Miami 27  Notre Dame 24:  The score was close, but I thought that Miami had the better offensive line and the better defensive line in the game.  Usually, that situation produces a much larger margin of victory.  I thought Carson Beck and CJ Carr played well at QB for the two teams.

TCU 38  UNC 14:  Call this one what it was; it was an organized ass-kicking and UNC played the role of a one-legged participant.  Here are the comparative stats:

• Total Offense: TCU = 542 yards            UNC = 222 yards
• First Downs:    TCU = 29                    UNC = 10
• Total Plays:     TCU = 72                    UNC = 49
• 3^rd Downs:       TCU = 7 of 12             UNC = 1 of 10

After the game, Bill Belichick said that the Tar Heels are “better than they showed”.  That had better be the case or it will be a long cold season in Chapel Hill, NC.

Washington St. 13  Idaho 10:  This is a rivalry game despite the difference in the size of the programs; the two schools are about 10 miles from each other.  Washington St. is clearly the “big brother” in this pairing, but this game was as close as the scoreboard would indicate.  Washington St. tried but could not run the ball gaining only 8 yards on the ground in the game.  Idaho could not throw the ball effectively gaining only 51 yards passing in the game.  The deciding score was a field goal with 3 seconds left on the clock.

Wyoming 10  Akron 0:  That score is most appropriate because the Akron nickname is The Zips” – – and they scored squadoosh in the game.

 

NCAA Games of Interest:

 

Let me start with seven games that are of little or no interest this week due to spreads of 5 TDs or more:

1. Kent St. at Texas Tech – 48
2. Ball St. at Auburn – 44
3. Florida International at Penn State – 41.5
4. San Jose St at Texas – 37
5. LA Tech at LSU – 37
6. Kennesaw St at Indiana – 36
7. La-Monroe at Alabama – 35

Iowa at Iowa St. – 3 (41):  I like this game to go OVER; Iowa St. has done well on offense in 2 games and maybe this is the time for Iowa’s offense to  be something other than somnambulant.  “Put that in the Betting Bundle”.

Stanford at BYU – 20 (46):  Stanford lost to Hawaii last week and got this stat line from its QB, Ben Gulbranson:

• 15 of 30 for 109 yards with 0 TDs and 1 INT

That was against Hawaii’s defense; this is BYU.  This game could get ugly…

Middle Tennessee St. at Wisconsin – 28.5 (45):  See above for how bad the Blue Raiders were last week.  Was that some sort of aberration or might they lose this one by 50 points?

UNC – 13 at UNC-Charlotte (49):  This spread opened at 19 points but there must be a lot of money fading the Tar Heels after last Monday night’s debacle to move the line that much and across so many commonplace scoring differences.

Austin Peay at Georgia (No Lines):  Can the Governors make it two wins in a row over Division 1-A teams?  Uh … no!

 

NFL Commentary:

 

I wonder why no one “threw out a challenge flag: on Travis Kelce’s engagement proposal over the last week or so.  Looked to me as if his foot was on the line and the proposal should be ruled incomplete.  Why no “Booth Review”?

More than enough has been written/said regarding the trade of Micah Parsons to the Packers from a game perspective and from the perspective of how Jerry Jones could have done something so stupid.  I want to ask a different question regarding that exchange:

• Did Parsons come out as the “big winner” in the deal with his monster contract from the Packers – – or – –
• Did Parsons’ agent, David Mulugheta, come out as the “big winner” in the deal?

Personally, I think that Mulugheta earned himself a handful of premier clients with the way everything unfolded in this transaction.  The only downside from his perspective is that Jones and the Cowboys are not likely to be working with him for one of those future clients, so his universe of potential suitors is down to 31 teams.

Circle September 28, 2025 on  your calendar; that is the day that the Green Bay Packers – – with Micah Parsons – – journey to Arlington, TX to play the Dallas Cowboys.  Should be a fun game and it is going to be the Sunday Night Football Game available to all.

Let me try again to look at a situation from a different perspective.  The Chicago Bears have not had a high-quality QB since Sid Luckman in the 1940s; that is a long time to be wandering about in the QB desert.  However, looking back at the Chicago Bears pass catchers over the last 50 years, who of that cohort was a standout?  Mike Ditka at tight end?  As I thought about this, I asked myself who was the best Chicago Bears WR that I could recall without a lengthy Google search.  Here is my answer:

• Alshon Jeffrey

So, now my thinking is that the Bears have never had a good QB and that they have never had a wide receiver – – or two – – who might make a good QB appear to be great?  You folks made the call …

In last night’s Eagles/Cowboys game, there were more than enough storylines and angles for the broadcasting crew to exploit from their pregame notes.  Forget that, Jalen Carter – – who is simultaneously the best interior DT in the NFL and also a physical 24-year-old with the emotional maturity of a 7-year-old – – was ejected from the game before the first play from scrimmage.  He deserved his punishment; he needs to get his brain somewhere near the level of his physical body; the Eagles managed to win last night’s game simply because the Cowboys were also playing without their best defender – – Micah Parsons.

Forget the delay due to lightning strikes in the area of the game, this was not a tour de force of efficiently executed plays by either team on offense or on defense.  The Eagles came away with a win on the night that they unveiled their Super Bowl banner from 2024 leaving their fans with a warm – – and possibly inebriated – – feeling for the day.

 

Games This Week:

 

Let me start with a general observation.  Forgetting last night’s Eagles/Cowboys game, there are 15 games on tap for NFL bettors to consider.  Of those 15 games offered up for wagering consideration, as I count- –  ten of the games have a line equal to or less than a field goal.  Is that due to parity run amok or is that due to lots of teams seeking to run the football successfully thereby taking scoring time off the clock and ushering in an era of low scoring NFL football games?

Speaking of last night’s Eagles/Cowboys game, a report this morning characterized Jalen Carter’s ejection from the game as a “non-football act” which was deemed punishable by banishment.  Come on, now; they have him on video spitting on Dak Prescott.  Yes, it appears as if Prescott spit also – – but not on Carter; nonetheless Carter’s behavior goes beyond childishness and crosses into the realm of boneheadedness.

            In any case, the Eagles managed to defend their championship status last night despite Jalen Carter’s absence and the fact that AJ Brown only caught 1 pass for a total of 8 yards.  Last night was the Jalen Hurts show; he led the team in passing and rushing scoring two TDs along the way.  It was not pretty, but the Eagles’ defense shut out the Cowboys in the second half when they needed to do so.

(Tonite) Chiefs – 3 vs Chargers (46.5) Game is in Sao Paulo Brazil:  This will be the fourth time the Chiefs have played a game outside the US; the team is undefeated when assigned one of the “International Games”.  The Chiefs will be without Rashee Rice who will miss the first 6 games this season due to a league suspension.  If you read my previous predictions for this NFL season, you know that I picked the Chargers to win the AFC West; so now you know why I am taking the Chargers plus points in this game.  I think Jim Harbaugh will have the Chargers primed and ready to go even more than Andy Reid will have his team ready for action.  Give me the Chargers plus the points; put it in the “Betting Bundle”.

Steelers – 3 at Jets (38):  As if on cue, the NFL gives us a revenge game in Week 1.  Aaron Rodgers goes up against his teammates from last year and Justin Fields does the same.  If only I cared about either QB …

Dolphins at Colts “pick’em” (47):  Here is a game where shopping the spread could matter.  At one sportsbook this morning, the Dolphins are favored by 1.5 points; at a handful the Dolphins are favored by a point; at other sportsbooks, the Colts are 1-point favorites, and more than a handful of sportsbooks have this as a “pick ‘em game”.  Here is a trend that might have something to do with this game:

• The Colts have lost the season opening games in each of the last 11 NFL  seasons.

Panthers at Jags – 3.5 (47):  The Panthers were 2-point favorites in this game, and I have no insight  as to how or why the line has moved so dramatically.  I will be interested to see how the Jags’ offense – – and particularly Trevor Lawrence – – fares in this game and in the first few games of this season because lots of folks think that pairing Lawrence with new head coach, Liam Coen, is going to be a big deal in the AFC South Division.

Giants at Commanders – 6 (46):  Here are two teams arriving at the kickoff with lots of optimism.  The Giants are convinced that their QB situation is significantly upgraded with Russell Wilson at the helm – – and with wunderkind Jaxson Dart ready and able in the bullpen so to speak.  Also, the word out of the Giants’ training camp is the Abdul Carter may indeed be the second coming of Lawrence Taylor.  On the other side, the Commanders are riding the wave of a 12-win season in 2024.  The last time that happened with a Washington NFL team was back in 1991 when the Skins won the Super Bowl.

Bengals – 5 at Browns (48):  Just in case fans in Ohio might be paying too much attention to Ohio State football, the NFL leads off with “The Battle for Ohio”.  The game could become very interesting because the Bengals’ offense versus the Browns’ defense pairs two excellent units.  At the same time, the Bengals’ defense versus the Browns’ offense pairs two woebegone units.  So, how will all that manifest itself on Sunday?  The Bengals are notoriously slow starters; they began the 2022 and 2023 seasons with 0-2 records; last year, they opened at 0-3.  Can they find a way to get that monkey off their back?

Raiders at Pats – 2.5 (44):  Way back in the offseason, the Raiders were 7-point favorites in this game; I have no explanation for that large a swing in the betting line for this game.  Both teams were 4-13-0 in 2024 and both teams fired first year head coaches once the season was done.  Mike Vrabel in New England and Pete Carrol in Las Vegas come to their current jobs with lofty expectations from their fanbase.

Cards – 6 at Saints (43):  I picked the Cards to win the NFC West this year; this game will tell me a lot about the viability of that prediction.  The Cards have a distinct advantage at QB in the game, but the Cards have a history of not coming through with a full exploitation of talent advantages.  If the Cards are “for real”, they should romp and stomp here.  I like the Cards to show up ready for action meaning they will demonstrate that they are the better team.  I’ll take them to win and cover even on the road; put that in the “Betting Bundle”.

Bucs – 2 at Falcons (47):  Here is another game where the favored team has flipped since the start of Training Camp.  More than a few pickers think that the Bucs will take a step back this year due to the absence of their Offensive Coordinator from 2024.

Titans at Broncos – 9 (42.5):  Breaking in a rookie QB against a defense that is as good and as aggressive as the Broncos’ defense might not be the optimum way to go.  But the schedule-makers have spoken …

Niners – 2 at Seahawks (43):  The Niners opened as a 6.5-point favorite; I have no idea what either team has done over the last two weeks to cause that swing in the spread.  But late this week, a report said that Christian McCaffrey was “limited” in a team practice due to a “calf injury”.  The Niners have already had a season’s worth of nagging injuries and player/team kerfuffles.  I think the winner of this game will be the team that is more ready to play a “for real” game as opposed to an extension of the Exhibition Season.

Lions at Packers – 2.5 (47):  The Lions were 2-point favorites here – – and then the Micah Parsons trade happened and that line shifted almost immediately.  That does not make a lot of sense to me because Parsons has not practiced or played in quite a while and has not had more than a passing glance at the Packers defensive playbook.  I have no doubt Parsons will be a factor once he gets into the rhythm of a regular season, but that time is not this weekend.  It will be interesting to see how the Lions look with their two new coordinators running the show.  I smell a small upset here; I’ll take the Lions plus the points; put that in the “Betting Bundle”. 

Texans at Rams – 3 (43):  I think both teams are going to be in tight quarters when it comes down to playoff slots; therefore, this game is a big one even if it is an inter-conference game and it happens in Week 1.  Matthew Stafford did not play in the Exhibition Games and has been nursing a “back injury”; we may be able to determine by his mobility in this game if all of that was real or just a smokescreen.

(Sun Nite) Ravens- 1  at Bills  (51):  I will anoint this as the Game of the Week just edging out the Chargers/Chiefs game.  If you told me that  you thought this could also be the pairing in the AFC Championship Game in January 2026, I would not expend a lot of effort to change your mind.

(Mon Nite) Vikes – 1 at Bears (44):  Call this “The Question Mark Game”.

• Is JJ McCarthy the real deal for the Vikes?
• What is more likely, the Vikes winning the division or finishing last in the division?
• Is the marriage of Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams the start of a dynasty?

So, let me review this week’s “Betting Bundle”:

• Iowa/Iowa St. OVER 41
• Chargers +3 against Chiefs
• Lions +2 against Packers
• Cards – 6 over Saints

And for Money Line Parlays this week:

• Commanders @ minus-250
• Jaguars @ minus-190            $100 wager to win $113

And …

• Ole Miss @ minus-320
• Tulane @ minus-370
• Syracuse @ minus-240          $100 wager to win $136

And …

• Lions @ +120
• Broncos @ minus-400
• Cards @ minus-275                $100 wager to win $275

Finally, this from Nick Saban:

“I played so long ago, I don’t think anybody even knew you could transfer. I don’t think they knew anything about it.”

But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………