by Good morning to everyone, but especially to…
THE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
There was controversy, drama and plenty of drama. And then, as so often happens, there was Patrick Mahomes driving it Leaders for another comeback win in a 30-29 win over her Raiders.
- Patrick Mahomes threw for 292 yards, four touchdowns — all to Travis Kelce — and no wiretapping. Kelce’s four touchdown receptions tied the record for a tight end and set a Monday Night Football record, regardless of position.
- The Chiefs fell behind 17-0. Of Mahomes’ longest regular season comeback of his career.
- As of 2018, Mahomes is 12-9 (.571 winning percentage) in games he’s trailing by double digits, including the playoffs. All other quarterbacks combined are 156-873-4 (.153 winning percentage) in those situations.
Mahomes and Kelce were the headliners, but there were plenty of other crazy moments in it.
- After an absolutely perfect throw from Derek Carr to Davante Adams pulled the Raiders to within 30-29, they went for two, but Josh Jacobs came inches close.
- The Raiders got the ball back late, but a potential big catch by Adams was overturned and the Raiders turned the ball over on downs shortly after. Adams took out his frustration on a cameraman after the game.
- The Chiefs not only overcame a 17-point deficit, they overcame it perhaps the worst harsh punishment of the passer you will ever see (yes, even worse than the one Tom Brady draw Sunday).
- Chiefs get make-up call in fourth quarter: The Raiders were called to defensively hold a Chiefs fumble early in the fourth quarter, giving the Chiefs a first down. They would later score a touchdown. It was the first time the defensive holding was called on a field goal since 2014.
Raiders fall to 1-4 and has already posted two 17-point leads this season. The Chiefs, meanwhile, are 4-1, and their superstar quarterback duo has never been better.
Honorable mentions
And not so good morning for…
THE CAROLINA PANTHERS
Things got so bad for him Panthers which is now paying someone over $40 million to not they are now coaching their team. Correctly: Matt Raul became the first NFL coach to take the pink slip this seasontriggered after a Start 1-4 in his third season with the franchise. The Panthers also fired a defensive coordinator Phil Snow. In the meantime, Steve Wilks an interim coach will take over.
- Rhule ends his time in Carolina with one 11-27 record. Only four teams — the Jaguars, Jets, Lions and Texans — have been worse in that span … all four of those franchises have made head coaching changes.
- Since starting last season 3-0, Carolina is the worst NFL 3-16.
- This season, Carolina is last in yards per game and 29th in offensive points per game.
Rhule showed impressive program-making skills in both temple and Baylor before joining the Panthers, but those skills never translated to the professional level. A big issue was quarterback play. Here were the Panthers’ starting quarterbacks under Rhule:
As a result, the Panthers went an absurd 1-27 when allowing more than 17 points under Rhule. The team has failed time and again with misguided attempts to fix its quarterback situation, and predictably, ended up in the worst position — short-term and long-term — of any NFL team.
For everything else about this move:
MLB Divisional Series preview: X-factors, how to approach Aaron Judge ⚾
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Cancel any plans you may have had: All four MLB Divisional Series begin todaywhich means an afternoon and evening full of baseball is coming (here is the schedule.)
Our MLB expert Mike Axisa took a look X-factors — both obvious and not so obvious — in departmental orderincluding a possible weakness for the best team of the regular season:
- Axis: “Obvious X-factor: The Dodgers’ closer. It seems unlikely Craig Kimbrell he will be handed a small lead in the ninth. … Los Angeles plans to mix and match in the ninth inning and has good options (Evan Phillips, Alex Veciaetc.), however The more buttons you have to press, the more likely you are to press the wrong one. The ninth inning issues could lead to a quick postseason exit.”
This was a great look at stories and trends you need to know. As for a story you already know, Aaron Judge takes center stage after his AL record 62 home run season. How should the Guardians address him? Our MLB guru RJ Anderson took a look at Judge’s tendencies and asked a question many groups may have asked themselves:
Should we walk him every time?
- Anderson: “For so much damage done by the judge, he still struck out in more than 57 percent of his plate appearances, and for as many home runs as he did start, they accounted for less than 10 percent of his trips to the plate. … giving him an automatic free pass would drastically increase the frequency with which the Yankees’ other good hitters hit with a runner on base and thereby increase the chances that he would realize the outcome you were trying to avoid in the first place: walkouts .”
Here’s everything else you need to know:
The NHL is back: Stanley Cup preview, stories and picks 🏒
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The NHL is back — in North America, at least — tonight. After the Predators hit it Sharks twice in the Global Series in the Czech Republic last week, the regular season begins in the U.S. with a doubleheader: Lightning-Rangers and Golden Knights-Kings.
The defending champion Avalanche they start their season tomorrow against her Blackhawksand with much of their core returning, could they go back to back? This is one of the top stories this season, writes our hockey expert Chris Bengel. Another top story is Alex Ovechkinshot in history.
- Bengel: “Ovechkin needs just 22 more goals to pass Gordie Howe for second place on the all-time scoring list. Additionally, the Capitals winger can also become the First player in NHL history to have 10 50-goal seasons. Right now, Ovi is tied up Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy with nine 50-goal seasons. Ovechkin could certainly pass Howe this coming season, but if he reaches the 50-goal plateau again, that would be something very special.”
Chris and fellow hockey secretary Austin Nivison have done it bold predictions, prize picks and Stanley Cup picks.
Finally, we have previews of both Eastern Conference and Western Conference. Enjoy!
UEFA Champions League Matchday 4 Preview: Picks, Predictions ⚽
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The UEFA Champions League group stage will officially pass the halfway mark today when Matchday 4 kicks off. Here are the eight matches, all streaming on Paramount+.
- FC Copenhagen vs Manchester City — 12:45 p.m
- Maccabi Haifa vs Juventus — 12:45 pm (preview)
- Borussia Dortmund vs Sevilla — 3:00 p.m
- PSG vs SL Benfica — 3:00 p.m. (preview)
- AC Milan vs Chelsea — 3:00 pm (preview)
- Dinamo Zagreb vs Salzburg — 3:00 p.m
- Celtic vs RB Leipzig 3:00 p.m
- Shakhtar Donetsk vs Real Madrid — 3:00 pm (preview)
You can see all our writers’ picks here and the bold predictions of James Benge here.
What are we watching on Tuesday 📺?
⚽ UEFA Champions League12:45 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Paramount+ (details here)
⚾ Phillies at Braves1:07 PM on FOX
⚾ Sailors in Astros3:37 p.m. on TBS
🏒 Lightning to the Rangers7:30 p.m. on ESPN
⚾ Keepers on the Yankees7:37 p.m. on TBS
⚾ Padres at Dodgers9:37 p.m. on FS1
🏒 Golden Knights at Kings10 p.m. on ESPN
