College Football
FSU vs. Georgia Tech/Boston College
Well, Florida State did not get off to their expected start as the #10 ranked team. After an upsetting loss to Georgia Tech in week one in Ireland, the Seminoles looked to solidify themselves as a playoff contender against Boston College. Surprisingly, they got destroyed 28-13, getting beat on their home turf. I think after the last two weeks, it is safe to say that the Seminoles’ season is pretty much over!
Florida State wasn’t the only team to experience upsets in the first couple of weeks. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish lost out of the blue to unranked and unheard-of Northern Illinois. With a total of four turnovers (2 Interceptions and 2 blocked Field Goals), Notre Dame looked sloppy compared to the flawless defense of Northern Illinois who is now ranked #25 after their big win. The Fighting Irish dropped to #18, but hope to get back on the playoff track with their game against Purdue next Saturday.
Notable Mentions
The Georgia Bulldogs continue to dominate their competition with their 34-3 win in week 1 against Clemson, and last week’s 48-3 blowout against Tennesee Tech. It comes as no surprise that the AP poll consistently has them ranked as the best team in the country and are by far the favorites to win the championship. However, there is plenty of competition such as #2 Texas whose offense is run by future first-round pick Quinn Ewers, and #3 Ohio State who have seen young talent in the freshman Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and Quarterback Will Howard. Both teams are also 2-0.
NFL
Late Signings and Contract Disputes
With the regular season starting, teams are making their final moves to complete their roster. The most dramatic of these was San Francisco’s attempt to retain Brandon Aiyuk (WR). All throughout the offseason and preseason, rumors about Aiyuk wanting to be traded to Pittsburgh or Washington circulated amid contract disputes and Aiyuk not participating in practices. Hours before trading him away to the Steelers, the 49ers reached a deal worth $120 million over four years.
In Dallas, Jerry Jones has finally decided to open up his checkbook. The team has locked down their WR1, CeeDee Lamb, for the next four years with a contract worth $136 million. The Cowboys also appear to be continuing to commit to Dak Prescott as their franchise quarterback with a four-year deal paying $240 million, making him the highest-paid quarterback of all time.
The Walter-Penner Family, owners of Walmart and the Denver Broncos, have also been spending big, signing Patrick Surtain II (CB) to a four-year, $96 million contract. This deal locked down the league’s best cornerback for Denver and made Surtain II the highest-paid cornerback for a few days before being surpassed by Jalen Ramsey’s (CB – MIA) $24.1 million per year contract.
In Cincinnati, the Ja’Marr Chase (WR) contract disputes have continued, despite him playing in the 16-10 loss to the New England Patriots. Chase still has two years left on his $30 million rookie contract.
Week 1 Changes
Week 1 in the NFL is usually very different from the rest of the season. This week, offenses have been historically bad, with passing yardage reaching its lowest since 2007 and multiple teams being unable to score offensive touchdowns and having to be carried by their defense, such as the Chicago Bears. This is likely due to a mixture of defenses getting better every year and offenses not being warmed up yet.
Another difference between this season’s Week 1 and the norm from past seasons, is officiating. This week, 22 illegal formation penalties were called, with 9 being thrown in the season opener between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs. It appears the league has decided to crack down on offensive linemen, except for Kansas City’s Jawaan Taylor (who false starts on nearly every snap). Fans aren’t happy with this, as the calling of more penalties that usually do not affect the outcome of a play slows down the game and decreases offensive production. Hopefully, as the season goes on, referees will call fewer insignificant penalties and focus on the important ones, such as crucial holding calls and pass interference.
Controversial Endings
The Chiefs-Ravens game was a great matchup that came down to the wire. However, the ending was controversial to some fans. In the final 10 seconds of the game, with the Ravens down by seven on Kansas City’s 10-yard line, Lamar Jackson (QB) dropped back to throw and misthrew a wide-open pass to Zay Flowers (WR). This stopped the clock with 5 seconds left, allowing one final play. This time, Jackson hit Isaiah Likely (TE) in the back of the endzone for a touchdown to set up the game-tying extra point. But, in the NFL all scoring plays must be reviewed, and the replay showed that Likely’s right toe was out of bounds, erasing the touchdown. Since the play took 5 seconds, there wasn’t time to try another play, and the game ended 20-27 in favor of the Chiefs. Ravens fans have been understandably angry at Lamar Jackson for missing Flowers and Likely for not keeping his toes in. Some people even say that the way Likely’s foot hit the ground, he did stay in bounds for a fraction of a second.
Rookie Debuts
Jayden Daniels (WAS) – Passing: 17/21, 184yds (7.7 AVG), 0 TD, 0 INT, 41.2 QBR, 93.1 RTG
Jayden Daniels (WAS) – Rushing: 16/88yds (5.5 AVG), 2 TD, 17 LONG
Jayden Daniel’s debut at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was the best debut out of all the rookie quarterbacks, at least statistically. The Commanders lost 37-20, with their only two touchdowns being Jayden Daniels rushes. This game was mostly made up of garbage time, but I still think that it proves that Jayden Daniels will be a possible contender for ROTY and the Commanders may have found a long-term solution at quarterback.
Bo Nix (DEN) – Passing: 26/42, 138yds (3.3 AVG), 0 TD, 2 INT, 31.3 QBR, 47.5 RTG
Bo Nix (DEN) – Rushing: 5/35yds (7.0 AVG), 1 TD, 23 LONG
Despite not having the best statistical debut, Bo Nix definitely had the hardest game. Playing in a packed Lumen Field, the infamous “Home of the 12th Man”, against the defensively-minded Seahawks’ head coach Mike Macdonald, this game was always going to be difficult for the rookie. However, he still managed to keep the game close and winnable until late in the 4th quarter. This game likely would have been better for Nix if the run game had been established better, his receivers didn’t have as many drops, and Sean Payton allowed him to go deep like back at Oregon. However, a bright side for Broncos fans is Nix only took two sacks (which were simply times he stepped out of bounds behind the line, he was never tackled for a sack) in a game where Russell Wilson would likely have taken at least five. Nix also showed he can scramble as he had the longest run out of the other rookie quarterbacks, led the Broncos in rushing, and was clocked as one of the fastest ball carriers of Week 1, which he hopefully will make even more use of in the future.
Caleb Williams (CHI) – Passing: 14/29, 93yds (3.2 AVG), 0 TD, 0 INT, 23.5 QBR, 55.7 RTG
Caleb Williams (CHI) – Rushing: 5/15yds (3.0 AVG), 0 TD, 11 LONG
#1 Overall Pick Caleb William’s debut might be the most overhyped in recent memory. He had the worst statistical game out of the three rookie quarterbacks and couldn’t even score a single touchdown against the Tennessee Titan’s defense. Although he was the only rookie quarterback to record a win this week, that is completely due to the Bear’s defense and mistakes made by the Titans.
Marvin Harrison Jr. (ARZ) – Receiving: 3 TGTS, 1 REC, 4yds (4.0 AVG), 0 TD, 4 LONG
After this debut, I don’t see why the Cardinals even drafted MHJ. If you draft a wide receiver fourth overall, you should have him be heavily involved in your offensive game plan. But, this isn’t entirely the fault of the Arizona coaching staff, Kyler Murray (QB) also needs to take some of the blame since he missed a wide-open Marvin Harrison Jr. that would have put them ahead of the Bills. But, it’s only Week 1 so hopefully Harrison Jr.’s role in the offense will increase as the season goes on.
Malik Nabers (NYG) – Receiving: 7 TGTS, 5 REC, 66yds (13.2 AVG), 0 TD, 25 LONG
I’m honestly impressed with the numbers Nabers was able to put up with Daniel Jones (186yds, 2 INT) as his quarterback. Unlike the Cardinals, the Giants appear to be including their first-round wide receiver in their scheme. But, something tells me by the end of the season Malik Nabers will not be happy with where he ended up being drafted unless there is a major turnaround in New York.
WNBA
It is an exciting time for women’s basketball. After the US teams dominated the Olympic gold medal run, the WNBA has resumed in-season play and is approaching playoffs. Plenty of huge accomplishments have been made within the league, but by far the most prominent have been by the new rookie sensations.
The 2023 WNBA draft was the highest viewed in league history and for a good reason. Players such as Caitlyn Clark, and Angel Reese have been making a mark even in their first season, and we see a tough battle for rookie of the year. Caitlyn Clark has broken pretty much every rookie record every set in the league plus other accolades. The number-one pick currently holds the record for the most three-pointers made in a single season, the WNBA single-season rookie record for assists, the WNBA single-season rookie record for three-pointers, set a franchise record for most three-pointers and double-doubles with the Indiana Fever. She also has led the Indiana Fever to make their first playoff birth in 7 years.
The Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese, however, also makes a strong case for ROY, as she currently has the record for the most consecutive double-doubles, and is the WNBA’s all-time rebounds leader. It is safe to say that these two young players have already revolutionized the league, and it will be a very tough battle for rookie of the year!
US Open
This year’s US Open pulled in a record high in American viewership and for a good reason. American players finally dominated the U.S. Open. In both the men’s and women’s singles tournaments, two of the four semi-finalists year American. For the men, we saw a hard-fought battle between No.12 Taylor Fritz and No. 20 Frances Tiafoe. Fritz won in the fifth set, but what a battle it was. For the women, we saw #6 Jessica Pegula lose in the finals to Aryana Sablenka, who coincidentally also beat the American Emma Navaro in the Semi-finals.
MLB
Shohei Ohtani 50/50
History may soon be made in Major League Baseball. Dodgers’ Designated Hitter Shoehi Ohtani is quickly approaching the historic milestone of the 50/50 Club. The Club, which currently has no members, is for players who have hit 50 home runs and stolen 50 bases in one season. At the time of writing, Ohtani had 47 home runs and 48 stolen bases. In the Dodgers’ next series they will travel to Atlanta to face the Braves for four games.
The New Worst Team in MLB History
The 2024 Chicago White Sox are now officially the worst team in the modern era of Major League Baseball. The club is currently 33-114 with a winning percentage of .224. Unsurprisingly, the White Sox have been eliminated from the playoffs along with the Los Angeles Angels (60-86), Miami Marlins (55-92), and Colorado Rockies (55-92). The previous holders of this prestigious title were the 1916 Philadelphia Athletics where went 36-117 (.235). However, what separates the Athletics from the White Sox is the Athletics were so bad due to the newly formed Federal League poaching their players due to their dominance in previous years. The White Sox are just bad.
