This Week in Sports Talk: October 27, 2019

This Week in Sports Talk (TWIST) is our weekly roundup of top headlines and sports news, plus a preview of what’s up next. Heading into the week of October 27, 2019, here’s the top sports news, with a twist. Skim it, and you’ll be good to go all week.

This Week in Sports Talk: October 27, 2019

We begin with some short takes in sports news heading into the week of October 27, 2019.

college football update

Yesterday in NCAA football, No. 5 Oklahoma fell to unranked Kansas State, 48-41. It was a major blow to the Sooners’ hopes for a national title, and the loss broke their 22-game winning streak on the road. No. 2 LSU defeated No. 9 Auburn, 23-20. No. 3 Ohio State rolled over No. 13 Wisconsin, 38-7. And No. 17 Minnesota now has the fourth-longest winning streak in the country, at 10, after beating Maryland, 52-10.

Twisting the night away

Weeks after becoming the most decorated gymnast in all of history ever—male or female—Simone Biles is not resting on her laurels. Instead, she stopped by Game 2 of the World Series in Houston on October 23 to throw out the first pitch.

A Texas native, before the toss Biles did a back flip and a twist (a TWIST!!!). Then her pitch seamlessly sailed into outfielder Jason Marisnick’s glove. This girl is on fire. Seriously, could she be any more adorable and inspiring?

who’s the Minnesota Viking in Truth Hurts?

Everyone is grooving to Lizzo’s Truth Hurts. Sharp-eared sports fans know that one of the lines in the hit song is “new man on the Minnesota Vikings.” This summer, a Green Bay radio station, WIXX-FM, even bleeped out the mention because it was getting into the heads of Packers fans. Lizzo and her dancers wore Vikings jerseys at her Minneapolis concert earlier this month.

So who is she singing about?

The Detroit native has been dropping hints in various places, including the Detroit Free Press, which reported that the mystery man is also from Detroit. That narrows it down to either linebacker Eric Wilson or tight end Tyler Conklin. Hmmm. Watch this space for further updates. In the meantime, all we can do is quote the singer herself: “Truth hurts, needed something more exciting. Bom bom bi dom bi dum bum bay.”

NCAA Basketball season is almost here

College hoops season is right around the corner – it starts in less than two weeks.

Top Sports Headlines heading into the week of October 27, 2019

Now that we’re warmed up, here’s everything else you need to know about sports heading into the week of October 27, 2019:

1. NFL

Must Know:

It’s Week 8 in the NFL season, and the wheat is being separated from the chaff.

the great

There are still two teams that remain undefeated: the New England Patriots (7-0) and the San Francisco 49’ers (6-0). The Patriots finished the 2007 regular season by winning all sixteen of their games. Might this season be a repeat?

Right behind these two stand-outs are the Green Bay Packers (6-1) and New Orleans Saints (6-1) are also looking strong.

the good

The next tier of teams that also look good includes the Seattle Seahawks (5-2); Minnesota Vikings (6-2); Kansas City Chiefs (5-2); Baltimore Ravens (5-2) and Buffalo Bills (5-1).

the laggards

At the other end of the spectrum are two teams with no wins this season so far: the Miami Dolphins (0-6) and Cincinnati Bengals (0-7). They’re closely followed by the Washington Redskins (1-7); Atlanta Falcons (1-6) – who were in the Super Bowl just three years ago –  and the New York Jets (1-5).

Nice to Know: 

In Thursday Night Football this week, the Minnesota Vikings (6-2) eked out a win over the Washington Redskins (1-7).

the big wins in week 7

The headlines to know from Week 7 include the Pats’ decisive victory over the New York Jets, 33-0, in Monday Night Football.  The 49’ers beat the Redskins (the Redskins’ only win to date this season is against the Miami Dolphins). The Dallas Cowboys (4-3) crushed their division rivals the Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) last Sunday to take first place in the NFC East. 

Green Bay’s Aaron Rogers had an amazing Sunday in Week 7, beating the Raiders 42-24 and delivering a perfect QB rating of 158.3 – a first for the franchise. On the other end of the spectrum, the New York Jets’ Sam Darnold had a QBR of only 3.6.

the disappointments in week 7

The Jets quarterback Sam Darnold had an odd week. He was miked up during the game against the Pats on Monday night, and at one point as he sat on the bench, he muttered that he was “seeing ghosts’’ after throwing the second of his four interceptions. Unfortunately for him, that comment was broadcast live, giving birth to a thousand memes. Losing in such a rout definitely added fuel to the flames. Other players noted that they refuse to be miked for just this reason, and accused the Jets of hanging Darnold out to dry on this one.

Finally, journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick almost delivered his trademark “Fitzmagic” to give the Miami Dolphins their first win last Sunday. But, sadly, it turned “Fitztragic” at the end as they lost to the Buffalo Bills, 21-31. 

Extra credit:

The two undefeated teams – the Pats and 49’ers – both added top-flight wide receivers to their rosters his week. Mohamed Sanu has been traded to the Pats from the Atlanta Falcons. The Pats placed wide receiver Josh Gordon on the injured reserve, and traded pass rusher Michael Bennett to the Dallas Cowboys. The 49’ers acquired wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders from the Denver Broncos.

Our Sports Desk notes that as always before the trade deadline, the top teams are girding up while the weak ones have thrown in the towel and will begin looking for their future talent.

Bonus round:

In an interesting twist, the last time the Washington Redskins played the Minnesota Vikings, Kirk Cousins was the quarterback for the Redskins and Case Keenum was the quarterback for the Vikings. In Thursday Night Football this week, that was reversed. The only other time that has happened was during the 1963-1964 season.

2. MLB

Must Know:

The Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros are tied at 2-2 in the World Series. Interestingly, both teams have won on the road and lost at home.  

The Nats got off to a red-hot start in the series. Game 1 was a one run win for them in Houston, with a final score of 5-4. Game 2 was a 12 – 3 blowout. On the road, Washington faced down and outlasted the Astros’ two best aces: Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander. Our Sports Desk points out that as dominant as Justin Verlander has been (or is perceived to be) in the playoffs, he is actually 0-5 in World Series starts. 

One of the Nats’ brightest stars in the first two games has been Juan Soto. The now-21-year-old phenom recorded three hits and drove in three of Washington’s five runs in Game 1. Soto’s birthday was Friday, so he was not even old enough to drink the champagne after the team’s NLCS win a couple of weeks ago.

However, when the series headed to DC, the storyline reversed. The Houston Astros ended the Nats’ magical run with a 4-1 victory in Game 3 on Friday night at Nationals Park. Last night, they tied the series with a blowout 8-1 win in Game 4. Alex Bregman hit a grand slam homer that broke the game open in the 7th inning.

Nice to Know:

The Nats are the first team since the 1924 Yankees to win the first two World Series games on the road. That’s usually a good omen: historically, teams that win the first two games of the World Series go on to win the championship 88% of the time. BUT: when a team loses the first two games and then wins the next two, they are favored to win it all. So at the moment, the Astros are the favorites.

Extra Credit:

The Houston Astros fired their assistant General Manager Brandon Taubman for making inappropriate comments in the locker room to a group of three women reporters during the raucous party after the team’s ALCS win over the New York Yankees.

During the incident, Taubman crowed loudly and seemingly in the direction of the women about how f***ing happy he was that the Astros had signed pitcher Roberto Osuna, who had previously been suspended for domestic violence issues. One of the reporters was wearing a purple domestic violence awareness bracelet at the time. Initially, the Astros denied the charge. Upon investigating, tough, they admitted that the actions were unacceptable.

Finally, former New York Yankees Manager Joe Girardi heads to Philadelphia to become the Phillies’ Manager, much to the dismay of New York Mets fans who were hoping that he’d take the open role there instead.

3. NBA

Must Know:

The NBA season has finally started! In his debut with the Brooklyn Nets, Kyrie Irving had 50 points – a record for the first game with a franchise. The Nets lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves at the buzzer, 127-126, but the Barclays center was Standing Room Only. Last year, the Nets had the lowest attendance of any team, so the game has clearly been changed.

Meanwhile, in the season’s first installment of the N.B.A.’s answer to the Subway Series, the Nets (1-1) held off the New York Knicks (0-2), 113-109, on Friday night. The only bright spot for Knicks fans? R. J. Barrett, the team’s top draft pick, scored 16 points and had six steals as a starter during the game.

On the West Coast this week, the LA Lakers lost their opener. Anthony Davis (aka “Unibrow”) had a good game, while his teammate LeBron James delivered a bit more pedestrian performance, particularly in the second half, and finished with 18 points. Their opponents, the LA Clippers, showed why they might be the team to beat this season. In the Battle of LA on opening night, the Clippers won 112-102. Kawhi Leonard got 30 points to lead all scorers. 

After beating the Lakers, the Clippers went on to a decisive victory over the Golden State Warriors at the brand new Chase Center in San Francisco.  The Warriors didn’t look so good in their season opener at their new home – it took them four minutes to score against the Clippers and they ended up losing, 141-122.

Nice to know:

The new season kicked off for the New Orleans Pelicans without #1 draft pick Zion Williamson. He is sidelined for 6-8 weeks with a torn meniscus. There is talk about his durability: he was injured while at Duke and some question whether or not his frame and weight can handle his aggressive style of play. Only time will tell.

The Houston Rockets’ new star pairing of James Harden and Russell Westbrook wasn’t enough to overcome the Milwaukee Bucks in their first game of the season. Houston squandered a 16-point lead to lose to Milwaukee, 111-117.

At least they looked good doing it. Fashion influence is a point of pride for the Rockets. Vanity Fair reports that last month, Harden cut off a suggestion that his team would probably be the best-dressed in the league. “Probably? P.J. [Tucker], Tyson Chandler…we might have the best-dressed team in the history of the sport.”

Extra Credit:

PJ Washington had a stellar first NBA game with the Charlotte Hornets. The rookie, who was selected with the No. 12 overall pick in June’s draft, hit seven 3-pointers to set the record for the most made in an NBA debut.

This Week in Sports News October 27, 2019

That’s it. You’re good to go with the top headlines and coming attractions heading into the week of October 27, 2019. Have a good one, and see you next week.

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