Sports News With The NFL
No one was excited by the prospect of the New York Giants and San Francisco Giants playing on Monday Night Football.
The Giants had won just one of their first eight games, the 49ers two of nine. The Giants are quarterbacked by a hectored, harassed and aging Eli Manning; the 49ers are on their third starting quarterback in Nick Mullens.
So these are not exactly contenders. There is no drama. And the backdrop of the devastating California fires hung over the whole affair in Santa Clara, Calif., smoking the stadium like a giant brisket. The halftime fireworks were canceled due to concerns about air quality.
So it is no wonder ESPN spent so much of the pregame time talking up next Monday’s meeting in Mexico City between the Kansas City Chiefs, who are both 9-1 and could meet again in the Super Bowl (yes, there’s a long way to go, but …).
The Chiefs lead the NFL in scoring with 353 points; the Rams are third with 335. Both run creative offensive schemes with young, versatile quarterbacks (Patrick Mahomes for the Chiefs, Jared Goff for the Rams). The matchup and the locale are enticing and exotic. And, of course, the stakes are high. Kansas City holds a two-game lead on the New England Patriots for home field in the AFC playoffs, and traditionally the road to the Super Bowl runs through Foxborough, Mass.
Can’t blame ESPN for hyping a game week away. What was there to say about the Giants, whose problems are too numerous to document here, and the 49ers, who await Jimmy Garoppolo’s return next season at QB and for a young roster to grow up? We’ve just said it.
At the end the old QB led a game-winning drive capped by a touchdown pass and his team went home a 27-23 victor. Fun ending, but the prologue was a catalog of mistakes and miscues.
Some games we enjoy. Some games we endure. This Monday’s was the latter. The next should be quite savory.
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman
Flash Solo Film Pushed To 2021
NFL Makes Lots Of News And Has A Game On The Move
-
Robert Kraft wants to re-sign Brady just long enough that he can retire as a Patriot. Earlier this week,...
-
The skilled third-baseman will be enshrined in Cooperstown. Scott Rolen is one of the most skilled and recognized third-basemen...
-
Brady’s 23rd football season has ended. On Monday, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys went head-to-head for...
-
Smith has been fired after one season with the team. Over the weekend, the owners of the Houston Texans...
-
Pelé passed due to complications related to colon cancer. On Thursday night, the sporting world received unfortunate news: Pelé,...
-
His return heralded a victory over the Phoenix Suns. On Sunday, Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas needed to take...
-
Mayfield will be available on waiver to other NFL teams. After an underwhelming performance in his current role as...
-
Mike White led the team to a decisive victory over the Bears over the weekend. On Saturday, the New...
-
The game has been moved out of New York due to an encroaching snowstorm. This weekend, the Buffalo Bills...
-
Negative pushback prompted the team to give the role to someone else. Recently, the Brooklyn Nets have been in...
-
The Bears got Claypool in exchange for a 2023 second-round pick. This week, the Pittsburgh Steelers cut a deal...
-
Belichick has cycled through several players in search of the right one. Recently, the New England Patriots have been...