January 24, 2022

The Rams probably didn’t deserve to win that game yesterday with how they played that 4th quarter. However, Matthew Stafford came up big when they needed it most. The final minute of the game. That was nearly a devastating loss, and the way it would have happened seemed so predictable with Tom Brady on the other side. Sometimes it feels like Brady inevitably gets every break in these games. It’s like he has a lifetime contract with the devil. Yet Stafford made incredible plays that yes, Jared Goff couldn’t make. How the heck did Cooper Kupp get so wide open? He’s only the best receiver in the NFL. It was domination for 3 quarters, but the Rams were very lucky to hold on and win. Now they get their arch rivals at home in the NFC Championship, the San Francisco 49ers. There’s not a team I would rather see less. Kyle Shanahan has Sean McVay’s number, as the Niners have won six straight against the Rams. The Rams can’t seem to run the ball against these guys, and the Niners dominate the line of scrimmage. That can’t happen next week. However, it’s really the Rams passing game that can exploit a beat up San Francisco secondary. This is going to be a tough task to beat San Francisco, but you would think the Rams are due for a win against them.

Elsewhere around the divisional weekend of the NFL, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen were human video games last night. It’s a shame that one of them had to lose. You know you are fast when you are Tyreek Hill, and you are hitting defenders with the peace sign before running by them into the end zone for a late touchdown. One of the best football games I had seen since the previous three the playoffs gave us. Meanwhile, we all thought that Aaron Rodgers had a shot, but it wasn’t the first time this year he fooled us. It’s pretty wild that with natural immunity he couldn’t get any protection against the 49ers. In all seriousness, it’s really not that surprising the Packers lost to the 49ers, given that they never handle business at home in the playoffs. Their special teams play was historically bad. Aaron Rodgers has a plan and will likely leave the Packers now. As for the Bengals and Titans, Ryan Tannehill turned into Miami Dolphin Tannehill at a bad time for Tennessee. Funny because Tannehill is who everybody thinks Kirk Cousins is. Neither can get you a Super Bowl though. However, if the Titans had just run the ball more in the 4th, they probably would have won that game by 10 points. The Bengals are a young and dangerous team though, and could easily beat the Chiefs next week on the road.

To the NBA where you should probably just stop watching the Lakers right now if you care about your mental health. This team is so aggravating to watch, and losing to a shorthanded Miami team yesterday provided more of that. I’m also very annoyed at all the talk that Frank Vogel is on the verge of getting fired. Vogel coached up one of the best defenses in the league for the last two years. Now suddenly he just can’t coach defense? He’s been saddled with an old team that doesn’t want to play hard defensively. Anthony Davis is at least close to coming back, but unless AD turns into his 2020 version, this team is toast.

Meanwhile, the Clippers are at a serious cross roads in their season with some decisions to make. They have lost 6 of their last 10 games and slipped to ninth in the Western Conference. However, the worst part is that Paul George may not return this season, and Kawhi Leonard may not want to either if George is done. For that reason, they may want to consider trading off spare parts like Marcus Morris or Ivica Zubac for some draft picks. I’m sure they’d love to do what Golden State did last year when Klay was hurt, so They can get a high draft pick. However, they can’t really do the same thing the Warriors did because they don’t have a lottery pick since they traded everything for Paul George. However, nobody would blame them for waiving the white flag on the season.

UCLA Basketball looks extremely rusty after having about a month off. They’ve fallen to #9 because the voters forgot about them. Their lineup is in flux because of injuries and illnesses, and the Bruins’ keep hunting for reliable production from their big men. Cody Riley still doesn’t look like himself, and Myles Johnson doesn’t look ready for prime time. They managed to get by Utah on the road Saturday, and their fans will be coming back to Pauley Pavilion tomorrow night to cheer the team on against Arizona. The Bruins are just a game back, but with all the injuries impacting their depth a wing, and the lack of rhythm, I’m not sure how ready they will be to match up with the #3 Wildcats come tomorrow night. At least they are back on the floor with fans.

We are exactly halfway through the NHL season, and the LA Kings have quietly climbed their way to 2nd place in the Pacific Division. I feel like Rob Blake must be reading Jock Talk LA, because their rise in the standings has coincided with the fact I urged them to start playing all the blue chip prospects they have at the NHL level. The Kings got a nice win yesterday against the Devils after getting beaten by the the elite Lightning and Avalanche earlier in the week. Not sure why everybody is making a big deal out of the the Lightning beating the Kings while shorthanded, while the Kings have been forever shorthanded with Rob Blake as their GM.

The MLB lockout is still going, but there’s a lot of noise around what the Dodgers could do when they can start signing players again. I’m not sure if people realize this, but after Corey Seager and Max Scherzer departed, the Dodgers have money to spend like you have when you get all those gift cards from Christmas. Plus, according to Dodger Insider David Vassegh, Clayton Kershaw is expected to return, and the Dodgers are strong contenders for the services of Freddie Freeman, and even yes……Carlos Correa. If they were to sign Freeman or Correa, no matter how much you hate Correa, they might be even better than last year. Congratulations to Brandon Gomes as well, who was just promoted to General Manager. Gomes isn’t that far removed from being a big league player, when he pitched for the Rays in 2012. I’m curious though if Andrew Friedman will have the computer tell Gomes what to do like he does with Dave Roberts.

Finally, congratulations to Taco Bell for coming to their senses and finally bringing back the Mexican Pizza. I haven’t seen a debacle like this since the last time the Chargers played football. I’m sure they just got tired of answering those questions on the corporate Twitter account, but it’s coming back in the spring. The Mexican Pizza is considered by many to be one of the most reliable and consistent parts of their childhood, if you are of a certain generation. This was all apparently due to environmental concerns with the packaging but this is 2022, there is packaging out there you can find that can still be environmentally responsible. Now if only McDonald’s would bring back the snack wraps.