🏈 Big NFL Upsets, Top Teams Emerging in College Football, World Series Baseball + More!

Good Morning, Blitzers!

We’re back! Last week we had some technical difficulties, but we’re back up and running and we will be bringing you your daily sports recaps again per usual. Today we’ll be covering all the happenings from the weekend from the NFL, College Football, MLB, NBA, NHL, and EPL. So, let’s get right to it!

WTF Stat: Cousins has 8 TD passes against the Bucs this season, 6 TD passes against all other teams.

⚾️ Shohei Ohtani is expected to play in Game 3 of the World Series despite suffering a left shoulder injury in Game 2. He was helped off the field after injuring himself while trying to steal second base, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Ohtani is feeling good and will be in the lineup. Ohtani underwent imaging on his shoulder and is participating in team workouts. The Dodgers lead the series against the New York Yankees 2-0, with Games 3, 4, and potentially 5 taking place at Yankee Stadium.

In case you missed it:

Game 1 Incredible Finish:

Game 2 Yoshinobu Yamamoto dominates:

NFL Week 8

What You Missed

→ Incredible finish to the Bears & Commanders game - I’m sorry to all Bears fans. This is a game that felt like the Bears should have won 5 different times, and when they finally took the lead with 23 seconds left in the game, it felt almost too good to be true. Well it was. They end up losing 18-15 on a miracle Hail Mary pass. In the #1 pick - Caleb Williams (10/24, 131 yards) vs. #2 pick - Jayden Daniels (21/38, 326 yards, 1 TD) showdown, Daniels won out.

→ Browns and QB Jameis Winston win in huge upset against Ravens - This is what happens when you throw Winston in there (27/41, 334 yards, 3 TDs), the former #1 overall pick is just fun to watch and can carry your team to victory. He did just that against the Ravens in a back-and-forth game that they won 29-24. Surprisingly the Ravens, who were on a 5-game winning streak, only ran the ball 11 times with Derrick Henry (for 73 yards and a TD). Big let down game for the Ravens, they have another challenge at home against the surging Broncos next week.

→ Good teams take care of business - The Lions destroyed the Titans 52-14. The Packers escaped with a win against the Jaguars 30-27, QB Jordan Love was once again shaken up, suffering a groin injury. The Bills went to Seattle and won easily 31-10, controlling the ball for 38 minutes.

→ The Dolphins are significantly better with Tua Tagovailoa at QB, but still lose - The Dolphins offense had not put up more than 15 points since Tua went down, so it was refreshing for Fins fans to see them actually move the ball again. It wasn’t enough though, as the Cardinals fought back this whole game and took their first lead with a game winning field goal as time expired. When TE Trey McBride (9 receptions, 124 yards), WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (6 receptions, 111 yards, 1 TD) are cooking, this team is a lot of fun to watch.

What We Learned

→ Eagles may have figured things out/be a juggernaut again- The Eagles defense has never been a big a concern, they have a top-10 defense. It’s been offensive struggles. While they still haven’t scored in the first quarter of a game, their rushing attack led by RB Saquon Barkley is dangerous. A team that can run the ball at will, play solid defense, and has a proven winner at QB is not a team you want to face once the weather starts getting colder/in the playoffs.

→ The Jets are somehow worse than we thought - I thought for sure this was going to be the game the Jets figured it out. Last couple weeks they’ve had coaching changes, new WRs, a lot of variables to sort out. But they were going up against a ‘soft’ Patriots team, that the Jets already beat easily, 24-3 earlier in the season. It seemed like a perfect ‘get-right’ game. Instead of getting in the win column, they lost their 5th game in a row, 25-22. They lost to a back-up QB (QB Jacoby Brissett came in for the injured Drake Maye), had some frankly questionable coaching decisions (they punted twice from the Patriots 40), and had some costly penalties.

→ National Tight End Day was a huge success - TE George Kittle isn’t just good at football, turns out he’s great at marketing. As he created a national holiday, and every single game I watched/social media post I saw was calling it out. He and many other TE’s delivered yesterday. Kittle led the 49ers with 6 receptions, for 128 yards and a TD in the 49ers 27-10 victory on Sunday Night Football.

Surprises

→ I wish the Falcons vs Buccaneers played every week - Not something I expected to say at the beginning of the season. The NFC South has been a pretty weak division historically, but the Bucs and Falcons have helped change that. They already gave us one of the best Thursday Night Football games in recent memory earlier in the season (when the Falcons won 36-30), round two did not disappoint either. 826 yards of total offense, 7 TD passes, and TE Kyle Pitts (4 receptions, 91 yards, 2 TDs) had one of his best games as a pro (just make sure to hold onto the ball a bit tighter near the goal line Kyle)!

→ Texans continue to make every game close - The Texans are 6-2, everything about them on paper looks great. But they don’t make anything easy. They were able to pull out the 23-20 win against the Colts, but this game should have never been this close. QB Anthony Richardson went 10/32, for 175 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT for the Colts, and was sacked 5 times. While QB CJ Stroud (25/37, 285 yards, 1 TD) and RB Joe Mixon (102 yards, 1 TD) both had great games. But despite that, the Texans could have very easily lost this game, especially if this fumble had been ruled a TD.

Standouts

→ Chargers Rookie WR Ladd McConkey - QB Justin Herbert and the Chargers have been desperately hoping a #1 WR would emerge from the pack. McConkey, the 34th overall pick in the draft, has had some solid games so far, but put up his best so far as a pro catching all 6 targets thrown his way for 111 yards and 2 TDs in a 26-8 win against the Saints.

→ Broncos QB Bo Nix - I’m one of the people that laughed at the Broncos when they reached for Nix with the 12th pick in this years draft. But all he’s done is start from day 1, lead his team to a 5-3 record, and is now putting up some pretty good stats. Nix went 28/37, for 284 yards, 3 TD, 0 INTs (and a rushing TD), in yesterday’s 28-14 win against the Panthers. I’m not laughing any more. Helps when your TE is making plays like this:

🏈 Tonight

The Giants @ Steelers @ 8:15 EST on ABC.

College Football Roundup

The Shocker

Texas A&M 38 - LSU 23 : A battle of two teams that lost the opening game and have looked excellent since. The Aggies took care of business at home against LSU. The Tigers launched out to a 17-7 lead at the half and then A&M came out firing in the 2nd, outscoring LSU 31-6 to secure the win. While the Georgia’s, Texas’, and Alabama’s of the world beat up on each other, the Aggies find themselves at the top of the SEC with 3 winnable games before a showdown with Texas.

Statement Games

Penn State 28 - Wisconsin 13: A certified trap game for the Nittany Lions with a home game against Ohio State looming, Penn State overcame an injury to their starting QB in the 2nd half to defeat upset minded Wisconsin. The defense led the way with a massive pick six in the 3rd quarter to give PSU the lead and they never gave it back. A win over Ohio State next week will all but solidify their spot in the playoff.

Miami 36 - Florida State 14: Yeah, Florida State is bad. Real bad. However, these in-state rivalries are never easy. After some close shaves, the Hurricanes took care of business against the Seminoles to remain undefeated. Four unranked opponents stand between Miami and an undefeated regular season.

Notre Dame 51 - Navy 14: Maybe the Irish faithful can believe again. After losing to Northern Illinois at home, the Irish have crushed. That win over A&M in the opener continues to pay dividends as well. For those of us who thought the Irish were on fraud alert (*casually looks away*), a ranked Navy team was no match for Notre Dame which is firing on all cylinders and has eyes on a playoff berth.

Indiana 31 - Washington 17: Indiana got ESPN Gameday, HC Curt Cignetti is becoming a quote machine in the media, but even with the eyes of the nation on them, the Hoosiers barely broke a sweat. Cignetti becomes the first head coach ever to start 8-0 with two different programs in consecutive years and IU is a legit contender to be in the B1G championship and the playoff.

Colorado 34 - Cincinnati 23: The Buffs are bowl eligible in Coach Prime’s 2nd year at the helm of Colorado. Not only that, they are right in the middle of the conference championship race. 4-1 in conference and no ranked opponents left on the schedule.

That Could Have Been Embarrassing

Ohio State 21 - Nebraska 17: There were some murmurs prior to the season that this would be a trap game for the Buckeyes, but after the Huskers got boat-raced by IU, people turned a blind-eye to this game…So did Ohio State apparently. Nebraska had OSU on the ropes, the Buckeyes needed some late heroics to salvage their season.

Texas 27 - Vanderbilt 24: You’d think that teams wouldn’t sleep on Vanderbilt, but after getting out to a 2 TD lead, the Longhorns let the Commodores get close, but avoided the upset. Imagine living in a world where Vandy beat both Texas and Alabama in football? *Shudders*.

Kansas State 29 - Kansas 27: The Wildcats hosted in-state rival Kansas, these games are never easy, but the Wildcats are in the mix for a conference championship and almost let the Jayhawks ruin their season. Luckily, they showed up in the clutch to stave off an embarrassing home loss.

Video Game Stats

QB Kyle McCord (Cuse) - 35/64, 321 yds 5 INT (3 pick 6s) noob playing on Heisman

QB Chandler Morris (UNT) - 38/55, 449 yds, 3 TD, 6 car, 20 yds, TD

QB Taylen Green (ARK) - 23/29, 314 yds, 5 TD, INT, 8 car, 79 yds, TD

QB Max Brosmer (MINN) - 26/33, 320 yds, 4 TD

QB Brayden Schager (Hawaii) - 14/25, 153 yds, INT, 19 car, 120 yds, 4 TD

RB Woody Marks (USC) - 15 car, 94 yds, 3 TD, 5 rec, 48 yds

WR Brennan Presley (OK State) - 15 rec, 183 yds, TD

WR Jerquan Newton (Toledo) - 9 rec, 164 yds, 2 TD

WR Tetroia McMillan (Arizona) - 10 rec, 202 yds, TD

RB Jarquez Hunter (Auburn) - 23 car, 278 yds, 2 TD

Top Ten Power Rankings

*Note this isn’t an AP Top 25, this is who I think are the best ten teams after this week. Come at me.

1. Georgia - Bye

2. Texas - W vs. Vandy, 27-24

3. Ohio State - Bye

4. Oregon - W vs. Illinois, 38-9

5. Tennessee - Bye

6. Miami - W vs. FSU, 36-14

7. Penn State - W vs. Wisco, 28-13

8. Clemson - Bye

9. Alabama - W vs. Mizzou, 34-0

10. Notre Dame - W vs. Navy, 51-14

Knocking on the Door: Iowa State, Texas A&M, Indiana

Premier League Recap

Chuffed

1. Nottingham Forest - The recently promoted Forest continue to roll with a 3-1 road win over Leicester.

2. West Ham - After a slow start, the Hammers have won two of their last three, this one a home win over Manchester United.

3. Brentford - Getting a 96th minute winner and cracking the Top 10 in the EPL is a great feeling.

Gutted

1. Tottenham - Losers of two of three, the Spurs take a tough 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace.

2. Arsenal - In the marquee match of the week, the Gunners couldn’t close out the win over Liverpool and let the Reds steal a point on their home pitch.

3. Brighton - The Gulls let bottom of the table Wolves even things up in the 93rd minute to steal a draw.

The Mint Matches of the Week

Saturday, November 2nd

Newcastle v. Arsenal - 7:30 AM EST

Liverpool v. Brighton - 10:00 AM EST

Sunday, November 3rd

Tottenham v. Aston Villa - 8:00 AM EST

Manchester United v. Chelsea - 10:30 AM EST

Top NBA Games

76ers 118, Pacers 114: Tyrese Maxey led Philadelphia to an overtime win scoring 45 points and contributing 10 of the team's 13 overtime points. For the Pacers, All-Star Tyrese Haliburton bounced back from a previous scoreless game with 22 points, including a clutch three-pointer to force overtime.

Blazers 125, Pelicans 103: Jerami Grant scored 28 points to lead the Portland to their first win of the season. The Pelicans went just 8 for 29 (28%) from 3-point land and Zion Williamson’s (14 points on 3-12 shooting) slow start to the season continued.

Nets 115, Bucks 102: Cam Thomas scored 32 points, and Dennis Schroder added 29 in Brooklyn’s home opener. It was the first win for coach Jordi Fernandez. The Nets pulled away in the fourth quarter after starting the season with two road losses. The Bucks have now lost two straight after winning their opener. Milwaukee is awaiting the return of Khris Middleton, who is recovering from ankle surgery.

Clippers 112, Warriors 104: Ivica Zubac led the Clippers with 23 points and 18 rebounds, while James Harden added 23 points and 11 assists. The Clippers capitalized on the Warriors' 21 turnovers, converting them into 21 points. Stephen Curry left the game with a left ankle injury in the fourth quarter.

Top NHL Games

Oilers 3, Red Wings 2: Leon Draisaitl scored his second goal just 18 seconds into overtime, leading Edmonton to victory. Draisaitl's performance came on his 29th birthday and extended his point streak to six games. Evan Bouchard also scored for the Oilers, while Calvin Pickard made 25 saves.

Avalanche 5, Senators 4: After starting out 0-4, Colorado has now won 5 games in a row. Logan O'Connor and Ross Colton scored quick goals in the third period to give Colorado a 4-2 lead after the Senators had tied the game with two goals from Brady Tkachuk and Nick Cousins. Nikolai Kovalenko netted his first NHL goal, while Josh Manson scored his first of the season.

Canadiens 4, Flyers 2: Nick Suzuki and Brendan Gallagher each scored a goal and provided an assist, leading Montreal to a 4-3 victory over Philadelphia. Suzuki extended his point streak to seven games with a goal in the first period and an assist on Cole Caufield's power-play goal. The Flyers have lost seven of their last eight games.

On this day in 2018, the Boston Red Sox Defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers winning the series 4-1. Alex Cora became the first manager from Puerto Rico to win the World Series. The Dodgers only win in the series came in game 3, which lasted 18 innings.

Trivia Time Answer

Who was the first non-American NBA player to be named MVP?

C) Hakeem Olajuwon - Olajuwon (from Nigeria) won the MVP in 1994. Since then there have been a number non-American MVPs: Steve Nash (Canada - 2005 & 2006), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany - 2007), Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece - 2019 & 2020), Nikola Jokic (Serbia - 2021, 2022, 2024)