#dan vs jax who wins

[steakout-05]

if asshole characters like Jax are making certain TADC fans this pissed off i fear that they wouldn't survive watching just 5 minutes of Dan Vs

[estboss4life]

The Sasha vs Bayley story has been through everything in the past three years. I found this article (https://dansgrapsandgames.wordpress.com/) about their relationship. I wanna get y'all ( @theradiantn, @averyconfusedpanda) thoughts on it. Credit to Dans Graps And Games.

“Act I

We all (hopefully) know their origin stories. Both consistently broadcast the fact that they were fans from a young age, this is all they ever wanted etc. Then, both “came up” through NXT together and slowly formed the Four Horsewomen with Charlotte Flair and Becky Lynch. They each had a series of stunning matches, and let’s say the starting point of this fearsome foursome was that Fatal 4-Way match at NXT Takeover Rival. Sasha won, and picked off Charlotte and Becky in separate rivalries at the top of the card. This was Sasha’s story.

Sasha, refusing to take Bayley seriously like many, turned a blind eye to what was coming up to meet her at the top of the mountain while she herself was fighting to maintain her place. Fast forward to Takeover Brooklyn and Respect, and both women became recognized for the absolute clinics they contested, not to mention the first female “co-main event” and main event for a WWE Special at Brooklyn and Respect. Takeover Respect became a fitting title in the first ever Women’s Ironman match as the rivalry finally gained an undertone of esteem and regard between the two women. They had to respect each other, they were changing the game just like they dreamed. Bayley won the feud, and Sasha moved on.

Act II

So Sasha moved on to the main roster and Bayley went on to be the leader of the NXT women’s division. Fast forward to Battleground 2016, where Bayley and Sasha are reunited as friends. Sasha was mid-title hunt, but she had no need to worry. Bayley wasn’t a threat here. She brought Bayley to help her equalize the numbers game because she knew how good she was. Sasha knew she was in control. She used her.

This stems from the fact that Sasha knew she could beat Charlotte one-on-one. She’d done it before, and she did it again the night following Battleground for the Women’s title. The two engage in an epic rivalry for most of 2016 and Bayley is inserted somewhere in the middle, but she doesn’t last in the title picture. Sasha ultimately fails to overcome Charlotte, and “doesn’t feel like the Bo$$ anymore”. The title, the bling she so desperately requires as part of her Boss character, is out of her grasp as long as Charlotte has it around her waist.

This is when the cogs start to turn for Banks. Bayley becomes the number one contender for a match at the 2017 Royal Rumble by knocking off Nia Jax with help from Sasha in the form of a distraction. Get the title on Bayley, then she can challenge for the title again. Easy. Sasha didn’t care about Bayley – she was just a convenient means to an end.

Bayley fails to knock off Charlotte at the Royal Rumble, but beats her on RAW and becomes the champion soon after. This, unbeknownst to Bayley at the time, was due to help from Sasha interfering on her behalf. Again at Fastlane, Sasha got involved to take down Dana Brooke, providing a distraction that Bayley capitalized on. Bayley retained with help from Sasha. Bayley had the title, now Sasha needed to keep it on her. She knew she could exploit her friendship with Bayley to get that title back – after all, the Boss is who she is, and the Huggable One is who Bayley is.

On paper, this is perfect. Sasha showed flashes of this persona throughout Bayley’s reign – once grabbing the title after a tag match and again on this cheeky instagram post.

Finally, Banks gets her shot at her friend at Wrestlemania, However, it’s not one on one. Thus, we don’t see a complete turn from Banks – she might need her help in this match. Bayley retains and Sasha was involved in the match. See the pattern? Sasha was consistently close to the title while Bayley held it – both physically and mentally.

Sasha interrupts Bayley the night of the Superstar Shakeup and her tone changes as she tells Bayley the time for celebration is over. This is it. Wait, enter Alexa Bliss, who puts the entire ordeal on pause as Bayley loses the title to the newcomer. Ironically, both title matches Bayley lost (at Royal Rumble & Payback) didn’t involve Sasha in any shape or form. Both women then attempt to climb back up the card, with Sasha actually gaining the title back for another 8 day spurt. Throughout the next few months, Bayley and Sasha share awkward moments that often end in Sasha telling Bayley off in some form.

Act III

So here we are at Act III of this emotional rollercoaster. Sasha has been getting frustrated and so has Bayley. Neither of them could beat Asuka and end the streak. They’re starting to get irritated by each others’ presence, let alone those in the way of their goals. What started out as friendly competition and back-and-forths on social media has escalated into something far more personal.

Sasha unceremoniously dumped her “best friend” from the Rumble. She was in there long enough at that stage, she didn’t need Bayley around anymore to win the match, showing flashes of her cocky Boss persona once again. She also got unnecessarily agressive towards Bayley in their match on February 12th 2018, and literally Mufasa’d her at Elimination Chamber. And Bayley was right – Sasha does these things because she knows, or she knew Bayley would still be around afterwards.

The cracks finally started to burst and as we saw on RAW this week, and the tipping point has been reached. They got physical with each other outside of the combat setting, so we have to wait and see where it goes from here. Bayley dropped that bombshell of a line about Sasha never retaining her title, but I hope WWE realizes it’s own continuity it has going here and brings up the fact that Bayley has never retained (or won) when Sasha wasn’t around.

This feud has been brewing on the main roster for over a year, and goes even further back to NXT. Sasha knew she couldn’t beat Bayley as an enemy as shown in NXT, so she decided to exploit Bayley’s good will and use it to her advantage.”

The fact this person pointed out Bayley championship success on the main roster was due to Sasha. The minute Sasha wasn’t there when Bayley was on the line tells you Bayley became champion because of Sasha. Sasha used Bayley. Sasha wanted to get the title on Bayley because in her mind…Bayley is a easy beat especially when she manipulates her. But as Bayley said “ you treat me this way because you can’t beat me.” Ever since the main roster, Bayley has four wins over Sasha. Sasha only has one win over Bayley. Both Sasha and Bayley have nothing to lose. They lost titles in embarrassing fashion. They cost each other the chance at Mania for title match. They both couldn’t defeat Asuka. Sasha and Bayley have the best feud in WWE right now. The way I would culminate this feud is with a I Quit match. A personal blood feud should climax in that match.

[freenewstoday]

New Post has been published on https://freenews.today/2020/12/13/nfl-week-14-takeaways-offensive-outbursts-for-bears-and-cowboys-letdown-for-giants/

NFL Week 14 takeaways: Offensive outbursts for Bears and Cowboys, letdown for Giants

5:50 PM ET

NFL NationESPN

Week 14 in the NFL saw offensive outbursts from the Broncos, Bears and Titans, an AFC West-clinching win for the Chiefs, a big letdown for the Giants and a huge win for the Buccaneers in their chase for an NFC wild-card spot. In all, six of the week’s opening eight games — including a Rams victory on Thursday night — were multiple-score blowouts.

All that and more in Week 14‘s biggest takeaways from NFL Nation.

Jump to a matchup: KC-MIA | MIN-TB | ARI-NYG HOU-CHI | DEN-CAR | TEN-JAX DAL-CIN | NE-LAR

Standout performer: Chiefs TE Travis Kelce, 136 receiving yards, 1 TD

1 Related

The Chiefs’ defense can’t finish out a game. For the second time in three weeks, the Chiefs almost wasted a three-score lead in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs will have to win a lot of high-scoring games if they’re going to repeat as Super Bowl champions. — Adam Teicher

Next game: at Saints (4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday)

The Dolphins traded big plays with the Chiefs largely due to their playmaking defense and a resurgent Tua Tagovailoa, but their offensive flaws were too big to overcome in the loss. The biggest lesson from Sunday’s game is that the Dolphins will always fight, but while the defense is ready to compete with and ultimately beat the AFC elite, the offense isn’t there yet. The Dolphins have been one of the NFL’s best stories this season, going from tanking cries to playoff contenders, but there’s one key area where Miami is clearly still rebuilding and needs to target additions this offseason: offensive playmakers. — Cameron Wolfe

Next game: vs. Patriots (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

Standout performer: Buccaneers S Antoine Winfield Jr., 11 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble

After two consecutive losses going into a bye week, the Bucs got back on track and improved to 8-5. The slow starts and chemistry issues that were exploited by better teams during the most grueling portion of their season weren’t magically resolved during the break. But Tom Brady threw two touchdown passes, and the Bucs stayed committed to the run behind Ronald Jones II, who had 80 yards on 18 carries to keep the Vikings off-balance. “We wanted to set up play-action. We didn’t hit as many as we’d hoped. But when asked earlier in this week about our identity, I think we just showed our identity,” coach Bruce Arians said. “We can do any damn thing we want to do.” — Jenna Laine

Next game: at Falcons (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

The Vikings have to make a change at kicker to keep their playoff hopes alive after kicker Dan Bailey missed 10 points worth of kicks. There’s no way for this offense (and defense) to function when the kicker’s confidence is clearly shot, and the playcalling reflects a lack of trust in his ability. The Vikings were forced to make some unconventional decisions because they didn’t trust Bailey after he missed an extra point and three field goals. They might be able to get away with that against some teams, but it’s too much to risk when there’s little-to-no room for error with three games remaining and the Vikings on the outside looking in at the seventh spot in the playoffs. — Courtney Cronin

Next game: vs. Bears (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

Standout performer: Cardinals LB Haason Reddick, 5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles

With their win Sunday over the Giants, the Cardinals regained a playoff spot in the NFC for the time being. They also found a recipe to keep them in the playoff picture: a defense that held the Giants to 159 total yards with eight sacks, and an offense that found a rhythm, thanks in part to Kyler Murray‘s running. The Cardinals are now 8-1 when Murray runs at least 10 times. — Josh Weinfuss

Next game: vs. Eagles (4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday)

Daniel Jones was back for the Giants but clearly wasn’t his normal healthy self, throwing for 127 yards after missing a game with a hamstring injury. Coach Joe Judge said he had “no regrets on playing him.” The Giants knew Jones wouldn’t bring his normal running element (zero carries) and wasn’t going to be as mobile; he was sacked six times and limped throughout the contest. It led to an uneven offensive performance, as the Giants (5-8) had their four-game winning streak snapped. They need to get Jones right if they are going to win the NFC East. — Jordan Raanan

Next game: vs. Browns (8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday)

Standout performer: Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky, 267 passing yards, 3 TDs

Everything you need this week: • Full schedule » | Standings » • Depth charts for every team » • Transactions » | Injuries » • Football Power Index rankings » More NFL coverage »

The Bears waited until Week 14 for the much maligned offense to string together four respectable quarters of football. Better late than never, I suppose. Sunday’s home game against the depleted Texans turned out to be a laugher. The Bears (6-7) snapped their six-game losing streak as quarterback Mitchell Trubisky passed for 267 yards and three touchdowns. Big picture, not much changes. But for once, it was just nice to watch the Bears play a complete football game without the usual elements of self-sabotage and confusion. — Jeff Dickerson

Next game: at Vikings (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

There is going to be a lot of work for whomever is hired as general manager after the season. That starts by figuring out how the team can do a better job of protecting their franchise quarterback. Deshaun Watson was sacked a combined 11 times in Weeks 13 and 14 and has taken too many hard hits. According to ESPN Stats and Information, Sunday was the 13th game in which Watson was sacked five or more times, tied for the third-most such games through a player’s first four NFL seasons since the merger in 1970. — Sarah Barshop

Next game: at Colts (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

Standout performer: Broncos QB Drew Lock, 280 passing yards, 4 TDs

Broncos quarterback Drew Lock had his first no-interception day in a full game since the season opener. And it was the way he did it — taking the percentage throws early and challenging the Panthers deep once they adjusted with their safeties — that was exactly what he needed as he tries to close out December strong to give the Broncos a little better feeling about him moving into 2021. It helped that the Broncos had a good day running the ball and kept Lock in plenty of play-action situations. — Jeff Legwold

Next game: vs. Bills (4:30 p.m. ET, Saturday)

The Panthers continue to find ways not to win in the fourth quarter. They had a realistic shot in Sunday’s loss to Denver but again had clock mismanagement down the stretch and made too many costly mistakes. None were bigger than Teddy Bridgewater taking a delay-of-game penalty inside the Denver 10-yard line in the final six minutes and then rushing a third-down play to beat the two-minute warning when it wasn’t necessary. Bridgewater is steady but again didn’t prove to be good enough to win games on his own. — David Newton

Next game: at Packers (8:15 p.m. ET, Saturday)

Standout performer: Titans RB Derrick Henry, 215 rushing yards, 2 TDs

The Titans got a much-needed win over the Jaguars to push their playoff chances to 94% and strengthen their stronghold on winning the AFC South title. Derrick Henry posted his fourth career 200-yard rushing game to get the Titans’ offense back on track. They’ll need a strong performance from Henry down the stretch, but it’s also important that Tennessee balances things out with the passing game. That’s exactly what A.J. Brown provided with seven receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown. — Turron Davenport

Next game: vs. Lions (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

The play of rookie running back James Robinson is the one positive thing during an otherwise awful season in Jacksonville. He ran for 67 yards against the Titans to become just the fourth undrafted rookie to rush for 1,000 yards and third in Jaguars franchise history (he now has 1,035). Robinson has a chance to pass Fred Taylor’s rookie record of 1,223 rushing yards set in 1998. He is one of the few consistent performers in 2020 for Jacksonville and a major building block for the franchise’s overhaul. — Mike DiRocco

Next game: at Ravens (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

Standout performer: Cowboys QB Andy Dalton, 185 passing yards, 2 TDs

Through conversations with former players, coaches and key figures, Peyton Manning gets to the heart of football history and its cultural impact. Watch on ESPN+

During the week, Andy Dalton tried to downplay what his return to Cincinnati meant. But, after the 30-7 win against the Bengals, he admitted, “This one was special.” Dalton was one of the Cowboys’ three captains for the game, delivered the last speech to the players before kickoff and — after throwing two touchdown passes — was received a game ball. As Dalton entered the locker room, he was doused with water with his celebratory teammates. “It feels good to come back where I was for a long time and to get a win,” Dalton said. At 4-9, the Cowboys can have hope in the NFC East. — Todd Archer

Next game: vs. 49ers (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

Under second-year coach Zac Taylor, the Bengals have been in a few games they arguably should have won, including Taylor’s debut in 2019 in a road loss at Seattle. At the time, the performance indicated there could be good things to come for the Bengals under the young but unproven coach. Instead, Cincinnati has just four wins over the past two seasons and likely squandered their last chance at a victory in the 2020 season with its loss to Dallas on Sunday. Cincinnati lost fumbles on each of its first three drives. That left Taylor as exasperated as anyone after the game. Taylor’s thoughts on those turnovers: “Irate. Stunned. Irate.” — Ben Baby

Next game: vs. Steelers (8:15 p.m. ET, Monday, Dec. 21)

Standout performer: Rams RB Cam Akers, 171 rushing yards (and 23 receiving yards)

Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald said before Thursday night’s game against the Patriots that he felt “a little bit more push just for a little payback” after a crushing defeat in Super Bowl LIII. The stakes certainly weren’t comparable, but Donald got his revenge. The Rams had six sacks and an interception returned for a touchdown, as the defense continues to peak at the perfect time. The team improves to 9-4 and will enjoy a long weekend before preparing for the home stretch, which includes a game against the Jets and division matchups against the Seahawks and Cardinals. The Rams remain in first place in the NFC West, holding a head-to-head tiebreak over the Seahawks, and are nearing their third division title in four seasons. — Lindsey Thiry

Next game: vs. Jets (4:05 p.m. ET, Sunday)

The Patriots didn’t look like a playoff team as the Rams ran right through them, and the limitations in the passing game on offense were glaring on a night when they saw their postseason chances dip to 6%, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. While there is still something to play for, a case could also be made that the Patriots would benefit from turning things over to Jarrett Stidham at quarterback so they can get a thorough evaluation on him heading into 2021. The Patriots aren’t used to thinking big-picture like that at this time of year. — Mike Reiss

Next game: at Dolphins (1 p.m. ET, Sunday)

Source

[placetobenation]

July 17, 2017 From the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN Your hosts are Michael Cole, Corey Graves, and Booker T

We are shown a video package regarding Kurt Angle’s secret, which will be revealed tonight.

Also happening tonight, Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe with the winner facing Brock Lesnar for the WWE Universal Title at SummerSlam.

The live show starts off with Dean Ambrose heading to the ring as we are shown clips from last week where he was attacked by Miz & The Miztourage and told former partner Seth Rollins that he still does not trust him after Rollins saved him from the attack. Ambrose is holding a chair as he dedicates the show to his chair, which is refers to as “Steely Dan.” He talks about beating up Miz and his pals and wants them to come out now as he takes a seat. However, Rollins comes out as Cole talks about how their could be a possible Shield reunion. Rollins tells Ambrose that he is all over the place as last week he helped him out after saying he was only going to fight his own battles. Ambrose said he was in the mood to hurt Miz & The Miztourage with a chair and not everything is about him as he tells Rollins to “scram.” Rollins says he is here to ask a question and wants to know with Ambrose will be standing in his way or by his side as he fights with Miz. The crowd starts a “yes” chant as Ambrose tells Rollins he’s not his “brother” as he calls Rollins a liar who stabbed him in the back. Rollins yells about that being over three years ago and apologizes as the crowd applauds. Rollins points out how Ambrose cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to beat him for the title and that he moved on and wants to know what it will take for Ambrose to do the same. Ambrose tells Rollins he sees his lips moving but cannot hear anything as Rollins says he will let his actions speak for him and tells Ambrose to hit him in the back to feel better. He keeps yelling at Ambrose to hit him as many times as he needs to get it out of his system. Rollins’ backed his turned but Ambrose tosses the chair outside and talks to him but Miz & The Miztourage interrupt. Miz sarcastically says how this is touching and could even be a country song but it will never work as burning bridges “in this business” is a major no-no before pointing out how he always wins then puts down Ambrose for not having what it takes to win on his own. Miz also tells Ambrose that he is all over then has the Miztourage surround the ring with chairs as Miz grabs one himself. Ambrose & Rollins try to fight them off but get outnumbered. Miz hits Rollins with a Skull Crushing Finale on a chair as the crowd boos.

Decent segment here. They are slowly building to Rollins & Ambrose reuniting, which could end up in Reigns joining with them as well. He was not mentioned here although the crowd chanted for him a bit near the end. I thought this was a good step in the right direction.

After the break, Charly Caruso catches up to Miz, Maryse, and the Miztourage but gets blown off as they head out of the arena.

Bayley vs. Alexa Bliss

Cole thinks a win by Bayley could get her another title shot. Alexa slaps Bayley across the face but gets driven into the corner. Bayley hammers away until Alexa ducks out on the apron then Nia Jax’s music hits as we head to commercial. We return with Alexa working a surfboard then targets the shoulder. Alexa cuts off a comeback but Bayley remains tenacious and runs wild. Bayley clutches her arm but still hits a Saito suplex then heads up top for an elbow drop. Alexa rolls outside and Bayley follows where Nia stands in her way, allowing Alexa to land a cheap shot. Sasha Banks runs out and starts beating on Nia. Alexa gets distracted then Bayley rolls her up for a two count before putting her away with the Bayley-to-Belly (8:15) **. After the match, Sasha runs in and hugs Bayley while Nia and Alexa retreat up the ramp.

Thoughts: A basic TV match as they are building up Bayley to the point where she is back in title contention, with Sasha and Nia also in the picture.

Corey once again heads backstage, right before we get clips of WWE stars at the ESPY Awards.

A video package to hype tonight’s Reigns vs. Joe match.

Angle is anxiously pacing around his office, asking if he is doing the right thing by coming clean. Graves tells him they live in the age of social media and it will get out anyway so he might as well go out and tell the truth.

We are shown clips of Tozawa giving Neville a taste of his own medicine by crotching him on the ropes to beat him in a tag match last week followed by Neville running out to attack Tozawa in his match against Ariya Daivari on “205 Live.” After that, we see Titus Worldwide in the locker room. Titus pumps them up as Daivari interrupts to call out Tozawa for lacking honor because he begs for rematch. Daivari then tells Tozawa if he has any honor he’ll get in the ring to finish what he started last week.

Brian Kendrick & Drew Gulak vs. Mustafa Ali & “Gentleman” Jack Gallagher

We are shown clips from last week’s “205 Live” where Gallagher snapped on Kendrick for making fun of him. Gulak and Gallagher start things off as Cole talks about Gulak’s anti high-flying campaign. Gallagher works the leg to start but Kendrick trips him up then Gulak knocks Ali off of the apron. Gulak stomps Gallagher then chops him down then makes a blind tag as Kendrick comes in and gets hit with a headbutt. Ali tags in and hits the inverted 450 for the win (2:17) *.

Thoughts: The crowd was dead until the finish. The announcers also plugged tomorrow night’s 2/3 Falls Match between Ali and Gulak. Also noticeable was the lack of purple ropes for the cruiserweight matches tonight.

Enzo Amore heads out to the ring. He does his shtick as Corey calls him out for wearing knock-off Gucci clothes. Enzo then talks about how no one else in “this business” can garner a reaction on the microphone like himself. He then talks about fighting for what you believe in and how Cass used to do the same. Enzo said he let Cass toss him onto their opponents because he wanted to win and how Cass being seven-feet tall did not win them any championships. He goes back to Great Balls of Fire and how he got tossed around but per usual, he keeps getting back up. We are shown clips from last week with Big Show beating up Cass as Enzo rags on him then talks about how Cass folded like a lawn chair when the going got tough. Cass interrupts just before Enzo could call him “sawft” then blames Corey as to why this happened. The crowd chants “Casshole” as Cass tells Enzo since he did not learn his lesson he’ll beat some sense into him tonight so he can learn to shut his mouth. Enzo then taunts Cass and ducks out then tells the crowd he wants to see a fight so he hops over the wall and grabs a young fan with an Enzo wig . Enzo said when Cass loses, he’ll get up and stand over him while asking “How you doin’?”The Big Show comes out as Cass kicks him off of the apron then heads outside but Show roughs him up. Cass fights back as they are in the aisle but Show regains control and slams him on the floor. He rolls Cass inside then hits a chop as the camera shows Enzo celebrating in his seat. Cass fights back and drives Show into the post a few times from the apron. Cass now hits mounted punches in the ring as Enzo is now worried. Show’s nose is busted up then Enzo runs in and gets booted in the face. Cass stands tall then leaves.

I did not care for Enzo’s promo. He talked about always getting up and never backing down then proceeded to back down when Cass came out.  Plus, for a guy that got obliterated at Great Balls of Fire it made zero sense for Enzo to talk about how he “brought the fight.” It appeared they were heading to a Show vs. Cass match but it just ended up 

Reigns is warming up backstage. Charly approaches and brings up how Joe has beaten him twice already and the stakes are higher tonight. Reigns says he does better with more on the line and reminds us all once again that he is the big dog and its his yard.

Rollins & Ambrose are in the locker room. They both talk about not needing each other’s help but Angle comes in to say he is giving them an opportunity to face any two members of the Miztourage next week. Ambrose wants to take on all three and Rollins agrees to Angle makes it official.

Elias Samson is in the ring. The crowd chants for Finn Balor as Samson is pissed. Samson says he wants Balor too and will get him soon enough but wants the crowd to keep quiet until he finishes his song. However, Balor comes out to cut him off.

Elias Samson vs. Finn Balor

Balor works the arm to start. Samson slams Balor then slams his head off of the ring apron a few times from the outside. Balor breaks out of a full nelson then soon after that runs wild. Samson is able to catch Balor on a float over attempt and turns that into a sitout powerbomb for a nearfall. Balor fights back again and takes Samson outside. He hits a running soccer kick then drives Samson into the barricade with a shotgun dropkick. Balor runs around the ring again but gets a guitar smashes over his head for the DQ (5:09) **.

Thoughts: The action was fine for what it was as they are building up to a likely stipulation match.

After the match, Bray Wyatt interrupts. He laughs at Balor about not expecting the guitar smash but likes to see a look of pain on his face as it means he has feelings. Bray laughs some more then says he is more dangerous than a demon. These Bray promos have lost their effectiveness. Its a character that needs to be retooled and taken off of TV for a while.

Sasha & Bayley come into Angle’s office. They want some help on deciding who deserves a title shot at SummerSlam. They both state their cases while complimenting each other so Angle puts them in a number #1 contender’s match that will take place next week. Both are fine with that as Angle is still anxious over his upcoming announcement.

Charly is backstage with The Revival and asks why they attacked the Hardy Boyz last week. They both said “why not” then talk about feeling disrespected over the fact they did not know about them but said after tonight, they will care about The Revival.

Akira Tozawa w/ Titus O’Neill vs. Ariya Daivari

Tozawa takes control early but Daivari gets his knees up on a senton attempt. Daivari targets the shoulder that was injured by Neville last week as Titus bangs on the apron to rally behind his client. Daivari gets two after ramming Tozawa into the corner but Tozawa snaps off a hurricarana then hits a Saito suplex as both men are down. Tozawa heads up top while clutching his shoulder then rolls off as Daivari hits an armbreaker for a nearfall. Daivari keeps attacking the arm while the ref tells him to stop as Titus is on the apron and gets the ref to stop the match (2:59) *. After the match, Tozawa yells at Titus about how he never quits then leaves.

Thoughts: Unless the plan is for Titus to screw over Tozawa at some point and get a new client, I have no idea why this was the finish as the guy in the Cruiserweight Title hunt should be able to beat Daivari with ease.

Angle heads to the ring. He apologizes for wasting our time with this stuff and found out the actions of his past have a serious consequence. Angle said he was afraid of change because he thought it would hurt his family. However, his family is supportive as he talks about dating someone in Clarion University in Pittsburgh and recently found out that she gave birth nine months after their first date. He was unaware of both and said the boy was adopted by two loving parents who taught him “great American values.” Angle puts over the boy’s athletic accomplishments and that he excelled in wrestling but went to college and now wants to become a WWE superstar. So, he introduces us to his son, Jason Jordan.

Yeah, I do not know about this. It’s too convoluted and if you want to have Jordan get pushed as a singles act and get the rub from Angle there are much easier ways. This type of storyline in 2017 feels out of touch if you ask me. I give Angle credit for selling this but the closeups of him crying was overkill and made it appear comically bad more than anything else. 

Hardy Boyz vs. The Revival

These teams fight as soon as they are in the ring. The Revival duck outside as the ref settles things down. Dawson and Matt start off the match with Matt winning that battle. The Hardy Boyz work over Dawson in the corner Dawson is able to tag out as The Revival beat on Matt in their corner but Matt fights back and hits Dawson with multiple turnbuckle smashes. He hits a bulldog for two then tags out as the Hardy Boyz hit a few double-team moves to clear the ring as we head to break. The match returns with The Revival attacking Matt’s knee. They stay in control by attacking the knee while using frequent quick tags. Dawson methodically cuts off a tag attempt with a basement dropkick but Matt is able to push him outside with his foot then makes the tag as Jeff runs wild on Dash. The match breaks down a bit as Jeff hits Poetry in Motion and goes up top but Dash shoves him off then Dawson rolls up Jeff and grabs the tights for the win (13:33) ***.

Thoughts: Good match that really picked up once The Revival started working the knee. The Revival get a big win as they showed off how effective they are in the ring. Its a great heel act in that regard.

Samoa Joe is backstage with Charly. She asks him about Reigns’ “path of destruction” but Joe says his path is skewed and made the mistake by thinking he is just an obstacle standing in his way. Joe says he has laid out Reigns twice already and that the third time is a charm.

Titus is backstage with Tozawa, who has a giant ice pack on his shoulder. Titus also said he knows Tozawa never quits but he had to step in because he was thinking about his future. Tozawa tells Titus that he wants another match against Daivari tomorrow night on “205 Live” then leaves.

Next week, Balor vs. Samson in a No DQ Match. Also Sasha vs. Bayley, with the winner facing Alexa for the Women’s Championship at SummerSlam, and Ambrose & Rollins vs. Miz & The Miztourage.

Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe

These two go back-and-forth to start. Reigns knocks Joe outside then off of the apron as we head to break. We return with Joe taking Reigns down with an enziguiri in the corner as that gets him a two count. Joe fires away in the corner as the crowd is engaging in dueling chants. Joe cuts off a comeback with a running elbow smash then attacks the neck. Reigns fights back then breaks up an uranage attempt before hitting a clothesline for a two count. Reigns hits ten clotheslines in the corner then follows Joe outside where they both hit each other hard and end up on the floor as we head to another commercial. The action returns with Joe beating on Reigns inside of the ring. Reigns escapes a Samoan Drop and hits one of his own for a two count. Both men are tired then Reigns counters an uranage with an arm drag then hits a Superman Punch but Joe is able to kick out then Braun Strowman heads down to the ring and tosses out Joe. He then slowly turns towards Reigns and heads inside but Reigns takes him out with an uppercut. Strowman fights back and ends up tossing Reigns through the ropes back into the ring. Joe starts kicking Strowman but fails to Irish whip him and gets clotheslined. Strowman is back inside as he beats on both men. Reigns boots Strowman then Joe sits on the top rope and locks on the Coquina Clutch. He is on Strowman’s back then Reigns hits Strowman with a Superman Punch. Strowman is able to fight back and takes out both men. Several referees are telling Strowman to stop as he continues to beat on both men then he leaves as this is ruled a no-contest (20:00) ***1/2.

Thoughts: The run in by Strowman was not a surprise but everything before that was really good. Strowman looked like a beast against two guys that went all out and beat the crap out of each other. If the rumored four-way at SummerSlam does take place, then we saw a pretty good preview of what to expect.

Final Thoughts: Overall, I though the show was okay. They have some intriguing storylines going on and this had a good main event. However, the Angle reveal appeared to bomb live and some of the middle and lower card stuff was not very good. At least they have direction heading into SummerSlam with their top matches and they did set up three matches for next week as the PPV card will become clearer over the coming weeks.

[jodyedgarus]

Patrick Mahomes And The Chiefs Are Red-Hot. For Once, They Might Stay That Way.

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are officially the toast of the 2018 NFL season so far, after K.C.’s young quarterback threw an incredible six touchdown passes against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, bringing his season tally to 10 — and the Chiefs’ record to 2-0.

It’s only been two weeks, but the reviews for Mahomes have been nothing short of breathless. The latest opponent that will have to weather the Kansas City onslaught will be the San Francisco 49ers, who travel to Arrowhead on Sunday afternoon. Although the game doesn’t figure to alter the playoff odds too much — according to our NFL Elo predictions — it’s an intriguing showdown that ranks fourth-best of Week 3 in terms of our measure of matchup quality (which uses the harmonic mean of the two teams’ Elo ratings):

The best matchups of Week 3

Week 3 games with the highest average Elo rating, using the harmonic mean, plus the total potential swing for the two teams’ playoff chances, according to FiveThirtyEight’s NFL predictions

Playoff % Playoff % Team A Current Avg. Chg* Team B Current Avg. Chg* Total Change Game Quality ATL 62.6% +/-13.8 NO 29.8% +/-12.5 26.3 1578 LAC 47.0 10.6 LAR 68.1 9.2 19.8 1561 PIT 39.9 11.7 TB 52.0 11.8 23.5 1548 KC 85.0 5.1 SF 28.3 7.1 12.2 1542 DET 12.3 5.7 NE 72.0 9.4 15.0 1539 CAR 42.6 10.9 CIN 56.6 10.7 21.6 1538 JAX 75.3 11.6 TEN 30.5 12.3 23.9 1529 BUF 11.5 4.5 MIN 73.7 7.3 11.9 1525 DAL 41.9 12.3 SEA 25.8 10.2 22.5 1523 IND 17.4 4.7 PHI 75.0 5.8 10.4 1522 BAL 44.1 11.7 DEN 32.4 10.7 22.4 1503 GB 30.4 11.5 WSH 20.7 8.6 20.2 1473 MIA 48.4 11.3 OAK 8.0 5.2 16.5 1463 ARI 8.4 4.5 CHI 23.8 10.0 14.5 1445 HOU 7.6 3.6 NYG 4.5 2.8 6.4 1386 CLE 1.9 1.4 NYJ 22.4 8.0 9.4 1378

Game quality is the harmonic mean of the Elo ratings for the two teams in a given matchup.

*Average change is weighted by the likelihood of a win or loss. (Ties are excluded.)

Source: ESPN.com

The Chiefs have certainly seen a boost in our ratings with this hot start. Before the season, they ranked seventh in the league, and it wasn’t clear that K.C. was even the best team in its own division. But since the start of the season, Kansas City has risen to third in Elo, adding the third-most rating points of any team in the league (behind only the Buccaneers and Bengals).

Mahomes has been leading the Chiefs’ charge. Going into the season, we noted that he would have a ton of weapons to work with in the Chief offense, and that his starting career could get off the ground quickly if he reined in his occasional “gunslinger” tendencies. Two weeks in, it’s worked out almost perfectly. Mahomes is making great decisions with the ball and has thrown plenty of absolute darts downfield. Since the 1970 AFL merger, only three QBs — Peyton Manning in 2013, Tom Brady in 2011 and, yes, Ryan Fitzpatrick this season — have produced more yards above backup QB (YABQ) through the first two games of a season than Mahomes has so far this year:

The best two-game QB starts to a season since 1970

Most yards above backup quarterback (YABQ) for passers in the first two games of an NFL season, 1970-2018

Quarterback YEAR Age Comp% Pass YDS Net Y/A TD Int YABQ 1 Ryan Fitzpatrick 2018 36 78.7% 819 12.9 8 1 585 2 Tom Brady 2011 34 71.6 940 10.2 7 1 510 3 Peyton Manning 2013 37 67.1 769 8.5 9 0 501 4 Patrick Mahomes 2018 23 69.1 582 10.1 10 0 488 5 Phil Simms 1984 29 66.0 594 10.2 7 0 477 6 Joe Namath 1972 29 47.6 609 13.4 7 2 466 7 Drew Bledsoe 1997 25 64.1 607 9.2 8 0 428 8 Lynn Dickey 1983 34 80.4 623 10.6 8 1 423 9 Steve Young 1998 37 60.3 666 7.9 6 1 415 10 Dan Fouts 1981 30 74.0 646 12.5 4 1 414

Age is as of Dec. 31 of the season in question.

Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com

And unlike the names above him on the list, each of whom were seasoned veterans, Mahomes is just 23 this season1 — and he had just one game started under his belt before this season. Although he probably won’t stay on this record-breaking pace all season, Mahomes’s early career performance doesn’t look like a fluke. Since 1970, only two QBs (Hall of Famer Kurt Warner and Pro Bowler Jeff Blake) had more YABQ through their first three NFL games as a primary passer2 than Mahomes. Of course, not every hot three-game start presaged a path to Canton; for every Warner or Dan Marino near the top of the list, there’s also Eric Hipple, Scott Mitchell and Ty Detmer. But even if Mahomes’s career develops more like that of, say, Daunte Culpepper — whose stats at the same age are strikingly similar to Mahomes’s 16-game pace over his career to date — it would surely validate the Chiefs’ decision to jettison successful longtime starter Alex Smith in favor of his rifle-armed young successor.

We can already see how the Chiefs’ offense has changed with Mahomes at the helm. According to ESPN’s Stats & Info Group, his air yards per pass — which measures the distance the ball traveled downfield before being caught (or hitting the ground) — is 11.5 this season, which ranks first among all qualified passers. Smith’s number last season was 7.4, which ranked 23rd. Mahomes has faced more blitzes (and more pressure in general) than Smith, but he’s handled the heat much more capably — his Raw Total Quarterback Rating against pressure has been 74.0 (the league average is about 50 on all passes and 20 versus pressure), compared with Smith’s 31.3 mark last year. And for a team that went an entire season without a TD pass to a wide receiver a few years ago, Kansas City now ranks third in touchdown passes to receivers and eighth in passing yards to wideouts, with Tyreek Hill on track to surpass his 1,183 receiving yards from a year ago.

Kansas City is hoping this newfound offensive attack can prevent another midseason letdown like the one the team suffered last year. The 2017 Chiefs also got off to a blazing start, winning their first five games behind a dominating offense. Then they promptly lost six of seven at midseason to bring their record to 6-6, requiring a four-game end-of-season winning streak just to make the playoffs. That wasn’t exactly rare for K.C. under Andy Reid: The Chiefs finished the 2014 season on a 2-4 stretch after starting 7-3, and they went 2-5 down the stretch in 2013 after a 9-0 start. So Chiefs fans would be forgiven for tempering their optimism at the moment. But the versatility of this year’s attack — made possible in part by Mahomes’s unique arm strength and comfort level in a spread system — might be the missing ingredient that makes this hot start more sustainable than the ones that fizzled in years past.

In light of all this Mahomes mania, the 49ers are an especially interesting foil for the Chiefs this weekend. Niners starter Jimmy Garoppolo captured the NFL’s attention late last season with a five-game run that rivaled what Mahomes has done thus far. (Jimmy G. averaged 131.4 YABQ per game in his best two starts of that stretch, compared with Mahomes’s 243.9 per game this season.) But Garoppolo’s 2018 also illustrates the reversion that is sure to come for Mahomes sooner or later: San Francisco’s highly paid QB has seen his QBR drop from 82.7 in 2017 to 22.7 this season. He’ll almost certainly improve on that in the near future — perhaps substantially so against a K.C. defense that currently ranks a distant last in the NFL in defensive expected points added. But Mahomes can learn from his counterpart how quickly a QB can go from acclaim to adversity once opposing defenses study enough of his tape.

Until then, though, Mahomes and the Chiefs are riding high, with the league’s best projected record and playoff chances according to our model, plus a status as co-Super Bowl favorites (with the Eagles). It’s hard to imagine a better way for a young QB to begin his career as an NFL starter.

FiveThirtyEight vs. the readers

In addition to our NFL Elo prediction interactive, which updates after every game to help you keep tabs on how your team stacks up, we’re also running a prediction game in which you make picks against our model (and your fellow readers). After the dust settles each week, we like to look at where Elo made its best — and worst — picks against the field. Here’s how it did in Week 2:

Elo’s dumbest (and smartest) picks of Week 2

Average difference between points won by readers and by Elo in Week 2 matchups in FiveThirtyEight’s NFL prediction game

OUR PREDICTION (ELO) READERS’ PREDICTION PICK WIN PROB. PICK WIN PROB. Result READERS’ NET PTS BUF 53% LAC 69% LAC 31, BUF 20 +15.7

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WSH 75 WSH 68 IND 21, WSH 9 +8.4

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PIT 58 PIT 51 KC 42, PIT 37 +4.9

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SEA 54 CHI 52 CHI 24, SEA 17 +3.9

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LAR 74 LAR 82 LAR 34, ARI 0 +1.9

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SF 58 SF 62 SF 30, DET 27 +1.2

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MIN 60 MIN 56 GB 29, MIN 29 +0.0 NYJ 61 NYJ 61 MIA 20, NYJ 12 -1.2

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DEN 63 DEN 63 DEN 20, OAK 19 -2.2

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NO 85 NO 81 NO 21, CLE 18 -4.0

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NE 56 NE 58 JAX 31, NE 20 -5.1

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ATL 62 ATL 58 ATL 31, CAR 24 -5.2

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PHI 63 PHI 67 TB 27, PHI 21 -7.6

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CIN 50 BAL 55 CIN 34, BAL 23 -7.7

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DAL 76 DAL 58 DAL 20, NYG 13 -15.1

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TEN 70 HOU 51 TEN 20, HOU 17 -20.1

–

Home teams are in bold.

The scoring system is nonlinear, so readers’ average points don’t necessarily match the number of points that would be given to the average reader prediction.

After a successful Week 1 performance against FiveThirtyEight readers, I expected Elo to tail off a bit in Week 2. But instead, it did even better! On average, Elo beat the typical reader by 32.2 total points in our game this past week, bringing its overall lead up to 60.5 points on the season. The readers cleaned up in the Bills-Chargers game, taking advantage of Elo’s reluctance to acknowledge that Buffalo is a pit of despair this season. But that was offset by Elo’s confidence in the Cowboys at home against the Giants, and the fact that its seemingly misguided faith in the Titans — who were starting Blaine Gabbert, one of the worst QBs in NFL history, instead of the injured Marcus Mariota — paid off.

We’ll see if Elo’s run of luck continues next week. Either way, congrats to reader Alexandre Augusto da Rocha, who led all (identified) users in points for Week 2 — and as a result leads for the season as well. And thanks to everyone who played last week. If you didn’t play, remember that it’s not too late to get in on the game, even if you missed the first couple weeks of the season. Make your picks now!

Check out our latest NFL predictions.

from News About Sports https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/patrick-mahomes-and-the-chiefs-are-red-hot-for-once-they-might-stay-that-way/

[auburnfamilynews]

Tigers ran wild in this one, last season.

     War Eagle, everybody! It’s time now for another Auburn football preview! On October 22nd Auburn will travel to the state of Arkansas to take on the Razorbacks. My initial reaction is that this is very much a “trap game” on the schedule, and it will be a difficult gig. It will be Auburn’s 8th game in a row without a break, and it comes on the heels of a tough road trip to LSU.

     The perception is that Auburn always struggles on the road at Arkansas, but that’s not really true, up examining the results from the past. Auburn actually has a winning record in Fayetteville, at 6-5, since the Hogs joined the SEC. Arkansas was very fortunate to hold on in overtime the last time Auburn visited, with a very mediocre Tiger unit in 2015.

     This year, The Auburn Tigers will have opened the season with Georgia Southern, then traveled to Clemson. Auburn will then enjoy an early homecoming game against Mercer, before traveling to Missouri, prior to a home clash with Mississippi State. The Rebels follow at Jordan-Hare Stadium, the following week, before a road trip to LSU. Auburn then travels to Fayetteville to fight Arkansas. Arkansas opens in Little Rock against Florida A&M, then hosts TCU in week 2. Then, Arkansas has a bye week, to get ready for Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas. Arkansas then closes out September with New Mexico State. October is not kind. Arkansas plays at South Carolina, and at Alabama, before hosting Auburn. Both teams may be pretty beat up, for this game.

     Last season, Arkansas had streaks where they were pretty good on offense, but the offensive line had real problems protecting quarterback Austin Allen, who was sacked more than any other SEC quarterback, and threw the most interceptions. Arkansas returns 4 offensive line starters, but loses star left tackle Dan Skipper. Arkansas also loses nearly every pass catcher with experience, as well as star tailback Rawleigh Williams, who hung it up a couple of months ago after his second scary injury at the Arkansas spring game.

     Arkansas was pourous on defense last season, and sent defensive coordinator Robb Smith packing. The Razorbacks then hired former Auburn defensive coordinator Paul Rhodes (2008), and he is tasked with installing a 3-4 defense. That’s a tough deal usually, in the first year. Adding to the woes is that Arkansas had trouble fielding 3 capable linebackers last season, much less the 4 that this defense needs. Arkansas lost 6 starters on defense, including 5 in the front 7, to graduation.

     Arkansas was respectable on special teams last season, and should be again this year, although the Razorbacks will have to find some kick returners. Kicker Cole Hedlund should be solid, punter Blake Johnson should have a strong leg, and punt returner Jared Cornelius has experience.

Auburn defensive line vs. Arkansas offensive line: Auburn brings a big, athletic defensive line back this season. Likely starters at tackle are junior Dontavius Russell and sophomore Derrick Brown. Sophomore strong-side end Marlon Davidson was a beast on A-Day. The buck side will likely be manned by a combination of junior Jeffery Holland and senior transfer Paul James III. Auburn has a good bit of depth behind the starters, as well. From left to right, the starting offensive line for Arkansas should be sophomore Colton Jackson, junior Hjalte Froholdt, senior Frank Ragnow, junior Johnny Gibson, and junior Brian Wallace. These guys had their hands full last season, even against the Auburn backups. They’ll figure to have difficulty again this year. Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn linebackers vs. Arkansas backs: The Auburn Tigers have a good cross-trained quartet of upper echelon SEC-caliber linebackers. Junior Deshaun Davis, senior Tre’ Williams, junior Darrell Williams and junior Montravious Atkinson can play all three positions, and we might see any combination of these players out on the field at a given time. With the retirement of Rawleigh Williams, Arkansas turns to sophomore Devwah Whaley, and freshman Maleek Williams to tote the rock. Whaley did have 602 rushing yards off the bench, last season. Arkansas runners averaged just 0.8 yards per carry against Auburn, last year. Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn corners vs. Arkansas receivers: Auburn has a fairly good combination of starting corners, in junior Carlton Davis and sophomore Javaris Davis. The Tigers are hoping that Jamel Dean will be healthy this fall, as he is one of the fastest players on the team. Sophomore Jeremiah Dinson could move over from nickelback, if needed. Senior Jared Cornelius headlines a young Razorback receiving corps. He’ll likely be joined by junior Brandon Martin in the starting lineup. Cornelius caught 32 balls last season. Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn safeties vs. Arkansas secondary receivers and quarterback: Auburn’s starting unit features seniors Tray Matthews and Stephen Roberts at safety, and sophomore Jeremiah Dinson at nickel back. There’s not much depth here, beyond senior Nick Ruffin, who’ll probably see as much playing time as the starters. The Tigers are solid here, as long as no one gets hurt. Sophomore Austin Cantrell moves into the starting tight end spot, after catching 13 balls as a freshman last season. Arkansas only completed 3 passes to fullbacks last season, and 21 to tailbacks. Quarterback Austin Allen had a big year last year with 25 TD passes, but also was sacked quite a bit, and threw 15 interceptions. He’ll likely be better, but the cast around him looks young. Advantage: Even.

Punting: Sophomore Ian Shannon will likely get the nod as Auburn’s starting punter, after a couple of years of waiting in the wings. Shannon has looked good on A-Day a year ago, in warmups. The Tigers gave up only 19 punt return yards last season, on 6 punts, for a stifling 3.2 yards per return. The Tigers are still auditioning for the punt returner job. It’s thought that senior Stephen Roberts has the inside track, after returning 6 punts last season for 100 yards. For Arkansas, sophomore punter Blake Johnson steps into the starting lineup, after booting 2 punts for a 47 yard average last season. We didn’t get to see him punt this spring, as the Arkansas spring scrimmage was basically just an indoor practice session. Arkansas gave up 5.6 yards per return last season, and return man Jared Cornelius had 12 returns for 85 yards. Advantage: Auburn.

Kickoffs: Daniel Carlson was very good kicking off last season, notching 57 touchbacks on 72 kickoffs. When Auburn did allow returns, opponents averaged only 18.0 yards per return. Junior Kerryon Johnson is Auburn’s most experienced return man returning, and he averaged 22.2 yards per return last season. Sophomore Conner Limpert will reprise his role kicking off for the Razorbacks again this season, after hitting 9 touchbacks on 43 kickoffs last season. Arkansas allowed 20.6 yards per return last season, while averaging just 18.6 yards per return, and they’ll have to find some new return guys, this season. Advantage: Auburn.

Place kicking: Auburn sophomore Daniel Carlson is the man for Auburn. Carlson was 28 of 32 on field goals, and perfect on extra points. One of Carlson’s misses was a block by Vanderbilt. For Arkansas, junior Cole Hedlund hit on 5 of 7 field goals, and all 25 of his extra point tries. Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn offensive line vs. Arkansas defensive line: It’s still not settled who’ll start for Auburn on the line, although the starters looked pretty good on A-Day. It seems the tackle spots are set, with seniors Darius James and Braden Smith. Senior Austin Golson will likely start at center, although Auburn is bringing in senior transfer center Casey Dunn from Jax State. If Dunn starts, Golson could move to guard. Also transferring in this fall is former Florida State starting guard Wilson Bell. Bell is expected to start at one of the guard spots. If Dunn does not beat Golson out, the other likely starting guard would be sophomore Mike Horton. Arkansas expects to go with a rotation at nose tackle, between senior Bijhon Jackson and sophomore Austin Capps. Ends should be sophomores McTelvin Agim and T. J. Smith, with junior Armand Watts getting significant playing time as well. I just don’t see these guys matching up with what Auburn has, up front. Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn backs vs. Arkansas linebackers: Auburn features junior H-back Chandler Cox blowing open holes. Running behind the big H-back will be massive junior Kamryn Pettway, and the shifty junior Kerryon Johnson in reserve. Arkansas was still trying to put together a starting lineup at the end of spring drills. Our best guess is junior Dre Greenlaw and sophomore De’Jon Harris inside, and junior Randy Ramsey and senior Karl Roesler outside. Advantage: Auburn.

Auburn receivers vs. Arkansas corners: At the end of spring, it looked like Auburn’s two starting outside guys were sophomore Nate Craig-Myers and sophomore Darius Slayton. Both guys can fly, have good height, and great hands. Redshirt freshman Marquis McClain had a great A-Day, and is someone to watch out for on the outside, as well. Arkansas will counter with a veteran pair of corners who were pretty good, last season. Senior Henre’ Tolliver and junior Ryan Pulley will start. Advantage: Even.

Auburn secondary receivers and quarterback vs. Arkansas safeties: Auburn has potential threats here, starting with wickedly fast junior slot receiver Will Hastings. Sophomore Eli Stove can also fly. Tight ends Jalen Harris and Sal Cannella are expected to be a big part of the passing game as well. Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham is likely the starter in the opener. In 6 games as a freshman at Baylor, Stidham was electric. That trend continued during A-Day this spring, as Stidham was deadly accurate, and showed great mobility. Arkansas moves guys with experience up to start, this season. We’ll likely see senior De’Andre Coley and junior Santos Ramirez at safeties, and Kevin Richardson II at the nickel spot. Advantage: Auburn.

     I was quite worried about this matchup earlier this spring, as Arkansas has typically been pretty tough later in the season. I figured that the 56-3 beatdown Auburn put on this team last season was an outlier. However, my research this week was surprising. Arkansas will be a young team this season, and I didn’t see many answers during their spring practice. I do expect that defensive coordinator Paul Rhodes will eventually have a good product on the field, but the 3-4 isn’t the easiest thing to operate in year one, typically.

     Auburn decisively whipped this team up front on both sides of the ball last season, and Auburn wasn’t the only one. My biggest takeaway after watching a big chunk of the Arkansas spring practice is that I’d be really worried, if I was a Razorback fan. Those guys have a really tough road ahead, playing in the SEC West.

Prediction: I was thinking upset special here, earlier, but there is no way Arkansas wins this game unless Auburn has horrible injury luck next season. Tigers don’t play their best in this one, but it doesn’t matter. Auburn 37, Arkansas 24.

The post A Long Trip to Fayetteville. (Previewing Auburn at Arkansas.) appeared first on Track 'Em Tigers, Auburn's oldest and most read independent blog.

from Track 'Em Tigers, Auburn's oldest and most read independent blog http://bit.ly/2thlnPW via IFTTT

[jodyedgarus]

Will Nick Foles Be The Eagles’ Jeff Hostetler? Or Their Connor Cook?

When Carson Wentz entered the blue sideline tent of doom on Sunday, he took close to 60 years of unfulfilled football dreams in Philadelphia with him. At that moment, the 10-2 Eagles had just taken a lead on the road against one of the NFC’s best teams. Shortly thereafter, the second-year quarterback limped down the tunnel at L.A. Memorial Coliseum, forcing backup quarterback Nick Foles to take over for the remainder of the game. In just a few minutes, the Eagles’ unexpected dream season was seemingly cut down by hard luck — something that comes with the territory in Philadelphia.

We now know that Wentz tore the ACL in his left knee and will miss the rest of the season. It’s a huge blow to the Eagles’ Super Bowl hopes, and they’ll have to lean on someone other than Wentz and his MVP-caliber offense. The sophomore quarterback has been so good this season that the Eagles ranked third in the league in offensive expected points added — behind only the Patriots and Saints — and his 33 touchdown passes through 13 games are third-most in NFL history for quarterbacks in their first or second year, behind only future Hall of Famers Dan Marino and Kurt Warner.

Fortunately for Doug Pederson’s men, the win over the Rams secured a playoff berth with three weeks to spare, and their remaining games against the Giants, Raiders and Cowboys should give Foles enough time to feel comfortable as the leader of a playoff team again. Foles is uniquely familiar with this position: In Week 5 of 2013, he was forced into action when starter Michael Vick suffered an injury. Foles became the unlikely savior that year, as he steered the Eagles to an 8-3 record for the remainder of the season and a wild-card berth. Along the way, he compiled an eye-popping passer rating of 119.2, the third best in NFL history, and a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 13.5, the second-best of all time.

While there’s little doubt over whether Philly will bypass the wild-card round — one more regular-season win will secure a first-round bye for the Eagles — let’s not kid ourselves about their overall playoff chances: History is not on Philadelphia’s side. No one is expecting Foles to repeat his 2013 performance and keep the team’s run going. We’ve seen this scenario unfold before. In fact, a backup being thrown into the fire of playoff football is quickly becoming an annual NFL tradition. Last year, Connor Cook, a third-stringer, started his first game ever for the Raiders, who lost star Derek Carr (then backup Matt McGloin) as their dream season turned into a nightmare. And two seasons ago, Alabama-star-turned-professional-clipboard-holder A.J. McCarron started a wild-card game for Cincinnati in the wake of the Bengals losing Andy Dalton in Week 14.

As expected, this usually doesn’t go well. Cook and McCarron both lost in the playoffs, posting passer ratings of 30 and 68.3, respectively. Neither has started a game since. In total, Wentz will be one of only eight quarterbacks in the Super Bowl era to win 10 or more games for a future playoff team and not appear in the postseason, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Among the backups for these teams, only two won at least one playoff game.

Will Nick Foles keep Philly flying?

Quarterbacks that won at least 10 games in a season for their playoff-bound teams but didn’t make a playoff start, since 1970

YEAR TEAM QUARTERBACK WINS BACKUP QB TEAM PLAYOFF RECORD 2017 Philadelphia Carson Wentz 11 Nick Foles ? 2016 Oakland Derek Carr 12 Connor Cook 0-1 2015 Cincinnati Andy Dalton 10 A.J. McCarron 0-1 2012 Minnesota Christian Ponder 10 Joe Webb 0-1 2005 Chicago Kyle Orton 10 Rex Grossman 0-1 1999 Buffalo Doug Flutie 10 Rob Johnson 0-1 1990 Chicago Jim Harbaugh 10 Mike Tomczak 1-1 1990 N.Y. Giants Phil Simms 11 Jeff Hostetler 3-0

Source: ELIAS Sports Bureau, Pro-Football-Reference.com

There’s some hope here for Foles and the Eagles in the form of Jeff Hostetler, who stepped in and led the 1990 Giants to a Super Bowl victory after New York lost starting quarterback Phil Simms to a fractured foot in Week 15. Granted, that New York team rested heavily on their defense to claw them to glory — and last time we checked, the Eagles don’t have Lawrence Taylor. The Giants gave up the fewest points in the league that year and succeeded by not asking Hostetler to do too much.

With this in mind, Philly should probably channel any remaining optimism toward its defense, which ranks fifth in the league in points allowed this season. Since he took over the defensive playcalling in 2016, Jim Schwartz has quickly turned his unit into one of the top defenses in the NFL: The Eagles ranked 18th in defensive EPA the season before Schwartz took over and rank fourth in the league through 13 games this year. The D could be the team’s best hope of making a deep run in January.

The 2017 season might be remembered as “the year of the injured quarterback,” and in Week 14, it was Philadelphia’s turn feel the bite. The Eagles will be fine with Wentz as their franchise quarterback of the future, but in the present, Philly fans can only hope their team mimics the 1990 Giants and their defense comes through for them.

FiveThirtyEight vs. The Readers

Week 14 in our NFL predictions game — in which we invite you to outsmart our Elo algorithm — saw the readers suffer three heavy defeats. The Chiefs rebounded from four straight losses to beat the Raiders, which gave the readers a net loss of 10.4 points. Miami shocked New England on Monday night and won at home 27-20 to give the readers a loss of 11.5 points. And on Thursday night, the readers incorrectly predicted that the Saints would beat the Falcons, handing them a net loss of 11.7 points. There was only one victory over our Elo algorithm in which the readers scored double-digit points: San Francisco beat Houston 26-16, and because the readers had less confidence in the Texans than Elo did, the readers netted 13.9 points.

Make sure you get your Week 15 predictions in early, and thanks for playing!

Elo’s dumbest (and smartest) picks of Week 14

Average difference between points won by readers and by Elo in Week 14 matchups in FiveThirtyEight’s NFL prediction game

OUR PREDICTION (ELO) READERS’ PREDICTION PICK WIN PROB. PICK WIN PROB. RESULT READERS’ NET PTS HOU 76% HOU 64% SF 26, HOU 16 +13.9

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TB 50 DET 57 DET 24, TB 21 +4.2

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LAR 52 PHI 52 PHI 43, LAR 35 +2.1

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DAL 61 DAL 67 DAL 30, NYG 10 +1.9

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CIN 71 CIN 71 CHI 33, CIN 7 -1.2

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LAC 69 LAC 68 WAS 13, LAC 30 -2.5

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PIT 71 PIT 70 BAL 38, PIT 39 -3.1

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GB 77 GB 76 GB 27, CLE 21 -3.2

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BUF 72 BUF 69 IND 7, BUF 13 -3.9

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SEA 53 SEA 55 SEA 24, JAX 30 -4.2

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TEN 53 TEN 57 TEN 7, ARI 12 -6.0

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DEN 50 NYJ 55 NYJ 0, DEN 23 -7.9

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MIN 53 MIN 58 MIN 24, CAR 31 -8.1

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KC 67 KC 57 OAK 15, KC 26 -10.4

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NE 81 NE 87 NE 20, MIA 27 -11.5

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ATL 56 NO 54 NO 17, ATL 20 -11.7

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The scoring system is nonlinear, so readers’ average points don’t necessarily match the number of points that would be given to the average reader prediction.

Check out our latest NFL predictions.

from News About Sports https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/will-nick-foles-be-the-eagles-jeff-hostetler-or-their-connor-cook/