Burke Sports Talk

MLB Guardians 3, Tigers 1 Are … the Guardians going to run down the Tigers?! Detroit comfortably led the AL Central for the majority of this season, but after a Cleveland sweep, the Tigers’ lead is just 3.5 games. Normally, that would be a solid cushion with just over a week remaining, but Detroit travels…

MLB Braves 6, Nationals 3 This was a September makeup game between two teams out of the postseason picture, and well, the crowd was indicative of it. The paid attendance was 15,584, but the audience on TV looked significantly smaller. During late-inning rain showers, even less people were watching. Nationals Park has never been known…

NBA Hawks receive:Cash considerations Nets receive:PG Kobe Bufkin After just two seasons, the Hawks are cutting bait on Bufkin. The No. 15 overall selection in 2023, Bufkin has looked overmatched in his 27 career games. Normally a move like this would be shocking, but the Michigan combo guard was overdrafted. Bufkin averaged 5.3 points, 2.1…

NFL Cowboys sign G Tyler Smith to four-year, $96 million contract extension This agreement is the largest for a guard in NFL history, surpassing the deal the Chiefs gave Trey Smith earlier this year. Smith, 24, is already one of the best guards in the NFL, so it was expected that the Cowboys would ink…

MLB Cubs 6, Rays 4 Matthew Boyd has offered up several uneven starts of late, and yesterday’s outing continued the downward trend. The Cubs will need the southpaw to start in a likely wild-card series, but time is running out for the All-Star to right the ship. Five innings of four-run ball — Boyd’s output…

NFL Packers 27, Commanders 18 After both of these teams won in Week 1, this game became an opportunity for the winner to assert itself in the NFC race. For the Packers, it would be a sign that the Micah Parsons trade was a success. For the Commanders, it would be a sign that the…

NFL Vikings 27, Bears 24 Did you hear that crash? That was the odds of the Bears winning the NFC North slamming into the ground. Chicago has struggled in divisional games for years, and it appears that monkey is still on the back of the franchise. This contest, however, was more about the Vikings. Minnesota,…

NCAAF (1) Ohio State 70, Grambling State 0 This was just about as large of a mismatch you’ll find in college football. Thus, Ohio State was able to try some tactics it didn’t use last week versus Texas. The early game plan for the Buckeyes was to let Julian Sayin sling it. A former five…

NFL Chargers 27, Chiefs 21 This game had numerous storylines, but Justin Herbert stole the show. In a contest that involved Patrick Mahomes, that’s a big deal. Herbert, at least from a public-image perspective, needed a performance like this one to garner acclaim. To the bewilderment of some, the Chargers were a run-first offense last…

NFL Eagles 24, Cowboys 20 This game was the tale of two halves. From the start, both offenses were clicking, so much so that each team scored a touchdown on its first two possessions. The offensive onslaught slowed but didn’t stop after that, as the contest went to halftime at 21-20. Halftime, however, wasn’t the…

NFL Cowboys sign FB Hunter Luepke to two-year, $7.5 million contract extension Luepke is the last of an (almost) dying breed — the fullback. Playing over 300 snaps last season, Luepke was a sporadic piece of the Cowboys’ offense. His role likely won’t increase further, but his talent level still can. It’ll have to for…

NFL Texans sign QB Davis Mills to one-year, $7 million contract extension Mills is one of the better — and younger — backup quarterbacks in the NFL, and now he’ll be paid as such. The 2021 third-round selection was miscast and overextended as a starter in his first two seasons, but he’s settled in nicely…

AFC East Bills (14-3)Patriots (7-10)Dolphins (5-12)Jets (5-12) North Ravens (14-3)Bengals (11-6)Steelers (9-8)Browns (2-15) South Texans (10-7)Jaguars (7-10)Colts (6-11)Titans (4-13) West Chiefs (14-3)Broncos (12-5)Chargers (10-7)Raiders (6-11) NFC East Eagles (13-4)Commanders (7-10)Cowboys (7-10)Giants (4-13) North Vikings (11-6)Lions (10-7)Packers (10-7)Bears (9-8) South Buccaneers (11-6)Falcons (6-11)Saints (4-13)Panthers (3-14) West 49ers (13-4)Seahawks (10-7)Rams (10-7)Cardinals (8-9) Playoffs Wild Card (7) Chargers…

MLB Nationals 2, Marlins 0 I didn’t have high hopes for Andrew Alvarez’s MLB debut yesterday, but the 26-year-old spun a gem. Pitching five innings, Alvarez allowed just one hit and picked up the win. The Nationals need quality innings, both this season and next, so perhaps Alvarez can factor into the club’s plans. The…

NCAAF (12) Illinois 52, Western Illinois 3 It’ll be fascinating to see whether Illinois can live up to lofty expectations this season, but last night didn’t give us an answer. That’s no fault of the Fighting Illini, however. Western Illinois is a weak opponent. Duke — in Durham — next week will present more of…

NFL Cowboys receive:DT Kenny Clark2026 first-round pick2027 first-round pick Packers receive:EDGE Micah Parsons Hoo boy. I — along with many others — assumed the Cowboys and Parsons would come to an eventual agreement, keeping one of the best players in the league with Dallas for the duration of his prime. That, however, was until yesterday…

NFL Dolphins sign CB Rasul Douglas to one-year, $3 million contract The Dolphins keep applying Band-Aids to their cornerback room, and Douglas is the latest adhesive patched on. A 29-year-old journeyman, Douglas will be playing for his fifth team. His play dipped significantly last season, but he still made 58 tackles. In Miami, he’ll be…

NFL Commanders sign WR Terry McLaurin to three-year, $96 million contract extension Entering yesterday, there were four active contract disputes in the NFL. Among the four, an agreement between the Commanders and McLaurin seemed the closest to the finish line. Now, we wait and see what happens for Trey Hendrickson, Cameron Heyward and Micah Parsons.…

NFL Eagles receive:QB Sam Howell2026 sixth-round pick Vikings receive:2026 fifth-round pick2027 seventh-round pick There was an additional piece of business that followed this transaction. The Vikings, to replace Howell, signed Carson Wentz to assume their backup quarterback role. This is a confusing move by the Eagles. Second-string signal-caller Tanner McKee is banged up, but that…

It was wonderful to have real, meaningful football back yesterday. Let’s embrace the next five and a half months. NCAAF (22) Iowa State 24, (17) Kansas State 21 If having college football return wasn’t enough, we started the season with a ranked matchup. It was delightful. The play in this contest, however, was not delightful…