September 19, 2022
The Rams finally looked like the Rams yesterday. No, I don’t care that they were outscored 17-3 in the 4th quarter. That happened because they shot themselves in the foot, and made fluky mistakes like turnovers and blocked punts. The defense is still showing that it is elite, and the offense is still explosive. The offensive line is still a problem though, as is their running game, but this was sa nice “get right game” for this team. Nice to see Allen Robinson out there getting more than just cardio, as he caught a TD pass and had over 50 yards receiving. By the way in case you didn’t notice, Cooper Kupp is really good at football. Big divisional game next week against Arizona on the road.
Looking back at Thursday Night Football, the Chargers did some Charger like things against the Chiefs. They were up 17-7 and then proceeded to hand the game over to KC like a 501C3 charity. For a while it looked like Justin Herbert was good enough to pull the Chargers out of this abyss of crazy losses. Except by the 4th quarter, it looked like Patrick Mahomes had his magic back, and an injured Herbert couldn’t overcome the typical miscues. What’s also not really helping is the fact that Brandon Staley is making some bizarre calls in every game. The fact Herbert wanted to continue to play is admirable, but the Chargers would have been smart to stop him from doing so and not risk further injury. Now it’s going to be an issue moving forward, even if he’s on the field in week 3.
Elsewhere around the NFL, Davonta Adams is probably going to demand a trade back to Green Bay after the Raiders blew it against the Cardinals. The Bengals lost to the Cowboys and haven’t been this embarrassed since before every game they’ve ever played before last season. The 49ers beat the Seahawks, lost Trey Lance for the year, and Jimmy G was actually cracking a smile under his face mask. Aaron Rodgers took out his frustration on the Bears as the Packers got a win, while Tom Brady took out his frustration on an IPad in the Bucs win over the Saints.
To the NBA where the Lakers still haven’t traded Russell Westbrook, but they did sign Dennis Schroeder to a one-year deal. Schroeder is actually a good player and a good defender, two things the Lakers really need, and he comes for a bargain. With Patrick Beverly, Schroeder, and Austin Reaves, the Lakers actually might have improved their shooting and their perimeter defense. I still think if they want to get anywhere, they will need to trade Russ, but this is a decent signing. As for the all the jokes about Schroeder not signing an $84 million offer 18 months ago with the Lakers, obviously a poor decision to gamble on himself. But hey….sometimes you gamble and win…..sometimes you gamble and lose!
In College Football USC picked up another win, this time dismantling Fresno State on Saturday night. I’m pretty sure at this moment, there is no Trojan alum or fan that even remembers them dying for Urban Meyer a year ago. The Trojans are making it look that easy, and not only has the offense been looking like it’s straight out of a video game, but the defense has even shown up lately. That was evident on Saturday night, with some big statement shut down drives against the Bulldogs. There’s also plenty of energy back at The Coliseum with the stands full again. At some point the Trojans will be tested, but it will probably be a few weeks before that happens with Oregon State looming next.
I’m not sure what to make of UCLA Football though. They are still undefeated after escaping against Alabama State. They continue to take advantage of a weak schedule early on, but it also seems like at some point the schedule will catch up with them and they’ll get exposed in conference play. They should beat and awful Colorado team, but I feel like the jig will be up on Chip Kelly once the Bruins face Washington, Utah, and Oregon in three straight weeks. The question everyone has to be wondering is what it will take for Chip Kelly to get a contract beyond this year. Is it just beating USC? Or is it just making it to a bowl game? I think most UCLA fans are hoping the bar is a lot higher than that, but sadly, I’m not sure it is.
The Dodgers are showing no signs of slowing down after clinching the division last week. However, the real question is going to be what kind of health their rotation has heading into October. It seems like for now, Julio Urias, Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Anderson, and Andrew Heaney are the best bets to be healthy. It sure would be nice to have Tony Gonsolin back, and although he’s improving, he might not be fully stretched out to start in October. Also, the acquisition of Joey Gallo has proved to be phenomenal. The guy is swinging the bat like he’s an elite player again, and if he keeps this up in the playoffs, this team might actually win another World Series.
Finally, House of The Dragon on HBO went down last night with Episode 5. This episode had some real “Red Wedding” vibes to it. I feel like every episode Viserys banishes Daemon, yet he just walks right back in to Kings Landing like everything is cool again. Daemon also probably wants a mulligan after killing his wife, only to not get to marry Rhaenyra. You should clearly never go to a wedding in this series if your name is “Joffrey”. I feel like every episode Viserys just wants to build his Legos, but everybody is just stressing him out. That scene with Daemon and Rhaenyra is really beginning to test our values as viewers, because I haven’t heard anybody so completely outraged that those two could possibly end up together. I’m also mildly disappointed that we are going to see a set of some new characters, in particular a farwell to Milly Alcock as Rhaenyra, because of the time jump that’s about to take place in the show. We were just getting attached to them. Nevertheless, this show is killing it, and looking forward to what’s next.
