January 10, 2022
That Rams game yesterday was a total disaster. When this team plays teams that are more physical than them, they suddenly turn into Anthony Davis. Yesterday was especially disastrous because they blew a 17-0 lead and had the chance to knock out the 49ers from the NFC Playoffs, while getting the #2 seed. Now they will likely have to go through Green Bay or San Francisco if they want to get to the Super Bowl, which won’t be very easy for them. The 49ers have their number, and Aaron Rodgers has Matt Stafford’s number. The Rams also are extremely dependent on their stars. If the stars don’t make the big plays like yesterday, it won’t happen. Jalen Ramsey can’t make up for the rest of the flawed secondary. Aaron Donald can’t make up for the rest of the flawed d-line. Cooper Kupp and OBJ can catch anything, but the running game is inconsistent. Matt Stafford can make some amazing throws, but when he’s bad, he’s awful and can cost you a game. It’s these type of flaws that make me think this isn’t a Super Bowl contender, even though I think they can get by the Cardinals next week at home.
Then there’s the Chargers, who missed the playoffs after losing to the Raiders. This is extremely on-brand for this team. The way it happened wasn’t typical Chargers, but the final outcome was. There’s no excuse for the Bolts to give up 35 points to an undermanned and under coached Raiders team. The defense totally let them down. The Raider were just happy to be in this situation, but they managed to do the unthinkable and win. Justin Herbert is incredible, but even his 4th quarter heroics weren’t enough. That’s probably because Brandon Staley was out here pretending like he’s playing Madden with the playoffs on the line. The reason the Chargers converted so many 4th downs is because they stunk on 3rd down, and have stunk all season on 3rd down. The Raiders probably would have settled for the tie if the Chargers had not called timeout towards the end of OT. Still, the concept of playing for a tie intentionally on both sides was one of the dumbest sports stories I’ve heard in a while. These are division rivals that are playing to win. In the end, the Chargers are gonna Charger.
Elsewhere around Week 18 of the NFL, the Colts went from a team that nobody wants to play in the playoffs, to a team that nobody will be seeing in the playoffs. The Antonio Brown situation is so fascinating because the man has a complete lack of self-awareness. There’s so many idiotic things you can call out, it’s like going trick or treating and getting good candy at every house you go to. The Vikings are money when the games are completely meaningless. Even Big Ben has to be shocked that the Steelers made the playoffs. The Lions actually beat the Packers, and even though the game was meaningless, if you lose to the Lions you should be kicked out of the league.
Just when you thought the Lakers were turning it around they reminded us last night that there are still problems. They may have won 4 in a row prior to getting owned by the Grizzlies, but they were mostly against crummy teams. Lebron is balling, but the team has too many needs. More defense, a true center, more wings, better rebounding, and fewer turnovers. It’s also safe to say that Russell Westbrook is a terrible fit, and they are likely to just be stuck with him for a while.
Meanwhile, the Clippers have to be pumped up. They are hanging in the playoff race, and they just got news that Kawhi Leonard’s rehab is going ahead of schedule, and that he’s looking likely to return this year. That makes the Clips pretty dangerous given how they are playing already without their stars. The Clips also must be hoping that somebody will donate their elbow to Paul George, so they can get him back in the lineup as well.
We are in January and we still have no idea what’s up with Chip Kelly and UCLA. It’s getting extremely awkward, because there is no extension in place, and if there isn’t, should both sides just agree to part ways with one another? We know it’s certainly what the Bruin fans want. There are some interesting names in the transfer portal that might help Chip Kelly’s cause in the short-term if he can land one or two, but I’m not so optimistic. This could be a great chance for UCLA to start fresh, because most likely, next year won’t be great with or without Kelly.
Finally, The Bachelor is truly back to it’s roots. Clayton Echard is The Bachelor this season. 30 women are so fed up with online dating that they are going to humiliate themselves on National TV by chasing a middle class dude from Missouri. How about Sally, who said she was supposed to get married on the day she started the show. Hopefully the producers of the show got her a really good therapist. Clayton and Jesse Palmer look exactly alike. I’m surprised they didn’t do their alumni handshake. It’s like they were fraternity brothers shaking hands at a tailgate. Seeing the two of them on screen was like the real -life Spiderman meme. The show is ridiculous, but it might actually bring back ratings.
