Jets Finally Get Back on Track, Ja Went Bonkers, Other NBA Action, NHL, + College Football & NFL Weekend Preview

Happy Friday, Blitzers!

Whether you’re nursing a hangover from a thirsty Thursday Halloween party or a rumbly tummy from stealing all of your kid’s Milky Ways, happy Friday! We are on the eve of another massive football weekend, let’s grab that net and catch that beautiful butterfly my friends! Before we get there though, let’s dive into what happened while you were handing out candy.

WTF Stat:

🏈 Jeff Ulbrich picked up his first win as head coach for the New York Jets in an ugly 21-13 game over the Houston Texans. Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdown passes, two to Garrett Wilson, the second of which will be on the shortlist for catch of the year:

• Jets Takeaways: Aaron Rodgers and the Jets should take Garrett Wilson out for a very nice steak dinner, and maybe treat Davante Adams as well. The two stud wideouts combined for 16 receptions, 181 of Rodgers’ 211 yards and 3 TDs. The Jets defense showed up in a big way tonight as well, sacking CJ Stroud eight times and forcing a fumble. Well, 3-6 isn’t ideal for the Jets, but it’s a heck of a lot better than 2-7. They do have a favorable schedule, they only play one team with a current winning record over the course of the rest of the season.

• Texans Takeaways: Another clunker by CJ Stroud and the Texans offense. The second year QB was 11/30 for just 191 yards and zero touchdowns. He only completed passes to three receivers and clearly missed both Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins. Thankfully for Texans fans, they are still 6-3 in one of the worst divisions in the NFL. However, the path is not an easy one, they have the Lions at home next week, followed by a road date with the Cowboys.

🏀 Sorry, Magic fans. After dropping his first 50-point performance, Paolo Banchero will be sidelined indefinitely after tearing his oblique against the Hawks on Wednesday. He will be re-evaluated in four-to-six weeks and return to play will be based on how he responds to treatment, the team said.

⚾️ Well, the MLB off-season took zero time to get started. According to ESPN, the Atlanta Braves traded outfielder Jorge Soler to the Los Angeles Angels for right-hander Griffin Canning on Thursday, kicking off the hot stove season with a deal that sends a power bat to Los Angeles and adds pitching depth to Atlanta's rotation, the teams announced.

🎤 According to the AP, after 42 seasons, Bob Costas is retiring from baseball play-by-play. His final games were the American League Division Series between the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals. Costas' contract with TBS expired at the end of the season, but his plans to retire from baseball play-by-play had been in the works for over a year.

⚽️ Sporting FC head coach Ruben Amorim is set to succeed Erik ten Hag, who was sacked on Monday, as head coach for Manchester United and would be the sixth permanent appointment in the role since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013.

Top College Football Games This Weekend

#4 Ohio State (6-1) at #3 Penn State (7-0) - Sat. 12:00 PM (FOX)

What’s At Stake: Likely, a B1G championship berth. Ohio State lost its first big test of the season, coming up short against Oregon on the road and then dodged a hangover loss to Nebraska last week. Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions have had a few close shaves, but escaped unscathed. QB Drew Allar will be a game-time decision after getting banged up against Wisconsin, but Beau Pribula actually played better down the stretch. OSU QB Will Howard is a Pennsylvania kid who didn’t get recruited by PSU…chip on shoulder. Buckeyes have more offensive firepower and Fox screwed PSU by making this a noon game and not a night game.

The Pick: Ohio State -3

Duke (6-2) at #5 Miami (7-0) - Sat. 12:00 PM (ABC)

What’s At Stake: How many lives do the Hurricanes have? Three of four conference games have been decided by a touchdown or less. Duke was a blocked field goal away from potentially being 7-1 and they’ve got a gamer at QB in Maalik Murphy. The U’s home field advantage isn’t what it once was, so while I think the Hurricanes stay undefeated, I don’t think they beat the Blue Devils by 20.

The Pick: Duke +20

#1 Oregon (8-0) at Michigan (5-3) - Sat. 3:30 PM (CBS)

What’s At Stake: The Wolverines have been a big time disappointment this season, especially on offense. But a Wolverine backed into a corner is a dangerous animal. Their playoff hopes are all but extinguished, so Michigan is in full spoiler mode. Dillon Gabriel, after shaky starts in the beginning of the year has entered the Heisman chat. Plus, the Duck D has proved that it can hold up with the B1G teams. I’ve lost too much money on betting that Michigan figures it out…it’ll probably be this week.

The Pick: Oregon -14.5

Florida (4-3) at #2 Georgia (6-1) - Sat. 3:30 PM (ABC)

What’s At Stake: The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. One of the great neutral site traditions in college football. Florida came into the season with bottom of the barrel expectations and after a 1-2 start the Gator faithful were starting to get ornery. All them teeth (5-star recruits) and no toothbrush (wins). However, since then, they’ve won 3 of 4 and probably should have beat Tennessee. Georgia has a bad habit of playing down to its opponent and with a ranked match-up against Ole Miss next week…this has trap game written all over it.

The Pick: Florida +14.5

#18 Pitt (7-0) at #20 SMU (7-1) - Sat. 8:00 PM (ACC Network)

What’s At Stake: Pardon me while I clutch my pearls. Undefeated PItt against one-loss SMU. A pretty big ACC game and it gets punted to the ACC Network?! TCU Baylor is on ESPN2. Ugh. Anyways, both of these teams are undefeated in the ACC, this game has major conference title game implications, especially if SMU wins. The Mustangs close out against BC, UVA, and Cal. If Pitt stays undefeated, they’ll have back to back home games against UVA and…Clemson. But yeah, sure ESPN, boot this to the ACC Network. Great call. Eye roll emoji

The Pick: Pitt +7.5

Other Games I’m Keeping an Eye On

Air Force at #21 Army - 12:00 PM (CBS)

Texas Tech at #11 Iowa State - 3:30 PM (ESPN)

#10 Texas A&M at South Carolina - 7:30 PM (ABC)

Kentucky at #7 Tennessee - 7:45 PM (SEC Network)

NFL Week 9 Preview

NFL’s Most Intriguing Games

Denver (5-3) at Baltimore (5-3) - 1:00 PM (CBS)

The View: Will the real Baltimore Ravens please stand up? I don’t know what to think about these dudes. They look absolutely unstoppable one week and then seemingly forget how to play football the next. Pass defense has been an issue all season long and Bo Nix looks better every week under the tutelage of Sean Payton. It also helps that Broncos are a Top 5 defense in the NFL right now. Idk, I don’t love the vibes of the Ravens. Let’s just say Broncos cover.

Pick: Broncos +8.5

LA Chargers (4-3) at Cleveland (2-6) - 1:00 PM (CBS)

The View: Jameis is back, baby! The world is just a better place when that man is under center and immediately upset the Ravens in front of a home crowd. Was that a flash in the pan or will the Browns actually live up to the expectations they had before the season started? They’ll face a stiff test in the stingy offense and defense of the Los Angeles Chargers. Jim Harbaugh hates offense. The Chargers are the top scoring defense in the league…and a bottom ten in scoring offense. If the Browns win though…the AFC North is still very much up in the air (see above).

Pick: Browns +1.5

Detroit (6-1) at Green Bay (6-2) - 4:25 PM (FOX)

The View: Probably the marquee game of the weekend, the Lions are red hot and just toying with opponents while the Packers are grinding out wins swapping between a banged up Jordan Love and Malik Willis. It’s really hard to pick against the Lions, they are a complete team. If you stop the run, they can pass. If you stop the pass, they’ll run it down your throat. The Packers have a very opportunistic defense that’ll need to show up if Green Bay wants another victory, especially if Jordan Love misses the game.

Pick: Lions -3

LA Rams (3-4) at Seattle (4-4) - Sunday 4:25 PM (FOX)

The View: The Rams are finally back at full strength. They’ve tread water for the first portion of the season and it paid off, since no NFC West team has run away with the division. Last week against the Vikings, Stafford threw for 4 TDs, Nacua and Cupp combined for 12 catches and 157 yards. Defense is still an issue, but guess what? It’s an issue for the Seahawks as well and in a game of QBs, I’m taking Stafford over Geno. If I’m wrong…no need to write back Geno.

The Pick: Rams -1.5

Indianapolis (4-4) at Minnesota (5-2) - Sunday 8:20 PM (NBC)

The View: Well I didn’t see this game being in my sights before the Colts decided to bench Anthony Richardson for Old Man Flacco. Now we get to see if Shane Steichen made the right call in prrrrrrrriiiiiiimmmmmetime (Berman). The Vikings are on a two-game skid and need to right the ship. Tight End TJ Hockenson is finally returning to the field this week and should give Darnold another plus-target. Colts make it interesting, but Minnesota holds serve at home.

The Pick: Vikes -5.5

D-Man’s (4-3) Gambling Corner

FOMO is real in the gambling space. As it pertains to the NFL, we hate getting the worst of the number. I Loved (pun intended) the Packers this week, but didn’t bet them at +3.5. When it hit -3, it was an emotional toll, but I held out hoping it’d be back to +3.5. Instead it continued to drop down to +2.5. The FOMO of that original 3.5 hurts my soul, but I will not be swayed. I like the spot. LaFleur has a phenomenal ATS record at home, an equally good record as an underdog, and the same can’t be said for Goff outdoors. This is a spot we always play so we still have to do it. Look for a turnover or 2 from Goff and a stunner at home for the Packers.

NFL Gambling Record:

D-Man: 4-3

Jean Machine: 25-9

Full NFL Schedule click here

NBA Top Games

Bucks 99, Grizzlies 122: Ja Morant was a monster. He registered his 12th career triple-double with 26 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds. The Bucks nightmare start continues, this is the 4th straight loss for Milwaukee. Giannis did his part with 37 points on 17-22 shooting, but it was certainly not Dame Time…the superstar could only manage 4 points with a -29 +/-.

Rockets 108, Mavericks 102: The young Rockets took down Kyrie and Doncic in Dallas, despite the Maverick duo scoring 28 and 29 respectively. Jalen Green led the way for Houston with a 23-point, 12 rebound game.

Spurs 106, Jazz 88: The Spurs bounced back after getting embarrassed by the Thunder with a stomping of the hapless Jazz. Victor Wembanyama filled up the box score with 25 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 5 steals, and 5 blocks. The Jazz aren’t making much music so far this season, they’ve played four of their five games at home and are 0-5.

Suns 125, Clippers 119: The Clippers saw an 18-point halftime lead evaporate in the 3rd quarter. Devin Booker scored 25 of his game-high 40 points in the 2nd half to lead the Suns to the comeback victory. James Harden turned in a vintage performance logging his 78th career triple-double tying Wilt Chamberlain for 7th all-time.

NHL Top Games

Bruins 2, Hurricanes 8: Siri play Rock Me Like a Hurricane by Scorpions. Holy smokes! Carolina erupted for 8 goals against Boston. The B’s only managed 15 shots throughout the whole game. Jack Roslovic and Andrei Svechnikov scored two goals each, Martin Necas was the point hero with a goal and three assists.

Kraken 1, Maple Leafs 4: William Nylander scored two goals in the 2nd period to give the Leafs a 3-0 lead. Toronto was in full control this entire game only allowing 25 shots on net and Joseph Woll was up to the task for 24 of them.

Canadiens 3, Capitals 6: With the game tied at three after two periods, the Caps went to work. Connor McMichael and Aliaksei Protas scored within 36 seconds of each other to give Washington a two goal advantage. Then Ovechkin put the icing on the cake with under eight minutes to play with his 858th goal.

Oilers 5, Predators 1: After the Preds tied the game at one in the first period, the Oilers scored four unanswered goals to pick up the road win over Nashville. Leon Draisaitl led the way for Edmonton, scoring two goals and registering an assist. A big result for the Oilers after losing Connor McDavid to an ankle injury for at least two-three weeks on Monday.

Flyers 2, Blues 1: Bobby Brink lit the lamp with just over three minutes to play to lift the Flyers over the St. Louis Blues. That’s 3 of 4 for Philly. Meanwhile, St. Louis is definitely singing the Blues, losing its last three games by a combined score of 15-4. Ouchies.

See full scoreboard here and standings here.

On this day in 1964, Cleveland running back Jim Brown runs for 149 yards in Browns' 30-17 win at Pittsburgh to become the first NFL player to exceed 10,000 yards career rushing.

Yesterday’s Trivia Time Answer

Freddie Freeman just completed a historic World Series hitting 4 HRs, three players have hit 5 HRs in a World Series, who was the most recent to do it?

B) George Springer - Springer homered in the final four games of the 2017 World Series for the Astros, winning MVP honors in the process; he batted .379 with five home runs as the Astros won in seven games over the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Check back on Monday for today’s trivia answer and more info!