NFL

• 49ers 24 Rams 9
  • The 49ers are such a solid team. Losing Trey Lance for the rest of 2022 capped this team’s ceiling, but a veteran team like this is in better hands with Jimmy Garoppolo, despite his limitations. Having a guy like Deebo Samuel certainly helps Garoppolo. Samuel went for 115 yards and a score on nine catches yesterday. Additionally, San Francisco’s defense was masterful in this contest, which should be the case for a unit that features Nick Bosa and Fred Warner. The 49ers should pretty easily bottle up Carolina’s offense next week.
  • The Rams are still fine — the whole NFC West is 2-2, after all, but Matthew Stafford needs to rediscover his 2021 form at some point. The running game hasn’t and probably will never be good this year, so that puts even more pressure on Stafford. At least he has Cooper Kupp. To this point, the Rams’ defense, which is full of big names, hasn’t delivered. Aaron Donald, Bobby Wagner, and Jalen Ramsey are all playing worse than their typical career averages, which, to be fair, are outstanding. Los Angeles should prevail next week against Dallas, even if Dak Prescott returns for the Cowboys.
• Broncos RB Javonte Williams out for season with torn ACL and LCL
  • Williams is far and away the best running back on the Broncos, so this certainly puts a dent in the Denver offense, but not too big of one. Russell Wilson and the passing game will now be leaned on more, as the Broncos will have the likes of Melvin Gordon and Mike Boone running the ball. This injury won’t affect the Broncos’ 2022 prospects very much, but it could impact Williams’ availability and effectiveness next season.

MLB

• Royals 5 Guardians 2
  • 38-year-old Zack Greinke has had a nice year, so I’m sure this offseason he’ll have his choice of contenders to sign with.
• Pirates 3 Cardinals 2
  • The Pirates have something with Mitch Keller. The 26-year-old will probably never be an ace, but he’ll be a part of what could be a fairly bright future in Pittsburgh.
• Reds 3 Cubs 1
  • Hunter Greene got off to a pretty bad start to his career, but he’s going to be special one day. After all, Greene has already become pretty rock solid for the Reds, who probably won’t be ready to consider competing until 2024. Priority number one for Cincinnati this winter should be discussing a long-term deal with Greene’s reps.
• Marlins 4 Braves 0
  • The Braves will clinch the NL East, but it’ll have to wait another day. For Miami, there’s a few intriguing pieces in the clubhouse, including Bryan De La Cruz and Jesus Luzardo. De La Cruz had a home run and three RBIs in this game, while Luzardo struck out 12 Braves.
• Yankees 3 Rangers 1
  • Maybe Aaron Judge won’t end up hitting home run No. 62? In the grand scheme of things, that doesn’t matter nearly as much as Luis Severino looking awesome and ready for the postseason in this game, throwing seven no-hit innings.
• Red Sox 4 Rays 3
  • The Rays are unequivocally not heading into the postseason on the right track, losing seven of their past nine games. Tampa Bay doesn’t have a great offense, and that may spell doom this weekend in Cleveland against the Rays’ likely postseason foe.
• Brewers 6 Diamondbacks 5
  • I know the Brewers were the preseason favorite to win the NL Central, but that seemed wrong at the time. Milwaukee has a solid team, but it’s rightfully missing the playoffs. The Brewers need Christian Yelich to be better next season.
• Phillies 3 Astros 0
  • Baseball is loaded with some really good teams this year, but the Phillies, who clinched a postseason berth with this victory, have a fighting chance. Aaron Nola is good at the top of the rotation, and Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber headline a solid lineup.
• White Sox 3 Twins 2
  • Not too many clubs in MLB have had a more disappointing season than the Twins. To make matters worse, Carlos Correa is probably out the door this winter.
• Padres 7 Giants 4
  • Is it fair to be worried about Juan Soto? Soto walks so much that his numbers will always look solid, but he’s posted an OPS of just .790 as a Padre, way below his lofty standards. He may not rebound in the rest of 2022, but I’m still expecting a huge 2023 season.