As Ferris Bueller might say: The world of sports moves pretty fast.
If you don't stop and look around at least once a week, you could miss it. Here we'll review what you might have missed in the past week all in one place. Why spend hours scrolling through Twitter to catch up on the news you want? We've already done that for you, so remember to check back every Monday to get your dose of weekly sports review.
MLB
The World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays kicked off last Tuesday night. The Dodgers took the first game 8-3 behind a strong pitching performance from Clayton Kershaw. Mookie Betts homered and added two stolen bases and 3 RBI in the contest. Tyler Glasnow was lit up for six runs over 4 1/3 IP and took the Game 1 loss for the Rays.
Last time @mookiebetts played in the World Series was against the Dodgers. Boston beat LA in his MVP year in 2018.… https://t.co/62VYtwzsti— Bleacher Report (@Bleacher Report) 1603308376.0
Blake Snell and Tony Gonsolin went in Game 2. Snell went 4 2/3 IP and took a no hitter into the fifth inning striking out nine batters. Brandon Lowe homered twice for the Rays. Joey Wendle had a two run double and a sacrifice fly to match Lowe's three RBI on the day. Corey Seager mashed his seventh home run of the postseason in Game 2. Chris Taylor and Will Smith also went yard. The Dodgers dropped Game 2 by a score of 6-4 to draw the World Series even at a game a piece.
Game 3 went to the Dodgers 6-2 behind a fantastic outing from Walker Buehler who struck out 10 over six innings with one earned run surrendered. Austin Barnes and Justin Turner led the way offensively for LA with home runs. Randy Arozarena hit his eighth home run of the postseason which tied him with Barry Bonds, Carlos Beltran, and Nelson Cruz for most all time in a single playoff season.
Game 4 was not only an all-time installment of the Fall Classic, but we also were treated to some history from both teams. Randy Arozarena broke the all time record for home runs in a single postseason hitting his ninth homer of the 2020 playoffs. For the Dodgers, Justin Turner became the franchise's all time leader in postseason home runs with 12 surpassing Duke Snider.
The game itself saw three lead changes over the last four innings and included one of the craziest plays to end a World Series game in history as Brett Phillips singled to center field which tied the game scoring Kevin Kiermaier, but a routine grounder was bobbled by the Dodgers' Chris Taylor. This allowed Randy Arozarena to make a run for home. The Dodgers quickly recovered and got the relay in to the cut off man well ahead of Arozarena. Will Smith went for the tag too early and never secured the ball allowing Arozarena to make it home for the game winning run! Rays take Game 4 in a walk off win 8-7 to even the series at 2.
Randy Arozarena and Brett Phillips, your heroes: https://t.co/DBZroYipHK— Mike Monaco (@Mike Monaco) 1603600678.0
Randy Arozarena has had one of the most historic playoff seasons in history and Sunday night he became all time hits leader in a single post season (27). Unfortunately for the Rays, that was about the only good takeaway from Game 4. Clayton Kershaw was solid again as he struck out six over 5 2/3 IP earning his second win of this World Series.
Locked in. The most hits EVER in a single #postseason. The legend of Randy Arozarena continues to grow. https://t.co/Po5Pphoqa7— MLB (@MLB) 1603675667.0
Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger got to Tyler Glasnow early and after two frames the Dodgers' three runs were enough to allow them to never trail in this one. Blake Treinen came in and struck out two on his way to earning the save. Los Angeles is now just one win away from winning their seventh championship and first in 32 years.
Projected starters for Tuesday night's Game 6 are Blake Snell (2-2, 3.33 ERA) for Tampa Bay and Tony Gonsolin (0-2, 9.39 ERA) for Los Angeles.
NBA
Stan Van Gundy has agreed to coach the New Orleans Pelicans. He will assume the responsibility of developing last year's number one overall pick, Zion Williamson. David Griffin is one of the best general managers in the NBA and has four picks in the upcoming draft (13, 39, 42, 60) that could be used to move up and land a more impactful player. There aren't a lot of glaring holes for them and they're young at their core.
Nate Bjorkgren is set to be head coach of the Pacers. Bjorkgren is a former assistant with Toronto. These recent hires add to Ty Lue becoming the new Clippers coach, Billy Donovan to the Bulls, Steve Nash coaching Brooklyn, Doc Rivers to Philadelphia, and Tom Thibodeau to the New York Knicks.
Bucks "won't trade Giannis" if he turns down the max extension Milwaukee is expected to offer him once free agency begins later this year. Antetokounmpo is still under contract for one more year whether he agrees to a deal this offseason or not.
Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors are just 4 out of 30 teams that would like… https://t.co/ncZ6kwp7n6— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) 1603156496.0
The reigning back-to-back MVP may force the team into a game of Russian roulette if there is uncertainty about his intentions as the trade deadline approaches next season. If the Bucks feel that Giannis may sign elsewhere, they may have no other choice than to trade him. It would be better to get some assets or free up cap space in a trade than to lose the Greek Freak for nothing.
UFC
Khabib Nurmagomedov defeated Justin Gaethje with a second round submission on Saturday to move to 29-0-0 in the UFC. He is one of the best pound for pound fighters of his generation and dominated the Lightweight division over the course of his career.
BREAKING: Khabib Nurmagomedov announces his retirement from MMA. #UFC254 https://t.co/JtLGvh36ds— UFC on BT Sport (@UFC on BT Sport) 1603572948.0
He shocked the world by announcing his retirement following the win. Khabib will retire as an undefeated champion and has earned the respect of everyone including Dana White.
Dana White Reacts to Khabib Nurmagomedov's Retirement After UFC 254 - MMA Fighting www.youtube.com
NFL
Antonio Brown has agreed to terms with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and may join the team as early as Week 9 after serving his eight game suspension imposed by the league.
Antonio Brown’s one-year deal with Tampa has a max value of $2.5 million, per source. It includes a $750,000 bonus… https://t.co/9YNEai5g8i— Adam Schefter (@Adam Schefter) 1603632102.0
The Pittsburgh Steelers come out of Week 7 the only remaining undefeated team in the NFL. The Steelers defeated the Titans in a battle of the undefeated 27-24. The Steelers are now 6-0 sitting atop the AFC North, and the Titans fall to 5-1 on the year.
The other undefeated team entering Week 7, the Seattle Seahawks, lost to the Arizona Cardinals Sunday night in OT 37-34. Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray were both outstanding and finished with numbers typically reserved for Madden games. Murray finished with 360 yards and three scores through the air along with 67 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Wilson had 388 passing yards and three touchdowns to go with 84 yards on the ground.
Both quarterbacks led their teams in rushing, but it came down to three uncharacteristic interceptions thrown by Wilson that made the difference. The last of which allowed the Cardinals to seal the win with a field goal after missing one prior to that interception.
The Seahawks (572) and Cardinals (519) featured 1,091 combined total yards, the most in a regular-season NFL game s… https://t.co/vck9ocNTVH— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPN Stats & Info) 1603686445.0
Todd Gurley scored a late 4th quarter TD but appeared to want to fall short to keep running clock. Instead he fell across the goal line and the Lions got the ball back with about a minute left to play.
Todd Gurley tried to stop himself from scoring on this run... It didn't work out. https://t.co/u0hahQ0IQf— FOX Sports: NFL (@FOX Sports: NFL) 1603655964.0
A deep pass to Kenny Golladay set up the eventual game tying touchdown to TJ Hockenson. The extra point won it for Detroit 23-22.
TJ HOCKENSON. FOR THE WIN. ON #NationalTightEndsDay! #OnePride #DETvsATL https://t.co/IgPI0pOLGy— NFL (@NFL) 1603656690.0
In another thriller, Joe Burrow looked poised to celebrate a fourth quarter comeback win against the Browns. Baker Mayfield drove his team down the field and Donovan Peoples-Jones caught the game winning touchdown, stealing a win on the road. The Browns improve to 5-2 behind Baker Mayfield's five touchdown passes.
As Ferris Bueller might say: The world of sports moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around at least once a week, you could miss it.Here we'll review what you might have missed in the past week all in one place. Why spend hours scrolling through Twitter to catch up on the news you want? We've already done that for you, so remember to check back every Monday to get your dose of weekly sports review.
MLB
The Astros are about to become the second team in baseball history to force a Game 7 after being down 0-3. Just a r… https://t.co/fFTYgzT8f6— Jared Carrabis (@Jared Carrabis) 1602895849.0
Game 7 of the ALCS saw the Rays jump out to an early lead as Randy Arozarena homered in the first inning and Mike Zunino in the second. Charlie Morton was brilliant over five and two thirds innings pitched, and Pete Fairbanks slammed the door shut on the series and the Astros' season to close out the game. Tampa was able to overcome the Astros momentum to advance to the World Series, but unfortunately for the Braves their outcome was different.
Happy bois https://t.co/anJxD6ufVe— Tampa Bay Rays (@Tampa Bay Rays) 1603060778.0
The Dodgers dropped the first two games of the NLCS and then exploded for 15 runs in Game 3 with multi hit efforts from Joc Pederson, Cody Bellinger, Max Muncy, and Corey Seager who all homered. Atlanta responded in Game 4 however and lit up Clayton Kershaw and Brusdar Graterol breaking the game open in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 3-1 advantage.
With their grave all but dug with one foot in, the Dodgers got six runs batted in between Corey Seager and Will Smith who each homered in Game 5. Seager homered again in Game 6 in the first inning and Justin Turner went back to back adding another solo shot to begin the game. Max Fried gave up another to make it three first inning runs for LA which was more than enough to carry them to victory behind a stellar performance from Walker Buehler who struck out six batters over six innings while giving up no runs.
The Braves led in four of the first five innings of Game 7 before the Dodgers added a run in the sixth and then the seventh inning to make the game 4-3. The combination of Blake Treinen, Brusdar Graterol, and Julio Urias allowed no hits and one walk from the fourth inning on and didn't allow Atlanta to have a chance to get back into the game.
For the 3rd time in 4 years, the @Dodgers are NL Champs! #CLINCHED https://t.co/0g1GoS9AIa— MLB (@MLB) 1603079582.0
Game 1 of the World Series between the Dodgers and Rays is Tuesday night with first pitch at 8:09 p.m. EST.
Boxing
On Saturday night Teofimo Lopez Jr. (16-0, 12 KOs) upset Vasiliy Lomachenko (14-2, 10 KOs) in a unanimous decision after 12 rounds which unified all four belts at 135 pounds. Lopez was already the IBF lightweight champ heading in, and after defeating Lomachenko, Lopez added the WBA, WBO, and WBC titles to his collection.
At just 23 years old, Lopez has been hailed by some as the future of the division, but with Lomachenko standing in the way it appeared that Teofimo's time was a ways off still. Revered as possibly the best pound for pound fighter alive, Lomachenko was expected to come out of this fight as the unified title holder.
ALL. THE. BELTS. At 23 years old, #TheTakeover is now... 👑 The only 4-belt champ in Lightweight history 👑 The y… https://t.co/xUSaXZc4jd— Top Rank Boxing (@Top Rank Boxing) 1602997715.0
Instead what we saw was Loma being out-boxed and outclassed for most of the fight. Footwork and hand speed are two pillars of Lomachenko's success, and we saw little of either in his fight with Lopez. Teofimo came out and attacked early which caused Lomachenko into a largely defensive position until later in the fight.
Lopez hit hard and with accuracy and won eight of the 12 rounds on the judge's scorecard. There will undoubtedly be a rematch and expect to see Lomachenko ready to reassume his spot at the top of the division. Following a 14 month layoff, Loma looked a little rusty and he may have been underestimating his opponent. Of course we could be wrong and we may have just witnessed the passing of the torch in the lightweight division to Lopez.
NFL
Week 6 of NFL action didn't have a Thursday Night Game on the schedule as the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills game was moved to Monday instead. So like cavemen, we had to wait until Sunday(!) to get some NFL. What we got was a mixed bag of games. It seemed that every game on the slate on Sunday was either a one score game late into the fourth quarter, or a blowout not worth your time.
Here are quick bite takes on each game from Sunday.
Chicago Bears 23 - Carolina Panthers 16 - The Bears defense is really good. They got four sacks, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery in a close game. The Bears are a shaky 5-1 now and need to start figuring out how to get more out of running back David Montgomery. The Panthers on the other hand need to bounce back next week while they're waiting for Christian McCaffrey to return from injury.
Indianapolis Colts 31 - Cincinnati Bengals 27 - Joe Burrow continues to look good against strong competition to start off his career. Unable to get a passing touchdown, Burrow still picked up a rushing touchdown and had his team in position to win late. Philip Rivers pulled out the win and threw for 371 yards and three touchdowns to edge out the young gunslinger.
We found a way. #ForTheShoe https://t.co/aBUGv0qEyb— Indianapolis Colts (@Indianapolis Colts) 1603054039.0
Detroit Lions 34 - Jacksonville Jaguars 16 - D'Andre Swift finally had a breakout game for the Lions going for 116 rushing yards and two touchdowns as Detroit routed the Jags. Kerryon Johnson fantasy owners are waiving the white flag at this point as both Swift and Adrian Peterson appear locked in ahead of Johnson on the depth chart. As for the Jaguars, James Robinson struggled to get anything going on the ground, and Keelan Cole added 143 yards on six catches. Another flat performance from a wavering Jacksonville team.
Atlanta Falcons 40 - Minnesota Vikings 23 - Atlanta finally gets their first win on the season after firing Dan Quinn. Now the Falcons and Vikings both sit at 1-5 going into Week 7. Matt Ryan (371 yards/three touchdowns/zero interceptions) and Julio Jones (eight receptions/137 yards/two touchdowns) shined in the blowout victory over the Vikings. Minnesota missed star running back, Dalvin Cook, as they couldn't get anything going until the second half when Justin Jefferson and Kirk Cousins connected for two scores. Jefferson is developing into a fantasy standout performer.
Congrats on your first win in ATL, Coach! https://t.co/0QNoYg5Yzw— Atlanta Falcons (@Atlanta Falcons) 1603062300.0
New York Giants 20 - Washington Football Team 19 - In a game that somebody had to win, someone did. Games like this make me long for the NFL to add relegation.
Baltimore Ravens 30 - Philadelphia Eagles 28 - As expected the Ravens carried a big lead into the fourth quarter. Unexpectedly, the Eagles scored 22 points in the last quarter and nearly mounted a comeback to send the game to OT. Lamar Jackson needs to run the ball more and it showed again in this game. Jackson finished with 108 yards on the ground and a touchdown, and his 37 yard scoring play was Baltimore's best on the day.
"@Lj_era8 is electrifying when he gets in the open field!" Touchdown ❗️❗️ Tune into the second half on CBS! https://t.co/Vp2d0rXryk— Baltimore Ravens (@Baltimore Ravens) 1603048567.0
Pittsburgh Steelers 38 - Cleveland Browns 7 - Pittsburgh's defense hit Baker Mayfield in the mouth all day until he was replaced by Case Keenum late in the game. The Browns probably weren't as good as their 4-1 record heading into this one, but they aren't a bad team. This result is indicative of how good the Steelers are this year. Pittsburgh continued to involve Chase Claypool this week as he finished with four catches for 74 yards and added a score on a rushing play.
And then there were three. @Seahawks | @Steelers | @Titans https://t.co/wk2libIoYI— Sunday Night Football (@Sunday Night Football) 1603116900.0
Tennessee Titans 42 - Houston Texans 36 - The Texans were almost able to pull off a victory for their interim head coach, Romeo Crennel like Atlanta did but just fell short. The Titans continue to prove doubters wrong as they roll on now sitting at 5-0. Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry combined for 576 yards of offense and six touchdowns! Even though he's gone, the effects of Bill O'Brien's poor management skills will continue to be felt as the cupboard just feels too bare for Deshaun Watson to work with.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38 - Green Bay Packers 10 - Two things from this game are clear. Tampa Bay's defense is really good and secondly they were ready for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. The Bucs offense wasn't exceptional and there were no standout performers. To win this big just shows you how ineffective the Packers were against this defense.
San Francisco 49ers 24 - Los Angeles Rams 16 - Jimmy Garoppolo got back on track in a big way this week against a good Rams team. He connected with George Kittle for 109 yards and a touchdown, and Raheem Mostert led the team with 65 yards on the ground. Jared Goff threw for two touchdowns for the Rams but wasn't able to surpass 200 yards passing.
Denver Broncos 18 - New England Patriots 12 - In a game that only saw one touchdown on a Cam Newton run, field goals ruled the day and Denver made six of them. Drew Lock returned as starting QB for Denver this game and still looks like he has some rust to shake off.
Miami Dolphins 24 - New York Jets 0 - The Jets probably could've used the recently released running back Le'Veon Bell in this one as they weren't able to score a single point. Adam Gase needs to be fired immediately and the Jets should forfeit the remainder of their games in 2020.
New York Jets 2020 Season Highlights: https://t.co/wBNd0YYPOh— NFL Memes (@NFL Memes) 1603058524.0
As Ferris Bueller might say: The world of sports moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around at least once a week, you could miss it.
Here we'll review what you might have missed in the past week all in one place. Why spend hours scrolling through Twitter to catch up on the news you want? We've already done that for you, so remember to check back every Monday to get your dose of weekly sports review.
NBA
Jimmy Butler had another outstanding performance in Game 5 of the NBA Finals, which made the series 3-2 in favor of Los Angeles. Butler has undoubtedly established himself as an elite player in this league over the course of this postseason, but it appeared that he had emptied the tank to get the Heat to a Game 6. Butler finished with only 12 points on 5-10 shooting and only reached the foul line for 3 attempts.
It was Bam Adebayo who paced Miami in scoring with 25, but the perimeter scoring threats of Tyler Herro and Duncan Robinson only combined for 17 points. Goran Dragic made his return to the lineup, but that wasn't enough to spark the team to a comeback. The Lakers held a 28 point lead at halftime, and they never relented.
Only @Lakers duos to win the NBA Finals while both averaging 25+ PPG in the postseason: LeBron James (27.6 in 2020… https://t.co/PhQlp2qQoA— NBA History (@NBA History) 1602481895.0
As the final buzzer rang on the 2019-2020 NBA season the LA Lakers had won the NBA Finals 106-93. LeBron James with his fourth NBA Championship and fourth NBA Finals MVP. For others such as Dwight Howard and Anthony Davis it was their first taste of winning a title.
James' legacy will undoubtedly be a hotly contested debate as he draws closer to Kobe Bryant's 5 rings and Michael Jordan's 6. In these Finals, James averaged 29.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 8.5 assists against the Heat. Even while approaching 36 years of age, LeBron doesn't look to be losing a step yet. The return of players like Steph Curry and Kevin Durant will increase the number of competitive teams seeking a championship next season, but the Lakers look primed to defend around the core of James and Davis.
French Open Men's Singles Final Rafael Nadal v. Novak Djokovic
Nadal took the first set 6-0 and set the tone early at Court Philippe-Chatrier. Rafa held a 6-1 record against Djokovic in this competition going into their eighth French Open Final against one another.
Rafael Nadal any time someone plays him on a clay court https://t.co/cRn9tiJw6C— ODDSbible (@ODDSbible) 1602494169.0
Nadal's dominance on clay certainly extends beyond his rival, but on such a large stage the disparity is obvious. Nadal took the second set 6-2. The Joker took a 4-3 lead in the third set, which was quickly leveled by Nadal to make it 4-4.
They repeated the process to make it 5-5. In the end Djokovic had too many unforced errors down the stretch and Nadal finished in straight sets with his 20th Grand Slam Title tying Roger Federer for the all-time lead.
MLB
Both of the NL Division Series provided little drama. The LA Dodgers and Atlanta Braves advanced to the National League Championship Series by sweeping their opponents. The Braves didn't allow a run against the Marlins after the first game, while the Dodgers capped off their series with the Padres by putting up 12 runs.
Good morning to everyone except Dodger fans. Game one of the NLCS is tonight 😤 https://t.co/Osw9FSXmWy— Evan Drake Underwood (@Evan Drake Underwood) 1602509195.0
The Dodgers and Braves will highlight some of the league's brightest stars, including Ronald Acuna, Freddie Freeman, and Marcell Ozuna for Atlanta. Clayton Kershaw, Mookie Betts, and Cody Bellinger for Los Angeles. Game 1 is Monday night, and we'll see Max Fried go for Atlanta and Walker Buehler for the Dodgers.
The AL Division Series featured the Tampa Bay Rays serving the New York Yankees an early exit after a competitive 5 games. The other matchup saw Houston make short work of the Oakland A's defeating them 3-1. The Astros have missed their ace Justin Verlander, so they will continue to rely on their bats as they did against Oakland. They will need production from George Springer and Carlos Correa to combat the pitching dominance of the Rays.
Blake Snell was available in Game 5 against the Yankees but wasn't needed. This set him up for a Game 1 ALCS start on Sunday, which saw him pitch 5 innings only surrendering 1 run on 6 hits. Snell outdueled Framber Valdez, who went 6 innings and only gave up 2 runs, but that was enough to seal the victory for the Rays. Game 2 starters will be Lance McCullers Jr for Houston and Charlie Morton for Tampa Bay.
Charlie Morton vs. his former self (Lance McCullers) tonight in game two. @RaysBaseball @astros #ALCS2020… https://t.co/rcNtlILRTi— "Thunder Dan" Palyo (@"Thunder Dan" Palyo) 1602514449.0
NFL
Covid-19 and Rescheduling
For the second week in a row, we saw positive Covid-19 diagnoses affecting the NFL schedule. The Patriots vs Broncos has been rescheduled to Week 6. The Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs were scheduled to play Thursday Night (Oct 15) but are instead playing Monday Night (Oct 19).
The Jets and Dolphins game that was scheduled for Week 10 has been moved up to Week 6, and the Jets' original Week 6 game with the Chargers has been moved to Week 11.
The Jaguars and Chargers game initially scheduled Week 8 is now being played Week 7. The Chargers and Broncos game moves from Week 11 to Week 8. The Chargers and Dolphins matchup goes from Week 7 to Week 10. The Dolphins and Broncos subsequently now play Week 11 instead of Week 6.
From a fantasy perspective the shifting of games affects not only matchups, but bye weeks for players. The following are updated bye weeks for teams affected by the schedule changes. Broncos Week 5, Patriots Week 5, Chargers Week 6, Dolphins Week 7, Jaguars Week 8, Jets Week 10.
Notes from Week 5
The Carolina Panthers got their third win of the season without star running back Christian McCaffrey. Teddy Bridgewater threw for 313 yards and McCaffrey's replacement, Mike Davis, has continued to impress as he finished with 149 total yards and a touchdown.
Falcons chose their defensive coordinator and former Buccaneers’ HC Raheem Morris as their interim head coach to re… https://t.co/EB9dTZknOL— Adam Schefter (@Adam Schefter) 1602510255.0
The team that Bridgewater and the Panthers defeated on Sunday was the Atlanta Falcons who have now started their season 0-5. It resulted in the team firing Head Coach Dan Quinn and General Manager Thomas Dimitroff Sunday evening, and now the only question that remains in Atlanta is if this season is already lost.
The Las Vegas Raiders shocked the world by taking down the previously undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. Every time it appeared that Patrick Mahomes was leading a classic comeback, the Raiders would match them with a score. In the end it was Derek Carr who won the showdown 40-32 as the Raiders improve to 3-2 on the year.
Twitter twitter.com
Fantasy Breakout Performers Week 5
Travis Fulgham Phi WR - Fulgham exploded with 10 catches for 152 receiving yards and a touchdown on Sunday. Easily the Eagles' most competent threat against the Steelers as no other Eagle had more than 37 receiving yards. As DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery continue to deal with injuries Fulgham may have just carved out WR1 duty based off of one performance as Carson Wentz is desperate for any help he can get to turn this season around for Philadelphia.
Four touchdowns in Week 5?! Get ready to place your @NFLFantasy waiver claims on @ChaseClaypool. #PHIvsPIT https://t.co/ZIpcir1JHY— NFL (@NFL) 1602509400.0
Chase Claypool PIT WR - In one of the most memorable rookie performances in recent memory, Claypool finished his day with 4 touchdowns (3 receiving and 1 rushing) on 116 total yards from scrimmage. It was the outburst from Claypool that kept Pittsburgh coming back and eventually putting the Eagles away. An injury to Diontae Johnson opened up more opportunity for Claypool in this game, but the rookie receiver proved he was up for the challenge. If Johnson remains sidelined for next week's matchup with the Browns, Claypool is a must start.
Final Bites
The Cowboys lost Dak Prescott to a serious ankle injury and his season is almost certainly over
The Browns hold on to beat the Colts and improve to 4-1, even without star running back Nick Chubb
The Dolphins crush the 49ers as we see Jimmy Garoppolo benched in favor of C.J. Beathard, Dolphins fans will have to wait a little longer for Tua while FitzMagic is in full effect
Russ cooks up a comeback on Sunday night to remain perfect, the Seahawks defeat the Vikings 27-26
As Ferris Beuller might say: The world of sports moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around at least once a week, you could miss it.
Here we'll review what you might have missed in the past week all in one place. Why spend hours scrolling through Twitter to catch up on the news you want? We've already done that for you, so remember to check back every Monday to get your dose of weekly sports review.
NFL
The first instances of the NFL schedule being affected by positive COVID-19 cases occurred over the past week. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans game has been moved to Week 7, and the Steelers game against the Baltimore Ravens was in turn moved to Week 8. After multiple cases came out of the Tennessee organization, they're being investigated by the league to determine if they broke protocol. If that were to be the case, they would be subject to further punishment by the league.
Also rescheduled due to COVID-19 is the matchup between New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs, which was moved to tonight; we will now have two Monday night football games on the schedule. Cam Newton tested positive, and his loss will be a huge blow to the Patriots' chances of getting a win against the defending Super Bowl champions.
Some notable results from Week 4 of the NFL include the Panthers winning their second game of the season without Christian McCaffrey, Joe Burrow getting his first career win over the Jaguars, the Browns outlasting the Cowboys in a thriller bringing them to 3-1, and Seahawks continue to cook as they improve to 4-0.
For more NFL coverage, check back for the Weekly Round Up article released every Tuesday.
Winning is fun— Joey Burrow (@Joey Burrow) 1601850554.0
MLB
So many good matchups. Next week is gonna be fun — MLB playoffs: Bracket, schedule, dates, with divisional round se… https://t.co/X4VKHPw03d— Tim White (@Tim White) 1601723505.0
Last week's Wild Card Round resulted in six of the eight series being 2-0 sweeps. Oakland defeated the White Sox in three games, and it took three for the Padres to dispose of St. Louis. The Divisional Round games start Monday as the two AL series begin.
FERNANDO TATIS JR. THE FACE OF BASEBALL HAS DONE IT AGAIN!! https://t.co/uaA3Hu8o5a— Jared Carrabis (@Jared Carrabis) 1601606762.0
The Yankees will take on division rival Tampa Bay as the top two AL East teams fight for a spot in the ALCS. The Rays' starting rotation may be the best in baseball, and they had an 8-2 record against the Bronx Bombers in the regular season. The Yankees will look to get two solid outings from Gerrit Cole in this series and hope that their bats continue to produce as they did against Cleveland.
Yankees vs. Rays on Monday 😁 https://t.co/0hFTqITGXh— Ballplayer Buzz (@Ballplayer Buzz) 1601753060.0
After taking out the talented young White Sox squad, the Oakland A's have Houston in the second round. The Astros seek to continue to silence their critics which will only grow louder if they continue to advance. The A's will need to get a better start from Jesus Luzardo in this series, but their bullpen has been reliable when called upon. This matchup will come down to whether the Oakland pitching can be better than Houston's bats. Unfortunately, the Astros have the advantage in this series.
The Marlins were the surprise from the first round after sweeping the Cubs; they will be matched against the Atlanta Braves. The Braves took the last regular season series against Miami 2-1 and certainly have the lineup to produce plenty of offense featuring Ronald Acuna, Marcell Ozuna, and Freddie Freeman. The Marlins will need to get repeat performances from starters Sandy Alcantara and Sixto Sanchez in order to win this series.
The other NLDS series includes the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are the favorite to win the World Series, and they will face the Padres. San Diego has been one of the most exciting teams to watch all season, and that trend has extended into the playoffs. Facing elimination in Game 2, the Padres' resilient group fought back to overcome a 4 run deficit twice to even the series. They carried that momentum into Game 3 to close out the series, and hopefully they can continue their run against Clayton Kershaw, Mookie Betts, and the loaded Dodgers team. This is a must-watch series that features the blue blood Dodgers against the upstart Slam Diego Padres.
Clayton Kershaw was lights out 😤 🔹 8 IP 🔹 0 Runs 🔹 13 Strikeouts 🔹 W https://t.co/Z9qUwIG1ef— ESPN (@ESPN) 1601615041.0
NBA
LeBron walked off the court with 10 seconds left. https://t.co/zTvwZhHDq5— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) 1601865857.0
We have seen the first three games of the NBA Finals now, and Jimmy Butler has yet again proven that we know nothing about the Heat. After the Lakers jumped out to a 2-0 series lead, everyone assumed Miami was dead in the water–especially since the Heat lost two starters in the series opener and Bam Adebayo (neck) and Goran Dragic (foot) missed both Games 2 and 3.
Game 3 was expected to be LeBron and the Lakers laying the groundwork for a sweep, but instead Miami was able to get Anthony Davis into early foul trouble, which limited his impact in the first half. While Los Angeles struggled to get anything going offensively, Miami's confidence grew behind the play of Jimmy Butler. The Lakers were sloppy with the ball and at times looked uninterested, if not distracted, by the thought of hoisting the championship trophy. They finished with 19 turnovers and allowed Miami to score 52 points in the paint.
Jimmy Butler was spectacular and had one of the all time playoff performances of this generation. Playing 45 minutes, Butler finished with 40 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists. The catalyst for Erik Spoelstra's team, Butler played the best basketball of his life on the biggest stage. While Tyler Herro and the rest of the team struggled to contribute, Butler put his team on his shoulders and carried them to the finish line.
Jimmy Butler is the first player to outscore, outrebound and out-assist LeBron James in a Finals game, including Le… https://t.co/r7OlCsAemQ— Marc J. Spears (@Marc J. Spears) 1601866079.0
This series is NOT over yet. If we've learned anything from the Heat this postseason, it's to never count them out. So I'm done doing that and I'm just going to tune in on Tuesday night to see what happens. LeBron has seen his fair share of losses in the Finals, so he is very aware of what a team looks and feels like when they aren't in a good place to finish the job. Game 3 was certainly an example of a team that wasn't ready to close. It may have explained James' poor sportsmanship, as he left the floor before time was up, forcing Frank Vogel to pull someone off the bench to run out the clock.
WNBA
The Seattle Storm has jumped out to a 2-0 series lead in the WNBA Finals against the Las Vegas Aces. Breanna Stewart set the tone for the series going for 37 points and 15 rebounds in Game 1. Stewart added 22 points and 5 assists Sunday night in Game 2 and Sue Bird had a double double with 16 points and 10 assists in 27 minutes. In Game 1 Bird set the WNBA Playoff and Finals assist record with 16!
HISTORY FOR SUE BIRD. Bird sets a WNBA Finals record with 12 assists in a game ... and it’s only the third quarter… https://t.co/aEg2KouUlU— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) 1601684451.0
The Aces have missed the presence of two-time sixth woman of the year, Dearica Hamby, who is sidelined with a knee injury. A'ja Wilson has been good, averaging 19.5 points and 6.5 rebounds so far in the Finals, and Angel McCoughtry has provided two solid performances for Las Vegas. Until they can figure out how to slow down the Storm's offensive attack, however, getting back into this series will be an uphill struggle.
English Premier League
James Rodriguez scored twice helping Everton to a 4-2 win over Brighton and now sit atop the table with 12 points and a 4-0-0 record to begin the new campaign. Rodriguez is coming off lackluster tenures with Bayern Munich and Real Madrid, but seems to be rejuvenated with his new club. Dominic Calvert-Lewin has scored for Everton in every match so far this season, including a hat trick. If they can continue to maintain this level of attack, then they may find themselves in contention to win the league.
🤣 | A reminder that Richard Keys said this after we announced Rodriguez: "I'm not convinced by James Rodriguez.… https://t.co/DgskaKY81d— The Everton Way (@The Everton Way) 1601797299.0
Trailing Everton at 9 points each include Leicester City, Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Liverpool. On Sunday Villa deconstructed the Liverpool defense for 7 goals including a hat trick for Ollie Watkins.
Man United and Liverpool fans when they see each other at work/school/college today https://t.co/iKovFahrou— Troll Football (@Troll Football) 1601905110.0
Manchester United also suffered an embarrassing loss to Tottenham. After Bruno Fernandes put away an early penalty, Tottenham quickly responded to draw even at 1-1 and then controlled the pace of play until Anthony Martial was red carded and sent off in the 28th minute. Playing with 10 men, Manchester United looked overwhelmed and overmatched as Tottenham controlled 62% of possession and outshot their opposition 22-5. The result was a 6-1 Tottenham victory, and they now have the look of a team ready to compete for trophies. As for Man U, they are towards the bottom of the table and have the look of a team in danger of being relegated.