Author: Armadillo Sports

— Seahawks 23, Cardinals 20
Seahawks kicked a 52-yard FG at the gun for a walk-off win.
Seattle led 14-3 at halftime.
Seattle ran for 155 yards, outgained Cardinals, 384-253
Seahawks are 8-1 SU/5-3-1 ATS in last eight visits to Arizona.

Cardinals lost on a last-second field goal last week, too.
Arizona’s first nine drives: 46 plays, 147 yards, 6 points.
Arizona’s last two drives: 20 plays, 130 yards, 14 points.
Since 2019, Arizona is 6-13 ATS in NFC West home games.

— East Carolina 28, Army 6
Pirates led 21-0 in the first quarter.
ECU was 7-12 on third down, Army 2-15.
Pirates outgained Army, 431-290

— Reds 2, Pirates 1
RF Noelvi Marte made a HR-saving catch in 9th inning to preserve the win.
Nick Lodolo struck out 12 batters in 6.1 scoreless IP.
Reds are a game behind the Mets for the NL’s last Wild Card slot.

— Mets 8, Cubs 5
Francisco Lindor homered, is a 30-30 guy for the second time.
Mets led this game 6-0 in the 4th inning.
Brett Baty went 2-for-4, with 3 RBI

— Dodgers 8, Diamondbacks 0
Shohei Ohtani hit his 54th home run.
Dodgers clinch NL West for 12th time in 13 years.
Arizona falls two games behind the Mets for the NL’s last Wild Card slot.

— Tigers 4, Guardians 2
Detroit used six pitchers in this win, tying Cleveland for AL Central lead.
Tigers hit three solo home runs.
This weekend, Cleveland hosts Texas, Tigers visit Boston.

— Obscure Fact of the Day: Actor Russell Johnson played the Professor on the old TV show Gilligan’s Island, but before he was an actor, Russell Johnson flew 44 combat missions as a WWII bombardier. His plane was shot down in 1945; he broke both his ankles.

He earned a Purple Heart, a Bronze Star and the admiration of Ginger and Mary Ann.

— Famous birthdays, September 26th:
Kent McCord, 83
Dave Duncan, 80
Mike Bragg, 79

Lucius Allen, 78
John Roche, 76
Melissa Sue Anderson, 63

Sean Doolittle, 39
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, 32
Shake Milton, 29

— Washington Nationals are hiring Paul Toboni as their new head of baseball operations. The 35-year old Toboni rose quickly in the Red Sox organization to become assistant GM and is widely regarded as one of the best young executives in MLB.

— Astros 11, A’s 5
Houston remains a game behind Detroit for the AL’s last playoff slot.
Christian Walker homered, had three RBI
Win ends Astros’ 7-game losing streak against the A’s.

— Blue Jays 6, Red Sox 1
Daulton Varsho hit his 5th career grand slam.
Toronto/New York remain tied atop the AL East; Blue Jays own tiebreaker.
Boston’s magic number to clinch a playoff spot is one.

— Phillies 1, Marlins 0
Only run of the game scored on a first inning ground out.
Walker Buehler pitched five shutout innings.
Surprising fact: This loss eliminated the Marlins, who have had a good year.

— Royals 9, Angels 4
Bobby Witt Jr went 4-for-5, scored two runs.
Mike Trout hit his 401st career home run.

— Random opinion: If a run scores because of an error on the pitcher, that should be an earned run. Why should the pitcher’s stats benefit because he made an error?

— Playoff picture with 3 days left in the regular season:
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Padres, Mets
AL: Blue Jays, Guardians, Mariners. Wild Cards: New York, Red Sox, Tigers

— Guardians 5, Tigers 1
George Valera had the go-ahead home run for Cleveland.
Guardians now lead AL Central by a game, with four games left.
Detroit has lost 8 in a row, is out of first place for first time since April 22.

— A’s 6, Astros 0
Shea Langeliers went 4-for-4 with a home run.
Luis Severino got 19 outs, allowed only three hits.
Astros have lost 5 in a row, trail Detroit by a game for last Wild Card slot.

— Cubs 10, Mets 3
Cubs scored 5 runs in third inning, snapped a five-game losing skid.
Matthew Boyd got 16 outs, allowed only two hits.
Juan Soto hit his 43rd home run for the Mets

— Pirates 4, Reds 3 (11)
Spencer Horwitz had the game-winning double for Pittsburgh.
Reds remain a game behind the Mets for the last NL’s Wild Card slot.
Noelvi Marte hit an inside-the-park home run for the Reds. 

— Mariners 9, Rockies 2
Seattle clinches its first AL West title since 2001.
Cal Raleigh hit two home runs, now has 60 this season.
Luis Castillo got 22 outs, allowed only one baserunner.

— Red Sox 7, Blue Jays 1
Garrett Crochet tossed 8 shutout innings.
Red Sox lead Detroit by two games for the AL’s second Wild Card.
Toronto/New York are now tied for first in AL East. 

— Famous birthdays, September 25th:
Michael Douglas, 81
Bob McAdoo, 74
Glenn Hubbard, 68
Geno Petralli, 66

Heather Locklear, 64
Scottie Pippen, 60
Will Smith, 56
Catherine Zeta-Jones, 55

Matt Hasselbeck, 50
Rocco Baldelli, 44
Alec Ogletree, 34
Brandin Cooks, 32

— College football conference trends:
Home favorites in conference games are 12-10 ATS
Home underdogs in conference games are 11-7 ATS

American
Home underdogs 1-5 ATS in non-conference games
Road underdogs 8-4 ATS in non-conference games

ACC
Home favorites 6-10 ATS in non-conference games
Road underdogs 1-5 ATS in non-conference games

Big 10
Favorites 14-16 ATS in non-conference games

Big X
Favorites 13-9 ATS in non-conference games
Underdogs 3-4 ATS in non-conference games

Conference USA
14-9 ATS in non-conference games, 6-3 at home.

Mid American
Underdogs 18-15 ATS in non-conference games

Mountain West
Underdogs 12-6 ATS in non-conference games

SEC
19-16 ATS in non-conference games, 4-2 as underdogs

Sun Belt
Underdogs 10-13 ATS in non-conference games

— Tampa Bay Rays were sold for $1.7B this week, are expected to stay in the Tampa/St Pete area of western Florida. Stuart Sternberg had owned the team since 2004; back then, he bought the team for $200M, so a tidy profit right there.

— Was watching the Brewers-Padres game Monday night; Roberto Ortiz was the home plate umpire and boy, did the Milwaukee TV guys shred his performance.

Don’t think I’ve ever heard TV guys rip an umpire like that, especially considering that the Brewers are already locked in to a really good seed in the playoffs, not like it was a huge game for them, but hitters/pitchers looked confused  by several of his calls.

— Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl stepped down this week; he takes an ambassador’s role in the athletic department, while his son Steven Pearl got a 5-year contract to take over for his father. 

He went 246-125 at Auburn, leading the Tigers to two Final Fours.

— Oklahoma State fired longtime football coach Mike Gundy, who was 170-90 in 21 years coaching the Cowboys, 12-6 in bowl games. He gets paid $15M to go away; would like to hear him on TV, think he’d be an interesting voice in today’s NIL-dominated world.

— Atlanta Falcons fired their WR coach Ike Hilliard after Sunday’s 30-0 loss at Carolina; Passing game coordinator T.J. Yates is going to take over Hilliard’s duties, and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson will be on the sideline during games, instead of in the press box.

— Playoff picture with 4 days left in the regular season:
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Padres, Mets
AL: Blue Jays, Guardians, Mariners. Wild Cards: New York, Red Sox, Tigers

— Guardians 5, Tigers 2
Teams are now tied for first in AL Central.
On July 8, Detroit was 15.5 games ahead of Cleveland.
Detroit hitters struck out 19 times in this game.

— Mets 9, Cubs 7
Cubs led this game 6-1 after four innings.
Francisco Alvarez hit the game-winning HR in the 8th inning.
Mets regain the NL’s last Wild Card slot, by a game over Reds/Arizona.

— Pirates 4, Reds 2
Oneil Cruz hit a two-run homer for Pittsburgh.
Pirates scored all four of their runs in the 2nd inning.
Reds have won five straight games four times this year, but are now 0-4 in that sixth game.

— Diamondbacks 5, Dodgers 4
Dodgers led 4-0 in the 7th inning.
Geraldo Perdomo’s 2-run single was a walk-off in the 9th.
Shohei Ohtani allowed 5 baserunners in his six scoreless IP.

— Red Sox 4, Blue Jays 1
Toronto has lost five of six games; their AL East lead is one game.
Tied 1-1 after five innings, Boston scored 3 runs in the sixth.
Red Sox lead Detroit by a game for the AL’s #2 Wild Card slot.

— Mariners 4, Rockies 3
Josh Naylor hit a 3-run double in the bottom of the 8th.
Mariners clinched a playoff spot; they’re 15-1 in their last 16 games.
Right now, Seattle would be the #2-seed in the AL.

— A’s 5, Astros 1
A’s first run scored when an easy pop-up fell safely in front of the mound.
Jeffrey Springs allowed three hits in his five IP.
Houston is a game behind Detroit for the AL’s last Wild Card slot. 

— Major League Baseball will have a replay challenge system for balls/strikes, starting next season; this will be very interesting to follow.

The rules, according to MLB:

Each team will get two challenges and can keep them if they’re successful

Challenges can only be initiated by a pitcher, catcher, or batter, and the request must come right after the pitch

 To signal a challenge, the pitcher, catcher, or batter will tap his hat or helmet to let the umpire know

 No help from the dugout or other players on the field is allowed

— Famous birthdays, September 24th:
Joe Greene, 79
Gordon Clapp, 77
Hubie Brooks, 69

Rafael Palmeiro, 61
Kevin Millar, 54
Eddie George, 52

Drew Gooden, 44
Keith Null, 40
Luis Morales, 23

— Lions 38, Ravens 30
Detroit ran ball for 224 yards, outgained Ravens 426-318.
Montgomery had 12 carries for 151 yards.
Lions in second half: 28 plays, 221 yards, 24 points.
Detroit converted 7-14 on third down, 3-3 on fourth down

Score was tied 14-14 at halftime.
Ravens have scored 40-41-30 points, but are 1-2.
Baltimore allowed 41-38 points in its two losses.
In Week 3, favorites were 9-7 ATS; over was 8-8.

— New Jersey Giants are starting rookie QB Jaxson Dart against the Chargers this week, which will be his first NFL start.

Likely reason: Russell Wilson’s stats in the red zone so far:

4-for-18 passing, 16 yards, no TD’s, one first down. Not good.

— 0-3 Tennessee Titans are changing playcallers; QB coach Bo Hardegree is taking over for head coach Brian Callahan. Hardegree was the interim offensive coordinator for the Raiders for the second half of the 2023 season.

— Tampa Bay Bucs’ star WR Mike Evans is expected to miss 3-4 weeks (hamstring strain).

— Since 1939, only one NFL team has had a three-game span with:
No turnovers
Zero or one punt.

The 2025 Indianapolis Colts, off to a 3-0 start.

— Syracuse QB Steve Angeli tore his Achilles tendon, is out for the year; he was 98-156/1,352 passing in Syracuse’s 3-1 start.

— Oklahoma QB John Mateer hurt his thumb last week, is going to have surgery on Wednesday and is expected to miss 3+ weeks. So far this season, Mateer is 95-141/1,215 passing in the Sooners’ 4-0 start. 

Trends for every major league team
(thru Sunday’s games)

— Arizona (79-77)
Arizona is 7-4 its last eleven games.
Diamondbacks are 20-27 in one-run games.
Arizona is 25-21 vs NL West foes, 54-56 vs everyone else.
Arizona scored in 1st inning in 11 of last 16 home games. 

— Braves (73-83)
Braves won their last eight games.
Atlanta is 36-39 at home, 37-44 on the road.
Braves are 28-21 vs NL East rivals, 45-62 vs everyone else.
Over is 5-2-1 in their last eight games.

— Cubs (88-68)
Chicago lost its last four games.
Cubs are holding #1 Wild Card slot in NL
Under is 13-5-2 in their last 20 road games.
Cubs are 69-46 vs righty starters, 19-22 vs lefties.

— Reds (80-76)
Cincinnati won its last five games.
Reds are 60-53 vs righty starters, 20-23 vs lefties.
Under is 8-3-1 in their last 11 road games.
Reds are holding the NL’s last Wild Card slot.

— Rockies (43-113)
Colorado lost 16 of its last 20 games.
Over is 6-2 in Rockies’ last eight games.
Rockies are 8-34 vs lefty starters, 35-79 vs righties.
Colorado scored a first inning run in only one of last 37 road games.

— Dodgers (88-68)
Dodgers won 10 of their last 14 games.
LA leads San Diego by three games in NL West.
Dodgers are 64-45 vs righty starters, 24-23 vs lefties.
Under is 3-1-1 in their last five games.

— Marlins (76-80)
Marlins are 10-1 in their last 11 games.
Miami is 36-42 at home, 40-38 on the road.
Over is 9-4 in Marlins’ last 13 games.
Marlins are 57-55 vs righty starters, 19-25 vs lefties.

— Brewers (95-61)
Brewers are 6-3 in their last nine games.
Milwaukee is 51-27 at home, 44-34 on the road.
Over is 17-7-1 in their last 25 home games.
Right now, Milwaukee is the #1 seed in the NL. 

— Mets (80-76)
Mets are 4-11 in their last fifteen games.
Mets are 49-32 at home, 31-44 on the road.
Over is 8-5-1 in their last 14 road games.
Right now, Mets trail Cincinnati by half-game for last NL Wild Card slot.

— Phillies (92-64)
Phillies are 1-3 in their last four games.
Phillies are 70-39 vs righty starters, 22-25 vs lefties.
Over is 10-2 in their last 12 games.
Right now, Phillies are #2 seed in the NL.

— Pirates (67-89)
Pirates lost 12 of their last 15 games.
Pittsburgh is 44-37 at home, 23-52 on the road.
Under is 11-4 in their last 15 games.
Pirates are 53-69 vs righty starters, 14-20 vs lefties.

— St Louis (76-80)
St Louis is 4-8 in its last 12 games.
Cardinals are 1-5 in last six series openers.
St Louis is 44-37 at home, 32-43 on the road.
Under is 8-3 in their last eleven home games.

— Padres (85-71)
San Diego is 9-10 in its last 19 games.
Padres are 47-28 at home, 38-43 on the road.
Padres are 61-48 vs righty starters, 24-23 vs lefties.
San Diego has a 5-game for the #2 Wild Card slot in NL.

— Giants (77-79)
Giants lost eight of their last 11 games.
Giants are 61-51 vs righty pitchers, 16-28 vs lefties.
Over is 7-2 in their last nine home games.
SF is three games out of the NL’s last Wild Card slot. 

— Washington (64-92)
Nationals are 4-8 in their last 12 games.
Washington is 47-64 vs righty starters, 17-28 vs lefties.
Under is 5-3-1 in their last nine games.
Nationals are 22-16 in one-run games. 

— Famous birthdays, September 23rd:
Bruce Springsteen, 76
Dennis Lamp, 73
Jason Alexander, 66
Larry Krystkowiak, 61

Pete Harnisch, 59
Cuonzo Martin, 54
Matt Kemp, 41
Brian Brohm, 40

— Orioles (73-83)
Baltimore is 12-7 in its last 19 games.
Orioles are 52-58 vs vs righty starters, 21-25 vs lefties.
Under is 15-0 in their last fifteen home games.
Orioles are 20-26 vs AL East rivals, 53-57 vs everyone else.

— Red Sox (85-71)
Red Sox are 4-6 in their last ten games.
Boston is 46-32 at home, 39-39 on road.
Over is 3-0 in their last three games.
Red Sox have #2 AL Wild Card slot, one game ahead of Cleveland/Houston.

— White Sox (58-98)
Chicago lost eight of its last eleven games.
White Sox are 33-48 at home, 25-50 on the road.
Under is 8-2 in their last ten games.
Chicago is 43-77 vs righty starters, 15-21 vs lefties.

— Cleveland (84-72)
Cleveland is 14-2 in its last 16 games.
Guardians are tied with Astros for AL’s last Wild Card slot.
Guardians are also game behind Detroit in AL Central.
Guardians are 66-48 vs righty starters, 18-24 vs lefties.
Under is 16-3 in their last nineteen games.

— Detroit (85-71)
Detroit is 7-18 in its last 25 games.
Tigers lead Cleveland by one game in AL Central.
Over is 12-6 in their last eighteen games.
Detroit is 20-10 in one-run games. 

— Houston (84-72)
Astros are tied for last Wild Card slot in AL.
Astros are 14-21 in their last 35 home games.
Astros trail Seattle by three games in AL West.
Over is 8-2 in their last ten home games.

— Royals (78-78)
Royals are 14-17 in their last 31 games.
Kansas City is 61-66 vs righty starters, 17-12 vs lefties.
Over is 7-2 in Royals’ last nine games.
Royals scored in first inning in 15 of last 28 home games.

— Angels (70-86)
Angels are 11-24 in their last 35 games.
Over is 10-6 in their last sixteen games.
Angels are 59-70 vs righty starters, 11-16 vs lefties.
Angels are in last place in AL West ($206M payroll)

— Twins (67-89)
Twins lost 26 of their last 38 games.
Minnesota is 38-43 at home, 29-46 on the road.
Over is 16-6 in their last 22 home games.
Twins are 2-10 in last 12 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— New York (88-68)
New York is 8-3 in its last 11 games.
Under is 4-0 in their last four games.
New York is 71-51 vs righty starters, 17-17 vs lefties.
Right now, New York has the #1 Wild Card slot in AL.

— A’s (73-83)
A’s are 7-3 in their last ten games.
A’s didn’t score in their last two games.
A’s are 55-68 vs righty starters, 18-15 vs lefties.
A’s are 9-5 in extra innings this season. 

— Seattle (87-69)
Mariners won 14 of their last 15 games.
Seattle is 33-10 in its last 43 home games.
Over is 13-6 in their last nineteen games.
Seattle leads Houston by three games in AL West.

— Tampa Bay (76-80)
Tampa Bay is 4-7 in its last 11 games.
Rays are 41-40 at home, 35-40 on the road.
Over is 5-2 in their last seven road games.
Rays are 7-15 in last 22 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Texas (79-77)
Rangers lost their last seven games.
Texas is five games out of the AL’s last Wild Card slot.
Texas is 62-55 vs righty starters, 17-22 vs lefties
Rangers are 47-31 at home, 32-46 on road.

— Toronto (90-66)
Blue Jays are 1-4 in their last five games.
Blue Jays scored total of 11 runs in those five games.
Under is 11-5 in their last 16 games.
Toronto leads New York by two games in AL East.

Browns 13, Packers 10
Browns kicked a 55-yard FG at the gun for the win.
Green Bay led 10-0 with 4:00 left in the game.
Cleveland’s first seven drives: 41 plays, 113 yards, no points
Cleveland’s last three drives: 18 plays, 83 yards, 13 points

Packers had 14 penalties for 75 yards, Browns 8 for 90.
Green Bay was 10-18 on third down, Cleveland 4-13.
Packers are 4-12-1 ATS last 17 games as a road favorite.
Total yardage: Green Bay 230, Cleveland 221. 

Buccaneers 29, Jets 27
Jets took 27-26 lead, scoring TD on blocked FG with 1:49 left.
Tampa Bay kicked a 36-yard FG 0:03 left for the win.
Bucs are 3-0, with all three wins coming on last-minute scores.
Last time Tampa Bay was 3-0 was 2005.

Buccaneers led 23-6 after the third quarter.
Bucs outgained Jets 347-267; they were +2 in turnovers.
Tampa Bay survived 14 penalties for 124 yards.
Jets lost first three games, giving up 34-30-29 points.

Eagles 33, Rams 27
Rams led 26-7 early in the third quarter.
Rams had two FG’s blocked; the last one was run back for a TD.
Eagles in first half: 21 plays, 29 yards, 7 points
Eagles in second half: 40 plays, 260 yards, 20 points

Saquon Barkley was held to 55 yards on 22 touches.
AJ Brown caught six passes for 109 yards.
Eagles won ten of last eleven series games.
Rams were 4-6 on FG’s; need to be better in red zone. 

Chargers 23, Broncos 20
Chargers kicked a 43-yard FG at the gun for the win.
Chargers had tied game on a 20-yard TD pass with 2:44 left.
Bolts have already beaten all three of their AFC West rivals.
Justin Herbert is the youngest QB ever with 2,000 career completions.

Chargers were 8-17 on third down, Denver 2-13.
Bolts ran 80 plays for 376 yards, Denver 48 plays for 265 yards.
Chargers are 7-2 SU/9-0 ATS last 9 games vs AFC West rivals.
Under Payton, Denver is 6-9 ATS as a road underdog.

Colts 41, Titans 20
Colts are off to a 3-0 start, scoring 32-29-41 points.
Colts have scored on 20 of 25 drives, have punted once.
Indianapolis led 20-6 at halftime.
Colts outgained first two opponents by 207-149-83 yards.

Rookie QB Ward threw a horrendous pick-6 on third play of game.
Titans have three TD’s, 10 FG’s on their 34 drives.
Tennessee is 3-11 ATS last 14 games as an underdog.
Indianapolis won/covered last five series games.

Jaguars 17, Texans 10
Jaguars drove 83 yards in 7 plays, scored winning TD with 1:48 left.
Just third win for Jaguars in last 15 games vs Houston.
Jaguars are 5-2 ATS in last seven AFC South home games.
Jaguars have had three takeaways in all three games this year.

Houston’s only TD was a 50-yard pass to Collins with 9:17 left.
Texans lost first three games, by 1-5-7 points.
Texans have only three TD’s on 30 drives this year.
Both teams converted 4-15 third down plays. 

Steelers 21, Patriots 14
Steelers drove 67 yards in nine plays, scored GW TD with 2:16 left.
Steelers’ first two drives: 20 plays, 144 yards, 14 points
Steelers are 26-14-1 ATS last 41 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
Pittsburgh ran ball 26 times for only 64 yards.

NE outgained Steelers 369-203, but had 5 turnovers, losing 4 fumbles.
Patriots are 4-13-1 ATS last 18 games as a home underdog.
NE is 9-18-3 ATS last 30 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
Patriots had a drive that took 17 plays, 92 yards, but it ended in an INT. 

Famous birthdays, September 22:
Harold Carmichael, 76
Jeffrey Leonard, 70
Wally Backman, 66
Scott Baio, 65
Vince Coleman, 64

Mark Guthrie, 60
Mike Matheny, 55
Alexei Ramírez, 44
Carlos Correa, 31
Jeremy Pena, 28

Vikings 48, Bengals 10
Vikings had defensive TD’s of 87-66 yards in the first half.
Minnesota outgained the Bengals, 352-171.
Will Reichard made a 62-yard FG, longest in Viking history.
QB Wentz has a 48-47-1 record; he’s won a game for 5 different teams. .

Cincinnati got outgained by 186-50-181 yards in their first 3 games.
Bengals have run ball 61 times for only 147 yards in those games.
Bengals’ first four drives: 17 plays, 20 yards, no points.
Cincinnati turned ball over five times on 13 drives. 

Panthers 30, Falcons 0
Panthers scored on 11-yard pick-6 to go ahead 17-0 in 3rd quarter.
Ryan Fitzgerald made a 57-yard field goal for Carolina.
Panthers are 13-8-1 ATS last 22 games as a home underdog.
Carolina is 7-2-1 ATS in last ten NFC South home games.

Falcons missed FG’s (49-55 yards) on two of first three drives.
Under Morris, Atlanta is 3-6-1 ATS as a road favorite.
Under Morris, Atlanta is 5-11 ATS in games coming off a win.
Morris is 30-49 as a head coach.

Commanders 41, Raiders 24
Washington ran for 174 yards in 1st half, led 20-10 at half.
Under Quinn, Commanders are 8-2 ATS as a home favorite.
Last three years, Washington is 10-6 ATS vs AFC opponents.
Mariota was 15-21/207 yards passing in his first start since 2022. 

Commanders ran a punt back 90 yards for a TD.
Raiders were 3-14 on third down, Las Vegas 5-10.
Raiders have run ball 71 times for only 217 yards.
Las Vegas is 19-25-1 ATS in last 45 games coming off a loss.

49ers 16, Cardinals 15
49ers kicked a 35-yard FG with 0:04 left for the win.
49ers drove 57 yards in 10 plays to set up the FG.
Cardinals took 15-13 lead on a safety with 3:26 left.
49ers led 6-3 at half; it was 6-6 after three quarters. 

49ers outgained Arizona 355-260, but ran for only 73 yards.
Last 2+ years, 49ers are 7-12-1 ATS in games coming off a win.
Last two years, 49ers are 1-6 ATS in NFC West home games.
49ers are 3-0, took over first place in NFC West.

Seahawks 44, Saints 13
Seattle ran a punt back 95 yards for a TD in first quarter.
Seattle also blocked a punt later in the first quarter.
Seattle’s first seven drives: 39 plays, 283 yards, 37 points
Jason Myers kicked a 56-yard field goal for the Seahawks.

Saints have converted only 12-36 third down plays. 
New Orleans has been outscored 71-23 in first half of games.
Spencer Rattler is 0-9 as an NFL starting QB.
Saints are 7-14 ATS in last 21 games coming off a loss.

Bears 31, Cowboys 14
Caleb Williams threw for 298 yards, four TD’s.
Williams hit Luther Burden with a 65-yard TD pass on a flea flicker.
Bears scored on four of first six drives, led 24-14 at halftime.
Chicago is 6-3-1 ATS last ten games as a home underdog.

Last two games, Cowboys allowed 422-298 passing yards.
Chicago was 8-14 on third down, Dallas 3-11.
Chicago averaged 10.6 yards/pass attempt.
Dallas is 4-7 ATS in last 11 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

Chiefs 22, Giants 9
Chiefs were 3-4 on field goals, on five first half drives (led 9-6 at half)
Chiefs in second half: 29 plays, 184 yards, 13 points.
Chiefs were 8-15 on third down, Giants 1-10.
Chiefs are 8-4 ATS in last 12 games coming off a loss.

Last 14 years, Giants are 2-12 SU/1-13 ATS in home openers.
Malik Nabers caught only two passes for 13 yards.
Giants in second half: 33 plays, 152 yards, 3 points.
QB Wilson is 130-88-1 as an NFL starter, 23-35 last 4+ years.

— Oklahoma 24, Auburn 17
Sooners recorded 10 sacks, seven in the first half.
Oklahoma scored the game-winning TD with 4:54 left.
Auburn QB Arnold threw for 220 yards; he played for Oklahoma last year.

— Michigan 30, Nebraska 27
Michigan had TD runs of 75-54-37 yards.
Game was tied 17-17 at halftime.
Nebraska QB Raiola threw for 308 yards, three TD’s.

— Memphis 32, Arkansas 31
Arkansas led 28-10 just before halftime.
Memphis ran the ball 41 times for 290 yards.
Arkansas fumbled on the Memphis 7-yard line with 1:22 left.

— Syracuse 34, Clemson 21
Syracuse never trailed, led 24-14 at halftime.
Syracuse recovered an onside kick after their first TD.
Clemson is 1-3 for the first time since 2004.
Syracuse QB Angeli left late in the game with a leg injury.

— Upsets of the Week:
Syracuse (+17.5) 34, Clemson 21
Coastal Carolina (+15.5) 38, South Alabama 20
Tulsa (+13.5) 19, Oklahoma State 12

San Diego State (+12.5) 34, Cal 0
Western Michigan (+11.5) 14, Toledo 13
Maryland (+9.5) 27, Wisconsin 10

Memphis (+7.5) 32, Arkansas 31
Troy (+6.5) 21, Buffalo 17
Kennesaw State (+6.5) 28, Arkansas State 21

— Arizona State 27, Baylor 24
Sun Devils kicked a 43-yard FG on last play of the game.
Baylor had tied game on a TD with 1:52 left.
ASU ran the ball 48 times for 179 yards.

— UNLV 41, Miami OH 38
Rebels kicked game-winning 23-yard FG with 0:15 left.
Miami led 24-10 at halftime.
Rebels are 4-0; they ran ball 43 times for 220 yards.

— Texas Tech 34, Utah 10
Tech led 10-3 after three quarters.
Tech backup QB Hammond threw for 169 yards, 2 TD’s off bench.
Game was at 10am local time; offenses were stagnant in first half. 

— Missouri 29, South Carolina 20
Gamecocks led 14-12 at halftime.
Mizzou ran ball 48 times for 285 yards.
Tigers converted 7-13 on third down, South Carolina 3-11.

— Famous birthdays, September 21st:
Doug Moe, 87
Jerry Bruckheimer, 82
Pat Curran, 80
Stephen King, 78
Artis Gilmore, 76

Bill Murray, 75
Danny Cox, 66
Rob Morrow, 63
Cecil Fielder, 62
Faith Hill, 58

Luke Wilson, 54
Randolph Childress, 53
Jon Kitna, 53
Kevin Carter, 52
Yainer Diaz, 27

— North Texas 45, Army 38 OT
North Texas is 4-0 for the first time since 2018.
Army ran the ball 68 times for 387 yards.
Army had three turnovers, North Texas only one.

— Colorado 37, Wyoming 20
Buffaloes led 21-3 at halftime.
Colorado outgained Wyoming 497-347.
Buffaloes averaged 10.4 yards/pass attempt.

— San Diego State 34, Cal 0
San Diego State led 13-0 at halftime.
Aztecs had a 97-yard pick-6 in the third quarter.
Golden Bears ran ball 31 times for only 65 yards.

— Miami 26, Florida 7
Hurricanes outgained Florida, 344-141.
Miami was 8-16 on third down, Florida 0-13.
Miami won nine of its last 11 games against Florida.

— Mariners 4, Astros 0
Seattle hit four solo home runs, take over 1st place in AL West
Brian Woo pitched 5 innings, before leaving with an injury.
Mariners have won 11 of their last 12 games.

— Guardians 6, Twins 2
Bo Naylor knocked in four runs for Cleveland.
Guardians have won eight games in a row.
Cleveland is 1.5 games behind Boston/Houston for 2nd/3rd Wild Cards.

— Braves 10, Tigers 1
Detroit has lost seven of its last eight games.
Tigers’ lead in AL Central is down to 2.5 games over Cleveland.
Detroit has been outscored 17-2 in its last three games.

— Despite the win, Braves were eliminated from playoff contention, will miss the postseason for the first time since 2017.

— Dodgers 6, Giants 3
Clayton Kershaw pitched 4.1 IP in his last regular season start in LA.
Shohei Ohtani hit his 52nd home run.
Dodgers’ catcher in this game, Dalton Rushing, was 7 years old when Kershaw made his MLB debut.

— White Sox 4, Padres 3
Chicago’s win ends their six-game losing skid.
Miguel Vargas hit a two-run homer.
Padres fall to four games behind the Dodgers in the NL West.

— Red Sox 11, Rays 7
Tampa Bay led this game 3-2 after six innings.
Jarren Duran hit a two-run homer in the 7th inning.
Red Sox broke the game open with seven runs in the 8th inning.

— Famous birthdays, September 20th:
Sophia Loren, 91
Dave Twardzik, 75
Mickey Klutts, 71
Gary Cole, 69

Dante Hall, 47
Ian Desmond, 40
Jeffrey Springs, 33
Kyle Anderson, 32

— Tulsa 19, Oklahoma State 12
Tulsa ran the ball 43 times for 205 yards.
Tulsa beat the Cowboys for the first time since 1998.
Oklahoma State has lost 11 of its last 12 games.

— Iowa 38, Rutgers 28
Iowa trailed 28-24, scored two TD’s in last 5:39 of the game.
Rutgers threw for 330 yards, but ran 30 times for only 70 yards.
Since 2019, Scarlet Knights are 5-16-1 ATS as a home underdog.

— Washington Commanders will start Marcus Mariota at QB Sunday against the Raiders; starter Jayden Daniels has a knee injury- the team is being cautious with him.

Mariota has a 35-41 record as an NFL starter, mostly with Tennessee; he hasn’t started a game since Week 13 of 2022, for the Falcons.

— Since 1992, QB’s who have played 10+ games for NFC North teams:
Vikings- 18
Bears- 17
Lions- 15
Packers- 3

— Atlanta Falcons cut K Younghoe Koo after seven years with the team, and signed K Parker Romo to a two-year contract. Koo missed the tying field goal in Atlanta’s Week 1 loss to the Buccaneers.

— Tennessee Titans are 3-16 ATS in their last 19 games, 0-9 ATS in last nine home games.

Last team to go 0-10 ATS in ten straight home games? 2012-13 Philadelphia Eagles.

— Sunday, when Carson Wentz starts for the Vikings, he’ll become the first QB in the history of the NFL to start for six different teams in consecutive seasons:

2020- 12 starts, Eagles
2021- 17 starts, Colts
2022- 7 starts, Commanders
2023- 1 start, Rams
2024- 1 start, Chiefs
2025- 1 start, Vikings 

— Bills 31, Dolphins 21
Buffalo won its first three games,. scoring 41-30-31 points.
Bills ran ball 27 times for 157 yards (5.8 yards/carry)
Buffalo outgained the Dolphins, 360-277.
Bills won five in row, 13 of last 14 series games.

Game was 14-14 at halftime.
Miami converted 10 of 15 third down plays; it wasn’t enough.
Dolphins lost their first three games, giving up 33-33-31 points.
Miami is minus-5 in turnovers in its three games.

— Rice 28, Charlotte 17
Rice is 3-1 for the first time since 2001.
Owls led 14-9 at halftime.
Rice ran the ball 46 times for 255 yards (5.5 yards/carry).
Charlotte threw for 259 yards, converted 8-18 on third down.

— Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw is going to retire after this season, his 18th season in the major leagues. Kershaw is 222-96, 2.54 in his career; he’s led the league in ERA five times, also won three Cy Young awards.

— Seattle 3B Eugenio Suarez went 4-for-4 for the Mariners in Kansas City Tuesday, snapping an 0-for-32 skid. This year, he is hitting .096 in 23 games in T-Mobile Park in Seattle. Kind of hard to visualize him signing with the Mariners as a free agent this winter.

— June 11-15th, Reds’ SS Elly De La Cruz homered in four straight games; since June 24th, he has hit one home run, in 297 at-bats. Is he playing hurt?

— Minnesota Twins eliminated their four-person pro scouting department this week; teams are trending towards video-based scouting.

— Tennessee Titans are the only NFL team that doesn’t have a play of 30+ yards in their first two games. 

— Famous birthdays, September 19th:
David Ray, 81
Randolph Mantooth, 80
Larry Brown, 78 (Redskins’ RB)
Nat Moore, 74

Dan Hampton, 68
Phil Stephenson, 65
Jim Abbott, 58

Jimmy Fallon, 51
Nick Johnson, 47
Gio Gonzalez, 40
Ryan Succop, 39

George Springer, 36
CJ McCollum, 34
Dejounte Murray, 29

— Guardians 3, Tigers 1
Jose Ramirez hit a 2-run homer in the 7th inning.
Cleveland has won 12 of its last 13 games.
Detroit has lost six of its last seven games.
Tigers’ lead in AL Central is down to 3.5 games. 

— Reds 1, Cubs 0
Hunter Greene threw a complete game one-hitter.
Reds are within two games of the Mets for the last Wild Card slot.

— Mets 6, Padres 1
Pete Alonso homered for the fourth game in a row.
Juan Soto got his 100th RBI of the season. 

— Mariners 2, Royals 0
Luis Castillo allowed three hits in his six IP.
Seattle/Houston are tied for first in the AL West.

— Rays 4, Blue Jays 0
Shane Baz pitched five scoreless IP for Tampa Bay.
Chandler Simpson had three hits, for second game in a row.
Toronto’s magic number to clinch the AL East is 3.

— A’s 5, Red Sox 3
Brent Rooker hit his 30th home run for the A’s.
Red Sox have lost five of their last seven games.
Red Sox lead Cleveland by 1.5 games for the last Wild Card slot. 

— The great actor Robert Redford passed away earlier this week at age 89; what a tremendous career he had, both as an actor and behind the scenes, as a producer/director.

I’m not 100% sure of this, but I think Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was the first movie I ever saw in a movie theater. Long time ago.

Redford later created the Sundance Institute, a non-profit that supports independent film and theater and is known for its annual Sundance Film Festival.

What an epic career; he will be missed.
RIP, sir.

— My favorite Robert Redford movies:
Up Close and Personal
The Natural
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
The Candidate
Three Days of the Condor
All the President’s Men

— Well-known actors who were also in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, along with Redford and Paul Newman:

Cloris Leachman, Ted Cassidy (Lurch in the Addams Family) and Sam Elliott.

— Former big league pitcher Ron Darling is one of the best, if not the best, color analysts on major league games. He works mainly on Mets’ games.

He was talking the other night about playing in the minor leagues, why they’re important. 

“You learn how to win, but you also learn how to lose, and that is important.”

— Salvador Perez had a pretty good night recently; his 300th career home run gave him his 1,000th career RBI. Perez is a future Hall of Famer. 

— Arkansas Razorbacks unveiled their non-conference basketball schedule for the coming season; they’re playing all eight teams who were in last spring’s Elite 8. Playing such a tough schedule is an indication that John Calipari thinks he has a really good team. 

— Over the last 55 years, only one NFL team has started a season 2-0, with both wins coming on last-minute touchdowns; the 2025 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

— Jets’ QB Justin Fields (concussion) is out for this week’s game in Tampa; Tyrod Taylor will get the start. Taylor is 28-29-1 as an NFL starter, playing for seven different teams in 15 years. 

— Famous birthdays, September 18th:
Billy Gambrell, 84
Jeff Bostic, 67
Toni Kukoč, 57
Aisha Tyler, 55

Jason Sudekis, 50
Serge Ibaka, 36
Kevin Dotson, 29
Ceddanne Rafaela, 25

The great actor Jack Warden was born on this day in 1920. 

— Pretty cool scene before the Mets’ game the other night; Francisco Lindor’s wife Katia played the national anthem on her violin, with their three kids standing nearby on the field. 

— Cubs 8, Pirates 4
Cubs clinch their first playoff berth since 2020.
Ian Happ homered, drove in three runs.
Cubs have won seven of their last eight games.

— Giants 5, Diamondbacks 1 (11)
Brandon Pfaadt allowed one hit in nine shutout IP for Arizona.
Giants end a 4-game skid; they’re 2 games out of the last playoff spot.
Justin Verlander allowed three hits in his 7 IP.

— Padres 7, Mets 4
Manny Machado broke a 2-2 tie with a fifth inning grand slam.
Mets lead Arizona by 1.5 games for the last playoff spot.
Juan Soto hit his 41st home run for the Mets.

— Guardians 4, Tigers 0
Cleveland creeps to within 4.5 games of the first-place Tigers.
Guardians have won 11 of their last 12 games.
Gavin Williams allowed three hits in 5 IP.

— Royals 7, Mariners 5
Royals scored four runs in the 8th, broke Seattle’s 10-game win streak.
Adam Frazier’s two-run home run was the game-winning hit.
Mariners fall a half-game behind Houston in the AL West race. 

— Astros 5, Rangers 2
Jeremy Pena homered, doubled for Houston.
Jose Altuve hit a two-run homer.
Cristian Javier allowed five hits in six IP, got the win.

— If the baseball playoffs started today (they start week after next):
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Padres, Mets
AL: Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros. Wild Cards: New York, Red Sox, Mariners

Trends for every major league team
(thru Tuesday’s games)

— Arizona (77-75)
Arizona won five of its last seven games.
Diamondbacks are 19-27 in one-run games.
Arizona is 25-20 vs NL West foes, 52-55 vs everyone else.
Over is 6-2-1 in their last nine games. 

— Braves (69-83)
Braves won their last four games.
Atlanta is 36-39 at home, 33-44 on the road.
Braves are 27-21 vs NL East rivals, 42-62 vs everyone else.
Under is 12-5-1 in their last 18 games.

— Cubs (87-64)
Chicago is 6-1 in its last seven games.
Cubs are holding #1 Wild Card slot in NL
Under is 7-1-1 in their last nine road games.
Cubs are 68-44 vs righty starters, 19-20 vs lefties.

— Reds (75-76)
Cincinnati lost four of its last five games.
Reds are 56-53 vs righty starters, 19-23 vs lefties.
Under is 7-3-1 in their last 10 road games.
Reds are three games out of the NL’s last Wild Card slot.

— Rockies (41-110)
Colorado lost 13 of its last 15 games.
Over is 5-2 in Rockies’ last seven games.
Rockies are 7-33 vs lefty starters, 34-77 vs righties.
Colorado scored first inning run in only one of last 37 road games.

— Dodgers (84-67)
Dodgers won six of their last nine games.
LA leads San Diego by two games in NL West.
Dodgers are 62-44 vs righty starters, 22-23 vs lefties.
Over is 6-1 in their last seven games.

— Marlins (71-80)
Marlins are 5-1 in their last six games.
Miami is 36-42 at home, 35-38 on the road.
Over is 6-2 in Marlins’ last eight games.
Marlins are 52-55 vs righty starters, 19-25 vs lefties.

— Brewers (92-59)
Brewers are 13-14 in their last 27 games.
Milwaukee is 49-27 at home, 43-32 on the road.
Over is 20-8-2 in their last 30 home games.
Milwaukee has clinched a playoff spot; they lead NL Central. By 5 games

— Mets (78-73)
Mets are 2-8 in their last ten games.
Mets are 47-29 at home, 31-44 on the road.
Over is 5-2 in their last seven games.
Mets lead Arizona by 1.5 games for last NL Wild Card slot.

— Phillies (91-61)
Phillies are 15-4 in their last 19 games.
Phillies are 68-38 vs righty starters, 23-23 vs lefties.
Over is 8-0 in their last eight games.
Phillies have clinched the NL East.

— Pirates (65-87)
Pirates lost 10 of their last 11 games.
Pittsburgh is 42-35 at home, 23-52 on the road.
Under is 9-2 in their last 11 games.
Pirates are 51-68 vs righty starters, 14-19 vs lefties.

— St Louis (74-78)
St Louis is 2-6 in its last eight games.
Cardinals scored in first inning in only two of last 27 home games.
St Louis is 42-35 at home, 32-43 on the road.
Under is 5-2 in their last seven home games.

— Padres (82-69)
San Diego is 6-8 in its last 14 games.
Padres are 47-28 at home, 35-41 on the road.
Padres are 59-46 vs righty starters, 23-23 vs lefties.
San Diego have a 4-game for the #2 Wild Card slot in NL.

— Giants (75-76)
Giants lost five of their last six games.
Giants are 59-49 vs righty pitchers, 16-27 vs lefties.
Over is 5-2-1 in their last eight games.
SF is three games out of the NL’s last Wild Card slot. 

— Washington (62-90)
Nationals are 2-6 in their last eight games.
Washington is 46-62 vs righty starters, 16-28 vs lefties.
Under is 3-1-1 in their last five games.
Nationals are 21-16 in one-run games. 

— Famous birthdays, September 17th:
Phil Jackson, 80
Junior Bridgeman, 72
John Franco, 65
Anthony Carter, 65

Kyle Chandler, 60
Rasheed Wallace, 52
Dan Haren, 45
Marcus Semien, 35

José Ramírez, 33
Patrick Mahomes, 30
Brandon Sproat, 25
James Wood, 23

— Orioles (71-80)
Baltimore won 10 of its last 14 games.
Orioles are 51-57 vs vs righty starters, 20-23 vs lefties.
Under is 11-0 in their last eleven home games.
Orioles are 19-23 vs AL East rivals, 52-57 vs everyone else.

— Red Sox (82-69)
Red Sox are 1-4 in their last five games.
Boston is 45-31 at home, 37-38 on road.
Under is 6-1 in their last seven games.
Red Sox have 2.5-game lead for last AL Wild Card slot.

— White Sox (57-95)
Chicago lost five of its last seven games.
White Sox are 32-45 at home, 25-50 on the road.
Under is 5-1 in their last six games.
Chicago is 42-74 vs righty starters, 15-21 vs lefties.

— Cleveland (79-71)
Cleveland is 10-1 in its last 11 games.
Guardians are 2.5 games out of the AL’s last Wild Card slot.
Guardians are 61-47 vs righty starters, 18-24 vs lefties.
Under is 11-2 in their last thirteen games.

— Detroit (85-66)
Detroit is 7-13 in its last 20 games.
Tigers are 29-18 vs its AL Central rivals, lead division by 5.5 games.
Over is 10-3 in their last thirteen games.
Detroit is 20-9 in one-run games. 

— Houston (83-69)
Astros are 5-2 in their last seven games.
Astros are 12-19 in their last 31 home games.
Astros trail Seattle by half a game in AL West.
Over is 6-0 in their last six home games.

— Royals (75-76)
Royals are 11-15 in their last 26 games.
Kansas City is 58-64 vs righty starters, 17-12 vs lefties.
Over is 4-0 in Royals’ last four games.
Royals scored in first inning in 14 of last 24 home games.

— Angels (69-82)
Angels lost 20 of their last 30 games.
Over is 8-3 in their last eleven games.
Angels are 58-67 vs righty starters, 11-15 vs lefties.
Angels are in last place in AL West ($206M payroll)

— Twins (66-85)
Twins lost 22 of their last 33 games.
Minnesota is 37-39 at home, 29-46 on the road.
Over is 13-4 in their last 17 home games.
Twins are 2-9 in last 11 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— New York (84-67)
New York is 8-7 in its last 15 games.
Over is 11-5 in their last 16 road games.
New York is 68-51 vs righty starters, 16-16 vs lefties.
Right now, New York has the #1 Wild Card slot in AL.

— A’s (71-80)
A’s have won their last five games.
Under is 6-2 in their last eight games.
A’s are 53-65 vs righty starters, 18-15 vs lefties.
A’s are 9-4 in extra innings this season. 

— Seattle (83-68)
Mariners won their last 10 games, scoring 78 runs.
Seattle is 33-10 in its last 43 home games.
Over is 10-4 in their last fourteen games.
Seattle leads Houston by half a game in AL West.

— Tampa Bay (73-78)
Tampa Bay lost five of its last six games.
Rays are 38-38 at home, 35-40 on the road.
Over is 5-2-1 in their last eight games.
Rays are 7-13 in last 20 games where winning run scored from 7th inning on.

— Texas (79-73)
Rangers lost their last three games.
Texas is 3.5 games out of the AL’s last Wild Card slot.
Texas is 62-51 vs righty starters, 17-22 vs lefties
Rangers are 47-28 at home, 32-45 on road.

— Toronto (89-62)
Blue Jays are 11-4 in their last 15 games.
Blue Jays won 25 of their last 34 home games.
Over is 3-1 in their last four games.
Toronto leads New York/Boston by three games in AL East.

I’m not sure if/when you’ll be reading this; had some major Internet issues at Armadillo World HQ late Monday night. Hopefully you’re reading this and all is well with the world…….

Buccaneers 20, Texans 19
Bucs drove 80 yards, scored game-winning TD with 0:06 left.
Tampa Bay opens up 2-0 for the fifth year in a row.
Bucs’ first two drives: 23 plays, 147 yards, two TD’s
Last two years, Tampa Bay is 12-2 ATS as a road underdog.

Houston took a 19-14 lead on a 25-yard run by Chubb with 2:10 left.
Tampa Bay outgained the Texnas, 360-266.
In two games, Houston has converted 4-18 third down plays.
Since 2019, Texans are 6-15-1 ATS as a home favorite.

Chargers 20, Raiders 9
Chargers picked off three passes, outgained Raiders 317-218.
Chargers led 17-6 at halftime.
Chargers are 6-2 SU/8-0 ATS last 7 games vs AFC West rivals.
Chargers are 10-3 ATS in last 13 games as a road favorite.

Raiders had drive of 19 plays, 62 yards; it took 11:07, but they kicked a FG.
Three drives after that, Raiders ran 14 plays for 27 yards, no points.
In two games (1-1), Raiders have run ball 43 times for 124 yards.
Since 2018, Raiders are 14-15-2 ATS as a home underdog.

— Tom Brady is part-owner of the Raiders; he was wearing a headset during the game Monday night, it is said that he consults with Raiders’ OC Chip Kelly on the game plan during the week.

How the BLEEP is he allowed to also broadcast games on network TV, where he meets with coaches of other teams during the week?!?!?!??

Raiders play Chicago in Week 4; if you’re Ben Johnson, do you want him in a production meeting where you will discuss your strategy??? I don’t think so.

NFL needs to put a stop to this.

— Through two weeks of the NFL…….
Home underdogs in divisional games are 1-5 ATS
Home underdogs in non-divisional games are 3-4 ATS

Home favorites in non-divisional games are 5-6 ATS
Home favorites in divisional games are 4-3 ATS

Overall, favorites are 17-15 ATS.

— Rough day for NFL quarterbacks………

Minnesota Vikings are expecting to start Carson Wentz this week, with JJ McCarthy nursing an ankle surgery.

Vikings are playing Cincinnati this week, which will be starting backup Jake Browning the next three months, after Joe Burrow had surgery on his foot/toe.

Commanders’ QB Jayden Daniels (knee) is a ??? for Washington’s game with the Raiders this week. 

Also, Cowboys’ center Cooper Beebe is expected to miss 6-8 weeks with a sprained ankle. 

— Famous birthdays, September 16th
Ed Begley, Jr, 76
Mickey Rourke, 73
Wilbert Montgomery, 71
Robin Yount, 70
Eric Hipple, 68

Jennifer Tilly, 67
Orel Hershiser, 67
Tim Raines, 66
Chad Harville, 49
Dan Dickau, 47

Brandon Moss, 42
Robbie Grossman, 36
Aaron Gordon, 30
Quinn Priester, 25
Sam Howell, 25

— In college football…….
AAC home teams are 3-6 ATS out of conference.
AAC road teams are 9-6 ATS out of conference.
AAC favorites are 7-5, home dogs are 0-4.

ACC non-conference home favorites are 4-8 ATS
Overall, ACC teams are 10-16 ATS out of conference.

Big 10 teams are 15-18 ATS out of conference. 

Big X teams non-conference favorites are 9-8, underdogs are 3-4.

Conference USA teams are 11-6 ATS out of conference, 8-4 as road underdogs.

MAC teams are 15-10 ATS in non-conference games.

Mountain West teams are 13-7 ATS, road underdogs are 7-3 ATS

SEC home favorites are 7-11 ATS out of conference; overall, SEC teams are 15-13 ATS in non-conference games.

Sun Belt teams 12-14 ATS in non-conference games.

— Over the weekend, UCLA/Virginia Tech fired their football coaches; September is half-over today, and two college/minor league teams have already fired their coaches. Yikes. 

— Phillies 6, Dodgers 5 (10)
Phillies clinch the NL East with this win.
Dodgers lead NL West by two games over San Diego.

Kyle Schwarber hit his 53rd home run; he has hit 22 homers off of lefties this year, tied with Stan Musial (1949), Matt Olson (2021) for most homers hit by a lefty off of lefties in one year.

— Diamondbacks 8, Giants 1
Arizona broke open a close game, scoring six runs in sixth inning.
Geraldo Perdomo was 3-fot-3 with 2 walks, scored a run.
Zac Gallen allowed two hits in six IP.

— Arizona is 1.5 games behind the Mets for the NL’s last playoff spot; Giants are now two games behind the Mets. 

— Reds 11, Cardinals 6
Sal Stewart was 3-for-5, with 3 runs scored, 2 RBI
Cincinnati is also within two games of the NL’s last playoff spot.

— Astros 6, Rangers 3
Jeremy Pena was 2-for-4, with three RBI
Oft-injured Yordan Alvarez left this game with a sprained ankle.
Houston’s bullpen got 13 outs, didn’t allow run.

— Blue Jays 2, Rays 1 (11)
Trey Yesavage allowed a run in five IP in his MLB debut.
Toronto has a five-game lead in the NL East; their magic number is 8. 

Cowboys 40, Giants 37 OT
Cowboys drove 42 yards, kicked 46-yard FG with 0:04 left in OT.
Dallas kicked a 64-yard FG at end of regulation to force OT
Giants had taken lead on a 48-yard TD pass with 0:25 left.
Giants are 0-9 SU/3-6 ATS in last nine visits to Dallas.

Wilson was 30-41/450 passing, with three TD’s.
Prescott was 38-52/361 passing with two TD’s.
Giants in 4th quarter: 14 plays, 186 yards, 21 points.
Giants in overtime: 6 plays, 3 yards, no points. 

Bengals 31, Jaguars 27
QB Burrow injured the big toe on his left foot (check status)
Backup QB Browning scored the game-winning TD with 0:18 left.
Cincinnati ran ball 17 times for only 48 yards.
Bengals are 2-0 for the first time since 2018. 

Cincinnati’s winning drive was 15 plays, 92 yards.
Ja’marr Chase caught 14 passes for 165 yards.
Jacksonville led 17-10 at halftime.
Jags’ QB Lawrence was 24-42/271 passing (3 TD’s, 2 INT’s)

Patriots 33 Dolphins 27
Patriots snap a five-game losing skid to the Dolphins in Miami.
Dolphins took 27-23 lead with 74-yard punt return for TD.
Patriots took lead back with 90-yard kickoff return for a TD.
It was first time since 1992 that a punt return TD was immediately followed by a kickoff return for a TD. 

Dolphins are 0-2, giving up 33 points in both games.
New England’s first three drives: 36 plays, 209 yards, 15 points.
Since 2021, Miami is 11-17-1 ATS in games with spread of 3 or fewer points.
Patriots were 7-12 on third down, Dolphins 4-10.

Colts 29, Broncos 28
Colts kicked 45-yard FG at gun to go to 2-0 for first time since 2009.
Colts missed 60-yard FG on previous play, but a 15-yard penalty on Denver gave Indy a second chance.
Indianapolis scored 4 TD’s, kicked 6 FG’s on its first 10 drives this season.
Indy hasn’t punted in its first two games.

Denver’s first four drives: 26 plays, 172 yards, three TD’s.
Denver rest of game: 29 plays, 147 yards, one TD.
Since 2017, Broncos are 7-11 ATS as a road favorite.
Under Steichen, Indy is 14-6 ATS in games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

Eagles 20, Chiefs 17
Game was tied 10-10 at halftime.
Barkley ran ball 22 times for 88 yards and a TD.
Philly is 11-5 ATS in last sixteen games vs AFC teams.
Eagles are 12-2-1 ATS in last 15 games with spread of 3 or fewer points.

Chiefs threw INT in red zone early in 4th quarter; Kelce dropped an easy throw.
KC’s first four drives of 2nd half: 24 plays, 90 yards, no points, 2 turnovers.
Chiefs are 0-2 for the first time since 2014.
Chiefs are o-2 in one-score games; before this year, they had won 11 consecutive one-score game. 

]Lions 52, Bears 21
Goff passed for 334 yards, five TD’s, three of them to St. Brown
Detroit scored a TD on six of its last seven possessions.
Last 3+ years, Lions are 15-8 ATS as a home favorite.
Last 5+ years, Detroit is 11-5 ATS in home games vs NFC North rivals.

Since leading 17-6 in Week 1, Bears have been outscored, 73-28.
Chicago in 2nd half of this game: 32 plays, 131 yards, 7 points.
QB Williams is 5-14 as an NFL starter. 
Since 2020, Chicago is 10-14 ATS as a road underdog.

Rams 33, Titans 19
Tennessee led 13-10 at halftime.
Rams in 2nd half: 35 plays, 262 yards, 23 points.
Titans in 2nd half: 31 plays, 75 yards, 6 points.
Last 3+ years, Rams are 7-1 ATS as a road favorite.

Rams outgained Tennessee, 439-252.
In two games, Rams have allowed one TD on 20 drives.
In two games, Titans have kicked 8 FG’s, scored only one TD.
Titans are 3-10 ATS in last 13 games as an underdog.

Famous birthdays, September 15th:
Tommy Lee Jones, 79
Oliver Stone, 79
LeRoy Irvin, 68
Dan Marino, 64
Earnest Byner, 63

Sherman Douglas, 59
Jason Terry, 48
Mike Dunleavy Jr., 45
Terry McLaurin, 30
Easton Stick, 30

Seahawks 31, Steelers 17
Leading 17-14, Seahawks scored a TD when the Steelers didn’t cover a kickoff that went in the end zone and Seattle fell on it for a TD that made score 24-14.
Seattle in 2nd half: 33 plays, 207 yards, 17 points.
Seahawks outscored Pittsburgh, 395-267.
Seahawks are 10-3 ATS in last 13 games as a road underdog.

Pittsburgh led 14-7 at halftime.
Steelers in 2nd half: 33 plays, 183 yards, 3 points, 2 turnovers.
Steelers ran ball 21 times for only 72 times.
Last 3+ years, Pittsburgh is 4-10-1 ATS as a home favorite.

Cardinals 27, Panthers 22
Cardinals scored a defensive TD 1:33 into the game.
Arizona’s first four drives: 28 plays, 148 yards, 13 points.
Arizona led 20-3 at halftime, then hung on for dear life.
Down 27-22 with 1:58 left, Carolina recovered an onside kick, but was stopped on downs by the Cardinal defense.

Panthers in first half: 29 plays, 111 yards, 3 points.
Carolina ran the ball 19 times for only 49 yards.
QB Young is 6-24 as an NFL starter; Canales is 5-14 as a head coach.
Carolina is 9-16-2 ATS in last 26 games coming off a loss.

Ravens 41, Browns 17
Lamar Jackson was 19-29/225 passing, with four TD’s.
Ravens scored 40-41 points in first two games, but split the pair.
Ravens lead was only 10-3 at halftime.
Up 27-10, Ravens scored defensive TD on 63-yard fumble return.

Ravens in second half: 24 plays, 158 yards, 24 points.
Browns in second half: 38 plays, 250 yards, 14 points.
Since 2021, Cleveland is 8-16-1 ATS as a road underdog.
Last 6+ years, Cleveland is 4-14 ATS in AFC North road games.

Bills 30, Jets 10
Buffalo outgained the Jets, 403-154.
Bills ran the ball 43 times for 224 yards.
James Cook ran 21 times for 132 yards, two TD’s.
Last 4+ years, Bills are 8-5 ATS in AFC East road games.

Bills were 5-14 on third down, Jets 0-11.
Buffalo led 20-3 at halftime.
Jets in first half: 24 plays, 78 yards, 3 points.
Bills won ten of last 12 series games.

49ers 26, Saints 21
Backup QB Jones threw for 279 yards and three TD’s.
49ers led this game 16-7 at halftime.
SF ran the ball 26 times for only 77 yards.
49ers were 8-15 on third down, New Orleans 4-11

Saints’ first four drives: 17 plays, 57 yards, no points.
Last 4+ years, Saints are 7-13 ATS as a home underdog.
Rattler is 0-8 as an NFL starting QB.
Saints are 7-13 ATS in last 19 games coming off a loss.

Falcons 22, Vikings 6
Falcons ran 63 plays for 326 yards, Vikings 46 plays for 198.
Minnesota turned ball over four times on 10 drives.
Falcons led 9-6 at halftime.
Only TD of game came on an 88-yard drive by Atlanta late in game. 

McCarthy was 11-21/158 passing with two INT’s.
Vikings in first half of their 2 games: 51 plays, 219 yards, 4 FG’s.
Last nine years, Minnesota is 1-7-1 SU in home openers.
Under O’Connell, Vikings are 8-10 ATS as a home favorite.

— Georgia 44, Tennessee 41, OT
Dawgs score TD in OT; they’ve beaten Vols nine times in a row.
Tennessee led 21-7 after the first quarter.
Vols missed a 43-yard FG with 0:03 left in regulation.

— Georgia Tech 24, Clemson 21
Yellow Jackets kicked a 55-yard FG at the gun for the win.
Tech QB King passed for 216 yards, ran for 103 more.
Clemson is is off to a disappointing 1-2 start.

— Ole Miss 41, Arkansas 35
Backup QB Chambliss (transfer from Ferris State) threw for 353 yards.
Ferris State won the Division II national title last year.
Arkansas was in Ole Miss red zone in last 2:00, but lost a fumble.

— Texas A&M 41, Notre Dame 40
Aggies threw an 11-yard TD pass on 4th-and-goal with 0:13 left.
Notre Dame missed PAT after TD that put them ahead 40-34.
Aggies’ QB Reed threw for 360 yards, two TD’s. 

— West Virginia 31, Pittsburgh 24 OT
Pitt led 24-14 with 6:00 left in regulation.
WVU tied game on a TD with 0:11 left.
Mountaineers outgained Pitt, 434-349.

— Upsets of the Week:
New Mexico (+17.5) 35, UCLA 10
Stanford (+13) 30, Boston College 20
Delaware (+10.5) 44, UConn 41
Georgia Tech (+9.5) 24, Clemson 21

Middle Tennessee (+9.5) 14, Nevada 13
Old Dominion (+7.5) 45, Virginia Tech 26
West Virginia (+6.5) 31, Pittsburgh 24 OT

Texas A&M (+6.5) 41, Notre Dame 40
Bowling Green (+6.5) 23, Liberty 13
Vanderbilt (+5.5) 31, South Carolina 7

— Rangers 3, Mets 2
Mets led 2-0 after seven innings.
Texas has won six games in a row.
Mets have lost eight games in a row.
Juan Soto hit his 40th homer for the Mets.

— Milwaukee Brewers are first team to clinch a playoff spot this year; Brewers are in the playoffs for the 7th time in the last eight years.

— Famous birthdays, September 14th:
Larry Brown, 85
Alvin Scott, 70
Tim Wallach, 68
Stephen Bishop, 55
Tyler Perry, 55

David Bell, 53
Chad Bradford, 51
Brandon Hicks, 40
Deshaun Watson, 30
Bubba Chandler, 23

— LSU 20, Florida 10
LSU led 13-10 at half; they intercepted five passes.
LSU QB Nussmeier threw for 220 yards and a TD.
Florida outgained LSU 366-316, but the five INT’s were a killer.

— Vanderbilt 31, South Carolina 7
Commodores snapped a 16-game losing streak to South Carolina.
Vandy is 3-0 for the first time since 2017.
Gamecocks’ QB Sellers was KO’d in the 2nd quarter, didn’t return.

— Tulane 34, Duke 27
Duke QB Mensah passed for 313 yards, 3 TD’s against team he played for last year.
Tulane QB Retzlaff (transfer from BYU) passed for 245 yards, 10.7 yards/attempt.
Duke paid Mensah $4M to play for them this season.

— Iowa State 24, Arkansas State 16
Cyclones start season 4-0 for 2nd year in row; its the first time they’ve done that.
Iowa State ran ball 34 times for 187 yards.
Ark State had 10 penalties for 90 yards, Cyclones 3 for 31.

— Delaware 44, UConn 41, OT
Delaware gets its first I-A win as a I-A team.
Blue Hens kicked a 43-yard FG at the gun in regulation to force OT.
Delaware ran ball 45 times for 247 yards.

— Buffalo 31, Kent State 28
Buffalo threw a 22-yard TD pass with 1:03 left for the win.
Bulls’ QB Roberson threw for 318 yards, three TD’s.
Buffalo has won its last five MAC games. 

— Rangers 8, Mets 3
Texas scored six runs in top of the first vs rookie P Tong.
Jacob deGrom won in his first start against Mets at Citi Field
Mets have now lost seven games in a row.

— A’s 3, Reds 0
Cincinnati was 0-12 with runners in scoring position.
Reds remain 1.5 games behind the Mets for the last Wild Card slot.

Carlos Cortes homered twice in this game for the A’s; he played his 21st game in the outfield Friday, but he’s also played a game at third base. When he plays the outfield, Cortes throws left-handed, but when he plays the infield, he throws right-handed.

Never heard of anyone doing that before. 

— Giants 5, Dodgers 1
Patrick Bailey hit a walk-off grand slam for the Giants.
Justin Verlander allowed four hits in 7 IP.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto allowed only one hit in 7 IP.

— NL Wild Card race:
3) Mets 76-72
Giants 75-72
Reds 74-73
Arizona 73-75

— Houston 36, Colorado 20
QB Weigman threw for 222 yards, ran for 83 more.
Cougars outgained Colorado, 431-300.
Houston ran ball for 209 yards; they were +2 in turnovers.

— Arizona 23, Kansas State 17
Arizona led 17-3 at halftime.
Ismail Mahdi ran ball 22 times for 189 yards.
K-State is 0-3 vs I-A teams, with losses by 3-3-6 points.

— New Mexico 35, UCLA 10
Lobos were a 17.5-point underdog in this game.
UCLA is 0-3 this season, outscored 108-43, with two losses to Mountain West teams.

— Famous birthdays, September 13th:
Jacqueline Bisset, 81
Rick Wise, 80
Kathleen Lloyd, 77
Clyde Kusatsu, 77

Rick Dempsey, 76
Jim Cleamons, 76
Jean Smart, 74
Mike Pagel, 65

Denny Neagle, 57
Bernie Williams, 57
AJ McCarron, 35
Troy Reeder, 31

— New York 4, Red Sox 1
Luis Gil threw six innings, didn’t give up a hit.
Aaron Judge hit his 47th home run of the year.
Red Sox fall to 4.5 games behind Toronto in the AL East. 

— Mariners 2, Angels 1
Mitch Garver hit a solo home run in the 7th inning.
Luis Castillo allowed three hits in six IP.
Mariners remain tied for first with Astros in AL West

— Guardians 4, White Sox 0
Tanner Bibee threw a complete game, 2-hit shutout.
It was Cleveland’s first complete game shutout in six years.
Guardians have won seven of their last eight games.

— AL Wild Card race:
3) Hst/Sea 80-68
Rangers 78-70
Guardians 76-71
Royals 74-74

— Nationals 6, Pirates 5
Pittsburgh led 3-0 in sixth inning.
Dylan Crews hit a 2-run homer for Washington.
LF James Wood threw out the tying run at the plate in the 9th inning. 

— Astros 11, Braves 3
Zach Cole went 3-for-4, homered in his first MLB at-bat.
Astros had scored a total of 8 runs in their previous four games.
Houston-Seattle are tied for first in the AL West.AL West

— Twins 9, Diamondbacks 8
Arizona scored four runs in top of the 9th
Minnesota scored three runs in bottom of 9th.
Kody Clemens hit three home runs for the Twins; he has 19 this year.

— Packers 27, Commanders 18
Green Bay had early TD drives of 96-92 yards, grabbed a 14-0 lead.
Jordan Love threw for 292 yards, two TD’s.
Last 4+ years, Packers are 24-16-1 ATS coming off a win.
Since 2019, Packers are 27-16-1 ATS as a home favorite.

Washington’s first three drives: 12 plays, 13 yards, three punts.
Green Bay outgained the Commanders, 404-230.
Washington ran the ball 19 times for only 51 yards.
Last 4+ years, Commanders are 11-14 ATS as a road underdog.

— NC State 34, Wake Forest 24
Wake Forest led 24-14 with 4:00 left in 2nd quarter.
Deacons ran the opening kickoff back 98 yards for a TD.
3-0 Wolfpack ran the ball 44 times for 205 yards.

— Phillies 6, Mets 4
Mets scored four runs on five hits in top of first inning.
Mets didn’t get another baserunner the rest of the game.
Mets have lost six in a row; their lead for last Wild Card slot is 1.5 games.

— Mariners 7, Angels 6 (12)
Seattle won in 13 innings Wednesday, 12 innings in this game.
#9 hitter JP Crawford knocked in three runs for Seattle.
Mike Trout hit his 399th career home run in the 5th inning.

Mariners/Astros are now tied for first in the AL West.

— Guardians 3, Royals 2
Rookie CJ Kayfus hit a 2-run homer in bottom of the 8th inning.
Guardians have won six of their last seven games.
Royals’ 1B Vinnie Pasquantino has 33 RBI in his last 30 games.

— New York 9, Tigers 3
Aaron Judge hit two home runs, has 46 this season.
New York led 9-1 in the fourth inning.
New York leads the Red Sox by half a game for the AL’s first Wild Card slot.

— Padres 2, Rockies 0
Randy Vasquez struck out a career-high nine in six shutout IP.
Jackson Merrill homered in the fourth inning.
Padres pulled within 2.5 game of the Dodgers in the NL West.

— Famous birthdays, September 12th:
Mickey Lolich, 85
Linda Gray, 85
Joe Pantoliano, 74
Rachel Ward, 68

Deron Cherry, 66
Vernon Maxwell, 60
Ki-Jana Carter, 52
Luis Castillo, 50 (Marlins’ 2B)

Yao Ming, 45
Freddie Freeman, 36
Andrew Luck, 36
Kyle Bradish, 29

— Blue Jays 6, Astros 0
Kavin Gausman threw a complete game, 2-hit shutout.
This was the 27th complete game of the season (28 last year)
Astros are 4-8 in their last 12 games.

— If the baseball playoffs started today (they do not):
NL: Phillies, Brewers, Dodgers. Wild Cards: Cubs, Padres, Mets
AL: Blue Jays, Tigers, Astros. Wild Cards: Red Sox, New York, Mariners

Elsewhere in the world…….
— NFL needs to re-do its onside kick rule; one of the spring football leagues had/has a rule which is good, and the NFL should adopt it.

If a team wants to onside kick, they simply get the ball on their own 30 (or 35) yard line, it is 4th and 15 and they play on from there. Gives them a chance to come back

— Mac Jones is expected to strata QB for the 49ers in New Orleans Sunday, with starter Brock Purdy nursing toe/shoulder injuries. Jones is 20-30 as an NFL starter, for Patriots/Jaguars.

— Packers star Micah Parsons is making $47M/year, but now that he lives in Green Bay, he is subject to Wisconsin’s 7.65% state income tax, which reduces his salary to $43.4M/year.

Texas doesn’t have state income taxes, but the Cowboys were offering him $40.5M, so he is still making $2.9M more per year now than if he had signed with Dallas. 

— Patriots defensive coordinator Terrell Williams is under the weather, has been away from the team for a few days; it is unclear who will call defensive signals for New England Sunday.

— Carlie Irsay-Gordon, daughter of the late Jim Irsay, is the Indianapolis Colts’ new owner/CEO; she was on the sidelines during last week’s win over Miami, listening to the coaches on her headset. You don’t see that every day.

— In Week 1 of the NFL season, 75.6% of kickoffs were returned, up from the 33.1% in Week 1 of the 2024 season. There were 3,074 kick return yards, the most in any week since Week 15, 2010.