MLB Spring Season 2020

The Mets started their spring season yesterday and, going into the new season, they are actually surprising contenders for the NL East title and even the World Series.

In the three spring training games, the Mets’ young talent showed … talent. JD Davis is back and is showing his hitting once again, going 1 for 2 against the Cardinals. The guys out of the bullpen against the Cardinals just allowed 1 run, with vet Marcus Stroman allowing the other one. But, the Mets being the Mets lost to the Cardinals 2-0. Some of the starters last year actually played the full game, like Dominic Smith. That’s why they are hopefuls for the World Series and will continue to get better. They already have an okay team, almost getting to the Wild Card Game last year and having a lot of young talent. In the foreseeable future, they could actually win the World Series. The Mets then lost another one and this one may make them blush. They played the Marlins, who were at the bottom of the ocean last year, a disgusting 57-105. But here, at least they scored some runs, and the final from Port St. Lucie was 5-3. Lumbering vets Wilson Ramos and Matt Adams – Adams being a nice offseason pickup (he will provide the power from the bench or the lineup), Wilson had two ribbies and one hit in 2 plate appearances and Matt Adams had no hits but he did have an RBI. Michael Conforto is probably going to be the leader of the clubhouse going into next season because he is one of the players who has the longest tenure as a Met. He had a hit and a run. A player who will be much better in a few years than Amed Rosario is now is Andres Gimenez, who will definitely replace him as the starter. He only had a hit on Saturday. The young hitters on the Mets, backing up the starters, showed no signs of life at all, having 0 hits on Saturday. The relievers weren’t too good, blowing the tie and the offense never came back.

Today, the Mets’ performance wasn’t quite bad enough for them to lose, but not quite good enough to win, they tied. JD Davis had an RBI, pickup Jake Marisnick who I think deserves a lineup spot, in left or center. Ryan Cordell, a guy who played for the White Sox last year, he hit 7 homers in a pretty solid year for them, he added a dinger for them in this game. The bullpen held amazingly strong, until new guy Franklyn Kilome, who the Mets got in a trade with the Phillies, blew the lead.

As expected, the Nationals fans were funny in their game with the Astros yesterday. One fan held up a sign that said Houston *’s because they (as well as me) believe that a * should be put next to their name in the record book as the 2017 World Series Champions. And many fans banged on their seats to mimic how supposedly the Astros banged on a garbage can in the dugout to relay the stolen signals. Also, there were a ton, and I mean a ton of boos, probably by everyone who’s a fan of baseball also, just in their heads, as the Astros walked on the field. Manager Dusty Baker was applauded by Nationals fans because he was their manager in 2016 and 2017, leading them to NL East titles, then getting fired because he didn’t advance in the playoffs, I don’t know how much of that is his fault, though.

The Yankees got their injury woes back again this Spring Training with Luis Severino, who has never consistently played, is shelved, or partially shelved again this year, this time with forearm soreness. The Yankees also don’t know if James Paxton is going to be ready for the season, so, this means that the Yanks will have two open rotation spots.

Something that I want to see is Yoenis Cespedes being ready for Opening Day – that would be so nice – and him racking up a few hits on Opening Day. I see the Mets winning the NL East by 5 games, Braves in second, Nats in third, Phils in fourth and Marlins in 5 (sorry fish). I see them at about 93-94 wins. Another thing is the Mets will call up Andres Gimenez, I really want to see that.

NBA Midseason Awards

COTY: Erik Spoelstra, Miami Heat

He should win this award because he took this team from not even making the playoffs, to being a prime contender in a very tough top of the East – the bottom is looking like a Rec league. He had some help from up top, acquiring big-name Jimmy Butler and a bunch of other guys but he strung them together into a game plan they all like.

SMOTY: Dennis Schroder, OKC Thunder

For sure, he’s going to win. Lou Will’s time is up. Dennis is backing up Chris Paul, who’s surprisingly playing like he’s 26, instead of 35. Lou is posting up 19.5 PPG and 5.9 APG on 41% on the field. He also drained 331 shots. Dennis has 19.3 PPG and 4 APG, on 47% from the field, he drained 388. The stats don’t really show it, but he’s faster and more elusive than the 34-year-old Williams.

MIP: Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat

Okay, don’t lie and say you’ve heard of Bam Adebayo before this year, just don’t do it (unless you’re a Heat fan). He has 15.8 PPG, 10.4 RPG and 4.9 APG. They are all improvements from 8.9 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and 2.2 APG. He’s also faster from his bulky and muscular build, which means if he improves his shooting, he could stretch the floor and could become one of the best-undersized centers in basketball’s history.

DPOY: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks or Andre Drummond, Cleveland Cavaliers

The reason I’m debating this is if defensive rebounds didn’t count, then Giannis wins, no doubt. But, when Andre Drummond is leading the defensive rebounds category, with Giannis in third, and Drummond is in third in steals, with point guards surrounding him on both sides for about 2 spots in each direction; he is also 10^th in blocks, with Giannis nowhere near him. Giannis is leading the scientific defensive categories, which the people who created them don’t even know how to find them, the underpaid workers at ESPN shout out random numbers and type them on the stats page for that category.

ROY: Sorry Grizzlies Fans: Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans

In just 10 games, Zion had already scored 221 points, third-most by a number one overall pick (but, keep in mind, those two, [Shaquille O’Neal and Allen Iverson] didn’t have a devastating knee injury and literally had to be taught how to walk again). He is just so good, he’s posting up on guys that are 4 inches taller than him and are huge. But, Zion throws them around like cans in a hurricane, all over the court (not literally, no NBA players have been harmed in the making of his blog post). Ja is very explosive also, lobbing up passes and throwing down dunks, all while shooting threes, Zion can also do that. Just Zion is much stronger. Oh yeah, sorry, RJ Barrett.

MVP: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks

Do I even have to explain myself. Giannis is tall, he can rebound very well, he has speed, and he has strength, and literally is picking up the Bucks organization, along with the actual animal that lives in the forest. He is average 30 PPG, 13.5 RPG and still averaging over 5 assists per game. He isn’t doing too well from the charity stripe (the free throw line), but then again, he can shoot farther than 4 feet away from the rim. There are also no real competitors, who play up to his level, probably LeBron James, coming in at a distant 2.

Finals:

I know this is cliché, and I’m sorry: Bucks over Lakers. 

NBA Trade Deals – Big Names Get Moved

The biggest deal of this year’s trade deadline was that D’Angelo Russell went to the Timberwolves on a quite lopsided deal. Russell is a prime and explosive shooter and scorer. He’s averaging 23.6 PPG and 6.2 assists, not exactly the most “sharing” guard but he’s so explosive. Shooting guard Jacob Evans also goes to the Warriors as well as forward Omari Spellman, it gives the T’ Wolves some bench depth, but I wouldn’t even want either of them, maybe a 2^nd round pick but I wouldn’t want to clog up the salary cap. The Warriors get Andrew Wiggins and a first and a second round pick, but I think the Warriors should’ve fought for more, after all, the Wolves were tracking Russell for a while and wanted him a lot. The Warriors should’ve gotten Josh Okogie and Malik Beasley. I know it’s a lot, but, it’s fair.

The Rockets messed up here, a lot. Clint Capela, the Rockets’ height, who averages a double-double per game, is traded to the Hawks, now they’re left with their tallest player being newly acquired Robert Covington at 6’ 7”. Their highest rebounder is going to be their 6’ 6” “giant” at center, PJ Tucker, who’s going to have about 3 rebounds per game. The Rockets get Robert Covington, interesting, now they have 2.5 punch. Russ, Harden and Robert at the 0.5. Minnesota gets Evan Turner and Jarred Vanderbilt, I have just heard about them for the first time today. Like, what are you doing? Minnesota, be aggressive and that’s guaranteeing a playoff spot. Were they trying to clear up cap space or something? Like, if I was a free agent, I wouldn’t want to sign with Minnesota, eew. No other big names were traded. The teams involved were the Hawks, Rockets, Timberwolves and Nuggets.

Another three-team trade, this one with Clippers, Knicks and Wizards.

 A very accurate representation on the teams in this trade.  The Clippers won this trade by far, acquiring Marcus Morris Sr., a solid 15+ points per game, which is amazing, and really short PG Isaiah Thomas, who they’re planning to waive, I heard. Now, with the hilariously over-filled forward rotation, acquired yet another forward, now, what on the big, blue earth was Scott Perry or whoever the Knicks GM is now. Watch them use all of their first round picks on forwards but then use their second rounder on a guard from an unheard-of college somewhere in the middle of Kansas. They acquired solid forward Moe Harkless and Issuf Sanon (but I don’t really know if they acquired him, it only says they acquired the rights). They also got a first rounder. The Wizards acquired Jerome Robinson, who’s not good, but gives them depth at the guard position.

Andre Drummond got traded from the Detroit Pistons to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a Big Mac left over from when Andre was born, a banana peel found in a dumpster and the best part of the deal, a diet coke, oh wait, I’m getting word now that there’s only the can left, oh wait, nope, not over yet, it is reportedly crushed too. Andre Drummond, who averages a double-double per game, 17.8 PPG and 15.8 RPG does not have that kind of trade value, this trade should’ve included so much more. He’s on my fantasy team, and he gets 35-40 fantasy points per game, he’s a beast in the paint. He’s also the league’s top rebounder and top center in my book, top 10 player in my book as well. The Pistons got back John Henson and Brandon Knight back, both of them combined are scoring 9.9 PPG and 5.2 RPG. I don’t get it, like clear up cap space, sure, but don’t get back two bench incinerators, oh, and a 2^nd round pick, not 1^st, second. 

My Thoughts about Super Bowls 2020 & 2021

The 2020 Super Bowl was a good one, not like last year when the teams had don’t-score-in-the-biggest-game-of-the-season syndrome, oh, what a horrible disease, affects all sports fans. Well, now the star of the Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes, has a shining Super Bowl resume: an MVP, a trip to Disney World, 76 touchdowns in two full seasons and 9,128 passing yards in two full seasons. As for the Super Bowl MVP, he shouldn’t have won that honor. In three quarters, he wasn’t doing well at all, but, he was scrambling, he finished with 29 yards and one touchdown. Then, in the fourth quarter he wakes up and leads his team to a 10-point comeback, which, don’t get me wrong, is phenomenal, amazing. Damien Williams had 104 yards rushing, one touchdown on the ground, 29 yards receiving and one touchdown receiving. Including a very acrobatic touchdown that had to be reviewed but it stood for a touchdown. Jimmy Garapollo was actually very bad, he was doing so badly that he tried to impersonate his opponent, Mahomes, by throwing an eyes closed pass, which ended up as one of his two INTs.

Raheem Mostert didn’t even have a good game, even though I said he would have to take charge, Garapollo actually took charge with his eyes closed, (literally and because they lost). They did a lot of handoffs to the wide receivers and a lot of potential flee flickers, Kyle Shanahan obviously thought his would work. I’m saying that John Lynch, one of the smartest men in football, could definitely put this team into contention for another Super Bowl.

Just watching the game you could see how much Nick Bosa made a difference. He was beating his defender all night, Mahomes got his throws off very, very fast. He only got 1 sack though and I don’t know why Andy Reid didn’t put Damien in as a blocker for most of the game (then Mahomes would’ve won MVP without any words out of my mouth about that) or locking Nick up in a double team all game, which would’ve been better. The Niners D also got Mahomes to throw two picks, one of which were his fault, the ball bounced off of his receiver’s hands the second.

The Chiefs weren’t giving Jimmy G anything all game long, but he threw 31 and completed 20. The 49ers O line was amazing; they were doubling Chris Jones a lot, which is very smart on the inexperienced coach’s side. They only allowed 1 sack, but Jimmy threw two picks, one of them, he thought closing his eyes would be successful, but proved not to be. When the 49ers were trying to mount a bit of a game-winning drive with about a minute game, Kendall Fuller mosses (or aggressively catches over) poor Deebo Samuel to lock up Andy Reid’s first Super Bowl.

Way, Way too Early Super Bowl LV Prediction:

Saints – Chiefs: Saints 38-35

And the Vince Lombardi Trophy Goes to ...

The most exciting point of this NFL football season is upon us. The Super Bowl. The contenders are the San Fransisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs. But you probably know this already. So this blog will be about my predictions and my evidence.

Being in Andy Reid’s position, I think he should try to attack on the ground, even though they have a prodigy and beast at QB. The Chiefs should do this only because the 49er pass defense is disgustingly good. They have Richard Sherman and Jimmie Ward out there, an amazing secondary already, plus other underrated stars. I’m definitely not saying that their Front 7 isn’t good, with Dee Ford, Nick Bosa and Kwon Alexander staring down Patrick Mahomes all game long. Their run game isn’t the best, they have speed in Damien Williams, just not enough; the O-Line isn’t amazing, it’s adequate, but if they’re going to rely on their run, they need a better one. The Chiefs do have a defensive edge, with Jimmy G, who hasn’t proved himself yet, the Niners are going to rely on Raheem Mostert, their speedy running back. They’re going to be sending their rovers that safety, Tyrann Mathieu and Daniel Sorenson down to blitz. Jimmy G’s going to have to step up a bit more if the Niners want to win.

The Niners are going to rely on their ground game, all game long, Raheem Mostert is going to share the responsibilities with Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida. Their run game is practically unstoppable, but the Chiefs Front 7 isn’t too shabby, so they’re going to come for them all game long. I don’t really like how everyone is saying that the Chiefs are so fast, they have the speed advantage and stuff like that. Really? Yes, they do but not by a lot, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Emanuel Sanders, they also have speed. The Niners weak spot is that their linebackers aren’t too good, and Travis Kelce and Sammy Watkins are going to be running streaks and drags for a while and they’re not going to get a man on them for a few seconds, which is costly in a game.

QB – Chiefs

RB – 49ers

WR – Chiefs

TE – 49ers

OL – 49ers

DL – 49ers

LB – 49ers

CB – 49ers

S – Chiefs

K – Chiefs

Coaching Experience – Chiefs

Better Coach (my opinion) – Andy Reid

Prediction

28-24 Kansas City Chiefs

Remembering Kobe

Drafted 13th overall in 1996,

The youngest ever to play in an NBA game, just 18,

A wizard with the ball, creating space with every move he makes,

Shooting from everywhere, making everything on the floor against the best

Fifteen All-Stars, Five championships, One MVP, Fourth most points in the NBA

Creating chemistry with everyone, a legend, an icon, and an inspirer 

A family man, going to his daughter’s basketball game,

A tragedy happened that caught everyone off guard,

A thing that affected everyone in the world

You will most definitely be remembered,

Kobe

Who should get the 2017 & 2018 MLB Commissioner’s Trophy?

This cheating scandal has shown its ugly head in baseball a few times now, but no one really batted an eyelash. Finally, Rob Manfred, the commissioner, got involved after dealing with the juiced ball scandal, the pitch clock and shedding some minor league teams.

It is mind-boggling how perpetrators committed this dishonest task. Someone said that they had someone in the outfield who gave signals to someone on the bench and they banged on a garbage can, which is very, very, very stupid because nowadays cameras are located everywhere and can record all good and bad actions. But this is very possible since now the time between pitches is about 20-23 seconds which is an adequate amount of time to pass a few signals and bang on a garbage can. Manfred investigated it for a brief period and found out that the Astros and the Red Sox had cheated.

Astros owner Jim Crane immediately took action and GM Jeff Luhnow and manager AJ Hinch were both suspended for a year. Later they were fired from the team. The Astros were fined $5 million and they lost their ’20-’21 draft picks. Nothing as harsh for Red Sox manager Alex Cora, who’s actually very good as a manager. Cora was captain of the cheating ship of the Red Sox but in the Astros it was up in the front office. They “mutually parted,” which really means that he got fired with a lot of screaming but they didn’t want to get into the news too much. Some players deny it, some say move on. The poor two-time series losing Dodgers’ players were very angry and disappointed at this, as others would also be.

To make matters a lot better, they did this during the postseason, especially during the World Series. Their home batting averages were drastically better than those on the road.

Who knows, maybe the Astros did this is 2019 but they failed, maybe the Washington Nationals are some sort of a huge, big, greatest-of-all-time team or something. 

After the accused teams won the ’17 and ’18 World Series, should the titles be taken away from them? Yes. Who should they give it to? I think MLB should just keep it in their back pocket and give it to no one.

Regular NFL season is in the books

Jets 13-Bills 6

It’s nice to see the Jets close out the season at 7-9 but now they’re draft pick isn’t what it could’ve been. They’ll be drafting at 11. Everyone on the Jets played well, including Sam Darnold with 199 yards, a touchdown and a pick. The Bills’ morale has dropped drastically as they’re playing the surprisingly high-powered Texans on wildcard weekend.

Dolphins 27-Patriots 24

The Dolphins beat the Pats, no joke. Ryan Fitzpatrick had an amazing game with 320 yards. The Dolphins run game is sad, with “FitzMagic” being their leading rusher. Their receivers still need a lot of work, even though they’re holding up well. The Dolphins did next to nothing on D, except an Eric Rowe INT returned to the crib. Tom Brady is inconsistent. For the first time in this decade, they’ve gotten only a three seed, instead of a one or two seed. He really can’t keep this up if they want to be successful in the playoffs. The Titans are an easy win, but the next round is where they’ll be trouble.

Eagles 34-Giants 17

Carson Wentz was good again, a solid QB option for them, as their run game is improving, with Boston Scott and Miles Sanders. Boston Scott is very solid, I can see him as the number one RB option for the season opener next season. The Eagles front 7 continues to shine, as they pile on another four sacks here. Everything was working out perfectly for the Eagles in this one to beat out the Cowboys for the division title. Daniel Jones is proving not to be such a draft bust after all, about 300 yards in this one with a touchdown and an INT. Saquon Barkley rises from the dead at the end of the season with 92 yards and a touchdown, next season is proving good if they play the offseason right. The Giants defense needs a lot of work, they need to renovate their whole D.

49ers 26-Seahawks 21

Jimmy Garappolo didn’t do much at all, they have a solid option at QB, with Madden dubbing him an 84 OVR, seems reasonable. Raheem Mostert went off in this game, only 57 yards but two trips to the endzone. They’re keeping their one and two running backs off the field for the playoffs which is smart. Their whole offense is unstoppable; they’re amazing, receivers, running backs and QB. Their D is definitely not the best, after terrorizing Ds in the beginning of the season. This game didn’t tarnish the Seahawks’ playoff appearance, just satisfying the one or two seed. Russell Wilson had yet another good game, Marshawn “Beastmode” Lynch came back and scored a touchdown. Their receivers are good, DK, Tyler Lockett and David Moore all are great. If the Seahawks have somewhere to improve it would be in their defense, it’s good, but it must be better, if they do so, they’re looking at a 1 or 2 seed in the playoffs next season. This game was important because it decided seeding in the playoffs, which could change a lot. And because the Seahawks were inches away from getting that 1 seed. 

Next, wildcard weekend.

Up and Down the Gridiron

The Colts and Texans clashed in a pretty not interesting Thursday Night Football game. Jacoby Brissett was average as usual, 169 yards passing (yikes), no touchdowns (yikes, yikes) and no picks (ok). He had one rushing touchdown; he’s been showing off the wheels these past few weeks. Jonathan Williams recorded the best game of his career probably, 121 total yards and one touchdown, I might add him to my fantasy roster. The Colts receivers have taken a vacation the past few weeks; the highest receiver was Eric Ebron with 44 yards, and the second receiver you might ask? Their other TE, Jack Doyle, with 28 yards, really not good. One sack and one interception for the Colts defense, they don’t have many pieces but the one sack has to go up. Deshaun Watson is a player you could build your franchise on, here; they won, mostly because of Mr. Watson. He had 308 total yards and 2 touchdowns with Kenny Moore picking him off once. Carlos Hyde makes an okay replacement for Lamar Miller, with Carlos being more power back and Lamar being the get and vroom vroom type. Will Fuller saw a good week, 120 yards but no touchdowns. The best wide receiver in the league, Deandre Hopkins had 94 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns, what a game. I don’t think either of the teams will make the playoffs.

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The Dolphins and the Browns played with both teams not having a good season, but this game was a huge shootout, the final score – 41-21. Ryan Fitzpatrick has not had bad games these past few weeks, but he’s just not good. He led their passing game, 214 passing yards, 2 touchdowns and again, his accuracy doesn’t improve with 2 picks. He sadly also led their running game, with 45 rushing yards and a touchdown there too. Their second rusher isn’t even their number 1 running back (not like they have one), Patrick Laird had 20 yards and Kalen Ballage had 13 yards. DeVante Parker has been a sleeping beast, 94 yards in this one and SportsCenter had him on their Fantasy Sleepers segment for 9 weeks in a row, now that’s crazy but he’s also really good. Allen Hurns ran for 42 yards and a touchdown. Mike Gesicki had the other touchdown reception. One sack and surprisingly one interception, the Dolphins still aren’t looking up. Baker Mayfield had a really good game, 327 yards, 3 touchdowns and one INT. Nick Chubb is actually good, 106 yards and one touchdown, their backup, Kareem Hunt had 37 yards and one touchdown. Jarvis Landry had a fun game, 148 yards and two touchdowns, which is amazing. AMAZING. Odell Beckham Jr. had 84 yards and one touchdown. The Browns defense went off, 4 sacks and two picks, now they overplayed themselves.

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The Lions and the Redskins squared off, two not good teams. The Lions need Matthew Stafford to come back because Jeff Driskel is just hot trash. He had 207 yards (ok, fine), 1 touchdown (what do you say now?) and 3 picks (you have to be on my side now unless you’re his parents). Bo Scarbrough managed 98 yards and Jeff Driskel moving the chains using his feet running for 63 yards (huh, maybe he’s not a dumpster fire, maybe he’s just the dumpster or the fire). Kenny Golladay is that one kid in middle school that everyone thinks he’s the greatest of all time and then he has one good game and then everything else is trash. Well, in this game, he had an okay game, 61 yards only.  The TE, Logan Thomas, had 24 yards and the one touchdown. The Lions defense match their record skill level wise, they had 2 sacks and one pick, not nothing, but not 10 sacks and 5 picks. Dwayne Haskins was soooooooooooo bad, 156 yards and one pick, Redskins fans must be really happy with their QB. Derrius Guice had 32 yards and Adrian Peterson had 27 yards, their run game also isn’t good. Terry McLaurin had 72 yards and Kevin Harmon had 43. The whole Redskins are just bad. 6 sacks and 3 picks for the Redskins D, no, not the Patriots D, the Redskins D did this.

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The Jets have been mowing over everyone these past 3 weeks, all of them scoring 34 points exactly. In this one, Derek Carr had a very bad game, so Jon Gruden decided to bench him later in the game. He had 127 yards passing and 1 pick, wow, that’s not good. Josh Jacobs was LOCKED UP, only 34 yards on 10 carries, wow, I mean, the Jets have one of the best run Ds in the NFL. Jalen Richard, the running back had 47 yards and Darren Waller, their TE had 41 yards. The Raiders defense was scary bad this week, 1 sack and no picks in this one. Sam Darnold looks more like Joe Namath than Sam Darnold these past few weeks. In this game he passed for 315 yards and 2 touchdowns with no picks, now that’s a performance. Le’Veon Bell managed out only 49 yards, continuing his performance that doesn’t match his 52 mil contract what so ever. Robby Anderson had 86 yards and a touchdown, averaging 21.5 yards a catch. Braxton Berrios had 69 yards, but he didn’t deserve them, one reception and the whole Raiders defense collapsed leaving the speedster for 40 yards of open space and then get pushed out of bounds at the two. The Jets D didn’t have a fun day, only 1 sack and one interception. The Jets can make a late playoff push; they have the Bengals and the Dolphins in the next two weeks.

The Giants and Bears played a game and it was a close one. At the beginning of the season the Bears defense was projected to be grizzlies and polar bears, now, they’re just the Bad News Bears. They aren’t good at all. Daniel Jones had 150 yards and two touchdowns in this game, he also had 27 yards on the ground, he’s better than a lot of other QBs, but just not really good. Saquon Barkley has hit a few roadblocks in his past two weeks, only 59 yards in this one and one yard receiving. I bet scouts didn’t see this one coming, he was just daises and the sun shining and him getting 200 yards a game. Darius Slayton had 67 yards and Golden Tate continues his streak of being good, he had 33 yards and one touchdown. The Giants secondary had a good day, but their front 7 didn’t: 2 picks and 2 sacks. Mitch Trubisky had 278 yards, one touchdown, and two picks. If I were the Bears, I would go QB shopping immediately. The Bears have great running back options, if Matt Nagy knew how to use them, they would be 9-3 instead of 6-6. Tarik Cohen had 25 yards on the ground and 29 yards in the air, a versatile back, very good. Allen Robinson is amazing, he was such a sleeper, now when he started to go crazy, people started to pick him up in fantasy leagues. He had 131 yards and a touchdown in this game. The Bears D went hibernating in this game, 1 sack and no picks. The Carolina Panthers have had games in the past few weeks where, even if they’re playing powerhouses, they sometimes win, but they keep it interesante, like that beer or rum commercial, to the last few seconds.

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Kyle Allen has taken over Carolina, if Cam Newton comes back, Ron Rivera will have a very hard decision at hand. He had 256 yards passing but 3 touchdowns and no picks. Christian McCaffrey is a cheat code, he probably the best running back in the league, as Madden said, joining the 99 Club, I don’t think defenses will ever figure him out, ever. He rushed for 64 yards and one touchdown and had 69 yards and one touchdown in the air. DJ Moore has turned into the best Carolina receiver, he definitely turned into an elite receiver, but Carolina’s best for sure. He went off in this game for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Carolina’s D was very average, 2 sacks and one INT. Drew Brees scored another stellar performance, 311 yards in the air, 3 touchdowns and one interception. Latavius Murray had more rushing yards then one of the best running backs in the league, Alvin Kamara. He had 64 and a touchdown, Kamara had 54 and no touchdown. Michael Thomas continues his scorching streak, 101 yards here and one touchdown. Jared Cook also had a touchdown along with 99 yards. Four sacks and no picks for the Saints D against a really tough Carolina offense.

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The Seahawks and Eagles played, it was actually a very interesting game. Russel Wilson had a normal game: 200 yards passing, 1 touchdown and 1 pick, his MVP case has gone down by the weeks. Chris Carson was atrocious compared to his other games this season, 26 yards on the ground and 31 yards in the air. Rashaad Penny, on the other hand, was a faster version of Emmit Smith, 129 yards on 14 carries (That’s almost a first down per carrying) and a touchdown. The receiving leader was Tyler Lockett, 1 reception and 38 yards, he was the key piece why I won this week. The defense had 3 sacks and 2 interceptions. Carson Wentz had an OK game, 256 yards passing, 1 touchdown and 2 picks. If a team needs a QB late, for sure take him for someone decent. Miles Sanders is coming clutch for the Eagles as Jordan Howard is injured and Sanders is being a really good backup. Zach Ertz had 91 yards and a touchdown, nothing more really to talk about in the receiving column. The Eagles D went crazy for 6 sacks and 2 interceptions, they’ve been reallllllly good.

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The Bucs and the Falcons played a game that the Bucs need to win to stay out of elimination. Jameis Winston continued his averageness, 313 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 picks, the Bucs rely on him because of their not-so-great running back situation. Speaking of RBs, Ronald Jones had 51 yards and a touchdown, he’s okay, but Jameis Winston is better. Chris Godwin went crazy in this game, he caught for 184 yards and two touchdowns. Mike Evans, the other head of their two-headed monster only had 50 yards in this game. The Bucs D had 6 sacks and one pick, this performance doesn’t match their record, but somehow they did it, they don’t even have that many good pieces. Matt Ryan had 271 yards and a pick, no wonder they lost. Matt Schaub had to step in and he threw 9 passes, completed 5, got 55 yards out of those and a touchdown. Qadree Ollison had 20 yards and a touchdown, I don’t even know who that is, but a good performance. Calvin Ridley has been so good for the Falcons, except he’s got a horrible QB, he had 85 yards and a touchdown. The Falcons O-Line prevented anyone from touching Matt Ryan, no sacks but 2 picks for the Falcons D.

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The Bills and Broncos played in a not interesting matchup. Brandon Allen, the Broncos backup, played horrible, what can you expect? He had 82 yards a pick, ouch. Phillip Lindsay had 57 yards on 13 carries. Courtland Sutton had 1 reception and 27 yards, the leader in receiving yards. The Broncos defense played horrible, 1 sack and 1 pick, wow, no wonder they only scored a field goal. Josh Allen is very underrated, he’s a speedster at QB, he’s got arm strength for days, he has the most arm power in the whole league, not Mahomes. Devin Singletary had 106 yards, Frank Gore had 65 and Josh Allen had 56. Cole Beasley had 76 yards and one touchdown as well as John Brown, he had 39 yards and a touchdown. The Bills D had 4 sacks and 1 pick against a very bad Broncos offense.

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The Steelers played the Bengals in a sure win here. Mason Rudolph had an amazing game here, 85 yards and a pick, wow. Delvin Hodges attempted and completed fewer passes than him and got 118 yards and a touchdown. The sleeper, Benny Snell Jr., had 98 yards on 21 carries, Kerrith Whyte Jr. had 43 yards, I don’t know who that is. James Washington had more receiving yards than Mason Rudolph had passing yards, he had 98 and a touchdown. Deon Cain broke off for a 35 reception which was his only of the game. Four sacks and no picks for the high-powered Steelers defense. Ryan Finley had 192 yards and 1 touchdown, eek. It’s either that or Andy Dalton, so I would choose Finley. Joe Mixon all of a sudden got really good, 79 yards on the ground on 18 carries, I traded him early in the season in my fantasy league because he was getting 12 yards on 23 carries each game. Tyler Boyd had 101 yards and a touchdown, they need AJ Green to come back because right now, Boyd is their number one. The really good Bengals defense got three sacks and one pick, they have no one, except Geno Atkins and he got nothing this game.

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The Titans squared off with the Jags, and Derrick Henry loved this game. Nick Foles got 272 yards and nothing more, they’re failing with Minshew, they neeeeeeeeeed him. Leonard Fourtnette had 97 yards and two touchdowns here. Dede Westbrook had 69 yards and no touchdown and Chris Conley had 49 yards. The Jags defense got a tranquilizer shot in this game, only 1 sack and no picks. Ryan Tannehill earned 259 yards and 2 touchdowns, he actually got better than Marcus Mariota. Derrick Henry ran for 159 yards and two touchdowns. Ryan Tannehill had 40 yards and two touchdowns. Three sacks and no picks in this one for the Titans.

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The Cowboys and the Patriots had an interesting game. Dak Prescott had 212 passing yards and one pick. Ezekiel Elliott had 86 yards off of 21 carries. Randall Cobb is such a reliable receiver, 86 yards in this one. Michael Gallup had 55 yards off of 4 receptions. The Cowboys D had two sacks and no picks against the crazy good Pats offense. Tom Brady had 190 yards off of 17 completions and one touchdown. Sony Michel earned 85 yards off of 20 carries to carry the run game. Julian Edelman had 93 yards, N’Keal Harry had 10 yards and the one touchdown in the whole game. The Pats O-Line was so good in this game, no sacks allowed, 1 pick for the Pats D though.

The Packers and 49ers had such a good game, I loved it, it was interesting. Aaron Rodgers ran for 104 yards and a touchdown, not good. Jamaal Williams reached 45 yards, which is more than their starter had, Aaron Jones ran 38 yards on 13 carries. Davante Adams had only 43 yards and one touchdown. The Packers D had 3 sacks and no picks, good for the eventual score of this. Jimmy Garopollo had 253 yards and 2 touchdowns, he’s been really good this season. Raheem Mostert managed 45 yards and a touchdown. George Kittle had 129 yards and one touchdown, Deebo Samuel hit 50 yards and a touchdown. The Niners D had five sacks and no picks.

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The Ravens and the Rams played a lopsided game, 45-6, final score. Lamar Jackson ran for 169 yards and 5 touchdowns, he also had 95 yards on the ground. He is the MVP of the league, 100%, Russel Wilson is in the dust. Mark Ingram had 111 yards and a touchdown, he is an absolute workhorse, he’s big and he’s fast. Miles Boykin reached 54 yards. Marquise “Hollywood” Brown had 42 and touchdowns, Willie Snead had 14 yards and two touchdowns, Mark Ingram managed 7 yards and a touchdown. Two sacks and two interceptions for the great Ravens defense. Jared Goff recorded an atrocious game, 212 yards and two interceptions. Todd Gurley had 22 yards off of 6 carries. Robert Woods carried for 97 yards off of 6 receptions. Cooper Kupp had 35 yards off of 6 receptions. No picks but three sacks for the Rams defense.  

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More next week.

Up and Down the Gridiron – Week 12

The Steelers and the Browns had a few fireworks, or maybe more. First of all, I think the Steelers need to go out and get some other quarterback; Mason Rudolph has no accuracy and no throwing power. I think some 7th graders in my school are better than him in everything. He had 221 yards and 4 picks, again, no accuracy. James Connor sent all expectations down the incinerator, only 10 yards rushing on 5 carries. Jaylen Samuels, who is a dual-threat running back, had 5 carries for 26 yards, the leader in rushing for the team in this game. The Steelers have speed for days with their receivers with James Washington and Diontae Johnson topping them off. The receivers would be good if they didn’t have a middle schooler at QB, I hope they could get like a Carson Wentz or a Dak Prescott, but that one’s stretching it. The Steelers D should be better because they have all the correct pieces, only one sack and no picks in this one. Baker Mayfield exceeded expectations but this will not bring up his expectations for the next game, his season stats can back that one up for you. Baker threw for 193 yards with two touchdowns and zero picks, he did well. If I was the coach of the Browns, I would put Kareem Hunt and RB, his speed and explosiveness is no match for Nick Chubb, but a lot of teams could trade for him. “*cough* *cough* Jets *cough*.” Le’Veon Bell has been atrocious this year. Odell Bechkam Jr. was better than average in this game, 60 yards to be exact. Kareem Hunt had 46 yards (see what I’m talking about?), Jarvis Landry had 43 yards. Cleveland’s defense had 4 sacks and 4 picks, veeeeeeeerrrrrrryyyyy good. Myles Garrett and Mason Rudolph went at it, but it’s a DE vs a QB, the DE’s gonna win. I don’t like what Larry Ogunjobi did, he pushed Mason Rudolph to the ground when all he was doing there was standing, and all he got was a 1 game suspension, not good. Myles Garrett claimed Mason said racial slurs at him before the game; I don’t know how much of that is right.

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The Jets and the Redskins played one of the tank bowls of the season. Sam Darnold had a career game, 293 passing yards, 4 touchdowns and 1 INT. He tied his career record for passing touchdowns. Le’Veon Bell had 59 yards, one of his season highs, eh. He also had one trip to the end zone. Ryan Griffin had 109 yards receiving and one touchdown catch in this one, Jamison Crowder had 76 yards and 1 touchdown. Thomas Demaryius had 44 yards and one long one near the end. How everyone thought the Jets defense would play this game, Jamal Adams had this game in his back pocket, 3 sacks but no picks. The rest of the defense had 3 sacks and one pick. Dwayne Haskins was supposed to be better throughout the whole season, he only had 214 yards passing and 2 touchdowns in this contest. The future Hall of Famer only ran for 25 yards off of 9 carries, disgusting. Terry McLaurin had 63 yards and Kevin Harmon had 53 yards. Darius Guice and Jeremy Sprinkle each had a touchdown reception. The Redskins defense played exactly how it was projected, 2 sacks and one interception, definitely Redskin like.

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The Jaguars’ coach made the wrong decision when he benched scrambler Gardner Minshew. He was so fast for a QB, his accuracy was great and his throw on the run was probably better than someone like Deshaun Watson. So Nick Foles had 296 yards in the air along with 2TDs and 1 pick. It was a much better debut than expected. The beast Leonard Fournette only had 23 yards on the ground; I don’t know how the Colts defense held them to only 23. DJ Chark had a game for the ages, 104 yards, and two touchdowns. Chris Conley caught for 58 yards and Fournette had 34 yards, good for a running back, but not good for Fournette. Myles Jack is an absolute animal for the Jags D, he had 7 tackles – that is amazing, even for a great player. The whole D had 3 sacks and one picks, average. Jacoby Brissett for the Colts had 148 passing yards and 1 touchdown as well as one pick. I don’t like him as a quarterback because he’s a one-trick pony but he’s not even good at that one trick, throwing. Jonathan Williams had 116 yards, it’s in the back of my mind to get him on my fantasy team. Marlon Mack had 108 yards and one touchdown for him, he just needs to improve his speed and he’ll be great. I think they should bench Marlon Mack and put in Jonathan Williams and Nyheim Hines, Williams is just good and Hines is just sooooooooo fast. The Colts receiving is pretty bad, Marcus Johnson leading with 38 in this game. The Colts D had 2 sacks and 1 pick, average.

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The Bills beat the Dolphins (shocker) in a shootout. Josh Allen had 256 passing yards, 56 rushing yards, 3 passing touchdowns and 1 rushing touchdown. Devin Singletary had 75 yards on the ground and Frank Gore with 27 yards. John Brown had practice in this game, 137 yards plus two touchdowns, which absolutely dominated. Cole Beasley is always good but in this game, he took it down a notch, only 38 yards. Dawson Knox had one receiving touchdown; he’s a better player than most people think. The Dolphins had no O-Line in this game, 7 sacks, now how did they do that, I really don’t know, the Bills aren’t even that good. No picks on the secondary side. Ryan Fitzpatrick had everything working for him, 323 passing yards, but then he got no passing touchdown, finally a game to make himself good in the eyes of fans, but no, no passing touchdowns and no sacks. The Dolphins run game was just sad, 25 yards over three guys over 11 carries. Their leading tailback, Kalen Ballage had 9 yards on 9 carries, maybe what I said in my last blog about Kalen being average was completely wrong, he actually sucks. Receiving wise, DeVante Parker had 135 yards but no touchdowns. Allen Hurns made a speedy comeback with his disgusting leg injury last February, he had 53 yards. The Dolphins defense is dolphinated, 0 sacks and 0 picks, ugh, that’s disgusting.

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Whenever the Cowboys play, it’s going to be an interesting game, either a close game or a blowout. This game was not either one of them. Dak Prescott, was as good as usual, 443 yards in the air with three touchdowns and 0 picks. Ezekiel Elliott ran for 45 yards and a touchdown on the ground and 28 yards in the air with a touchdown as well; he hasn’t been a beast but any team would still want him. Michael Gallup led the receivers with 148 yards but sadly no touchdowns. Randall Cobb had 115 yards with a touchdown. Tony Pollard had a touchdown as well with 44 yards. These Cowboy receivers are pretty scary. Three sacks for the Cowboy D which is also really good led by the animal Jaylon Smith. On the Eagles side, Jeff Driskel threw for 209 yards with two touchdowns. Bo Scarbrough was better than expected, running for 55 yards against the non-human Cowboys front 7. Jeff Driskel was more mobile than I thought he would be, 51 yards and a touchdown, maybe he is better than Stafford. Marvin Jones had a great game, only 43 receiving yards but with 2 touchdowns which makes a great fantasy day for anyone. Danny Amendola went from one dumpster fire to another dumpster fire with the Lions, he had 47 yards. The Lions D took a tranquilizer shot and they only had 1 sack and no pick, not like their D is good.

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In an epic QB duel, Deshaun Watson and Lamar Jackson, both fast, both make defenses look silly. But for one of these in this game, tears were shed. Deshaun Watson had 169 yards in the air, with no touchdowns and 1 picks, he only ran for 12 yards. Their running game blossomed a little bit, but if Lamar Miller could come back from his ACL tear, the Texans offense is practically unstoppable. DeAndre Hopkins had 80 yards in this one and Kenny Stills had only 27 yards. The Texans D couldn’t get to Lamar and they couldn’t pick Lamar off. No picks and no sacks for the D, that’s just really sad. Lamar Jackson put on a show, 222 yards and four touchdowns in the air, Lamar ran for 79 yards as well. Gus Edwards (I bet you don’t even know who he is) had 112 yards and a touchdown, Ingram had 48 yards on 13 carries. Mark Andrews their versatile TE had 75 yards and one touchdown, Mark Ingram had 37 yards and two touchdowns. The Ravens D is very underrated, but in this game, they had 5 sacks and 1 pick.

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The Falcons are making this weird, late-season try at a comeback, they played the Panthers and won. Matt Ryan slung it for 311 yards and one touchdown in this game against a decent Panthers D. Brian Hill is a very, very, very bad replacement for the decent Devonta Freeman, he had 30 yards rushing and 8 yards receiving. Calvin Ridley had a career game with 143 yards and 1 touchdown. Julio Jones came out of his slump with 91 receiving yards. The Falcons defense had practice, with 4 picks and 5 sacks, oh my god, Kyle Allen has to be scarred for life after that one; wow, they outplayed themselves. Kyle Allen had 325 yards in the air, no touchdowns but FOUR PICKS, FOUR. Christian McCaffrey just joined the 99 Club in Madden, but he only 70 yards rushing in this game, but 121 receiving yards topped off a good game, but he had no touchdowns.DJ Moore had 95 yards, I’m lucky I had him on my Fantasy team. 3 sacks and no picks for the not so good Panthers D in this contest.

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The Saints clashed with the Bucs in this one and the crazy good Saints won. Drew Brees, the future Hall of Famer had 228 yards and 3 touchdowns, very normal game for the great Brees. Alvin Kamara needs to get it going, the Saints are 8-2, yes that’s good. But Drew Brees, even though he’s really good, he can’t handle the whole team’s offense; every team needs a run game. Luckily the Saints have skilled tailbacks, but they’re not producing. Michael Thomas had 114 yards and 1 touchdown. Entering Week 12, Michael Thomas has more receptions than all of the Eagles receivers, now that’s just great. Jared Cook had 33 yards and 1 touchdown. The Saints have a lot of good pieces. The Saints secondary had a fun day, with 4 picks (I mean, they were playing Jameis Winston) and two sacks, that’s just a great day. Jameis Winston had 313 yards and 2 touchdowns and 4 picks, not a very good day by the QB. Ronald Jones had a sad day, only 13 yards on the ground, I thought he would be better. The Bucs need to improve their receivers, if you have a TE leading the receiving yards, then you’re in trouble, Cameron Brate had 73 yards with no touchdowns. Mike Evans had 69 yards and Chris Godwin had 47 yards and one touchdown. The Bucs D was very bad, only 1 sack and no INTs. They need to be better.

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The Broncos blew a 20 point lead, to the Vikings, the Vikings have been so much better this season than last. Brandon Allen had 240 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 pick. Phillip Lindsay had 67 yards with no touchdowns, Royce Freeman had 31 on the ground. Andy Janovich had 1 yard rushing and 1 touchdown - that shouldn’t happen. Courtland Sutton had 113 yards but no touchdowns, Tim Patrick had 77 but also didn’t get the one touchdown pass; the guy that got the pass was Troy Fumagalli, he had 3 yards with 1 touchdown. 5 sacks and no picks for the Broncos D. Kirk Cousins turning his career around, he had 319 yards and one touchdown, he actually might make it deep into the playoffs this year. Dalvin Cook has been amazing, he’s fast and he’s really strong. He had 26 yards and one touchdown, which isn’t like the rest of his year, but it’s good. Stefon Diggs had 121 yards in the air and one touchdown. Kyle Rudolph continues his hot stretch with 67 yards and one touchdown. The Vikings D, the only thing that they need to work on, had two sacks and one interception.

The 49ers and the Cardinals played and you already know who won. Kyler Murray had 150 yards and 2 touchdowns, it’s alright. New addition Kenyan Drake had 67 yards but no touchdowns. Kyler Murray had 67 yards on the ground and a touchdown. Christian Kirk had 41 yards and veteran Larry Fitzgerald had 37 and 1 touchdown. The Cardinals defense played against the Niner’s explosive offense and got two sacks and two picks. Jimmy Garopollo 424 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 2 picks, that’s a nice game even with the two picks. Tevin Coleman had 14 yards rushing and Raheem Mostert had 13 yards. The sleeper Deebo Samuel had 134 yards and their “offensive weapon” as quoted by Sports Illustrated, Kyle Juszczyk, their fullback had 63 yards receiving. Ross Dwelley had 14 yards receiving and two touchdowns. The 49ers D had 4 sacks and no picks, definitely not up to snuff with their defensive weapons.

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The Patriots and the Eagles played in a truly close game, no one knew who was going to win until about there was a minute left in the game. Tom Brady had 216 yards and nothing else, just 216. Julian Edelman actually had 15 yards passing and one touchdown pass. The Patriots need to get their run game going, I’m not saying Tom is bad, but he’s getting older. Their lead back, Sony Michel had 33 yards on 10 attempts. Julian Edelman had 53 yards on 5 catches; the old guy Benjamin Watson had 52 yards. The Patriots defense hasn’t been as good as they were in the first half of the season: They had only 5 sacks and 0 picks, their secondary is better than their front 7. Carson Wentz wasn’t very good, 214 yards and one touchdown, he needs to get better if they want to make the playoffs in the very tough AFC. Miles Sanders, their backup, had 38 yards on the ground with no touchdowns. The Eagles have good WRs, but they’ve gotten worse this year. Zach Ertz had 94 yards and Nelson Agholor had 40. The other TE, Dallas Goedert, had 36 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles D failed, with only 1 sack and no picks, but they were playing Tom Brady.

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The Raiders played the Bengals, the Raiders won, (Another shocker) 17-10. For the Bengals, Ryan Finley had 115 yards and no touchdown passes but one pick. Joe Mixon exploded in the second half, he had 86 yards and one touchdown, he’s not a speedy back, he’s supposed to be a strong back, but he does have speed. Auden Tate and Tyler Eifert had 56 and 21 yards respectively. The Bengals weren’t as bad as I thought they would be, 3 sacks and one pick. Derek Carr had 292 yards and 1 pick and touchdown. Josh Jacobs is being great this year, 112 yards but no touchdowns. Tyrell Williams had 82 yards and their great TE had 78 yards. The Raiders D was good as usual, 5 sacks and 1 interception.

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The Bears and the Rams played in a very not interesting game, with the Rams obviously winning 17-7. Mitch Trubisky had 190 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. He is very underrated, he’s not great but he can scramble as well as passing short. Tarik Cohen had 39 yards on 9 attempts, he’s a good RB, he’s fast and he’s very elusive. Taylor Gabriel had 57 yards passing and Tarik Cohen had 35 yards and one touchdown. The Bears D wasn’t good, only 1 INT and no picks, the Bears were projected to be so much better than they are right now. Jared Goff had 173 yards and one pick. Todd Gurley had 97 yards and 1 touchdown, he’s really trying to come back from old age to be great again. Josh Reynolds and Cooper Kupp had 55 yards and 53 yards respectively. The Rams D have always been good, they had 3 sacks and one pick in this game.

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The Chargers and the Chiefs played in the battle of two great quarterbacks. Patrick Mahomes had 182 yards passing with one touchdown and one pick, mhh, not great. Patrick Mahomes also was the leader in rushing for his team, 59 yards on 5 carries. Darrel Williams had 35 yards and one touchdown here. Travis Kelce had 92 yards and one touchdown in this game, he’s just really good. LeSean McCoy had 28 yards, the Chiefs were just bad in this game. The Chiefs D was the only good thing in this game, they had 2 sacks and 4 picks, I don’t know what Phillip Rivers was doing in this game. He had 353 yards, one touchdown, and 4 picks, that’s sad. Melvin Gordon had 69 yards rushing and 21 yards receiving. Austin Ekeler lead the Chargers in receiving yards with 108 yards. Keenan Allen had 71 yards and 1 touchdown, he continues his dominance. The Chargers D played bad, with 1 sack and one interception.

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