The Sportsletter - More Tricks Than Treats 🍬

BY JEFF YODER

NOV. 1, 2022  |  SUBSCRIBE  |  REFER  |  WEB VIEW

Good Morning,

There were more tricks than treats on Halloween. The weather tricked World Series fans and the Browns tricked everybody on Monday Night Football. November brings college hoops and the FIFA World Cup. I'll keep running on sugar until I crash for the holidays…

Letter Rip!

NFL PICK 'EM

Congratulations to our Week 8 winner, Jody M.! Jody went 12-1 in Week 8 to tie with three others for the top spot, but she nailed the tiebreaker within just two points. Check your email later today for prizing details.

Let's reset the points and turn the page to the second half of the season. Week 9 picks are now open!

Thursday Night Football Games Not Included to Allow Players to Make Picks Until Sunday Morning

NFL

Fright Night in Cleveland 

Photo: Nick Cammett / Getty Images

Browns Frighten Burrow & Bengals (32-13) in Halloween AFC North Showdown

Monday night in Ohio proved the theory that anybody can beat anybody on any given day in the NFL. The Bengals entered Monday Night on the back of two 30-point performances, and the Browns came in on a four-game skid. But primetime in Cleveland was a shocking blowout. The Browns sacked Bengals QB Joe Burrow five times while forcing him into two turnovers. Cleveland led 25-0 by the third quarter thanks to a deadly run game led by Nick Chubb. Amari Cooper also had a big impact and Donovan Peoples-Jones made the play of the night with a sideline hurdle (seen above). Things just got tight in the AFC North.

QB Comparison

J. Brissett (CLE): 17/22, 278 yards, 1 TD

J. Burrow (CIN): 25/35, 232 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT

Top Performers

RB N. Chubb (CLE): 23 carries, 101 yards, 2 TDs

WR A. Cooper (CLE): 5 receptions, 131 yards, 1 TD

LB S. Takitaki (CLE): 13 tackles, 1 sack

AFC North Standings

Ravens (5-3)

Bengals (4-4)

Browns (3-5)

Steelers (2-6)

Watch: Browns Blast Bengals on MNF (32-13)

Additional Storylines

Yahoo! Sports: Halloween Delivers Scary Sight for Bengals in Loss

CBS Sports: Browns Torment Burrow, Snap Losing Skid With Big Halloween Win

NFL

Trade Deadline Headliners

Photo: Cooper Neill / Getty Images

Ravens Acquire All-Pro LB Roquan Smith From Bears in Latest Blockbuster

Today’s NFL trade deadline is fast approaching (4:00 pm ET) and another blockbuster stole headlines on Monday. The Ravens nabbed all-pro LB Roquan Smith from the Bears in exchange for one player and two picks. Smith had requested a trade in the offseason and was a holdout for part of training camp before returning to the squad. The former No. 8 overall pick in 2018 is the second high-profile defender traded by the Bears in the last week after sending DE Robert Quinn to the Eagles. Smith has over 600 tackles, 16.5 sacks and seven interceptions in four-plus seasons. And the Ravens just boosted their defense.

Trade Details

Ravens Get: LB Roquan Smith

Bears Get: 2nd-Round Pick, 5th-Round Pick, LB A.J. Klein

Notable Names to Watch

RB Kareem Hunt (Browns)

WR Chase Claypool (Steelers)

WR Brandin Cooks (Texans)

RB Cam Akers (Rams)

WR Elijah Moore (Jets)

DE Bradley Chubb (Broncos)

LB Shaq Thompson (Panthers)

Trade Deadline: Today (4:00 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

Yahoo! Sports: Ravens Make a Big Move With Trade for Roquan Smith

NFL: Trade Deadline Tracker: Full Details on Every Move Since Start of Regular Season

MLB PLAYOFFS

Game 3 Rained Out

Photo: Tim Nwachukwu / Getty Images

Game 3 Postponed in Philadelphia Due to Weather

Rain on the east coast threw a wrench in the World Series schedule on Monday with Game 3 in Philadelphia being postponed to tonight. That will shift the rest of the Fall Classic back a day, and it could have implications on pitching rotations. Advantage? Phillies. Here’s the new schedule.

Updated World Series Schedule

Gm 3: Astros at Phillies (Tonight, 8:00 pm ET)
Gm 4: Astros at Phillies (Wed. 8:00 pm ET)

Gm 5: Astros at Phillies (Thurs. 8:00 pm ET)

Gm 6: Phillies at Astros (Sat. 8:00 pm ET)

Gm 7: Phillies at Astros (Sun. 8:00 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

MLB: How Game 3’s Postponement Could Aid Phillies’ Rotation

CBS Sports: How Game 3 Rainout Impacts Both Pitching Plans for Rest of Fall Classic

🏀 NBA HIGHLIGHTS

NBA: Harden Leads 76ers to 3rd Straight

After a rocky 0-3 start, the 76ers won their third straight game to get back to .500 (4-4) on Monday night. James Harden (23 points, 17 assists) and Tyrese Maxey (28 points) led the way as Philly held off the Wizards (118-111).

Other NBA Highlights

Kings def. Hornets (115-108)

Nets def. Pacers (116-109)

Raptors def. Hawks (139-109)

Bucks def. Pistons (110-108)

Jazz def. Grizzlies (121-105)

Clippers def. Rockets (95-93)

🏒 NHL HIGHLIGHTS

NHL: Thompson’s Epic Hat Trick Powers Sabres

Take a bow, Tage Thompson! The Sabres crushed the Red Wings (8-3) thanks to a career night for the 25-year-old center. Thompson tallied three goals and three assists for a six-point night to remember.

Other NHL Highlights

Hurricanes def. Capitals (3-2, SO)

Kings def. Blues (5-1)

THE STORYLINES

🏈 6 Biggest Questions Before 1st CFP Rankings

On Tuesday night, we begin the latest season of that hit ESPN series, Adventures In Uselessly Antagonizing America, otherwise known as the College Football Playoff rankings show. Here are our six biggest questions. (Sports Illustrated)

🏁 NASCAR’s Championship 4

The penultimate race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season produced an unforgettable ending with Christopher Bell scoring his second walk-off win of the playoffs to advance to the Championship 4 along with Joey Logano, Chase Elliot and Ross Chastain. (Yahoo!)

🏀 The NBA’s Best Death Lineups

Are NBA "Death Lineups" still a thing? I sure hope so because I've got a bunch of ones ranging from "Purely, wonderfully hypothetical" to "Established, sort of" that I'm convinced are going to be dynamite this season. (Bleacher Report)

📰 THE HEADLINES

• Auburn Fires Head Coach Bryan Harsin After Less Than 2 Seasons (ESPN)
• Jim Harbaugh Expects Criminal Charges After Michigan-MSU Tunnel Altercation (B/R)
• XFL Unveils Eight Cities & Teams for Upcoming 2023 Season (SI)
• Florida DE Brenton Cox Dismissed From Football Team for ‘Accumulation of Issues’ (USA Today)
• France Star Paul Pogba Ruled Out of 2022 World Cup With Knee Injury (FOX Sports)

• 76ers Lose 2 Draft Picks as Result of Tampering Investigation (Yahoo! Sports)

Support The Sportsletter Team

Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Product Manager: Matthew Cahill

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Technical Lead: Kevin Lonergan

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