NFL

• Chargers 20, Falcons 17
  • The Chargers haven’t exactly performed up to par in 2022 — injuries will do that, so this was a much needed victory. Justin Herbert was fine in this game, and had Joshua Palmer step up in a big way with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams out, but the Chargers will need those receivers back at some point for what looks to be a daunting second half schedule.
  • Are the Falcons coming back down to Earth? Over its past three contests, Atlanta got smashed by the Bengals, struggled with bad Panthers team, and now got beat by the Chargers. Marcus Mariota wasn’t able to get anything going in this game, and it’s been criminal how little he’s been connecting with Kyle Pitts. Rashaan Evans, now with 85 tackles, has had to clean up countless messes on defense this season.
• Dolphins 35, Bears 32
  • The Dolphins are better than their point differential of -11, but that figure is still cause for concern, even with the team being 6-3. Something that’s not cause for concern is the Dolphins’ passing game, as Tua Tagovailoa had been a revelation thus far, and has supported two wide receivers in their quest to post big numbers. Tyreek Hill is up to 1,104 yards on the season, best in the league, and Jaylen Waddle has been really good as well. The hiring of Mike McDaniel and numerous offensive offseason investments have paid off for Miami.
  • Justin Fields has arrived. I felt at the time Jacksonville was making a mistake drafting Trevor Lawrence over Fields, and I feel even stronger in that conviction now. Fields accounted for four touchdowns in this tilt, and rushed for an eye-opening 178 yards. Fields is incredibly fast for a quarterback, so unleashing his legs is a smart decision. The Bears should focus this upcoming offseason on building around Fields and surrounding him with better talent.
• Bengals 42, Panthers 21
  • The concerns about Cincinnati’s offensive line and running game, at least for one week, have been eliminated. Joe Mixon exploded for 153 rushing yards and five total touchdowns yesterday, producing one of the best offensive stat lines I’ve ever seen. If the Bengals’ defense can get going even more, Cincinnati will cement itself as one of the AFC’s top teams. It’d be nice to see Trey Hendrickson and Sam Hubbard up their sack totals.
  • The Panthers are going to be a hard watch the rest of the year — not unusual for a Steve Wilks coached team. The front office was foolish to pass on generous trade offers for Brian Burns and DJ Moore. At the very least, Baker Mayfield was solid yesterday, but he still shouldn’t be a part of Carolina’s future.
• Lions 15, Packers 9
  • The Lions have played in some weird games this year. I can envision a scenario where the Lions reach six wins — this team isn’t all that bad.
  • The Packers are a mess. It’s safe to say I’ve never seen a back-to-back MVP have as bad a season Aaron Rodgers is currently having, as Green Bay’s signal-caller has tossed 14 touchdowns to seven interceptions, while registering a passer rating of just 89.0, the lowest since his days of backing up Brett Favre. The Packers are basically toast in the division race (4.5 games behind the Vikings), and I have some pretty solid doubts they’ll be playing deep into January this season. Is this it for Aaron Rodgers?
• Patriots 26, Colts 3
  • If you just listened to the national media and Patriots fans, you’d think the Pats would be 3-6 instead of 5-4. The team probably will never win big as long as Mac Jones is at the helm, but New England is good defensively, which should lead to it winning at least eight games this season. Matthew Judon is having a special season, as the 30-year-old already has 11.5 sacks, putting him, for now, on pace to break the single-season record.
  • The Colts haven’t quite waived the white flag, but that’s essential what the franchise is doing by starting Sam Ehlinger. Michael Pittman Jr., Parris Campbell, and Alec Pierce are all being hamstrung by the team’s quarterback situation, which has created an anemic offense in Indianapolis. Chris Ballard should’ve considered dealing DeForest Buckner last week.
• Jets 20, Bills 17
  • The Jets are a great story at 6-3, but I’m going to hit the pause button — this team still isn’t all that special, despite taking down one of the league’s best teams in the Bills. Zach Wilson was solid yesterday, throwing for 154 yards and a score, but would anybody trust him in a playoff game in January? I wouldn’t. Regardless, the defense has been built nicely, and Sauce Gardner has lived up to my billing of ranking him No. 1 on my draft board this past spring.
  • Josh Allen, despite rushing for two touchdowns in this game, was pretty bad. It’s been fairly odd how little Gabe Davis and Dawson Knox have produced thus far in the receiving game, but the Bills will be fine. The team’s offense is still very good, and so is the defense, which has allowed the fewest amount of points in the NFL so far.
• Vikings 20, Commanders 17
  • The Vikings, now 7-1, keep finding a way. The Kirk Cousins and Justin Jefferson connection is unbelievable, and Minnesota has lots of talent on defense with Jordan Hicks, Eric Kendricks, Danielle Hunter, Za’Darius Smith, and Harrison Smith.
  • This is the second straight season Washington has overperformed, a testament to the coaching of Ron Rivera, but at some point, the franchise needs to actually accumulate a good amount of talent to truly compete. Daron Payne, who recorded a sack and four tackles for loss yesterday, deserves a lot of credit for the season he’s having.
• Jaguars 27, Raiders 20
  • Trevor Lawrence had a really nice day yesterday, and he needs to have more of those consistently for Jacksonville to improve.
  • I just don’t know what to think of the Raiders anymore. 2-6 is an incredibly disappointing start for a team that surely had high expectations entering the season. Derek Carr has been fine so far, but perhaps he’s not good enough to guide Las Vegas to where it wants to go. Davante Adams was heavily involved in this game with 10 catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns, which is good, but the defense continues to let the team down. Josh McDaniels may end up being one and done in Las Vegas.
• Seahawks 31, Cardinals 21
  • No team, even the Jets, has surprised me more than the Seahawks. The difference though, is I believe in this Seattle team more than New York, and think they could be a frisky No. 3 seed if that’s where it lands in the postseason. Geno Smith, at this point, is pretty solid for a starting quarterback, as he makes mostly smart decisions. The team also has a solid running game, and Uchenna Nwosu has broken out to the tune of seven sacks through nine games.
  • The Cardinals are in a dangerous spot, and I’m not sure how the blame pie should be distributed. Kyler Murray isn’t perfect, but he’s a franchise quarterback, and shouldn’t be receiving too much heat. Kliff Kingsbury inherited an awful team, and has turned it around nicely, despite a 3-6 record in 2022. Finally, Steve Keim did an excellent job building some strong rosters in the mid-2010s, so I don’t know if he should be feeling tons of heat either. With all that said, Arizona owner Michael Bidwill still should rightfully be frustrated.
• Buccaneers 16, Rams 13
  • The Buccaneers lack explosiveness, and Tom Brady has obviously regressed at age 45, but Tampa Bay should still win the NFC South, especially on the heels of this victory. After all, Tampa Bay still has an awesome defense, led by Vita Vea and others, that can lift the offense up on its worst days.
  • The Rams may be finished. Matthew Stafford is either suffering from an elbow injury to a high degree, or he simply mailed it in this past offseason after winning the Super Bowl. Either way, Los Angeles is in a world of trouble, as the only bright spots have been Cooper Kupp, Aaron Donald, and Jalen Ramsey. This team has minimal depth, which didn’t cost it last season, but is rearing its ugly head in 2022. Running backs typically don’t make a huge impact, but it’s mind-boggling as to why the Rams even give Cam Akers any opportunities. Akers has been a failure, dating even back to his days with Florida State.
• Chiefs 20, Titans 17
  • Patrick Mahomes wasn’t amazing in this game, as he threw just one touchdowns on 68 attempts, but he’s proven he’s the league’s best quarterback. Travis Kelce, who caught 10 balls for 106 yards in this contest, is still easily good enough to be Mahomes’ top option, and the defense even stepped it up last night, getting nice games from Carlos Dunlap and L’Jarius Sneed.
  • The Titans are fairly balanced and well-coached, but the passing game is a major issue. I wouldn’t expect Malik Willis to be ready at this point, but he’s been thrown into the fire with Ryan Tannehill’s injury, and it’s hurt the team. Luckily for Tennessee, it has plenty of room for air, as it currently holds a 2.0 game lead in the weak AFC South.

NBA

• Raptors 113, Bulls 104
  • At 5-6, the Bulls should maybe be feeling a bit restless. Yes, Zach LaVine has played in only seven games, but the Bulls look pretty mediocre, which isn’t ideal for a veteran team that has made loads of investments on the present.
• Grizzlies 103, Wizards 97
  • Desmond Bane deserves praise for his year-in, year-out improvement. Bane is up to 24.6 PPG this season, which has made it easier for the Grizzlies to take the next step. The Grizzlies might have at least some claim to being the Western Conference’s best team.
• Jazz 110, Clippers 102
  • I had a sneaking suspicion the Jazz wouldn’t be as bad as people thought, but in no way, shape, or form did I expect an 8-3 start for Utah. Mike Conley, Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, and Lauri Markkanen have all been impressive thus far.

MLB

• Mets sign RP Edwin Diaz to five-year, $102M contract
  • $102M is a lot for a relief pitcher, and it’s not an amount I would hand out, but I don’t hate this for the Mets. New York should be a good team moving forward, so it’s important the club secures a strong bullpen. Diaz can certainly help with that. Also, not to mention, Diaz is just 28-years-old and an absolutely amazing pitcher.