The Sportsletter - Who's In Command, Anyway?

BY JEFF YODER

OCT. 14, 2022  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Happy Friday 👋

Amazon Prime's Thursday Night Football ratings took a plunge after another week of laughable football. The winning score in each of the last two TNF matchups? 12 points. Next week features two more teams with losing records. Amazon paid $1 billion for TNF. America paid with another three hours of time better spent elsewhere.

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NFL

Who's in Command, Anyway?

Photo: Michael Reeves / Getty Images

Commanders Stop Bears on Final Play (12-7) to Win Ugly TNF After Day of Dan Snyder Nonsense

There was football played between the Commanders and Bears last night (if you can call it that), but it was another low-scoring, ugly Thursday Night Football affair for the second straight week. To top it off, it was overshadowed by an off-the-field storyline that appears to be the norm for the Washington Commanders and owner Dan Snyder. After numerous failures and organizational investigations in recent years, Snyder was quoted on Thursday saying he had “dirt” on other team owners and could “blow up” the league. The NFL's most dysfunctional franchise can’t seem to just play football.

The Game: On the field, after the dust settled with the Snyder drama, it was another Thursday night slugfest between two struggling teams. The Commanders held off the Bears (12-7) thanks to a pair of goal line stands in a game where both offenses looked abysmal. QB Justin Fields and Chicago failed to convert on 4th-and-goal twice, including a wild final play where WR Darnell Mooney’s catch was ruled short with seconds left in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Carson Wentz didn't crack 100 yards passing, and won. Head coach Ron Rivera stormed out of the postgame press conference, and Washington ownership is still the laughing stock of the NFL. Who's in command of the Commanders, anyway?

Both teams are now 2-4, but Thursday Night Football is 0-2 in October.

QB Comparison

J. Fields (CHI): 14/27, 190 Yards, 1 TD, 1 INT (88 Yards Rushing)

C. Wentz (WAS): 12/22, 99 Yards

Fun Fact: Even though it wasn’t pretty, Carson Wentz is now 7-0 on Thursdays. He's 29-34-1 on other days.

Watch: Commanders Hold Off Bears on TNF (12-7)

Additional Storylines

Yahoo! Sports: Dan Snyder Claims to Have ‘Dirt’ That Could ‘Blow Up’ NFL

B/R: Commanders-Bears Game Prime Example of Bad QB Play Throughout NFL

SI: Ron Rivera Passionately Defends Commanders, Wentz After TNF Win

MLB

'Stros in Stride

Photo: Daniel Shirey / Getty Images

Astros Win Game 2 Over Mariners (4-2) Courtesy of Another Go-Ahead HR From Yordan Alvarez

Two ALDS games were slated for Thursday, but the weather in New York led officials to postpone Game 2 to Friday. That meant the Astros and Mariners took the spotlight, and Yordan Alvarez had something to say once more. For the second straight game, the Mariners led in Houston late in the game before another Alvarez home run flipped the scoreboard in the sixth. Seattle led 2-1 before Alvarez smashed a two-run shot off Luis Castillo to give Houston a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. They went on to win, 4-2. The Game 1 hero with a ninth-inning walk-off, Alvarez is now 4-for-9 with two home runs and seven RBIs in the series. The Astros tacked on one more in the eighth to take a 2-0 series lead heading back to Seattle.

Fun Fact: Yordan Alvarez became the first player in MLB postseason history to hit multiple go-ahead homers in the sixth inning or later when his team was trailing. And he just did it in back-to-back games.

Watch: Astros Rally Past Mariners Again in Game 2 (4-2)

Editor’s Note: Game 2 between the Yankees and Guardians was postponed to Friday due to weather.

Tonight’s Schedule

Gm 2: Guardians at Yankees (Fri. 1:07 pm)

Gm 3: Braves at Phillies (Fri. 4:37 pm)

Gm 3: Dodgers at Padres (Fri. 8:37 pm)

Additional Storylines

MLB: Yordan’s Historic Go-Ahead HR Gives Astros 2-0 Lead

Yahoo! Sports: Yankees-Guardians ALDS Game 2 Postponed Due to Rain

🎥 THE HIGHLIGHTS

🏒 NHL: Rangers on a Roll

More games from NHL opening week have been heating up the ice, but it’s the Rangers (2-0) with a 7-3 win over the Wild who are off to a scorching hot start. Artemi Panarin had a goal and three assists while Igor Shesterkin (33 saves) remains a brick wall in the net.

🏈 CFB: UCF Hangs 70 on Temple

And the scoreboard operator finally rests. Central Florida put up 70 points on Temple last night thanks to a touchdown party from QB John Rhys Plumlee (410 yards, 7 TDs). UCF racked up 737 total yards in a 70-13 win.

⛳️ PGA: Zozo Championship in Full Swing

Golf is being played in Japan this weekend as the Zozo Championship is fully into Round 2. Scorecards are shifting due to the time change, but Rickie Fowler (-10) leads the field at the time of today’s publication.

📰 THE HEADLINES

• Carlos Correa Opts Out of $70 Million Twins Contract to Hit Free Agency (B/R)
• Commanders Owner Dan Snyder Says He Has ‘Dirt’ on NFL Owners & Could ‘Blow Up’ League (SI)
• Qatar to Send Drunken Fans to Sobering-Up Areas During World Cup (ESPN)
• Fishermen Accused of Cheating in Ohio Tournament Indicted on Felony Charges (Yahoo! Sports)
• Brittney Griner Increasingly Concerned She May Not Be Released From Russian Prison (USA Today)

🗓️ WEEKEND SCHEDULE

The Must-Watch List

MLB Playoffs

Gm 2: Guardians at Yankees (Fri. 1:07 pm)

Gm 3: Braves at Phillies (Fri. 4:37 pm)

Gm 3: Dodgers at Padres (Fri. 8:37 pm)

Gm 4: Braves at Phillies (Sat. 2:07 pm)

Gm 3: Astros at Mariners (Sat. 4:07 pm)

Gm 3: Yankees at Guardians (Sat. 7:37 pm)

Gm 4: Dodgers at Padres (Sat. 9:37 pm)

Gm 4: Astros at Mariners (Sun. 3:07 pm)

Gm 5: Phillies at Braves (Sun. 4:37 pm)

Gm 4: Yankees at Guardians (Sun. 7:07 pm)

Gm 5: Padres at Dodgers (Sun. 9:07 pm)

NFL Week 6 (Sunday)

Vikings at Dolphins (1:00 pm)

Ravens at Giants (1:00 pm)

Bills at Chiefs (4:25 pm)

Cowboys at Eagles (8:20 pm)

Full NFL Week 6 Schedule

College Football Week 7 (Saturday)

#10 Penn State at #5 Michigan (Noon)

#3 Alabama at #6 Tennessee (3:30 pm)

#8 Oklahoma State at #13 TCU (3:30 pm)

Stanford at Notre Dame (7:30 pm)

#7 USC at #20 Utah (8:00 pm)

Full CFB Week 7 Schedule

Soccer

SPA: Real Madrid vs. Barcelona (Sun. 10:15 am)

EPL: Liverpool vs. Manchester City (Sun. 11:30 am)

NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs

Round of 8: Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Sun. 2:30 pm)

Full NHL Schedule

NBA Preseason Schedule

*All Times ET

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Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Product Manager: Matthew Cahill

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Technical Lead: Kevin Lonergan

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