Last week was great to be a sports fan. So many things happened in the world of NFL football, College football and MLB baseball.
The Dallas Cowboys won under the lights at AT&T stadium against the New York Giants. But that came at a price, as star wide receiver Dez Bryant went down with a broken foot in the second half and is expected to miss four to six weeks. The San Diego Chargers rallied from down 21-3 to stun the Detroit Lions 33-28. Nobody expected the Buffalo Bills to beat the Indianapolis Colts as soundly as they did 27-14. On Monday night football, in the much anticipated return of Adrian Peterson, he, and the rest of the Vikings came out flat on national TV, on the way to getting bullied by the 49ers 20-3.
Now onto a new segment I’m beginning called Michael’s musings, where I give my opinion on different events and things happening in the sports world.
1. The NFL moved extra points from the 3 yard line to the 15 yard line in the off-season, which was a brilliant move because that will help determine the outcome of games, including divisional games which is where it is most exciting.
2. Green Bay Packer fans should be a little worried. They let a really bad Chicago Bears team hang around for four quarters is a little cause for concern. Yes, it is only week 1, but you just gave 31 other teams who have just as much talent, if not more, a blueprint on how to beat you.
3. The Buffalo Bills have an underrated defense. They held a very high-powered Colts offense to 14 points, if Rex Ryan has the right personnel (something he rarely had in New York) he can input a very solid defense. Unfortunately for Andrew Luck, he was the first victim.
4. With Dez Bryant out, the Cowboys are going to struggle on offense. Bryant obviously drew the most attention on that offense. Now that he is out, the focus now turns to Jason Witten and Terrance Williams. Williams is still a young receiver, who isn’t used to playing the role of a No.1 receiver and seeing the types of coverage that Bryant sees. Witten is still a very effective Tight End, but is on the decline a bit because of his age.
5. Congratulations to the Texas Rangers for taking over first place in the American League West, after such a terrible start to the season and sweeping the Houston Astros. However, they will get knocked out in the first round or in a one game playoff. I’m sorry Rangers fans, but the American League is just too powerful this year. Toronto doesn’t just hit homeruns, they drive that ball like it’s a whiffle ball. The Kansas City Royals have one of the best pitching staffs in the league; and, the Yankees almost always seem to find their magic when it matters most.
6. The two teams in the American League wildcard will not be decided until the final weekend of the season. It is almost certain that one of the wildcard teams will come out of the American League East, as Toronto and New York are in a dogfight for the division lead. Minnesota could have made up ground on Houston, but they lost a couple of nail biters the last couple of nights. Either way, it will be an exciting last two weeks of the season.
7. A top 10 ranked team will lose this weekend and shake up the college football playoff rankings early. This weekend has two intriguing matchups. The Stanford Cardinal travel to the Coliseum to take on the No.2 ranked USC Trojans. While the Cardinal don’t have the most talented of teams this year, something about them playing their cross town rivals always seems to bring out the best football in them. In the other matchup, the 14th ranked Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, travel to South Bend to take on the ninth ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The injuries keep mounting for the Fighting Irish, as they have lost their starting QB, RB, and TE in the last two weeks. Their defense struggled a week ago, after completely dominating the Texas Longhorns in the first week of the season. The Yellow Jackets run a triple option attack which the Irish have always struggled with, so they better be ready if they expect to win.
