NFL

• Eagles 29, Texans 17
  • This game was a bit closer than I expected, but at the same time, the Eagles are off to a much better start than I expected at 8-0. The main reason? The play of Jalen Hurts. I had doubts Philadelphia could be an elite team with Hurts at the helm, but I’ve been proven wrong, as the former Oklahoma signal-caller has established himself as probably a top 10 quarterback. Also, since the Eagles run the ball and play defense at such a high level, their floor is raised immensely, making life easier on Hurts. The Eagles won’t finish 17-0, but I wouldn’t rule out something like 14-3.
  • Davis Mills isn’t an NFL-caliber starting quarterback, so Houston will need to look to replace him in the 2023 Draft. Thankfully for the Texans, they’ll have a high selection — plus a Cleveland pick that may land in the top 10, to upgrade the position. Mills went just 13-22 for 154 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in this contest. It doesn’t make sense that Houston didn’t deal Jerry Hughes at the trade deadline. Hughes, who recorded two sacks last night, has seven on the year.
• Saints WR Michael Thomas out for season due to toe surgery
  • After exploding for 1,725 yards in 2019, Thomas has done next to nothing for the Saints, recording just 609 yards over the course of nearly three seasons. At this point, even if Thomas comes back healthy in 2023, the days of him producing at a high level are almost certainly over.
• Ravens WR Rashod Bateman out for season due to foot surgery
  • Unlike Thomas, Bateman still likely does have a bright future ahead of him, despite the fact his first two pro seasons have been pedestrian. I didn’t love Bateman coming out of Minnesota, but this is still a fairly big loss for Baltimore, as the team will need guys like Devin Duvernay and others to step up in Bateman’s absence.

NCAAF

• Coastal Carolina 35, Appalachian State 28
  • Coastal Carolina +3 felt like somewhat easy money, and I’m glad I made the bet. Grayson McCall is an excellent quarterback, and I wonder if he’ll transfer to a bigger program this offseason, as he could surely help plenty of teams. Coastal has the inside track in the Sun Belt East, but two difficult conference matchups remain: versus Southern Miss and at James Madison.

NBA

• Magic 130, Warriors 129
  • Jalen Suggs was mostly terrible as a rookie. There’s no getting around that fact, but he’s made some solid strides in year two, particularly as a shooter. Suggs has raised his field goal percentage from 36.1% to 44.7% this year. The Magic are still going to mostly stink this year, but there’s potential there for a successful future.
  • The Warriors should still be fine, even at 3-6, but Stephen Curry will need more help. The team’s bench unit, sans several good performances from Jordan Poole, hasn’t provided much of anything thus far. JaMychal Green is mostly toast, James Wiseman isn’t ready to be a positive impact guy, and Jonathan Kuminga has barely played. Golden State will need to make a trade at some point.

MLB

• Astros 3, Phillies 2
  • Justin Verlander hasn’t been very good this postseason, but he was good enough last night to give Houston a 3-2 lead. One of the main reasons for the Astros’ success in this series? The play of rookie shortstop Jeremy Pena, who should be the frontrunner for World Series MVP at this juncture. Houston has Framber Valdez pitching in Game 6, which should have the club feeling pretty optimistic about its odds to capture its second World Series title.
  • Philadelphia still isn’t getting any production out of Rhys Hoskins or J.T. Realmuto, which has obviously made it hard for the offense to get going. For the Phillies, Zack Wheeler has been good all year, and he’ll need to be at his best in Game 6. Another Kyle Schwarber bomb would sure be nice.