Month: October 2024

Wide. Right. 

Those were the only two words Buffalo Bills fans did not want to hear as Tyler Bass lined up a game-tying kick in the final moments of the AFC Divisional Round vs. the Kansas City Chiefs. The miss not only brought back haunting memories of the early 90’s, but it also signaled three straight Divisional Round exits by the Bills. 

After Bass, Josh Allen has come under fire for not doing more to help the team win despite finishing with 72 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, and a passing touchdown. 

Allen is in line for a massive pay bump this year which sees his salary more than double:

Josh Allen cap hit by season:2019 — $4.8M (lost Wild Card)2020 — $5.9M (lost Conf Champ)2021 — $10.2M (lost D…

The San Francisco 49ers are dealing with injuries on multiple fronts as they return home on Sunday for a Week 4 matchup with the New England Patriots. 

My 49ers vs. Patriots predictions see running back Jordan Mason picking up the slack for the banged-up San Fran wide receiver corps once again.

Here are my best free NFL picks for this matchup on September 29. 

Patriots vs 49ers prediction

My best betJordan Mason 75+ rushing yards (-155 at BetMGM)

My analysis

When Christian McCaffrey was placed on the IR, not many people knew the name Jordan Mason. 

The former Georgia Tech standout went undrafted in 2022 but was ultimately signed by the San Francisco 49ers. He played a backup role the last two se…

Instant reaction to NFL draft selections is dangerous territory, but we're running with the Bears while we have the chance. Chicago comes out of Thursday with two of the top seven players in the Field Level Media Top 100 rankings. The Bears drafted quarterback Caleb Williams first overall and paired him with polished pass catcher Rome Odunze, the Washington wide receiver picked ninth overall. Not every team was blessed with the same great fortune on Thursday night but have a chance to shift the narrative around the following flash reactions Friday and Saturday. WINNERS Minnesota Vikings —Drafted QB J.J. McCarthy 10th, DE Dallas Turner 17th When the offseason began with Kirk Cousins waving goodbye, the Vikings were left reeling for only a moment. Minnesota struck early and oft…

The last edition of this fixture in December ended in a 2-1 Manchester United win that had Mason Greenwood at centre-forward for the first time and José Mourinho handed a first defeat as Tottenham manager. Victory eased pressure on Ole Gunnar Solskjær who had just overseen an insipid draw with Aston Villa. Now the manager is being asked to explain why only Donny van de Beek has been signed in the window. Another victory would go some way to fading out the noise – for the moment, at least. Jamie Jackson

Sunday 4.30pm Sky Sports Premier League

Venue Old Trafford

Last season Manchester United 2 Tottenham 1

Referee Anthony Taylor

This seas…

Automatic promotion contenders

Seven teams will start with a different manager from the one who finished the last campaign and no appointment is more intriguing than the four-times Premier League winner Vincent Kompany pitching up at Burnley. There are concerns about the club’s financial structure after relegation but if Kompany’s defensive expertise rubs off on CJ Egan-Riley, Taylor Harwood-Bellis and the goalkeeper Arijanet Muric, all of whom arrive from Manchester City, and Luke McNally, who has joined from Oxford, this incarnation will surely go close. As at Anderlecht, whom Kompany led to successive third-placed finishes, his sidekick will be Craig Bellamy. Teething problems are inevitable but th…

It was not as if Kevin De Bruyne went under the radar. The Manchester City midfielder set up his team’s first four goals in the 6-2 FA Cup win at Luton on Tuesday night. He was sensational. It was just that Erling Haaland was better, even more eye-catching. The centre-forward applied the finishes to those four De Bruyne assists and banged in a fifth goal before the hour to ensure that he dominated the post-match discussion.

The thrust of it was that after almost two months out from early December with a foot problem, Haaland was back in the groove, at peak fitness. Pep Guardiola said he knew it would take time. For a player with such a hulking frame, it does. And when Haaland talked of feeling “amazing”, it added to the ominous vibe. A…

Toronto Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier plans to retire after the 2024 season, he told the Tampa Bay Times. "I envisioned that this was going to be my last year and here I am, with the way my body feels and with the state of our team and with what our record is, just been doing a lot of reflecting lately," Kiermaier said after the Blue Jays defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 6-3 on Wednesday. The Blue Jays put the 34-year-old Kiermaier on revocable waivers earlier this month but no team put in a claim. Kiermaier was a 31st-round draft pick by the Rays in 2010 who went on to win four Gold Gloves and a Platinum Glove. He is hitting just .195 this season, his second with the Blue Jays after nine full seasons with the Rays. He remains a defensive force, but he told the Times t…

Last week, we got the column out to a nice beginning with a glowing 3-1 start, the only loss being by one point (Bengals). Of course, it’s not all peaches and roses like that every week, but we’ll do our best trying to maintain the desirable record. And with that, it’s onto our Week 3 wagers. Over/Unders: 1-0 Spreads: 0-1 Teasers: 1-0 Props: 1-0 Overall Record*: 3-1, +2.9 units *Each over/under bet graded to win 2 units; everything else for 1 unit Best Over/Under Bet source: Getty Images Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs Over/Under: 54.5 Kickoff: 1:00 p.m. ET TV: CBS Wanna know how rare it is when Patrick Mahomes loses a game in the regular season? It’s only happened nine times in his three years as the starter. And only twice has he lost in back-to-back weeks…