Good morning, and welcome to The Epoch Times Sports Brief for Friday, Sept. 6, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas, we’ve got some dramatic stories to share with you right now, and here’s what’s going on in the world of sports.
The best franchise in the NFL shows they’re still the team to beat, two real-deal Super Bowl contenders gear up for a South American free-for-all, and some surprising Americans go racquet-to-racquet for a chance to shock the world.
Also, the college football season explodes with a huge matchup that has serious playoff implications, and hold on to your helmets, as we unveil the first ever “Sports Brief Dirty Dozen”—our ranking of the 12 premier teams in college football.
Chiefs Hang On to Beat Ravens
The Chiefs held on by the length of a toe to beat their chief AFC rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, in a thrilling nailbiter to open the season in incredible fashion.The two-time defending champions held off a furious Ravens rally for a 27–20 victory. Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson, last year’s MVP, led the Ravens all the way to the 10-yard line with seconds left on the clock before tossing an apparent touchdown to tight end Isaiah Likely. But video replay showed that Likely’s toe barely scraped the back of the end zone, and the call was reversed, handing a very exciting victory to the home squad.
Legendary quarterback Patrick Mahomes added to his legacy with another great opening day performance, including a sweet touchdown pass to rookie receiver Xavier Worthy. The speedy Worthy scored two TDs on the day, scoring a rushing touchdown the very first time he ever touched the ball as a pro.
Baltimore’s offense runs through their best player, Jackson, and the versatile QB showed once again that there’s no one like him in the game. Jackson dodged Kansas City’s swarming defenders for 122 hard-earned yards on the ground, and spread the ball around for another 273 in the air, but in the end, he came up one inch short.
This season, the Chiefs and head coach Andy Reid are attempting to become the first team in league history to hoist the coveted Lombardi Trophy for three straight years, and they showed the league they mean business with a very strong showing.
Brazil Hosts First NFL Game
The Philadelphia Eagles are set to face the Green Bay Packers under the Friday night lights of Sao Paulo, Brazil, and the contest will be the first NFL game ever played on that continent.The big game will be held at the Arena Corinthians soccer stadium in front of more than 49,000 screaming fans, and both squads enter the contest with sky-high expectations after ending last season on very different notes.
The resilient Eagles are looking to rebound from last year’s epic late-season collapse. After starting off at a hot 10 and one, the Birds plummeted, dropping six of their last seven contests before getting blown out by the Buccaneers in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
The unexpected tumble left struggling head coach Nick Sirianni perched firmly on the hot seat. The organization has brought in well-respected veterans Kellen Moore to shore up the offense and Vic Fangio to make repairs to the defense, and fans in Philly are hoping for a quick turnaround.
Dual-threat quarterback Jalen Hurts lines up behind center, and he looks to rebound from a down year in which he tossed 15 interceptions—that’s way too many if the Eagles hope to soar back into the playoffs. The team signed high-priced free agent running back Saquon Barkley, from the New York Giants, to help carry the load.
On the other side, the skyrocketing Packers are the youngest team in the league, and feature quarterback Jordan Love, one of the sport’s fastest-rising stars.
The strong-armed Love had some very big shoes to fill last year after replacing the legendary Aaron Rodgers, but he pulled it off magnificently. After starting off slow, he took off down the stretch and carried the team on his shoulders to a playoff victory over the Cowboys before finally falling to the 49ers.
The Pack recently rewarded their young QB for his phenomenal breakout season with a four-year, $220 million contract extension, making him one of the highest-paid players in the entire NFL. Only time will tell if the team gets their money’s worth.
Americans Meet in US Open Semifinals
In just a few hours, Frances Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz will face off in the U.S. Open in Flushing Meadows, and the prize is a coveted spot in Sunday’s finals.Both desperately want to be the first American man to win a major tennis tournament since Andy Roddick in 2003. You should know that no American man has made it to the finals of the U.S. Open since 2006.
You should also know that this pair of 26-year-old athletes are very good friends, and they’ve cheered each other on for years. But neither wants to be the spectator lounging in the stands come Sunday afternoon.
Fritz, who’s ranked No. 12, owns a 6–1 advantage in head-to-head competition against the 20th-rated Tiafoe, and both men beat Top Ten opponents earlier this week in the quarterfinals to set up the biggest match of their lives.
In the other semifinal, No. 1-ranked Jannik Sinner of Italy is set to face No. 25-ranked Jack Draper from Great Britain, and the two winners will serve against each other on Sunday in Arthur Ashe Stadium for the largest prize in tennis, $3.6 million.
It’s worth noting that it’s been a strong tournament for American women as well.
No. 6-ranked Yankee Jessica Pegula outlasted Karolína Muchová from the Czech Republic for her very first spot in the finals of a major. She’ll take on No. 2 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, who knocked out American Emma Navarro in straight sets.
Key Matchup Highlights Big Week of College Football
Heading back to the gridiron. College football’s week two has arrived, and there are some huge early-season matchups on the schedule.We’ll begin in the most humongous college stadium in the country, the Big House, where defending champion Michigan is set to host No. 3-ranked Texas in a crucial early season contest with enormous playoff implications.
The home team has lost former coach Jim Harbaugh and a bunch of major contributors to the big leagues. But new coach Sherrone Moore and the current crop of Wolverines are still a formidable top-10 opponent, especially at home, where they play in front of 107,000 raucous fans.
Visiting coach Steve Sarkisian is building a highly respected program in Austin, and quarterback Quinn Ewers is an early Heisman candidate. Look for the high-scoring Longhorns to put some big numbers on the scoreboard against a stout Michigan defense.
There are some other really tough games on the early season schedule, including in Iowa City, where the Iowa Hawkeyes get set to host traditional rival Iowa State.
Former Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara lines up behind center for the home team, and longtime coach Kirk Ferentz returns to the sidelines after last week’s one-game suspension for a recruiting violation. On the other sideline, the Cyclones are led by respected coach Matt Campbell, but will play without linebacker Caleb Bacon, who’s out with a lower leg injury.
In nearby Lincoln, Colorado takes on Nebraska in another matchup between two teams who, as you know, really aren’t that fond of one another. Both programs are on the way up after languishing for several seasons, and whoever comes out on top in this one takes a huge step forward.
Inspirational coach Deion Sanders leads his son, quarterback Shedeur Sanders, and two-way phenom Travis Hunter into the Cornhusker State. Coach Prime has taken a softer tone this week, and has even lauded Nebraska coach Matt Rhule.
Rhule has had great success turning around losing football programs, and the second-year coach scored an enormous offseason victory when he landed highly coveted freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola.
College Football’s Very Best Teams
While we’re waiting for kickoff, we have just enough time to scope out our picks for the 12 strongest teams in college football right now:- No. 12: the Oklahoma State Cowboys
- No. 11: the Tennessee Volunteers
- No. 10: the USC Trojans
- No. 9: the Oregon Ducks
- No. 8: the Penn State Nittany Lions
- No. 7: the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame
- No. 6: the Miami Hurricanes
- No. 5: the Mississippi Rebels
- No. 4: the Ohio State Buckeyes
- No. 3: the Alabama Crimson Tide
- No. 2: the Georgia Bulldogs
- And coming in at No 1: our pick for the best team in college football, the mighty University of Texas Longhorns. And why? Because we think so, and that’s good enough for us.
Before we go, we’d like to tip our caps in honor of one of the most cherished baseball records of all time, which was set on this very day, just 29 short years ago.
In front of a roaring hometown crowd in Baltimore, Orioles superstar Cal Ripken Jr. is crowned the sport’s new Iron Man when he sets a legendary record for most consecutive games played at 2,131, snatching the baton from beloved Yankee legend Lou Gehrig.
The durable shortstop would go on to play in over 500 more straight contests before finally hanging up his cleats on the way to the Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Cal, and enjoy those Maryland crabcakes and a bottle of root beer.
Looks like we’re out of time, so we’re going to call it a wrap for this edition of The Epoch Times Sports Brief.
Thanks for checking in, and we’ll see you next time for another insightful and up-to-date look at the exciting world of sports.
For all of us here at The Epoch Times Sports Brief, I’m Bill Thomas.
The Epoch Times Sports Brief is written by the future Hall of Famer Dave Ross.
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Enjoy a great weekend of sports, stay safe, and please join us again next time for another edition of The Epoch Times Sports Brief. Till then, let’s all continue to watch out for one another, have a superb day today, and remember to keep your eyes on the game. Bye for now.
