Welcome to The Epoch Times Sports Brief for Friday, September 20, 2024. I’m Bill Thomas, we’ve got some really intriguing stories to share with you, and here’s what’s happening right now in the exciting world of sports.
We begin on the gridiron. The season is already on the line for a pair of top Super Bowl contenders, some very surprising unbeaten NFL teams face off against each other this weekend, and a couple of Big Ten showdowns spearhead another incredible week of college football action.
Also, a pair of division rivals are deadlocked for baseball’s final wildcard spot, and a very special World Cup soccer event kicks off tomorrow—but it’s not the one you’re thinking about.
NFL Contenders Face Must-Win Games
This season, nine teams in the NFL have started off 0-2, and if any of these squads lose again this Sunday, their prospects of making the postseason are likely finished.Since 1990, 162 teams have started the season 0-3, and only four of them eventually made it to the playoffs.
The situation looks bleak for the winless Broncos, Giants, Panthers, Colts, Titans, and Jags, while the Bengals look like they might right their ship. However, both the Ravens and the Rams are facing highly challenging matchups this weekend, with their seasons on the line.
You may recall, the Ravens lost a close game to the defending champion Chiefs in the NFL season opener, and just last week, they were upset at home by a very questionable Raiders squad in a loss that shocked football fans everywhere.
Two-time MVP Lamar Jackson and his grounded birds have seemingly been stuck in the nest, and now, they’re heading to Dallas to take on a very salty Cowboys team that was humiliated last week by the surprising New Orleans Saints.
Winning in the Big D will be a very tough task, and with another extremely difficult game waiting in the wings against the much improved Buffalo Bills a week from now, the Ravens simply have to beat the Cowboys or it’ll be their last roundup.
Sean McVay’s L.A. Rams also entered the season with very high expectations. However, they’re already beaten up, and they have more key players injured than any other team in the league, including starting wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua.
The Rams play at home on Sunday against another very angry team, the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners got ambushed last Sunday by the Vikings over in Minnesota, and they’re pretty banged up as well. Star running back Christian McCaffrey and speedy wideout Deebo Samuel will both be watching this one from the sidelines while throwing gallons of Gatorade down their gullets.
You should know that no team has ever lost its first three games and then gone on to win the Super Bowl.
Texans Visit Vikings in Battle of Unbeatens
The 2-0 Vikings, with journeyman interception machine Sam Darnold at the helm, were chosen prior to the season to be also-rans. Gifted young head coach Kevin O’Connell is showing the league just how great he truly is, and beating a very good Texans team in Minnesota this weekend will go a long way to shutting down some of the doubters.The visiting Texans are young, deep, and solid on both sides of the ball. Second-year edge rusher Will Anderson is an absolute beast, and he’s getting better each week. That’s a terrifying thought for anyone forced to line up against him.
Second-year QB C.J. Stroud is also proving to be a marvel, and he’s the talk of the league, especially after last year’s No. 1 overall draft pick Bryce Young was benched earlier this week by the Panthers.
Over in Pittsburgh, the Steelers will host the Chargers in another matchup of unbeatens. Interesting to note, Mike Tomlin is now in his 18th season as Pittsburgh’s head coach, and he has never had a losing record with the team.
Quarterback Russell Wilson is still nursing a sore calf, and Bears retread Justin Fields will start for the third week in a row. Fields hasn’t exactly lit up the Steel City offense, but as long as the fourth-year passer keeps on winning, he’ll likely scramble to keep his starting job.
On the other sideline, new coach Jim Harbaugh is already way ahead of schedule with his reconstruction of the visiting Chargers, and that should come as no surprise to anyone who’s watched football over the last decade.
Harbaugh’s been a winner wherever he’s coached, and it already looks like he’s working his old-school magic again in the City of Angels. His teams always play tough in the trenches, and this season, the rugged Chargers look like they fit the mold.
It’s shaping up to be an old-fashioned slobberknocker between a pair of really well-coached teams.
You should know that since 1970, nearly 75 percent of teams that win their first three games go on to make the playoffs.
Big Ten Matchups Highlight College Football Week 4
The spectacular action kicks off tonight in Lincoln, Nebraska, with a very exciting clash between Illinois and Nebraska—a pair of up-and-coming conference rivals.Both teams are currently unbeaten and ranked in the top 25, and each school has rabid fans who have been waiting many years for their respective programs to be relevant.
You should know that in Nebraska, second-year head coach Matt Rhule and his phenomenal freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola have already brought some real swagger back to the legendary Cornhuskers, and the dynamic duo is just getting started.
On the other sideline, the visiting Illini play with the same toughness of their head coach, old-school Bret Bielema, and the team is off to its best start in years.
Another marquee matchup to keep your eyes on kicks off tomorrow, and it features a West Coast team that’s making its Big Ten conference debut.
Head coach Lincoln Riley and his young USC Trojan squad are leaving their surfboards behind in sunny Southern California and heading east to Michigan, where they’ll play in front of 107,000 screaming fans at the largest stadium in college football.
You should know that the hometown Wolverines have played uninspiring ball so far this season, and head coach Sherrone Moore is hoping to spark his lackluster offense by starting dual-threat junior Alex Orji at quarterback for the very first time.
Another couple of huge games are also on the slate tomorrow, and they each pit Top 15 teams against each other.
In an early season tussle for Big 12 supremacy, Utah visits the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Stillwater, while down the road, rising SEC contender, the Tennessee Volunteers, bring their high-flying air show to Norman to take on the Oklahoma Sooners.
The always formidable Sooners feel like they’ve been overlooked and underrated this season, and they are carrying a gigantic chip on their shoulder into this early season donnybrook.
Baseball Wildcard Spots Still Up for Grabs
The Tigers are putting together a fantastic second half run, and the ferocious team from Detroit has finally caught up to the stumbling Minnesota Twins. Both teams sport identical 80-73 records heading into tonight’s action, with only nine games to go.You should know that these teams are both on the road this weekend, with the Tigers taking on the very tough Orioles in Baltimore, and the Twins traveling to Beantown to take on the Red Sox at legendary Fenway Park.
Taking a quick look ahead, both teams return home next week for the final six games of the season. Detroit holds a slight advantage, owing to a final weekend homestand against the hapless Chicago White Sox, who are putting together one of the very worst statistical seasons in modern baseball history.
Over in the National League, the surprising New York Mets and the scrappy Arizona Diamondbacks are tied for the last pair of wildcard spots with identical 85-68 records. However, the sneaky Atlanta Braves are hovering only a couple of games back, and they will host the Mets next week for a critical three-game series.
On a final baseball note, a tip of the cap to the great Shohei Ohtani, who just yesterday became the very first player in major league history to wallop 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season.
Last night in Miami, the Japanese-born Ohtani smacked three homers and drove in a ridiculous 10 runs, clinching a playoff spot for the L.A. Dodgers while cementing his stellar reputation as one of the best big leaguers to ever play the game.
Inspiring Soccer Tourney Kicks Off in Seoul
It’s called The Homeless World Cup, and it’s a weeklong competition that’s taking place in Seoul, South Korea.This year’s tournament features 56 teams from 42 countries, and includes around 450 players who have each experienced some form of homelessness.
The organization that runs the event says that the goal of the gathering is to use the sport of soccer to inspire people who are homeless to change their lives, and also to transform the attitudes of other people toward those who don’t have a place to live.
The organization points out that being homeless can isolate a person, and says that joining a sports team can give these struggling individuals a sense of belonging.
Interesting to note, the team from the United States is ranked #11 heading into this year’s competition, and Mexico is the top-ranked team for both men and women.
You should know that the annual event started 21 years ago in Austria, and that just last year, the Homeless World Cup took place in Sacramento, California—the very first time the tournament was held in the United States.
Before we go, we’d like to raise our rackets high into the air and serve up a chunk of nostalgia from decades ago, when a bizarre tennis smackdown took place in front of an enormous crowd at the Houston Astrodome.
It was on this day in 1973 that women’s tennis champion Billie Jean King and men’s ace Bobby Riggs went toe-to-toe in an exhibition grudge match that promoters dubbed “The Battle of the Sexes.”
Interesting to note, the 29-year-old King swept the 55-year-old Riggs in three straight sets, and they say 50 million Americans were glued to their TV sets watching the spectacle, which was broadcast worldwide.
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.
If you have any thoughts about the Sports Brief program, we’d love to hear from you, and you can find us at [email protected].
For all of us here at The Epoch Times Sports Brief, I’m Bill Thomas.
The Epoch Times Sports Brief program is written by the undefeated David Ross.
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Enjoy another 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.
